In the lineup today: Romania is ranked in the
top 30 countries with the best cuisines in the world in 2023, The Romanian
pilot Emanuel Gyenes participates, between January 5-19, in the 46th
edition of the Dakar Rally, the
show ‘A hand for the poet’ marks, in Paris, Romania’s National Culture Day. This
and much more on today’s edition of Happening in Romania.
Tag: Romania’s National Culture Day
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Happening in Romania
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January 15, 2019 UPDATE
UPDATE (21.58): British MPs vote down the EU withdrawal agreement.
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit
deal has been rejected by a majority of 230 votes in what is considered by the British media the
largest parliamentary defeat of a sitting government in history.The Labour leader Jeremy
Corbyn has already tabled a vote of no confidence in the government, with the support of the leaders of all other opposition parties, which could trigger general elections.REACTIONS: The
President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker has posted the
following message on Twitter: I take
note with regret of the outcome of the vote in the House of Commons this
evening. I urge the UK to clarify its intentions as soon as possible. Time is
almost up.In his turn, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, asks on Twitter, too: If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?
The Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, writes on Twitter as well: Really bad Brexit. RO2019EU is in close contact with EU institutions. We will stay united. We count on UK to protect the rights of European citizens as already promised. All options are still open.
Strasbourg – The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila stated Tuesday in Strasbourg that Europe has always been able to overcome obstacles and to start anew after less fortunate events in its history, adding that it was important to show the European citizens that the EU institutions are working in their interest. Referring to the postponement of Romanias Schengen accession, PM Dancila said that Romanians perceived it as an inequity. The Romanian PM presented to the European Parliament the priorities of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU. Brexit and the negotiation of the Union budget for the period 2021-2027 are among the most important issues Romania will have to manage in the coming period. Romanias priorities as president of the Council of the EU rely on 4 pillars: a Europe of convergence, implying growth, cohesion, competitiveness, connectivity, a Europe of safety, Europe as a global actor and a Europe of common values. The Romanian PM visits Strasbourg after, last weekend, the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Council Donald Tusk and the president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani as well as members of the College of Commissioners came to Bucharest to participate in the official ceremony marking the launch of Romanias presidency of the Council of the European Union, taken over on January 1, 2019.
National Culture Day – Romanias National Culture Day was celebrated on January 15 for the 9th consecutive year, on the same day with the birthday anniversary of Romanias greatest poet Mihai Eminescu. Many events were held to mark the two anniversaries in Romania and the European capitals. A festive meeting took place at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest when the Romanian Academy launched the application ‘Mihai Eminescu, complete works available free of charge on Smartphones. Romanias National Culture Day was also celebrated in the neighboring Republic of Moldova as well as in the Romanian communities from abroad.
Protest – The protest of the miners with the Oltenia Energy Compound (in the south) carries on after, on Tuesday, the administration agreed with a pay rise of 12% for the production staff and with granting holiday vouchers. Several employees went on hunger strike and the board claims the protest is illegal and does not comply with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The miners have asked for a rise in their pay starting from 850 Euros per each employee, for holiday vouchers, more money for Saturdays and Sundays and improved working conditions. The miners protest started on Friday when 200 miners at the Jilt Nord pit refused to work. The protests gradually extended to all the companys pits. Official data show that at present the situation of the national energy system is normal, the input of coal to the system standing at a constant amount of more than 23%.
Sentence – The former president of Romanias Professional Football League Dumitru Dragomir on Tuesday received from the Bucharest Court a 4 year-imprisonment conviction. He is accused of having received more than 3 million Euros in bribe between 2009 – 2011 from the RCS/RDS company administrator Ioan Bendei in exchange for granting the rights for televising the League 1 football matches. According to the court decision, Dumitru Dragomir was sentenced for the crimes of bribe taking and money laundering. In the same file, Ioan Bendei was also sentenced to 4 years in prison. The decision is not definitive and can be challenged. In the past year, Dumitru Dragomir was investigated in several files but he was acquitted even if he had initially received many years in prison in the trial court.
Flu – In Romania, 8 people have so far died of the flu this winter, the National Institute for Public Health announced on Tuesday. The latest victim is a 17-year old boy from Teleorman county (in the south) who had caught the type A flu virus. He had other medical conditions and had not been given the flu vaccine. According to health minister Sorina Pintea there is no flu epidemic in Romania at present. She recalled for the population that vaccination was the safest and most efficient method to prevent the flu. (news translated by L. Simion, updated by D. Vijeu)
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January 15, 2017 UPDATE
FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL The new Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will attend in Brussels on Monday, alongside EU counterparts, the monthly meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, a review of the main topics on the European agenda in the first semester of the 2017 will be made at the meeting. Also, the participants will analyze the recent developments in Syria, the relations between the EU and Marocco, as well as the negotiations over the peace process in Cyprus. On the sidelines of the event, the Romanian Foreign Minister will be received by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. This is the first such meeting for Melescanu since he took over the foreign affairs office, an office he also held back in 1992-1996 and again for just two weeks in November 2014. He resigned then because the poor preparation of the presidential elections had prevented thousands of Romanian citizens living abroad from casting their votes.
ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT Romanias Parliament will on Monday convene in plenary session to vote on the setting up of the Committee that will investigate the budget adjustments made by the former technocratic government in August and November last year. The setting up of the committee was requested by the president of the Social Democratic Party and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea, whose party formed the government, alongside the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, in the aftermath of December 11th parliamentary elections. The agenda of the parliament session also includes the setting up of new committees in charge of controlling the activity of the Romanian Intelligence Service and of the Foreign Intelligence Service. On Thursday, the Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service Eduard Hellvig suspended his first deputy, General Florian Coldea, accused of illegal activities by the former MP Sebastian Ghita, who is also under investigation for multiple acts of corruption and who is missing.
ROMANIAS CULTURE DAY On Sunday, Romanians celebrated 167 years since the birth of their national poet Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), dubbed the last great representative of European Romanticism. January 15th is also Romanias National Culture Day since 2010, when it was declared so by the Romanian Parliament, at the proposal of the Romanian Academy. Just like every year, the Romanian diplomatic and consular missions and Romanian cultural institutes abroad hosted special events devoted to this day. Romanias President Klaus Iohannis posted a message on a social network reading that in the world, the respect towards Romania is very much based on the international appreciation of its culture and artists. In turn, the Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu wrote that in the hardest of moments, culture has brought this people joy and freedom. The British and French Embassies in Bucharest too posted video messages in the Romanian language, on Romanias Culture day. Eminescus anniversary was officially celebrated in the Republic of Moldova, Romanias neighbour with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population.
PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE The French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Sunday that the proposal of the future Washington Administration to relocate the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would be a provocation with serious consequences. He made the comment in the beginning of the meeting in Paris devoted to the Middle East peace process. He said that the purpose of the conference was to reaffirm the international support for a two-country solution, to encourage Israel and the Palestinians to carry out direct negotiations and to draft an action plan for the coming period. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are represented at the meeting.
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January 15, 2017
ROMANIAs NATIONAL CULTURE DAY Events celebrating Romanias National Culture Day are held both in the country and abroad. The Culture Day is celebrated every year on January 15th, which is the birthday of the Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), dubbed the last great representative of European Romanticism. The new building of the Romanian Literature Museum was officially inaugurated on the occasion, and the Central University Library will host the young writers gala. The initiator of the National Culture Day, the literary critic Eugen Simion, will attend the solemn session of the Romanian Academy as he does every year. As part of the Romanian Cultural Institutes strategy to celebrate the Lipatti centennial in 2017, the National Radio Orchestra will this evening give an anniversary concert, during which actor Ion Caramitru will recite poems by Mihai Eminescu. Just like every year, Romanian diplomatic and consular missions, as well as the Romanian cultural institutes abroad are hosting special events, devoted to this day. Romanias President Klaus Iohannis has posted a message on a social networking webside, reading that, in the world, the respect towards Romania is very much based on the international appreciation of its culture and artists. The National Culture Day was established by Parliament in 2010, at the proposal of the Romanian Academy.
FOREIGN POLICY The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will receive in Brussels on Monday the new Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu. According to information posted on the European Commissions web page, the meeting of the two officials will take place on the sidelines of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, attended by EU foreign ministers. This is the first such meeting for Melescanu since he took over the foreign affairs office, an office he also held back in 1992-1996 and again for just two weeks in November 2014. He resigned then because the poor preparation of the presidential elections had prevented thousands of Romanian citizens living abroad to cast their votes.
SUMMIT Foreign ministers and diplomats from over 70 countries are today discussing in Paris the Middle East situation, at a conference organized with the aim of reasserting the support for a two-state solution. Neither Israeli nor Palestinian representatives are attending the meeting. The latter had agreed with the conference, but the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the meeting in Paris was arranged against Israel. According to the US Department of State, the US Secretary of State John Kerry is attending the summit in order to make sure that whatever happens there is constructive and balanced. The Israelis and the Palestinians will be informed about the conclusions drawn at the Paris conference.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN Six Romanian tennis players represent Romania at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, which starts in Melbourne on Monday. The best Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranking 4th in the WTA classification and also 40th seeded at the tournament, will play in the first round against the American Shelby Rogers, WTA number 57. Irina Camelia Begu, ranked 30t and 27th-seed will have a difficult match in the inaugural round, against Iaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan. Monica Niculescu, ranking 40th in the WTA classification, a finalist in Hobart, will play against a player from the qualifiers. Number 78 Sorana Carstea will play against the Russian Irina Kromaceva, and Patricia Tig, number 106 in the WTA rankings, will take on the Olympic champion Monica Puig of Puerto Rico. Ana Bogdan, whos made it to the main draw from the qualifiers, will play against the Russian Elena Vesnina.