August 13, 2019

PM Dancila announces government reshuffle, Summer University under way in Izvoru Muresului

Newsroom, 13.08.2019, 14:00

Government — The Romanian PM and leader of the Social Democratic Party – PSD Viorica Dancila announced a government reshuffle and an adjustment of the governing program in the wake of Monday’s meeting of the party’s executive committee. PM Dancila said the Social Democrats could not accept ultimatums from their governing partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats – ALDE that had pushed forward August 20 as a deadline for the PSD to prepare measures to reform the state institutions, to come up with a new governing program and a restructured government team based on efficiency. ALDE criticized the budget adjustment passed Monday by the government, claiming that this year’s budget was drafted unrealistically.

Summer University — The 17th edition of the Summer University hosted by Izvoru Mureşului, in Harghita county, in the center, continues. On Monday, at the official opening, Sandra Pralong, a state advisor with the presidential administration, said that the Romanian state should pay more attention to the needs of the Romanians living abroad. Alexandru Pugna, a secretary of state with the Ministry of Culture and National Identity reminded that, starting this year, the government decided, through an emergency decree, to allot each year 4 million Euros to the churches in the Diaspora to support the Romanian communities in preserving their national identity outside Romania’s borders. Other topics to be approached at the Summer University are preserving the identity of the Romanians in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the parliamentary parties’ and the state institutions’ policy towards the Romanians abroad and the Romanians from multi-ethnic and multi-denomination areas from Romania. The proceedings of the Summer University are being attended by people from Romania, the Rep of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, by lecturers from the main university centers from Romania and from abroad, as well as by civil society and mass media representatives.

Investments — Direct foreign investments in Romania rose, in the first half of the year, by almost 30% as against the same period of last year, up to more than 2.3 billion Euros, show data made public on Tuesday by Romania’s national bank. On June 31, there were over 224 thousand companies with foreign capital in Romania, of which most with Italian capital, but the Dutch companies report the largest amount of share capital. In another development, according to the central bank, Romania’s current account deficit rose by 38% in the first 6 months of the year as compared to the same period of last year, up to 5.1 billion Euros.

Romanian Navy — The Romanian Navy have been training on the Black Sea Coast for the show devoted to Romania’s Navy Day to be marked on August 15. The focus of the events will be the training ship Mircea whose flag will be decorated on Thursday by President Klaus Iohannis to mark 80 years since the ship started being used by the Romanian Navy. Ships, combat divers, Puma Naval helicopters and MIG-21, F-16 and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft simulated fighting scenarios at sea, prefacing the biggest naval exercise of the year to be presented to the public on the Navy Day. The naval and air forces of Ukraine, Italy and the US will contribute military detachments to the exercise on the Romanian Navy Day and to the festivity to be held on the sea front of the Navy Command on the occasion of the Navy Day.

Football – Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj are taking on, today, in Glasgow, the famous Scottish eleven Celtic, in the 2nd leg of the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League. One week ago, the two teams ended the match in a 1-all draw. The winner of today’s match will play with Slavia Prague in the playoffs. Another two Romanian football teams are playing on Thursday, away from home, in the 2nd leg of the Champions League’s 3rd preliminary round. Vice-champions FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) are playing against FK Mlada Boleslav from the Czech Republic after a nil-draw in the previous match and Universitatea Craiova will take on AEK Athens after they were defeated 2-0 in the first leg. (translation by L. Simion)