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October 5, 2024 – UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 05.10.2024, 20:00

ELECTIONS – The head of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu, on Saturday submitted his candidacy for president of the country to the Central Election Bureau. He is the 11th candidate registered in the race for head of state. Among his contenders are the Liberal Nicolae Ciuca, the former NATO deputy secretary general Mircea Geoana, the AUR leader George Simion and the USR leader Elena Lasconi. The first round of the presidential elections in Romania will be held on November 24, and the second one on December 8.

FRANCOPHONIE – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, delivered a speech on Saturday, in Paris, at the 19th edition of the Francophonie Summit. He said that education in French is an extremely important additional tool for the success and professional mobility of young people. Iohannis also said that, as the flagship state of the Francophonie in the region, Romania is aware of its responsibility and mission, and its commitments in the global context of Francophone solidarity bring active support to the mobility of young Francophone students and researchers and to the education of girls and women.

SCHENGEN – The entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area is, once again, on the agenda of the Council of Justice and Internal Affairs next week. Hungary, the country which holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council and which supports the full entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the European free movement area, will present, at the JAI meeting in Luxembourg, the full implementation of the Schengen Acquis by the two countries, after, on March 31, air and sea border controls had been eliminated. In order to establish the date of the Schengen accession also with the land borders, a new unanimous decision of the Council members is needed.

TENNIS – The Romanian pair Monica Niculescu/Gabriela Ruse on Saturday qualified for the doubles final of the WTA tennis tournament in Hong Kong, after winning 6-2, 6-7, 10-4 against the pair Ulrikke Eikeri (Norway )/Fang-Hsien Wu (Taiwan). After this success, Niculescu and Ruse could play in the same formula for Romania at the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup. In the final of the Hong Kong tournament, the two Romanians will be up against Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya of Japan.

CHISINAU – Just a few weeks before the presidential elections and the referendum on the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the EU, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu promised, on Friday, in Chisinau, the continuation of his country’s support for Moldova. After being received by President Maia Sandu, who, according to opinion polls, has the first chance to win another mandate as head of state, Ciolacu said that in order to maintain the Republic of Moldova on the European path, it is important that Maia Sandu is reelected and that the referendum on the EU is successful. The Romanian Prime Minister also said that joint projects and investments will continue in the upcoming period.

COMISSION – The European Commission has decided to overtax Chinese electric cars by up to 35% starting next month. 10 member states voted in favor and five against. Romania is among the 12 states that abstained. France and Italy voted for this measure, and Germany, the main European car manufacturer, was the strongest opponent. The Commission’s decision is based on the conclusions of an investigation launched a year ago. Beijing supports its own industry in such a way that the price of Chinese electric cars is much lower than the European ones, and thus the competition is partly eliminated. Beijing reacted immediately, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the EU urges the bloc to act cautiously and postpone the application of tariffs. China sees the introduction of this the tariff as protectionist measure and warns that this attitude could lead to the degradation of trade relations between the two partied. Official estimates are that Chinese cars could reach a 15% share of the EU’s new electric car market by 2025, their prices being 20% smaller, on average, than the Europe-made models.