Radio România Internațional

Tag: Chief of Staff

  • December 28, 2018

    December 28, 2018

    SUPREME DEFENCE COUNCIL – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis announced on Friday, fresh from the Supreme Defense Council meeting, that he has extended the mandate of general Nicolae Ciucă as chief of staff. The mandate of general Ciucă expires on December 31, and Romania cant be left without an Army chief, president Iohannis has also said. He said he rejected the proposals made by the defense minister Gabriel Leş, on generals Ciucas successor, because they do not abide by the law. Earlier the line minister announced he will not extend general Ciucas mandate. The previous session of Romanias Supreme Defence Council was held on December 19, when the Council approved, among others, the army endowment plan for the 2019 – 2028 timeframe, as well as the forces and means that Romania will contribute to missions and operations on theatres of operations abroad next year. 1,902 Romanian troops will take action on international theatres of operations, that is 127 more troops than in 2018, and some 759 military and policemen from the Romanian Interior Ministry will be sent on EU, OSCE, NATO and UN missions. Romania will further contribute troops to the NATO-led Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan and will maintain the level of troops deployed as part of allied operations in the Western Balkans. As a first, a detachment of cargo and rescue helicopters will take part in the UN mission in Mali.



    GOVERNMENT – Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă is today chairing the last government session of the year 2018. The agenda of the meeting covers such issues as a draft law on accepting the changes made by the European Council to the electoral procedure for the EP elections. The novelty is that “Member States may provide for the possibilities of advance voting, postal voting and electronic and internet voting. Where they do so, they must adopt measures sufficient to ensure in particular the reliability of the result, the secrecy of the vote and the protection of personal data. Referring to Romanias 2019 budget, Viorica Dăncilă has said it might be adopted in the first government session in January 2019 and submitted to Parliament for approval, so that it could be adopted by the end of January.



    ANTI-CORRUPTION – The prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Bucharest, DNA, in early November closed the file on the EADS contract, which provided for securing Romanias frontiers for 750 million Euros, the aforementioned institution has announced earlier today. DNA has announced this solution has been embraced because the deed is not included in the criminal law and there is no evidence indicating that a person has committed crime. In May 2004, the French group EADS signed with the Romanian Interior Ministry a contract to secure the countrys borders, because Romania wanted to join the EU and tightening border control was a prerequisite condition. The first investigation was started in 2005, against some persons who were employed by the Interior Ministry back then. The verification started following a notification sent by the leadership of the Interior Ministry, according to whom public funds had allegedly been used inappropriately, and those taking part in the negotiations did not observe some legal terms, and the value of the contract to tighten border control had been overestimated. Some of the names involved in the case include former ministers Marian Săniuță, Vasile Blaga and Dan Nica.



    BORDER TRAFFIC – The Romanian border was crossed by over one million people between December 21 and 26, during the Christmas mini-holiday, registering a 10% increase as compared to the same period of 2017, the Border Police has announced. The most transited border was that in the west of the country, where some 450,000 border crossings were reported. 260,000 other people chose to fly to and from Romania during this time span. Also, 159,000 people crossed the border from and into the Republic of Moldova, and 68,000 others from and into Bulgaria.



    HANDBALL – Romanias mens handball team tonight take on the similar team of the Czech Republic, in a fixture counting towards the 4 Nations Cup semifinals trophy staged in Poland. In the other semifinal, host country team faces Japan. On Saturday, the defeated teams are pitted against each other, while the winners will be pitched against each other as well. In early 2019, the national squad coached by Spaniard Manuel Montoya and the former international handballer Eliodor Voica will have a training session in Slovakia. A tournament will follow suit, with host country Slovakia and the Netherlands taking part. We recall Romanias mens national handball team failed to qualify for the World Championship due in January 2019 and jointly hosted by Germany and Denmark. However, Romanias womens national handball team has already secured their participation in the 2019 edition of the World Championships, to be hosted by Japan. We recall Romania came in 4th at the recently-held European championships in France.

  • December 27, 2018 UPDATE

    December 27, 2018 UPDATE

    DEFENCE The Supreme Defence Council convenes in Bucharest on Friday to review the request made by the Defence Minister, Gabriel Leş, regarding the filling of high-level vacancies in the Romanian Army, the Presidency announced. The Defence Minister had previously announced he would not extend Gen. Nicolae Ciucăs term in office as Chief of Staff, due to conclude on December 31st. The latest Supreme Defence Council meeting was held on December 19th, when the Armys procurement plan for 2019 – 2028 was approved, along with the forces and equipment that Romania will deploy next year for missions and operations abroad. 1902 Romanian troops will take part in international operations, which is 127 more than this year, while the Interior Ministry will contribute 759 troops and police to EU, OSCE, NATO and UN missions. Romania will continue to take part in NATOs Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and will maintain its contribution to Allied operations in the Western Balkans. Also, for the first time, a transport and evacuation helicopter unit will participate in the UN mission in Mali.



    JUDICIARY The Prosecutor General of Romania, Augustin Lazar, says his dismissal as requested by the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader disregards the law and the EU recommendations, and is of a strictly political nature. Lazar argues that Minister Toaders statements and measures are liable to undermine the public confidence in the ability of the judicial system to perform its constitutional role. The Justice Minister had announced he would send President Klaus Iohannis the documents to complete Lazars removal from office, initiated in October. The head of state described the measure as a mistake, and the prosecutor section of the Higher Council of Magistracy did not agree with the dismissal. Lazar, accused by the Justice Minister of professional and managerial underperformance, filed a lawsuit against the decision, which is to be tried by the Supreme Court. The Opposition in Bucharest says that the attempt to dismiss Lazar, after this summer the National Anti-Corruption Directorate chief Laura Codruta Kovesi was also sacked, is a form of political retaliation and a move designed to hinder the fight against corruption.



    BORDER Border police from Romania and the Republic of Moldova will set up joint teams to monitor the common state line. The joint patrols will help improve cooperation in view of combating cross-border crime, the authorities of the 2 states explain. A protocol in this respect was signed on November 22nd in Bucharest, during a joint meeting of the 2 national governments. The Republic of Moldova has a similar agreement signed with its other neighbour, Ukraine.



    HANDBALL Romanias mens handball team is playing against the Czech Republic on Friday, in the semi-finals of the “4 Nations Cup held in Poland. In the other semi-final, the host country is facing Japan. On Saturday the 2 winners will play against each other, and so will the other 2 semi-finalists. After New Years the national team, coached by Spains Manuel Montoya and the Romanian Eliodor Voica will be on a training session in Slovakia, followed by a tournament with Croatia and Netherlands also taking part. The Romanians failed to qualify to the World Championship due in Germany and Denmark next month. The Romanian womens team however has already booked its ticket to next years World Championship in Japan, after finishing 4th in the European Championship in France this month.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 17, 2016 UPDATE

    October 17, 2016 UPDATE

    MIGRATION Three Pakistani citizens have been caught by the Romanian border police while trying to illegally cross the border into Romania. The three men with ages between 17 and 27 have reportedly crossed the border between Romania and Serbia on foot in order to join their relatives in Italy. Earlier, Romanian border policemen detained four Iraqis, who had tried to illegally cross the border into Hungary by using false IDs. More than 100 migrants from Asia, Africa and Kosovo have been discovered at Romania’s western and southwestern borders in the past two months.



    TENNIS Romania’s best tennis player, Simona Halep, comes fourth in the WTA rankings published on Monday. Halep has already qualified for the WTA Finals in Singapore, which brings together the world’s best eight players and is to take place over October 23rd and 30th. Germany’s Angelique Kerber tops the ranking followed by Serena Williams of the USA and the Polish Agnieskza Radwanska. Romania has another three players in Top 100: Irina Begu currently ranking 28th, Monica Niculescu who went down one place and is now on the 51st position, and Sorana Carstea who comes 83rd.



    CONFERENCE The Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, general Nicolae Ciuca, is in Washington to attend a conference on combating terrorism in response to an invitation by general Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs. High on the agenda are issues related to the stage and prospects of the campaign against Daesh terror threats, the Romanian army’s participation in international missions and operations aimed at combating terrorism as well as the evolution and prospects of the process of modernizing Romania’s Armed Forces.



    INVESTIGATION Teodosie, the Orthodox archbishop of Constanta in southeastern Romania, has been placed under investigation by the anti-corruption prosecutors on charges like bribe taking and misappropriation of European funds. Last month, Teodosie was placed under penal investigation together with other high-ranking members of the Orthodox clergy in another corruption file. The archbishop has thus become the first Orthodox hierarch to be facing a double anti-corruption investigation in Romania, a country whose largest religious denomination is Orthodoxy.