Tag: capital

  • State aid for companies affected by the war in Ukraine

    State aid for companies affected by the war in Ukraine

    The European Commission has approved the reintroduction of a state aid scheme in Romania of approximately 2.5 billion Euros (12.5 billion RON) to support companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The aid consists of loans as well as of non-reimbursable funds that will be granted to Romanian companies until June 30. The amount of support is divided into categories. Thus, companies in the agricultural field can receive up to 280,000 Euros, companies in the fishing and aquaculture field, up to 335,000 Euros, and companies operating in the rest of the sectors can benefit from aid worth up to 2.25 million Euros. According to the Commission’s analysis, the request made by Romania complies with the conditions provided for in the crisis and transition framework. The Romanian state requested such an agreement for the first time on September 9, 2022, which was approved in January 2023 for the entire year. Following the expiry of this deadline, the Commission once again approved the reintroduction of the state aid scheme to ensure sufficient liquidities for companies on the Romanian market.

     

    The measure is seen as necessary and proportionate to remedy the irregularities in the national economy. Moreover, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had announced, a few days ago, that the government would extend this year the IMM INVEST PLUS state aid scheme, to overcome the economic difficulties created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is a government lending program for working capital and investments aimed at SMEs and large companies in Romania. Approximately 11,500 companies can receive such funds. The program was initiated to ensure, until June 30, access to financing by companies that do not have the necessary sums for investment projects and for the continuation of their activity, the Finance Ministry announced. We want to support vital sectors such as agriculture, constructions and production and to make sure that we offer innovative Romanian companies the opportunity to reach their potential, said the finance minister, Marcel Boloş.

     

    The EU imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow and adopted a series of support programs and allowed member states to provide special subsidies to mitigate the economic and commercial effects of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Europe was subsequently faced with an explosion of prices and turbulence in the financial markets. The war has had enormous economic costs so far. It was not just the economies of the two countries in conflict that suffered, but the entire planet. Already rated as one of the costliest wars in human history, the price of this conflict has so far been estimated at over two and a half trillion dollars, that is over two thousand five hundred billion. Comparatively, this sum is equivalent to Romania’s GDP for seven and a half years. And it represents, in just two years, more than half the estimated costs of World War II, which lasted six years and was the most devastating conflict in history. (LS)

  • December 30, 2023 UPDATE

    December 30, 2023 UPDATE


    INVOICING Electronic invoicing will become compulsory in Romania as of January 1 for all B2B transactions. The system entails benefits particularly in terms of curbing VAT frauds, the finance minister Marcel Boloş told a press conference. He also said that those who will not use the e-Invoicing system may receive penalties of 3 to 10 years in prison, if the new law on fighting economic and financial crime passes the Constitutional Court review. The authorities count on additional revenues of EUR 1 bln. Minister Boloş also said that in December the national tax authoritys directorate for large taxpayers secured a record-high total of EUR 3.2 bln in state budget revenues. In fact, this month was also exceptional in terms of revenues from EU funding, which exceeded EUR 2.6 bln.



    INSURANCE The government extended a cap on the price of compulsory motor insurance policies, which will stay at the level in February 2023 until March next year. The cap will stay in place for as long as it is necessary for market regulation, but in 3-month stages, the government spokesman Mihai Constantin announced. The Cabinet also passed a bill making insurance compulsory for electric bikes and scooters, but exempting electrically powered wheelchairs used by people with disabilities from compulsory insurance.



    POLICE Close to 24,000 interior ministry staff will be on duty during the 4-day New Years holiday, while road traffic will be monitored by 360 radar speed guns and DUI check teams. Also, around 5,000 fire-fighters are on duty every day around the country, to provide emergency assistance if necessary. The border police also took steps to enhance border monitoring and to streamline vehicle and person transit at checkpoints. Meanwhile, the authorities announced having seized over 100 tonnes of fireworks kits and opening more than 500 criminal investigations in this respect, and have once again called on parents not to buy firecrackers for their children as such materials may be extremely dangerous.



    POLL The activities carried out part of the Timişoara – European Capital of Culture 2023 programme, including the Constantin Brâncuşi exhibition, received the most votes (29%) to be designated the event of the year 2023 in Romania, in a survey carried out by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy (IRES). According to the poll, the second event that marked Romania in 2023 was the qualification of the national football team to the final tournament of the European Championship – UEFA EURO 2024, which will take place next summer in Germany (24% of responses). Regarding culture and free time, 58% of the survey respondents said that they read at least one book in 2023, and 41% that they also bought books, 36% went to a show, and 20% went to a stadium or attended a sports competition. More than three quarters of the survey participants (76%) stated that they went to church this year.



    UKRAINE Fridays massive Russian strikes on Ukraine, which killed at least 30 people and wounded over 160 others, are “appalling assaults” the UN deputy secretary general Mohamed Khiari said in a Security Council meeting in New York. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation as the largest Russian air attack since the start of the war, with close to 160 missiles and drones hitting a maternity ward, educational facilities, and other industrial, military and civilian targets. NATO member Poland also reported the violation of the Polish airspace by a Russian missile. The strikes triggered large-scale international condemnation, with the US president Joe Biden calling on Congress to take immediate steps to send fresh aid to Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russias ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya blamed the toll on the misuse of Ukraines air defence systems, “the use of which has led to the deaths of civilians.” (AMP)


  • December 29, 2023 UPDATE

    December 29, 2023 UPDATE

    BUDGET President
    Klaus Iohannis Friday promulgated the state budget law and the social security budget
    law for the year 2024. Next year, Romania’s budget will be focused on
    investments of about 7% of the GDP, as well as on an economic growth rate of
    3.4%, while the budget deficit is estimated at 5% of the GDP. The government
    passed the bills on December 15, and the budgets were endorsed five days later
    by the joined chambers of the Romanian Parliament.


    PARLIAMENT Romania’s Senate Friday dismissed 3 bills
    tabled by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania regarding the autonomy of the Szeklers Land, a
    region in the centre of the country. The
    initiatives were rejected by the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday. At the
    plenary talks, the MPs from all the other parties stressed that the bills came against
    several articles in the Constitution and harmed the rule of law, while the
    initiators argued the opposite, saying that territorial autonomy worked in a
    number European states. The bills provided for the Covasna and Harghita
    counties and a part of Mureş county becoming autonomous, as part of a region
    with legal personality. In that presumed autonomous entity, the Hungarian
    language would have had the same status as the official language of the
    Romanian state. The land would also have its own president, elected for a
    four-year term by universal ballot. The so-called Szeklers Land, the only area
    in Romania where the Hungarian population is the majority, benefited from
    autonomy between 1952 and 1968. According to historians, this was an experiment
    in Soviet-occupied Romania imposed on Bucharest by the Kremlin dictator Joseph
    Stalin, at the insistence of the communist leaders in Budapest. The ethnic
    Hungarian population in Romania has been represented, without interruption, in
    the Parliament of post-communist Romania since 1990 until today, by the
    Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. Since 1996, the UDMR has been part of
    numerous coalition governments in Bucharest, whether right-wing or left-wing.


    EDUCATION The Romanian government Friday passed the 2024 – 2027
    National Strategy on Adult Education, aimed at enhancing citizen participation
    in life-long learning programmes and at improving the quality of adult
    education and training. The targeted participation rate by the end of 2027 is
    12%, as against 5.9% at present. The EU average life-long learning
    participation rate is 11.9%. The low level of participation in lifelong
    learning schemes has led to persisting lack of skills, which prevents economic
    development and hinders Romania’s adjustment to a fast-changing labour market
    in the digital era, the government said in a news release.


    TIMIŞOARA The activities carried out part of the ‘Timişoara – European Capital
    of Culture 2023’ programme, including the Constantin Brâncuşi exhibition,
    received the most votes (29%) to receive the title of ‘event of the year 2023
    in Romania’, in a survey carried out by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation
    and Strategy (IRES). According to the poll, the second event that marked
    Romania in 2023 was the qualification of the national football team to the
    final tournament of the European Championship – UEFA EURO 2024, which will take
    place next summer in Germany (24% of responses). Regarding culture and free
    time, 58% of the survey respondents said that they read at least one book in
    2023, and 41% that they also bought books, 36% went to a show, and 20% went to
    a stadium or attended a sports competition. More than three quarters of the
    survey participants (76%) stated that they went to church this year.


    POLICE Close to 24,000 interior ministry staff will be on
    duty during the 4-day New Year’s holiday, while road traffic will be monitored
    by 360 radar speed guns and DUI check teams. Meanwhile, the authorities announced
    having seized over 100 tonnes of fireworks kits and opening more than 500 criminal
    investigations in this respect, and have once again called on parents not to
    buy firecrackers for their children as such materials may be extremely
    dangerous.

    HANDBALL The men’s national handball team of Romania Friday won the
    Carpaţi Trophy international handball tournament, organised in Pitesti,
    southern Romania, after defeating Georgia 31-25 in the final. For Romania, trained by the famous Spanish
    coach Xavi Pascual, this was the last test before the European Championship -
    EHF EURO 2024 to be held in Germany, between January 10 and 28, 2024. The
    Romanians will play in Group B, alongside Spain, Austria and Croatia. The first
    two ranked teams will qualify for the so-called main groups. A 4-times world
    champion in the 1960s-70s, Romania had not qualified for a European
    Championship since 1996. (AMP)

  • July 17, 2023

    July 17, 2023

    SUMMIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis
    takes part on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels in the 3rd summit of
    the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. The main goal of the summit is to revive the partnership
    between the EU and Latin American countries, in the context of current
    geopolitical developments, including Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to
    the Romanian presidency, Mr. Iohannis will highlight the importance of the
    cooperation between the 2 regions for the management of new global challenges,
    of the complex challenges facing both regions, and of the new development
    opportunities that may be capitalised on through enhanced cooperation. The
    Romanian president will also emphasise that Romania’s active commitment to a
    closer cooperation between the 2 regions was reconfirmed in all his meetings
    with his counterparts, during his official visits to Brazil, Chile and
    Argentina this April.


    GOVERNMENT The
    Social Democratic MPs Natalia Intotero and Simona Bucura-Oprescu have been
    appointed by their party leaders today as the new ministries for family and
    labour, respectively. The 2 positions were vacant after the resignation of Gabrielei
    Firea as minister for family and of Marius Budăi as labour minister, following
    a scandal concerning care home abuses in Ilfov County, near the capital
    Bucharest, where prosecutors are investigating organised crime groups exploiting
    vulnerable people. Simona Bucura-Oprescu chairs the Committee on public
    administration and country planning in the Chamber of Deputies. She was elected
    as Deputy for Argeş County as a Social Democratic candidate, first in 2012, and
    then in 2016 and 2020. Natalia Intotero was a minister for the Romanian
    diaspora in 2018-2019 and a state secretary with the Foreign Ministry. She is
    also at her 3rd term in office as an MP, and since December 2020 she
    has been chairing the Chamber’s committee on education.


    TAXATION The government of Romania is looking at a set of
    tax increases to be applied as of September 1 in order to offset the budget
    deficit. The planned changes include a new 1% tax on residential buildings
    worth over EUR 500,000, and higher taxes on tobacco products and gambling. According
    to governmental sources, 2 VAT rates will remain in force, with a 9% tax rate
    for foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and prostheses, and a 19% rate for other
    products and services. The government is also considering the introduction of
    public health insurance contributions for employees in agriculture and
    constructions, thus eliminating current exemptions in these sectors. Additional
    taxes will be charged on transfers by companies that move their profits out of
    the country. As many as 85.8% of the small and medium-sized enterprises are
    against these proposed amendments to the Fiscal Code, the SME Council president
    Florin Jianu says.


    CULTURE This week’s agenda of the Timişoara – European Capital
    of Culture programme includes theatre, performing arts, cinema, exhibitions and
    gastronomy. The world-famous US actor John Malkovich stars in The Infernal
    Comedy staged by the National Theatre in Timişoara, supported by the Vienna
    Academy Orchestra, in 3 sold-out performances on Thursday and Friday. On
    Tuesday, the Revolution Memorial Museum opens an exhibition on The Berlin
    Wall, a border through Germany, and Wednesday sees the first screening of a travel
    documentary by Florin Iepan, entitled My journey to Romania – Letter from
    Timişoara, depicting the city as seen by a Norwegian traveller, Christoffer
    Johansen.


    SPORTS Romanian
    football champions Farul Constanţa take on Sheriff Tiraspol, of the R. of
    Moldova, on Tuesday night, in the Champions League’s first qualifying round. In the first leg, Farul won 1-0 on home
    turf. The winning team is next to play against the winner of the round pitting Maccabi Haifa (Israel) against Hamrun Spartans (Malta), in
    which the Israeli side won the first leg 4-0. Three
    Romanian teams are playing in Conference League as well. In the 2nd
    qualifying round, former champions CFR Cluj take on Adana Demirspor, of Turkey.
    Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe are pitting against CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), while
    vice-champions FCSB (Bucharest) are facing CSKA 1948 Sofia. The first leg is
    scheduled for July 27, with the return leg due a week later. (AMP)

  • Art Encounters

    Art Encounters


    The western Romanian city of Timisoara in May this year saw the 5th edition being opened, of the Art Encounters Biennale. Themed My Rhyno is not a Myth, the Biennale was mounted as part of the cultural programme known as Timisoara 2023: the European Capital of Culture. The current edition is dedicated to the crossroads between art science and fiction, exploring their potential to retrieve reality as a network of complex processes, The Biennale is held in 15 unusual spaces in Timisoara, activating 23 dedicated areas through events, performance, projections and conferences. Attending the Art Encounters Biennale are more than 60 artists of 20 countries.



    At the inauguration of the Biennale, Eugen Cojocariu sat down and spoke to the president of the “Art Encounters” Foundation, Ovidiu Sandor, an entrepreneur from Timisoara and one of the best-known collectors of contemporary art.



    “Were speaking about the 5th edition of the “Art Encounters” Biennale, a project initiated by the “Art Encounters” Foundation as early as 2015, a project which seeks to support, first and foremost, Romanias contemporary art stage, specifically, through the support mostly offered to some of the young artists so they can create works for the Biennale proper, but mainly through the creation of this framework where Romanian contemporary art, Eastern Europes contemporary art initiate a direct dialogue with international art. A set of events which, apart from the all too familiar exhibitions, includes conferences and performances as well, quite an eventful mediation program and suchlike. Romania, also regarding contemporary art, just like in many other areas of culture, boasts several very talented and creative artists, yet these artists need as many organized contexts as possible, so they can exhibit, where they can be visible, where they can have a dialogue with international artists, where they can initiate a dialogue with curators, collectors, with contemporary art institutions, at home and abroad. And thats what we have been trying to do, create such a platform for contemporary art dialogue.”



    Ovidiu Șandor gave us details on the curatorial team, and about the artists selection procedure:



    “Just like in the previous editions, we have invited a curator, for this years edition we had Adrian Notz of Switzerland, who in turn suggested that we invite a team of young women curators, who, in fact, were, between inverted commas, his students at the curatorial school we also organized two years ago. Just like in all the other editions of the Biennale, it is a process by means of which we encourage the curator or the curators to explore the region, Romania and the surrounding countries, in visits where we try to get them meet young artists, historian artists, so they can better understand what happens from the standpoint of contemporary art in this region, so much so that their selection should also reflect the effervescence and diversity of the artistic positions in the region. It is a process that, now that is has seen its 5th edition, it somehow comes along naturally and has bene developing better and better. It is a process requiring a lot of time, it requires a lot of effort. It is a large team, that which stands behind a biennale, from, yes, curators to artists, to the people who are into the production side, people who deal with the installations of the exhibitions, the whole team of mediators, people who provide the communication side, people who sort out the entire financial and legal side and suchlike. We believe that, also the development of these people and the experience all of us have acquired in each edition, that is also something important. Romania needs more cultural managers, it needs a cultural manager with as much experience as possible, as culture cannot be produced, it needs to be shown, it needs media coverage, it needs to be promoted. We in turn have also been trying to have our own contribution to that kind of thing. “



    But what is the concept of the “Art Encounters” Biennale 2023? What is the message conveyed to the lay public? Speaking about that, here is Ovidiu Sandor once again.



    ” Art, science, fiction, that seems to me a very updated theme. In effect, art and science come up with two different systems of viewing the world, of viewing the problems of the world, of viewing our potential future. And we think that, perhaps, this divide between art and science a divide that emerged a couple of hundreds of years ago, that, perhaps, is nevertheless artificial and in fact the way artists view the world, the way scientists view the world, these are complementary ways of making sense of the issues that concern us. I think were all aware of the fact that technology plays an increasingly important part in our lives, with the good and the bad points that go with technology. It is something artists highlighted. I think Artificial Intelligence today is on everybodys lips and it also a preoccupation. So I think it is a Biennale which is bound to be interesting, not only for the regular contemporary art public but also for a much wider audience.



    Diana Marincu is the artistic director of “Art Encounters. ” Here she is, giving us more details on the participating artists and about how art ties in with science at the “Art Encounters” Biennale 2023:



    “It is, in fact, a puzzle, between artists, between various institutions and it is crucial that this constellation of partners joins us with each edition, it becomes larger and there is a growing interest for contemporary art in Timisoara. There also is an extremely varied selection this year. We have artists with works created in various modes of expression, from installation, painting, sculpture, photography, video. It is, indeed, a complex Biennale. Guest curator Adrian Notz thought of some sort of combination between art and technology, also between art and science, in a bid to offer this message to the public as, in fact, these domains always offer models of mutual understanding, or knowledge, of transcribing reality, and that is never something separate. Art has always been connected to other domains in daily life as well. It is a Biennale where we can see many artists experimenting with state-of-the-art technologies and with the most original concepts, yet we also have historian artists who come up with a perspective which, in hindsight, can be revisited…I think it is crucial that we snap out of the confines of our field and try to connect with those whose knowledge is different from the visual knowledge but which is equally interesting. “




  • Timișoara, European Capital of Culture 2023

    Timișoara, European Capital of Culture 2023

    A European Capital of Culture in 2023, alongside the towns of Veszprém in Hungary and Elefsina in Greece, the western Romanian city of Timişoara launched the first events in the programme this weekend.



    For 3 days, as many as 130 cultural events brought together 500 artists from Romania and abroad. Some 15,000 visitors and over 100 senior officials, representing over 40 countries on 3 continents, attended the events.



    Timişoara turned into a huge art gallery, with many collective and personal exhibitions scattered around the city. Music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and giant puppet parades, community roundtables, a digital culture festival, the opening of a 5-level nursery with 1,300 plants in Victory Square for biodiversity education, as well as a book launch occasioned by the great sculptor Constantin Brâncuşis birthday were also among the highlights.



    The artist Dan Perjovschi presented his mobile exhibition, a tram decorated with drawings and messages related to the contemporary social, political and cultural life. “It is an exhibition that doesnt wait for people to come see it, but instead it goes out to find people,” the artist said, explaining that the goal was to bring his works to people who do not usually go to museums.



    One of the most interesting events was the opening of an exhibition on the Romanian artist Victor Brauner, the first such retrospective in his home country.



    The remarkable 3-day display of culture came to an end around midnight on Sunday, but the show will go on, as the programme Timişoara – European Capital of Culture is only beginning, the organisers said.



    At the end of the opening weekend, the mayor Dominic Fritz said Timişoara conveyed its message with courage this weekend. “The values that have built this city-inovation, multiculturalism, diversity-were seen and heard across Europe,” he pointed out. “Timişoara, officially a European Capital of Culture for 2023, looks forward with confidence to the impressive show to follow until next February. Over 1,000 events are planned, conveying an international message that speaks about the citys cultural values, disseminated by the hundreds of diplomats and journalists that were here this weekend, and by the around one million visitors expected to come here during the year. Timişoara still has a lot to show, and everybody is welcome,” Dominic Fritz added.



    Attending the opening weekend, the European Commissioner Adina Vălean awarded Timişoara the Melina Mercouri prize, worth 1.5 million euro, regularly grated to the European capitals of culture that fulfil their programme commitments. (AMP)


  • February 18, 2023 UPDATE

    February 18, 2023 UPDATE

    TIMIŞOARA The
    city of Timişoara in western Romania is officially, as of Friday, a European
    Capital of Culture for a year. Over 15,000 people are expected to attend the
    opening weekend events. On Saturday, locals and visitors were invited
    to a digital culture festival, scientific experiments, exhibitions, dance and
    theatre performances, concerts, workshops and giant puppet parades around the
    city. On Friday, the first day of the weekend, tens of thousands of people
    enjoyed the over 120 events prepared by the organisers as a journey into the
    city’s multi-cultural tradition, its open, brave and innovating spirit. Performances,
    concerts, exhibitions, roundtables, tourist tours were organised, as well as a
    gala show attended by hundreds of guests, including scores of ambassadors and
    Romanian and foreign officials. The European Commissioner Adina Vălean awarded the
    Melina Mercouri prize to the city of Timişoara, for meeting the commitments in its
    cultural programme. She also emphasised that the cities having received the
    European Capital of Culture title have seen significant long-term benefits in
    terms of urban regeneration, of improving their public image and capitalising
    on their potential for innovation.


    SECURITY The
    Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, attending the Munich Security
    Conference, highlighted the serious security threats at the Black Sea entailed
    by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the pressure on
    neighbouring countries, particularly the Republic of Moldova, by various means,
    including hybrid threats. Aurescu was a special guest on Friday at an event
    devoted to multi-dimensional security challenges at the Black Sea and on NATO’s
    eastern flank, organised on the sidelines of the conference. The Romanian
    official pointed out that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a war against the
    values of the democratic Western community and against the core parameters of
    the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, as well as an attempt at recreating
    the Russian sphere of influence. Efficiently deterring Russia relies on strong
    defence, the Romanian foreign minister also said, and added that the
    trans-Atlantic partnership must be consolidated and the US Strategy on security
    at the Black Sea must be finalised. Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the
    importance of carrying on support for Ukraine, and suggested stepping up
    European and NATO support for Moldova and Georgia.


    VISIT The new PM of the Republic of Moldova, Dorin Recean, will be
    in Bucharest next week, for his first visit abroad since taking over the
    office, Radio Chişinău announced. In an interview on Moldova’s public
    television, Dorin Recean insisted on the privileged relationship between the 2
    countries and emphasised that Romania helped Moldova considerably in handling
    the energy crisis and in its EU accession efforts. Dorin Recean’s Cabinet was
    sworn in on Thursday, and on the same day the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă
    congratulated him and invited him to Bucharest.


    MOLDOVA The
    president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, had a meeting with the US
    State Secretary Antony Blinken at the Munich Security Conference, Chişinău announced. According to Reuters, the
    latter said the US was deeply concerned with some of Russia’s plans to
    destabilise the government of Moldova. Maia
    Sandu had previously accused Russia of planning to change the legitimate power
    in Chişinău, using men trained in Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro, who are
    apparently instructed to conduct violent actions under the guise of protests. President
    Sandu also attended a roundtable focusing on the experience of various
    countries and international organisations in fighting corruption, and she spoke
    about Moldova’s commitment to fight corruption and to punish all those who
    embezzled public money.


    TURKEY Three
    survivors were found under the rubble on Saturday, 13 days after the
    devastating earthquake in Turkey, which killed more than 45,000 people in that
    country and in Syria, France Presse reports, quoting Turkish media. One of the
    3 people rescued in southern Turkey is a child. Nearly 264,000 flats in Turkey
    were destroyed and many people are still missing after the most severe disaster
    in the country’s modern history. Romania has sent rescue teams to Turkey and
    humanitarian aid to Syria.


    RUGBY Romania’s
    rugby team Sunday plays against Portugal, away from home, in the last match in Group
    B of Rugby Europe Championship 2023 (REC). Both teams have 2 wins and are
    already qualified into the competition’s semi-finals. Romania played in Group
    B, alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland, while Group A included Georgia, the
    Netherlands, Spain and Germany. (AMP)

  • February 18, 2023

    February 18, 2023

    TIMIŞOARA The
    city of Timişoara in western Romania is officially, as of Friday, a European
    Capital of Culture for a year. Over 15,000 people are expected to attend the
    opening weekend events. On Friday, the first day of the weekend, tens of
    thousands of people enjoyed the over 120 events prepared by the organisers as a
    journey into the city’s multi-cultural tradition, its open, brave and
    innovating spirit. Performances, concerts, exhibitions, roundtables, tourist
    tours were organised, as well as a gala show attended by hundreds of guests,
    including scores of ambassadors and Romanian and foreign officials. The
    European Commissioner Adina Vălean awarded the Melina Mercouri prize to the
    city of Timişoara, for meeting the commitments in its cultural programme. She
    also emphasised that the cities having received the European Capital of Culture
    title have seen significant long-term benefits in terms of urban regeneration, of
    improving their public image and capitalising on their potential for
    innovation.


    SECURITY The
    Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, attending the Munich Security
    Conference, highlighted the serious security threats at the Black Sea entailed
    by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the pressure on
    neighbouring countries, particularly the Republic of Moldova, by various means,
    including hybrid threats. Aurescu was a special guest on Friday at an event
    devoted to multi-dimensional security challenges at the Black Sea and on NATO’s
    eastern flank, organised on the sidelines of the conference. The Romanian
    official pointed out that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a war against the
    values of the democratic Western community and against the core parameters of
    the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, as well as an attempt at recreating
    the Russian sphere of influence. Efficiently deterring Russia relies on strong
    defence, the Romanian foreign minister also said, and added that the
    trans-Atlantic partnership must be consolidated and the US Strategy on security
    at the Black Sea must be finalised. Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the
    importance of carrying on support for Ukraine, and suggested stepping up
    European and NATO support for Moldova and Georgia.


    MOLDOVA The
    president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, had a meeting with the US
    State Secretary Antony Blinken at the Munich Security Conference, Chişinău announced. According to Reuters, the
    latter said the US was deeply concerned with some of Russia’s plans to
    destabilise the government of Moldova. Maia
    Sandu had previously accused Russia of planning to change the legitimate power
    in Chişinău, using men trained in Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro, who are
    apparently instructed to conduct violent actions under the guise of protests. President
    Sandu also attended a roundtable focusing on the experience of various
    countries and international organisations in fighting corruption, and she spoke
    about Moldova’s commitment to fight corruption and to punish all those who
    embezzled public money.


    TURKEY Three
    survivors were found under the rubble on Saturday, 13 days after the
    devastating earthquake in Turkey, which killed more than 45,000 people in that
    country and in Syria, France Presse reports, quoting Turkish media. One of the
    3 people rescued in southern Turkey is a child. Nearly 264,000 flats in Turkey
    were destroyed and many people are still missing after the most severe disaster
    in the country’s modern history. Romania has sent rescue teams to Turkey and
    humanitarian aid to Syria.


    RUGBY Romania’s
    rugby team Sunday plays against Portugal, away from home, in the last match in Group
    B of Rugby Europe Championship 2023 (REC). Both teams have 2 wins and are
    already qualified into the competition’s semi-finals. Romania played in Group
    B, alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland, while Group A included Georgia, the
    Netherlands, Spain and Germany. (AMP)

  • Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023

    Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023


    130 events spanning 3 days will mark the official opening of the “Timişoara – European Capital of Culture” programme. Starting on Friday, the western Romanian city becomes the second in the country, after Sibiu in 2007, to hold the much coveted title. The people of Timişoara want the programme to prove that theirs is a traditionally multicultural, open, brave and innovative city.



    During the 3 days of cultural celebrations, Timișoara is expected to receive around 16,000 guests, including 100 Romanian and foreign senior officials, including scores of ambassadors, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the European Commissioner Adina Vălean.



    Hundreds of Romanian and international artists have prepared concerts, exhibitions, street performances, theatre plays, film screenings and workshops around the city, under the slogan “Shine your light – Light up your city!”



    The mayor Dominic Fritz urged people to take part in the celebration:



    Dominic Fritz: “This is our chance to showcase everything we know about Timişoaras heritage, as well as the energy we have today and the thirst we have for the future. We are proud of our city and I am confident that a year from now we will have built a new, better, more engaged community, where each of us has a place. So lets make 2023 the year of Timişoara.”



    The highlights of the “Timişoara – European Capital of Culture” opening weekend include a Victor Brauner exhibition hosted by the Art Museum. The retrospective, the first one in Romania and one of the most important in Europe, is devoted to a major personality of Romanian and European avant-garde and surrealist culture. Concerts will be given by the Romanian composer and pianist Andrei Irimia, by the Banatul Philharmonic Orchestra, by DJ Bully, Jay-Jay Johanson and the Dutch pianist and composer Joep Beving.



    After having toured the world for 30 years, the founders of Taraf de Haidouks are returning home and set up a new project, “Taraf de Caliu,” which will also be present in Timișoara this weekend. One of the worlds most popular gipsy bands, “Taraf de Caliu” performs and promotes the traditional music of the south of Romania.



    The organisers also promised that the aerial show staged by Muaré Experience (Spain) will also be worth attending.



    A five-level nursery with over 1,300 plants will help educate people on biodiversity, while the Polytechnic University is hosting a digital culture festival.



    You can find more details on the events taking place this weekend in Timişoara at opening.timisoara2023.eu. (AMP)


  • Timişoara, European Capital of Culture in 2023

    Timişoara, European Capital of Culture in 2023

    The very week when Romania celebrated the
    National Culture Day, the city of Timişoara officially became a European
    Capital of Culture for the year 2023.




    The moment was marked on Monday, January 9,
    with a ceremony in which the 2022 European Capitals of Culture handed over the
    titles to the cities and regions that become Capitals in 2023: Elefsina (Greece),
    Veszprém (Hungary) and Timişoara (Romania). Symbolically, the
    ceremony was held in Athens, which was the first European Capital of Culture,
    in 1985, when the project was initiated by the Greek actress, singer and
    politician Melina Mercouri and the French politician Jack Lang, a promotor of
    many projects in the field of culture.




    With the motto Shine your light – Light
    up your city!, Timişoara seeks
    to showcase its cultural traditions and to demonstrate that it is a model of
    tolerance, a place where various ethnic minorities and cultures live together.




    Also
    known as the city on the Bega, after the river and navigable canal that crosses
    it, Timişoara stands out, among other things, thanks to its 3 state theatres,
    with performances in Romanian, German and Hungarian. Timişoara is also dubbed little
    Vienna, due to the architecture of its heritage buildings.




    The official launch
    of the 2023 European Capital of Culture programme took place on February
    17. Vlad Tăușance, a member of the Timişoara 2023 curatorial team, told us
    about the event:




    Vlad Tăușance: The Timișoara
    2023 European Capital of Culture opening weekend is designed as a feast of the
    entire city, as well as an opportunity for cultural operators to give the
    public in Timișoara, in Romania and around Europe a preview of what the Timișoara
    2023 programme will look like. Whether we talk about exhibitions, performances,
    concerts or community events, this opening weekend is a festive moment, a celebration
    if you want, of the entire Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture year. We
    have scheduled more than 50 events, of various proportions and on various themes,
    from a large concert for the general public in the Union Square, in Timișoara, with
    international artists from Serbia, Bulgaria and more joining local bands, with
    genres ranging from electronica to rock to world music, with a special
    appearance by the Romanian group Taraf de Caliu. It is a special event, complete
    with an aerial dance show by Moale, a group from Spain well known
    for its electrifying performances.




    A major pillar of
    the Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture opening weekend is the
    exhibition series:




    Vlad Tăușance: On
    the one hand we have a collective exhibition called Chronic Desire, an
    exhibition that brings together over 30 artists from Romania and Europe. It is
    a mix of emerging artists and celebrated names, which make the headlines in major
    art biennales around the world or are included in the collections of important
    museums. What connects all these artists is the theme of the exhibition:
    Chronic Desire. A need for meaning, a need for new definitions for a Europe
    that is truly facing rather uncomfortable realities, whether we talk about
    identity crises, aggression, climate change or war. It is a very interesting exhibition,
    intended to give the public food for thought, to challenge them to find their
    own answers to important questions of today. This is, in fact, one of the key
    goals of the European Capital of Culture programme. Beyond the spectacular
    element, so to say, the festive moments celebrated together, this title is also
    about introspection, about searching together and finding together new definitions
    for what Europe means, where it begins, where it ends and, more importantly,
    where it is headed to.




    The multiculturality
    of the city on the Bega will be showcased in the events hosted this year, Vlad Tăușance from the Timişoara 2023 curatorial team also told us:




    Vlad Tăușance: The
    National Theatre, for instance, is preparing what I could call a spectacular
    programme, with the most important names in choreography and contemporary drama.
    The Philharmonic is preparing collaborations with orchestras in Germany and
    other countries. We have guests from around Europe in various projects, including
    forum theatre or social theatre, art residences, events in unconventional
    venues. This kind of multiculturality is also reflected in the opening of
    venues that are not usually open to alternative culture or the general public,
    and I mean churches or other religious centres, which will host both jazz
    performances, experimental music shows and even theatre plays. This mobilisation
    is unprecedented in the history of the city, and with all modesty I would say
    in Romania’s recent cultural history as well.




    It was in Timişoara that
    the first navigable canal in Romania was first built, in 1732, and in 1884 Timişoara
    was the first European city to use electric lighting. In December 1989,
    Timişoara was the city where the anti-communist uprising started, which days
    later led to the fall of the communist regime in Romania. And this year, once
    again, Timişoara aims to prove that it is a pioneering city. (AMP)

  • January 9, 2023

    January 9, 2023

    SCHOOLS
    Schools and kindergartens reopened in Romania today after the winter break,
    among seasonal flu and viral respiratory infection alerts. The authorities call
    on parents not to send their kids to school if they have symptoms. The
    education and health ministries have taken measures and issued guidelines to
    prevent the transmission of respiratory viruses.


    GOVERNMENT The government of Romania is
    considering a number of projects for the forthcoming period, which have already
    been agreed on within the ruling coalition, the PM Nicolae Ciucă announced.
    Healthcare, education and investments, including the targets and benchmarks
    undertaken under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, are the main areas
    to receive special attention. The government posted for public debate a draft resolution
    on master’s, Ph. D, post-doctoral and research grants abroad. In terms of
    healthcare system improvements, the proposed measures include hospital
    revamping using EU funds.


    UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment
    rate in Romania dropped slightly, from 5.5% in October to 5.4% in November,
    according to data made public today by the National Statistics Institute. The
    number of unemployed people aged between 15 and 74 estimated for November 2022
    was 447,700, down from the 453,200 reported for the previous month and from the
    450,000 reported for November 2021. The unemployment rate is 0.9% higher among
    men (5.8% for men and 4.9% for women). Unemployment among youth under 24
    remains at a worrying 22.9%, the INS warns. The number of unemployed people
    aged 25 to 74 accounted for 74.3% of the total number estimated for November
    2022.


    CULTURE The first event in the series devoted to Timişoara – European
    Capital of Culture in 2023 takes place today, when the vice-president of the
    European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, will hand over this official title in
    a ceremony held at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. This year, the city of Timişoara
    in western Romania is one of the 3 European capitals of culture, alongside Elefsina
    in Greece and Veszprém in Hungary. The official opening of the event is
    scheduled for February 17 to 19, and throughout the year as many as 50 shows,
    concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events will bring together more than
    2,500 artists from Romania and abroad. Timişoara is included in a top of the best places to visit put together
    by the British daily The Independent. The publication
    recommends Timişoara’s Baroque buildings and historical squares, as well as art
    exhibitions, classical music concerts and jazz festivals. The mayor Dominic
    Fritz said this year’s priority is to attract both tourists, and investors.


    BORDERS As many as 302,000 people and over 75,000
    vehicles crossed into and out of Romania on Sunday. More than 92,700 people entered
    Romanian territory, including 6,880 Ukrainian nationals. This brings the total
    number of Ukrainian citizens having entered Romania since February 2022 to over
    3.27 million.
    Border checks are conducted efficiently at all checkpoints, in line with the
    national and EU legislation, and the Border Police are working at full
    capacity, the authorities announced.


    UKRAINE Wars like the one in Ukraine, where civilian areas are
    subjected to indiscriminate destruction, are a crime against God and
    humanity, Pope Francis said on Monday. In his annual speech to diplomats
    accredited to the Vatican, the Pope spoke about the war in Ukraine, with its
    wake of death and destruction, with its attacks on civil infrastructures that
    cause lives to be lost not only from gunfire and acts of violence, but also
    from hunger and freezing cold. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are withstanding constant
    Russian attacks on Bakhmut and other towns in the east of Donbas, the Ukrainian
    authorities announced today. Bakhmut is holding out against all odds,
    president Volodymyr Zelensky said in his Sunday address. The nearby town of
    Soledar is also holding out, Although there is even more destruction there and
    it is extremely hard, he added.


    TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea (43 WTA) was defeated today by Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil (156 WTA), 7-6, 6-1, in
    the first round of the Adelaide International 2 (WTA 500) tournament in Australia.Another
    Romanian, Irina Begu, will play in the main draw against Australia’s Storm
    Hunter. Begu reached the semi-finals of the Adelaide International 1(WTA 500), where
    she lost to the winner of the tournament, Arina Sabalenka of Belarus. (AMP)

  • Timișoara 1989, Timișoara 2023

    Timișoara 1989, Timișoara 2023

    In
    2023, the city of Timișoara (in western Romania) will be a European capital of
    culture, an honorary title the Parliament in Strasbourg has consistently granted
    to cities since 1985 with a view to highlighting the richness and diversity of
    cultures in Europe. In 2007, when Romania joined the European Union, the
    Romanian city of Sibiu shared this title with Luxemburg. Actually
    Sibiu was the first Romanian city to have been designated European capital of
    culture and has become an increasingly attracting travel destination ever
    since. In the week that just ended, Timisoara launched an event timetable for
    the next year, which includes scores of projects with a frequency of nearly 30
    projects per week.




    Next
    year is a historic opportunity for the city and also for Romania. It is the
    chance of our transformation as a city, community or country. And I would like
    that after a couple of years when we look back to 2023 to say that this title
    didn’t change only the city’s cultural life but the entire city says Timisoara’s
    mayor Domnic Fritz




    This grandiose cultural project is expected to
    bring together recipients of the Nobel prize in literature such as Orhan Pamuk
    and Olga Tokarczuk, but also Peter Slotterdijk, maybe the best known and
    disputed German philosopher of the moment in a dialogue with Andrei Ujică. The
    children’s choir Singing Moellenbeek of Brussels, the Manchester-based dance troupe
    the Chameleon Company, the theatre troupe Rimini Protokoll, as well as
    orchestras of Gera and Cologne are expected to delight the audiences attending
    the events. The Belfast Ensemble and Dutch pianist Joep Beving have also announced
    their participation.


    This mega cultural project also involves the
    participation of Romanian artists of international repute such as Brancusi and Brauner
    and visitors will also have the opportunity of seeing the Contemporary art
    biennale. Visitors will be given the chance of attending concerts given by Romanian
    orchestras under the batons of reputed directors such as Cristian Măcelaru and Gabriel
    Bebeşelea and watch productions signed by famous Romanian directors such as Andrei
    Şerban and Adina Pintilie, who represented Romania at the Biennale of
    Contemporary Art in Venice.


    In another development, Timisoara is these days
    seeing events devoted to marking 33 years since the anti-communist Revolution
    of 1989, which include a series of shows, film screenings, concerts and religious
    services. The anti-communist revolution of 1989 kicked off here in Timisoara on
    December 16th and extended to the capital and other cities in a
    couple of days. The Day of Victory is celebrated on December 20th, when
    Timisoara became Romania’s first city free of communism.


    (bill)

  • Timișoara 1989, Timișoara 2023

    Timișoara 1989, Timișoara 2023

    In
    2023, the city of Timișoara (in western Romania) will be a European capital of
    culture, an honorary title the Parliament in Strasbourg has consistently granted
    to cities since 1985 with a view to highlighting the richness and diversity of
    cultures in Europe. In 2007, when Romania joined the European Union, the
    Romanian city of Sibiu shared this title with Luxemburg. Actually
    Sibiu was the first Romanian city to have been designated European capital of
    culture and has become an increasingly attracting travel destination ever
    since. In the week that just ended, Timisoara launched an event timetable for
    the next year, which includes scores of projects with a frequency of nearly 30
    projects per week.




    Next
    year is a historic opportunity for the city and also for Romania. It is the
    chance of our transformation as a city, community or country. And I would like
    that after a couple of years when we look back to 2023 to say that this title
    didn’t change only the city’s cultural life but the entire city says Timisoara’s
    mayor Domnic Fritz




    This grandiose cultural project is expected to
    bring together recipients of the Nobel prize in literature such as Orhan Pamuk
    and Olga Tokarczuk, but also Peter Slotterdijk, maybe the best known and
    disputed German philosopher of the moment in a dialogue with Andrei Ujică. The
    children’s choir Singing Moellenbeek of Brussels, the Manchester-based dance troupe
    the Chameleon Company, the theatre troupe Rimini Protokoll, as well as
    orchestras of Gera and Cologne are expected to delight the audiences attending
    the events. The Belfast Ensemble and Dutch pianist Joep Beving have also announced
    their participation.


    This mega cultural project also involves the
    participation of Romanian artists of international repute such as Brancusi and Brauner
    and visitors will also have the opportunity of seeing the Contemporary art
    biennale. Visitors will be given the chance of attending concerts given by Romanian
    orchestras under the batons of reputed directors such as Cristian Măcelaru and Gabriel
    Bebeşelea and watch productions signed by famous Romanian directors such as Andrei
    Şerban and Adina Pintilie, who represented Romania at the Biennale of
    Contemporary Art in Venice.


    In another development, Timisoara is these days
    seeing events devoted to marking 33 years since the anti-communist Revolution
    of 1989, which include a series of shows, film screenings, concerts and religious
    services. The anti-communist revolution of 1989 kicked off here in Timisoara on
    December 16th and extended to the capital and other cities in a
    couple of days. The Day of Victory is celebrated on December 20th, when
    Timisoara became Romania’s first city free of communism.


    (bill)

  • December 2, 2022 UPDATE

    December 2, 2022 UPDATE

    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus
    Iohannis had a meeting in Athens on Friday with his Greek counterpart, Katerina
    Sakellaropoulou, who reiterated Greece’s full support for Romania’s Schengen
    accession. The two officials praised the very good relations between the two
    countries, strengthened by cultural affinities and by a long common history,
    and emphasized the close cooperation at EU, regional and international level. Given
    the current security situation generated by Russia’s illegal military
    aggression against Ukraine, they emphasized the importance of maintaining
    trans-Atlantic unity and solidarity and reiterated the support that their
    respective countries will continue to give to Ukraine and to Ukrainian refugees,
    as well as to the R. of Moldova. The Romanian president is in Greece for a
    2-day official visit.


    COMPANIES The number of new
    companies running on foreign capital set up in Romania in the first 10 months
    of the year is 30.7% higher than in the corresponding period of 2021, according
    to the National Trade Registry Office. The 6,175 new companies have a combined
    share capital of over USD 35 million. At the end of October 2022, 243,022
    companies in Romania had foreign share capital. The largest number of companies
    had Italian investors, but the highest capital value was reported for Dutch
    companies. In related news, Romania’s software industry is growing steadily,
    with the combined turnover in the sector expected to reach a record-high EUR 11
    billion this year. According to a survey, the upward trend has been steady for
    the past 10 years, and the growth rate almost tripled during this period. In
    2021 there were over 30,000 software firms in Romania.


    GAUDEAMUS The 29th edition of the
    Gaudeamus Book Fair hosted by Radio Romania kicks off next week.
    200 publishers will be exhibiting their latest and current releases in various
    formats, addressing all age brackets and fields of interests, music as well as
    educational games. 600 events have been announced in addition to various
    related projects. Pavilions are also available online on gaudeamus.ro. The
    Gaudeamus Book Fair is financed by the Ministry of Culture.


    POLITICS The National Congress of the Alliance for the Unity of
    Romanians (AUR), a nationalist party in opposition in Romania, Friday endorsed
    its political promotion strategy for 2023. It includes building a mobile
    hospital and organising medical caravans which would also present the party’s
    views on the main areas of interest. The party president, George Simion, added
    that some of the subsidies received by the party will be used for purchasing
    school buses. The head of the party’s National Council, Claudiu Târziu, said
    national reunification is AUR’s country project and requested the governments
    of Romania and of the R. of Moldova to initiate immediate consultations in this
    respect.


    SCHENGEN The Dutch government Friday decided to agree with Romania’s
    and Croatia’s Schengen accession, but will oppose the accession of Bulgaria, on
    grounds that the country does not meet the required conditions. The Swedish
    parliament’s committee for European affairs also voted in favour of Romania’s
    accession. The Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign minister Bogdan
    Aurescu hailed the decisions concerning Romania. A possible enlargement of the Schengen
    area is one of the topics on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council
    meeting due on December 8. (AMP)

  • Romania and R. Moldova strengthen cooperation

    Romania and R. Moldova strengthen cooperation

    Romania and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova intend
    to step up their common efforts to mitigate the negative effects of the current
    context created by the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, disruptions in
    international trade circuits and the steep global inflation. This is the
    announcement made by PM Nicolae Ciucă, after taking part in a forum focused on
    cooperation in the capital market, held in Bucharest and also attended by Moldova’s
    PM Natalia Gavriliţa.


    On this occasion, the two officials analysed the
    progress in implementing projects intended to support Moldova in areas like the
    energy and gas sector, ensuring funding under the EUR 100 mln assistance
    package provided by Romania and the EUR 10 mln direct budget assistance. According
    to Nicolae Ciucă, developing trade and supporting investments are critical to
    both the consolidation of the bilateral strategic partnership, and Moldova’s EU
    accession.


    Nicolae Ciucă: In the first 5 months of this year, bilateral
    trade already went over EUR 1.2 bln, thus confirming the accelerated increase
    in trade between our countries. This is good, but it’s not enough. We must make
    joint efforts and send messages to the business communities in both Romania and
    Moldova, so as to best put to use the potential of the 2 economies.


    In turn, Natalia Gavriliţa emphasised that Moldova needs
    a more active capital market and international investments. The Moldovan PM
    said professionals are needed in Chișinău, such as insurance and pension fund
    managers. Moreover, Natalia Gavriliţa explained that an investment in the R. of
    Moldova should be seen as an opportunity to also access the Romanian market. As she put it, We know that for some
    companies, the Moldovan market may seem too small to justify an investment. However,
    given the linguistic and cultural proximity, many Moldovan companies tread the
    Romanian market as an extension of the domestic one. This is why Romania is by
    far the largest export market for our businesses, so when you assess Moldova, you
    shouldn’t see it just as a small market of less than 3 million people, but rather
    as an access point to a combined market of over 20 million potential consumers.


    The 2 prime ministers also discussed the support
    Bucharest is able to provide in the preparations for the start of Moldova’s EU accession
    negotiations, and looked at the current progress made by Chişinău in this
    respect, particularly in the field of the judiciary. (AMP)