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Tag: Barack Obama

  • Barack Obama delivers farewell address

    Barack Obama delivers farewell address

    Considered, for
    the last eight years, the most powerful man on the planet, Barack Obama last
    night delivered his farewell speech as acting president. Commentators have
    noted the spectacular setting for his address. Gathered in the centre of
    Chicago, where the president’s children were born and where he began his
    journey to the White House, 20,000 people listened to the president.




    A leit-motif of
    his rhetoric, ordinary Americans were again celebrated by the president as a
    driving force of change and guarantors of democracy. According to a poll
    published right before his speech, 55% of Americans approve of the president’s
    actions as head of state and only 39% say they are disappointed with his two
    terms in office. The president himself said America is a better, stronger place than it was eight years
    ago. He called, however, on his fellow Americans to defend their democracy,
    which he sees as being threatened by economic inequality, racial division and
    the isolation of certain sections of society. Ignoring these problems would be
    to betray both future generations and America’s founders, Obama warned.




    As far as his foreign policy
    legacy is concerned, commentators are divided. They all hail, however, the
    elimination of the Al-Qaida leader Ossama Bin Laden by an American commando,
    maintaining solid links with the country’s allies in Europe and opening the
    country to the Asia-Pacific area. On the other hand, analysts note that it was
    during Obama’s presidency that a vengeful Russia dared, for the first time
    since the end of the Cold War, re-annex foreign territory, the Ukrainian Crimean
    Peninsula. Moreover, the illusion of the entire West, including Washington,
    with regard to the democratic future of the so-called Arab spring in fact
    transformed the Middle East and North Africa into an inferno. In Libya, Yemen,
    Iraq and Tunisia, abusive and corrupt, albeit secular and relatively stable,
    regimes were replaced by chaos, fertile ground for the emergence of jihadist
    groups, with millions of people trying to escape forcing Europe’s land and
    maritime borders. Commentators also say that Obama has alienated Israel,
    America’s most consistent regional ally and the region’s only functional
    democracy.




    America’s first black president
    thus leaves his successor, the controversial magnate Donald Trump, with a lot
    of hot files. Already made vulnerable by scandals both during the election
    campaign and after winning the presidential race, Trump will be sworn in on the
    20th of January at a time when only one third of Americans approve
    of his actions, according to opinion polls.

  • November 16, 2016 UPDATE

    November 16, 2016 UPDATE

    ARREST — The former head of the Permanent Electoral Authority in Romania, Ana Maria Patru, on Wednesday was taken into custody, pending trial, in a file in which she is accused of influence peddling and money laundering. According to the anti-corruption prosecutors, she allegedly demanded and received over 200,000 euros in bribe, in exchange for implementing IT procurement contracts with a particular company, and tried to conceal the source of the money by setting up a fictitious circuit. Ana Maria Patru announced her resignation as head of the Permanent Electoral Authority.



    VERDICT — The ex-MEP Adrian Severin on Wednesday was sentenced to four-year imprisonment, in a final ruling issued by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest. Anti-corruption prosecutors requested penalties of 6 and a half years for bribe taking and 5 years for influence peddling. Adrian Severin was accused of having accepted the 100,000 euros per year promised by two journalists from “The Sunday Times”, who were running an undercover investigation, in exchange for submitting amendments in the specialised committees of the European Parliament. Two other MEPs, from Slovenia and Austria, also accepted to sell their services to The Sunday Times journalists. Unlike Adrian Severin, they resigned following this corruption scandal.



    ECONOMY – In Romania, the hard-won macroeconomic balance must be preserved, the governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isarescu warned once again. The central bank official says that in spite of Romania’s economic growth, encouraging demand and consumption has created jobs in other countries rather than in Romania, given that the demand has been primarily met by imports, which are going up at a much faster rate than exports. Financial-banking analysts estimate that Romania needs a 5% annual growth rate for a long period if it is to recover its development delays compared to Western Europe.



    DIPLOMACY — US acting president, Democrat Barack Obama, on Wednesday reiterated the United States’ commitments to its European allies, amidst fears that his successor, right-wing populist Donald Trump, is a threat to democracy, international news agencies report. In a speech delivered in Athens, President Barack Obama said he and President-elect Donald Trump “could not be more different” but he added that American democracy is bigger than any one person. He also said that now, more than ever, the world needs a democratic Europe. In the following days, Obama will meet German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president, Francois Hollande, and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Italy, Theresa May and Matteo Renzi, respectively. Afterwards, Obama will travel to Peru, to attend the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Summit. His successor at the White House, Donald Trump, will take over his mandate on January 20, 2017.



    INVESTIGATION — Romania’s technocratic PM, Dacian Ciolos, on Wednesday sacked state secretary Adrian Sanda, the head of the Secretariat for recognising the merits of the fighters against the communist regime, in the 1945-1989 period. Also on Wednesday, prosecutors and police conducted more than 20 house searches in several counties in Romania, in a case concerning the status of fighter with a determining role in the 1989 Revolution. The investigation is conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, and targets offences like aggravated abuse of office, influence peddling, and forgery of private documents. According to official statistics, in the December 1989 anti-communist revolution, 1,100 people died and over 3,000 were wounded.



    SURVEY – 29% of the Romanian household owners choose to give bribe in order to have easier access to public services, this being the highest percentage registered in the whole of the EU, a report issued by Transparency International shows. According to the survey, young people in Romania are mainly requesting a social organisation of the public and business environments, so that access to services and careers no longer be conditioned by the existence of a mechanism of relations. In another move, the report also underlines that public institutions and private companies do not generate a real integrity environment. Civil society in Romania should move on to a new type of approach, in order to enjoy the support of the public at large in the fight against corruption, the report also shows.



    BOOK FAIR — Bucharest is hosting until Sunday the 23rd Gaudeamus International Book and Education Fair, the longest-lived and most dynamic book fair in Romania, organised by Radio Romania. The highlights of this year’s fair include events devoted to the Romanian film industry, attended by the directors Cristian Mungiu and Radu Jude, and some of the most recent international releases launched in their Romanian version. This year’s guest of honour is China. During its 96 editions in various Romanian cities in 20 years of existence, the fair has brought together more than 2,600,000 visitors and some 10,500 special events. (Translated by D. Vijeu)



  • November 16, 2016

    November 16, 2016

    HEARING – The president of the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania, Ana Maria Pătru, is to be heard by judges today, after the National Anti-Corruption Directorate requested her arrest pending trial. She was detained last night under charges of influence peddling and money laundering. Pǎtru allegedly demanded and received over 200,000 euros in bribe in exchange for implementing IT procurement contracts with a particular company, and tried to conceal the source of the money by setting up a fictitious circuit. Ana Maria Pătru announced her resignation as head of the Permanent Electoral Authority.




    CORRUPTION – The ex-MEP Adrian Severin is to find out today whether he must serve a harsher sentence instead of the three and a half year imprisonment ruling initially passed against him. Anti-corruption prosecutors requested penalties of 6 and a half years for bribe taking and 5 years for influence peddling. Adrian Severin is accused of having accepted the 100,000 euros per year promised by two journalists from The Sunday Times, who were running an undercover investigation, in exchange for submitting amendments in the specialised committees of the European Parliament. Two other MEPs, from Slovenia and Austria, also accepted to sell their services to The Sunday Times journalists. Unlike Adrian Severin, they resigned following this corruption scandal.




    ECONOMY – In Romania, the hard-won macroeconomic balance must be preserved, the governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isărescu warned once again. The central bank official says that in spite of Romanias economic growth, encouraging demand and consumption has created jobs in other countries rather than in Romania, given that the demand has been primarily met by imports, which are going up at a much faster rate than exports. Financial-banking analysts estimate that Romania needs a 5% annual growth rate for a long period if it is to recover its development delays compared to Western Europe.




    BOOK FAIR – Bucharest is hosting until Sunday the 23rd Gaudeamus International Book and Education Fair, the longest-lived and most dynamic book fair in Romania, organised by Radio Romania. The highlights of this years fair include events devoted to the Romanian film industry, attended by the directors Cristian Mungiu and Radu Jude, and some of the most recent international releases launched in their Romanian version. This years guest of honour is China. During its 96 editions in various Romanian cities in 20 years of existence, the fair has brought together more than 2,600,000 visitors and some 10,500 special events.




    US PRESIDENT – The US President Barack Obama will give a speech in Athens today on his views on democracy. Yesterday, during a meeting with his Greek counterpart, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Obama pleaded for a strong, united and thriving Europe. Greece is the first destination in the last foreign trip made by Obama as President of the USA. In Europe, Obama will have meetings with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the President of France, Francois Hollande and the Prime Ministers of UK and Italy. He will then travel to Peru, to attend the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Summit. The outgoing White House leader intends to reassure his European allies of the future of the trans-Atlantic relations, amid concerns triggered by the intentions of his successor, Donald Trump.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 15, 2016 UPDATE

    November 15, 2016 UPDATE

    CCR On December 14th the Constitutional Court in Romania is to analyse a notification from president Klaus Iohannis on the law under which over 100 non-fiscal taxes & duties, including the radio-TV fee, are being slashed. The president challenged the law at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday because the move has a serious budget impact, it didn’t follow the natural stages of public debates, didn’t get government approval and had no funding sources specified. The Social Democrats, initiators of the law, say the president’s move is politically motivated. The National Liberal Party has agreed with the elimination of these taxes but supports the idea of keeping the Environment Fee and the Radio-TV fee.



    TOUR The US president in office, Barack Obama, on Tuesday said in Athens that a strong Europe was good for the world and for the United States. During the meeting with his Greek counterpart, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Obama underlined the importance of the relation between the USA and Greece inside NATO and voiced gratitude for the way in which Athens had managed the refugee crisis. This is president Obama’s last tour abroad before the end of his term in office, which will also take him to Germany and Peru, where he will be attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Washington, the US president will be trying to assure the European allies on the future of the transatlantic relation, amid concerns about the intentions of his successor, Donald Trump.



    FRAUD Prosecutors with the Romanian Department of Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism with support from their German colleagues have dismantled an organized group specialized in cyber crimes and money laundering. Members of the aforementioned group pretended to be selling goods on specialized sites abroad cheating over 1,000 people from Romania, the Czech Republic, Italy and France. The swindlers have created 4.5 million euros in prejudices.



    COSR Former fencer Mihai Covaliu, 39, on Tuesday got elected chairman of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR). Also running for this position was multiple Olympic, world and European champion Gabriela Szabo. The new COSR chair, former world and Olympic champion is presently coaching Romania’s saber team also being president of the Romanian Fencing Federation. We recall that the Romanian women’s epee team won the single gold medal for Romania at the Rio Olympics. In 2013 Gabriela Szabo became ambassador of the Romanian tourism and a year later became the Minister of the Youth and Sports in Romania. Among her accomplishments there is an ordinance on granting Romanian citizenship to athletes with remarkable performances.

  • 14.11.2016

    14.11.2016

    UE – Le chef de la diplomatie roumaine, Lazar Comanescu, et ses homologues européens se réunissent ce lundi, à Bruxelles, pour le Conseil Affaires étrangères de l’UE. Ils doivent faire le point sur le Partenariat oriental, mais aussi examiner la situation en Turquie et dans le voisinage méridional et notamment en Syrie. S’y ajoute un débat sur la mise en œuvre de la Stratégie globale pour la Politique Etrangère et la Sécurité Commune de l’UE. En marge du Conseil, le chef de la diplomatie roumaine a participé dimanche à une discussion informelle des ministres des Affaires étrangères des 27 visant la relation transatlantique, après l’élection de Donald Trump aux Etats-Unis. Ils se sont mis d’accord sur le besoin d’être proactifs dans les relations avec la nouvelle administration de Washington, les Etats Unis jouant un rôle clé dans les tentatives de trouver des solutions aux problèmes environnementaux et de sécurité du monde.

    Exercice – Des militaires roumains, bulgares, croates et géorgiens participent dès ce lundi à un exercice multinational de perfectionnement des combattants du génie dans des opérations en milieux hostiles, sous l’égide de l’OTAN. Jusqu’au 18 novembre les manœuvres se dérouleront dans des polygones d’instruction du sud-est de la Roumanie. L’exercice est organisé chaque année, par rotation, dans les 4 pays ; son objectif est d’aider au perfectionnement de l’Unité Multifonctions Logistique Intégrée dans le domaine du génie militaire.

    Moldova – Dimanche, en République de Moldova, le socialiste pro-russe Igor Dodon a remporté le second tour des élections présidentielles avec 52% des voix. Son adversaire, la pro-européenne Maia Sandu, chef du Parti Action et Solidarité, n’a réuni que 48% des suffrages, selon les résultats communiqués lundi par la Commission Electorale Centrale. Le scrutin a été marqué par des protestations, vu que les bulletins de vote se sont épuisés dans de nombreux bureaux de vote de l’étranger destinés à la diaspora moldave. C’est pour la première fois dans deux décennies que les Moldaves élisent directement leur président. Jusqu’ici celui-ci était élu par le Parlement.

    Bulgarie – Selon des résultats partiels, les élections présidentielles organisées dimanche en Bulgarie ont été remportées par le candidat de l’opposition socialiste, le général Rumen Radev, ancien commandant de l’aviation militaire, considéré comme un proche de Moscou. Il a réuni 58,1% des voix, alors que la contre-candidate, la présidente conservatrice du Parlement Tsetska Tsaceva, n’a réuni que 35% des votes. Suite à ce résultat, le premier ministre Boiko Borisov, qui avait soutenu Mme Tsaceva, a fait savoir qu’il allait quitter ses fonctions.

    Obama – Le président américain Barack Obama entame ce lundi sa dernière tournée à l’étranger avant la fin de son mandat. Il se rendra tout d’abord en Grèce, pour avoir ensuite des pourparlers avec la chancelière allemande Angela Merkel, puis avec le président français François Hollande, et les premiers ministres britanniques Theresa May et italien Matteo Renzi. Selon le correspondant de Radio Roumanie à Washington, la dernière étape du tournoi se déroulera au Pérou, où Barack Obama participera au Sommet de la Coopération Economique Asie-Pacifique.

    Football – La sélection nationale de football de la Roumanie, joue mardi à Groznîi, un match amical contre la Russie, qui accueillera la Coupe du Monde 2018. Depuis la chute de l’Union Soviétique la Roumaine n’a joué contre la Russie qu’une seule fois : un match amical disputé à Bucarest en 2008, gagné par les Roumains, score 3 buts à 0. Par ailleurs, l’équipe nationale roumaine de football s’est inclinée vendredi soir à Bucarest devant la sélection polonaise, 0 buts à 3, voyant diminuer ses chances de se qualifier pour la Coupe du monde de 2018. Avec juste 5 points, la Roumanie occupe la 4e place du groupe E préliminaire, derrière la Pologne (10 points), le Monténégro (7) et le Danemark (6). Le prochain match officiel étant prévu pour mars prochain, contre le Danemark.

    Météo – Il fait très froid en Roumanie en ce début de semaine. Le ciel est plutôt couvert et il neige par endroits sur le nord-ouest, le nord, le centre et l’est du territoire ainsi que sur les montagnes. Le vent est plus fort dans l’est, où les rafales pourraient atteindre les 55 – 60 km/h, voire 80 km/h en montagne. Les températures maximales de ce lundi iront de -1 à 7 degrés. 6 degrés et du soleil à midi à Bucarest. Ces derniers jours le vent et la neige ont provoqué des difficultés dans plusieurs régions du pays, notamment de montagne ainsi que dans le nord-est. Les intempéries ont perturbé l’alimentation électrique dans plusieurs départements, de même que le trafic aérien et l’activité des ports maritimes.

  • Newsflash 11, 2016 UPDATE

    Newsflash 11, 2016 UPDATE

    CAMPAIGN — Romania on Friday kicked off its parliamentary election campaign, scheduled for December 11. Almost 6,500 people have registered as candidates for the 466 seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, on behalf of political parties or as independents. This election, the list system has been reinstated; the last time it was used was in the 2004 elections, with new norms of representation introduced for senators and deputies.



    REP. OF MOLDOVA — Pro-Russian Socialist candidate Igor Dodon and pro-European reformer Maia Sandu face off on Sunday in the presidential run-off in the Republic of Moldova. About three million citizens are called to the polls to vote directly for the president, for the first time in 16 years, time in which the head of state was appointed by Parliament. Pundits say that this election has not only a political stake, but also geopolitical implications. Dodon wants to join the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Union, while Sandu pleads for reforming the state and joining the EU.



    PIPELINE — A gas pipeline between Romania and Bulgaria was inaugurated on Friday by the relevant authorities, the Bulgarian Energy Ministry has announced. Running over 25 km, the pipeline is the longest such installation in Europe so far. The Bulgarian portion runs over 15.4 km, the one in Romania is 7.5 km long, with 2.1 km running under the river Danube, separating the two countries. The pipeline provides a secure and permanent supply of natural gas for home and industry consumers in the two countries. Its inauguration meets the requirement of the European Energy Union requiring the creation of gas transportation systems between member states. The gas pipeline is part of a wider plan to link natural gas networks in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria by the end of 2019.



    VETERANS DAY — Veterans Day was observed on Friday in Romania, too. Military and religious ceremonies were held in garrisons and at the heroes’ memorials across the country. Tribute was also paid to the 28 Romanian military who died in international missions, in Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia-Hertzegovina. On this occasion, the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, said the solid security guarantees that Romania enjoys at present are due, to a large extent, to the spirit of sacrifice, loyalty and patriotism. As of 2014, Romanians annually observe Veterans’ Day on November 11, concurrently with other European countries, the US, Canada and Australia. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended on November 11, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.



    DIPLOMACY — German chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Thursday had a phone conversation with the US President elect, Donald Trump, about maintaining relations between Germany and the US. The statement was made on Friday by the spokesman for the German Government, Georg Streiter. He said Angela Merkel is also due to have a meeting in Berlin on Thursday with the acting US president, Barack Obama, for talks on the free trade agreement between the US and EU.



    HANDBALL — The Romanian womens handball champions, CSM Bucharest, on Friday qualified for the next stage of the Champions League, after defeating the Russian team Rostov Don, 22-20, away from home. This is the first win grabbed by the Romanian team after having sustained three consecutive defeats. In the next stage, the Romanian team will face the Danish team Midtjylland. After having played five matches, CSM ranks second in the group, with 4 points, just like Midtjylland. (Translated by C. Cotoiu and D. Vijeu)

  • November 10, 2016 UPDATE

    November 10, 2016 UPDATE

    TALKS Romania hails Serbia’s progress towards EU accession and will continue to support this progress, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos told his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic in Timisoara, western Romania on Thursday. According to Ciolos, the concrete support may include expertise-exchange, workshops, training programmes, which could be offered through the Fund for Government Experts, funded through development policies. The two officials have also tackled issues part of the process of bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including in the field of labour force, economy, minorities, European integration and present-day challenges, such as migration. Several agreements have been signed, including a protocol over the formation and functioning of joint patrols along the common border and another one on the prevention and reducing the effects of disasters. The Romanian Prime Minister said that progress had been made in the common project of building the Belgrade-Timisoara motorway.



    TRANSITION The US president in office, Democrat Barack Obama, on Thursday received at the White House the president elect, Republican Donald Trump, for talks on presidential transition. Also on Thursday, Trump invited British Prime Minister Theresa May to pay a formal visit to the USA a.s.a.p. In a phone call May told Trump that after Brexit, Britain wants to strengthen trade and investment relations with the USA. In another development, several cities in the USA have seen protests after Donald Trump’s presidential victory. Protesters, carrying anti-Trump banners and flags, had blocked traffic in several cities, but according to the police most of the protests were peaceful.



    DEBATES Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday said he would have promulgated the law recently adopted by Parliament under which 102 taxes and duties are cancelled unless that included the radio-TV fee. The head of state said the fee had been eliminated without public debates and consultation with the two media institutions. Iohannis added he had received requests for vetoing the law including from international organisations and institutions. President Iohannis made the statements during a debate conference entitled ‘Canceling Radio-TV fee — support or threat to the mission of the public radio and television corporations?’. The meeting was aimed at ensuring a dialogue between the head of state and journalists, representatives of media organisations and members of civil society, about the situation of the public radio and TV stations. Participants in another series of debates also on this issue, hosted by the Romanian television, have highlighted that canceling the radio-TV fee and funding these two institutions from the state budget, cuts off the direct connection between citizens and public services. Furthermore, the elimination of the aforementioned tax would jeopardize the functioning as of January 1st of the two public media services.



    SUPPORT The Romanian Justice Minister, Raluca Prună, offered Bucharest’s support for the reform process in the Republic of Moldova. At a Forum organised in Chisinau and focusing on fighting corruption, she emphasised that a state cannot be modernised and reformed without an independent judicial system. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Justice Ministry, the Forum is organised by Ms Pruna jointly with her Moldovan counterpart, Vladimir Cebotari, and is intended to become the main communication platform leading to the development of bilateral cooperation in this sector.



  • Premierul Cioloş despre situaţia migranţilor

    Premierul Cioloş despre situaţia migranţilor

    Problemă
    recurentă şi, până acum, fără soluţii fezabile, drama zecilor de milioane de
    migranţi de pe planetă a fost îndelung dezbătuta şi la summitul ONU de la New
    York.

    Aflat la sfârşit de mandat, liderul de la Casa Albă, Barack Obama, a spus
    că omenirea se confruntă cu o criză de proporţii epice şi i-a
    îndemnat pe liderii mondiali să-şi imagineze cum ar fi dacă familiile lor ar
    împărtăşi soarta refugiaţilor. Obama se felicită că statele care participă la
    summit s-au angajat că vor prelua 360 de mii de refugiaţi în cursul acestui an,
    un număr aproape dublu faţă de cel de 2015, şi insistă că statele bogate ar
    trebui să facă mai mult pentru a-i ajuta pe cei care se refugiază din calea
    conflictelor.

    În numele României, premierul Dacian Cioloş a afirmat, de la
    tribuna ONU, că lumea posedă mijloacele necesare pentru a face faţă crizei
    refugiaţilor. Bucureştiul, precizează Cioloş, recunoaşte pe deplin
    responsabilitatea comună de a gestiona afluxul mare de refugiaţi şi are,
    deopotrivă, resurse şi politici pentru a
    sprijini eforturile comunităţii internaţionale.

    Dacian Cioloş: Mai mult decât atât, România a acordat
    ajutor umanitar bilateral statelor afectate: Turcia, Iordania, Liban, Irak şi
    Afganistan. În strânsă cooperare cu agenţiile umanitare internaţionale, România
    oferă refugiaţilor şansa unei vieţi noi, oferindu-le adăpost temporar în
    Centrul de tranzit de urgenţă situat la Timişoara.

    Premierul Cioloş, citat de trimisa Radio România, mai spune că, pe lângă
    sprijinul umanitar, educaţional şi pe piaţa muncii, autorităţile oferă tuturor
    acelor copii ai cetăţenilor străini care beneficiază de protecţie aceleaşi
    drepturi la educaţie ca şi copiilor români. El a mai explicat că România a
    sprijinit, în calitate de stat membru al Uniunii Europene, procesul de transfer
    al refugiaţilor şi de relocare a acestora pe bază de voluntariat.

    Asemenea
    celor mai multe state din centrul şi estul continentului, România a fost permanent reticentă faţă de aşa-numitele cote
    obligatorii de imigranţi pe care ar fi urmat să-i găzduiască statele Uniunii. Ungaria sau
    România, Bulgaria sau Slovacia n-au experienţă în gestionarea unor asemenea
    provocări. Spre deosebire de multe state din vestul continentului, aceste ţări
    n-au avut niciodată nici imperii coloniale, de unde să vină migranţi spre
    metropolă, nici un nivel de trai care să atragă milioane de extra-comunitari,
    nici numeroase comunităţi alogene de confesiune musulmană.

    Ca şi la Budapesta
    ori Varşovia, resposabilii de la Bucureşti au insistat pentru cote voluntare de
    preluare a refugiaţilor şi s-au exprimat, în mod consecvent, împotriva celor
    obligatorii. Nu vorbim de cifre, ci de oameni – sublinia, încă de acum un an,
    preşedintele Klaus Iohannis, respingând ceea ce a numit cotele calculate
    într-un mod foarte birocratic, contabiliceşte, fără a consulta statele
    membre.

  • USA ehren die Opfer des 11. September

    USA ehren die Opfer des 11. September

    Die Terroranschläge vom 11. September 2001 haben die ganze Welt erschüttert. Am Sonntag hat Präsident Barack Obama in Washington um 8.46 Ortszeit eine Trauerrede gehalten, am Ground Zero hielten Angehörige der Opfer und Trauergäste eine Schweigeminute ab. Zum Gedenken an die 343 Feuerwehrleute, die in den Trümmern des World Trade Center ums Leben kamen, trugen ihre Kollegen am Sonntag T-Shirts, auf denen die Namen der toten Feuerwehrmänner standen. Am Ground Zero wurden die Namen aller Opfer verlesen. Die meisten Opfer der blutigsten Terroranschläge in der Geschichte der USA waren Zivilisten, einschlie‎ßlich ausländischer Bürger. Unter ihnen gab es auch fünf US-Bürger rumänischer Herkunft: Eugen Gabriel Lazăr, Corina und Alexandru Liviu Stan, Joshua Poptean und Ana Fosteris sowie der moldauische Bürger rumänischer Herkunft Arkady Zaltsman, ein berühmter Architekt, der den Parlamentspalast in der moldauischen Haupstadt Chişinău entworfen hat.



    Die Bilder vom 11. September 2001 hat niemand vergessen. Zwei Passagierflugzeuge wurden im Abstand von 17 Minuten in die beiden Türme des World Trade Centers eingeschlagen. 15 Jahre später leiden rund 75.000 Menschen (Polizisten, Feuerwehrleute, Anwohner oder Helfer) an gesundheitlichen Spätfolgen: Krebs, posttraumatischer Störung und Asthma. Viele von ihnen haben giftigen Staub eingeatmet, der sich beim Einsturz der Gebäude in New York ausbreitete. In seiner wöchentlichen Radioansprache appellierte Präsident Obama bereits vor der Gedenkveranstaltung an alle US-Bürger, die demokratischen Grundrechte zu achten. Die US-Gesellschaft dürfte keine Reaktionen darauf zulassen, der Terror sei keine Herausforderung für den Charakter der US-Nation und die Beständigkeit der demokratischen Werte der amerikanischen Gesellschaft, sagte der US-Präsident in Anspielung auf die rassistischen Aussagen des Präsidentschaftskandidaten Donald Trump.



    Offizielle Reaktionen zum 15. Jahretag der Terroranschläge vom 11. September kamen auch aus Bukarest. In einer Botschaft an seinen amerikanischen Amtskollegen John Kerry, sprach Rumäniens Au‎ßenminister Lazăr Comănescu seine Solidarität mit den Opfern der Terroranschläge, ihren Familien und Angehörigen aus. Neulich verabschiedete das US-Repräsentantenhaus allerdings ein Gesetz, das den Hinterbliebenen der Opfer der Terroranschläge vom 11. September 2001 erlaubt, die Regierung Saudi-Arabiens zu verklagen. 15 der 19 Flugzeugentführer waren saudische Staatsbürger. Saudi-Arabien hat die jeweilige Mitverantwortung an den Anschlägen zurückgewiesen.




  • A la Une de la presse roumaine 05.09.2016

    A la Une de la presse roumaine 05.09.2016

    Aujourd’hui la presse roumaine
    privilégie les sujets internationaux… plus ou moins sérieux, comme les consignes
    des services d’espionnage britanniques aux participants au G20 ou la manière
    dont le président américain Barack Obama a été discrédité par les Chinois. La
    presse roumaine se penche également sur « L’Europe des extrêmes. Comment
    voit-on depuis la Roumanie les plus grands défis politiques du continent.» Enfin
    un autre sujet véhiculé par la presse roumaine aujourd’hui :
    « Poutine menace à nouveau nos frontières. La Roumanie est sur sa liste ».

  • 25.04.2016 (mise à jour)

    25.04.2016 (mise à jour)

    Entretien — Le président Klaus Iohannis a reçu, ce lundi, à Bucarest, le secrétaire général adjoint de l’Alliance Atlantique, Alexander Vershbow, actuellement en visite en Roumanie. L’entretien a porté sur le sommet de l’Alliance qui aura lieu à Varsovie, en juillet, et sur les évolutions dans les voisinages oriental et méridional de l’OTAN. Alexander Vershbow a apprécié le rôle actif de la Roumanie, notamment au plan militaire, soulignant la participation significative de l’armée roumaine aux efforts de prévention et de lutte contre les risques et défis de sécurité auxquels se confronte l’Alliance Atlantique.



    Militaire — Deux avions F-22 Raptor de l’aviation américaine se sont posés ce lundi sur la Base aérienne Mihail Kogălniceanu, dans le sud-est de la Roumanie, dans le cadre de l’exercice militaire « Atlantic Resolve ». Ce type d’appareil monoplace, un des plus performants au monde, est un avion de chasse furtif. Le général américain Timothy M. Ray, commandant de la 3e Armée de l’air des Etats Unis, a déclaré que cette première présence des deux chasseurs en Roumanie était une garantie de l’engagement assumé par Washington en faveur de ses alliés de l’OTAN, ainsi qu’une preuve de la forte relation bilatérale roumano-américaine. L’ambassadeur des Etats Unis à Bucarest, Hans Klemm, a rappelé le partenariat étroit de Washington et Bucarest sur des théâtres d’opérations étrangers, tels le Kosovo et la Bosnie dans le passé, ou l’Afghanistan à présent.



    Berlin — En visite en Allemagne, le président américain, Barack Obama, a prononcé un discours à Hanovre, dans lequel il a demandé aux membres de l’OTAN à appuyer les alliés est-européens — la Pologne, la Roumanie et les pays baltes. Il leur a aussi demandé d’augmenter le budget alloué à la défense et de répondre aux menaces sur le flanc sud. Chaque Etat membre de l’OTAN devrait apporter son entière contribution à notre sécurité commune, avec un budget défense de 2% du PIB. Or, cela n’arrive pas toujours — a insisté Barack Obama. Il a souligné son intention de remettre ce message au sommet de l’Alliance de Varsovie.



    Négociations — Le ministère du travail et les syndicats du secteur public de Roumanie ont ouvert ce lundi des négociations sur l’adoption d’un nouveau décret d’urgence sur les salaires des personnels du secteur. Le nouveau ministre Dragos Pâslaru a fait savoir que les parties examinaient plusieurs variantes du document dont le principe fondamental est d’éliminer les déséquilibres du système. Le gouvernement souhaite majorer uniquement les salaires les plus bas, alors que les grandes confédérations syndicales demandent des majorations salariales pour toutes les catégories de personnel et menacent de protester, si leur revendication n’est pas satisfaite.



    Tennis – Dans la finale de simple du tournoi de tennis BRD Năstase – Ţiriac Trophy de Bucarest, l’Espagnol Fernando Verdasco s’est imposé devant le Français Lucas Pouille, en deux sets 6-3 6-2. C’est la dernière édition du tournoi, créé en 1993.



    Météo — Dans les prochaines 24h, le temps restera perturbé en Roumanie, avec un ciel variable sur l’ouest et le sud-ouest et plutôt couvert sur le reste du territoire. Des pluies sont attendues dans la moitié est du pays et localement dans le nord-ouest et le centre. Il neigera en montagne. Mardi, les températures de la mi-journée iront de 7 à 15°.

  • April 22, 2016

    April 22, 2016

    SALARY LAW-Romanian Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, announced on Friday that the Government was planning to reset its operating ways and to restart the drafting of an emergency ordinance, whose aim would not necessarily be to change the current salary law, but to correct it, with focus on the salary grid, but only within the right budgetary constraints. Ciolos has held talks with the new labour minister, Dragos Paslaru, with trade union and employers association representatives about the salary law in the public sector. According to Paslaru, the Government has prepared a new version of the ordinance on unitary salary pay system, which might be adopted on June 1st and enforced in autumn. Low salaries will go up first, says the minister, followed by measures aimed at doing away with the inequities in the system. Trade union leaders have stated they do not support this initiative.



    THE REFERENDUM CASE-The Supreme Court is to issue its final ruling today on the so-called Referendum case. In May 2015, the leader of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea was sentenced to one year in prison with suspension, for having coordinated a complex mechanism, involving several people, with the aim of rigging the referendum on July 29th, 2012. Prosecutors say that Liviu Dragnea used his party influence and authority to get undue non-property rights, benefiting the political alliance his party was a member of. The stake was to get the needed participation quorum with votes obtained in conditions other than legal. Liviu Dragnea claims he was innocent and called on the magistrates to acquit him.



    VISIT– US President, Barack Obama, is currently on an official visit to London, in an attempt to convince British voters, ahead of the June 23rd referendum, not to relinquish EU membership. Obama will urge Britons to vote for the UKs remaining in the EU, to maintain the countrys welfare, its “special relation with the US and the Wests cohesion. Obama is today having talks with British Prime Minister, David Cameron. Earlier, the White House leader had paid a visit to Saudi Arabia, where he participated in a Gulf cooperation meeting, held in Riyadh.



    GREECE – The Euro zone finance ministers are today assessing in Amsterdam the progress made by Greece in reforming the state, in exchange for receiving foreign financial assistance, to save it from bankruptcy. The Euro-group meeting comes just a day after the European Commission announced that Athens reached the objectives it has set in an effort to reduce its budget deficit and public debt, and it even exceeded all expectations. The assessment to be made by the finance ministers is of utmost importance, as the disbursement of another instalment of the third big loan for Greece, worth 86 billion Euros, depends on this decision. The Greek government as well as its European partners continue to have different standpoints on various reforms, including those of taxation and pensions.



    EARTH DAY– Earth Day is being celebrated on April 22nd. On this occasion, 160 countries will sign, in New York, a historic agreement meant to slow down global warming. The agreement was reached in principle at the Paris Conference held in December. Earth Day was first celebrated back in 1970, kick-starting the modern environmental protection movement. On this day, various campaigns have been designed to raise public awareness over recycling and to reduce energy consumption. Earth Day is celebrated in Romania, too, where selective waste collecting activities have been intensely promoted.

    WORLD DRUG PROBLEM – The UN General Assembly
    convened in New York, in its 30th special session, on the world drug
    problem. Romania’s Permanent Representative to the UN, ambassador Ion
    Jinga, said the National Anti-Drug Strategy is in full compliance with the
    international legislative framework and ensures enough action-flexibility at
    national, regional and international level.
    In a special session, Romania organised, jointly with the UN Office for
    Drugs and Crimes, an event on the drug
    issue and HIV.



    with the UN Office for Drugs and Crimes, an event on the drug issue and HIV.


    BULGARIA– Mandatory voting will be introduced in Bulgaria, after the Parliament in Sofia on Thursday adopted the new amendments to the Electoral Code. If citizens with the right to vote do not go to the polls, they will automatically be removed from electoral lists. They will be enlisted again only after submitting a written declaration. The opposition voted against the bill. According to FP, the right wing government in Sofia proposed the measure, in an effort to reduce absenteeism and to put an end to the vote-purchasing behaviour. Across the EU, voting is also mandatory in Greece and Belgium.



    EUROVISION– The European Broadcasting Union has today announced that Romania will not be allowed to participate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, because of the debts it has accumulated. Romanias debt to the organiser of the well-known European song contest stands at some 10 million Euros. This year, the Eurovision contest will be held in Stockholm, between May 10 and 14, and Romania should have been represented by Ovidiu Anton, with the song, Moment of Silence. The management of the Romanian Television Company has recently informed the Romanian authorities that the transmissions of other leading competitions, such as the forth-coming European Football Championships in France or the Olympic Games might be discontinued, because of debts and under-financing.


    (Translated by Diana Vijeu)

  • March 22, 2016

    March 22, 2016

    EXPLOSIONS – Several explosions have struck Brussels today. Two blasts tore through the departures area of Zaventem airport while another one hit Maalbeek metro station, close to the EU institutions. The provisional death toll made public by Belgian authorities is 26. Over 130 people have been wounded, of whom some are in a serious condition. The government raised the anti-terror alert in the country to the highest level. The attacks come four days after Salah Abdeslam, the main fugitive in the Paris attacks last November that killed 130 people, was captured in Brussels. Several European states have increased security measures following the events in Brussels. In Bucharest, the Presidency, Government and Foreign Ministry have conveyed a message of condolences to the Belgian people and have condemned the attacks, calling for joint efforts to fight terrorism.




    VOTE – The Romanian Parliament is today voting on the new Board of the public television TVR. Previously, Parliament’s culture committees have interviewed candidates proposed by parliamentary groups, government, presidency and TVR employees. The new Board has to come up with solutions to rescue the public television that has been dealing with severe financial problems. One of these solutions might be to change the insolvency law so that TVR can be declared bankrupt and a new structure be set up.




    VISIT – The US President Barack Obama ends his historic visit to Cuba today with meetings with Cuban dissidents and a televised speech. On Monday, Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro said they planned to cooperate in fields of common interest. Obama also said that lifting the trade embargo would depend on actions Cuba takes on human rights.




    PRESIDENCY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is paying a three-day official visit to Turkey as of today, to hold talks with his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with PM Ahmet Davutoglu and with representatives of the Romanian community in this country. The visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties based on the Strategic Partnership between Romania and Turkey, signed in 2011. Official talks will focus on bilateral, regional and security issues, such as economic cooperation, the dialogue between Turkey and the EU with an emphasis on migration and also the collaboration within NATO. Also approached will be the need to increase efforts to fight terrorism against the background of several terror attacks that have taken place in Turkey recently.




    CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES – The Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini, is currently in Bucharest for talks with Romanian high officials. Boldrini’s visit takes place at the invitation of her Romanian counterpart, Valeriu Zgonea. The two officials will sign a declaration dubbed More European Integration: The Road to Travel” , calling for more European integration. The document was signed by the presidents of the Lower Chambers of the Parliament of Italy (Laura Boldrini), France (Claude Bartolone), Germany (Norbert Lammert) and Luxembourg (Mars di Bartolomeo). Laura Boldrini will also have a meeting with representatives of the Italian investors in Romania.




    STRIKE — Thousands of Romanian doctors continue to be in a work-to-rule strike, unsatisfied with the outcome of the negotiations with the Health Ministry. The strike started on Monday, at the initiative of the Romanian Federation of Physician Unions and the “Hipocrat” Union Federation in Romania, which claims to represent over 7,000 employees in the sector. Their demands concern a consistent salary system, the payment of bonuses, and the implementation of working hour standards. Family doctores have announced new protests on Thursday at the Health Ministry headquarters.



    (Translated by E. Enache)


  • Internationale Gemeinschaft macht gegen Terror mobil

    Internationale Gemeinschaft macht gegen Terror mobil

    Nach einer bewährten Formel als mächtigster Mann des Planeten bezeichnet, zeigte sich US-Präsident Barack Obama offensichtlich orientierungslos, nachdem man ihm vorgeworfen hat, er habe die notwendigen Ma‎ßnahmen nicht getroffen, um den Terroranschlag von letzter Woche in der kalifornischen Stadt San Bernardino zu vermeiden. Bei dem Anschlag mit Sturmgewähren und Sprengsätzen, der von Muslimen begangen wurde, die in den dschihadistischen Online-Medien bekannt waren, kamen 14 Menschen ums Leben und 21 wurden verletzt.



    Bislang gibt es keine Anzeichen dafür, dass die Mörder von einer ausländischen Terrorgruppierung gesteuert wurden“ — sagte Obama am Sonntag in seiner Ansprache an das amerikanische Volk. Er versprach, dass die USA die Terroristen verfolgen werden, egal wo sich diese befinden. Wir werden die Gruppierung Islamischer Staat oder jegliche Organisation vernichten, die uns Schaden zuzufügen versucht“ — versicherte der amerikanische Präsident. Er forderte die Muslime auf, selber gegen die extremistischen Ideologien zu kämpfen. Obama richtete sich an die Unternehmer in der IT-Industrie, dem Kampf gegen den Islamismus durch eine aktivere Propaganda auf den Sozialnetzwerken beizutreten. Allerdings, so das Staatsoberhaupt im Wei‎ßen Haus, werden sich die Vereinigten Staaten nicht in einen Bodenkrieg im Irak und in Syrien hineinziehen lassen. Er verteidigte seine derzeitige Strategie, bei der die Luftangriffe von Einsätzen der Sondereinsatzkräfte am Boden begleitet werden. Darüber hinaus sagte er, dass es zu einem langanhaltenden Sieg führen werde, ohne dass Amerika eine neue Generation nach Übersee schickt, die in einem fremden Land stirbt.



    Auch Nato-Generalsekretär Jens Stoltenberg sagte, dass die Allianz die Möglichkeit der Entsendung von Bodentruppen gegen den Islamischen Staat ausschlie‎ßt. Der Konflikt, sagte er, ist kein Krieg zwischen dem Westen und der islamischen Welt, sondern ein Kampf gegen Extremismus und Terror. Die Muslime befinden sich an der ersten Frontlinie. Die Mehrheit der Opfer sind Muslime und viele derer, die gegen den Islamischen Staat kämpfen, sind Muslime“ — schlussfolgerte der Nato-Generalsekretär.



    Die Öffentlichkeit scheint aber immer skeptischer gegenüber den Verpflichtungen der Politiker zu sein. Nach dem Massaker vom letzten Monat in Paris, das 130 Tote forderte, schrieb die französische Presse, dass der Beliebtheitsgrad des Präsidenten François Hollande gestiegen sei — dank der entschlossenen Ma‎ßnahmen, die er in voller Krise getroffen hat und der diplomatischen Kampagne zur Gründung einer internationalen Koalition zur Terrorbekämpfung. Dennoch erlitt seine Sozialistische Partei, die die Pariser Regierung führt, am Sonntag eine scharfe Niederlage in der ersten Runde der Regionalwahlen. Die Sozialisten verloren die Hälfte ihrer Regionalämter und landeten weit abgeschlagen hinter der rechtsextremen Front National und den Konservativen des ehemaligen Präsidenten Nicolas Sarkozy. Vor dem Hintergrund der Migration und des Terrorrisikos in Europa — geben viele Kommentatoren ungern zu — hat der nationalistische Diskurs der Front-Chefin Marine Le Pen einen Gro‎ßteil der französischen Wähler überzeugt.

  • The international community against terrorism

    The international community against terrorism

    The American President Barack Obama is visibly discouraged by reproaches targeted at him for failing to take the necessary measures to avoid last week’s terrorist carnage in the Californian city of San Bernardino. 14 people died and 21 were wounded in an attack perpetrated by a Muslim couple, who turned radical by accessing online Jihadist media.



    In an address delivered to the American nation on Sunday, President Barack Obama said that so far there is no indication that the killers were part of an “organised group or formed part of a broader terrorist cell”. He promised to pursue the terrorists wherever they are. President Obama also said they would destroy the Islamic State terrorist group and any other organization that is trying to do them harm.



    He also urged the Muslims themselves to fight the extremist ideologies. Obama has launched an appeal to the groups in the IT industry to join the anti-Jihadist fight by making a more active propaganda on social networks. In another development, the White House leader said the US would not get involved in a ground fight in Iraq and Syria.



    He defended his current strategy according to which the air strikes are doubled by ground actions by the Special Forces, reiterating that this would lead to a long-standing victory without America sending a new generation over the Ocean to fight and die on foreign land. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the Alliance ruled out the possibility of deploying ground troops to fight against the Islamic State.



    The conflict, he said, is not between the West and the Islamic world, it is a fight against extremism and terrorism. “Muslims are on the front line in this war. Most victims are Muslims, and most of those who fight against the IS are Muslims” the NATO Secretary General concluded. The western public opinion seems more and more skeptical as regards the politicians’ commitments. After last month’s massacre in Paris, which killed 130 people, the French press wrote that President Francois Hollande gained popularity thanks to the trenchant decisions adopted in full crisis and to the diplomatic campaign for the setting up of an international anti-terror coalition.



    On Sunday, though, his Socialist party that holds majority in Parliament, was defeated in the first round of regional elections. The Socialists lost half of their territorial mandates, being outnumbered by the far right National Front and by the so-called traditional right of the former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Against the backdrop of migration and of the terrorist risk in Europe, the nationalist discourse of Marine Le Pen, the head of the National Front, has persuaded a large part of French electors.