April 13, 2019 UPDATE
Four Romanian soldiers were wounded in Afghanistan on Saturday.
Newsroom, 13.04.2019, 19:09
AFGHANISTAN – Four Romanian soldiers were wounded on Saturday morning in Afghanistan. The soldiers were on a mission to the Kandahar province when the attack took place. The Romanian soldiers, part of St. Andrei Battalion 300 Defense Force, were attacked with an improvised explosive device, followed by an attack with light infantry weapons, according to the Romanian Defense Ministry. The wounded were taken to the military hospital of the Kandahar Air Base. All four are conscious and in a stable condition. The head of state, Klaus Iohannis, conveyed them a message, wishing them a quick recovery and strength to go over these critical moments.
SUMMIT – Romanias prime minister Viorica Dancila on Friday attended a meeting of the heads of government of Central and East European Countries and China, known as the 16+1 format, held in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Dancila welcomed the launch of the 16+1 coordination mechanism for small and medium-sized enterprises and the cooperation initiative to support the development of SMEs as part of the China-Central and Eastern Europe interbank association agreement. The Romanian prime minister said that the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU include issues of common interest for the states participating in the 16+1 format, such as the Western Balkans. Also on Friday, PM Dancila had a meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Li Keqiang, during which she voiced interest in involving Chinese companies in public-private partnership projects. Also discussed were cooperation in the energy and agricultural sectors.
INVESTMENT – According to Romanias Central Bank, direct foreign investment in Romania rose by 47% in the first two months of this year up to 1 billion Euros as compared to the 704 million Euros in the similar period of 2018. As many as 935 new enterprises with foreign capital were registered in the first two months of the year, their number being on the rise against the same period last year. The Netherlands, Austria and Germany are the main providers of foreign capital.
IMF – The Spring Meeting of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), held in Washington, D.C. on April 8-14, brought together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, representatives of civil society organizations and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness. Also featured are seminars, regional briefings, press conferences, and many other events focused on the global economy, international development, and the worlds financial system. Romania is represented at the meeting by Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici. The IMF has revised downwards its global economic growth forecast for this year. In the case of Romania, the IMF revised downwards to 3.1% its economic growth forecast.
SUPPORT — The European Parliament maintains its support for the appointment of Laura Codruta Kovesi, Romanian’s former anti-graft chief prosecutor, for the post of European prosecutor. The EP’s team of negotiators sent a letter to Antonio Tajani, saying that negotiations with the Council have been blocked and that talks will be resumed in certain conditions. MEPs say they cannot continue, by ignoring the political situation in Romania and the moral and professional attacks of Romanian authorities against the candidate supported by the European Parliament. The EU Council has reaffirmed its support for the French Jean-Francois Bohnert for the same position, after the last round of negotiations failed. If no decision is taken, talks will continue after the European elections in May.
FILM — The third edition of the American Independent Film festival continues in Bucharest. First Reformed, by Paul Schrader, that got an Oscar nomination for best script, with Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried in the lead roles and Vox Lux by Brady Corbert, featuring Natalie Portman and Jude Law are being screened today. The festival opened on Friday evening with The Sisters Brothers, directed by Jacques Audiard, who also attended the opening. Until April 18, films selected or awarded at prestigious festivals such as Sundance, Toronto, Cannes or Venice will be screened in Bucharest as part of the festival.
TENNIS — The all-Romanian team made up of Sorana Cirstea and Andreea Mitu qualified to the doubles final of the WTA tournament in Lugano, Switzerland, after defeating the Swiss team Timea Bacsinszky/Ylena In-Albon 6-4, 6-3. This will be the first final this year for both Romanian players. Cirstea has four WTA titles in the doubles and five finals while Mitu has three titles and one final. (Translated by Elena Enache)
