December 13, 2023

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 13.12.2023, 13:55

EU.
The enlargement of the European Union is on the agenda of the talks taking
place in Brussels, where summits are scheduled from today until Friday. The EU-Western
Balkans summit is taking place today, given that a number of countries in the
region have already begun accession talks, with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was
last awarded the status of candidate country, hoping to also join the bloc. The
European Council, which begins tomorrow, will discuss opening accession talks
with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, which were also awarded candidate country
status last year. Romania is represented in Brussels by president Klaus Iohannis,
who said the European Union should come closer and show clear signals both to
the states in the Western Balkans and to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia,
especially in the context of Russia’s aggression. Over recent telephone talks
with Moldova’s president Maia Sandu, Iohannis reiterated Romania’s support for
the European future of the neighbouring state.

Middle
East. The UN General Assembly voted for a resolution calling for an immediate
ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages
held by Hamas. The resolution was adopted with 153 votes in favour, 10 votes
against and 23 abstentions. The United States voted against the resolution, but
president Joe Biden warned Israel that it is beginning to lose international
support.

Olympiad. The government has given prizes to almost 140 Romanian pupils
who took part in international school Olympiads to reward them for the medals
they won in these competitions, in a ceremony hosted on Tuesday by the National
Theatre in Bucharest. The government allocated around 785,000 euros for the Romanian
pupils, the teachers who trained them for the competitions, and their schools. Prime
minister Marcel Ciolacu, who attended the event, said the 2024 budget bill has
the highest sum earmarked for education in Romania’s history, namely 4.1% of
the country’s GDP. With every pupil who achieves excellence in their chosen
field, we can build a better and prosperous future, he said.

Exhibition. The Salvador Dali Universe exhibition opens today in
Bucharest, showcasing for the first time in Romania a selection of works by the
Catalan artist. The exhibition brings together 170 works, including sculptures,
graphic art, etchings, miniatures from gold, diamond, emerald, sapphires and glass,
as well as surrealist furniture, which can be visited until May next year.