Radio România Internațional

Tag: Catalonia

  • October 8, 2017

    October 8, 2017

    NATO – The current session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly continues in Bucharest today, with works in the organisations five committees, covering democratic governance, defence and security, science and technology, and the civil and economic dimensions of security. Among other things, participants will adopt a document on stability and security at the Black Sea, another one on strengthening the NATO – EU cooperation and a report on maintaining the Alliances technological lead. Yesterday in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting, the Romanian Defence Minister, Mihai Fifor, said Romania should be a Schengen country in order for the Allied troops to be more easily deployed in Europe in case of conflict. In turn, the Romanian chief of staff, General Nicolae Ciucă, said Russias moves, the crisis in Ukraine and the trans-national threats posed by terrorism and migration undermine the stability of the region and that all NATO member countries must stay alert.




    ROMANIA-USA – Carrying on the strategic partnership with the USA was one of the topics discussed in Bucharest yesterday by PM Mihai Tudose with members of the US Congress. Tudose said Romania would remain a reliable partner for the US and NATO. The head of the Romanian Government also emphasised that Romania was a pillar of regional stability and security, and mentioned the contribution of the Romanian Army in NATOs missions. In turn, the US Congress members offered support for the energy security projects that Bucharest intends to implement. The Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea also talked with the American delegation. He discussed the importance of including Romania in the Visa Waiver programme and the means to broaden the excellent political and military cooperation into the economic sector as well.




    SPAIN – Large-scale rallies against Catalan independence are scheduled to take place today in Barcelona. The well-known writer Mario Vargas Llosa announced he would take part in the protest, and called Catalan separatism a ‘disease. Yesterday, tens of thousands protested across Spain, calling for unity and dialogue, against the background of Catalan separatist plans to unilaterally declare the regions independence in the coming days. The secession plan comes after a referendum, ruled illegal by Spains supreme court, was held last Sunday, amid violent police actions that left behind some 900 people injured. In spite of Madrids efforts to block the referendum, over 2.2 million out of the regions 5.3 million citizens went to polls, and 90% of them voted for Catalonia to break away from Spain. According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, quoted by Reuters and AFP, PM Mariano Rajoy said the Government might use its constitutional powers to suspend Catalonias autonomy and prevent it from declaring its independence.





    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep was defeated today by Caroline Garcia (France), 6-4, 7-6, in the Beijing tournament final. Yesterday, in the semi-finals, Halep beat Latvias Jelena Ostapenko, a victory thanks to which as of Monday Halep is the new WTA no 1. Her performance was hailed by top personalities in Romanian and world sports, Romanian politicians and tennis fans. Simona Haleps coach, the Australian Darren Cahill, the great gymnast Nadia Comăneci and former tennis player Boris Becker of Germany were among those who congratulated Simona Halep. According to Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase, WTA no 1 in the ‘70s, the hardest is yet to come for Simona Halep, the first Romanian tennis player to have won the top world position in the womens singles.




    WEATHER – Temperatures remain low today in Romania, with substantial rainfalls expected until tonight in the south and south-east, which are under a code yellow alert for bad weather. A code yellow alert for floods is in place for the rivers in this part of the country, where experts warn local flooding, flash floods and landslides may occur. Snowfalls are reported in the mountains. The highs of the day range between 7 and 19 degrees Celsius.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 6, 2017 UPDATE

    October 6, 2017 UPDATE

    UNIONS – Trade unions Friday failed to reach an agreement with the Government in Bucharest over demands to give up the planned transfer of social security payment obligations from employers to employees. The head of the Cartel Alfa trade union confederation, Bogdan Hossu, said the Government was not interested in finding another solution and insisted instead on keeping this measure in place, which, Hossu argued, would lead to a fall in salaries. Taking part in the talks were also the trade unions in the healthcare sector, which demand, among other things, changes in the law on public sector salaries and the reintroduction of meal vouchers as of January 1.



    NATO – Romania will remain a responsible and active member of the North-Atlantic Alliance, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu said on Friday during a meeting with the head of NATOs Parliamentary Assembly, Paolo Alli. Romania is one of the most important partners of NATO and Euro-Atlantic security, Alli said on the other hand, at the opening conference of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting held for 4 days in Bucharest. Not only has Romania managed to invest 2% of its GDP into defence, but it also contributes to the missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo, and has implemented ballistic missile defence systems, the NATO official mentioned. Taking part in the 63rd annual meeting of the NATO PA are more than 50 delegations from NATO member or partner countries. The main topics approached are the Alliances operations in Afghanistan, the NATO — EU relations, security at the Black Sea, the situation in East Asia and the humanitarian crisis in Syria and Iraq.



    SPAIN – The Government of Spain Friday asked Catalonia to dissolve its parliament and to hold regional elections in order to overcome the crisis dividing the country. Previously, the Catalan Foreign Minister, Raul Romeva, had said the Parliament of Catalonia would convene on Monday to decide on the unilateral proclamation of the regions independence. On Thursday the Constitutional Court of Spain suspended a session of the regional legislative body. Meanwhile on Thursday the PM of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, said the only solution to resolve the conflict was for Catalonia to give up its plan to declare its independence, and return to what he called “legality. In turn, the European Commission senior vice-president Frans Timmermans called for dialogue and reiterated that the dispute was a matter of Spanish domestic politics.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 4, 2017

    October 4, 2017

    UNIONS – One of Romanias largest trade union confederations, Cartel Alfa, is holding in Bucharest today a protest rally in front of the Government headquarters in Bucharest. The unionists main reason for discontent has to do with the transfer of social security payments from employers to employees. On the other hand, they demand a restart of negotiations and the closing of collective bargaining agreements at all levels. Unionists are also unhappy with the Law on public sector salaries and the Social Dialogue Act. According to Cartel Alfa, some 10,000 people are to take part in the rally. During September 25 to 29, similar protests were held in several other Romanian cities.




    PARLIAMENT – The Chamber of Deputies in the Parliament of Romania is discussing and voting today on a simple motion tabled by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union, in the Opposition, on the subject of transport infrastructure. The debate had been scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed at the request of PM Mihai Tudose, who announced Parliament that the Transport Minister Razvan Cuc was taking part in a joint meeting of the Governments of Romania and Bulgaria. Entitled ‘Romanias transport infrastructure is controlled by Social Democratic Party interests. Disillusion, demagogy and discouragement, the motion is aimed at dismissing Minister Razvan Cuc, accused of faulty management and lack of professionalism, as well as of blocking several major infrastructure projects.




    BANKS – The National Bank of Romania moved in the interbank market and lent a rough 2 billion euros to commercial banks, at 1.75% interest. The central bank did this after on Tuesday the 3-month Robor index, based on which most interest rates on loans in the national currency are calculated, had gone up for the 15th consecutive day, to 1.8%, the highest level since November 2014. We have more on this after the news.




    GERMANY – The reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, paved the way for the unification of Europe as a whole, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday night, at a dinner given by the Embassy of Germany in Bucharest. Himself a member of the German ethnic community in Romania, the President emphasised that the bilateral relation was a solid, strategic one, based on concrete achievements and on the will to build together a better European future. Iohannis also said that Romania, a Francophone country with a substantial German cultural heritage, must stand united with the French-German engine of the European Union.




    SPAIN – The European Parliament is discussing today, in an emergency session, the crisis in Spain further to Sundays Catalan independence referendum. The European Commission said repeatedly that this was a Spanish domestic politics issue, but Catalan officials insisted for EU mediation in the matter. The head of Catalonias Government, the secessionist Carles Puigdemont, said the region would proclaim its independence within days. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Spain, King Felipe has given the okay for suspending Catalan autonomy. He accused the authorities in Barcelona of lack of loyalty, and reiterated that Sundays vote was illegal.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (2 WTA) has today managed a major victory against the Russian Maria Sharapova (104 WTA), 6-2, 6-2, in the eighth-finals of the Beijing tournament, which has 6.4 million US dollars in total prize money. This is Simonas first win against Sharapova in 8 matches. Now, Simona Halep has a new chance to become no 1 in the world, overtaking Spains Garbiñe Muguruza, who withdrew from the tournament in the first round. Also today, in the 16th-finals, another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu (65 WTA) has been defeated by the Chinese Shuai Peng (25 WTA), 6-3, 6-2. The third Romanian player in this tournament, Sorana Cirstea (44 WTA), is playing on Thursday, also in the eighth-finals, against the Czech player Karolina Pliskova (4 WTA).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 3, 2017 UPDATE

    October 3, 2017 UPDATE


    BUSINESS FORUM – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and his Croat counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who is on a state visit to Bucharest, on Tuesday opened the works of the Romanian – Croat Business Forum. On the occasion, the Romanian President pointed out that bilateral trade exchanges neared 300 million euros. In his opinion, although this is a low level given the potential of the two economies, recent developments are nevertheless encouraging. During Mondays talks the two presidents approached, among other things, ways to improve cooperation within the EU and NATO.



    VISIT – Romanias Prime Minister Mihai Tudose, on a visit to neighbouring Bulgaria, on Tuesday stated that, within a year, the two countries would be joining the Schengen agreement. In a joint conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov, Tudose also said that the two countries were “condemned to be together” with regard to Schengen accession. The two officials chaired in Varna the fourth joint working session of Bucharest and Sofia government representatives. The agenda of the meeting included topics such as economic cooperation, transport and energy infrastructure, regional development and cross-border cooperation. A joint declaration on the main directions of bilateral, regional, European, Euro-Atlantic and international cooperation was signed in the presence of the two officials. Also in Varna, the Romanian Prime Minister attended a 4-party summit involving the participation of Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece.



    CARTEL ALFA – One of the most important trade union confederations in Romania, Cartel Alfa, will stage a protest meeting on Wednesday, in front of the Government building. Protesters are unhappy with authorities decision to have employees pay social contributions, a responsibility that used to be that of the employer, and call for collective employment agreements to be concluded at all levels. Trade unionists are also unhappy with the public salary law and the social dialogue law. According to Cartel Alfa, the meeting will be attended by some 10,000 people.



    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – The Constitutional Court of Romania on Tuesday stated that the chief-prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi has to appear before the parliamentary committee investigating the 2009 presidential election. Also, according to the Court, Kovesi must provide all the documents requested by the committee. The Constitutional Court discussed the requests for settling the legal conflict between Parliament and the Public Ministry, which is part of the judicial authority. The requests were filed by the Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea, after the head of the Anticorruption Directorate refused to appear before the committee. The General Prosecutors Office had also started an investigation into the 2009 presidential elections, but the case was classified. Both investigations were started following allegations by a controversial journalist, who claimed that the elections were influenced by high-ranking state officials, including heads of powerful public institutions. The election was won by the right wing representative Traian Basescu, to the detriment of the Social Democrat Mircea Geoana.



    CORRUPTION – The Romanian Senate has rejected the request filed by the National Anticorruption Directorate to start the prosecution of the minister for the relation with Parliament Viorel Ilie. 77 senators voted against and 37 for. The Anticorruption Directorate accuses Ilie of instigation to direct and indirect use of information that are not to be made public and of allowing the access of unauthorized people to such information, during his ministerial term. In late July, the Minister for the Relation with Parliament organized an employment contest, which, according to the National Anticorruption Directorate, was arranged to favour certain candidates.



    SIMPLE MOTION – On Wednesday, the Romanian Parliament will debate and vote on the simple motion filed by the main opposition party, the National Liberal Party, against the Transport Minister Razvan Cuc. The signatories of the motion are accusing minister Cuc of faulty management, lack of professionalism and excessive politization within the ministry. Also, the liberals say the minister has blocked large infrastructure projects, whose deadlines have long been exceeded.



    CATALONIA – An anti-police strike on Tuesday gripped the province of Catalonia, in north-eastern Spain. Catalan trade unions called the strike to show public anger at Spanish police violence during Sundays referendum on the regions independence. Some 300,000 people took to the streets of Barcelona and other cities across Catalonia to denounce the violent intervention of the police during the referendum and to defend the results of the referendum, which was declared illegal by the central government. The leader of the Catalan regional government Carles Puigdemont called for the withdrawal of the riot police deployed in Madrid and said international mediation was needed. In Bucharest, Romanian Foreign Ministry representatives reiterated Romanias firm support for Spains sovereignty and territorial integrity.



    NOBEL PRIZE – Three American astrophysicists, Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne on Tuesday won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their studies on gravitational waves. The Nobel Prize in Physics is the second prize announced in the series of prizes made public each year. On Wednesday the Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be announced. According to tradition, the Nobel Prizes will be handed to their winners as part of an official ceremony to be held on December 10, the day when the death of the founder of the Nobel Prize, Alfred Nobel, is commemorated.



    TENNIS TOURNAMENT – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranking 2nd in the WTA classification, on Tuesday qualified for the eighth finals of the Beijing tournament, with 6.4 million dollars in prize money. She defeated the Slovak player Magdalena Rybarikova, no. 28 WTA, who abandoned the game in the second set. In the next round Simona will play against the Russian Maria Sarapova, no. 104 WTA, whom she has not managed to defeat so far. Another Romanian player, Sorana Cirstea, has too qualified for the next round, after she defeated the American Christina McHale. The third Romanian player participating in the tournament, Monica Niculescu, will play on Wednesday against the Chinese Shuai Peng. (translated by M. Ignatescu)




  • October 2, 2017 UPDATE

    October 2, 2017 UPDATE

    CATALONIA — European Council President Donald Tusk has called on Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to “avoid further escalation and use of force” in the standoff over the Catalonian independence referendum. Also, Germanys foreign minister has called for urgent talks between the opposing sides in the dispute. The Catalan government says more than 40% of the regions electorate, thats 2.5 million voters, cast their ballots in Sundays independence referendum, with 90% backing independence. The leader of the regional government, the secessionist Carles Puigdemont, said the citizens of Catalonia “have won the right to an independent state in the form of a republic”. The Spanish government, which declared the referendum illegal, has come under harsh criticism by its European partners for the excessive zeal of the police forces sent in to prevent the voting. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Spain, the police wounded hundreds of people, stormed schools and public buildings used as polling stations, confiscated electoral material and seized control of the centre where votes were to be counted.




    ATTACK — United States President Donald Trump delivered brief remarks Monday on the deadly mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert the night before, calling the attack “an act of pure evil.” “We are joined together today in sadness, shock, and grief,” Trump said at the White House. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has sent his American counterpart a condolence message. Over 58 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in a mass shooting on Sunday night in Las Vegas. A gunman fired on the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas from an overlooking hotel. Police have named the suspect as Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old local man. They believe he shot and killed himself on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino. At least 10 guns were found in his hotel room. He is not believed to be connected to any militant group.




    JOINT MEETING — The Romanian and Bulgarian governments will convene on Tuesday in a joint meeting in Varna, Bulgaria, where prime ministers Mihai Tudose and Boiko Borisov will witness the signing of some bilateral documents in the fields of transport, energy, labour, social policy, home affairs and economy. Ahead of the meeting the two officials will inaugurate the Lipniţa- Kainargea border checkpoint between Romania and Bulgaria. Also on Tuesday, a meeting of the Bulgarian, Romanian and Greek prime ministers with Serbia’s President will be held, to discuss joint infrastructure projects and security and stability in Europe.




    NOBEL PRIZE – American scientists Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young on Monday were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2017 for their research on molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. The Nobel Prize in Medicine is the first to be announced. The following awards to be announced this week will be those for physics, chemistry and peace, and that for economics on the 9th of October. The Swedish Academy has announced that the prize for literature, which is traditionally announced on a Thursday, will also be made public this week, on 5th of October.




    VISIT – Croatia’s president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović met on Monday, on the first day of her visit to Romania, with her Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis. The two officials discussed about developing and expanding bilateral relations and European, regional and security issues. According to a press release by the Romanian presidents office, special emphasis will be placed on aspects related to the future of the European project and the prospect of the two countries holding the EU rotating presidency for the first time. On Tuesday, the two presidents will open the Romanian-Croatian business forum.




    UNIVERSITY YEAR – Higher education institutions on Monday held festivities for the start of the new academic year. Local officials and foreign ambassadors to Romania attended the events held in different cities across the country. Almost 460,000 students are registered this year at state and private universities, but only 104,000 places are available in student residences. The price of a place in a student campus stands at 130 lei per month, roughly 30 euros, but it can also go up to 200 lei, thats around 50 euros, depending on the facilities provided.




    UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate in Romania stood at 5.1% in August, down 0.1% compared with the previous month, according to the National Institute for Statistics. The unemployment rate among men was 2.4% higher than that for women. The number of the unemployed is estimated at 465,000, fewer than in August last year, when more than 500,000 people were out of work.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)







  • Referendum în Catalonia: Sute de răniți în urma confruntărilor cu poliția

    Referendum în Catalonia: Sute de răniți în urma confruntărilor cu poliția

    Imaginile violente ale ciocnirilor dintre poliția spaniolă și participanții la referendumul și protestele din Catalonia fac înconjurul lumii. Peste 750 de persoane au fost rănite în urma incidentelor din Barcelona, Girona, Lleida și alte orașe din regiunea Catalonia. Primarul Barcelonei, Ada Colau, a cerut “încetarea imediată a asalturilor poliției împotriva populației lipsite de apărare.”



    Forțele de ordine spaniole au încercat să oprească votul pentru independența Cataloniei și au folosit gloanțe de cauciuc și bastoanele din dotare pentru a se opune populației care încerca să țină decshise secțiile de votare.



    Premierul Regatului Spaniei, Mariano Rajoy, este văzut ca principal vinovat pentru incidentele din marile orașe ale Cataloniei, de liderii partidelor pro-independență. Demisia premierului este cerută atât în Catalonia, cât și la Madrid. Mii de persoane au ocupat, duminică seara, Plaza del Sol din Madrid și au scandat împotriva șefului Executivului. Într-o declarație de presă, Mariano Rajoy a susținut că poliția a acționat în spiritul legii și pentru unitatea Regatului Spaniei. “Niciun referendum nu a fost organizat astăzi, în Catalonia”, a punctat șefului Executivului de la Madrid.



    Autoritățile catalane au organizat peste 2.300 de secții pentru cele aproximativ 5,3 milioane de persoane cu drept de vot. Secțiile s-au închis la ora 20.00, ora locală.



    Ministerul român al Afacerilor Externe nu are informații depsre cetățeni de origine română care se află printre persoanele rănite în cursul incidentelor de duminică. MAE a emis un avertisment de călătorie privind Barcelona și împrejurimile, îndemnându-i pe cei care se află în Spania să manifeste prudenţă în locurile aglomerate, în contextul demonstraţiilor care au avut loc în ultima perioadă în oraşul Barcelona şi în împrejurimi.



    Românii afectați de situația tenisonată din Regatul Spaniei pot solicita asistență consulară la numerele de telefon ale Ambasadei României la Madrid: +34917344004 și Consulatului General al României la Barcelona: +34934181535; +34934340220; +34934344223.

  • October 1, 2017

    October 1, 2017

    TALKS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis will be having talks on Monday with his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who is paying a 3-days visit to Romania. According to the presidential administration in Bucharest, the two officials will be focusing on ways of boosting bilateral relations as well as on major issues on the European and regional agenda. On Tuesday the two officials are expected to open the forum of the Romanian-Croatian business people. Also on Tuesday president Kitarovic will be meeting students and professors of the Bucharest University for talks on Croatia’s contribution to strengthening the European space.




    AWARD Romanian actor Bogdan Dumitrache last night received the ‘Silver Shell’ award for best actor at the international Film Festival in San Sebastian (Spain). It is the first award for the Romanian cinematography at this festival whose jury was led by famous American actor John Malkovich. The Romanian actor has described the part he played in Constantin Popescu’s film Pororoca, as his best so far. Dumitrache, 40, has also been awarded the Gopo prize for his part in Popescu’s film ‘The Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man’ and the ‘Golden Leopard’ at the Festival in Lucarno, Switzerland, in 2011 for his role in Adrian Sitaru’s ‘Best Intentions’.




    PRICE HIKES As of today the Romanians will be paying higher prices for electricity and fuel, while next week will see higher prices in gas deliveries. Electricity is to rise on an average by 0.75 euro per hundred of kilowatts whereas prices for household gas will be 6% higher. The fuel excise will also rise by 0.034 euro per liter; a measure experts believe will trigger more price hikes in services and food products.




    REFERENDUM The Spanish province of Catalonia is today seeing a referendum on the independence of this region. The referendum has been declared illegal by Madrid and the Spanish government has taken measures to prevent it from taking place with police seizing voting papers and ballot boxes. 38 people have been reported wounded following the police intervention to block the referendum. Carles Puigdemont, the head of the Catalan executive, has denounced the police’s brutal intervention allegedly firing rubber bullets at the pro-independence protesters in Catalonia. Several Spanish cities saw rallies pro and against the referendum on Friday and Saturday.




    TENNIS Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu today takes on sixth-seeded British challenger Johanna Konta in the first round of the WTA Premier Mandatory in Beijing with total prizes of 6.4 million dollars. The world’s second best player Simona Halep on Saturday qualified for the tournament’s second round where she will be playing the 28th seeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Also in the same competition on Saturday, Sorana Cirstea also from Romania, qualified for the second round after a win against German Mona Barthel.