August 11, 2019 UPDATE
Some 25,000 people protested in front of the Government headquarters in Bucharest / Scorching heat is back to Romania
Newsroom, 11.08.2019, 19:05
PROTEST – On Saturday, some 25,000 people, including from the Diaspora, protested against the ruling coalition in Romania, calling for an answer to what happened at the diaspora protest a year ago, given that no one has been found guilty yet. We recall that at the protest held on August 10th, 2018, attended by some 100,000 people, the gendarmes intervened brutally and used tear gas and water cannons, leaving injured on both sides. Several criminal cases have been opened in relation to those events. Reuters news agency has stressed the peaceful character of the protest and the fact that it was organized by groups of people who are working abroad. France Presse has reported the words of a 60-year-old lady who came, she said, to protest against the injustice she is facing every day, against a corrupt political class and an outdated health-care system. Radio Free Europe too carries an article headlined We know what you did last summer, stressing the fact that the protest had echoes all across the country and marked one year since the violent reprisal of the event on August 10th, 2018. The topic has also been covered by Deutsche Welle, which mentioned the fact that the protest was held against the background of a weakened coalition, given the results of the elections for the European Parliament and the conviction of its leader, Liviu Dragnea, who got a 3 and a half years sentence for corruption and was sent to prison.
EUROBAROMETER – More than half of the Romanians trust the EU, and 60% have a positive image of the Union, according to the spring Eurobarometer. As regards trust, Romania ranks second, after Portugal. At European level, the trust in the EU is the highest since 2014. Moreover, it is higher than the trust in the national governments or parliaments. Since the latest similar survey, conducted last year, the number of people with a positive view of the EU has increased in 23 member states. The most obvious progress has been recorded in Cyprus, Hungary, Greece, Romania and Portugal. Europeans are mostly worried about inflation, and their responses indicate a growing interest in climate change. As regards the EUs main achievements, most citizens believe that the most important is the freedom of movement around the continent.
VOTING – The Permanent Electoral Authority has announced that, so far, more than 10,000 Romanian voters living abroad have registered on the www.votstrainatate.ro portal for the presidential elections due this autumn. Half of them would like to cast their vote in a polling station. According to the Electoral Authority, postal voting has several advantages: the possibility to vote from home, by means of a simple and safe procedure, avoiding queuing in front of the polling stations and lower costs. According to the Ministry for Romanians Abroad, more than 5 and a half million Romanians have left the country. Together with those living in historical communities, the number of Romanians living abroad stands at approximately 10 million.
SUMMER UNIVERSITY – The 17th edition of the Izvoru Mureşului Summer University is taking place between August 12 and 17 in Harghita County, central Romania. This years theme is Romania and the Romanians abroad, one year after the Great Union Centennial. The topics approached will include preserving the identity of the Romanians in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova in the context of regional geopolitical development and the Romanian national interest, the policies of parliamentary parties and public institutions with respect to the Romanians abroad and the Romanians in the multi-ethnic regions in Romania. Attending the works will be participants from Romania and from the Diaspora, as well as from the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria, mass media and civil society representatives, and members of the academic community in Romania and abroad.
NAVY DAY – Events dedicated to the Romanian Navy Day, traditionally celebrated on August 15th, continued in Galati on Sunday with an open gates day. Tourists and locals were invited to visit the battle ships of the Mihail Kogalniceanu fleet. On the seafront, military staff made presentations about fighting equipment and techniques, and also presented the educational offer of the navy school. Until August 15, other ports on the Danube and the Black Sea will host exhibitions, concerts, book launches and interactive workshops.
WEATHER – The Romanian Meteorology Administration has issued a code yellow warning for extreme heat and severe thermal discomfort, in place across the entire country until Tuesday. In the southern and south-western areas thermal discomfort will be even higher, with a temperature – humidity ratio exceeding the critical threshold of 80 units. Temperatures are expected to rise up to 38 degrees Celcius in most regions. Also, over extended areas temperatures will not drop below 20 degrees during the night.
(translated by M. Ignatescu)
