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Tag: Romanians Around the World

The Congress of the Romanians Around the World

Bucharest last week played host to the first Congress of the Romanians Around the World. 49 delegates from 13 countries have voted for a council to represent the Romanian communities in the Diaspora and in the historical Romanian regions around the country. Participants have spoken about the unity of the Diaspora for the benefit of the Romanian citizens and have called for authorities’ support for the preservation of national identity.

The authorities in Bucharest have conveyed a message to the representatives of the Romanians around the world that they have a significant contribution to Romania’s image abroad and that their voice will also be heard in the Romanian Parliament. It is in Romania’s best interest to have active and strong communities abroad and for this reason the Romanian Diaspora will have in the authorities a reliable partner for finding solutions to the problems that these communities are currently facing, the Congress panelists have also said.

The Romanians in the Diaspora have also talked about restoring their trust in the authorities, about unity and cooperation in the interest of the citizens outside Romania’s borders; they have also mentioned their accomplishments and the problems they are facing at present. From Cernauti, in Western Ukraine, Iurie Levcic has pulled the alarm about the danger of denationalization, by closing down schools with tuition in Romania.

Iurie Levcic: “Ukraine hasn’t opened a university or a faculty for the teaching stuff yet. The Romanian schools in Ukraine are passing through a major crisis right now. The Ukrainian state hasn’t done anything so far to build or open in Cernauti at least one kindergarten with tuition in Romanian.”

Svetlana Captari of the Republic of Moldova has called for support for identity preservation through language and culture. The Romanians in the Timoc Valley, in eastern Serbia, are also fighting for the preservation of Romanian language. They have also pleaded for support for gaining Romanian citizenship. Staging courses of Romanian, consular facilities, libraries, setting up a Diaspora museum are among the requests made by the participants in the Congress of the Romanians Around the World. The participants have also voted for the leading structures of the Council of the Romanians Around the World. The 49 delegates have elected pastor Marius Livanu, currently living in Italy, as president of the council. Livanu said he would fight for the unity of the Diaspora.

Marius Livanu: “I don’t want any competition between north and south, between those living on the other side of the Atlantic or here, those in Italy and in other parts of the world. We are all Romanians living abroad and we must work for the benefit of all Romanians.”

Tommy Tomescu of Britain has been elected vice-president, while Savic Alexander of Serbia as secretary general. The status and regulations for the functioning of this body have also been established.

(Translated by Daniel Bilt)

27 June 2016
May 29, 2016 UPDATE

ROMANIANS AROUND THE WORLD – The Diaspora should truly become a “national priority and therefore Ive asked the government to come up with a Roadmap, Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Sunday, in his message on the Day of the Romanians Around the World. In his opinion, thus, the potential of the Romanians living outside the borders of the country will not be wasted, and these citizens can contribute to developing Romania, either by returning home, or by representing its image abroad. In turn, the minister delegate for the relation with the Romanians around the world, Dan Stoenescu, underlined how important it is for the Romanians living outside the borders of the country to get involved in the countrys development as strategic partners, to always stay connected and united, and be aware of the fact they represent a force for Romania. Celebrated every year on the last Sunday of May, in 2016 the Day of the Romanians Around the World was marked by a series of academic and artistic events held both in the country and abroad.

PRINCE CHARLES – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Monday will receive in Bucharest HRH, the Prince of Wales. The British Crown Prince Charles is also due to meet Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos. Last year, Prince Charles launched “The Prince of Waless Foundation Romania, an educational charity which aims to support heritage preservation, agriculture and sustainable development in Romania. In recent years, Prince Charles has frequently visited Romania, where he owns several properties and where he spends some of his vacations. He has a well-known fondness for the medieval Saxon architecture in central Romania- citadels, fortified churches and houses- built by ethnic Germans who settled down in Transylvania, in the Middle Ages.

NEGOTIATIONS– A new round of negotiations will be held in Bucharest on Monday between the Romanian Government and the trade unions in education on the salary scheme in the sector. On Saturday, the government came up with a new proposal, an average 5% increase as of January 1, 2017, but the trade union representatives expressed their discontent over the offer. So far, the trade unionists declined all offers made by the government, deeming the sums allotted to education as too low. They have announced to stage a protest march in Bucharest on June 1.

THE HEXI PHARMA SCANDAL – The director general of Hexi Pharma, Flori Dinu, will be investigated and placed under home arrest, in the case of the diluted biocides, Romanian judges ruled on Saturday evening. She is accused of misrepresentation and preventing the combating of disease. Prosecutors say she coordinated the staff that promoted the Hexi Pharma products and signed contracts with Romanian hospitals while aware that the products have a different composition from the one specified on the label. In the same file, the Romanian General Prosecutors Office has commenced prosecution against the Hexi Pharma production manager, Mihai Leva. The damages caused for the last 4 years alone through the supply of low-quality disinfectants are put at more than 6 million euros. The media quotes judicial sources as saying that Dinu is facing a 30-year prison sentence. We recall that the owner of Hexi Pharma, Dan Condrea, seen as the mastermind of the illegal operation, died last Sunday in a car crash in still unclear circumstances, which are being investigated.

ROMANIAN PEACE KEEPERS – 62 Romanian policemen and gendarmes last month participated in UN peacekeeping missions in dangerous areas around the world. According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, they were dispatched to Haiti, the Central African Republic and Congo. Raluca Domuta has received the title of “International Female Police Peacekeeper 2015, for the special role she played during a search and rescue mission in Haiti. She is the first Romanian policewoman to be granted this award.

GYMNASTICS – Romanian gymnast Marian
Dragulescu grabbed a silver medal in the vault final on Sunday, at the European
Gymnastics Championship held in Berne, Switzerland, just hours after he had won
a silver medal in the floor event. A multiple continental and world champion,
Marian Dragulescu, 35, has qualified for the Olympic Games due in Rio de
Janeiro, in August.

TENNIS – The pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Indian Rohan Bopanna on Sunday defeated the pair Brian Baker/Marcus Daniell (the US/New Zealand) 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-1, in the eighth finals of the Roland Garros tennis tournament. In the quarter-finals, Mergea and Bopanna will meet the winner of the match between Ivan Dodig/Marcelo Melo (Croatia/Brazil) and Chris Guccione/Andre Sa (Australia/Brazil). In the womens simple tennis competition, Romanian Irina Begu (WTAs no. 28) got eliminated by the American Shelby Rogers (WTAs no.108), 3-6, 4-6.

(Translated by Diana Vijeu)

29 May 2016
May 29, 2016

ROMANIANS AROUND THE WORLD — The Diaspora should truly become a “national priority” and therefore I’ve asked the government to come up with a Roadmap, says Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, on his message delivered on the Day of the Romanians Around the World. Thus, the Romanian president believes the potential of the Romanians living outside the borders of the country will not be wasted, and they can contribute to developing Romania, either by returning home, or by representing its image abroad. The Day of the Romanians Around the World is marked today by a series of events held both in the country and abroad.

THE HEXI PHARMA SCANDAL — The director general of Hexi Pharma, Flori Dinu, will be investigated and placed under home arrest, in the case of the diluted biocides, Romanian judges ruled on Saturday evening. She is accused of misrepresentation and preventing the combating of disease. Prosecutors say she coordinated the staff that promoted the Hexi Pharma products and signed contracts with Romanian hospitals while aware that the products have a different composition from the one specified on the label. In the same file, the Romanian General Prosecutor’s Office has commenced prosecution against the Hexi Pharma production manager, Mihai Leva. The damages caused for the last 4 years alone through the supply of low-quality disinfectants are put at more than 6 million euros. The media quotes judicial sources as saying that Dinu is facing a 30-year prison sentence. We recall that the owner of Hexi Pharma, Dan Condrea, seen as the mastermind of the illegal operation, died last Sunday in a car crash in unclear circumstances, which should still be investigated.

NEGOTIATIONS– A new round of negotiations will be held in Bucharest on Monday between the Romanian Government and the trade unions in education on the salary scheme in the sector. On Saturday, the government came up with a new proposal, an average 5% increase as of January 1, 2017, but the trade union representatives expressed their discontent over the offer. So far, the trade unionists declined all offers made by the government, deeming the sums allotted to education as too low. They have announced to stage a protest march in Bucharest on June 1.

ROMANIAN PEACE KEEPERS – 62 Romanian policemen and gendarmes last months participated in UN peacekeeping missions in dangerous areas around the world. According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, they were dispatched to Haiti, the Central African Republic and Congo. Raluca Domuta has received the title of “International Female Police Peacekeeper 2015”, for the special role she played during a search and rescue mission in Haiti. She is the first Romanian policewoman to be granted this award.

TIFF — Film screenings, concerts, workshops and performances for children are the highlights of the day, at the Transylvania International Film Festival, in short TIFF. So far, over 10,000 people attended the events and activities organised as part of TIFF. Until June 5, over 248 films, of which 216 long reels and 32 shorts, will be presented to the public. The special guest of this year’s edition of TIFF is Sophia Loren, who comes to Romania for the first time. During the festival, she will receive a prize for lifetime achievement.

TENNIS — Two Romanian women tennis players are today playing in the eighth finals of the Roland Garros, the second most important Grand Slam tournament of the year. Simona Halep (WTA’s no. 6) is facing Australian Samantha Stosur (WTA’s no. 24), whereas Irina Begu (WTA’s no. 28) is meeting American Shelby Rogers (.WTA’s no.108). Halep and Stosur have met 7 times so far, the Romanian player defeating the Australian player four times. In exchange, Irina Begu has qualified for the first time for the eighth finals and has never met Rogers in the world circuit so far. The two Romanian tennis players might meet in the Rolland Garros semi-finals. In the men’s double tennis competition, the pair Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna (Romania/India) has qualified for the eighth finals.

FOOTBALL– Romania’s national football team continues its training in Italy, in preparation for the European Football Championship due in France, next month. The Romanian footballers are today meeting Ukraine in Turin, in a friendly match, after on Wednesday they ended in a draw, 1-1, the match, played in Como, against the representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo. On June 3, Romania will meet Georgia in Bucharest, in the last preparatory match played ahead of the final tournament. In Paris, Romania will play the opening match of Euro 2016, with the host country, France, on June 10. Also paying in Group A are Switzerland and Albania.

GYMNASTICS – Romanian gymnast Marian Dragulescu has today grabbed a silver medal in the floor event, at the European Gymnastics Championship held in Berne, Switzerland. He was outperformed by Russian Nikita Nagornyy, and the bronze medal went to Israeli Alexander Shatilov. Thus, Dragulescu, 35, has brought the first medal to Romania, in this edition of the European Champions held in Berne. In the floor event, throughout his career, the Romanian gymnast has won three gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal in the European Championships, is the holder of four world titles and has also won a silver Olympic medal.

(Translated by Diana Vijeu)

29 May 2016
May 16, 2016 UPDATE

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)

16 May 2016