Radio România Internațional

Tag: Bosnia-Herzegovina

  • Negotiations for EU enlargement

    Negotiations for EU enlargement


    On Wednesday the European Commission recommended the launch of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the granting of candidate status to Georgia, once the latter meets certain conditions.



    The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said this enlargement of the bloc was “the call of history.” “Completing our Union also has a strong economic and geopolitical logic. Past enlargements have shown the enormous benefits both for the accession countries and the EU. We all win,” Ursula von der Leyen pointed out.



    In turn, the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola voiced her satisfaction with these countries being on the right path towards opening accession negotiations. The Commissions recommendation must next be approved by the 27 members at the EU Summit of December 14-15.



    In the meantime, the countries will have to implement some key measures in this respect. As far as Chișinău is concerned, these conditions concern fighting corruption and improving financial regulations. Moldova has made the best progress of the countries that wish to join the European Union, the Commission says, but out of the 9 steps towards launching accession negotiations, the justice reform, fight against corruption and de-oligarchisation still remain unfulfilled. The Commission mentions the length of judicial proceedings, low clearance rates and the large backlog of cases. Also, there has been no significant progress in the prosecution of high-profile corruption cases.



    This is why the Commission urged Chișinău to ensure a transparent and merit-based process for appointments to the main judicial and prosecutorial governance bodies, including for the appointment of a Prosecutor General, and ensure that anti-corruption institutions are functioning within a clear organisational structure and with adequate resources.



    The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, hailed the Commissions decision to open accession negotiations. “Moldova is firmly on the path for EU membership and we will continue working relentlessly towards this goal,ˮ Maia Sandu said.



    As for Ukraine, the Commission recommends that negotiations be opened once Kyiv meets the remaining conditions concerning the fight against corruption, the regulation of lobby activities and strengthening minority protection standards. The recommendation is a major milestone on Kyivs path towards European integration, and a strategic move for the European bloc, given that Ukraine has been struggling with Russias military invasion since February 2022. The European Commission finds that the country has proved to be capable of progress in harmonising its laws with the EU legislation, even in times of war. (AMP)


  • August 22, 2023

    August 22, 2023

    STRIKE Trade unionists from Romania’s
    Fiscal Administration this morning staged a warning strike also picketing the
    Finance Ministry in order to protest the measures proposed by the Executive in
    Bucharest to cut budget expenses. Trade union leader Dorin Modure said that
    among the claims there are also those on maintaining the employees’ incomes as
    well as a proper statute. He said there were several abortive attempts at
    negotiating with the government and does not rule out the idea of an all-out
    strike unless the protesters’ claims are met.






    ATHENS At the informal
    meeting staged in Athens by the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on
    the bloc’s enlargement towards the Western Balkans, Prime Minister Marcel
    Ciolacu has presented Romania’s support for Ukraine, as well as the challenges
    the Romanian farmers are facing against the background of the situation caused
    by the Ukrainian grain exports and has proposed the setting up of a European
    mechanism to manage these exports. He has also briefed the European Commission
    president Ursula von der Leyen on the situation at Romania’s borders, adding
    that the country needs additional financial support in order to step up the
    process of streamlining its infrastructure. Ciolacu has also requested the
    European official to step up joint efforts for Romania’s accession to Schengen.
    In Athens, the Romanian official also held talks with his Greek counterpart as
    well as with president Zelenski to whom he has given assurances that Romania
    supports Ukraine until its final victory and after that for the country’s
    reconstruction.






    WIN The
    Romanian women’s national volleyball side defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-2 in
    Turin on Monday night in a match counting towards the European Championship’s
    Group B. This has been the second win of the national side at the 2023 edition
    of the European Championship in a group led by the en-titre European champion
    Italy, which boasts 9 points. Italy is followed by Bulgaria, Romania and
    Switzerland, each with 6 points, Bosnia-Herzegovina with 5 points and Croatia
    with only one. Romania is today playing a decisive match against Bulgaria as
    the first four sides will qualify for the round of 16. The European Women’s
    Volleyball Championships takes place until September 3rd in Belgium,
    Italy, Estonia and Germany. We recall that at the previous edition in 2021, the
    Romanians occupied the last but one position, ranking 23rd.
    Romania’s best result in a suchlike competition was in 1963, when the national
    side obtained the bronze medal.






    ART The famous
    sculpture The Kiss of the great Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi has
    arrived in Bucharest, where it stays for ten days. The work, which is part of
    the collection of the Art Museum in Craiova, southern Romania, is on display at
    the Art Safari Love exhibition in downtown Bucharest where it could be admired
    until August 30th. This masterpiece was made in 1907 and was
    presented to the public in 1910 during the Young Artists’ exhibition in
    Bucharest. The Kiss is an internationally important masterpiece being
    considered the first modern sculpture of the 20th century. The
    sculpture is the first in a series the artist worked on for more than 40 years.


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