December 22, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 22.12.2022, 19:57
Commemoration. Events commemorating the anti-communist revolution of 1989 continue in Romania. Religious ceremonies and laying of flowers have been heldin all major cities across the country. December 22, 1989 was the day when tens of thousands of people took to the streets and forced dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu to flee the country in a helicopter that took off from the building of the former Central Committee of the Communist Party. The revolution that toppled the communist regime broke out in the capital city on December 21 with a huge rally staged by Nicolae Ceaușescu, who thus hoped to appease the population and stay in power. The rally turned violent and the memory of the heroes who were killed that day was honored on Wednesday through ceremonies and laying of flowers in emblematic venues. President Klaus Iohannis paid a floral tribute at the roadside cross in University Square, also observing a moment of silence. We recall that the spark that ignited the 1989 anti-communist revolution was lit in Timișoara, western Romania. The revolution quickly spread to Bucharest and other cities. Overall, 1,000 people were killed and some 3,000 wounded in clashes with the security forces. Romania is the only country in Eastern Europe where the transition from communism resulted in bloodshed.
Diaspora. Bucharest is hosting the conference titled “Romania beyond the borders”, organized by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR). The meeting with representatives of Romanian communities abroad is designed to identify clear-cut and realistic solutions to some of the problems facing the Romanian diaspora today. The conference put up for debate a few of the most important measures and decisions Romania needs to take with respect to Romanians living abroad: boosting the number of polling stations abroad to provide Romanians with real chances of casting their vote, providing unconditional protection to every Romanian citizen abroad, introducing dedicated classes of Romanian language, culture and history addressing children and young people living abroad by cooperating with Bucharest authorities and host countries, as well as making more consular staff available and providing them with special training. Other measures include simplifying proceedings for unlocking activities in Romanias representative offices abroad or opening community centers in the Diaspora that should hire qualified staff to provide legal and administrative counseling.
EU funds. The European Commission has allocated 9.6 billion euros to Romania for the Transport Program. The main objective is to bridge the gap in the development of Romanias transport infrastructure, ensuring at the same time the achievement of the European objectives of sustainable and safe mobility.One of the projects under the “new investment projects” chapter, according to the approved plan, is the A13 Bacău (northeast) – Braşov (center) highway, with a funding of almost 2.4 billion euros. Under the Transport Program, the financial support is aimed at improving road connectivity, increasing road safety, the efficiency of Romanian railways, the attractiveness of rail passenger transport, the development of sustainable mobility in urban nodes, but also naval and multimodal (combined) transport.
Ukraine. Support for Ukraine is not an act of charity, but an investment in global security and democracy, Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech before the US Congress. The Kyiv leader also called for maintaining support for Ukraine. Washington is by far Ukraines most important weapons supplier, and American equipment delivered to Ukraine, such as Javelin anti-tank systems or HIMARS missile launchers, have been instrumental in repelling Russian attacks. On this occasion, the United States have promised a new assistance package worth 1.85 billion USD, which includes an anti-air missile system, requested by Ukraine a while ago, considering that cities and infrastructure are constantly targeted by Russian shelling. During his meeting with president Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky said it will take more Patriot systems to fend off Russian attacks. Zelenskys surprise visit to Washington occurred 300 days since the start of Russias invasion, and was his first visit abroad since the start of the war on February 24.
Minorities. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs terms as regrettable the fact that the law on national minorities in Ukraine was adopted by the Supreme Rada in Kyiv, in the absence of a new consultation of the Venice Commission. It is also regrettable that the law was adopted in the absence of an adequate consultation of the representatives of the Romanian community in Ukraine, as requested by the authorities in Bucharest, says the MFA. According to the cited source, the Romanian side constantly invoked in the contacts with the Ukrainian side the promise of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, according to which the people belonging to the Romanian community in Ukraine would benefit from the same treatment that the people belonging to the Ukrainian community benefit from in Romania. Adopted a few days ago, the law does not solve the problems of education in the Romanian language and does not give minorities more rights.
Holidays. The Romanian Ministry of the Interior announced, on Thursday, special measures to maintain public order on Christmas and New Years Eve. According to the source, over 24,500 policemen, gendarmes, border guards, firefighters and employees from other structures will be mobilized every day. The traffic police will act with 290 radar devices and with devices that signal the consumption of alcohol and prohibited substances while driving. As the authorities expect a new wave of tourists in the mountain resorts of the Prahova Valley (south-central), they announce that they have also trained specialized teams of mountain gendarmes. (MI)
