Radio România Internațional

Tag: border police

December 23, 2024

COALITION – The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has designated Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu for the position of Prime Minister. The new pro-European coalition stands good chances of continuing Romania’s good track record, following the undeniably good economic results obtained and the Schengen accession, the president said. “I believe they will successfully deal with current issues such as budget construction and the calendar for the 2025 presidential election”, the president went on to say. Also today, the new ministers will appear before Parliament’s special committees, which will be followed by the debate and the confidence vote in a joint plenary sitting. Previously, the leaders of PSD, PNL, UDMR and the leader of the group of national minorities signed a political agreement to form a Parliament majority and a government. Social-Democrat president Marcel Ciolacu stated that the duty of the parties is to defend democratic values, Romania’s trajectory in the EU and NATO, as well as national values and identity. PNL interim leader Ilie Bolojan said that his party signed the agreement to form a stable government, which will carry out reforms during a difficult period. He announced that former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu is the coalition’s joint candidate for the upcoming presidential election. UDMR president Kelemen Hunor stated that the current coalition seeks to gain people’s trust in order to overcome the political deadlock, and the first challenges are adopting the 2025 budget and organizing the presidential election as soon as possible next year. The representative of national minorities (other than the Hungarian one), MP Varujan Pambuccian, said that this coalition seeks to maintain political, economic and social stability.

PARLIAMENT – PSD MP Ciprian Șerban was earlier today elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies in the new Parliament. The interim leader of PNL, Ilie Bolojan, was elected Senate Speaker. We recall that four pro-European parties entered Parliament – PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR – and three self-proclaimed sovereigntist parties, AUR, SOS Romania and POT.

FORECAST – The National Strategy and Forecast Commission has significantly downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2024 from 2.8% previously to 1%, amid an accelerated decline in activity, especially in industry and agriculture. The only sector with a positive estimated impact was services. In its autumn forecast, published in November, the European Commission estimates that the Romanian economy will report an economic slowdown this year, up to 1.4%, but the gradual recovery of external demand, the easing of financial conditions, resilient private consumption and an acceleration of investments will support economic growth up to 2.5% in 2025 and 2.9% in 2026.

COMMEMORATION – In a message conveyed on Revolution Victory Day, President Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is “at a turning point” and must firmly reject attempts to revise history, which aim to “defame the memory of the heroes of democratic Romania and mystify the truth about the dictatorial regime”. The head of state pointed out that the freedom for which the heroes of the Revolution sacrificed themselves is “more alive and present than ever” today, 35 years on. A number of events were held throughout the country to mark the anti-communist revolution of 1989, with participants recalling protesters’ aspirations back then for democracy and a European path for Romania.

BORDER POLICE – The border police in Romania expects a significant increase in traffic flows at the border checkpoints, especially on the Hungarian border, given that many Romanian citizens are coming home from the holidays from European countries. Over 3,500 border police officers carry out nationwide surveillance and control activities on a daily basis, also with a view to preventing and combating cross-border crime. According to a press release published by the Border Police, if the situation requires it, additional lanes will be opened up to the maximum working capacity in crossing points that get crowded. (VP)

23 December 2024
August 1, 2023

MARKUP – The markup for 14 categories of foodstuffs is curbed for a
limited period of three months according to a government decree adopted in late
June. Prices for dairy products, meat, vegetable and fruit are therefore
expected to go down. Farmers will not be obliged to set a cap on prices,
government officials say. Failure to observe the new legislation will incur
fines up to 400,000 EUR.

CAR SCRAPPING – A new car scrapping scheme
was launched in Romania with a view to scrapping old vehicles owned by
individual car owners. Apart from the funds provided by the Environment
Ministry, accounting for 80% of the program’s budget, local authorities also
contribute 20%. Whereas the first phase in April was addressed to City Halls,
in the second phase individual car owners can apply. The deadline for
applications is set for August 31 or until the funds are depleted. The number
of beneficiaries was set according to the population of each administrative
unit. The program was supposed to kick off in 2022, but has been repeatedly
delayed.

3SI – Bucharest will host a new Summit
of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) on September 6, held under the high
patronage of president Klaus Iohannis. The summit will be followed by the 3SI
Business Forum. Attending will be Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă and Prime
Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The 3SI brings together 12 EU member states from the
Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas – Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and
Slovenia. Political and economic support for Ukraine will rank high on the
summit’s agenda.

BORDER POLICE – The Border Police
announced increased traffic on Romania’s borders despite additional measures to
ease traffic. The overcrowding of borders is owed to many Romanians in the
Diaspora coming home to spend their summer holidays with their families and
friends, while many Romanians choose holiday destinations abroad. The
authorities urge drivers to use all border crossing points. The Arad Border
Police spokesman Alexandru Dincă said that border police staff are working at
full capacity and additional control lanes have been added depending on the
dynamic of traffic flows. At the same time, mobile control stations will be
deployed in order to ensure optimal border crossing.

UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate
stood at 5.4% in June, down by 0.1% compared to May, the National Statistics
Institute reports. The number of unemployed stood at nearly 445 thousand in
June, a decrease also compared to the same period of 2022. Broken down in terms
of gender, the unemployment rate for men exceeded that of women by 0.8%. Youth
unemployment stands at some 22%.

JUSTICE – Justice Minister Alina
Gorghiu met with US Ambassador in Romania, Kathleen Kavalec. The agenda for
talks included bilateral judicial cooperation, combating human trafficking and
the digitization of the justice system in Romania. Minister Gorghiu said the
Strategic Partnership with the USA is key to promoting human rights and the
rule of law. The Romanian official hailed the good level of bilateral relations
in the justice field, and suggested new areas of cooperation, such as legal
education in Romanian schools. Alina Gorghiu highlighted the importance of a
predictable legislation for the development of the business sector and boosting
foreign direct investment in Romanian economy. The Romanian official expressed
Romania’s firm commitment to combat corruption and implement the
recommendations of the 2022 Rule of Law Report of the Venice Commission. With
regard to human trafficking, Alina Gorghiu said the Justice Ministry has
fulfilled its obligations as per the 2022 Report on Human Trafficking and other
country-specific reports in this field.

SPORT – Romanian athletes on Monday won
five medals – three gold, one silver and one bronze – at the Francophone Games
held in Kinshasa, Congo. In wrestling, our athletes scooped two gold medals,
one silver and one bronze. Romania’s table tennis team also won gold after
defeating Tunisia in the final. On Sunday, Romania grabbed three medals – two
gold and one silver – in the free wrestling competition. Romania thus ranks
first in the medal standings with 7 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze, followed by
Morocco and Cameroon. 57 Romanian athletes represent Romania at the 9th
edition of the Francophone Games in athletics, women’s basketball, free
wrestling, African wrestling, road bicycle racing, table tennis and judo. The
competition is hosted by Congo over July 28 – August 6. (VP)

1 August 2023
Heavy traffic at Easter

On the occasion of the Orthodox Easter holidays, the inbound traffic this year at the Romanian borders was heavy again, but the number of Romanians who went abroad to celebrate Easter, or to just join their families after the pandemic restrictions were lifted was also very high. Adding to those were people who returned after travelling abroad for Catholic Easter, which this year was celebrated a week earlier than the Orthodox one.The Border Police has announced that traffic at the Romanian borders increased by 150% compared to last year. According to a communiqué, between April 22-24, over 500,000 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, and approximately 120,000 vehicles went through the regular border check procedures, both upon entering and existing the country.

The Border Police has also informed that during this period they ordered measures to streamline traffic, as well as to strengthen the surveillance of the state borders, so as to avoid any special events. About 4,200 border guards were on duty on a daily basis carrying out border surveillance and control missions. The capacity of the border crossing points was also used to the maximum, and depending on the traffic, checkpoints on the way in or out of the country were supplemented.

According to the Border Police, the supplied mobile control equipment was used where the situation required it. This year, the busiest border was the air border where, between April 22 and 24, about 200,000 people completed the necessary procedures, as well as the land border with Hungary, with over 140,000 people and 54,000 vehicles crossing it over the same period. Less crowded was the border at the Iron Gates in southwestern Romania, which was used by those who traveled through Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia. Authorities recommended this border to those who came from Western Europe heading for southern Romania. In fact, as every year, the authorities recommended that participants in cross-border traffic use all crossing points and check waiting times on the online traffic application, which can still be accessed on the website of the border police.

In the context of the war started by Russia in the neighbouring country, according to the authorities, several thousand Ukrainians kept entering Romania every day, both through the common customs and via the Republic of Moldova. Since the beginning of the conflict, more than two months ago, a total of almost 800 thousand Ukrainian citizens have entered our country. Most are on their way to Western Europe, but there have also been several thousand who have sought asylum in Romania. (MI)

26 April 2022
August 28, 2021

COVID-19 – 1,015 new cases of
COVID-19 infection were reported on Saturday out of some 43,000 tests, the
Group for Strategic Communication reports. 19 related fatalities have also been
reported, while 243 people are in intensive care. 57,000 people are in home
isolation and 63 in institutionalized quarantine. Most new cases were reported
in Bucharest and Ilfov, Timiş,
Bacău, Constanţa and Cluj counties. While Romania remains in the green zone,
the overall incidence rate has been going up.

MOLDOVA – Romania
supports the modernization of the Army of the Republic of Moldova, Romania’s
Defense Minister, Nicolae Ciucă said during a meeting with his Moldovan
counterpart, Anatolie Nosaty. The two officials tackled topics pertaining to
bilateral military cooperation. Minister Nosaty said Romania is a trusted and
strategic partner of the Republic of Moldova, expressing gratitude for the
constant assistance coming from Bucharest in the field of defense. He also
referred to the training of Moldovan Army personnel in relevant Romanian
institutions, the expertise offered in drafting strategic documents as part of
the Initiative for Consolidating Defense Capabilities, as well as assistance
aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic. General Ciucă on Friday attended, alongside
President Klaus Iohannis, the military parade marking 30 years since the
proclamation of independence of neighboring Moldova. Created on a part of
Romania’s eastern territories, annexed by the Soviet Union through an ultimatum
in 1940, the Republic of Moldova won its independence after the abortive coup
in Moscow against the then Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. Adopted on August
27, 1991 by Parliament in Chisinau, the declaration of independence was
recognized by Romania on the same day. The Republic of Moldova got
international recognition on March 2, 1992 upon its accession to the United
Nations Organization.

AFGHANISTAN – The
crisis task force set up by Romanian authorities managed to evacuate 5 Afghan
nationals from Kabul, who were admitted on Kabul airport and subsequently
evacuated with support from Romania’s international partners, the Foreign
Ministry in Bucharest has announced. The Afghan citizens – an exchange student
studying in Romania and two journalists together with their families, are now
safe outside Afghan territory. The task force has issued and submitted
documents to the five Afghan citizens, conforming they are under the protection
of the Romanian state. The Ministry says Romania will continue to take steps to
evacuate Afghan nationals who worked together with Romanian troops and
international organizations, students in Romania, vulnerable categories such as
journalists, human rights activists, magistrates and members of their families.
All 49 Romanian citizens who wanted to leave Afghanistan have been evacuated.
At the same time, the task force maintains contact with the nine Romanian
citizens who are still in Afghanistan and who have notified Romanian
authorities they do not wish to be evacuated.

BORDER POLICE – The
Romanian Border Police have seized eight Indian nationals trying to illegally
cross into Romania on the northeastern border, their aim being to reach the
Schengen Area, the Border Police Territorial Inspectorate announced on
Saturday. The eight men are aged 19 to 48 and are now being investigated by
Romanian and Ukrainian authorities. Based on the agreement signed by the
European Union and Ukraine, the eight citizens have been taken into custody by
authorities of the neighboring state.

MEDALS – Romania obtained its first two medals in Tokyo Paralympics. Romanian
cyclist Eduard Novak, who is also Romania’s incumbent Minister of Youth and
Sports, won silver in the 4,000-meter individual pursuit. Novak has thus won
Romania’s first medal in the present edition of the Paralympic Games and his
fourth. Eduard Novak, 44, obtained gold and silver medals at the 2012 edition
of these games held in London and silver in Beijing in 2008. Another Romanian,
judoka Alex Bologa, won bronze in the 60-kg category of the aforementioned
competition. Romania is being represented by 7 athletes at the present edition
of the Tokyo Paralympics who participate in judo, athletics, table tennis,
cycling and archery. (VP)

28 August 2021
March 14, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Prime Minister
Florin Cîţu on Sunday called for identifying new hospitals to join the fight
against COVID-19, by increasing the number of ICU beds to 1,600 and ensuring
the necessary supply of medicines and continuing vaccination. In a post on
Facebook, Florin Cîţu said he attended a meeting of the National Center for the
Management and Coordination of Interventions, to make sure patients and health
workers have everything they need to get through the third wave of the
pandemic. The Prime Minister said that, for the time being, Romania isn’t
reporting an alarming increase of the infection rate, but advised cautionary
preparations for a possible increase in the number of cases. The state of alert
on Sunday was extended for another 30 days in Romania. The measures adopted by
the Government to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic took effect on
Saturday at midnight. All restrictions imposed so far remain in place, with the
exception of the nighttime curfew, which now begins at 10 PM and ends at 5 AM.
Moreover, hotels and guesthouses in mountain resorts can only function at 70%
capacity. On the other hand, the vaccination campaign continues, with another
50,000 people immunized in the last 24 hours. On Monday, the campaign enters in
its third phase addressing the general population. Also on Monday people can
register on waiting lists on the online platform. On Sunday, some 4,400 new
infections were reported nationwide and another 44 related fatalities. Over
1,200 people are currently in intensive care.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Over 120 million
confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported globally so far, as well as
2.6 million deaths, the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine in the United States
reports. Over 30 million infections and 546 thousand deaths have been reported
in the United States since the start of the pandemic. The second-most affected
country in the world is Brazil, with 11 million infections and 277 thousand
fatalities. In Europe, Great Britain has exceeded 125 thousand deaths, followed
by Italy with 102 thousand and France with over 80 thousand. The situation is
serious in the Republic of Moldova as well, where the Supreme Security Council
and President Maia Sandu recommended the Government to declare a state of
emergency amidst an alarming increase in the number of infections. In its
latest report, over 1,800 new infections were signaled in Moldova.

PARLIAMENT – The
Social-Democratic Party next week will file a no-confidence motion against
Economy Minister, Claudiu Năsui. Social-Democrats claim the minister adopted no
measures to support entrepreneurs, while insisting on selling stocks of
profitable state-owned companies. Minister Năsui says the motion was prompted
by the publication of contracts signed by the Ministry, and that disclosures
would continue. Parliament must also set a date on voting the EU’s system of
own funds. To pass the decision needs a third of the votes, and for the time
being the power and the opposition haven’t reached an agreement. The Social-Democratic
Party wants a debate in Parliament on the measures stipulated in the national
recovery and resilience plan.

STATISTICS – The value of total
goods that transited Romanian ports totaled 47.22 million tons, down by 11.1%
as compared to 2019, the National Institute for Statistics reports. The ports
with the highest volume of trade in 2020 were Constanţa, with 83.5% of total
trade, Midia with 9.6% and Galaţi with 5.1%. Most goods were inbound and
outbound to Russia and Turkey. Of all the other EU member States, Spain and
Greece reported the highest volume of transported goods. The transport of goods
via domestic waterways stood at 30.5 million tons, accounting for a drop of
8.2%.

ENERGY – Romania’s Energy
Minister, Virgil Popescu, on Monday and Tuesday will discuss with EU officials
plans for restructuring the Oltenia Energy Company (southern Romania). In
December, the Minister Popescu officially notified the European Commission
regarding plans to restructure the Company, which include financial assistance
from the state. On February 5, the European Commission announced the launch of
a comprehensive investigation of the state funding allotted to restructure the
company. The Oltenia Energy Company needs the approval of the European
Commission by the end of April in order to receive the funds which will be used
to pay carbon gas emission certificates for 2020 penalty-free.

BORDER POLICE – The Romanian
Border Police in Arad County, western Romania, have picked up 14 citizens from
Afghanistan and Pakistan, trying to cross into Hungary hidden in three
freighter trucks, driven by two Turkish nationals and one Bulgarian. The border
police have launched an investigation and have taken all the necessary measures
in this case.

FILM – The American Film
Academy on March 15 will announce the Oscar nominations for 2021. The film colectiv
directed by Alexandru Nanau is Romania’s proposal, selected in the best international
feature and best documentary sections. colectiv last month was shortlisted
for the 2021 Oscars. The film is also nominated for the 2021 BAFTA Awards in
the Best documentary section. The film tells the story of the first year after
the devastating fire at Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest of October 30, 2015,
which killed 64 people. (V.P.)

14 March 2021
March 14, 2021

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The state of alert
on Sunday was extended for another 30 days in Romania. The measures adopted by
the Government to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic took effect on Saturday
at midnight. All restrictions imposed so far remain in place, with the exception
of the nighttime curfew, which now begins at 10 PM and ends at 5 AM. Moreover, hotels
and guesthouses in mountain resorts can only function at 70% capacity. On the
other hand, the vaccination campaign continues, with another 50,000 people
immunized in the last 24 hours. On Monday, the campaign enters in its third
phase addressing the general population. Also on Monday people can register on
waiting lists on the online platform. On Sunday, some 4,400 new infections were
reported nationwide and another 44 related fatalities. Over 1,200 people are
currently in intensive care.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Over 120 million confirmed
SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported globally so far, as well as 2.6
million deaths, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the United States
reports. Over 30 million infections and 546 thousand deaths have been reported
in the United States since the start of the pandemic. The second-most affected
country in the world is Brazil, with 11 million infections and 277 thousand
fatalities. In Europe, Great Britain has exceeded 125 thousand deaths, followed
by Italy with 102 thousand and France with over 90 thousand. The situation is
serious in the Republic of Moldova as well, where the Supreme Security Council and
President Maia Sandu recommended the Government to declare a state of emergency
amidst an alarming increase in the number of infections. In its latest report,
over 1,800 new infections were signaled in Moldova.

STATISTICS – The value of total
goods that transited Romanian ports totaled 47.22 million tons, down by 11.1%
as compared to 2019, the National Institute for Statistics reports. The ports
with the highest volume of trade in 2020 were Constanţa, with 83.5% of total
trade, Midia with 9.6% and Galaţi with 5.1%. Most goods were inbound and
outbound to Russia and Turkey. Of all the other EU member States, Spain and Greece
reported the highest volume of transported goods. The transport of goods via
domestic waterways stood at 30.5 million tons, accounting for a drop of 8.2%.

ENERGY – Romania’s Energy
Minister, Virgil Popescu, on Monday and Tuesday will discuss with EU officials plans
for restructuring the Oltenia Energy Company (southern Romania). In December,
the Minister Popescu officially notified the European Commission regarding
plans to restructure the Company, which include financial assistance from the
state. On February 5, the European Commission announced the launch of a
comprehensive investigation of the state funding allotted to restructure the
company. The Oltenia Energy Company needs the approval of the European Commission
by the end of April in order to receive the funds which will be used to pay carbon
gas emission certificates for 2020 penalty-free.

BORDER POLICE – The Romanian
Border Police in Arad County, western Romania, have picked up 14 citizens from
Afghanistan and Pakistan, trying to cross into Hungary hidden in three
freighter trucks, driven by two Turkish nationals and one Bulgarian. The border
police have launched an investigation and have taken all the necessary measures
in this case. (V.P.)

14 March 2021
November 26, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA
– The country’s Supreme Defense Council on December 3 will examine the national
anti-COVID-19 vaccination strategy, the Presidency announced on Thursday. The
strategy was previously adopted in a Government session. President Klaus
Iohannis expressed hope that, the moment the first results of the new
anti-COVID-19 vaccine come out, people will be less reluctant to take the shot.
Almost 450,000 people have had Covid-19 in Romania since the start of the
outbreak, with some 9,000 new cases and 171 new deaths reported on Thursday.
1,226 people are receiving intensive care treatment. A number of villages
around Bucharest are in lockdown. People’s health comes first and easing
restrictions too early risks undoing the progress made, said president Klaus
Iohannis. He explained that, according to statistical data, new infections have
begun to drop slightly countywide over the last six days.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD
– Global coronavirus cases pass 60 million and the death toll 1.42 million. The
US, which is the worst hit country in the world, has recorded 13 million cases
and at least 268,000 deaths. In Europe, the president of the European
Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the first European citizens may be
vaccinated before the end of December. In a speech before the European
Parliament, she said EU member states should start preparing the logistics for
the deployment of the vaccine doses. The European Union on Wednesday signed a
contract with the American biotechnology company Moderna for 160 million doses
of its vaccine, which offers 94.5% protection. Meanwhile, most countries are
struggling with high infection rates. Despite this, France, Ireland and the UK
have announced plans to ease restrictions around Christmas, to allow people to
visit friends and families.

PLAN– The Recovery
and Resilience Plan for Romania was presented on Thursday by President Klaus
Iohannis and Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. Under the plan, Romania will be
allotted €30 billion worth of European funds, to be invested in reforms, infrastructure
and many sectors that need to be modernized and revived. The Recovery and
Resilience Plan will be submitted to public consultation before being presented
in Brussels, so that funding be released next year.

MOLDOVA – The
European Union has paid the first installment worth €50-million to the Republic
of Moldova as part of the financial agreement signed this summer. The purpose
of this loan, the total value of which amounts to €100 million, is to reduce
restrictions on external funding, lowering the balance of payments and meeting
budgetary needs, the Moldovan Finance Minister has said. Moldova’s President
elect, Maia Sandu, thanked the EU for its financial support, saying it is
crucial to keeping the economy healthy. On the other hand, the Moldovan
official said the first weeks of her mandate will be devoted to organizing the
visit to Chişinău to
be paid by Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis.

BORDER POLICE -
The Romanian Border Police have apprehended six Syrian nationals who crossed
illegally into Romania on the Bulgarian border. Five adults aged 17-35 and a
10-year-old child, the migrants were in route to a West-European country. They
have been taken into custody by Bulgarian authorities who will conduct an
investigation. 3 Moroccan nationals aged 26-36 were also detained on the
Hungarian border, also claiming they were headed for Western Europe.

MARADONA – The former
great Romanian player Gheorghe Hagi deplores the death of Diego Maradona,
saying he was unique and an inspiration to him for his love of the game. Hagi
was often compared with the Argentina star player and was even called
Maradona from the Carpathians at the peak of his career. The former
Romanian international player Miodrag Belodedici also paid tribute to Maradona,
saying he considers him to be the best player in history. Maradona died from heart
attack aged 60 at his home in Buenos Aires on Thursday. He won the World Cup
with the national side in 1986, but was eliminated from the 1994 world
championship after testing positive for
doping. After struggling with drug use, overeating and alcoholism for many
years, Maradona reinvented himself and took over the management of the
Argentinean national side in 2008. Three days of national mourning were
declared in Argentina after his death.

FIFA RANKING -
Romania went up 7 places to the 37th position in the FIFA ranking published
today, so they will be in pot two for the 2022 World Cup qualifying draw. The
leap made by Romania in the world ranking comes after its results in November:
a 5-3 win against Belarus in a friendly match, a 3-nil win against Norway
Romania was handed by UEFA and a draw against Northern Ireland in the Nations
League competition. Romania is now in Europe’s top 20. The draw for the 2022
World Cup in Qatar will take place on 7th December. (C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)

26 November 2020
July 12, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The Senate in Bucharest next week will
debate and vote on a controversial draft law submitted by the Liberal
Government. On Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies passed the law in a heavily
modified form compared to the original. While the power claims it needs
leverage to counteract the effects of the pandemic, the opposition says the law
infringes on citizens’ rights and liberties. Interim Senate Speaker
Social-Democrat Robert Cazanciuc said the bill will pass only if it answers
Romanians’ needs. He recalled that opinions have been asked from the Justice
Ministry and the Superior Council of Magistracy, and the Government also needs
to provide arguments that observe European practice in the field of compulsory
hospitalization and the mandatory posting of medical staff. We recall the bill
on quarantine and isolation was passed by the Government and submitted to
Parliament after the Constitutional Court ruled that home isolation, quarantine
and hospitalization cannot be imposed by Ministry decree, as the case has been
so far. Constitutional Court judges believe refstrictions should be based on a
clear legal framework. Hundreds of people protested on Sunday against the
authorities’ handling of the health crisis, as well as against the bill on
isolation and quarantine. Some 32.500 cases have been reported in Romania,
23.400 people have recovered. The death toll stands at 1.884. 5.104 Romanians
have tested positive for SARS CoV2 abroad and 122 have died.

RESTRICTIONS – Starting
Wednesday next week Hungary will impose new border crossing restrictions to
prevent the spread of the virus, in the wake of a resurge in the number of
infections in several countries. Arrivals from yellow areas, including
Romania, will be submitted to medical checks at the border and enter quarantine
for 14 days, while anyone coming from red countries will be denied access.
Entry into Hungary will be allowed only to citizens presenting two negative
tests for COVID-19, carried out in the last five days. The tests need to be 48
hours apart, and the medical certificates must be presented in Hungarian or
English. Greek authorities have suspended until Tuesday the electronic platform
for traveller registration, ahead of changing border crossing regulations for
land entries. As of Wednesday morning, Romanian tourists will have to provide
proof of a negative test against COVID-19, no older than 72 hours. The
documentation must be in English and contain the traveller’s identification
data. The Romanian Foreign Ministry recalls this test does not exclude the
obligation of completing the online form or being subject to random testing at
the border. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has called on the 120 centers doing
corona testing in the country to take priority in testing tourists with planned
holidays in Greece. On social media many Romanians have already announced their
readiness to give up their holidays, mostly due to the expenses associated with
voluntary testing. Other EU countries have announced restrictions for Romanian
citizens. People with holiday plans in Austria need documents proving they
tested negative for SARS CoV2, which must be no older than 4 days at the time
of entry. The document needs to be translated into German and English and be
accompanied by proof of accommodation in this country. Anyone failing to
provide the said documentation will be placed in isolation for 14 days. As of
Monday, Lithuania will deny access to Romanians, with the exception of people
on transit to Romania.

MIGRANTS – Two Serbian
nationals, who helped 13 Syrians illegally cross into Romania, were picked up
on Saturday night by the Romanian border police and are now being investigated
for migrant trafficking. The Syrian citizens, nine men and four women, are aged
17-30. The Serbian drivers were planning on taking them to Western Europe in
exchange for €900. The Romanian Border Police has advised citizens against
transporting unknown people in border areas and to notify the authorities
whenever they are presented with such requests.

TENNIS – Tennis
player Simona Halep, world no. 2 has confirmed her participation in the WTA
tournament in Palermo, Italy, the first in the WTA circuit after the long
hiatus caused by the coronacrisis. In a video posted on social media, she said
she would take part in the competition in Sicily, which will be played on clay
court over August 3-9. Halep played her last match in February, in the final of
the tournament in Dubai, which she won against Elena Rybakina of Khazakstan.
Oliveiro Palma, the director of the tournament in Palermo, said Halep’s
participation is exceptional news, it had been decades since Palermo last
hosted a former No.1.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

12 July 2020
July 12, 2020

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another 456 new infections were announced
in Romania on Sunday by the Group for Strategic Communication, taking the total
number of infected to 32.535. 23.387 people infected with COVID-19 have
recovered, while 1.884 people have died. 243 patients are now in intensive
care. Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban says the state is virtually
incapacitated in dealing with the pandemic, after the Senate on Saturday
postponed the debate and vote on a Government bill on isolation and quarantine.
On Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies passed the law in a heavily modified form.
The Social-Democrats in opposition claim the law infringes on citizens’ rights
and liberties, calling on the Prime Minister, Justice Minister and
representatives of the Superior Council of Magistracy and human rights
associations to attend the debate in the Senate.

RESTRICTIONS – Greek
authorities have suspended until Tuesday the electronic platform for traveller
registration, ahead of changing border crossing regulations for land entries.
As of Wednesday morning, Romanian tourists will have to provide proof of a
negative test against COVID-19, no older than 72 hours. The documentation must
be in English and contain the traveller’s identification data. The Romanian
Foreign Ministry recalls this test does not exclude the obligation of
completing the online form or being subject to random testing at the border.
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has called on the 120 centers doing corona testing
in the country to take priority in testing tourists with planned holidays in
Greece. On social media many Romanians have already announced their readiness
to give up their holidays, mostly due to the expenses associated with voluntary
testing. Other EU countries have announced restrictions for Romanian citizens.
People with holiday plans in Austria need documents proving they tested
negative for SARS CoV2, which must be no older than 4 days at the time of
entry. The document needs to be translated into German and English and be
accompanied by proof of accommodation in this country. Anyone failing to
provide the said documentation will be placed in isolation for 14 days. As of
Monday, Lithuania will deny access to Romanians, with the exception of people
on transit to Romania.

MIGRANTS – Two Serbian
nationals, who helped 13 Syrians illegally cross into Romania, were picked up
on Saturday night by the Romanian border police and are now being investigated
for migrant trafficking. The Syrian citizens, nine men and four women, are aged
17-30. The Serbian drivers were planning on taking them to Western Europe in
exchange for €900. The Romanian Border Police has advised citizens against
transporting unknown people in border areas and to notify the authorities
whenever they are presented with such requests.

WEATHER ALERTS – The National Meteorological
Administration has issued a code yellow alert against extreme weather phenomena,
in place until Sunday night for three quarters of Romania’s territory. During
the interval, the west, north and center of the country will see heavy
rainfalls, thunderstorms, strong wind and hail. Meteorologists expected flash
floods in these areas as well.

TENNIS – Tennis
player Simona Halep, world no. 2 has confirmed her participation in the WTA
tournament in Palermo, Italy, the first in the WTA circuit after the long
hiatus caused by the coronacrisis. In a video posted on social media, she said
she would take part in the competition in Sicily, which will be played on clay
court over August 3-9. Halep played her last match in February, in the final of
the tournament in Dubai, which she won against Elena Rybakina of Khazakstan. Oliveiro
Palma, the director of the tournament in Palermo, said Halep’s
participation is exceptional news, it had been decades since Palermo last
hosted a former No.1.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

12 July 2020
May 21, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The number
of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Romania has exceeded 17.500. Of these 1.156
have died and over 10.500 have recovered. Over 3.000 Romanians living abroad
have tested positive for COVID-19, mostly in Italy, Spain and Germany. Of
these, 105 have died. The authorities
and experts recommend the wearing of masks. Failure to wear masks would
increase the infection rate to 70%. In another development, the president of
the Committee for Clinical and Epidemiological Management with the Health
Ministry, Adriana Pistol, estimates that the number of infections in Romania
could reach 20,000 by autumn.

REPATRIATIONS
– The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest on Thursday announced that over May 21-24
seven flights will be set up to European states to bring home Romanian
nationals with temporary stay permits who have been affected by the measures
adopted by other states to prevent the pandemic from spreading. 5 flights will
head to Spain, one to France and one to Great Britain. Also on Thursday the
Ministry announced 156 Romanian nationals and two foreign citizens with stay
permits for Romania have been returned to the country. According to the Romanian
Foreign Ministry, the action was carried out with a special flight operated by
the national airliner TAROM to Rome. The same flight also transported some 132
Italian citizens from Bucharest to Rome. The Foreign Ministry has renewed its
previous recommendations to verify all information on its webpage and the
websites of Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad.

FINE – Romanian President
Klaus Iohannis has been fined by the National Council for Combating
Discrimination with the equivalent of 1 thousand euros for discrimination and
violation of the right to dignity on grounds of ethnicity / nationality, for
some of his recent statements. The leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic
Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, has said that the Council’s decision is
fair while the interim leader of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu,
has said Iohannis should apologize publicly for his statements about the
Hungarians. Marcel Ciolacu himself was targeted by the President’s message, which
accused the Social Democrats of
fighting in their secret offices in Parliament to give Transylvania to the
Hungarians. The Presidency has announced Klaus Iohannis will appeal the Council’s
decision in Court, as he considers it to be a political move.

BILATERAL
RELATIONS – Romania is an excellent destination for business people, and
the Romanian Government is open to encouraging investment, Prime Minister
Ludovic Orban said on Thursday during a videoconference held with his Polish
counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki. The two officials reviewed the status and
development prospects of bilateral relations, including in the economic and
trade fields, amidst economic recovery measures introduced at European and
national levels after the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
recently announced that the Government is planning on setting up a new
investment fund, based on the successful model of the Polish Development Fund.
The new fund will be financed from the state budget, the EU budget,
state-issued bonds and the capital of financial institutions and investment
agencies. The Fund is run by the Surveillance Council made up of independent
members.

BORDER POLICE -
Chief Inspector Liviu Bute will take over the Border Police General
Inspectorate, after Ioan Buda stepped down on Thursday for personal reasons. In
recent days the Hungarian border has been overcrowded after the state of
emergency was lifted in Romania, with wait times reaching 12 hours. As of
Thursday, 10 border crossing points on the Hungarian border are operational.
The longest wait times are reported at Nadlac, where checks are being performed
to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading. According to the Border
Police, wait times are not significantly long for entry into the country in any
of the border crossing points.

(Translated by V. Palcu & E. Enache)

21 May 2020
August 21, 2017 UPDATE

VISIT – French President, Emmanuel Macron, on Thursday will pay a formal visit to Romania, at the invitation of his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis. The visit was agreed upon during the bilateral talks the two officials had on the sidelines of the European Councils June session, in Brussels. On that occasion, President Iohannis voiced Romanias determination to remain Frances staunch partner and to support, together with France, the re-launch of the European project. The talks between the two leaders will lay emphasis on ways to develop and deepen the bilateral relation under the strategic partnership and also on focal points of interest on the international and European agenda and on security issues. At economic level, talks will aim at boosting two-way trade exchanges, also by diversifying the fields of cooperation. Given the tradition and cultural affinities between the two states, the talks in Bucharest will also focus on cooperation during the 2018 – 2019 Romania-France Cultural Season.

MIGRANTS – Romania is a transit rather than a destination country for migrants, facing a relatively small number of refugees, migrant pressure being moreover exerted on Central and Northern Europe, Romanian foreign minister Teodor Melescanu said in Bucharest on Monday. He said Romania didnt accept the idea of a mandatory refugee quota to relocate migrants, but it will comply with its duties entailed by its status of EU member state. Melescanu made this statement against the backdrop of a recent surge in illegal border crossing attempts in Romania by migrant groups. Romanian Coast Guard policemen on Sunday night intercepted, in the Black Sea, a small boat with some 70 illegal migrants on board, among whom 23 children. They were Iraqi and Syrian nationals. On August 13, another boat under Turkish flag with 69 illegal migrants of Iraqi nationality on board was intercepted by the Coast Guard in Romanias territorial waters, and two human traffickers, a Bulgarian and a Cypriot nationals, were taken into custody by the line authorities. On Monday, Romanian border policemen on duty at Nadlac II, in the west, found 42 people from Iraq, Syria and the Comoro Islands hiding in a truck driven by a Turkish national, with the intention of illegally leaving Romania to reach a Schengen country. Another group made up of 24 Syrian and Iraqi migrants who intended to illegally cross Romanias national border, guided by a Romanian citizen, were stopped on Sunday night by border police officers at the Nadlac border crossing point.

ATTACKS– The Catalan police has
confirmed that the alleged perpetrator of the Barcelona attack, Moroccan Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, was shot dead in Subirats, west of Barcelona, on
Monday. He has been identified as the driver of the van
who ploughed through Barcelona’s Las Ramblas
crowd, killing 13 people. Also on Monday the regional interior minister,
Joaquim Forn, announced that death
toll taken by the two attacks carried out last week in the Spanish region of
Catalonia, in Barcelona and Cambrils, and claimed by the Islamic State,
rose to 15. The last victim is a man stabbed to death, found in a car which
tried to drive past a police road block just hours after the Barcelona attack.
The policemen haven’t linked the incident to the attacks in Catalonia so far. The
perpetrators of the two attacks were members of a Jihadist cell comprising 12
people. On Monday, Romanian political leaders signed the book of condolences
opened by the Spanish Embassy in Bucharest, in respect and remembrance of the
victims of the recent attacks.

TENNIS – Romanias best ranking tennis player Simona Halep was trounced by Spanish challenger Garbine Muguruza 6-1, 6-0 in the finals of the WTA tournament in Cincinnati with over two million and a half dollars in prize money. Halep, the worlds second best tennis player has for the third time missed the chance of becoming WTA number one. We recall the Romanian player lost the Roland Garros finals to Jelena Ostapenko and the quarters in Wimbledon to Johanna Konta. Simona also lost the finals in Cincinnati to Serena Williams in 2015 and was stopped in her tracks last year in the semis by Angelique Kerber.

21 August 2017
April 7, 2017 UPDATE

STOCKHOLM ATTACK – The
Romanian Foreign Ministry is harshly condemning the Stockholm terror attack on
Friday, when a truck rammed into pedestrians, in a main shopping street,
leaving dead and wounded. The Romanian Foreign Ministry sends a message of
condolences to the families of the victims and expresses solidarity with the
Swedish people. Also, the ministry reiterates Romania’s firm commitment to
combating all forms of terrorism. Swedish PM Stefan
Löfven has said there are many elements, which indicate the incident was a
terror attack. The city centre was secured and subway traffic was brought to a
halt in Stockholm on Friday.

LONDON – Romanias ambassador to London has confirmed the death of the Romanian national who sustained serious injuries in the attack on the 22nd of March in the British capital and who had been in hospital for two weeks. The 31-year-old woman fell into the River Thames when the perpetrator of the attack rammed his car into pedestrians on the Westminster bridge. Her partner, who was the second Romanian national wounded in the incident, was released from hospital soon after the attack. The Romanian woman is the fifth victim of the attack. The British-born attacker, who became an adherent to radical Islam, was shot dead by the security forces near the British Parliament. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

SYRIA – The United States launched cruise missiles on a Syrian airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack a few days ago which killed tens of civilians in north-western Syria, and which Washington blames on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. The airbase, from where the chemical attack is believed to have been launched, was almost entirely destroyed. US President Donald Trump said he ordered the strike because the Assad regime used chemical weapons against innocent people, violating international conventions. The great powers reacted differently to the US action. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said the US military strikes in Syria are an act of aggression against a sovereign state and will hinder the creation of an international coalition to combat terrorism. Also, Russia announced it suspended the air-safety deal with the US, an agreement aimed at minimizing risks of in-flight incidents between Russian and US-led-coalition aircraft in Syria and an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held at Russia’s request. Several countries, including Britain, France and Israel, have announced support for the US intervention. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said President Bashar al-Assad carries full responsibility for the US air strikes. In Brussels, the EU has announced that it will work with the US to end the brutalities in Syria. In turn, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said the US’ action is a firm reaction to the chemical weapon attack and reiterated Romania’s solidarity with its allies and partners.

PRESIDENCY – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday sent a letter to the two Speakers of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament, in which he requests to address a plenary session of Parliament, on May 9. In the letter, the President underlines that he would like to send a message on the 140th anniversary of the proclamation of Romanias state independence, and also on the occasion of the Europe Day. The previous address by the President in Parliament was made in February and it was devoted to the state budget.

DIPLOMACY – Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, paid
a two-day official visit to Bratislava as of Thursday, on the invitation of his
Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajčák. The Romanian officials was also received
by President Andrej Kiska and met with the president of the Slovakia-Romanian parliamentary
friendship group, Jana Laššáková. The Romanian foreign minister underlined the importance
of strengthening the politic-diplomatic bilateral dialogue. The agenda of the
talks also included European issues of common interest, such as the future of
the EU, Brexit, energy security and the migration crisis.

BORDER SECURITY – The Romanian border police on Friday tightened controls on entering and exiting the country, with all persons crossing the border being checked against relevant national and international databases. The measure comes after the enforcement of the changes to the Schengen Border Code adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council and meant to improve the security of the European Union and its citizens. The Romanian border police say they have taken every measure to reduce waiting time and ensure operative control and strike a balance between citizen security and the traffic flow.

CONFERENCE ON DEMOCRACY – Law
experts from Romania, France, Greece, Hungary, Georgia, Poland and Turkey
attending an international conference on democracy in Bucharest on Friday
discussed the relationship between the political majority and the opposition,
on the second and final day of the conference. The around 100 participants
presented their own countries’ experience in managing the most difficult aspects
of the interaction between the majority and the opposition and analysed the
democratic instruments and processes. At the end of the conference, the Venice
Commission drew up a report containing guidelines on how the political majority
should behave and interact with the opposition. The event was organised by the
Presidential Administration and the Venice Commission, with support from the
Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.

7 April 2017
April 7, 2017 UPDATE

STOCKHOLM ATTACK – The
Romanian Foreign Ministry is harshly condemning the Stockholm terror attack on
Friday, when a truck rammed into pedestrians, in a main shopping street,
leaving dead and wounded. The Romanian Foreign Ministry sends a message of
condolences to the families of the victims and expresses solidarity with the
Swedish people. Also, the ministry reiterates Romania’s firm commitment to
combating all forms of terrorism. Swedish PM Stefan
Löfven has said there are many elements, which indicate the incident was a
terror attack. The city centre was secured and subway traffic was brought to a
halt in Stockholm on Friday.

LONDON – Romanias ambassador to London has confirmed the death of the Romanian national who sustained serious injuries in the attack on the 22nd of March in the British capital and who had been in hospital for two weeks. The 31-year-old woman fell into the River Thames when the perpetrator of the attack rammed his car into pedestrians on the Westminster bridge. Her partner, who was the second Romanian national wounded in the incident, was released from hospital soon after the attack. The Romanian woman is the fifth victim of the attack. The British-born attacker, who became an adherent to radical Islam, was shot dead by the security forces near the British Parliament. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

SYRIA – The United States launched cruise missiles on a Syrian airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack a few days ago which killed tens of civilians in north-western Syria, and which Washington blames on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. The airbase, from where the chemical attack is believed to have been launched, was almost entirely destroyed. US President Donald Trump said he ordered the strike because the Assad regime used chemical weapons against innocent people, violating international conventions. The great powers reacted differently to the US action. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said the US military strikes in Syria are an act of aggression against a sovereign state and will hinder the creation of an international coalition to combat terrorism. Also, Russia announced it suspended the air-safety deal with the US, an agreement aimed at minimizing risks of in-flight incidents between Russian and US-led-coalition aircraft in Syria and an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held at Russia’s request. Several countries, including Britain, France and Israel, have announced support for the US intervention. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said President Bashar al-Assad carries full responsibility for the US air strikes. In Brussels, the EU has announced that it will work with the US to end the brutalities in Syria. In turn, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said the US’ action is a firm reaction to the chemical weapon attack and reiterated Romania’s solidarity with its allies and partners.

PRESIDENCY – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday sent a letter to the two Speakers of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament, in which he requests to address a plenary session of Parliament, on May 9. In the letter, the President underlines that he would like to send a message on the 140th anniversary of the proclamation of Romanias state independence, and also on the occasion of the Europe Day. The previous address by the President in Parliament was made in February and it was devoted to the state budget.

DIPLOMACY – Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, paid
a two-day official visit to Bratislava as of Thursday, on the invitation of his
Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajčák. The Romanian officials was also received
by President Andrej Kiska and met with the president of the Slovakia-Romanian parliamentary
friendship group, Jana Laššáková. The Romanian foreign minister underlined the importance
of strengthening the politic-diplomatic bilateral dialogue. The agenda of the
talks also included European issues of common interest, such as the future of
the EU, Brexit, energy security and the migration crisis.

BORDER SECURITY – The Romanian border police on Friday tightened controls on entering and exiting the country, with all persons crossing the border being checked against relevant national and international databases. The measure comes after the enforcement of the changes to the Schengen Border Code adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council and meant to improve the security of the European Union and its citizens. The Romanian border police say they have taken every measure to reduce waiting time and ensure operative control and strike a balance between citizen security and the traffic flow.

CONFERENCE ON DEMOCRACY – Law
experts from Romania, France, Greece, Hungary, Georgia, Poland and Turkey
attending an international conference on democracy in Bucharest on Friday
discussed the relationship between the political majority and the opposition,
on the second and final day of the conference. The around 100 participants
presented their own countries’ experience in managing the most difficult aspects
of the interaction between the majority and the opposition and analysed the
democratic instruments and processes. At the end of the conference, the Venice
Commission drew up a report containing guidelines on how the political majority
should behave and interact with the opposition. The event was organised by the
Presidential Administration and the Venice Commission, with support from the
Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.

7 April 2017
January 6, 2017

WEATHER — It is gradually getting colder in Romania, with freezing temperatures especially in the west, centre and the north. The sky is overcast and it is snowing on large areas, more heavily in the south, the east and the mountains. Gusty wind is also reported in places, particularly in the south and southeast, where it exceeds 70-85 km/h in places. The highs of the day range from minus 10 to 0 degrees Celsius. The southeastern part of the country is under red code alert against blizzard, in the first part of the day. The code yellow alert against snow is valid for the south and the east and a code orange alert against blizzard is valid for the south-east, Bucharest included. The counties in the east will further be under code yellow alert until Saturday. Tens of national roads have been closed and hundreds of localities have been left without electricity because of the blizzard.

MOLDOVA — Blizzard and extremely low temperatures are also reported in the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, where a code orange alert against heavy snowfalls is in force, in the centre and the south. Moldovan meteorologists have forecast temperatures of minus 17 degrees Celsius and issued a code yellow alert against low temperatures, between January 6 and 9. In this context, the Civil Protection and Emergency Situations Service has warned car drivers to properly equip their cars for winter conditions. The situation is similar in central Europe. Poland is swept by a wave of cold, with temperatures dropping to minus 25 degrees Celsius. Heavy snowfalls are reported in the northern half of Italy and Germany is facing the same situation, with a high risk of flooding. Bad weather is also reported in Denmark, Sweden and Croatia.

GOVERNMENT MEETING — The new government in Bucharest is analysing in today’s meeting, a 16% increase in the minimum gross salary, as of February 1, up to 1,450 lei (some 300 Euro). Representatives of major trade unions have hailed the announcement made by the government, but the employers’ associations show reservation. Also today, the salaries of public servants working in local administration will be increased by 20%, just like those of the actors and of other categories of artists. On Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies voted in a plenary session the law amending the Fiscal Code, and consequently pensioners with pensions of up to 2,000 lei (some 400 Euros) will be exempted from paying taxes on these sums. They will no longer pay for their health insurances, whose costs will be covered from the state budget. Sworn in on Wednesday, the cabinet led by the Social Democrat Sorin Grindeanu also pledges to reduce taxes, cut red-tape, build new factories and highways as well as high-speed railways. Economic analysts describe the governing program as very ambitious and point to the risks and impact on the budget.

BRUSSELS- The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has posted on his Twitter page a message congratulating the Prime Minister of Romania, Sorin Grindeanu, on his recent appointment. The EU’s message reads: “we look forward to the continuation of the positive trend in Romania regarding a stable government, robust economic growth, increased productivity, rising living standards and an independent justice system that can sustain the fight against corruption.” The EU Commissioner assures PM Grindeanu that the EU executive remains a constant and reliable partner to Romania, be it through financial support or technical expertise.

BORDER POLICE — The Romanian border policemen deployed in Greece have rescued 34 refugees from Syria and Congo from the international waters of the Aegean Sea. The refugees, among whom 9 children, were on board an overloaded light boat, which was on point of overturning. It was the first intervention of its kind by the Romanian policemen. A patrolling and intervention boat of the Romanian Interior Ministry, with a 23 member crew, is carrying out surveillance missions along the external borders of the EU, in the Aegean Sea, for four months, as of January 1, as part of the Maritime Joint Operation “EPN POSEIDON SEA”, coordinated by the FRONTEX Agency. The border policemen carry out individual patrolling, search and rescue missions, alongside colleagues from other EU member states participating in the mission.

WikiLeaks — The CIA claims it has identified several Russian officials who, under the coordination of the Kremlin leader, Vladimir Putin, have sent stolen DNC emails to WikiLeaks. According to the CIA report, quoted by the CNN, Russia got involved in the electoral process in the US by supporting the campaign of the US President elect, Republican Donald Trump. The latter has expressed his scepticism over Russia’s involvement and, in his turn, continued to reject the accusations. Recently, the acting US President, Barack Obama, has ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the US over the alleged hacking.

EPIPHANY-The majority Christian orthodox believers in Romania are today celebrating the Epiphany, commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

6 January 2017
December 4, 2016 UPDATE

ELECTION – Legislative elections will be held in Romania on December 11, under the new legislation in force, marking a return to the 2004 party-list voting system. New representation quotas are also being introduced, as follows: 1 deputy per 73,000 inhabitants and 1 senator per 168,000 inhabitants. Running for the 466 MP seats are 6,493 people. The Romanian Diaspora, accounting for over three million people, will be represented by 2 senators and 4 deputies. All Romanians residing abroad will as of this year be able to vote by post.

REFUGEES – 17 Syrian refugees were apprehended by the Romanian border police while trying to illegally cross from Serbia into Romania. Nine of the 17 are children aged between two and ten. On Saturday, the border police also identified a Turkish national accompanied by a Serbian guide. The man was trying to enter Romania on route to Germany. Over the last year, over 300 refugees, mostly Syrian, have tried to enter Romania. Most of them are trying to cross from Serbia, currently home to over 7,000 immigrants.

ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN – An anti-corruption campaign is being held on Monday in 14 border crossing points in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. For the course of five days, flyers and leaflets will be handed out with the purpose of raising the awareness of citizens with respect to the risk they expose themselves when dealing in border-related crimes. Organized by the General Anti-Corruption Directorate in Romania, the Anti-Corruption National Centre in Moldova and the State Border Police Service in Ukraine, the campaign is carried out also with help from Romanian high-school volunteers.

EUROSTAT – One in three Romanians cannot afford to eat out with friends every month, shows the latest Eurostat survey. Figures indicate the same figures for Hungary and Bulgaria. In Romania, those affected are the elderly, of whom 43% lack the funds to eat out in a restaurant every month. Over a third of young people below 25 cannot afford to go out to a pub every month. Nearly one in ten European citizens lacks the money for such monthly activities.

GREECE – Structural reforms will help Greece get sustainable growth instead of a debt-cutting deal, the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Bild am Sonntag on Sunday. Greeces outstanding debt currently amounts to 300 billion euros, accounting for 180% of its GDP, the highest in the Eurozone. A Eurozone Finance Ministers meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday in Brussels, aimed at reviewing the progress Athens has reported in implementing the line of reforms demanded in exchange for granting financial assistance. Germany is unlikely to discuss a cut in Greeces debt ahead of the elections of September 2017. For the first time since 2014, Greece has reported a growth of its GDP for two consecutive terms, thus ending the economic slump.

HANDBALL – Romanias national womens handball team are participating in Sweden between December 4 –18 in the European Handball Championship. Romania will take on Norway, in Group D, on December 5th, Russia on the 7th of December and Croatia on the 9th. The three top-ranking teams in each group will qualify to the second stage. Romanias team is coached by the Spanish Ambros Martin, who last month replaced the Swedish Tomas Ryde, who led the Romanians to victory at the 2015 World Championship hosted by Denmark, when they won bronze. Ambros Martin was designated the best coach of the world in 2013 and 2014 and won two times the Champions League with the Hungarian team Győr that he is also coaching. The teams of Norway and Denmark have won the most continental titles, 6 and 3 respectively. Romanias best result at the European Championship was the bronze medal in 2010.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

4 December 2016