Earth Hour. Romania joins around 170
other countries in celebrating Earth Hour today, a movement that warns about
climate change and the loss of biodiversity. Between 8.30 pm and 9.30 pm,
lights will go out in several towns and cities across the country, including
the capital Bucharest, in a symbolic gesture to raise awareness about the
importance of protecting the planet. Performances, bike races and other events
are also held. According to some estimates, if every person in Romania took
part in Earth Hour by switching off their lights for one hour, this would save
more than 1 million kilowatts, enough to supply the electricity of a community
of 2,200 people for a year.
Summer time. Romania switches to
summer time tonight. Clocks will be moved forwards by one hour, with 3 am
becoming 4 am. The aim is to benefit from as much natural light as possible
during the summer months. This year’s change to summer time may be one of the
last, as the European Parliament this week approved a draft law to abolish the
mandatory seasonal time switch in the European Union beginning in 2021. EU
member states would decide whether they remain on standard time or follow
summer time throughout the year.
Education. New tests for elementary
school children in years 3 and 7 and different types of baccalaureate exams are
some of the changes to the education system proposed by the education minister Ecaterina
Andronescu, who has launched a project to this effect. She wants to introduce
four types of baccalaureate exams: science, socio-humanistic, vocational and
technological. She also proposes that children are consulted about their future
careers beginning in year 7 of elementary school and that year 4 classes should
also have teachers specialised on various subjects besides a generalist
teacher. These proposals will be subject to public discussions with teachers,
trade unions and parents.
Slovakia elections. Slovakian voters
go to the polls today in the second round of the presidential elections. The frontrunner
in the race is the 45-year-old lawyer with previous political experience Zuzana
Caputova, who has run on an anti-corruption platform. A 45-year old divorced
mother of two, she may become the first female president in this EU and
eurozone country. She has 60% of voting intentions in opinion polls. Her rival,
Maros Sefcovic, who has the backing of the government, is the European
commissioner for the energy union. In the first round, Zuzana Caputova got
40.5% of the votes and Sefcovic 18.6%. Her election promises include environmental
protection, support for the elderly and justice for all. She has been compared
with the French president Emmanuel Macron, a political outsider who ran on a reformist
platform.
Brexit. European leaders will meet
before the 12th of April deadline for Brexit to look at a possible
request from the UK to delay withdrawal from the Union. On Friday, the House of
Commons rejected for the third time the separation deal negotiated by prime
minister Theresa May with Brussels. Following the vote, May said a longer delay
is now almost inevitable, but that the European leaders believe there is a real
prospect of a no-deal Brexit and that is why the Union’s main objective is
limiting the negative consequences. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent
in the UK, Theresa May, who is faced with calls to resign from the Labour
opposition and the pro-Conservative media, appears, however, determined to try
to achieve an orderly withdrawal from the EU.
Fake news. The Council of Europe,
which monitors compliance with human rights in Europe, has urged for caution in
the wake of the recent attacks against ethnic Roma in France as a result of
unfounded rumours about abductions of children that circulated on social media.
Xavier Cadoret, the president of a Council of Europe body and a mayor in France
warned in a statement against anti-Roma news that spread quickly and welcomed
the role of the local authorities, who, together with the police, have
responded quickly, disproving the news and providing security for the more than
30 Roma camps in the Paris area. The spokesperson for the French government Benjamin
Griveaux previously spoke about the need to fight against fake news.