1 May 2019, UPDATE

A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 01.05.2019, 18:45

Viorica Dancila. The Romanian prime
minister Viorica Dancila presented a stocktaking report on Romania’s presidency
of the Council of the EU on Wednesday in Warsaw. She highlighted the completion
of negotiations on 90 legislative dossiers, some of which are very complex. She
mentioned the national gas directive, the directive on copyright in the digital
single market, the regulation on the establishment of the European Labour
Authority and the regulation to expand the mandate of the European Border and
Coast Guard Agency. Romania will continue to support the European project based
on convergence, cohesion and solidarity among member states, prime minister
Dancila also said. She reiterated that Romania fulfils the technical criteria
for accession to the Schengen area and
called on the adoption of a political decision in this respect. She made these
statements at a meeting of the heads of government of the central and eastern
European states that joined the European Union after 2004, including Romania. On
Thursday, also in Poland, Dancila will attend the International March of the
Living, an annual educational event involving a walk from Auschwitz to
Birkenau, the former Nazi
extermination camps.

Klaus Iohannis. On Friday, Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis is invited to attend as a guest of honour the State of
the Union conference organised by the European University Institute in
Florence. His participation is connected to Romania’s holding the presidency of
the Council of the European Union. The theme of the conference this year is 21st
century democracy in Europe, given the upcoming elections for the European
Parliament. In Florence, president Iohannis is also expected to meet the
Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte.

Japan. The
Custodian of the Crown of Romania Margareta has congratulated Emperor Naruhito
for his succession to the throne of Japan, wishing him success in his important
mission in the service of his people. Her Majesty Margareta has met Emperor
Naruhito three times in the last 15 years, during royal events in Madrid,
Luxembourg and Stockholm. Romania established diplomatic ties with Japan in
1917, during the reigns
of King Ferdinand I and Emperor Yoshihito. The first Romanian royal visit to
Japan took place in 1920, when crown prince Carol visited Tokyo. Japan’s new
emperor, Naruhito, aged 59, ascended to the throne on May 1st,
following the abdication, a day earlier, of his father Akihito, aged 85.
Naruhito became the 126th emperor in the history of Japan, marking
the start of a new Reiwa era. Japan is the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy
in the world, going back 2,600 years.

Employment. Only 8.7 million are in work of
Romania’s 13 million workable population, according to the national statistical
office valid for last year. Figures show a slight increase compared with 2017.
The age categories with the highest percentages of in work rates are 35 to 44
and 45 to 54, while only 6% of young people below 25 are in work. High school
graduates account for the highest percentage of people in work, followed by
university graduates. 80% of the people in work are in the private sector.
380,000 people were unemployed last year, more than 15% less than in the
previous year.

Pope. The registration deadline for
those who wish to attend Pope Francis’ visit to St. Joseph’s Cathedral in
Bucharest has been extended until the 15th of May. Around 40,000
people are expected in the area around this Roman-Catholic cathedral. 15
screens will be put in place, as well as two stages for prayer and a religious
and artistic programme. Pope Francis will make an apostolic visit to Romania
from 31st of May until the 2nd of June. He will travel to
the capital Bucharest, to Iasi, the biggest city in the east and home to a
sizeable Roman-Catholic community, to Blaj, in the centre, the spiritual
capital of the Romanian Greek-Catholic community, where he will beatify seven
bishops who died as martyrs in communist prisons, as well as to the Franciscan
monastery in Şumuleu Ciuc, in the centre, in an area with a majority ethnic
Hungarian population. Hundreds of thousands of people, including from abroad,
have registered online to attend the services held by Pope Francis during his
Romanian trip.

State bonds. Beginning on Thursday, Romanians can subscribe
for new state bonds issuances exclusively for the population as part of the
treasury programme, with a maturity of 1, 2, 3 and 5 years. The annual interest
rates stand at 3.5%, 4%, 4.5% and 5% respectively and corresponding incomes are
not subject to tax, says the finance ministry. State bonds can be purchased
this month from the state treasury or the Romanian post. In the first four
months of the year, 26,000 Romanians invested around 300 million euros in state
bonds.