October 15, 2018

President Klaus Iohannis continues his official visit to Italy.

Newsroom, 15.10.2018, 13:24

VISIT– Romanian president Klaus Iohannis continues his four-day formal visit to Rome, the first by a Romanian high official in the past 45 years. Today he holds talks with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, on the strategic partnership between the two countries. The two heads of state are attending, later today, the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the commemoration of 2000 years since the death of the Latin poet, Ovid. On Sunday, Klaus Iohannis held talks with representatives of the Orthodox, Greek and Roman-Catholic churches. Also on Sunday he took part in a symbolic event, the projection of Romanias flag on Emperor Trajan’s Column. The Romanian Presidents agenda also includes talks with representatives of the Romanian community in Italy, the largest Romanian community abroad, which numbers 1.5 million people.

EMERGENCY DECREE — The Romanian Government has today passed an emergency decree for the modification of some justice laws, Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has announced. He has explained that the decree was needed to correlate the three justice laws modified this year, and also to include some recommendations of the Venice Commission and requests of the Higher Council of Magistracy. Among the modifications are the increase, from 8 to 15 years, of the minimum number of years of work within the legal system in order to be eligible for leading positions within the Prosecutor’s Office with the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism. In reaction to the emergency decree passed today by the Government, Romania’s Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar, says modifications to the justice laws have been done hastily and are affecting investigations in the big criminal cases.

TOUR – Romanian PM Viorica Dancila is today meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the start of a tour that includes Turkey and the Gulf countries. According to the Romanian official, these countries have great potential for developing economic ties with Romania. The ministers that accompany PM Dancila on the tour will present important projects in fields such as infrastructure, health, tourism, and energy, which private investors can also develop through public-private partnerships.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT – Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea is today sending to Brussels, the documents that Romania needs in order to apply for financial support from the European Commission to combat the effects of the African swine fever. Romania is expected to receive 40 million euros, an amount which is to be invested in laboratories and the proper medical equipment to detect the disease and rebuild its livestock.

IMPORTS – Romanias imports of fruit and vegetables stood at 783.1 million Euros in the first half of 2018 whereas the value of exports was almost 10 times smaller, data released by the countrys National Institute for Statistics show. Romanias exports of fruit and vegetables stood at 78.6 million Euros in the first half of the year and the countrys deficit in the international trade with fruit and vegetables amounts to 704.5 million Euros. According to the same report, imports of fruit and vegetables rose by 4.8% between January 1st and June 30th as compared to the same period last year while exports saw a 9.6% increase against the first six months of 2017.

PROGRAMME – Romanians aged between 16 and 55 can access, under certain conditions, loans guaranteed by the state by up to 80%, including corresponding interest rates and commissions. “Invest in Yourself” is the title of a government programme launched in Romania on the 15th of October. The loan can be used to pay for books, school supplies, training courses and fees for advanced studies, masters, doctoral and MBA programmes. Payments can also cover expenses related to rent and utilities, accommodation in student campuses and some of the costs of building or buying a home and of home improvements.

(Translated by E. Enache)