July 15, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 15.07.2014, 13:50
A delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is visiting the Romanian capital and two counties in south-eastern Romania. For four days, members of the delegation will meet with President Traian Basescu, Prime Minister Victor Ponta, the finance and budget ministers and also with representatives of the private sector, partner banks, international financial institutions and civil society organization. According to a communiqué issued by EBRD, the visit is one in a string of consultations aimed at helping the Bank’s board of directors understand the priorities of the Romanian economy and to maintain a close dialogue with Romanian authorities, the private sector and civil society. Since the start of its activity in Romania, EBRD has invested some 6.7 billion Euros in 364 projects and has mobilized over 14 billion from other sources.
More than ever before, Europe needs solidarity and a common voice when it comes to major issues of common interest, said the Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean during the meeting he had in Bucharest with his Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders. Corlatean voiced hope that significant steps forward will be taken towards Romania’s joining the Schengen agreement in the near future, stressing Belgium’s support in the matter. In turn, Didier Reynders reiterated his country’s support for the European integration of the Western Balkans, based on their own efforts, merits and reforms. The two officials also tackled economic issues, and stressed the need for investments and concrete projects in fields insufficiently explored, including culture and tourism.
In Strasbourg, the European Parliament is to appoint today the candidate of the European People’s Party, Jean Claude Junker, as head of the European Commission. To get the majority, Juncker counts on the support of the European socialists and liberals. The socialists, the second political force in the European Parliament, have asked for several key positions in the future commission, such as the post of Commissioner for Economic Affairs. The liberals on the other hand would like Junker to increase the number of women in the future commission. Junker will have to form a team meeting all these conditions by the end of the term in office of the current Commission, headed by Jose Manuel Barroso.
The escalation of the tense situation in eastern Ukraine and separatists’ resistance are high on the agenda of today’s plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, held in the presence of the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule. Also, the MEPs will discuss the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine and will pass a resolution regarding the crisis in Ukraine, which will be put up for voting on July 17th. The German Foreign Minister, Frank Walter Steinmeier, has announced that a contact group for the crisis in Ukraine, made up of Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, has suggested negotiations with the pro-Russia separatists in the east of Ukraine to be carried out via conference calls. Washington has again accused Moscow of continuing to destabilize the east of Ukraine, submitting evidence that it supplies heavy weaponry, tanks and missile launchers to separatists.
The Israeli Security Council has today approved Egypt’s’ proposal to sign a cease fire agreement with Hamas, the Palestinian group that is controlling Gaza. Hamas, though, has rejected the proposal and has threatened to intensify its fight against Israel. In parallel, international diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the conflict are also gaining in scope. The US Secretary of State John Kerry is holding talks in Cairo today with the Egyptian authorities, and the German and Italian foreign ministers, Frank Walter Steinmeier and Federica Mogherini respectively will too travel to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. On the ground the situation is tense in east Jerusalem and Gaza, after days of violence triggered by the death of a Palestinian teenager, apparently assassinated in retaliation for the death of three Israeli youngsters. In the past week, Israeli bombardments in Gaza have claimed over 200 lives and have wounded 1 thousand 3 hundred people.
