May 17, 2014
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Florentin Căpitănescu, 17.05.2014, 12:00
RATING UPGRATE — All three international rating agencies, Standard & Poors, Fitch and Moody’s consider Romania as a country with a capacity of stable development and good investment grade, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has announced after Standard & Poor’s upgraded on Friday Romania’s credit rating from BBB minus to BB plus. According to Bloomberg, the rating improvement follows sound economic growth and fiscal discipline measures taken by the Government. Romania shares the same rating with Russia, Brazil and Spain.
EXPORTS — After 20 years Romanian exports have for the first time exceeded imports in the field of agriculture, Line Minister Daniel Constantin has announced. The Romanian official went on to say that Romanian agriculture has developed considerably over the last period, especially with the help of European funds, the main source of funding in this sector. Minister Constantin also recalled that in 2013 Romania ranked first at EU level in terms of sunflower harvest and 2nd in terms of corn harvest.
OFFICIAL VISIT — Romanian Justice Minister Robert Cazanciuc on Thursday and Friday paid an official visit to the Italian capital Rome, where he met with his Italian counterpart Andrea Orlando. Talks focused on topics on the EU agenda, such as the post-Stockholm Program, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, the European Package, as well as bilateral topics in the field of civil and criminal law. The Romanian official also met with Anti-Mafia Prosecutor General Franco Roberti and other prosecutors as part of the Anti-Mafia National Directorate.
UKRAINE — The presidents of the United States and France Barack Obama and Francois Hollande have again argued in favour of imposing fresh sanctions against Russia unless this country stops destabilizing Ukraine. Following a phone conversation with his French counterpart, President Obama praised Ukrainian authorities for what he has termed “their efforts to unite the country by means of free and fair presidential elections on May 25”. In another development, the authorities in Kiev have announced they are ready to close down the border with Russia provided pro-Russian separatists in the southeast continue their attempts to take over and block border control crossings. We recall that the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk are currently hotbeds of pro-Russian separatism and have proclaimed their independence from Ukraine following referendums deemed illegal by the international community.
WARNING — The Romanian Foreign Ministry has issued a warning informing Romanians that several states in the Balkans and Central Europe are currently affected by a wave of heavy rain. A travel alert has been issued for Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. The Foreign Ministry advises citizens against traveling to the affected areas without first getting information about the status of road traffic. Heavy rain has also been causing trouble in Slovakia, Slovenia and Bulgaria.
GYMNASTICS — The Romanian women’s gymnastics team is today competing in the final of the European Championships held in Sofia, Bulgaria. In the qualifiers Romania, the defending European champion, ranked 2nd after the UK, although before Russia. Larisa Iordache on Sunday will represent Romania in all four event finals — floor, beam, vault and parallel bars. Diana Bulimar has also qualified to the floor finals. In the cadet competition, Romania won two medals — Laura Jurca grabbed silver in the individual all-around event and bronze with the team.
LONG NIGHT OF MUSEUMS — Over 30 institutions, including museums, cultural and educational organizations in Bucharest are marking the 10th edition of the Long Night of Museums. Taking part in the event will cultural institutions from other cities as well. Organizers have prepared exhibitions, concert, shows, screenings and interactive workshops. Some 3,000 museums celebrate the event at European level.
