Radio România Internațional

Tag: Bucharest

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The
    Romanian athlete Andreea Grecu won the silver medal in the women’s monobob
    event at the IBSF European Championships held in Altenberg, Germany. She finished
    the race in 2’02”45, and was outperformed by Germany’s Laura Nolte, with
    2’01”13. In the World Cup ranking in Altenberg, the first place went to
    Kaillie Humphries, of the US, with 2’00”61, with Grecu coming in 6th.




    The
    Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest qualified into the Champions’
    League quarter-finals. Two legs prior to the end of the group stage, the
    Romanian vice-champions are top of Group A with 21 points. Second comes the
    Norwegian team Vipers Kristiansand, with 19 points. The two sides have secured
    a place in the quarter-finals, given that the 3rd-ranking team, Odense
    (Denmark) only have 14 points. On Sunday, CSM defeated the German team Bietigheim
    27 – 25 away from home. Malin Larsen Aune (Norway) was the Romania side’s best
    scorer, with 6 goals. Cristina Neagu scored 5 times and went over the threshold
    of 1,000 goals in the Champions’ League.




    In Group B
    of the same competition, Rapid Bucharest defeated Turkey’s champions,
    Kastamonu, 28 – 22. The Dutch Estavana Polman scored 6 times for the Romanian
    team, followed by Eliza Buceschi with 5 goals. Top of the group is the French
    side Metz, with 21 points, followed by 3 teams with 18 points each: Győr (Hungary),
    Esbjerg (Denmark) and Rapid. The top 2 teams in each group will go straight
    into the quarter-finals, with the teams on the 3rd, 4th,
    5th and 6th places moving into the playoffs.




    In the EHF
    European League, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea lost to Thüringer, in Germany, 31 – 38. The
    German side tops Group D, with 6 points in 3 matches. Vâlcea comes 2nd
    with 2 points, and so do 2 other teams, Paris 92 (France) and Vác (Hungary).


    We wrap up
    with news from football. In the 22nd leg of the Romanian Super
    League, Universitatea Cluj Friday beat FC Voluntari 2-1, and Rapid Bucharest
    defeated Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe 3-0. On Saturday, CS Mioveni won at home against
    Petrolul Ploieşti 1-0, and FC Botoşani defeated Universitatea Craiova 1-0 at
    home. On Sunday, FC U Craiova drew at home against UTA Arad (1-1), and FCSB won
    1-0 against Hermannstadt in Sibiu. Before this leg, Farul Constanta was first
    placed in the ranking, with 45 points, followed by CFR Cluj with 44. (AMP)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The
    Romanian athlete Andreea Grecu won the silver medal in the women’s monobob
    event at the IBSF European Championships held in Altenberg, Germany. She finished
    the race in 2’02”45, and was outperformed by Germany’s Laura Nolte, with
    2’01”13. In the World Cup ranking in Altenberg, the first place went to
    Kaillie Humphries, of the US, with 2’00”61, with Grecu coming in 6th.




    The
    Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest qualified into the Champions’
    League quarter-finals. Two legs prior to the end of the group stage, the
    Romanian vice-champions are top of Group A with 21 points. Second comes the
    Norwegian team Vipers Kristiansand, with 19 points. The two sides have secured
    a place in the quarter-finals, given that the 3rd-ranking team, Odense
    (Denmark) only have 14 points. On Sunday, CSM defeated the German team Bietigheim
    27 – 25 away from home. Malin Larsen Aune (Norway) was the Romania side’s best
    scorer, with 6 goals. Cristina Neagu scored 5 times and went over the threshold
    of 1,000 goals in the Champions’ League.




    In Group B
    of the same competition, Rapid Bucharest defeated Turkey’s champions,
    Kastamonu, 28 – 22. The Dutch Estavana Polman scored 6 times for the Romanian
    team, followed by Eliza Buceschi with 5 goals. Top of the group is the French
    side Metz, with 21 points, followed by 3 teams with 18 points each: Győr (Hungary),
    Esbjerg (Denmark) and Rapid. The top 2 teams in each group will go straight
    into the quarter-finals, with the teams on the 3rd, 4th,
    5th and 6th places moving into the playoffs.




    In the EHF
    European League, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea lost to Thüringer, in Germany, 31 – 38. The
    German side tops Group D, with 6 points in 3 matches. Vâlcea comes 2nd
    with 2 points, and so do 2 other teams, Paris 92 (France) and Vác (Hungary).


    We wrap up
    with news from football. In the 22nd leg of the Romanian Super
    League, Universitatea Cluj Friday beat FC Voluntari 2-1, and Rapid Bucharest
    defeated Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe 3-0. On Saturday, CS Mioveni won at home against
    Petrolul Ploieşti 1-0, and FC Botoşani defeated Universitatea Craiova 1-0 at
    home. On Sunday, FC U Craiova drew at home against UTA Arad (1-1), and FCSB won
    1-0 against Hermannstadt in Sibiu. Before this leg, Farul Constanta was first
    placed in the ranking, with 45 points, followed by CFR Cluj with 44. (AMP)

  • Springtime in January

    Springtime in January

    Although in full winter season, the weather in
    Romania is actually spring weather. We’ve had the warmest Christmas in the past
    50 years and the first days of 2023 brought extremely warm temperatures in many
    regions across the country.




    The National Meteorological Agency has also
    announced a new record high temperature, 22.4 degrees Celsius in Turnu
    Magurele, southern Romania, when January 18th was the warmest of
    this month in recorded history. The previous record high belonged to Oravita,
    in south-western Romania, which saw its highest temperature, 22.2 degrees, on
    January 7th 2001. Bucharest had its highest January temperature, 18
    degrees Celsius back in 2002.




    The weather is going to get
    cooler in Romania starting Friday with precipitations, which are even going to
    turn into snow and sleet in the mountains and some regions in the country’s
    west, center and north-east. Even so, the weather is still warmer than usual
    for this time of the year and according to meteorologists, the year 2022 was
    the warmest in recorded history with an average annual temperature of 11.7
    degrees Celsius. The unusually high temperatures this month have created a lot
    of problems to farmers as extreme drought has been forecast for the southern
    regions while in the north trees are expected to sprout and then freeze. The
    wheat, rape and barley crops haven’t been affected but the trees are expected
    to bear the brunt of the latest extremely high temperatures as their fruit are
    going to be compromised if temperatures drop significantly.


    Winters have become increasingly warm, snowfalls have
    been replaced by rain and the present global warming has a tendency to deepen. 2022 was the fifth warmest in
    Romania since 1880, when weather reports have been consistently made. According
    to US experts, global temperatures are getting higher and higher while extreme
    weather phenomena have become more frequent.




    The world’s average temperature is now 1.1, 1.2 degrees
    higher than in the pre-industrial era and will continue to rise, unless
    humankind gives ups the use of fossil fuel. Climate change has caused extreme
    weather phenomena all over the world in 2022. Europe was in for its hottest
    summer in history, while floods killed 17 hundred people in Pakistan and caused
    damage to the infrastructure. Drought devastated crops in Uganda and wildfires
    wreaked havoc on the Mediterranean countries.


    (bill)

  • Foreign policy priorities

    Foreign policy priorities

    In 2023, Romania maintains its general foreign policy coordinates aimed at strengthening its place and role within NATO and the EU and at reinforcing the strategic alliance with the US, President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday, at the meeting with the accredited foreign ambassadors to Bucharest. The Romanian president stated that Romania will continue to support securing a consolidated posture on NATO’s eastern flank, to promote the strategic importance of the Black Sea and to support the open door policy of the North Atlantic Alliance.



    For the inclusion of Romania into Schengen, important diplomatic resources will be reallocated, and the support given to neighboring Ukraine will be maintained within the same parameters, as long as it is necessary. As regards the free-travel area, president Iohannis emphasized that the success of lifting the CVM in 2022 must be completed this year with Romanias well-deserved accession to the Schengen Area, given that, according to him, Romania is prepared from all points of view.



    Klaus Iohannis: “The place of Romania and its citizens is in Schengen. I reiterate in this context that we will take all the steps that we can take, at all levels, so that Romania should obtain a favorable decision for accession to the Schengen Area.



    Klaus Iohannis also recalled that Romania handled in an exemplary manner the unprecedented situation at the EUs and NATOs border, generated by the war started by Russia in neighboring Ukraine, and pointed out that Romania’s image grew exponentially at the regional, European and global levels. The year that has just begun will not be simple, the president also said, adding that our ability to respond to challenges and remain united will continue to be tested.



    Klaus Iohannis: “Romania’s response to the crisis caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine will continue to be multidimensional and comprehensive. We will continue to support Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, including their European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, as the case may be. I repeat what I said in Kyiv and Chisinau. Romania will provide all the support, as long as it is necessary.



    Besides strengthening security, the European Union needs solutions to ensure competitiveness, a solid industrial basis, the green transition and the digital transition, Klaus Iohannis also said, noting that energy security remains a priority in 2023.



    Klaus Iohannis: “There is an increased interest of the states in the Black Sea region in strengthening connectivity, with beneficial effects both at regional and European levels. An example in this sense is the 4-party agreement between Romania, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Hungary, whose signing we hosted last month, in the presence of the President of the European Commission.



    According to the head of state, this agreement is an important step towards the fulfillment of the project of the submarine power cable meant to carry electricity from renewable sources through the Black Sea. (LS)

  • Foreign policy priorities

    Foreign policy priorities

    In 2023, Romania maintains its general foreign policy coordinates aimed at strengthening its place and role within NATO and the EU and at reinforcing the strategic alliance with the US, President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday, at the meeting with the accredited foreign ambassadors to Bucharest. The Romanian president stated that Romania will continue to support securing a consolidated posture on NATO’s eastern flank, to promote the strategic importance of the Black Sea and to support the open door policy of the North Atlantic Alliance.



    For the inclusion of Romania into Schengen, important diplomatic resources will be reallocated, and the support given to neighboring Ukraine will be maintained within the same parameters, as long as it is necessary. As regards the free-travel area, president Iohannis emphasized that the success of lifting the CVM in 2022 must be completed this year with Romanias well-deserved accession to the Schengen Area, given that, according to him, Romania is prepared from all points of view.



    Klaus Iohannis: “The place of Romania and its citizens is in Schengen. I reiterate in this context that we will take all the steps that we can take, at all levels, so that Romania should obtain a favorable decision for accession to the Schengen Area.



    Klaus Iohannis also recalled that Romania handled in an exemplary manner the unprecedented situation at the EUs and NATOs border, generated by the war started by Russia in neighboring Ukraine, and pointed out that Romania’s image grew exponentially at the regional, European and global levels. The year that has just begun will not be simple, the president also said, adding that our ability to respond to challenges and remain united will continue to be tested.



    Klaus Iohannis: “Romania’s response to the crisis caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine will continue to be multidimensional and comprehensive. We will continue to support Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, including their European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, as the case may be. I repeat what I said in Kyiv and Chisinau. Romania will provide all the support, as long as it is necessary.



    Besides strengthening security, the European Union needs solutions to ensure competitiveness, a solid industrial basis, the green transition and the digital transition, Klaus Iohannis also said, noting that energy security remains a priority in 2023.



    Klaus Iohannis: “There is an increased interest of the states in the Black Sea region in strengthening connectivity, with beneficial effects both at regional and European levels. An example in this sense is the 4-party agreement between Romania, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Hungary, whose signing we hosted last month, in the presence of the President of the European Commission.



    According to the head of state, this agreement is an important step towards the fulfillment of the project of the submarine power cable meant to carry electricity from renewable sources through the Black Sea. (LS)

  • January 5, 2023 UPDATE

    January 5, 2023 UPDATE

    FLU
    The Bucharest-based National Centre for the Supervision and Control of
    Transmissible Diseases with the National Institute of Public Health on Thursday
    announced two deaths caused by the flu in Romania. The country’s Health
    Minister Alexandru Rafila had earlier presented during a news conference the
    situation of diagnosed infections at national level but the authorities decided
    not to announce an epidemic because the situation isn’t dramatic yet in spite
    of the growing number of cases. According to Rafila the flu season has expanded
    a few more weeks and the infection rate is presently at 37% with a peak
    expected around January 15th and 10th. The number of
    infections will go down after that date and the Education Ministry says that
    students will go back to classes after the winter holiday on Monday according
    to the schedule. Face-covering is recommended not imposed but the infected
    students will not be allowed to attend classes.








    FUNDS Romania absorbed 11.3 billion EUR last
    year, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has announced, saying this is the highest
    level of absorption since Romania accessed European funding. In 2023, Romania
    wants to maintain or exceed the current level, which will require solidarity,
    dialogue with social partners, coordination between ministries and political
    stability.








    TENNIS Romanian tennis player Irina Begu on Thursday qualified for the
    quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1, an Australian tennis tournament
    with more than 826 thousand US dollars in prize money. The Romanian secured a
    6-3, 6-0 win against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. Begu, 32, will be up against
    Veronika Kudermetova of Russia. Also on Thursday Romanian Sorana Cirstea
    conceded defeat to the competition’s odds-on favourite, Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.








    MOLDOVA Moldova’s relation with Romania has nothing to do with our
    country’s relations with Russia, good or bad, but rely on our way of moving
    forward and on our appreciation for the values that bind us, Moldova’s
    ambassador in Bucharest, Victor Chirilă, has said. Romania is a country
    that will help the Republic of Moldova in any situation, no conditions
    attached, the Moldovan diplomat also told a radio show. At the same time,
    relations with Bucharest are on an upward trend. We’ve seen just how
    important Romania is for Moldova, not just last year, but also during the
    pandemic. Romania stood with us and provided us with assistance to cope with
    the pandemic, ambassador Chirilă went on to say. The Moldovan diplomat
    also recalled Romania’s support in the first months of 2022, when the Republic
    of Moldova faced an energy crisis. In turn, Romania’s ambassador in Chișinău,
    Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, said that the two countries share a special relation
    based on the unity of language, history and culture. The Romanian
    diplomat in turn mentioned the initiative of the Foreign Ministers of Romania,
    Germany and France to launch the Support Platform for the Republic of Moldova,
    a multidimensional instrument of support allowing the international community
    to help Moldova. Ambassador Țurcanu promised Bucharest would continue to
    actively get involved at European and international levels to muster a robust
    financial, technical and political assistance for the Republic of Moldova.








    FUNERAL Over 100 thousand Christians on
    Thursday attended the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict 16th at the Vatican.
    Benedict passed away on December 31, 2022, nearly 10 years after stepping down
    from the Holy See. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Rome, Italian
    president Sergio Mattarella and Germany’s president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier,
    as well as representatives of royal houses, ministers and international
    officials attended the event. Representatives of other Christian churches,
    including the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as leaders of other religions
    attended the funeral. The Romanian Orthodox Church was represented by the
    Romanian Bishop of Italy, Siluan. Pope Francis presided the mass, while
    cardinal Giovanni Battista Re was the main celebrant at the altar. The funeral
    sermon was delivered by Pope Francis.


    (bill & VP)

  • The Week in Review 19-25.12.2022

    The Week in Review 19-25.12.2022

    The Romanian Revolution, 33 years ago



    Ceremonies commemorating the heroes of the anti-communist Revolution of 1989 were organized, this week, in Romania. In the big cities, religious and wreath-laying ceremonies took place in the significant places for the historical moments that occurred 33 years ago. President Klaus Iohannis laid a wreath at the roadside monument in the University Square in the center of Bucharest, where he also observed a moment of silence. We remind you that the Romanian anti-communist Revolution started on December 16 in the city of Timisoara (west), to later extend to Bucharest and other cities. In the capital, the uprising that led to the fall of the communist regime broke out on December 21, with a large rally organized by Nicolae Ceauşescu, in the hope that he would be able to calm the population and remain at the helm of the country. After the failed rally, the revolt extended across Bucharest. Demonstrations against the regime took place, to which the law enforcement forces responded also by shooting at the demonstrators, killing around 50 people, injuring several dozen and arresting more than 1,000 people. Despite the reprisals, the demonstrations resumed on December 22, and the street pressure made the former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu flee in a helicopter from the roof of the former Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party. All in all, more than 1,000 people died and around 3,000 were injured in the fighting that took place in the only country in Eastern Europe where the regime change included a bloodshed.



    Visit of the President of the European Parliament to Bucharest



    ‘There is no justifiable reason not to welcome Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area, because all the conditions for accession are met the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola said, on Monday, in Bucharest. In a press conference with President Klaus Iohannis, she also stated that efforts were being made for this situation to be solved as soon as possible, even next year. ‘The external border of the European Union is defended. We see that all countries, including Romania, apply all components of the Schengen acquis, which answers any concern that might exist from this point of view, the Brussels official added. In turn, the Romanian head of state stated that the Schengen topic would not be on the agenda of the extraordinary European Council due in February 2023, and the discussions were to take place only on the sidelines of the meeting. We remind you that, at the beginning of the month, Romania’s admission to Schengen was blocked by Austria in the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which invoked issues regarding illegal migration. Documents provided by Frontex – the European Border Police and Coast Guard Agency – contradict the Austrian Chancellor’s statements.



    Romanian delegation in South Korea



    A Romanian official delegation, which included several ministers, as well as the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, visited South Korea this week. Romania is interested in the development of major economic projects alongside the big Korean companies, in essential fields such as: transport, energy, defense, the IT industry, ITNs and semiconductors. Defense and energy industries dominated the talks with the South Korean officials, including the Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. They also approached such issues as how to manage the situation generated by the Russian aggression in Ukraine, security in the region and cooperation between NATO and South Korea. The Romanian delegation also had a meeting with the representatives of the Romanian community, to whom the Prime Minister conveyed his appreciation for the way in which they managed to integrate into that society, keeping, at the same time, the identity, language, culture and values ​​of their native country close to their hearts.



    The Romanian FM Bogdan Aurescu pays visit to Chisinau



    Romania will continue to support the neighboring Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian-speaking population) in order to successfully overcome the crises which it is facing, the Romanian FM Bogdan Aurescu reiterated, on Monday, in Chisinau. The Romanian official had meetings with the president Maia Sandu, the prime minister Natalia Gavrilița, with his counterpart Nicu Popescu and with the president of the Parliament, Igor Grosu. The two sides emphasized the importance of developing electricity interconnections between the two states, of streamlining cross-border traffic, including through the construction of bridges over the Prut River. They also discussed the implementation of the agreement regarding the non-refundable financial assistance worth 100 million Euros Bucharest offered to Chisinau, as well as about the operationalization of the support platform for the Republic of Moldova, initiated by Minister Aurescu with his German and French counterparts. The European path of the Republic of Moldova and Romania’s concrete support for achieving this goal, including through the opening of EU accession negotiations, were also on the agenda.



    High-level Romanian-Portuguese talks



    The presence of the Portuguese soldiers from the South-East Multinational Brigade in Caracal (south), together with soldiers from North Macedonia and other allies, has an important contribution to strengthening Romania’s defense and security, said President Klaus Iohannis on the occasion of his visit to the ‘Olt Training Battalion 1, in Caracal, on Tuesday, where he was accompanied by his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The high-level discussions focused on the security situation in Ukraine, with an emphasis on the intensification of humanitarian assistance to the neighboring country, as well as on support in facilitating grain exports. The two presidents also discussed the intensification of Romanian-Portuguese cooperation in the fields of defense, economy, trade, the digital agenda, renewable energy sources, health and education. (LS)

  • December 19, 2022 UPDATE

    December 19, 2022 UPDATE

    Schengen — There is no justifiable reason not to welcome Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area, because all the conditions for accession are met, said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on Monday in Bucharest. In a press conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, she also stated that efforts were being made to solve this situation as soon as possible, even next year. ‘The external border of the European Union is defended. We see that all countries, including Romania, apply all components of the Schengen acquis, which answers any kind of concerns that could exist from this point of view, the Brussels official added. For his part, Klaus Iohannis said that the Schengen topic will not be on the agenda of the extraordinary European Council due on February 2023, and discussions will take place only on the sidelines of the meeting. We remind you that, at the beginning of the month, Austria blocked the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria in the JHA Council, in contradiction with the position of the other member states, invoking issues regarding illegal migration.



    Visit – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, had meetings in Chisinau with the Moldovan President Maia Sandu, the Parliament Speaker, Igor Grosu, and the Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţa, with whom he discussed the European course of the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population). Aurescu reiterated Romanias full support for managing the wide-ranging crises that Moldova is facing and for advancing at a determined pace the reforms necessary for joining the European Union. He mentioned the prompt steps that led to the supply, by Romania, in a critical period of energy crisis, of over 80% of the electricity needs of the Republic of Moldova. There was also an in-depth exchange of assessments regarding the security situation against the backdrop of Russias war of aggression against the neighboring state, Ukraine. Economically, at the end of the year, a record value of 3.5 billion dollars of trade between Romania and Moldova is expected, increasing by approximately 46% as compared to 2021.



    Energy — The European energy ministers have reached an agreement on capping the price of natural gas, the Czech presidency announced on Monday in a Twitter post. The agreement comes after several weeks of talks on a package of emergency measures that have created divisions among member states in an attempt to respond to the energy crisis. According to documents consulted by Reuters, it was agreed that the gas price cap would be triggered when the quotes, at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) gas hub in Amsterdam, reach 180 Euros for a Megawatt-hour (MWh) for three days. The same document shows that the cap could be introduced starting on February 15, 2023 and, initially, it will not apply to over the counter type transactions (outside the market).



    Revolution – In Timisoara, in western Romania, the demonstrations marking the 33rd anniversary of the anti-communist revolution of December 1989 continued. The demonstrations bring back to attention the courage and sacrifice of the martyr-heroes, as well as the need for the young generation to carry forward the spirit of freedom. These days have seen marches on the route of the Revolution, religious services, wreaths laying ceremonies, concerts, exhibitions, film screenings and debates and a pilgrimage to the monuments of the Revolution Memorial. The demonstrations will culminate on December 20, the day Timişoara was declared the first city free of communism in Romania. The uprising against the communist regime in Romania broke out in Timişoara on December 16, 1989 and, from December 21, extended to Bucharest and other cities of the country. All in all, over 1,000 people died and around 3,000 were injured in the fighting that took place in the only country in Eastern Europe where the regime change took place violently.



    Statistics — In 2021, the adjusted average annual salary for full-time employees in the European Union was 33,500 Euros, according to data published for the first time on Monday by the European Statistics Office (Eurostat). Last year, among the EU member states, the highest average annual salary was in Luxembourg (72,200 Euros), Denmark (63,300 Euros) and Ireland (50,300 Euros), and the lowest in Bulgaria (10,300 Euros), Hungary (12,600 Euros) and Romania (13,000 Euros). On the other hand, according to Eurostat, the hourly labor cost increased by 3.4% in the EU in the third quarter of the year, compared to the same period in 2021. The most significant annual advance was reported in Hungary and Bulgaria, but increases of over 10% also occurred in Lithuania, Poland, Greece and Romania.



    Museum — Romania will provide voluntary financial contribution to support the Museum of the Victims of Communism in Washington. The museum is worth 3 million dollars and is granted in a single installment. The contribution is intended for the construction of the museum, as well as the creation of the section presenting the victims of the communist regime in Romania. The Foreign Ministry, the Romanian Academy, the National Council for the Study of Securitate Archives and other institutions in Romania can provide information, for the purpose of a good representation of the victims of communism in Romania. (LS)

  • November 24, 2022 UPDATE

    November 24, 2022 UPDATE

    Visit — Hi tech and financial technologies, as well as cyber security, are the main areas of cooperation that Romania and Lithuania are considering. Economic exchanges between the two countries are growing significantly. Last year exchanges grew by 50% as compared to the previous year, and the first signals indicate that this trend will be maintained in 2022. The bilateral relationship was one of the central topics in the discussions that President Klaus Iohannis had on Thursday with his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nauseda, during his visit to Vilnius. Another important topic on the agenda was the situation in Ukraine and the effects on the entire region. The two heads of state also discussed the new package of EU sanctions against Russia and came to the conclusion that firmer measures are needed. Klaus Iohannis was decorated with the Grand Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. The Lithuanian president was awarded the Star of Romania National Order in the rank of Collar. On Friday, Iohannis will participate in “The Idea of ​​Europe” symposium, organized in Kaunas by the Vytautas Magnus University, where he will give a speech. He will also take part, together with his counterparts from Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, in a summit dedicated to strengthening NATOs Eastern Flank, supporting Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and promoting European memory, with an emphasis on combating disinformation and attempts to rewrite history. On Wednesday, Klaus Iohannis made an official visit to Lithuanias neighbor Latvia, where he had talks with the president Egils Levits.



    Vaccines – The Romanian Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, on Thursday announced that the first batches of vaccine with the new formula against SARS-CoV-2 infection have arrived in Romania. He pointed out that the vaccine will be available in the family doctors offices and in vaccination centers in the main hospitals in Romania. All those who have already had two doses of the old formula vaccine can be vaccinated with the third dose or, as the case may be, with the fourth dose, of this vaccine that protects against the newest variant BA4, BA5 Omicron – the health minister also said. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, three years ago, more than 67 thousand people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have died in Romania.



    Criticism — The opposition USR (in the Romanian Parliament) launched on Thursday the “Black Book of PSD, PNL, UDMR governance”, one year after the installation of the current Executive, led by the Liberal Nicolae Ciucă. The president of USR, Cătălin Drulă, said that the document is a critical report of the activity of each individual ministry. One year in the government meant record price hikes, plagiarism and failed projects – claims Drulă. AUR — the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (the nationalist opposition) launched its own document critical of the current governing coalition and drew attention to the fact that this year was marked by the bills crisis, the price hikes, the severe drought and the unfulfilled promises regarding Romanias accession to the Schengen area.



    Handball – The Romanian mens handball team will play, along with Spain, Argentina and Bahrain, at the Domingo Barcenas international tournament (January 5-7) in the Spanish resort of Benidorm, organized in preparation for the 2023 World Championship. The Romanians coached by the Spanish Xavier Pascal will face three teams qualified to the 2023 World Cup, scheduled in Poland and Sweden, between January 11-29. Romania failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, which brings together 32 teams. Currently, the Romanian handball players are engaged in the preliminaries of the EHF EURO 2024 European Championship.



    NATO – Next week, from Monday to Wednesday, Bucharest will host the meeting of foreign ministers from NATO member countries, thus becoming the European and Euro-Atlantic diplomatic capital, says the Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu. In a video message, published before the event, he said that the NATO countries’ foreign ministers meeting will once again demonstrate allied unity and solidarity and seek solutions to counter the effects of Russias brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. The conference will be hosted by Bogdan Aurescu together with the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. Also in Bucharest, next week, the foreign ministers of the G7 – the group of the worlds richest states – will discuss how they can help Ukraine secure its energy resources for the winter, the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock announced.



    Football – The Swiss national team defeated Cameroon 1-0 on Thursday in a Group G match of the World Cup in Qatar. The goal was scored by Breel Embolo, a Swiss striker born in Cameroon. Romania, which did not qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, will be in the same group, I, with Switzerland in the preliminaries for Euro 2024. The group also includes Israel, Kosovo, Belarus and Andorra. The teams ranked on the first two positions qualify for the final continental tournament. (LS)

  • Bucharest will host a NATO meeting

    Bucharest will host a NATO meeting

    A meeting of the foreign ministers from the NATO member states will take place for the first time in Bucharest next week. Also for the first time, the meeting will be joined by the Moldovan foreign minister, and the foreign ministers from Georgia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine will also attend the meeting in Bucharest. High on the agenda of the meeting will be the situation in Ukraine, says the spokeswoman for NATO, the Romanian Oana Lungescu.



    According to her, the NATO foreign ministers will hold a meeting in Bucharest almost nine months after Ukraine was illegally invaded by Russia. Therefore, the situation in Ukraine, as well as the global situation in the Black Sea area, the concerns we have related to the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic region will be the priorities of the agenda of the meeting in Bucharest, said Oana Lungescu.



    In his turn, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană, states that next weeks meeting of the foreign ministers of the NATO member countries, in Bucharest, is a bridge between last summers summit, in Madrid, and the next one, in Vilnius. He also mentions that the meeting is Romanias contribution to the Alliances strategic thinking and to NATOs response to the current, very complex situation on the continent.



    Mircea Geoană: ʺThere are almost 50 nations that contribute indirectly to NATO, but in a process led by the United States, in the contact group for Ukraine. We continue to see the active wish of allies and partners to help Ukraine from a military point of view. At the same time, we must say that from a political point of view, this time, we do not see conditions for a negotiation between the two sides in the near future, for an obvious reason. The positions are so different and so massively far from each other that, today, we do not see the conditions for the two sides finding common ground for starting negotiations”.



    Moreover, at political level, NATO does not have contacts with Russia. In addition, no one within the Alliance is negotiating anything on behalf of Ukraine – the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană, also said. According to some NATO officials, on the first day of the meeting in the capital of Romania, on November 29, a session dedicated to the war between Russia and Ukraine will be organized, followed by an informal dinner to which the Ukrainian Foreign Minister was invited, who is expected to provide details on the situation in his country.



    On November 30, a discussion of the allied ministers with the representatives of Finland and Sweden is scheduled. There will also be a session dedicated to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, an opportunity for the NATO countries to make additional commitments to these partners, in the form of adapted aid packages. (LS)

  • October 27, 2022 UPDATE

    October 27, 2022 UPDATE

    TALKS At the end of the visit he paid to Brussels Romanian Prime
    Minister Nicolae Ciuca announced he agreed with the president of the European
    Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that it is possible to replace the 9.4% GDP
    cap for pension expenses within Romania’s National Plan of Recovery and Resilience
    with another indicator, which takes into account the World Bank survey and with
    a financial discipline indicator. At the same time, the Prime Minister also
    held talks with the EU commissioner for transports, Romanian Adina Valean,
    after he had earlier met the delegation of the Romanian MEPs. Besides his
    official agenda, on Wednesday he met Romanian and Belgian business people. The
    talks the Romanian official held in Brussels focused on Romania’s accession to
    Schengen. Ciuca said that all his interlocutors had underlined the support
    Romania enjoys to continue and complete the process of entering Europe’s border-free
    area.

    MONEY The European Commission on Thursday paid the 2.6 billion
    Euros of the first request submitted by Romania as part of the Mechanism of
    Resilience and Recovery and the money is already in Romania’s accounts, the
    Ministry of Investment and European projects has announced. The sum, made up of
    1.8 billion Euros in grants and 0.8 billion in loans, has become available
    after Romania has met the 14 required objectives. ’27 October 2022 is a
    historic day for Romania, as it’s not only the moment confirming the
    appreciation of the consolidated efforts at the governmental level but also the
    proof that we have started off on the road of reforms in the fields of sustainable
    mobility, curbing carbon-dioxide emissions, education and healthcare’, field
    minister Marcel Bolos says.










    RATE The unemployment rate in Romania stood at 2.88% in late
    September, 0.03 down as compared to the same period last year. According to
    data published by the National Agency for Employment, the number of the jobless
    is on the rise compared to the previous month; these are mainly people with
    ages between 40 and 49 and less than 5% of them boast a university degree.








    DAY Orthodox Christians, who are in the majority in
    Romania, on Thursday celebrated St Dmitry the New, the protector saint of
    Bucharest. The Patriarchal Cathedral has been home to the saint’s relics since
    1774. Dmitry the New was a monk born in the 12th century in the
    village of Basarbovo, near the Bulgarian city of
    Ruse. The legend has it that after his death, the monk appeared in the dream of
    a sick young woman indicating the place where she would find his grave and that
    if she touched his body she would recover. The villagers dug out the place
    indicated in the dream and found the unaltered body of the monk.






    PRICES Energy prices are to decline by 11% next year
    according to a World Bank projection. The slower pace of world economic growth
    and the COVID restrictions in China may lead to a deeper fall, the World Bank
    also notes. Energy prices will still be 75% higher than the average of the last
    five years. The level of global debt, which exceeds 300 thousand billion
    dollars, must be kept in check, or more people will face poverty. The World
    Bank head David Malpass told the BBC that supporting and stimulating economies
    was the best solution during the pandemic, but that the consequences of those
    expenses are beginning to appear in the form of a rise in inflation and
    interest rates. Any future support, including helping people cope with energy
    bills, must be clearly targeted, he recommended.

    (bill)

  • October 10, 2022

    October 10, 2022

    DEFICIT In the first 8 months of the year Romania’s trade balance
    deficit deepened by nearly EUR 7.4 billion, to EUR 22 billion. According to data
    made public by the National Statistics Institute on Monday, exports went up
    25%, to EUR 60.3 billion, and imports rose by 31%, to roughly EUR 83 billion.
    Vehicles and transport equipment, as well as other manufactured products,
    accounted for a large part of Romania’s foreign trade. Over 70% of the total
    imports and exports involved the EU market.


    PILGRIMAGE
    The north-eastern Romanian city of Iaşi is hosting these days a traditional
    pilgrimage devoted to St. Paraskeva, commemorated on the 14 October and viewed
    as the patron saint of Moldavia. Thousands of Orthodox believers from around
    the country and from abroad have already come to pray at St. Paraskeva’s relics,
    hosted by the Metropolitan Cathedral. The Iași pilgrimage is the largest
    Orthodox pilgrimage in the country, with around 300,000 people expected to
    attend this year.


    REFUGEES Romania is better prepared to
    receive Ukrainian refugees, although there is no indication that their number
    may increase, the state secretary with the interior ministry Raed Arafat
    said in Suceava, north-eastern Romania. On Sunday the Romanian official
    travelled to the Suceava hub for a donation ceremony also attended by the
    French ambassador to Bucharest, Laurence Auer, and the Ukrainian ambassador in
    Romania, Ihor Prokopchuk. Fifteen fire engines and ambulances were brought to
    the hub by 40 members of the French civil protection agency, and further
    materials will reach Suceava in a few days. The largest French aid batch for
    Ukraine, consisting in over 1 tonne of pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs and
    intervention vehicles, has reached the Black Sea port of Constanţa Sud-Agigea.


    UKRAINE
    Several blasts were reported this
    morning in the Ukrainian capital city and in Lviv, Ternopil and Dnipro. The
    Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu announced that Romanian diplomatic
    staff in Kyiv is safe, although a missile hit 850m from the Romanian embassy
    office. The Romanian official firmly condemns Russian missile strikes on
    civilian targets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities as a blatant violation of
    international human rights law. Meanwhile, Russia’s Security Council convenes today at president
    Vladimir Putin’s request, after Saturday’s
    partial destruction of the Kerch bridge connecting Russia to Crimea. According
    to Putin, this was a terrorist act committed by Ukraine. The Ukrainian
    authorities neither confirmed nor denied their involvement in the incident. In
    Washington, the White House declined comments on the topic and mentioned it
    would continue to supply weapons to Ukraine. Also today, the UN is holding an
    emergency session to discuss Russia’s recent annexation of 4 other Ukrainian
    provinces. Radio Romania’s correspondent in the US mentions that the UN General
    Assembly condemned the annexation of Crimea in 2014.


    AIRPORT As of today, the Bucharest Otopeni Airport is upgrading its baggage
    handling systems at the Departures terminal, the Bucharest National Airport
    Company has announced. Until next August, the number of check-in counters will
    be significantly reduced, and waiting time will be longer. The current baggage
    handling system is more than 20 years old, and its replacement requires an over
    EUR 20 million investment. After the works, the processing capacity will be 40%
    higher, and 12 counters for passengers to drop off their own baggage without
    resorting to a check-in counter will also be available, the Company announced.


    VETERINARY EU experts are assessing these days the veterinary services
    at the border check points Stamora Moraviţa, in Timiş County, on the border
    with Serbia, and at the Bucharest Henri Coandă Airport, the National Veterinary
    and Food Safety Agency announced. The assessment comes in the context of
    Romania’s prospective Schengen area accession. The Czech presidency of the EU
    Council announced last week that in the December summit it will seek a
    unanimous decision on Romania’s and Bulgaria’s accession to the passport-free
    travel area.



    SPORTS The Romanian team CSM Bucharest defeated
    the Dutch side Odense Handbold, 31-27 (16-13), on Sunday, away from home, in
    Group A of the women’s handball Champions’ League. Undefeated in 4 matches, the
    Romanian team is to play next at home on 16 October, against DHK Banik Most. In
    turn, CS Rapid Bucharest won 34-32 (19-14) against the Danish team Team
    Esbjerg, in a home game on Sunday in Group B of the same competition. This was
    the 3rd win for the Romanian champions in the competition. Rapid will
    play next against Buducnost Podgorica, away from home, on 15 October. (AMP)

  • October 2, 2022 UPDATE

    October 2, 2022 UPDATE

    Protests – Several thousand people gathered, on Sunday, in the University Square in the center of Bucharest and walked towards the Government headquarters, the line of protesters being led by the leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians AUR, George Simion, and MPs from this political party. The grievances of the protesters, who held the Romanian tricolors and placards and chanted anti-government slogans, are related, among other things, to the increase in electricity and natural gas prices. Law enforcement forces have mobilized in large numbers to prevent possible incidents.



    Statement — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, along with seven other presidents of several NATO member states from Central and Eastern Europe, namely the presidents of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland and Slovakia, signed a joint statement reiterating their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “We firmly support the decision of the NATO Summit in Bucharest of 2008 regarding the future accession of Ukraine,” Klaus Iohannis said in a post on a social network. We remind you that on September 30, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed Ukraines request for an accelerated accession to NATO. The Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, stated that Ukraine has the right to apply for membership, but emphasized that, at the moment, the priority is providing aid to Kyiv. Support for Ukraines accession to NATO has already been expressed by the Baltic States and Canada.



    Ukraine – In Moscow, the State Duma announced that on Monday it would ratify the annexation treaties signed with the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. These annexations come after seven months of Russian offensive in Ukraine and emergency “referendums” held in the occupied regions, which were denounced as “shams” by Kyiv and its allies. The news agencies write that the Russian authorities are following exactly the same steps they took when Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. On Sunday, Pope Francis said that it was completely absurd that the world was currently facing a nuclear threat. The Sovereign Pontiff deeply deplored actions contrary to the principle of international law, referring to the annexation of Ukrainian territories by Moscow. The statement follows that of the Kremlin leader, namely that Russia could use nuclear weapons to defend what it considers to be its own territory, the BBC points out. In the following days, the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, will travel to Kyiv and Moscow, the visit being part of ongoing efforts for “the implementation as soon as possible of a nuclear safety and security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant”.



    Energy – In Romania, the Law for the approval of the Emergency Ordinance that regulates prices on the energy market will be debated in the following days by the specialized committees of the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body in this case. The document drafted by the Government underwent important changes in the Senate, before receiving the vote of the plenum. Several fields of activity and categories of consumers have been introduced among those that will benefit from the capped energy price: public transportation, churches and medicine manufacturers and traders, as well as patients who use medical devices at home. Another significant change is related to the elimination of charging electricity consumption based on the monthly average of last year.



    Football – The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) declared that the incident that took place on Saturday at the stadium in Malang, in East Java, Indonesia, is an unimaginable disaster and represents a black day for the entire world of sports. At least 125 people lost their lives in a stampede at the stadium after the match between a local team and a visiting team. The angry fans of the local team, which lost the match, invaded the pitch, and the police intervened with tear gas grenades to disperse the violent fans. Running for the exits to escape the tear gas, fans trampled on and crushed one another.

  • August 8, 2022 UPDATE

    August 8, 2022 UPDATE


    UKRAINE UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on Monday called for the access of international inspectors to the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the recent shelling of the largest nuclear facility in Europe situated in an area occupied by the Russian troops in southern Ukraine. The facility has been shelled twice in the past days but no radioactive leak has been detected. Ukrainian authorities do not rule out the risk of a nuclear catastrophe in the region and have made an appeal for setting up a demilitarized area around the plant. In turn Russia hopes that some of the Western countries with big influence over Ukraine, will use this influence to prevent further shelling of this nuclear facility by the Ukrainian army, Dmitri Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin, has said.



    COVID-19 Health Minister Alexandru Rafila on Monday said the total number of weekly Covid-19 infections had been reduced by five thousand in Romania of late. According to the official, this drop is likely to carry on after one week or two. On Monday, authorities in Romania announced roughly 4,700 new infections, most of them in capital Bucharest, in Hunedoara, in the west, Cluj in the north-west and Brasov in central Romania. Almost 43 hundred people are being treated in hospitals 274 of whom in ICUs. 14 related fatalities have also been reported in the past 24 hours.



    AGRICULTURE According to Agriculture Minister Petre Daea, by 2027 Romania must have some 2.6 million hectares of irrigable land for which 1.5 billion Euros will be earmarked from the national budget. The minister wrote on a social network that the implementation of the governments programme on upgrading the irrigation system must be done every day, without interruption. According to official data released, almost 243,000 hectares of land in 30 Romanian counties have been affected by drought this year.



    RATE The monetary policy rate has been increased as of Monday by 0.75%, to 5.5% per year. This is the sixth increase in the key rate this year, a tool by which the Romanian Central Bank tries to keep inflation at bay. Before the decision announced by the Central bank on Friday, the 3-month ROBOR index went up from 8.11% to 8.12% per year, reaching 8.14% per year on Monday. Financial experts are expecting this index to go up significantly, which will raise variable interest rates on loans. Interest rates on mortgage loans have gone up by more than 50% since the beginning of the year and have almost doubled as against six years ago. Inflation in July exceeded 15% and is expected to stand at this level in the third quarter. The Central Bank will present a new quarterly report on inflation on Tuesday.


    (bill)

  • Radio Romania Culture Awards

    Radio Romania Culture Awards

    The 21st edition of Radio Romania Culture (RRC) Awards Gala was recently held on the stage of the Odeon Theatre in Bucharest, after two years of absence caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. Radio Romania Culture Awards Gala is the only event that grants awards in all areas of culture in Romania. During this anniversary edition awards were granted for the most important achievements of the Romanian culture in 2021. The Radio Romania Culture Excellence Award went to medical doctor Cătălin Denciu and the Intensive Care Unit team of the Piatra-Neamt County Hospital, as these people put their lives in danger to save their patients during a tragic fire in 2020. The special award for education went to the mathematics training platform MateX.xyz. The platform was created by 8 Olympiad participants with the aim of preparing poor 8th graders, online, for the National Assessment.



    The special prize for science was awarded to the founder of Graphs.ro, Dragoș Vana. His platform presented data on the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic in Romania, on a daily basis, as well as information about the anti-COVID vaccination campaign. Started as a personal project, with personal resources, in April 2020, Graphs.ro has become a reference source and an indispensable tool for tracking the evolution of the pandemic in Romania. The special prize for literature was awarded to the bookshop ‘La Două bufnițe – ‘At Two Owls from Timisoara, a large-scale cultural project, an example of cultural survival in the difficult days of lockdown.



    Here are Raluca Selejan and Oana Doboşi, the founders of the bookshop At Two Owls, upon receiving the Special Prize for Literature awarded by RRC: We thank RRC and the jury who nominated us for this award. It is an award that comes at a time when we were almost ready to put down our weapons after two very difficult years, but the award reminds us that a beautiful community was formed around our bookshop, that supports us when it is very difficult for us, without knowing that it is very difficult for us. We want to thank our parents who have always supported us and thanks to whom our bookshop has survived and all our friends. The pandemic has been a difficult time because in our country, as you know, books are not essential, bookshops are not protected by law, we do not have a law on a single book price, so the only ones who can protect this market and the books are the readers. We also want to thank the teacher and writer Daniel Vighi, who believed in us as few people believed in us when we were very young, who encouraged us to become what we are today and from whom we learned that in literature there is no weekend, vacation or holidays. Its from Daniel Vighi that we also learned that the greatest joy which literature brings is that moment of solitude when the reader meets the text, and that is why we hope to bring as many books as possible as close as possible to the readers. We are urging you to support physical bookshops because booksellers are very fondly waiting for you.



    Simona Popescu received a prize at Radio Romania Culture Awards Gala for her book ‘Cartea plantelor și animalelor – ‘The Book of Plants and Animals (Nemira Publishing House). Simona Popescu is the author of the poetry volumes ‘Xilofonul şi alte poeme – ‘Xylophone and other poems (1990), ‘Pauză de respir – ‘Pause for breath (together with Andrei Bodiu, Caius Dobrescu and Marius Oprea, (1991), Juventus, (1994), reprinted entirely in the collection Opera poetica (2021), and ‘Lucrări în verde. Pledoaria mea pentru poezie – ‘Works in green. My Plea for Poetry (2006). She wrote the novel Exuvii (1997; seven editions until 2021), a volume of essays, Volubilis (1998), and books of critifiction about the surrealist poet Gellu Naum, ‘Salvarea speciei. Despre suprarealism și Gellu Naum – ‘Saving the Species. On Surrealism and Gellu Naum (2000) and ‘Clava. Critificțiune cu Gellu Naum – ‘Clava. Critifiction with Gellu Naum (2004).



    Here is Simona Popescu: I thank the jury and I feel honored to receive an award granted by RRC. Thank you for stopping in my garden with an opening to the sea and to the ocean, the garden being a metaphor for my book. It is a book of over 300 pages, with dozens of plants and animals, which are, in fact, pretexts to talk about the wide world, about the human species, not just about plants and animals, and to touch upon several themes of literature, be they great, small or average. My good thoughts go to my good friends who were also nominated, Ștefania Mihalache and Miruna Vlada, and of course to all those who wrote good and very good poetry books, and also other books, in 2021.



    In the Prose category, Alina Nelega received an award for the novel ‘un nor în formă de cămilă – ‘a cloud in the shape of a camel (Polirom Publishing House) and in the Theatre category, Andrei Mureșanu Theatre in Sfântu Gheorghe received an award for the show ‘Consimțământ – ‚Consent by Evan Placey, directed by Radu Afrim. The film ‘Otto Barbarul – ‘Otto the Barbarian, directed by Ruxandra Ghițescu, received the RRC Award in the Film category, and the four solo exhibitions by Mircia Dumitrescu were awarded in the Visual Arts category. The prize in the Science category went to Răzvan Cherecheș, Director of the Department of Public Health of the Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, of the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, for the campaign to promote the anti-COVID public health measures in Romania. In the Music category, Nicu Alifantis & Zan received an award for the album Dimov • Leoneed is love, and in the Education category, the Narada Association received an award for their projects that bring the technology of the 21st century closer to education. (LS)