March 13, 2019

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 13.03.2019, 13:41

BUDGET -
Parliament is today re-examining the 2019 draft budget. President Iohannis sent
the bill back to Parliament after the Constitutional Court ruled against his
objections tied to its elaboration. The ruling coalition has announced it won’t
make any modification, as the current dispositions ensure the necessary
resources for the most important economic fields. The President said budget
allocations are based on unrealistic estimates, affecting the functioning of
key public institutions as well as the development of local communities and the
implementation of strategic investments. Klaus Iohannis on Monday ratified the
social security budget for 2019, so that pensioners should not suffer from what
he has called the incompetence of the Social-Democratic Party.

MUSEUM -
Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Romania pays special attention to
combating anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and hate speech. The Romanian official
attended the conference titled The Future of Memory: The National Museum of
Jewish and Holocaust History in Romania. Viorica Dancila said this museum will
contribute to educating society and owning to some difficult moments in the
past. The Prime Minister said effective measures must be taken to combat
anti-Semitism and make sure Jews can live in safety in Europe. The Conference
was organized by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union,
in cooperation with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Elie Wiesel National
Institute for the Study of the Holocaust and the Federation of Jewish
Communities from Romania.

ELI-NP -
The Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics Center in Magurele today hosted
an event marking a remarkable breakthrough – the high-power laser has reached
and exceeded 10 Petawatts, a new world record. Experts believe this project can
pave the way for countless vistas of scientific research. The authorities in
Bucharest have congratulated the team of Romanian and foreign researchers. The
Government says it supported this complex project, one of the most important
European research facilities built with EU and national funds.

BREXIT -
The British Parliament is today voting on a no-deal Brexit after the House of
Commons yesterday voted against an agreement with the EU on Brexit for the
second time. If British MPs vote for a no-deal Brexit, London will most likely
call for a postponement of their withdrawal from the community bloc, originally
scheduled for March 29. Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her deep regret
with Tuesday’s vote and what she has termed the best and only possible deal.
EU Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier reacted to Tuesday’s vote, saying
the EU has done everything in its power to ensure the deal goes through and
that only London authorities can overcome this deadlock. European Council
President Donald Tusk in turn said the UK must come up with a good explanation
as regards any delay. In Bucharest, Minister Delegate for European Affairs
George Ciamba said the authorities will continue their efforts to protect the rights
of Romanian citizens in the UK and of British citizens in Romania.

STATISTICS -
The average net income in Romania has dropped to some 625 euros in January this
year, down by 0.7% as compared to December 2018, reads a report made public on
Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute. The highest level of the
average net income was reported in the IT services fields, while the lowest
level in the apparel manufacturing industry. The average net income has gone up
by 18.2% as compared to January 2018.

FLU
EPIDEMIC – The death toll of the flu epidemic in Romania has
reached 172, according to the latest report of the National Center for
Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases. The latest victim is a
68-year-old woman from Galati County infected with the type A flu virus. She
had no previous medical problems and had not taken the anti-flu vaccine.
According to the National Institute for Public Health, some 1.3 million people
have taken the anti-flu vaccine this season.

MOTION -
The right-wing opposition has filed a simple motion against Finance Minister
Eugen Teodorovici, to be debated on Monday in the Chamber of Deputies and voted
on Wednesday. Titled The Social-Democratic greed undermines national economy,
the document says the latest emergency decree introducing additional taxes for
banks, energy and telecom companies harms the country’s economy, and the
ministers responsible must be held accountable in Parliament.

MEETING -
Romanian Foreign Ministry Teodor Melescanu met with the Speaker of the
Parliament of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, who is on a visit to Bucharest.
Teodor Melescanu reiterated Romania’s support for North Macedonia’s European
accession efforts. Talat Xhaferi’s visit coincides with the Senate’s vote on
the ratification of North Macedonia’s NATO accession protocol, scheduled to
take place today. The vote is the final step in the process of adopting the law
ratifying the protocol, after the Chamber of Deputies cast its vote in
February.

TENNIS -
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep WTA no. 2 on Tuesday lost to Marketa
Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the round of 16 at Indian
Wells, a tournament with over 9 million dollars up for grabs. Halep won the
tournament in 2015 and reached the semi-finals last year. The pair made up of
Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands was ousted by Novak
Djokovic of Serbia and Fabio Fognini of Italy.

(Translated by V. Palcu)