June 21, 2016 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 21.06.2016, 12:30
VISIT The German President, Joachim Gauck, stated that Europe is at present facing a confidence crisis and congratulated Romania for not having a populist party eager to capitalize on that sentiment. On a visit to Romania, the German President on Tuesday delivered a speech at the invitation of the “New Europe” College and of the German Embassy in Bucharest. Also on Tuesday President Gauck and his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis met in the central Romanian city of Sibiu with the representatives of the Germans’ Democratic Forum and visited the fortified church in Cisnădie. The German President praised the Romanian model of inter-ethnic living together and thanked the Romanian authorities for the way they manage the cultural and identity issues of the German minority in Romania. In turn, president Iohannis said the policies on minorities are essential for ensuring a climate of regional peace and stability.
DEFENCE Romanian Minister of Defence, Mihnea Motoc received Ray Mabus, the United States Secretary of the Navy, in Bucharest on Tuesday. According to a communiqué issued by the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, Mabus has reiterated the USA’s commitment to strengthening cooperation between the naval forces of the two countries including by beefing up the US presence in the Black Sea region. The talks agenda also included the defence dimension of the bilateral Strategic Partnership and the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, the communiqué also reads.
PENSIONS The Romanian Senate on Tuesday passed by a landslide majority a draft on special pensions for high-ranking officials in local administration. The beneficiaries – mayors, deputy mayors, presidents and vice-presidents of local councils — are to get special pensions if they have completed a mandate. The law will not apply to those convicted for corruption during their term in office. The law will come in force in January 2017, and the money is taken from the local budgets. The Senate is a decision-making forum in Romania.
WEATHER The Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş on Tuesday called on the local authorities to assess the damage caused by the recent floods in Romania and to make forecasts for the upcoming months so as to avoid similar situations. According to a recent toll, two people are reported dead and several hundreds have been evacuated. Hundreds of houses have been flooded or destroyed by hailstorms and tens of localities have been left without electricity. While the north and west of the country were hit by violent storms and floods, the center, south and east of Romania is affected by a wave of heat with the discomfort index going above 80 until Wednesday.
FOOTBALL Romania has the most modest football team from the 1970s to this day, the Gazeta Sporturilor daily writes after Romania on Sunday was eliminated from the European Football Championship in France. Losing nil-1 to Albania, Romania was bottom of the table in Group A, with only 1 point in three games. In the opening match Romania lost 1-2 to France and drew in the second group fixture 1-all against Switzerland. Both goals for Romania were scored by Bogdan Stancu from penalty kicks. Voices in the football press are calling for the resignation of head coach Anghel Iordanescu, whom they see as primarily responsible for the team’s failure to qualify for the round of 16.
