THE WEEK IN REVIEW
March 11-15, 2024
Bogdan Matei, 16.03.2024, 18:18
About the Treasury of Romania in Brussels
The European Parliament adopted, on Thursday, a resolution by which it asks Russia to fully return Romania’s national treasure, which it illegally appropriated. This is an unprecedented international case of illegal appropriation of gold reserves and heritage objects, and represents a permanent concern for Romanian society – the MEPs emphasize. According to the resolution, the Parliament welcomes the substantial efforts of the European Union to protect the national, cultural, and historical heritage, through the implementation of the legislation and cooperation mechanisms that regulate the restitution of cultural and heritage assets illegally appropriated from the territories of Union countries, as well as the efforts in combating trafficking in cultural goods. The MEPs call on the European Commission and the European External Action Service to include the restitution of the Romanian national heritage on the bilateral diplomatic agenda that regulates EU-Russia relations, as soon as the regional context allows the resumption of political dialogue between the parties. During the First World War, between 1916 and 1917, Romania sent the national treasury (which included significant amounts of gold, heirlooms, art collections, jewels, archives) to allied Czarist Russia, to be protected in case of occupation of the national territory by German, Austro-Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Turkish enemy troops. After the establishment of the Bolshevik regime founded by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Russia seized the treasury and refused to return it, and most of the valuables remain unreturned to this day. The issue of returning the Treasury has been discussed, unsuccessfully, for decades by a joint Romanian-Russian commission.
About President Iohannis at NATO
The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will end, in 2024, his second five-year presidential mandate to which the Constitution gave him the right. And, as anticipated by many, he announced on Tuesday his candidacy for the position of Secretary General of NATO. A position that, also this year and after a decade, Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg will leave. What legitimizes Iohannis for the head of the strongest political-military alliance in history is, he says, the deep understanding of the challenges it faces, as well as Romania’s performance in NATO, being a neighbor of Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops. “In a complicated security context, our country has proven that it is a pillar of stability in the region” – the head of state also stated, adding that it is time for Romania to assume even greater responsibility within the Euro-Atlantic leadership structures. As far as is known at the moment, the President of Romania will have the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is also retiring from national politics, as his counter-candidate for the head of NATO. The latter seems to be the favorite, because he has the support of the great powers in NATO: the United States, the first among equals in the Alliance, Great Britain, France, and Germany. But the choice is made through diplomatic consultations between all the member states, and the decision is announced only when a consensus is reached on a single candidate. And Rutte, with a bad image in the chancelleries in Turkey, Romania, Hungary, or Bulgaria, is now far from this unanimity.
Ukraine without Romanian troops
Romania will not send combatants to Ukraine – President Iohannis declared, also on Tuesday, noting that Ukraine is not a NATO member, so it cannot benefit from the presence of the Alliance’s troops “We support Ukraine in many ways and we will continue to do so” – the head of state emphasized . “A possible sending of combatants to Ukraine cannot be considered under the NATO mandate, because Ukraine is not a NATO ally” – Iohannis pointed out. He also said that “if there are bilateral agreements between a state and Ukraine on any topic, they can be honored.”
About the economy, at the OECD
Romania’s economy could register a growth of 3.1% this year and 3.3% next year – said the Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mathias Cormann. He mentioned that the institution he leads estimates a reduction in inflation, in order to continue Romania’s convergence process, with a continuous increase in living standards and incomes, but, for this purpose, sustained reforms will be needed. According to the general secretary of the OECD, maintaining the active population for a longer duration in their jobs would have positive effects on the economy. Greater tax compliance is also required. According to the Secretary General of the OECD, the full use of European funds is also important in order to increase productivity. Romania receives 28.5 billion euros in funds for recovery, a huge percentage of GDP, which must be invested in the infrastructure and the area of transportation – said Mathias Cormann.
About visas with Simona Halep
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep left for Miami on Monday, where she will play her first official matches after more than a year and a half of suspension, for alleged doping. In a post on a social network, the former world number one of women’s tennis thanked the United States Embassy for the support it gave her in obtaining visas for her and her team. At the same time, the tennis player urged Romanians to support the Visa Waiver program. Thus, she appealed to those who already have visas to renew them, including by mail. In this way, the rate of approved visas will increase, an essential condition for Romania to enter this free access program in the United States. The tournament in Miami will begin on March 17.
