March 11, 2014
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 11.03.2014, 12:00
ROMANIAN POLITICS– The new cabinet in Bucharest is today assuming responsibility for a new action program, which involves a vote of confidence in Parliament. The program provides, among others, for cutting the VAT, introducing a differentiated tax on salaries and reducing the level of healthcare contributions paid by employers. However, all this is conditioned by the financial possibilities offered by the Romanian fiscal-budgetary system. In turn, the Liberal Democratic Party, in opposition, has already announced it has drafted a censure motion that it intends to submit to Parliament, after the cabinet assumes responsibility. The current cabinet, made up of representatives of the Social Democratic Party, the National Union for the Progress of Romania, the Conservative Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, should assume responsibility for a new program, after the change of the government’s make-up. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania is now part of the new cabinet, whereas the National Liberal Party has gone into opposition.
YOUTH-The EU Commissioner for Education, Androulla Vassiliou, has today launched in Bucharest the new “Erasmus Plus” program, under which some 120,000 Romanian young people will benefit from scholarships for education and professional training in the following seven years. In 2014, Romania will receive approximately 52 million Euros under this program, which represents an 11% increase as compared to last year’s level of financing. Minister of state for higher education, Mihnea Costoiu, says Romanian education is undergoing a complex modernisation process, to meet the needs of the 21st century society.
VISIT– Romanian foreign minister, Titus Corlatean, is currently on an official visit to Madrid, for talks with the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo. He is also due to meet the Speaker of the Spanish Senate, Pío García-Escudero Márquez. The focal points on the agenda of the visit are mainly economic and commercial issues, as well as the situation of the Romanian community living in Spain. Neighbouring Moldova’s European path, the developments in Ukraine and international issues of topical interest, such as the NATO Summit due September 2014 and the situation in the Middle East are also high on the agenda of the talks. Minister Corlatean will also meet with representatives of the Romanian language press in Spain.
COMMEMORATION-Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, has today expressed solidarity with the families of the 191 victims of the Madrid terrorist attacks that rocked the Spanish capital city 10 years ago. 16 Romanian nationals were among the victims. 10 bombs went off almost simultaneously on March 11th 2004 on board four crowded trains heading for the Atocha Station in Madrid. Following the attacks, claimed by a grouping affiliated to Al-Qaida, the government in Madrid ordered the withdrawal of the Spanish troops from Iraq, where they were carrying out military operations as part of a US-led international mission. The terrorist attacks in Madrid are considered to be the severest in Spain’s history. Therefore, March 11th has been designated the European Day for the Victims of Terrorism.
UKRAINE– The regional parliament of the autonomous region of Crimea has today adopted a declaration of independence from Ukraine and reiterated its aspiration to join the Russian Federation. The resolution was endorsed by 78 of the 100 deputies and is issued 5 days ahead of the referendum on Crimea’s independence, which is supported by Russia and considered illegal by the West. In New York, the western members of the UN Security Council tried to put mounting pressure on Russia, ahead of the Crimean referendum, but Russia remained inflexible. US Secretary of State, John Kerry, rules out the possibility to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, until Moscow takes into consideration the US proposals meant to solve the crisis. In another move, NATO is to deploy reconnaissance aircraft to overfly Poland and Romania as part of the North-Atlantic Alliance’s efforts to monitor the crisis in Ukraine.
FOOTBALL– Former international footballer, Romanian Cosmin Contra, is the new coach of the 16th seeded Spanish team, Getafe. Thus, Contra is the first Romanian to coach a team in Spain and the only Romanian who is currently coaching a team playing in one of the most important football leagues on the continent. Contra, who has recently tendered his resignation from the 3rd ranked Romanian team, Petrolul Ploiesti, played for Getafe in the first decade of the 21th century. During his career, the former defender of Romania’s national team also played for AC Milan and Atletico Madrid.
TENNIS– Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, ranked 7th in WTA and seeded 6th in the competition, is today meeting Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, ranked 19th in the WTA, in the quarter finals of the Indian Wells tennis tournament, with 6 million dollars in prize money.
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