February 1, 2014 UPDATE
A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.
România Internațional, 01.02.2015, 12:15
Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will have talks on Monday with the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, Calin Popescu Tariceanu and Valeriu Zgonea about Parliament’s priorities in the new session starting on the 2nd of February. Last Wednesday, Iohannis held consultations on this topic with the leaders of the parliamentary parties and groups. In a public letter sent to the deputies on Sunday, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies warned that parliamentarians have a bad image, being perceived as “thieves”, “corrupt” and “lazy”. In the opinion of Valeriu Zgonea, these labels are unfair and discouraging for many MPs who work hard and understand their role in Parliament. He called on deputies to show responsibility and stop postponing the adoption of laws and measure society is waiting for.
Senator Mircea Geoana, who was excluded from the ruling Social Democratic Party at the end of 2014, on Sunday launched an initiative group for the creation of a new leftist party. His project, entitled “Our Romania”, is meant as a contribution from the left to the reformist project launched by right-wing president Klaus Iohannis. According to Geoana, the new movement will seek to promote true values and encourage citizens to participate in political decision-making.
Romanians can start using their health cards starting on February 1st for all medical services subsidised by the state, but the cards will be mandatory as of May 1st. The cards may be used when seeing a family doctor, in hospitals and pharmacies, as well as by the providers of medical services, medicine and medical equipment, with the exception of services for medical and surgical emergencies.
The Romanian foreign ministry has condemned “in the toughest of words” the execution by the Islamic State terrorist organisation of the Japanese national Kenji Goto. In a release published on Sunday, the ministry sent its condolences to the victim’s family and expressed its solidarity with Japan and the Japanese people. The foreign ministry in Bucharest says the terrorist acts committed by the Islamic State are unjustifiable, while those responsible must be held accountable in law.
The OSCE accused the representatives of the pro-Russian separatists attending Saturday’s meeting on the conflict in eastern Ukraine held in Minks of blocking the peace talks and trying to change the terms of the 2014 ceasefire. The talks in Minsk, which had been postponed repeatedly, ended without a breakthrough. In recent days, the situation in eastern Ukraine has deteriorated even further. Over 5,000 people have been killed since the start of the conflict between the government forces and the pro-Russian rebels in April 2014.
France must encourage the will of the Greek people to stay in the eurozone and help Athens meet its commitments, said the French prime minister Manuel Valls on Sunday after talks between the Greek finance minister Yanis Varufakis and his French counterpart Michel Sapin. The latter said France was ready to offer debt concessions to Greece, including a restructuing, but not cancellation of its debt. On Saturday, Greece’s new anti-austerity prime minister Alexis Tsipras reassured investors and creditors, saying Athens will repay its debts and reach an agreement with the European Union but that it needs time to breathe and create its own economic recovery programme.
