September 29, 2015 UPDATE

For a roundup of domestic and international events, click here.

Newsroom, 29.09.2015, 12:15

CENSURE MOTION – The censure motion filed by the Liberal opposition against Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Tuesday was rejected by Parliament, with 207 votes in favour and 8 votes against. To pass, the motion needed the votes of 275 MPs. The Liberals say the accusations levelled by anti-corruption prosecutors against Victor Ponta, namely forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering, no longer allow him to sign laws or take responsibility for the countrys budget and prosecuting the Prime Minister severely affects Romanias credibility. Alongside the former Social Democrat Senator Dan Sova, Ponta is accused of involvement, while being a lawyer, in committing crimes which brought the state a prejudice of over 16 million euros, more exactly to the Rovinari and Turceni energy companies in southern Romania.

UN General Assembly – The international community should do more to combat terorrism, a threat to global peace, president Klaus Iohannis said in a new speech before the UN General Assembly in New York. The president said Romania and Spain have kicked off a process to set up an International Court for Terrorism-Related Crimes. Additionally, the president said the UN should employ realism and action to deal with the main causes of migration. This is the third speech of the Romanian president after he previously tackled gender equality and the sustainable development agenda. The presidents agenda also includes his participation in the summit devoted to combating the Islamic State and violent extremism, chaired by US president Barack Obama. Previously, Klaus Iohannis met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The two tackled hot topics on the international agenda and highlighted the role of the UN on the global security map. On Monday, Klaus Iohannis discussed with US vice-president Joe Biden about the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States, the fight against terrorism and the refugee crisis facing Europe.

BLACK SEA – Romanias Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Tuesday chaired the informal meeting of Foreign Ministers of countries members of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (OBSEC). Aurescu outlined the main objectives of Romania, the country currently holding the chairmanship-in-office of this organization, namely the regional inter-connection of policies in the fields of transport, energy and the environment, combating organized crime and tax evasion. Previously Aurescu took part in an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, held on the sideline of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Romanian official said that in the case of the Syrian conflict, only a political solution could offer a long-term result, adding that the negotiation process should prevent extremist groups from consolidating their position in the area.

SYRIA – Also in the case of Syria, US president Barack Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have taken different stands. Obama insists that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad should leave power, whereas Putin underlines no one truly fights against the Islamic State jihadist group, except for Assad and his militia. Putin called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution meant to instate a broad coalition against the Islamic State, reiterating that Russia will not take part in any action meant to topple what he called ‘a legitimate government. A meeting of the contact group for Syria, comprising the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Egypt has already been set for October.

RESIGNATION – The Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liberal Dan Motreanu on Tuesday tendered his resignation, which could become official as early as October 1. On Monday, anti-corruption prosecutors indicted Dan Motreanu and former presidential advisor George Scutaru, charged with receiving hundreds of thousands of euros in bribe for funding the 2008 election campaign of the National Liberal Party.

IMF – Romania this year will request the signing of a new standby assistance programme with the IMF. Negotiations will focus on the implementation of structural reforms, not on the budget deficit, as Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici on Tuesday had told Reuters. The previous standby-agreement with the IMF signed in 2013 and worth 2 billion euros expired on Saturday. Its purpose was to safeguard the economy against external market shocks. Since the outset of the economic crisis in 2009, Romania has signed three consecutive loan agreements with the IMF and the EU, which helped the Government carry sustain its budget and economic policies and privatise state-owned companies.

TABLE TENNIS – The Romanian womens table tennis team on Tuesday won the silver medal at the European Championships in Russia after losing the final to Germany 3-nil. A win would have brought the fourth continental title for the Romanian players after the wins of 1992, 2002 and 2005. The mens team had a disappointing run in this years edition, ranking 15th after grabbing its first win on Tuesday, in the last match against Ukraine.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranked 2nd in WTA standings on Tuesday defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 33rd WTA-ranked, in the second round of the WTA tournament in Wuhan, totalling 2,2 million dollars in prize money. Seeded first in the competition, Halep won in two sets, 6-2, 6-1 and will next take on Johanna Konta of the United Kingdom in the round of last 16. Also on Tuesday, irina Begu lost to Roberta Vinci of Italy, while Monica Niculescu, ranked 47th in WTA standings, lost to Carla Suarez Navarro, ranked 10th in WTA standings. Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu has qualified to the doubles round of last 16, where they will take on Ala Kudriavtseva of Russia and Olga Savchuk of Ukraine.