11 June, 2017 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 11.06.2017, 18:47
Croatia visit. The Romanian prime minister Sorin Grindeanu travels to
Zagreb on Monday for talks with Croatia’s president Kolinda Grabar, prime
minister Andrej Plenkovic and Parliament speaker Gordan Jandrokovic. According
to a government press release, talks are expected to tackle bilateral and
European issues, including the future of the European Union, with both Romania
and Croatia supporting the need for the bloc’s cohesion and solidarity. The two
countries also plan to work together to join the Schengen area. An agreement
will be signed during prime minister Grindeanu’s visit on the mutual protection
of classified information, as well as a memorandum of understanding on the
cooperation between the two countries’ Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
EU visas. Beginning on the
11th of June, Ukrainian citizens will be able to travel to the
European Union, including Romania, without visas, if their stay does not exceed
90 days. The agreement covers all EU countries with the exception of UK and
Ireland. The Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has described the measure as a huge step towards
Europe and as proof of the efficiency of Ukraine’s reforms. The General
Inspectorate of the Romanian Border Police said Ukrainian citizens are allowed
to enter the country if they produce documents justifying the purpose of the
visit, the conditions of their stay and proof that they have the financial
means to support their stay and return to their country of origin or to another
transit state that allows them entry. The provisions of an agreement between
the Romanian and Ukrainian governments on small-scale border traffic also
remain in place.
Natural gas. The National Forecast Commission estimates that Romania’s
natural gas production will grow constantly in the next three years to reach
the equivalent in oil of 9 million tonnes in 2020, while imports will drop.
Following the over 15% reduction last year, Romania’s natural gas production
will grow this year to the equivalent in oil of 7.8 million tonnes. This year,
Romania will import the equivalent of 1 million tonnes of natural gas, down
15.6% compared with 2016, with imports expected to drop by 30% in 2018.
Romania’s energy resources will reach the equivalent in oil of 41.64 tonnes in
2017 and 44.01 millions tonnes in 2020.
Football. The Romanian
media demand the resignation of the leadership of the Romanian Football
Federation and of the manager of the national side Cristoph Daum following
Romania’s 3-1 defeat on Saturday by Poland in a Group E match as part of the
World Cup qualifiers. He is not the first wrong manager for the wrong team,
but he clings to his post and this makes his insufferable, the publication
Prosport writes about Daum, who last autumn became Romania’s first foreign
manager. Gazeta Sporturilor also believes Daum’s attitude shows confusion and
powerlessness. The paper quotes former Romanian international players who blame
the Federation for the team’s poor performance. Romania only scored one goal in their last
five matches and have only theoretical chances to qualify for next year’s World
Cup. The group’s absolute leaders are Poland, with 16 points, followed by
Montenegro and Denmark, each with 10 points, Romania and Armenia, each with 6
points, and Kazakhstan with 2 points. Romania will next face Armenia at home on
1st of September.
Book fair. Romania takes part in the International Book Fair in
Jerusalem, which opened on Sunday. The fair has been held every two years since
1963 and attracts tens of thousands of visitors from across the world.
According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Israel, the climax of the fair is
the awarding of the Jerusalem Prize, one of the most prestigious international
distinctions. Famous recipients of the award include the playwright of Romanian
origin Eugen Ionescu.
