November 28, 2018

Romanian Parliament holds solemn session to mark the Great Union Centennial / Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea is on a visit to Ireland

Newsroom, 28.11.2018, 14:00

SOLEMN SESSION – The Romanian Parliament holds a solemn session today to celebrate one hundred years since the Great Union. Romanias president Klaus Iohannis and the speakers of the two chambers, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and Liviu Dragnea, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Princess Margareta will give speeches on the occasion. Also speaking will be members of the parties represented in parliament. The guests to the event include the former presidents of the country Ion Iliescu, Emil Constantinescu and Traian Basescu, members of the Government, the heads of the diplomatic missions in Bucharest, the president of the Romanian Academy, the Governor of the National Bank, the president of the War Veterans National Association, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church and representatives of the Greek and Roman Catholic churches.

GREAT UNION – November 28th marks 100 years since the completion of the historic process of Bukovinas union with Romania. After a century and a half of foreign occupation, Bukovina became an integrated part of the country it had been severed from by the Habsburg Empire. After the dismantling of the empire into national states, the National Council of Bukovina decided, with a majority of votes, the union with Romania. Previously, in March 1918, Bessarabia, another Romanian province, had united with the mother-country, followed by Transylvania, Banat, Maramures and Crisana. This is how the Romanian National Unitary State came to life.

VISIT – Bucharests general mayor Gabriela Firea is on a formal 5-day visit to Ireland. She will meet with the mayor of Dublin, Lord Nial Ring, for talks on urban mobility, health and social care. Ms. Firea will also participate in the draw ceremony for the 2020 UEFA European qualifying tournament. The event will enjoy the participation of the mayors of the 12 host cities, Bucharest included, of the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, as well as representatives of football federations from the 55 countries that are affiliated to UEFA.

BUDGET – Next years state budget is to be approved by the Government and submitted to Parliament for debates, most likely in the second week of December, the Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has announced. The new budget provides for a 15% increase in the pension point as of September 2019 and a 1% drop in the VAT. The finance minister has also said that the budget deficit in the first 10 months of the year stood at 2.22% of the GDP, so Romania will manage to observe the 3% target established for this year.

MOTION – The opposition National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union have today filed at the Senate a simple no-confidence motion against the tourism minister Bogdan Trif. The document titled Romanian tourism: an incompetent minister and a country with no brand, is to be debated and voted on in early December. The signatories claim the activity carried out by Bogdan Trif as minister is marked by a total lack of transparency and call for his resignation. Despite the fact that Romania boasts tourist attractions that are unique in Europe and even in the world, Romanian tourism accounts for very little as share of the GDP (1.3%), the signatories also say. The Liberals blame minister Trif for worsening the economic climate in tourism. Romania has tourism-generated revenues of 2.24 billion Euros, while the Romanian citizens spend 3.12 billion for similar services abroad.

MARTIAL LAW – Martial law has been enforced today in ten regions in Ukraine, most of them along the border with Russia, but also in two regions in the south-west: Odessa and Vinnytsia, which neighbor Transdniester, and also in the internal waters in the Azov Sea – Kerch Strait area. In order not to affect the presidential elections due in March next year, the measure will be enforced for only 30 days. Martial law entails lesser civil rights and traffic curfews. Also, public gatherings are forbidden, and radio and TV broadcasts censored. The decree signed by president Petro Porosenko was enforced after on Sunday, three Ukrainian ships were seized by the Russian coast guards in the Black Sea, near the Kerch Strait. The incident ended in six Ukrainians being injured, two of them quite seriously, according to Kiev.