December 23, 2015
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Newsroom, 23.12.2015, 12:00
Events marking 26 years since the anti-communist 1989 revolution are being held today across Romania. Military and religious services are underway to commemorate the soldiers who died during the fights for defending Romania’s largest airport, Otopeni, in the north of Bucharest. On December 23rd, 1989, 40 soldiers, mostly draftees, sent to beef up the troops guarding the airport, were mistakenly killed by the very troops they were supposed to back up. Following an inquiry that dragged on for years, the ground troop commanders involved in the incident have been given jail sentences. The Otopeni massacre, whose causes still remain unknown, is believed to be the bloodiest event in the 1989 revolution in Bucharest.
The government in Bucharest is to decide by December 31st over raising the minimum wages in Romania, currently standing at 230 euros. Until a decision is made in this respect, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos will be holding talks with trade unions and employers associations. With a minimum wage of 230 euros, Romania is on the last but one place in Europe, only ahead of Bulgaria. According to Eurostat data, the minimum wage in the Czech Republic is 332 euros, in Poland it stays around 410, in Spain it is 760 euros, while the minimum salary in Germany is 1470 euros.
Ion Sturza, the Prime Minister designate of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet country with a Romanian-speaking majority, is having talks with Parliament parties in a bid to forge a government of technocrats. Sturza will today be holding talks with Mps from the Leanca group. Following a first round of talks yesterday, the Liberal-Democrats announced they would endorse the candidacy of Sturza for the position of Prime Minister. Pundits believe however that his chances to be accepted as head of the executive are slim, after the Democratic Party and the 14 Mps who on Monday defected from the Communist Party had said they would not hold talks with Sturza nor endorse his cabinet. Neither are the Socialists to vote for the new government and they have already called for snap elections. Sturza still have 14 days left to convince the Legislature to grant its vote.
The largest number of foreign workers in Romania are Italians, 1,490. Next comes Turkey with 1,020, says data released by the Bucharest-based Labour Inspection Department. Other foreign workers come from the Republic of Moldova, Hungary, Bulgaria, China, France and Germany. These foreign citizens are working in various restaurants in Romania, call-centers, road transportation and consultancy units.
According to an Amnesty International report, at least 200 civilians have been killed in Russian air strikes in Syria. The report also says that the Russian army has allegedly used cluster bombs and unguided missiles against inhabited areas in Syria. Moscow has repeatedly denied that its actions were directed against civilians. Russia has launched air strikes against the Islamic State and other groups since September 30th in support of Bashar al-Assad regime. A US-led coalition has also been targeting IS objectives.
