Radio România Internațional

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  • February 19, 2025 UPDATE 2

    February 19, 2025 UPDATE 2

    Paris – The security of Europe is the theme of the new meeting organized in Paris by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, after the one on Monday, which took place in a restricted format. This time Romania is also attending, being represented by the interim president, Ilie Bolojan. Also participating are the leaders from Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Sweden and Belgium. The French president said that he sees Russia and President Vladimir Putin as ‘an existential threat to Europe’. He recalled the activities of the Kremlin in the last period, which affected the interests of several countries in the European Union, including actions on the Polish border, cyber attacks in all EU countries and the manipulation of information or electoral processes, such as the presidential election in Romania. Macron also recalled Putin’s explicit threats regarding the use of nuclear weapons, in violation of international agreements to which Russia is a party. However, he showed his willingness to talk with Putin about ending the conflict and returning peace to Ukraine. Among the solutions that could be proposed to Ukraine as security guarantees within a possible peace agreement with Moscow would be the sending of experts or even peacekeeping troops outside the conflict zones. Macron said that there is also the possibility of organizing a peacekeeping operation under the UN mandate, to be carried out on the front line.

     

    Coalition – The leaders of the parties in the government coalition in Bucharest – the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania on Wednesday signed a protocol for the establishment of the “Romania Ahead” electoral alliance, in order to support the sole candidate for the presidency, Crin Antonescu. According to the document, the leadership of this alliance will be ensured by the presidents of the three parties, and the decisions are binding for all members and organizations, respectively the subsidiaries of the signatory political groups. The electoral alliance also benefits from the support of the parliamentary group of national minorities in the Chamber of Deputies. The campaign for the presidential election will be led by a central team, led by national coordinators appointed by each party. They will develop the political program and strategy, respectively the common campaign timetable. Regarding the budget of the electoral campaign, the protocol shows that it is made up of contributions from the common candidate and also from the political parties. PSD, PNL and UDMR say that the “Romania Ahead” electoral alliance aims to counter violent radicalism and extremism in all its forms and, at the same time, to ensure internal political stability and balance, to promote pro-European and Euro-Atlantic values ​​and principles.

     

    Drones – The Romanian MPs adopted, on Wednesday, a draft law that allows the downing of drones that illegally enter the national airspace. According to the document initiated by the Government, these aircraft can be destroyed by air and land defense means, and the downing order is given by persons with the right to decide established by Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) decision. The Chamber of Deputies also passed the bill that regulates the peacetime deployment of military missions on Romanian territory. The document provides, among other things, the possibility that, for a certain period, the authority over some structures of the Romanian Army be transferred to the commanders of the NATO forces participating in various operations. In the case of this bill, the Senate is the decision-making body.

     

    Crime – Romania is among the countries with a low level of crime and a high level of safety, according to information published by the online platform numbeo.com. It collects data from around the world on people’s perceptions of safety and crime. According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, at the European level, Romania is perceived by citizens as a safer country than countries such as France, Great Britain, Italy or Germany. The online platform confirms the latest international reports, such as that of the US State Department, which highlights the progress made by Bucharest in the field of public safety and places Romania among the safest states in the EU bloc.

     

    NATO – The NATO Steadfest Dart 25 exercise, considered the biggest this year, is in full swing on the territories of Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. The drill started last month and involves the mobilization of soldiers from nine allied states. The exercise is led by the Joint Allied Command from Naples and involves the first operational deployment of the Allied Rapid Reaction Force, established on July 1, 2024. Thus, the ability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to mobilize and rapidly deploy forces to defend its borders is being tested. More than 10,000 soldiers, over 1,500 land combat vehicles and over 20 planes and helicopters, plus 17 ships and submarines, are participating in the exercise, with combat exercises in the air, water and on land, as well as in cyberspace, being scheduled. In Romania, Steadfest Dart 25 takes place in the Smârdan range in Galati county, in the southeast, and the country participates with approximately 1,150 soldiers and 120 combat vehicles. (LS)

  • February 4, 2025 UPDATE 2

    February 4, 2025 UPDATE 2

    BUDGET In Bucharest, the draft law on the 2025 state budget and social security budget were discussed in Parliament’s specialist committees on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will meet in a plenary session to review the two bills, and the final vote is scheduled for Thursday. The discussions and the vote in Parliament are predictable, as the MPs of the ruling coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR) have a majority. The draft budget for this year, based on a 2.5% economic growth rate and a budget deficit of 7% of GDP, was passed by the Cabinet on Saturday. ‘It is a restrained budget, based on a prudent forecast. It is a balanced budget, and in addition to investments, we have enough funds to pay salaries and pensions,’ the finance minister Tanczos Barna said.

     

    ECONOMY Romania is ‘a politically and economically stable and safe country,’ oriented towards investment and reform, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday at a meeting with World Bank officials in Bucharest. ‘Our country is a regional pillar of security and economic stability for Europe and for the Strategic Partnership with the US,’ the PM added. According to a news release issued by the government, Bucharest sees the WB as a partner for its goals and continues to rely on the funding and know-how provided by the group. During the meeting, the participants reviewed jointly-developed projects in the fields of healthcare and emergency management. The World Bank officials welcomed the Government’s reform plan and the attention paid to investments, noting that Romania is a strong and resilient partner. I am confident that together we will continue to implement the ongoing projects and expand the portfolio with new investments in energy, green transition, infrastructure and other areas with growth potential, WB executive director Eugene Rhuggenaath said. The institution’s representatives also appreciated the support offered by Romania to the neighboring Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as its contribution to ensuring stability in the region.

     

    MEETING At a meeting on Tuesday with the European Commission executive vice-president in charge of social rights and skills, quality jobs and training, Roxana Mînzatu, President Klaus Iohannis emphasised the critical role of education in fighting disinformation and manipulation, as well as in strengthening the democratic resilience of European societies. According to a news release issued by the Presidency, the topics on the agenda included the social dimension of European Union policies, ways to increase the EU’s global competitiveness, the Union’s strategy with respect to preparedness and resilience in the face of challenges, EU approaches to education and the involvement of the Romanian education system in the European context. In turn, the EC executive vice-president presented the main priorities of the new Commission, including in the areas of employment, social rights and EU-funded educational programs in Romania, as well as preparedness for crisis situations. On Monday and Tuesday in Bucharest Roxana Mînzatu also had talks with PM Marcel Ciolacu, with the Senate Speaker Ilie Bolojan, and with the Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Ciprian Şerban, about key EU and national priorities, with an emphasis on education, the labor market, social cohesion and the management of European funds.

     

    CHURCH The Romanian Orthodox Church (the majority denomination in Romania) Tuesday celebrated 100 years since its promotion to the rank of Patriarchate. According to Patriarch Daniel, this anniversary is not only a celebration of the past, but also a call to gratitude towards our ancestors and a reflection on the role of our Church in the life of the Romanian people. The Romanian Patriarchate was, throughout its 100-year existence, an unquenchable torch of faith and national unity, he said. In turn, president Klaus Iohannis said the centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate is a moment of historic importance for the entire Romanian Orthodox Church and for believers in the country and in Romanian communities abroad.  According to experts, Specialists recall that the Romanian Patriarchate was born on February 4, 1925, in a historical context marked by the Great Union of 1918, which brought together all the historical Romanian provinces in a one nation state.

     

    MOLDOVA The European Union Tuesday allocated a new EUR 250 mln financial envelope to support the Republic of Moldova in 2025 in the face of Moscow’s ‘energy blackmail,’ after the halt in Russian gas supplies to the breakaway region of Transnistria, AFP reports. ‘Today we are taking an essential step to (…) help the Republic of Moldova regain control over its energy destiny,’ the EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who is on an official visit to Chisinau, posted on a social network. In turn, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen denounced Moscow’s use of ‘energy to blackmail people’, promising to offer the former Soviet republic ‘full integration into the EU energy market, decoupling it from Russia ‘. After the war started in neighboring Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova says a ‘hybrid war’ is orchestrated by Russia, including the energy crisis, disinformation and electoral interference. Chisinau is facing a suspension of Gazprom supplies to Transnistria via Ukraine, after a transit agreement between Kiyv and Moscow came to an end. (AMP)

  • September 2, 2024 UPDATE

    September 2, 2024 UPDATE

    Parliament – The last session of the current Parliament began on Monday in Bucharest, with parliamentary elections to take place on December 1. The Senate adopted, as the first chamber notified, the Government’s draft law on the donation of a Patriot surface-to-air missile system to third parties. The project will also be sent to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case. After the adoption of the law by Parliament, the Government will be able to issue the decision that will make the act of donation operational. Another bill is aimed at exempting from taxation the pensions below 3,000 lei (600 Euros), for which a decisive vote is expected on Tuesday in the Chamber of Deputies. The bill allows the people who benefited from pension increases as a result of recalculations not to lose any money following the raising of the current tax ceiling of 2,000 lei (400 Euros).

     

    Government – In its Monday meeting, the government issued an emergency ordinance to raise the ceiling for the social benefits granted to low-income pensioners whose pensions went up as a result of recent recalculations. The ceiling by which food allowances will be granted is to go up from 2,000 to 2,210 lei, that is some 440 Euros. An allowance of 1,400 lei to help with utility bills during winter will continue to be granted, regardless of the pension rises. The ceiling was also raised by which pensioners can benefit from 90% subsidies on medicines. In another move, the government is to start consultations with the representatives of people with disabilities to draft a special pensions law for this category that should take into account the low contribution levels recognized previously.

     

    Drills – Romanian military are taking part in the Ample Strike international exercise under way in the Czech Republic until September 20. They will carry out air support and air surveillance missions alongside other NATO troops. According to the Romanian defense ministry, 25 military and two helicopters are taking part in the exercise.

     

    Weather – Meteorologists have issued a code orange alert for heat wave valid, on Tuesday, in several counties in the west and south-west of Romania. Thermal discomfort will be high, and the temperature-humidity index (ITU) will reach the critical threshold of 80 units. Maximum temperatures, particularly high for this date, will be around 37 degrees Celsius. Also on Tuesday, a yellow code alert for heat will be valid in almost the entire country. The maximum temperature will reach 35 degrees C.

     

    Commissioner – The Social Democratic MEP (in the government coalition with the National Liberal Party – PNL), Roxana Mînzatu, is Romania’s official proposal for the position of European Commissioner, the PM Marcel Ciolacu announced on Monday. The social-democratic leader said that the EC president, Ursula von der Leyen, already had the interview with Roxana Mînzatu. He also said that he would discuss, in the next period, with the head of the European Commission about the portfolio that Bucharest will manage. The PM points out that the field would be established by Ursula von der Leyen, but assured that it would be a relevant one. The PNL leader, Nicolae Ciucă, says that the options are for the Enlargement portfolio or the Agriculture portfolio. The makeup of the future European Commission will be announced on September 11. Roxana Mînzatu has a degree in political sciences in English, she was a Braşov county deputy in the last legislature, and, in 2019 she was appointed Minister of European Funds.

     

    Bank – The foreign exchange reserves of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) exceeded 63 billion Euros at the end of August 2024, down by 0.62% as compared to the level of July 31, according to a communiqué of the Central Bank, sent to AGERPRES. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Against the backdrop of international price developments, its value was 7.588 billion Euros.

     

    Visit – Pope Francis is starting his 45th apostolic trip abroad. Until September 13, the Sovereign Pontiff will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, states marked by strong religious, economic and social contrasts. Immigration, inter-religious dialogue, ecology, the role of the Church in relation to access to health and education are the main themes that the pontiff will address in his speeches and meetings. According to the Radio Romania’s correspondent in Rome, in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, the central theme will be the dialogue between Islam and Christianity. On September 5, there will be an interfaith meeting in the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, in the presence of representatives of six official religions, on which occasion the Pope will sign a joint statement with the Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar. Pope Francis is the third Sovereign Pontiff to visit this archipelago, after Paul VI and John Paul II.

     

    Israel – The US President Joe Biden said on Monday that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not doing enough to reach an agreement to release the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. A strike called by the main trade union confederation took place in Israel on Monday in protest against the delay in a cease-fire agreement in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas. Employees of banks, hospitals and malls joined the protest, and flights were suspended at “Ben Gurion” Airport, the Israeli press writes. The strike call came after about half a million Israelis took to the streets in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities on Sunday evening to ask the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to bring home the 101 hostages who are still in Gaza, reports Reuters. The protests took place after six hostages aged between 23 and 40 were found dead in a tunnel in Gaza by the army that said that they had been killed recently. (LS)

  • E-cigarettes no longer sold to minors in Romania

    E-cigarettes no longer sold to minors in Romania

    After last week’s ban on the sale of energy drinks to minors in Romania, now it is time for the e-cigarettes to be included in the same category of banned products. The law banning the sale of such products to minors has been endorsed by the decision-making Chamber of Deputies.

    The Romanian MPs have endorsed a bill banning the sale of vapes to young people under 18. This category of banned products also includes the tobacco heating devices and oral nicotine products.

    Any violation of the new law will be sanctioned with high fines in accordance with the crime gravity, including the sale of the aforementioned banned products via the vending machines, easyboxes or couriers.

    Customers will have to produce an ID in shops or when they get their online orders. At the same time, students are not allowed to use the aforementioned products in schools or other education units. At the same time, schools will have to introduce in their regulations, coercive measures in order to make students comply with the law banning the sale, ownership or use of tobacco-based products, e-cigarettes and tobacco-heating devices on school premises.

    The definition of the e-cigarette and its refills has been taken over from the European legislation. Several amendments, initially rejected by the specialized committees, have also been endorsed during the latest debates housed by the Chamber of Deputies.

    Most of these belong to the Chamber’s interim president Social-Democrat Alfred Simonis, who has also initiated the aforementioned bill.

    Alfred Simonis: “Children will no longer be able to buy such electronic cigarettes. Neither will they be able to buy those nicotine pouches. These products will no longer be available in vending machines at that, while fines will be up to 20 thousand Euros for any shop that sells these things to minors.”

    The opposition USR and AUR have also endorsed the bill, but added that banning advertisements to these products is equally important. Here is the USR MP, Emanuel Ungureanu.

    Emanuel Ungureanu: “Publicity – banning advertisements to these products is the key, as in this way you sanction the sellers as well. You thus stop the spreading of fake news even to committees – that these products are less toxic than traditional smoking. Being exposed to commercials for these products is the most toxic thing, which you cannot prevent only through banning the products.”

    Scientific research shows that the use of this type of products entails a series of health risks.

    (bill)

     

  • European Commission versus farmers

    European Commission versus farmers

    The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed, on Tuesday, in the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the withdrawal of a draft law aimed at halving the use of pesticides in the EU. The bill is a basic element of the European Green Deal and plans to halve the use of phytosanitary chemicals by 2030 (compared to the period 2015-2017). The proposal, which was rejected at the end of November in the European Parliament, while the negotiations between the states had reached a deadlock, became a symbol of polarization, said the head of the European Commission in front of the MEPs gathered in plenary session. During the discussions, approximately 20 tractors and tens of farmers gathered in front of the European Parliament headquarters to put pressure on the MEPs.



    Security measures were increased in the area, to block the access of the protesters, who raised flags and placards with their demands. There were two distinct protests: one of the rural coordination, to denounce the import of products from countries like Ukraine, which are not subject to the same rules as in France, and another one of a confederation that opposes the new genetically modified organisms. Protests have recently taken place in several European countries. Spanish farmers blocked traffic on some of the most important highways on Tuesday, joining their European counterparts protesting high costs, bureaucracy and competition from non-EU countries. Many took to the streets with tractors, creating traffic jams throughout the country. Like their colleagues in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal, the Spanish farmers complain about the cumbersome European bureaucracy, the low prices they receive for their produce and the rising costs.



    Farmers in Greece also protested almost all over the country, strengthened regional roadblocks and organized rallies with tractors. They are asking for the revision of the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU, which, in their opinion, has considerably reduced their incomes, as well as for compensation for the losses suffered due to the high prices of the products necessary for crops. Demonstrations also spread to Germany and Poland. Italian farmers are also preparing for large-scale demonstrations in the coming days. Bulgarian farmers also protested on Tuesday by temporarily blocking the main roads and border-crossing points, including with Romania. At the end of last week, the government coalition in Bucharest reached an agreement with farmers and transporters. In Romania, hundreds of farmers and truck drivers protested against rising business costs, with convoys of tractors and trucks, thus slowing or blocking traffic on national roads near major cities, including around the capital. Also, the protesters briefly blocked a border crossing with Ukraine and tried to cut off access to the Black Sea port of Constanţa. (LS)

  • December 21, 2023 UPDATE

    December 21, 2023 UPDATE

    December 1989 — On Thursday, Bucharest venued events commemorating the heroes who died for freedom in the anti-communist uprising 34 years ago. December 21, 1989 is considered the first day of the uprising in Bucharest, after the failed rally called by the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, followed by the setting up of barricades in the center of the city and the bloody repression of the anti-communist demonstrators. Launched a week before, in Timisoara (west) and extedned to other big cities, the Uprising culminated in Bucharest, on December 22, with the escape of Ceausescu from the headquarters of the central committee of the Communist party. Captured and tried summarily, Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were shot on December 25. Romania was the only communist country in Europe where the regime change was accompanied by a bloodshed. Over a thousand people were killed in December 1989. Young people must know that the freedom they have today was paid for with the lives of thousands of heroes, the PM Marcel Ciolacu said, emphasizing that the Romanian Revolution of December 1989 was the moment when the ideal of freedom defeated the terror strongly established among the population.



    Wind energy — The Romanian government approved, in Thursdays session, a draft law on the development of investments in the field of offshore wind energy in the Black Sea. According to the law the Energy Ministry is the authority in the field of offshore wind farms. “The adoption of a legislative framework for starting the exploitation of Romanias offshore wind resources is a vital step in ensuring Romanias energy independence and resilience, being, at the same time, something that Romania assumed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan”, shows a press release of the Energy Ministry which also writes that the World Bank data show that Romania has an offshore wind potential of 76 GW of installed power, being a favorable environment for the development of this type of renewable energy. Through this project, Romania is making progress in achieving the desired transition and decarbonization of the energy system, as well as in consolidating its status as a regional leader in the field of energy – the release states.



    Statistics – Romania ranks 1st in the EU in terms of the number of deaths from preventable and treatable causes, shows the EU State of Health report for 2023. In 2020, 358 preventable deaths per 100,000 inhabitants were registered in Romania, almost double the EU average (180 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) and 235 deaths from treatable causes per 100,000 inhabitants, 2.5 times higher than the EU average of 92 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Expenditure for healthcare per capita in Romania remains the lowest in the EU countries, while numerous categories are exempted from the payment of health insurance. Romania allocates only 6.5% of the GDP to health. Life expectancy at birth in Romania, increasing until 2019 to 75.3 years, decreased by almost 3 years to 72.8 years between 2019 and 2021, currently being the third lowest in the European Union and by 5.4 years lower than the EU average.



    Ukraine – The European Commission has allocated over 65 million Euros so that four member states can provide support to people fleeing the war started by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. The money is made available to Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania and comes from the Community Fund for Asylum, Migration and Integration. The money can be used, for example, to help Ukrainian refugees move from collective accommodation to private housing, for language and vocational training, and to access medical services. Currently, the European Union hosts over four million Ukrainians who benefit from temporary protection. (LS)


  • December 20, 2023 UPDATE

    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)

  • December 16, 2023 UPDATE

    December 16, 2023 UPDATE

    BUDGET The 2024 state budget and social security budget bills will be reviewed by Parliament’s specialist committees as of Monday. On Tuesday the draft laws will be discussed in a joint plenary
    meeting, with a final vote expected on Wednesday. The budget is based on a 3.4%
    economic growth rate, with investments amounting to 7% of GDP and the largest
    appropriations in history for public education. PM Marcel Ciolacu dismissed
    claims that the figures are over-optimistic, and voiced his confidence that budget
    revenues would be raised from 27% to 30% of GDP. Under the bill, as of June 1
    whole-economy minimum wages will be around EUR 745. Ciolacu also said he was
    counting on better EU fund absorption, on improved tax collection and on
    curbing tax evasion.


    EU President Klaus Iohannis says the EU winter summit, which came to an
    end in Brussels on Friday, will be remembered for the historic decision to
    initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The
    Romanian official encouraged the government of Moldova to step up the reforms
    required for EU integration. As for Ukraine, the president of the European
    Commission,Ursula von der Leyen, says
    the decision was a promise kept and an investment in stability and security. EU
    leaders also discussed the Israel-Hamas war, and condemned the continuing
    hostilities with growing numbers of victims among Palestinian civilians in Gaza
    and the West Bank. They argued that peace will only be achieved through a
    two-state solution. A revision of the 2021-2027 Multi-Annual Financial
    Framework, support for Ukraine, security and defence, migration and the future
    EU Strategic Agenda were also discussed at the European Council meeting on
    Thursday and Friday in Brussels.


    COMMEMORATION In Timişoara (west) events were organised to mark 34 years
    since the start of the 1989 Revolution which eventually led to the fall of
    dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s communist regime. The rally in support of the
    Reformed pastor László Tőkés, who was under political police (Securitate)
    surveillance, turned into an uprising against the communist dictatorship. In
    this context, the Revolution Memorial was opened to the public in Timişoara on
    Saturday. The organisers prepared a complex programme, providing information on
    the events of 1989. The commemoration also includes exhibitions, concerts, a
    special meeting of the Local Council, and a commemorative march. In this
    context, the Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă said in a message that the sacrifice
    and courage of Timişoara’s heroes were the foundation of today’s free and
    democratic Romania.


    UNEMPLOYMENT Around 63% of the Romanians aged 15 to 64 had a job in
    July-September, according to the National Statistics Institute. The
    unemployment rate was 5%, but among youth aged 15 to 24 the rate reaches 22%. The
    economic analyst Constantin Rudniţchi says the INS data is not very different
    from previous reports and that the Romanian labour market is below its
    potential. As for unemployment, he believes the overall trend is to look for
    and to create jobs. Rudniţchi believes the most urgent issue to be the one
    million Romanians who are outside the social and employment system, i.e. who
    are neither in school nor employed.


    AGREEMENT Romania, Turkey and Bulgaria intend to sign an agreement on
    January 11, 2024, concerning a joint plan to remove mines floating in the Black
    Sea as a result of the war in Ukraine, the Turkish defence minister Yasar Guler
    said, according to Reuters. Officials from the 3 NATO member states met with
    the authorities of Georgia, Poland and Ukraine in April 2022 to discuss the
    issue, and also discussed the plan in a NATO meeting in Brussels in October and
    in Ankara, last month. Yasar Guler explained that the initiative will only
    include Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria for the time being, and the signing
    ceremony will take place in Istanbul.


    FAIR A special Christmas fair was opened at the Săvârşin Castle of
    Romania’s late King Michael I. The organiser, Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of
    the Crown of Romania, said the event was intended to promote and preserve the
    authenticity of Christmas traditions. It is something spiritual, and we often
    forget that Christmas has grown a little too commercial. So we are glad to have
    valuable people here, she said. On the estate in Arad County, western Romania,
    a Royal Automobile Museum, a souvenir shop, the auto repair shop of King
    Michael I and a Tea House are also opened to the public. During the event, carol
    performances and handicraft exhibitions are also organised for the visitors. (AMP)

  • New fiscal measures approved as constitutional

    New fiscal measures approved as constitutional


    The oppositions notification against theset of fiscal and budget-related measures for which the Cabinet has taken responsibility before Parliament has been dismissed by the Constitutional Court. The judges decided that the bill is constitutional, so the president may sign it into law. The president of the Constitutional Court of Romania, Marian Enache, explained:



    Marian Enache: “The Court is satisfied that the Governments responsibility with respect to the bill concerned a unique and unified purpose, namely to increase revenues to the public budget and to cut down on expenditure. After the constitutionality review, we concluded that, in procedural terms, the responsibility procedure was in line with the requirements of the Constitutional Court and its case law. In terms of the substance, the Court found that provisions challenged by the signatories of the unconstitutionality notification are within the scope of the lawmakers right of suitability assessment in the financial and fiscal area.”



    The core principles of the new legislative package include reducing public fund misuse by restricting procurement, reducing the number of executive positions and merging certain public institutions, scrapping a number of tax exemptions, fighting fraud and tax evasion.And according to PM Marcel Ciolacu, the implementation of these measures will help narrow this years budget deficit to 5.7% of the GDP.



    The Constitutional Courts decision proves that the allegations of the Opposition were ungrounded, says Gabriel Andronache, head of the Liberal floor group in the Chamber of Deputies:



    Gabriel Andronache: “This is obviously not the same situation as the precedent mentioned by the Opposition parties in their notification. These are provisions that are organically connected, so the grounds for unconstitutionality cannot be upheld.”



    Save Romania Union, in opposition, which challenged the bill, sees the Courts decision as unfair and argues that the new legislation is an attack against the incomes of Romanias honest citizens. Ionuţ Moşteanu, spokesman for USR:



    Ionuţ Moşteanu: “What we see today is Ciolacu raising the taxes for honest Romanians using the hand of the Constitutional Court. But this Court has renounced its constitutional role, and is trampling on its own past decisions. Essentially, the Court helps Ciolacu to get his hands into the pockets of hardworking people, to raise taxes so that he may continue to pay his party cronies.”



    The USR president, Cătălin Drulă, announced the party would table a simple motion against the finance minister. (AMP)


  • September 29, 2023 UPDATE

    September 29, 2023 UPDATE

    TAXES USR and the Force of the Right parties in
    opposition in Romania Friday notified the Constitutional Court with respect to
    the set of fiscal measures for which the Government has recently assumed
    responsibility. The 2 parties argue that many
    provisions in the bill are against the Constitution. Two members of the
    National Liberal Party (in the ruling coalition) have also signed the
    notification, the USR floor group leader Ionuţ Moşteanu said. According to him,
    the Cabinet has initiated a reform which is not implemented consistently and violates
    the principle of judicial security. The move by USR was criticised by another
    Opposition party, AUR, which is collecting signatures in Parliament to table a
    no-confidence motion. The finance minister, Marcel Boloş, claims however that
    the set of fiscal measures endorsed by the government is needed for Romania’s
    modernisation process, and a failure to solve the budget deficit issue would
    jeopardise the payment of EUR 75 billion in EU funding for Romania’s
    development projects.


    FUNDING Romania has received from the European Commission EUR 2.7
    bln in response to the second disbursement application under the National
    Recovery and Resilience Plan, submitted in December. The finance minister
    Marcel Boloş says Romania is among the first countries in the Union to complete
    the steps required for obtaining a second instalment of the funds. In a social
    media post, he said Romania has so far received combined payments of nearly EUR
    10 bln in grants and loans, out of the EUR 29 bln earmarked for the country
    under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.


    MOTORWAY The Development Ministry in Bucharest has approved a EUR 6
    bln investment for the mountain segment of the A8 Motorway, between Miercurea
    Nirajului (centre) and Leghin (north-east). The approx. 160-km segment
    includes 47 tunnels and over 250 overpasses. The project is to be approved in a
    Cabinet meeting, and then a bid would be initiated for the procurement of
    design and construction works. The project is to be finalised in 54 months. The
    Union Motorway (Târgu Mureş-Iaşi-Ungheni) will be over 300 km long, but so far contracts
    have only been signed for the 30 km between Leghin and Târgu Neamţ.


    EXHIBITION Nearly 100 works are included in the most
    important exhibition in the past 50 years in Romania devoted to the great
    sculptor Constantin Brâncuși. The exhibition opens on Saturday in western
    Romania as part of the Timişoara – European Capital of Culture programme.
    Sculptures, photos, archive documents and video materials will be on display at
    the National Art Museum in the city until the end of January. The works, whose
    insured value is half a billion euros, come from public and private collections
    in Romania and abroad, including famous galleries such as the Pompidou centre in
    Paris and Tate in London.


    DEFENCE Romania will procure all the military equipment needed to
    enhance the security at the Black Sea, the Romanian defence minister Angel
    Tîlvăr said during a visit at a military equipment producer in Timişoara. He
    emphasised that Romania is a safe country and not involved in any conflict with
    anyone, but that incidents such as the Russian drone falling on Romanian
    territory are still possible. We are doing our best and have made public the
    additional measures we took after drone pieces were found in Romania, he added.
    He also mentioned the Army is still interested in attracting young members,
    especially since a large number of military staff have retired recently. (AMP)

  • Government pushes on with tax and budget measures

    Government pushes on with tax and budget measures

    The
    bill that the Government of Romania is seeking to push through Parliament is
    intended to increase the effectiveness of the fight against tax evasion, to
    curb the squandering of public funds and to ensure tax equity by scrapping
    exemptions and privileges.




    Under
    the new legislation, all employees will pay public healthcare contributions,
    including the staff in constructions and agriculture, who benefited from
    exemptions so far, while IT personnel with salaries above EUR 2,000 a month
    will now have to pay income taxes as well.




    On
    the other hand, public sector staff with salaries above EUR 1,600 will no
    longer receive holiday vouchers and meal allowances. A special tax is
    introduced for owners of houses worth over EUR 500,000, unless they have taken
    out bank loans to pay for them. Large companies and banks will pay a 1% tax on
    turnover.




    As
    for the VAT, there are no substantial changes. According to PM Marcel Ciolacu, the
    9% rate for foodstuffs and medicines and the 5% rate for power, firewood,
    natural gas and books will stay in place.




    The
    PM dismisses claims that these are austerity measures. But, he says, Romania
    can no longer afford to grant privileges and facilities amounting to EUR 15
    bln, nor can it allow tax evasion to account for 15% of its GDP (i.e. EUR 30 bln
    a year). Marcel Ciolacu mentioned that minimum wages will be raised by 10%,
    while in the constructions sector the raise will reach 12.5%.




    The
    PM argues that this set of measures will implement the most ambitious reform of
    the public sector in post-communist Romania. The Opposition, however,
    criticises the draft law and says it must be stopped by all constitutional
    means available.




    According
    to procedure, one such option is a no-confidence vote, which would lead to
    dismissing the Cabinet if the Opposition wins. But this is only possible in
    theory, given that the actual parliamentary make-up favours the Social
    Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, the current ruling coalition. Another
    option is to challenge the bill before the Constitutional Court.




    But
    the most dangerous scenario would be for the new measures to be invalidated by
    economic reality. The Economic and Social Council, an independent body, has
    already passed a negative opinion on the legislation, stating that the measures
    to cut public expenditure are unconvincing and will have a negative impact on
    the economy. In the past, covering the budget deficit by increasing the tax
    burden on the business sector ended up having the opposite effect, and very
    likely revenues to the state budget would decrease instead of going up, the
    Council warns. (AMP)

  • September 21, 2023

    September 21, 2023

    ACCIDENT A
    criminal investigation was initiated with respect to the blast that occurred last
    night on a gas pipeline on the Moldova Motorway construction site in eastern
    Romania, in which four people died and 5 others were injured. Two men with burn
    wounds affecting 30% and 40% of their bodies, respectively, were transferred to hospitals in
    Bucharest. Prosecutors are investigating manslaughter and bodily harm offences,
    as well as failure to take or observe work safety measures. According to the
    Vrancea Emergency Inspectorate, the blast was caused by the construction works
    conducted in the vicinity of the pipeline, which was also carrying natural gas
    to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova.


    TAXES The
    Cabinet had a first discussion on the set of measures aimed at the long-term
    rebalancing of the state budget and at facilitating the absorption of tens of
    billions in EU funding. Apart from cutting down public
    spending, the bill focuses on fighting tax evasion, introduces taxes on large
    profits and wealth, and eliminates tax privileges. Ahead of the Cabinet meeting,
    the measures were discussed in the three-party Social Dialogue Council, which
    brings together government officials and representatives of employer
    associations and trade unions.


    UN The wider
    Black Sea area must be protected against the effects of Russia’s war against
    Ukraine, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said in his address at the UN
    General Assembly in New York. The Romanian official added that his country
    would not let down its most vulnerable partners, and mentioned the transit of
    Ukrainian grain via Romania, a topic he also approached in talks with the
    president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of the European
    Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Bulgaria’s deputy prime minister, Mariya
    Gabriel. President Iohannis also said Romania was concerned with the effects of
    climate change, of pollution, of energy insecurity, and is making visible
    efforts to fight them. According to him, climate education is a priority for
    Romania, and the climate-security interconnection should rank higher on the UN
    agenda. Stay tuned for more details on the Romanian president’s address at the
    UN after the news.


    WHEAT Egypt’s General
    Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) announced having purchased 120,000
    tonnes of wheat from Romania in an international purchasing tender, Reuters
    reports. GASC also said that since early June Cairo has imported approx. 2.14
    million tonnes of wheat, mainly from Russia (1.5 million tonnes) and Romania
    (420,000 tonnes). Egypt is the world’s largest wheat buyer, mainly for its
    national bread subsidy programme benefiting more than 70 million of its 103
    million citizens.


    BUCHAREST The
    Romanian capital city is celebrating these days 564 years since its first
    mention in official documents. Maps, plans, archive images and 3-dimensional
    scale models showcasing the 19th Century history of the city are
    displayed in an exhibition opened until Sunday at the ARCUB Cultural Centre. On
    Saturday, around 200 arts high school students will dance in front of the
    National History Museum of Romania, and the music of old-time Bucharest will be
    performed in the George Enescu Festival Square in front of the Romanian
    Athenaeum. (AMP)

  • Complicated Parliament Agenda

    Complicated Parliament Agenda

    Parliament in Bucharest is in for more heated debates this
    week after two draft laws, on the abuse of office and special pensions – have
    been submitted for debates and voting.


    Voting on the two bills has become predictable in principle, thanks
    to the comfortable majority the ruling PNL-PSD-UDMR coalition is presently enjoying.
    The Chamber of Deputies is a decision making forum regarding these two bills.






    The draft law on the abuse of office is to be endorsed
    within a ceiling of 9,000 lei, (18 hundred Euros) above which the deed is to be
    criminalized and punishable with jail sentences for public employees- PSD
    leader Marcel Ciolacu says. He believes that Justice Minister Cătălin Predoiu
    should have assumed the aforementioned value limit as early as the draft’s
    initial form, and that should have prevented the first endorsement at a higher
    ceiling of 250 thousand lei.




    Marcel Ciolacu: ʺI am firmly
    convinced together with my colleagues from the PSD PNL and UDMR that this law
    will get promulgated with the ceiling of 18 hundred Euros, as proposed by the Justice
    Minister.




    However, the opposition USR has lashed out at the form
    endorsed by the PSD, PNL, UDMR senators.


    Stelian Ion: The
    Constitutional Court’s decision imposed a ceiling, which was common sense,
    reasonable at the level of the minimum wages.




    Also in spite of the oppositions’ protests, a draft on
    reforming the special pensions paid to state employees has made it to the
    Chamber of Deputies.


    Under the new amendments backed by the ruling
    coalition, no special pension has to exceed the incomes before the person’s
    retirement. Accumulated pension plans have been banned and a tax of maximum 15%
    has been introduced for the non-contribution period. Unsatisfactory, says the
    opposition, which has called for the introduction of the contribution system
    for all pensions irrespective of the activity domain. 200 thousand people are
    presently benefitting from special pensions, most of them former employees of
    the country’s defence and public order structures. However, the former magistrates, judges and
    prosecutors are presently enjoying the biggest special pensions, which can go
    up to 36 hundred Euros, ten times above a regular pension. Reforming the
    country’s pension system is a request provided by the National Plan of Recovery
    and Resilience and we recall that the approval of roughly 3 billion dollars worth
    of EU funds hinges on this plan.


    Other bills on the Parliament agenda in Bucharest
    might be the new laws on education, based on Romanian president Klaus Iohannis’
    project entitled Educated Romania’. The
    law is aimed at curbing school dropout and functional illiteracy, at placing
    the student at the center of the country’s educational process, at the same
    time backing the European cooperation of universities in Romania. The
    opposition has criticized the draft laws as faulty and prone to cause
    imbalances.


    (bill)

  • March 30, 2023 UPDATE

    March 30, 2023 UPDATE

    INTERVIEW ‘Moscow does not give up the
    idea of taking over power in the Republic of Moldova and resorts to various
    actions in an attempt to instate a Russia-friendly government in Chisinau’, the
    country’s president Maia Sandu said in an interview to the Voice of Bessarabia.
    According to her, it is only the heroism of the Ukrainian army, which is
    keeping the frontline far from the Moldavian-Ukrainian border, but the country
    is facing the elements of a hybrid war. Sandu has given assurances that the
    people serving Russia’s interests are going to be identified but in order to
    achieve that, the country needs to strengthen the capabilities of its
    Intelligence and Security Service SIS.








    SUPPORT In Bucharest on Thursday Spain reiterated its full support for
    Romania’s accession to Europe’s border-free area Schengen, through the voice of
    its Interior Minister, Fernando Grande Marlaska Gomez. Romania has worked
    extraordinarily hard to achieve this goal and for a long period of time, the
    Spanish official has pointed out. Minister Gomez held talks with his Romanian
    counterpart, Lucian Bode, with bilateral cooperation against human and drug
    trafficking high on the agenda. According to Bode, Romania is fully ready to
    join the Schengen zone, and the decision last year was totally unfair. We
    recall that the only country, which opposed Romania’s entry into Schengen was
    Austria, on migration-related grounds.






    BILL The
    leaders of the ruling National Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party in
    Romania, Nicolae Ciucă and Marcel Ciolacu, have announced that they
    decided to support the proposal made by the Ministry of Justice regarding the
    establishment of a threshold of 9,000 lei (about 1,800 euros) up to which abuse
    of office is decriminalized. The announcements of the two come after the Senate
    approved a draft law that provides for a value threshold for abuse and neglect
    in the service in the amount of 250,000 lei. The change caused criticism and a
    street protest in Bucharest. The opposition Save Romania Union has warned that
    the value threshold of 50,000 euros for damage to the public budget to be
    considered a criminal offense was also provided for by the well-known Ordinance
    13 of 2017, which the government at the time abandoned after massive street
    protests.




    OECD The
    Secretary of State for Romania’s Accession to the Organization for Economic
    Cooperation and Development, Luca Niculescu, was appointed to the Steering
    Committee of the new OECD Regional Center in Istanbul. He welcomed the
    initiative to establish the Center, aimed at encouraging inter-regional
    cooperation, providing a platform for dialogue on public policies and
    supporting the states in the region to face the main economic and social
    challenges. According to a release by the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, Luca
    Niculescu expressed, at the same time, the availability of the Romanian
    authorities to contribute with sectoral expertise to the activity of the OECD
    Regional Center in Istanbul, recalling that Romania provides financial support
    for the main regional programs of the organization.


    (bill)

  • March 29, 2023 UPDATE

    March 29, 2023 UPDATE

    Education – In Bucharest, the education draft laws were approved in the government meeting on Wednesday and are to be debated and adopted in Parliament, in an emergency procedure. The line minister, Ligia Deca, stated that the documents brought together the desiderata and vision of society as a whole with regard to education in the run up to 2030. She gave some examples of changes to the law, such as centering the educational system on the student, stimulating the potential that each child has and accompanying this potential from early education to adulthood. Another desideratum would be to increase the quality and level of functional literacy. Ligia Deca also said that the lessons learned as a result of the successive crises of the recent years were also included in the two laws.



    Protest – Two Romanian trade union federations on Wednesday staged a protest outside the government headquarters, unhappy with the salary scheme in this sector. They demand urgent solutions to enhance the incomes of the auxiliary teaching staff and overtime pay for the teaching and auxiliary staff. The federations also demand the application of the regulations on the payment of bonuses for working conditions, saying that the education employees are the only category of public employees that does not benefit from such bonuses. Similar protests were held last week around the country. Trade unions say they are planning a protest rally in Bucharest in May and even warn of a general strike unless the government finds solutions to the problems of the employees in the education sector.



    Pensions – The Senate has passed a bill on the reform of special pensions, with 79 MPs voting in favor and 37 against. After intense discussions, the bill was approved on Tuesday by the specialist committees, who only accepted the amendments proposed by the parliamentary majority. One of the changes refers to an additional tax of 15% on the special pensions exceeding the gross average salary. Also, special pensions can no longer exceed the incomes obtained before retirement, and beneficiaries cannot receive both a salary and a pension. Around 200,000 people currently benefit from special pensions, of whom 170,000 are former defense and public order employees. Romania has 7 categories of special pensions, including those of magistrates, military and diplomats. Yearly budget expenses connected to special pensions amount to some 2.4 billion Euros. Former magistrates have the highest pensions, even amounting to some 3,600 Euros a month, ten times more than the average state pension. Changing this pension system is a requirement laid down in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and failure to make the change may lose Romania almost 3 billion Euros of EU funding.




    Natural gas – EU energy ministers have decided to extend by another year the recommendation to cut natural gas use by 15%. The measure was initially proposed after the start of the war in Ukraine in an attempt to reduce dependence on Russian gas. According to the Swedish presidency of the EU, thanks to this recommendation, European gas use dropped by almost 20% from August to January. The reduction in consumption also contributed to a drop in prices, said the EU officials.



    Drill — Sea Shield 2023, the most complex NATO military training exercise planned and conducted by the Romanian Naval Forces this year, continued on the Black Sea shore. An evacuation exercise took place on Wednesday, in which the forces involved manage a situation of illegal transport of refugees by sea. Romanian and Bulgarian ships participated. About 3,400 soldiers and representatives of several institutions from the national defense system, as well as from 12 allied and partner states, are participating in Sea Shield 2023. (CM, LS)