15 January, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 15.01.2020, 20:20

Middle East. Romania’s and Romanian citizens’ interests have not been
affected so far by the situation in Iraq and the Middle East, the Romanian
foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Wednesday. He also said that Romania is
coordinating with its EU and NATO allies, and stressed that his ministry is
monitoring the situation of the Romanians in the region. He announced that the
Romanian embassy in Baghdad is being relocated and a new ambassador to Iraq is
being considered. The Middle East crisis confirmed that the missile defence
system in Deveselu, southern Romania, is well integrated into NATO and is
working perfectly, said Aurescu. He and defence minister Nicolae Ciuca were
heard by Parliament’s special committees in relation to the situation in the
Middle East. The defence minister also said there is no reason to panic about
the risk of unwanted events on Romanian territory. He explained that the 14
Romanian military who form part of the NATO mission training Iraqi forces have
been relocated. He also announced that the first of seven Patriot systems would
become operational this year and become part of Romania’s air defence service.

NATO. On Thursday, the Romanian Naval
Forces officially take over the command of the Standing NATO Mine
Countermeasures Group 2, which brings together military ships from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Spain
and Turkey. The group will operate in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean,
in order to ensure the rapid reaction capacity at NATO level.

Resignation. Russian
president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday appointed Mikhail Mishustin, the head of the tax service, as the new prime
minister. The appointment comes shortly after the surprise resignation of Dmitry
Medvedev, who had been prime minister for almost 8 years. Medvedev said he
resigned to allow president Vladimir Putin to make a number of constitutional
changes. The Kremlim leader on Wednesday proposed a referendum to revise the Constitution
in order to strengthen Parliament’s powers. He explained he wished to give the
State Duma, the lower chamber of Parliament, a role in nominating the prime
minister, deputy prime minister and the cabinet, emphasising that the president
would be obliged to appoint the persons nominated by Parliament. He underlined,
however, that he wished to maintain a strong presidential system. Medvedev is
to receive a new post, that of vice-president of Russia’s Security Council,
which is led by the head of state.

Green pact. The European Parliament
on Wednesday passed a resolution on the European Green Deal. MEPs thus back the
commitment of the European Commission to transform the EU into a healthier,
sustainable, equitable, fair and prosperous society, with zero greenhouse gas
emissions, calling for the necessary transition to a carbon neutral society to
take place until 2050 at the latest. MEPs also say the deal proposed by the
European Commission should be at the heart of the European strategy for new
sustainable growth that respects the limits of the planet and for creating
economic opportunities, stimulating investment and ensuring quality jobs. The
European Parliament has warned, however, that for the EU to reach the Green
Deal goals, substantial public and private investments need to made. The EU
legislative body already said that the Union must cut emissions by 55% by 2030
to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and that an agreement is urgently needed for
the long-term budget for the 2021 to 2027 period in order to support the
implementation of policies in the field.

Electric scooters. The Romanian
interior ministry aims to introduce legal regulations for the use of electric
scooters to enhance road safety. A draft emergency order which has been
submitted for public debate stipulates that electric scooters can only travel
on bike lanes and, where these do not exist, on roads where the speed limit is
50 km per hour, therefore not on national roads and motorways. Only persons
above the age of 14 will be allowed to drive an electric scooter, and a helmet will
be obligatory for persons under the age of 16. At night, scooters must be
equipped with lights and reflective gear. Almost 200 accidents involving
electric scooters have taken place in Romania since 2016, causing the death of
one person dead and serious injuries to dozens of others.

Culture Day. Events marking Romania’s National Culture Day and the birth of the great Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu were held on Wednesday in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and the Romanian communities abroad. January 15th, Mihai Eminescu’s birthday, became National Culture Day under a law adopted by the Chamber of Deputies in 2010.