King Juan Carlos of Spain, aged 76, has abdicated after nearly 40 years on the throne. In a televised address, he said the time came to pass on the throne to a younger generation, with new energy and the determination to carry out the necessary reforms and transformations. He said his son, Crown Prince Felipe, is prepared to take over the throne. During his reign, Juan Carlos eased Spain\u2019s transition from Franco\u2019s dictatorship to democracy. Over the past few years however, many Spaniards have lost confidence in him, particularly because of controversial actions and the corruption scandals involving his daughter, Princess Cristina, and her husband, who are still under investigation. Moreover, the king\u2019s health has deteriorated, and he has undergone surgery several times recently.<\/p>\n
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The Romanian Defence Minister, Mircea Dusa, is taking part on Tuesday in a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. The meeting focuses on preparations for September\u2019s NATO Summit in Wales. Participants will discuss the development of defence capabilities, anti-missile defence, cyber defence as well as the funding and reform of the Alliance. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Romanian official will have bilateral talks with Germany\u2019s Federal Defence Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, and with the Canadian Defence Minister, Robert Nicholson.<\/p>\n
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The European Commission recommends that Romania improve the tax collection rate, reduce tax evasion, illegal employment and complete the pension reform launched in 2010. According to Radio Romania\u2019s correspondent in Brussels, the EC presented on Monday the individual economic policy recommendations for member states to strengthen the economic recovery of the past year. As a general guideline, the Commission strongly recommends that member countries attract investments as a key measure for economic recovery.<\/p>\n
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During an official visit to the Portuguese Republic, the Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean had a meeting with his counterpart, Rui Machete, on June 2nd. The visit marked the celebration, on May 31st, of 4 decades since the diplomatic relations between Romania and Portugal were resumed. In this context, Titus Corlatean pointed out that in spite of the economic crisis bilateral trade increased in 2013 by 10% compared to 2012, reaching close to half a billion euros. The two foreign ministers emphasised the strong cultural ties of the two countries, reinforced by the common Latin heritage and the particular role played by the Romanian community in Portugal, the largest community from a EU member state in that country.<\/p>\n
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For the first time in her career, Romanian Simona Halep, seed no. 4, has qualified into the quarterfinals of the Roland Garros tournament, the year\u2019s second Grand Slam. On Monday she defeated the American Sloane Stephens, 6-4, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, Halep, who has secured 430 WTA points and 220,000 euros, will play against the winner of the match between Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded 27th, and Lucie Safarova, from the Czech Republic, seeded 23rd.<\/p>\n
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