February 18, 2018
A roundup of domestic and international news
Leyla Cheamil, 18.02.2018, 13:49
Visit – Romanias Prime Minister Viorica Dancila travels to Brussels next week for her first foreign visit. She will have talks with European leaders, including the European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, the European Council President Donald Tusk, the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu. Dancila has recently stated that her immediate plans include boosting foreign policy actions and economic relations with the partner states.
Visas – As of December 1st 2017, citizens of Romania no longer need a visa to travel to Canada. The decision has triggered a surge in asylum requests, which called for a meeting between the Federal Government and the Romanian diplomats posted in Ottawa, according to the Canadian site La Presse. According to the Immigration Ministry, since December 1st 2017, 232 Romanians have filed for asylum in Canada, as compared to 120 claims in 2016. According to the Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic and Program Policy for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Paul MacKinnon, it is not clear yet whether this is going to be a trend, or just a temporary circumstance, relating to the decision to lift visas for Romanians. The parties have agreed to maintain the programme, but, if asylum claims exceed a certain limit over a period of 12 months, then compulsory visas might be reintroduced, the Canadian official has stated. The changes brought to the Canadian immigration policy were associated with the completion of negotiations on a free trade agreement between Canada and the EU last year.
Security Conference – The Munich Security Conference has come to an end. The forum brought together officials who talked about the role of the EU in terms of international security and its relations with the US and Russia. On Saturday, the last day of the event, the British Prime Minister Theresa May said that she did not want Brexit to be the end of the cooperation between Great Britain and the EU in fields such as defense and security, and suggested a security cooperation treaty to be concluded with the European partners, next year at the latest. In turn, the EC President Jean Claude Juncker gave assurances that Europeans were not at war with Great Britain and would not give up the security bridge connecting them for ages. The Defense Minister Mihai Fifor represented Romania at the conference. During the working lunch with his German counterpart Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, the Romanian official stressed the importance of bilateral and regional cooperation, especially with regard to military intelligence and defense industry.
Berlin Film Festival – Romanian productions are screened in almost every important section of the 68th edition of the Berlin Film Festival, which got under way on the 15th of February and comes to an end on the 25th. Touch Me Not, Adina Pintilies feature film debut, runs in the Competition section. A winner of the Golden Bear in 2013 with Childs Pose, the Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer is this year part of the jury. Last year, Dana Bunescu won the Silver Bear for the editing in Calin Peter Netzers Ana, mon amour. Ioana Uricarius Lemonade has been selected in the Panorama section, which rewards artistic vision and the courage to be different. Corneliu Porumboius documentary Infinite Football will be screened in the non-competitive sidebar Forum. Two more Romanian productions are being shown in the Generation Kplus competition for children and young people. Also, the Romanian actress and director Alina Grigore, screen writer Ioan Antoci and film critic Flavia Dima have been selected for the Berlinale Talents, a section devoted to young cinematographers.
Rugby – Romanias rugby team (The Oaks) is today playing against the Spanish Los Leones in Madrid, in a decisive match in terms of qualification for the 2019 World Cups European Group. Romanias record in the past 60 years has been impressive, with 33 victories, as compared to Spains only 2. The Oaks rank 15th in the World Rugby Rankings, and Leones 19th.
