December 28, 2017 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 28.12.2017, 19:42

GOVERNMENT– On Thursday, the Romanian Government held its last session in 2017. At the meeting, the Cabinet decided that 7000 new foreign workers will join the labour force in Romania in 2018. The decision was made in order to prevent illegal work and also as a result of a request made by the General Immigration Inspectorate. Also, the government decided that students in the vocational education system will continue to benefit from scholarships. The measure is aimed at raising young peoples interest in vocational education. The funds will be ensured from the state budget.

JUSTICE LAWS – The special parliament committee set up to amend the justice laws on Thursday submitted to the Foreign Ministry the bills changing the status of the magistrates, the judicial organization and the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy, for them to be presented to the ambassadors accredited to Bucharest. Last week, the embassies in Bucharest of several EU countries called on the parties involved in the reform of the Romanian justice system to avoid any action that would weaken the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. In an open letter, the diplomatic missions of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands drew attention to the risk posed by the amendments brought to the justice laws. These changes have been contested by civil society, part of the magistracy and the opposition. Also, the three laws were challenged at the Constitutional Court right after their adoption.

BUDGET– Romanias consolidated general budget went up to 1.21% of the GDP after the first 11 months of the year. Revenues from taxes and duties were smaller then personnel and social security expenditure. According to the Finance Ministry, by year-end, the budget deficit will be maintained within the limit of 3% of the GDP.

SYRIA – Some 40,000 people, of whom 10 thousand civilians, have died in the Syrian war this year, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Thursday. The total death toll includes 2100 children and 1500 women. According to the Observatory, 494,000 people have died since the start of the conflict in March 2011.

ROMANIAN ACADEMY – The head of the Romanian Academy, Ionel-Valentin Vlad, who died on Sunday aged 74 was buried in Bucharest on Thursday. A synod of priests led by the Roman-Catholic Archbishop of Bucharest Ioan Robu officiated the funeral service. A commemoration event was also held on Wednesday, at the initiative of the Academys leadership and was attended by the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel. According to a communiqué of the Romanian Academy, Ionel-Valentin Vlad was a pioneer in several physics-related fields, and his death is a great loss for Romania. The Royal House of Romania has too appreciated the academicians civic spirit, professionalism and academic rigor. The death of the chairman of the Romanian Academy is a big loss for the Romanian people the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania has also stated.

BANK HOLIDAY– The Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, the day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, may become a public holiday in Romania. The proposal was submitted to the Senate at the initiative of 42 MPs from all political parties. Among the reasons in favor of this initiative is the fact that Good Friday is a bank holiday in 16 out of the 28 EU states. Romania only has 14 public holidays, as compared to other countries, which have 16 or more.

HANDBALL-On the 29th and 30th of December, Romanias national mens handball team will participate in the Yellow Cup, a tournament hosted by the city of Winterthur, in Switzerland. On Friday, Romania will take on Russia and on Sunday, depending on the results of the first day, it will play against either Switzerland or Serbia. Back to the country, the Romanian team will resume training ahead of the Carpati Trophy, which starts on January 5th. Participating alongside Romania will be Portugal, Tunisia and Bahrain. Coached by the Spanish Xavi Pascual, the Romanian team is preparing for the first round of the 2019 World Championship preliminaries, to be held between January 11 and 13 in Bolzano, Italy.