December 16, 2016 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 16.12.2016, 12:31
LOAN Romania will be
benefiting from a 500 million euro loan from the World Bank to streamline its
public finances and reform certain institutions in order to support sustainable
economic growth and raise standards of living, the World Bank announced on Friday.
According to the Finance Ministry in Bucharest, the loan can be accessed until
December 2017 and its reimbursement will be made in one installment in 2036.
This international institution opened its offices in Romania in 1991 and ever
since it has provided Romania with 10.6 billion dollars in loans and grants to
be used in sectors like education, healthcare, agriculture, environment, social
assistance, justice, transport and others.
TALKS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis
on Friday announced that he would summon Parliament on December 20th
and hold talks with representatives of the political parties over December 21st
and 22nd. Iohannis has this week held a first round of talks with
representatives of the political parties, part of the future Parliament
following last Sunday’s election. The Social Democrats and ALDE (the Alliance
of Liberal and Democrats) to hold majority in Parliament have declined
invitation invoking procedural flaws, saying they will be talking with the
president after the validation of the new Legislature. The refusal has been
described as rude by president Iohannis, who has already met representatives of
the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, the UDMR (Democratic Union
of Ethnic Hungarians) the People’s Movement Party and the groups of national
minorities.
WIN The Romanian women’s national
handball side have secured a 23-22 win against Germany in a game for the 5th
– 6th position in the European Championships in Sweden. Our
handballers put up a good show in this tournament but failed to qualify for the
semis after losing their game against Denmark. The Romanians have also obtained
victories against Olympic champions Russia, against Hungary, Croatia and the
Czech Republic but lost to European and World defending champions Norway.
Romania is being coached by Spanish Ambros Martin who replaced Tomas Ryde of
Sweden, under whose guidance our handballers won bronze at the world
championships in Denmark in 2015.
FESTIVITIES Events commemorating 27 years
since the 1989 anti-Communist revolution in Romania have started in the western
city of Timisoara. The Romanian Opera played host to a painting exhibition and
the revolutionaries’ associations have participated in a local administration
meeting. Started by the opposition of the citizens of Timisoara to an abusive
measure enforced by the local authorities, the Revolution spread fast
throughout Romania, gaining momentum on December 22nd, when dictator
Nicolae Ceausescu lost power and attempted to flee the country. More than 1000
people died and some 3,400 were wounded between the 16th and the 25th
of December 1989. Romania was the only country in the eastern block where the
regime was changed violently and the communist leaders were executed.
