May 16, 2024
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 16.05.2024, 13:55
Visit – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, received the Hungarian Minister for European Affairs, János Bóka, who is visiting Romania, in the run up to Hungary taking over the six-month presidency of the EU Council, on July 1. The European and international context marked by multiple challenges and the transition period between two European electoral cycles were tackled. The Romanian official emphasized the interest in advancing the decisions regarding the EU enlargement policy in relation to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as those regarding Romania’s accession to Schengen with land borders too. The Hungarian side reconfirmed its support for the achievement of this objective. Regarding the current state of bilateral relations, the importance of the strategic partnership between Romania and Hungary and the opportunities for sectoral collaboration were mentioned.
Bratislava – The Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in intensive care, and his health condition is stable. He underwent several hours of surgery after, on Wednesday, he was shot in the chest and abdomen in a city in the center of the country, where he had chaired a government meeting. The suspected attacker was detained by the police. According to the local media, he is a 71-year-old man, a poet and civic activist. The politicians in power say that the attack was politically motivated. Robert Fico is a controversial left-wing politician, accused of pro-Russian sympathies. Returning to power last year, he canceled military support for Ukraine and announced plans to reform public radio and television, contested by street protests. World leaders condemned the attack on the Slovak prime minister, unprecedented in recent European history. Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis said that such extremist acts threaten fundamental European values.
Festival – Craiova (south), is hosting as of today until May 26, the 14th edition of the International Shakespeare Festival. More than 300 world-class theater performances, concerts, parades, workshops, book launches, installations, VR trips will cover the entire city of Craiova and its surroundings, in conventional spaces, and also in the most original and unexpected places. Shakespeare Village – a British village from 1600, rebuilt from scratch, on the Craiova Hippodrome, will be the venue for dozens of concerts and shows. Famous names from the world of international theater and performance creators can be found in the festival program, including Robert Wilson, Peter Brook, Declan Donnellan, Robert Lepage, Philip Pârr, Jesus Herrera, and Christian Friedel.
Inflation – The National Bank of Romania (BNR) increased the inflation forecast for the end of this year from 4.7% to 4.9% and maintained the one for the end of 2025 at 3.5%, shows the inflation report presented on Wednesday by the governor of the national bank, Mugur Isarescu. According to him, inflation will remain on a downward trajectory, but at a slower pace than expected. In its spring forecast, the European Commission estimates, in the case of Romania, an economic growth of 3.3% and an inflation rate of almost 6%, more than double the European average.
Port – The Romanian Black Sea port of Constanța has increased its operating capacity with two new terminals – one will allow the unloading of wheeled trucks directly from ships and will handle up to 80,000 vehicles per year, and a 5-hectare cargo terminal, will operate oversized equipment for heavy and bulky goods. The new investments developed by a company from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, will contribute to the transformation of the Port of Constanta into a regional hub, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said at the inauguration event. Constanţa is already the largest container port on the Black Sea, and next year another multi-transport platform will be opened following an investment of 50 million Euros.
UNESCO – In Romania, the Peleş and Pelişor castles, the former communist prisons, the “Three Holy Hierarchs” Church in Iași, the “Assumption of the Virgin” Episcopal Church of the Argeș Monastery and the Movile Cave were included on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list. The Ministry of Culture sent to the World Heritage Center the forms for the objectives that, through their exceptional qualities, have the potential to be recognized at the international level for the importance they have for present and future generations. Romania is also preparing the transnational nomination file – together with Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia – for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire – the Danube Limes, the eastern segment. (LS)
