Radio România Internațional

Tag: Bucharest

  • European Commission’s First Vice President on Romania’s justice system

    European Commission’s First Vice President on Romania’s justice system

    The First Vice President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, travelled to Bucharest on Thursday to have talks with all decision makers in the justice system, to do away with any doubts as to the accuracy of the information that Brussels has received on this matter.



    Timmermans discussed with President Klaus Iohannis, with the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, with PM Viorica Dancila, with representatives of the justice system and members of the parliamentary committee in charge of modifying the justice laws. The European official’s visit took place in the context of the assessments that the European Commission makes as regards the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification in the field of justice and the fight against corruption, and shortly after Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader initiated the procedure of revoking the chief-prosecutor of the Anti Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi. Romania has made considerable progress in terms of the independence of the justice system, and must not back away, Frans Timmermans said at the end of his visit to Bucharest.



    According to him, in the past 20 years Romania has achieved so many things regarding the independence of justice and it is like running a marathon and it is on the last hundred meters. His message for Romania is to keep running, and not go in the wrong direction. Regarding the CVM, the EU’s ambition is to be able to say that in 2019 they will be able to stop it, but this ambition cannot be achieved if the outstanding recommendations from the EC are not finalised. The most important thing is that everyone involved should work together, not against each other, said the European official.



    According to the European official, the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification can be lifted provided that the conditions are met. Talking about the possible dismissal of the anti corruption chief prosecutor, Codruta Kovesi, Timmermans said that if there are accusations against magistrates, then it is up to other magistrates to deal with them, as this is not a politician’s job. This has to do with the separation of powers in a state and this is how it’s done in the rest of the world, Timmermans has explained.



    He has also said that there is no connection between the CVM and Article 7 as there is no systemic threat to the rule of law, as is the case in Poland. In his turn, President Klaus Iohannis has said that the justice system is completely independent and works effectively, adding that in the past few years democracy has been significantly consolidated in Romania, and the Romanian society’s civic spirit is ever more active, which proves that it has matured.

  • 2018 – a new stage in the activity of the National Dance Center Bucharest

    2018 – a new stage in the activity of the National Dance Center Bucharest

    The National Dance Centre Bucharest, the only public institution of culture subordinated to the Culture Ministry, which supports, develops and promotes contemporary dance and performing arts in Romania is preparing this year to move to a new location in 2019, more appropriate for its activity. Preparations for this action are accompanied by important projects, which we are going to discuss next.



    The year 2017 ended for the National Dance Centre Bucharest with an Awards Gala, which has been held for the past 4 years and which celebrates excellence without making hierarchies. At the 4th edition of the Awards Gala, the Center’s team chose to pay homage to several personalities who, during the 20th century, set the foundation of the contemporary choreographic context in Romania. ‘The pioneers of Romanian dance proved a lot of courage, they broke dogmas and emancipated dance’ said Vava Stefanescu, the manager of the National Dance Center Bucharest. The winners of the 2017 Awards Gala of the National Dance Center Bucharest, designated following the research activity undertaken by the Centre’s specialist department, are choreographers and dancers Floria Capsali, Vera Proca-Ciortea, Iris Barbura, Lizica Codreanu, Paule Sybille, Stere Popescu, Gabriel Negri, Esther Maghiar and Trixy Checais.



    These proposals were actually a preview of what will be happening this year and in 2019, as well as in the activity of the Centre, said manager Vava Stefanescu: “It was kind of a radical option for the National Dance Centre Bucharest because now at the Centre a stage has come to an end and another one is beginning. In 2019 we will move to a building that is more appropriate for the activity of the Centre. So far we have had a certain type of activity, that of promotion, we have had a certain tendency of making contemporary dance visible. From now on, we need a different vision, a different way of looking at things. I think we need an institutional change for the better or a different institutional attitude, given that we are going to move to a new location, in Omnia Hall, on Popisteanu street, in Bucharest. Whenever a stage comes to an end, one feels the need to take a look back at the previous stage, for the sake of comparison. Thanks to these people contemporary dance has a future in Romania. We considered it a must to pay homage to these personalities, whom we should not forget. We should look at their achievements and, in a way, try to experience their successes, courage, speeches, and why not their courage to break with tradition and go beyond limits. Therefore, the spirit of these artists is to be revived at our Dance Centre. You take a look back but you are actually looking at the future.”



    The National Dance Center in Bucharest is at once producer, host, training and research entity, and also a mediator.



    Here is Vava Stefanescu once again, this time giving details on the strategy by means of which she intends to bring about change in all the aforementioned levels: ”The center will move to new premises in the city center, and I think that 2018 and partially 2019 will be years of preparation, to be able to open the gates for the public in 2019 in the broader sense of the word, with a clear-cut message, with a clear-cut attitude. And that is very important. That is why I believe the first axis of this strategy is intensifying ideas, dialogue and public presentations. There are many projects, to be further multiplied, and if they are not multiplied, they are sure to be longer-lasting, for their impact to be bigger, or they will need a visibility effort and an amount of involvement from the public that will be much more important than what we have managed to achieve so far. We try to multiply stage performances proper, with co-productions, productions or performances that have been invited over, not only in Bucharest, but also elsewhere across the country. We have not managed to open branches or ‘antennas’ of the Bucharest National Dance Center in the other cities because the Justice Ministry told us such a decision would have to be endorsed by Parliament, which is so very interesting. But we ARE going to set up the loose ends we need and which our public countrywide needs. We all know choreographic culture cannot be clustered only in Bucharest.”



    Part of the same strategy is the setting up of mini-seasons in a string of towns across the country. For starters, they will be staged in Craiova and Targu Mures. Then there will follow Iasi, Cluj, Timisoara, perhaps Constanta and Brasov.”



    We wrap up with a view on contemporary dance in Romania, provided ‘from the Center’. The Manager of the Bucharest National Dance Center, choreographer Vava Stefanescu believes contemporary dance looks really good: ”It looks much better than 10 years ago. It seems to me that it succeeded to align itself, yet it has not succeeded to have a voice of its own, a voice it could compose for itself. In other words, artistic thought is in short supply of such thinking, there is a shortage of really new and bold ideas. It’s a fine thing that contemporary dance receives invitations from everywhere, there are many productions…many more than even four years ago. Festivals have even emerged, as well as theatres with a stage production record…That is very good! Yet they are part of the same unassuming esthetics. Daring or more problematic themes begin to lose steam, they’re beginning to be deprived of the attention of the public. The Bucharest National Dance Centre has been striving and fighting to offer broader frameworks where the public and the artists alike can feel they are being represented. Also, it is the artists’ mission to be authentic, to fight in order to assert their individual voice, their personal voice. I would be happy if they opted for exposing themselves more to the risk of not being applauded that much, but instead, be willing to stir questions, to stir debates through what they do. The Centre will never be able to achieve that on its own, but artists are in greater numbers. As for the public, its numbers are even greater. The driving slogan for our activity and the wars we shall fight in 2018 is the one by means of which we tell everybody ‘You are the context.’ You are the context, you do, you construct the context. I think it is very important that the people, the public and artists alike, empower themselves and be aware that they have a place and a volume around them, and things happen according to them. And that is true not only for the Bucharest National Dance Center. It should also happen in politics, in the economy, it should happen in social life as well.”

  • Football Flash

    Football Flash

    As Romanias current Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has recently announced on a TV station, the former international footballer Gheorghe Popescu has been appointed sports adviser to the Prime Minister. Over 1988 and 2003, Gheorghe Popescu had 115 caps for the national squad, for which he scored 16 goals. Among the club teams he was signed up by, there were Universitatea Craiova, Steaua Bucharest, Barcelona FC and Turkeys Galatasaray. In 2014, Gheorghe Popescu received a three-year prison sentence in a file linked to illegal transfer of footballers. Popescu was released on parole in 2015.



    The Croatian midfielder Ivan Pesic signed a contract with Dinamo Bucharest football club. The contract is valid until the summer of 2020. Born on April 6, 1992, Pesic began his football career with Hajduk Split. Pesic also played for Austria Klagenfurt, Sibenik, Zadar and RNK Split. The Croatian midfielder played 108 matches and scored 9 goals in Croatias League One, for such teams as NK Zadar, RNK Split and Hajduk Split. For the 2017-2018 season, Ivan Pesic played in 12 domestic championship matches and in Hajduk Splits fixture in the Cup of Croatia.



    For the ongoing competition break, the transfer of Pesic is the first one made by Dinamo Bucharest. Also, returning to Dinamos pool of regulars are three footballers that were on loan in the first part of the domestic championship. They are Mihai Popescu and Vlad Olteanu who played for FC Voluntari, and Daniel Popa, who played for FC Botoşani.



    Romanias football champions FC Viitorul Constanţa is to play a friendly game against Galatasaray Istanbul on January 14. The match is part of the Romanian champion teams training stage in Turkey, scheduled over January 12 and 26. Scheduled for Viitoruls training period in Belek are seven other training matches. On January 18, Viitorul will take on Russian second league team Luci Vladivostok and Swiss team Grasshopper Zurich. On January 22nd Viitorul Constanta will take on Azeri team Kapaz and Russias FC Rostov. On January 25 Romanias champions will play Cernomoreţ Odesa of Ukraine and Polands Jagiellonia Bialystok.


    (translated by: Eugen Nasta)

  • Football Flash

    Football Flash

    As Romanias current Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has recently announced on a TV station, the former international footballer Gheorghe Popescu has been appointed sports adviser to the Prime Minister. Over 1988 and 2003, Gheorghe Popescu had 115 caps for the national squad, for which he scored 16 goals. Among the club teams he was signed up by, there were Universitatea Craiova, Steaua Bucharest, Barcelona FC and Turkeys Galatasaray. In 2014, Gheorghe Popescu received a three-year prison sentence in a file linked to illegal transfer of footballers. Popescu was released on parole in 2015.



    The Croatian midfielder Ivan Pesic signed a contract with Dinamo Bucharest football club. The contract is valid until the summer of 2020. Born on April 6, 1992, Pesic began his football career with Hajduk Split. Pesic also played for Austria Klagenfurt, Sibenik, Zadar and RNK Split. The Croatian midfielder played 108 matches and scored 9 goals in Croatias League One, for such teams as NK Zadar, RNK Split and Hajduk Split. For the 2017-2018 season, Ivan Pesic played in 12 domestic championship matches and in Hajduk Splits fixture in the Cup of Croatia.



    For the ongoing competition break, the transfer of Pesic is the first one made by Dinamo Bucharest. Also, returning to Dinamos pool of regulars are three footballers that were on loan in the first part of the domestic championship. They are Mihai Popescu and Vlad Olteanu who played for FC Voluntari, and Daniel Popa, who played for FC Botoşani.



    Romanias football champions FC Viitorul Constanţa is to play a friendly game against Galatasaray Istanbul on January 14. The match is part of the Romanian champion teams training stage in Turkey, scheduled over January 12 and 26. Scheduled for Viitoruls training period in Belek are seven other training matches. On January 18, Viitorul will take on Russian second league team Luci Vladivostok and Swiss team Grasshopper Zurich. On January 22nd Viitorul Constanta will take on Azeri team Kapaz and Russias FC Rostov. On January 25 Romanias champions will play Cernomoreţ Odesa of Ukraine and Polands Jagiellonia Bialystok.


    (translated by: Eugen Nasta)

  • “Colectiv” two years on

    “Colectiv” two years on

    Hundreds of people participated on Friday evening in a march commemorating the 64 young people who died two years ago, on October 30, in a fire in the Colectiv night club, in downtown Bucharest. 27 died in the night of the tragedy, while the other 37 died later on, in hospitals in Bucharest and abroad.



    The fire broke out during a concert by the rock band “Goodbye to Gravity. The lead singer of the band has survived. The participants in the commemoration march, relatives and friends of the victims, as well as people who knew them, walked silently, dressed in white T-shirts impressed with photos of the victims or simply carrying photos of the victims, candles and flowers. They wanted to show that they will never forget the people who died, and also to deplore the authorities incapacity to find the culprits. Although the tragic event was followed by large-scale rallies against corruption in local and central administration, the street protests only led to the resignation of the government led by the Social Democrat Victor Ponta. However Pontas resignation was not enough for all the problems of the system to be solved. A participant in Friday rally shared his opinion with us:



    “Unfortunately, few things have changed. At political level we saw the resignation of the prime minister, but from a technical point of view not much has been done, in the sense that all they did was to close down a couple of clubs that were not authorized and to issue a couple of regulations in this regard.



    The authorities claim however that changes did occur after the Colectiv fire. The number of applications for certificates and fire safety authorizations has increased by almost 85% in the past two years, according to data provided by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. Over 23,000 clubs, bars, discos, shopping malls, restaurants and stores have been inspected by fire fighters. Of them, more than 100 have been closed down and 350 have suspended their activity.



    As far as the healthcare sector is concerned, changes have been insignificant. And not only has the shortage of staff, medication and equipment remained the weak spot of the public healthcare system, but the situation has become even worse. Romanian hospitals can now provide treatment and care to only 11 people suffering from major burns, as compared to 10 in 2015. Doctor Raed Arafat, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, admits that many things are still to be improved.



    Raed Arafat: “We have managed to refurbish the Burn Hospital in Bucharest, but we cannot say that we have a higher capacity now as compared to what we had before. On the contrary, sometimes we have problems finding places to treat severe burns in hospitals all over the country, so this problem is quite urgent.



    Many had hoped that corruption and superficiality, the underlying causes of the Colectiv tragedy, would be eliminated. However, apart from several isolated legislative amendments, nothing has actually been done.


    (translated by: Lacramioara Simion)

  • NATO in the face of novel challenges

    NATO in the face of novel challenges

    The drop in investments in research and development may erode NATO’s technological edge in comparison with Russia and China. This is the conclusion of a document presented by the NATO general rapporteur Thomas Marino at the latest meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly hosted by Bucharest. The document makes a parallel between the situation in Russia and China and that in the NATO member countries.



    Major changes are emerging in the field of science and technology and some tendencies might affect the strategic balance related to production, on short terms, and artificial intelligence on the long term, said Thomas Marino who also claimed that NATO was not ready to face such challenges. One of the main reasons identified is the low level of investments which some Alliance members channel into research and development in the defense industry. On the other hand, Russia and China allot more money for that purpose. For instance Moscow’s budget for research and development in the defense industry doubled as of 2012 until 2015, while Beijing will allot more money by 2022, its budget being set to exceed that of Washington, which at present provides for two thirds of NATO’s total expenses.



    Why is it important to look at these issues carefully? The political committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly mentioned in a report that Russia is strengthening its military capabilities and is enlarging its range of action at the eastern border of NATO, thus putting pressure on the Euro-Atlantic space. Interviewed by Radio Romania, the head of the Romanian delegation at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Vergil Chitac, has tried to draw the area’s geo-strategic picture.



    Vergil Chitac: “It is obvious that after Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in 2014, the so-called geo-strategic holiday that we have had for almost 50 years, namely since the end of the Cold War, has now come to an end. At present, Russia is an actor discontented with the place it was offered at the table of world geopolitics. Russia believes that the great powers must have a say in their areas of hegemony. After Crimea was annexed, all sorts of provocative actions were started against NATO, more precisely Crimea started being militarized. After the Caucasus 2016 Drill, Russian Chief of Staff, General Valery Gerasimov said – and I’m quoting from memory — ‘Russia entirely dominates the Black sea basin and is capable of destroying any target from the moment it leaves its berth.’ The process of militarizing Crimea had the following strategic purpose: Crimea’s military facilities and power reflect Russia’s military might in the eastern Mediterranean. Now we see a very active Russian presence in the conflict zone between Syria and Iraq, and besides militarizing Crimea, destabilizing Ukraine, and staging all sorts of provocative military drills, Russia has also become active in the Western Balkans, doing anything so that these countries may not join the European Union. It grants them loans, energy projects, with a view to raising anti-Western feelings, particularly in countries like Serbia. We should not overlook this asymmetrical warfare, propaganda and the dissemination of false news. Everything that Russia is doing is meant to undermine the North Atlantic Alliance and to divide and even dismantle Europe.”



    Security in the Black Sea area and the Russian threat have been the top issues debated at the latest meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest. The Alliance’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, has thanked Romania for its contribution to collective defence saying that NATO keeps its promises and is adapting to new challenges and security threats. Against the backdrop of Russia’s cyber warfare, Stoltenberg has referred to the freedom of the press, now “when we see attempts of interference and disinformation to try to manipulate the media”. “We are concerned about Russia’s military buildup close to NATO’s border and its lack of transparency when it comes to military exercises”, Stoltenberg went on to say. According to NATO’s Secretary General, the Alliance ‘doesn’t want a new Cold War with Russia”.



    Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has also referred to the Russian threat pleading for strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. He also pleaded for the consolidation of North Atlantic partnership and NATO’s partnership with the European Union, in the context of a worsening security climate. President Iohannis has given assurances that Romania will continue to be a trustworthy ally within the Alliance.

  • Bucharest hosts NATO Parliamentary Assembly

    Bucharest hosts NATO Parliamentary Assembly

    The North-Atlantic Treaty Organization risks losing its technological edge unless it invests more in research and development (R&D), reads a report made public during the 63rd session of NATOs Parliamentary Assembly hosted by Bucharest. Presented by NATO General Rapporteur Thomas Marino of the United States, the document is titled: “Maintaining NATOs Technology Edge: Strategic Adaptation and Defence Research & Development.



    According to the report, NATOs technological edge is warning against the rapid advancements in the fields of science and technology, some of which might potentially disrupt the strategic balance as regards production on the short term and artificial intelligence on the long term. Thomas Marino says that, for the time being, NATO is not prepared to deal with these challenges, particularly while considering the dropping rate of R&D investment in member states.



    Conversely, the NATO official pointed out, Russias R&D budget doubled over 2012-2015, and some experts say that by 2020 Chinas budget for research and development will exceed that of the United States, which currently accounts for two thirds of NATOs total spending. Thomas Marino highlighted the fact that NATO members must abide by their commitment to allocating 2% of their GDP to defence spending, a goal Romania has already achieved.



    Additionally, the NATO official referred to the idea of a common EU security fund, which might be instrumental in further expanding research and development capabilities and rebuilding the basis of the EUs defence industry. Another document drafted by the NATO PAs Political Committee shows that Russia is strengthening its military capabilities and intensifying its actions on NATOs eastern borders.



    Under the heading “Russia – from Partner to Competitor, the report highlights Moscows actions aimed at exerting pressure on the whole Euro-Atlantic area. Moscows challenging attitude towards the Alliance and its ingressions in Ukraine, Georgia and other NATO partners are undermining the stability of NATO and the EU. The report recommends all allies to remain committed to a strong deterrence posture and stand up against Russias continuous provocations and aggressions against NATO partner countries, particularly Ukraine and Georgia. The document concludes that allies should maintain periodic and meaningful dialogue with Russia, although some topics as counter-terrorism or the peacemaking process in Syria remain very delicate topics.

  • September 20, 2017

    September 20, 2017

    UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis will deliver a speech today before the UN General Assembly. His speech will focus on the importance of having a world order based on principles and regulations, the rule of law at international level, the need to strengthen the UNO and adapting it to current challenges. In another move, the Romanian President will underline the need to have an efficient response to the major threats to international peace and security. Klaus Iohannis will attend an event titled “Education for peace”, organised by Romania and enjoying the participation of high-ranking officials. The Romanian President will underline the role played by education in conflict-prevention. Also in New York, the Romanian President will attend an event organised by the UN Secretariat and meant to launch an important report promoting the equality of chances between men and women. Klaus Iohannis will also have bilateral talks with the Moldovan PM, Pavel Filip, and the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, respectively.



    WASHINGTON — The Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor has met in Washington with the White Houses Deputy National Security Adviser, Ricky Waddell. The Romanian minister has hailed the excellent cooperation between Romania and the US, both at bilateral level and within NATO, and the US official has pointed to the extremely positive agenda of cooperation between Bucharest and Washington in the following years. Mihai Fifor has also reiterated Romania’s commitment to allot 2% of the GDP for defence, whereas the American side has shown interest in supporting NATO’s efforts to fully secure the eastern flank of the Alliance and underlined that the US will further be committed to Europe.



    UKRAINIAN EDUCATION LAW — The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, gathered in a plenary session in Bucharest, have issued a declaration on the new education law in neighbouring Ukraine. The Romanian MPs say they are following with concern and maximum attention the latest developments generated by the recent adoption by Ukraine’s Supreme Rada of this law which drastically infringes upon the rights to education in the native language of the ethnic Romanians in Ukraine. They are launching an appeal for a fast settlement of this situation, by well intended actions and goodwill, in the spirit of cooperation, inclusive dialogue and the strict observance of European standards in the field of national minority protection, abiding by the relevant multilateral and bilateral agreements, that Ukraine is a signatory to. On Tuesday, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a similar resolution, condemning the new law, which –in the opinion of the Hungarian MPs- does not observe the commitments made by the Kiev authorities and infringes upon the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine. The law drastically limits the access to education in the native language of many ethnic minority communities in Ukraine. This stipulates that Ukrainian should be the only teaching language in high-schools and faculties, and education in the languages of the ethnic minorities is possible only in nursery and primary schools. Almost half a million ethnic Romanians are living in neighbouring Ukraine, most of them in the Romanian territories annexed by the former USSR in 1940, following an ultimatum, and taken over by Ukraine, in 1991, as a successor state.



    BUCHAREST — Romania’s capital city, Bucharest is today celebrating 558 years since it was first mentioned in documents. The name of today’s city was first mentioned in a document issued in 1459, by the then ruler of Wallachia, the famous Vlad the Impaler. In order to mark the event, the city hall has organised over the past few days, open air parties, concerts, vintage costume parades, fairs and exhibitions. Bucharest became Romania’s capital city in 1862. In the inter-war period, Bucharest was dubbed “Little Paris”, due to its elegant architecture. Romania’s main economic engine, Bucharest is considered to be a city difficult to manage, because of an old and insufficiently developed infrastructure and of heavy traffic.



    MEXIC/EARTHQUAKE — A provisional death toll is expected to rise after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake stroke 120km from Mexico City, collapsing buildings and killing at least 250 people. It was the most powerful earthquake since the one which hit Mexico City in 1985, killing over 9,000. The tremor had the epicentre close to the border between the Puebla and Morelos states, in the centre, at a depth of 51 km. Many world leaders have expressed their sympathy with Mexico and offered their support to that country, which was still recovering from a fatal earthquake in the south of the country in early September.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (no. 55 WTA) has today been defeated by Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (no.71 WTA), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, in the eighth finals of the Seoul tennis tournament, with 250,000 US dollars in prize money up for grabs. Irina has also qualified to the doubles quarterfinals, alongside the Czech player Krystina Pliskova. The two will play the all Thai pair Luksika Kumkhum/ Peangtarn Plipuech. Romania’s second player in Seoul, Sorana Cîrstea (no. 52 WTA), will meet in the eighth finals American Nicole Gibbs (no.121 WTA). We recall that Irina Begu is the holder of the Seoul tournament title in 2015.

  • August 28, 2017 UPDATE

    August 28, 2017 UPDATE

    Eurozone — Romania, one of the fastest growing European Union members, may join the euro zone in 2022, once the incomes of its poorest citizens rise, Reuters quoted foreign minister Teodor Melescanu as saying in an interview with Polish Rzeczpospolita daily. The Romanian official also said that in spite of the fact that Romania already meets all formal requirements, joining the currency union sooner would have a negative effect on the poorest categories of citizens. Romania is one of the fastest growing economies within the European Union, with gross domestic product expected to expand by 5.5-5.6 percent in 2017, according to Melescanu. At the same time, the country is still one of the poorest EU members. The euro zone consists of 19 members. The latest one, Lithuania, joined the club in 2015.




    Education— Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose met on Monday with representatives of the education trade unions to discuss a number of major issues in the education field. Approached at the meeting were topics such as the drawing up of a national education law, the outdated school curricula and the system’s under financing. At the end of the talks, the PM promised that the staff in the education field would receive this year the salary increases they won in Court. According to Eurostat, in 2015 Romania ranked last in the EU in terms of amounts spent for education.



    Cantacuzino Institute — The Cantacuzino Institute in Bucharest, which has a strategic role in ensuring Romania’s independence in the field of vaccine production, needs to become functional again, and for that to happen, the institute will be tuned into a military unit. This statement was made by Mihai Tudose who called on the defense and healthcare ministers to draft, in one month’s time, a bill on the subordination of the Cantacuzino Institute to the National Defense Ministry. The PM recalled that the Institute, set up in 1921, is a Romanian brand with a history of almost 100 years and with many achievements. Before 1990, the Cantacuzino Institute had a substantial portfolio in terms of vaccine production, but later, due to lack of funds, bad management and the failure to observe the norms imposed by the WHO, production was stopped for all vaccines.




    Washington — A Romanian-born lawyer living in California, Andrei Iancu, was nominated by President Donald Trump as Undersecretary with the Trade Department in charge of intellectual property and as director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Andrei Iancu is currently a lawyer with the American firm Irell & Manella LLP, where his activity focuses on intellectual property issues, a White House communiqué shows. He defended clients from various industries and pleaded before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, of the US International Trade Commission and other courts. According to the communiqué, Andrei Iancu wrote and delivered speeches on issues related to intellectual property and taught Patent Law at the University of California, Los Angeles.




    Protests – Several thousand Romanians protested on Sunday evening in Bucharest and other big cities of Romania against the bill for the modification of the justice laws proposed by the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. Protesters asked for the resignation of the justice minister, chanted slogans in support of the independence of the judiciary and announced that next Sunday they will organize similar protests. The leader of the Social Democratic Party (the main ruling party) Liviu Dragnea told the participants that the draft law was nothing but a proposal and that it needed to be seriously debated first. Sharply criticized by the opposition and the press, the draft law stipulates, among other things, that the president will no longer appoint the heads of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), that the Judicial Inspectorate will be subordinated to the Justice Ministry and seniority will be increased for the promotion of magistrates. Early this year, the government’s attempt to amend, through emergency ordinance, the criminal codes, brought hundreds of thousands of Romanians into the streets in Bucharest and other cities of Romania as well as in the Diaspora. They accused the government of trying to help influential people from the political and administrative fields, accused of corruption, to avoid legal responsibility.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)



  • The Week in Review 21-27.08.2017

    The Week in Review 21-27.08.2017

    A draft to reform Romania’s Justice System


    Since its EU accession in 2007, Romania has registered remarkable successes in reforming its justice system. The country’s progress in this field has not remained unnoticed by Brussels, which has been strictly monitoring the process. Now the European Commission has called on the government in Bucharest to provide more details on a draft aimed at reforming the country’s justice system. The draft, which was made public by the field minister, Tudorel Toader, on Wednesday, has sparked off heated debates in Romania of late. The irreversibility of the headway Romania has made in the anti-corruption fight in the past decade is essential to the European Commission, the EU Executive says in a statement.



    The draft, which attracted a lot of heat from the opposition in Bucharest, has been described by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis as “an attack against the rule of law”. Coming six months after an attempt by the centre-to-left government to relax anti-corruption legislation in Romania, the initiative also provides for trimming the prerogatives of the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA), which could not investigate the justices. The draft provides for many amendments, from the way in which chief prosecutors are appointed to setting up a special unit in charge of monitoring the magistrates. “If this mixture of measures is adopted by the government and approved by Parliament, Romania’s efforts of the past 10 years will be erased and the justice system will be thrown back to an era, when it was subordinated to the political class” — the Romanian head of state has argued.



    Under the legislation in force, chief-prosecutors are appointed by the president, upon proposals by the Minister of Justice and after the consultative agreement of the Higher Council of Magistracy (CSM), the body that guarantees the independence of the judiciary. At the same time, Toader proposed that the politically appointed Minister of Justice take control over the CSM’s judiciary inspection unit. Analysts and magistrates believe this thing would foster the interference of politics in the justice system. At the same time, the General Prosecutor’s Office considers these proposals as an alarm signal, admitting the prosecutors have not been consulted.



    Emmanuel Macron visits Bucharest



    In a speech delivered at the French Embassy in Bucharest, the French President Emmanuel Macron also warned that, in their current form, the proposed changes of the justice law were not in line with the promises Romania made to carry on with the anti-corruption fight. The French President on Thursday paid his first official visit to Romania where, alongside his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, agreed on the deepening of the bilateral strategic partnership. Several agreements have been signed, including one on the production of state-of-the-art tactical missile systems.



    President Iohannis underlined Bucharest’s interest in boosting French investments and cooperation between France and Romania as regards the consolidation of the European project, while reiterating Romania’s firm wish to be admitted into the Schengen area. He underscored that Romania had already acted de facto as a responsible state and had participated in all the efforts meant to strengthen the EU’s external borders. The president argued that Romania’s Schengen accession would consolidate common security and would send a strong message in support of the EU.



    In turn, Emmanuel Macron said that France was determined to work together on the road map to consolidating the future of the EU, the Euro Zone and all the efforts to be made in the future, as France is well aware that Romania is firmly determined to be integrated into a Europe that is set to go ahead, the Euro Zone being an element of convergence in this regard. During his one-day visit to Bucharest, the French President also met with the PM Mihai Tudose.



    Bucharest and the situation in Afghanistan



    Romania, alongside other NATO allies, has hailed the announcement by the U.S. President Donald Trump on stepping up the military campaign against insurgents in Afghanistan. The White House leader has ruled out a prospective U.S. pullout from that country, expressing confidence that “a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and Al-Qaeda, would instantly fill”. In Bucharest, the Romanian defence minister, Adrian Ţuţuianu, has said Romania, which is NATO’s forth largest contributor of troops, might supplement the number of troops which take part in the “Resolute Support” mission.



    This week, military of the “Brave Hearts” Force Protection Infantry Battalion in Focşani have taken over the Romanian missions unfolding in the theatre of operations in Afghanistan from the 151st Infantry Battalion “Black Wolves” of Iasi, as part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission. The over 600 Romanian troops will have as main task to secure the Kandahar base, going on patrol missions alongside other coalition military, the Afghan army and police. The Romanian military will also secure the largest airport in southern Afghanistan.



    The region continues to raise problems in terms of security. The latest incident, during which a Romanian military was also injured, occurred two weeks ago. Data issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry show 25 Romanian military have died in the line of duty in Afghanistan since 2001, when Romania started taking part in missions in that country. Another 100 Romanian military have got injured so far in that theatre of operations.

  • Bucharest’s historical monuments

    Bucharest’s historical monuments

    Around the early years of that century, Bucharest was a Middle Eastern looking city, without monuments. Western travellers saw it as lacking in modern culture and quality of life. As of the 19th century, each generation started the tradition of immortalizing in monuments its best moments and people.



    Museum expert Petre Buiumaci, with the Bucharest Municipal Museum, told us about the evolution of monuments, including those that no longer stand:

    “In Piata Vorniciei, where the Museum of Art Collections stands today on Victory Boulevard, a statue representing free Romania stood, a statue designed by Constantin Daniel Rosenthal, described in a daily of the time as a Pheme with a robe and wearing a laurel wreath over flowing locks of hair, still wearing on its wrists the shackles that bound it that far. In one hand it bears a crosier, and in the other it holds a scales, symbol of faith and justice. One foot crushes enemies, represented by a snake. This first statue of Bucharest did not last even five days, because Kaimakam Emanoil Baleanu, for fear of a Russian-Turkish intervention, declared the restoration of the Organic Regulations and ordered it destroyed. In that particular daily, C.A. Rosetti describes that action as such: ‘The statue representing Romania Saved, with the symbol of justice and Christianity, the scales and the cross, was demolished by order of Emanoil Baleanu, whose act of vandalism was accompanied by words so crass and worldly that our pen would not mar paper with. Similarly was demolished the plinth, throwing to the wind all regard to private property.’ Therefore this monument had an ephemeral existence, though it was meant to last for ages.



    Today’s Victory Boulevard, or Mogosoaia Bridge, as it was known back then, was for a long time the place where people placed public monuments in Bucharest. Here is Cezar Buiumaci once again:

    “Right upfront the newly erected Athenaeum we can find the Eagle Column by sculptor Storck, moved here by Mayor Pache Protopopescu in a square on the new boulevard, where it was not to stay for much longer, because in 1903 they unveiled the statue of Rosetti. In the front of the Athenaeum for a brief time they put Alfred Boucher’s ‘Runners’, which was replaced by a statue of the national poet Eminescu. They got shifted to Victory Boulevard. The Eagle Column went to Queen Marie Plaza, where it stayed until 1977, when it was lost. The Athenaeum Garden had monuments on the right and the left, which got moved to Cismigiu. It is about that time that Ienachita Vacarescu’s statue got lost.



    Museum expert Cezar Petre Buiumaci described the changes underwent by the Victory Road, especially the place that used to be known as Piata Tricolor (Flag Square):

    On Victory Road, on the site of the old Sarindar Monastery, when Emperor Franz Joseph visited the place in 1896, they built the so-called Fountain of Peace, a beautiful fountain that unfortunately did not last. Shortly after that, the Military Club was built on that location, and Onofrei proposed a monument to Nicolae Filipescu to be built. Then the municipality wanted to build a monument reminiscent to the Sarindar Fountain, and they built another fountain, which can be still seen there, in the so-called Tricolor Plaza.



    The Triumphal Arch of Bucharest also has a history of transformations, according to Cezar Buiumaci:

    “A Triumphal Gate was proposed for the coronation of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. Architect Petre Antonescu wanted to build it in less than a year. The arch, as it stands, is built on a concrete frame, but the ornamentation is made of plaster. Antonescu used several famous sculptors for the decorations. The soldiers depicted there were five and a half meters tall, there are eight of them, four on each leg of the arch. Storck made the Romanian soldier, Spathe made the Dacian soldier, Medrea made Mircea the Old’s soldier, Stephen the Great’s soldier was made by Paciurea, Michael the Brave’s soldier was made by Alexandru Severin, Tudor Vladimirescu’s pandur (soldier) was made by Jalea, the Independence War soldier was made by Ion Iordanescu, the soldier from the Great War was made by Dumitru Mataoanu. Alexandru Calinescu created the effigies of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie over the arch, the only elements of the arch today that remain, which are now decaying, because state institutions are passing the buck on them, from the Ministry of Culture to City Hall, from the Commission of Historical Monuments to the Ministry of Public Works, from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Defence. Even though money had been earmarked for its restoration, it was getting dilapidated, and thanks to King Carol II we have a new Triumphal Arch, inaugurated in 1936.



  • International Book-fair Bookfest

    International Book-fair Bookfest

    “Landscape after hysteria by Mircea Cartarescu and “Why is Romania different? a volume coordinated by Vintila Mihailescu are among the most successful volumes launched at the International Book-fair, Bookfest.



    Mircea Cartarescu, one of the most appreciated Romanian writers and a Nobel prize favourite, hits the limelight again two years upon the launch of his novel Solenoid, with another volume of social-political articles printed by Humanitas publishing house.



    “Landscape after hysteria is a compilation of journalistic texts that have been published in the past ten years. They entail a general ethical and civic significance in spite of being taken out of their political context. But lets find out more about this volume from the author himself.



    Mircea Cartarescu: “Ive always regretted my decision to get into social-political writing. Actually I started writing for a living shortly after I got married because I needed money. I also did it out of some sort of a complex because many of my colleagues had already been into publishing in late 1990s. They would be boldly telling their opinions standing up tot a system and the government in power at that time, whereas I preferred living in my ivory tower. This attitude of mine attracted a lot of flak and I got blamed for being insensitive and impervious to things that otherwise should have impressed me. That prompted me to take up social-political writing but the huge burden I felt at first eventually and gradually turned into some sort of curiosity. Colour me curios but I am interested in a great deal of things. For instance, I spent almost a year with the mystery of a Malaysia plane whose wreckage hasnt been found even today. All of a sudden curiosity gets the best of me and try to figure out what actually happened. And the same went with the social-political writing, because back in the time of the communist regime and after it I went completely apolitical. Then I suddenly got the urge to know what happened in that area as well.



    “A true writer assimilates human suffering of any kind and tries to turn it, as if by alchemy, into beauty. Not transient and futile beauty, but the kind of beauty that saves the world, as Dostoyevsky put it. As an intellectual, the writer can become involved politically, socially and morally in the life of the community and may be, in fact should be, a mouthpiece for that good and truth and a fighter against the demons that have haunted and will forever haunt the human being. As an artist, however, the purpose of the writer is to forge beauty out of all this. If a writer fails to produce quality work, his or her civic courage will not be as close to the soul of his or her readers, writes Mircea Cartarescu.



    “Why is Romania different?, historian Lucian Boia used to wonder in 2013 in a well-known essay that sparked a lot of controversy in intellectual circles. This question gave rise to this book coordinated by Vintila Mihailescu and published by Polirom. Born at first as a response to Lucian Boias work, this book goes beyond more or less ephemeral controversies. The outcome is that, motivated by a principled and strategic reticence vis-à-vis the public phenomenon of Romanian exceptionalism, a number of anthropologists, sociologists, political commentators, historians, university professors and researchers try to provide an answer to the question “Why is Romania the way it is?.



    Vintila Mihailescu: “ If I were to talk about the stakes here, I would say that it all stems in discontent. And I dont think Im mistaken if I speak in the name of al the authors who contributed to making it. Its an intellectual dissatisfaction, but also a citizens one, in the sense that its the civic responsibility that an intellectual should have towards a certain type of exceptionalist discourse, but in a nihilistic version. Which could be translated as: “We cannot do or change anything, whatever we may do, we are different from all the others. This means that if, for instance, we talk with a taxi driver, no matter the situation, the answer would be ‘this is how Romanians are. This sentence-like conclusion has turned into a permanent state of mind and a foundation for all our actions, be they cultural or political, and that, I think, is bad. From this perspective, this type of discourse, which promotes an aggressive and negative type of exceptionalism, starts to gain ground, and it has become rather dominant in the public discourse. And its not ok that professors and intellectuals in general support this urban myth.

  • Bucharest, the pulse of the community

    Bucharest, the pulse of the community

    How well do Bucharesters know their city? Most importantly, how accurate are their intuitions and empirical observations when compared against statistical, objective data about the city? For instance, heavy road traffic and crowded streets in the city centre in particular make us believe we live in an overpopulated city. However, statistics would contradict us: on January 1, 2016, the city of Bucharest officially had 1,844,576 inhabitants as compared to 1992, when the population reached a record figure of 2,067,545. In order to provide as accurate an image as possible, the Bucharest Community Foundation conducted a study gathering official data about the city in 12 key fields, including demography, education, safety, social welfare, health-care, cultural habits, traffic, housing conditions and the feeling of membership to a neighborhood.



    Titled “Bucharest: the pulse of the community”, the research was conducted by a group of sociologists and anthropologists who mainly synthesized data provided by the National Statistics Institute and Bucharest’s six administrative units. One first conclusion was that the mismatch also occurs when comparing official data. For instance, in order to see what the gaps between the rich and the poor look like, data was collected from the welfare directorate of each district, which revealed surprising information, according to sociologist and university professor Valentina Marinescu:



    “It was very difficult to compare Bucharest’s districts, because things differ from one district city hall to another. There are city halls that are very well organized and provided us with the data that we needed. On the other hand, there are city halls that, when we asked for data, provided us with just a single piece of paper. That says a lot about an administrative apparatus paid from taxpayers’ money. That is why it was extremely difficult to compare data as regards single-parent families, the rich and the poor of Bucharest, children in need or senior citizens”.



    Because of the flawed data-gathering process, some results are conflicting: the local authorities of those sectors generally viewed as wealthier have more people on welfare benefits than those sectors that are underprivileged. Valentina Marinescu:



    “In the first quarter of 2016, over 50% of the social assistance aid in Bucharest apparently went to sector 1. If we look at these data, compared to those made public by the other sectors, we would be tempted to believe that the largest proportion of people in need of welfare live precisely in that part of Bucharest with the largest number of multinational corporations, Pipera… Sector 6 has reported 108 cases, sector 5 112, and sector 3, 584. We have no data from sector 2, so we don’t know anything about the situation there. It all comes down to the way in which these cases are reported, and to the way in which each separate city hall manages the money earmarked to social assistance.”



    Bucharest proves to be a very special city in terms of education as well. Although the school infrastructure is better than in other places, Bucharest has a rather high dropout rate, around 15%, and a Baccalaureate pass rate that does not go above the national average, at 53%. Valentina Marinescu again:



    “In Bucharest, we are a little atypical when it comes to education. There is a lot of emphasis on perfection in education and on linking performance to education, to a greater extent than in other parts of the country. It would be interesting to run a separate survey to see how much money is invested in private after-schools and private tutoring and so on. On the other hand, the fact that in Bucharest the Baccalaureate pass rate was 53% does not mean that the kids here do worse than elsewhere in the country, but rather that the people here assess their children against stricter criteria.”



    Cultural consumption is closely tied to education. A 2015 sociological survey quoted by the authors of the report indicates that 54.2% of the people of Bucharest prefer to go to the theatre, 35.1% to pop and dance music shows, and 14.6% to traditional music shows. On the whole, however, 71.8% of the Bucharest locals never buy a theatre ticket. Here is Vlad Odobescu, a journalist and anthropologist, one of the authors of the research study made public by the Bucharest Community Foundation, talking about cultural preferences in Bucharest:



    “It doesn’t mean that they don’t take part in the city’s cultural life at all. Especially in recent years, both the City Hall and the sector authorities have organized outdoor events. I am not sure to what extent they can be rated as cultural events, but they are a way to attract people to this field. And we can link this figure to the 40% of the Bucharesters who spend their free time in shopping centers or malls. That says a lot about the city’s cultural infrastructure as well. In 1990, we used to have 77 state-run cinema halls, and today there are only 17 left, including in Ilfov County, next to Bucharest.”



    And still, Bucharest remains a vibrant city, not only in economic terms, but also in terms of its cultural output. This vitality does not necessarily stem from the young age of its citizens, because only one-quarter of them are aged up to 24. And this is a lot less than in other large cities in Romania. While not so young in demographic terms, Bucharest is, apparently, a safe city. Vlad Odobescu again:



    “Over the past few years, Bucharest has taken pride in being a safe city, and if we look at broader surveys, we see that it is ahead of places like Prague, Bratislava, Vilnius and others. But within the national borders, Bucharest is less safe than other large cities, like Cluj or Iasi. There are several indicators taken into account in reaching this conclusion, such as the number of offences, like robberies or theft, the frequency of sexual assaults, or traffic incidents and so on.”



    Bucharest is, apparently, a city that is not very well known. But the process of documenting it has been launched, and, at the end of the day, we may well discover that its many paradoxes are intrinsic to its charm. (Translated by M. Ignatescu and A.M. Popescu)

  • June 4, 2017

    June 4, 2017

    LONDON ATTACK – Terror attacks are a distortion of Islam, and Britain “cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are, the British PM Theresa May said on Sunday, after the terror attack on Saturday night in London, which killed 7 and wounded nearly 50 others. After a meeting of the Governments emergency response committee on Sunday, the British PM emphasised that the 3 recent attacks in Britain are not connected, although all are linked by radical Islamist ideology. May said there was far too much tolerance of extremism in Britain, and added the anti-terrorism strategy would be reconfigured. According to the British PM, the parliamentary election will still be held on June 8, as scheduled. Three attackers rammed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge on Saturday night, before getting out and attacking people with knives. They were shot dead by police. This is the third terror attack in UK in less than 3 months, after the Westminster Bridge one less than two weeks ago and Manchester Arena. The international community, including the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, firmly condemned the attack. The Romanian Embassy in UK is closely monitoring the incident, and has taken emergency measures to obtain further information on whether Romanian citizens were among the victims.





    STATE VISIT – The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis is, as of Sunday, on an official visit to the United States, where he has a meeting scheduled with his US counterpart, Donald Trump on June 9. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Washington, Klaus Iohannis is the first Central and East European head of state to be received at the White House since Trump took office. The talks are intended to strengthen bilateral relations and the strategic partnership between the two countries, 20 years after it was signed. Over the past 2 decades Bucharest has grown into an important ally for Washington in the region. The agenda of the Romanian Presidents visit to the US also includes meetings with the Romanians living in that country. On June 5, Klaus Iohannis will be the guest of honour in the Global Forum of the American Jewish Committee, where he is to receive the highest distinction of this organisation.






    PENTECOST – 50 days after Easter, Christians around the world, including in mostly Orthodox Romania, are celebrating the Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the birth of the first Christian community. The holiday is also known as White Sunday, or Whitsunday. The biblical narrative of Pentecost is given in the Book of Acts. 50 days after Resurrection, about one hundred and twenty followers of Christ, including the Twelve Apostles, heard a sound from heaven and saw tongues of fire. The Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in languages they had not known before. On that day, following Apostle Peters address, 3,000 people were baptised, coming together into the first Christian community, which was the core of the future Christian Church.





    TURIN PANIC – Hundreds of people were injured as they fled in fear on Sunday night in a piazza in Turin, Italy, while watching the Champions League final. What led people to stampede is still unclear, as media reports diverge: one points to people mistaking firecrackers for a bomb, others that a handrail to an underground parking collapsed, creating the panic. Around 400 people were treated for injuries, while 5 are seriously injured.




    JUDO – The Romanian Monica Ungureanu won the gold in the 48 kilo category of the Bucharest Judo Open, after defeating the Italian Francesca Milani in Saturdays final. Ungureanu is a two-time winner of bronze in the European Championships, in 2016 and 2017. This is the most important judo competition organised in Romania, with 438 athletes from 31 countries on 4 continents taking part. Romania is represented by 52 athletes, 34 men and 18 women.




    ROLAND GARROS – The best ranking Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep (no. 4 WTA), is facing Spains Carla Suarez Navarro, no 23 WTA in Mondays eighth-finals of the Roland Garros. This will be the 12th direct match for the two, six of which were won by the Romanian. In the womens doubles event, the Romanian Irina Begu and the Chinese Saisai Zheng are playing on Sunday, in the eighth-finals, against the Chinese pair made up of Ying-Ying Duan/Shuai Peng, while the Romanian Raluca Olaru and Ukrainian Olga Savchuk are taking on Gabriela Gabrowski of Canada / Yi Fan Xu of China.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Bucharest in Literature. Six Possible Readings of the City

    Bucharest in Literature. Six Possible Readings of the City

    Andreea Rasuceanu’s new book, “Bucharest in Literature. Six Possible Readings of the City” is a sort of experiment on the many forms of relation between the city and its literary projection, between the perception of the author and that of the reader, between the various interior maps and the different ways of reading the urban landscape. According to writer and literary critic Cornel Ungureanu, “Andreea Rasuceanu offers an image of Bucharest that formed as a result of the reading of several novels written by authors that define the current Romanian type of writing.



    The readings proposed by this book anticipate in fact a new research method, that of geocriticism”. Here is critic Andreea Rasuceanu herself: “What I focused on in my book was the idea of the city itself. The city as a construction, the city as a fascinating object, the city as our second body that cannot be ignored. This is what I started from, so the idea of literary geography captivated me from the very beginning. As I mentioned in the book’s foreword, I started off having two goals in mind. On the one hand, to make the readers who are passionate about contemporary literature, which I have been focusing on lately, to actually see the city and have a different perspective on it, filtered with the help of these texts. On the other hand, I wanted to familiarize the readers who are passionate only about the history of this city, with the writings of these contemporary writers. So this was my intention, to offer a 2-type reading of the city, one via literature and one that is in fact a journey through literature via these literary cities.”



    “Bucharest in Literature. Six Possible Readings of the City” speaks about the image of the city as it appears in the works of 6 writers from different generations. In the books of Mircea Cărtărescu, Gabriela Adameşteanu, Stelian Tănase, Simona Sora, Filip Florian and Ioana Pârvulescu, Bucharest becomes a character. Each chapter includes an interview, which is uncontested evidence pointing to the similarities and differences between the critic’s outer perspective and the way in which the writer experiences his or her relation with the city.



    Here is Andreea Răsuceanu at the microphone with more: “I also found this relation interesting, between writers and the space they describe. They describe the contemporary space, the space that they are living in, which they see and experience every day or the space of past ages. I noticed that Gabriela Adameşteanu makes very ample descriptions of Bucharest as it was before 1989, and her descriptions could be good study material for anthropologists, for those who want to see what Bucharest was like back in the 1970s or 1980s. Her descriptions of Bucharest are very detailed. I discovered in Gabriela Adameşteanu’s prose a very sensory city, reconstituted through all sorts of visual, sound and tactile clues. Her characters are perfectly connected to the rhythm of the city, to its speed, to what’s going on outside, which is a projection of what’s going on inside. Likewise, the urban landscape has a very big impact on the inner life of characters.”



    “If you say literary Bucharest you say Mircea Cartarescu. He managed to impose a certain image of Bucharest, an unmistakable one, as he is the Romanian writer most concerned about the image of this city. Any literary emblem of the literary Bucharest should first and foremost contain emblematic phrases of Cartarescu’s prose about the alter-ego city, the body-city or the city as an inferred space, discovered, tapped by means of senses, a city of mythical addresses”, as Andreea Rasuceanu put it.



    “I have allotted the largest space in the book to Mircea Cartarescu but without premeditating it. ‘Solenoid’ appeared at a moment when I was preparing to complete the book, so it just happened. I read the book and I realized that it completed that image of Bucharest, which first appeared in another book by Cartarescu, ‘Orbitor’ (Blinding). The city has been given immense coverage in his books; we have the most spectacular city here where various facets of this city are presented; it’s an extension of the narrator’s body, an anatomic structure where the demolition of a building is tantamount to removing a vital organ. On the other hand, an entirely original image is the image of the alter-ego city. It’s an extraordinary metaphor that begins the book ‘Blinding’, with little Mircea in his now famous apartment on ‘Stefan cel Mare’ street who sees his reflection in the window, a reflection that is juxtaposed to the image of the city. This image is used by Mircea Cartarescu throughout the book in different guises. The city becomes a text, one that is written by the narrator at that very moment.”



    “The six chapters of the book turn Bucharest into one of the great post-modern cities. It becomes readable and reveals itself to us as a passionate city, deserving of our love. It comes to us in an anthropomorphic guise and we are able to explore its magic core through a palimpsest, as a character that takes shape through the subjective feelings of other characters” — this is how Tania Radu describes the book “Bucharest in Literature. Six Possible Readings of the City”.