May 17, 2023

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 17.05.2023, 13:55

Strike. In Romania, education employees have organized a two-hour
warning strike today. The unions have announced that the protest was one leg in
the labor conflict triggered by the low wages and the lack of investments in
the field. They are threatening to start an all-out strike on Monday, May 22.
The line minister Ligia Deca and the trade union leaders have announced, after
the talks they’ve had today, that the first meeting of the commission
established to negotiate a new collective employment agreement in education
will take place on Thursday

Diplomacy. Romania is deeply committed to combating any form of extremism and hate speech at home and anywhere in the world and supports all European projects dedicated to combating anti-Semitism. The statement was made this morning by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, at ​​the solemn joint session of the Romanian Parliament marking 75 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between Romania and the State of Israel. Israel is one of Romania’s strongest and most important partners in the Middle East, but also the state with which we have an increasingly strengthened economic relationship. I think, however, that the potential of commercial exchanges is much higher, said Nicolae Ciuca. Present at the meeting in Bucharest, the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, Amir Ohana, stated that Romania was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Israel and took important steps to commemorate the Holocaust, which demonstrates its commitment to combatting anti-Semitism. According to Amir Ohana, the ties between Romania and Israel are better than ever.

Government. The
Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, the major partners in
the governing coalition in Romania, have established, in separate meetings, the
negotiation conditions for the rotation of prime ministers. The current Prime
Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, says he will announce his resignation on May 26th,
which will trigger the resignation of the entire Government. The procedures for
the appointment of the Government headed by the Social Democratic leader Marcel
Ciolacu will start right after that. The Liberals want a reduction of the
number of state secretaries and undersecretaries, while preserving the protocol
on which the governing coalition is based. The Social Democrats want lesser
ministries, but also a lesser number of state secretaries and agencies.

Council of
Europe. At the Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, President Klaus
Iohannis chaired, on Tuesday evening, together with the Prime Minister of
Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, the round table Protecting democracy in trying
times – risks, resilience and re-engagement. Klaus Iohannis stated that,
through its illegal aggression against Ukraine, Russia flagrantly violated international
law and seriously threatened the democratic system. He pointed out that this
crisis, the most serious since the end of the Second World War, strengthened
the unity and determination of the world democracies to defend their democratic
way of life, by uniting in support of Ukraine and its citizens and in support
of all those who fight for freedom, democracy, and against intimidation,
authoritarianism and tyranny. Today, on the second day of the Council of Europe
Summit, President Klaus Iohannis will reiterate Romania’s commitment to the
system of the European Convention on Human Rights and highlight the role that
the Council of Europe has played in the 30 years of the country’s membership of
the organization to the consolidation of a stable and mature democracy.

Vacation. Almost 80% of Romanians will choose European destinations this summer, and more than half of them are willing to spend no more than 300 euros for plane tickets. In fact, the plane remains the preferred means of transport for Romanians to travel this summer – according to a study published today. The criteria underlying the choice of the holiday destination are to find favorable prices for plane tickets (over 44%), to be a destination they have not been to before (about 38%) and to arrive quickly, with a direct flight (16% ). More than half of Romanians want more city breaks, while 40 out of 100 opt for an extended vacation.

Concert. The European Union Youth Orchestra performs today in Timisoara, as part of the Earth 4 All tour that started in Poland. After the concert in Romania, the orchestra will perform in Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Greece. According to the conductor of the orchestra, Daniel Rowland, this tour reaches six important Eastern European cities, all with complex and often painful, dramatic histories. Timisoara is the place where the anti-communist revolution in Romania began in 1989. Moreover, this year, the city in the west of the country is a European Capital of Culture. (MI)