July 20, 2018 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 20.07.2018, 19:15

TALKS Romania’s delegate Minister for European
Affairs, Victor Negrescu on Friday participated in the proceedings of the
General Affairs Council devoted to the EU’s future relations with Britain. In
his address Minister Negrescu voiced Romania’s support for the EU’s negotiation
team. At the same time, the Romanian official said that a quick solution must
be found to the border issue between Ireland and Northern Ireland. During the
session in Brussels, Michel Barnier, the chief Brexit negotiator for the EU, has
presented the stage of the talks with Britain over its leaving the bloc.

DEFICIT In the first quarter of 2018,
Romania saw its highest budget deficit, 1.9% as compared to the last quarter of
2017, data published by the statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat,
on Friday show. According to the same source, Romania’s deficit rose from 2.3%
to 4.2%, being the EU’s highest. Romania is followed by France with 2.5% and
Britain 1.9%. Malta and the Netherlands saw the highest surpluses 2.5% both;
they are followed by Bulgaria with 2.4%.

DEFEAT Romania’s national water polo
side conceded a 12-7 defeat to Russia in their last D-group match at the
European Championship underway in Barcelona. The Romanians had defeated
Slovakia 9-5 and lost 5-11 to title holder Serbia. The event has brought
together the best 16 teams in Europe. Romania ranked 10th in the
competition’s previous edition, two years ago. Our athletes’ best performance was
a fourth position in 1993 and 2006.

THREATS The
existence of the separatist region of Transnistria and the presence of the Russian
troops in this area are the biggest risks and threats for the Republic of
Moldova, according to this country’s National Defence Strategy approved by the
Moldovan Parliament. The document also includes the conflict in the east of the
neighbouring Ukraine and foreign propaganda. Voted by the pro-European parties,
the Strategy has been met with criticism by the pro-Russian Socialist MPs, who
view it as being against Moscow. Transnistria de factor broke away with
Chisinau in 1992 after an armed conflict that killed hundreds of people and that
ended with the intervention of the Russian troops who sided with the
separatists. Moscow is still to fulfil a commitment taken in 1999 to withdraw
its troops from Transnistria, despite repeated calls from the United Nations,
NATO and the OSCE.