SPRING COUNCIL — EU leaders are today convening in Brussels in the 27-member format, without Great Britain, to discuss the future of the EU. The main topic on the agenda for talks is the multi-speed Europe, one of the solutions proposed by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Representing Romania, President Klaus Iohannis said, before leaving, that Romania believes in a strong, united and solidary EU, opposing a multi-speed Europe. The president argued it would be counter-productive for the EU to accept only those projects that can be accessed by certain members of the Union. In turn, Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu shared this view while taking part in the meeting of the Party of European Socialists. On the other hand, an increasing number of MEPs on all sides of the political spectrum are saying that the EU is already moving at different speeds and has subdivisions, such as the Schengen Area or the Eurozone. European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans told Radio Romania that any member state, including Romania, will be able to join the so-called “closer cooperation groups”. The debate process will end with a joint Declaration to be adopted at the EU Summit in Rome on March 25.
UNITARY PAY LAW — Negotiations continue at the Labour Ministry in Bucharest between the Government and trade unions regarding the unitary pay law. On Friday, trade unions from the field of culture said they agree with the new pay scheme, adding there will be pay rises of up to 40%, benefitting especially employees with low salaries. Negotiations on the unitary pay draft law have already been carried out with trade unions in the defense, public order and healthcare sectors. The document is supposed to be adopted by July 1st in order to show effects as of January 1st next year. According to the Labour Minister Vasilescu, state employees’ salaries will be increased gradually by 2021, and the only ones who will benefit from a full rise in 2018 are the employees of the healthcare sector.
TRAVEL FAIR — The Ministry of Tourism is promoting Romania at the International Travel Fair in Berlin, which is running through Sunday, having Botswana as official partner. Some 40 travel agents and representatives of city halls and associations from Romania are taking part of the largest travel event in the world. Attending the opening event, Romanian Tourism Minister Mircea Dobre met with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai. The Romanian official outlined Romania’s plans to promote our country at international level.
OLTCHIM — Romanian Economy Minister Mihai Tudose has assured the people living in Ramnicu Valcea, southern Romania, whose income depend more or less on the local petrochemical works facility that the enterprise will continue to operate after being privatized. The Minister said he favors any bid that provides for the continuous functioning of the unit, ruling out the selling of parts of the facility. Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea is the last petrochemical company in Romania, and one of the biggest of its kind in southeastern Europe. 10 years ago Oltchim exported over a third of its products to 80 countries all over the world. The facility is currently insolvent. After several failed privatization attempts, the creditors’ assembly adopted a new plan to sell all or parts of its assets organized in bundles, with no obligation on the part of the buyer to take over the company’s 2,000 employees.
VACCINES — A new law on vaccination will be submitted for public debate within a month, the Health Minister Florian Bodog has announced. Once adopted, the law will force parents to comply with mandatory child vaccination schemes. The initiative was prompted against Romania’s dropping rate of vaccination, which has recently caused serious epidemics. Referring to the shortage of vaccines, Minister Bodog announced he signed the purchase contracts for hexavalent and tetravalent vaccines, while the vaccine against Hepatitis B will be purchased with EU funds. As regards the pneumococcal vaccine the Ministry will soon take action to renew its supplies.
ATTACKS — A man injured seven people with an ax on Thursday evening at the Dusseldorf train station in Germany, three of whom are in critical condition. According to the German Police, the attacker is a 36-year-old male from the former Yugoslavia with mental problems. Germany is on high terrorist alert, particularly in the wake of December’s attack at a Christmas market in Berlin, which killed 12 people. In another development, two people were killed and a third was seriously wounded in a bar shooting in Basel, northwestern Switzerland. The attackers managed to escape.
SOUTH KOREA — The Constitutional Court of South Korea today ruled to remove President Park Geun-Hye from office in the wake of a massive corruption scandal, France Press reports. The Court claims Park’s actions seriously impaired the spirit of representative democracy and the rule of law. The South Korean President tried to cover up the illegal businesses of a close friend, accused of demanding millions of dollars to large industrial groups. Under the law, snap elections will be held within 60 days. Supporters of Park gathered to protest outside the Court building, two of them being killed in clashes with the riot police.
RUGBY — Romania’s rugby team is on Saturday taking on Belgium away from home in the fourth round of Rugby Europe Championship, the competition replacing the European Nations’ Cup, the second continental rugby competition after the Six Nations’ Tournament. So far, Romania has defeated Russia away from home and Spain on home turf, but lost surprisingly to Germany away from home. Romania is ranked 2nd after Georgia, while Belgium is bottom-of-the-table. Romania is ranked 16th in world rankings at present.
TENNIS — Three Romanian tennis players will tonight play in the second round at Indian Wells, a tournament totaling some 7 million dollars in prize money. The world’s no. 4 player, Simona Halep, will take on Dona Vekic of Croatia, 86th WTA. Monica Niculescu, 45th WTA, will play Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland, 16th WTA, while Irina Begu will take on Louise Chirico of the US, 65 WTA. The fourth Romanian player, Patricia Tig, 99th WTA, was eliminated in the first round of the main draw to Mariana Duque Marino of Columbia, 112th WTA. In the men’s competition, Marius Copil, 111th ATP, will take on Horacio Zeballos of Argentina in the first round of the main draw. (Translated by V. Palcu)
