November 18, 2018

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 18.11.2018, 14:06

VISITS – The President of the
European Court of Auditors, Klaus-Heiner Lehne will pay a visit to Bucharest on
Monday and Tuesday, in the run-up to Romania’s taking over the rotating presidency
of the EU Council, on January 1st, 2019. Klaus – Heiner Lehne will meet with
Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, Prime-Minister Viorica Dancila, the Speakers
of the two parliament chambers, the Public Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici
and the Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba. Several
high-ranking officials will travel to Bucharest next week, including the
president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The officials will discuss
topics of interest for the future of the EU and the good management, during
Romania’s presidency, of major files, such as the multi-annual financial
framework, Brexit, the future of the EU post Brexit and the evolution of the
security policy.

GREAT UNION – An event celebrating
the Great Union Centennial has been hosted by Gyula in Hungary, the town that
is home to the largest Romanian community in the country, which has its own
Romanian school and newspaper. The event has been attended by Romanian cultural
figures, university professors and local authorities. The Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi
Institute for Romanians Worldwide has
organized a conference on the contribution to the Great Union of Romanians in Hungary. A festivity was also held on the occasion, during which representatives
of the Romanian community in Hungary, including headmasters of schools with
teaching in Romanian, were awarded by the Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi institute, for the
efforts they’ve made to preserve Romanian cultural values.

RADIRO – The 4th
International Festival of Radio Orchestras – RadiRo- starts in Bucharest today,
organized by Radio Romania. This year, the festival celebrates Radio Romania’s
90th anniversary and also the Great Union Centennial. Until next
Sunday, the Radio Hall and the Auditorium Hall of the National Art Museum will
be hosting 8 symphonic and 4 jazz concerts. The list of prestigious guests
includes the oldest European radio orchestra, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony
Orchestra, as well as the BBC Philarmonic, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, and RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, participating for the first time in the festival. All concerts will be
broadcast live by Radio Romania, recorded and subsequently broadcast by the
Romanian Television and other radio broadcasting companies members of the
European Broadcasting Union.

GAUDEAMUS Today is the last day of the Gaudeamus – Radio Romania
International Book Fair. The 2018
edition has been devoted to the Great Union Centennial and Radio Romania’s 90th
anniversary. The main topic has been illustrated by a representative stand,
with a collection of 600 volumes devoted to the Great Union and dozens of
events, launches, book presentations, film screenings and public readings. The
public has also had the opportunity to meet some of their favourite
writers, literary critics and historians.

CONSECRATION – The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew,
is expected to Romania on the 23rd of November, for a four-day
visit, according to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Patriarchy. Together
with the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, and other Romanian
hierarchs, Bartholomew will attend on November 25th the consecration
of the newly-built Cathedral of the
Salvation of the Nation. Bartholomew has been to Romania ten times, last time
in 2010.

PROTESTS – Protests staged by the
so-called ‘yellow vests’ have been reported in France, against the increase in
taxes and fuel prices. Some 300,000 protested in Paris and in other towns,
blocking entrances into the highway. 227 people have been wounded and the
police made 73 arrests. People were mobilized through the social media, without
any intervention on the part of the trade unions or political parties.

FOOTBALL – On Saturday night, in Ploiesti,
in the south, Romania’s national football team defeated the Lithuanian squad
3-nil, in a match part of the Nations League’s group 4. As a result, Romania
went up to the second place in the group, and will play a decisive match
against Montenegro, in Podgorica on Tuesday. Romania will be able to keep
fighting for qualification to EURO 2020 as holder of the second position in the
group if Serbia, the leader of the group, qualifies directly to the European
Championship.