Romanian ministers on their way to Brussels
Romanian Foreign Minister Lazăr Comănescu is expected in Brussels for a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday. The talks will focus on recent developements in countries which are part of the Eastern Partnership and tools allowing the EU to enforce its involvement in the fight against terror. Brussels is also hosting a meeting of the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council expected to discuss a proposal of a Council regulation fixing for 2016 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in EU waters and, for Union vessels, in certain non-Union waters. Romanian Agriculture Minister Achim Irimescu said the country would support the existing regulations for turbot with fishing oppotunities at 43 tones in 2016 while the EC supported a zero level as it claimed that turbot along with the Black Sea shark were included among the endangered species in the region.
NATO ships involved in Black Sea training exercises
NATO ships are continuing their training exercises off Romania’s Black Sea coast where US ships are training with Romanian, Ukrainian and Turkish navy units on Monday. Exercises involve the „Regina Maria” („Queen Mary”) frigate, a similar frigate from Turkey, a Ukrainian warship and the American Navy destroyer USS Ross also included in the Trident Poseidon 2015 training exercise organised by the Romanian Navy in May 2015. The U.S. Navy destroyer the USS Ross entered the Black Sea on December 3. These visits to the sea are relatively routine, but this is the first such American visit to the Black Sea since Turkey shot down a Russian bomber jet on the Turkey-Syria border. Opened on December 5, current exercises are expected to last two more days. Scheduled to become operational on Friday (December 18), a base hosting a US anti-missile shield in the Romanian southern village of Deveselu will be staffed by several hundred U.S. military, civilian and contract employees. A second site, in Poland, is scheduled to become operational by 2018.
Romania’s Social Democrats still waiting for an answer from country’s PM
Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) is still waiting for an answer from the country’s Prime Minister Dacian Cioloş concerning an increase of the minimum wage from RON 1,050 to 1,200. The PSD is expected to wait for an answer until Tuesday (December 15) as PSD leader Liviu Dragnea expressed his discontent over the delay while insisting that he would end his close co-operation with Cioloş Cabinet. Finance Minister Anca Dragu said recently the government was expected to make an assessment of the impact such an increase would have on private sector.
Romanian nightclub fire toll hits 61
Another victim of the Colectiv nightclub fire in Romania’s capital Bucharest died in a German hospital on Sunday bringing the death toll to 61. 22 people are still in Bucharest hospitals with two in critical condition while other 22 victims are in hospitals abroad. The blaze took hold at the Colectiv club on October 30, causing a stampede for the exit. The fire is believed to have been caused by fireworks that were let off inside the club. Romania has been hit by swathes of protests as tens of thousands demanded politicians take responsibility over the nightclub fire that killed tens of people and left dozens of people in hospital. The government of Prime Minister Victor Ponta eventually resigned.
Alexandru Danga
