September 8, 2014
A look at some of the top stories in Romania today
România Internațional, 08.09.2014, 12:00
Prime minister Victor Ponta has called for the support of US companies to develop Romania’s energy sector. In the opening of a seminar held in Bucharest together with the US Embassy and the US Chamber of Commerce, Ponta said guaranteeing the country’s energy independence is one of his government’s priorities. He also spoke about the importance of reducing the dependence on Russian gas of the neighbouring Republic of Moldova. Last month, Ponta and his Moldovan counterpart Iurie Leanca attended the inauguration of the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline supplying Moldova with gas from Romania.
US-Ukrainian military manoeuvres are being carried out in the north-western part of the Black Sea between the 8th and the 10th of September as part of Sea Breeze 2014. The aim of these exercises is to conduct an international operation to establish a secure navigation area in the event of a crisis. Romania, Spain, Canada and Turkey are also taking part in the manoeuvres. Georgia, Norway, Sweden and France participate as observers.
Romanian deputies are today debating the bills on the 5% reduction in the social security contributions paid by employers and a fiscal amnesty for pensioners, women with children and certain categories of public employees. The bills have already been approved by the Senate. The Chamber of Deputies will also debate a simple motion filed by the Liberal Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party on the 2nd of July in which the two parties accuse the government of failing to respect its promise to rid the judiciary of political influence. The motion will be discussed by the two chambers in a joint meeting tomorrow.
Orthodox, Catholic and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrate the Birth of the Virgin Mary on the 8th of September. In the traditional calendar, this celebration marks the astronomical border between summer and autumn. Many fairs are held on this day, and grapes and other autumn fruit are traditionally harvested.
The national side of Romania on Sunday started its qualifying tournament for the 2016 European Championship with an away victory against Greece, 1-nil, following a penalty shoot-out in the 10th minute. In the other Group F fixtures, Northern Ireland defeated Hungary 2-1 and Finland defeated the Faeroe Islands 3-1. Romania will play their next game against Hungary next month in Bucharest. The Romanian sports media note that Romania should not have a problem qualifying for Euro 2016, following the tournament’s expansion to 24 teams instead of 16. The top two teams in each group plus the best third-placed side qualify automatically, while the eight remaining third-placed countries enter the play-offs.
The Romanian men’s team won the inaugural edition of the European 3×3 Basketball Championships hosted by Bucharest. Romania defeated Slovenia in the final 18-16, while Lithuania won the bronze. In the women’s competition, the title went to Russia, followed by Slovenia and Belgium. 3×3 basketball is also known as streetball.
