November 30, UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

România Internațional, 30.11.2013, 19:26

Romanians around the world celebrate Romania’s National Day on December 1st. The highlight of the celebrations will be the military parade in Bucharest, the most grandiose in the past 20 years. This year, 140 American, French, Polish and Turkish soldiers will participated in the parade. The National Day of Romania is also celebrated by the Romanian diplomatic missions abroad through concerts of classical music and jazz, exhibitions, theatre performances, film screenings and receptions. Saturday was the day of Romanians around the world, and it was celebrated in several European communities and Romanian communities abroad. Also, the city of Alba Iulia in central Romania is playing host to the Congress of Romanian Spirituality, attended by delegates from 23 countries. The topic this year is the state of Romanian communities 95 since the big union of December 1st, 1918.

The 2014 draft budget and social insurance law were passed on Friday night by the joint budget-finance committees of the Romanian Parliament and will be debated early next week in plenary session by Parliament. The liberal democratic opposition has announced its amendments aimed at boosting economic growth, job creation and consumption were rejected and accused the Government of drafting a budget of poverty, which will never lead to development. President Traian Basescu too has criticized the document and has warned he will not promulgate the budget law if the government keeps the additional 7 Eurocent fee on fuels.

On Friday in Chisinau, Romanian president Traian Basescu said that the Republic of Moldova’s initialing its association and free trade agreements with the EU was a guarantee of that country’s return to the big European family. From a cultural point of view, the Republic of Moldova cannot go towards the Euro-Asian Union, the Romanian President also said. In turn, the Moldovan president Nicolae Timofti recalled that Romania had constantly and firmly supported Moldova’s efforts towards European integration. President Timofti is expected to Bucharest on Sunday, to attended events celebrating Romania’s National Day.

The US is proud to have Romania as such a close and devoted ally and friend, and would like to see the partnership between the two countries even stronger in the coming years, said the US Secretary of State John Kerry in a message conveyed on Romania’s National Day. The US official mentions in his letter the latest developments in the strategic relation between Romania and the US, such as the project in Deveselu, which is seen as a major contribution to joint security and NATO. We recall that the village of Deveselu, in southern Romania, will host elements of the US anti-missile defense shield. John Kerry also speaks about the renewal of the Fullbright Agreement, under which over 3 thousand students and teachers have benefited from exchanges of experience, and also about the US investments in Romania, worth billions of dollars.

Ukrainians call for early presidential elections and the ousting of president Viktor Ianukovici, said on Saturday one of leaders of the pro-European opposition. Also on Saturday, dozens of people were wounded and other dozens arrested in Kiev, after the police took violent actions against those who were protesting against the power’s refusal to sing the Association Agreement with the EU. According to news agencies, over 10 thousand pro-European Ukrainians gathered in downtown Kiev on Friday and manifested against president Ianukovici, whom they accused of stealing their European dream. The European leaders have not managed to convince the Ukrainian president to sign the association and free exchange agreements with the EU at the Eastern Partnership Summit hosted by Vilnius on Friday.

Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic believers across the world celebrated on Saturday Saint Andrew, the patron saint and protector of Romania. The say Saint Andrew was the first to preach Christian beliefs on Romanian soil and baptized the first inhabitants in Dobrogea, on the western shore of the Black Sea. According to statistics, there are some 700 thousand Romanians bearing this name or its derivatives.

Romanian Ana Maria Branza was designated the best epee fencer of the year 2013 at the International Fencing Federation Congress in Paris. This year, the Romanian athlete has been European champion and vice-champion in Zagreb, and has won the bronze medal at the World Cup on Budapest.