Radio România Internațional

Tag: Agriculture and Fisheries Council

  • European meeting on agriculture issues

    European meeting on agriculture issues

    The seventh largest country of the EU’s 28
    members in terms of surface area, and the sixth after Brexit, Romania was once
    called Europe’s granary due to its highly fertile land. Experts still see it as
    a country with great agricultural potential. Though not always exploited
    efficiently, this potential has however allowed Romania to become again an
    important cereal producer and exporter. Consequently, European agricultural
    policies are high on Romania’s agenda particularly now, when the country holds
    the 6-month presidency of the Council of the EU. On Monday, Romanian
    Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, attended in Brussels the Agriculture and
    Fisheries Council, the first during the Romanian Presidency of the Council of
    the EU.

    The meeting’s agenda included topics such as the Common Agricultural
    Policy after 2020 and the Romanian presidency’s priorities, such as animal
    health and the consolidation of the farmers’ position. According to Radio
    Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, Bucharest plans to make progress in the
    negotiations on the modernisation and simplification of the Common Agricultural
    Policy. Legislative proposals laying emphasis on the common organisation of
    markets will be a priority. Also, the Romanian presidency wants to take
    measures likely to encourage the production of plant proteins that would make
    the EU independent in this respect. In terms of animal health, Romania wants to
    implement a set of measures for the control and eradication of major animal
    diseases, and for antimicrobial resistance in veterinary medicine.

    Consolidating the position of farmers, who are now seen as the most vulnerable
    ring in the food supply chain, will continue to be a priority during Romania’s
    mandate. Minister Daea hopes that the farmers’ status will be improved through
    the official adoption of the directive on unloyal trade practices. The Romanian
    presidency of the Council of the EU will also try to find, together with the
    community legislative, the best solution for the long-term management of fish
    stocks, Minister Daea has pledged in Brussels. We must fully exploit the
    potential of sustainable aquaculture in the Union, in order to meet the
    consumers’ expectations and increase the number of jobs, Petre Daea went on to
    say. The Romanian official has admitted that the short time left until the
    European elections in May is one of the challenges. He has voiced hope,
    however, that he will be able to collaborate with the MEPs in order to finalise,
    during the current European Parliament legislature, the negotiations regarding
    the control regulation and the multiannual fund for fishing.



  • January 28, 2019

    January 28, 2019

    FLU – In Romania, 43
    people have died from the flu this winter, Romanian authorities have announced.
    Some 3 million pupils have resumed school today, after on Friday all classes
    were suspended, over flu scare. Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu has
    announced that classes will not be suspended this week, as it is the last in
    the first semester of the school year. Authorities will soon decide whether to
    declare flu epidemic at national level, given the alarming increase in the
    number of cases across the country.




    EU COUNCIL – The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea,
    is attending in Brussels the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the first
    during the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. According to a
    communiqué issued by the Ministry, the main topic on the agenda is the Common
    Agricultural Policy 2020. ‘The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU aims
    to help ensure European convergence and cohesion, with a view to ensuring a
    sustainable and fair development for all the citizens of the Member States by
    increasing competitiveness and bridging development gaps, the communiqué also
    reads.




    DATA PRIVACY – The National Supervisory Authority for
    Personal Data Processing is organizing in Bucharest today, on the European Data
    Privacy Day, the conference titled Ensuring the Observance of the GDPR. The
    event is held under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of
    the EU. The European Data Privacy Day is celebrated on January 28th
    by all the countries members of the Council of Europe and celebrates the
    adoption in 1981, in Strasbourg, of the Convention for the Protection of
    Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data. 43 European
    states have joined the international convention, as wells as countries from
    other continents. Tiberiu Gandu, the Executive Director of the National
    Association of Telecommunications and Internet Providers, has stated that, in
    terms of personal data protection, the EU has the strongest regulation in the
    world.




    BUDGET – Romania’s
    consolidated budget at the end of last year registered a deficit of 2.88% of
    the GDP, just like in the previous year, according to data published on Monday
    by the Finance Ministry. Budget revenues were 17.2% higher than 2017. Budget
    spending was 16.8% higher than in 2017, due in particular to staff expenses,
    which were 23.7% higher that in the previous year. The 2019 draft budget has
    not been presented by the Government yet.




    WEATHER – Weather
    in Romania is getting warmer, after days of extreme phenomena affecting the
    capital Bucharest and 20 counties. According to the latest report, presented
    today by the Interior Ministry, some 8,000 fire-fighters, police officers and gendarmes
    were deployed across the country to intervene in extreme situations. Some 2,200
    trees and 44 electricity poles fell and damaged 360 vehicles. According to a
    communiqué issued by the Energy Ministry, there are some 22,000 households still
    with no electricity, especially in the south and east of the country. Traffic
    has been resumed and is now normal on all motorways and national roads.




    MOLDOVA – The
    Moldovan branch of Amnesty International has today voiced concern over the high
    risk of violation of the electoral law and the international conventions that
    the Republic of Moldova is a party to, Radio Chisinau reports. According to an
    Amnesty International release, several candidates have reported cases of police
    failing to intervene in cases of harassment and aggression perpetrated by alleged
    sympathizers of their opponents’ political parties. The announcement has been
    made given that parliamentary elections are due in the Republic of Moldova on
    February 24th.

    TENNIS – The Japanese Naomi Osaka, who has recently
    won the Australian Open, is the new number one in the WTA rankings. The
    Romanian Simona Halep has stepped down to the third place. Osaka, aged 21, is
    the first Asian player to become leader in the tennis professional circuit.
    Second in the rankings comes the Check player Petra Kvitova, a finalist in the
    Australian Open, with 700 more points that Halep. Romania still has 6 players
    in the top 100. In the men’s rankings, the Romanian Marius Copil has gone up to
    the 56th position, the best in his career.