Radio România Internațional

Tag: award

March 12, 2025

CCR – The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), a sovereigntist opposition party in Romania’s Parliament, has described as abusive the Constitutional Court’s decision to invalidate the candidacy of the extremist Călin Georgescu in the presidential election. At the same time, the party announced that it would go on a parliamentary strike starting on Wednesday, along with the other sovereigntist parties. The Constitutional Court (CCR) confirmed on Tuesday the decision by which the Central Electoral Bureau rejected Călin Georgescu’s candidacy in the May presidential election. In December, the CCR had annulled the presidential election on the grounds that the electoral process had been flawed in his favor. The Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated that the unanimous decision of the Constitutional Court judges regarding Călin Georgescu’s candidacy closes an extremely tense and dangerous episode that Romania has experienced in recent months.

MAE – The Romanian Foreign Ministry considers that the latest statement by the spokesman for the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, regarding the presidential election in Romania is unacceptable. Dmitri Peskov stated that the May election without the candidacy of Călin Georgescu would have no legitimacy and that Romania chose the path of defying democracy. The Romanian Foreign Ministry responded that Russia had not had free elections for almost 20 years and that an aggressor state could not give lessons of democracy. Romania does not accept foreign interference, the MAE also writes in a statement.

Foot-and-mouth-disease – The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) in Bucharest has banned the transport of livestock, fodder, straw, compost and manure from Hungary to Romania, due to a confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on a farm in Hungary, near the border with Slovakia. The ANSVSA has also imposed restrictions on animal products such as meat, milk and dairy products from the two countries. On Tuesday, the National Sanitary Veterinary Authority organized an emergency meeting with dairy farmers to discuss the necessary measures to protect Romanian farms. A few days ago, Germany also announced its first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 36 years, on a farm near Berlin. Foot-and-mouth disease, which is highly contagious, is one of the most serious viral infections that can affect the livestock industry.

Award – Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan on Wednesday decorated former international footballer Gheorghe Hagi with the National Order ‘The Star of Romania’. According to the Presidential Administration, the highest distinction of the Romanian state, the National Order ‘The Star of Romania in the rank of Knight’ is awarded to him in sign of recognition and appreciation for his entire sporting career, as well as for his active involvement in the popularization of football. Gheorghe Hagi is a role model and a source of inspiration for all generations, the cited source also states. Born in 1965, Hagi played for the Romanian national team at three world championships in 1990, 1994 (where he was appointed to the World Cup All-Star Team) and 1998, and at three European Championships, in 1984, 1996 and 2000. He was selected 125 times for Romania, second only to Dorinel Munteanu, and is the top scorer (along with Adrian Mutu), with 35 goals. As a player at Steaua Bucharest, he has three championship titles, three Romanian cups, and the European Super Cup in 1987, when, in Monte Carlo, he scored the goal from a free kick that gave the Romanians a 1-0 victory over the Soviets at the time, Dinamo Kiev. With Galatasaray Istanbul, he won 4 championship titles, 2 cups and two Turkish Super Cups, and in 2000 he led the team to win the UEFA Cup and, with Romanian Mircea Lucescu on the bench, the European Super Cup, performances unmatched in the history of Turkish football. After retiring from the pitch, he became a coach and founded the Viitorul (today Farul) Constanța club, with which he won the Romanian championship twice.

Commission – The plenum of Romania’s Parliament has unanimously decided to establish a special joint commission of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate to combat human trafficking. The aim of the initiative is to raise society’s awareness about the existence of human trafficking, and especially to adopt urgent measures to combat this scourge. The objectives of the Commission include analyzing the causes that favor human trafficking, including labor exploitation, sexual exploitation or trafficking of minors, as well as analyzing the activity of central and local public administration institutions and authorities in preventing, identifying, investigating and solving human trafficking. The commission will operate until the end of the current legislature, in 2028. According to the authorities, last year 610 victims of human trafficking were registered, and 152 people were convicted for involvement in this type of criminal act. (LS)

12 March 2025
Romanian recent award-winning film productions

Clara is a feature-length film directed by Sabin Dorohoi. A fresh production, with a strong impact, focusing on a major and necessary topic, Clara has been recently launched in theatres across the country. The film tells the story of millions of Romanians who have no choice other than go abroad to provide for their families at home, in a bid to help them have a better living standard.

The production has come out as an absolute first in Romanian film-making industry: it is the first feature-length film tackling the topic of migration from the standpoint of the social problem posed by the children that were left behind in Romania, to stay with their grandparents or with relatives.

The film tells the story of Clara, a teacher acting as a baby-sitter for the little girl of a family in Germany, also looking after their house, in much as the same way as millions of Romanian women support their folk at home working abroad. When her son, left in his grandfather’s care, disappears from home, in a childish attempt to reach his mother, Clara returns to her native village in Romania where she must face her failure as a mother and try to regain her son’s trust. Sabin Dorohoi.

“The topic of the film was born a long time ago. The idea of tackling this topic came to mind in 2012, or thereabouts, when migration turned intense and I could see the phenomenon was spreading, at that time, in northern Romania as well. Also, at that time I read in the press about the case of a little boy who committed suicide because he badly missed his parents. I found that piece of news terrible, it affected me so much and I thought I should make a film about that. And that is how the short reel titled The Danube Road premiered in 2013. Then I felt the need to develop the story of the Danube Road and that’s how the feature-length film’s screenplay was born, written by Ruxandra Ghițescu.”

„Clara” saw its world premiere in 2023, at the Cottbus International Film Festival, where it also scooped the public’s award. Awards and nominations followed, positive criticism and a warm welcoming from the regular pubic of international film festivals, such as the Kolkata International Film Festival India, South East European Film Festival Los Angeles, Internationales Donaufest Ulm/Neu-Ulm, Ceau Cinema of Timișoara, Romanian Film Evening and Bucharest International Film festival.

Here is one of the producers of “Clara”, Dan Burlac.

”It is a film posing an important problem. Yet in no way did we intend to push it, to sadden people with the story in Clara, or to make a film that could get people shed tears for nothing. We sought to focus upon a key problem, a problem that has become more and more important worldwide, and not only in Romania not only in Europe. Proof of that stands the reaction Clara triggered at its premiere in India, where almost 1,000 spectators, who attended the premiere, reacted with a lot of empathy and perceived this film as a personal experience.

That’s why I say Clara’s story is in no way linked to a certain place, it doesn’t depend on it, it is the story of all those who experience that condition and have no choice other that travel far from home, irrespective of their being from Latin America, Europe or India. I believe what’s most valuable about this film is the fact that it succeeded to remain sincere, honest, all along, and tackle a key issue with utmost attention. Since it is a key issue, we also wanted to trigger as many reactions as possible in a bid to find solutions to a problem that concerns us all.

Since the issue of migration also takes its toll on the society we build, here it’s all about the future generation that will build Romania. It is a problem that even concerns us all, parents, grandparents, children, it is an important problem for the entire community. It is not an issue touching one level alone, it touches, as I said, all layers in society. It is our problems.

After the gala launch in Bucharest, the film crew embarked upon a national caravan that included special screenings, where authors and actors sat down and talked to spectators, in Q&A sessions. At some of the screenings pedagogy and psychology experts took part as well, via a relevant partnership between the film crew and the Save the Children, and organization supporting the social debate “Clara “initiated, on the occasion of its launch in theatres. Sabin Dorohoi.

”At the screening we had in Timisoara, it was deeply touching, because I practically arrived at home. As you know, most of the actors hail from Timisoara and, broadly speaking, from Banat, save for Ovidiu Crisan, Clara’s father and Ionut’s grandfather in the film, who is from Cluj. In Timisoara, at the screening but also as part of the talks we had afterwards, the hall was packed with people, which made us very happy, while no less happy were we because of the spectators’ reactions and their otherwise very astute questions.

However, the most interesting questions, even disputes, constructive, interesting disputes and debates, were hosted by the city of Iasi. And that did not happen by accident, since Moldavia is worst-hit by migration in Romania. Like I said, that was reflected in the large number of viewers, but also in the talks, which were very interesting. “

The screenplay of the film was written Ruxandra Ghitescu, the director of photography was Lulu de Hillerin. The set design was signed by Anca Miron and Sonia Constantinescu. The editor was Mircea Lăcătuș, while the original movie soundtrack was written by Eduard Dabrowski. Lead role actors are Olga Török (Clara), Ovidiu Crișan (Nicolae), Luca Puia (Ionuț) and Elina Leitl (Johanna).

23 November 2024
October 26, 2024 UPDATE

NATURAL GAS Romania has become the EU’s largest natural gas producer, with an output of 2.3 billion cubic metres in Q2, the energy minister Sebastian Burduja announced. According to him, Romania has outperformed the Netherlands, which reported 2.2 billion cubic metres, and compared to last year Romania’s natural gas output was 1% higher. The energy minister also mentioned that during the same period Romanians benefited from the fourth-lowest gas price in Europe, according to Eurostat. As of 2027, Burduja added, Romania will practically double its gas output thanks to the deep-water natural gas drilled in the Black Sea. “We will see even better gas prices, we will attract even more investments in our economy and will help the entire region reduce its dependence on Russian gas,” he said.

MIDDLE EAST The European Union Saturday called on all parties to exercise utmost restraint to avoid an uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, after Israel’s retaliatory attack against Iran, AFP reports. “The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliations risks causing a further expansion of the regional conflict,” the EU warned. Gulf countries have condemned the recent Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets, and warned against possible ripple effects in the region. In turn, Washington called on Iran not to retaliate. Should Tehran choose to strike back, we will be prepared and there will be consequences, the US Administration said. Israel announced that its operations in Iran were over, after 3 rounds of attacks on military targets, particularly the defence system and arms production facilities. Iran says the strike was countered and that damages were limited. The international community had been anticipating this operation for about a month, as a response to Iran’s missile attack on October 1.

WINTER TIME Sunday is the longest day of the year in Romania, after switching to winter time on Saturday night, with clocks set one hour behind. The switch is aimed to save energy by aligning work hours with natural light hours. A public poll conducted by the European Commission a few years ago indicates that most Europeans are against the change. The EC considered eliminating the shift, but member states failed to agree on which of the times should be kept. A number of states have given up switches between winter and summer time, such as Mexico in 2022 and Turkey in 2016. Ukraine also decided that as of 2025 it will no longer switch to Daylight Saving Time.

AWARD The Romanian writer Ana Blandiana received the 2024 Princess of Asturias Award for Literature, in a ceremony hosted by Spain’s Royal Family at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, the Romanian Cultural Institute announced on Saturday. The jury presented the award to Ana Blandiana, whose work reflects profound knowledge of the Romanian spirit during a historic period of oppression, while establishing hope and defeat as the guidelines of her literary undertaking. Ana Blandiana, the first Romanian writer to receive the award, said this was a confirmation of how her books were received in Spain and the result of the many reviews they had received, because in Spain more than in other countries, poetry is in the spotlight. Ana Blandiana, also a Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Salamanca, saw as many as 11 of her books translated into Spanish. She has so far authored more than 30 works, translated into 25 languages, and has received many international awards.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep takes on seed no. 6 Yue Yuan (China), in the first round of the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong. Apart from Halep, a former world leader and a wildcard in the Hong Kong tournament, Romania is also represented in the competition by Ana Bogdan, set to face Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in the first round. (AMP)

26 October 2024
The Cerchez family of architects

We’re more likely to come across the name of Cerchez, in the history of Romanian architecture, than other names of architects. The name of Cerchez family of architects stems from three families of Armenian origin. Bearing this name were no less than five major architects. Not only were they artists, but also, hey were men of their times: the brothers Grigore P. Cerchez and Nicolae P. Cerchez, brothers Grigore G. Cerchez and Artaxerxe Cerchez and their fifth brother, Hristea Cerchez.

Speaking about the two pairs of brothers, here is professor with the Ion Mincu Architecture and Urbanism University and president of the Architects’ Union of Romania, Ileana Tureanu.

” Brothers Grigore and Nicolae Cerchez were born in mid-19th century, that is in 1850. They did their studies in France, in Paris, and founded the Society of Romanian Architects in 1891. In other words, they are some of the founding fathers of national architecture. Everybody mentions Grigore Cerchez’s name when they refer to the Palace of the Architecture School. Yet not everybody knows that Grigore P. Cerchez is Bucharest Municipality’s chief engineer over 1874 and 1879 and he is the one who drew up all the plans and took the entire action for the systematization of Dambovita River in Bucharest.

He is the author of the first systematization plan for the city of Bucharest, in 1833. So he came after he had schools built, he laid the foundation of a scientific and systematic development of the city of Bucharest. He became director of Romanian Post and in that capacity, he brought specialized architects in the field, such as Alexandru Clavel of France. He brought younger colleagues and friends and he had Romanian Post headquarters built in all of Romania’s major cities. Quite a few of Romanian Post buildings were built under his supervision. They are blueprint projects, projects that were tailored to this or that urban context. For the second half of the 19th century, we’re speaking about an urban vision in its own right.”

The first generation of the Cerchez brothers significantly involved in the modernization of Bucharest and in its transformation from a utterly oriental city into a city that was close to the European standards. Ileana Tureanu once again.

”In the field of monuments restoration, he is the one who created the Romanian scientific doctrine. ‘The principle that guided me’, he used to say, was to preserve the building just as I’d found it, consolidating it and restoring it, bringing it to the shape it had when it was built, disposing of all the parts that were unskilfully added. Against a backdrop when Andre Lecomte du Noüy’s principles were totally different regarding the historical monuments, Grigore Cerchez laid the foundation of restoration.

Grigore Cerchez’s brother was Nicolae P. Cerchez, a year younger, both born in Moldova, in Vaslui County, who was also a very important figure in the era. He went towards political involvement and social involvement. He was a deputy in Parliament, he was a senator, and he was able to help his brother complete the programs I mentioned. He was the vice-president of the Romanian Automobile Club at the beginning of the 20th century, and took care of public spaces. He was also an entrepreneur. At the Royal Palace he designed the exterior arrangements, he designed the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Agricultural Pavilion for the exhibition of 1906, a building that received awards.”

The second pair of Cerchez brothers was no less determined to continue the modernization. Another Gregory and his brother Artaxerxes wrote history. Ileana Tureanu:

“The second family was also Cerchez. We don’t have any data that they were related, but it was probably something. After 20 years, another Grigore Cerchez appears, Grigore G. Cerchez, also the brother of Arta Cerchez. The two brothers did not go to school in France, like the first ones, but in Germany, in Karlsruhe. Both one and the other, but especially Grigore G. Cerchez, were, in parallel with design and execution, involved in the public square, held public functions at City Hall, and were present in all major city development initiatives, starting with coordination of the 1906 exhibition in Carol Park. Grigore’s brother was Arta Cerchez, who made a less neo-Romanian architecture.

He started the Eforie Casino and the Movilă Casino in Techirghiol. It was a modern and powerful architecture. He also designed the racetrack. Arta Cerchez won the Sanitary Merit award, first class, for the buildings made in the Carmen Sylva resort. He was, in a way, an initiator of spa resorts.

He is the one who initiated the study for the history of Romanian architecture. He was extremely vehement. His articles in Architecture Magazine can be picked up and reread today, and are just as valid, powerful and incisive. And one of the reasons why Arta Cerchez considered that Romanian architecture was adrift is that the history of Romanian architecture is not known. And then, he made the decision to launch a national competition for the writing of the history of Romanian architecture, and he would pay the winner out of public money.”

The fifth Cerchez, Hristea or Cristofi, also left his mark on Bucharest, a representative building built by him being Vila Minovici, located in the north of the city.

12 October 2024
Niko Becker, Gopo Film Festival’s Young Hopeful

28Actor Niko Becker in 2024 scooped the Gopo Award in the Young Hopefuls category as part of the Gopo Film Festival, for Dumitru, his role in the film To the North, a film directed by Mihai Mincan.
Niko Becker began his career on stage at the German State Theatre in Timisoara. When he was 15 he featured in One Step behind the Seraphim, a production directed by Daniel Sandu.

In 2021, stage director Eugen Jebeleanu had Niko Becker on the cast for Treplev’s role as part Tchekhov’s Seagull, a stage production that would later be included in the I.L. Caragiale Bucharest National Theater’s repertory. Niko Becker also worked with director Carmen Lidia Vidu, in The Frail Feeling of Hope, playing the part of a youngster diagnosed with schizophrenia, equally fighting his mental condition and the social stigma. Since 2023, the young actor has become the youngest member of Bucharest-based Odeon Theater top-flight troupe. Niko was introduced to the public once with the premiere of An Open House, a stage performance directed by Teodora Petre.

Mihai Mincan’s first feature-length film, To the North, is based on a true story. The five-country European co-production tells the story of Joel, a religious Filipino sailor working on a transatlantic ship. Joel discovers Dumitru, a clandestine passenger hidden between the containers. The discovery of Dumitru puts Joel in an extreme situation that forces him to reconsider his bond with friends and faith. In director Mihai Mincan’s own words, ‘To the North is a film about fear, a film about the confidence in the other one, a film about the ability or inability to put your life in the hands of an unknown person, but also about our relationship with God.’

We sat down and spoke with Niko Becker about his passion for acting. We started off from his role in the psychological thriller, To the North, a production that scooped the Critics’ Award as part of the Venice Biennale, Bisato D’Oro, in the Best Film category. To The North is also included in the selection of major international film festivals.

“I perfectly got along with the team and by that I do not mean the actors alone. Since it was my debut in a lead role, I was somehow in a discomfort zone, I had many uncertainties. Concurrently, I set my own standards very high. As for the experience I had in theatre, that was helpful, obviously, yet film and theatre are different arts and things do not overlap perfectly. There is this specific difference, especially in the way it is materialized in the end, since the movie remains on the film. That puts a lot of pressure on you, as an actor, when you think that what you do on the set remains imprinted. And it is a little bit stressful, the fact that the way you act remains, whereas in theatre, even if you may have a bad evening, you have the opportunity to recreate the role. But like I said, there are always risks in theatre because we can have less inspired moments, you know.

I rarely get out satisfied after completing a performance, I always have the feeling that it could have been better, that I could have put up a better performance. And I believe it’s only natural to want each time more because if we want less, we limit ourselves and we can no longer make headway. And, coming back to the movie, if I know that the part I play – after a series of retakes – is being shot, I succeed in using my intuition and the other qualities. It seems to me that under the pressure of the moment, in a film I can achieve more.”

Nico Becker told us how he contoured, with help from director Mihai Mincan, the part of Dumitru, the stowaway on the ship where Joel, the Filipino, works in ‘To the North’.

“When I prepared the part, I focused on the separate elements the character was made of. I thought what it was like to feel all the things Dumitru himself felt, like hunger, cold, being scared by loud noises etc. And I was trying to express all that through my body by means of the techniques employed by actor Michael Chekhov, which were quite helpful. I also worked a lot on the character’s psychological background. Of course, the script helped me a lot as everything starts with the script, you know.

For me, it is essential to better understand the script, what it is all about, the circumstances, situations, the characters’ reasons and the conflict between them and the rest but also the conflict with themselves. I believe that in this way you can better understand the part you have to play, by finding out the conflict in the entire storyline and the sections making it. Having identified that, I complete the character by using my imagination and expertise.”

One of the latest parts played by Nico Becker is that of journalist Krzysztof Zalinski in “Disquiet”, by Ivan Vyrypaev, directed by Bobi Pricop. “Disquiet”, a performance in which Nico Becker has as partner the extraordinary Dorina Lazăr is, first and foremost, “a show about the relationship between art and life, creation and creator, between love, God and everything we are trying to give a sense to (by means of faith, art or love). Just like life itself, the theatre is and causes disquiet; actually, every one of us is a mixture of disquiet, which art in all its forms is trying and maybe even succeeding in unravelling” Bobi Pricop says.

28 September 2024
Sports flash

Romanian women’s handball team Gloria Bistritsa grabbed a 24-22 away win against Rapid Bucharest. The fixture counted as the derby of the National Women’s Handball League’s third round. Florentin Pera’ s trainees had the lead all throughout the game, so much so that in the first half Gloria Bistritsa were six goals clear of Rapid. Gloria Bistritsa’s top player was Brazilian goal keeper Renata Lais De Arruda, with 18 saves. Gloria’s most efficient scorer was another Brazilian, Tamires Morena, with 5 goals scored. Rapid’s top scorer was the French Aissatou Kouyaté, who scored 5 goals. Gloria is fresh from another great win they grabbed on Saturday in the Champions League, against CSM Bucharest. In the domestic championship, 2023 title holders, CSM, in Bucharest on Wednesday grabbed a 38-24 win against Magura Cisnadie.

In news from football, Emil Săndoi is Politehnica Iaşi’s newly-appointed head coach. Sandoi’s debut match is this coming Sunday’s fixture pitting Politehnica Iasi against Universitatea Craiova, the team where Emil Sandoi made a name for himself in domestic football. The match counts towards the Romanian Super League’s 9th round. The round’s debut fixtures on Friday will see Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe playing FC Botosani on home turf, while in Bucharest, in a match hosted by the Triumphal Arch Arena, Dinamo Bucharest faces Unirea Slobozia.

The Romanian athletes who in 2024 walked home with medals won in the Olympic and Paralympic games, on Wednesday were decorated by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. Among them, swimmer David Popovici and rowers Ancuţa Bodnar, Simona Radiş, Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache. A couple of sports officials and head coaches have also received distinctions. The many-time rowing champion and currently the president of the National Sports Agency, Elisabeta Lipa, was granted the Star of Romania Order in the rank of Grand Officer. The Olympic fencing champion in 2000, the President of the Olympic and Sports Committee, Mihai Covaliu, was granted the Star of Romania National Order in the rank of Knight.

12 September 2024
May 8, 2024 UPDATE

VISIT The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, was on an official visit to the US on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday he was received at the White House by his American counterpart Joe Biden. The talks focused on the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea area, as well as on strengthening security in the Euro-Atlantic area. Klaus Iohannis thanked for the substantial contribution of the United States to ensuring the security of Romania and the entire eastern flank of NATO, as well as for the recognition of the strategic role of the Black Sea in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In turn, Joe Biden expressed his special appreciation for the consistent efforts that Romania has been making for the benefit of the allied space and, at the same time, for the continuous support it gives to Ukraine. The issue of Romania’s admission to the Visa Waiver program was also addressed.

EUROPE DAY The National Parliament building in Bucharest is illuminated on Wednesday and Thursday, alongside many other landmarks in over 60 European cities, to mark 9 May, Europe Day, and the one-month countdown for the European Elections (6-9 June), the Romanian Chamber of Deputies announced. Every year, May 9 marks the anniversary of the historic ‘Schuman declaration’ that set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe. On May 9^th, 1950, the French foreign minister Robert Schuman proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community, whose members would pool coal and steel production, to prevent a new war between Europe’s nations. The declaration is regarded as the foundation of the European Union, which Romania joined in 2007.

DEFENCE The Romanian defence minister Angel Tîlvăr Wednesday received his Georgian counterpart Irakli Chikovani, who is on an official visit to Romania. During the talks, the two officials tackled regional security issues, in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the measures taken by Romania to ensure Black Sea traffic security, and the bilateral cooperation in the defence sector. The Romanian defence minister also assured his counterpart of Romania’s support for Georgia’s European accession efforts. In turn, Irakli Chikovani emphasised the importance of the EU’s monitoring mission (EUMM Georgia).

ISRAEL Romania’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies will convene next Tuesday in a special meeting devoted to the Day of Solidarity and Friendship between Romania and the state of Israel. The decision was made on Wednesday by the joint standing bureaus of the two parliamentary chambers. A law has recently taken effect, proclaiming May 14^th as the Day of Solidarity and Friendship between Romania and the state of Israel.

CRIMINALITY The Romanian police reports a decrease in the number of crimes registered this year during the Labor Day and Orthodox Easter break. The number of robberies, serious traffic accidents, as well as the number of the victims of such incidents dropped, said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior, Monica Dajbog. She also announced that law enforcement agencies would continue to focus on ensuring the smooth running of public events on Europe Day and Romania’s Independence Day, on May 9, as well as during the election campaign for the parliamentary and local elections, which starts on May 10.

OLYMPIC GAMES After several days of sea travel on board a boat from Greece, the Olympic flame Wednesday arrived in Marseille, in the south of France, where it was welcomed by approximately 150,000 people. The former Romanian fencer Ana-Maria Brânza, an Olympic champion in the team event and twice silver medalist in the individual event, is to carry the Olympic flame together with other athletes from the 27 EU countries. Lit on April 16 in the ancient Greek site of Olympia, the flame – a symbol of the Olympic Games – will cross all of France, passing through the Antilles and French Polynesia, to reach Paris on the day of the opening ceremony, July 26. The Summer Olympics will run until August 11.

RED CROSS Every year, around the world, World Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Day is marked on May 8 with local and international events and activities. They recognise the significant contribution of the movement to the provision of humanitarian aid, medical assistance and protection for those in need around the world. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was founded at the initiative of Henry Dunant (1828-1910), a Swiss businessman, after one of the bloodiest battles of the century, that of Solferino (Italy), where the Austrian and French armies clashed causing 40,000 victims. He understood the urgent need to organise medical services to provide neutral humanitarian assistance during wars. As such, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement aims to protect life and health, to prevent and alleviate human suffering without any discrimination based on nationality, race, religion, social class or political opinion. Currently, it provides vital assistance in armed conflicts, natural disasters and epidemics.

UKRAINE Russia Wednesday launched a new large-scale air attack against energy infrastructure in several parts of Ukraine, military and energy officials from Kyiv have announced. The Ukrainian army said that its air defence systems were involved in countering the attacks and intercepted the missiles launched towards Kyiv. Blasts were reported in the cities of Lviv and Zaporizhzhia. In another move, preparations are being made for the Global Peace Summit aimed at finding a solution to the war that has been going on for more than two years. The summit, to which Russia was not invited, will take place in Switzerland on June 15-16, and Ukraine hopes to garner broad support to persuade Moscow to agree to terms that Kyiv deems acceptable.

GAZA The Israeli army strengthened its air attacks on Gaza Strip, after taking control of the strategic crossing point to Egypt, Rafah. Meanwhile, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States convened in Cairo, in the presence of Israeli officials, to discuss a ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of the hostages captured by Hamas. An official for the Palestinian group told France Presse that it could be the last chance for Israel to recover the captives alive. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the recent proposals by Hamas to agree on a ceasefire do not come close to meeting Israeli demands, but Israel is participating in the negotiations. Tuesday marked seven months since Hamas attacked Israel. 1,200 Israelis died then and 250 were taken hostage, of which about 100 were released later. In response, Israel launched a large-scale offensive that practically destroyed Gaza and killed around 35,000 Palestinians. (AMP)

8 May 2024
May 2, 2024 UPDATE

HOLY THURSDAY Orthodox and Eastern-Catholic Christians in Romania celebrated Holy Thursday, which commemorates the Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. A mass devoted to the 12 Gospels was held during the evening, while the Lamentation at the Tomb, a unique religious service, will be held on Friday night. On Wednesday, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, conveyed a special Easter message, saying that the Resurrection of Christ is a celebration of the pious and merciful love of Christ, who overcame hatred, violence and death and gave people eternal life. This makes Easter a celebration of forgiveness, peace and joy, the Patriarch said, urging people to share the news of the Lord’s Resurrection with everyone around through good deeds, love and peace.

PUBLIC ORDER Over 150,000 Romanians will take part in hundreds of events around the country during Easter break. To ensure public order, the interior ministry has increased the number of staff on duty, including gendarmes, police and fire-fighters. The National Cyber Security Directorate also warns that on holidays people are less careful with e-commerce platforms and they may become victims of online scams.

YOUTH DAY Lawmakers will know their actions were well-inspired when young Romanians at home and abroad choose Romania to build their future, the PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Youth Day. We must provide everyone with equal opportunities and development prospects, including at institutional level, the PM added. Marcel Ciolacu says he believes in young people, with whom he has been in constant dialogue since taking office, via representative associations or through government internship programmes, aimed at familiarising young people with decision-making processes at the level of the Romanian government and subordinated institutions.

AWARD Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, has been designated as one of the recipients of the 2024 Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Awards, which will be handed in a special gala held on May 8 in Washington. The Romanian president will be honoured for his remarkable career, exemplary leadership of Romania, and his transatlantic and European leadership role. The other recipients of the award are the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher G. Cavoli, and the Academy Award-winning actress and producer Michelle Yeoh. Each year, the Distinguished Leadership Awards brings together more than six hundred policy, business, military, artistic, and civil-society leaders to celebrate individuals, including policy leaders, business executives, military staff and artistic and humanitarian champions. Past recipients include the US presidents George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and then-Vice President Joe Biden, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the current and former International Monetary Fund managing directors Kristalina Georgieva and Christine Lagarde. Set up in 1961, the Atlantic Council is a non-profit organisation whose staff must observe high standards of personal and professional integrity, openness and honesty in communications and interactions with one another as well as with other organisations, government officials, the media and the public.

TRANSPLANT Two Romanians have a chance for a new life after having received organs from a Bulgarian donor on Thursday. According to the National Transplant Agency, the organs were sent to Romania because there were no compatible beneficiaries in Bulgaria, and the 2 countries have a cooperation protocol in this field. The surgeries were performed in Iaşi (eastern Romania), and the 2 patients’ condition is good.

GAZA The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on the Palestinian organisation Hamas to accept a truce in Gaza, reiterating the United States’ opposition towards an Israeli offensive on Rafah (south). During his 7th mission to the Middle East since the conflict broke out, Antony Blinken visited Israel, expressing determination to reach a consensus “right now” to free the hostages held by Hamas for the last seven months. The US official met with a number of Israeli officials, including the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Israel, Antony Blinken argued that, while Washington firmly supports Israel’s right to self-defence, it opposes the idea of an all-out attack on Rafah, insisting on continuing to expand humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian population in Gaza. (AMP, VP)

2 May 2024
Maia Sandu, awarded for promoting European values

The
president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, Saturday received the ‘Timişoara
Award for European Values, established this year by the authorities of the
2023 European Capital of Culture to honour personalities who champion or uphold
European values within and outside the Union.

I
accept this prize, Maia Sandu said at the award ceremony, as a vote of
confidence in Moldova’s and its citizens’ capacity to see through their fight
for freedom. She also thanked Romania for its unwavering support, and said she
wanted for her country the prosperity enjoyed by the other EU member states.

Maia
Sandu: I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise the gratitude and high
appreciation for the support we have received from Romania, an unconditional,
brotherly support for which we will always be grateful. What we see here in Timişoara,
what we see in the European Union’s cities, is what we want for the Republic of
Moldova as well. Let the living standards I see in your city, the freedom of
thought and of speech, the European values become undefeatable, here and in the
Republic of Moldova.

The
Moldovan official also highlighted that the eastward enlargement of the EU has
been a large-scale historical reparation, which will not be complete as long as
countries like Moldova and Ukraine are left outside the bloc. The nations that
choose freedom, she argued, belong together with the states and peoples of the
free world, and not in a grey area, subject to constant threats to their
sovereignty and independence.

We all know that in the Republic of Moldova such
threats, be they direct or via disloyal agents, oligarchs willing to sell out
their fellow countrymen without shame, will not disappear, but rather they will
strengthen unless we break our harmful ties with the past. But we are not
afraid and we are not wavering. Over the past few years, we have managed to end
our dependence on Russian natural gas, we have redirected our exports to new
markets, we have been building and restoring bridges and roads connecting us to
the EU. The Republic of Moldova is no longer at the service of Kremlin;
instead, it is taking its fate in its own hands and stepping resolutely on the
path of European integration, Moldova’s president added.

She
also said that this has been acknowledged by the EU member countries in
December 2023, when they decided that Moldova and Ukraine deserve to start
accession negotiations.

In
these troubled times, Maia Sandu is not only a strong leader for her nation,
but a role model for millions of Europeans outside Moldova as well, the Mayor
of Timişoara Dominic Fritz emphasised. According to him, Maia Sandu believed in
Moldova’s European aspirations when many were dismissing them as utopian and, with
unbelievable effort and courage, she is fighting resolutely to shape a European
future for Moldova. (AMP)

15 January 2024
December 20, 2023 UPDATE

BUDGET Romania’s Parliament Wednesday endorsed the 2024 state budget
and social security budget bills, backed by the parliamentary majority made up
of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party. Next year,
Romania’s budget will focus on investments of roughly 7% of GDP and a 3.4%
economic growth rate, while the estimated budget deficit is 5% of GDP. According
to PM Marcel Ciolacu, the 2024 budget is aimed at development and equity, is based
on investment and secures the required funding for the promised pension and
salary increases. The opposition on the other hand argues that the budget is
built on unrealistic estimates which will fail to ensure economic development.

EVASION The Romanian Chamber of Deputies passed new measures to curb
tax evasion. Failure to withhold taxes and charges, submitting accounting
documents for fictitious expenses, keeping double accounting records or the use
of cash registers that are not connected to the National Information Control
System will be considered offences. Punishments, which range from one to ten
years in prison, are harsher for repeat offenders.

TIMIŞOARA The western Romanian city of Timişoara Wednesday marked 34
years since it declared itself the first city free of communism in Romania. To
celebrate the victory against communism, several events took place, including
short film and documentary screenings, and a marathon tour at the Brâncuşi
exhibition at the Art Museum. 34 years ago, after the repression of the
uprising that started on December 17, big factory workers went on strike and
gathered in the centre of the city. In front of the crowd, the army withdrew to
the barracks, the people arrested were released and the Romanian Democratic
Front was established. From Timisoara, the people’s uprising against the regime
led by the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu spread to several other cities in the
country. Over 1,000 people lost their lives and around 3,000 were injured in
the events.

AWARD The president
of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, was awarded on Wednesday the Timişoara
for European values prize. The award and the EUR 30,000 prize will be handed
to her on January 12-13. According to Timişoara’s Mayor Dominic Fritz, in
selecting Maia Sandu as the recipient of this prize, the jury appreciated her
clear stand on Moldova’s integrity, and her determination in pursuing the goal
of Moldova’s European integration.

MIGRATION MEPs and
the representatives of EU member states have reached an agreement on a
comprehensive approach to the Union’s migration and asylum policies, one of the
most toxic political topics facing the bloc in recent years. The document is
aimed at standardising and stepping up migrant verification procedures at the
EU’s external borders, a solidarity mechanism and the repatriation of the
migrants ineligible for the refugee status. (AMP)

20 December 2023
Awards for outstanding performances in education

Proficiency in the
education system is vital for the development of Romania, the PM Marcel Ciolacu
said at the annual award gala for international Olympiad winners. In his
opinion, a truly educated Romania cannot be achieved instantly, particularly
since every education minister in the past 30 years tried to introduce their
own outlook and sought to restructure the system fundamentally.

The PM said that many of
the changes made in the past were not preceded by thorough assessments, which
contributed to declines in the quality of education. He told the participants
in the event that next year, public education will have a 61% higher budget
than at present.

On the other hand, the PM
also believes the performance of the teaching staff must be encouraged:

Marcel Ciolacu: Apart from school
buildings and equipment, more attention needs to be paid to evaluating and
incentivising the teaching staff. Reality shows that we need performance
criteria in the education system. an involved, responsible teacher must be paid
more for their work. I have already spoken to Minister Ligia Deca about having
talks with the professionals in the ministry and identifying solutions in this
respect.

I hope the unprecedented
50% average pay raise in the public education sector within a year will attract
growing numbers of young professionals towards a teaching career, the education
minister Ligia
Deca said in her turn.

At the annual gala, as
many as 138 students were awarded, who won 164 prizes, medals and honourable
mentions at international and regional competitions in various academic
subjects. Also awarded were their teachers and their schools. Romanian students won the
maximum achievable score in 6 such competitions, as well as 51 gold medals, 55 silver medals, 30 bronze
medals, and 22 honourable mentions in international academic events.

The total award funds earmarked this year
by the education ministry was around EUR 785,000. The awards amounted
to EUR 4,000 for a maximum achievable score, EUR 3,000 for a gold medal, some EUR
2,500 for a silver medal and around EUR 2,000 for a bronze medal. Honourable
mentions were also awarded around EUR 700.

A
teacher received an incentive amounting to the highest award paid to any of
their students, while the school attended by the student in question received an amount equal to the
one granted to each winning student. In this case, the money must be spent primarily
on school equipment relevant for the subjects in which the prizes have been
received. (AMP)

13 December 2023
Nightpractice, the recipient of the Best Romanian short film Award as part of the ANONIMUL 2023

The Audience award for the Best Short film as part of
the ANONIMUL 2023 International Independent Film Festival went to Nightpractice,
a production by Bogdan Alecsandru. Initially, more than 100 films were entered the
short film competition. For the final competition, film critic Ionut Mares selected
12 productions, most of which being signed by well-established names in the
Romanian filmmaking industry. The production by Bogdan Alecsandru was also shortlisted
for the Romanian Film Days competition as part of TIFF (Transylvania International
Film Festival) with the selection including some of the best Romanian recent
films.

Bogdan Alecsandru has recently earned his Master’s in Film
directing with the I.L Caragiale National Film and Drama University in Bucharest.
He participated for the second time around in the Anonimul’s short film
competition. In 2022 he was in Sfântu Gheorghe, the locality hosting the
festival each year, with his first short film, Our House.

We sat down and spoke
to Bogdan Alecsandru about the topic of his film and about the reactions of the
audience of Anonimul.

I have
taken part in Anonimul for the 2nd year in a row, in the short film
competition, and it is also the 2nd year when the festival as such
is very special and very specific. I met people who booked their tickets months
in advance, so they can take part in the festival, whose venue we all know is in
a rather isolated place. There isn’t very much to do in Sfântu Gheorghe and it
is extraordinary, people gathering there to watch movies, hence the very special
atmosphere. I also turned up with my film and I was so happy I got there. For
me, it is very important to get in touch with the audience we have, a very
special and extremely dedicated audience. Actually, this award, the audience’s
award goes to the young filmmakers through voting, physically, as well as
online, and, for me, that is a formative experience, I daresay. As part of the
festival, every short
film enjoys two screenings. One of them also has a Q & A section and that is
actually the only time when you sit before your audience and have a direct
interaction with them. The reactions seemed quite enthusiastic, to me, and I
was happy about it as I wanted to make a short film meant to be quite audience-friendly,
with horror- like elements, even with thriller elements, I daresay, in the most
common acceptance of the word. That is why I expected my film to enjoy
appreciation, yet I did not expect this award. Because, even if it is rather a pop
film, rather audience-oriented, it has nonetheless a quite sensitive topic, for
Romania, the relation between two people of the same sex.

Bogdan Alecsandru expressed
his interest mainly in queer cinema, which in Romania can still be viewed as
some sort of niche cinema. Besides, he takes his time to make his debut with a
feature film as, for the time being, he is passionate about the short genre which
he considers he did not explore enough.

In Romania,
queer cinema is rather scarcely represented, we’re speaking about films telling
stories focusing on same-sex relations. Notwithstanding, this kind of cinema had
been tackled before, yet the first Romanian queer film had a tardier release,
in 2006, when Tudor Giurgiu made Love Sick. I believe there are very many
stories of this kind, untold, or which did not enjoy the opportunity of being
told, until recently, and I am interested to make the topic known to the audiences,
to that effect. Right now I am interested in this area of the short film, which
can definitely be viewed as an exercise or as some sort of practice. Yet I view the short film as a
genre n itself, a very precious one, so in the coming years, at least, I intend
to explore its specificity. Which means I avoid making short films that rather look
like a beginning or a demo for a feature film. And that, for the time being, at
least. Later on, I do not know what I will do as I am still quite young and I
change my focus rather fast. Now, speaking about Romanian cinema, it seems to
be it has seen auspicious moments for some time now and, when at Anonimul, I
was really happy to find myself included in a selection mostly made of women
filmmakers. Many of those women filmmakers are friends of mine and I am happy
for their career. I also find it a good thing, the fact that commercial films
are on the rise, the fact that this is a growing phenomenon. What I have in mind
are such films as Teambuilding, whose box office in theatres was rather high, which
doesn’t happen very often in the case of Romanian movies. I find that a good
thing also because this genre could change Romanians’ perspective on Romanian
cinema a little bit, but, obviously, that
is a good thing also from a commercial perspective. I think a functional
filmmaking industry should have both film genres, the art and the commercial
films .

On the cast for Nightpractice
are Andrei Giurgea, Tiberius Zavelea, Gabriel Spahiu, Marc Titieni, Rareș
Ularu, Horațiu Băcilă, Vlad Tudoran, Robi Brage, Antonio-Daniel Petrica.

30 September 2023
June 3, 2023 UPDATE

Visit – King Charles III of Great Britain is in Romania, on his first trip abroad since the coronation that took place less than a month ago. His five-day visit is private, and the meeting he had with President Klaus Iohannis on Friday was a gesture of courtesy. After the meeting with the head of the Romanian state, the British sovereign confessed that he always felt at home in Romania, which he called, in Romanian, “land of glory, land of longing”, quoting from the poem of Romania’s national poet Mihai Eminescu “What I wish for you, sweet Romania!. President Klaus Iohannis thanked the British sovereign for his involvement in protecting values related to the national identity and emphasized that the Charitable Foundation of King Charles III opened the possibility of rediscovering the Romanian village. It is the first time that a British monarch visits Romania. On Friday evening, the king arrived at his residence in the village of Valea Zălanului (central Romania), where he will spend a few days of vacation. As a Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998 and declared himself an admirer of the country. He got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross.

Turkey — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu participated on Saturday, in Ankara, in the investiture ceremony of the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was re-elected on May 28 this year. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, was among the officials attending the event. According to a NATO press release, Jens Stoltenberg will try, during the two days he will stay in Ankara, to convince Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop opposing Swedens accession to NATO. Ankara has not yet ratified this countrys entry into the Alliance in its Parliament, so only Finland was accepted in the spring. Turkeys claims concern Swedens treatment of entities or persons considered by Ankara to be terrorists. On June 1, however, a new legislation regarding the fight against terrorism entered into force in Sweden, and it includes the elements requested by Turkey. The Hungarian Parliament has not ratified Swedens accession either, but the political world is sure that Budapests ratification will come immediately after Ankaras decision.

Award — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis received, on Saturday, the German Civic Award, granted by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation, in Dusseldorf, Germany. In the thank-you speech delivered in German, Klaus Iohannis recalled the efforts made by Romania to contribute to securing the EU borders. Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romanias support for the European values, which gives legitimacy to the citizens desire to benefit from integration into the Schengen Area. He reminded that Romania fully meets the criteria for integration, managing the external borders with responsibility and efficiency. The foundation decided to award the prize based on the evaluation of the entire political career of the Romanian president, emphasizing the support of the harmonious coexistence of different ethnicities, the commitment to freedom, democracy and pluralism, the restoration and modernization of his hometown Sibiu (the center of Romania), the support for the anti-corruption fight and the attachment to the idea of a united Europe. On Sunday, Klaus Iohannis will receive, in Frankfurt am Main, the Franz Werfel prize for human rights, offered by the Center against Expulsions. The granting of this award represents the recognition of his activity in the field of promoting human rights and good coexistence between ethnic groups, throughout his political career.

Timisoara — This years edition of the Romanian Chamber Orchestra Tour began on Saturday, in Timișoara, the European Capital of Culture 2023. Now in its fifth edition, the current tour has the most extensive formula so far – over 50 musicians performing on the worlds great stages will reunite under the baton of Timișoara-born conductor Cristian Măcelaru. “It is a project in which we bring as many Romanians from outside Romania as possible, who want to return and contribute to the cultural life in Romania. Because in all the orchestras in Europe and in America there are Romanians of extraordinary quality, and this orchestra – the Romanian Chamber Orchestra – that was formed is, indeed, a dear project and every time the tour was held in Timişoara. That was my wish”, said the conductor Cristian Măcelaru. Tonights concert program includes works by Mozart, Schubert and Ligeti, the soloist being the clarinetist Carlos Ferreira.

Agriculture — In the last year, Romania was the second largest exporter of wheat to the EU, after France, being followed by Germany and Poland. Eurostat data shows that from July 1, 2022, Romania exported almost 4 million tons of wheat, but European data also shows an increase of over 200% in EU wheat imports. Spain is the largest European importer of wheat, more than 3 million tons, followed by Romania with over 890,000 tons. Data centralized by Eurostat also show that in the last year Romania exported more than half of the total amount of corn sold for export by the EU – 1.64 tons out of a total of almost 3 million tons. According to the provisional data announced by the National Institute of Statistics in Bucharest, Romania, which is the largest exporter of corn in the Union, obtained a grain corn production of 8.2 million tons last year, while in 2021 the harvest of grain corn was almost 15 million tons.

Accident – The death toll of the three-train crash in eastern India is hundreds of dead, and the authorities say that the number of victims will increase. Hundreds more people are injured in the worst train accident in India this century. Two passenger trains collided, and a goods train stationed in the area was also involved in the accident. India has seen many railway accidents over time, but safety on the railways has improved significantly in recent years due to massive new investments and technological upgrades.

Paris – The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse qualified, on Saturday, to the round of 16 of the womens doubles in the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, in which she pairs with the Ukrainian Marta Kostiuk. In the second round of the Parisian competition on clay court, the two defeated, in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, the pair made up of the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and the American Shelby Rogers. In the round of 16, Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk will face the winners of the match between Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)/Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) and 2nd seeds CoCo Gauff/Jessica Pegula (USA). (LS)

3 June 2023
May 12, 2023 UPDATE

GOVERNMENT The Government of Romania passed an emergency
order on rebalancing the state budget, in a special meeting on Friday, the
finance minister Adrian Câciu announced. He outlined the key measures in the plan, including a 10% reduction on
expenditure with products and services, except for expenses in public
healthcare and education, and a ban on procuring, leasing and rentals of automobiles
and office equipment in public institutions. One exception is the car scrapping
programme for the public authorities purchasing non-polluting vehicles. The
programme is designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport
sector, by encouraging the use of eco-friendly vehicles. The
finance minister also announced that the number of advisers to officials in
central administration structures, currently standing at around 900, will be
reduced by one-half following the implementation of the emergency order aimed
at making public spending more efficient.

INFLATION In Romania,
the year-on-year inflation rate dropped significantly in April, to 11.23% compared
to nearly 15% in March. While this does not mean that products and services are
growing cheaper, the rise in prices has nonetheless slowed down. According to
data released by the National Statistics Institute on Friday, there are
products that were more affordable in April than in March, including sunflower
oil. Also on Friday, the National Bank confirmed that this downward trend in
consumer price increase will continue. But the central bank governor Mugur
Isărescu also warned those who have or are planning to take out loans in
foreign currencies, and said that interest rates for the euro and US dollar
will increase further. The National Bank forecasts a 7.1% inflation rate for
the end of this year, as against 7% announced previously, and a 4.2% rate for
the end of next year. Mugur Isărescu added that prices for fruit and vegetables
will likely continue to go up for another 2 months, as the yield will be
affected by the weather conditions in Europe, the drought in Spain and the
aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey.

ENERGY The Polytechnic University in Bucharest officially launched
the first NuScale Energy Exploration (E2) Centre outside the United States on
Friday. The centre hosts a simulator of the NuScale Power’s VOYGR™ small
modular reactor (SMR) power plant control room, and will educate and train the
next generation of nuclear engineers to operate advanced civil nuclear reactor
technologies while establishing Romania as a regional educational and training
hub for the next stage of civil nuclear deployments across Romania and Europe,
reads a news release issued by the US Embassy in Bucharest.

MUSEUMS
The National Network of Romanian Museums has announced an absolute record
number of cultural events enlisted as part of the Night of Museums – 297 in
Romania and 14 in the Republic of Moldova. Bucharest will host around 60 events
proposed by museums, art galleries, cultural centres, opera houses, choirs,
palaces, institutes, high schools and music festivals. The special guest of the
current edition is the War Childhood Museum, for the first time in Romania. The
exhibition, entitled Listen, is hosted by the Romanian Peasant Museum. Access
is free of charge.

AWARD – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will receive the Franz
Werfel Human Rights Award granted by the German Centre against Expulsions, DPA
reports. Aged 63, Iohannis will become the 11th winner of this award, granted
to him for his tireless and multilateral commitment to defending human rights
and minority rights in Romania and Europe. The award, granted every two years,
comes along with a money prize of 10,000 euros. Among the previous laureates
are former German president Joachim Gauck, the winner of Nobel prize in
Literature, Herta Muller and historian Karl Schlögel. The prize will be awarded
during a ceremony held on June 4 in Frankfurt, Germany, when a congratulatory
speech will delivered by former European Commission President Jean Claude
Juncker.

YOUTH Over 1,400 Romanian 18-year olds are among the 35,000 beneficiaries
of free EU travel passes granted this year under the Discover EU programme. In
order to find out more about the culture and history of the EU and to come in
touch with people across the continent, the beneficiaries will be able to
travel by train, individually or in groups of up to 5 people, between June 2023
and September 2024. The current round of the programme saw more than 145,000 applicants
from EU member states and Erasmus Plus countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey). (AMP)

12 May 2023
December 16, 2022

SCHENGEN
The losses incurred by Romania for the rejection of its Schengen accession bid
are over EUR 25 bln, says the Romanian interior minister Lucian Bode. For 11 years
we have been securing Schengen’s border, investing in human resources,
capabilities and modern technologies. The losses incurred by Romania during all
this time, since it has fulfilled the criteria but has not benefited from the
related rights, are immeasurable, Mr. Bode said at a meeting of EU gendarme
chiefs. The topic of Romania’s Schengen accession and of the negative vote
given by Austria in the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting last week was
also raised by president Klaus Iohannis at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
Senior European officials conveyed a message of support for Romania’s and
Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. The EC president Ursula von der Leyen and the
Council president Charles Michel said further discussions would be held on this
topic and progress was expected in the following months.

FUNDING The
Romanian ministry for EU funding and investments has submitted to the EC the
second payment request, amounting to EUR 3.228 bln, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The 3rd payment request, amounting to EUR 3.1 bln, is to be submitted
to the Commission next spring. Romania benefits from over EUR 29 bln for the
implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, including grants
of up to EUR 14.24 bln and loans of nearly EUR 15 bln. The country has already
cashed in 2 pre-financing instalments totaling EUR 3.79 bln.

EU The president of
the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will attend in Bucharest on
Saturday the signing of an agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Romania and Hungary concerning the Strategic Partnership in the
development and transport of green energy. The agreement will be signed by the
president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the PM of Georgia
Irakli Garibashvili, the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă, and the PM of Hungary
Viktor Orban. According to the Romanian Presidency, the document is based on
the interests of the 4 states concerning a strengthened national and regional
energy security. The agreement will provide a financial and technical framework
for the construction of an underwater renewable energy transport cable between
Romania and Azerbaijan, via Georgia and the Black Sea, and further on for the
transport of this energy to Hungary and the rest of Europe.

INFLATION The EU
annual inflation rate dropped from 11.5% in October to 11.1% in November, but in
8 member countries the rate rose from one month to the other, including in
Romania, where it went from 13.5% to 14.6%, Eurostat announced on Friday. In November,
the EU member states with the highest inflation rates were Hungary, Latvia, Estonia
and Lithuania. At the opposite pole, the lowest inflation rates were reported
in Spain, France and Malta.

PROTEST Hundreds
of employees in the Romanian public education system are today picketing
prefect offices in several counties, primarily demanding the full
implementation of a law concerning their incomes. Education unions say the net
salaries for this category are up to EUR 440 and warn that 2023 will bring a
new series of union actions unless the government solves the problems in this
sector. The trade unions also criticise the government’s failure to pay for
overtime and travel expenses and to adjust revenues to the inflation rate.

TIMISOARA Romania
commemorates today 33 years since the start of the anti-communist uprising in Timişoara,
western Romania. The anniversary is marked by a traditional solemn meeting of
the Local Council. The participants, including members of revolutionary
associations, discuss the events of December ’89 and observe a moment of
silence to honour those who died during those days. Exhibitions, film
screenings, round tables, a concert entitled Folk for the Revolution as well
marches are also organised on this occasion. 33 years ago, in Timişoara, a
solidarity rally for the Reformed pastor Laszlo Tokes grew into an uprising
that spread across the country and led to the fall of the communist regime.

RESCUERS Romanian
mountain rescuers were awarded in Paris at the International Rescuers Congress,
attended by relevant institutions, associations and research institutes from
over 60 countries in the world. Salvamont Romania was acknowledged as one of
the best drone-assisted search and rescue services, and the distinction was
received for the Data Analysis Centre in Târgu Jiu. The centre uses special software
and drones for victim identification. (AMP)

16 December 2022