January 29, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news.

Newsroom, 29.01.2020, 13:55

EDUCATION – Four public policy documents aimed at reforming the Romanian education system, representing the conclusions of the project “Educated Romania supported by President Klaus Iohannis, have been made public today. Drawn up by the experts of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, with the financial support of the European Commission, the documents refer to school management, equity in the education system, careers in education and access to early quality education. President Iohannis has said the documents are very important as they provide decision makers in education with useful information, aimed at improving the education system. He has also said that a new approach is needed in the selection and training of teachers and professors and also turning school management from administrative work into leadership and initiative.

ELECTION – The Liberal Government in Bucharest is today assuming responsibility in Parliament for the modification of the bill on the election of mayors, in the sense of a two-round election. According to the Liberals, this will give more legitimacy to mayors. A number of amendments were made to the bill until Tuesday. The Social Democrats say that the election laws cannot be amended less than a year before the election and want to inform the Venice Commission about the Government’s intention to revert to the old, two-round election system. Also, supported by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, they are planning to file the motion next week. Local elections are due in Romania this summer.

PEACE PLAN – Bucharest has taken note of the American peace plan for the Middle East and is analyzing it, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has announced. He has also said that Romania supports the two-state solution and that it will try to take part in the dialogue at EU level and promote diplomatic efforts with all relevant partners. U.S. President Donald Trump has presented his Middle East peace plan at the White House, outlining the proposal in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep on Wednesday got through to the semifinals of the Australian Open, the years first Grand Slam tournament. In the quarterfinals, it only took Halep 55 minutes to thrash WTA 31st-placed tennis player, Estonian Annet Kontaveit, 6-1, 6-1. Simona Haleps run in the Melbourne tournament so far has been a win-all one. We recall that Simona first reached the finals in 2018, when she was defeated by Danish challenger Caroline Wozniacki. Also in 2018, Halep won the Roland Garros, while in 2019 she won Wimbledon.

CORONAVIRUS – Air companies across the world have decided to suspend or decrease the number of flights to continental China, following the spread of the coronavirus that has killed 132 people so far. The total number of people infected with the virus is close to 6000. The European Commission is working at all levels to monitor the situation regarding the spread of the Coronavirus, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday, adding that it had activated a “rapid alert system to share information constantly within its departments. The EC also said it could help finance the repatriation of Europeans affected by the coronavirus, which is spreading quickly in China, through a so-called EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Countries around the world are planning to evacuate diplomatic staff and private citizens from Chinese areas hit by the new coronavirus. An EU Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC) is also discussing with member states potential actions, including the use of the civil protection mechanism if requested, she said. According to the World Health Organization, the risk posed by the new coronavirus is very high in China, high at the regional level and high at the global level. The coronavirus has spread in Asia, the US, Australia and Europe. One first case has been confirmed in Germany, which thus becomes the second European country affected by the infection, after France, where three cases have been reported. No such case has been reported in Romania.

(Translated by Elena Enache)