Radio România Internațional

Tag: Brussels

  • April 19, 2024 UPDATE

    April 19, 2024 UPDATE

    Visit – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, will pay an official visit to the Republic of Korea from April 22-24, at the invitation of his counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol. The Republic of Korea is the first country in the Asia-Pacific region with which, in 2008, Romania raised relations to the level of Strategic Partnership. On the occasion of the upcoming visit by President Iohannis to Seoul, this Partnership will be consolidated through a document that will establish the directions of cooperation in the next 10 years. Relevant documents will be signed regarding defense, nuclear energy, investments and foreign trade, cooperation in emergency situations and disaster management, cooperation in the fields of culture, mass media, youth and sports. In the Republic of Korea, Romania’s President will also have meetings with representatives of the Romanian community and the business environment and will visit an exhibition of traditional Romanian art.

     

    Brussels – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, participated, on Wednesday and Thursday, in Brussels, in the extraordinary meeting of the European Council. The talks focused, among other things, on the conflict in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, the EU-Turkey relations and the new European pact for the single market competitiveness. According to a Romanian presidency communiqué, Klaus Iohannis reiterated that Ukraine, along with the Republic of Moldova, remain issues of absolute priority and insisted on the need for a security approach that includes the entire Black Sea region. He also pleaded for the rapid advancement of the process of EU accession of the two states, within a predictable and sustained process. Regarding the situation in the Middle East, the European leaders reiterated their solidarity with the Israeli people and called for the de-escalation of the situation in the region.

     

    Abu Dhabi – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, said in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, that the Romanian government wants to continue the partnerships it already has with companies from the Emirates. In this way, the Port of Constanţa is consolidating its strategic and logistic capacity in the run up to the recovery and reconstruction process of Ukraine, said the Romanian PM. Moreover, the Romanian Transport Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, announced that on May 15 the new terminal in the Port of Constanţa will be inaugurated, a joint project developed by the port company from Dubai and the Administration of the Port of Constanța, worth 82 million Euros. He pointed out that Romania was interested in attracting new financing to increase the port capacity in reducing ship unloading/loading times and smoothing the flow of ships in the port’s basins. The statements come in the context of the discussions that the Romanian delegation had on Friday with the management of the Dubai Ports company, at the end of the visit to the Middle East.

     

    Attack – Friday’s attack near the city of Isfahan in Iran, apparently carried out by drones and attributed to Israel, worries the international community, which asks both countries to stop the confrontation. In turn, Iran minimized the impact of the explosions, did not directly accuse Israel and promised not to respond militarily. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the Iranian nuclear facilities in the Isfahan region suffered no damage and reiterated the call for restraint. “We must do everything possible for all parties to stop the escalation of the conflict in this region,” said, in turn, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. And the G7 group announced that it would carry out a diplomatic effort to ease tensions between Israel and Iran. Tehran launched a missile and drone attack against Israel last Saturday in retaliation for the bombing – attributed to Israel – of the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republic’s ideological army. Israel threatened with reprisals for this attack.

     

    Handball – The Romanian national handball team was assigned to Group B, along with the teams of Montenegro, the Czech Republic and Serbia, at the European Women’s Handball Championship – EHF EURO 2024, following to the drawing of lots held on Thursday evening, in Vienna. Romania, which won the first group of the preliminaries with the maximum score, was part of the second most valuable urn, while Montenegro was top seed. The 16th edition of the EHF EURO for women will take place between November 28 and December 15, in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, with the participation of 24 teams, eight more than in the previous editions. Romania participated 14 times in the European Women’s Championship, obtaining only one medal, bronze, in 2010.

     

    Planes – Three F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft purchased by Romania from Norway landed, on Friday, at the 71st Air Base ‘General Emanoil Ionescu’ from Câmpia Turzii (central Romania), and are to be assigned to the 48th Fighter Squadron. According to a defense ministry communiqué, the purchase of the new planes and the related package of goods and services will ensure the increase of Romania’s security by ensuring the defense of the national and NATO airspace, in peacetime and in crisis situations. “Through the gradual arrival, throughout this year and the next, of the 32 multi-role F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, which will provide two more squadrons of the Air Force, Romania is strengthening its air defense capabilities at a level adapted to security challenges from the region”, Minister Angel Tîlvăr said.

     

    Ukraine – NATO member states agreed on Friday to provide Kyiv with additional air defense systems, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after a special meeting of allied defense ministers. ‘In addition to the Patriot, there are other weapons that allies can provide, including the French SAMP/T system, and many others that do not have systems available have pledged financial support to acquire them for Ukraine’ Jens Stoltenberg also said in Brussels. Also on Friday, the foreign ministers of the G7 states pledged to “strengthen the air defense means of Ukraine” against Russian attacks. In the final statement issued at the end of the three-day meeting on the Italian island of Capri, they say they are examining ‘all possible options’ to use frozen Russian assets to help Kyiv ahead of the G7 summit of heads of state and government, scheduled to take place in mid-June also in Italy. On Saturday, in Washington, the House of Representatives will vote on the 61 billion dollar package proposed by the Biden administration for Ukraine. (LS)

     

  • April 18, 2024

    April 18, 2024

    Summit – President Klaus Iohannis said that he wanted to solve as quickly as possible the problems that the Romanian citizens still have at the airports of some European countries, despite the fact that Romania entered Schengen with air borders. The statement was made before the European summit in Brussels, where a report requested by the Council mentions the need for the total integration of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area, as a measure that will boost the single market. The Council’s agenda includes the situation in Ukraine, a country that needs more military aid and is facing problems in the energy infrastructure, following the Russian bombings. The European leaders will also discuss the tense situation in the Middle East, generated by the crisis in Gaza and the tensions between Israel and Iran.

     

    Eurobarometer – Romania is among the top countries in the European Union where the voting intention in this year’s European Parliament elections has increased. According to the most recent Eurobarometer survey, the voting intention reached 74%, after it increased by 19% compared to the elections five years ago. The data show that Romanians continue to have a positive image of the European Parliament. A little more than half of Romanians say that for them personally it is important to vote in the European elections, 40% say that the vote has an average importance, while only 5% say that the election has low importance for them. At the same time, Romanians are more optimistic than the EU average that their standard of living will increase in the next five years, and equally more optimistic than the EU average that the state of the country’s economy will be better in a year’s time.

     

    Abu Dhabi – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying a working visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and Friday. An important objective of this visit is the consolidation of the economic component, with an emphasis on attracting Emirati investments. The Prime Minister is to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, with other senior Emirati officials, with representatives of relevant companies in the United Arab Emirates, as well as with members of the Romanian community there. The agenda of the visit also includes a plenary meeting of the delegations, during which there will be an exchange of bilateral documents in areas of common interest. The PM Ciolacu stated that he wanted to strengthen cooperation relations with the United Arab Emirates, from a political and economic perspective. ‘Romania continues to attract Emirati investors in the air infrastructure, the modernization and expansion of Otopeni Airport being a viable project of our collaboration’, said Marcel Ciolacu. He added that projects in the fields of digitization, energy and agriculture also correspond to Romania’s interests. In the first part of his tour in the Persian Gulf area, Marcel Ciolacu had discussions, on Wednesday, in Qatar, on economic topics. He stated that he wanted Romania to become the entry gate of this state’s investments in the European Union.

     

    Strike – The employees’ trade union of the National Office of the Trade Register (SAONRC) goes on a Japanese-style strike on Thursday, across Romania, requesting the Romanian Government to take urgent actions to increase salaries by 15%. According to trade unionists, the National Office of the Trade Register is the public institution with the lowest salary level in the judiciary. The union accuses salary inequities and discrimination of the Office employees compared to other categories of employees in the justice domain. The Japanese-style strike will last until April 22. Between April 23-25, rallies will take place at the national level in all counties, and on April 26 a rally will take place at the headquarters of the Justice Ministry. As of August, the collective labor conflict will be started, announced the National Office of the Trade Register trade unionists. (LS)

  • March 21, 2024 UPDATE

    March 21, 2024 UPDATE

    Forestry – The Romanian government approved the new Forestry Code on Thursday. As a result, clear cutting will be prohibited in almost half of the country’s forest area, as announced by the Minister of Environment, Water and Forests, Mircea Fechet. He added that the law allows the state to intervene and reforest the lands that have been deforested and abandoned by the owners. At the same time, the document gives private or state forest owners the right to alternative security solutions: specialized structures and security provided by own means, specifying that forest security is mandatory by law. Also, the right of access to the SUMAL 2 computer system is suspended whenever there are situations related to the theft of wood. The executive also approved a major investment in the infrastructure of the healthcare system: the construction of a new medical compound in which the Fundeni Clinical Institute from Bucharest should operate, in order to expand and improve the treatment conditions for patients. The building will have 21 modern operating rooms, intensive care units for multidisciplinary surgery and transplant surgery. Also on Thursday, the Romanian Government signed the contract regarding the construction of the Regional Emergency Hospital in Craiova (south). The medical unit will serve the entire Oltenia region and will be able to treat 800 people a day, as stated by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Funds were also allocated for the refurbishment of the Berceni-Pipera highway, the busiest subway route in Bucharest.

     

    Recovery and Resilience – Romania has a little over two years left to achieve all the objectives assumed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – NRRP, the financial support package in the form of grants and loans, mainly intended to eliminate the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The warning was launched in Bucharest by European Commission officials for the implementation of the NRRP. During the assessment conference of the state of implementation of the NRRP in Romania, the officials warned that failure to meet the milestones could put the country in a position to return the money received. The Romanian officials have given assurances that the Plan as a whole is in progress compared to last year.

     

    Summit – The heads of state and government from the European Union gathered in Brussels together with experts, for a summit aimed at giving a new impetus to the production of energy from nuclear sources. This field came back to the attention of Europe, with the war in Ukraine, and also due to the need to reduce the emissions of the classic industry. Nuclear energy is clean and not volatile, as is the case with wind or photovoltaic energy, where production depends on the weather, and Romania is one of the spearheads in terms of new technologies. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that Romania is determined to develop its nuclear energy program and is collaborating with the US to implement the small modular reactor technology. Iohannis emphasized that Bucharest wants to become a regional leader for nuclear operations, expertise, and also for the supply chain in the field. The trend of returning to energy from nuclear sources is not to the liking of environmental NGOs, which organized protests in Brussels, in parallel with the meeting of European leaders, and demand the concentration of investments strictly on renewable sources. In the capital of Belgium, the Romanian president also participates in the European Council meeting and the extended Euro Summit.

     

    Film – Films from the selections from Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Venice, Toronto and Annecy can be found on the poster of the 28th edition of the French Film Festival in Romania, which takes place from March 21 to 31, in Bucharest and another 12 cities across the country. More than 100 film screenings will take place in cinemas and alternative cultural spaces, the organizers informed. They decided that the festival should be opened, in Bucharest, by the comedy ‘Une Annee Difficile’/’A difficult year’, made by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the authors of the film ‘Intouchables’ – one of the biggest box office successes in France. (LS)

  • February 1, 2024

    February 1, 2024

    Meeting — The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denis Shmihal, welcomed the decision of the European Union to approve an additional financing package for his country worth 50 billion Euros. “The EU member states once again show their solidarity and unity in supporting the Ukrainian people to resist the war,” Shmihal wrote on the online social network platform X. Previously, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced on the same platform that all 27 EU member states had approved this package. According to some European diplomats, the EU agreement includes annual discussions on this package and the review of the plan in two years, if necessary. At the extraordinary meeting of the European Council, that focuses on obtaining an agreement at EU level regarding the main elements of the revision package of the multiannual financial framework for the period 2021-2027, Romania is represented by President Klaus Iohannis. The Presidential Administration in Bucharest shows in a press release that the president will firmly advocate for Ukraine, Romanias neighbor, to remain a top priority on the European Unions agenda and, in this sense, will emphasize the fact that support for this country in all forms must continue. On the eve, Iohannis participated in the memorial ceremony organized by the European Commission in memory of the French politician Jacques Delors, former president of the EC between 1985-1995, who died at the end of last year, when he was almost a hundred years old.



    Agriculture – The French president, Emmanuel Macron, will have a meeting, today, in Brussels, with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, regarding the crisis in agriculture and the support measures that farmers are asking for at the level of the entire Union. The meeting takes place on the sidelines of the extraordinary European summit on the Union budget and after the European Commission announced measures that it claims will support farmers. According to the correspondent of Radio Romania in Brussels, two mechanisms have been established to block cheap imports of vegetable products, chicken meat, eggs and sugar from Ukraine, if they affect the markets. Also, the Commission is to eliminate the requirement that five percent of the surface of a farm be left uncultivated. It will be replaced by the possibility for farmers to cultivate plants that fix nitrogen in the soil, on seven percent of the surface, but without using pesticides. The decisions of the Commission must be approved by the Parliament and the Council of the European Union. From Greece to the Netherlands and from Germany to Spain, farmers protests have multiplied, they are dissatisfied with the restrictions imposed on them by environmental policies, the free market penetration of Ukrainian products and the increase in production costs, after the increase in excise duties on fuel or the elimination of subsidies.



    Farmers – Thousands of Romanian farmers in the vegetable sector are expected at the offices of the Payments and Intervention Agency for Agriculture (APIA), to request the support offered by the state in the context of the losses reported due to the war in neighboring Ukraine. Requests for the compensatory payment must be submitted by March 8, at the APIA county centers. The direct grant represents a compensatory payment per surface and is the equivalent in lei of 100 Euros per hectare. The maximum value of the direct grant cannot exceed the equivalent in lei of 280,000 Euros. On the other hand, across the country, transporters and farmers continue their protests against the economic and social policies of the governors.



    Cyber-attack – The Romanian government has amended the cyber security law, in an emergency procedure, so that state institutions should be informed within 48 hours at most if the IT infrastructure of any entity in the country is affected and to quickly prevent risks. The changes were made after the cyber-attack on the websites of the National Directorate for Cyber ​​Security and the Chamber of Deputies. The Minister of Research and Digitization, Bogdan Ivan, pointed out that, in the case of the Directorate, the attack was not successful, while at the Chamber of Deputies over 300 files with public documents were stolen, as well as data not intended for the public, such as copies of identity documents of parliamentarians, including a copy of the identity card of the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Consequently he will have to change his ID card.



    Parliament – Today, Romanian senators and deputies begin a new parliamentary session, the first of this year and the last but one of the legislature. Among the priorities of PSD and PNL, in the governing coalition, are the projects necessary to fulfill the milestones in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR, as well as those related to gambling and combating drug use. In turn, the opposition wants to stop possible tax increases and to prevent the violation of the Constitution.



    Trial – Today, the Ministry of Finance will be empowered by the Bucharest Government to hire a law firm to represent Romania in the trial with the famous pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The case is pending before the Francophone Court of First Instance in Brussels and has the first court date February 20. The Romanian authorities were notified last December by the New York-based firm regarding the opening of a lawsuit for the recovery of sums of money, after the failure to finalize the purchase of 28 million doses of the Covid vaccine. Poland and Hungary are affected by similar procedures, and the Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, has recently said that Romania will collaborate with the Polish side in the defense effort. (LS)

  • January 15, 2024 UPDATE

    January 15, 2024 UPDATE

    Protests — Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu asked the heads of the ministries in direct dialogue these days with transporters and farmers to speed up the drafting of laws that would solve the problems reported by the protesters. At Mondays meeting, the ministers presented the timetable for the approval of the respective draft laws, so that the first decisions with agreed measures in support of farmers and transporters should be adopted at the following government meetings. The Financial Supervisory Authority has announced that it is already working on a set of measures that will reduce Liability Car Insurance rates, especially for those who do not cause accidents. As far as the agricultural field is concerned, the Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, and the representatives of the agricultural associations agreed during Mondays negotiations to several requests from the farmers. Among them are the emergency granting of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture – APIA payments, the compensation of losses suffered by Romanian farmers who were affected by imports from Ukraine and the updating of the value of state aid regarding the reimbursement of the excise duty on diesel fuel purchased and used in agriculture. Meanwhile, the protests of farmers and transporters continued, on Monday, on several roads in the country.



    Healthcare – The Romanian Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, and the management of the National Health Insurance House called on family doctors on Monday to participate in good faith in the negotiations scheduled for Thursday in order to find solutions that should allow the proper financing of the field. Family doctors started protests and threatened to stop providing free consultations from February 1, after the National Health Insurance House published a project to reduce the value of the consultations point. This would mean, according to family doctors, the reduction of their income by 30% up to 50%. There are also protests at the public health departments. The employees are also demanding an increase in income, after their colleagues from the National Health Insurance House obtained increased salaries at the end of last year. Meanwhile, the Sanitas Federation continues to collect signatures to decide whether to launch an all out strike. Unionists say that the recent unlocking of vacancy-filling contests for doctors and nurses does not solve the problems in the system, because the salaries are not attractive and people will not participate in the contests.



    Environment – “The cooperation of all EU member states is necessary and I would like to assure you that we are open to dialogue and establishing, by consensus, the EUs position, both internally and internationally, from the point of view of environmental protection and climate change”. The declaration was made, on Monday, by the Romanian Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, during the discussions held on the sidelines of the Informal Meeting of Environment Ministers in Brussels. According to him, Romania took all measures to maintain a vigorous population of large carnivores, including bears, and at the same time tried to obtain the support of the EU member states. Mircea Fechet participates, on Monday and Tuesday, in the Informal Meeting of Environment Ministers in Brussels. The event has several topics on the agenda such as adaptation and resilience, ambition and climate policy, a just transition and the circular economy.



    Culture Day – The Romanian Academy and the Science Academy of the Republic of Moldova had, on Monday morning, a joint festive session organized in a hybrid system on the occasion of the anniversary of the National Culture Day. From Chişinău, the president of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Ion Tighineanu, spoke about the importance of this holiday in promoting national identity, as well as about the numerous joint actions of the two academies. He said that the representatives of the Romanian ethnic space have every chance to impose themselves through culture and centuries-old traditions, by highlighting the truth about the common identity and history, by further cultivating the Romanian language, which the poet Mihai Eminescu said is “our master”. January 15, which marks the National Culture Day, is also the date of birth of the great poet of Romanians, Mihai Eminescu, and this year we mark 174 years since his birth. The celebration is marked by a series of exhibitions, theater performances, guided tours or concerts, both in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as abroad, where there are important communities of Romanians.



    Statistics – Although they are not among the Europeans with the highest incomes, Romanians are on the second place in the European Union in terms of the degree of satisfaction with their life, shows the conclusion of the latest Eurostat report. Statistics are influenced by age, family or financial situation, diversity of lived experiences, priorities or various individual values. According to the European barometer, the average level of satisfaction at the community level is 7.1 points. Austrians are the most satisfied EU citizens, with 7.9 points, followed by Romanians, Finns and Poles, all with an index of 7.7 points. At the opposite pole are the Bulgarians, with 5.6 points. (LS)

  • A new payment request within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan

    A new payment request within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan

    On Friday, the Romanian government submitted to the European Commission the third payment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR, which involves a net funding of 2.7 billion Euros. Out of this amount, more than 1.85 billion euros represent grants, and 811 million will come from loans. According to the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, the third payment request, as provided for in the adjusted plan, covers a total number of 74 targets related to 3rd quarter of 2022 and 4th quarter of 2022. Among the most relevant reforms and investments with a socio-economic impact are the adoption of the 2020-2030 national forestry strategy and the signing of contracts for 50% of the works related to the modernization and renewal of the railway infrastructure.



    Also the PNRR includes the Law on Defense and Cyber ​​Security of Romania, as well as the legislative framework for reducing expenses for special pensions. On the other hand, 450,000 cash registers will be connected to the information system of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration. Other reforms and investments target the coming into force of the Single Industrial License law, the signing of contracts for the renewal of public transport vehicle fleets and the purchase of non-polluting vehicles. At the same time, amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure and the coming into force of the legislation on social dialogue, which provides for social dialogue and significant and opportune collective negotiations, are two other reforms included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Last but not least, the coming into force of the law amending the Administrative Code and establishing administrative consortia in neighboring rural or predominantly rural administrative-territorial units, existing as functional rural areas, is included in this plan.



    The Ministry of European Investments and Projects announced that the amounts related to the payment request no. 3 will be added to the 9.1 billion euros collected under the PNRR so far by Romania. The money represents pre-financing of 13% with a value of 3.79 billion euros, payment request number 1, with a value of 2.56 billion euros, and payment request number 2, with a value of 2.75 billion euros. The Ministry officials also pointed out that, once the payment procedure for the third request is completed, Romania will send the fourth one worth approximately 2.7 billion euros related to the fulfillment of 46 targets and milestones. The PNRR allocation is 28.5 billion euros. The money will be used to carry out 66 reforms and 111 investments. (LS)

  • Romania supports the Republic of Moldova

    Romania supports the Republic of Moldova

    Romania firmly supports the start of EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova the president Klaus Iohannis reiterated. In a post on a social network, Iohannis announced that he had a telephone conversation with the Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, on the most important European issues, with focus on the preparation of decisions regarding the Republic of Moldova at this weeks European Council. These days, Klaus Iohannis is participating in European summits in Brussels, a context in which he will support decisions related to the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, which obtained the status of candidate countries last year.



    According to Klaus Iohannis, the European Union must get closer and give clear signs both to the Western Balkans states and to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, especially in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Recently, the Moldovan prime minister, Dorin Recean, has admitted that opening EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova might be postponed until March. He insisted, however, that postponing these negotiations would be a big strategic mistake, which Moscow will take advantage of.



    In a telephone conversation with his Moldovan counterpart, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu gave assurances that the Romanian government would continue to strongly support Chișinăus European path. In the context of the European Council in Brussels, he emphasized the active support that Romania gives to the Republic of Moldova for the start of EU accession negotiations. The Romanian Government will continue to strongly support the European path of the Republic of Moldova and to be a reliable partner in the entire accession process Marcel Ciolacu said.



    Also, during the phone conversation, the two also discussed bilateral cooperation projects, especially in the fields of cross-border energy interconnections and the financial assistance that Romania provides for the development of the Republic of Moldova. In support of the neighboring state, the two governments also signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the implementation of projects necessary to interconnect the natural gas and electricity networks. Thus, according to the Romanian energy minister, Sebastian Burduja, Romania will contribute decisively to the energy security of the Republic of Moldova and to its integration into the European energy market. Through this Memorandum and through the recent steps, the Republic of Moldova totally and irreversibly integrates into the single European energy market, at the same time increasing its energy security.



    In Brussels, Klaus Iohannis will also support the granting of candidate status to Georgia, as well as the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Romania will also support the rapprochement and integration of these states based on merits and accession criteria, and in this sense Ukraine and Moldova are, by far, the favorites for a Council decision regarding the start of accession negotiations, thanks to the reforms they made. (LS)


  • September 2, 2023 UPDATE

    September 2, 2023 UPDATE

    Budget — The European Commission might agree to a higher budget deficit than the one originally assumed by Romania for this year, says the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, after the meeting, in Brussels, on Friday, with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Romania assumed a deficit of 4.4%, but it wants to increase it to over 5%. He said that the fact that Romania was not accepted in the Schengen Area contributed to the increase of the countrys budget deficit by almost 2%. Ciolacu added that the plan to combat evasion, the reform of the administration and the measures to reduce the deficit will be included in a law for which the Romanian Government will take responsibility in Parliament in the autumn parliamentary session, which starts on Monday. He said that the value added tax for goods and services will not exceed 19%, and for foodstuffs and medicines it will be maintained at 9%.



    Summit — The US President Joe Bidens special envoy on climate issues, John Kerry, is coming to Bucharest. The US State Department announces that, on Wednesday, he will participate in the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, a diplomatic format that includes 12 member states of the European Union located between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. John Kerry will talk about how an accelerated transition to clean energy strengthens energy security and resilience in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as about new nuclear technologies, including Romanias role in the construction of small modular reactors. John Kerry was Secretary of State between 2013 and 2017, during the second term of President Barack Obama.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea qualified, for the first time, in the round of 16 of the US Open tournament, the last Grand Slam competition of the year, on Friday, in New York, after her surprise victory over Kazakhstans Elena Rîbakina, with the score 6 -3, 6-7, 6-4. The Romanian (30 WTA) achieved her best performance at Flushing Meadows. In the round of 16, Sorana Cîrstea will face the Swiss Belinda Bencic. Also in New York, in the womens doubles, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the round of 16, after defeating the Russian-Australian pair Irina Hromaceva/Daria Saville 6-2, 6-2. Ruse and Kostiuk reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the Australian Open this year, stopped in the round of 16 at Roland Garros and in the second round at Wimbledon.



    Statistics – Romania imported in the first half of this year over a third less than in the same period of last year, show data provided by the National Institute of Statistics. Domestic production increased in the first six months of this year by 6%. According to the estimates of the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, natural gas production is estimated to rise at an average annual rate of 3.6% in the period 2023-2026, after a decrease of approximately 1% in 2022. As regards imports of natural gas, for this year a sharp decrease of almost a quarter is forecast, a trend that will be maintained until 2026. According to the National Institute of Statistics the import of natural gas registered a decrease of 16.5% last year.



    Air traffic – Air traffic for passengers in Romania increased in the first half of this year by over 26%, compared to the same period of last year. According to the National Institute of Statistics, from almost 9 million passengers in 2022, 2023 saw more than 11 million passengers. The largest flows were recorded at “Henri Coandă” Airport in Bucharest, “Avram Iancu” in Cluj-Napoca (north-west) and Iasi International Airport (north-east). In international passenger transport, most passengers disembarked in Romania took off from Luton airport in London, Bergamo in Milan and Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv. Most passengers from Romania boarded planes heading for London, Milan and Brussels. The passengers disembarked in Romania mainly came from such countries as Italy, Great Britain, Germany and Spain.



    Covid – The number of people sick with COVID-19 has increased at a “quite alarming” rate, warned the manager of the “Sfânta Parascheva” Infectious Diseases Hospital in Iasi (northeast). He said that this is due to the people’s crowing during the holidays and to the small number of tests for Covid. Wearing a protective mask remains the most effective method of prevention, according to physicians. They also recommend testing at the first signs of illness, avoiding crowded spaces, avoiding contact with infected people, washing hands and vaccination to avoid severe forms of the disease.



    Swimmer – The Romanian librarian Avram Iancu finished, on Friday, his swimming race on the Rhine, through which he wanted to support, in his own way, the importance of Romanias accession to the Schengen Area. A multi-sport athlete, he managed to cover the 1,032 kilometers of the river in 48 days, without a neoprene suit or other aids, making an effort that he described as titanic and unimaginable. In the summer of 2017, Avram Iancu became the first man in the world who managed to cross the Danube River using only the strength of his arms. (LS)

  • August 28, 2023

    August 28, 2023

    Crevedia – All fuel and LPG stations in Romania are being checked as of Monday and the activity of those that pose risks to public safety will be suspended, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced. He added that legislative changes were being considered to regulate this area, changes which could be approved this week. The decisions come after Saturday evenings devastating chain blasts at an LPG station in Crevedia (south), that were followed by a fire. Two people lost their lives and around 60, mostly firefighters, as well as gendarmes and policemen, were injured. The interior minister Cătălin Predoiu has given assurances that all those found guilty will be held accountable. Investigations by the General Prosecutors Office and the military and anti-corruption prosecutors are currently under way.



    Festival – Maestro Cristian Măcelaru, the artistic director of the George Enescu Festival, dedicated, on Sunday evening, Rhapsody no. 2 by George Enescu to those who need comfort following the Crevedia tragedy. The work was included in the program of the first evening of the festival, that has now reached its 26th edition which will take place under the motto Generosity through music. Until September 24, over 3,500 guest artists will take to the Bucharest stages for 90 concerts. Among the important orchestras that will participate in this years edition are the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the National Orchestra of France, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. First-class international conductors will go on stage during the festival such as Cristian Măcelaru, Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, Wilson Hermanto, Paavo Jarvi, Delyana Lazarova, Lawrence Foster and Vladimir Jurowski.



    Visit – The Ministers of Labor, Simona Bucura-Oprescu, of Finance, Marcel Boloş and of European funds, Adrian Câciu, have a scheduled visit to Brussels today and tomorrow. The Labor Minister will present to European officials the new changes that must be made to the law on special pensions and that are required by the Constitutional Court. Simona Bucura-Oprescu will also mention the governments intention to tax with 15% the part that exceeds the net average salary from special pensions. In their turn, the ministers of finance and European funds will present the governments intention to exceed the assumed threshold of 4.4% on this years budget deficit. The two ministers will also present the elements of the package of laws for which the government wants to take responsibility before Parliament and which refer to the reform of the state administration, fiscal equity and the effective fight against tax dodging.



    Meeting – The Foreign Ministry organizes, between August 29-30, the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy, under the theme A firm foreign policy of Romania: managing challenges and maximizing opportunities. This years edition takes place in physical format, after the last three took place online. The special guests of the FM Luminiţa Odobescu will be her counterparts from Chile, Alberto van Klaveren Stork, and Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis. The main theme of the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy focuses on the reiteration of foreign policy priorities, in the sense of managing challenges and in the perspective of capitalizing on the opportunities generated by the current international environment. In the context of the most serious security challenge on NATOs Eastern Flank, the theme of security, cohesion and connectivity is the subject of a plenary session. The agenda of the meeting also includes the contribution of Romanian diplomacy to the consolidation of the European project, economic development strategies, the organization, abroad, of the three rounds of elections in 2024, with focus on the smooth running of elections in the diaspora, the role of Romanian missions in the promotion of cultural diplomacy and scientific cooperation.



    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea is taking on, today, for the first time, Kayla Day (USA), in the inaugural round of the US Open tournament, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, which starts at the Flushing Meadows arenas in New York. Four other Romanian players are on the main draw and will play on Tuesday. Irina Begu will face the German Tamara Korpatsch, whom she defeated in their only confrontation, last year, in Lausanne. Ana Bogdan will have a difficult match against the American Sofia Kenin, former Grand Slam champion. The two are tied in head-to-head matches, 1-1. Patricia Ţig will be up against the Canadian player Rebecca Marino, and Gabriela Ruse, coming from the qualifications, will play against the powerful player from the Czech Republic, Karolina Pliskova. (LS)


  • May 23, 2023 UPDATE

    May 23, 2023 UPDATE

    Strike – The all-out strike in Romanian pre-university education continues. Tuesday’s discussions between the government representatives and those of the employees did not lead to a concrete result. Union leaders say the governors have promised to present concrete calculations related to wage demands. Previously, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă asked the teachers to return to the classrooms. The representatives of the parents and students associations asked the authorities to come up with solutions that would end the strike in education. They said that if the strike lasted more than a week, the situation would become dangerous for the future of the students, who want the strike to end as soon as possible. In another development, on Monday, the Bucharest Senate, as a decision-making body, adopted the new education laws. The political parties in the government coalition claimed that the measures included in the pre-university and university education law reform the system. On the other hand, the opposition believes that the law will not solve the existing problems.



    Protest – Trade unionists in the medical sector, who have announced their support for the all-out strike in the education system since yesterday, have launched their own protest actions. They picketed the headquarters of the Health Ministry on Tuesday. Their claims are related to the application of the provisions of the salary law to all employees, with reference to the categories of personnel who have the lowest incomes, such as nurses or caretakers, the granting of holiday vouchers and the modification of the calculation system for increments, night shifts and food allowance.



    Border – A new border crossing point between Romania and the Republic of Moldova was inaugurated on Tuesday. At Leova – Bumbata it will be possible to cross the border, over the Prut River, on a pontoon bridge. For the moment, the border crossing point will be used only for tests, for 10 hours a day, by minibuses and cars, and then it will be available for heavy goods transport. The decision to open this border point, through which the Prut can be crossed, was made after Russia invaded Ukraine, and road freight transport from Ukraine increased considerably through the Republic of Moldova and Romania.



    Defense – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, participated on Tuesday in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (CAE) in Brussels in the format of the Defense Ministers from the member states and in the meeting of the Steering Board of the European Defense Agency (EDA). “The discussions were substantial and represented a new opportunity to confirm the support of the European states for Ukraine. I emphasized the importance of consistent EU support for the defense industry in Eastern European states to ensure the strengthening of the European industrial base in an inclusive manner. I reiterated Romanias firm support for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, for their European aspirations”, the Romanian official said. He also highlighted the importance of coordinating European actions with NATO, to ensure the coherence of response measures to challenges in common operational fields.



    Exhibition – A traveling photo exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the United States and Romania was opened on Tuesday in Cluj-Napoca (north-west). The US Ambassador to Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, stated that, during this period, Romania made remarkable progress in consolidating democracy, became a pillar of regional peace and security and developed economically for the prosperity of all. Todays Romania is an exemplary NATO ally, the American diplomat emphasized. The exhibition, which explores the diplomatic, security, economic and cultural relations between the two peoples, will be open until June 20. It was also presented in Bucharest and other big cities.



    Trilateral – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, inaugurated, on Tuesday, together with his counterparts Jose Manuel Albares Bueno and Zbigniew Rau, the trilateral format Romania – Spain – Poland, during a meeting in Valencia. Aurescu welcomed Romanias excellent bilateral relations with Spain and Poland and the close cooperation between the three countries at the EU and NATO level. He also addressed the subject of Romanias accession to the Schengen area, the foreign ministers of Spain and Poland reconfirming the active and constant support given in achieving this goal. Moreover, the Spanish foreign minister emphasized that Romanias accession to Schengen would be among the priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council. It was decided that the meeting, named Valencia Trio, would take place annually, at the ministerial level.(LS)

  • March 23, 2023

    March 23, 2023

    Brussels — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is participating, on Thursday and Friday, in the spring meeting of the European Council and in the Euro Summit in an extended format, hosted by Brussels. According to the Presidential Administration, they will tackle the situation in Ukraine, especially food security and the reconstruction process, climate change and measures to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. “We must be united on the side of Ukraine, we must be in solidarity with Ukraine, we must help Ukraine with everything we can. It is very important that Ukraine has a strong position and that we can do many things”, said the Romanian president in a press conference before the start of the Council. There will be other extremely important topics, President Iohannis also said, related to the economy, the single market, competitiveness. They will discuss the best methods to prevent the deindustrialization of Europe and the energy issue, as well as the situation of the Republic of Moldova, which will receive substantial additional aid from the EU.



    Chisinau – On a visit to Chisinau, accompanied by several ministers, the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had talks with the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu and with the Prime Minister Dorin Recean. The meetings focused on issues related to the accession of this state to the EU, the way in which the republics economy can develop, the path to democratic reforms and the situation in the area in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. The leader from Chisinau thanked Romania for the support provided for the population and the economy of the Republic of Moldova to get through the complicated winter, caused by an exponential increase in energy and gas costs, and through the acute lack of supply of these resources, in particular following the interruption of supply by Gazprom for several months. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă thanked, in turn, for the decision of the Moldovan Parliament to adapt the legislation in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court, respectively to grant the Romanian language the status of official language in the Republic of Moldova. Consolidating the security environment in the Republic of Moldova and ensuring the resources to combat any form of destabilization of this country is a priority for Romania, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă also said during the discussions with Dorin Recean. Romania is our advocate in all European institutions, therefore we can advance on our European path, said the Moldovan Prime Minister. During the meetings, the implementation stage of the support program for the Republic of Moldova presented, financed with 100 million Euros by the Government of Romania. In this sense, the Romanian Prime Minister announced the release of the first tranche worth 25 million Euros of this program.



    London – The Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is on an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at the invitation of his counterpart, James Cleverly. The two officials will discuss bilateral strategic partnership relations, as well as international developments, with an emphasis on the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Republic of Moldova, the relations between the EU and the United Kingdom and cooperation within NATO. On Wednesday, minister Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting with the UK Secretary of State for Defense, Ben Wallace, with whom he discussed, among other things, bilateral cooperation in the field of defense and within the North Atlantic Alliance, with an emphasis on the stability and security of the Black Sea. On the sidelines of the visit, the heads of the Romanian and British diplomacies will sign the updated Joint Declaration of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and will open the first edition of the Romania – United Kingdom Bilateral Forum.



    Protests – France is almost blocked today, on the ninth day of national mobilization against the pension reform. With a general strike in many areas and street demonstrations announced in almost 300 localities, the trade unions and the opposition want to force the French government to withdraw the law it has just adopted, which provides for the increase in the retirement age, from 62 to 64 years old. On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said that the reform was an unfortunate necessity to protect the pension system and that he accepted its unpopularity.



    Film – The first feature film of the Romanian director Alexandru Belc – “Metronome” will be screened on Friday at the Muranów cinema in Warsaw. The film represents Romania at the Francophone Film Festival in Poland, which takes place between March 22 and 26 in Warsaw. Along with the Romanian film, the Festival includes eight other fiction films from Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Morocco, proposed by the French Institute in Poland, which is also the main organizer. At the most recent edition of the Cannes Film Festival, “Metronome” was awarded the Best Director Award in the “Un certain regard” section. (LS)

  • Romania and the Schengen area

    Romania and the Schengen area

    Romania maintains its goal to join the Schengen area this year, the Romanian Interior Minister, Lucian Bode, announced in Brussels. Even if the subject of Romania’s entry into the free travel area was not on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council – JAH, the Romanian official reiterated that Bucharest might have a chance of integration in 2023. For this, however, the subject should be included on Spains list of priorities, a country that will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union in the second part of this year. According to the Romanian official, the European interior ministers reiterated their support, but Austria, which was opposed to Romanias accession also in December, maintains its reservations.



    Lucian Bode: I want to welcome the statements of several interior ministers, who reiterated their support for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. The Spanish Interior Minister specifically requested that this objective be reached by the member states this year. He confirmed to me that on March 30 he will be in Bucharest on a working visit, and, on the occasion, we will certainly be able to discuss the goals of the Spanish presidency and the goal that we want to be a priority for the Spanish presidency, namely Romania’s accession to the Schengen area.



    According to minister Lucian Bode, the expansion of the Schengen area, beyond the advantages brought to Romania, will raise the level of security at the EU borders. Moreover, he says, the new figures presented by the European Commission during the meeting show that migration along the Western Balkan corridor has decreased by almost half compared to last year. The Romanian interior minister believes that this is an additional argument for the fact that security at the border of Europe has been strengthened. However, some Romanian MEPs say that Romania would not have any chances of entering the free travel area this year.



    Eugen Tomac, the MEP who sued the European Council at the European Court of Justice, accuses the Council of violating the European legislation and of political discrimination. He says that although the three states met the technical criteria, the Council made the political decision to reject Romania and Bulgaria, while Croatia was accepted, at the December Council in Brussels. Eugen Tomac also initiated a petition entitled Romania deserves to be in Schengen and invites Romanians to sign it.



    Eugen Tomac: “We want our voice, our message related to this topic to be very clear and correctly understood by the European decision-makers. It is a legitimate move; the Council made an act of injustice that must be repaired at the Court of Justice of the European Union.



    It should also be mentioned that Spain will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in a difficult period. (LS)

  • Romania and the Schengen area

    Romania and the Schengen area

    Romania maintains its goal to join the Schengen area this year, the Romanian Interior Minister, Lucian Bode, announced in Brussels. Even if the subject of Romania’s entry into the free travel area was not on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council – JAH, the Romanian official reiterated that Bucharest might have a chance of integration in 2023. For this, however, the subject should be included on Spains list of priorities, a country that will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union in the second part of this year. According to the Romanian official, the European interior ministers reiterated their support, but Austria, which was opposed to Romanias accession also in December, maintains its reservations.



    Lucian Bode: I want to welcome the statements of several interior ministers, who reiterated their support for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. The Spanish Interior Minister specifically requested that this objective be reached by the member states this year. He confirmed to me that on March 30 he will be in Bucharest on a working visit, and, on the occasion, we will certainly be able to discuss the goals of the Spanish presidency and the goal that we want to be a priority for the Spanish presidency, namely Romania’s accession to the Schengen area.



    According to minister Lucian Bode, the expansion of the Schengen area, beyond the advantages brought to Romania, will raise the level of security at the EU borders. Moreover, he says, the new figures presented by the European Commission during the meeting show that migration along the Western Balkan corridor has decreased by almost half compared to last year. The Romanian interior minister believes that this is an additional argument for the fact that security at the border of Europe has been strengthened. However, some Romanian MEPs say that Romania would not have any chances of entering the free travel area this year.



    Eugen Tomac, the MEP who sued the European Council at the European Court of Justice, accuses the Council of violating the European legislation and of political discrimination. He says that although the three states met the technical criteria, the Council made the political decision to reject Romania and Bulgaria, while Croatia was accepted, at the December Council in Brussels. Eugen Tomac also initiated a petition entitled Romania deserves to be in Schengen and invites Romanians to sign it.



    Eugen Tomac: “We want our voice, our message related to this topic to be very clear and correctly understood by the European decision-makers. It is a legitimate move; the Council made an act of injustice that must be repaired at the Court of Justice of the European Union.



    It should also be mentioned that Spain will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in a difficult period. (LS)

  • Change of government in Chișinău

    Change of government in Chișinău

    The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, the pro-Western Natalia Gavrilița, has announced her resignation. President Maia Sandu thanked her for what she called the enormous sacrifice and efforts to lead the republic in a period marked by so many crises. Gavrilița had been at the helm of the Moldovan government since August 6, 2021, after the Action and Solidarity presidential party (PAS) had won the early parliamentary elections by a considerable margin, obtaining 63 of the 101 deputy mandates. With the resignation announcement, Gavrilița said that the republic was entering a new stage, in which security would be a priority. She will be replaced by the presidential advisor for security issues, Dorin Recean. A former interior minister between 2012 and 2014, Recean is the secretary general of the Supreme Security Council of the Republic of Moldova.



    The political change comes against the background of the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine and of the hybrid war that decision-makers in Chișinău say Russia is waging against their republic. ‘All the teams subordinated to the Interior Ministry are prepared to intervene in case of contextual changes, in the border area or inside the Republic of Moldova’ the Interior Minister Ana Revenco said just before the prime minister resigned, and also after the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, had stated in Brussels that Russia was planning to destabilize the political situation in Chișinău.



    All the elements of a hybrid war, such as false bomb alerts, cyber-attacks, illegally financed protests, energy blackmail, were, last year, a great challenge for the entire Internal Affairs system, minister Revenco told Radio Chișinău. She also adds that these threats continue in 2023, ‘which is why we are always on duty, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.’ The pro-war propaganda, incitement to hatred, disinformation, parts of the same hybrid war, are meant to weaken the resilience of citizens – warns the interior minister of the pro-Western Government of the Republic of Moldova. And the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) announced that it had detected destabilizing activities.



    “Based on the information presented by our Ukrainian partner and on internal data, we confirm that we have identified activities aimed at weakening and destabilizing (the Republic of) Moldova”, the SIS says in a statement, specifying that it cannot give more details, so as not to compromise the ongoing investigations. The Republic of Moldova is, like Ukraine, a candidate for joining the European Union, a condition that requires the implementation of extensive reforms. And the political analysts in Chișinău write that, beyond the security stakes of the change of government, there are indications that the real causes of the change are related to the slow pace of the reforms carried out by the Gavriliţa team and to the internal tensions within the Power. (LS)

  • February 9, 2023

    February 9, 2023

    Brussels – President Klaus Iohannis represents Romania, in Brussels, in the extraordinary meeting of the European Council. Russias war against Ukraine, the economic situation in the European Union and migration are the three important topics to be discussed, this weekend, by the leaders of the 27 member states. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, during the Council meeting, the commitment of the European Union and its member countries to support Ukraine at all levels will be reiterated as well as the commitment to continue to hold the Russian Federation responsible for the invasion of the neighboring country. At the same time, the European leaders will analyze the best solutions at European level to ensure the competitiveness of the Unions economy in the short and long term.



    Earthquake — The death toll of the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday continues to rise, exceeding 16,000 dead on Thursday, and the chances of survival for the people trapped under the rubble are diminishing. The bad weather and cold are complicating the rescuers task, given that the first 72 hours are crucial to find survivors, according to the head of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik. Twitter has become inaccessible to Turkeys main mobile telephony providers amid growing online criticism of the authorities handling of the tragedy. “We had difficulties at the beginning with the airports and on the roads, but we are better today and tomorrow we will be even better” – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on the eve, apparently to defuse the population’s anger over the slow reaction of his regime. In power since 2003 and a candidate for a new mandate in the May presidential election, Erdogan also announced the distribution of 10,000 Turkish liras (the equivalent of about 494 Euros) to each family affected by the earthquake.



    Rescue — Romania has sent a second search and rescue team to those areas from Turkey devastated by strong earthquakes at the beginning of the week. Currently, there are almost 120 Romanian rescuers on the ground, accompanied by specially trained dogs, equipment and transport vehicles. Bucharest decided to send humanitarian aid also to Syria, which was seriously affected by earthquakes as well. On the other hand, 26 Romanian citizens who requested support to return home were repatriated. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, there are no Romanian citizens among the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey.



    OECD – Romanias accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is the next step on the countrys way to modernization, development and prosperity — the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said Thursday, in Bucharest, at a conference organized by the Government on the benefits that member countries of this Organization have. This event marked one year since the start of Romanias accession process to the OECD. “Romanias accession to the OECD has become a major foreign policy objective and a strategic objective of the country, after accession to the European Union and NATO” – Nicolae Ciucă stated, recalling that the Organization has under its umbrella states that represent over 70% of world trade and approximately 90% of the capital investments value. Regarding the current economic situation in Romania, the prime minister recalled that, in 2022, the Gross Domestic Product increased by almost 50 billion Euros as compared to the previous year, i.e. 4.9%, which is a significant increase.



    EU summit — The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, in Brussels, in the plenum of the European Parliament, that the defense of the Ukrainian territory against the Russian invasion also represented the defense of Europe. “We are defending ourselves against the most anti-European force of the modern world,” he said. Zelensky also expressed his belief that his country would join the EU after winning the war against Russia. At the same time, he thanked the European Parliament for the help Ukraine receives from the EU to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Today, Zelensky is participating, in Brussels, in a summit of the EU heads of state and government. He is on a surprise tour of Europe and left his country for the second time since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, after a first trip to Washington in December. The Ukrainian president on Monday first visited Great Britain, the biggest contributor, after the United States, in terms of military aid to Ukraine, then he went to France, where he met with president Macron and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. In London and Paris, Zelensky called for fighter jets “as soon as possible” to reject the Russian offensive. (LS)