Tag: business

  • Israeli-Romanian strategic relations, a fresh turn

    Israeli-Romanian strategic relations, a fresh turn

    The president of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, these days has
    been on a visit to Romania. It was the top-ranking Israeli official’s first
    state visit to our country. According to the Presidential Administration in
    Bucharest, the visit stands proof of the fact that Israel remains Romania’s key
    strategic partner in the Middle East. Romania’s relations with Israel are based
    on strong, historical ties. It was the key point Romanian president Klaus
    Iohannis emphasized during the meeting with his Israeli counterpart. On the
    same occasion, President Klaus Iohannis went on to say Romania was a
    model as regards the initiatives taken in order to preserve the memory of the
    Holocaust and to fight antisemitism. President Iohannis also made mention of
    the recent violent clashes that sadly claimed the lives of both Israelis and
    Palestinians. Iohannis also stated direct talks had to be resumed, so
    that the two states could find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Klaus Iohannis:


    Romania shares the belief whereby
    both the Israelis and the Palestinians have the right to live in peace and
    security, strongly supporting, together with its main international partners, a
    solution to be put forward by the two states, according to the rules and
    standards set by the international law.


    In turn, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin recalled that Romania was the only state of the former Soviet bloc that has never
    severed its ties with Israel. In the Romanian Parliament’s joint plenary
    session, the Israeli president, among other things, emphasized the importance
    of an awareness-raising stance, taken with respect to the phenomena triggered
    by anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism. According to the Israeli president, a
    joint fight must be put together against such a scourge, and that in one single
    voice. Mr Rivlin also emphasized the fact Romania was a staunch supporter of
    the first strategy against anti-Semitism that was built at the level of the
    European Union, a strategy that will be finalized as soon as possible.


    Israeli president Reuven Rivlin:


    Certainly, we do not forget
    history. In the past, the violent anti-Semitism, pogroms, murders, mainly
    perpetrated during the Holocaust, but much more important than that is
    the fact that Romania’s governing bodies found ways to ensure history was not
    forgotten and that Romania must wage an uncompromising battle against
    anti-Semitism.


    Romania’s economic cooperation with Israel has a great
    potential for the two states’ mutual benefit. This is what Reuven Rivlin
    stated, in another development, as part of the Romania-Israel Business Forum.
    President Rivlin highlighted the fact that the cooperation opportunities
    between the two states were important. Also stating that Romania was one of the
    few countries with which Israel shared its military expertise and experience,
    President Rivlin believed that the eventual aim, to that end, was to integrate
    Israel’s innovations into Romania’s capabilities and industry, so that new
    state-of-the art military technologies could be created, which Romania can then
    export. Part of the Israeli delegation attending the Forum were many Israeli defense and
    smart city companies, as well as cyber and national security firms, but also healthcare
    and healthcare digitization companies. Also present at the forum were companies
    producing software and specialized equipment, farming and water management
    companies, as well as companies
    producing irrigation systems and glasshouses, or companies creating animal
    breeding technologies. Around 8,300 Israeli companies are active on Romanian
    territory at the moment.

    (Translation by Eugen Nasta)






  • Numérisation

    Numérisation

    Et la deuxième vague de Covid-19 qui déferle sur le monde apporte son corollaire de nouvelles restrictions, qui se traduit pour certaines compagnies par de nouveaux manques à gagner. La Roumanie nen est pas épargnée, sentend. Ici comme ailleurs, beaucoup de business ont dû se réinventer pour survivre. Le recours à la technologie a été une bouffée doxygène ; les compagnies ont réalisé quelles pouvaient continuer à fonctionner uniquement si elles se tournent vers le numérique. Cest une des conclusions des participants à la vidéoconférence High-Tech Innovation Summit 2020 – Comment relancer le business par la numérisation, organisée par le quotidien « Ziarul financiar » (le Journal financier). Ligia la suivie.


  • June 30, 2020

    June 30, 2020

    Covid-19 RO – In Romania, latest data published by the Strategic Communication Group show more than 26,500 cases of Covid-19. So far, most infections have been reported in the county of Suceava, in the north-east, and in the capital Bucharest. Of the people confirmed positive, more than 18,900 have recovered and have been discharged from hospital. So far, 1,634 people have died of Covid-19 in Romania. Experts have suggested postponing the 4th relaxation stage that was scheduled for July 1, given the alarming rise in the number of contaminations reported in the past 10 days and most of the people’s failure to observe the hygiene and social distancing rules. Doctors warn that if prevention rules are not respected, the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 could intensify. The authorities recommend simple measures for the population to observe: wearing face masks in enclosed or crowded areas, washing their hands with soap and water, using hand sanitizers and staying 2 meters away from each other.



    Economy — A comprehensive economic recovery plan will be announced in Romania on Wednesday. The Liberal PM Ludovic Orban promises that all the laws ensuring the plan’s implementation will be passed in a month’s time. He has given assurances that, despite speculations, the National Liberal Party will not give up the 16% flat tax, given that it is a Liberal measure that had good effects on the economy. In turn, the finance minister Florin Citu has explained that the plan will be based on investments and that record allocations will be made in this field. As of the next budget adjustment, funds will be increased by several billions of Euros, he added. According to the finance minister, if the project is successful, the 4th quarter of the year is going to be much better. Even the tax collection for June is going to be higher than in 2019, the minister also said.



    Parliament — The Romanian Parliament might decide today on setting up an investigation committee that should look into the public purchases made during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal was made by the opposition Social Democrats, that make up the most numerous parliamentary group, as they want to check all the purchases of sanitary materials made by the Liberal government during the health crisis. Last week, the general director of Unifarm, a state company that manages the purchase of sanitary materials for hospitals, Adrian Ionel, was subjected to legal restrictions pending trial by the anti-corruption prosecutors, who accuse him of having asked for bribe worth 750 thousand Euros to grant a contract for the purchase of surgical masks and hazmat suits. The prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate have also discovered that he has illegally occupied the position of general manager since 2016.



    Survey – Most Romanian managers are anticipating a drop in their business’ turnover this year and a recuperation of losses by mid 2021 — shows a survey conducted among the managers of more than 500 companies operating in Romania. The most optimistic are the managers from the agricultural field while the most pessimistic are those in the services domain which was hard hit by the crisis. Half of the Romanian managers interviewed say that overcoming the crisis is possible through a pro-active attitude, through increased investments and increased productivity while one third of them say they would firstly cut down on costs. Another conclusion of the survey is that we are not facing a financial crisis right now. 44% of the managers interviewed said that, in their companies, the working capital has improved.



    Gopo Awards – Corneliu Porumboiu’s film La Gomera is the big winner of the Gopo Awards Gala which granted prizes to Romanian filmmakers for 2019. The film got 9 prizes, including the one for best film, best director and best screenplay. “La Gomera” tells the story of Cristi, a corrupt Romanian policeman, involved in a business with the mafia worth 30 million Euros, who reaches the island of La Gomera in Spain to learn El Silbo, a whistled language used by the locals. This language will help him free Zsolt, a trafficker arrested in Bucharest and the only one who know where the money was hidden. The event is the first outdoor edition in the history of the Gopo Awards Gala which has reached its 14th edition this year. (tr. L Simion)

  • L’enseignement supérieur et l’entrepreneuriat (II)

    L’enseignement supérieur et l’entrepreneuriat (II)

    Cette semaine nous prolongeons notre discussion sur les liens entre les nouveaux programmes de l’enseignement supérieure et l’idéologie capitaliste avec notre invitée Olivia Chambard. Cette imposition implique tous un ensemble de changements que nous mettrons en lumière.



  • L’enseignement supérieur et l’entrepreneuriat (I)

    L’enseignement supérieur et l’entrepreneuriat (I)

    Cette semaine nous allons nous pencher sur un livre très intéressant, Business model. L’université, nouveau laboratoire de l’idéologie entrepreneuriale, avec son autrice, la sociologue Olivia Chambard.

    Nous verrons comment une multitude d’acteurs tentent de changer l’enseignement supérieur pour en faire un laboratoire où sont formés les esprits à une certaine vision du monde.



  • 12 September 2019, UPDATE

    12 September 2019, UPDATE

    Voting. The Romanian government has approved
    a draft order tabled by the Permanent Election Authority under which the
    registration term for the Romanian citizens living abroad as voters has been
    extended until Sunday, September 15th. Under the previous
    legislation, the term was Wednesday, September 11th for all the
    Romanians abroad willing to cast their ballot in the presidential election of
    November 10th and 24th. 34,600 applications have so far
    been received for polling stations whereas 36,500 people have applied for
    postal voting.








    Reshuffle. President Klaus Iohannis
    said on Thursday he would reject the reshuffle proposed by prime minister
    Viorica Dancila, which he considers invalid and inappropriate. The latter on Wednesday
    presented the president with a proposal in which she nominated representatives
    of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the Social Democrats’ former
    coalition partner, for the positions left vacant following the Alliance’s withdrawal
    from the government last month. President Iohannis says the reshuffle requested
    by the prime minister is unconstitutional because the government’s make-up has
    changed and in this case the prime minister must call for a vote of confidence
    in Parliament. After the president’s statement, the prime minister accused him
    of abuse of power, saying she is not afraid of a vote in Parliament and that
    she would do everything to overcome this deadlock.




    Business.
    Romania boasts 105 companies in the Fortune Global 500 (an annual ranking
    of the top 500 corporations worldwide
    as measured by revenue present in Central and Eastern Europe, reads a communiqué by Colliers
    International Group Inc. published by Romanian news agency AGERPRES. The first
    places are occupied by Poland and the Czech Republic with 139 and 111 companies
    respectively, while Slovakia and Bulgaria are on the last positions with 60
    companies. Numerous companies from this region of Europe listed in Fortune
    Global 500 are active in the automotive industry, the sectors of food,
    beverages and tobacco, telecommunications and media as well as transports.
    Romania is following the region’s trend with most of the companies active in
    the car-making sector, with producers of food, beverages, tobacco and technology
    coming next.

    Agriculture. Officials from the agriculture ministry in Romania together with representatives of the agricultural sector in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova and 17 business people are on a working mission in the US. According to the ministry in Bucharest, the purpose of the trip is to develop the strategic partnership in the field and consolidate bilateral ties. The concrete objectives of the mission are the modernisation of Romanian farms through the strategic transfer of top agricultural technologies from the US to Romania, the exchange of information and know-how to boost agricultural output and the local processing of quality organic and ecological agri-food products so that they can be supplied to the US market, where demand for such products is on the rise.




    Enescu festival. Four concerts were scheduled on Thursday on Day 13 of
    the 24th edition of the George Enescu International Festival. The Evgeny
    Svetlanov State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia gave their second
    performance, this time under the Romanian conductor Gabriel Bebeselea. The day’s programme also
    featured performances by the La Grande Chapelle ensemble from Madrid and by the
    Arditti Quartet, one of the oldest and most celebrated contemporary music
    groups in the world, as well as a performance by the Philharmonic Orchestra of
    Monte-Carlo conducted by Gareth Jones and featuring the bass-baritone Sir Bryn
    Terfel as a special guest. The George Enescu International Festival is taking
    place between the 31st of August and the 22nd of September and
    brings together more than 2,500 of the world’s greatest musicians in 84
    different concerts and recitals. Events as part of the festival are held in the
    capital Bucharest and other cities across Romania, as well as in Germany,
    France, Italy, Canada and the Republic of Moldova.



  • June 19, 2019

    June 19, 2019

    VISIT The Presidents of Romania and Egypt, Klaus Iohannis and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi respectively, had official talks today as part of the visit the head of the Egyptian state is making to Bucharest. The 2 leaders announced with satisfaction an increase in the volume of bilateral trade, and President Iohannis said closer cooperation is being discussed, both in bilateral terms and between the European Union and Egypt, in the field of social and economic development, research, the fight against terrorism, energy and migration. Informal negotiations are under way for an economic agreement between the EU and Egypt.




    JUSTICE The European Commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said in Bucharest on Wednesday that Romania will very soon become a Schengen member, because it has fulfilled most of its commitments. The EU official made this statement ahead of the EU – USA ministerial meeting on justice and home affairs, an event organised under the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. Taking part are also the European Commissioner for Justice, Vera Jourová, and European Commissioner for the Security Union, Julian King. For the first time, the US Attorney General William Barr is also attending the meeting. The US official had meetings yesterday with President Klaus Iohannis, with PM Viorica Dăncilă and with Justice Minister Ana Birchall. The agenda included topics of mutual interest in the field of justice. The US official also voiced his appreciation for the solid Strategic Partnership with Romania, which, he said, is the United States most reliable ally in the region.




    BUSINESS PM Viorica Dăncilă said on Wednesday that the French investments in Romania are proof that this is a favourable country for the business environment. Dăncilă is taking part in the French-Romanian Economic Forum, an event organised by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Romania as part of the Romania-France Season. “We have all witnessed of late a true economic upswing in the bilateral relation, with many successful projects that have helped push the French-Romanian trade to over 9 million euro last year, the Romanian PM said. France is the 5th largest foreign investor in Romania. Over 3,000 French businesses operate in Romania, employing a combined 120,000 people, and France is the 3rd most important market for Romanian exports and the 6th largest source of Romanian imports.




    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Dacian Cioloş, who was elected into the European Parliament on the lists of the 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance, was chosen to lead Renew Europe, a pro-European group formed around President Emmanuel Macron following the May 26th European elections, and the 3rd largest group in the EP. “The presidency of Renew Europe group is just a step in the political construction we have been working to design for 2 years, Ciolos said. A former PM of Romania and former European commissioner for agriculture, Dacian Ciolos is the leader of PLUS party in Romania. The alliance formed by PLUS and Save Romania Union won 8 seats in the European Parliament, coming in 3rd in Romania after the National Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party.




    MEDICINES Bucharest is hosting, between June 19th and 21st, the second meeting of the Heads of Medicines Agencies – HMA II. The agenda includes topics of strategic importance in the field of human and animal health products. Attending the meeting are the heads of medicines regulation and control agencies in the European Economic Area, representatives of the European Medicines Agency, of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and of the European Commission. The first HMA meeting organised under the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU was held in Timisoara in February.




    WEATHER Romanian meteorologists Wednesday issued a code yellow warning for heavy rainfalls, thunderstorms and hailstorms, valid today in most parts of the country. Precipitation amounts will exceed 25 l/sq.m. The bad weather is expected to continue on Thursday. Experts also warn that thermal discomfort will remain high especially at noon time, with the temperature-humidity index sometimes exceeding the critical 80-unit ceiling.




    FOOTBALL Romanias youth football team Tuesday night won 4-1 against Croatia, in its first match in the European Under-21 football championship hosted by Italy and San Marino. In the same Group C, France defeated England 2-1. On Friday, Romania takes on England and France plays against Croatia. This is the 2nd participation for a Romanian youth football team in a final tournament, after the one in 1998, organised in Bucharest. The 4 top-ranking teams qualify into the 2020 Olympics.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Piaţa clădirilor de birouri din Bucureşti

    Piaţa clădirilor de birouri din Bucureşti

    În Bucureşti, 88% din
    spaţiile de birouri sunt destinate închirierii. Preţurile spaţiilor diferă în
    funcţie de dotări, amplasament, servicii oferite şi, cel mai important aspect,
    clasa birourilor din care face parte. Specialiştii estimează chirii
    mai echilibrate în acest an pentru birourile noi din capitală destinate
    mediului de afaceri.Dacă în urmă cu cinci ani,
    chiriile spaţiilor de birouri noi, de clasa A din polul de business Barbu
    Văcărescu-Aviaţiei-Dimitrie Pompeiu porneau de la 16 euro/mp/lună şi ajungeau
    la 17 euro/mp/lună, acum încep de la 14,5 euro/mp/lună şi ajung la 17,5 euro/mp/lună,
    fiind, conform studiilor, apropiate la limita inferioară de cele din
    polul de business Orhideea-Grozăveşti-Politehnica, unde încă se mai construieşte
    şi unde chiriile sunt de 13 – 14,5 euro/mp/lună. In zona Expoziţiei
    au fost anunţate, în ultimele luni, mai multe proiecte de anvergură, astfel încât se conturează un nou pol
    de business Expoziţiei-Piaţa Presei Libere, cu valori ale chiriilor
    de 14,5-16,5 euro/mp/lună.



    In acest an, pe piaţa
    imobiliară din Capitală, vor apărea noi clădiri de birouri ce propun spaţii de
    clasa A, o suprafaţă de peste 600.000 de mp şi noi investiţii ale unor companii
    importante. Aceste spaţii noi se vor
    afla în toţi cei cinci poli de spaţii de birouri din Capitală, cu cea mai
    mare activitate în centru-vest şi Expoziţiei.


    Chiriile la spaţiile de birouri de clasa A din cei cinci poli de birouri se
    situează acum la un nivel cuprins între 13 şi 18 euro/mp/lună, în funcţie de
    zonă şi facilităţile oferite.


    In zona Orhideelor – Grozăveşti – Politehnica -
    Vlădimirescu se vor construi în total 12 clădiri ce vor livra în jur de 220.000
    de mp de spaţii de birouri de clasa A. In zona Barbu Văcărescu – Aviaţiei -
    Dimitrie Pompeiu se vor construi 5 clădiri ce promit să ofere peste 123.000 de
    metri pătraţi de birouri de calitate înaltă. In Bd. Expoziţiei – Piaţa Presei
    Libere se vor ridica 6 clădiri cu un spaţiu de aproximativ 88.000 de mp. In zona Unirii – Timpuri Noi se pregătesc 3
    clădiri de proporţii care vor contribui
    cu 57.000 de mp de birouri de clasa A. Iar în
    zona Piaţa Victoriei – Dorobanţi se vor construi 3 clădiri cu o
    suprafaţă de 30.000 de mp de spaţii de birouri de calitate înaltă

  • Le spa: affaires contre le stress

    Le spa: affaires contre le stress

    A mesure que le rythme des événements et le rythme de vie
    deviennent de plus en plus rapides, nous vivons dans un monde de plus en plus
    stressant, qui laisse peu ou pas de place à la détente. Pourtant, une prise de
    conscience s’impose : le stress tue. Il faut donc trouver moyen de le
    combattre. En Roumanie, toujours plus d’établissements proposent maintenant
    aussi un spa. Les Roumains découvrent et apprécient le spa, et depuis 2010, il
    existe un portail qui réunit toutes les nouvelles dans ce domaine. Sur une
    grande foire de Bucarest, Ligia a rencontré sa représentante, Diana Gruianu

  • March 22, 2017 UPDATE

    March 22, 2017 UPDATE

    ATTACKS At least four people died and some 20, including two Romanian citizens, were wounded in London on Wednesday, in two attacks committed by the same perpetrator. In the first one, a car mounted the pavement and ploughed into pedestrians crossing the busy Westminster Bridge beside Londons Big Ben. The French Foreign Ministry has announced that three French students were among the wounded ones. After this first attack, the driver of the car rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament and stabbed a policeman. Prime Minister Theresa May, who was in the Parliament building during the incident, called for an emergency Cabinet session. Authorities say the attack is being treated as a ‘terrorist incident’. Also on Wednesday, Belgium marked one year since the attacks on the Brussels metro and airport, which killed 32 people and wounded another 320. Four Romanian citizens were among the wounded. The attacks in Brussels, claimed by the Islamic State, were committed by members of the same French-Belgian cell that perpetrated the attacks of November 2015 in Paris, killing 130 people.



    EMA After Brexit, Romania would like to host the headquarters of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), currently based in London, the Romanian Government announced on Wednesday. The Romanian European Affairs Minister Ana Birchall has stated that the Executive has already passed a memorandum on the matter. She has recalled that Romania does not host any European agency, although its been ten years since the country joined the EU. EMA has some 900 employees and its chief role is to act as the regulatory agency deciding if medical products are safe for the European market. Reuters reports that Denmark, Sweden, Spain, France, Ireland and Poland would like to host the agency too. Besides benefiting from new jobs, acting as host of EMA is likely to have a huge knock-on effect for any countrys medical and pharmaceutical industry.



    FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE Romanias President Klaus Iohannis announced on Wednesday that he would hold consultations with the parliamentary majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania on the appointment of the new director of the Foreign Intelligence Service. The head of state appreciated the activity of the interim director Silviu Predoiu, but said the institution needed a civilian chief. Also on Wednesday, Parliament acknowledged the resignation of Mihai Razvan Ungureanu as head of the service and declared the office vacant. Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, a former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Romania, resigned in September last year.



    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Pardon is not a miracle-solution for Romanias overcrowded penitentiaries, although the country runs the risk of getting a sentence from the European Court of Human Rights, the Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has said in a debate on democracy and justice in Romania, organized by the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Toader has also said he called on the Romanian Parliament to postpone the pardon bill, for the Government to be able to take additional measures. Romanian MEPs and civil society representatives also spoke before the aforementioned committee. In Brussels, Minister Toader also met with Vera Jourova, the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality. The agenda of talks included the next European Commission report on the progress made by Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.



    BUDGET The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies decided on Wednesday to sent back to the special committees the report on the parliamentary investigation into the conditions in which the August and November 2016 budgets were adjusted. Many MPs say that the report was not drawn up properly and is incomplete. The document shows that, in 2016, budget revenues were 5% below the forecast, which did not justify the positive adjustments made last year. The investigation into this matter was requested by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the Social Democrat Liviu Dragnea. Invested in January 2017, the current government made up of members of the Social Democratic Party and of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania has denounced the budget adjustments made in 2016, which allegedly caused a budget deficit of some 2 billion Euros this year. The right-wing opposition, however, believes that the Government is only trying distract attention from its own lack of accomplishments and failure to keep electoral promises.



    STRIKE Part of the employees of Romanias railway company CFR Infrastructure went on an unannounced strike on Wednesday, causing delays on some routes and halting scores of trains. According to trade union leaders, the collective employment agreement has expired and, although the companys board proposed a 22.5% rise in the overall salary fund, the move isnt legally grounded, as the budget hasnt been approved. CFR employees are also unhappy with the improper conditions they work in, as well as the shortage of equipment and fuel. Trade union leaders discussed these matters on Wednesday with representatives of the Romanian Transport Ministry.



    BUSINESS A study by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), published on Wednesday, reads that big international corporations will keep on moving their production capacities from Asia to Romania this year too. According to PwC, the local market will maintain its upward trend in 2017, as sectors such as the medical and pharmaceutical one, as well as the consumption goods and services sector have grown stronger. Although last year the overall value of mergers and acquisitions was 17% higher than in 2015, exceeding 3.6 billion Euros, the business environment still needs to be further encouraged, the study made by PwC also shows. In another move, the Romanian Trade Registry announced on Wednesday that, in the first two months of the year, Romanians set up some 17,000 new companies, which is 11% less than in the same period last year.



    JOINT GOVERNMENT SESSION The governments of Romania and of the neighboring Republic of Moldova, the ex-Soviet country with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population, will be holding another joint session in Piatra Neamt north-eastern Romania, on Thursday. The two delegations headed by Prime Ministers Sorin Grindeanu and Pavel Filip respectively will discuss ways of developing bilateral ties, joint projects and new cooperation opportunities. Investment opportunities in the Republic of Moldova will also be tackled, as well as cooperation in the fields of IT, finance, justice and home affairs. “The relation between the two countries is a special one. There are common expectations and shared interests. Well continue to support the European progress of the Republic of Moldova”, Romanias Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has said on behalf of the Romanian government. The talks with Grindeanus pro-Western counterpart come after last week Moldovas president, the Pro-Russian socialist Igor Dodon, reiterated in Moscow his intention to consider denouncing the countrys association and free-trade agreements with the EU and deepening the relations with the Eurasian Economic Union as well as the federalization of the Republic of Moldova as a peace solution for the pro-Russia breakaway region of Transdniester.





  • February 18, 2017

    February 18, 2017

    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, is taking part until Sunday in the 53rd Munich Security Conference. He will present Romanias stand on the European and global security situation and will emphasise the importance of the trans-Atlantic relations and of the role of NATO and the EU in the current international context. On Friday, on the side-lines of the Conference, the Romanian official had talks with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, who invited him to Paris in the forthcoming period, an invitation accepted by Melescanu. The Romanian FM also had a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkim, with whom he discussed regional developments. The Munich Security Conference is a prestigious security forum, which traditionally brings together leaders and decision-makers in the field of security and defence from around the world.



    MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE – The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, has today called on the world powers, including the US, not to abandon international cooperation against the new challenges to global security. Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Merkel emphasised that multi-national organisations like the EU, NATO and the UN provided a vital framework for addressing the refugee crisis and Islamist terrorism. The German Chancellor also said the European Unions relations with Russia remained challenging, but that cooperation with Moscow was still important in the fight against Islamist terrorism. Attending the Conference, the US Vice-President, Mike Pence, pointed out, in the first major foreign policy statement of the new American Administration, that Washington would support NATO and stand by Europe, even as it looked for new ways to cooperate with Russia.



    BUSINESS – The government is the main promotion element for Romania, because American investors look at taxes, stability, predictability and efficiency, and the competition between the countries in the region is tough, said Eric Stewart, head of the American-Romanian Business Council (AMRO). In an interview to the Romanian news agency Agerpres, Stewart said there are investment opportunities in Romania for the American companies in fields like defence, energy, agriculture and healthcare, considering that we will see a shift in focus of the Trump administration towards Europe. He announced that the American-Romanian Business Council would organise an economic mission in Romania in late March, in which 10-12 major American companies will take part, some of them already present in the Romanian market.



    AIRPORTS – Romania tops the rankings of the European airports with the quickest increase in passenger flows in 2016, according to a report of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe). The first places are held by the airports in Oradea (with an increase of nearly 500% in passenger numbers compared to 2015) and Iasi (with more than 130%). Third comes the “Aurel Vlaicu International Airport, the second-largest airport in Bucharest, with 122% more passengers than in 2015. Airports Council International Europe is an association representing more than 500 airports in 45 countries.



    ROMANIA-US RELATIONS – The USA appreciates the strategic partnership with Romania and pays increasing attention to the security developments at the Black Sea, says the chair of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee in the US House of Representatives, the Republican Rob Wittman. In a meeting in Washington with the Romanian Ambassador George Maior, the US Congressman appreciated Bucharests commitment to trans-Atlantic security, including its hosting of the ballistic missile defence facility at the Deveselu Base. Rob Wittman added that Washington firmly supported the continuation of the European Reassurance Initiative and a relevant rotating presence of American troops on NATOs eastern flank.




    BERLINALE – The award ceremony of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival takes place tonight. Selected in the official competition for the Golden Bear trophy is, among other works, the film “Ana, mon amour, by the Romanian director Călin Peter Netzer, which was screened on Friday night. Netzer won the Golden Bear in Berlin in 2013, with his film, Childs Pose. The Romanian actor Tudor Istodor was also nominated in this years “shooting stars category, while the director Ilinca Călugăreanu, actor Alexandru Potocean, director Ioana Mischie, producer Andra Popescu, camera operator Carmen Tofeni, film distributor Matei Truţă and script writer Monica Stan are also representing Romania in the ‘Berlinale Talents’ Programme. “The Dear, a project by Bogdan George Apetri, also took part in the Coproduction Market section.




    TENNIS – The Romanian Horia Tecău and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer will play on Saturday the doubles semi-finals of the Rotterdam tournament in the Netherlands, which has over 1.7 million euros in total prize money. They will be facing the Dutch Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop. In the quarter-finals, Tecău and Rojer outplayed Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez of Spain, seeded 2nd in the tournament, 6-4 / 6-4. The Romanian-Dutch pair won the Rotterdam tournament in 2015.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Le vin roumain – passion et business

    Le vin roumain – passion et business

    Razvan Adam et Stefan Ionescu travaillent dans l’industrie vinicole depuis 2007 quand ils ont ouvert leur premier bar à vin. Devenus par la suite propriétaires de vignobles, les deux hommes d’affaires ont ouvert une cave à vin avant de se lancer dans la distribution. On les a invités au micro pour apprendre davantage sur l’histoire du vin roumain des dix dernières années.

    Razvan Adam : «A l’heure où l’on est, le marché du vin est à la baisse en Roumanie, comme dans le reste du monde. Pourtant, chez nous, le volume des vins de la gamme premium est à la hausse par rapport à celui des vins médiocres. A présent, 85% du marché vinicole est représenté par des vins mauvais, tandis que le reste de 15% revient aux grands crus dont le prix dépasse les 15 euros la bouteille. C’est une grande performance pour un pays comme la Roumanie qui, il y a dix ans, ne produisait presque pas de vin premium.» En fait, ce n’est qu’après l’adhésion du pays à l’UE que l’on commence à constater un développement du marché vinicole de Roumanie. Pourtant, la crise économique a eu son mot à dire.

    Razvan Adam : «Le marché du vin s’est écroulé lui aussi sur fond de crise économique, car entre la nécessité d’acheter quelque chose pour la maison et le désir de s’acheter une bouteille de bon vin, la nécessité a primé. Le vin n’est jamais une priorité. A présent, les choses s’améliorent petit à petit et l’on constate une relance du marché. Les caves à vin se modernisent, elles se voient doter de technologies de dernière génération, ce qui implique des investissements directs. Le taux d’utilisation des fonds communautaires est de 100%. A ce que je sache, c’est le seul secteur de Roumanie à se vanter d’un tel pourcentage. Cela s’explique aussi bien par la concurrence que par la qualité, les deux en rapport direct avec un environnement sûr. Parmi les multiples conditions imposées par l’UE, rappelons la modernisation du secteur. En tant que producteur, il faut se doter de toute la documentation nécessaire, avancer un programme très bien mis au point et obtenir le feu vert pour le financement. Comme vous voyez, tous les pas à franchir respectent les normes européennes.»

    Pour sa part, Stefan Ionescu met en évidence les bénéfices de l’intégration européenne sur le marché roumain du vin : «Au fur et à mesure que le niveau de vie augmente en Roumanie, les besoins du consommateur se multiplient eux aussi. Malgré un marché envahi dans un premier temps par des produits importés d’une qualité plutôt douteuse, les Roumains ont fini par apprendre à apprécier correctement un vin. Du coup, les producteurs ne peuvent plus présenter des vins bas de gamme comme étant de produits d’une qualité extraordinaire.»

    Quel est le bilan des exportations du vin roumain? Stefan Ionescu : « La Roumanie est plutôt un pays importateur de vin qui consomme presque toute sa production nationale. Nous avons un faible pourcentage destiné aux exportations surtout en raison de notre renommée communiste qui faisait que sous Ceausescu le pays ait exporté beaucoup de vin, mais de mauvaise qualité. En plus, cette image, on l’a alimentée dans les années 1990 quand on a lancé des vins de contrefaçon sur le marché. Il nous a donc fallu pas mal d’années pour reconquérir les marchés et si on ajoute à cela la consommation interne importante, on comprend pourquoi notre présence est si faible sur les marchés extérieures. Les meilleurs vins appartiennent aux grands producteurs qui en vendent des volumes importants.» Depuis quelques années, le vin originaire de République de Moldova s’enorgueillit d’une bonne renommée parmi les consommateurs roumains. Une évolution des plus intéressantes, selon Stefan Ionescu:Son: « La République de Moldova a bien éliminé les écarts de qualité. N’oublions pas qu’initialement, ses vins étaient destinés au marché russe. Du coup, on avait à faire à des vins légers, sucrés, qui plaisaient aux Russes. Au moment de la fermeture de ce marché, les producteurs moldaves ont décidé de changer de cap. Mais comment faire pour s’adapter aux nouvelles technologies dans un pays sans capital? Ce fut grâce aux efforts de quelques producteurs que le niveau qualitatif a commencé à augmenter petit à petit. Pourtant, le fait de considérer, il y a dix ans, le vin moldave comme ayant une grande qualité s’explique plutôt par l’absence, à l’époque, d’un vin roumain de haut-de-gamme.»

    Selon les deux entrepreneurs, les subventions destinées au marché vinicole seraient à même d’améliorer la qualité du vin roumain. (trad. Dominique)

  • Women and responsible entrepreneurship

    Women and responsible entrepreneurship

    Romanian women are the most willing in the European Union to start their own business. This is the conclusion of a recent survey according to which almost one third of Romanian women plan to start a business within the next three years, compared with 11% of women in Italy and 8% in Germany, Spain and Belgium. However, fear of failure prevents half of the Romanian women to pursue their dream. A recent project implemented with European funds as part of the Human Resources Development Sectoral Operational Programme provided much needed help to the women who flirt with the idea of starting their own business but can’t bring themselves to do it because they lack courage or information. Professional training courses for unemployed women and entrepreneurship courses were held as part of a programme called Active Women for Integrity and Responsibility. The programme had such great impact that attendance was much higher than initially planned, said Stefania Cojocaru, the director of the Training Centre of the Spiru Haret University, one of the partners in the project:



    “It was a beautiful project that started with a target group of 450 persons and ended up with 943 persons. We doubled the number of seats because of the large number of applications. I am proud of the women who took part in the programme, in particular those who went on and started a business.”



    The initiator of the project was Transparency International Romania and was aimed at fighting inequality of opportunity and corruption. The project manager Victor Alistar explains:


    “The questions arises why Transparency International is involved in this Sectoral Operational Programme aimed at eliminating gender stereotypes and promoting entrepreneurship among women. The answer lies in the Global Corruption Barometer, which shows that women are less likely to take part in acts of corruption. All social surveys indicate that when it comes to promoting values within the family, women take centre stage.



    When it comes to discrimination on the labor market, we can see we have a couple of major indicators, such as people in the rural areas, people over 45 and women. So we thought we could develop entrepreneurship projects for women, based on a model of integrity aimed at rendering any initiative more resistant. If you opt for an upstanding entrepreneurship course, you know better than other micro-enterprises how to avoid the risk of being pressured by administrative inspections.”



    Apart from courses, organizers also considered the project’s sustainability. They initiated a contest for business start-ups. Here is Victor Alistar once again.


    ”We also held a contest to select the best start-ups, so that the project may yield something concrete. Having invested in people, in the sense of forming human resources, it is also important that several entrepreneurship models continue to be used. Some of them are likely to be successful even five years from now, while others may be facing difficulties and will advance at a slower pace. It was important that participants in the project to look for solutions and take part in the contest. “



    Among the people who learned a lot after taking part in the project are the winners of the contest.


    ”I won with a business plan for a beauty parlor and I am proud of it. I had not planned to do something like that, although I’ve always wanted to start a business of my own. I had neither the courage nor the information to do it. This program helped me a great deal in this respect.”



    The commercial worker courses were also appreciated, judging by what another participant in the FAIR project says: ”For me, this was an amazing. Before I took up the course I did not think it was a big deal to be a commercial worker. But I changed my opinion during the course. Being a commercial worker means a great deal more than just saying hello and tending to the client. It is actually a very complex and pleasant job. Entrepreneurship was not completely new to me, but the course helped me put my ideas in order, build my business and fulfill my dream of being my own boss. “



    Another goal of the project was to set up an Upstanding Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, currently managed by the Spiru Haret University. Among other things, the center seeks to encourage women who want to start their own business.



    Translated by Cristina Mateescu / Eugen Nasta

  • US ambassador to Bucharest about the Romanian business environment

    US ambassador to Bucharest about the Romanian business environment

    Europe
    continues to be the most profitable destination for American investments in the
    long run, and Romania must capitalise on its strengths and strategic
    advantages. This is one of the conclusions of the debate held on Tuesday by the
    American Chamber of Commerce in Romania, attended by the US Ambassador to
    Bucharest, Hans Klemm, who made a very lucid analysis of this country.




    According to the newly appointed ambassador, Romania is
    blessed with considerable resources. With a highly educated, multi-lingual,
    tech savvy population, Romania is well positioned to attract investors, and to
    serve as an investor’s launch pad for the region. Romania is also
    fortunate to have diversified natural resources – energy, agriculture,
    forestry. Lastly, Romania’s strategic location offers great
    potential. At the border of the European Union, it is also at a crossroad
    – North, South, East and West. Realizing that Romania’s location offers
    the promise of increased economic ties with EU aspirant nations and beyond, smart
    investors would seek out a transparent, stable and predictable Romania. Romania therefore should seek, incentivize and secure investments that would
    ultimately benefit its citizens through jobs and access to secure energy.




    Therefore,
    according to the US Ambassador, Romania should keep on making efforts to
    implement those structural reforms that will increase labour market
    participation, reduce regulatory barriers, encourage greater entrepreneurship
    and open sectors to more international competition and investment. These
    reforms, Hans Klemm said, include improvements to the country’s
    infrastructure, a deepening of the technical and administrative capacity of the
    fiscal and public administration, and the privatization of state owned
    enterprises through initial public offerings.




    Moreover,
    the US Ambassador stressed the need for Romania to break the cycle of political
    influence in economic decision-making. As the year 2016 is a double election
    year – local and parliamentary – Romanian politicians are invited to put aside
    short-sighted political concerns and focus on the long term good for the
    country, so that all Romanians reap the benefits. Also, politicians should
    protect and publicly defend those prosecutors that pursue corrupt actors, and
    vocally support an independent judiciary, the US official also said.




    Hans Klemm
    also stressed the fact that Romania’s ongoing anti-corruption efforts are a
    testament to the country’s commitment to democratic values, and to ensuring
    that all citizens can prosper through honest, hard work, rather than nepotism
    or membership in unscrupulous patronage networks. Finally, the US Ambassador
    Hans Klemm stressed the fact that in Romania, a country that has made
    significant contributions to international peace, security is not just a matter
    of military cooperation. Security also encompasses rule of law and sustainable
    economic growth.