Radio România Internațional

Tag: CAP

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    In a fixture counting towards Turkish championship’s
    20th round, Romanian footballer Denis Alibec scored both goals in
    the match his team, Kayserispor, won against holders Bashakshehir, 2-nil. It
    was Kayserispor’s first win since Romanian Dan Petrescu has become the team’s
    head-coach. Denis Alibec drew first blood on 42 minutes, with Brazilian Gustavo Campanharo
    providing the assist. Another Brazialian footballer, Pedro Henrique, provided
    the second assist for Denis Alibec, who scored for the second time around in
    minute 77. Denis Alibec was replaced on the pitch in minute 79, thus succeeding
    his first Turkish championships goals for his team, Kayserispor, and Radio
    Romania International designated Alibec the Athlete of the week.


    Denis Alibec was born in Mangalia, in the south-east, on January 5, 1991. He first played for Callatis Mangalia’s junior team. Denis
    made his League One debut playing for Farul Constanta, in 2008. He had a
    five-year stint with International from Milan, over 2009 and 2014, then he was
    on loan for Belgium’s Malines, Viitorul Constanta, back in Romania, and Bologna, in Italy. From
    to 2014 to 2017 Alibec was signed up by Astra Giurgiu, the team with which he
    won Romania’s League One championship in 2016. Denis Alibec emerged as an
    out-and-out scorer, with no less than 32 goals scored in 65 fixtures he played
    for Astra. Denis got transferred to FCSB where he played a single season, with
    no remarkable achievements, then Alibec returned to Astra Giurgiu. He regained
    the top shape that earned him recognition, being sought after by a couple of
    foreign clubs. Denis Alibec was scheduled to play for a Saudi Arabia team, but
    he opted for Kayserispor, the Turkish team whose pool of regulars includes two
    other Romanians, Silviu Lung junior and Cristian Săpunaru. With the Romanian
    national team, Alibec made his debut on October 11, 2015, in the 90th minute of
    the away game the Romanian national squad won against the Faroe Islands, 3-nil.
    Denis Alibec boasts 17 caps for the national team.



    —–



  • Law against special pensions

    Law against special pensions

    Barely one month into a year marked by local and parliamentary elections, Romanian politicians are competing in initiatives meant to please the general public. On Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest held a special session in which they passed a bill scrapping the so-called special pensions, with 247 votes in favour against 21 abstentions.



    The clear score however says nothing about the heated debates that preceded the vote. The Liberals, currently in power, and the Social Democrats, who were sent into the opposition at the end of last year, accused each others of being the ones who had introduced such privileges to various professional categories in the first place. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the Liberal Democrats requested a postponement of the debates, whereas Save Romania Union asked for further restrictions, including a cap on pensions for magistrates.



    The final text of the bill does away with the special pensions paid to MPs, to judges and prosecutors, to court clerks and prosecutors office clerks, to certain categories of civil servants, to diplomats and to Constitutional Court members, and to airline staff. All these categories had so far received pensions that were not based on their previous contributions to pension funds, and which were generally seen as unjustified, unfair and ultimately as a slap in the face of the millions of pensioners struggling to make ends meet.



    However, the special retirement benefits to be paid to former military, police and intelligence service personnel were left untouched, and so were the benefits paid to former athletes, artists, scientists and to members of associations in the creative sector.



    The leader of the Liberal floor group, Florin Roman, said the special pension cuts would cover part of the costs entailed by a planned increase in child allowances and regular pensions. The president of Save Romania Union, Dan Barna, warned that the document contains elements that may be challenged at the Constitutional Court. He suggested instead, although with no success, a number of amendments that kept the special pensions in place for magistrates, but below a specific cap. In turn, the Social Democrats group leader Alfred Simonis, says that in case the court rules the bill unconstitutional, Parliament will operate the required amendments.



    The president of the High Court of Cassation and Justice Alina Corbu warned, shortly after the vote in the Chamber of Deputies, that the bill comes against a previous ruling by the Constitutional Court. She says the special pensions for magistrates are part of a set of guarantees underlying the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.



    Previously, the Judicial Inspection Division and various magistrate associations had also claimed that scrapping their special pensions would be a “brutal violation of the principles of independence and immovability of judges, as defined by the Constitution of Romania and by ECHR rulings.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 18, 2019

    November 18, 2019

    ELECTION Romania sees the last week of the campaign for the presidential runoff. Competing are the incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, backed by the National Liberal Party in power, and Viorica Dăncilă, the leader of the Social Democratic Party. In the first round, Iohannis got nearly 38% of the votes, and his challenger little over 22%. In the country, the vote will be held on Sunday, November 24, whereas the Romanians living abroad have 3 days to vote, namely Friday, Saturday and Sunday.




    AGRICULTURE The Romanian agriculture minister, Adrian Oros, is taking part on Monday in Brussels in the meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The main topic on the agenda is the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy as of 2020. According to the line minister, the participants will discuss the Regulation on the funding, management and monitoring of the CAP, as well as a Regulation on the common organisation of agricultural markets. Last month, the agriculture minister told the Romanian Parliament that his top priority was to prepare the national strategic programme, because in the coming 7 years the main financing source for the Romanian agriculture is the annual 20 billion euros granted under the CAP.




    COMMISSIONERS The European Parliament is to make a decision by Thursday regarding the latest commissioner nominations made by Romania, France and Hungary. The UK, which declined appointing a commissioner, will have to provide an official answer by Friday, Radio Romanias correspondent in Brussels reports. The president of the European Parliament and the floor group leaders will make a final assessment of the 3 candidates and will decide the closure of the hearings on November 21. The commissioners nominated by Romania and France, Adina Vălean for transport commissioner and Thierry Breton for the internal market commissioner, respectively, have already been given the green light by the specialist committees. Hungarys nominee for enlargement and neighbourhood policy commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, had to answer additional questions from MEPs. A second rejection of Hungarys candidate will force a new postponement of the validation of the Commission as a whole. Further questions have to do with the UK, whose unwillingness to nominate a candidate is against the EU Treaty. However, the president elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, may go forth with an executive team of 27 members, as long as the legal affairs experts decide that the absence of a British commissioner does not prevent the activity of the new Commission.




    POLITICS The members of Save Romania Union, the third-largest party in Parliament, are voting online until Wednesday on Dan Barnas prospective resignation as party president. Barna said he was ready to step down, following the discontent triggered by his performance in the presidential election, in which he failed to qualify into the runoff. He got 15% of the votes, although half a year ago in the elections for the European Parliament the USR-PLUS alliance had carried 22% of the votes.




    NAVY The King Ferdinand frigate is taking part in an international anti-submarine warfare exercise organised by the Turkish Navy in the Mediterranean Sea and which is under way until November 20, the Navy Chief of Staff has announced. The Romanian crew will be carrying out specific training activities in Turkey’s territorial waters and neighbouring international waters alongside colleagues from Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, Jordan, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Spain, the United States and Turkey. According to the Romanian Navy Forces, the participation of King Ferdinand frigate in this exercise contributes to enhancing the interoperability of the Romanian and partner forces, and to promoting the professionalism of the Romanian Army.




    TOURISM Romanias largest travel fair came to a close on Sunday in Bucharest. The event brought together travel agencies, tour operators and tourist regions represented by trade associations or by county councils. 230 companies from 16 countries came up with offers for all seasons and all tastes, with discounts going up to and even over 50%. The offers include Christmas and New Years holidays in the country and abroad, summer packages in Romanian and Bulgarian Black Sea resorts, in the Danube Delta, in spa resorts, or in traditional regions.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 24, 2018 UPDATE

    February 24, 2018 UPDATE

    EU BUDGET – EU funding, particularly the cohesion and the agriculture funds, might be lowered by up to 15% in the next EU multi-annual budget, beginning 2020 when the UK will no longer be a member. The announcement was made by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, at the end of an informal meeting of EU leaders. He added that 15 out of 27 member states were willing to raise their national contributions to the common budget. President Klaus Iohannis said at the meeting that Romania was open to the idea of contributing more than 1.1% of the GDP instead of 1%, so that the current levels of the cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy funding be maintained, which countries like Romania need in order to bridge the gaps in social and economic development compared to Western Europe. EU leaders have agreed that the Union must spend more on defence and security, for the Erasmus education programme and for curbing illegal migration. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has announced that EU leaders are willing to step up negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework, but that an agreement is unlikely to be reached this year.



    GRECO – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, this week had a meeting in Bucharest with a delegation of the Group of States against Corruption – GRECO, which traveled to Romania for an emergency assessment of the new justice laws in respect of the fight against corruption. The talks focused on the amendments to the justice laws and the practical consequences that they may have on the judiciary. The GRECO team also had meetings with representatives of other governmental agencies, the legislative power and the judiciary, as well as of relevant NGOs. GRECO said, at the end of the talks in Bucharest, that those in charge of investigating, prosecuting and trying corruption offences should benefit from adequate independence and autonomy, including in terms of disciplinary mechanisms. The delegation recommended that Bucharest requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the planned judicial reform.



    EDUCATION – Over 70 foreign education institutions are attending this weekend the 28th World Education Fair in Bucharest. Last year over 6,000 young Romanians chose to further their education abroad. Most of them went to Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain.



    THE FLU – In Romania, 53 people have died from the flu this season, according to the latest report issued by the National Infectious Disease Monitoring Centre. The number of cases exceeds 800, with most of the flu patients reported in the capital city Bucharest, followed by the counties Constanta (south-east), Olt (south), Braşov (centre) and Iaşi (noth-east). The Healthcare Minister, Sorina Pintea, says we cannot speak about flu epidemic in Romania at the moment.



    LOAN – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is giving out a loan of 60 million euro for the construction of a new gas pipeline crossing Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria (the BRUA pipeline), to support the regional European energy markets, the international financial institution announced in a news release. The funds will be given to Transgaz, the company building the Romanian segment of the gas pipeline. Totalling 1,318 km in length, the new European gas corridor will ensure better interconnection of the countries on its route, and will support the energy market enabling new connections with major infrastructure projects. The deputy PM Viorel Ştefan says the signing of the loan agreement between the EBRD and Transgaz on Friday in London is a confidence signal sent to investors with respect to business opportunities in Romania.



    MILITARY – The Kandahar military base in southern Afghanistan Saturday hosted a ceremony to transfer authority from the Romanian Battalion 280 Infantry, Fearless Hearts, to Battalion 30 Mountain Troops, the Carpathian Eagles. For one month, the members of the two task forces conducted joint missions to enable the Mountain Troops to take over each segment of the theatre of operations. Among other things, the Romanian military are conducting land patrol missions on an area of 1,200 sq km, assisted by drones operated by the American partners and working together with the Afghan forces. Kandahar is Afghanistans second-largest town after the capital city Kabul. The area managed by the Romanian troops is densely populated, and threats are significant, the Radio Romania envoy reports. Analysts expect this summers parliamentary election to strengthen the Taliban presence in the region. A suicide attack by the Islamic State group in Kabul has killed 3 and wounded 5 people on Saturday.



    EUROVISION – Romanias representative in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest held in Portugal will be chosen by the public on Sunday, by televoting. Fifteen songs will be competing in the final in Bucharest. The motto of this years edition was ‘Eurovision unites Romania!’. The Eurovision is an international music competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union, the largest association of public television broadcasters in Europe, and has been aired for 60 consecutive years. Romanias best performances so far have been the 2 third places (in Kiev, 2005, with Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem and in Oslo, 2010 with Paula Seling and Ovi) and a 4th place won by Mihai Trăistariu in 2006, in Athens.




    COLD WAVE – Weather experts warn that Romania will be facing a cold wave for several days. Temperatures are expected to go down to lows of 20 degrees below 0, and stay at levels 10-15 degrees Celsius below multi-annual average figures. Strong winds will be adding to the low temperatures, while snowfalls will be reported mostly in the south, centre and south-west of the country. The cold front will be in place until around March 1st.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 24, 2014

    February 24, 2014

    PROTESTS – Around 100 people Friday picketed the Government headquarters, protesting against the leftist Social Democratic Party in power and against its Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader. It was the second night of protests since Toader announced he formally asked for the dismissal of the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate, Laura Codruţa Kovesi. In a report covering the activity of the institution between February 2017 and February 2018, Minister Toader criticised Mrs. Kovesi for an excessively authoritarian management style, her involvement in cases investigated by the Directorate and the failure to investigate prosecutors suspected of abuse. The Justice Minister also claimed the DNA chief defied Parliament and challenged rulings made by the Constitutional Court. The request for dismissal has been forwarded to the Superior Council of Magistracy, which must be consulted on the matter, but the decision is in the hands of President Iohannis. On Friday President Klaus Iohannis reiterated his support for Laura Codruţa Kövesi. Backed by the parliamentary majority, made up of the Social Democrats and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, Toaders report was strongly criticised by the right-wing opposition.




    GRECO – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, this week had a meeting in Bucharest with a delegation of the Group of States against Corruption – GRECO, which traveled to Romania for an emergency assessment of the new justice laws in respect of the fight against corruption. The talks focused on the amendments to the justice laws and the practical consequences that they may have on the judiciary. The GRECO team also had meetings with representatives of other governmental agencies, the legislative power and the judiciary, as well as of relevant NGOs. GRECO said, at the end of the talks in Bucharest, that those in charge of investigating, prosecuting and trying corruption offences should benefit from adequate independence and autonomy, including in terms of disciplinary mechanisms. The delegation recommended that Bucharest requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the planned judicial reform.




    EDUCATION – Over 70 foreign education institutions are attending this weekend the 28th World Education Fair in Bucharest. Last year over 6,000 young Romanians chose to further their education abroad. Most of them went to Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain.




    EU FUNDING – EU funding, particularly the cohesion and the agriculture funds, might be lowered by up to 15% in the next EU multi-annual budget, beginning 2020 when the UK will no longer be a member. The announcement was made by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, at the end of an informal meeting of EU leaders. He added that 15 out of 27 member states were willing to raise their national contributions to the common budget. President Klaus Iohannis said at the meeting that Romania was open to the idea of contributing more than 1.1% of the GDP instead of 1%, so that the current levels of the cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy funding be maintained, which countries like Romania need in order to bridge the gaps in social and economic development compared to Western Europe. EU leaders have agreed that the Union must spend more on defence and security, for the Erasmus education programme and for curbing illegal migration. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has announced that EU leaders are willing to step up negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework, but that an agreement is unlikely to be reached this year.





    MILITARY – The Kandahar military base in southern Afghanistan has today hosted a ceremony to transfer authority from the Romanian Battalion 280 Infantry, Fearless Hearts, to Battalion 30 Mountain Troops, the Carpathian Eagles. For one month, the members of the two task forces conducted joint missions to enable the Mountain Troops to take over each segment of the theatre of operations. Among other things, the Romanian military are conducting land patrol missions on an area of 1,200 sq km, assisted by drones operated by the American partners and working together with the Afghan forces. Kandahar is Afghanistans second-largest town after the capital city Kabul. The area managed by the Romanian troops is densely populated, and threats are significant, the Radio Romania envoy reports. Analysts expect this summers parliamentary election to strengthen the Taliban presence in the region. A suicide attack by the Islamic State group in Kabul has killed 3 and wounded 5 people today.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 24, 2014

    February 24, 2014

    PROTESTS – Around 100 people Friday picketed the Government headquarters, protesting against the leftist Social Democratic Party in power and against its Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader. It was the second night of protests since Toader announced he formally asked for the dismissal of the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate, Laura Codruţa Kovesi. In a report covering the activity of the institution between February 2017 and February 2018, Minister Toader criticised Mrs. Kovesi for an excessively authoritarian management style, her involvement in cases investigated by the Directorate and the failure to investigate prosecutors suspected of abuse. The Justice Minister also claimed the DNA chief defied Parliament and challenged rulings made by the Constitutional Court. The request for dismissal has been forwarded to the Superior Council of Magistracy, which must be consulted on the matter, but the decision is in the hands of President Iohannis. On Friday President Klaus Iohannis reiterated his support for Laura Codruţa Kövesi. Backed by the parliamentary majority, made up of the Social Democrats and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, Toaders report was strongly criticised by the right-wing opposition.




    GRECO – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, this week had a meeting in Bucharest with a delegation of the Group of States against Corruption – GRECO, which traveled to Romania for an emergency assessment of the new justice laws in respect of the fight against corruption. The talks focused on the amendments to the justice laws and the practical consequences that they may have on the judiciary. The GRECO team also had meetings with representatives of other governmental agencies, the legislative power and the judiciary, as well as of relevant NGOs. GRECO said, at the end of the talks in Bucharest, that those in charge of investigating, prosecuting and trying corruption offences should benefit from adequate independence and autonomy, including in terms of disciplinary mechanisms. The delegation recommended that Bucharest requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the planned judicial reform.




    EDUCATION – Over 70 foreign education institutions are attending this weekend the 28th World Education Fair in Bucharest. Last year over 6,000 young Romanians chose to further their education abroad. Most of them went to Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain.




    EU FUNDING – EU funding, particularly the cohesion and the agriculture funds, might be lowered by up to 15% in the next EU multi-annual budget, beginning 2020 when the UK will no longer be a member. The announcement was made by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, at the end of an informal meeting of EU leaders. He added that 15 out of 27 member states were willing to raise their national contributions to the common budget. President Klaus Iohannis said at the meeting that Romania was open to the idea of contributing more than 1.1% of the GDP instead of 1%, so that the current levels of the cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy funding be maintained, which countries like Romania need in order to bridge the gaps in social and economic development compared to Western Europe. EU leaders have agreed that the Union must spend more on defence and security, for the Erasmus education programme and for curbing illegal migration. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has announced that EU leaders are willing to step up negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework, but that an agreement is unlikely to be reached this year.





    MILITARY – The Kandahar military base in southern Afghanistan has today hosted a ceremony to transfer authority from the Romanian Battalion 280 Infantry, Fearless Hearts, to Battalion 30 Mountain Troops, the Carpathian Eagles. For one month, the members of the two task forces conducted joint missions to enable the Mountain Troops to take over each segment of the theatre of operations. Among other things, the Romanian military are conducting land patrol missions on an area of 1,200 sq km, assisted by drones operated by the American partners and working together with the Afghan forces. Kandahar is Afghanistans second-largest town after the capital city Kabul. The area managed by the Romanian troops is densely populated, and threats are significant, the Radio Romania envoy reports. Analysts expect this summers parliamentary election to strengthen the Taliban presence in the region. A suicide attack by the Islamic State group in Kabul has killed 3 and wounded 5 people today.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)