GREAT
UNION CENTENNIAL – Events were held on Sunday too in Alba Iulia, central Romania, to mark
100 years since the Great Union. Despite the freezing cold, tens of thousands
of people attended the military parades organized on Saturday in Bucharest,
Alba Iulia and Focsani. Attending the events, President Klaus Iohannis said he
was honored to be president in the year of the Great Union Centennial. In turn,
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila called for unity in her speech in Focsani. The
military parade in Bucharest was the largest event of its kind in the last
decades. Some 4,000 military, of whom 500 from 20 partner and allied states,
paraded in Bucharest. More than 200 pieces of military equipment were presented
to the public, while 50 aircraft flew over the capital city. The combat equipment
included for the first time the Patriot missile air-defense system and the
Piranha 5 armored vehicles which, starting this year, are being manufactured in
Romania. Millions of Romanians in the Diaspora celebrated the National Day of
Romania as well.
DANCILA – Prime Minister Viorica
Dancila on Monday is attending the Central-European Initiative Summit in
Zagreb, which marks the end of Croatia’s one-year term at the helm of this
institution. The Initiative was founded in 1989 as a regional inter-government
forum engaged in supporting European integration and sustainable development by
means of cooperation among member states and the EU, international and regional
organizations, as well as other public or private institutions and NGOs. The
main topic on Monday’s agenda is ensuring security, supporting the economy and
boosting progress. Italy on January 1, 2019 will take over the rotating
presidency. Attending the summit will be the president of the European Bank of
Reconstruction and Development and European Commissioner for Enlargement,
Johannes Hahn. On Tuesday, a business forum on the role of innovation in
competitiveness will be hosted by Croatia’s Chamber of Commerce on the
sidelines of the summit.
BUSH – US Stock
Markets on Monday will observe a moment of silence in homage to the former US
President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on Friday aged 94. Stock markets
will be closed on Wednesday, declared a day of national mourning in the US.
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis conveyed a message of condolences to his
counterpart, Donald Trump. Iohannis said President Bush was a great leader and
statesman, whose political legacy holds tremendous importance for Eastern
Europe. Due to his efforts, Romania and other states from the former Soviet
bloc found their liberty and started the path towards European and
Euro-Atlantic integration. It was also Bush, Iohannis argues, who laid the
foundations of what was to become the Strategic Partnership between the United
States and Romania.
PENSION
LAW
– The new pension law could be passed in Parliament by the end of the year,
Labor Minister Marius Budai has announced. The Senate has already voted the
document and submitted it to the Chamber of Deputies for approval. Under the
new law, the pension point will be increased in stages until 2021. The minimum
period of contribution stays at 15 years, while MA and doctoral studies are now
removed from the standard period of contribution. At the same time, the periods
of early retirement were reduced from six years to 12 months for extraordinary
circumstances and from 2 years to 1 year for special circumstances. Women who’ve
completed their minimum period of contribution and given birth to three children
benefit from a six-year reduction of their early retirement age. The Government
assures there will be no drop in pensions.
PROTESTS – French
President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called an emergency meeting with the Prime
Minister and the Defense Minister after Paris saw violent clashes between the
riot police and protesters for the 3rd weekend in a row as part of
rallies caused by increased fuel prices. 75,000 people protested on Saturday in
Paris, with clashes reported in other cities as well. The violent protests
turned to street violence in Pairs, after the peaceful protest was taken over
by groups of hooligans looting stores and setting cars and private lofts on
fire. Emmanuel Macron promised the guilty would be identified and brought to
court. Over 100 people were injured and the police detained some 300 people.
The protest surfaced after the Government in early October announced they would
levy an environment tax on fuel starting next year. Protesters also expressed
disgruntlement with the low purchase power and the increasing number of taxes.
FOOTBALL – Romania’s national
football team will find out, on Sunday, its opponents in the preliminaries of
the EURO 2020, after the draw hosted by Dublin, one of the 12 hosts of the
continental competition, among which Bucharest as well. Romania’s National
Arena stadium will host 4 matches in 2020: 3 matches of Group C on June 14, 18
and 22, and a match in the eighth finals on June 29. The 55 teams to
participate in the draw for the preliminaries will be divided into 10 groups, 5
groups of 5 teams each, and 5 groups of 6 teams. Qualifying to the EURO 2020
will be the teams ranking 1st and 2nd in each group. The
matches in the preliminary round will take place from March through November
2019.
HANDBALL – The Romanian
women’s handball team on Saturday grabbed its first win at the European
Championship in France, defeating the Czech Republic 31-28 in Group D. In the
other group fixture, Germany surprisingly defeated Norway 33-32. Romania will
next play Germany on Monday. The first three teams will advance to the main
group phase. This is the 13th time Romania takes part in the
European Championships. In 2015 our team ranked 5, while its best performance
was in 2010 when they scooped bronze.
(Translated
by V. Palcu)