May 15, 2016 UPDATE
Romania and Bulgaria could veto EU-Canada free trade deal.
Newsroom, 14.05.2016, 12:08
Bulgaria and Romania have raised the spectre of a veto on the EU-Canada free trade deal because of a visa dispute, the EUobserver, an independent online newspaper reporting on the European Union, writes. “It would be very difficult for the governments of Bulgaria and Romania, under the current circumstances, to find arguments to promote the adoption (of the Canada trade pact) while Canada is still imposing a discriminating treatment to our citizens”, the EUobserver quotes the two countries’ EU ambassadors as saying in a joint letter. According to diplomatic sources, the EUObserver reports, the European Commission has assured Romania and Bulgaria of its efforts to convince Canada to scrap its visa requirements for those EU member states still subjected to the restriction but has told Bucharest and Sofia the issue should have nothing to do with the free trade agreement.
Romanian authorities have initiated checks all over the country to see if the E Coli bacteria is found in meat. According to the Food Safety Authority, samples will be collected from supermarkets, food stores, restaurants, farms, fairs and butcher’s stalls until the end of the year. The decision was taken given the nearing of the summer season.
The Kiev Government denied on Sunday accusations according to which their entry for this year’s Eurovision was politically charged deliberately. Jamala, Ukraine’s representative, won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest held in Stockholm, Sweden. The country scored 534 points with its song 1944, about the deportation of Crimean Tatars under Stalin. The song caused controversy because of alleged political overtones. According to the BBC, the song has angered Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, as tension between the two countries grew. As many as 26 countries have competed in this year’s contest, now at its 61st edition. Romania was expelled from this years contest due to the debts owed by the public TV broadcaster to the European Broadcasting Union. The neighbouring Republic of Moldova, a country with a majority Romanian-speaking population, has not qualified for the final. The Eurovisions motto this year has been “Come together”.
Minister Delegate for the Romanians Abroad, Dan Stoenescu, emphasized, during talks with the Chisinau authorities, that Romania wants to see the neighbouring Republic of Moldova increase its stability and advance, in a firm and consistent manner, on its path towards the EU, the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced. Minister Stoenescu has said that thorough reforms are the best way to reach these goals and also to meet the expectations of the Moldovan citizens. According to the Romanian official, one of the most valuable resources of the neighbouring country is the young people, who, due to studies at universities in Romania and other European countries, contribute to their country’s modernization. Stoenescu has given assurances that Bucharest will continue to grant scholarships to Moldovan students who study in Romania.
Over 100 thousand Roman Catholic pilgrims took part in a Pentecost procession in Sumuleu Ciuc, in central Romania. The Holy Liturgy mass was also attended by the Hungarian president Ader Janos and his wife. The presidential couple are on a visit to Romania but are not attending the procession in their official capacity. Pilgrims from Hungary and other countries in Europe, as well as from Australia and America, are usually taking part in the procession in Sumuleu Ciuc, which is now in its 449th year.
