October 8, 2019 UPDATE

President Iohannis signs law establishing a National Museum of Jewish and Holocaust History in Romania

Newsroom, 08.10.2019, 20:00

MUSEUM In a public ceremony held on Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis promulgated the Law establishing the National Museum of Jewish and Holocaust History in Romania. The Jewish heritage is representative for the Romanian culture, and the new museum is aimed at showcasing it, Iohannis said. According to the President, Jewish scientists, physicians, lawyers, actors, painters, writers, philosophers and journalists are among the greatest personalities of Romania. The museum will be located in Bucharest and will showcase and promote the culture and traditions of the Jewish community in Romania, protect the victims of the Holocaust and fight anti-Semitism. The project is coordinated by the “Elie Wiesel National Institute of Holocaust Studies. PM Viorica Dancila said the Government of Romania strongly supported the idea of opening such a museum and of developing Holocaust studies programmes. In her message on the Romanian Holocaust Remembrance Day, marked every October 9, the PM emphasised that this day is only a reminder of a dark chapter in history, which meant suffering and injustice to millions of people around the world, including in Romania.

VISIT The Romanian minister delegate for European affairs, George Ciamba, was on a working visit to Berlin on Monday and Tuesday, and had meetings with Uwe Corsepius, adviser for European affairs to the German Chancellor, and with the president of Aspen Institute Germany, Rudiger Lentz. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian officials talks with Uwe Corsepius focused on the main topics on the EU agenda, such as the multi-annual financial framework, the solidarity of member countries in handling the migration crisis and protecting the environment and fighting climate change. During the meeting with the head of Aspen Institute Germany, George Ciamba discussed topics like multilateralism, trans-Atlantic relations, the 3 Seas Initiative, the new European institutional architecture and strengthening the role of the EU as a global actor.

NATO North Macedonias NATO accession will contribute to improving the security of the Balkans, the Romanian Defence Minister Gabriel Leş said on Tuesday, during a visit to Bucharest by his Macedonian counterpart Radmila Sekerinska-Jankovska. The 2 officials discussed migration and bilateral and regional cooperation. Gabriel Leş reiterated Romanias constant support for North Macedonias NATO and EU accession efforts, particularly in the fields of strategic planning, logistics, human resources, communications and IT.

JHA The topics discussed in the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting are particularly important in consolidating the EUs freedom, security and justice, the Romanian Justice Minister Ana Birchall said on Tuesday. She took part in the JHA Council meeting in Luxembourg, the first held under the Finnish presidency of the Council of the EU. According to the Romanian official, Romania takes special interest in areas related to fighting cross-border crime through the Eurojust, electronic evidence and the establishment of the European Public Prosecutors Office. “All these measures, intended to strengthen mutual trust between the judicial authorities of member states, were also priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, Ana Birchall said in her address.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)