January 11, 2015 UPDATE
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România Internațional, 11.01.2015, 19:18
The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, took part in Paris on Sunday, alongside tens of heads of state and government, in a unity march against terrorism and in memory of the victims of the recent attacks in the French capital city. Similar marches, in which over 700,000 people took part, were already held on Saturday across France. In a news release, President Iohannis says his presence in Paris is a firm signal for Romania’s willingness to be involved in fighting terrorism and extremism of any kind. On Saturday in Bucharest some 200 people took part, in front of the French Embassy, in an event organised by the Association of French Expats, to observe a minute and condemn the attacks in Paris. The Ambassador of France, François Saint-Paul, thanked the French and Romanian participants for their support and compassion for France and for proving that they share values like freedom and tolerance. Seventeen people were killed on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Paris—journalists with Charlie Hebdo, police as well as civilians taken hostage in a store. The counter-terrorist operation concluded on Friday, when security forces killed all three Jihadists involved in the attacks.
More than a million people took part in the solidarity march in Paris held in the memory of the victims of the recent terrorist attacks. Apart from the rally, the French city also hosted an international meeting on terrorism. Eleven European interior ministers and the US Attorney General, Eric Holder agreed to strengthen cooperation in checking the movement of foreign fighters and in preventing extremists from radicalising individuals or groups, particularly through the internet. All participants expressed intentions to revise the Schengen Treaty to improve security on the EU’s external borders. On Saturday, the French PM Manuel Valls admitted that there had been flaws in the mechanism of identifying individuals likely to perpetrate attacks.
The National Bank of Romania has reduced the monetary policy interest rate from 2.75% to an all-time low of 2.5%. The central bank has also decided to keep the current rates of minimum mandatory reserves for bank liabilities. The average year-on-year inflation rate, an indicator relevant for the EU convergence process, stood at 1,4%. The exchange rate of the national currency against the euro was constant in 2014, and the annual rate of growth for national currency loans has increased.
