January 23, 2019 UPDATE

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 23.01.2019, 20:20

NATO Romania remains a trustworthy ally of
NATO, Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said in Brussels on Wednesday at
the end of her meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In turn,
the NATO official said that NATO and the EU are cooperating better and better
in fields like cyber and maritime security. The two officials have tackled the
main topics on the Alliance’s agenda with emphasis on Romania’s interests as
well as on Bucharest’s contribution to the implementation of the alliance’s policies
and decisions. Also in Brussels, Prime Minister Dancila took part in a ceremony
dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day staged by the European
Jewish Congress under the patronage of the European Parliament’s president
Antonio Tajani. On this occasion, the Romanian Prime Minister said that
fighting Antisemitism is among the priorities of the Romanian presidency of
the EU. Viorica Dancila has also underlined the need for consolidated European
and international efforts to fight Antisemitism and any forms of
discrimination. The Romanian official is paying a working visit to Brussels
until Thursday with a view to presenting the priorities of the Romanian
presidency of the EU Council.

CELEBRATION
Various events are being held across Romania to celebrate the 160th
anniversary of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. On the 24th
of January 1859, the elective assemblies of Moldavia and Wallachia elected the
same ruler, Alexander Ioan Cuza, an event followed by the extensive
modernisation of the new state. President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday laid flowers
at Cuza’s tomb in Iasi, in the east. He also gave an address at an event to
mark the declaration of the city of Iasi a historical capital of Romania.
Other events held throughout the country include the laying of flowers,
exhibitions and street performances. We recall that the Great Union took place
100 years ago, on 1st of December 1918, when all Romanian historical
provinces were united under Bucharest’s authority.

FLU 31 people have been killed by flu in Romania
this season. The authorities warn that Romania is on the verge of an epidemic,
and the best method of protection is vaccination. The health minister Sorina
Pintea has said that by the end of the week, some 10,000 additional doses of
flu vaccine would be distributed around the country. Meanwhile, an increasing
number of hospitals are considering restricting visitor access to prevent the
spread of the flu. As an infection prevention measure, schools will be closed
on Friday and since Thursday is a national holiday, students are allowed four
days off also to minimize the risk of contamination, the Health Ministry has
announced.

(translated by
bill)