Visit– Romanias Prime Minister Viorica Dancila travels to Brussels next week for her first foreign visit. She will have talks with European leaders, including the European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, the European Council President Donald Tusk, the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu. Dancila has recently stated that her immediate plans include boosting foreign policy actions and strengthening economic relations with the partner states.
Motion – On Monday, the Romanian Chamber of Deputies will debate the simple motion filed by the opposition National Liberal Party against the Labour Minister Lia Olguta Vasilescu. The Liberals criticize the drop in salaries for several categories of employees, following the application of the unitary salary law and shifting the obligation to pay social security contributions from employers to employees. In response, the Labour Minister has stated that the simple no-confidence motion is an opportunity to present an activity report. The vote was scheduled for Wednesday.
Canada– As of December 1st 2017, citizens of Romania no longer need a visa to travel to Canada. The decision has triggered a surge in asylum requests, which called for a meeting between the Canadian Federal Government and the Romanian diplomats posted in Ottawa, according to the Canadian site La Presse. According to the Immigration Ministry, since December 1st 2017, 232 Romanians have filed for asylum in Canada, as compared to 120 in 2016. According to the Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic and Program Policy for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Paul MacKinnon, it is not clear yet whether this is going to be a trend, or just a temporary circumstance, related to the decision to lift visas for Romanians. The parties have agreed to maintain the programme, but, if asylum claims exceed a certain limit over a period of 12 months, then compulsory visas might be reintroduced, the Canadian official has stated. The changes brought to the Canadian immigration policy were associated with the completion of negotiations on a free trade agreement between Canada and the EU last year.
Eco farming – Romania and Poland have registered a decrease in terms of bio farming, although the two countries are among the 10 countries in the region with the largest organic farming areas. The conclusion was presented in a study drawn up by the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, on 23 countries in Eastern Europe. The report also highlights the fact that, in the region, the ecological sector has been developing at a lower pace than in other parts of the world, and it focuses more on exporting raw materials rather than on processing own-brand products.
Berlin Film Festival – Romanian productions are screened in almost every important section of the 68th edition of the Berlin Film Festival, which got under way on the 15th of February and comes to an end on the 25th. Touch Me Not, Adina Pintilies feature film debut, runs in the Competition section. A winner of the Golden Bear in 2013 with Childs Pose, the Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer is this year part of the jury. Last year, Dana Bunescu won the Silver Bear for the editing in Calin Peter Netzers Ana, mon amour. Ioana Uricarius Lemonade has been selected in the Panorama section, which rewards artistic vision and the courage to be different. Corneliu Porumboius documentary Infinite Football will be screened in the non-competitive sidebar Forum. Two more Romanian productions are being shown in the Generation Kplus competition for children and young people. Also, the Romanian actress and director Alina Grigore, screen writer Ioan Antoci and film critic Flavia Dima have been selected for the Berlinale Talents, a section devoted to young cinematographers.
