January 20, 2017 UPDATE

january 20, 2017 update A roundup of domestic and international news

ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS  Romania's President Klaus Iohannis has stated that there are sufficient arguments for the Government to withdraw its ordinances amending the blanket pardon legislation and the Criminal Code. In a message posted on a social networking site, the President says the measures are 'ineffective' and 'targeted'. On Thursday, protests continued in Bucharest and other large cities against the Government's plans. Thousands of protesters fear these changes are only meant to benefit some big influential politicians and lawmakers, whose sentences will be thus written off. Opposition parties, civil society and magistrates' associations have voiced the same concerns. However,  the Government claims these amendments are necessary to solve the issue of  prison overcrowding as well as to harmonize the existing legislation with Constitutional Court rulings.


2017 BUDGET   The Romanian Government discussed on Friday  the draft budget for 2017. The session was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development Sevil Shhaideh, who serves as interim Prime Minister until Monday, pending Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu's return from Washington, where he attended the official swearing-in of Donald Trump as President of the United States. According to a communiqué issued by the Government, the draft budget was built by taking into account the measures adopted by Government in keeping with the governing program, among which maintaining the budget deficit below 3% and earmarking 2% of the GDP to the army. The Government will convene again on January 25th to debate and adopt the 2017 budget. A delegation of the International Monetary Fund, led by the mission chief for Romania Reza Baqir, on Thursday held a first meeting with the Finance Minister Viorel Stefan on the 2017 state budget. At present Romania has no ongoing agreement with the IMF.


RESCUE OPERATIONS  Rescue teams in Italy have found another ten survivors among the debris of a hotel in Pescara province, which was destroyed by an avalanche on Wednesday. Four people have been reported dead so far. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that, according to official information, two Romanian citizens, one adult and one child, reported missing after the avalanche, had been found alive. They are now in a hospital in Pescara and are no longer in danger. The Ministry has stated that representatives of the Romanian Embassy in Rome stay in touch with both the family of the Romanian citizens and the Italian authorities, who are managing the rescue operations, in order to get more and accurate information about other Romanians who might have been affected.


PARTNERSHIP  To Germany, Romania is a strategic economic partner, and trade exchanges between the two countries exceeded 24 billion Euros in the first 11 months of 2016, up by 13%, reads a communiqué issued by the Romanian - German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania). Some 8,000 German companies are active in Romania. According to AHK estimates, German companies have more than 250,000 employees in Romania and German direct investments stand at 8 billion Euros.


WASHINGTON  On Friday, the Republican billionaire Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States, taking the oath of office in Washington, during a ceremony attended by several hundreds of people. In his speech, the new White House leader said that January 20th would remain in the memory of the US citizens as the day when power was transferred not from one administration to another, but from Washington to the people. Trump also promised America would always come first and all decisions would be made for the US citizens. "We will eradicate radical, Islamic terrorism completely from the earth", the President also said. The ceremony was held against the background of protests in Washington and other US cities, but also outside the US, in London, Paris, Berlin and Sydney.


EXHIBITION  Romania will participate in the international exhibition titled 'Future Energy' hosted by Astana, Kazakhstan, between the 10th of June and the 10th of September 2017. The participation contract was signed in Bucharest on Friday, by representatives of the two countries. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian pavilion will promote Romanian traditions, services, tourist offers, as well as the prospects of Romania's energy industry. 100 countries will be represented at the fair this year, and organisers expect some 5 million visitors.


AUSTRALIAN OPEN Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea, Romania's last representative in the women's singles at the Australian Open, will play against the Spanish Garbine Muguruza Blanco in the fourth round of this year's first Grand Slam. On Friday, for the first time in her career, Cirstea qualified for this round by defeating the American Alison Riske. In the men's doubles, the Romanian Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean Julien Rojer beat the pair made up of the Australian Matt Reid and Jordan Thompson going straight into the quarter finals, where they will take on the Dutch pair Wesley Koolhof - Matwe Middlekoop. The pair made up of the Romanian Florin Mergea and the British Dominic Inglot has too qualified for the quarter finals, where they will play against Julien Benneteau  and Jeremy Chardy of France.



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Publicat: 2017-01-20 20:12:00
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