Romania”s PSD candidate may become EU commissioner
Rovana Plumb may become Romania’s EU commissioner as she was nominated as the country’s candidate for the EU job. Born in June 22, 1960, Ms. Plumb is a former MP and minister of the governing left-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD). A MEP between 2009-2012, she rejoined the club following the European elections in 2019 when she was also elected as vicepresident of the S&D Group in the European Parliament. However, Romanian opposition warned that MEPs in Strasbourg could reject Ms. Plumb’s candidacy. Romanian Liberals repeatedly called for the PSD to withdraw Ms. Plumb’s candidacy for integrity reasons while the opposition USR-Plus Alliance said Ms. Plumb candidacy was inappropriate.
Romania”s Senate elects its new speaker
The Romanian Senate elects its new speaker on Tuesday in an effort to replace Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a former junior party of the PSD-led governing coalition, who quit the job. PSD confirmed the candidacy of Teodor Meleşcanu for the job but ALDE said the move was an attempt to break up the party. A former foreign minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, who is 78 and an ALDE member, remains controversial while ALDE leaders claimed that his candidacy was an attempt by the PSD to break up their party. PSD leader and Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă rejected the claim while pointing out the move was meant to prove her party’s honesty. Other candidates for the job include Alina Gorghiu of the opposition National Liberal Party (PNL) and ALDE’s Ion Popa.
Romania’s INS birth rates
Romania’s National Institute of Statistics (INS) published its monthly birth rate data on Tuesday. More than 18,500 children were born in July 2019, 4,000 more than in previous months. However, tha natural growth remained negative as the number of deaths was higher with nearly 21,000 deaths reported. The figures come at a time when Romania’s population is shrinking gradually. As of early 2014, population of Romania was around 21,595,302, a slight decrease from the estimated 21,668,721 in 2013 and from the 2011 population estimates when the figure stood at 21,801,942. Romania’s population is apparently decreasing at a rate of over 0.32% per year. In 2018, this yearly loss rate rose to .50%, indicating a more dramatic decline over the previous year.
Alexandru Danga, RADOR
