Radio România Internațional

Tag: coal

August 6, 2024 UPDATE

COACH Mircea Lucescu, 79, Romania’s best football headcoach, on Tuesday was officially appointed selector of the country’s national squad, a position he held 38 years ago. Along a fruitful professional career, Lucescu coached several famous elevens such as Corvinul Hunedoara, Romania’s national eleven, Dinamo Bucharest, the Italian sides Pisa, Brescia and Reggiana, Rapid Bucharest, Inter Milan, Galatasaray Istanbul, Besiktas Istanbul, Shaktaar Donetsk, Zenith Sank Petersburg, the national football side of Turkey and Dinamo Kyiv. The new selector has signed up for two years, his main goal being the qualification of Romania’s national side for World Cup 2026 to be hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada.

APPEAL The White House administration has reiterated its calls on Iran and Israel to avoid war, warning that a possible Iranian response to the killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran may generate a conflict that could get out of control and saying that escalation benefits no one. The White House meeting took place amid rising fears of a possible extended conflict in the Middle East, with Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah last week vowing to retaliate for the killing of Islamist leaders. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also called for urgent action to prevent wider war in the Middle East, press agencies report. In another move, the foreign ministers of the 57 countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are to meet in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss “the continued crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people,” including the killing in Tehran of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. They will also discuss Israel’s “aggressions against the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to a statement issued by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, quoted by EFE news agency.

ENERGY Romania is looking for technical arguments to delay the deadline agreed with the European Commission to close its coal-fired power stations. Minister Sebastian Burduja explained on Monday that more time is needed to make the transition to gas-fuelled energy sources, given that 15% of the country’s energy production is still dependent on coal. Before closing its coal plants, the latter must be replaced by gas sources, said the minister, adding that investments in this respect are delayed. He made these statements during the signing in Belgrade of a memorandum on the construction of a gas interconnector between Romania and Serbia. This will lead to lower prices for natural gas for users and more diverse supply sources.

OLYMPICS Romanian athlete Alina Rotaru-Kottmann, bronze medallist in the last year’s World Championships in Budapest, on Tuesday qualified for the finals of the long jump event of the Paris Olympics. Two other athletes of Romania’s, Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă have also qualified for the semifinals of the men’s double scull race of 500 meters. So far, Romania has won seven medals in Paris, three gold, three silver and one bronze. Swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200 m freestyle event and the bronze in 100 m freestyle; two more gold medals came from Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache in Men’s Double Sculls and from Maria Magdalena Rusu, Roxana Anghel, Ancuţa Bodnar, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Bereş, Ioana Vrînceanu, Simona Radiş and Victoria Ştefania Petreanu in the women’s eight race. The silver medals have been won by Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş in the Women’s Double Sculls race; Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel in the Women’s Pair; and Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc in the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls. Romanian athletes who win medals in Paris will be rewarded with 140,000 Euros for the gold medal, 100,000 Euros for silver and 60,000 Euros for bronze.

(bill)

6 August 2024
October 25, 2022 UPDATE

ARMY DAY The Romanian Army Day was celebrated on Tuesday with a
series of events staged all over Romania and in other regions around the world
where Romanian troops are stationed now. Wreath laying ceremonies took place at
heroes’ monuments around Romania and abroad, in countries like Austria, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, Poland,
the Republic of Moldova and Hungary. The Army has been and will always be a
symbol of resilience and an essential element in the development of Romania,
president Klaus Iohannis
said on this occasion. He added that Romania has a distinct place within NATO
and is an indisputable provider of security at the Black Sea and on NATO’s
eastern flank. According to the Romanian Defence
Ministry, during WWII, out of roughly 540,000 servicemen deployed, 90,000 were
KIA, 60,000 MIA and over 330,000 were wounded. After freeing the Romanian
territory on October 25th, 1944, the Romanian army continued to
fight in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria alongside the allied troops,
contributing to the May 9th 1945 victory, which marked the end of WWII in
Europe.

DEFENCE The Supreme Defence Council, convening on
Tuesday in Bucharest, approved updates to key directions of the Army 2040
programme, including the budgeting for personnel needs,
reconfiguring equipment procurement programmes and revamping the defence
industry, as well as measures to better retain skilled military personnel. Army
2040 aims to help develop national military capabilities that enable the
government to fulfil its constitutional obligation to safeguard the territorial
integrity of Romania. To this end, the country will earmark 2.5% of its GDP to
defence as of 2023.The Council also
reviewed and approved the Energy Ministry’s plan to improve Romania’s energy
resilience, so as to protect citizens and to secure continuing supplies of
electricity and natural gas, for prices that are not a burden to households. The
Council also discussed the support Romania will continue to provide to Ukraine,
and looked at ways to counter prospective threats.

DECREE Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis Tuesday signed a
decree acknowledging the resignation of Defence Minister Vasile Dincu and
designating Prime Minister Ciuca as the country’s interim defence minister. The
Social-Democrat Dincu stepped down on Monday, two weeks after he made a number
of controversial statements concerning the situation in Ukraine. The Social
Democratic Party (PSD) has called for an emergency meeting of the ruling
coalition for a decision on Dincu’s successor.

COAL Romania has increased its coal output in order to cope
with the energy crisis. According to the National Statistics Institute, the output
went up by 1.7% and imports by 13.5% in the first 8 months of the year. The
National Strategy and Forecast Commission estimates for this year a coal output
10% bigger than in 2021 and imports 2.8% higher, with the coal production expected
to grow by 8% next year.

REFUGEES According
to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,
over 2.6 million Ukrainian nationals have transited Romania and over 86,500
have chosen to stay here. Eight months on from the beginning of the conflict on
February 24th, Bucharest highlights its active involvement in facilitating the
transport and transit of Ukrainian grain towards international markets. At the
same time, the humanitarian hub in Suceava, north-eastern Romania, has
contributed to 56 humanitarian aid shipments from countries like Italy, France
or Germany.

ECLIPSE A partial solar eclipse was visible in Romania on Tuesday.
According to the Astronomic Observatory in Bucharest, the sun was covered up to
44% and the eclipse lasted for two hours and a half. (AMP, DB)

25 October 2022
October 25, 2022

REFUGEES According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, since the
beginning of the war in Ukraine, over 2.6 million Ukrainians have transited
Romania and over 86,500 have chosen to stay here. 8 months on from the beginning
of the conflict on February 24th, Bucharest recalls its active
involvement in easing the transport and transit of Ukrainian grain towards
international markets. At the same time, the humanitarian hub in Suceava,
north-eastern Romania, has contributed to 56 humanitarian shipments from
countries like Italy, France or Germany.

ECLIPSE A partial solar eclipse is visible in
Romania today. According to the Astronomic Observatory in Bucharest, the sun is
covered 30-40% and the eclipse, which lasts for two hours and a half, can also
be seen in capital Bucharest.

DAY The Romanian Army Day is being celebrated
today through a series of events staged all over Romania and in other regions
around the world where Romanian troops are stationed now. Wreath laying
ceremonies are taking place at heroes’ monuments around Romania and abroad in
countries like Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic,
the Russian Federation, Poland the Republic of Moldova and Hungary. According
to the Romanian Defence Ministry, the WWII efforts involved the deployment of
roughly 540 thousand servicemen. Out of all who did the fighting, 90 thousand were
KIA, 60 thousand MIA and over 330 thousand were wounded. After the liberation
of the Romanian territories on October 25th 1944, the Romanian army continued
to fight in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria alongside the allied troops
contributing to the big victory on May 9th 1945, which marked the
end of WWII in Europe.

DECREE Romanian president Klaus
Iohannis has signed a decree acknowledging the resignation of Defence Minister
Vasile Dincu at the same time designating Prime Minister Ciuca as the country’s
interim defence minister. We recall that Social-Democrat Ciuca stepped down on
Monday saying that he cannot cooperate with the country’s president. Dincu’s resignation
comes two weeks after he made a series of controversial statements concerning
the situation in Ukraine. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has called for an
emergency meeting of the ruling coalition for a decision on Dincu’s successor.

WEATHER The weather continues to be very warm
for this time of the year, particularly in the country’s south and south-east. The
sky is overcast and showers have been reported in the northern regions and in
the mountains. The highs of the day range between 17 and 27 degrees Celsius.

COAL Romania has increased its coal production
to cope with the energy crisis. According to the National Institute for
Statistics, the quantities extracted have grown by 1.7% in the first 8 months
of the year while coal imports have risen by 13.5%. The National Committee of
Strategy and Forecast estimates for this year a coal production 10% bigger than
in 2021 and imports 2.8% higher. Coal production is expected to grow by 8% next
year.

REPORT On October 26,
European Commission experts and their counterparts from member states are to
present in Brussels their report and conclusions of the Schengen assessment mission,
which went on in Romania and Bulgaria in mid-October. The Council will next
have to take the necessary steps for Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia to join the free-movement
zone of Schengen, Anitta Hipper, the European Commission on Home Affairs,
Migration and Internal Security has told the Romanian news agency AGERPRES. With
a large majority, the European Parliament has endorsed a non-legislative
resolution calling on the Council to take all the necessary measures for Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen
by the end of the year. In the Netherlands, a country, which opposed Romania
and Bulgaria’s entry on reasons of justice and the rule of law, Parliament has
recently endorsed a resolution calling on the government in the Hague to carry
out additional investigations on border surveillance by Romania and Bulgaria
and until then to refrain from making irreversible decisions. The issue of
accession might be high on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council
over December 8-9 and the enlargement process needs unanimous voting.

(bill)

25 October 2022
October 23, 2022 UPDATE

NATO Spain is going
to send F-18 and Eurofighter jets to Romania and Bulgaria, to help strengthen
NATO’s eastern flank in the context of the war in Ukraine. According to Radio
Romania’s correspondent in Madrid, the aircraft, pilots and relevant auxiliary
and maintenance personnel will reach the Feteşti air base in the south of
Romania on December 1, and will be stationed there until the end of March 2023.
Currently stationed in Zaragoza, they will monitor air space in the region and
take part in training missions. This is Spain’s response to the Allied request
for an enhanced contribution to NATO’s prevention capability, the Spanish
defence ministry said, and added that Spain has already installed a long-range
air surveillance radar in Schitu, Constanţa County, operational since October
17 and serviced by 38 troops.

BORDER Romania’s
border police announced that over 97,000 people entered Romania on Saturday, of
whom more than 9,500 were Ukrainian nationals, up 15.6% since the previous day.
According to current data, over 2.6 million Ukrainian citizens have entered
Romania since February 10, and nearly 4,400 of them have applied for asylum
here.

NRRP Romania is
set to receive EUR 2.6 bln in the coming days under the National Recovery and
Resilience Plan, to be channelled into the country’s economic recovery. The
funds are transferred after the European Commission authorised the payment of
the first instalments of the non-reimbursable aid and loan components. Romania submitted
the first payment request in May, after meeting the targets and benchmarks for
the 4th quarter of 2021. In September, the European Commission’s assessment of
these targets was approved and submitted to the Economic and Financial
Committee, which also approved it. The Romanian minister for investment and
European projects Marcel Boloş believes this is just the beginning of a long
road, which, if successfully completed, will translate into investments in
motorways, railways, schools and hospitals. The next payment request will
amount to EUR 3.2 bln, for which over 50 targets will have to be met, related
to the first half of this year. Romania may access a total of nearly EUR 30 bln
under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, of which it has already
received 2 pre-financing instalments amounting to a rough EUR 3.8 bln.

COAL Romania has
increased its coal output to mitigate the energy crunch. The amounts extracted
in the first 8 months of the year went up 1.7% and imports rose by 13.5%, the
National Statistics Institute reports. The National Strategy and Forecast
Commission estimates for this year a coal output 10% higher than in 2021 and a
2.8% rise in imports. For 2023, the Commission forecasts an 8% increase in
output.

CHINA The Chinese
president Xi Jinping was re-elected on Sunday as leader of the ruling Communist
Party, thus becoming China’s strongest leader since Mao Zedong, the founder of
the Chinese communist regime, international news agencies report. Xi Jinping was
appointed for a 3rd five-year term in office by a largely reshuffled Central
Committee, and is very likely to be re-elected president as well in March. ‘China cannot develop without the world, and the world also
needs China,’ he said, and praised what he called the two miracles achieved
by his country-rapid economic development and long-term social stability. Xi
Jinping appointed many of his close allies in the Standing Committee, a 7-member
group in power in China. The all-powerful Politburo includes no women among its
members for the first time in 25 years.

HANDBALL The
Romanian women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, Sunday defeated Storhamar Handball Elite,
of Norway, 27-25, in a home match in Champions’ League Group B. Rapid remain
undefeated after 6 matches in Group B. Their next game is scheduled on December
3, away from home, against handball powerhouse Gyori Audi ETO KC. (AMP)

23 October 2022
October 23, 2022

MILITARY The
first shipment of French military equipment to join the NATO battle group deployed
to Cincu, in central Romania, reaches the country on Sunday, the defence
ministry announced. A second convoy, comprising a Leclerc main battle tank
company, is set to arrive in November. The NATO Battle Group Forward Presence
in Romania (BGFP) was created in May by transforming the Allied multinational
elements of the NATO Response Force deployed to our country. Upon France’s
proposal to take over the framework-nation role, the French battalion deployed
to Romania, considered the Spearhead of the Very High Readiness Joint Task
Force (VJTF), built up the BGFP on our national territory by integrating, on
rotational basis, Belgian and Dutch troops. BGFP contributes to the increase of
the Romanian military cooperation with France and, implicitly, to the consolidation
of the Euro-Atlantic space security on the Eastern Flank. Cooperation with the
strategic partners and the deployment of relevant combat structures on national
territory contribute to the increase of defence and deterrence capacity in the
context of the Ukraine war and the Black Sea region crisis, the defence
ministry explains.

BORDER Romania’s
border police announced that over 97,000 people entered Romania on Saturday, of
whom more than 9,500 were Ukrainian nationals, up 15.6% since the previous day.
According to current data, over 2.6 million Ukrainian citizens have entered
Romania since February 10, and nearly 4,400 of them have applied for asylum
here.

NRRP Romania is
set to receive EUR 2.6 bln in the coming days under the National Recovery and
Resilience Plan, to be channelled into the country’s economic recovery. The
funds are transferred after the European Commission authorised the payment of
the first instalments of the non-reimbursable aid and loan components. Romania submitted
the first payment request in May, after meeting the targets and benchmarks for
the 4th quarter of 2021. In September, the European Commission’s assessment of
these targets was approved and submitted to the Economic and Financial
Committee, which also approved it. The Romanian minister for investment and
European projects Marcel Boloş believes this is just the beginning of a long
road, which, if successfully completed, will translate into investments in
motorways, railways, schools and hospitals. The next payment request will
amount to EUR 3.2 bln, for which over 50 targets will have to be met, related
to the first half of this year. Romania may access a total of nearly EUR 30 bln
under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, of which it has already
received 2 pre-financing instalments amounting to a rough EUR 3.8 bln.

COAL Romania has
increased its coal output to mitigate the energy crunch. The amounts extracted
in the first 8 months of the year went up 1.7% and imports rose by 13.5%, the
National Statistics Institute reports. The National Strategy and Forecast
Commission estimates for this year a coal output 10% higher than in 2021 and a
2.8% rise in imports. For 2023, the Commission forecasts an 8% increase in
output.

CHINA The Chinese
president Xi Jinping was re-elected on Sunday as leader of the ruling Communist
Party, thus becoming China’s strongest leader since Mao Zedong, the founder of
the Chinese communist regime, international news agencies report. Xi Jinping was
appointed for a 3rd five-year term in office by a largely reshuffled Central
Committee, and is very likely to be re-elected president as well in March. ‘China cannot develop without the world, and the world also
needs China,’ he said, and praised what he called the two miracles achieved
by his country-rapid economic development and long-term social stability. Xi
Jinping appointed many of his close allies in the Standing Committee, a 7-member
group in power in China. The all-powerful Politburo includes no women among its
members for the first time in 25 years.

HANDBALL The
Romanian women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, play at home today
against Storhamar, of Norway, in a Champions’ League Group B match. Rapid is
3rd in the ranking, after the Hungarian side Gyor and the French side Metz. On Saturday, vice-champions CSM Bucharest
lost their first game in the group, away from home, to defending champions
Vipers Kristiansand of Norway, 35-29. CSM ranks 3rd in Group A, after the
German side Bietigheim and Kristiansand. (AMP)

23 October 2022
February 19, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 Romania reported 2,712 new SARS-CoV-2 cases in the last 24 hours, and 79 COVID-19 related deaths. Nearly 950 patients are in intensive care. The immunisation programme continues, at a rate of 40,000 vaccine doses daily. According to the National Vaccination Coordination Committee, the total number of doses used stands at roughly 1.3 million, with over 750,000 people immunised since the start of the campaign on 27th December.

AID The Republic of Moldova Friday received humanitarian aid from Romania, consisting in medical equipment and personal protection equipment to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Moldovan Presidency, the donation is worth around 2.3 million euro. The official reception ceremony was attended by Moldovas president Maia Sandu, interim PM Aureliu Ciocoi, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu and other officials. The EU Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Peter Michalko, emphasised that Bucharests help is vital.

BUDGET The Supreme Defence Council convening in Bucharest today in a meeting chaired by president Klaus Iohannis approved the draft 2021 budgets for national security institutions. In order to pass the state budget, the government needed a decision from the Supreme Defence Council with respect to the budget of relevant institutions. Also on Friday the Cabinet held a meeting to approve the state budget and social security budget bills for this year. On Thursday the cabinet had passed an emergency order scrapping a planned pension increase and the holiday vouchers for this year, and granting students a 50% public transport subsidy instead of 100% as it was before. The Liberal PM Florin Cîţu said the budget deficit target remains 7.16%, and that special attention will be paid to investments.

HEATING Mintia thermal power plant, part of the Hunedoara Power Compound in western Romania, was shut down over a coal shortage, which means that around 4,500 flats in Deva as well as public institutions in that town no longer receive heating. This comes amid protests at the coal mines in the Jiu Valley area, where workers are unhappy with delays in salary payments. It is for the 4th time in 6 months that the thermal power plant is not operational for lack of fuel. The energy minister Virgil Popescu said there are short-term solutions for the problems in Hunedoara, but that a long-term plan is also necessary.

SENTENCE The businessman Ioan Niculae Friday returned from Italy to Romania and turned himself in, after receiving a final 5-year prison sentence from the Bucharest Court of Appeals, for influence peddling and inciting money laundering and tax evasion. According to prosecutors, in 2008 and 2009, his company declared fictitious financial operations to dodge taxes. The state incurred losses of over 2.2 million euro. Niculae already served another prison sentence in a corruption-related case in 2015.

SKI The Japanese athlete Ryoyu Kobayashi Friday won the Ski Jumping World Cup leg held in Râşnov (central Romania), after the Norwegian Halvor Egner Granerud, the original winner, was disqualified. Kobayashi won his second competition this season and the 18th in his career, with jumps of 94 m and 98.5 m. Next came Kamil Stoch, of Poland, winner of this years Four Hills Tournament, followed by Karl Geiger (Germany). Granerud tops the overall World Cup standings after 22 legs. Another Japanese athlete, Sara Takanashi, won the womens competition in Râşnov, also held on Friday. A mixed team event is scheduled on Saturday. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

19 February 2021
February 18, 2021

VACCINE A new batch of over 163,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine reaches Romania today. This is the third COVID-19 vaccine available in EU member states, and was introduced in Romania this week. According to the National Vaccination Coordination Committee, since the start of the vaccination programme in Romania on December 27, over 1.2 million doses have been administered. Most people have received the Pfizer vaccine, and the others doses produced by Moderna, available in Romania since February 4. Meanwhile, 3,058 new SARS-CoV-2 cases were reported in the past 24 hours. 71 people died and 936 patients are in intensive care.

DEFENCE The Romanian defence minister Nicolae Ciucă, taking part in a meeting of NATO defence ministers, pointed out Romanias commitment to covering defence expenditure. He reaffirmed Bucharests support for deepening and strengthening NATOs defence and deterrence posture, in line with medium and long-term security requirements. NATOs secretary general Jens Stoltenberg suggested the Alliance should increase funding for joint defence and deterrence activities. One of the reasons for suggesting increased NATO funding for deterrence and defence is that this will incentivise more Allies to provide more capabilities, especially in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, the NATO chief explained. Jens Stoltenberg also said the Alliance needs to invest more in new technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

BRANCUSI A number of events devoted to the Constantin Brâncuşi National Day, celebrated every year in Romania on February 19, are organised across the country this week, to mark 145 years since the great sculptors birth. On Friday, the “Tinerimea Română National Art Centre will host a special concert devoted to the occasion, and illustrated with images of Brancusis works on display at the National Museum of Art. Also on Friday, an exhibition entitled “Mirrors of Brâncuşi opens at the Romanian Peasant Museum. On Saturday, the National Library has an event entitled “Dialogues at the table of silence: 145 years since the birth of sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. The event is held online, on Zoom platform, and can also be followed on the Youtube channel of the National Library of Romania. In turn, the Romanian Cultural Institutes in Bucharest, Brussels, Chişinău, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris have scheduled online events devoted to the world-famous Romanian artist.

PROTESTS Over one hundred workers at the Lupeni coal mine in Valea Jiului (central-western Romania) are carrying on the sit-in protest initiated yesterday. Their salaries are nearly 10 days late although the union signed a protocol in this respect with the Hunedoara Power Compound management. Meanwhile, leaders of coal mining trade unions convene to find legal methods to step up salary payments. Yesterday, protests were staged by Cartel Alfa and Solidaritatea Sanitara trade unions, both in front of the government headquarters and of parties in the ruling coalition. Trade unions are unhappy with the 2021 state budget bill, which they say will extend the economic crisis and will drive down living standards. Railway workers also picketed the government head offices on Tuesday and Wednesday, demanding investments and salary increases in the railway sector.

PANDEMIC The European Commission announced a deal was signed with Moderna for an additional 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, to be delivered this year, and confirmed a previous agreement on the purchase of another 200 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. On Wednesday, the Commission also unveiled plans to monitor SARS-CoV-2 variants, to step up the approval of vaccines against such variants and to strengthen vaccine production capabilities in Europe. The EC initiated a bio-defence preparedness plan called “Hera Incubator, targeting new coronavirus variants that threaten to reduce the efficacy of current vaccination campaigns. Moreover, the EC president Ursula von der Leyen announced the Commission boosts measures against the growing number of COVID-19 vaccine frauds. In turn, the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres called on G20 to set up a “global vaccination plan so that no country is left behind in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

18 February 2021
October 29, 2019

GOVERNMENT The Romanian Prime Minister designate, the Liberal Ludovic Orban, has signed political agreements with several parliamentary parties, to secure the necessary support in Parliament for his new Cabinet. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the matter on Monday, November 4. In order to be endorsed, the new government needs at least 233 votes. Today and tomorrow, the specialised committees in Parliament are hearing the candidates. Ludovic Orbans Liberal government follows the Social Democratic cabinet headed by Viorica Dancila, which was dismissed on October 10th through a no-confidence vote.

PROTESTS In Romania, trade unionists in the forestry sector picketed the Chamber of Deputies headquarters in Bucharest on Tuesday, against the backdrop of the growing number of attacks against forestry workers. The 6 foresters killed over the past few years by wood thieves were commemorated, but apart from them, the protesters say, over 650 employees have been assaulted, threatened, and attacked by criminals caught during illegal logging attempts. The unions lobby for immediate changes in the legislation regulating the forestry professions, to the effect of strengthening the authority of foresters.

MINING In Romania, over 100 coal workers from Paroşeni and Uricani, in the Jiu Valley area in the centre-west of the country, continue to protest underground, for the second consecutive day. They are unhappy with the lack of redundancy packages for the employees to be made redundant early next year. A shut down and renaturation programme at the Paroşeni and Uricani mines was initiated in late December 2017. In 2018 and 2019, operations were conducted to secure the coal deposits and to drain the water from galleries. In 2020 the main ventilation unit is scheduled to shut down, and access to the underground will be sealed.

AGEING Population ageing is deepening in Romania, with 471,000 more citizens over 65 than children under 14 on July 31st 2019, the National Statistics Institute announced today. The total population by domicile has reached 22.155 million people, 0.1% less than on July 1st, 2018. Urban population and women account for the majority of the Romanian population (56.4% and 51.2% respectively).

TENNIS The Japanese player Naomi Osaka, number 3 in the world, had to leave the WTA Finals in Shenzhen (China), because of an injury. She was replaced in the Red Group by the Dutch Kiki Bertens, number 10 WTA, who is to play today against the Australian Ashleigh Barty (1 WTA). In the other match today, the Czech Petra Kvitova (6 WTA) takes on the Swiss Belinda Bencic (7 WTA). On Sunday, in the first matches, Osaka outplayed Kvitova, and Ashleigh Barty defeated Bencic. The Romanian Simona Halep (5 WTA) is playing on Wednesday in the Purple Group against the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (8 WTA), and the Canadian Bianca Andreescu (4 WTA) against Karolina Pliskova (2 WTA). On Monday, Halep defeated Andreescu 3-6, 7-6, 6-3, while Svitolina outperformed Pliskova 7-6, 6-4. Simona played the finals of the WTA tournament in Schenzhen in 2014, at her first participation, when she was defeated by the American Serena Williams (9 WTA).

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

29 October 2019
January 16, 2019

BREXIT Britains government must clarify its position after Parliament voted down the Brexit agreement, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis said in Bucharest today. In his opinion, this decision is regrettable. He added however not that all the procedures which may lead to the approval of the deal have been used, and that the Romanians living in the UK need not worry because European leaders are prepared for other options as well. The agreement approved by the 27 member states will not be renegotiated, the head of the Romanian state added.

VOTE A no-confidence vote against the government is scheduled today in Britains Parliament, which yesterday rejected by a large majority the Brexit agreement with the EU. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, there are slim chances for Theresa Mays Cabinet to be dismissed, given that Northern Irelands representatives in Parliament seem to continue to support the Government. Also, although over 100 Tories voted against the deal, it is unlikely that they will do the same against their own government. The rejection of the Brexit deal is the harshest defeat for a British cabinet in modern times, and questions Britains withdrawal from the European Union, less than 3 months before it is scheduled to take effect. Analysts predict a severe crisis in the UK. Several scenarios have been discussed, including early elections and the holding of a second referendum.

SCHENGEN The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu said on Tuesday in Strasbourg that there is no reason to deny Romanias Schengen accession, and voiced hopes that a solution will be reached during the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. He promised that the Romanian presidency will allow for “very open discussions with the countries opposing Romanias entry, and will invite those countries to present the reasons why they are against Romanias inclusion in the visa-free area. “We hope to be as convincing as possible and to reach a solution, Teodor Melescanu added.

STRIKE The Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă has talks today with the Energy and Economy ministers, Anton Anton and Niculae Badalau, respectively, and with officials from energy companies, concerning the state of the national energy system in the context of the miners strike at the Oltenia Energy Corporation. Also today, a new round of negotiations is scheduled at the Governments headquarters, in search of a solution to the strike. Previously, the mixed negotiation commission approved, apart from holiday vouchers, a further 150 euro gross monthly pay raise for workers andnearly 80 euros for section chiefs, as of May 1. The coal workers demand a 45% pay raise, holiday vouchers and better working conditions. Thermal power plants, working at full capacity these days, only have coal supplies for another 4-5 days left.

FLU Nine people have died of the flu in Romania so far. According to the authorities, the 9th victim is a 40-year old man who had previous medical conditions and had not been vaccinated. The man tested positive for the AH1 flu virus. Because of the large number of viral respiratory infections, visitor access has been restricted in many hospitals in the country. Nearly 53,000 respiratory infections and over 100 flu cases have been confirmed since the first week of the year.

TENNIS The Romanian player Irina Begu (70 WTA) has been defeated today by the Czech Petra Kvitova (6 WTA), 1-6, 3-6, in the second round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. The other Romanians still in the race are world no 1 Simona Halep and Marius Copil. Also today, in the womens doubles, the Romanians Irina Maria Bara and Monica Niculescu qualified into the second round, after beating the Spaniards Lara Arruabarrena / Arantxa Parra Santonja, 6-1, 6-1. In the next stage they are facing the winners of the match pitting Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) / Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) against Mona Barthel (Germany) / Sofia Kenin (USA). Other Romanians play in the doubles: Irina Begu and Mihaela Buzărnescu, Sorana Cîrstea playing together with Latvias Jelena Ostapenko and Raluca Olaru with Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan).

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

16 January 2019