26 September 2019, UPDATE

A roundup of some of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 26.09.2019, 18:03

EU. The candidacy of
the Romanian Social Democrat Rovana Plumb for the post of European Commissioner
for Transport was rejected on Thursday by the European Parliament’s judicial
committee, political sources in Brussels announced. Only 6 MEPs voted in her
favour, 15 voted against and 2 abstained from voting. Without the approval of
the judicial committee, the hearing in the Transport Committee cannot be held.
The European Parliament’s judicial committee had invited Rovana Plumb and
Lazslo Trocsanyi, the European Commissioner nominated by Hungary, to a special
hearing. Plumb was asked to clarify controversial
aspects in her declaration of assets, related to a loan taken out in order to
fund an election campaign.

Presidency. The Romanian foreign minister Ramona Manescu said on Thursday, in the context of Romania’s taking over the presidency of the Community of Democracies, that Bucharest would promote the participation of young people in the decision-making process and the active involvement of the private sector in achieving the sustainable development goals. She made this statement at the UN headquarters in New York after an extraordinary meeting of the Community of Democracies, during which Romania officially took over this body’s presidency for the next two years. The Community of Democracies is a global inter-governmental structure aimed at promoting sustainable development, universal access to justice and efficient, responsible and inclusive institutions at all levels. Romania is one of the 106 UN member states that have signed the Warsaw Declaration, on whose principles the Community of Democracies has been founded.

Talks. The President
of Romania Klaus Iohannis had a brief meeting in New York on Wednesday with his
Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon, on the sidelines of the 74th
session of the UN General Assembly. President Klaus Iohannis emphasised during
the talks that in Romania’s view, Moldova’s European path, which Bucharest
firmly supports, is the only way to ensure the prosperity of the Moldovan
citizens. The Moldovan president Igor Dodon emphasised that he supports the
strategic partnership between Romania and Moldova, and added that Moldova’s
European accession remains a priority. The Romanian president also had a
meeting with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter thanked
Romania for supporting his country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and
its European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Zelensky and Iohannis also
discussed cooperation in the economic and energy fields, as well as bilateral
business relations.

Chirac. The Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis has sent condolences to the French nation on behalf of
the Romanian people following the announcement of the death of the former
president Jacques Chirac. Iohannis described the latter as a great leader and
a true statesman, a genuine friend of Romania. Jacques Chirac died on Thursday
morning at the age of 86. France’s second longest serving president, Chirac was
president for 12 years, between 1995 and 2007, but also held the position of
prime minister twice, served three terms as Paris mayor, was the leader of his
party and held several ministerial positions. As president, he visited Romania
twice, in 1997 and in 2007.

Killing. Prosecutors received
the results of the tests carried out in relation to the murder of a minor in
Dambovita county, southern Romania, a week ago. They indicate that the biological
samples harvested during inquiries at the scene of the crime do indeed belong
the Dutch citizen suspected of kidnapping, sexual assault and murder, the Prosecutor’s
Office said in a statement posted on its website. Also, Interpol has confirmed
that the suspect is dead following a road accident in his home country. According
to the chief of the Romanian police Liviu Vasilescu, he had record in his country
for crimes of a sexual nature and violence.

Moldova. Three agreements were signed on Thursday in Chisinau on the
implementation of a project for the interconnection of electricity networks of
Romania and the Republic of Moldova. According to the authorities, the project
will contribute to ensuring Moldova’s energy security. In keeping with the
agreements signed, Moldova is to access 60 million euros worth of a loan from
the Eurpean Bank for Reconstruction and Development. A further 40 million euros
is will be provided as a grant by the European Union. The money is intended for
the modernisation of energy system. The head of the EU delegation in the
Republic of Moldova Peter Michalko said that by signing these agreements Moldova has
made a step forward towards ensuring its energy security.

Handball. Romania’s women’s handball team Wednesday
night defeated Ukraine, at home, 27-24, in the first match in Group 7 of the
2020 European Championships qualifiers. On Sunday Romania will play against the
Faroe Islands away from home. Group 7 also includes Poland, and the 2
top-ranking teams will qualify in the final tournament. Romania’s national team
came in 4th in the previous European Championships, losing the
bronze medal to the Netherlands.