April 14, 2015
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Ştefan Stoica, 14.04.2015, 12:00
London Book Fair, one of the most important events of this kind hosted by Britain, is taking place until Thursday. According to the Romanian Cultural Institute, Romania has been participating for the 8th year in a row and this year’s special invitee from Bucharest is famous Romanian poet Ana Blandiana.
Foreign Ministers from Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine last night voiced deep concern related to truce violations in Ukraine. At the end of a conference in Berlin, the four have called for an end to fighting and for political dialogue. This appeal goes farther beyond the Minsk agreement in February, the head of German diplomacy Frank-Walter Steinmeier went on to say. The German official insisted on the importance of staging local election in Ukraine. The four ministers have announced their intention to set up working groups as soon as possible inside the contact group including Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE. These working groups would be able to take care of security, the political process, humanitarian issues and business in the conflict area. The outcome of the Berlin meeting will be discussed during a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting due to take place in Lubeck, northern Germany, these days.
Financial rating agency Standard and Poor’s has confirmed Romania’s rating for long and short-time debt in hard and local currencies at BBB minus/A-3’ with a stable outlook, shows an agency communiqué. According to the same sources, Romania has kept this rating thanks to its low foreign debts against the backdrop of stabile growth prospects. In another development, Standard and Poor’s believes Romania’s ratings are limited by low-quality governance in spite of recent anti-graft efforts, as well as the low GDP as compared to the other states in the region, and a big debt, although decreasing, in the private sector. About Romania’s stable outlook S&P says this reflects a balance between the probability of some fiscal consolidation risks and prospects of robust growth.
The Budgetary Committee of the European Parliament is today hosting public discussions on the way in which Romania and Bulgaria are implementing measures aimed at fighting corruption and boosting judiciary. Romania will be represented by Justice Minister Robert Cazanciuc and the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi. The event, which is to be attended by European Commission officials in charge of justice-monitoring reports, will be moderated by former Romanian Justice Minister Monica Macovei. Macovei has recently stated in a communiqué that Romania’s legal institutions could today serve as an example for other countries. Set up in 2007, upon Romania’s and Bulgaria’s EU entry, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism has been assessing key domains of the judiciary that need reforms.
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has been pleading for the consolidation of the strategic and political profile of the European Neighborhood Policy. Attending the ministerial conference in Barcelona with partner countries in the EU’s southern neighborhood, Aurescu explained the European Neighborhood Policy contributes to promoting peace, security and stability at EU borders. According to a Foreign Ministry communiqué, the Romanian official has reiterated a proposal on setting up an International Court aimed at fighting terrorism.
