March 22, UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 22.03.2016, 12:15

BRUSSELS ATTACKS Officials in Belgium have declared three days of national mourning in
the wake of the terrorist attacks on the capital’s airport and metro station. According to a provisional
toll, made public by authorities, 34 people were killed and more than 200
wounded in the attacks, including two Romanians. The terror alert has been
raised to the maximum level, and the border with France was closed. Only a few
days ago, Salah Abdeslam, suspected of having masterminded the attacks on
Paris, in November last year, was arrested in the Belgian capital. Many
European countries have taken additional measures to enhance security following
the events in Brussels. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has activated its crisis
management team to coordinate Romania’s diplomatic missions in the area. Also,
all Romanian authorities, including the Presidency and the Government, have
condemned the attacks and have conveyed their sympathy and
condolences to the Belgian people. The Romanian Intelligence Service has condemned the attacks too and
has given assurances it will continue to support its international partners in
the fight against terrorism. The Service has announced that the terror threat alert level in Romania stays at ‘cautious-blue’, which means that there is currently
no intelligence making a direct connection between the events in Brussels and
potential threats to Romania’s security.

KLAUS IOHANNIS The EU and Turkey
have been the targets of terrorist attacks, which is clear evidence that the
world’s issues are far from being settled, said in Istanbul on Tuesday the
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. He also said Tuesday was a black day for the
EU and called for solidarity, during a meeting with representatives of the
Romanian community in Turkey. Romania’s president is on a formal visit to
Turkey, where he will meet with his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. The visit is aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation
on the basis of the strategic partnership signed in 2011, as the two countries
are members of NATO and share common interests, such as cooperation in the
military and economic fields. The talks will also focus on the need to increase
efforts aimed at combating terrorism, also given the fact that Turkey itself
has been faced with terrorist attacks lately.

PUBLIC TELEVISION On Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate validated the new board of the Romanian
public television. Subsequently, all members of the board were sworn in before
the joint chambers of Parliament. They are soon to designate a president, who
is to be heard by the Culture Committees and then endorsed by Parliament. The
new board will have to find solutions to help the public television find its
way out of the financial crisis it is currently in. One of the solutions might
be a law stipulating the insolvency of the public television.

VISIT The Speaker of the
Italian Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini, said before the Romanian
Parliament on Tuesday that Romania had met all the necessary criteria and
should join the Schengen agreement. She also said Italy supported and reasserted
that stand, and free movement was one of the founding principles of the EU. The
Italian official met with the Speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies,
Valeriu Zgonea, who signed the declaration on the ‘Greater European Integration’.
The document was promoted by the speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies,
together with the Presidents of the French National Assembly, the German
Bundestag and the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies. Currently on a formal visit
to Bucharest, Laura Boldrini will also meet with representatives of the Italian
investors in Romania.

STRIKE Thousands of Romanian physicians continue their work-to-rule strike, unhappy with the outcome of the negotiations with the Health Ministry. The strike started on Monday, at the initiative of the Romanian Physicians’ Union Federation and the Hippocrates Union Federation in Romania, which represents over 7,000 employees in the sector. They demand, among other things, a consistent wage system, bonuses and the implementation of standards on working time. Family physicians have announced new protests to be held on Thursday at the Health Ministry’s headquarters.