News review of the day – Tuesday, February 10th

President Klaus Iohannis is paying an official visit to France

President Klaus Iohannis is on the way to Paris, for an official visit to France. He has scheduled talks with his counterpart, François Hollande, with the presidents of the two chambers of the French Parliament and a meeting with representatives of the Romanian community, hosted by Romanian Embassy in Paris. President Klaus Iohannis said that a priority of his mandate is to strengthen relations with countries with which Romania has strategic partnerships and stressed the importance that our country gives to strengthening relations with France. „A priority of my mandate is to strengthen relations with the countries with which Romania has strategic partnerships, or privileged relationships and, of course, consolidated. They all have to be revitalized and, very importantly, we must show that Romania does what it says”, said Klaus Iohannis. The relations in the European Union and combating terrorism are some of the themes which will be addressed during the meetings with the authorities in Paris. (RADIO ROMANIA reports)

Romania exported goods and services worth over 52 billion euros last year

For the first time in history, Romania exported goods and services worth over 52 billion euros last year, according to data announced by the National Institute of Statistics. The trade balance remains still negative, the imports exceeding 58 billion. The main markets for Romanian exports remain European Union countries, with over 37 billion. The exports to countries outside the European Union remained stable, a little over 15 billion, almost 30% of Romania’s exports. The best month for exporters was October, when goods and services sold outside were nearly 5 billion euros. Food products accounted for more than 10 percent of last year total exports and raw materials a little over 5%. (RADIO ROMANIA reports).

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis made his first speech in Parliament

Transformation and empowerment of state institutions are priorities for the progress of a nation – this was the message of President Klaus Iohannis who yesterday made his first speech in Parliament since he took the presidential oath of office. The head of state asked the senators and deputies to respect the timetable set at consultations and to vote, by the end of this session, the new package of electoral laws. President Klaus Johannis said he wants a proper relationship and partnership with the legislature, based on dialogue and respect. He pointed out that a permanent conflict between the representatives of the nation does not ensure the progress, but their common effort directed towards the good of the citizen. „I want a strong Parliament. A steadfast one regarding integrity, fair, when it comes to debating the judicial institutions’ requests, responsible, in the act of lawmaking, active in its control tasks and transparent in its actions will certainly be different perceived by citizens”.(RADIO ROMANIA reports)

Adrian Strugariu – RADOR