3rd March 2019

A look at some of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 03.03.2019, 14:10

Meeting. Foreign minister Teodor Melescanu has attended the 46th
Council of Foreign Ministers of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation held on the 1st and 2nd
of March in Abu Dhabi. According to a foreign ministry press release, the
Romanian minister’s participation in this event forms part of efforts to
consolidate Bucharest’s ties with the Arab and Muslim states from a bilateral
and multilateral perspective. The Council tackled issues of major interest such
as combating terrorism and extremism, managing migration, the complex problems
related to the displacement of various Muslim communities or groups and the
eradication of poverty. Melescanu’s participation was an opportunity for
bilateral talks with delegations from the Republic of Maldives, the Union of
the Comoros, Brunei Darussalam, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Suriname and the
Federal Republic of Nigeria. On the sidelines of the event, Melescanu also had
talks with representatives of Palestine, Mauritania, Niger, Libya, Burkina
Faso, Tunisia, Albania, the Sultanate of Oman, Ivory Coast, Yemen and
Kazakhstan.

Order. Prime
minister Viorica Dancila has been summoned in Parliament on Monday at the
request of the Liberal opposition to give explanations about a controversial
emergency order that levies new taxes in the banking, telecommunications and
energy sectors. The Senate passed the order tacitly, meaning without debates
and without being voted on, given that the deadline expired on the 1st
of March. The order will next be discussed and voted on in the Chamber of
Deputies, which is the decision-making body in this case. The European
Commission’s six-month report published on Thursday noted that the provisions
of the emergency order in question weaken significantly the so-called Pillar
II of privately managed pensions. The EU report says the measures have
negative effects on future pensions and the capital market, as well as the
future investments, by increasing uncertainty and making Romania’s economy less
attractive for both local and foreign investors.

Protests. A new protest against an emergency order that brings
new changes to the justice laws is scheduled for Sunday evening in central
Bucharest. Around 8,000 people took to the streets last Sunday in Bucharest and
several other thousands around the country. Magistrates have also criticised
the order and prosecutors and judges from around 80 prosecutor’s offices and
courts from around the country have protested by stopping working or staging
demonstrations outside courts.

European elections. The European Parliament has published new
projections about its composition after the upcoming European elections in May,
based on polls conducted in each EU member state. The next EU Parliament will
have fewer MEPs, 705 compared with 751 today, as a result of Brexit. The
projections put the European People’s Party down with 181 seats, the Socialists
and Democrats with 135, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats with 75, and the
Greens with 49. The latest figures point to slightly fewer seats for
anti-European and euro-sceptic parties. Of the 73 seats vacated by the UK, 27
will be redistributed among 14 countries considered slightly under-represented
in the current parliament. Romania will receive one extra seat to reach 33. According
to the European Parliament projection, Romania’s
33 seats would be distributed as follows: the People’s Party group and the
Socialists and Democrats group 13 each, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
3, the European Reformists and Conservatives 1, and other groups 3. The
projection also looks at the voting intentions in Romania. Thus, the Social
Democratic Party, the number one in the ruling coalition, is credited with
9.9%, followed by the National Liberal Party, in opposition, with 24.4%, the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the junior partner in the ruling coalition,
with 9.1% and the Save Romania Union, in opposition, with 9%.

Fair. Around 80 high schools, universities and various education centres
from abroad present their offer in Bucharest as part of the World Education Fair.
The largest number of young people are interested in studying in the UK, while
Holland has seen the biggest increase in the last year as a study destination
thanks to the favourable conditions offered by its universities. Other
destinations popular for studies among Romanian young people are the Nordic
countries, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, the United States and Canada.
On Monday, the fair travels to Iasi, in the north-east, and on Wednesday to
Timisoara, in the west.

Rugby. Romania lost 21:18 to Spain on Sunday in Madrid in their third match as part
of the 2019 Rugby Europe International Championship. So far in this competition,
Romania have lost to Georgia 9:18 and have won against Germany 38:10. After
Spain, Romania will face Russia at home on the 9th of March and
Belgium away on the 17th of March. The Rugby Europe International Championship
is the second tier continental competition after the famous Six Nations tournament.
Romania rank 18th in world standings, their lowest position in the
last six years.