December 14, 2015 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Roxana Vasile, 14.12.2015, 12:30
Romania is among the EU countries with an increased industrial output in October, the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) announced on Monday. According to Eurostat data, Romania registered a 2.5% growth as against the similar period in 2014, coming 12th in an EU growth ranking. In October however, Romanias industrial output saw a 0.1% decrease as compared to the month before. The biggest growths in industrial output have been reported in Ireland 14.6%, Lithuania 6.5% while the Netherlands has reported the most significant decrease – 2.6%.
Romanias 2016 draft budget law is being discussed in Parliament as of Monday, without major changes on the bill tabled by the Government. The budget committees unanimously approved the Cabinets bill. Few amendments have been accepted, and they have no significant financial impact. The most heated debates concerned the budget of the Transport Ministry, where many MPs tried to support local infrastructure projects. The final vote on the budget is scheduled for Wednesday.
The Romanian womens handball side on Sunday won a breath-taking win against world Champions Brazil, 25-22, in the eighth-finals of the World Championship in Denmark. Thanks to this surprising victory the Romanians booked their places at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In the quarterfinals, Romania will be taking on Denmark on Wednesday. Romania remains the only country, which has taken part in all the World Championship final tournaments since 1957. Its track record includes a gold medal in 1962, and two silver in 1973 and 2005.
The head of the Romanian diplomacy Lazar Comanescu on Monday participated in Brussels in a meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers. During the talks on the Eastern Partnership, the Romanian official tackled the need for the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet country with a Romanian-speaking majority to step up efforts aimed at forging a stable pro-European government that can carry on the reforms already started. For the Romanian Foreign Minister, the European progress of the Republic of Moldova is the only process able to meet the Moldovan societys expectations for transparency, reform and prosperity. In another development, during the working lunch the EU ministers had with their Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Comanescu hailed Ankaras contribution to international efforts in settling the conflict in Syria and Libya.
Another patient injured in the October 30th fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest died on Sunday. The woman was being treated in a hospital in Germany, where she had been transferred three weeks ago. The Colectiv fire death toll thus reached 61. At present, 21 patients are being treated abroad, and 22 others in Romanian hospitals. The Health Ministry is currently analyzing options for the construction of a new burn care hospital in Bucharest. Under a programme funded by the World Bank, three such units will be built, in Iasi (in the north-east), Târgu Mureş (centre) and Timişoara (west).
