June 1, 2015 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 01.06.2015, 18:49
Around 4 million Romanian children celebrated on Monday the International Children’s Day. In Bucharest this special day was marked by a series of events devoted to children, such as open air shows, concerts, free access to museums and institutions like the Interior Ministry, the Bucharest Town Hall and the Chamber of Deputies. Monday was also the day when the amount of child allowance in Romania doubled to reach 84 lei per month (around 20 euros). President Klaus Iohannis promulgated this law, previously passed by Parliament, precisely on Children’s Day.
Romanian Defence Minister Mircea Dusa will travel to the Hague on Tuesday to meet with his Dutch counterpart Antoinette Jeanine Hennis — Plasschaert. According to the Romanian Defence Ministry the two officials will discuss about bilateral military cooperation and the security situation in the Black Sea area.
On June 1st, the value-added tax on foodstuffs, non-alcoholic beverages and food industry services in Romania was cut from 24 to 9%. This measure is expected to encourage domestic producers to charge competitive prices, reduce tax evasion, encourage consumption and boost economic growth. This significant drop in the VAT on foodstuffs comes a year and a half after a 9% decrease of the VAT for bread has been enforced. Both employers’ associations and trade unions in the food industry deem the measure as a good one.
Prince Charles of Britain arrived on Sunday evening at his mansion in the Valea Zalanului village, in central Romania, where he usually spends a few days every summer. The Prince is interested in the Saxon medieval architecture in central Romania — citadels, fortified churches and houses built by the German settlers who came to Transylvania in the Middle Ages. Previously, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, had received Prince Charles in Bucharest. According to a release by the presidency, talks focused, among other things, on the importance of preserving and promoting the natural and historical heritage and also on protecting biodiversity and the environment. Prince Charles invited President Iohannis to visit the UK, and he received a positive answer.
Radio Romania is staging between June 1st and 6th the 3rd edition of the International Radio Drama Festival Grand Prix Nova. The festival is held under the high patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Margarita of Romania. As many as 50 radio dramas from 28 countries have been included in the competition. The president of this year’s edition is Reto Ott, a director and producer from Switzerland.
Steaua Bucharest won Romania’s Cup — Timisoreana on Sunday, for the 22nd time in this football club’s history. Bucharest’s National Arena was the venue for the final, with Steaua Bucharest defeating Universitatea Cluj 3-0. Steaua was the competition’s main favourite after having won another two trophies last month: the national football championship for the third consecutive time and the first edition of the League’s Cup. Starting next season the domestic League One will have only 14 teams, 4 teams less than at present, a move aimed at increasing the competition’s quality.
The Romanian — Slovenian pair Horia Tecău / Katarina Srebotnik qualified on Monday to the mixed doubles quarterfinals of Roland Garros after defeating the team Robert Lindstedt (Sweden) and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain). The Romanian Horia Tecău also qualified, together with the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer, to the men’s doubles quarterfinals. Romanian tennis player Andreea Mitu (no. 100 WTA) was defeated on Monday in the eighth-finals of Roland Garros against the Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck (no. 93 WTA).
