June 24, 2018 UPDATE

Censure motion tabled by the Romanian right-wing opposition parties, Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse marked on June 24

Newsroom, 24.06.2018, 19:19

Motion — The censure motion tabled by the Romanian rightwing opposition parties will be read out on Monday in Parliament plenum and Wednesday it will be debated and voted on. The initiators of the motion called “Ousting the Dragnea-Dancila government, a national emergency” claim that the current cabinet, through the measures taken, collapsed the economy and the justice system. Over the past days thousands of people protested in Bucharest and other cities of Romania against the Social Democratic government and the Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea, asking for his and the government’s resignation. On Friday the Social Democrats announced they would continue to support Dragnea in all the offices he is currently holding although he received a first instance sentence of 3 and a half years in prison for instigation to abuse of office. Dragnea said he would not resign so as to be able to implement his goals, among which the governing program. On Saturday, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced that he would run for a new term in office as president of Romania in 2019, saying that his decision was motivated by the troubled political environment in Romania. He said he had to clarify his position on the matter given that 80% of the population was discontented with and no longer trusted the political class.

Luxembourg — The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will participate on Monday in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council to take place in Luxemburg. The foreign ministers of the EU member states will meet in common session with the defense ministers, to assess the stage of development in the field of security and defense. The ministers will also discuss the consolidation of the EU-NATO relationship in the presence of the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Also on Monday Romania and Bulgaria will brief the participants on the stage and perspectives of the regional cooperation initiatives in the Black Sea region with the EU’s support.

Chisinau — Several thousand people protested on Sunday in Chisinau against a court decision that invalidates the election as mayor of Chisinau of the opposition leader, pro-European Andrei Nastase. The protesters voted on a resolution which criticizes the court’s decision that cancelled the elections, claiming that, in this way, a dictatorship was being instated in the Republic of Moldova. One day before, the police had announced that they had started criminal prosecution in the case of the rally, based on suspicions related to possible violent actions to take place at that rally. The US Department of State, the EU as well as the diplomatic missions accredited to Chisinau conveyed messages in which they expressed concern with the developments in this case.

Rowing — Romania’s men’s four crew got the 2nd place on Sunday in the men’s four final at the World Rowing Cup hosted by Linz-Ottensheim (Austria). First came the crew of Australia while third came Germany. In the lightweight Women’s Double Sculls-Final, en-titre world champions Romanians Gianina Beleagă and Ionela-Livia Cozmiuc came 3rd after Italy and the Netherlands.

Romanian Blouse — The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse is marked each year on June 24. The traditional Romanian blouse is the staple element of the national traditional dress and an international symbol of Romanian culture. On January 21, 2013 the online community “La Blouse Roumaine” proposed June 24 as the day devoted to the Romanian Blouse. In the same year the community “La Blouse Roumaine” organized the first Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse, which has become a global event marked in more than 50 countries. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)