October 24, 2014 UPDATE
A look at some of the top stories in Romania today
România Internațional, 24.10.2014, 12:15
The EU heads of state and government meeting in Brussels agreed to continue to grant Ukrainian exporters preferential access to EU markets pending the enforcement of the trade provisions laid down in the Association Agreement. Speaking about the proposal for the European Union to cover Ukraine’s debts to Russia, Romania’s president Traian Basescu said his country would not be opposed, but pointed out that Ukraine should also take on some responsibilities. With regard to the package on climate change and energy adopted at the summit, Traian Basescu said Romania would benefit from the creation of a spending compensation scheme. Also, Romania’s contribution for this year has been reduced by 31 million euros.
The Romanian foreign ministry has created a “frequent questions” page for the upcoming presidential elections to be used by Romanian nationals living abroad on election day. The link contains questions to the most frequently asked questions from Romanian voters abroad and the media in Romania relating to the voting procedure. It can be found on the foreign ministry’s website in the section dedicated to the presidential elections. The ministry and the Permanent Election Body have also compiled a guidebook for Romanian voters abroad, which is also to be found on the website.
In a United Nations Day press release on Friday, Romania’s foreign minister Titus Corlatean said the “anniversary of 69 years since the creation of the United Nations reconfirms Romania’s constant commitment to the principles and goals promoted by this world organisation. Faced with profound geopolitical mutations as a result of decolonisation, the start and ending of the Cold War and globalisation and the challenges this poses, the United Nations has struggled to maintain a consistent behaviour among its member states in keeping with international law and the spirit of international cooperation”.
Romania’s Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favour of the temporary arrest of Andrei Hrebenciuc, the son of the former Social Democrat MP Viorel Hrebenciuc, as part of an investigation into the illegal return of large areas of farm and forestland. The ruling is not final. His father Viorel Hrebenciuc is also under investigation in this case. According to the National Anticorruption Directorate, damages to the National Forestry Company Romsilva exceed 300 million euros. The Social-Democrat senator Dan Sova is investigated, alongside Viorel Hrebenciuc, in a different case having to do with influence peddling. Hrebenciuc is believed to have promised Sova his support to become the leader of the Social Democratic Party in exchange for promoting a bill on amnesty and pardon.
The Radio Romania Hall on Friday hosted the opening of an exhibition entitled “Romania in Afghanistan — 12 years of Romanian-American strategic partnership”. The exhibition contains photographs taken by Radio Romania’s war correspondents Mario Balint, Radu Dobritoiu and Ilie Pintea, who have been embedded with the since 2002 with the Romanian troops deployed to the NATO theatre of operations in Afghanistan. Attending the opening were Bogdan Aurescu, a secretary of state with the foreign ministry, Dean Thompson, the interim chargé daffaires with the US Embassy, François Saint-Paul, the French ambassador to Bucharest and the MEP Ioan Mircea Pascu. The exhibition previews the events taking place on the 25th of October, when Army Day in celebrated in Romania.
The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep lost to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in three sets in her last Red Group game as part of the Tournament of Champions in Singapore, but qualified, alongside Serena Williams, to the semifinals, gathering 530 WTA points. Halep is the third Romanian ever to play in this competition, after Virginia Ruzici and Irina Spirlea. In the semifinal, she meets Agnieszka Radwanska, while Caroline Wozniacki plays against Serena Williams in the second semifinal on Saturday.
