November 12, 2013 UPDATE

For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.

Mihai Pelin, 12.11.2013, 12:27

EU FUNDS – Romania is set to reach an absorption rate of European funds standing at 30 per cent by the end of the year, European Funds Minister Eugen Teodorovici told a conference in Bucharest on Tuesday. Teodorovici went on to say that so far Romania had succeeded an absorption rate of 26 %. The Romanian high-ranking official estimated that in 2015 the 80 % earmarked funding could be exceeded. Furthermore Eugen Teodorovici thought a stronger determination was required, as well as a more significant level of coherence in drawing European funds.

SCHENGEN – Romania and Bulgaria will be denied access to the Schengen area as of January the 1st, 2014, the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Monday night told the French private TV station LCI. In an interview in September this year Barroso told the Bulgarian public radio station that the two countries complied with the Schengen accession criteria and had to be given a chance to gain their accession as soon as possible. The two EU member states were denied Schengen accession in September 2011, due to vocal opposition from Finland and the Netherlands. The two countries delivered a pointed warning to corruption, which was allegedly rampant in Bucharest, as well as to the lack of specific action targeting organized crime in Sofia.

ROMGAZ – Romania will bring more public companies to London next year, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced on Tuesday, the first day when Romania’s largest natural gas supplier Romgaz was listed on the London Stock Exchange. This is the first Initial Public Offering of a Romanian company in London, while Romgaz shares were also listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange. At the end of last month, the state sold 15% of Romgaz’s shares on the stock market in exchange for over 390 million euros.

TYPHOON IN THE PHILLIPINES – US and British ships are headed towards the Phillipines as the UN has appealed for aid amid the large-scale devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan, the BBC reports. The UN has launched an appeal for donations worth 225 million euros to support the Philippines. The authorities in Manilla expect the death toll to exceed 10,000 people. So far some 1,700 people have been reported dead and another 2,500 injured. Nearly 600,000 have been evacuated and over 40,000 houses have been destroyed. President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity.

PROTEST IN EDUCATION – Romanian students are again protesting on Wednesday against underfinancing in the education system. Students will be wearing white bands and after classes they will join the large protest announced in big university centres. Their main demand is the allocation of 6% of the country’s GDP to education. Moreover they call on lawmakers to increase basic financing of universities. Students also want their allowances increased, a proper fitting of school units as well as a full refund for the transport expenses of commuters. Another demand is linked to the review of the school curriculum and textbooks.

JAPANESE EVENING – On Tuesday the Humanitas Bookshop in Bucharest played host to a “Japanese evening”, devoted to Sawako Ariyoshi and her novel “Koge”, recently published in “Denisa’s Shelf” book series, coordinated by editor Denisa Comanescu at Humanitas Fiction. Attending the debate were translator and Japonologist Angela Hondru, literary critic Elisabeta Lasconi, philologist and JTI Corporate Affairs Director Gilda Lazar and Serban Georgescu, the head of the Centre for Romanian-Japanese Centre of Studies with the Romanian-American University. The evening ended with a demonstration of Japanese traditional dance organized by Yasuyuki Takagi, chairman of the Tomodachi Romania-Japan Economic and Cultural Association.