Romania’s President-elect suggests parliamentary majority will shift in 2015
During an interview with the public TV station in the Republic of Moldova, Romania’s President-elect Klaus Iohannis has suggested today that majority in Bucharest’s Parliament is going to shift in 2015. Iohannis has also stated that early elections can be avoided as there are plenty of constitutional instruments to be used in this respect.
Klaus Iohannis was on his first visit abroad today, in Chisinau, where he declared one of Romania’s high priorities is to support Moldova’s accession to the European Union as a major objective.
Klaus Iohannis: Moldova’s accession to the EU represents a national project for Romania and I must confess I dearly wish this to happen during my terms of office.
Factors that influence democracy discussed at Central and Eastern European Civil Society Forum in Bucharest
Future of democracy and the role of civil society in Europe have been the main themes of Central and Eastern European Civil Society Forum in Bucharest. Local government, transparency in decision making and citizen consultation have been marked out among factors that influence democracy.
Codru Vrabie, member of Funky Citizens Association: Democracy for the EU starts mainly at home, at local government’s level. It is essential for citizens to get involved in a relation with their city hall and local council; if we picture this relation as „offer and demand” , demand should always be on the table, otherwise the offer coming from public institutions will never be marked by quality.
The event was hosted for two days at the National Library’s headquarters and gathered prolific representatives of civil society in 18 Central and Eastern Europe countries, key actors of EU and Council of Europe’s institutions. Radio Romania’s news station is one of the event’s media partners.
European Commission endorses funding for Romania’s most deprived
The European Commission has endorsed today the operational programme introduced by Romania resorting to the new Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). Bucharest will thus benefit for the upcoming six years from 440 million euros for food aid and school supplies destined to socially assisted persons, elders with low pensions and those people whose incomes do not exceed 45 percent of the minimum wage.75 million euros from the state budget are going to add up to the European funds, according to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels.
Central Bank Governor says Romania should delay euro adoption
Romania has complied with almost every condition in view of adopting the euro currency, but Central Bank’s Governor Mugur Isărescu considers that our country had better not hurry and delay making this decision until its economic performance reaches a similar level to those in the Eurozone states. The horizon envisaged by Romanian authorities for adoption of euro is 2019.
Unemployment in slight decrease in 2014 against the previous year
The number of unemployed persons registered at the end of October 2014 was of 620,000 people, in slight decrease against the same month of 2013, according to data released today by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Overall unemployment rate calculated by INS was of 6.7 percent and data showed men are more affected than women: 7.1 percent for men and 6.1 percent for women, Radio Romania reported.
Solemn session at Romanian Academy marking the Great Union of Romanians in 1918
Romanian Academy has held a solemn scientific session today marking the Great Union of Romanians in 1918. Representatives of the main institutions that once contributed to this act – the Romanian Academy, the Church, the School and ASTRA Association have evoked the common effort leading to this great accomplishment of the Romanian people.
Romanian elders affected by low financial power and lack of nursing homes
More than 80 percent of retired persons in Romania are getting paid pensions lower than 1,000 Ron (approx. 220 euros) per month. The amount can bearly cover the minimum food consumption basket for about 15 percent of them, according to Victoria Stanciu, program coordinator at „Friedrich Ebert Stiftung” Foundation. On a debate on these matters today, Victoria Stanciu added that another problem is represented by the lack of elderly care homes.
Victoria Stanciu: The elders with longterm care needs are the most vulnerable. Even if, financially, they may get a pension that exceeds the minimum living costs, they still have special needs, more important needs that require bigger financial power and as we can notice, nursing homes are very scarce. The most affected category by this situation is the so-called „fourth age” category of people over 80 who overwhelmingly need this kind of longterm care and assistance.
Half of disabled children in Romania are denied schooling
Almost half of the 72,000 disabled children in Romania with a disability certificate are denied schooling. President of the European Centre for Rights of Children with Disabilities Mădălina Turza has stated for Radio Romania’s news station that discrimination of these children is widespread within schools where teachers refuse to admit them. Most of the times teachers invoke the lack of free places but there are also cases when parents are told out in the open that
their handicapped children have nothing to do in a normal school or cases when normal children’s parents fall over themselves trying to make them leave school.The NGOs suggest that parents of disabled children should denounce these segragations and even resort to justice where needed, to force the system integrate more of them and fight discrimination.
Traffic restrictions stepped up in Bucharest due to National Day Parade
This Saturday and then on Monday, traffic restrictions will apply in Constitution Square’s area in Bucharest. Several public transport routes are going to be changed due to reaheasals and then due to the actual National Day Parade on December 1st. The traffic restrictions will be stepped up between 5 AM and 2 PM on the above-mentioned days. This year, the military parade will take place on Liberty Boulevard crossing the Constitution Square and will include five guest troops from Poland, United States, Turkey, France and Republic of Moldova. The flypast will feature 40 military aircraft accompaning the ground parade.
Bianca Ioniţă
