March 25, 2014 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Florentin Căpitănescu, 25.03.2014, 20:08
Western leaders have again expressed their support for the government of Ukraine, after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia. An EU delegation led by the European commissioner for enlargement, Stefan Fule, on Tuesday started a visit to Ukraine. Brussels’ envoys will be discussing with the authorities in Kiev the possibility of granting Ukraine an assistance loan aimed at stabilizing its economy. High on the agenda are also the liberalization of the European market for Ukrainian exporters and a visa waiver for its citizens.Russian troops are now controlling all the Ukrainian military facilities in Crimea.
‘Romania is in an ongoing process of improving the security of its nuclear facilities and fighting any attempt to use its territory for smuggling nuclear products, is extremely important’. The statement belongs to Romanian president Traian Basescu, who on Tuesday spoke during the Nuclear Security Summit held in the Hague. On this occasion president Basescu has announced that in 2016 Romania will receive a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency who is expected to assess the security level of its nuclear installations. We recall that Romania has a single nuclear power plant in the southeastern town of Cernavoda, which accounts for almost 20% of its domestic power production.
The Venice Convention on Tuesday published a report through which it gives the go ahead of a draft law on revising the Romanian Constitution. According to the Convention, the draft is subject to improvement even in its key points, such as the form of governance as well as the prerogatives of the president and of the Prime Minister. The vice-president of the Senate in Bucharest, Ioan Chelaru has recently said that talks on the draft will continue and will involve the participation of the Supreme Council of the Magistrates and the civil society. A referendum on revising the Constitution will not take place earlier than 2015, Chelaru has said.
Romania will continue to grant unconditional support to the Republic of Moldova in its efforts to join the European Union, president of the Romanian senate Calin Popescu Tariceanu said in Bucharest on Tuesday during a conference on the relations between the Republic of Moldova and the EU. Also attending the event, the ambassador of the Republic of Moldova in Bucharest, Iurie Renita has said that Romania is the staunchest supporter Chishinau has in the process of its EU integration. The conference housed by the Romanian Parliament was staged by the Moldovan Students League and the Committee of the Romanians in the Diaspora with the Bucharest Senate.
Actor Victor Rebengiuc, soprano Angela Gheorghiu and violinist Răzvan Stoica are the main winners of the Radio Romania Culture Gala, held on Monday in Bucharest. Awards were also granted to poet Dan Sociu, musician Nicu Alifantis and film director Călin Peter Netzer. The award for education went to a judicial education project implemented by the Bucharest Service for Crime Analysis and Prevention.
China will be involved in the construction of a high-speed railway route between Bucharest and Constanta, under an agreement signed in Beijing by the Romanian deputy prime minister, Liviu Dragnea, and the vice-president of the National Development and Reform Commission in China, Zhang Xiaoqiang. The Romanian official is on a visit to China until tomorrow. In a meeting yesterday with his Chinese counterpart, Zhang Gaoli, Liviu Dragnea said Romania wishes to strengthen its cooperation with China in fields such as economy, trade, electricity, transport and farming. In turn, Zhang Gaoli said Beijing was willing to work with Bucharest to improve China’s cooperation with Central and East Europe and to promote the global strategic partnership between China and Europe.
