Radio România Internațional

Tag: bilateral relations

  • February 6, 2024

    February 6, 2024

    PROTESTS – Due to Bulgarian farmers’ protests, the border with
    Bulgaria will be closed for at least two hours. The National Association of
    Bulgarian Grain Producers has made public a map with 80 road segments where
    traffic will be blocked by heavy farming equipment at least two hours a day,
    indefinitely. Farmers want the government to ease the administrative burden on
    the farming sector, compensations for the negative impact of the Russian
    aggression in Ukraine, as well as more protection for Bulgarian agriculture in
    regulated trade with Ukraine. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has recommended all
    citizens traveling to Bulgaria check for border traffic updates and strictly
    abide by temporary regulations and the recommendations of border police.




    HEALTH – Health trade unions have been promised a 15% salary
    increase, which will add to the 5% increase applied to public sector employees
    at the start of the year. After long negotiations with Prime Minister Marcel
    Ciolacu, the leaders of the Sanitas Federation said salaries will increase in
    two phases, in March and June, although it is unclear which categories of
    personnel will benefit from the increase and when. Talks with the authorities
    will continue, trade unions say. Representatives of the Sanitary Solidarity
    Federation are disgruntled with the government’s latest counteroffer,
    Federation leader Viorel Rotilă argues, adding that the increase will only
    affect the base salaries, meaning health workers’ salaries, which also include
    bonuses, are expected to increase by a little over 14%. Protest actions will
    thus continue, Viorel Rotilă went on to say.




    BILATERAL RELATIONS – Romania’s Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu
    on Monday paid an official visit to Sofia, Bulgaria, where she had talks with
    her Bulgarian counterpart Mariya Gabriel, president Rumen Radev and Prime
    Minister Nikolai Denkov. Minister Odobescu hailed progress reported in the
    development of infrastructure projects of mutual interest, such as FastDanube
    or the construction or a new bridge over the Danube, both designed to
    significantly consolidate regional interconnectivity. The Romanian official also
    expressed Romania’s firm support for EU enlargement, both in the Western
    Balkans, as well as the Eastern Partnership, where Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia
    have made steps forward. During her meeting with president Rumen Radev, Luminița
    Odobescu highlighted the importance of the Romania-Bulgaria Strategic
    Partnership, signed in 2023.




    VISIT – The new
    Foreign Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Mihai Popșoi, has paid his first
    official visit to Romania, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Marcel
    Ciolacu and Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă. The agenda of his meeting with the
    Romanian counterpart, Luminița Odobescu, will focus on regional challenges.
    Mihai Popșoi was appointed Foreign Minister and deputy Prime Minister after his
    predecessor, Nicu Popescu, stepped down in January, claiming he needed a break
    after fulfilling the key objective of his mandate – Moldova’s EU rapprochement.




    TENNIS – Romanian
    tennis player Sorana Cîrstea has advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500
    tournament in Abu Dhabi (UAE), offering over 920 thousand USD in total prizes.
    This was the first win of the year for Cîrstea (26 WTA), who ousted Caroline
    Garcia of France, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. The Romanian player will next take on
    third-seed Maria Sakkari of Greece (9 WTA). Cîrstea leads 2-1 head-to-head, the
    Greek player having won the last match 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round at
    Cincinnati.




    AQUATICS – The Romanian
    men’s polo team lost 15-8 to Hungary on Monday in its first match in Group D at
    the World Aquatics Championships hosted by Doha, Qatar. Our team will next play
    Kazakhstan on February 8 and Italy on February 9. The winners of each group
    will advance to the quarterfinals, the teams in second and third place
    respectively will play quarterfinals playoff matches, whereas last-placed teams
    will compete in a tournament for positions 13-16. The top four teams will
    qualify to the 2024 Paris Olympics. France, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Japan, the
    USA, Australia and South Africa have already booked their tickets to this
    year’s Olympic Games. (VP)

  • The Week in Review

    The Week in Review

    Romanias Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, and Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu, visited Chișinău



    Romania supports the start of EU accession negotiations for the Republic of Moldova as soon as possible, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday in Chişinău, on his first foreign visit since he took office. He emphasized that the future of the Republic of Moldova is in the community bloc. The Romanian side showed availability to provide expertise to the Moldovan partners. In his turn, the Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean thanked Romania for all the support given to the Republic of Moldova in the process of joining the European Union, as well as in the economic and social fields. He emphasized that the relations on the two banks of the Prut River are increasingly being strengthened through the construction of bridges, roads and energy networks. Dorin Recean mentioned the existence of nine projects for the second installment of the aid provided by the Romanian Government. They are worth 28 million Euros and are aimed at investments for the development of localities in the Republic of Moldova, the Moldovan PM said. Early this week, the Romanian FM, Luminița Odobescu, paid a visit to the Republic of Moldova, her first external visit since taking-over her mandate. She was received by the pro-Western president Maia Sandu and had discussions with her counterpart Nicu Popescu. The two emphasized the support which Romania offered to the Republic of Moldova, consisting in humanitarian aid, energy resources and support for increasing resilience. Last but not least, the Romanian FM said that opening the EU accession negotiations for the Republic of Moldova in the shortest possible time is a priority of Romania’s foreign policy.



    Romanian magistrates protested, discontented with the prospect of being left without special pensions



    Magistrates from several courts and prosecutor’s offices across Romania suspended their activity on Wednesday, showing discontent with the Governments intention to change the conditions under which they can obtain special pensions. Judges and prosecutors argue that changing the special pension scheme would violate the independence of the judiciary. The ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party – PSD and the National Liberal Party – PNL wants to gradually increase the retirement age for judges and prosecutors up to 65 years, and for the pension to be calculated based on their income from several years, not just from the last year of activity. The Justice Minister, Alina Gorghiu, said that she respects the magistrates’ right to free expression, but insisted that dialogue, not protest, is the solution to any problem of the judicial system. The reform of the legislative framework regarding the special pensions scheme is a promise made to the European Union by the Romanian authorities under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. On the other hand, on Thursday, the draft law on the abolition of special pensions for senators and deputies received a favorable opinion, gathering a majority of votes, in the specialized Parliament committee. The president of the committee, the Social-Democratic MP Eugen Bejinariu explained that, if unconstitutional elements of the bill are identified, other solutions will be found to reduce or eliminate the special pensions of parliamentarians.



    Measures announced by the Romanian Government



    The prices of some basic food products may decrease in the next period, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Thursday. He claims that this decrease will not put pressure on Romanian producers. Marcel Ciolacu stated that he received a response from the large store chains regarding the scheme for reducing markup percentages. It is a list that contains basic foodstuffs such as bread, dairy products, meat, eggs, flour, corn flour, oil, vegetables and fruit. Also on Thursday, the Government discussed, in a first reading, the state aid scheme for Romanian producers of construction materials. In principle, the authorities want more materials produced in the country to appear on the internal market at competitive prices, which will lead to a reduced import of construction materials. Now, over 70% of the materials used are imported, and the Government wants to reduce this percentage. This years budget for the aid scheme could be 150 million Euros, but the Finance Ministry will have the final say. The Executive also approved the granting of emergency aid to support the population affected by floods, landslides and dangerous meteorological phenomena, up to the amount of 1.4 million Euros. Households in the center, south-west and south of the country were affected, this month, by heavy rainfalls. The support and intervention of the military firefighters was needed to remove the negative effects generated by the bad weather.



    Development plan for gas deposits in the Romanian area of ​​the Black Sea



    OMV Petrom and Romgaz have approved the development plan for the Domino and Pelican Sud commercial natural gas fields in the Romanian area of ​​the Black Sea. The National Agency for Mineral Resources is to confirm this plan. The investment amounts to 4 billion Euros for the development phase, and the total production will be 100 billion cubic meters, the equivalent of the annual demand for natural gas for 4.3 million households. According to the management of OMV Petrom, in 2027, the first amounts of gas are to be extracted through the Neptun Deep project, and Romania will become the largest producer of natural gas in the European Union. The project will last approximately two decades, and the revenues brought to the state budget will support Romania’s development. OMV Petrom states that the estimated revenues of the Romanian state would be 20 billion Euros. (LS)

  • The Week in Review

    The Week in Review

    Romanias Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, and Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu, visited Chișinău



    Romania supports the start of EU accession negotiations for the Republic of Moldova as soon as possible, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday in Chişinău, on his first foreign visit since he took office. He emphasized that the future of the Republic of Moldova is in the community bloc. The Romanian side showed availability to provide expertise to the Moldovan partners. In his turn, the Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean thanked Romania for all the support given to the Republic of Moldova in the process of joining the European Union, as well as in the economic and social fields. He emphasized that the relations on the two banks of the Prut River are increasingly being strengthened through the construction of bridges, roads and energy networks. Dorin Recean mentioned the existence of nine projects for the second installment of the aid provided by the Romanian Government. They are worth 28 million Euros and are aimed at investments for the development of localities in the Republic of Moldova, the Moldovan PM said. Early this week, the Romanian FM, Luminița Odobescu, paid a visit to the Republic of Moldova, her first external visit since taking-over her mandate. She was received by the pro-Western president Maia Sandu and had discussions with her counterpart Nicu Popescu. The two emphasized the support which Romania offered to the Republic of Moldova, consisting in humanitarian aid, energy resources and support for increasing resilience. Last but not least, the Romanian FM said that opening the EU accession negotiations for the Republic of Moldova in the shortest possible time is a priority of Romania’s foreign policy.



    Romanian magistrates protested, discontented with the prospect of being left without special pensions



    Magistrates from several courts and prosecutor’s offices across Romania suspended their activity on Wednesday, showing discontent with the Governments intention to change the conditions under which they can obtain special pensions. Judges and prosecutors argue that changing the special pension scheme would violate the independence of the judiciary. The ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party – PSD and the National Liberal Party – PNL wants to gradually increase the retirement age for judges and prosecutors up to 65 years, and for the pension to be calculated based on their income from several years, not just from the last year of activity. The Justice Minister, Alina Gorghiu, said that she respects the magistrates’ right to free expression, but insisted that dialogue, not protest, is the solution to any problem of the judicial system. The reform of the legislative framework regarding the special pensions scheme is a promise made to the European Union by the Romanian authorities under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. On the other hand, on Thursday, the draft law on the abolition of special pensions for senators and deputies received a favorable opinion, gathering a majority of votes, in the specialized Parliament committee. The president of the committee, the Social-Democratic MP Eugen Bejinariu explained that, if unconstitutional elements of the bill are identified, other solutions will be found to reduce or eliminate the special pensions of parliamentarians.



    Measures announced by the Romanian Government



    The prices of some basic food products may decrease in the next period, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Thursday. He claims that this decrease will not put pressure on Romanian producers. Marcel Ciolacu stated that he received a response from the large store chains regarding the scheme for reducing markup percentages. It is a list that contains basic foodstuffs such as bread, dairy products, meat, eggs, flour, corn flour, oil, vegetables and fruit. Also on Thursday, the Government discussed, in a first reading, the state aid scheme for Romanian producers of construction materials. In principle, the authorities want more materials produced in the country to appear on the internal market at competitive prices, which will lead to a reduced import of construction materials. Now, over 70% of the materials used are imported, and the Government wants to reduce this percentage. This years budget for the aid scheme could be 150 million Euros, but the Finance Ministry will have the final say. The Executive also approved the granting of emergency aid to support the population affected by floods, landslides and dangerous meteorological phenomena, up to the amount of 1.4 million Euros. Households in the center, south-west and south of the country were affected, this month, by heavy rainfalls. The support and intervention of the military firefighters was needed to remove the negative effects generated by the bad weather.



    Development plan for gas deposits in the Romanian area of ​​the Black Sea



    OMV Petrom and Romgaz have approved the development plan for the Domino and Pelican Sud commercial natural gas fields in the Romanian area of ​​the Black Sea. The National Agency for Mineral Resources is to confirm this plan. The investment amounts to 4 billion Euros for the development phase, and the total production will be 100 billion cubic meters, the equivalent of the annual demand for natural gas for 4.3 million households. According to the management of OMV Petrom, in 2027, the first amounts of gas are to be extracted through the Neptun Deep project, and Romania will become the largest producer of natural gas in the European Union. The project will last approximately two decades, and the revenues brought to the state budget will support Romania’s development. OMV Petrom states that the estimated revenues of the Romanian state would be 20 billion Euros. (LS)

  • Romania’s FM visits Chișinău

    Romania’s FM visits Chișinău

    Opening the EU accession negotiations of the Republic of Moldova as soon as possible is a priority of Romania’s international policy – said Romanias foreign minister, Luminiţa Odobescu. Early this week she paid her first visit to Chișinău, after taking over her mandate at the Foreign Ministry, which shows the importance that Romania attaches to its Eastern neighbor, to which it is linked by a past based on a common language, history and culture. For many decades under the influence of Moscow, due to the support of the pro-Russian forces in the region, the Republic of Moldova fundamentally reconfigured its national interest after the accession to power, in the not too distant past, of pro-European leaders.



    However, Romania’s support for the return of the small Republic to the West was constant and there was no Romanian official at the highest level who did not emphasize this aspect. So, now it is Luminiţa Odobescu’s turn to have discussions with her counterpart from Chișinău about the support that Romania gives to Moldova through humanitarian aid, energy resources or support in the field of increasing resilience.



    In a joint press statement with Luminița Odobescu, the Moldovan Foreign Minister, Nicu Popescu, also reviewed the constant help that Bucharest offers to Moldovan citizens, regardless of their geopolitical preferences, and hailed the strengthening of the bilateral strategic partnership for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova.



    Nicu Popescu: Thanks to the openness and dialogue that we have had our relations with Romania are the strongest in the last 30 years.



    The Romanian FM Luminiţa Odobescu promised the authorities in Chişinău a robust, priority support from Romania, adapted to the needs of Moldova with a view to preparing the opening of the EU accession negotiations as quickly as possible, possibly by the end of this year, as the Moldovan citizens would like: Granting political-diplomatic support to the Republic of Moldova for the advance of the European agenda is a priority of Romania’s foreign policy. We therefore support obtaining as soon as possible a favorable decision for the Republic of Moldova to start accession negotiations.



    The Romanian Foreign Minister also had talks in Chişinău with the Prime Minister Dorin Recean, with the President of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, and with the Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru. She was also received by the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. There were discussions, among others, about strategic projects in the fields of energy, transport and digitalization, about the intensification of Romanias support for the reform objectives assumed in Chişinău, as well as about Romania’s full and determined support for strengthening the security and stability of Moldova. (LS)


  • The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova visits Bucharest

    The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova visits Bucharest

    The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, promised, on Wednesday, in Bucharest, to his counterpart from the neighboring Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state , with a majority Romanian-speaking population), the pro-Western Dorin Recean, Bucharests support for the implementation of reforms, the consolidation of the economy, of the resilience and security of the state, as well as support for the continuation of the European path. PM Ciucă welcomed what he called the excellent level of bilateral relations and the remarkable dynamics of the dialogue between Bucharest and Chișinău.



    According to the prime minister, Romania has consolidated its status as the first commercial partner of the Republic of Moldova. Bilateral trade, he recalled, increased by 1.2 billion dollars in 2022, which means that it reached about 3.6 billion. Against the background of Russias brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, the Romanian Prime Minister went on to say, we are witnessing more and more attempts to destabilize the Republic of Moldova, artificially creating tensions, hostile narratives built around the propagation of false information.



    “I assured my counterpart of Romanias unwavering support for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders” — the Prime Minister Ciucă added. The Romanian authorities will unreservedly support the leadership in Chișinău to achieve the goal of integrating the Republic of Moldova into the European Union, President Klaus Iohannis in his turn told the Moldovan Prime Minister Recean.



    The Moldovan official also had a meeting with the Speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, who assured him of Romanias support for part of the gas consumption of the Moldovan citizens, through the import contract agreed with Azerbaijan. And the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Princess Margareta, received the Moldovan Prime Minister and reiterated the support given by the Royal Family of Romania to the Republic of Moldova.



    Dorin Recean made his first visit abroad to Romania after being sworn in as prime minister in mid-February. “I will go to Bucharest on my first visit. We have to start the working mechanisms here, in the Republic of Moldova, and immediately after that I will go to Bucharest. (…) We are privileged to have this good relationship with Romania, which helped us enormously in overcoming the energy crisis, in our European aspirations. Romania advocated for us in the European institutions, in such a way that we can now advance on the European path” – said Prime Minister Recean.



    The government program presented before the vote of investiture in Parliament, actually mentions that special attention is paid to the relations with Romania, which will be “strategic” and “privileged” relations. (LS)

  • Interview with H.E. Søren Jensen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark in Romania

    Interview with H.E. Søren Jensen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark in Romania


    Christmas with You – the title of a song released a few years back by the
    Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Romania, this year adapted to reflect the
    difficulties created by the coronavirus pandemic.




    That and much more in this week’s talk with H.E. Søren Jensen,
    Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark in Romania.


    It’s good to be spend Christmas with You.




    Happy Christmas!

  • Romania-Germany relations, in the spotlight

    Romania-Germany relations, in the spotlight

    Romania will encourage European unity during its presidency of the European Council in the first half of next year, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis promised Tuesday while attending the ceremonies held in Bucharest to mark German Unity Day. Almost three decades after the demise of communism in Bucharest and East Berlin and the German reunification of 1990, President Iohannis has welcomed the fact that Romania and Germany share a common approach to the European Union. Efforts to maintain unity should continue, particularly in times like these, when partisan politics is growing strong, the head of state went on to say.



    At bilateral level, President Iohannis recalled that for many years now Germany has been Romanias top trade partner, with massive investments in the development of Romanian economy. Relations between Bucharest and Berlin “are special and strategic, based on friendship and trust, also drawing on excellent social and person-to-person interactions, the president also said.



    In this context, Klaus Iohannis said the German minority in Romania, as well as the Romanian community in Germany have helped improve bilateral relations. Himself a member of the German-speaking community in Romania, Klaus Iohannis said that, 100 years ago, at the end of the Great War, the German minority in Transylvania was the first that recognized, in the Proclamation of Medias, the Union of Transylvania, which had been under Austro-Hungarian rule up to that point, with the Kingdom of Romania. History has taught us that unity is key to progress, both at national and European level, President Iohannis said.



    In turn, the German Ambassador to Bucharest, H.E. Cord Meier-Klodt promised that Berlin would continue to support Bucharest, arguing that unity in diversity is “one of the most beautiful and distinctive features of modern Romania, which should be celebrated as such in the year of the Great Union Centennial. Modern Romania, Ambassador Meier-Klodt added, has overcome a whole century of huge challenges and catastrophes, “standing united as a country with multiple ethnic, linguistic and religious groups, resembling a smaller version of early Europe, with a powerful German community.



    Totaling some 750,000 in the interwar period, German nationals started to move back to Germany in large numbers at the end of World War II with the instatement of communist rule in Romania. Today, there remain less than a hundred thousand. According to data made public by the Federal Statistics Office of Germany, Romanians account for the fifth-largest minority in Germany, with over 860,000 people. Most of them are either German nationals returned from Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina, or immigrants seeking a better life.


    (translated by: Vlad Palcu)

  • April 19, 2018 UPDATE

    April 19, 2018 UPDATE

    Meeting — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday received in Bucharest the president of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, Paolo Gentiloni. President Iohannis said bilateral relations were very good, given that both the Romanian community in Italy, numbering around 1.3 million people, and the Italian community in Romania are not only accepted but well integrated. President Iohannis also underlined the similarities between the two countries’ stands regarding political relations, trade exchanges and the European agenda. In turn, the Italian official mentioned the excellent trade relations between the two countries and evoked the two sides’ cooperation within the EU and NATO.



    Bucharest Format – Representatives of nine European countries part of NATO’s eastern flank, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary and high-ranking NATO officials met on Wednesday and Thursday in Romania’s capital city for the first parliamentary summit of the Bucharest Format (B9). The meeting was aimed at consolidating the role of national Parliaments in security and defence issues, in defensive actions and military deterrents in the region as well as in fighting terrorism. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said the Parliaments of the countries part of the B9 Format have an essential role in the equitable share of responsibilities inside NATO. According to Iohannis, the allied presence in the eastern flank must be unitary, coherent and efficient. The Romanian official recalled that Romania remains a committed and responsible partner inside the Alliance. The participants have also referred to Russia’s unpredictable and aggressive actions, which constitute a threat to the region as well as to the entire Euro Atlantic community.



    Protests – The Romanian healthcare trade unions on Thursday announced the protests timetable to be held in the coming period against the background of discontent with the employees’ salaries. A rally is scheduled for April 26 in Bucharest, than a token strike is to be held on May 7, with a 2-hour suspension of work, and all-out strike is scheduled for May 11.



    Motion — The Save Romania Union announced Thursday that they would table a simple motion against the education minister, Valentin Popa, alongside the National Liberal Party. According to Save Romanian Union the big universities of Romania, in spite of their performances, have been deprived of great number of student places, which represents an attack against the country’s development. As of Thursday the students of the Bucharest University and the West University in Timisoara, in the west, have started a work-to-rule strike. Recently the education ministry has published the preliminary distribution of places for 1st year students in public universities for the 2018-2019 academic year covered from the state budget.



    Justice laws — The special committee for the justice laws in Romania’s Parliament on Thursday announced that the proposals on the modification of the Criminal, Criminal Procedure and Civil Procedure Codes would be debated as of May 2nd. Talks are aimed at harmonizing the three codes with the decisions of the Constitutional Court, of the European Court of Human Rights and the line European Directive. Apart from the new provisions announced, in March, the Romanian Parliament adopted a series of changes to the justice laws, proposed by the same special committee, related to the status of magistrates, judiciary organization and the functioning of the Supreme Council of Magistracy. Some of the changes generated the largest-scale protests in post-Communist Romania.



    Tunis — The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu on Thursday met with his Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui on the first day of his visit to Tunisia. Minister Meleşcanu underscored the wish of the Romanian authorities to develop relations with Tunisia, which is a traditional partner of Romania. The two officials signed a number of documents among which the Declaration on the Joint Romania- Tunisia Committee which covers such domains as the economy, defense, justice, education and tourism. Minister Meleşcanu also said that Romania was fully supporting the consolidation of Tunisia’s partnership with the EU in the run up to the organization of the EU-Tunisia Association Council on May 15. Previously, Minister Meleşcanu met in Tripoli with Ahmed Maatig, the vice-president of the Presidential Council and deputy prime minister of Libya’s Government of National Accord.



    Berlin — The German chancellor Angela Merkel and the French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday reiterated during a meeting in Berlin their wish to forward a common proposal related to the EU reforms by June. Chancellor Merkel said that, although the two sides have divergent opinions in relation to the reform of the community bloc, compromises could be made, though. In turn, president Macron said that both Germany and France had the will to present a common vision and added that an agreement over political objectives was essential in this respect. In relation to the reform of the Euro zone, president Macron insists on a more uniform sharing of risks among the states using the single currency mainly through the setting up of a budget of the Euro zone, of a European Monetary Fund, of a position of finance minister and a parliament of the Euro zone, proposals regarded with reticence by Germany. (news updated and translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • October 23, 2017

    October 23, 2017

    BILATERAL RELATIONS — Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu, who is on an official visit to Israel, will meet President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also the country’s Foreign Minister. The agenda for talks includes the status of bilateral relations, the developments in Israel’s vicinity, the situation in Syria and Iraq, the prospects of Iran’s nuclear agreement and the peacemaking process. On Sunday, Minister Melescanu met with representatives of the Romanian-born Jewish community in Jerusalem. Several days ago, the Chairman of the Knesset Committee on Foreign Relations and Defense, Avi Dichter, met with Teodor Melescanu in Bucharest. The Romanian official hailed the visit of the Israeli Parliamentary delegation to Romania as an opportunity to reassert the excellent level of bilateral relations.



    NEGOTIATIONS — Trade unions in the field of healthcare are today resuming talks with the Health Ministry. Union representatives are discontented with the new legislation that is to take effect on January 1 and which, they believe, would considerably curb the income of healthcare personnel. Trade unions want the Government to eliminate the 30% cap on specific bonuses and to renounce its plan to transfer the payment of social security contributions from employers to employees, which will arguably counterbalance the 25% salary increase stipulated by the new salary law. Unless they reach consensus with the authorities, healthcare trade unions threaten to resort to new protests. Last week some 10,000 employees from all over the country attended a large-scale protest action in Bucharest.



    SPLIT VAT — The Romanian Parliament is today debating the Split VAT collection mechanism. Finance Minister Ionut Misa is today expected to explain before the Chamber of Deputies how the measure will be implemented. The measure has already taken effect by emergency Government decree and is currently optional. It will become mandatory for all businesses starting January 1, 2018. The Liberals have called on the Government to repeal the decree, saying it will upset the economy. Conversely, the left-wing ruling coalition plans on modifying the law so that it becomes mandatory only for businesses with a bad credit record or which are currently in default. Split VAT has stirred harsh criticism from businesses, who’ve warned the new mechanism will cause an economic deadlock.



    REFERENDUM — The majority of voters in the regions of Veneto and Lombardy in northern Italy have voted for greater autonomy as part of the two referendum held on Sunday. Over 90% of the voters said “yes” to the consultation held by the North League, an extremist political party. According to our correspondent on the group, the result of the vote might lead to negotiations with Rome authorities, with a view to securing better financial agreements with the two regions.



    HANDBALL — The Romanian women’s handball team CSM Bucharest lost 25-22 to Nykobing Falster Handboldklub of Denmark away from home, in the third match in the Champions League Group A. CSM previously defeated RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana of Slovenia on home turf and Vistal Gdynia of Poland away from home. CSM ranks first in the group tables with 4 points, the same as Nykobing, who is runner-up. The next fixture for the Romanian handballers will be the return leg against Nykobing Falster Handboldklub, scheduled on November 4 at home. CSM Bucharest won the Champions League last year on its first ever appearance in this competition. This year CSM is favourite to win.



    TENNIS — Tennis player Simona Halep, WTA no. 1, is seeded first in the WTA finals hosted by Singapore. Halep is today playing Caroline Garcia of France, WTA no. 9 in the first match in the Red Group. In the second Group fixture, Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, WTA no. 4, will take on Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, WTA no. 6. On Sunday on the first day of the competition, Garbine Muguruza of Spain defeated 6-3, 6-4 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, who has for the first time qualified to this event. In the other match in the White Group, Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic defeated Venus Williams of the United States, 6-2, 6-2. This is Simona Halep’s fourth participation in the WTA Finals. Four years ago she made it all the way to the final. (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Romania and the Ukraine Situation

    Romania and the Ukraine Situation

    During Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin’s visit to Bucharest Tuesday, his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu said that Romania was profoundly interested in having on its border a strong, united, democratic Ukraine, firmly on a European path through reform. Klimkin said that his country wanted to have a strategic relationship with Romania, much as it enjoys with Poland.



    The talks between the Ukrainian official and the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and top diplomat Aurescu focused on the developments in eastern Ukraine, especially the recent cease fire agreement signed in Minsk on February 12, and the development of bilateral relations. The Bucharest officials have reiterated their firm support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognized borders. Iohannis said he hoped the recent armistice would be observed by all parties and would help stabilize the region.



    In this context, Minister Aurescu expressed once again his country’s wish for the partial mobilization declared in the neighboring country to be a fair one, with no discriminatory practices, especially along ethnic lines. Klimkin said that Romanian ethnics in Ukraine were not treated discriminatorily. This insistence came as a result of information emerging according to which ethnic Romanians were targeted when sending troops to face off against pro-Russian separatists in the east.



    The president and foreign minister also extended Romania’s unfettered support for Ukraine’s continued bid to be a part of the European and democratic family. Klimkin thanked Bucharest for its support, emphasizing the fact that Romania was the first EU member state to ratify the association agreement between Ukraine and the Union, back in July 2014. As for bilateral priorities, Aurescu pleaded for the quick implementation of the bilateral agreement on small-scale cross-border trade, which Romania already ratified last month.



    Here is what he said: “The agreement entails the creation of consular offices on both sides of the border to issue small-scale trade permits. Romania has already informed our colleagues in Ukraine on our wish for the future consular office to be in Solotvino.”



    Aurescu underlined the fact that the implementation of the accord would send a positive signal to the ethnic minorities on either side of the border. Aurescu and Klimkin have agreed to organize a joint government session, resuming the activities of the joint economic commission, as well as restarting the joint commission on national minorities.