January 14, 2014
The European Commission is criticizing Bucharest for the improper way in which it has drafted the first version of the partnership agreement for the absorption of community funds, in the 2014 — 2020 period. The European Commission says that , among other things, Romania’s strategy designed to access community funds lacks a strategic vision, or it is too vague. Bucharest pledged to take into consideration the reproaches made by Brussels.
Bogdan Matei, 14.01.2014, 16:31
Romanians in the UK are not abusively using but are contributing to the social benefits system, Romania’s ambassador to London, Ion Jinga has reiterated, in an article carried by the electronic issue of “The Daily Telegraph”. Jinga has underlined that Great Britain is not the only country concerned about the abusive use of social benefits. Actually, he mentions a recent report issued by the European Commission and quoted by “Financial Times”, showing that there is no proof that immigrants coming from other EU member states cash in social benefits in the UK, to a larger extent than other residents in that country. According to Jinga, the report also shows that only 1.4% of the approximately 120,000 Romanians living in the UK receive social benefits.
Romania’s President, Traian Basescu, has called on the OSCE mission in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet state with a majority Romanian speaking population) and on all other responsible institutions to intervene and assure all pupils’ right to choose tuition in Romanian. The request is made following the pressure exerted by the authorities in the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniester, in the east, on the schools with tuition in Romanian. The accounts of a high school have been frozen, which might halt the institution’s activity. President Basescu considers that the repressive actions against the teaching staff, parents and children in those schools are unacceptable and is a violation of human rights. Transdniester got out from under Chisinau’s control in 1992, following an armed conflict which claimed hundreds of dead, which ended with the intervention of Russian troops on the separatists’ side.
Romanians will be marking the National Culture Day tomorrow, by organising a series of cultural events. In Bucharest, the 150th volume of the “Fundamental Works” collection written by the Romanians’ national poet, Mihai Eminescu will be launched at the Romanian Academy. Other highlights of the day include poetry recitals, concerts, painting and book exhibitions, mounted not only in Romania, but also abroad, in such cities as Sofia, Paris, Berlin and Stockholm. As of 2011, the National Culture Day is celebrated in Romania every year on January the 15th, the birthday of poet Mihai Eminescu.
Romanian culture minister, Gigel Stirbu, has today said before the members of the Culture Committee of the Romanian Senate that the ministry he runs will not agree with the gold mining exploration in Rosia Montana, until he does not become confident that the national cultural heritage in the area is protected. Stirbu has announced that he has received a survey commissioned by the Culture Ministry and carried out by British experts on the likelihood of Rosia Montana’s being included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The prospect of starting gold exploitation, based on cyanide in Rosia Montana, in the centre, has sparked off extensive protests both in Romania and abroad at the end of the year 2013.
53 million voters are called to the polls in Egypt, for two days, to vote on the new draft Constitution. This is the first ballot held in that country since Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was removed from power by the Army, in July 2013. The new Constitution is expected to replace the previous one, signed by Morsi over one year ago, after it had been adopted by referendum. The new text of the Constitution consolidates the responsibilities of the army, police forces and of the judges. The Muslim Brotherhood, that former president Morsi is a member of, has called on their supporters to boycott the referendum. Two hours before the opening of the voting stations, a makeshift bomb attack targeted a court in Cairo, without making victims, FP reports.
