The Week in Review 26 August – 01 September

Click here for a review of the main issues in Roumania this past week

Daniela Budu, 01.09.2018, 12:00

Annual meeting of Romanian diplomacy

Bucharest hosted these past few days the annual meeting of Romanian diplomats, held this year in the special context of the Great Union Centennial. One of the main topics of the talks was the rotating presidency of the EU Council to be taken over by Bucharest in the first half of 2019. Addressing the participants, President Klaus Iohannis emphasised that he would like Romania’s presidency to be as efficient as possible and an opportunity for the country to strengthen its relations with the EU institutions, the other member states and its foreign partners. Attending the meeting, the minister delegate for European affairs Victor Negrescu called for the support of the Romanian diplomats, so as to ensure the success of Romania’s mandate:

Victor Negrescu: “We are making thorough preparations for this process, and there is no risk of Romania failing to exercise its mandate. Romania will exercise this mandate and I am confident that it will be a successful presidency, thanks to everyone’s involvement, and obviously we are counting on your help in this respect. However, this moment is not without challenges. There are many opportunities, that we have discussed and will discuss further, but there are also a lot of challenges, both for Romania as a country, and for the EU as a whole, whether we talk about Brexit, or the forthcoming EU budget, or the elections for the European Parliament or the broader debate on the future of the Union.”

The annual meeting of Romanian diplomats is a platform for discussing Romania’s priorities in an international context, and this year’s guest of honour was the German foreign minister Heiko Maas.

African swine fever spreads in Romania

With some 800 outbreaks confirmed in one quarter of its counties, mainly in the south-east and north-west, Romania struggles to contain the most serious animal disease since WW2. The toughest measure implemented at present is to cull all the pigs in the areas where the virus has been confirmed. Roadblocks are also in place, to stop people from taking the sick animals or animal products out of the affected areas, and a decision was made to allow the hunting of wild pigs and jackals carrying the virus in the Danube Delta. But in spite of these measures, the disease is spreading quickly, because there is no treatment or vaccine, the authorities say. President Klaus Iohannis, who requested that compensations be paid as quickly as possible to those affected, argued that the inadequate handling of the situation by the authorities brought many local producers to the verge of bankruptcy. The agriculture minister Petre Daea promised that compensations would be paid to the owners of the slaughtered animals.

Romanian Language Day was celebrated on August 31

The Romanian Language day was celebrated by the authorities and public institutions, the Romanian diplomatic offices and cultural institutes abroad, with cultural, scientific and educational programmes and events devoted to the Romanian language. The foreign offices of the Romanian Cultural Institute organised a number of events, jointly with major local cultural partners. Most projects take place on or around august 31st, declared the Romanian Language Day in 2013 and also celebrated in the Republic of Moldova.

The Republic of Moldova — 27 years of independence

The Republic of Moldova celebrated its Independence Day, amid protests by the opposition and the forced evacuation of a group of demonstrators in the capital city Chisinau. On august 27, 1991, the Republic of Moldova, created on part of the eastern Romanian territory seized by Soviet Russia in 1940, declared its independence from Moscow. Romania, which was just recovering from communism, was the first country to officially recognise the new republic. 27 years on, Romania, a NATO and EU member, is still the most vocal supporter of the European accession of the small neighbouring state with a majority Romanian-speaking population.

The Golden Stag Festival turns 50

After a 9-year break, the city of Brasov in central Romania is once again hosting the Golden Stag International Festival, which started on August 29th. The Festival began in 1968 and ran for 17 editions, welcoming guest stars such as Diana Ross, Julio Iglesias, Tom Jones, Coolio, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Toto Cutugno, Ray Charles, Pink, UB40, Scorpions and many other major names of the international music industry. This year, to mark the Union Centennial and the 50 years of the Golden Stag festival, the event has a special format, the organisers say, including an anniversary gala, 2 days of competition, a festival gala, a special show entitled “Centenary Romania” and other events. Taking part in the official competition this year are 18 performers from 15 countries, including 3 from Romania.

No Romanian teams in European football competitions

Romania will not be represented in the continental football competitions this season, after the champions CFR Cluj and the vice-champions FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) failed to qualify for the Europa League group stage. CFR lost both legs against the champions of Luxembourg, Dudelange, 0-2 away from home and 2-3 at home on Thursday night. FCSB won on home turf against the Austrian side Rapid Vienna, 2-1, but the score was not enough to make up for the 3-1 defeat in the first leg.