December 1, 2017 UPDATE
Romanians celebrated National Day on December 1, Canada lifted visa requirements for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens
Newsroom, 01.12.2017, 19:27
Romania’s National Day — As many as 3,500 military and experts with the National Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Romanian Intelligence Service with more than 350 military equipment, of which 50 airplanes, as well as soldiers from several allied or partner countries participated on December 1 in the military parade held in Bucharest on the occasion of Romania’s National Day. The over 300 foreign military that participated in the parade were from Bulgaria, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, the US, Turkey and Ukraine. Also in Bucharest, a military and religious ceremony took place, when wreaths of flowers were laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Romania’s national day was also marked in the theaters of operations where Romanian soldiers have been deployed. 15 Romanian soldiers in Afghanistan were promoted to a higher rank, and another 20 received distinctions from their American partners. Romania’s National Day was also celebrated abroad through cultural events organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute representations in cooperation with Romania’s diplomatic missions. December 1 became Romania’s National Day after the December 1989 anti-Communist revolution and it marks the completion, at the end of WWI, in 1918, of the process of creating the Romanian unitary nation state, when all the provinces included in the neighboring multinational empires, with a majority Romanian-speaking population, came under the authority of Bucharest.
Messages on December 1 — In a video message on Romania’s National Day the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that, ahead of Romania celebrating 100 years since the great union of 1918, Romanians have the opportunity to think of what their country would look like in the future. Pleading for a Romania led by responsible and incorruptible politicians, he underlined that only together, involved and determined, Romanians would manage to build a strong and respected country in Europe and the world. In turn, PM Mihai Tudose said that the centenary of the Great Union represented Romanians’ commitment to redefining the national values. The speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, said that Romania should have an ideal, that of a sovereign and prosperous country, respected in the world. The speaker of the Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, stated that Romanians managed, through their efforts, to make Romania embrace the euro-Atlantic values and to join NATO and the EU, also expressing his hope that in the future, through their common effort, Romanians would manage to build a better society, with more freedom and more prosperous. On Romania’s National Day, the Royal Family of Romania wished happy anniversary and happiness to the Romanian people, in Romania, the Republic of Moldova or anywhere in the world. The American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday conveyed a message to Romania, stating that Washington was thankful to Bucharest for their strategic partnership and their cooperation in fulfilling the common goals of prosperity, security and democracy.
Christmas Fair — December 1, Romania’s National Day, also gives the start for the winter celebrations in most cities across the country. In Bucharest the General City Hall scheduled for Friday evening the opening, in the center of the city, of a Christmas Fair and the switching on of the festive street lighting, whose theme was inspired this year by the Romanian traditions. Over 3 million Christmas lights adorn the capital, the festive lighting system covering 33 kms. The Christmas Fair, to last until December 27, displays Romanian traditional food products in more than 100 stalls, a skating rink and the House of Santa Claus. Many Romanian artists will perform as part of the Christmas Fair celebrations in Bucharest.
Visa waiver — The European Commission has hailed Canada’s decision to lift visa requirements, as of December 1, for all Romanian and Bulgarian citizens. According to the Commission representatives, this decision is the result of intense diplomatic efforts and of permanent negotiations at political and technical level between the EU, Canada and Romania and Bulgaria. The citizens of the two countries will be able to travel without visas to Canada, as of December 1, for stays of 6 months at the most, for tourist purposes, based on a valid passport. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, those who intend to travel to Canada by plane have to obtain previously, online, an Electronic Travel Authorization, eTA. Those who travel to Canada by sea or land need just a valid passport.
Handball — Romania’s women’s handball team will take on Saturday the team of Paraguay in their debut match at the World Women’s Handball Championship hosted by Germany until December 17th. Romania will play in Group A alongside France, Spain, Slovenia, Angola and Paraguay. Of the 4 groups, the first 4 teams of each group will go to the eighth finals. In the previous World Championship of 2015 Romania won the bronze medal, being the only team to have participated in all the 22 editions of the championship held so far.
Fire — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday expressed consternation and condemned the incident that occurred in the German city of Bergkamen (northwest) where a building, also inhabited by Romanian citizens, caught fire. 33 people were taken to hospital, according to the Romanian Foreign Ministry. The local authorities do not rule out the idea of arson. According to the Presidential Administration, the Romanian President expects the investigation to urgently shed light on the circumstances of the fire. (translated by Lacramioara Simion)
