March 21, 2019

Newsroom, 21.03.2019, 14:38

CONFERENCE As a strategic partner of the USA, Romania considers its mandate
at the rotating EU presidency as an opportunity to promote a positive agenda of
cooperation between the EU and the USA, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said
on Thursday at the annual Transatlantic Conference staged by AmCham in
Brussels. Iohannis went on to say that annual trade exchanges between the two
entities exceed one trillion dollars creating 7 million jobs in the USA and 5
million in the EU. On Thursday and Friday the Romanian official is attending the
European Spring Council where he is expected to urge the EU members to carry on
efforts towards the consolidation and streamlining of the single market in all
its dimensions. Several other issues are also high on the summit’s agenda, such
as the consolidation of Europe’s economic base, climate change, the future
summit with China as well as ways of fighting disinformation. The European
leaders are also to discuss a request by Prime Minister Theresa May for postponing
Britain’s leaving the bloc until June 30th.

PROTESTS Trade unionists from Bucharest’s
underground are picketing the building of the Transport Ministry in Bucharest
today and tomorrow. They are denouncing the authorities’ indifference towards
the safety issues present in some of the trains. Transporters have again
rallied today in downtown Bucharest for their second day of protest. After the
protest rally staged by FORT Federation on Wednesday, the Confederation of
Authorized Operators and Transporters COTAR has mounted its own protests during
which taxi drivers in Bucharest are calling on the authorities to amend the
present legislation to be able to regulate alternative city transportation,
which they consider disloyal competition.

TENNIS During the tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, Romanian challenger Irina Begu is today playing the Romanian-born
Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who has recently won the Indian Wells tournament.
Another Romanian, Monica Niculescu will be up against Tamara Zidansek of
Slovenia, while the best Romanian player Simona Halep will be meeting either Taylor
Townsend of the USA or Johanna Larson of Sweden. In the men’s competition, Marius
Copil will be up against Albert Ramos Vinolas of Spain while in the women’s
doubles, a Romanian-German pair made up of Simona Halep and Julia Goerges will
be up against Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France. Monica
Niculescu of Romania and Abigail Spears of the USA will be playing Anna-Lena
Groenefeld of Germany and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Romanians Irina
Begu and Mihaela Buzarnescu are meeting the Taiwanese pair made up of Hao-Ching
and Latisha Chan, while Raluca
Olaru of Romania and Darija Jurak of Croatia will be meeting US players Desirae
Krawczyk and Sabrina Santamaria. In the men’s doubles the
Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau – Jean-Julien Rojer will be taking on Oliver
Marach of Austria and Mate Pavic of Croatia.

MIGRATION 4.4 million migrants entered the EU countries in 2017, a figure,
which includes migration inside the EU, data released by Eurostat today show.
The statistical office of the European Union registered 2.8 million migrants in
the 28 member states from outside the union as well as 1.9 million people who
already were in a member state and migrated to another. At the same time, 3.1
million migrants have left a state in the EU. More immigrants than migrants
have been registered in 22 EU countries. The number of emigrants exceeded immigrants
in six countries, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. The
largest number of immigrants was reported by Malta (46 per 1,000 inhabitants.
Luxembourg reported the largest number of emigrants in 2017 (23 per 1,000 inhabitants).

FOOTBALL Romania’s under-21 football side will today play
Spain in a friendly game in Granada. The Romanians will next take on Denmark in
Marabella on Monday. All the three sides are qualified for EURO U21 due in
Italy in June. Romania’s national football side is making its debut on Saturday
in the preliminaries of the European championship 2020 with a match against
Sweden in Stockholm. In order to qualify for the final tournament Romania has
to end on the first two position in group F. Romania’s next game is against the
Feroe Islands on Tuesday. Group F also includes Malta Spain and Norway.

(translated by bill)