June 19, 2015
For a roundup of domestic and international events, click here.
Newsroom, 19.06.2015, 12:00
BILATERAL RELATIONS – Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today attending the 2015 Global Security Forum (GLOBSEC 2015) in Bratislava, focusing on global security threats posed by islamist groups and Russia. Attending are leaders of Central and Eastern Europe and British Prime Minister David Cameron. According to an official Foreign Ministry release, Minister Aurescu will outline Romanias vision in relation to security developments on the EUs southern and eastern borders and will discuss Bucharests expectations ahead of the NATO Summit in Warsaw of July 2016. GLOBSEC is an important foreign policy and security forum, held every year since 2005 and bringing together decision-makers, experts and opinion builders from the political and military spheres, as well as businessmen and representatives of the media.
ALLIANCE – Two ruling coalition parties, the Liberal Reformist Party and the Conservative Party are today signing a merger protocol. The new faction will be called the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. The future right-wing party will have a single parliamentary group and will have common candidates in next years local and legislative elections. The Liberal Reformist Party, led by Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu, and the Conservative Party, currently led by Agriculture Minister Daniel Constantin, are currently part of the ruling coalition, alongside the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the Social-Democratic Party.
INVESTIGATION – A pre-trial 30-day arrest was today presented before the High Court of Cassation and Justice for Bucharest District 1 Mayor Liberal Andrei Chiliman. Anti-corruption prosecutors arrested Chiliman last night, accusing him of setting up an organized crime group and accessory to recurrent influence peddling. According to prosecutors, ever since he won his first term in office in 2004, Chiliman demanded and pocketed payments tantamount to 10 to 15% of the value of public works contracts handed out based on preferential criteria. The total prejudice of this case stands at some 9 million euros. Another two city hall advisors, as well as the former treasurer of the National Liberal Party have been detained as part of the investigation.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player WTA 3rd-ranked Simona Halep is playing Kristina Mladenovic of France in the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Birmingham. On Thursday, in the round of 16, Halep brushed aside Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-3 after only 50 minutes of play. Halep is also playing in the womens doubles today, where together with Heather Watson of Great Britain she will face Yung-Jan-Chan of Taiwan and Jie Zheng of China.
GREECE – Greece and Russia today signed a preliminary agreement for the building of a Russian-backed gas pipeline in Greece. The document was signed by Russian president Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Sankt Petersburg, against the backdrop of Greeces financial difficulties, caused by disagreement with the countrys international lenders. According to the German press, Russia is willing to prepay up to 5 billion euros in transit fees to Athens. Greece needs 7.2 billion euros by the end of the month to avoid default on its debts.
MIGRATION – The European Commission has harshly criticized Hungarys decision to build a security wall on the Serbian border to keep migrants out and has recommended an alternate solution to the problem. Budapest has recently announced its plans to build a four-meter-high wall alongside the Serbian border (175 kms), which is now a favourite border crossing point for immigrants coming in from Syria, Afghanistan and other countries, in an attempt to reach countries with high living standards in Northern and Western Europe. In Denmark, the Peoples Party, known for its stand against immigration, got the highest score in its recent history at the legislative elections on Thursday, grabbing 21% of the vote, thus becoming the main political faction right of centre. In another development, the EU announced that it would kick off its naval operations on Monday to combat networks of traffickers ensuring the transport of refugees from Africa and the Middle East into the Mediterranean.
ATTACK – US president Barack Obama has condemned the armed attack on a church in South Carolina, calling for modifying the arms and munitions legislation. The White House leader said guns are too easily available in the US, while shootings have multiplied in recent years. Nine people were killed on Wednesday evening in an armed attack on an African-American church in Charleston. The alleged attacker, a white male aged 21, was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon in a nearby town.
