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Tag: Ciolacu

International Women’s Day

The entire world has celebrated International Women’s Day for over a century now.

In 1908, 15 thousand women from the textile industry participated in a march in New York campaigning for shorter hours, better pay and the right to voting. A year later, the Socialist Party in America declared February 28th, the first National Women’s Day. The idea to transform this day in an international event came in 1910 at an international conference of the working women hosted by Copenhagen. The initiative enjoyed success, so that the Women’s Day was celebrated outside USA for the first time in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.

The United Nations Organisation started marking the event on March 8, during the International Women’s Year in 1975. Three years later, in 1977, the UN General Assembly made the day official attaching it a specific thematic every year. The first theme in 1996 was ”celebrating past, planning the future”. The chosen theme this year is “Invest in women, accelerate progress”. In other words, marked at the beginning of spring, the International Women’s Day is not about flowers, gifts, shows, exhibitions, conferences or parties, which are plentiful including here in Romania! It is a manifesto-day, an occasion to recognize the impact that women have in society. From activists and leaders to mothers, colleagues and friends, women have contributed to the construction of society and the improvement of life. Unfortunately statistics confirm that they continue to remain a vulnerable category, and the issue of gender equality hasn’t been entirely solved yet. Women are still being discriminated against in terms of salaries, access to education and career opportunities. They are also victims of violence and sexual abuse.

“Many happy returns and a beautiful spring” Romania’s Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu wished the Romanian women, while the Senate president, Liberal Nicolae Ciuca in a message on the Women’s Day wrote: “A civilized prosperous society is that in which every woman has the possibility to follow her dreams and objectives in an equitable, just and inclusionary environment. And our duty is to ensure this environment. We must continue the policies, which promote the equality of chances and which are combating discrimination and violence against women.”

And because we are speaking about equality of chances and non-discrimination, we must also mention that on November 19^th we are celebrating the International Men’s Day.

(bill)

8 March 2024
Roumanie – Italie, partenariat stratégique consolidé

Difficile d’imaginer un pays avec lequel la Roumanie
puisse avoir des liens plus étroits qu’avec l’Italie. Les langues sont très
similaires, dites néo-latines et possèdent d’innombrables interférences
culturelles. La constitution des deux Etats nationaux unitaires à la fin de la
Grande Guerre est également similaire, et les deux ont connu de longues
périodes de dictature, fasciste à Rome, communiste à Bucarest. Tant en Italie
qu’en Roumanie, une fois la démocratie restaurée elle fut minée pendant des
décennies par l’instabilité gouvernementale et par la corruption politique. A
présent, les deux Etats sont alliés au sein de l’OTAN, partenaires dans le
cadre de l’UE et reliées via un partenariat bilatéral stratégique. Qui plus
est, l’Italie accueille une diaspora roumaine de plus d’un million de personnes
et se présente comme le deuxième partenaire commercial de la Roumanie, le
deuxième marché de destination des exportations roumaines et le deuxième pays
d’origine des importations en Roumanie. L’année dernière le commerce bilatéral
entre les deux pays a dépassé les 20 milliards d’euros, soit la valeur la plus
élevée de l’histoire des échanges commerciaux entre les deux Etats. L’Italie
est en sixième position dans le classement des investisseurs étrangers en
Roumanie.

Un partenariat stratégque consolidé

A présent la Roumanie et l’Italie intensifieront leur coopération,
conformément à une déclaration commune de développement du partenariat
stratégique consolidé entre les deux Etats, signée à Rome par les chefs du
gouvernement italien, Giorgia Meloni et roumain, Marcel Ciolacu. Selon la
correspondante de la radio publique roumaine, les premiers ministres des deux
gouvernements ont signé des mémorandums dans les domaines divers tels la
défense, la coopération policière, la Justice, les start-ups, l’énergie
nucléaire, la cyber-sécurité, le tourisme, la protection civile et la formation
des fonctionnaires publics. « L’Italie est le deuxième client et le
deuxième fournisseur de la Roumanie, ainsi que le principal investisseur en
Roumanie du point de vue du nombre d’entreprises enregistrées. La forte présence
de la communauté d’affaires italienne
qui compte plus de 50 000 entreprises est une preuve tangible de nos relations
extrêmement intenses. La présence italienne est particulièrement importante
dans plusieurs secteurs, notamment dans les secteurs stratégiques, à commencer
par l’énergie et jusqu’aux grandes infrastructures, l’agriculture, les services
bancaires et la santé. » a déclaré Mme Meloni.

Marcel Ciolacu s’est accordé avec les dires
de la première ministre italienne, et a tenu à inciter les investisseurs italiens
à venir en Roumanie : « Je suis ici pour donner un signal fort
aussi aux entreprises italiennes : venez investir en Roumanie puisque vous
n’aurez qu’à gagner. Le milieu des affaires italien, présent déjà en Roumanie
contribue d’une manière importante au développement économique de notre
pays ».

Celui-ci a ajouté que la Roumanie souhaite utiliser davantage le
savoir-faire de l’Italie et réaliser un transfert de compétences et de
connaissances, pour que la compétitivité des deux Etats puisse augmenter et afin
de développer le plus d’initiatives communes possibles.

16 February 2024
February 15, 2024 UPDATE

Pope – Romania and Italy are entering a new stage of development of their consolidated strategic partnership, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday in Rome. He stated that the joint statement he signed with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, lays the foundations for an action plan that will strengthen and take to another level the relations between the two states. Marcel Ciolacu recalled that bilateral trade exceeded 20 billion Euros in 2023, a new record. “I appreciated Mrs. Meloni’s openness regarding the intensification of economic cooperation, as well as the valorization of the Romanian diaspora living in Italy, and of the Italian community in our country,” Prime Minister Ciolacu said. In turn, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the joint declaration increases the potential for collaboration between the two countries. “The Romanian community is the largest foreign community residing in Italy, more than one million people, and it provides a very important contribution to our community “, said Giorgia Meloni. Also on Thursday, the meeting of the governments from Bucharest and Rome also occasioned talks on topics on the European and international agenda. Earlier, the Prime Minister Ciolacu was received at the Vatican, in a private papal audience, by Pope Francis, after which he discussed with Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Secretary of State of Vatican City.

Protests – The representatives of the Romanian Sanitary Solidarity Federation continued the protests prior to the organization of the all-out strike and picketed, on Thursday, the Ministry of Finance and the Chamber of Deputies. The Federation intends to organize such pickets every week, with the series of protests ending on March 11 with a rally in front of the Government, on the National Day of Medical Personnel. The most important demand of the trade unionists is the salary increase for all categories of employees in the healthcare sector by at least 25%.

Sports – The Romanian athlete Cătălin Preda won the bronze medal in the high diving 27-m platform men round, on Thursday, at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar. Preda totaled 410.20 points, being overtaken by the British Aidan Heslop (422.95) and the French Gary Hunt (413.25). Romanian Constantin Popovici, holder of the world title, ranked only 8th with 340.50 points. At the World Championships in Fukuoka, last year, Popovici won the gold, and Preda took the silver. Popovici also won gold at the 2022 European Championships, where Preda took silver. Also on Thursday in Doha, the Romanian men’s national team ranked 10th at the World Polo Championship, after being defeated, on Thursday, by the US team with a score 13-9 in a match for positions 9-10. Romania’s best ranking at the World Championship is 5th place (1975), and its previous participation dates back to 2013 (13th place). The Romanian polo players ranked 8th at the European Championship in Croatia, last month.

Statistics – The National Bank of Romania revised downwards, to 4.7%, the inflation forecast for the end of this year, from 4.8% in November, according to the data made public on Thursday by the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu. The Central Bank anticipates that the inflation rate will reach 3.5% at the end of 2025. On the other hand, the data published by the National Institute of Statistics in Bucharest show that Romania’s economy grew by 2% in 2023. The increase is above the level recorded both in the EU and in the euro zone, where the gross domestic product increased by 0.5%.

Meeting – The policies and programs of the US and Romania regarding the formation of literacy skills and boosting students’ well-being were the main topics addressed, on Wednesday, by the Romanian Education Minister, Ligia Deca, with her American counterpart, Miguel Cardona. The Romanian ambassador to the USA, Andrei Muraru, also participated in the meeting. According to a statement sent to the media on Thursday, minister Ligia Deca, on a visit to the US between February 12 and 15, emphasized the efforts made by the Romanian Government for the “historic” increase of the Education budget in order to apply the new laws in the field. Other topics addressed in the discussions were the inclusion of refugee children in Romanian schools, strategies to combat anti-Semitism, media education, standardized assessments and the integration of technology into the teaching activity. (LS)

15 February 2024
14.02.2024 (mise à jour)

Visite – Le premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu, a commencé ce mercredi une visite de deux jours à Rome dont le point central est la troisième réunion commune des cabinets roumain et italien. Le précédent sommet intergouvernemental date d’il y a 13 ans. Un forum économique réunissant les milieux des affaires des deux Etats se déroulera en marge de cette visite. Le premier ministre roumain rencontrera aussi des représentants des communautés roumaines d’Italie et il sera reçu par le pape François au Vatican. Marcel Ciolacu aura une entrevue avec le maire de la ville de Rome, Roberto Gualtieri. Jeudi, il aura un entretien officiel avec son homologue, Giorgia Meloni suivi par des déclarations de presse. L’ambassadrice de Roumanie en Italie, Gabriela Dancău a déclaré que les deux premiers ministres signeront une déclaration commune portant sur le développement du partenariat stratégique consolidé, alors que les ministres doivent signer plusieurs documents de coopération sectorielle. L’Italie recense la plus grande communauté roumaine forte de plus d’un million de personnes. La péninsule est le deuxième partenaire commercial de la Roumanie et compte pour 9,5% des échanges commerciaux du pays.

Cyber-attaque – Plusieurs hôpitaux de Roumanie, y compris de la capitale, ont été la cible d’une cyber-attaque qui a verrouillé les bases de données de toutes ces institutions, informe la Direction nationale chargée de la sécurité informatique. La plupart des hôpitaux affectés disposaient des copies de sauvegarde. Le Ministère de la Santé précise que des mesures exceptionnelles de prévention ont été mises en place. Plusieurs hôpitaux ont été déconnectés du réseau et des recherches supplémentaires sont en cours. Le parquet en charge du crime organisé et du terrorisme a ouvert une enquête in rem. Des détails après les infos.

Economie – L’économie Roumanie a progressé de 2% en 2023, selon les chiffres publiés ce mercredi par l’Institut national de la statistique de Bucarest. En échange, le PIB a augmenté l’année dernière de seulement 0,5%, tant au niveau de l’UE que dans la zone euro. Le taux annuel d’inflation en Roumanie a été de 7,41% en janvier, par rapport à 6,61% en décembre 2023. Les services ont enregistré la majoration des prix la plus élevée, de 1,55% suivies par les denrées avec 1,3% et enfin par les produits non-alimentaires, avec des majorations de 0,74%. Des baisses des prix ont été enregistrées parmi les produits tels la farine et l’huile comestible.

Médicaments – L’Agence nationale du médicament de Roumanie doit mettre en place cette année une liste des médicaments jugés vitaux pour le pays. Cette décision intervient après l’identification au niveau européen de quelque 200 médicaments qui manquent parfois dans plusieurs Etats membres. La liste européenne sera transformée en une série de listes nationales des médicaments critiques, a dit le président de l’Agence, Răzvan Prisada. Il a expliqué que les médicaments inclus dans le document « ne sont pas en rupture de stock actuellement, mais qu’une éventuelle rupture de stock impliquerait des risques majeurs ». Parmi les causes d’une pénurie de médicaments, M Prisada a identifié les raisons commerciales et le manque de matières premières. Il a ajouté qu’au niveau européen il existe un problème saisonnier qui provoque une pénurie des antibiotiques, mais que celle-ci finira avec la fin de la saison des épidémies.

Energie – La Roumanie est le dernier Etat de l’UE qui n’a pas réussi à réglementer les transactions des garanties d’origine pour les exportations d’énergie renouvelable, ce qui limite le marché national de ce type d’énergie. Entre temps, les contrats d’achat à long terme de l’électricité négociés directement sont de plus en plus nombreux sur le fond de l’essor que connait l’énergie provenant de sources renouvelables. Le secrétaire d’Etat au ministère de l’Energie de Bucarest, Dan Dragan assure pourtant que ce problème serait résolu prochainement. Selon lui, avant la mi-2024, l’Autorité nationale de réglementation dans le domaine de l’énergie fera partie du cadre de régulation européen et avant la fin de l’année, les garanties d’origine pourront être échangées au niveau européen.

OTAN – 18 pays membres de l’Otan devraient dépenser 2% de leur PIB pour la Défense en 2024, a annoncé mercredi le secrétaire général de l’Otan, Jens Stoltenberg avant la réunion des ministres de la Défense des pays alliés. Selon Reuters, le chef de l’Alliance de l’Atlantique Nord a affirmé que les pays européens membres de l’OTAN investiront au total, une enveloppe de 380 milliards de dollars dans la défense. Les pays de l’Otan s’étaient engagés en 2006 à atteindre cet objectif d’ici 2024, mais seuls onze d’entre eux étaient au-dessus de la barre des 2% l’an dernier, selon une précédente estimation de l’Alliance. Après le début de l’invasion russe en Ukraine, les alliés ont reconfirmé cet objectif. La Roumanie s’est engagée, elle, à majorer de 2% à 2,5% son budget destiné à l’Armée.

14 February 2024
February 14, 2024 UPDATE

Rome — The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu on Wednesday started a two-day working visit to Rome, the focal point of which is the third joint meeting of the governments of Romania and Italy. The previous intergovernmental summit was 13 years ago. On this occasion, there will also be an economic forum with the participation of the business environment from the two countries. The prime minister also has scheduled meetings with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, with representatives of the Romanian community in Italy, as well as a papal audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Romanias ambassador to Italy, Gabriela Dancău, said that, a joint declaration will be signed by the prime ministers on the development of the consolidated strategic partnership, and, at the level of the ministers, several sectoral cooperation documents will be signed. On Thursday, Marcel Ciolacu will have an official meeting with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, after which they will make press statements. Italy is home to the largest community of Romanians abroad, over 1,100,000. Italy is Romanias second trading partner, with a share in our countrys total trade of approximately 9.5%.

Cyber attack – Several hospitals in Romania, including in Bucharest, have been targeted by a cyber-attack that encrypted data on their servers, the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) announced. Most of the healthcare units affected by the incident had safety copies of their data. According to the health ministry, exceptional security measures have been implemented, with many units in the healthcare system disconnected from the internet for further inquiries. The Directorate Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism Offences has started a criminal investigation.

Farmers – The European Commission has officially endorsed a regulation which grants a one-year exemption from the rule requiring farmers to keep 4% of their arable land fallow. The rule, designed to help improve environment conditions, had sparked protests across the EU, including in Romania. In exchange, farmers are now required to grow nitrogen fixing crops such as lentils or peas. The new regulation is intended to give farmers more flexibility, while also protecting biodiversity and land quality. The measure is to be applied for the year 2024. Member States have 15 days to notify the Commission of the implementation option that they choose out of the 2 alternatives available.

Statistics — Romanias economy grew by 2% in 2023, according to the data published on Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics in Bucharest. In exchange, the gross domestic product increased last year by only 0.5% both in the EU and in the euro zone. At the same time, the annual rate of inflation in Romania was 7.41% in January compared to 6.61% in December 2023. Services prices rose the most, by 1.55%, followed by foodstuffs, by 1 .3%, and non-food products, by 0.74%. More important price drops were recorded in milling products and edible oil.

Medicines – The National Agency for Medicines in Romania will establish, this year, a list of vital medicines for our country. The decision comes after, at the European level, around 200 medicines have been identified that often miss from the markets of several member states. The European list will be transformed into a series of national lists of critical medicines, said the President of the Agency, Răzvan Prisada. About the medicines included in the document he explained that they are not necessarily in short supply at present, but that risks may arise once they become scarce. Among the causes that can lead to a shortage of medicines, Prisada identified an entire range, from commercial reasons to the lack of raw materials. He added that, at the European level, there is a seasonal problem with the lack of antibiotics, but this will be solved once the epidemiological season ends.

Renewable energy – Romania remained the last country in the European Union that failed to regulate the trading of guarantees of origin for the export of renewable energy, which limits the national renewable energy market. This takes place in the context of the multiplication of long-term contracts for the purchase of electricity negotiated directly, against the background of the spread of energy from renewable sources. The Secretary of State in Romania’s Energy Ministry, Dan Drăgan, has given assurances that the problem will be solved. He estimates that, by mid 2024, the National Energy Regulatory Authority will become part of the European regulatory framework, and by the end of this year guarantees of origin will be able to be traded at the European level. (AMP, LS)

14 February 2024
February 13, 2024 UPDATE

VISIT The PM
of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, will be on an official visit to Rome on February
14-15, and will take part in the 3rd joint government meeting of Romania and
Italy, held 13 years after the previous inter-governmental summit. PM Ciolacu
will have meetings with the PM of Italy, Georgia Meloni, and will attend a
meeting of the 2 official delegations and the signing of bilateral documents. His
agenda also includes talks with the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and a
meeting with the Romanian community in Italy. Italy is one of Romania’s most
important economic partners, and the Economic Forum focusing on areas such as IT&C,
energy, the processing industry, infrastructure and the agri-food industry is
another excellent opportunity to improve our economic cooperation, PM Marcel
Ciolacu said. Marcel Ciolacu will also be received by His Holiness Pope Francis
at the Vatican.

INTERESTS The
National Bank of Romania Tuesday decided to keep the monetary policy interest
rate at 7% per year, the institution announced. The central bank will also keep
the credit facility interest rate at 8% per year and the deposit facility
interest rate at 6% per year, and also maintain the current levels of the
compulsory minimum reserve rates for banks’ national and foreign currency
liabilities. The key interest rate has not been changed since last January, when
the National Bank decided to raise it from 6.75% to 7% per year. A balanced mix
of macroeconomic policies and structural reforms, including the use of EU
funding to encourage the country’s growth potential in the long run, are vital
to maintaining macroeconomic stability and to strengthening the Romanian
economy’s capacity to withstand negative developments, the institution said. An
updated forecast by the central bank reconfirms the prospects of an increase of
the annual inflation rate in the first months of this year, following the
increase of existing indirect taxes and the introduction of new ones, and of a
subsequent downward trend, at a slower pace than in 2023 and than originally
expected.

CYBERSECURITY On Tuesday 4 more hospitals in
Bucharest and elsewhere in the country were added to the list of 21 public and
private healthcare units affected since last weekend by a large-scale cyber
security incident, the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) announced. A crypto
currency ransom demand has been received, amounting to approx. EUR 157,000, but
the attackers only provided an email address, without disclosing the name of
the group claiming the attack. Both the DNSC and other cyber security
authorities involved urge the victims not to contact the perpetrators and not
to pay the ransom. The healthcare minister, Alexandru Rafila, has told Radio
Romania that some of the hospitals have managed to fix the problems, and the
authorities will come up with a new technical standard designed to prevent such
actions. Other public institutions in Romania have been targeted by cyber-attacks
in the past.

FARMERS On
Tuesday the European Commission officially endorsed a regulation which grants a
partial exemption for farmers from the rule binding them to keep 4% of their
arable land fallow. In exchange, they are required to grow nitrogen fixing
crops such as lentils or peas. The measure comes after large-scale farmer
protests across the EU, including in Romania. Member States who wish to apply
the derogation at national level need to notify the Commission within 15 days
of entry into force of the Regulation so that farmers can be informed as soon
as possible.

WRD World Radio Day was celebrated on Tuesday, and this year’s theme
was A century of information, entertainment and education. To mark this
celebration, Radio Romania’s stations broadcast interviews with journalists,
media experts, teachers, public figures and listeners, and their programmes
featured debates on the future of radio and broadcasts from the European
Broadcasting Union. The UNESCO declaration on World Radio Day, entitled Radio,
the Trusted Guide in a Changing World, can be found on the websites of all
Radio Romania’s stations.

WRESTLING The
Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the bronze in the Greco-Roman style 55
kilo category of the European Wrestling Championship in Bucharest on Tuesday, after
defeating Georgia’s Nugzari Tsurtsumia. Mihai ranks 4th in the world
standings and was the bronze winner in last year’s European Championships. Romania
takes part in the event in Bucharest with 30 athletes, 10 in each style.

POLO Romania’s men’s water polo team will play for the 9th
place at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, after defeating China 9-7 on Tuesday. In
the match for the 9th and 10th places, scheduled on
February 15, Romania takes on the USA. Romania finished 8th last
month in the European Championships held in Croatia, and the team’s best performance
to date at a World Championship is a 5th place in 1975. (AMP)

13 February 2024
January 19, 2024

MINISTER Romanias Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu has again firmly condemned Russias aggression war and has reiterated Romanias unflinching support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the neighboring Ukraine. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Romanian official has underlined the risks of the Russian attacks against the Ukrainian civilians and major infrastructure pose to the regional security.

MEASURES The Romanian executive on Thursday approved the first measures requested by transporters and farmers who have been protesting in Romania for several days now. Its clear that all protests are justified and these decisions confirm the fact that many of these claims are absolutely legitimate – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has said. In spite of the measures endorsed by the Executive, protests are still going on around the country. The Bucharest city hall has authorised for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday a protest expected to bring together 5 thousand people, 200 tractors and tractor heads. Family physicians and the personnel of the outpatient care units are also protesting the fund cuts for a series of medical services.

TRIAL The Pfizer company has sued Romania in Brussels to force its government to pay for the anti-Covid vaccine doses they contracted during the pandemic. According to the countrys health minister, Alexandru Rafila, Romania has negotiated for 28 million doses in a contract of roughly 550 million Euros. However, Romania failed to place the order and implicitly to get the contracted doses. The minister explains that against the background of a diminished interest for vaccination, Romania lacked the facilities to stockpile and destroy such a large quantity of vaccine. The Romanian official said he expected Pfizers legal action as that was also the case with other two states, Hungary and Poland. Late last year, the Romanian Anti-Corruption Directorate launched a criminal investigation against the former Prime Minister, Florin Citu, former health ministers Vlad Voiculescu and Ioana Mihaila as well as the former state secretary with the Health Ministry, Andrei Baciu. The have been accused of abuse of office for having contracted much larger quantities of vaccine than needed. Prosecutors have estimated a budget prejudice of over one billion Euros in this case.

WEATHER The weather is getting colder in the countrys northern regions, but highs are still above the usual figures for this period of the year mainly in the south and south-east. The sky is overcast and showers have been reported in some isolated regions. Mixed precipitations are also expected in the west, center, north and north-east, while snowfalls have been reported in the mountains. The wind is blowing at speeds of 45-50 km/h and is expected to reach 70 km/h in the mountains creating blizzards. The highs of the day are ranging between 2 and 14 degrees Celsius with a noon reading in Bucharest of 9 degrees.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Victor Cornea has obtained his first win in a grand slam tournament today in Melbourne. He together with Indian Nsriram Balaji secured a two-set win 6-3, 6-4 against Matteo Arnaldi and Andrea Pellegrino of Italy in the first round of the mens doubles in Australian Open. The two will next take on Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia. Australian Open has been Corneas third grand slam tournament after Rolland Garros and US Open

(bill)

19 January 2024
The government has unlocked vacancy-filling contests in the healthcare syst

Employment in the medical system was unlocked by the Romanian Government, following several requests in this sense. One of the requests came from the College of Physicians in Bucharest, which called on the Finance Ministry to approve the memorandum submitted by the Health Ministry for the hospitals under its authority, as well as the one submitted by the Development Ministry for the units subordinated to the local authorities. The College, which pointed out that difficult situations are encountered during this period, especially in the Emergency Rooms, due to the insufficient number of doctors, recalled that employment in the public system, including in the public healthcare system, was frozen in the middle of last year. The college drew attention that the lack of staff in hospitals means the exhaustion of the existing one, who have to often work overtime, which can lead, in addition to physical fatigue, to diminishing the quality of the medical services provided to patients or to delays in providing medical assistance.

Thus, in the context of intense pressure from the healthcare system, the government decided to organize contests to fill more than 7,600 vacancies in medical units with staff shortages. 2,500 of the posts are for doctors. The healthcare units that requested the organization of vacancy-filling contests need to immediately start the necessary procedures. The social-democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu underlined that the budget of the Health Ministry is 40% higher than last year, highlighting that each vacancy filled must be reflected in better services for patients. He stated that 6.6 billion lei (about 1.3 billion euros) have already been allocated, which paid off last year’s debts from the healthcare system and ensured the current expenses for this month for medicines and medical services.

In turn, the Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, pointed out that all doctors posts that were requested by health units were approved, regardless of whether they are subordinated to the Health Ministry or the local authorities. Moreover, within the Memorandum proposed by the Health Ministry, over 365 posts of those approved for vacancy-filling contests are within the ambulance services, given the importance of emergency medicine and the interventions that must be carried out during this period to various calls. Alexandru Rafila asked the healthcare units not to wait too long and to immediately initiate the legal procedures for organizing vacancy-filling contests. He added that, after publication, the contests can be organized within 30 days. The Hleath Minister also said that, at the level of the Government, the discussions will continue and, depending on the needs, other memoranda of approval may be initiated during this year. (LS)

12 January 2024
January 10, 2024

Economy – The Romanian economy grew by 1.8% last year, by 0.8 % less than previously estimated, shows a World Bank report. The report also revised downwards the estimates regarding the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2024 and 2025, when the growth rate of the Gross Domestic Product would be 3.3% and 3.8%, respectively. According to the World Bank, the world economy will slow down for the third consecutive year, up to 2.4%.

Partnership – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, congratulated Gabriel Attal on his nomination to the position of Prime Minister of France. The Romanian PM states that he is ready to work together with his new counterpart to strengthen the Romanian – French strategic partnership. Attal, a former Education Minister, was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to form the new government of France, after the former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resigned. At 34, Gabriel Attal, with studies in political sciences, becomes the youngest prime minister in the history of France, according to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris.

Free travel – Almost 2,000 young Romanians aged 18 will receive a free travel permit to explore the diversity of Europe, as part of the DiscoverEU initiative, a program funded by Erasmus+. They will travel mainly by train between March 2024 and May 2025, to learn new things about the history and cultural heritage of Europe and meet people from all over the continent. So far, over 11,600 young Romanians have benefited from such a travel permit.

Water polo — Romania’s national mens water polo team won Group D of the European Championship in Croatia, after defeating the Slovakian team, score 8-7, on Tuesday evening, in Dubrovnik. In the previous matches, the Romanians defeated the Netherlands and Slovenia. They will play a play-off match for qualification for the quarterfinals against Group B bottom-placed team, Georgia, in Zagreb, on Thursday. At the European Womens Championship, organized in the Netherlands simultaneously with the mens, Romania ranked 14thout of 16 participating teams.

Flu – At least nine people sick with the flu have died since the beginning of this cold season in Romania. The Romanian Health Ministry announces that there is currently no flu epidemic in the country, but medical units are facing an accelerated increase in the number of respiratory viruses’ cases, especially flu. The situation is also complicated by the acute lack of doctors, the expert in health policies, Emilian Imbri, told Radio Romania News and Current Affairs Channel.

Under financing – Family doctors in Romania point out that their budget allocation has been reduced by 25% in 2024, compared to 2022. They argue that the system is already underfunded and that the decrease in income will further deepen the already existing shortage of family doctors. The president of the national family doctors’ society, Dina Mergeani, states that the permanent centers operate with the doctors’ own money, they have not yet been paid for the October – December period, and the suspension of their activity would block the emergency rooms. (LS)

10 January 2024
2024 budget, promulgated

Approved on December 15 by the government and, five days later, by Parliament through an accelerated procedure, the State Budget Law and the State Social Security Budget Law for 2024 were promulgated on Thursday by President Klaus Iohannis. Inflation and maintaining macroeconomic balances are the main challenges of 2024, said the Prime Minister, in the plenum of Parliament, when he presented the draft state budget for 2024, built, according to Marcel Ciolacu, in such a way as to ensure the increase in citizens well-being. The strategic targets on which this budget is based are, according to the prime minister, a coherent economic strategy to achieve in 2024 the second highest economic growth in the European Union, record investments, increased incomes for 12 million Romanians, including pensioners, a stronger economic environment by accessing aid schemes for development and the creation of new jobs.

But, at the same time, in order to have a fair, truly competitive economic environment, with fewer exemptions and tax facilities, the government needs a coherent plan for distributing budget expenditures and a package of measures to increase collection and effectively combat tax evasion, along with a firm guarantee for the security of citizens in the context of the war in Ukraine, by allocating a budget of 2.5% of the GDP for defense. It is a carefully gauged budget, to mitigate inflationary pressures, Marcel Ciolacu claims. ‘Just like in 2023, we will have an economy that will grow on investments, not on consumption, and for this we decided to prioritize investments, which will generate half of the economic growth and will have a growth rate double the consumption rate’, the prime minister explained, given that in the matrix of next years budget construction, investments have a special place, amounting to about 7% of the Gross Domestic Product.

And in order to stop throwing money on tens of thousands of projects started and never completed, over 150 important investment projects were selected for 2024, of which 108 for the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, 21 for the Ministry of Development, 13 for the Environment Ministry and 9 for the Health Ministry. Besides infrastructure, the other two strategic areas in which massive investments will be made in 2024 will be Education and Health. Economic growth is expected to be 3.4%, while the budget deficit is estimated at 5% of the GDP. The opposition, however, criticized the budget construction. Unrealistic, built on false figures, without any vision, the budget bill does not ensure the development of Romania, say the representatives of the opposition parties. According to their calculations, following the overestimation of revenues and the underestimation of expenses, the budget deficit will exceed 7% of the GDP, consequently, there will be no fiscal consolidation, on the contrary. (LS)

29 December 2023
December 14, 2023 UPDATE

Budget — After approval by the Romanian Government, Romania’s draft budget for 2024 will be sent to Parliament for debate. The calculations are based on an economic growth of 3.4%, a deficit target of 5% and an average annual inflation rate estimated at 6% of the GDP. The budget law includes the pension and salary increases already announced, and also most of the measures from the fiscal package assumed by the government. Among the ministries that will receive more money compared to the 2023 allocations are the education, development, environment and family ministries, while smaller budgets will go, among others, to the ministries of energy, of investments and European projects.

Brussels – The leaders of the EU states, gathered in Brussels, decided on Thursday to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, after the European Commission had made a recommendation in this regard in November, AFP and Reuters report. The announcement was made by the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, who is presiding over the EU summit in Brussels. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis congratulated Moldova and Ukraine for the start of EU accession negotiations and considers the decision of the European Council as ‘historic’. At the European Council, besides the issue of EU enlargement, they also address the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and security and defense. Regarding the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will plead for an approach that promotes the financing balance between the commitments already assumed and the new priorities on the European agenda and that does not involve reductions of funds for the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy. As regards the situation in the Middle East, Iohannis will insist on the need for increased involvement of the EU in the region, in order to protect civilians, de-escalate the conflict and resume the peace process based on the solution of two states, Israeli and Palestinian. On Thursday, on the sidelines of the European Council, Klaus Iohannis met with the recently appointed Prime Minister of Poland, the liberal Donald Tusk, with whom he analyzed the priorities on the NATO agenda and the bilateral relationship.

Recovery and Resilience – Romania will send the third payment request from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to Brussels on Friday, December 15 — the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said at the meeting of the Interministerial Committee for the Coordination of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR. This has a total value of 2.7 billion euros, from which the pre-financing already received was deducted, and covers 74 targets and milestones corresponding to the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2022.

Summit — The reconstruction of Ukraine and Romania’s strategic role in this process was the topic of an international conference, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday in Romania’s mountain resort of Sinaia. Attending the conferencce were officials from the country and abroad, independent experts, representatives of the business environment, academia and the diplomatic corps. The Romanian PM, Marcel Ciolacu, and the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denîs Şmîhal, sent video messages to the participants, in which they talked about the Romanian-Ukrainian partnership and Romanias support for Ukraine.

Drones — The Romanian diplomacy strongly protests against the incident caused by the uncontrolled crash of a drone used in the attack on the Ukrainian port infrastructure, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, in an uninhabited area about four kilometers upstream from the town of Grindu, on the Danube. “This represents a new violation of Romanias airspace, contrary to international law,” the Romanian Foreign Ministry MAE states in a communiqué. MAE firmly requests Russia to stop the repeated attacks against the Ukrainian population and civil infrastructure, as well as the irresponsible escalation of the security situation, including at the border between Romania and Ukraine. Following the incident, MAE has summed the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bucharest. The Romanians living in the area were warned by RO-ALERT messages about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace, they were advised not to panic and to take shelter, if the situation requires it. This year, the Romanian Defense Ministry identified remains from several drones used by Russia in attacks against the Danube ports in Ukraine, essential for the export of Ukrainian cereals.

UN – The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) welcomed the 68th anniversary of Romanias admission to the United Nations on December 14. All these years, Romania asserted itself as a supporter and defender of multilateral diplomacy, including through active involvement in the organizations three fundamental areas of activity: international peace and security, development and human rights. MAE emphasizes that Romania will continue to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. At the same time, it will aim to strengthen the support dedicated to the most vulnerable partners, in order to respond to current challenges, as well as to develop sustainable economies and resilient, fair and inclusive societies.

Hamas – Romania joins the international community to support Israels efforts to release the hostages kidnapped by Hamas, the PM Marcel Ciolacu said after meeting, on Thursday, in Bucharest, with Israels Interior Minister, Moshe Arbel, and with family members of Israeli citizens of Romanian origin who were held hostage in the Gaza Strip. In this context, the Romanian PM reiterated that “de-escalation is a viable solution for restoring security in the region”. Also on Thursday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry — MAE announced the death of a person with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, held hostage in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas since October 7. The announcement comes after on December 2, MAE announced the death of another person with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, captive in the Gaza Strip. Currently, two people with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, are still held hostage by Hamas, and the Romanian diplomacy reiterates the need to release all the hostages. The Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv maintains contact with the Israeli authorities – the MAE also states. (LS)

14 December 2023
Romania supports the Republic of Moldova

Romania firmly supports the start of EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova the president Klaus Iohannis reiterated. In a post on a social network, Iohannis announced that he had a telephone conversation with the Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, on the most important European issues, with focus on the preparation of decisions regarding the Republic of Moldova at this weeks European Council. These days, Klaus Iohannis is participating in European summits in Brussels, a context in which he will support decisions related to the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, which obtained the status of candidate countries last year.

According to Klaus Iohannis, the European Union must get closer and give clear signs both to the Western Balkans states and to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, especially in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Recently, the Moldovan prime minister, Dorin Recean, has admitted that opening EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova might be postponed until March. He insisted, however, that postponing these negotiations would be a big strategic mistake, which Moscow will take advantage of.

In a telephone conversation with his Moldovan counterpart, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu gave assurances that the Romanian government would continue to strongly support Chișinăus European path. In the context of the European Council in Brussels, he emphasized the active support that Romania gives to the Republic of Moldova for the start of EU accession negotiations. The Romanian Government will continue to strongly support the European path of the Republic of Moldova and to be a reliable partner in the entire accession process Marcel Ciolacu said.

Also, during the phone conversation, the two also discussed bilateral cooperation projects, especially in the fields of cross-border energy interconnections and the financial assistance that Romania provides for the development of the Republic of Moldova. In support of the neighboring state, the two governments also signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the implementation of projects necessary to interconnect the natural gas and electricity networks. Thus, according to the Romanian energy minister, Sebastian Burduja, Romania will contribute decisively to the energy security of the Republic of Moldova and to its integration into the European energy market. Through this Memorandum and through the recent steps, the Republic of Moldova totally and irreversibly integrates into the single European energy market, at the same time increasing its energy security.

In Brussels, Klaus Iohannis will also support the granting of candidate status to Georgia, as well as the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Romania will also support the rapprochement and integration of these states based on merits and accession criteria, and in this sense Ukraine and Moldova are, by far, the favorites for a Council decision regarding the start of accession negotiations, thanks to the reforms they made. (LS)

13 December 2023
December 6, 2023

Measles – The Romanian Health Ministry has declared a national measles epidemic. The measure comes after the confirmation of almost 2,000 cases since the beginning of the year. In the last week of November alone, almost 200 cases were reported. The Ministry officials emphasize that the number of cases has increased alarmingly and more and more children need hospitalization in the pediatric and infectious disease wards. The measure taken by the authorities facilitates the vaccination of children aged between 9 and 11 months, as well as the recovery of those who are not vaccinated or whose vaccination schedule is incomplete. Measles is an extremely contagious viral disease, which can lead to complications such as encephalitis and pneumonia and even death. The symptoms of infection are similar to those of a cold, except that the temperature can rise up to 41 degrees C, the eyes are sensitive to light, and the rash first appears on the face and then spreads to the whole body. Anyone is at risk if they have not had the disease or are not vaccinated against measles.

Visit – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, continues his official visit to the US, together with the Ministers of Economy, Defense and Foreign Affairs. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, the government delegation left Washington and arrived in New York, where meetings are scheduled today with the president of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, with the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, as well as with the president of the World Jewish Council, Ronald Lauder. On Tuesday, the Romanian PM discussed with members of the American Congress on the strategic partnership between the two countries in the fields of defense, security, energy and trade. After the meeting with the Secretary for Energy, Jennifer Granholm, Ciolacu stated that the projects of units 3 and 4 from Cernavodă (south-east) and that of the small nuclear unit from Doicesti (south) remain a priority, in the context in which Romania has set ensuring energy independence as one of its main objectives.

Handball–Romania’s womens national handball team will play, on Thursday, in the Danish city of Herning, against Germany, its first match in the main Group III of the World Championship. Later, the Romanian players will meet Poland and Japan. The two top ranking teams qualify for the quarterfinals. Romania entered the group with 2 points, after, in the first phase of the competition, it defeated Chile and Serbia and was outranked by Denmark. The star of the Romanian national team, Cristina Neagu, four times appointed the best handball player in the world, has not yet played. Romania is the only team that has participated in all 26 editions of the World Womens Handball Championship and its record includes one gold medal (1962), two silver medals (1973, 2005) and one bronze medal (2015). In the previous edition, the Romanian handballers ranked 13th.

JHA – The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, stated, after the Council of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) meeting, on Tuesday, in Brussels, that the Commissions objective remains to make a decision, this year, on the extension of Schengen and the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the free travel area. From Washington, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu explained that the political moment was not favorable for Romania to ask for a new vote in the JHA Council on Tuesday, but he expressed optimism that this could happen soon. Last year, Austria voted, in the JHA Council, against the admission of both countries to the Schengen area, while the Netherlands had reservations only regarding Bulgaria. For Schengen accession, unanimity is needed.

PISA – The average scores obtained by Romanian students were similar to those recorded in 2018 in Mathematics, Reading and Science, according to the Program for International Student Assessment – PISA 2022, launched in Bucharest. Asia, led by Singapore, stood out once again in this educational program, carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The results show that Romania is below the OECD average in all three areas tested. The main striking fact of the PISA 2022 edition consists in an “unprecedented drop in the performance” of students, according to specialists. Among the main reasons are: the health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis in the attractiveness of the teaching profession, which affects more and more countries, as well as the quality of teaching, the lack of support for teachers and students or cooperation in schools, or even the involvement of parents in schooling, which decreased compared to 2018. (LS)

6 December 2023
December 5, 2023

Conference– Romania is interested in developing, using and producing green technologies, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Monday, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai. Klaus Iohannis underlined, during the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2023 event, that in order to effectively respond to climate change, governments must develop a strong partnership with businesses, financial institutions, research and innovation entities and NGOs. He pointed out that the large university centers, such as those in Bucharest and Cluj (north-west), are innovating in the field of sustainable construction materials and applications for energy efficiency. At the same time, Romanian companies support the progress of heat pump technology, essential for the decarbonising of the building heating and cooling sector, president Iohannis added.

Visit — The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is meeting, today, in Washington, with representatives of the American companies Lockheed Martin and Google. The Romanian PM’s agenda also includes today discussions with members of the American Congress. Previously, he met with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, with the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and with the Secretary for Energy, Jennifer Granholm.

JHA — The Justice and Home Affairs Council continues today in Brussels. The Schengen issue is back on the agenda, being tackled from the perspective of the efficient management of the migration issue. It is a recurring analysis of the state of the Schengen area based on key indicators, such as the number of asylum seekers who have been rejected. Romania and Bulgaria have run several pilot projects regarding migration management. Both the Commission and the Spanish presidency of the Council are supporters of the entry of the two states into the Schengen area. We remind you that Romania and Bulgaria received, as part of the JHA Council of December 8-9, 2022, a negative vote from the Netherlands and Austria for joining the free travel Area. On Monday, on the first day of the Council meeting, talks focused on holding Russia accountable, from a penal and financial point of view, for the invasion of Ukraine, as well as on making the European Public Prosecutors Office more efficient. The member states’ ministers and the European chief prosecutor, Laura Codruţa Kovesi, analyzed the latest legislative proposal regarding the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters. As for how Russia can be held accountable for the war in Ukraine, talks focused on how to bring the culprits to justice, as well as on how to use the Russian frozen assets in the international space for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Handball — Romania’s national womens handball team takes up, this evening, the strong Danish team, in the last match in group E of the World Championship hosted by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The Romanian players won the other two games, against Chile and Serbia, and are qualified for the main groups, where they will face Germany, Poland and Japan. Romania is the only team that participated in all 26 editions of the World Womens Handball Championship. Their record includes a world title, two silver medals and one bronze medal. (LS)

5 December 2023
The Romanian Prime Minister’s meeting with the Romanians in the USA

The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu started his official visit to the USA at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, where he commemorated the victims of the genocide of the Second World War. Later, he met with representatives of the Romanian community from the Washington – Virginia – Maryland area. Romania needs to develop partnerships with companies from developed democratic countries, the prime minister told the Romanians in the area, especially in an exceptional security context, stating that Romania has the longest border with Ukraine.

Marcel Ciolacu: Without our great achievements after the Revolution, namely membership to the EU, NATO and the strategic partnership with the US, today we would not have been talking about a consolidated democracy in Romania, about stability and we would not have slept peacefully in Romania if this partnership had not existed.

Romanians can only be kept in the country by developing public services and infrastructure, he added, and Romania is on the right track. There are major investments in infrastructure, and next year, although it is an electoral year, reforms will be made in the budget system.

Marcel Ciolacu: If we don’t do this, starting next year Romania risks losing important sums from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR as well as European funds. From my point of view, it is Romania’s last train to catch. If we lose the projects and reforms from the PNRR and the accession to the OECD in the next period, Romania will no longer catch such a favorable train.

Marcel Ciolacu stated that he hoped that the USA would become the most important direct investor in Romania in all fields and the most important non-EU commercial partner of Romania. In this way, he said, the diaspora will find the way to communicate better with the home country. During the discussions with the representatives of the Romanian community, Marcel Ciolacu also referred to the efforts to include Romania in the Visa Waiver program. He said that the visa waiver will become a reality as of 2025. The US Ambassador to Romania, Kathleen Kavalec, attending the reception in Washington D.C., confirmed that there is progress regarding the inclusion of Romania in the program, which would allow Romanians to enter the US without a visa for up to 90 days.

According to US laws, the citizens of a country can benefit from Visa Waiver if the visa rejection rate is below 3%. This rate for Romania in 2020-2021 was 17%. The visa waiver would mean that thousands of Romanians will no longer wait weeks or even months for visa processing, will no longer risk having it rejected and will no longer pay the 185-dollar- fee. Currently, the only EU countries that are not part of the Visa Waiver program are Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus. (LS)

4 December 2023