February 8, 2015
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 08.02.2015, 13:53
UKRAINE – France and Germany carry on their diplomatic efforts to bring peace in Ukraine’s rebellious eastern part. Today the French President François Hollande, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Petro Poroshenko are discussing their new peace plan in a conference call. Meanwhile, the Munich Security Conference continues, focusing on the Ukrainian crisis. On Saturday in Munich, Petro Poroshenko once again asked for support from the West. The US is considering the provision of sophisticated weapons for Ukraine to be able to cope with the pro-Russian rebellion, but European countries, particularly Germany, oppose such a move. The diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the former Soviet republic come amid surging tensions in the region. More than 5,300 people have so far died in the clashes between Kiev’s troops and the pro-Russian secessionists in eastern Ukraine.
CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION – In Bucharest, deputies in the judicial committee convene today in an emergency meeting to draft their reports on two new requests, concerning the lifting of the parliamentary immunity and the pre-trial detention of Deputy Elena Udrea, from the People’s Movement Party. Udrea, a former minister for regional development, is facing charges in two cases, dubbed the “Bute Gala” and “Microsoft”. The judicial committee had already approved two such requests, which will be subject to a vote in the Chamber of Deputies on Monday. Later the National Anti-Corruption Directorate extended the charges against Udrea, adding another three alleged instances of influence peddling in the Microsoft case and a bribe-taking accusation in the “Bute Gala” case. Anti-corruption prosecutors believe Elena Udrea should be detained pending trial, because she made public statements regarding the accusations against her, thus breaching the legal restrictions ahead of her trial in the Microsoft case.
ECONOMY – The negotiations between the IMF and the Romanian authorities will continue on Monday, when PM Victor Ponta and the Finance Minister Darius Vâlcov are to meet the representatives of the international financial institution. Restructuring the companies in the energy sector and possibly the privatisation of some of them, as well as the calendar for de-regulating natural gas tariffs are some of the topics to be discussed. While in Romania on an assessment mission until February the 10th, the representatives of the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank have talked to the Romanian authorities about recent developments and the economic reform priorities. The current precautionary loan agreement, the third signed with the IMF since the start of the economic crisis in 2009, is due to close this autumn. The goal of the 2 million euro stand-by loan deal is to protect the Romanian economy from prospective shocks in the international financial market.
IRAN – The US Secretary of State John Kerry had a meeting in Munich today with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, during which they discussed aspects related to the Iranian nuclear file. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Security Conference in Munich, where the 5+1 (the USA, China, France, Great Britain, Russia and Germany) are trying to reach a political agreement with Iran on the latter’s nuclear programme. The western powers hope to reach an agreement by March 31st, to then sign a final global agreement including all technical aspects, by June. The West suspects Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear programme, whereas the Islamist regime in Tehran denies the accusations.
SPORTS – The meeting between the Fed Cup teams of Romania and Spain, in the first round of World Group II, continues in the south-eastern Romanian city of Galati today. Simona Halep, no. 3 in the world, plays against Garbine Muguruza (no. 24 WTA) while Irina Begu (no. 34 WTA) plays against Silvia Soler-Espinosa (no. 67 WTA). In the doubles, Alexandra Dulgheru (95) / Monica Niculescu (57) will play against Lara Arruabarrena/Anabel Medina-Garrigues. Romania and Spain have so far won one match each, on Saturday, when Simona Halep defeated Silvia Soler-Espinosa, and Garbine Muguruza beat Irina Begu.
