January 11, 2016 UPDATE
Most of all the men suspected of involvement in mass assaults and muggings in Cologne are North-African and Arab asylum seekers / The Romanian Government and the World Bank signed a memorandum on Monday in Bucharest
Newsroom, 11.01.2016, 12:15
Gheorghe Brega, the interim prime minister of the Republic of Moldova, on Monday conveyed a letter of thanks to the head of the Bucharest Government, Dacian Ciolos, for the assistance that Romania provided in the case of the patients injured in the fire in Chisinau. Three women who suffered severe burns have been transferred to a hospital in Bucharest with an aircraft sent by the Romanian authorities. 20 people have been injured, three of them seriously, after an explosion at a restaurant in the Moldovan capital. Authorities have sealed off the area and an investigation is underway.
Almost all the men suspected of involvement in mass assaults and muggings on New Years Eve in Cologne are North-African and Arab asylum seekers who have entered Germany in the past few months, an official reports says. Police has been criticised for the way they handled the situation. Also, Chancellor Angela Merkels immigration policy has come under criticism since the attacks.
Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu participated on Monday in a conference launching the Dutch Presidency of the EU Council, organised by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bucharest. On this occasion, Comanescu hailed the goals presented by the Dutch Presidency of the EU Council and voiced Romania’s full support for its ambitious EU accession agenda. The Romanian official also highlighted the importance of European cooperation and joint action by all community states and institutions in order to effectively address current challenges. The statements were made in the context of the Netherlands having announced among the priotities of its mandate the fight against terrorism and finding solutions to the migrant crisis.
The Romanian Government and the World Bank signed a memorandum on Monday in Bucharest meant to boost the efficiency of public administration and to support structural reforms. Under the partnership concluded with the WB, the public administration employees will be assessed, without this involving layoffs. Also, a continuous professional training system will be set up and mechanisms will be created in order to prevent corruption, the Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş explained. On Wednesday the Government will continue talks on making adjustments to the new Fiscal Code. Talks will also focus on exempting people without incomes from paying contributions to the public healthcare system.
The new head of the IMF mission to Romania, Reza Baqir, will visit Bucharest between January 12 –15, in order to be introduced to the Romanian authorities, the IMF resident representative for Romania and Bulgaria, Guillermo Tolosa, said on Monday. He will replace Adrea Schaechter, the head of the IMF mission for Romania, Ukraine and Kosovo, who has ended her two-and-a-half-year mandate. Reza Baqir has been working for the IMF since 2000, as chief of the IMF’s Debt Policy Division.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
