October 21, 2017 UPDATE
Spanish Government approves measures to strip Catalonia's autonomous powers. / Romanian citizen, among the people injured in Munich
Newsroom, 21.10.2017, 18:48
Catalonia — Head of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy, announced on Saturday that regional elections will be staged in Catalonia within the next six months, to return to what he called “normality”. The Council of Ministers in Madrid decided on Saturday in an emergency meeting, that the powers of the Catalan administration would be transferred to the central government. Also, the Council called on the Senate to authorise the ousting of the separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and his government and to dissolve Catalonia’s Parliament. Spain’s upper house of parliament is scheduled to vote on the plan next Friday. Previously, Puigdemont threatened to make a formal declaration of independence unless the government agreed to a dialogue. Catalan authorities said about 90 percent of those who voted in the referendum on Oct. 1 opted for independence. But only 43 percent of the electorate participated, with opponents of secession mostly staying at home.
Bill – Romanian Minister of Public Consultation and Social Dialogue, Gabriel Petrea, said on Saturday that the new version of the social dialogue law is almost ready. The law is to be submitted to Parliament for approval and enter into force starting next year. Minister Petrea announced that the last meeting this year between trade union confederations and employers’ associations representative at national level would be held on Monday.
Attack — A Romanian citizen is among the people injured in Munich, Germany on Saturday, by a man who carried a knife, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The Romanian citizen has been slightly injured and did not need to be hospitalised. As many as five people were injured in the attack and a suspect was detained by the special forces.
ECONOMY –Romanian economy might grow more than estimated in 2017 and 2018, according to a World Bank report. The GDP could go up by 5.5% this year, due to fiscal stimulation measures and improved results of the European economy. Increased consumption will trigger, however, an increase in the current account deficit and inflation. The report also shows that Romania’s GDP will go up by 4.1% in 2018 and by 3.6% in 2019. The World Bank has warned, however that increased fiscal pressure and excessive domestic demand make Romanian economy more vulnerable to shocks.
SUMMIT — Brexit and migration were the main topics discussed at the recent Brussels summit. After two days of talks, the European leaders are united and determined to go forward with optimism, as they want to create ‘a better Union closer to the citizen.’ As for the Brexit negotiations, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania at the summit, said that the progress made is insufficient. The Brussels meeting also included talks on migration, a phenomenon that the EU continues to deal with and which has decreased. Iohannis announced that Romania had decided together with the countries participating in the summit to back the Nuclear Agreement with Iran. The EU’s digital agenda, security and defence, the EU’s relations with Turkey and North Korea’s nuclear programme were also discussed during the summit.
TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number one in the world, will be up against French player Carolia Garcia, WTA’s 9th seed in the WTA Finals in Singapore, which brings together the eight best players of the year. Halep, aged 26, who has recently become the world’s best player is also the first Romanian player to achieve this historic milestone since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975, being the 25th woman to hold the no. 1 ranking. Her rise to the first sport brings to an end the reign of Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza, who spent four weeks in the top position. Halep entered the Top 10 for the first time on January 27, 2014, and has been there ever since. (Translated by Elena Enache)
