EU
<\/p>\n
Child benefits.<\/strong> The ministry for Romanians abroad announced
<\/p>\n
US tour.<\/strong> The National Symphonic Orchestra of Romania begin their first
<\/p>\n
Feast days.<\/strong> On the 6th of January, Christians celebrate
<\/p>\n
Weather.<\/strong> The foreign ministry in Bucharest has warned that Bulgaria,
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":75903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-103255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\npresidency.<\/strong> The Romanian foreign
\nminister Teodor Melescanu says he is surprised at the comments made by a German
\nofficial that president Klaus Iohannis rather than prime minister Viorica
\nDancila should sit at the head of the table during Romania’s presidency of
\nthe Council of the European Union. Bernd Fabritius, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Matters Related to Ethnic
\nGerman Resettlers and National Minorities
\ndoes not have the institutional capacity to make such comments, the Romanian
\nforeign minister has said, adding that it’s not for a foreign official to voice
\nan opinion on this subject. A German ethnic born in Romania, Bernd Fabritius told Radio France Internationale that the
\nonly chance of success is for president Iohannis to be the driving engine of
\nRomania’s EU presidency. His statements have come amid widening political tensions
\nbetween the president, himself a member of Romania’s German ethnic community,
\nand the government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of
\nLiberals and Democrats, frequently accused, both at home and abroad, of incompetence
\nand corruption. Between 1st of January and 30th of June,
\nRomania is holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union
\nfor the first time since becoming a member. The Council’s agenda during this
\nperiod is dominated by Brexit, the negotiation of the future EU budget and the
\nEuropean Parliament elections in May. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\non Saturday that it treats as a priority the situation of the Romanian citizens
\naffected by a decision of the Austrian authorities regarding the indexation of
\nchild benefits for EU workers in Austria based on the country of residence. The
\nministry says this measure does not reflect the principle of equality and
\nnon-discrimination, the common values on which the European Union is founded. The
\nminister for labour and social justice has also reiterated his concern over
\nthis measure. Romania’s clear position on this subject is that European workers
\nmust be treated equally by all member states, said minister Marius Budai. The decision
\nregarding the indexation of the benefits paid by the Austrian state to the EU
\ncitizens whose children reside in the countries of origin was adopted by the Parliament
\nin Vienna in October last year and has come into force at the beginning of this
\nyear.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nUS tour on 6th January, which will last until the 16th of
\nJanuary. They will give 7 performances, in Palm Beach, Miami and Fort Myers and
\nthen in Detroit, New Jersey, and at Lincoln Center in New York, where the
\nRomanian orchestra will have as special guest the renowned trumpet player Wynton
\nMarsalis. The National Symphonic Orchestra of Romania is made up of the most
\ntalented alumni generations of the National Youth Orchestras. The organisers of
\nthe tour are the Tinerimea Romana National Arts Centre and the Romanian
\nCultural Institute. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nthe Baptism of Christ in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. This feast day,
\nwhich is one of oldest Christian festivals, is also known as Epiphany, because
\nthe baptism of Christ was accompanied by the miraculous manifestation of the
\nHoly Trinity. On the 7th of January, Christians celebrate the feast
\nday of St John the Baptist, which marks the end of the winter holidays. However,
\nfor old-style Orthodox Christians, who belong mainly to the Russian, Ukrainian
\nand Serbian communities, the winter holidays only now begin, as they celebrate
\nChristmas on the 7th of January. The split in the Orthodox Church
\ntook place at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ecumenical
\nPatriarchate in Constantinople decided to abandon the Julian calendar and adopt
\nthe Gregorian calendar, which is 13 days ahead of the former. Many residents of
\nthe Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet republic with a majority
\nRomanian-speaking population, travel to neighbouring Romania at this time of
\nthe year to celebrate Christmas in the old style. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nGreece and Serbia are faced with severe weather. An orange code warning for
\nheavy snow is in place in Bulgaria in the south-east and a yellow code in the
\nnorth. Greece is confronted with freezing temperatures, heavy snow, strong
\nwinds of up to 105 km\/h and huge waves of more than 12 metres in height in the
\nAegean Sea. Many villages, especially in the mountains, are without electricity.
\nTens of roads and motorways have been blocked in the mountainous regions,
\nincluding the Island of Crete. Maritime travel has been suspended and
\nhigh-tonnage trucks are only allowed to travel between certain hours. Yellow
\nand orange code warnings for heavy snow are also in place in Serbia today and
\ntomorrow. <\/p>\n