March 11, 2014 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 11.03.2014, 12:02
The new cabinet in Bucharest on Tuesday asked for Parliaments vote of confidence on a new action program. The program provides, among other things, 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. The opposition can file a censure motion in three days and the Liberal Democratic Party has already announced it will do so. 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, had to 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, replacing the National Liberal Party which is now in opposition.
The EU Commissioner for Education, Androulla Vassiliou, on Tuesday 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.
The Romanian foreign minister, Titus Corlatean, will pay an official visit to Madrid on Wednesday. He will hold talks with the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo and will also meet with 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.
The Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, on Tuesday 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.
The regional Parliament of the autonomous republic of Crimea on Tuesday passed a declaration of independence from Ukraine and reiterated its aspirations for integration into the Russian Federation. The resolution, considered illegal by Kiev, was passed only 2 days ahead of the referendum on Crimea’s independence to be held on March 16th. The referendum, backed by Russia, is considered illegal by the West. Also on Tuesday the Ukrainian Parliament passed a resolution that calls on the Crimean parliament to immediately reconsider its decision regarding the referendum unless it wants to face dissolution. The Russian Foreign Minister believes the declaration of independence passed by the Crimean Parliament observes the international law. In New York, the Western countries members in the UN Security Council tried to increase pressure on Russia in the run up to the referendum, but Moscow is inflexible. The American secretary of state, John Kerry, has refused to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin until Moscow takes into consideration the American suggestions regarding the resolution of the crisis. On the other hand, NATO announced it would deploy reconnaissance planes in Poland and Romania, to monitor the Ukrainian crisis.
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.
