May 7, 2019

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 07.05.2019, 14:21

MESSAGE The European Council president Donald Tusk on Monday proposed the Union
leaders to adopt a joint statement for the summit on May 9th in
Sibiu, which should convey a message of unity and trust. The president of the
European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker is also to arrive in Romania and
participate together with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis in a round of
debates on Europe’s future. The event is also to be attended by 300 young
people from the member countries. In another development Bucharest has hosted
an international conference on ‘Children’s participation in decision-making
processes at the EU level’. The conference brings together hundreds of
children, experts in children rights, high EU officials as well as civil
society representatives from member countries.

LABOUR Authorities in Bucharest have cautioned the Romanians looking for
employment abroad to get information about their future jobs beforehand in
order to avoid being swindled, abducted or inhumane working conditions. According
to official sources, human trafficking has dropped significantly in the past
year due to a series of campaigns run at national level. In spite of all these
measures, the risks are still high and authorities are recommending the
Romanians seeking employment abroad to avoid signing work contracts, which
haven’t been translated into Romanian, to avoid job offers that sound too good
to be true and to keep contact with the Romanian embassy in the country they
are working in.

TENNIS Two Romanians are today playing in the second round of the tennis
tournament in Madrid. Third-seeded Simona Halep will be playing British
challenger Johanna Konta, while Sorana Carstea takes on Caroline Garcia of
France. Simona Halep won the tournament in Madrid twice, in 2016 and 2017. In
the double contest on Monday, Romanian Horia Tecau and his Dutch partner Jean
Julien Rojer managed a dramatic win against the all-US pair made up of Bob
Bryan and Mike Bryan whom they beat 4-6, 7-6, 12-10. Tecau and Rojer won the
title in Madrid in 2016. An all-Romanian pair, Simona Halep – Irina Begu, has
qualified for the round of sixteen after a 6-2, 6-3 win against the
Romanian-Croatian pair made up of Raluca Olaru and Darija Jurak. Halep and Begu
will be next up against Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech
Republic.

VISIT Pope Francis has today arrived in
Skopje, North Macedonia, as part of a Balkans tour, which also took him to
Bulgaria. The Pontiff has blessed the efforts of North Macedonia and other countries
in the Balkans to join the European Union. Pope Francis has also paid homage at
the monument of the most famous Catholic woman, Mother Teresa, who was born in
Skopje. The Pope has also held a mass for the small Catholic community in North
Macedonia. During his visit to Bulgaria, the Pontiff touched upon the sensitive
issue of migration, as almost half of Bulgaria’s working population has left
this country. The Pope has also addressed the issue of refugees making an
appeal that a door should be left open for these people.

(translated by bill)