October 6, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 06.10.2024, 19:13

Francophonie. President Klaus Iohannis on Sunday visited Romania’s pavilion at the Francophonie Village in Paris. The over 30 participants presented concerts, films, debates and other cultural activities over the course of a few days. Iohannis began his trip to France on Friday to attend the Francophonie Summit. In his address, he said education in French is a tool that can be very important for the professional success and mobility of young people. He added that as a “lighthouse” of the Francophonie in the region, Romania is aware of its responsibility and mission, and its commitments within the global framework of Francophone solidarity, actively supporting the mobility of young Francophone students and researchers and the education of women and girls. President Iohannis also recalled that last year in March, Bucharest hosted the economic and commercial mission of the International Organisation of the Francophonie.

Schengen. The entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area is, once again, on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in a few days’ time. Hungary, the country which holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council and which supports the full entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the European ​​free movement area, will present the current stage of the full implementation of the Schengen Acquis by the two countries, following the elimination of air and sea border controls at the end of March. In order to establish the date of the elimination of land border controls, a new unanimous decision by the Council members is needed. The final meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council this year will be held in the first part of December.

Heritage. Between the 6^th and the 8^th of October, Bucharest is playing host to the European Cultural Heritage Summit and the award ceremony of the Europa Nostra prizes. Experts in cultural heritage will discuss the public policy priorities at European level and in respect to the Romanian authorities and will celebrate the best projects for the preservation of the built heritage that won the Europa Nostra competition. Two projects from Romania are among them, namely the Saxon Church in Alma Vii, in the centre, and St. Michael’s Church in Cluj Napoca, in the north-west. The event is hosted by the National Museum of Art in Bucharest.

Elections. Saturday was the deadline for the submission of candidacies for the presidential elections  in Romania. The first round will be held on 24^th November and the second on 8^th December. The candidates include  the leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu, the president of the National Liberal Party, also in government, Nicolae Ciuca, the leader of the Save Romania Union Elena Lasconi, and the former NATO deputy secretary general Mircea Geoana. The final list of presidential candidates will be published on 10^th October, after all challenges filed with the Constitutional Court of Romania are solved.

Tennis. The all-Romanian pair Monica Niculescu and Gabriela Ruse won the doubles title at the WTA 125 tennis tournament in Hong Kong. They defeated Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya of Japan in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 10-5. Another Romanian player, Ana Bogdan, ranked 120 in the world, lost to Japan’s Mai Hontama, world no 116, and missed qualifying for the main draw in the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan, China. She was defeated in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6.