May 26 – June 2
A look at the main headline-grabbing events this past week
România Internațional, 03.06.2017, 12:31
Mini-holiday for the Romanians, between June the 1st and the Pentecost
The International Childrens Day was the first day off out of a series of five that also include the Pentecost. This was the first time when June 1st was a non-working day, a decision made by the authorities so that parents can spend the day with their children. Special events marking Childrens Day were held in the capital Bucharest and across Romania, such as contests, shows, concerts and exhibitions. In the capital city children had free access to the Zoo, they visited the Cotroceni National Museum and the National TV stations headquarters. The National Radio Orchestra offered children, parents and grandparents a surprise concert at the Radio Concert Hall, where the little spectators were invited to go on stage alongside the musicians. In the city of Sibiu, in the centre, actors with the Small Theatre presented shows for children, while the open-air museum in Dumbrava Sibiului hosted a National Toy Fair. Over 50 thousand tourists are spending this 5-day holiday on the Black Sea Coast. Several thousands have opted for the mountain resorts on Prahova Valley, where they have various ways of enjoying their time off, from mountain climbing, trips with 4X4 automobiles and ATVs and walks through the forests. Over 25 thousand policemen made sure that things unfolded smoothly during the 1 thousand public events organized these days. The Border Police has also increased the number of staff as a large number of Romanians are crossing the border to spend their holiday abroad, mostly in the neighbouring Bulgaria and Hungary.
The unexpected resignation of the president of the Save Romania Union, the third largest parliamentary party in Romania
Nicusor Dan, the leader of the Save Romania Union, USR, in opposition, the third largest parliamentary party, on Thursday stepped down from the position of president of the party he founded in 2016. The Save Romania Union announced it would organise a new congress to elect a new leader, after the unexpected resignation tendered by its founding president. The interim leadership of the party is assured by the head of the USR Cluj branch (in the north-west). Dan stepped down after the USR National Bureau decided to stand against the revision of the Constitution, meant to redefine the concept of family as a union between a man and a woman. A draft meant to revise the fundamental law of the country has already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies and if it is also endorsed by the Senate, Romanians will be called to the polls to vote in a referendum. The revision of the constitution has been demanded by a citizens initiative, signed by three million Romanians. At present, the fundamental law of the country stipulates that the family is based on the consensual marriage between spouses.
The unified pay scale bill in the Chamber of Deputies
The unified pay scale billhas been debated these days by the Labour Committee with the Chamber of Deputies and next week it will be debated in a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, which is decision-making body. Backed by the parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, the unified pay scale billfor state sector employees is being criticized by the right wing opposition, who says the budget impact and the funding source for the pay rises are not clear. Hundreds of trade unionists in the public administration in Romania organised in Bucharest a new protest meeting against the bill.
The strike by air traffic controllers in Romania
Air traffic in Romania was disrupted on Tuesday by the air traffic controllers 4-hour all-out strike. Also on Tuesday, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled that the air traffic controllers strike was legal. They warned however that if talks on a new employment contract end in a failure, they might resume protests. They are also discontent about the shortage of personnel and that no hiring is done. Transport minister, Razvan Cuc, has dismissed information on ROMATSAs running the risk of going bankrupt and announced that a new development strategy is being drafted. Some 3,000 aircraft are crossing Romanias airspace daily, and, under the law, during their strike, air traffic controllers must coordinate a third of these flights. On May 12, they went on a two-hour token strike.
HRH Prince Charles, on a new visit to Romania
The British Crown Prince Charles has paid another private visit to Romania this week. On Monday, he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj Napoca, western Romania. He received the title for the sustained efforts he made to preserve Romanias cultural heritage, its traditions and the diversity of its nature. Prince Charles also visited the village of Viscri in central Romania, a UNESCO world heritage site, where he met with forestry experts and small farmers. The Romanian branch of the Prince of Waless Charitable Foundation will launch a new project, meant to help farmers living in mountainous regions develop their products and access new markets, both in Romania and abroad. Prince Charles has also visited three medieval churches in Brasov County, located in Drauseni, Homorod and Mercheasa, built around 1200, in Romanic style by the Saxon community in Transylvania. Prince Charles takes a special interest in Romania, a country which he has visited many times in the past 20 years.
