June 27, 2014
A look at the top stories in Romania
Bogdan Matei, 27.06.2014, 12:00
HISTORIC MOMENT-The Republic of Moldova, a country with a majority Romanian speaking population, and Georgia have today signed in Brussels the EU Association and Free Trade Agreements. Also today, Ukraine has signed the economic component of the bilateral document with the EU. The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barosso, has deemed the signing of the agreements as historic. He has warned however that their success depends on the three former Soviet states’ going ahead with a series of reforms, which bring them closer to the European political, economic and cultural values. In Chishinau, pro-western Prime Minister Iurie Leanca claims that he has prepared the relevant institutions to efficiently implement the Association Agreement, which he considers to be a stage in his country’s EU accession process. In exchange, the Moscow-leaning opposition-communist and socialist- is committed to restoring the partnership with Russia, if it returns to power, following the legislative elections due in autumn. Romania, a fervent and consistent supporter of Moldova’s European integration, is represented at the Brussels Summit by President Traian Basescu.
MOSCOW– Russia has again threatened to take new measures to protect its domestic market, if it notices that the former Soviet republics’ association with the EU affects its commercial interests. Our correspondent in Moscow quotes a communiqué issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry as reading that the agreements signed in Brussels on Friday by the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia can cause huge damage to the Russian economy, as a direct consequence of halting cooperation in the field of production and of reducing Moscow’s relations with Chishinau, Kiev and Tbilisi, respectively. The Russian Federation’s Aviation Authorities have already announced that they no longer allow the Air Moldova airline to operate the flight between Moscow and Chishinau and back, without however providing an explanation.
UKRAINE— Four OSCE observers, who were abducted by pro-Russian rebels a month ago, have been released. Last night, they arrived in Donetsk, a fiefdom of the separatists in eastern Ukraine. Separatist leaders, who claim to have control of all paramilitary groups which fight against the Ukrainian forces, blamed the observers’ abduction on a gang. Also in Donetsk, pro-Russian insurgents have announced they seized a Ukrainian military base. In another move, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has expressed his readiness to sign what he called a peace deal with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in an attempt to put an end to the insurgency.
ROMANIAN LIBERALS-The National Liberal Party, the main right wing-opposition party in Romania, is today meeting in an extraordinary Congress to endorse the changes brought to the party statute. An ordinary Congress convenes on Saturday to elect a new party leadership. The mayor of the central Romanian town of Sibiu, Klaus Iohannis, stands highest chances of becoming party president. The Liberals should also decide on a merger with the Liberal Democratic Party, the other main party of centre-right orientation in Romania. In another move, the Liberals should also make a decision on their party’s leaving the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, ALDE, and joining the European People’s Party, EPP. We recall that in February, the National Liberal Party denounced the ruling alliance with the Social Democrats and joined the opposition.
TOP-LEVEL SCANDAL– The Court of Appeal in Bucharest is today analysing the appeal made by Mircea Basescu, the brother of the Romanian president, against a court decision which led to his 30-day arrest, pending trial, in an influence peddling file. A week ago, the Bucharest Tribunal decided to arrest Mircea Basescu, at the anti-corruption prosecutors’ request, who accused him of taking a 250,000 Euro bribe, in exchange for trying to influence a favourable ruling in a manslaughter attempt lawsuit, against a ringleader.
TENNIS– Romania’s 3rd seeded tennis player Simona Halep is today meeting Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko in the second round of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, the third largest Grand Slam of the year. Scheduled for Thursday, the match has been postponed because of heavy rain. Halep is the last Romanian woman tennis player left in the Ladies’ Singles, after five of her co-nationals had got eliminated. In the Ladies’ Doubles, Romanian Monica Niculescu and Czech Klara Koukalova will play in the first round against the Spanish pair Garbine Muguruza/Carla Suarez Navarro, and the Romanian-Italian pair Irina Begu – Karin Knapp will meet Russians Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina. In the first round of the Mixed Doubles, the pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina will meet the pair made up of German Andre Begemann and Ukrainian Olga Savciuk.
