Radio România Internațional

Tag: assistance

  • November 9, 2024 UPDATE

    November 9, 2024 UPDATE

     

    FLOODS The Romanian foreign ministry announced that, according to information from the Spanish authorities, two other Romanian citizens initially reported missing following the floods in Valencia have been found dead. The ministry sends its condolences to the bereaved families. According to the ministry, following the devastating floods in Spain, four Romanian nationals have died and seven are still missing. The embassy of Romania in Madrid and the consular office in Castellon de la Plana continued to check public information regarding the death of several Romanian citizens in the recent floods in the region of Valencia, but so far no confirmations have been received from the Spanish authorities.

     

    VISIT The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu will visit the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on November 12 and 13. He will have a meeting with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, and will participate in the Romania-UK Economic Forum, the Romanian government announced. The government spokesperson Mihai Constantin explained that, ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to London, the Romanian government approved a memorandum that updates the Convention between the two countries in the field of taxation and prevention of tax evasion. According to Constantin, the new document takes into account the changes made in the Romanian legislation during the year 2023, as well as those related to Romania’s goal of joining the OECD. The leader of the Social Democratic Party (in power in Romania as part of a coalition with the National Liberal Party), Ciolacu is running for the presidency of Romania this month, on behalf of his party.

     

    UKRAINE The EU foreign policy coordinator, Josep Borrell, assured Ukraine of Europe’s unwavering support on Saturday in Kyiv. The European Union has already provided EUR 122 billion in military and financial support to Ukraine and has trained about 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers, Josep Borrell said, adding that the bloc aimed to reach 75,000 by the end of winter. Josep Borrell, whose term in office ends in December, announced that EU defence ministers will meet next week to discuss continued military and diplomatic support for Ukraine, and will call for “increased support at this critical time”. European leaders, convened in Budapest recently, called on US President-elect Donald Trump to maintain support for Ukraine, to avoid trade wars and preserve global order.

     

    SCHENGEN A meeting attended by Austria, Romania and Bulgaria will be organised in Budapest, Hungary on November 22, when Vienna might give up its opposition to the full accession of the two countries to the Schengen Area, Austrian media announced. The accession decision could be announced on December 12, at the upcoming Justice and Internal Affairs Council. The Austrian minister of the interior, Gerhard Kärtner, confirmed participation in the meeting with his Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts, and said discussions with both countries are ongoing. He reiterated that the essential condition for Romania’s and Bulgaria’s full Schengen accession remains the effective protection of external borders and, if necessary, controls at internal borders. According to Austrian media, the change in attitude is due to the decrease in migration in the Balkans and in the number of asylum applications in Austria.

     

    STRIKE The Romanian foreign ministry warns Romanian citizens who are in Italy or transiting or planning to travel to that country that on November 12 a 4-hour national strike will be organised by airport staff, between 1 PM and 5 PM. The strike will affect Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport, as well as the Pescara, Naples and Perugia airports. In this context, flight delays or cancellations are possible. Romanian citizens can request consular assistance at the telephone numbers of the Embassy of Romania in Italy, with calls being forwarded to the Contact and Support Center for Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and answered by Call Center operators around the clock.

     

    TOURISTS Over 300 American and Canadian tourists arrive this weekend in Constanța Port at the Black Sea, on board two cruise ships, the National Maritime Port Agency announced on Saturday. The 2 vessels are Viking Kadlin, with 178 American and Canadian passengers on board, and the River Adagio, with another 144 American tourists. “The tourist programme will include trips in the Danube Delta, wine tasting sessions in Murfatlar, walks in the old center of the city of Constanţa and in Mamaia,” the agency explained.

     

    UKRAINE Drones launched by the Russian invasion army hit Odessa, the largest Ukrainian port city at the Black Sea, where they killed one person and wounded 13, including two children, the regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Saturday, according to international news agencies. Residential buildings, private homes, shops and dozens of cars were damaged. Russia launched 51 drones, focusing on Odessa and the surrounding region, the Ukrainian air forces announced, claiming to have shot down 32 enemy aircraft.

     

    GAZA The Gaza Strip Civil Defence Saturday announced the death of 14 people, killed in 2 Israeli strikes, one on “a school”, the other in a camp of “tents for displaced persons”. A rocket fire on the Fahad al-Sabah school in Gaza City, turned into an emergency accommodation centre like most schools in the Strip, left “5 dead, including children, and 22 wounded”. The other Israeli airstrike targeted “tents for displaced people in Khan Younis” and resulted in “9 dead and 11 wounded”. The Israeli army fighting the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza Strip, said it had struck 50 terrorist targets in the last 24 hours in Gaza and Lebanon, where it says it plans to eliminate the Hezbollah Shia Islamists. Sources endorsed by the UN claim that more than 43,500 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023. (AMP)

  • Assistance for people affected by flooding

    Assistance for people affected by flooding

    The state of alert has been instated in the counties of Galați and Vaslui, in eastern Romania, a region that bears the brunt of the latest flooding. The measure was aimed at enabling local authorities to access resources to rebuild the areas destroyed by the flooding waters.

    According to official data released, 26 towns and villages in the county of Galaţi and 20 in Vaslui, have been affected by heavy flooding, and the number of the households destroyed stands at 65 hundred. The urgent rebuilding of houses and buildings, as well as parts of the affected infrastructure such as roads and bridges, is a top priority, authorities say.

    In a special meeting on Monday, the Executive approved emergency aids of up to 2 thousand Euros for every affected family and another 2 thousand for the families who lost people, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has announced.

    Marcel Ciolacu: “The total amount of this first assistance programme is around 100 million lei. And I can assure the people affected by flooding that we aren’t going to stop until we have repaired all the bridges and roads in the area and have rebuilt all the households destroyed so that their lives may come back to normal as soon as possible.”

    214 tons of food and over 200 thousand liters of water have been dispatched to the affected areas and the first supplies have already been distributed.

    Another priority, the Prime Minister went on to say, is to enable the children in the affected areas to resume school classes.

    Marcel Ciolacu: “For this reason we are providing four modular buildings that may serve as makeshift schools where children can attend classes until the situation comes back to normal. Local authorities jointly with the Ministry of Education are presently working in order to turn these temporary schools operational.”  

    Camps have also been made available for the flood victims and many institutions have launched appeals to solidarity and started collecting things. The Romanian Red Cross has launched an assistance campaign and has already sent trucks with water and food supplies.

    The Romanian Waters has deployed teams which are operating in the areas consolidating the defence lines against flooding. Through its Solidarity Fund and Civil Protection Mechanism, the European Union will be providing assistance to the Romanians and the Europeans in the other member countries, the chief-negotiator for the Union’s budget, Romanian MEP Siegfried Muresan says, adding that he will call for a more flexible multi-annual budget, so that the bloc may react faster in emergency situations.

    (bill)

  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    The Ukrainian refugees in Romania will benefit from humanitarian assistance from the Romanian state until March 2024, the Romanian government established through an emergency ordinance. The draft ordinance approved by the Executive provides for the extension of the period for granting this aid from the end of 2023 until March 31, 2024. The amount, conditions and mechanism for granting lump sums have remained unchanged, and the financing will be made from European funds. According to the Romanian government, in June the European Commission launched a call for projects for Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, with funding from the thematic Facility of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2021-2027. The total budget allocated by Brussels to this call is 50 million euros, and the deadline is October 13. At the same time, the Commission conditions the submission of calls on the existence of a clearly defined national legislative framework, regarding the method of granting lump sums for the year 2024 as well. Under these conditions, the Romanian government says, it was necessary for Romania to have the legal framework, at the primary level, which would allow the granting of support in the form of lump sums to cover accommodation costs for foreign citizens and stateless persons coming from the armed conflict zone in Ukraine.



    The number of requests for extending the right of residence of foreign citizens on the territory of Romania has increased as a result of the increase in the demand for labor force, said the main police inspector Marian State, from the Immigration Service of the Timiş County Police Inspectorate. The main fields in which the applicants work are hotels and restaurants, delivery and constructions. Since the beginning of the year, 640 such requests have been registered from citizens of the European Union, mostly from Italy, Germany and France. Marian State showed that the majority of those who come from the European intra-community space are pensioners who left the country at some point and renounced their Romanian citizenship, and now they want to regain it or (renounced it) after marriage. In addition to these, there are also about 2,000 students. In the first nine months of this year, around 4,500 residence permits for various purposes and 1,280 employment permits were issued at the Timiş Immigration Service, in western Romania. Most applicants for residence permits come from Nepal (915), Sri Lanka (595), Serbia (391), the Republic of Moldova (373) and India (235). However, 529 requests were rejected and in 96 cases, return decisions were issued with a deadline for voluntary departure from the territory of Romania in 15 or 30 days for cases of stay and refusal to extend the right of stay as a result of its cancellation or at request. At the same time, 80 foreigners were detected in illegal situations and were fined over 89,000 lei. Last but not least, 484 escorted return decisions were issued following the completion of the asylum procedure and the risk of avoidance.



    The labor force deficit in Romania could reach 224,000 people in 2026, in the absence of immediate measures, compared to an estimated level of 145,000 people in 2022, said Alex Milcev, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania. Milkev said that this is an extremely conservative figure and that it can easily reach 500,000 or even 600,000 people missing from the labor market. “The labor force deficit in Romania is large and significantly affects the ability of the national economy to grow in the future”, the AmCham official said. He presented the data of an analysis of the economic impact of the labor shortage in Romania, carried out by PwC. According to the report, the economic impact of the labor force shortage, for the year 2022, defined as the loss of productivity, is estimated at 4.4 billion euros or the equivalent of 10% of last years GDP growth. This amount, says Alex Milcev, will double by 2026 and will reach 9.5 billion euros, in the absence of certain measures. He emphasized, however, that a quick remedy would be to attract more labor force from abroad, especially from outside the European Union. (LS)

  • Crevedia – investigations and solidarity

    Crevedia – investigations and solidarity

    Investigations are being carried out at all stations across Romania selling fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). And according to the countrys Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, the stations, where irregularities involving public safety risks have been discovered, will be closed down. What happened in Crevedia, a commune in southern Romania, must never repeat! A local LPG station, which was not supposed to be functional as it had its safety permit withdrawn three years ago, blew up and went on flames on Saturday night.


    The investigation carried out by the General Prosecutors Office, which took over the present file on aggravated criminal damage followed by destruction, is being hindered by the gas leaks on the companys premises, says the head of the aforementioned institution, Alexandru Florenta.


    Florenta says that searches are presently being conducted at the local city hall and one of the companys working centers in Bucharest, as well as at the houses of the two company managers.


    Alexandru Florenţa: “The two main directions we are focusing on at the moment in this investigation, are the activities carried out by the company through its station in Crevedia after a decision had been issued to close down the aforementioned center due to a series of irregularities discovered here. The second line in our inquiry is aimed at finding out how the aforementioned LPG station was allowed to function and how the institutions in charge carried out their investigations here.”


    The case in Crevedia has also got the attention of anti-corruption prosecutors, who are investigating the crime of abuse of office. In turn military prosecutors are conducting their own research into the rescue team intervention, in an attempt to explain the high number of injured among the rescuers. Seven houses in the area have been affected by the explosion, three being almost razed to the ground. County and central authorities have pledged support for their reconstruction while the damage caused by the explosions is still being assessed.


    At the same time, the Ministry of Labour is to come before the Government with a series of emergency assistance packages for those affected by the explosion. However, the most important is the medical and psychological assistance given to those wounded and traumatized by the event. Blood centers in Bucharest and 24 other counties have been open as early as Sunday for donations for the scores of wounded, mostly firefighters, gendarmes and policemen, some severely wounded by the second explosion. They are being treated in several hospitals around Bucharest, or have been sent to hospitals in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Norway and Italy. France, Israel and Bulgaria are also ready to offer medical support to Romania.


    (bill)


  • May 18, 2023 UPDATE

    May 18, 2023 UPDATE

    FORUM The world has changed and everything in the area of security
    has been rewritten and must be revised in our Black Sea region, where a large
    part of the components of Russia’s large scale war of aggression in Ukraine are
    taking place, said Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciucă in Bucharest at the
    7th edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum. Ciucă went on to say
    that the region must cope with a long and high-intensity war that is exhausting
    the resources of both the country in conflict and those of the countries of
    Europe. The two-day forum hosts over 40 sessions. Attending are top civilian
    and military officials, diplomats and experts from the European Union and NATO,
    as well as partner states. The themes discussed include support for the
    European integration of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the reconstruction
    of Ukraine and the European security architecture after the war, as well as the
    food crisis caused by Russia’s invasion, security energy in Europe, the
    security of the Western Balkans and cyber resilience.


    FLOODING Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said the Romanian authorities
    are ready to provide assistance with rescue operations following the floods in
    Italy. The region of Emilia Romagna in the north of Italy is on high alert as a
    result of heavy rain that caused massive floods and left victims. According to
    Radio Romania’s correspondent, thousands of people have already been evacuated,
    but several tens of thousands are still stranded in areas that have been left
    without electricity. Some trains are still stationary, traffic is disrupted and
    sections of the motorway are closed.


    AGREEMENT The government of Romania and of the UK Thursday
    signed a joint action plan in Bucharest on fighting human trafficking. The
    document is part of the vision and strategy that Bucharest has embraced for the
    past 2 years to turn Romania into a country hostile to people traffickers but
    safe and friendly to the victims of this phenomenon, reads a news release
    issued by the Romanian government. Signing the document also proves our
    government’s concern and care for its more vulnerable citizens, those more
    exposed to the risks of human trafficking, who live either in Romania or in one
    of the largest Romanian diaspora communities, namely in the UK. It is absolutely vital for us to keep our
    firm commitment of fighting this scourge and our capacity and willingness to
    tackle this issue on all three key levels-prevention, combating and victim
    protection. (…) My message is quite clear: trafficking in human beings is a
    form of crime for which the government of Romania has zero tolerance, PM
    Nicolae Ciucă said.



    WB In order to solve external imbalances, Romania
    needs a mix of fiscal consolidation and structural reforms, reads a World Bank
    analysis. Political measures aimed at improving its fiscal situation include
    broadening taxable revenues, improving tax compliance, introducing critical
    reforms in public pensions and salaries and cutting inefficient expenditure. A
    consolidation of public investment management would help release significant EU
    funding and would improve critical sectors lagging behind in Romania, such as
    the public education and healthcare, reforming state-owned enterprises, or
    infrastructure. In turn, the latter would contribute to improved productivity
    and competitiveness, with a positive impact on Romania’s foreign position. Romania’s
    external imbalances have deepened lately. Since 2018, the country has seen
    deepening fiscal and current account deficits, jointly with an expansionary
    fiscal policy. The two major external shocks, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war
    in Ukraine, have strengthened these imbalances. (AMP)

  • Romania continues to support Ukraine

    Romania continues to support Ukraine

    Romania has always been and will continue to be an “area of safety and comfort” for the waves of refugees coming from the neighboring Ukraine – Nicolae Ciucă, head of the government in Bucharest has pledged. He recalled that shortly after the invasion of the Russian troops on February 24th, Romania assumed the role of a trustworthy European and international partner in resolving this crisis, the severest in Europe after WWll.



    According to a report on the efforts and achievements in providing humanitarian assistance to refugees, on observing the rights of children and other vulnerable categories in 2022, issued by the Department for Social Responsibility and Vulnerable Groups, “Romania was the first EU country to have implemented a national plan of measures on medium and long term for the inclusion and protection of refugees and has proposed for the European countries a model of leadership and coordination at political level in the field of refugee integration.”



    The aforementioned report says that “over 3 million Ukrainian nationals have crossed our borders in the past 12 months, out of whom, over 2.5 million have benefitted from direct support from the Romanian government and its partners, support that consisted in free transport, food, clothes, free medical and social assistance, access to the labour market, long-term accommodation, access to education in Romanian schools and the temporary protection guarantee” offered by the Romanian state.



    Prime Minister Ciucă has also said that “Romania has also provided the most important international support corridors for Ukraine by making available its rail, road, river and maritime infrastructures for the Ukrainian exports mainly for the countrys grain exports.



    Decision-makers in Bucharest have also referred to the enlarged partnership with the UN agencies, local authorities, civil society and private environment, which helped them provide an effective and coherent answer to the crisis affecting the neighboring country. “We have reached the stage when we must have an approach focusing on temporary integration or on medium and long-term measures, which may enable the Ukrainian refugees to lead an independent life in our country with access to the labour market and their children to benefit from education and social life” – the Prime Minister went on to say.



    Most of the 3.3 million Ukrainian citizens who crossed into Romania have continued their trip to countries in Western Europe and, according to the authorities, only 100 thousand decided to remain here. Under the decisions recently made by the authorities in Bucharest, the Ukrainian refugees who cross into our country through the border checkpoints with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova will this year also benefit from five days of free railway transportation in Romania since the moment of their entry.


    (bill)


  • Ukraine – dernières évolutions

    Ukraine – dernières évolutions

    L’Ukraine pourrait avoir besoin d’une assistance étrangère allant jusqu’à 1 000 milliards d’euros pour réparer les dégâts provoqués par l’invasion russe, a déclaré mardi Werner Hoyer, président de la Banque européenne d’investissements, selon Bloomberg. Selon lui, « l’Europe devra jouer le rôle le plus important dans les efforts de reconstruction de l’Ukraine ». La Commission européenne a proposé la première fois, à la mi-mai, le plus récent paquet d’aides afin de couvrir une partie des besoins financiers de Kiev, qui se montent à environ cinq milliards d’euros par mois. L’évaluation de la BEI survient alors que les leaders de l’UE se préparent à se réunir jeudi et vendredi à Bruxelles afin de discuter des plans de reconstruction de l’Ukraine et aussi de sa demande d’adhérer à l’espace communautaire. Selon l’AFP, le ministre des Affaires européennes français, Clément Beaune, dont le pays assure la présidence tournante du Conseil de lUE, a déclaré quun « consensus total » avait émergé au sein des Vingt-Sept lors dune réunion avec ses homologues a Luxembourg, pour accorder le statut de candidat à l’Union à l’Ukraine.

  • Réunion parlementaire entre la Roumanie et la République de Moldova

    Réunion parlementaire entre la Roumanie et la République de Moldova

    La réunion avait lieu un jour seulement après que la Commission européenne a recommandé aux États membres d’accorder à l’Ukraine et à la République de Moldova le statut de candidat à l’adhésion à l’Union. Nous continuons de compter sur la Roumanie, qui est une voix importante au sein des institutions européennes – a-t-il été dit à Chişinău. À l’ouverture de la réunion, la présidente moldave, Maia Sandu, qui a signé la demande d’adhésion à l’UE dès mars dernier, a déclaré que la recommandation de la Commission européenne était un moment important pour l’avenir de son pays, et que cela constituait l’espoir dont tous les citoyens ont besoin. Maia Sandu :



    « La Roumanie a toujours été à nos côtés. Nos relations sont aujourd’hui à leur niveau le plus intense depuis 30 ans. Cependant, nous avons encore beaucoup à faire et l’expérience et l’expertise de la Roumanie nous ont été et continueront de nous être particulièrement utiles. »



    Pour sa part, le président du Parlement de Chişinău, Igor Grosu, a réitéré que la République de Moldova avait constamment bénéficié de l’aide et de l’assistance inconditionnelles de la Roumanie. Igor Grosu :



    « Au fil du temps, la Roumanie a été un véritable supporter de la République de Moldova. L’éventail des domaines de collaboration s’est étendu bien au-delà du caractère traditionnel des relations de bon voisinage. »



    Dans le même temps, Igor Grosu a déclaré que les engagements pris par la République de Moldova en matière de réforme de la justice, de lutte contre la corruption et d’indépendance énergétique étaient clairs et qu’ils seraient respectés. Chişinău a été assuré de tout le soutien de Bucarest pour son parcours européen par la voix du président du Sénat, Florin Cîţu :



    « L’avenir de la République de Moldova est dans la grande famille européenne. C’est un souhait fondamental à la fois pour la République de Moldova, mais aussi pour la Roumanie, en vertu du passé, des valeurs et des idéals qui nous unissent. »



    Le président de la Chambre des députés de Bucarest, Marcel Ciolacu, a également assuré que la Roumanie continuerait de soutenir l’État voisin. Il a plaidé pour des actions conjointes entre les deux pays, notamment au bénéfice des citoyens. Marcel Ciolacu :



    « L’avenir que nous construisons aujourd’hui doit être ensemble. Et ceux qui cherchent à nous séparer ne veulent certainement pas du bien à nos citoyens. Cette construction commune commence ici-même, à Chişinău. »



    Le soutien de la Roumanie au parcours européen de la République de Moldova et à la consolidation de la coopération bilatérale dans tous les domaines d’activité a été réaffirmé par une déclaration commune signée à l’issue de la réunion. Dans ce document, les deux États condamnent aussi, fermement, l’agression de la Fédération de Russie contre l’Ukraine et réaffirment leur plein soutien à l’indépendance, à la souveraineté et à l’intégrité territoriale de ce pays à l’intérieur de ses frontières reconnues internationalement.


    (Trad.: Ligia)






  • The 100-day war in Ukraine

    The 100-day war in Ukraine

    Thousands of civilians killed and wounded, millions of
    refugees, destroyed cities – this is what Ukraine looks like 100 days on from
    the onset of the conflict. Europe has been destabilized (as if the pandemic
    wasn’t enough) and the EU has approved six sanction packages against Russia.
    The global geo-political order has been disturbed and the international economy
    weakened.




    All this time, a defiant Kremlin leader has been waging
    his war against the Ukrainians. Russia has so far occupied 20% of the territory
    of Ukraine, whereas the latter is presently investigating 15 thousand alleged
    war crime cases. Right at the beginning of the war the country’s capital Kyiv
    was heavily bombed but could not be conquered. On March 2nd, the
    city of Kherson, close to Crimea, a region previously annexed by the Russians,
    became the first big city occupied.






    Bilateral political talks don’t seem to have a
    positive outcome and pictures with the killings in Bucha have been given a wide
    coverage by international media. The city of Mariupol connecting Crimea with
    the breakaway regions in the east of the country fell after fierce fighting
    inside the Azovstal steelworks.






    Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has been constantly
    sending messages to encourage his troops and has called for international
    assistance. The USA, G7, NATO and the European Union ran to the help of Ukraine,
    concurrently closing ranks in the event of a war. Ukraine wants to join the EU
    whereas Sweden and Finland call for NATO accession. Ukraine’s massive cereal
    crops can no longer be exported and a major food crisis is looming large
    particularly for the world’s poorest nations.






    An opinion poll recently conducted among the Romanians
    shows that over 71% of the respondents are blaming Russia for the war in
    neighboring Ukraine while over 87% believe that Russian leaders should be
    convicted for war crimes. 65% of the interviewees considers the deployment of
    NATO and US troops as something good.






    Respondents have shown a pro-West, pro-NATO attitude, in
    line with the strategy the EU and the entire Euro-Atlantic zone is promoting
    these days, pundits in Bucharest believe while the Romanian government
    continues to take measures to support the refugees. Authorities here have recently
    held talks over a national plan aimed at assisting Ukrainians in finding jobs,
    accommodation, sending their children to schools so that they may learn Romanian
    and get quickly integrated. The government has made available an information
    platform for the refugees seeking temporary assistance amid a wave of sympathy the
    Romanians have shown for the refugees ever since the beginning of the war.




    (bill)

  • May 20, 2022 UPDATE

    May 20, 2022 UPDATE

    UN At the UN Security Council in New York, Romania’s Foreign Minister,
    Bogdan Aurescu, spoke about Romania’s contribution to mitigating the effects of
    the Russian war against Ukraine, at a debate titled ‘Maintaining international
    peace and security – conflict and food security’. The Bucharest diplomacy chief
    Thursday participated, at the invitation of the American Secretary of State
    Antony Blinken, in the open debate organised by the USA, the country that is
    holding the monthly presidency of the UN Security Council. Bogdan Aurescu
    reiterated the need for a wider effort at international level to create a
    transport corridor that would include Romanian routes and ports, in order to
    facilitate Ukrainian exports to third-party destinations. At the same time, the
    Romanian minister firmly rejected the completely unfounded accusations made by
    the Russian Federation’s representative during the debate that there was an
    agreement for Ukraine to export grains to the West in exchange for
    military assistance. The head of the Romanian diplomacy also announced that
    starting with 2023 Romania will host a Regional Agro-meteorology Centre for
    Europe, approved by the World Meteorological Organisation.


    LABOUR The labour ministry in Bucharest plans to constantly monitor the
    situation of Romanian workers abroad, especially seasonal workers, who have
    sometimes been victims of exploitation. Four million Romanians are officially
    registered as working abroad, in European Union states, but the actual number would
    be close to 5 million. The labour minister Marius Budai has stated that
    Romanian seasonal workers mainly work in agriculture, constructions or in the
    meat industry, and have faced various issues related to working conditions,
    occupational health and safety, or the fact that they have not been granted
    even the minimum wage in Germany. Other issues include salary withholdings,
    dismissals with repatriation requests, non-payment of salary, non-compliance
    with labour protection regulations, non-compliance with hygiene conditions,
    improper accommodation and food.

    POLL Most Romanians perceive Russia as an enemy state, and the war in
    Ukraine is seen as a critical or important problem for the country in the
    medium and long run. These are the findings of an opinion poll conducted this
    month by the Avangarde social and behavioural research. According to the
    survey, 64% of the Romanians see Russia as an enemy state, and only 2% see it
    as a friendly country. In a ranking of friendly states, first comes the Republic
    of Moldova, followed by Germany and the US. More than half of the respondents
    also see France, the UK, Spain and Italy as friendly states, while Serbia, Hungary
    and China are seen rather as competitors. Among the problems seen as important
    for Romania in the medium and long run, the respondents mentioned climate
    change, Hungary’s investments in Transylvania, the fact that nearly half of the
    Rep. Moldova’s population are pro-Russian, the war in Ukraine, as well as the
    fact that Germany, Austria and Hungary rely on Russian natural gas.

    UKRAINE The industrial region of Donbas in Ukraine has been completely
    destroyed by the Russian forces, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
    said. Donbas is the main target of Russian troops after being pushed back from
    the regions of Kyiv and Kharkiv. The Russian army resorts to intense shelling,
    including over towns, in an attempt to break through the Ukrainian frontline. Odessa
    has been also a preferred target of Russian bombings lately, president Zelensky
    also said. Odessa is Ukraine’s main port city and has been under Russian
    blockade since the war started, which prevents Ukraine’s exports and affects
    global food supplies and food prices. On the other hand, the last Ukrainian
    soldiers in the Azovstal plant have been ordered by Kyiv to stop defending the
    city of Mariupol, the leader of the Azov Regiment announced. After the recent
    evacuation of the civilians, including women and children, who had taken refuge
    in the plant, nearly 2,000 Ukrainian fighters surrendered to the Russian troops
    as of Monday, including wounded soldiers, according to the latest figures
    announced on Friday by the Russian defence ministry.


    G7 The members of the Group of 7 of the world’s largest advanced
    economies promised on Friday to mobilise USD 19.8 billion to support the budget
    of Ukraine, which has been struggling under the Russian invasion since February
    24. The decision was announced by the German finance minister Christian
    Lindner, after a meeting with his counterparts from the US, Japan, Britain,
    France, Italy and Canada. Germany currently holds the presidency of the G7.


    TENNIS The Romanian tennis
    player Simona Halep will face the Croatian Ana Konjuh in the first round of the
    Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament, which starts on Sunday in Paris, according
    to the draw held on Thursday night. Halep won the French Open in 2018 and was a
    finalist in 2014 and 2017. She did not attend last year’s edition due to an
    injury. Sorana Cîrstea will play against the German Tatjana Maria, Gabriela
    Ruse will face the Belgian Elise Mertens, and Irina Begu will take on the
    Italian Jasmine Paolini. Another Romanian, Ana Bogdan, will have a difficult
    mission in the match with the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. Irina Bara has also
    qualified for the tournament. On Friday, Mihaela Buzǎrnescu lost the last round
    of qualifiers to Mirjam Bjorklund of Sweden (6-1, 6-3). (AMP)

  • April 27, 2022 UPDATE

    April 27, 2022 UPDATE

    UKRAINE Romania condemns in the strongest terms Russia’s blatant violation
    of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and of its obligations
    under international law, the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă said after Tuesday’s
    meeting in Kyiv with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal. Mr. Ciucă announced
    on Wednesday that Romania is considering opening new checkpoints on the Ukrainian
    border. He emphasised the importance of the opening of the Isaccea-Orlivka
    checkpoint in the south-east in 2020, and of deregulating freight transport for
    Ukrainian operators on April 5. The number of Ukrainian nationals to enter
    Romania was 50% higher on Tuesday than on the previous day, the Border Police
    announced on Wednesday.


    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT The
    legal committees in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies Wednesday passed a
    favourable opinion on all candidacies for judge posts with the Constitutional
    Court of Romania. Parliament is due to vote on the candidacies next week. This
    June, the terms in office of 3 judges come to an end: Valer Dorneanu, nominated
    by the Chamber of Deputies, Mona Pivniceru, nominated by the Senate, and Daniel
    Morar, nominated by the Presidency. The Constitutional Court comprises 9 judges
    appointed for non-renewable 9-year terms in office, with one-third of the
    members replaced every 3 years.


    GOVERNMENT The
    finance minister Adrian Câciu stated at the Government Hour debates that the
    measures included in the Support for Romania package pave the way for
    preserving the country’s economic growth trend. Invited to the talks by USR
    party in opposition, Mr. Câciu emphasized that in order to have a high economic
    growth rate this year, Romania must primarily encourage the agriculture and
    constructions sectors. Adrian Câciu also mentioned that Romania, which relies on imports in many sectors, needs to
    increase its domestic output and invest in processing.


    NATURAL GAS Russia’s decision to discontinue natural gas supplies to Poland and
    Bulgaria is an aggressive and unacceptable move, seen by the EU as a form of
    blackmail, said the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. We
    will make sure that Gazprom’s decision has the smallest possible impact on
    European consumers, she told a press conference on Wednesday. The
    European Commission chief advised European energy providers not to give in to
    Russia’s request to have natural gas supplies paid for in rubles, and
    emphasised that this would most likely be a violation of the EU sanctions
    against Russia. After they refused to pay for natural gas in the Russian
    currency, Poland and Bulgaria are the first EU member states targeted by a
    suspension of Russian gas supplies. In this context, Greece announced it would
    assist Bulgaria, while Poland announced current gas supplies cover the
    country’s domestic demand.


    RECOVERY
    Romania has fulfilled all the goals set out in the National Recovery and
    Resilience Plan approved by the European Commission, the economy minister
    Florin Spătaru said in Bucharest. He emphasised that certain benchmarks related
    to the reforms undertaken as part of the plan will have to be revised in the
    forthcoming period, and along with the investment element they will contribute
    to a major progress of the Romanian economy, which has the potential of growing
    up to four-fold by 2030, provided that the principles in the Recovery Plan are
    observed and funding is used wisely. According to the economy minister, the
    opportunities offered by the Recovery Plan are not only the money, but also the
    economic and administrative reform principles, which will lead to reshaping
    Romania’s economy in line with the principles of digitisation and green economy.


    TENNIS Three Romanian athletes play in the WTA Madrid tournament’s main
    draw. Romania’s Irina Begu (62 WTA) Wednesday qualified into the tournament
    after defeating Kamila Rakhimova (96 WTA) of Russia, 6-1, 6-0. In the first
    round, Simona Halep will play against Shuai Zhang of China, and Sorana Cîrstea
    against Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain. WTA Madrid Open takes place between April
    28 and May 7. Simona Halep won the 2016 and 2017 tournaments. (AMP)

  • 100 million euro for the Republic of Moldova

    100 million euro for the Republic of Moldova

    The parliament of Romania endorsed a law ratifying the
    Agreement on the implementation of a technical and financial assistance
    programme based on non-reimbursable financial aid amounting to EUR 100 million
    provided by Romania to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova.


    The Romanian foreign ministry welcomed the decision, emphasising
    that the document signed by the PMs of Romania Nicolae Ciucă and of Moldova
    Natalia Gavriliţa on February 11 in Chişinău will be a key instrument under
    which in the next 7 years Bucharest will support Moldova’s efforts in advancing
    reforms and EU accession and towards sustainable development.


    With the projects financed under this Agreement, Romania
    will contribute to strengthening Moldova’s resilience in vital sectors like
    energy, transport and transport infrastructure, environment protection and
    climate change, public works and infrastructures, SMEs, mass media
    independence, public administration and home affairs, healthcare, education,
    culture, research, tourism, competitiveness and industry.


    The Romanian foreign ministry also said the document
    will take over and reinforce the role of a previous technical and financial assistance
    agreement, also worth 100 million euro and signed in April 2010, which came to
    a close in March 2021. This agreement enabled Romania to fund major projects,
    including the revamping of over 1,000 kindergartens and schools in the Republic
    of Moldova and to contribute to the development of the Iaşi-Chişinău natural
    gas pipeline, a strategic energy interconnection project for Romania and Moldova.


    In recent years, Moldova’s relations with the EU have
    grown stronger. The country joined the EU’s Eastern Partnership in 2009, while Moldova’s EU Association Agreement came
    into force on July 1, 2016. The EU is also Moldova’s biggest
    donor, and Moldova is the biggest beneficiary of EU aid per capita among EU’s
    neighbours. The EU assistance goes into key reforms in areas like the
    judiciary, education, economic development and energy. In this context and
    following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, Moldova’s president Maia Sandu recently
    signed Moldova’s EU accession application. Romania remains the strongest supporter
    of Chişinău’s European integration. (AMP)

  • No Russian ships in EU ports

    No Russian ships in EU ports

    Russian vessels are no longer allowed to enter ports in the EU, including Romania. The ban also applies to ships that have replaced the Russian flag with another countrys colours since February 24, when the war in Ukraine started, but not those who need assistance or refuge for safety reasons or those who have rescued lives at sea.



    This is one of the EU sanctions against Russia which will be extended. The new measures will also target Russian banks, particularly Sberbank, as well as the oil sector, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told the German paper Bild am Sonntag, quoted by Reuters.



    “We are looking further at the banking sector, especially Sberbank, which accounts for 37% of the Russian banking sector. And, of course, there are energy issues,” Ursula von der Leyen detailed. She explained the EU was working on clever mechanisms in order to include the oil sector in the next sanctions.



    “What should not happen is that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin collects even higher prices on other markets for supplies that would otherwise go to the EU. The top priority is to shrink Putins revenues,” she emphasised.



    Brussels has so far exempted Russias largest bank from the previous sanctions, because Sberbank and Gazprombank are the main payment channels for the oil and natural gas from Russia, which EU member countries continue to buy in spite of the invasion of Ukraine.



    On the other hand, on Sunday the Union announced EUR 50 million would be earmarked for humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.



    “As heavy fighting and missile strikes continue to destroy critical civilian infrastructure, humanitarian needs in Ukraine remain extremely high,” reads an EU news release quoted by DPA.



    Some EUR 45 million will go into humanitarian programmes in Ukraine, while the Republic of Moldova, where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian nationals have taken refuge since the start of the war, is set to receive EUR 5 million.



    The money is part of the EUR 1 billion package pledged by the European Commission in a donor conference last week, called Stand Up For Ukraine. So far, the EU said, EUR 143 million of this amount has already been spent in humanitarian aid funding in response to the war. The funding announced on Sunday will address the most pressing humanitarian needs by providing emergency medical services, access to safe drinking water and hygiene, shelter and protection, cash assistance, and support against gender-based violence. (AMP)

  • Ukraine – dernières évolutions

    Ukraine – dernières évolutions

    Les présidents de la Pologne, de la Lituanie, de la Lettonie et de l’Estonie se trouvent à Kiev, pour discuter avec le président ukrainien, Volodymyr Zelensky. Le leader lituanien, Gitanas Nauseda, a déclaré qu’ils apportent un message fort de soutien politique et de l’assistance militaire. Sur le terrain, l’Ukraine et la Russie consolident leurs forces militaires respectives dans la région du Donbass (est), devenue la cible principale de Moscou. L’armée ukrainienne annonce une contre-offensive dans le sud du pays, et elle a libéré plusieurs localités de la région. Près d’Odessa, les forces ukrainiennes ont repoussé les troupes russes qui occupaient le nord de la région de Kherson, et les attaques à l’artillerie sur la ville du même nom ont cessé. Selon notre envoyé spécial en Ukraine, l’Etat major de l’Armée ukrainienne a déclaré que la menace d’une attaque aux missiles lancés depuis la mer Noire pesait encore sur l’ensemble du pays. En effet, la marine russe isole la zone des hostilités et procède à des missions de reconnaissance dans les eaux de la mer Noire et de la mer d’Azov.

  • International aid for Moldova

    International aid for Moldova

    Until December 2020, the ex-Soviet Republic
    of Moldova, led by pro-Russian officials, was constantly in Moscow’s tow. Pro-European
    voices were however present, as confirmed by the country’s signing in 2014 an
    association agreement with the European Union, providing for cooperation in areas
    like trade and culture.


    But Moldova categorically broke with Russia less than 2 years ago, with
    the election of the pro-European Maia Sandu as head of state, replacing the
    pro-Russian Igor Dodon.


    Geographically, Moldova stands between the eastern part of the EU (neighbouring
    Romania) and Ukraine, with some of its territory occupied by Transnistria, a
    small self-proclaimed breakaway republic backed by Moscow.


    Quite a few political and military analysts voiced concerns that in the
    context of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia might take advantage of its military
    presence in Transnistria to launch an offensive in that region as well. Fortunately,
    at least for the time being, this is only a hypothetical plan.


    Nonetheless, with millions of Ukrainians fleeing the war, the Republic
    of Moldova is receiving the largest number of refugees per capita in Europe,
    which puts tremendous pressure on Europe’s poorest state.


    Under these circumstances, Germany, France and Romania Tuesday
    co-chaired an international conference in Berlin, aimed at putting together a
    support platform for that country. Around 50 delegations took part,
    representing international organisations and some 30 states, including EU
    members, the US, Canada and Japan.


    Donors pledged with over EUR 695 million in aid for Moldova, 100 million
    of which will be non-reimbursable financial assistance. They also agreed to
    take over nearly 12,000 of the almost 100,000 Ukrainian refugees currently in
    that country.


    Our message is clear: the Republic of Moldova is not alone, said Germany’s
    foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, alongside her French and Romanian
    counterparts, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Bogdan Aurescu, talking to the Moldovan PM
    Natalia Gavriliţa.


    According to the German official, this assistance will be the start of a
    sustainable support platform, with further aid to follow in areas like
    diversifying energy sources, border management and political reform. All of
    these are designed to help Moldova ease out its dependence on Moscow.


    Moldova is the most vulnerable among Ukraine’s neighbours, Natalia
    Gavriliţa said, and added that her country has no security umbrella to rely on
    and therefore it needs good friends and reliable partners.


    The next donor conference for Moldova may be hosted by Bucharest. (A.M.P)