December 24, 2015

2016 will not be an austerity year for Romania, says Romanian prime minister Dacian Ciolos/Most Orthodox believers, Greek-Catholics and Catholics are today celebrating Christmas Eve

Newsroom, 24.12.2015, 12:00

OUTLOOK OF 2016 – 2016 will not be an austerity year for Romania, marked by redundancies, and the budget deficit in 2016 will be close to estimates, Romanian prime minister Dacian Ciolos, said on a TV station. Ciolos has however mentioned the necessity of implementing reforms in several institutions subordinated to or within the government, such as administration, transports, healthcare and education. These reforms are needed in order not to destabilise the country and economy in the long run, considering the social and fiscal relaxation measures taken by the previous government and by Parliament, Dacian Ciolos has underlined. Referring to Romanias relation with the EU, the prime minister said he would like Bucharest to have a more pro-active role at government level. Dacian Ciolos is due to pay three official visits to the EU member states in the first months of 2016, the first one, on January 7th, to Germany, at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the following ones, to France and the Netherlands.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS – Most Orthodox believers, Greek-Catholics and Catholics are today celebrating Christmas Eve, making preparations to mark Jesus Birth, known as the Nativity. Overnight, children in several regions of Romania, a country with a majority Orthodox population, went carolling from house to house, symbolizing the angels and shepherds who were the first to announce Jesus Birth. Also today, priests carrying Nativity Icons go from house to house, spreading the “Good News about the Birth of Jesus Christ.

KING MIHAI-Romanias former sovereign, king Mihai the 1st, has sent a Christmas message to all Romanians. In his address, the former sovereign has referred to both the young generation, expressing his confidence in the future, and to the elderly, who are teaching a lesson of courage and dignity, according to king Mihai. The former sovereign has conveyed a message of encouragement to and appreciation for those working in hospitals, saving lives, as well as to the teaching staff. He has assured of his compassion all those who are in mourning and those who are worried about the health condition of their loved ones. King Mihai has also evoked the professionalism and commitment of Romanias soldiers, who are serving their country with honour, in all conditions, sometimes even with the cost of their lives.

CHISHINAU-In the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, prime minister designate, Ion Sturza, has secured the support of only one political party, the Liberal Democratic Party, in the effort to form a ruling coalition. According to Radio Chishinau, following Wednesdays talks, both the Liberal Party and Moldovas European Peoples Party havent made a decision yet on whether or not they will support the government. The leaders of the two parties have said they have common standpoints on the situation in the country, but think of different political sollutions; Ion Sturza says the best idea is to form a technocratic government, whereas the representatives of the Liberal Party and of Moldovas European Peoples Party believe the Republic of Moldova needs a government which should enjoy political support. The Democratic Party and the Communist Party have announced they will not vote for the new government, and the Socialists further support the dissolution of Parliament. Ion Sturza has announced he will have talks with representatives of civil society and international organisations as well as with the ambassadors of the western countries accredited to Chishinau. Sturza was designated prime minister on December 21, at the end of a year during which three prime ministers have been replaced, and still has two weeks available to convince Parliament to grant it a vote of investiture.

EU FINANCIAL SUPPORT- The European Union has adopted a package of measures worth 112 million Euros, meant to support social and economic reforms and to offer protection to vulnerable groups in Tunisia, Syria and Israel. Financed through the European Neighbourhood Instrument, this package has taken the EUs financial support for its southern vicinity to one billion 600 thousand Euros. 72 million Euros of this package are destined to boost cooperation with Tunisia and Israel, whereas the rest of 40 million Euros are earmarked for Syria, to support vulnerable groups. This financial assistance package supports the implementation of key reforms, will improve living conditions and enhance the local populations resistance, said the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn.

SYRIAN FILE– Syria has expressed its readiness to take part in the peace talks held in Geneva and hopes dialogue will help the country form a national unity government, Syrian foreign minister, Walid al Muallem, says in Beijing. The UN intends to initiate peace negotiations on Syria, in Geneva, in late January. Last Friday, the UN Security Council issued a resolution which approves an international road-map for the Syrian peace process, in an approach of unique unity among the big powers in the world on the conflict in Syria, FP reports. Syria, the country ravaged by a five-year civil war, is divided between the government forces, Jihadist groups, Kurdish fighters and the rest of non-Jihadist rebels. The conflict in Syria has left over 250,000 victims, more than 4 million people fled the country, and according to UN sources, over 60% of the population is currently living below the poverty line.

(Translated and edited by Diana Vijeu)