January 15, 2015
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 15.01.2015, 13:52
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is today paying his first formal visit to Brussels as head of state. He will meet with the European Commission President Jean Claude Junker and the president of the European Council Donald Tusk. Tomorrow he will hold talks with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Iohannis has stated that in Brussels he will talk about the steps that Romania has to take in order to deepen its European integration, which is a top objective of his term in office. Iohannis will also discuss with the European officials means of improving the absorption of European funds and the prospects of lifting the monitoring of the Romanian judiciary.
The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has urged Romanians living outside the borders to preserve Romanian cultural values and defend the symbol of national aspirations, poet Mihai Eminescu. Aurescu conveyed the message on the National Culture Day and the celebration of 165 years since the birth of Mihai Eminescu, one of the last representatives of European Romanticism. January 15th became Romania’s Culture Day in 2010, under a Parliament decision. Every year, diplomatic and consular offices, as well as the Romanian cultural institutes abroad organize events devoted to this day.
8 EU member countries, including Romania, where the rate of absorption of European funds is under 60%, will be helped to invest the largest part of those funds, said the European Commissioner for regional policies, the Romanian Corina Cretu. She has already established a working group to increase the rate of absorption in Romania, Bulgaria, the Check Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Italy. The cohesion fund was created for the member countries whose gross national income per capita is lower than 80% of the EU average. One of its main priorities is the development of the trans-European transport network. Recently, the European Commission has decided to cover the construction costs of a section of the so –called Sun Highway in the south east of Romania, earmarking 305.7 million Euros from the cohesion fund, which covers 85% of the construction costs.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EBRD, is to report its first annual losses after the global financial crisis triggered by the situation in Russia and Ukraine, said the EBRD Vice-president Andras Simor, quoted by Reuters. According to Simor, the main reason would be the drop in the value of EBRD investment in Russia, against the depreciation of the Russian Ruble. Last year, EBRD increased its investments in Romania by 16.5%, up to 592 million Euros, even if the number of projects funded dropped to 26, from 32 the previous year.
Ukrainian President Petro Porosenko has decreed a day of national mourning in Ukraine today, in memory of those who were killed in Donbas, in the east of the country, in clashes between government forces and pro-Russia insurgents. On Tuesday, January 13th, a passenger bus was attacked near the Volnovaha cross-border check point. 12 people were killed and another 18 wounded. This is one of the bloodiest incidents after the conclusion of the peace agreement in Minks in September, between the Ukrainian authorities and insurgent leaders. The pro-Russian rebels in Donteks have denied any implication in the incident, saying the area is far from their artillery forces’ range. According to the UN, over 4 thousand 700 people have been killed and 10 thousand have been wounded in the incidents that started in Ukraine in April 2014.
The US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced he will travel to Paris on Friday, for talks with French authorities on the absence of US high-ranking officials from Sunday’s anti-terror march in Paris. Kerry, who is to meet with President Francois Hollande, has explained that he wants to stress the connection between the US and its oldest ally, France. John Kerry was the first US official to voice, in French, his solidarity and compassion after the attack on the head offices of Charlie Hebdo, which claimed 12 lives.
Romanian tennis player Andreea Mitu, ranking 116th in the WTA classification, has defeated the French Claire Feuertein in three sets on Thursday, in the inaugural round of the qualifying matches for the Asutrialian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, due to start in Melbourne on Monday. In the next round, Mitu will play against the Japanese Hiroko Kuwata. The other two Romanian players who are playing for qualifications are Patricia Tig and Ana Bogdan, but they lost the start matches. Romanian Simona Halep, currently the third best player in the world, is seeded 3rd in the Melbourne competition. Last year Halep reached as far as the Australian Open.
