October 28, 2013
A roundup of news from Romania
România Internațional, 28.10.2013, 00:00
US DEFENSE SHIELD– Romania joins the NATO member states that will provide a state-of-the-art solution for the protection of European and American citizens against real threats such as ballistic missiles attacks. This was stated today by the Romanian President Traian Basescu at the official ceremony marking the start of construction works on the anti-missile defense facility, which is part of the American anti-missile defense shield to be set up in Deveselu (in the south). The ceremony was attended by American and NATO officials and representatives of the foreign ministries of Poland and Turkey, states that are hosting or will host elements of the American anti-ballistic missile defense shield. Romania agreed to host this base on its territory, part of the American anti-missile shield in Europe, in September 2011. As many as 200 American soldiers and technicians will be stationed at the future military base.
EU — The forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region is taking place in Bucharest on Monday and Tuesday. Among the guests are the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Romanian Dacian Ciolos, the Regional Development Commissioner, Johannes Hahn and the Austrian foreign minister Michael Spindelegger. The forum is being attended by officials from 14 states, 9 EU members and 5 non-EU states. High on the agenda of talks are such topics as the role of the Danube strategy for economic growth and job creation, for striking a balance between economic development and ecology and for managing environmental risks. The EU Strategy for the Danube Region is an initiative of Romania and Austria and was launched in April 2011.
PROTESTS — Romanian trade unionists from the education field are picketing as of today until Wednesday the headquarters of the Government and the ruling Social Liberal Union. They are asking for the allotment of at least 6% of the GDP for education starting in 2014, for the modification of the Education Law and the passing of a new salary law in the education field. Teachers are also asking for the depoliticization of education, the re-thinking of school curricula and of the systems for the assessment of students.
CORRUPTION — The Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors on Monday searched 160 company headquarters and houses in Bucharest and another 5 counties, in a corruption and tax evasion file. The estimated damage stands at almost 50 million euros. According to prosecutors, among those investigated are a prosecutor, a senator and several employees of the Finance Ministry. They are being investigated alongside scores of other people for tax evasion on foodstuffs.
WARSAW– The former Polish PM, Tadeus Mazowiescki, the first non-Communist premier in the East European bloc, died on Monday at the age of 86. He was appointed PM in June 1989 after the election victory of the opposition made up of the Solidarity trade union. In 1990 Mazowiecki was also UN rapporteur for the former Yugoslavia, a position which he resigned after the genocide of the Bosnian Muslims of 1995.
WEATHER – Great Britain and France have been affected today by the most powerful storm of the past 10 years, with winds exceeding 130 kms per hour. According to the British media, 40 thousand homes are without power in the south and west of England, and tens of flights have been cancelled on the Heathrow airport. In France 75 thousand homes were left without electricity on Monday morning in the west and north of the country. The storm also affected ferryboat traffic between Calais and Dover.
