June 20, 2015 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 20.06.2015, 13:56
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis attended on Friday evening the Sibiu International Theatre Festival. On this occasion, the head of state said Romania turned into a European cultural landmark. Artists from all over the world are in the central Romanian city of Sibiu these days, Klaus Iohannis, who had been mayor of this city before he became President, said. The Sibiu International Theatre Festival ends on Sunday. Currently at its 22nd edition, it includes 400 events and 2,500 artists and has turned the city into a huge stage for theatre shows, dance, music and circus.
According to Eurostat figures published on Saturday, on the World Refugee Day, EU member states granted protection status to, more than 570,000 asylum seekers over the last five years. In the first quarter of 2015 almost 200,000 asylum seekers applied for protection in EU countries, by over 80% more than in the same period of 2014. On the occasion of the World Refugee Day the UN Refugee Agency made public an audio message in several different languages to raise awareness over the problems facing the refugees. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said in a release that the unprecedented number of asylum seekers mirrors not only a deepening individual sufferance but also an alarming multiplication of violence and instability throughout the world. In another development, the members of the Visegrad group of countries within the EU – Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, opposed quotas in EU migrant debate. A number of EU countries have stressed any acceptance system should be based on a voluntary approach. In Brussels, the European Commission criticised harshly Hungary’s decision to build a security wall at its border with Serbia to prevent migrants from entering the Hungarian territory.
Romania is taking all necessary measures, alongside other NATO members, to secure the estern border of NATO and the EU. Romanian Defense Minister Mircea Dusa said that for this purpose the number of joint military drills in Romania increased considerably. Minister Dusa has announced Romania plans to buy 12 F-16 fighter jets. At the military firing range in Cincu, in Brasov County, the TRIDENT JOUST 15 exercise brings together 1000 soldiers from 26 NATO members. It is designed to test the capability of the Joint Allied Command in Naples to coordinate common defense for NATO. A command structure from a Joint Allied Command was for the first time relocated to Romania, and also as a first, a command and control unit of NATO’s Response Force, of which the Naples Command is in charge this year, is transferred to a temporary location. At the same time, until June 26th, Romanian soldiers take part in the a multinational special forces exercise ROUSOFEX 15.
Romania has become a full member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). The decision was has been taken this week in Geneva. The main area of research of this organisation, founded in 1954, is particle physics — the study of the fundamental constituents of matter and the forces acting between them. Because of this, the laboratory operated by CERN is often referred to as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics. Romania signed its first accord with the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in 1991.
Romanian Marius Berbecar on Saturday won the bronze medal in the even bars final of the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. Also on Saturday, Romanian gymnast Andreea Iridon won two medals, silver in the beam event and bronze in the uneven bars competition. Russian Alia Mustafina won the gold, followed by the german Sophie Scheder who won the bronze medal.
The mayor of Bucharest’s Sector 1, the Liberal Andrei Chiliman, charged with corruption, is subject to legal restrictions pending trial in the file known as “Bribe in exchange for public contracts” and has been suspended from his public position for two months. Anti-corruption prosecutors initially asked for the mayor to be remanded in custody but a Court ruled against it. Chiliman is accused of having set up an organised crime group and repeated influence peddling. According to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, ever since 2004 when he was fist elected mayor, Chiliman demanded and received commissions of 10 to15% of public works contracts handed out based on preferential criteria. The damage to the state budget stands at some 9 million euros.
The European Central Bank has agreed to provide more support to keep Greek banks operating until crucial Eurozone meeting on Monday, when finance ministers will discuss how to handle a Greek default. Athens needs 7.2 billion euros by the end of this month or risk bankruptcy. About 4.2 billion euros had flooded out of Greek accounts this past week for fear bank deposits could be converted in Greek currency.
