June 18, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 18.06.2022, 13:55

3SI – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, will attend the 7th
edition of the Three Seas Initiative Summit and the 4th edition of
the Three Seas Initiative Business Forum, both hosted by Riga, Latvia on
Monday. Leaders of 3SI participant states will look at approaches to the
current security framework in Europe in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Participants will also discuss the contribution of the Three Seas Initiative by
implementing strategic interconnection projects in the three key sectors of 3SI:
transport, energy and digital infrastructure. According to the Romanian
presidency, president Klaus Iohannis will reiterate Romania’s support for
Ukraine at both bilateral and multilateral levels. At the same time, Klaus
Iohannis will highlight the importance of providing the Republic of Moldova,
Georgia and Ukraine with support in their efforts to join the European Union.
The Three Seas Initiative is a political platform bringing together 12 EU
Member States located between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas.

REFUGEES – The Police General Inspectorate announced that 9,147
Ukrainian citizens entered Romania on Friday, down by 6% compared to the
previous day. Since the start of the war in neighboring Ukraine on February 24,
some 1.2 million refugees have entered the country. On the other hand,
Bucharest has joined European cities hosting charity concerts designed to raise
funds to provide medical equipment to hospitals in Ukraine and support artists
in this country. The main squares in capitals or cities in Poland, the Czech
Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy or Spain were redesigned to host cultural
events. In Bucharest, a stage was set up in George Enescu square on Saturday to
host a concert.

MOLDOVA – A joint session of the Romanian and Moldovan Parliaments
was held on Saturday in Chișinău.
This is the first time such an event takes place. Romanian and Moldovan MPs
conveyed a joint message in support of Moldova being granted EU candidate
status. Attending the meeting was Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu, who
expressed hope Moldova should be granted EU candidate status. In response to
Friday’s recommendation issued by the European Commission, president Sandu says
the candidate status will represent a long-expected result, and that Chișinău will rely on Bucharest’s
support while moving forward. The future of the Republic of Moldova is in the
great European family, and Romania is and will be Moldova’s most trusted
partner, the speaker of the Romanian Senate, Florin Cîțu, said in turn. The
speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, also said Romania
and the Republic of Moldova must work together to ensure better living
standards for their citizens.

ELECTION IN
FRANCE – This weekend will see the second round of legislative elections
taking place in France. On Saturday, French citizens in overseas territories
and living abroad will be able to cast their votes, while citizens in
continental France will hit polling stations on Saturday. The vote will
determine the balance of power in the Assemblée Nationale, between the presidential
coalition Ensemble! and the left-wing alliance NUPES. None of the two
election blocs managed to secure absolute majority in the French Parliament,
thus extending uncertainty over the future government. Led by Jean-Luc
Mélenchon, NUPES grabbed good scores in the first round, as did Marine Le Pen’s
National Rally. The two parties hope to prevent Emmanuel Macron from securing a
Parliament majority that would help him implement his agenda.

TIFF – The city of Cluj-Napoca in northwestern Romania is hosting
the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF). This year’s edition
started with a special screening of one of the most anticipated films of the
year, The Janes, a story about a few
courageous women who changed the world. Late on Friday night, pop vocalist
Corina Chiriac gave a concert. Running until June 26, TIFF will consist of 350
screenings in Cluj, which UNESCO designated City of Film. Dozens of Romanian
and foreign guests from the world of cinematography are expected to attend the
2022 edition.

GYMNASTICS
– 12 athletes are representing Romania in the World Aerobic Gymnastics
Championships hosted by Guimarães,
Portugal over June 16-18. On Friday, Romania won silver in the team event. Also
on Friday, in the trio event, the team made up of Gabriel Bocşer, Miruna
Iordache and Daniel Ţavoc
ranked fourth, while the team made up of Claudia Gheorghe, Leonard Manta and
Antonio Surdu finished in 7th place.

TENNIS -
Romanian tennis players Sorana Cîrstea and Simona Halep are today competing in
the semi-finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Birmingham, totaling some 250
thousand dollars in prizes. In the first semi-final, Cîrstea will take on Shuai Zhang of China, the
competition’s eighth seed. In the second semi-final, Simona Halep will
go up against Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil. (VP)