July 4, 2023
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 04.07.2023, 13:47
EDUCATION – Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis is today expected to ratify the education laws. A
former high school teacher, Klaus Iohannis spearheaded the Educated Romania
project in 2016, launched in the wake of a series of public consultations. Its
objectives include increasing funds for education, reducing school dropout and
functional illiteracy. The education laws were adopted by the Senate on May 22.
The opposition parties USR and the Right Force appealed the laws at the
Constitutional Court, without success. The opposition claims the laws infringe
on access to education and on the principle of equality of rights. The
education laws were also criticized by the National Pupils Council and
students’ organizations, which condemned various provisions they deemed to be
discriminatory.
VISIT -
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is as of today paying a two-day visit to
Germany, where he will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the
vice-president of the German Parliament, Katrin Gorind-Eckardt. Prime Minister
Ciolacu will also attend meetings with representatives of the business and
defense industry sectors. Marcel Ciolacu will also meet members of the Romanian
community in Germany and pay floral tributes to the Holocaust Memorial in
Berlin. Germany is Romania’s number one trade partner, which provides a robust
basis for boosting bilateral ties, offering genuine development perspectives
that we want to carry through as soon as possible, the Romanian official said.
DACIA – Dacia
has announced it will take part in the 2025 edition of the Dakar Rally as one
of the official manufacturers. Dacia representatives announced its prototype
race car will use a synthetic fuel supplied by Aramco. Piloting one of Dacia’s
cars into the series will be several-time Dakar champion Sébastien Loeb of
France.
MEDICAL LEAVE – The Government will
launch an official inquiry into medical leaves. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu
has called on the National Health Insurance Authority to submit an updated
report, after last year over 8 million requests for medical leave were
submitted, considering Romania’s active population totals some 6 million
people. Total medical leave costs stood at some 1.2 bln EUR. Parliament has
previously voted out an initiative designed to empower the Health Insurance
Authority to verify people on medical leave without violating their privacy.
WAR IN UKRAINE – The battles
against the Russian invasion army are ‘difficult’, Ukraine’s president
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, hailing however what he has termed ‘progress’
reported as part of the June counteroffensive campaign. Last week was
difficult, but we are making headway. We’re taking it one step at a time,
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Previously, deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar
said that Ukraine has liberated 28.4 square kilometers in the south and 9
square kilometers in the east over the past week, taking the total area
liberated by the Ukrainian army since the launch of the counteroffensive to 158
square kilometers. The enemy is fighting back, the current battle is very
though, deputy minister Mailar went on to say.
TENNIS – Three Romanian
tennis players are today competing in the women’s singles at Wimbledon. 29th-seed
Irina Begu (29 WTA) will take on Rebecca Marino of Canada (83 WTA). Sorana Cîrstea
(36 WTA) will go up against Tatjana Maria of Germany (58 WTA), last year’s
semi-finalist. Another player on the main draw, Jaqueline Cristian (133 WTA),
will take on Lucia Bronzetti of Italy (65 WTA). The Romanian-born Canadian
player Bianca Andreescu will play Anna Bondar of Hungary. On Monday, Ana Bogdan
(61 WTA) ousted Liudmila Samsonova of Russia (15 WTA), 7-6, 7-6. (VP)
