December 2, 2014 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 02.12.2014, 19:17
An IMF delegation is in Bucharest for talks with Romanian authorities regarding the state budget for next year. Romania has committed itself to maintaining a budget deficit of maximum 1.4% of the GDP next year. However, the Romanian government will try to convince the IMF delegation to approve a derogation, in order to avoid raising taxes. According to the Finance Ministry, the budget deficit should increase by 0.3% in order for Romania to be able to keep the promises it made at the latest NATO summit regarding defence expenses. Also, an addition to the deficit would be necessary for the amounts needed to co-fund European projects.
The new Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, attended on Tuesday, in Brussels, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. The main topics on the meeting’s agenda were the security situation in the former Soviet republic, the commitment of the Kiev authorities to continuing the democratic reforms, and the stage of implementation of the decisions made at the NATO summit in Britain. On this occasion, a Joint Declaration of the NATO and Ukraine foreign ministers was adopted, reiterating the Alliance’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and stability and condemning Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and the plans to militarise the Black Sea, with consequences over stability in the region. The allies condemned the deterioration of the human rights situation in the Crimean Peninsula and reiterated the fact that they do not recognize its illegal and illegitimate annexation by Russia.
Almost 200 Romanians from 28 countries and areas with Romanian communities are attending on Tuesday and Wednesday in Alba Iulia and Zlatna the 18th edition of the Congress of Romanian Spirituality. The first edition of the event was held in 1993, at the initiative of the Cultural League for the Unity of Romanians Abroad, with a view to strengthening ties among Romanians around the world. Around 6 thousand Romanians from 46 countries have so far attended the 18 editions of the congress.
Russia’s dropping the South Stream project confirms the need to diversify the European Union’s sources of supplies, reads a communiqué issued by the European Commission on Tuesday. The reaction follows Russian giant Gazprom’s decision to abandon the project for the building of the pipeline that should have supplied southern Europe with Russian gas, detouring Ukraine. The idea of a new transport route was launched by Slovakia, which suggested the building of a pipeline to reduce the region’s dependency on the Russian gas. On this occasion, a Joint Declaration of the NATO and Ukraine foreign ministers was adopted, reiterating the Alliance’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and stability and condemning Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and the plans to militarise the Black Sea, with consequences over stability in the region. The allies condemned the deterioration of the human rights situation in the Crimean Peninsula and reiterated the fact that they do not recognize its illegal and illegitimate annexation by Russia.
Leaders of the pro-European parties in the Republic of Moldova’s Parliament have started talks on the formation of a new government. Following Sunday’s legislative elections, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party, members of the current government coalition, together got 55 of the 101 MP seats. The other 46 seats are shared between socialists and the pro-Russia communists. In Chisinau, analysts, quoted by Radio Romania correspondents, say that a pro-European coalition will definitely be established. However, they say that authorities will have to carry through the reforms already started, because otherwise they might not get any seats next time. More on this after the news.
