October 17, 2013
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Bogdan Matei, 17.10.2013, 12:07
SHALE GAS – Over 100 people from a village in eastern Romania are protesting for the fourth day in a row against the development of shale gas. Yesterday, the locals made a human chain and blocked a segment of the national road, to prevent the US company Chevron from installing its equipment in the area. The company has secured all the environment permits required under the Romanian legislation. In other Romanian cities, solidarity protests were held, most notably in Bucharest, where several hundred people took to the street. These protests concur with the ones launched 7 weeks ago in Bucharest and other cities, against the cyanide-based gold mining project in Rosia Montana, in the centre.
MIGRATION PROGRAMME – The president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, has discussed in Bucharest today about migration with the president of the Greek Parliament, Evangelos-Vasileios Meimarakis, whose country will take over the rotating EU presidency early next year. Basescu said the disparities between the living standards in various countries are the main engine behind migration, and that European countries must commit to integrating the Roma communities through education. On Tuesday, the European Commission and the European Council launched in Romania a programme worth 700 thousand euros for improving the access of the Rroma community to housing, healthcare and employment. The programme will be operational for one year in four other countries — Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy and Slovakia. Romania is home to the largest Roma minority in Europe, of around 620 thousand people, according to a 2011 census.
ROMANIAN – SERBIAN TALKS – The prime minister of Romania, Victor Ponta, is having a meeting in Bucharest today with his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dacic. The meeting takes place after on Wednesday the European Commission said Serbia had made significant progress in improving relations with Kosovo and launching reforms that allow for the official start of EU accession negotiations in December. Romania, which has constantly supported Belgrade’s EU accession efforts, is one of the five EU member countries that have not recognised the independence of Serbia’s former province Kosovo, proclaimed in 2008.
DEFENCE MINISTER IN US – The Romanian defence minister, Mircea Duşa, is starting today an official two-day visit to the US, during which he will meet his American counterpart, Charles Timothy Hagel. The Romanian minister will also have meetings with the head of the US House Committee on Armed Services, Buck McKeon, with the House Intelligence Committee chair, Mike Rogers, and with the deputy assistant Secretary of State for defence policy, Frank Rose. Mircea Duşa will also take part in a debate organised by the Atlantic Council on the progress of US — Romania programmes.
URTI – A report on “Sighet — an island on the border” by our colleagues at the French Service of RRI was one of the finalists in the 25th edition of the awards of the International Radio and Television Union (URTI). Produced by Ileana Ţăroi and Andrei Popov, the report looks at the multicultural and multi-religious town of Sighet, on Romania’s northern border, also known for one of the most terrifying communist prisons. The URTI award ceremony took place last night in Paris, with the Grand Prix awarded to a programme from Camerun. The International Radio and Television Union, established in 1949, brings together 66 broadcasters from 51 countries.
GOVT SHUTDOWN ENDED – US president, Barack Obama, has this morning signed a bill that raises the public debt ceiling, which keeps the US safe from defaulting on payments at least for a few months. Previously, the Senate and the House passed a bill financing the federal government until January 15th. President Obama called all the federal employees sent home during the government shutdown back to work today. This ends the uncertainty in the financial markets and the political bickering over the budget between the Democrats and the Republicans — the worst political crisis during Obama’s second term in office.
