May 16, 2023

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 16.05.2023, 14:08

VISIT — The PM of the Republic of Moldova, Dorin Recean, will pay a working visit to Romania on May 17 and 18, to attend the 7th edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum. Recean will attend the event in Bucharest as part of a theme panel alongside PM Nicolae Ciuca, the spokesman of the Moldovan PM, Daniel Voda, said. Dorin Racean’s first visit abroad after taking over the PM mandate in early March was Bucharest.

SUMMIT – President Klaus Iohannis is taking part as of today in Reykjavik, Iceland, in the fourth summit of the Council of Europe. The 2-day meeting comes against the background of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, and the council was one of the first international institutions to react, by excluding the Russian Federation as a member, according to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest. The summit inaugurates an international registry of damage caused by the Russian invasion, and Romania will be a founding member state. This event has a special significance for Romania, as this year is the thirtieth since it joined the organization. President Iohannis co-chairs, alongside the PM of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, a round table on protecting democracy and will attend the working meeting United for Ukraine” hosted by Island’s PM Katrin Jakobsdottir. On the second day of the summit, the Romanian President will reiterate his country’s commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights.

EU – Romanian Labor Minister Marius Budai and the minister of European Investment and Projects, Marcel Bolos are currently in Brussels for negotiations with the European Commission officials on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Budai explained that talks will focus on reforming the pension system, in particular the system of special pensions, given the latest report by the World Bank. According to Bolos, aspects related to further conducting strategic investment projects related to road infrastructure, healthcare and education, so as to make sure that their financing will not be suspended, are to be discussed.

TIMISOARA – The famous American actor John Malkovich will be in Timisoara, western Romania, on July 20 and 21 with a show entitled ”The Infernal Comedy”, held at the National Theatre in the city. This is an absolute first for Timisoara, the European Capital of Culture. An Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee, John Malcovich had performed in many successful movies, among which Dangerous Liaisons or Being John Malkovich, where he played his own character. The Infernal Comedy is a show written and directed by Michael Sturminger, created especially for John Malkovich, which has been performed in over 150 theatre halls all over the world.

STRIKE – The SANITAS trade union federation is gathering signatures in order to call for an all-out strike in the countrys healthcare and social assistance systems, starting June 15. Representatives of the federation believe that, in spite of the pressure put by the authorities, the laws governing wages in the area are not applied in full. They also claim that there are still categories of employees who have not been properly compensated, and the line authorities show no real intention to comply with the legislation. (EE)