October 12, 2015 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Roxana Vasile, 12.10.2015, 12:15

Starting December 1st, the entire staff in the
Romanian education system will benefit from a 15% salary rise. This will add to
other similar measures already applied this year, so the pay rise in this
sector will have reached an average of 26,7% in 2015. The announcement was made
on Monday by the Romanian Education Minister Sorin Cîmpeanu, following
negotiations with representatives of the line trade unions. Previously, on a TV
show, minister Cîmpeanu had stated that, in four years, salaries in the
education system should gradually grow up to a level attractive enough to bring
young higher education graduates into the system. We recall that the medical
staff in Romania also benefit from a
25% rise as of October 1st.

On Monday, Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis received the US Ambassador
to Bucharest, Hans Klemm. The two officials discussed means of boosting
security cooperation as well as political dialogue. According to the
Presidential Administration, the Romanian head of state stressed the need for
consolidating the economic dimension of the Strategic Partnership between
Romania and the US. We recall that the US Ambassador to Romania, Hans Klemm,
presented his accreditation letters on September 21st. Also, in late September, President Klaus
Iohannis, on a visit to the US, had a meeting with the US Vice President Joe
Biden.

On Monday,
the Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan
Aurescu, reiterated at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg Romania’s
support for Libya’s unity and territorial integrity and Bucharest’s willingness
to help that country’s democratic and institutional reconstruction. Talking
about Syria, Bogdan Aurescu said that Romania strongly defended a political
solution to the domestic conflict in that country. Bucharest, he said, is ready
to get actively involved in facilitating dialogue, including by using its
embassy in Damascus, which is still operational. According to the Romanian
diplomat, starting a political transition needs to take place at the same time
with combating and neutralizing the Islamic State terrorist organization. Also,
Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania’s solidarity with the efforts made to solve
the current refugee crisis.

Liviu Dragnea, the
only candidate in the election for president of the Social Democratic Party,
held on Sunday, was elected head of the main ruling party in Romania by 97% of
the members who came to the polls. It was for the first time that the leader of
the Social Democratic Party was elected through an internal ballot and not at
the Party Congress. On Monday, the results of the vote were analyzed by the
party’s National Executive Committee. Also, the Committee discussed the
structure of the party leadership, whose members will be elected at the
extraordinary congress due on Sunday, October 18th. More on this
after the news.

A technical mission of the International Monetary Fund is expected to
arrive this week in Romania. Next year’s state budget, as well as a potential
new agreement with the Fund, will be the main topics on the agenda of talks.
The visit comes after the IMF has recently revised upwards its estimates on the
Romanian economy. The GDP is expected to go up 3.4% this year and 3.9% in 2016.
Last month, Romania’s fourth consecutive agreement with the IMF came to an end.
The precautionary agreement was worth 2
billion euros, but Bucharest did not use the funds. The Finance Minister Eugen
Teordorovici has recently stated that Romania will officially apply for a new
loan agreement with the IMF.

Romanian,
American, Bulgarian and Ukrainian troops are taking part, between October 12 and 15, in military exercises in the Black Sea
international waters. Romania is participating with a frigate, a corvette and
two MiG 21 LanceR aircraft. The American forces are represented by the USS
Porter destroyer and a maritime
patrol aircraft, while Ukraine and Bulgaria contributed one frigate
each. The troops will carry out anti-submarine warfare drills, as a means to
test the capacity of joint operations in the Black Sea. According to American
officials, participation in exercises together with NATO allies, Romania
included, is a permanent mission of the US Sixth Fleet.

Turkish
authorities on Monday said Islamic
State jihadists were behind the two blasts in Ankara, the bloodiest attack ever
committed in Turkey. The explosions killed 97 people and wounded another 500
near the central railway station, where people had gathered to protest against
the clashes between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK). The attack occurred three weeks before the early elections scheduled for
November 1st. On Saturday and Sunday,
many people across Turkey gathered to
protest against violence and terrorism.
The participants blamed the government for failing to take proper security
measures.

Angus Deaton of
Great Britain is the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics. He was rewarded
this way for his analysis of consumption, poverty and welfare, the Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences stated. Last year, the French economist Jean Tirole
was the recipient of the award for his analysis of market power and regulation.
Also this year, the Nobel Prize in Literature
was awarded to the Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich and the Peace
Prize went to several organizations that facilitated the democratic transition
in Tunisia.

Romania’s national football
team has qualified for the final tournament of the European Championship, due
next year in France.
In their last game in preliminary Group F,
on Sunday night, the Romanian squad defeated the Faroe Islands 3-0, away from
home. The last time Romania took part in a European final tournament was in
2008. Group F also included Northern Ireland, which won the group stage and
also qualified for the final tournament, Finland, Greece and Faroe Islands. 16
out of the 24 participants in the final tournament are known so far.