June 17, 2018 UPDATE

Honorary consular office of Estonia opened in Constanta on Sunday

Newsroom, 17.06.2018, 19:02

CONSUL – In Constanţa, Romanias biggest sea port, the honorary consular office of Estonia was opened on Sunday, in the presence of the Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă and her Estonian counterpart, Jüri Ratas. On Saturday they arrived on the Romanian Black Sea coast by the first regular flight connecting the Estonian capital city, Tallin, to Constanţa in Romania. The flight will be operated throughout the summer season. Viorica Dăncilă said she was hoping this connection to improve the trade and the economic, educational and cultural relations between the 2 countries. The head of the Romanian Government was on a 3-day visit to Lithuania and Estonia. On Saturday, the last day of the visit to Tallin, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Romanian Ministry for the Business environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship and the Estonian Investment Agency, allowing for the development of a mechanism to encourage trade and increase bilateral investments. The first effect of the Memorandum will be the visit of an Estonian economic delegation to Romania in November.

AGRICULTURE – The Romanian Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Petre Daea, is taking part on Monday in Luxembourg in a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The main topic will be a legislative package concerning the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020, which the European Commission made public on June 1. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Agriculture Ministry, the change of certain regulations in the Common Fisheries Policy and the state of the agricultural market will also be discussed.

MILITARY – The Air base in Câmpia Turzii, central Romania, is hosting an exercise called Dacian Eagle 2018, with 200 Romanian and 300 American troops taking part. The American aircraft participating in the exercise belong to the Air National Guard of Massachusetts. The exercise started on Friday, will conclude in 2 months and is designed to boost bilateral cooperation in the field.

THEATRE – The Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the largest performing arts festival in Romania and one of the most important in the world, came to a close on Sunday night. For 10 days, the event brought together 3,000 artists in over 500 performances and tens of thousands of spectators. The highlight of Sundays agenda was a dialogue between the French actress Isabelle Huppert and the Palme dOr winner, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. Isabelle Huppert was awarded a star on the Sibiu Walk of fame on Saturday. Also on Saturday, at the Festival Gala, the British Ambassador to Romania, Paul Brummell, read out Romanian poetry and said he will remain a friend of the Sibiu Festival and of Romania after the end of his diplomatic mission to Bucharest. The diplomat also presented a message to the Festival from HRH Charles, Prince of Wales, one of the patrons of this years edition. He congratulated the Festival on its 25th anniversary. Britain is proud of what you have achieved and of its modest contribution to your impressive journey, reads the message.

MACEDONIA – The foreign ministers of Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov, Sunday signed an agreement stipulating the change of the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia into the Republic of North Macedonia. The document was signed on Sunday in the border town of Prespes, in Greece, and is set to take effect in 6 months. The agreement paves the way for Greece giving up its veto to the EU and NATO accession of Macedonia. In the former Yugoslav republic, the deal must be ratified by Parliament, endorsed by a referendum and activated through a constitutional review. The agreement must be next approved by the Parliament of Greece.

REFORM – The French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, announced that France and Germany are very close to an agreement on the reform of the eurozone, the BBC reports. Further to talks with his German counterpart in Hamburg, Minister Le Maire expressed hope that the French President Emmanuel Macron will sign an agreement in this respect with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on Tuesday. The French leader proposes substantial reforms, including the allotment of a separate budget for the eurozone, BBC explains.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)