September 6, 2014
A look at some of the top stories in Romania today
România Internațional, 06.09.2014, 12:00
Romania will host a NATO command centre on its territory, said president Traian Basescu, who attended the NATO summit in Wales. He said Romania has the necessary infrastructure to accommodate such a structure. The president also said that the Black Sea area was acknowledged as very important for Euro-Atlantic security and that preparations to deploy elements of an anti-missile shield are on schedule. In 2015, explained Mr Basescu, the base in Deveselu, south-western Romania, will become operational and contribute to the security of the allied space. Traian Basescu also announced that Romania committed 220 soldiers to the next NATO mission in Afghanistan.
The USS ROSS destroyer is in the Romanian port of Constanta until Sunday. The visit by the American vessel is aimed at developing bilateral relations between the Romanian and US Navies part of a strategic partnership. USS ROSS will take part in the multinational Sea Breeze 2014 exercise. Recently, a number of foreign army ships holding with missiles and latest generation equipment have arrived in the Black Sea amidst the tense situation in Ukraine.
Romania’s Social Democrat MEP Corina Cretu is on the list of the future European Commissioners made public on Friday by the new president of the Commission, Jean Claude Juncker. A member of the European Parliament since 2007, 47-year-old Cretu currently holds the position of vice-president of the European Parliament. A controversial figure in Romania, she also served as an adviser to former leftist president Ion Iliescu. According to the Bucharest media, although the Romanian Government hoped to obtain the regional development portfolio, Cretu will more likely be appointed Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid. The proposed list of 28 European Commission members must also be approved by the European Union Council.
Over 12 million people in Romania will receive their health insurance cards by post by the end of the year. Health minister Nicolae Banicioiu says these cards will ensure a transparent system for spending public funds and guaranteeing health services. Prime minister Victor Ponta said the implementation of the health insurance card system was delayed by one year because of a serious corruption scandal involving the former management of the National Health Insurance Agency.
The average net salary in Romania stood at around 390 euros in July, a little more than in June, according to the National Institute for Statistics. This slight increase was mainly the result of the occasional bonuses granted in several economic sectors. Medicine producers and the insurance and pension fund sectors saw the highest salary increases, while the employees working in the manufacturing of tobacco products reported the most significant income drop.
On Sunday in Piraeus, the national side of Romania will take on Greece in their first game in the qualifying tournament for the 2016 European Championship. The two sides also met last year, when Greece defeated Romania at home and drew in Bucharest to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Brazil. Romania’s Euro 2016 qualifying group also includes Hungary, Finland, Northern Ireland and the Faeroe Islands. Romania last qualified for a final tournament in 2008, for the European Championship.
