February 6, 2014 UPDATE
A roundup of the main stories in Romania today
România Internațional, 06.02.2015, 12:15
Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will postpone his official visit to Berlin due on 11th of February as a sign of respect for the funerals of the former German president Richard von Weizsacker scheduled on this day. A new date for Iohannis’ visit is to be established, said the president’s office in Bucharest. Last month, Iohannis said he planned to travel to Germany, France and Belgium in February. In Berlin, he was due to meet a number of German officials, including chancellor Angela Merkel. This would have been the first visit to Germany by president Iohannis, himself a German ethnic Romanian, since he took office in November 2014.
Around 35% of the Romanian foreign ministry’s budget for development aid in 2015 will go to the Republic of Moldova, a neighbouring state with a majority Romanian-speaking population. Foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu approved on Friday the list of projects that will receive the ministry’s funding. The money will also go to states like Georgia, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Ukraine and Afghanistan. The foreign ministry’s budget for development aid amounts this year to over 2 million euros.
International Monetary Fund experts had talks in Bucharest on Friday with ministry officials to assess the need for a fresh agreement with the Fund. On an evaluation visit to Bucharest until the 10th of February, the experts from the International Monetary Fund have had talks with the Romanian authorities about the recent developments and the priorities of the economic reform, as well as issues related to energy, European funds and the amendment of the Fiscal Code. The ongoing agreement with the Fund, the third since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2009, expires in autumn. It was signed in 2013 for a period of 2 years and amounts to around 2 billion euros.
The former head of the Romanian Boxing Federation Rudel Obreja is in temporary custody over his involvement in the organisation of a boxing match starring Romanian boxer Lucian Bute in 2011. Also under investigation in this case are two former employees of the Ministry for Regional Development and Tourism run at the time by MP Elena Udrea. Prosecutors have also filed for the latter’s temporary arrest for her involvement in this case and another concerning the illegal awarding of IT licences for the ministry of education. Elena Udrea is accused of influence peddling, money laundering and lying in her wealth statements. The legal committee of the Chamber of Deputies will analyse the prosecutor’s request on Sunday before a vote in Parliament on Monday.
Romania’s Simona Halep, world no. 3, and Spain’s Silvia Soler-Espinosa, no. 67 in the world, face each other on Saturday in Galati, south-eastern Romania, in the first match between Romania and Spain’s Fed Cup teams, in the first round of World Group II. In the second match, world no. 34 Irina Begu faces world no. 24 Garbine Muguruza. On Sunday, Halep plays against Muguruza, while Begu faces Soler Espinoza. In the doubles, the Romanian pair Alexandra Dulgheru and Monica Niculescu will play against the pair Lara Arruabarrena and Anabel Medina-Garrigues. All four of Romania’s Fed Cup players took part last month in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, where Halep reached the quarterfinals.
Romania’s rugby team face Portugal on Saturday in their first match as party of the Rugby Europe Championship, the new name for the European Nations Cup. Romania and Portugal have met 21 times so far, Romania winning 18 of these matches. Europe’s second strongest rugby competition after the Six Nations Championship, Rugby Europe this year also brings together Georgia, Spain, Germany and Russia.
A yellow code alert for snow and blizzard is in place in southern Romania until Saturday night. Heavy snow is expected in certain areas in this part of the country, as well as heavy wind, reaching to 80 km per hour. Temperatures will drop to between minus 7 and 3 degrees Celsius.
