October 6, 2019
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 06.10.2019, 14:06
TRAFFIC – The Romanian Transport Minister Razvan Cuc has announced that traffic controls and measures will be enhanced following the tragic accident that occurred on Saturday night in southern Romania, where a minibus and a truck collided, killing 10 people and wounding another 7. Trucks will be equipped with scanning devices and meters, to establish the driving times and level of tiredness. The new measures will be introduced in the legislation by means of a ministers order.
JHA COUNCIL – On Monday and Tuesday, the Romanian Justice Minister Ana Birchall will attend the proceedings of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, the first held under the Finish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The participants will discuss topics such as EU measures against corruption, fighting cross-border crime through Eurojust, electronic evidence, the setting up of the European Prosecutors Office, the EUs joining the European Court of Human Rights, fighting online hate speech, the protection of personal data and the relations between democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. On the sidelines of the council, minister Birchall will have meetings with counterparts from the member states.
BREXIT – Formal Brexit talks are to be resumed on Monday between British officials and authorities in Brussels, who have termed as unsatisfactory PM Boris Johnsons offer to avoid a non-orderly exit from the Union on October 31st, France Presse reports. The new proposal is aimed at solving the Irish border issue, in order to avoid the resumption of control on the border between Ireland, which is a member of the EU, and the British Northern Ireland, which will leave the Union together with the rest of the United Kingdom. The Europeans have received the proposal with skepticism, saying it should be reformulated. At the next summit in Brussels, on October 17-18, the European leaders will have to decide whether a postponement of Brexit is justified.
FUNERALS – The Romanian Royal Family has announced the program of the funerals of Queen Mother Elena, whose remains will be repatriated. According to a communique, the coffin will be brought to the country on October 18th, and the burial ceremony will be held on the second day, at the Episcopal Cathedral in Curtea de Arges, in southern Romania. Queen Elena died in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1982. She will now lay next to her son, King Michael I.
PLESCOI – Another Romanian product, the sixth, has been included on the list of products recognized and protected in the EU, namely the Plescoi sausages. The European Commission has included them in the registry of products that benefit from protected geographical indication. The sausages are a mix of lamb and beef, sometimes also goat meat, spiced with red paprika, garlic and thyme and their taste is quite unique. They go back as early as the 13th century. A festival devoted to the Plescoi sausages has been held annually in the past 11 years. The other five Romanian products included in this category are the Topoloveni jam, the Sibiu salami, the smoked silver carp of Barsa Land, the smoked Danube mackerel and the Ibanesti cheese. Another 20 products are pending certification.
GAUDEAMUS The Gaudeamus Caravan, the travelling fair organized by Radio Romania ends today in Iasi, eastern Romania. This year, the caravan started in Craiova, and then travelled to Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, presenting the best known publishers in Romania, alongside prestigious foreign publishers. Then, the caravan moved on to Timisoara, Mamaia and Brasov. Next comes the Gaudeamus Fair in Bucharest, with hundreds of editorial and professional events.
(translated by M. Ignatescu)
