6 December, 2016

Miners on strike in Romania; Political turmoil in Italy and France

Florentin Căpitănescu, 06.12.2016, 11:59

STRIKE – Almost 360 miners in Jiu Valley, Romania’s main mining area, blocked tunnels in protest for not getting their wages on time. Miners also face problems with insurance of materiel. The company they work for employs over 880, and is targeted for closure. The European Commission authorized aid worth 450 million lei, the equivalent of 100 million Euro, to be granted by the Romanian state to close two other unsustainable mines in the area.

INVESTMENT – Net investments in the Romanian economy in the first three quarters this year went up 4.1%, reaching 46.58 billion lei, around 10.3 billion Euro, even if the third quarter saw a drop, according to the National Statistics Institute. In comparison with the same period last year, amounts invested dropped by .8%. In January-September 2016, net investment in hardware, including transportation gear, went up .8%, while construction went up .1% over the same period. Net investment in other areas went down .9%.

PARIS – The new Prime Minister of France is Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, aged 53, after his predecessor, Manuel Vals, resigned and announced he would run for president in 2017. If he wins the primaries in his Socialist Party, Valls runs against right leaning Francois Fillon, and extreme right leader Marine Le Pen. The current socialist president, Francois Hollande, will not be seeking a second term.

NATO – NATO Foreign Ministers meet for two days starting today in Brussels, seeking closer cooperation with the EU, discussing relations with Russia and operations in Afghanistan, according to the DPA. This is US Secretary of State John Kerry’s last such meeting. Today, the ministers plan to sign an agreement between NATO and the EU, stipulating closer cooperation on issues such as operations in the Mediterranean and cyber warfare. As a first, Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will attend discussions on enhancing cooperation with NATO, with a focus on cyber threats.

HANDBALL– Romanias womens national handball team conceded defeat to Norway, 21-23, in its Group D debut game at the European Championship in Sweden. Also in Group D, Russia overpowered Croatia, 32-26. On Wednesday, Romania take on Russia, while on Friday the national squad take on Croatia. The first three teams in the group go through to the competitions next stage. Spaniard Ambros Martin is the current national team manager, in for Swedish Tomas Ryde as of November this year. We recall that with Ryde at the helm, the Romanian national team walked away with bronze at the 2015 edition of the World Championship in Denmark.

ROME – Retiring Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will hold his position until Friday, when Parliament is supposed to pass the austerity package for 2017, according to a decision announced by President Sergio Mattarella. Italy is entering an uncertain period, after the referendum to amend the Constitution was rejected on Sunday by almost 60% of voters. Matteo Renzi had proposed a reform of the political system granting more power to the central government in relation to the 20 regions of Italy, in areas like environmental protection, transportation and energy. Political analysts expect the head of the Italian state to call for an interim government to be formed, led by Renzi’s Democratic Party, but headed by Finance Minister Carlo Padoan. The idea is supported by parties that opposed the referendum, the populist Five Star Party and the Northern League party, who want Sergio Matarella to call for early elections.