Radio România Internațional

Tag: Borders

  • December 30, 2024 UPDATE

    December 30, 2024 UPDATE

    GOVERNMENT On Monday, during its last meeting this year, the government of Romania passed an emergency order cutting down public sector spending in 2025. The bill agreed on by the leaders of the ruling coalition (comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania) includes measures such as suspending public sector employment or freezing pensions and salaries of public sector employees at the 2024 level. In addition, overtime will no longer be paid and no bonuses or premiums will be granted. The government claims that these measures are aimed at reducing public spending by almost EUR 4 billion, i.e. 1% of GDP. To this end, the Cabinet has set up a department made up of experts working pro bono to increase the efficiency of the government’s work. The state budget law for next year will be passed by the government in January and sent to Parliament for endorsement in a special session.

     

    PROTESTS Penitentiary police Monday picketed the Government headquarters in Bucharest, protesting the measures to reduce public expenses. They claim they would lose up to 30% of their salaries because of the enforcement of the new provisions. Also on Monday, several trade union and employer organisations in Romania issued statements criticising the measures designed to cut expenditure in the public system. Trade unions in the education sector are against the salary freeze, while the largest trade union federation in public administration and social assistance, Columna, complains that the order had been drafted without social dialogue. The energy sector employers federation also cites the lack of consultations, criticising the introduction of a tax on special constructions. The Romalimenta Employers’ Federation warns that the food industry is receiving another blow with the cancellation of tax facilities benefitting employees in the sector. In turn, representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises say that lowering the tax threshold for SMEs and increasing the tax on dividend will have catastrophic effects for Romanian entrepreneurs. The American Chamber of Commerce in Romania also voiced concerns about the fiscal measures adopted by the Government, which, it believes, put the business environment in a difficult situation and further affect economic predictability and investor confidence.

     

    PRICE HIKES Romanians will be paying more for petrol and diesel as of January 1, due to a 6% rise in the fuel excises, according to a document released recently by the Finance Ministry. A litre of petrol will cost 3 Eurocents more, and diesel will have almost the same price. Excises on alcohol beverages will also grow by 4.4% as of January 1. Local taxes and duties will be adjusted to the inflation rate, but the decision in this respect is going to be made by city halls. The Bucharest General Council has decided to raise these taxes by 10.4%.

     

    UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment rate in Romania was 3.28% at the end of November 2024, with the total number of unemployed people reaching 261,511, the National Employment Agency announced. At the end of October, the national unemployment rate was 3.20%. Unemployment in rural areas is almost 3 times higher than in cities. The 40-49 age bracket and men have the highest share among the unemployed. Middle school graduates account for 33.56% of the total registered number of unemployed people, while those with university degrees only account for 4.56%.

     

    BORDERS The Romanian Border Police is ready to join the Schengen area with land borders as of January 1, 2025, when border controls will be eliminated at 40 road, rail and port checkpoints. According to a statement issued by the Border Police General Inspectorate, as of next year travelling to and from other Schengen member states will be similar to a trip within the country. However, people who intend to travel to the territory of another Schengen state must have a valid travel document, namely a passport or identity card, because Romanian border police will carry out random checks, the statement also reads.

     

    DIPLOMACY Romania’s foreign ministry Sunday night said that on December 18 the Romanian ambassador to NATO conveyed Romania’s disapproval over the distribution of a geographic atlas comprising maps featuring the so-called, ‘greater Hungary’. “The atlas is of an inflammatory nature with respect to the strategic partnership between Romania and Hungary and their capacity as NATO allies. The foreign ministry in Bucharest reiterates the view it has consistently conveyed to the Hungarian authorities, that any provoking statement and gesture is not likely to help consolidate the partnership relations between Romania and Hungary. The shared history must remain a subject for historians to study,” Bucharest says. Dismantled at the end of World War I, the so-called ‘greater Hungary’ included territories occupied by Budapest, which today belong to Romania, Slovakia, Croatia and Slovenia. (AMP)

  • September 16, 2024 UPDATE

    September 16, 2024 UPDATE

    AID The government in Bucharest has earmarked a first installment in the direct financial support for the population affected by flooding in eastern Romania. During its special session on Monday, the Executive decided that every family affected would benefit from aids up to 2 thousand Euros and the families of those who lost their lives would get another 2 thousand. The government has allotted a total of 20 million Euros to support nearly 65 hundred households affected by the flood, landslides and other unusual weather phenomena that recently struck the country. According to Prime Minister Ciolacu, mending the houses and other buildings destroyed by the floods and also the other parts of local infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, is a top priority. Ciolacu has announced that the Interior Ministry has already kicked off the procedures of declaring the state of alert in the heavily-affected counties of Galati and Vaslui. According to the Inspectorate for Emergency situations, seven people lost their lives in the recent flooding.

     

    PARTNERSHIP Romania is the first country in Europe to benefit from a 10 million dollars financial assistance from the USA to improve its national system of preventing and combating child trafficking. The governments of Romania and the USA on Monday signed the five-year Child Protection Compact Partnership known as CPC. The Us ambassador in Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec has said the United States will support Romania in its efforts to develop a victim-centered prevention strategy, to increase protection for child victims of trafficking and to improve investigations in order to prosecute and convict perpetrators of child trafficking. In turn, Romania’s Interior Minister, Catalin Predoiu, said the conclusion of this partnership is proof of the determination of the administration in Bucharest to combat abuse against children in any form, as this kind of abuse has alarmingly increased in recent years.

     

     BORDERS The Romanian Foreign Ministry warns the Romanians traveling to Germany to prepare for longer waiting times. The German government decided to extend, as of Monday, for a period of six months, temporary controls at all land borders, in order to reduce illegal migration. Besides those already existing at the borders with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland, there will also be controls at the borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Radio Romania’s correspondent in Germany reports that every person who crosses the border can be stopped and controlled by the federal police, in any border region and at any time. Not only the identity, but also the vehicle may be subject to examination during border controls. The luggage, goods and valuables may also be subject to police checks. Romanians facing special situations can call the embassy’s hotlines in Berlin, as well as the Romanian consulates in Germany.

     

    HANDBALL Romania’s handball champions, CSM Bucharest, defeated Storhamar Handball Elite at home on Sunday, score 32-28 (17-15), in the second match of group A of the Champions League for women’s handball. With the three goals scored in this game, Cristina Neagu collects 1,139 goals in total, in the race for the title of all-time top scorer of the competition, in the last season of her career, being only three goals away from obtaining this title. CSM Bucharest lost the debut match in group A, in Romania, against Gloria Bistriţa, score 26-30. In the third stage, CSM Bucharest will play Podravka (Croatia) away from home, on September 21, and Gloria Bistriţa will play Krim (Slovenia) at home on the same day. Romania’s vice-champion, Rapid Bucharest, also plays in group B of the competition. The first-ranking teams in the two groups qualify directly for the quarterfinals, and the teams on the 3rd to the 6th places will play in the play-off, for the other four places available in the quarterfinals, a phase in which they will fight for the Final Four Tournament in Budapest due between 31 May and 1 June.

     

    F35 The US State Department has approved plans to sell 32 F-35 fighter jets to Romania, in a contract worth nearly 7 billion dollars. The Romanian Defense Ministry has welcomed the decision. The sale must now be approved by Congress. The move will improve the stability of a NATO ally and strengthen stability in Europe. Romania occupies a strategic position in the vicinity of Ukraine and the Black Sea.

    (bill)

     

  • Romanian – Italian relations talked in Bucharest

    Romanian – Italian relations talked in Bucharest

    Romania is for Italy an extremely important partner at the bilateral, European, and international level and we wish this country join the border-free zone of Schengen including with its ground borders. The statement was made by the Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, during his formal visit to Bucharest, where he was received by the country’s President Klaus Iohannis and the Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu. In turn, Klaus Iohannis hailed the solid ground for the development of the bilateral relations and the multi-domain cooperation with Italy including within the European and Euro-Atlantic frameworks. Trade exchanges between Romania and Italy last year hit 20 billion Euros, the president went on to say adding his appreciation for the aforementioned meeting which is a follow-up of the constant dialogue between the two countries.

    At the same time, the head of state hailed the valuable contribution of Italy to the security of the areas neighbouring Romania. He mentioned that both countries would continue to work together with all the allies for strengthening NATO’s role in preventing any kind of war.

     

    Klaus Iohannis:  “We tackled our concerns regarding security, caused by the war Russia is waging on Ukraine, with a negative impact on the region and also the entire Euro-Atlantic zone. We are going to work together to strengthen NATO’s role in preventing any type of war and of defending our states, by consolidating its deterrence and defence posture on the eastern flank as well as on the southern flank.”

    As for the EU enlargement, the Italian president voiced hope that Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova would join as soon as possible.

    Sergio Mattarella also referred to the visit he earlier paid to Chișinău.

    Sergio Mattarella: “For us the EU enlargement is indispensable as well as the involvement of the candidate countries. I went to the Republic of Moldova and I reiterated the support for the Republic of Moldova and for Ukraine. We have similar positions regarding the accession process, namely the EU accession of these countries as soon as possible“.

     

    During the talks with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the head of the Italian state underlined the importance of the economic cooperation as a pillar of the bilateral relation. The Romanian-Italian economic cooperation, the common values and the connection between citizens are strengthening the bilateral relations, the Prime Minister went on to say.

     

    A major issue during the talks was that about the Romanians living in Italy, one of the most numerous Romanian communities abroad. In this context, the Prime Minister hailed the support offered by the Italian authorities for the integration of the Romanian community, the observance of rights and the acknowledgement of the benefits it brings to the Italian society.”

    (bill)

  • August 20, 2023 UPDATE

    August 20, 2023 UPDATE

    Working meeting – The heads of state and government from South-Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, including the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, will participate tomorrow, in Athens, in a working meeting organized at the initiative of Greece. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, will participate in the discussions. The Romanian government says that the discussions will focus on the development of regional cooperation in South-Eastern Europe, as well as on the challenges raised by the developments of the conflict in Ukraine on the states participating in the dialogue in Athens.



    Cooperation – One of Romanias objectives in the coming period is to re-conquer the traditional markets with Asian countries, such as Singapore, Vietnam and Japan – says the Economy Minister, Radu Oprea. In a press conference, Radu Oprea emphasized that the Romanian economy must take advantage of the markets and trade agreements signed by the European Union with Asian countries. The Economy Minister added that in October a joint committee meeting with South Korea will be held, and in November – the one with Vietnam, two countries with very high collaboration potential, both by attracting technology through investments in Romania, and by exporting, in the case Romanian companies.



    Inflation – Last month Romania registered one of the highest annual inflation rates in the European Union, 9.4%, show official data of the EU statistics. According to EUROSTAT, Romania ranked fifth, although the index was measured with a single digit. On first place is Hungary, with an inflation rate of 17.5%, followed by Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic, all with over 10%. The lowest annual inflation rate was in Belgium, 1.7%. Compared to June, EUROSTAT also shows, the annual inflation rate decreased in 19 member countries of the European Union, including Romania.



    Festival – The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, known throughout the world for its New Years concert, is coming to Bucharest, at the “George Enescu” Festival. The Viennese orchestra will perform two concerts at Sala Palatului – the Palace Hall in Bucharest, on September 10 and 11, according to the official program of the event. The festival will start in two weeks time, on August 27, with a recital by the “George Enescu” Philharmonic, with Cristian Măcelaru as conductor. The Royal Orchestra “Concertgebouw” from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the National Orchestra of France and the London Symphony Orchestra will also come to Bucharest.



    Ukraine – The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said in an interview given to the Spanish newspaper “El Pais” that he does not believe that giving up military aid to Ukraine will lead to peace. Josep Borrell added that Europe was doing everything possible to achieve peace negotiations that should recognize that “there is an aggressor and a victim.” The European official noted, on the other hand, that were it not for the conflict in Ukraine, it would take years for Kyiv to join the EU and he emphasized that this conflict pushed Ukraine towards the EU, where Russia did not want to see it.



    Ukraine – Ukraine will receive 42 F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday. The US, which produces the devices, has agreed to their transfer to the Ukrainian army. The Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that one of the conditions for the delivery of the aircraft is the successful completion of the military training and the testing of the Ukrainian personnel who will operate them. He also said that training will begin soon and will last at least six months. On Sunday, Zelenski visited the Eindhoven military base in the Netherlands, in the south of the country, to discuss the delivery of F-16 aircraft with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.



    Volleyball – Romania lost to Switzerland, 3-2, on Saturday evening, in Monza (Italy), in a Group B match of the European Womens Volleyball Championship – CEV EuroVolley 2023. The Romanian national team was coming after a 3 -1 victory against Croatia and a defeat by Italy, score 0-3. Romania will play against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday and against Bulgaria on Tuesday. The first four ranked teams in the group qualify for the round of 16 of the European Championship. CEV EuroVolley 2023 takes place between August 15 and September 3 in four countries, Belgium, Italy, Estonia and Germany. Romanias best result at a European Womens Championship was recorded in 1963, when the Romanian volleyball players won bronze on home ground.



    Academician – PhD Professor Constantin Bălăceanu-Stolnici, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, has passed away. On July 6, he had turned 100 years old. A neurologist by profession, a pioneer in the field of neuro-cybernetics, Bălăceanu-Stolnici wrote over 25 books and published hundreds of scientific works. After 1989, he supported the development of private education in Romania, he was among the founders of the Ecological University of Bucharest, where he taught courses in neuropsychology and the anatomy of the nervous system. Constantin Bălăceanu-Stolnici was considered the last authentic member of the old aristocracy in Romania, the last descendant of the Bălăceni family. In 2007, the National Council for the Study of the Securitate (Political Police) Archives decided that Bălăceanu-Stolnici was a collaborator of the communist political police, and the academician admitted that he had signed informative notes for the Securitate.



    Borders – The number of people who entered Romania through the Isaccea border crossing point, located on the eastern border with Ukraine, doubled, after Russia began the attack on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube, on July 24. In the last month, about 41,000 people entered Romania through Isaccea cross-border point, compared to almost 26,000 in the same period last year. The Romanian Coast Guard reported that these figures ​​are mainly caused by the doubling of ferry transport capacity across the Danube. According to it, if in 2022 ferry rides from one country to another took place every three hours, in this period the rides are at an interval of one and a half hours. At the same time, freight transport through Isaccea increased significantly compared to the same period last year. (LS)


  • August 4, 2023 UPDATE

    August 4, 2023 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY The Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu has
    officially confirmed that a tour of Africa is being prepared for Romania’s
    President Klaus Iohannis. Romania aims to bring ties with Sub-Saharan
    Africa to a higher level, adapted to the new Romanian and African realities and
    the new strategic interest of each partner. This revival will be done by
    pursuing common values ​​and interests, mainly in political and economic terms,
    said the Romanian official.


    DANUBE Naval traffic is very intense at the exit from the Danube to
    the Black Sea, after Russia attacked the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail. Romania’s River Administration of the Lower Danube in Galati
    decided to only allow vessels to go out to sea and only then to sail in the
    opposite direction. Since Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement that allowed
    the safe export of Ukrainian grain to the Black Sea, the Danube has been used
    as an export route for agricultural products from Ukraine.


    NATURAL GAS PM Marcel Ciolacu says the Black Sea natural gas
    extraction project Neptun Deep is a strategic one, which will turn Romania into
    the largest natural gas producer in the European Union. The Domino and Pelican
    Sud development plans were confirmed by the National Agency for Mineral
    Resources, a post on the Government’s Facebook account reads. According to the
    government, OMV Petrom and Romgaz will invest up to EUR 4 bln at this stage of
    the project, which will generate an output of around 100 billion cubic metres
    of natural gas, beginning in 2027.


    HOSPITALS Electrical systems in around 300 hospitals in Romania have
    been checked, and the estimated budget for revamping them is over EUR 140 mln,
    the healthcare minister Alexandru Rafila announced. He said the money would
    come from EU funds under regional programmes, and that the electrical and fire
    safety systems in 21 hospitals have been completely reconstructed. Rafila also
    announced a programme called Good and safe meals for patients, for the revamping
    of kitchen and catering units in more than 250 public healthcare institutions,
    with a budget of roughly EUR 450 mln.


    FIREFIGHTERS PM Marcel Ciolacu congratulated the Romanian rescuers
    who Friday completed their mission in Greece, for their altruism, courage and
    efforts, and wished good luck to the Romanian fire-fighters that will replace
    them in helping the Greek authorities and population struggling with extensive
    wildfires. Romania and Europe stand by the Greek nation in need of support,
    and we hope that together we will bring things to normal as soon as possible,
    Marcel Ciolacu said. On Friday Romania deployed a new wildfire specialist unit
    to Greece. Ninety Romanian fire-fighters replaced their colleagues who took
    part in a similar mission in the past 2 weeks, under the EU Civil Protection
    Mechanism.


    BORDERS The Border Police Inspectorate announced that measures to reduce
    traffic congestion at checkpoints on the Romanian-Hungarian and
    Romanian-Bulgarian borders continue this weekend. The institution announced
    that personnel will be increased to the maximum capacity allowed by the
    existing infrastructure, and mobile check units will be used. Around 3,800 border
    police will be working every day at checkpoints around the country. The border
    police also recommend the use of the Trafic On-line app on www.politiadefrontiera.ro,
    to check out live estimates on waiting times. (AMP)

  • January 6, 2023 UPDATE

    January 6, 2023 UPDATE

    UKRAINE – The Kremlin has
    announced that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has ordered his forces to
    observe a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, on the occasion of the Old Rite
    Orthodox Christmas, following a call to this effect by the Patriarch of Moscow,
    Kirill. Putin invited the Ukrainian forces to respect this truce, to enable the
    Orthodox, the majority denomination in both countries, to attend the Christmas
    services. Patriarch Kirill’s call had been rejected by the advisor to the
    Ukrainian Presidency, Mykhailo Podoliak, who denounced, on Twitter, right
    before Putin’s announcement, what he called a cynical trap. Podoliak accused
    Putin of not having the slightest desire to end the war and of trying to
    convince the Europeans to put pressure on Kyiv for peace negotiations, an
    option that Ukraine has systematically refused. For his part, the American
    president, Joe Biden, appreciated that Putin wants a breath of air,
    by launching the truce in Ukraine, given that, on December 25 and the New Year,
    he was prepared to bomb hospitals, nurseries and churches.




    FLU – Health Minister
    Alexandru Rafila gave assurances that the authorities have identified solutions
    to replinish the drug stocks of pharmacies and hospitals in order to treat the
    wave of respiratory diseases and flu facing Romania at present. On Friday,
    Minister Rafila discussed wit hthe top medicine producers and supplies in
    Romania in order to address the shortage of drugs on the market amidst a
    significat surge in demand in recent days. The estimated consum,ption for this
    year was long exceeded in the context of the wave of respiratory diseases,
    Minister Rafila pointed out. Currently, Romania is expecting the European
    Commission to greenlight a proposal to introduce a temporary ban on the export
    of certain drugs. Respiratory infections have been reporting an accelerate
    increase in the last three weeks, prompting Bucharest authorities to declare a
    state of epidemiological alert.




    MAGISTRACY – The new president of
    the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) in Romania, judge Daniel Grădinaru,
    said that he wants unity within this body and a loyal cooperation with the
    other state institutions. The new vice-president, prosecutor Daniel
    Horodniceanu, former head of DIICOT (Directorate for Investigating Organized
    Crime and Terrorism) has also pleaded for unity in the new Council, an
    institution that manages the careers of magistrates and which, in recent years,
    has been divided was unanimously voted for,
    and the mandate of the two heads last one year, with no possibility of
    extension. CSM is made up of nine judges and five prosecutors elected by
    magistrates in the general assemblies of the courts and prosecutors’ offices,
    two representatives of civil society elected by the Senate and three legal
    members – the Minister of Justice, the President of the High Court of Cassation
    and Justice and the Prosecutor General of Romania. All members have a six-yea
    term, which cannot be renewed.




    BORDERS – Nearly 4 million
    people entered and left Romania during the winter holidays, representing a 75%
    increase compared to 2021. 2.5 million people entered the country and 1.8
    million people left, the Border Police reports. The highest traffic rates were
    reported on the Hungarian border (1.4 million people) and in airports (1.2
    million people).




    EPIPHANY -Christians in Romania celebrated on
    Friday the Baptism of the Lord, known as the Epiphany. The priests celebrated
    outside churches the service of the Consecration of the water, in memory of the
    Baptism received by Jesus Christ in the waters of the River Jordan. According
    to theologians, after 30 years of life in anonymity, Jesus Christ, the Son of
    God incarnate, began his mission on the banks of the River Jordan, where the
    Prophet John baptized those who repented of their sins. The faithful who went to
    church on this day received holy water, during a special service held after the
    liturgy.




    TIMIȘOARA – The city of Timișoara in western Romania is one of the 60 European cities
    that were named Capitals of Culture in 2023. According to the European
    Commission, the cities will be hosting numerous events, exhibitions and
    performances to mark this occasion. The European Capital of Culture is an award
    bearing testimony to European richness and diversity and is meant to boost
    sustainable tourism and the development of recipient cities. (MI & VP)





  • 26 July, 2020

    26 July, 2020

    Coronavirus
    Romania.     The number of coronavirus cases in Romania hits 44,798, with
    more than 1,000 new cases for the fifth day in a row. More than 25,600 people
    have recovered and over 6,600 are in hospital, including 351 in intensive care.
    22 new deaths were reported on Sunday, taking the death toll to 2,187. In another move, Romanians will no longer be able to
    travel to Cyprus for tourism, and if they travel for different purposes, they will
    be ordered to isolate for 14 days. It is now also obligatory to produce a
    negative Covid-19 test for travellers arriving in Greece from Romania by plane,
    not just for those arriving by road. The test must have been conducted no more
    than 72 hours prior. Travellers who have not had time to do the test before the
    new measure was introduced will be tested at the airport in Greece on Tuesday
    and Wednesday. New entry conditions are also in place for travellers arriving
    in Austria from Romania. A negative Covid-19 test must now be produced that was
    conducted 72 hours prior instead of 4 days prior, and the isolation period has
    been reduced from 14 to 10 days. These measures will remain in place at least
    until the end of September. Italy has also changed the rules for travellers
    from Romania and Bulgaria, who are now ordered to isolate for 14 days on arriving
    in Italy.





    Travel. Around 96,000 persons, both Romanian and
    foreign nationals, crossed the Romanian borders on Saturday, by 32,100
    different means of transport, including 10,000 road freight vehicles, says the
    Romanian Border Police. Some 54,500 entered the country and 42,400 left the
    country. The Hungarian border with 11 crossing areas was the busiest. No
    waiting time was reported.




    Coronavirus world. New records are being reached
    around the world in terms of the number of infections with the novel
    coronavirus. Statistical figures show that more than a third of all cases were
    reported since 1st of July, in less than a month. The United States
    is the worst hit in terms of the death toll, with more than 1,000 deaths for
    four consecutive days. Mexico is also seeing a spike in cases while the death
    toll passes 43,000. South Korea, a country held as an example for it kept the
    pandemic in check, has announced more than 100 new infections. Even in North
    Korea, the communist regime reported the first case, in a man who the regime
    says fled to South Korea three years and returned to North Korea crossing the
    border illegally. European nations are also faced with a massive rise in the
    number of new infections, being caught between containing the new outbreaks and
    restarting their economies. A spike in cases in Spain has led to new measures
    amid fears of a second wave. Catalonia closed its nightclubs for two weeks.
    Other cities in Spain are also seeing a rise in cases, prompting the UK to
    remove Spain from the list of safe countries. France, where cases are also
    soaring, has issued a travel alert and Norway has imposed quarantine on
    travellers from Spain. Germany has also reached a record number of infections
    in the last two m




    Exhibition. Four works by the Romanian photographer
    Felicia Simion are on display as part of the Visage(s) d’Europe exhibition held
    by the Paris branch of the Network of European Union National Institutes for
    Culture, EUNIC. The exhibition, which is in its second year, brings together
    artists from 13 countries. Simion’s photographs are from a collection entitled
    Ethnography, which captures rural practices and customs
    in contemporary Romania amid the depopulation of villages and migration.






    Weather. The weather service in Romania has
    issued a yellow code alert for unstable weather for the western part of the
    country in place until this evening. Torrential rain, thunderstorms, wind and
    hail storms are expected, with precipitation expected to pass 25 litres per
    square metre and even reaching 50 in some areas. Elsewhere around the country, the weather
    remains hot and in the east and south-east the humidity and heat ratio is
    forecast to go beyond the critical threshold of 80. Temperatures are expected
    to hit 34 degrees today, with 28 in Bucharest at noon.













  • July 3, 2020 UPDATE

    July 3, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Another 420 cases of infection with the new coronavirus have been reported in Romania, taking the total number of contaminations to 28,166, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Friday. Over the past 24 hours 21 people have died, taking the death toll to 1,708. 224 people are still in intensive care, while 20,433 patients have recovered. Another 7 Romanian nationals infected with the coronavirus died in Germany, with the total number of Romanians living abroad who died during the pandemic reaching 122. The Romanian health minister Nelu Tătaru has said that at present there is no risk of reinstating the state of emergency in the context of the coronavirus pandemic but the state of alert might be extended, if necessary. He provided data pointing to a steady increase in the number of contaminations over the past 3 weeks, and pointed out that restrictions may be further lifted only if the evolution of the pandemic allows it. The state of alert introduced in Romania is due to end in mid-July.



    PANDEMIC As many as 11 million cases of COVID-19 contamination have been reported around the world since the start of the pandemic with around 6 million people having recovered. More than 520,000 people have died. The US, Brazil and Great Britain are the countries hardest hit by the pandemic. The US has reported more than 2.7 million cases. News agencies write that the number of cases in the US is higher than ever, since the onset of the pandemic and more and more people are being hospitalized in Houston (Texas) and Phoenix (Arizona).



    SCHENGEN Joining Europes border-free area remains a priority for Romania, the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated in Bucharest on Friday, at the conference occasioned by the start of Germanys presidency of the Council of the EU. More flexibility is required in this respect, and the current crisis has proved that including Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen area would be a gain, Bogdan Aurescu said. In turn, the German Ambassador to Bucharest, Cord Meier-Klodt, sent a message of unity and solidarity, emphasizing that the motto of the German presidency is “Together for Europes recovery. On July 1, Germany took over the 6-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. Romanias and Bulgarias Schengen accession has been repeatedly postponed because of the opposition of some member states, primarily over the absence of reforms in the judiciary.



    FRANCE The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has appointed Jean Castex as the new PM of France. A conservative politician aged 62, Castex was re-elected on Sunday mayor of a small town in southern France. In April he had been appointed by Macron to prepare a strategy for lifting the COVID-19 lockdown. Radio Romanias correspondent in Paris mentions that the outgoing PM, Edouard Philippe, stepped down on Friday morning.



    IMMIGRANTS The Romanian border police have identified 23 citizens from Syria, Palestine and Egypt who were trying to illegally cross the border from Romania into Hungary. During the investigation they stated they were trying to reach Germany, Austria and Sweden. The driver of the van transporting the immigrants is being investigated for immigrant trafficking and is going to be taken into temporary custody for 30 days.



    CANNES The Romanian short film ‘Contraindications by Lucia Chicoş has been selected for the Cinefondation section of the Cannes International Film Festival. The director is a student with the I.L. Caragiale National University of Theater and Film in Bucharest and the film is 19 minutes long. The other countries participating in the Cinefondation section this year are Israel, Great Britain, Argentina, Hungary, India, Switzerland, the US, South Korea, France, Poland, Portugal, Germany and Slovenia.



    GREECE The Romanian authorities are making diplomatic efforts to deal with the situation of the long queues of Romanian tourists waiting to enter Greece. The Romanian Foreign Ministry officials have called on the Greek authorities to identify solutions to streamline traffic flow through the only opened border-crossing point between Bulgaria and Greece, namely Kulata – Promachonas. The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu talked on the phone with his Greek counterpart and suggested the opening of other checkpoints too, given that the tourist season has begun. The Greek side has announced they are looking into the situation and are trying to work out solutions to solve the problem. As of this month, Greece has introduced random tests for foreign tourists who reach the Greek territory by air, road or sea. After testing, tourists will wait for the result in self-isolation at their tourist destination. (tr. L. Simion, A.M. Popescu)

  • March 25, 2020 UPDATE

    March 25, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Romania – The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has announced that against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic the government will most likely make an extraordinary budget adjustment meant to channel money to the healthcare system and for the payment of technical unemployment. He added that the payment of installments to bank loans might be postponed for both individuals and legal entities. Previously the finance minister Florin Citu had said in a Faccebook post that the period of grace might be of 9 months and that a decision in this sense could be made during Thursday’s government meeting, through an emergency decree. Also on Wednesday the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus reached 17. So far, according to the Strategic Communication Group, 906 cases of infection have been confirmed including over 100 medical staff. 86 people have cured and have been discharged from hospital. 9 Romanians have died from COVID-19 infection abroad: 7 in Italy and 2 in France.



    Paris — The Romanian writer and anti-Communist activist Paul Goma died at the age of 84 in a Paris hospital after having been contaminated with the new coronavirus. He was born in 1935 in Bessarabia, in the east, into a family of school teachers that, 5 years later, took refuge in Romania, after the annexation of the Romanian eastern territories by the USSR. Due to his hostile attitude towards the communist dictatorship, Paul Goma was arrested in 1956 and sentenced to 2 years in prison, followed by forced domicile until 1963. In 1977 the Securitate, the political police of the time, arrested him again and tortured him. He was eventually expelled to France and the Communists withdrew his Romanian citizenship. Paul Goma wrote more than 30 books: fiction, memoirs and historiography.



    Accord — The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu and his Hungarian counterpart agreed on Wednesday on the phone to reopen the border between the two states for the cross-border workers who commute daily between the two countries. As of March 17, when the border was closed due to the new coronavirus pandemic, they have no longer been able to work, thus risking losing their jobs. According to a communiqué of the Romanian Foreign Ministry the details regarding the implementation of this decision will be established through direct dialogue between the two countries’ interior ministries, through the agency of the border police.



    COVID-19 Europe — The EU states need 10 times more pieces of personal protection equipment and other medical devices than what can be provided by the traditional supply networks to be bale to face the coronavirus epidemic- shows an internal EU document quoted by news agencies. The document shows that most EU states have limited stocks and a limited capacity to extend production of medical equipment and they risk having bigger problems if essential equipment is not rapidly imported. In Italy and Spain, the EU countries most affected by the pandemic so far, over 5 thosuand medical staff have been infected with the virus. The number of cases among medical staff accounts for almost 9% of the total number of cases reported in Italy and more than 13% in Spain. Since the new coronavirus started to spread in December 2019, it has caused more than 18 thousand deaths and over 400 thousand contaminations in almost 200 states and territories.



    Public Health Institute — The National Public Health Institute in Bucharest has updated the list of countries in the red zone, which is the most affected by COVID-19. The persons who come to Romania from the red zone will be quarantined for 14 days. The states in the red zone are: Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Iran. As to the yellow zone, people coming from that zone will be obliged to isolate themselves in their homes for 2 weeks. The National Public Health Institute shows that all people who come from abroad will have to abide by this provision, which means that the entire planet has officially become a yellow zone. The WHO informs that the new coronavirus is currently affecting 196 countries and territories. (translation by L. Simion)

  • December 19, 2017 UPDATE

    December 19, 2017 UPDATE

    LEGISLATION – The Senate of Romania Tuesday endorsed a bill modifying the statute of magistrates, in the absence of Opposition MPs. At the time of the vote, the MPs of the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party left the hall, leaving only the Social Democrats, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania to cast their votes. Several amendments, previously turned down both by the Chamber of Deputies and the special parliamentary commission that analysed the bill, were passed by the Senate, at the proposal of the Social Democratic Party. The most important of them has to do with the concept of judicial error, which entails magistrates liability in case of fault or negligence. Prosecutors or judges having committed a judicial error will therefore be held liable. The Opposition announced it would take the text endorsed by the Senate to the Constitutional Court. Also on Tuesday, Romanian MPs continued debates on other major bills in a package designed to change the judicial framework, namely the bill on judicial organisation and the bill regulating the Higher Council of Magistrates. Meanwhile, hundreds of magistrates gathered in front of courts of justice around Romania, to protest the changes that the ruling coalition intend to operate on the justice laws in what they see as a less than transparent process.




    COMMEMORATION – Commemorative events continue in Timisoara, western Romania, to mark 28 years since the 1989 anti-communist revolution and in memory of those who lost their lives. Events will continue until December 20, Victory Day, when Timisoara will play host to a rock concert. Started out as a grassroots movement against the local authorities abusive decisions, the revolution spread quickly across the country, and led to the demise of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu on December 22. Over 1,000 people were killed and nearly 3,400 were wounded over December 16-25. Romania was the only country from the Soviet bloc where the anti-communist revolution ended in violence with the dictatorial couple being executed. Prosecutors with the Military Prosecutors Office on Monday said a military diversion was orchestrated on the night of December 22, which led to a massive loss of lives and destruction.




    BUDGET – The Romanian Parliament is debating the draft budget for 2018. Tuesdays session looked at the addendums, after the body of the text and its articles were adopted on Monday, together with the funds allotted to the main credit release authorities: the Presidency, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, and the Governments General Secretariat. A final vote has been scheduled for Thursday. Romanias budget for next year is based on an economic growth rate of 5.5%, an exchange rate of 4.55 lei against the euro, an average monthly income of €565 and a budget deficit of 2.97% of the GDP. The priorities for 2018 are healthcare, education and infrastructure. The right-wing opposition has criticized the Government, saying the budget projection is risky and will most likely increase public debt.




    SURVEY – Over 85% of businesspeople in Romania are against the transfer of social security contributions from employers to employees, reads a recent survey commissioned by the Council of SMEs. 60% of respondents said they encountered serious difficulties in implementing and negotiating the move starting January 1, 2018. Ovidiu Nicolescu, the honorary president of the Council of SMEs, has warned that many net salaries will drop. The survey was conducted over December 12-18 on a sample of 328 businesspeople.




    RwB – 65 journalists were killed in 2017 worldwide, of whom 50 professionals, 7 bloggers and 8 freelancers, reads the Reporters without Borders annual report, made public on Tuesday. According to the report, 2017 was the least deadly in the last 14 years, which is mostly due to a better protection of reporters, and the fact that most journalists have already fled countries located in hot zones across the globe. Same as last year, Syria ranks first in terms of the largest number of journalists killed (12), followed by Mexico (11), Afghanistan (9), Iraq (8) and the Philippines (4).


    (translated by: Vlad Palcu, Ana-Maria Popescu)