December 5, 2017

Romania mourns its last king, Mihai I, who passed away at 96 years of age

Bogdan Matei, 05.12.2017, 13:39

UPDATE: Romania’s last king, Mihai I, 96, passed away at his residence in Switzerland.
He was the last of the four sovereigns of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen German
dynasty which ascended the throne in Bucharest in 1866 and built modern
Romania. Born on October 25, 1921, Mihai was enthroned in 1940, after the abdication
of his father, Carol II. On August 23, 1944, during WWII, he ordered the arrest
of the de facto leader of the country, Marshal Ion Antonescu, Romania’s
withdrawal from the alliance with Nazi Germany and subsequently declared an
alliance with its traditional allies, the United States and Great Britain.
According to historians, this decision shortened the war by at least six months
and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Three years later, when the country
was practically under Soviet military occupation and was led by a puppet
communist government, the King was forced to abdicate and to live in exile in
the West. The sovereign was allowed to return to Romania only after the 1989
anti-communist Revolution, regained
Romanian citizenship that he had been stripped of by the communists and some of
his properties. King Mihai promoted, as a special ambassador, in the big
western chancelleries, Romania’s accession to NATO in 2004 and to the EU, in
2007. His first born, the eldest of his five daughters, Princess Margareta, is
King Mihai’s successor at the helm of the Royal House and the Custodian of the
Crown. She made a televised declaration to the country at 7 PM, Bucharest time, evoking the personality of his father. The earthly remains of King Mihai will be brought to Romania on December 13, to lay in
state at Peles Castle in Sinaia, the southern Carpathians, for two days, and then at the Throne Hall of the Royal Palace in Bucharest. The funeral is scheduled for December 16, at the Curtea de Arges, southern Romania, the last resting place of
the Romanian kings.

KING – The last monarch of Romania, King Mihai I, passed away at the age of 96. He was the last of four sovereigns of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen line, installed in 1866, ushering in the modern era in Romania. King Mihai I was born in 1921, and succeeded his father, King Carol II, to the throne of Romania. On August 23 1944 he took Romania out of the alliance with Nazi Germany, joining the Allies. Shortly after, he was forced to abdicate by the newly installed Communist power. King Mihai acted as special ambassador on behalf of Romania as part of the process of the country’s integration first into NATO, then into the European Union. Crown Princess Margaret is the successor to the royal title. The king will be laid in state at Peles Royal Castle in Sinaia, then in the throne room at the former Royal Palace in Bucharest. The funerals will be held in Curtea de Arges, the traditional resting place for Romanian royalty.

DIPLOMACY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday takes a working lunch with ambassadors from EU countries to Bucharest. The meeting is hosted by the embassy of Estonia, the country currently holding the twice yearly presidency of the EU Council. According to a press release from the presidency, the topics for discussion will involve Romanian and European issues, mainly issues on the agenda of the European Council of December 14th and 15th: security and defense, migration, as well as cultural and educational problems. A major topic for discussion will be the Brexit.

BRUSSELS – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Tuesday and Wednesday attends the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. According to a ministry press release, this is a major event in preparation for the summit of July 2018. The main areas being covered in the meeting will be security issues of relevance to the alliance, as well as the role of NATO in projecting stability, including the threat of terrorism. Another point of contention is the open door policy and optimal solutions in supporting candidate states. Participating is also US State Secretary Rex Tillerson, who reassured NATO member states that the United States is committed to Europe’s security.

BERLIN – Romania’s national women’s handball team takes on Spain in its third game of Group A of the world championship in Germany. On Sunday, Romania won its second victory in the group, defeating Slovenia 31-28, after defeating Paraguay on Saturday, 29-17. Two more games are scheduled in the group on Tuesday, Slovenia against Angola and France against Paraguay. Spain comes in first with 4 points, followed by Romania, with the same number of points, France and Slovenia with 2 points each, while Angola and Paraguay are left with no points. The first four teams qualify for the eighth finals. In the previous world championship, Romania won the bronze medal. It is the only team that attended every single championship so far, which is in its 22nd edition. The team is coached by Ambros Martin of Spain.

ECONOMY – Household spending has been the main driver of the 7% growth of the Romanian economy in the first three quarters of 2017, against the same period of 2016. According to the National Statistics Institute, between January and September of this year, the GDP amounted to 696 billion lei, around 151 billion Euro. Beginning in November, the National Prognosis Commission adjusted upwards its 6.1% growth estimate regarding economic growth in 2017. The European Commission also adjusted upwards its estimates for economic growth in Romania this year, at the same time warning that uncertainties in terms of executive policies may adversely affect economic growth. The IMF expects that the Romanian economy grow by 5.5% in 2017.

EDUCATION – 18% of Romanian youth graduate basic education, according to the latest data from the EU, presented on Tuesday in Bucharest. Director General of the Institute of Education Sciences in Romania, Ciprian Fartuşnic, said that this drop out rate is almost double the figure that the authorities were aiming for. He also remarked that Romania has the lowest rate of investment in education among European Union countries, around 3% of the GDP. There is also a huge gap between urban and rural environments in terms of education, and also between categories of students, with a disproportionate lack of education among the poor and among children with disabilities or children belonging to the Rroma minority.

(Translated by Calin Cotoiu, updated by Diana Vijeu)