Radio România Internațional

Tag: Book Fair

  • March 14, 2025

    March 14, 2025

    FAIR Over March 13-16 the Belgian capital is hosting the international book fair Brussels Book Fair 2025, one of the most important events of this kind in Europe. Romania is attending this fair with over five hundred titles on view at the stand of the Romanian Cultural Institute also known as ICR. There are books and albums translated in several languages, predominantly in French, some of which have been funded through the ICR programmes with a view to promoting the Romanian authors at international level. Besides Romanian authors, the ICR stand is also promoting authors from the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet Romanian-speaking country. The ICR is expected to stage several events, during which authors are going to have a dialogue with foreign authors or with the Belgian readership. The Brussels Book Fair is one of the most important cultural events in the Belgian capital, which is also the EU capital, and brings together several thousand authors, illustrators, publishers, critics as well as readers annually.

     

    EBRD The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EBRD, Odile Renaud-Basso, will be visiting Bulgaria and Romania next week, the aforementioned financial institution has announced in a communiqué. The visit of the EBRD president comes at a time when the institution is preparing fresh five-year strategies for both countries, which will be subjected for public consultations at the end of this year. The EBRD investment in Romania rose from 658 million Euros up to 707 million last year. The EBRD official will be seeing Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Finance Minister, Tanczos Barna, Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, as well as representatives of the business environment, diplomats and representatives of civil society.

     

    ELECTION Candidates for the presidential election in May have two more days to register with the Central Election Bureau, the deadline being March 15 at midnight. So far, only two candidates are officially enrolled in the race, their candidacies having been validated by the Constitutional Court: Crin Antonescu, supported by the PSD-PNL-UDMR ruling coalition, and the Bucharest Mayor General, Nicuşor Dan, who runs as an independent candidate. Deputy Victor Ponta also registered his candidacy as an independent candidate, for which he was excluded from the Social-Democratic Party. On the other hand, the Constitutional Court’s decision to definitively reject the candidacy of independent candidate Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian extremist who unexpectedly won the first round of last year’s presidential election, has prompted the parties that supported him, AUR and POT, to prepare a new electoral strategy. Thus, the leaders of the two parties, George Simion and Ana-Maria Gavrilă, announced they would both submit their candidacies for the presidential election, and one of them will withdraw once their candidacies are validated. The leader of USR, Elena Lasconi, who advanced to the second round last year, Diana Şoşoacă (from SOS Romania), who expressed confidence her candidacy would be upheld this time, as well as and MEP Cristian Terheş from the Romanian National Conservative Party, also submitted their candidacies.

     

    TRADE DEFICIT – Romania’s trade deficit increased by 38% in January, compared to the same period last year, the National Statistics Institute reports. In 2024, Romania exported goods worth €92.6 billion, while its imports stood at €133.4 billion. Romania’s deficit remains significant, especially in relations with China, Germany and Poland, while recording surpluses with the UK, the Republic of Moldova and the USA, although in smaller volumes. Trade in agricultural products and foodstuffs remains vulnerable, as Romania mainly exports raw materials and imports end products. To reduce the €5 billion trade deficit in this area, experts recommend a strategy focused on the export of value-added products and more efficient use of statistical data for better-founded economic decisions.

    (bill)

  • August 18, 2024

    August 18, 2024

    WEATHER The weather remains extremely hot in almost the entire Romanian territory where meteorologists have issued a series of code yellow, orange and red alerts for extremely high temperatures and thermal discomfort. The most affected is the Timis County in western Romania, for which a code red alert has been issued. Temperatures there are expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius and the Temperature-Humidity index to go over the 80 unit threshold. An orange code alert has been issued for another ten counties in the country’s west and south, including the capital city Bucharest where the highs of the day are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 31 degrees.

     

    PARIS An icon of the French cinematography, Alain Delon, died today at his home in Douchy surrounded by his three children and his family. The actor was a star of the golden era of the French cinematography, and shot to fame with the parts he played in ‘The Samurai’ and ‘Borsalino’. Once described as the most beautiful man in the movies, Alain Delon starred in some of the best French productions of the 60s, such as ‘The Leopard’ and ‘Rocco and his Brothers’. From the 1990s his film appearances grew rare and although he appeared in more than 90 films during the course of his career, he won only one Cesar Award in 1985 for ‘Our story’ by Bertrand Blier. ‘Le Parisien’ called Delon ‘a legend of the cinema’ while ‘Liberation’ described him as ‘a leading figure of cinema, the actor with crazy charisma’. Alain Delon’s last major public appearance was to receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival in 2019, when he delivered an emotional speech in which he appeared to bid farewell to cinema and his fans.

     

    ATHENS The Romanian firefighters who had joined the efforts of putting out fires in Greece were given a new assignment on Saturday; they are monitoring two regions in Attica. According to a press release by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), 16 firefighters with four fire engines have been deployed to Agia Kiriaki, while another 15-strong rescue team is getting ready to intervene in Rafina. Both teams are accompanied by Greek liaison officers, and according to IGSU, they are in stand-by, ready to intervene under the coordination of their Greek counterparts. The regions where the two Romanian teams have been deployed are known for being at higher risk of wildfires at this time of the year. Greece has applied for help from the European Union and is in a state of high alert after wildfires went out of control and have affected over 10 thousand hectares.

     

    BOOKFAIR The Gaudeamus book fair staged by our radio station is going on in Sibiu, central Romania. On the fair’s last day, on Sunday, people were invited to visit its 15 pavilions located in the city’s historical center known as the Big Square, and check on the huge offer of books, games, music and other educational materials. The fair is being attended by the most renowned publishing houses in the country. Besides its varied and huge book offer displayed on over 40 stands, the fair also included a series of editorial events, book launches and autograph shows, which are also available online at gaudeamus.ro.

     

    EXAMS Next week will be seeing the written exams of the second round of the Baccalaureate in Romania. On Monday students are to take exams in the Romanian language and Literature and in the following days in mathematics and history according to their chosen profile. The first results are to be listed on August 26th and the final ones after all applications have been solved, on August 30th. Over 33,600 students are to take their exams in this second round. Most of them, two thirds, are this year’s graduates. Over 78% of the students passed the baccalaureate exams in its summer session. The Ministry of Education plans to allow students to see their exam papers shortly after the grading so that they may decide whether to challenge results.

    (bill)

  • June 6, 2024 UPDATE

    June 6, 2024 UPDATE

     

    STATEMENT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is one of the 17 heads of state to sign a joint statement pleading for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It is time for the war to end and this deal is the necessary starting point, the statement reads. The signatories call on both parties to agree to the US president Joe Biden’s plan, which provides for a 6-week ceasefire in a first stage, accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from the densely populated areas of Gaza, and a hostage-prisoner exchange. In a second stage, whose details are yet to be set, a permanent end of hostilities and the release of all hostages would take place.

     

    WAGES The government of Romania Thursday approved an increase of national minimum wages to roughly EUR 740 as of July 1. Over 1.8 million employees are estimated to benefit from this measure. The EUR 40 tax deduction for minimum wages has also been raised to EUR 60. The government also passed a bill amending the Romanian Citizenship Act. According to the justice ministry, the measure was required in order to modernize the current legislative framework, to facilitate Romania’s participation in the US Visa Waiver programme, and to help complete benchmarks in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The new provisions concern the digitization of procedures, so that the application stages may be followed online, the introduction of a citizenship card, and the use of biometric identifiers such as face and fingerprints.

     

    D-DAY Scores of heads of state and government celebrated in Paris on Thursday the 80th anniversary of the Allied Normandy landings, a decisive moment in defeating Nazi Germany in WWII. The US president, Joe Biden, said Ukraine was invaded by a tyrant and promised his country and NATO would stand strong with Kyiv for as long as necessary in this conflict initiated by Russia. He vowed that the free world would not “surrender to bullies.” Attending the ceremonies in France were also King Charles and the French president Emanuel Macron.  They paid tribute to the 73,000 British troops who took part in the landings. Also present were WWII veterans, many of them over 100 years of age. Locals as well as lots of tourists were in attendance. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, was not invited to take part because of his role in the invasion of Ukraine.

     

    VOTE Polling stations opened on Thursday in the Netherlands, the first country to vote in the elections for the European Parliament due over June 6 and 9. Roughly 370 million people are expected to vote in all the 27 EU member states in the following days. Analysts are forecasting a rise of far-right and Euro-sceptical parties amid frustrations caused by the rising cost of living, migration and green policies that are getting more and more unpopular. Like in most EU countries, in Romania the vote for the European Parliament is due on Sunday, concurrently with the local elections. Romania gets 33 seats in the European Parliament.

     

    BOOK FAIR Until June 16th, Romania will be attending the 83rd edition of the Madrid Book Fair with a national stand and 20 literary events. This has been Romania’s 13th participation in this large-scale event staged by the Romanian Cultural Institute through the National Book Centre and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Madrid, with support from the Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Embassy in Spain. Among the protagonists of the events there are writers Gabriela Adameşteanu, Eugen Barz, Aura Christi, Nichita Danilov, Cristian Fulaş, Miguel Gane, Stejărel Olaru, Radu Paraschivescu, Radmila Popovici, Andreea Răsuceanu and Radio Romania Journalist Corina Sabău.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostyuk qualified without playing in the semis of the doubles contest in Roland Garros as Russians Mirra Andreeva and Vera Zvonareva failed to attend the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Ruse and Kostyuk have won a check of EUR 148,000 and 780 WTA points. This is the second Grand Slam semi-final for Ruse and Kostyuk after the Australian Open last year. In the semis Ruse and her partner will be playing the all-Italian pair, Jasmine Paolini/Sara Errani.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s football team will be up against Lichtenstein in Bucharest on Friday night in their last training game before the European Championship in Germany. In another friendly on Tuesday our footballers managed a goalless draw against neighbouring Bulgaria. In Group E of Euro 2024, Romania will be playing Ukraine on June 17 in Munich, Belgium on June 22 in Cologne and Slovakia in Frankfurt 4 days later. Officials of the football federation in Bucharest say they expect a large number of Romanian football fans to attend, whether residents in Germany or in other Western European countries. Romania’s last participation in a European football tournament was in 2016 and in the World Cup in 1998. (AMP, bill)

  • March 16, 2024 UPDATE

    March 16, 2024 UPDATE

    NATO – The Hungarian Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, has welcomed the recent entry of the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, into the competition for the NATO leadership and considered as gratifying the fact that Central Europe finally has a candidate for the position of Secretary General of the Alliance. The Hungarian official declared, on Friday, that the government in Budapest will not support the Dutch Mark Rutte for this post, stating that in a union such as NATO, mutual trust is essential, and supporting a candidate who declared that Hungary must kneel is not possible. We remind you that President Klaus Iohannis announced, this week, his candidacy for the NATO leadership, in the context in which Romania and other Eastern partners requested greater representation in the allied structures at a time when regional security is threatened by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

     

    Romarm – Romania will receive 47 million Euros for a project carried out by the Romarm Company together with Germany. The budget allocated by the European Commission to the Romanian project is the largest of the 31 winning projects. The Commission released, on Friday, more than 500 million Euros for companies from member states, in order to increase the ammunition production capacity. It is a first installment from a total of about 2 billion Euros. According to the European Commission, at the end of 2024, European arms production will reach an annual capacity of 1,000,000 bombshells (155-caliber) and at the end of 2025 the amount will double. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, in parallel, the Commission recommends the member states to make joint purchases of larger sizes, in order to give a signal of predictability in the medium and long term to the arms industry.

     

    Russia – In Russia, Sunday is the third and last day of the presidential election, in which 112 million Russians have the right to vote. The Central Electoral Commission in Moscow announced, on Saturday afternoon, that more than 50% of the Russian voters have already cast their votes. President Vladimir Putin voted from his office, in an attempt to promote electronic voting, considered fraudulent by the opposition. Several people were arrested for spraying ink, paint and antiseptic on the ballot boxes or throwing Molotov cocktails in the direction of the polling stations. Furthermore, Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt his re-election through attacks and incursions on the border. At least 2 Russian civilians were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on the city of Belgorod, while Russia, in turn, attacked a residential area of ​​the Ukrainian city of Odessa on Friday, killing at least 20 people. According to official polls, Vladimir Putin enjoys a voting intention of over 80%, so he could achieve his biggest electoral victory since he came to power in 2000. The opposition has asked the West not to recognize the election results.

     

    Railway – The European Commission has approved 204 million Euros worth of non-reimbursable funds from the Modernization Fund, for the replacement of old locomotives with new rolling stock on the Romanian railways. The Railway Reform Authority specifies that it will use this money to buy nine long-distance interregional trains and 23 electric locomotives by 2027. The financing adds to the 470 million Euros attracted from European funds by the Transport Ministry, from which the purchase of 62 electric trains was financed.

     

    Book Fair – Romania will be present, next week, at the Leipzig Book Fair, in Germany, the most important event in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to authors, translators and literary debates. Nine invited authors, 12 events, over 150 exhibited titles and a mini-bookstore are waiting for the public, between March 21 and 24, at the Romanian stand organized by the Ministry of Culture in Bucharest. Two of the authors who will be present at the Romanian stand have books translated, for the first time, into German, which confirms a growing interest of the German-speaking literary space in cutting-edge Romanian literature.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ready to play again after the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne reduced her 4-year suspension to 9 months, was called up to the Romanian team for the match against Ukraine in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers. The match will take place on April 12 and 13, in Florida (USA). Romania and Ukraine have met four times so far, with the Romanians leading with the score 3-1. In November, Romania defeated Serbia 4-0 in the play-off to stay in the World Group of the competition, while Ukraine defeated Lithuania 3-1. On the other hand, also in tennis, the Romanian-Russian pair Monica Niculescu/Irina Hromaceva was defeated by the pair Sara Errani (Italy)/Tereza Mihalikova (Slovakia), 6-4, 6-3, on Friday, in the doubles semifinals at the American WTA 125 tournament in Charleston. (LS)

  • March 16, 2024

    March 16, 2024

    NATO – The Hungarian Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, has welcomed the recent entry of the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, into the competition for the NATO leadership and considered as gratifying the fact that Central Europe finally has a candidate for the position of Secretary General of the Alliance. The Hungarian official declared, on Friday, that the government in Budapest will not support the Dutch Mark Rutte for this post, stating that in a union such as NATO, mutual trust is essential, and supporting a candidate who declared that Hungary must kneel is not possible. We remind you that President Klaus Iohannis announced, this week, his candidacy for the NATO leadership, in the context in which Romania and other Eastern partners requested greater representation in the allied structures at a time when regional security is threatened by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

     

    Romarm – Romania will receive 47 million Euros for a project carried out by the Romarm Company together with Germany. The budget allocated by the European Commission to the Romanian project is the largest of the 31 winning projects. The Commission released, on Friday, more than 500 million Euros for companies from member states, in order to increase the ammunition production capacity. It is a first installment from a total of about 2 billion Euros. According to the European Commission, at the end of 2024, European arms production will reach an annual capacity of 1,000,000 bombshells (155-caliber) and at the end of 2025 the amount will double. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, in parallel, the Commission recommends the member states to make joint purchases of larger sizes, in order to give a signal of predictability in the medium and long term to the arms industry.

     

    Russia – Saturday is the second day of the presidential election in Russia, in which almost a third of the approximately 112 million Russians with the right to vote have already participated. President Vladimir Putin voted from his office, in an attempt to promote electronic voting, considered fraudulent by the opposition. Several people were arrested for spraying ink, paint and antiseptic on the ballot boxes or throwing Molotov cocktails in the direction of the polling stations. Furthermore, Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt his re-election through attacks and incursions on the border. At least 2 Russian civilians were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on the city of Belgorod, while Russia, in turn, attacked a residential area of ​​the Ukrainian city of Odessa on Friday, killing at least 20 people. According to official polls, Vladimir Putin enjoys a voting intention of over 80%, so he could achieve his biggest electoral victory since he came to power in 2000. The opposition has asked the West not to recognize the election results.

     

    Book Fair – Romania will be present, next week, at the Leipzig Book Fair, in Germany, the most important event in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to authors, translators and literary debates. Nine invited authors, 12 events, over 150 exhibited titles and a mini-bookstore are waiting for the public, between March 21 and 24, at the Romanian stand organized by the Ministry of Culture in Bucharest. Two of the authors who will be present at the Romanian stand have books translated, for the first time, into German, which confirms a growing interest of the German-speaking literary space in cutting-edge Romanian literature.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ready to play again after the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne reduced her 4-year suspension to 9 months, was called up to the Romanian team for the match against Ukraine in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers. The match will take place on April 12 and 13, in Florida (USA). Romania and Ukraine have met four times so far, with the Romanians leading with the score 3-1. In November, Romania defeated Serbia 4-0 in the play-off to stay in the World Group of the competition, while Ukraine defeated Lithuania 3-1. On the other hand, also in tennis, the Romanian-Russian pair Monica Niculescu/Irina Hromaceva was defeated by the pair Sara Errani (Italy)/Tereza Mihalikova (Slovakia), 6-4, 6-3, on Friday, in the doubles semifinals at the American WTA 125 tournament in Charleston. (LS)

  • November 3, 2023

    November 3, 2023


    STRIKE Romanian public health insurance personnel have suspended relations with the public indefinitely, because their salaries have not been increased for over 6 years. The protest disrupts services to patients and it might jeopardise the disbursement of expenses incurred by healthcare service providers, the head of the National Trade Union Bloc Dumitru Costin explained. He said the National Health Insurance Agencys budget can cover the requested pay raises, but that the measure must be endorsed in Parliament, where a bill in this respect has been pending for a long period and is currently stuck in the Chamber of Deputies. The health minister Alexandru Rafila said suspending the provision of healthcare services is unacceptable, and that he hoped for a dialogue between the management and the staff of the National Health Insurance Agency.



    BUDGET The ruling coalition have started talks on next years public budget. The government has approved a memorandum drawn up by the finance ministry, which lists the significant public investment projects on which the budget will be based. The transportation ministry has the largest number of projects in the list, i.e. 108 projects in various implementation stages, which means this ministry will receive the largest appropriations in the 2024 budget.



    HOSTAGES The Romanian foreign ministry announced that checks conducted by the Romanian authorities based on the information provided by Israel indicate that another person with dual (Romanian and Israeli) citizenship and living in Israel is a hostage in the Gaza Strip. The foreign ministry also announced that the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Romanian Consulate in Haifa are in touch with the Israeli authorities. So far 4 people with Romanian and Israeli citizenship are known to be held hostage by the Hamas terrorists.



    ISRAEL The US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday morning to persuade Israel to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. This is Blinkens second trip to the Middle East since the Hamas Islamists attacked Israel on October 7. International mass media report that the US diplomacy chief will have meetings with the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, and with members of his security cabinet. From Israel, Blinken is to travel next to neighbouring Jordan. Meanwhile, Israel announced that its forces have surrounded Gaza City, the largest urban centre in Gaza and previously controlled by Hamas.



    BOOK FAIR The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair invites book lovers to Timişoara, a European Capital of Culture in 2023. The fair takes place until Sunday, and it brings together scores of publishers presenting their most recent releases, best-sellers, special offers and discounts. Todays most eagerly awaited event is the launch of a volume of dialogues between Robert Şerban and the contemporary Romanian poet Şerban Foarţă. Q&A sessions with writers, roundtables and book signing events are also scheduled. The Timisoara-based writer Patricia Lidia released a volume entitled “Adventures in Brancusis World,” an event that complements the exhibition devoted to the great Romanian-born sculptor opened these days at the National Art Museum in Timişoara. (AMP)


  • Gaudeamus Book Fair to be held online

    Gaudeamus Book Fair to be held online

    The 27th edition of the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair kicks off on Monday, November 16. The fair will be held exclusively online this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The most popular book fair, staged by the most-listened-to radio station has thus been held uninterruptedly for more than a quarter of a century. The president of honor of this year’s edition is writer Norman Manea.



    Over 100 companies, among which the most prestigious publishing houses in Romania, distributors of Romanian and foreign language books, music and education games will display their offers on the fair’s new website www.gaudeamus.ro, in the Catalogue category, with individual presentation pages dedicated to the fair. The participants’ virtual stalls signaled, as such on their web pages, can be accessed on Elefant.ro, Radio Romania’s partner at the current edition, on its dedicated online store, that allows the purchase of books from all stalls on the website in a single online shopping basket. Books can also be purchased online form the websites of the participants and their partners, by using the codes published in the Gaudeamus catalogue. Most participants will offer discounts or free shipment.



    Culture lovers are invited to more than 200 live or prerecorded events staged by Radio Romania and the participants in the fair. A special project is the competition dubbed “I Want an Ideal School”, which invites students from all over the country to tell their opinion on how school should be to make them feel safe, motivated and appreciated. The Radio Romania journalists will turn the messages received from students and teachers into short reports and bring to the public attention the way in which school unfolds during this medical and social crisis. The best reports, in terms of content and journalistic approach, will be awarded and the beneficiaries will be the schools that took part in the competition.



    Another project is the Mircea Nedelciu National Reading Competition, whose theme is the importance of education in today’s world. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on Friday, November 20, and will be followed by a debate on online reading and online education. Also, the readers’ vote on the Most Wanted Book of the Fair will be held exclusively online, on the Facebook page Radio Romania Gaudeamus. The 27th edition of the Gaudeamus Book fair ends on November 22. (translated by Elena Enache)


  • GAUDEAMUS Book Fair on the Black Sea Coast

    GAUDEAMUS Book Fair on the Black Sea Coast

    Over 30 publishers are presenting their offer at the Gaudeamus Book Fair organized by Radio Romania on the Black Sea Coast. The fair comes to an end on Monday. The program is varied and includes cultural events that will season the holiday atmosphere on the Black Sea Coast, where the fair was opened on Thursday evening by the military band of the Romanian Navy. Attending the opening of the fair, the president and director general of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, Georgica Severin, talked about the Casa Radio publishing house, which is part of the radio corporation, and which is also participating in this edition of the 2019 Black Sea Gaudeamus fair.



    Georgica Severin: “Here you will find another side of our corporation, the Casa Radio publishers, where you can buy CDs with the best known theater plays from the repertoire of the Radio Drama Department. You will also find here the stand of Radio Constanta.”



    Vlad Stere is a reader with the Casa Radio publishers and he will next reveal the novelties of this edition of the fair: “First I would mention the products for children in the series ‘Good night, kids’, then the radio drama series, books with CDs, poetry books, literature books by Blaga, Bacovia, Nichita Stanescu, Ana Blandiana, CDs with classical music by famous composers recorded in the Radio Hall.”



    The book fair brings foreword Radio Romania’s projects. One of them, “Books are returning home” refers to the book donations made by the public and exhibitors. Through this project, donated books will reach those who cannot afford them. Besides book launches scheduled in the resort of Mamaia, shows by Romanian traditional music ensembles will also take place. There will equally be recitals by pop music and traditional music singers as well as modern dance shows. Radio Romania Gaudeamus Caravan, initiated in 2000, consists of various exhibitions devoted to books and education, organized in traditional cultural and university centers where regional stations of Radio Romania are located.



    In 2019 the caravan first stopped in Craiova, in the south, then in the northwestern city of Cluj Napoca. In May the caravan went to Oradea, in the west, where all of Romania’s top publishers were present alongside important distributors of foreign books, music and educational games. Before stopping in Mamaia, the Gaudeamus Caravan made a stop over in Timisoara (in the west). From Mamaia it will go to Brasov (in the center) and Iasi (in the east) to finally reach the capital Bucharest in the autumn, like every year. (translation by L. Simion)

  • November 14, 2018 UPDATE

    November 14, 2018 UPDATE

    GOVERNMENT A joint meeting of the governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova will be held on November 22nd in Bucharest, the Moldovan PM Pavel Filip announced in Chisinau. He mentioned that one of the topics could be an agreement on discarding mobile roaming fees between the Republic of Moldova and Romania. “It is an important logical step, in the line of other actions that draw us closer to Romania, such as the interconnection of our countries natural gas and electricity systems or the educational and cultural ties. It means nothing else but a stronger relationship between our countries, Pavel Filip said.



    PARLIAMENT A bill declassifying the protocols signed by judicial institutions with intelligence services was passed on Wednesday in the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making parliamentary body in this case. The new regulation allows individuals who think they have been affected by the protocols to request the retrial of their cases. Opposition MPs say they will refer the bill to the Constitutional Court, and argue that the only purpose of the new legislation is to help reverse certain rulings. On the other hand, the ruling coalition says the bill benefits all citizens, who should have access to information in order to defend their rights.



    STRIKE In Romania, negotiations between trade unions and the management of the Bucharest underground company, Metrorex, have failed. Unions announced that the employees would be on a 2-hour token strike on Thursday morning. They demanded a 42% pay raise, but the management only offered 18% under a new collective bargaining agreement. The token strike could be followed by indefinite all-out strike, unions added. In turn, the Transport Minister Lucian Sova said the negotiations had started 8 months before, and the unionists would not accept a smaller pay raise. According to Șova, the salaries of Metrorex staff have been raised on an annual basis for the last 4 years, and the last such increase was by 21% in 2017. As many as 700,000 passengers a day use the Bucharest underground system.



    MOLDOVA The European Parliament Wednesday endorsed a resolution on the implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Moldova. MEPs criticised the deterioration of the rule of law in that country, the systemic corruption, breach of current commitments, the disregard for the recommendations of the Venice Commission concerning changes in the electoral system and the insufficient investigation of the 2014 banking fraud. A decision regarding the EU macro-financial assistance for Moldova will only be made after the parliamentary elections due in February 2019, and provided that they comply with the relevant international standards. Some Romanian MEPs argued however that the Union should continue to provide financial assistance to Moldova, so as to counter Russias influence.



    GAUDEAMUS The 25th edition of the Gaudeamus International Fair, a landmark of the book market in Romania, an event organised by Radio Romania, opened on Wednesday. Gaudeamus 2018 will unfold under the auspices of a triple anniversary: the Great Union Centennial, 9 decades since the first broadcast aired by Radio Romania, one of the oldest radio stations in Europe, and the 25th edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 18, 2018

    March 18, 2018

    WEATHER – More than half of the national territory is affected today by a sharp decrease in temperatures, by up to 15 degrees Celsius compared to the multi-annual average, according to a code yellow alert issued by weather experts. The highs of the day range between minus 8 to 10 degrees C. Until Sunday night, in 32 counties in the centre, east and south, including the capital city Bucharest, heavy raifalls are expected, first rain and then sleet and snow. Strong winds are reported in most of the country, with gusts of 55 – 65 km/h. Meteorologists say the weather will remain unseasonably cold until the end of next week. Several rivers in the north, centre and south are subject to code orange and yellow alerts for flash floods, until Monday at noon.





    DEFENCE – This years first meeting of the Supreme Defence Council, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, will be held on Tuesday. According to the presidential administration, the participants will analyse the work conducted by the Council and relevant institutions in the field of national security in 2017, and will set the main goals for this year. Other topics of interest with respect to national security will also be approached.




    BOOK FAIR – The Leipzig Book Fair comes to an end in Germany today. Romania was the guest of honour, and under the motto “Zoom in Romania it organised over 70 events to promote contemporary Romanian writers. For 4 days, readers had an opportunity to meet several Romanian authors already present in the German market, such as Mircea Cărtărescu, Norman Manea, Nora Iuga and Filip Florian, as well as young writers like Lavinia Branişte and Bogdan-Alexandru Stănescu. During the event, more than 40 works translated from Romanian were promoted. The Leipzig Book Fair is one of the most important such events in Europe and the world. Meanwhile, Romania is also taking part these days, alongside 45 other countries, in the 38th Paris Book Fair. Romania, as you have never read it is the motto of the Romanian stand, which presents more than 50 recent releases and over 20 events.




    BESSARABIA – The “Basarabia National-Cultural Association of Romanians in Odessa region organised this Saturday the 2nd Forum of Romanian Language Teachers in the region of Odessa. The theme of this years forum was “Education in the native language: accomplishments, reality and prospects. Taking part in the event, held in the Romanian Information Centre within the Ismail State University of the Humanities, were teachers from pre-school, secondary school and university-level institutions from the region of Odessa, in Ukraine.





    MOSCOW – Russia is holding presidential elections today, precisely 4 years since Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula. The incumbent president Vladimir Putin is seeking a fresh 6-year term in office, and is facing 7 challengers, including a Communist millionaire, Pavel Grudinin, a former TV anchor, Ksenia Sobchak and a nationalist veteran, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The main opponent for Kremlin, Alexey Navalny, was banned from running on account of a criminal sentence that he claims was staged by the authorities. Putin has been heading Russia for the past 18 years, as either president or prime minister.





    CRIMEA – The European Union does not recognise the annexation of Crimea by Russia, which took place 4 years ago, and continues to condemn this violation of international law and direct challenge to international security, says the EU diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini in a news release. The Romanian Foreign Ministry joins in the statement of the EU High Representative on the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. Romania firmly condemns, once again, the breaching of international law principles and rules. On this occasion, Romania reiterates its support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity.




    RUGBY – Romanias national rugby team, ranking 17 in the world, is playing today against Georgia, in the last stage of Rugby Europe International Championship 2018. Romania is playing for qualification in the 2019 Japan World Cup. So far the national team has defeated Russia, Germany and Belgium and lost to Spain. So far in the competition, Georgia tops the standings and Romania comes second. The winner secures its participation in the 2019 World Cup.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Gaudeamus Book for Learning Fair

    The Gaudeamus Book for Learning Fair

    For four days, the ROMEXPO Central Pavilion in Bucharest played host to the 23rd edition of the Gaudeamus Book for Learning Fair, the biggest events of its kind in the country. Around 40 publishers from across the country welcomed visitors between November 16th and the 20th to browse through thousands new titles, meet famous authors, attend book signing sessions and enjoy sizeable price discounts and personalised offers for every category of readers. Today we look at some of the titles launched at the fair.



    Poet and literary critic Ruxandra Cesereanu is also a researcher of political concentration camps. Her volume titled The Fugitives. Escapes from prisons and Camps in the 20th Century published by Polirom in Iasi in 2016 is the closing book in a cycle exploring that phenomenon. Also part of the cycle are the studies Journey to the Centre of the inferno. The Gulag in Romanian Consciousness and Panopticum. Political Torture in the 20th Century, both of which have been published in two editions. The Fugitives. Escapes from Prisons and Camps in the 20th Century, the closing volume of the aforementioned cycle, is a book about escape, which, particularly in the 20th century, was an act of defiance of criminal political systems. It might be said that Ruxandra Cesereanu’s essay on escape strikes a more optimistic note compared with the previous volumes in the series.



    With details, here’s Ruxandra Cesereanu herself: “In Romania, very few people managed to escape and most of them are mentioned in the book, but there may have been more attempts at escaping. I focused especially on two cases that to me were special, including the man who was my inspiration for the book. His name is Ion Ioanid and his book called Our Daily Prison, whose first volume, a seminal work for the genre of prison memoir, recounts the 100 days when he was free, probably one of the freest people in the infamous year 1953, when he escaped from the labour camp in Cavnic. I was also interested in his escape from an anthropological point of view, because his experience provides an X-ray of the human spirit faced with all sorts of psychological, physical, social and mental trials. Ion Ioanid’s escape also explores the transition from the state of imprisonment of a man the system seeks to lobotomise so to speak, to that of a free man, a savage man, his savageness being in fact a form of maximum freedom.”



    Another interesting title we came across at the Gaudeamus fair is Writers at the Police. The book is full of comic or truly tragic moments, resourceful ways of getting out of critical situations and unintentional self-incrimination and is a collection of statements by a host of literary figures recounting their run-in with law enforcement.



    The anthology was initiated by writer and journalist Robert Serban and features texts written by over 30 writers. Robert Serban tells us more: “It occurred to me that every writer has had an encounter with the Police one way or another. There had to be a funny or not so funny run-in with the police in every writer’s life. It was summer and the holidays were coming and I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to mention it to my writer friends. So I wrote to these 34 writers who at that time were active on Facebook, asking them if they would do it. I didn’t know how I would publish their texts, but I thought we would surely find a publisher who would be interested. What’s for sure is that a very interesting book came about, a sort of usage manual on how to deal with the law enforcement people. Most of the stories are full of fun and humour, while others not so much, especially those set in the communist times. Readers will therefore be able to tell the difference between the encounters with the police before and after the fall of communism. The police appear in a better light in the latter case because in most cases they are people who know their job and who are much nicer when they find out you are a writer, that is you have the head in the clouds. So they also let their guard down a bit.”



    Also at the Gaudeamus book fair, the Casa Radio publishing house launched a new title under the heading Great Voices Pull Back the Curtain as part of its Radio Library Collection called On account of Today’s Crisis of the Soul. Radio Conferences 1933-1943 by Alice Voinescu in the form of an audiobook. The first woman in Romania to hold a doctoral title in philosophy, an outstanding teacher of drama history and aesthetics and an advisor for the Women’s Christian Association, Alice Voinescu still comes across as topical and rational.



    The Casa Radio publishing house also issued a series of collections for the young public Children’s Radio and Goodnight, Children! Consisting of comic books, original book illustrations and radio stagings for children. Daria Ghiu from Casa Radio explains: “We always have a day dedicated to children at the fair. Some of our collections for children are in high demand, I’m referring to Goodnight, Children! and Children’s Radio, which draws on our collection of radio plays for children featuring voices of great actors. We launch these together with comic books and new illustrations. Casa Radio’s stand at the Gaudeamus Fair this year also hosted a workshop held together with a number of artists and actors. One such name is actress Alexandrina Halic, whose wonderful voice delighted us all when we were children. Another guest is Alexandru Ciubotariu, who is responsible for Casa Radio’s comic books and who coordinates the Children’s Radio collection. The challenge when it comes to the comic books is how to give a contemporary feel to a staging from the 1960s or 70s with the help of news illustrations. We have many fans of this type of audiobook, many of whom grew up with this kind of book.“




  • GAUDEAMUS Radio Romania Book Fair 2016 5 days, 850 events, 125,000 visitors

    GAUDEAMUS Radio Romania Book Fair 2016 5 days, 850 events, 125,000 visitors

    GAUDEAMUS International Book and Education Fair 2016 took place between November 16th — 20th, in the Central Pavilion of Romexpo Exhibitions Centre. The event, having reached its 23rd edition, is the only book fair in the world initiated and organized by a public radio service: Radio Romania.



    GAUDEAMUS 2016 highlights:


    125,000 visitors 300 exhibitors from 5 countries: Romanian and foreign publishing houses, book distribution agencies, educational institutions, professional associations, cultural and educational non-governmental organizations, museum, libraries 850 accompanying events — book launchings, book signing sessions, professional debates and forums, creative workshops etc.



    The Guest of Honour of GAUDEAMUS 2016 was CHINA. The most complex Guest of Honour presence in the history of the fair, the Chinese participation was organized by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China, through China National Publications Import Export (Group) Corporation.



    GAUDEAMUS International Book and Education Fair 2017 will be organized by Radio Romania between November 22nd — 26th. The Guest of Honour of the 24th edition will be the United States of America.



    GAUDEAMUS International Book and Education Fair is part of the READING Program initiated and organised by Radio Romania since 1994. The READING Program is a complex cultural project of national amplitude aiming to support the Romanian written culture through exhibition-type events dedicated to books and education. After over 20 years, GAUDEAMUS stands for 96 book fairs organized in Bucharest and throughout the country, over 2,7 million visitors and approximately 11,300 accompanying cultural events. These numbers confirm Radio Romania’s position as national leader of the book fairs market.

  • November 20, 2016 UPDATE

    November 20, 2016 UPDATE

    ELECTIONS – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has made public its “Guidelines for Romanian voters abroad, intended for the Romanian citizens who live abroad and want to cast their ballots in the December 11 parliamentary election. The guidelines include information on the various categories of eligible voters, the voting process, the opening hours of polling stations, the documents required in order to be able to vote and instructions regarding the vote by mail procedure. The Romanian citizens in the diaspora who have not chosen to vote by mail will be able to choose from among the 417 polling stations abroad. The largest number of polling stations set up abroad are in Italy (70), and Spain (50), while another 35 will be opened in the Republic of Moldova. There are 111 polling stations more than in the parliamentary elections of 2012 and 123 more than in the presidential election of 2014. Two years ago, thousands of Romanians living abroad were unable to vote because of the flawed organisation of the presidential election.



    BOOK FAIR – The Goncourt – Romanian Student Choice Award went this year to the novel “Láutre quon adorait by the French author Catherine Cusset. The novel was chosen by 7 juries made up by Francophone students from 7 Romanian cities, and the announcement came as part of the Gaudeamus International Book and Education Fair organised in Bucharest by Radio Romania. The book will be translated into Romanian, and Catherine Cusset will be invited to give addresses in Romania. The Gaudeamus Book Fair came to a close on Sunday, with the award of this 23rd editions trophies. Hundreds of publishers took part in the fair, which comprised more than 850 events, from meetings with writers, book launches and debates, to performances and workshops. This years guest of honour was China, and next year the USA will be the special guest of the Gaudeamus Fair.



    REMEMBRANCE DAY – Several events were organised in Romania today to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, commemorated on the third Sunday of November every year, at the initiative of the UN. Last year nearly 1,900 people died and over 9,000 others were severely injured in road traffic accidents, the Romanian Police has reported. According to statistics, 1 in 5 car crashes takes place around the capital city Bucharest, with Covasna County reporting the smallest number of accidents. Most incidents involve a vehicle and a pedestrian, and 8 out of 10 have been reported in dry weather. The latest European report indicates that Romania ranks second in the EU, after Latvia, in terms of the number of deaths in road traffic accidents.



    YIDDISH FESTIVAL – The TES FEST kicked off in Bucharest on Sunday, and is scheduled to come to a close next Sunday. The event is intended to showcase and promote the Yiddish culture. Taking part in the festival are professional theatre companies and klezmer bands from Romania, the USA, Israel, France and Poland. Book launches and workshops will also be organised as part of the event. This first edition of TES FEST is organised by the Jewish State Theatre in Bucharest, which celebrates 140 years since the establishment of the first professional Yiddish theatre in the world, in the north-eastern Romanian city of Iaşi, in 1876, by writer and artist Avram Goldfaden. According to the organisers, the festival targets the general public of all ages, and aims to contribute to the understanding and acceptance of different cultures.



    GERMANY – The Conservative Angela Merkel Sunday announced her fellow Christian-Democratic Union members that she intended to run for a new term in office as head of the party, and, in the autumn of 2017, for a fourth term as Chancellor of Germany, news agencies report. If she wins, Angela Merkel, 62, in office for 11 years, would break the record held by the post-war Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, in power for 14 years, and would equal her political mentor, Helmut Kohl – 16 years. According to an opinion poll made public on Sunday, 55% of the Germans want Angela Merkel to stay as Chancellor. Supporters see Merkel as a stabilising element in Europe, amid the uncertainties triggered by the UK vote to leave the Union and Donald Trumps winning the presidential election in the USA.




    VATICAN – Pope Francis Sunday concluded the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, and in the presence of over 100,000 believers in Vatican he closed the Holy Door of St Peters Basilica opened at the beginning of the event one year ago. The Jubilee of Mercy or the Holy Year, one of the most important events initiated by Pope Francis, is an initiative intended to reflect the need for the Catholic Church to be more open. According to the Vaticans estimates, more than 20 million people travelled to Rome during the Jubilee year.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 20, 2016

    November 20, 2016

    ELECTIONS – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has made public its “Guidelines for Romanian voters abroad, intended for the Romanian citizens who live abroad and want to cast their ballots in the December 11 parliamentary election. The guidelines include information on the various categories of eligible voters, the voting process, the opening hours of polling stations, the documents required in order to be able to vote and instructions regarding the vote by mail procedure. The Romanian citizens in the diaspora who have not chosen to vote by mail will be able to choose from among the 417 polling stations abroad. The largest number of polling stations set up abroad are in Italy (70), and Spain (50), while another 35 will be opened in the Republic of Moldova. There are 111 polling stations more than in the parliamentary elections of 2012 and 123 more than in the presidential election of 2014. Two years ago, thousands of Romanians living abroad were unable to vote because of the flawed organisation of the presidential election.



    BOOK FAIR – The Gaudeamus International Book and Education Fair, organised in Bucharest by Radio Romania, comes to an end today, when the trophies of the 23rd edition are also presented. This years guest of honour is China. Hundreds of publishers have taken part in Gaudeamus, which featured over 850 events, from book launches to meetings with authors, debates, recitals and workshops. The highlights of the Fair have included so far volumes devoted to the Royal House of Romania, and events devoted to the Romanian film industry, attended by directors Cristian Mungiu and Radu Jude. The USA will be the guest of honour in next years Fair.



    REMEMBRANCE DAY – Several events are organised in Romania today to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, commemorated on the third Sunday of November every year, at the initiative of the UN. Last year nearly 1,900 people died and over 9,000 others were severely injured in road traffic accidents, the Romanian Police has reported. According to statistics, 1 in 5 car crashes takes place around the capital city Bucharest, with Covasna County reporting the smallest number of accidents. Most incidents involve a vehicle and a pedestrian, and 8 out of 10 have been reported in dry weather. The latest European report indicates that Romania ranks second in the EU, after Latvia, in terms of the number of deaths in road traffic accidents.



    YIDDISH FESTIVAL – The TES FEST kicks off in Bucharest today, and is scheduled to come to a close next Sunday. The event is intended to showcase and promote the Yiddish culture. Taking part in the festival are professional theatre companies and klezmer bands from Romania, the USA, Israel, France and Poland. Book launches and workshops will also be organised as part of the event. This first edition of TES FEST is organised by the Jewish State Theatre in Bucharest, which celebrates 140 years since the establishment of the first professional Yiddish theatre in the world, in the north-eastern Romanian city of Iaşi, in 1876, by writer and artist Avram Goldfaden. According to the organisers, the festival targets the general public of all ages, and aims to contribute to the understanding and acceptance of different cultures.



    RAIL CRASH – More than 100 people died in India as the Indore-Patna express train derailed on Saturday night, the Uttar Pradesh state police announced. Another 150 people were injured, the police say. The causes of the tragedy, which occurred while most passengers were asleep, are yet to be identified. AFP mentions that the Indian railway network, one of the largest in the world, has major safety problems, but remains the main means of transportation in the country. The worst railway accident in India was in 1981, when 800 people died after a train fell into a river.




    RUGBY – Romanias national rugby team Saturday night defeated Canada, 21-16, in a test match played on the ”Arcul de Triumf” stadium in Bucharest. It was the first match between the two teams since the memorable performance at the 2015 World Cup, when the Romanian team managed the greatest reversal of fortune in the history of that competition, winning 17-15 after having been led 0-15. Next Saturday, in the last test match of the year, Romania takes on Uruguay, on the same stadium in Bucharest.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 16, 2016 UPDATE

    November 16, 2016 UPDATE

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



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



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



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



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



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



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