5 January 2019, UPDATE

A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 05.01.2019, 18:36

EU
presidency. The Romanian foreign
minister Teodor Melescanu says he is surprised at the comments made by a German
official that president Klaus Iohannis rather than prime minister Viorica
Dancila should sit at the head of the table during Romania’s presidency of
the Council of the European Union. Bernd Fabritius, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Matters Related to Ethnic
German Resettlers and National Minorities
does not have the institutional capacity to make such comments, the Romanian
foreign minister has said, adding that it’s not for a foreign official to voice
an opinion on this subject. A German ethnic born in Romania, Bernd Fabritius told Radio France Internationale that the
only chance of success is for president Iohannis to be the driving engine of
Romania’s EU presidency. His statements have come amid widening political tensions
between the president, himself a member of Romania’s German ethnic community,
and the government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats, frequently accused, both at home and abroad, of incompetence
and corruption. Between 1st of January and 30th of June,
Romania is holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union
for the first time since becoming a member. The Council’s agenda during this
period is dominated by Brexit, the negotiation of the future EU budget and the
European Parliament elections in May.

Child benefits. The ministry for Romanians abroad announced
on Saturday that it treats as a priority the situation of the Romanian citizens
affected by a decision of the Austrian authorities regarding the indexation of
child benefits for EU workers in Austria based on the country of residence. The
ministry says this measure does not reflect the principle of equality and
non-discrimination, the common values on which the European Union is founded. The
minister for labour and social justice has also reiterated his concern over
this measure. Romania’s clear position on this subject is that European workers
must be treated equally by all member states, said minister Marius Budai. The decision
regarding the indexation of the benefits paid by the Austrian state to the EU
citizens whose children reside in the countries of origin was adopted by the Parliament
in Vienna in October last year and has come into force at the beginning of this
year.

US tour. The National Symphonic Orchestra of Romania begin their first
US tour on 6th January, which will last until the 16th of
January. They will give 7 performances, in Palm Beach, Miami and Fort Myers and
then in Detroit, New Jersey, and at Lincoln Center in New York, where the
Romanian orchestra will have as special guest the renowned trumpet player Wynton
Marsalis. The National Symphonic Orchestra of Romania is made up of the most
talented alumni generations of the National Youth Orchestras. The organisers of
the tour are the Tinerimea Romana National Arts Centre and the Romanian
Cultural Institute.

Feast days. On the 6th of January, Christians celebrate
the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. This feast day,
which is one of oldest Christian festivals, is also known as Epiphany, because
the baptism of Christ was accompanied by the miraculous manifestation of the
Holy Trinity. On the 7th of January, Christians celebrate the feast
day of St John the Baptist, which marks the end of the winter holidays. However,
for old-style Orthodox Christians, who belong mainly to the Russian, Ukrainian
and Serbian communities, the winter holidays only now begin, as they celebrate
Christmas on the 7th of January. The split in the Orthodox Church
took place at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Constantinople decided to abandon the Julian calendar and adopt
the Gregorian calendar, which is 13 days ahead of the former. Many residents of
the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet republic with a majority
Romanian-speaking population, travel to neighbouring Romania at this time of
the year to celebrate Christmas in the old style.

Weather. The foreign ministry in Bucharest has warned that Bulgaria,
Greece and Serbia are faced with severe weather. An orange code warning for
heavy snow is in place in Bulgaria in the south-east and a yellow code in the
north. Greece is confronted with freezing temperatures, heavy snow, strong
winds of up to 105 km/h and huge waves of more than 12 metres in height in the
Aegean Sea. Many villages, especially in the mountains, are without electricity.
Tens of roads and motorways have been blocked in the mountainous regions,
including the Island of Crete. Maritime travel has been suspended and
high-tonnage trucks are only allowed to travel between certain hours. Yellow
and orange code warnings for heavy snow are also in place in Serbia today and
tomorrow.