CONSTITUTION On November 25th Romanians
celebrated 150 years since the adoption of the 1866 Constitution and 25
years since the adoption of the 1991 Constitution. Throughout its history, the fundamental law has been revised several times. The first Constitution,
adopted in 1866, stipulated for the first time the indivisible
character of the Romanian state, which from then on was officially called
Romania. The Constitution of 1923 was dubbed the country’s first democratic
Constitution, but another one was adopted in 1948, when the communist
regime took power and instated a totalitarian regime. The 1991 Constitution marked
the country’s return to democracy. Romania is the first European country to
have stipulated, in its Constitution, the right of national minorities to be
represented in Parliament.
UNITED NATIONS The United Nations’ International Day
for the Elimination of Violence against Women, observed on November 25 every
year, is an occasion for governments, international organizations
and NGOs to raise public awareness of violence against women. In Romania, three
in ten women are victims of physical, verbal or psychological violence after
the age of 15, according to a study published by the European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights based on data collected in 2014. 14 counties in Romania have
no support services or shelters for women faced with domestic violence and, in
small communities in particular, women don’t know what they can do when subject
to aggression.
STRIKE Lufthansa pilots have cancelled thousands of flights
in an extended strike action. The airline has already grounded nearly 1,800
flights since the strike began on Wednesday. It had originally been planned as
a 24-hour walkout but it has been extended three times. Some 300,000 passengers
have seen their travel plans disrupted. The strike has also affected flights to
and from Bucharest. This is the pilots’ 14th strike in less than
three years. They demand a 3.7% pay rise, but the company has only offered 2.5%.
WARNING President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that
Turkey might open its borders for refugees to stream into Europe as the European Parliament voted in favor of halting long-term membership talks with Ankara at a plenary
session in Strasbourg on Thursday, amid concerns about the brutal crackdown on
political dissidents since the failed coup in July. More than 110,000 people,
including soldiers, academics, judges, journalists and Kurdish leaders, have
been detained or dismissed over their alleged backing of the July 15 coup
attempt. We recall that in March, Turkey made a landmark deal to stop
illegal migration to Europe.
HEALTH In Bucharest, the Prime Minister’s Control Team will
make checks at the National Health Insurance Agency to find out what causes the many flaws in the health card system. The move has been triggered by repeated
malfunctions in the system this year. The national health card
system cost over 180 million euros and has been operational since last
May. General practitioners and pharmacists, who are allowed to operate only
based on health cards, have argued that the system gets blocked very often,
causing huge problems and delays.
FILM FESTIVAL The Horia Bernea
Hall of the Romanian Peasant’s Museum in Bucharest is playing host to the
Japanese Film Festival from Friday until Sunday, according to a communiqué
issued by the Japanese Embassy in Bucharest. The five films screened at the
festival are signed by the young but well-known Japanese directors Naoki Segi,
Keisuke Toyoshima, Masaki Hamamoto, Keisuke Yoshida and Yukiko Mishima.
HANDBALL On Saturday and Sunday, Romania’s national women’s handball
team is taking part in the Carpati Trophy hosted by the city of Cluj-Napoca, in
north-western Romania. Also participating in the competition are Hungary and
the Netherlands. The Carpati Trophy is the last test ahead of the European
Championship, to be held in Sweden between the 4th and the 18th
of December. Romania is part of group D, alongside Norway, Russia and Croatia.
FOOTBALL Thursday’s Europa League matches brought wins for the two Romanian
teams playing in this competition. On home turf, Steaua defeated the Turkish
side Osmanlispor 2-1, while Astra Giurgiu secured an away win against Austria
Vienna, also 2-1, now having a good chance to advance to the Europa League
round of last 32. In the other Group L fixture, FC Zurich drew at home against
the Spanish side Villareal 1-all. Ahead of the last round, Osmanlispor are top
the group table with 7 points, followed by FC Zurich, Villareal and Steaua,
each with 6 points. On December 8 Steaua will travel to Spain for a game
against Villareal, while Osmanlipsor take on FC Zurich in Ankara.