October 20, 2017
President Klaus Iohannis discusses Brexit in Brussels; Defense Minister Fifor visited Poland
Corina Cristea, 20.10.2017, 13:53
BRUSSELS — The autumn European Council meeting continues in Brussels, with a focus on the Brexit. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Brussels, the summit will attempt a summary of proceedings on the UK leaving the Union. Official releases indicate that lack of progress may cause delays. President Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is very much invested in upholding the rights of Romanian citizens living in Britain. The head of state said that he agreed with European Council President Donald Tusk to hold a meeting on Europe Day, May 9, 2019, in Sibiu, in central Romania, where European leaders could discuss the future of the Union after the UK separation.
WARSAW — Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor said that Romania has been supporting since inception the project to create a NATO Center for Excellence in Military Intelligence, an institution he deemed necessary for training experts in a unitary format. The minister spoke at the inauguration of the center in Krakow, Poland, where he was joined by his counterparts of Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. Fifor used the opportunity to invite his Polish counterpart to organize jointly a B9 type meeting of ministers of defense, to take place in Bucharest next March. The Defense Minister used this opportunity to meet Romanian soldiers deployed to Poland as part of NATO forces.
FOOTBALL — Romanian football vice-champion FCSB defeated Israeli team Hapoel Beer Sheva in its third game in the Europa League Group G. Thursday nights game ended with a 2-1 score in favor of the Romanians. In the same group, Swiss side FC Lugano won at home 3-2 against Viktoria Plzen of the Czech Republic. FCSB leads by a wide margin, with nine points, while its rivals hold only three each.
TENNIS — Number one female tennis player Simona Halep of Romania is facing off against her opponents in the current tournament in Singapore, starting Sunday. The competition is for the best eight players in the world, bringing together Garbine Muguruza of Spain, Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, American Venus Williams, Danish Caroline Wozniacki, Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, and French player Caroline Garcia. The eight players contend in two groups, the white and the red. This is considered the most important competition of the year, after the four Grand Slams, and goes back 45 years.
LABOR — Representatives of the Sanitas healthcare trade union and the government resume today negotiations on demands made by healthcare employees. On Thursday, thousands of physicians, nurses and support personnel protested on the streets of Bucharest against planned changes in the legislation related to wages, planned to come into effect on 1 January next year. Trade union leaders warned that they may resort to a general strike if demands are not met.
WEATHER — The weather in Romania continues to be unseasonably warm, with mild winds. Maximum temperatures are between 20 and 27 degrees Celsius, with a noon reading of 20 degrees.
