Radio România Internațional

Tag: cold weather

  • Weather Update

    Weather Update

    WEATHER The weather will be cold all over Romania in the next couple of days, maily at night and in the morning with flurries and strong wind in some of its regions. Temperatures are expected to drop down to minus 20 dgrees centigrade, says the National Meteorology Administration. The weather is cold today in almost he entire territory execpt for some regions between the Carpathians, where temperatures are to be higher than the average for this month. The sky is overcast particularly in some southern and eastern regions with highs ranging between 1 and 9 degrees Celsius. Capital city Bucharest is also in for a couple of cold days, with a noon reading today of 2 degrees.

    (bill)

  • January 21, 2024

    January 21, 2024

    Protest — A protest by Romanian transporters and farmers was approved by the general mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, for three days, starting on Sunday, in the center of Bucharest. In this action, the local administration admitted the participation of no more than 5 thousand people, 100 tractors and 100 truck heads. The Bucharest Prefect, Rareş Hopincă, announced that, until Saturday, when the organizers had the obligation to notify the state institutions regarding the participating vehicles, the presence of only one vehicle had been communicated, but the Gendarmerie can extend this deadline. According to Radio Romania’s correspondents, on Saturday, a new protest took place in Sibiu (center), and dozens of tractors and trucks crossed the main roads of the city. A similar action took place on the southern belt of Craiova (south-west), and on the Jiului Gorge (south-west) tens of vehicles hampered road traffic, driving at low speed. Previously, the protesters also temporarily blocked Siret and Halmeu towns on the border with Ukraine, also dissatisfied with the drop in cereal prices generated by imports from the neighboring country. The European Commission is working on measures to solve to the problems caused by the export of cheap Ukrainian grains to the states bordering Ukraine – Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The representatives of the EC confirmed that they received a letter from the five countries, one of the requests being aimed at the introduction of import taxes for Ukrainian grains. These are cheaper and do not have to meet the same quality standards as those produced in the EU.



    Parliament — The Romanian Senate was convened, on Monday, in an extraordinary session, to adopt the emergency ordinances recently issued by the government in the context of the farmers and transporters protests. There are several laws – one of them refers to the excise duty on diesel fuel, while other modifies regulations in the field of road transport. The government adopted the ordinances on Thursday as an urgent response to the requests of farmers and transporters who have been protesting throughout the country for more than 11 days. The emergency ordinances were proposed after negotiations from the Ministries of Agriculture and Transport. One of them modifies road transport regulations. The new provisions will allow category B license holders to also drive agricultural or forestry tractors with a maximum speed of 40 km/h on public roads. Another amendment eliminates the obligation to carry out the periodic technical inspection of slow vehicles, respectively of those whose maximum designed speed is up to 25 km/h. Regarding the diesel fuel excise duty, the Government decided to postpone until June 1 the application of a European directive by which diesel and kerosene must have the same tax mark. The ordinances were adopted to respond to an emergency situation, but during the parliament recess, so, according to the Constitution, the Parliament must be convened to turn them into laws. In this case, the Senate is the first chamber notified.



    Weather — The bad weather affected several areas in Romania. In Bucharest, more than 20 cars were damaged by fallen trees as a result of the heavy snowfalls. On some sections of national roads, road traffic was temporarily blocked due to the layer of snow and ice formed on the road. Currently, traffic unfolds in winter conditions, and the Traffic Police called on drivers not to travel if their cars are not equipped with winter tires. Railway traffic was also affected. On some sections of the railway trains are running at low speed. Other trains are delayed due to broken rails due to the low temperatures. Also, the air traffic at Bucharest’s airports takes place in winter conditions. Delays are reported for some flights due to aircraft de-icing actions, which are carried out after the boarding of passengers.



    Heavy snows — At least 50 people have died this week due to severe winter weather affecting the United States, the authorities have announced. Freezing, snow and ice made roads extremely dangerous, disrupted air travel, closed schools and left thousands of homes without electric power. More than 1,100 US flights were canceled and another 8,000 were delayed because of the weather, while the cold persisted in some regions, such as the center of the country. The wave of cold and heavy snow falls also hit Europe. In the west and north, hundreds of flights have been canceled in recent days. Most were at the Frankfurt airport. In Sweden, the snowstorm brought chaos to the roads and school buses, buses and commuter trains stopped running. Low temperatures and snow were also recorded in Great Britain, Scotland and France.



    Sculptor – The sculptor Vlad Ciobanu, one of the most valuable fine artists in Romania, passed away at the age of 75. Since 1990 he had taught at the Bucharest National University of Arts. Throughout his career he received numerous awards, including the Prize of the Union of Fine Artists for Sculpture, in 2005. Vlad Ciobanu was the coordinator and curator of several editions of the International Sculpture Symposium ” Brâncusi Workshops” from Târgu Jiu, southwest Romania , in the period 2005-2021. He wrote numerous articles, papers and essays about the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. He had numerous solo or group exhibitions in the country and abroad, in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, France. Important monuments signed by Vlad Ciobanu can be found, among others, in Alexandria (south) – “Unknown Hero”, Alba Iulia (centre) – “King Ferdinand”, Onești (east) – “Dimitrie Cantemir”. The Artoteca Gallery, in Bucharest, hosted the last solo exhibition by Vlad Ciobanu called “Pilgrim” between December 4, 2023 and January 8, 2024. At the end of the exhibition, Maestro Vlad Ciobanu gave an interview, possibly his last interview, for our radio station, which you can listen to in one of the future editions of World of Culture. (LS)

  • January 9, 2024 UPDATE

    January 9, 2024 UPDATE

    TALKS In a recent
    phone call Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has assured his Ukrainian
    counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky about the continuation of Romania’s staunch
    support for Ukraine. Iohannis has again condemned the latest intensified Russian
    attacks against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. The two heads of state have
    also talked about the development of the bilateral relations and the priorities
    for the year 2024 mainly the cross-border projects of mutual interest and the
    common will to substantially advance in the process of establishing a Strategic
    Partnership between the two countries. In another development, the Romanian president
    has hailed the progress made by Ukraine who admitted there is no such thing as
    the Moldovan language, a syntagm coined in the former Soviet Union and has underlined
    the importance of observing the rights of the national minorities.






    AWARD The
    president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, will come to Romania late
    this week to be given the ‘Timisoara for European Values’ award. Sandu is the
    first recipient of the aforementioned award, which was established last year,
    when the city of Timisoara, in western Romania, was designated the European
    capital of culture. The aforementioned prize is awarded to high officials who
    are known to have promoted or defended European values. According to mayor
    Dominic Fritz, president Sandu has been nominated for the clear vision
    regarding her country’s European accession and her commitment to reaching this
    goal.




    PLAN The
    Romanian government should adopt a decision by the end of this month for the
    implementation of the National Plan to combat school violence and drug use.
    Students will attend health education courses and will be able to be tested
    with the parents’ consent for drug use, according to the National School Safety
    Plan. Compared to the measures applied so far, the document provides for the
    establishment of action groups at the level of each pre-university education
    unit, which will include specialists from the institutions that have undertaken
    this program. The aim is to combat the trafficking and consumption of
    psychoactive substances in schools, stop bullying, but also violent crimes. The
    pre-university education law obliges school principals to report cases of
    violence against students to the national number 119, and minors involved in
    such acts, together with their parents, must attend counseling sessions. In
    case of a refusal, the provision can be applied by court decision.




    WINTER The
    cold weather is expected to last for a couple of days in some regions of
    Romania, mainly in the country’s north, east and center. The highs of the day
    on Wednesday will be between -6 and +4 degrees, with a noon reading in
    Bucharest of 3 degrees Celsius. The cold weather in the last couple of days has
    affected the eastern regions of Romania, where several localities have been left
    without electricity. Authorities have temporarily closed traffic on several
    sections of the national road. Railway traffic has also been disrupted. In Iaşi
    county (northeast), after the heavy snow and blizzard on Monday, authorities have
    agreed to keep schools, high schools and kindergartens closed. Activity has also
    been suspended in some educational centers across the country.


    (bill)

  • February 5, 2023

    February 5, 2023

    Cairo – The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, met, on Sunday, in Cairo, with the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The talks focused on topics such as bilateral cooperation in the economic and social fields, as well as the impact of the Russian military aggression on Ukraine. The Egyptian president thanked, on this occasion, for the support provided by Romania for the evacuation from Ukraine of the more than one thousand repatriated Egyptian students last year, as well as for facilitating the export of Ukrainian grain to Egypt. In this context, Nicolae Ciucă highlighted the need to support Romanian farmers through access to the production of fertilizers from Egypt necessary for agricultural crops. At the same time, the two agreed to increase Romanian farmers grain exports to the Egyptian market. On Sunday, the Romanian Prime Minister also participated in the Egypt-Romania Business Forum, as well as in the signing ceremony of several bilateral documents. On Saturday, Nicolae Ciucă discussed with his Egyptian counterpart, Mostafa Madbouly, about the intensification of bilateral relations, both at the political, commercial and economic levels. He also had a meeting with representatives of the Romanian community in Egypt and with Egyptian citizens who studied in Romania.



    EU – The European Union totally suspended, as of Sunday, imports of Russian refined oil products, such as gasoline, diesel or fuel oil, in the context of the war in Ukraine. Another European measure, taken together with the allied states, the G7 group of highly industrialized states and Australia also enters into force on Sunday. The measure is about limiting the price of Russian oil products transported by sea. European limits provide a maximum of 100 dollars per barrel for expensive products, such as diesel oil and gasoline, and a maximum of 45 dollars per barrel for less refined ones, such as fuel oil. These measures come after a previous capping at 60 dollars per barrel of Russian crude oil imposed on December 5. Beyond this ceiling, Western companies were prohibited from providing maritime services to Russia, given that the G7 countries provide approximately 90% of the global transport.



    Weather – Romania is under a cold wave alert. Meteorologists have issued two yellow code alerts for bad weather valid until Monday evening. The first alert targets the Southern and Eastern Carpathians, where it will still snow locally and temporarily, and the wind will intensify with speeds reaching 60 – 70 km/h, and at altitudes above 1,700 m, the gusts will exceed 80 – 90 km/h. The other yellow code alert targets counties in the east and southeast of the country, where there will be temporary stronger winds. In the last 24 hours, firefighters intervened in several localities in 18 counties and in the city of Bucharest, to cope with the effects of snow, blizzard and strong winds, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) announced on Sunday. In several counties there are still problems with the supply of electricity. Firefighters intervened to get several vehicles unstuck from the snow, to clear dozens of trees and several electricity poles that fell and damaged several cars. Several national and county roads in the southeast, east and west were blocked by snow. The highs of the day are generally between minus 6 and 1 degree Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 2 degrees C.



    Kyiv – Ukraine was the target of numerous Russian bombings on Saturday, with Kyiv claiming at the same time that it managed to counter an attack on Bahmut, a city in the east that the Ukrainian president called a fortress, AFP reports. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry the Russian forces are concentrating their efforts in eastern Ukraine. In the south of the Zaporizhzhia province (south), shells fell on some civil infrastructures located on the territories of dozens of localities. Also, the bombings continued in Kherson, an important city also in the south, captured and then abandoned by the Russians. The United States on Friday announced a new 2.2 billion dollar military aid package for Ukraine, which includes missiles that will practically double the range of the Ukrainian strike force against the Russians, AFP and Reuters report. Moreover, Portugal announced on Saturday that it would send Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv. Also on Saturday, Canada sent the first Leopard 2 tank of those it promised to Ukraine, the Minister Defense Anita Anand announced. At the end of last month, Canada announced the decision to deliver four German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv. (LS)

  • Winter is back in Romania

    Winter is back in Romania

    Although were in the middle of spring, winter has returned with a vengeance to Romania. Nearly three quarters of the countrys regions were under code orange or yellow alerts against heavy snowfall or rainfall, strong wind and unseasonably cold temperatures. Meteorologists explained that the cold snap is the effect of a trans-Balkan cyclone crossing Romania these days. The cyclone amassed in Central Europe, shifted down towards the Mediterranean, crossed the Balkans and reached the Black Sea basin.



    Besides, a cold front of Arctic origin sweeping across Europe from the north has changed its trajectory towards the southeast. Average temperatures during this period range from 3 to 12 degrees, whereas normal temperatures for April would stand between 14 and 21 degrees Celsius. Forecasters say Saturday night will be extremely cold, with temperatures expected to drop to negative levels in Romanias northern half, as well as in the south. The lowest temperatures will stand at minus 8 degrees in depression areas.



    Bucharest too was under a code yellow alert against heavy rainfall and extreme cold. This weekend, temperatures will drop below zero. As a result, the citys heating service was forced to resume supplying district heating, within only a week of its shutdown. On the other hand, dozens of villages in the east and southeast were cut off from the power grid after strong wind shattered several high-tension wires. Snowdrifts have blocked traffic on several national roads, especially in the east, south and centre, also seriously disrupting traffic on other county and village roads.



    Taken aback by the surprising bad weather, snow removal companies took out their snow-clearing machines and sprayed ice-melting salt brine on roads to avoid accidents, since many drivers had already switched to summer tires.



    The bad weather has also disrupted rail traffic. Several trains reported big delays of up to two hours due to the blizzard, strong wind and extreme cold. Ports on the Romanian Black Seacoast were also temporarily shut down because of the strong wind. Air traffic on some of the countrys airports was also affected by rain, several international flights being cancelled.



    Meteorologists expect the weather to slightly improve this weekend in Romania, first in terms of the amount of rainfall. Next week temperatures will increase steadily. The bad weather these days has affected other European countries as well.


    (translated by: Vlad Palcu)

  • The Week in Review 08-14.01 2017

    The Week in Review 08-14.01 2017

    Harsh winter in Romania



    The blizzard, snowfalls and ensuing cold hitting Romania this week have left many dead, thousands of people stranded and disrupted road, rail and air traffic. Schools and kindergartens have been shut down, and some villages have been cut off from the power grid. The most affected regions were the south and the east. Temperatures dropped to minus 32 degrees Celsius in central regions, with minus 20 degrees reported in Bucharest. The streets of the capital city were blocked by snow and public transportation has been severely affected. The situation on the Danube River has become dramatic, as the water flow has hit dangerously low levels. The authorities have temporarily shut down segments of the river, due to the drifting ice that might put ships in danger. The cold snap brought along historic lows in terms of temperature and historic highs in terms of energy consumption, with the countrys both natural gas and electricity supply systems working at full tilt. For this reason the Government passed an ordinance banning the electricity exports in emergency situations over the period January 16 – February 15.



    The state budget for 2017



    President Klaus Iohannis has met with Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and Finance Minister Viorel Stefan to discuss the draft budget for 2017. The meeting was held amidst concerns over the measures adopted last week by the Government, seen as a potential destabilizing factor for the budget. The Government has introduced salary increases and tax deductions for pensioners, also exempting them from paying health insurance contributions, which makes for a considerable financial effort. The President wanted to know how the Government was planning to deal with the effects of these measures. Klaus Iohannis believes the Government and Parliament must come up with a sustainable budget, providing for a deficit below 3% of the GDP and 2% allotted to defense. The budget for 2017 is being drawn up with utter responsibility, the members of the Government have said.



    The Government can issue emergency ordinances during Parliaments recess



    The Government can issue emergency ordinances during Parliaments recess, the Constitutional Court of Romania has ruled. The court rejected by unanimous vote the notification filed by the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party whereby the three parties challenged the constitutionality of the Governments ability to issue such ordinances. Constitutional Court president Valer Dorneanu said the challenges to the regulations of the Chamber of Deputies were not for the Constitutional Court to rule. Opposition parties claim the law allowing the Government to pass emergency ordinances enables the Government to change organic laws through simple ordinances, which they believe goes against the Constitution. The Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea said the oppositions notification was only an attempt to block the activity of the Government.



    CVM in place in 2017



    Romania has met all requirements to have the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism lifted this year, Justice Minister Florin Iordache said on Thursday, after meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the European Commission, Paraskevi Michou.



    Florin Iordache: “The mechanism, which for years has been functional and has shown Romanias progress, proves that there are sufficient guarantees that the authorities working in the judicial field do their job properly.



    Paraskevi Michou said however that the CVM would not be lifted in 2017, despite Romanias progress over the past 10 years. Michou explained that lifting the mechanism depended solely on the efforts of the Government and Parliament to make the reforms reported so far sustainable and irreversible. The EU official said the CVM report for 2016 would be released shortly, and that the Commission was willing to cooperate closely with the authorities with a view to lifting the mechanism. The Cooperation and Verification Mechanism was introduced in 2007 as a prerequisite for Romanias accession to the European Union. It monitors the countrys reform of its judiciary and the fight against corruption and organized crime.



    High-ranking intelligence officer suspended



    The second most important man in the Romanian Intelligence Service, General Florian Coldea, has been suspended from office after his name was linked to a scandal involving the controversial businessman Sebastian Ghita, who is currently being investigated for several acts of corruption. The decision of the Romanian Intelligence Service to suspend Coldea came after Sebastian Ghita accused Coldea of illegal dealings. An international arrest warrant has been issued on his name. The Intelligence chief Eduard Hellvig has called for the setting up of a special committee to investigate Coldeas relationship with Ghita. Hellvig will also serve as First Deputy Director pending the inquiry.

  • January 11, 2017 UPDATE

    January 11, 2017 UPDATE

    WEATHER – Over 150 trains were canceled on Wednesday due to extreme weather. Two major highways and many national roads have been temporarily shut down in the south and east. Authorities have also cut off traffic from neighboring Bulgaria at the Vama Veche crossing point. 11 flights taking off from Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest were cancelled. Black Sea ports were blocked for the night due to severe wind, opening for sailing later on.



    MEETING – Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday after meeting with Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and Finance Minister Viorel Stefan that he received information about the budget for 2017. The president wants a sustainable and robust budget, with a budget deficit below 3% and with 2% of the GDP allotted to defense. On the other hand, the President said that he would ratify the law by which the Chamber of Deputies amended the Fiscal Code. The law eliminates health insurance contributions for all pensioners and makes all pensions below 450 euros tax deductible. In turn, the Government decided to increase the salaries of actors and certain categories of artists by 50% starting February 1.



    ECONOMY – The Romanian economy will grow by 3.7% in 2017, by 3.4% in 2018, and by 3.2% in 2019, according to the latest World Bank report, which expects that the tally for 2016 will be a growth of 4.7%. The institution noted that the high level of growth last year was caused by the slash in the VAT, but will stabilize in 2017. Globally, the World Bank expects a moderate growth, around 2.7%. Advanced economies are expected to grow by 1.8% in 2017, from 1.6% in 2016, while emerging economies are expected to grow by 4.2% this year, from 3.4% last year.



    COOPERATION – The US Embassy in Bucharest has urged representatives of the Government, Parliament and the judicial system to cooperate in order to combat corruption. In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the Embassy expressed its willingness to cooperate with Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and members of his cabinet to develop even further the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States, which is based, among other things, on a firm commitment towards good governance and consolidating the rule of law. The US has firmly supported the efforts of President Klaus Iohannis and judicial institutions to enact the law, the release also reads. Recently, Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea has challenged the constitutionality of the law stipulating that only people without incompatibilities and criminal sentences can be members of the Government, while Justice Minister Florin Iordache has referred to the possibility of adopting an amnesty and pardon law. Both actions have been criticized by the president and anti-corruption prosecutors.



    TENNIS – The Romanian-American pair made of Monica Niculescu and Abigail Spears on Wednesday pulled out of the doubles event at the Australian Hobart tournament, an event with more than 225 thousand dollars prize money up for grabs. The two withdrew ahead of the quarterfinals fixture against Dutch – Czech pair made of Demi Schuurs and Renata Voracova. The two decided to pull out of competition because of Abigail Spears knee injury. Also in the womens doubles quarterfinals in Hobart, the Romanian Raluca Olaru and the Ukrainian Olga Savciuk wil face Ukrainian twins Ludmila and Nadia Kicenok. In Hobart, Niculescu will carry on in the womens singles, where in the quarterfinals on Thursday she will face Japans Risa Ozaki (100 WTA). (Tranlsated by V. Palcu)



  • Romania paralysed by cold

    Romania paralysed by cold

    After a mild December, January came with heavy snow, blizzards and extremely low temperatures. Under the circumstances, schools in Bucharest in 21 other counties, that is almost half of the country, did not open on Monday, and they will stay closed on Tuesday as well in Bucharest and 16 counties. A number of people, in particular pregnant women, sick people and elderly citizens, have requested medical assistance. Doctors have warned people with medical problems to avoid travelling if possible. To reach their patients in areas blocked by snow, tens of doctors and paramedics faced the snow and the blizzard, with journeys of a few tens of km taking them hours to complete. Special attention was given to the homeless.



    In Bucharest and other cities, hot meals, warm clothing and blankets have been distributed to the people without homes who refused to spend the night in social centres. 40 electronic panels put up by the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations in Bucharest warn the population about the cold weather. People are recommended to avoid long journeys, not to expose themselves to the cold, to drink hot tea and use suitable clothing and footwear, while also avoiding overheating the body and calling 112 in an emergency.



    The police have requested motorists to travel only if necessary and if they have no other available means of transport. The heavy snow that fell especially in the east, south and south-east also led to power cuts in many places and disrupted road, rail and naval travel. Roads have been closed, tens of trains cancelled and a number of domestic and international flights have been delayed. The Black Sea ports reopened on Sunday after being closed due to bad weather, including 12-m-high waves.



    There were also problems on the river Danube. Perseus, the biggest icebreaker in Romania, went in action on certain sections of the river, while a tugboat has been patrolling the river to break the floating ice. Because of bad weather, 15 cars registered in Romania were stranded in north-eastern Bulgaria. Their passengers, Romanian holidaymakers, should have been home on Friday, but the roads were closed in the neighbouring country. So they were stranded for three days only 30 km from the border. Many of them ran out of money, food and fuel. After being notified by the authorities in Bucharest, the Bulgarian authorities sent a police crew and a snow removal machine to unblock the road to the border, so the around 100 Romanian citizens stranded in Bulgaria were able to reach Romania. (Translated by C. Mateescu)

  • January 23, 2016

    January 23, 2016

    The code yellow alert for frost continues in Romania until Tuesday, except for 5 counties in the west and northwest. The lowest temperatures will range from minus 20 degree C to minus 15 degrees C. On isolated areas temperatures will drop down to minus 28 degrees C. Fog and white frost have been reported on small areas in the south and west. The noon reading in Bucharest was minus 10 degrees C.



    The Fitch rating agency has reconfirmed the ratings for Romania’s long-term debts in hard currency and local currency at “BBB minus” and “BBB” respectively, the outlook for both ratings being stable, Reuters reports. The issue ratings on Romanias senior unsecured foreign and local currency bonds have been affirmed at BBB-and BBB, respectively. The Country Ceiling has been affirmed at BBB+. Romania’s ratings are supported by the more robust economic prospects, the current better fiscal position and the more favorable governance indicators in comparison with other states with a “BBB” rating. However, for 2016, Fitch is concerned about the fiscal sustainability on medium term. The agency estimates that tax cuts will lead to a drop in governmental incomes by 2% of the GDP this year, which will put pressure on the fiscal structural deficit. Fitch also estimates that Romania’s economic growth in 2016 will stand at almost 4%.



    Romanian MP Mircea Dolha, the head of the parliamentary delegation that visited Norway this past week, said Saturday that the Bodnariu family, who lost custody of their 5 children for having physically hit them, might recover their children. Dolha pointed out that during the talks with the Norwegian government and the child protection ministry they have been given clear signals in this regard. He said the Norwegian authorities promised to issue an internal order so as to make the authorities involved in such cases be more careful when making decisions. The MPs have called on the governor of the city where the Romanian-Norwegian family resides to look again into the order of placing the children into foster care, because the measure was disproportionate, being an abusive interpretation of the principle of best interest of the child. Further protests will take place Saturday to support the Bodnariu family.



    A massive blizzard bringing snow and powerful winds is advancing up the US East Coast, the BBC reports. More than 50 million people from more than 10 states have been warned to stay at home as the blizzard moves north. In the capital Washington, the snow layer might reach a record level of 76 centimeters. At least 8 people have been killed, 6 states have declared states of emergency and thousands of flights have been cancelled. The weather system affects a huge swathe of the country, from Arkansas in the south to Massachusetts in the northeast. Supermarkets ran out of food because people rushed for supplies before the first snowfall on Friday.


    (News translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • January 20, 2016 UPDATE

    January 20, 2016 UPDATE


    VISIT – Romania supports all efforts to consolidate border controls and hopes this contribution will be recognized in addition to the additional Schengen accession criteria, which Romania has fulfilled, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said in Paris on Wednesday, after meeting with French President Francois Hollande. Dacian Ciolos pointed out that Romania was interested in joining a robust, consolidated and dependable Schengen area, supporting all initiatives in this respect. During the meeting the two officials also approached ways to intensify economic relations, common objectives in the fields of research, defence and education, the developments in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, with regard to the latters efforts to join the EU. At the same time Francois Hollande accepted the invitation of visiting Romania this year. Dacian Ciolos is also due to meet with Romanian BA and MA students at the Sciences Politiques University, as well as with representatives of the Romanian community. On Thursday, the Prime Minister is set to meet heads of French businesses and hold official talks at the National Assembly headquarters.



    MOLDOVA – The Moldovan Parliament on Wednesday passed the structure and programme of the new Cabinet led by Prime Minister designate Pavel Filip. The new Government got 57 votes in favour out of the total of 101. The head of Government thanked parliamentary parties for their support and promised to maintain a constructive dialogue with them, as well as with the opposition. A protest was also staged before the Parliament building. Unhappy with the vote, protesters forced the police security cordon, entering Parliament. Pavel Filip has this week been designated to form a new Cabinet, backed by a majority made up of Democratic, Liberal, former communist and a group of Liberal-Democratic MPs.



    MEETING – On Thursday President Klaus Iohannis is meeting heads of diplomatic missions to Bucharest. The president will outline Romanias main foreign policy priorities for this year. The new Apostolic Nuncio to Bucharest, his Holiness Miguel Maury Buendia, will deliver a keynote address on behalf of the diplomatic corps.



    RULING – The Constitutional Court of Romania ruled on Wednesday that the law giving special pension benefits to local elected officials is against the Constitution, as notified by the Government. The Court has found that the law is unclear, it discriminates between elected officials and fails to indicate the financing sources. On December 26, 2015, the Government notified the Court that some provisions in the law apparently breach the Constitution, in that they regulate privileges for certain local elected officials, they give special rights retroactively and fail to specify financing sources for the new benefits. The Government warned that there are at least 16,300 potential beneficiaries of the law, and the budgetary strain in 2016 may affect the stability of the fiscal-budgetary framework.



    DEFENCE – Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc on Thursday will pay an official visit to Brussels, where he will hold talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and with his Belgian counterpart Steven Vandeput. The Romanian official will also meet with General Petr Pavel, the head of the NATO Military Committee at the NATO General Headquarters. Mihean Motoc will also visit Romanian patients who suffered burn injuries in the Colectiv nightclub fire tragedy last year. The patients are currently receiving specialized medical care at the Queen Astrid Military Hospital in the Belgian capital city. We recall that 63 people were killed in the fire at Colectiv on October 30, 2015.



    BRUA – The BRUA pipeline, which will connect the natural gas networks of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria, is a major Romanian contribution to enhancing the security of the EU natural gas supplies, by diversifying sources for Central Europe, says the Romanian Ministry of Energy. The Connecting Europe Facility-Energy Committee in the European Commission Tuesday validated the allocation of 179 million euros for the works to be carried out by the Romanian company Transgaz on the national natural gas transport system in view of the development of the BRUA pipeline. The Commission said the BRUA inter-connector is a key step to the development of the EU natural gas market, in that it will enable natural gas to reach Central Europe from the Caspian region and other sources. For 2014-2020, the Commission has earmarked 5.3 billion euro for the trans-European energy infrastructure.



    COLD WEATHER – The weather is extremely cold in most regions. The capital city Bucharest and 19 counties in the south and the centre are under a code yellow alert against extremely low temperatures. Skies will be overcost in most regions, while dense fog is expected in the morning. From Thursday until the end of the week, meteorologists have extended the alert against cold snap to the majority of the country, except five counties in the west and northwest. Minimum temperatures will range from minus 17 to minus 4 degrees, while highs will range between minus 9 and plus 2 degrees.



    MIGRATION – The European Commission is considering measures to distribute migrants more fairly across EU Member states, news agencies report. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, told the European Parliament on Tuesday that the Union has two months to bring the migrant crisis under control, otherwise the Schengen visa-free region may collapse. Donald Tusk also estimated that the EU as a political project would fail unless it manages to manage its external borders properly. He discussed strengthening border controls and stepping up the establishment of reception centres in Greece and Italy, where migrants will be classed as either economic migrants, to be repatriated, or refugees to be sent to Member States under the compulsory quota rules. Yesterday in Prague, the interior ministers of the Visegrad Group (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia), reiterated their opposition to the compulsory quotas and asked for the set-up of efficient ‘hotspot’ centres. According to the figures proposed by the European Commission, Romania is to receive a total 6,351 refugees.




    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • December 29, 2015 UPDATE

    December 29, 2015 UPDATE

    SALARY INCREASE – The Labour Ministry has drafted a Government ordinance providing for an increase of the minimum salary to 276 euros starting May 1, 2016. The document has been greenlighted by the Economic and Social Council and will be discussed by the Government on Wednesday. Official figures reveal that the number of employees to benefit from this increase stands at 1.1 million people, of which 40,000 in the public sector and the rest in the competitive sector. The Labour Ministry estimates the increase will positively impact economic growth by stimulating employment and cutting back on illegal labour. With its current minimum salary of 230 euros, Romania has the second-lowest salary at EU level after Bulgaria. The highest salary in the EU is 1,900 euros in Luxembourg, while Germany and France are second and third-placed with 1,470 euros.



    DECISION – The Moldovan Constitutional Court on Tuesday ruled that the decree of president Nicolae Timofti to appoint Ion Sturza as the countrys new Prime Minister observes the constitution. 14 former communist MPs, now members of the Democratic Party, have notified the court, claiming that Nicolae Timofti hadnt consulted their party when appointing Ion Sturza and that the candidate he backed hadnt been agreed by a parliamentary majority. The Parliament in Chisinau will convene on January 4 for the vote of confidence of the new technocratic Cabinet. Following consultations with parliamentary parties, Ion Sturza obtained the support of Democratic MPs only, accounting for 19 of the total of 101 seats in Parliament.



    RULING – A Jordanian businessman settled in Romania 20 years ago has been declared persona non grata by the Bucharest court of appeal due to his terrorist activities. He has been denied entry on Romanian territory for 15 years. The Romanian Intelligence Service informs that the Jordanian national supported the Islamic State, lobbying the group online and even trying to legitimise the Paris attacks. The Jordanian businessman was even willing to involve in the terrorists cell actions against Romania. Monitored since 2014, he is to be deported. The decision may be appealed at the High Court of Cassation and Justice.



    CORRUPTION – One prime minister, 4 former ministers and 20 current and former MPs from across the political spectrum are among the persons indicted for corruption in Romania in 2015, says the National Anticorruption Directorate. According to preliminary estimates, 2015 saw the largest number of dignitaries prosecuted compared with previous years. The conviction rate in anticorruption cases has remained at 90%. Romanias president Klaus Iohannis said recently that 2016 must be a year of change through a renewal of ideas, practices and politicians, something that cannot be achieved without eradicating corruption.



    TRAVEL DESTINATION – Romania is among the top 16 up-and-coming travel destinations in 2016 in a classification made by the CNN together with travel experts. “Central Romania, we find from the stations website, “is engulfed in the soaring Carpathian mountain range, filled with green groves and ski and hiking trails for adventure-heads. The website also mentions the Danube Delta, in the south-east of the country, which is home to many protected species and which can be explored by boat. The city of Cluj Napoca, in the west, is described as “a hotly-tipped future art scene. Other top destinations in Romania recommended by the CNN are Transylvanias “vast and varied landscapes, where tourists can also visit the Bran Castle, linked to Bram Stokers fictitious character Dracula.



    RSF – 67 journalists have been killed in the world in 2015 because of their profession, according to a report published by the Reporters without Borders non-governmental organisation. The most dangerous countries for journalists are Iraq and Syria, where 9 journalists were killed in each of them, followed by France, where 8 journalists were killed in February in an attack on the Charlie Hebdo publication. 27 bloggers and 7 media contributors were also assassinated, according to Reporters without Borders. The organisation says a total of 110 persons were killed in 2015, a figure which also includes “suspicious deaths, compared with 66 in 2014. Reporters without Borders also deplores the fact that the circumstances in which many reporters were killed are still not clear.



    TERRORIST THREAT – Two persons suspected of planning terrorist attacks in Brussels on New Years Eve have been arrested by the Belgian authorities. The terrorist threat level has been raised to 3. Germany and Austria are also on alert, following an announcement by the Austrian police on Saturday that it received a warning from a “friendly foreign secret service about possible attacks in several European capitals in the period between Christmas and New Years. Moscows Red Square, a traditional place for New Years Eve celebrations, will this year be closed to the public on the evening of the 31st of December for fear of terrorist attacks.



    WEATHER – Temperatures are dropping in Romania, not exceeding 8 degrees. Snow has been reported in the mountains. After some wonderful weather around Christmas, with 15 degrees Celsius, the weather will start to cool, dropping to minus 10 around New Years. Temperatures will stay low until January 3rd, especially at night and in the morning, in the centre, north and some areas in the south.