September 22, 2019 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 22.09.2019, 18:56
VISIT – As of Sunday, Romanias prime minister Viorica Dancila is on a one-week working visit to the United States. She is accompanied by the defence minister Gabriel Les and the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici. Dancila has stated she will have talks with vice-president Mike Pence and will attend a meeting on combating terrorism. She has also spoken about the signing of a memorandum on energy and of a document in the area of health with the World Bank. The agenda of the visit also includes meetings with American business people, whom she will present with the advantages of investing in Romania. The prime minister has also stated she plans to meet representatives of the Romanian community in the United States.
NEW YORK TIMES – “Romania pushes to be treated as a fully fledged EU member” reads a headline in The New York Times. “Romania pulled off a successful six-month presidency of the European Union, its first time in that role, and has made considerable progress integrating into Europe”, the articles says, also stressing that “Romanian officials have important jobs in Brussels, including Mircea Geoana, who was just named deputy secretary general of NATO.” However, according to the same publication, many in Romania and in Bulgaria, which both joined the EU in 2007, feel like second-class citizens, because they have not been allowed to join the Schengen area and are still under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. Although Romania acknowledges continuing problems with corruption, it has invested heavily in protecting its borders and has shown solidarity during the migration period, The New York Times also writes.
ENESCU FESTIVAL – Sunday was the last day of the George Enescu International Festival. The program of the day included two concerts organized by Radio Romania, which is a co-producer of the festival: the concert given by Vocalconsort Berlin and the Radio Chamber Orchestra, at the National Art Museum, and the Orchestra of the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation, accompanied by the Radio Academic Choir, performing at the Radio Hall. The final event was the concert given by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, under the baton of Tugan Sokhiev. We recall that the George Enescu International Festival was established in 1958 to honour the memory of the great Romanian composer and violinist. This year, the festival has brought on stage 2,500 of the most prestigious musicians in the world, in 84 concerts and recitals.
ANNIVERSARY -This weekend, Romanias capital Bucharest celebrated its 560th anniversary with workshops, street events, food shows and concerts. The already traditional iMapp Bucharest contest, which reached its 6th edition, was held on Saturday. Eight teams projected their shows on the façade of the Palace of Parliament, the second largest administrative building in the world, after the Pentagon.
FREE CAR DAY – Romania marked the World Car Fee Day on Sunday. In the city of Iasi, in the east of the country, public transportation was free, so people were encouraged to give up their cars for a day. In the centre, the streets turned into playgrounds for children and walking avenues. In Sibiu, in the centre, people were allowed to visit the open air museum for free, provided they went there by bike or scooter. World Car Free Day is aimed at raising peoples awareness about the importance of curbing car emissions. According to a study conducted by the Transport & Environment organization in Brussels, the number of diesel vehicles in Europe has reached 51 million, and the trend is on the rise.
