FREE TRADE AGREEMENT – Bulgaria and Romania might veto the EU Free Trade Agreement with Canada, because of the discriminatory treatment applied to the citizens of the two countries as regards the visa regime, New Europe reports. The two countries have issued a common letter, critical of the Canadian government and they sent it to the EU trade ministers, who joined in a meeting in Brussels last Friday. The letter, quoted by EUobserver, is written by the two countries ambassadors to the EU. The document shows that it will be very difficult for both the Bulgarian and Romanian governments to find arguments in support of adopting the Free Trade Agreement in their countries.
ETHNIC ROMANIANS – A joint program marking the Day of the Romanians Around the World will be developed on May 28 and 29 by the Romanian Cultural Institute, the Bucharest-based “Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Institute and the Romanian Foreign Ministrys Department of Policies for the Relation with the Romanians Around the World. The events will bring together representatives of the Romanian communities living in Romanias neighbourhood and in the Balkans, as well as prominent personalities of the Romanian Diaspora. The result of a fruitful partnership between the “Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum, the “Carol I Central University Library and Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, the program also includes a conference on the issue of national identity abroad and a fair of folk traditions specific to Romanian communities. Romanian traditional music recitals and folk dances will be performed by folk ensembles from Ukraine (the historical Maramures region), Serbia (the Timoc Valley), Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova and Romania. Since 2015, the Day of the Romanians Around the World is celebrated on the last Sunday of May.
SIMPLE MOTION-The Chamber of Deputies on Monday debated the simple motion against the agriculture minister, entitled “Achim Irimescu- the biggest disaster in the Romanian agriculture after December 1989. The motion was tabled by 84 MPs, members of the Social Democratic Party and of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, ALDE. Signatories to the motion have pointed out the flawed payment to farmers, the blocked investment in the irrigation infrastructure and the defective management in the Agriculture Ministry. A final vote on the aforementioned motion will be cast in a plenary session due on Tuesday, May 17.
SWABIANS OF BANAT-The community of Transylvanian Saxons and Swabians is a priceless source for consolidating ties with Germany and Europe, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said on Sunday at the annual meeting of Swabians of Banat, which took place in Ulm, Germany. Ciolos, who paid a two-day visit to Germany, has praised the bilateral relations, which he described as “privileged, excellent relations with a long history. The Saxons came to southern Transylvania back in the 13th century, while the Swabians settled there in the 17th – 18th centuries. The community of ethnic Germans in this region stood at several hundred thousands between the two world wars but it barely numbers several tens of thousands nowadays.
REACTIONS TO BMD IN EUROPE– Moscow and Minsk have agreed to draft joint measures in response to the installation of elements of the US anti-missile defence system in Europe, Belarusian foreign minister Vladimir Makei said fresh from the talks he had had with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. According to Makei, Moscow and Minsk share concern about the US anti-missile system in Europe. We recall that on Thursday, May 12, the “Aegis Ashore US anti-missile facility was inaugurated at the Deveselu base in Romania, and on May 13, a ceremony laying the foundation of a similar site was held in Redzikowo, Poland.
DIPLOMACY- Foreign ministers of the EU, the USA and Libyas neighbouring countries convened in Vienna for talks over the situation in the north-African country of Libya, currently facing political divergences and Jihadi threats. According to France Press, the meeting came at a crucial moment, after ISIS Jihadists had extended their influence to the western city of Sirte and the failure of the UN-backed national unity government to impose itself after two months in power. The international community wants an executive capable of fighting the Jihadists and stemming migration towards Europe, France Press reports. Vienna will also be hosting a meeting of the international support group for Syria, agreed upon by US secretary of state John Kerry and the head of the Russian diplomacy Serghei Lavrov.
CANNES-Romanian director Bogdan Miricas debut film “Dogs was premiered in Cannes, where it is presently running in the festivals “Un Certain Regard section. Another Romanian director, Alexandru Nanau has been awarded the France Culture Cinema prize in Cannes for a documentary entitled “Toto and his Sisters. The award is granted every year to the best production running in cinemas across France. Last week saw the screening of “Sieranevada by Cristi Puiu, a director who in 2005 reaped the “Un Certain Regard award for a feature film entitled “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. “Sieranevada, which is currently running in the “Palme dOr section, has been well received by critics. Another Romanian film, “Bacalaureate, directed by Cristian Mungiu, a Palme dOr laureate in 2007 and currently at its third participation in the festival, is to be screened on Thursday. Romania is also being represented in Cannes by two short reels.
TENNIS-Romanian tennis player Irina Begu has climbed up onto the 28th position in the WTA rankings made public today and will be a top-seeded player in Roland Garros, the years second Grand Slam tournament, which kicks off this week. This past Saturday Begu failed to go past the semi-finals, since she was defeated by the worlds number one tennis player Serena Williams. WTA top 100 players includes other Romanians as well. Best-placed is Simona Halep, ranking 6th. Monica Niculescu ranks 35th, while Sorana Carstea comes 100th. In the main draw at Roland Garros, joining Irina Begu are three other Romanians, Simona Halep, Monica Niculescu and Alexandra Dulgheru.
SUPER MODEL OF THE WORLD – Bianca Nicole Draghiciu of Sibiu, in central Romania, has won the title of “’Super Model of the World, and the special prize of the jury, “’Best of the Best, in the international contest “Little Miss World Universe 2016, held in Bodrum, Turkey. At the end of five years of training in modelling, Bianca now boasts her own fashion show for children, on a Romanian television channel. She was followed in the contest by Elisabeta Titova and Albina Cercaska, both from Ukraine.
(Translated by Daniel Bilt and Diana Vijeu)
