September 21, 2016 UPDATE
Click here for an update on domestic and international news
Newsroom, 21.09.2016, 13:45
Romania – NATO – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis received, Wednesday, in Bucharest the chief of the Allied Command Transformation, the French General Denis Mercier. During the meeting the two officials hailed the decisions passed at the NATO summit held in Warsaw in July, mainly those related to consolidating NATO’s deterrence and defense posture as well as the strong message of unity, solidarity and commitment the allies conveyed on the occasion. In another development, the Romanian president underlined the need for NATO to carry on with the efforts meant to ensure the security and stability of the Black Sea area. In turn, the French general highlighted the special importance of the practical side of high-level cooperation in the sense of common training and multinational drills meant to increase interoperability among forces and NATO’s reaction capability in a security environment facing increasing challenges.
La Francophonie – Romanias foreign minister Lazar Comanescu on Tuesday attended the Ministerial meeting of francophone countries held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In his address, Comanescu said La Francophonie must consolidate its position within the global governance by strengthening its partnerships with other international organisations such as the United Nations. He also stressed the role of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) in the application of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Minister Comanescu also announced that Romania wishes to host, in Bucharest, the 2018 Francophone Regional Economic Forum. Talks focused, among others, on migration flows and ways to manage climate change.
Refugees – The Committee for European Affairs in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday gave a negative opinion on the proposal of the European Commission to impose a penalty of 250,000 euros for each refugee a country refuses to take in based on the quotas established in Brussels. The head of the committee, Ana Birchall, said the proposal is unacceptable, it does not address the root cause of the problem and that it may generate a profound crisis in the community space. She recalled that Romania is the second biggest contributor to Frontex actions, the European agency at the forefront of combating migration, and has actively taken part in the actions carried out by Interpol, Europol and the European Asylum Support Office.
Public subscription – A little over 900,000 euros have been raised so far as part of a public subscription campaign to purchase a work by the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi called The Wisdom of the Earth. Culture minister Corina Suteu said 200,000 people have donated to the campaign and that solutions are being considered to extend the end of the month deadline by which donations can be made. Six months ago, the private owners of the sculpture agreed to sell the work to the Romanian state for 11 million euros. The government said it would provide 5 million euros and cover the rest through public subscription. Made in 1907, The Wisdom of the Earth dates back to one of Brancusis most celebrated periods, together with The Kiss and Prayer.
Measles — In the first 8 months of this year Romania has reported 675 confirmed cases of measles in 23 counties, and 2 infants have died, the Health Ministry officials informed on Wednesday. A 3rd death allegedly caused by measles has been registered these days, but confirmation is still expected. Last year only 7 cases of measles were reported and no deaths. The Health Ministry officials have called on parents to respect the immunization schedule. In the affected areas the National Public Health Institute recommends the immunization of infants at 7 months and repetition of the vaccine at 1 year of age.
Illegal border crossing – 8 migrants – 6 adults and 2 children – who entered Romania illegally were found on Tuesday in Dolj county, the Romanian Border Police said. Six of the migrants are of Iraqi origin and two of Syrian origin. Their plan was to reach Austria, and they had crossed the Danube by boat from Bulgaria into Romania after paying 2,000 dollars to a guide. In recent weeks, Romania has tightened security on its southern and western borders as several small groups of migrants have been found trying to enter the country illegally.
