January 15, 2018

Romania celebrates National Culture Day/PSD's Executive Committee holds emergency meeting

Newsroom, 15.01.2018, 14:07

NATIONAL CULTURE DAY — Today is Romania’s National Culture Day. For the last eight years, this special day has been celebrated in Romania on the 168th birthday anniversary of the poet Mihai Eminescu, on the 15th of January. A poet, prose writer, playwright and journalist, Eminescu is seen as the most important poetic voice in Romanian literature. National Culture Day is marked in Romania and abroad through a series of events.

PSD — The executive committee of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main party of the left-of-centre ruling coalition, is today convening in emergency meeting at the initiative of its leader, Liviu Dragnea, after some members have asked for the party to no longer support the Social Democrat Prime Minister Mihai Tudose. Tension increased in the party last week, when PM Tudose asked Interior Minister Carmen Dan to resign, against the backdrop of a paedophilia scandal within the Police. Carmen Dan, seen as one of Liviu Dragnea’s protégées, has refused to resign. Also today, the National Liberal Party (PNL), the most important party in the rightist Opposition, is presenting a report on the Government’s activity, dubbed “The Black Book of the PSD Governing”. The Liberals say the new crisis proves PSD’s incapacity to rule and have asked for early elections. This is the second cabinet made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, after the one installed in January 2017 and dismissed after six months following a no-confidence vote initiated by the same leftist majority.

EDUCATION — Some teaching staff categories in Romania have smaller salaries than drivers working for town halls, a situation that reduces to zero the country’s chances to ensure high living standards for its citizens, according to the Free Trade Union Federation in Education. Data shows that a beginner teacher’s salary in December 2017 stood at only 320 euros. Underfinanced for years on end, the Romanian education system has been constantly changed by education ministers. By the end of the current school year, new regulations for the organization and functioning of secondary education units are due to take effect, after being adopted earlier this month by the current Education Minister Liviu Pop.

VISIT — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Mihai Tudose are holding talks on Tuesday, in Bucharest, with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, who is paying a visit to Romania as part of a European tour, which will also take him to the Baltic states, Serbia and Bulgaria, in the context in which Japan tries to secure support for its firm policy towards North Korea. Shinzo Abe will be accompanied by a delegation of business people, coming from various domains, including trade and IT, willing to identify business opportunities in the European countries which are visited by the Japanese prime minister for the first time.

REPORT – 51% of the Europeans aged between 16 and 74 used Internet banking in 2017, according to the Eurostat. Bulgaria and Romania rank last in the EU in this respect, as only 5% and 7% respectively of their population used Internet banking services last year. Denmark ranks first in Europe, with 90% of its adult population having used Internet services in 2017, followed by the Netherlands with 89%, Finland, with 87% and Sweden with 86%.

TENNIS — The main draw matches have started in Melbourne, counting towards the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open. In the men’s singles, Romania’s only representative has already been eliminated from the competition, as Marius Copil was defeated by the French Gilles Simon, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3. In the women’s singles, Irina Begu got through to the second round, having defeated 31st seed, Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova, 3-6, 6-4, 8-6. Romanian Monica Niculescu was eliminated after the very first round, sustaining a defeat by German contender Mona Barthel of Germany, 6-4, 7-5. Neither Mihaela Buzarnescu was able to go past the first round, being defeated by Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. World No. 1, Romanian Simona Halep and the competition’s main favourite, will be up against Australian Destanee Aiava, Romanian Sorana Cîstea, will be up against Zarina Dias, and Ana Bogdan, also of Romania, will play against Kristina Mladenovic. (Translated by Elena Enache)