June 18, 2019
The Parliament in Bucharest debates and votes today on the censure motion filed by the opposition against the coalition government; US Attorney General William Barr, visiting Bucharest, is being received today by President Klaus Iohannis
România Internațional, 18.06.2019, 13:45
BUCHAREST — The bicameral parliament in Bucharest today debates and votes on the censure motion filed by the opposition against the coalition government led by the Social Democrats. The document states that Romania urgently needs a government with a pro-European vision, focused on the development priorities of the country: education, health, public investment, and attracting European funds. The parties filing the motion, the National Liberals, the Save Romania Union, the Peoples Movement, and the Hungarian Union, claim that the government led by Viorica Dancila has to step down for the way in which they organized elections in the diaspora, as well as for their repeated attempts to force through changes to the justice system by executive order. The motion needs 233 votes from MPs, which means that the parties filing the motion need serious support from minority parties, and even ruling coalition MPs. The PM, also acting chairman of the Social Democratic Party, called on Social Democratic members of parliament to be present in order to provide a quorum, while at the same time abstaining from voting.
PRESIDENCY — Romanias presidency of the Council of the European Union has as its essential aim promoting the fight against racism, intolerance, xenophobia, populism, anti-Semitism, as well as discouraging hate discourse, said today PM Viorica Dancila. She was attending the opening of a high level event dedicated to these topics. The head of government added that the spread of fake news is more and more worrying. Romanias rotating presidency made proposals regarding the spread of on-line disinformation and fake news.
VISIT – US Attorney General William Barr, visiting Bucharest, is being received today by President Klaus Iohannis and is set to meet PM Viorica Dancila. The American official will also take this opportunity to meet Vĕra Jourová, European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers, and Gender Equality, who is in Bucharest to take part in the ministry level meeting between the US and the EU on justice and internal affairs topics, taking place on Wednesday in Bucharest. The agenda of the meeting includes cooperation in cyberspace and the resilience of election systems.
FOOTBALL – Romanias Under 21 football team starts off in the European Championships with the match against Croatia in Italy and San Marino. England and France compete in the the same Group, C group. On Sunday, the first games were played in Group A, Poland against Belgium, 3-2, and Italy against Spain, 3-1, while on Monday the first games in Group B were played, Austria-Serbia, 3-2, and Germany-Denmark, 3-1. Romania attends the final tournament of the competition for the second time, the first time taking eighth place in Bucharest in 1998. The finals are scheduled for June 30.
THEATER — The 26th edition of the Sibiu International Theater Festival, FITS, continues until June 23rd, with the theme The Art of Giving. The best flamenco dancer in the world in 2018, Jesus Camona, will perform in the show called Flamenco as Destiny. Yesterday, Romanian-French playwright Matei Visniec held a dialog with French playwright Jean-Michel Ribes. The organizers inform that over 500 works of art from France will be on display in Sibiu in a digital museum. FITS is the largest and most complex event of its kind in Romania, and even Europe, with Radio Romania as a participant organizer.
