November 28, UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 28.11.2013, 19:52
Romanian President Traian Basescu, who is attending in Vilnius the Eastern Partnership Summit, on Thursday called on the EU to no longer impose conditions other than the technical ones regarding an association agreement with Ukraine, if the leader of that country, Viktor Ianukovici wishes that. Traian Basescu said that to Romania and the Republic of Moldova, which are Ukraine’s neighbors, it is essential that Kiev continues is European integration process. The summit in Vilnius is attended by heads of state and government from the 28 EU member countries and six former soviet republics, for which the partnership was established: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Moldova, a former soviet country with a predominantly Romanian speaking population will sign an association agreement and a free trade agreement with the EU. More on this after the news.
Talks continued on Thursday in the finance-budget committees of the Romanian Parliament concerning the 2014 draft budget. The opposition Liberal Democratic Party believes that the government’s strategy will trigger an economic downturn and filed a simple motion against it, which has been rejected. Among other things, the democrat liberals call for lower taxes and fees, higher pensions and the elimination of the additional fee on fuel. In turn, president Traian Basescu has warned he will not promulgate the document unless the government gives up the additional 7 eurocents fee to be charged for each litter of fuel.
Starting Friday, until Sunday, some 150 Romanians in the Diaspora will attend in Alba Iulia and Zlatna, central Romania, the 17th Congress of Romanian Spirituality. On Sunday, December 1st, they will take part in events celebrating Romania’s national day. The first edition of the congress was held in 1993, with the aim of strengthening ties between Romanians across the world with the mother country and ensuring the necessary support that Romania should offer to Romanian communities abroad. Over 6 thousand Romanians from 46 countries have participated in the 17 congresses held so far.
The cities of Brasov in central Romania and Lausanne, in Switzerland, run for host of the 3rd Youth Olympic Games due in 2020. The International Olympic Committee will designate the winner in 2015. According to the chairman of the committee, the former German fencer Thomas Bach, the race will be tough, as any of the two cities wants to be the host of this important event, which will bring together over one thousand young champions aged 14 to 18. The first Olympic youth games were held in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012. In 2016 the games will be hosted by Lillehammer, Norway.
On Thursday, the US celebrated Thanksgiving Day. In December 1941, the US Congress passed a resolution under which the fourth Thursday of November was declared a day of national celebration in the US. Thanksgiving Day recalls the miraculous harvest of 1621, which saved the lives of the first immigrants who had left England to reach the New Land of Promise.
