30 November 2015, UPDATE

Romanias president Klaus Iohannis is attending the UN climate change summit in Paris.

Newsroom, 30.11.2015, 12:15

Climate change. An agreement on climate change should be legally binding and enjoy
adequate contribution from the participating countries, said Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis in Paris on Monday. In his address at the UN
Conference on Climate Change, he talked about the major challenge posed by
climate change at a global level and called for joint action. Alongside heads
of state and government from 149 countries, Iohannis attended on Monday the
opening of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties, which
comes to an end on 11th of December. The goal is to achieve a new
legally binding and universal international agreement on climate change to be
applied as of January 1st 2021.

Bucharest fire. The victims of a deadly fire at Bucharest’s Colectiv
nightclub were commemorated on Monday, one month after the tragedy that cut
short the lives of 60 people and injured almost 200. 37 people are still
undergoing treatment in Bucharest, while 29 others are in hospitals abroad, in
Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Britain, Norway and Israel. Massive street
protests were held in the wake of the fire, leading to the resignation of prime
minister Victor Ponta. A criminal investigation has been launched against the
three owners of the club, the mayor of Bucharest sector 4 Cristian Popescu and
several employees of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, among others.
The tragedy restarted the debate about the safety of public places. Dozens of
cinemas, theatres, restaurants and bars in Bucharest have been closed after a
new law was adopted banning all type of public activity in buildings at high
risk of collapsing in the event of an earthquake.

National Day. More than 2,600 troops and army personnel and 360 pieces of military
equipment will take part in the National Day parade on December 1st
in Bucharest. This year, the Romanian military will be joined in the parade by
troops from the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, the United States, Poland and
Turkey. Concerts, exhibitions, film screenings and official receptions are held
across Romania and abroad to celebrate the National Day. Declared an official
celebration after the post-communist revolution of 1989, December 1st
marks the completion, in 1918, at the end of the First World War, of the
building process of the Romanian unitary nation-state following the union with
Romania of all provinces with a majority Romanian population that had been
under the control of neighbouring multinational empires.

NATO. NATO foreign ministers will meet
in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss security challenges. Romania will be
represented by its foreign minister Lazar Comanescu. Talks will focus on the
consolidation of NATO’s eastern flank, the organisation’s relationship with
Russia and its military cooperation with the European Union, as well as the
situation in Afghanistan.

Christmas. Almost 3 million Christmas lights will be switched on tonight in
Bucharest. The Christmas market in the centre of the city already opened on
Friday. Its 60 stalls sell everything from food to jewellery and Christmas
decorations. The market is decorated with over 10,000 light bulbs, while its
15-metre tall Christmas tree is illuminated by 20,000 bulbs. Concerts and
performances will be held every day at the market all month. A humanitarian
campaign is also being run, encouraging people to donate books and toys for
disadvantaged children.

(Translated by: C. Mateescu)