Radio România Internațional

Tag: Council of the EU

July 1, 2020 UPDATE

Economy. The Romanian executive launched, on Wednesday an economic recovery plan of over 100 billion Euros. At the presentation of the plan, the Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said that the elaborated program took into account the problems facing Romania, accentuated by the economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have found that companies access to resources, to capital, is extremely difficult and restricted,” the prime minister said. Attending the event, President Klaus Iohannis spoke about “a project of major importance for Romania of tomorrow”. According to the head of state, Romania must adapt to the new conditions and become more competitive. “The time has come for all economic measures to be included in a single plan and to turn on the engines for economic recovery”, Klaus Iohannis stated. The opposition has criticized the plan, saying it does not provide real economic recovery solutions. The Save Romania Union has said many of the proposals are outdated, populist and with no funding sources. According to the new economic plan, 80% of the money would be invested in transport, health, education and energy infrastructure. The relaunch plan also provides support measures for the areas affected by the coronavirus crisis, grants for SMEs, digitalization, employee support and employment. The money would come from both the state budget and European funds.

Natural gas. The Romanian natural gas market has been fully liberalized as of July 1st. Tariffs are no longer regulated by the government, but set by the stock exchange. Liberalization comes at a time when the energy supply market is highly concentrated, with 2 companies providing such services for 90% of the household consumers. These companies have sent their customers offers at the same prices as before, and unless they receive an answer, the new contracts will take effect by default. A week ago, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu told AGERPRES news agency that households should pay 10-15% less for natural gas. He explained that, unless major suppliers cut down prices, the Competition Law enables the government to intervene in the market for a 6-month period.

COVID-19 In Romania, 27,296 cases of coronavirus infection have been reported so far, with 326 new cases confirmed over the past 24 hours. 20,749 patients have recovered, and 1,667 have died. The healthcare minister Nelu Tătaru announced 2 days ago that the increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases prompted the authorities to postpone the lifting of further restrictions as of July 1. Three relaxation stages have been introduced since mid-May, when Romania switched from a state of emergency to a state of alert. Among the Romanians living abroad, 4,795 have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and 115 of them have died.

Pandemic. The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has exceeded 10.6 million, with the death toll standing at 515,000 and 5.8 million recovered patients, according to worldometers.info. In the US, the number of new cases has increased significantly in the last 24 hours, reaching a total of 2.7 million. More than 130,000 Americans have died and millions have lost their jobs. The economy contracted sharply in the first quarter, and is expected to decline rapidly in the second. Meanwhile, the EU has approved a list of safe countries for non-essential travel, as of July1st. The list, which includes 14 countries (Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay) will be updated every 2 weeks, depending on local COVID-19 developments.

Parliament. Until mid-July, the Parliament of Romania is holding a special session. The Chamber of Deputies is set to discuss a number of bills, including the one establishing the date of local elections and an initiative banning people with criminal records from running for public office. On Monday the Deputies will hear PM Ludovic Orban on the procurement contracts signed during the pandemic. In turn, the Senate is also to vote on the local elections bill, after the Government decided the election should take place on September 27.

EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that the EU must prepare for the possibility that negotiations with London on the post-Brexit relation wont secure a deal, as “progress in the negotiations has been very limited.” “I will continue to press for a good solution. But we in the EU and also in Germany must and should prepare for the event that an agreement is not reached after all” Merkel told the German Chamber of Deputies on the first day of Germanys Presidency of the Council of the EU. Germany took over the rotating presidency of the Council from Croatia, on July 1st, and it will be holding it for six months. Managing the crisis triggered by the new coronavirus will be the main focus of the German term, according to a program approved by the German Government on June 24th, titled Make Europe Strong Again. With the EU facing the deepest economic recession since WWII, the member states must agree, in the following months, on a multi-annual budget for 2021-2027 and on the operation of the European Recovery Fund, designed by the European Commission to support the economies of the countries most affected by the pandemic, especially Italy and Spain. (M.Ignatescu)

1 July 2020
Increased chances for Laura Codruta Kovesi

France will withdraw its candidate
for the position of European Chief Prosecutor and will back the candidacy
of Laura Codruta Kovesi. The announcement was made by the Romanian Presidency
following phone talks between presidents Klaus Iohannis and Emanuel Macron.
Although affiliated to rival European parties, Macron promised Iohannis he
would withdraw the candidacy of Jean-Francois Bohnert, who had been backed by
the former Council of the European Union, presided by Romania in the first
semester of 2019. The European Parliament instead supported Kovesi’s candidacy,
both in the last and in the current tenures.

European Parliament President
David Sassoli sent a letter to the Council of the European Union, recalling the
full support of MEPs for Romania’s candidate. Under the law, the European chief
prosecutor is appointed jointly by the Parliament and the Council of the EU,
for a seven-year term, which cannot be renewed. Having spearheaded the fight
against corruption for years, but also believed to have instrumented an abusive
prosecution system, Kovesi has often been labeled as Romania’s most powerful
woman. Shortly before being sacked last year in June, following a
Constitutional Court ruling, Kovesi admitted during a debate venued at the UN
headquarters in New York, that Romania’s greatest challenge remains the
preservation of the independence of judges and prosecutors.

There have been
repeated attempts at modifying anticorruption legislation to limit the
legislative instruments used by anticorruption prosecutors or to decriminalize
certain offences. There have been cases where requests to lift the immunity of
politicians charged with corruption were turned down. The whole justice system
has seen attacks by means of fake news or public statements aimed at weakening
public credibility in the system, Kovesi said, claiming the Social-Democratic
Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in power have tried to rein in
the fight against corruption and subordinate magistrates. Beyond controversies,
the facts speak volumes. In the last five years with Kovesi at its helm, the
Directorate has prosecuted 14 ministers and former ministers and 53 MPs. Of
these, 27 were handed final sentences. During the same period, the Directorate seized over 2.3 million dollars in assets. The recently appointed pro-European
Prime Minister in the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has offered Laura
Codruta Kovesi the leadership of the Anti-graft Prosecutor’s Office in Moldova.
Pundits believe however Kovesi is likely to become the new head of the European
Prosecutor’s Office, which is set to begin its activity next year.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

22 July 2019
July 3, 2019 UPDATE

Brussels – The Italian Socialist David Sassoli was elected president of the European Parliament for the next 2 years and a half on Wednesday. Aged 63, the former journalist was elected MEP in 2009 and got new mandates in 2014 and 2019. The European leaders have agreed that the position of EP president should be shared by the Socialists and the People’s Party, with 2 years and a half for each representative. The presidency of the European Commission will be held by the current defense minister of Germany, Ursula von der Leyen, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and a representative of the European People’s Party, the European Central Bank will be led by French center rightist Christine Lagarde, the incumbent chief of the IMF, the Spanish foreign minister, the Socialist Josep Borrell, will lead the European diplomacy and the Belgian PM, Liberal Charles Michel will be president of the European Council. The nomination of Ursula von der Leyen needs to be also validated by the EP following a vote scheduled for mid July.

National Bank — The plenum of the Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday validated the membership of the new board of the National Bank of Romania led by the same governor Mugur Isarescu who has been holding this position since 1990. The national bank will carry on the line of a cautious and responsible policy, its long term objective being accession to the Euro zone, said governor Mugur Isarescu during Tuesday’s hearings. Mugur Isarescu said that Romania should be prepared before joining the Euro zone, given that differences in terms of development level between various regions of the country are significant. The national bank board is made up of 9 members elected by Parliament for a 5-year term, with the possibility of extending their mandates.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (7 WTA) on Wednesday defeated her conational Mihaela Buzărnescu (53 WTA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the 2nd round of the Wimbledon tournament, the 3rd Grand Slam tournament of the year. In the 3rd round, Simona Halep will take on Byelorussian Victoria Azarenka (40 WTA) on Thursday. Romanian Monica Niculescu also qualified to the 2nd round and she will take on Belgian Elise Mertens (21 WTA). Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu are the only Romanians left in the competition. (update by L. Simion)

3 July 2019
January 24, 2019

Union of principalities — Romania is hosting today religious and military ceremonies as well as cultural events to mark 160 years since the union of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia under the rule of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in 1859. The union is considered the foundation of modern Romania. A service was held at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, which remembered the makers of the 1859 Union and wreathes of flowers were laid at the statue of ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The Patriarchal Palace also hosted a science communication session during which President Klaus Iohannis underlined that in 1859 the Romanian Principalities embraced the European values and started a large-scale process for the state’s modernization and consolidation. The Romanian President also added that in 2019 Romania’s destiny could not be separated from the EU as a project for peace, prosperity, safety, fairness and cohesion for its citizens. He went on to say that for 160 years Romanians have been coming closer to the fundamental humanist values of Europe, by building a state of democracy, of human dignity and of the rule of law, of freedom and equality. In her message, the PM Viorica Dancila said that the celebration of the United Principalities Day both in Romania and Brussels, during Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU, is a confirmation of the fact that the Romanian people has always had the power and wisdom to choose the right path. Festivities are also held in Iasi, the largest city of eastern Romania, in other cities of Romania as well as in Moldova’s capital Chisinau.

Brussels — The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila on Thursday presented in Brussels, at the plenary meeting of the European Economic and Social Committee, the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. According to PM Dancila, a strong and cohesive union is the answer given to the European citizens by the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU whose motto is ‘Cohesion, a common European value’ in the political, economic, territorial and social fields. The PM said the cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy should remain the main investment policies of the Union. PM Dancila said that Romania would promote the measures meant to increase competitiveness and to promote connectivity and digitization, to boost entrepreneurship and consolidate the industrial policy. According to the Romanian PM Romania is involved in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Paris — The former French president Francois Hollande and other officials, heads of diplomatic missions from the EU and OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, on Wednesday visited the studio of the late sculptor Constantin Brancusi and admired works by Romanian artists exhibited at the Pompidou Center in Paris, as part of the France — Romania Season, shows an embassy communiqué quoted by AGERPRES. The Season was inaugurated by presidents Emmanuel Macron and Klaus Iohannis on November 27, 2018. The Pompidou Center hosts works by Mihai Olos, Cornel Brudascu, Marcel Iancu, Eli Lotar, Tristan Tzara, Geta Bratescu and Mircea Cantor. The former president Francois Hollande is the one who initiated the France — Romania Season together with president Klaus Iohannis.

Tennis – Young Romanian tennis player Filip Jianu (17 years old) on Thursday qualified to the singles semifinals of the Australian Open Junior Championships. He defeated the American Cannon Kingsley in 3 sets. In the last but one match Jianu will take on another American Emilio Nava, seeded 13th. Filip Jianu will also play today in the doubles semifinals together with Spanish Nicolas Alvarez Varona against the pair Cannon Kingsley/Emilio Nava. We recall that Simona Halep was eliminated in the eighth finals in Melbourne and will no longer hold the 1st place in the WTA ranking as of Monday. In the women’s final the Czech Petra Kvitova will take on Japanese Naomi Osaka.

Statistics — Almost 85% of the EU inhabitants with ages between 16 and 74 used the Internet in 2018, show data published on Thursday by Eurostat. The highest percentage of people that used the Internet in 2018 in this age bracket was reported in Denmark (98%), followed by Luxemburg (97%) and the Netherlands (95%). The lowest percentage was registered in Bulgaria (65%), Romania (71%) and Greece (72%). (translation by L. Simion)

24 January 2019
Romania takes over EU presidency

For the first time since joining the European Union 12 years ago, Romania is holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Its Prime Minister Viorica Dancila says Bucharest wants to project a pragmatic vision during its 6-month term based on the principle of cohesion. Romania’s priorities rest on four pillars: a Europe of convergence, a safer Europe, Europe as a global actor; and a Europe of common values. Europe of convergence which means growth, cohesion, competitiveness will ensure, according to prime minister Dancila, sustainable and equitable development for all European citizens. This is essential, she said, in order to promote a united Europe and increase the European Union’s competitiveness at a global level.

Viorica Dancila: “The decisions on the future of European policies must be reflected in the Union’s funding priorities. Therefore, Romania’s presidency of the Council of the European Union will contribute to the drafting of the post-2020 multiannual financial framework in order to fulfil the objectives in the next seven years and ensure a balance between growth and convergence generating policies in the community bloc.”

Romania also aims to contribute to the consolidation of the economic and monetary union and to promote research and innovation through digitisation and connectivity as main factors in the growth of the competitiveness of European industry. The Romanian authorities also believe that intolerance, populism, racism and xenophobia can be fought through a permanent reminder of the values on which the Union is based, while also calling for greater citizen involvement in the decision making process.

Viorica Dancila: “I believe it is necessary to encourage young people to become involved in the creation of a strong Europe based on shared European values. Also, we will support during our term the legislative initiatives related to the participation of European citizens in the European legislative process.”

Minister for European Affairs, George Ciamba, talked about Romania’s priorities during its 6-month mandate and pointed out that, under the motto “Cohesion — a common European value” Bucharest will have to deal with very important matters for the future of the EU, such as Brexit, the future budget of the Union and the elections for the European Parliament.

George Ciamba: “In the first period, when we work together with the current European Parliament, Romania’s priorities will focus on turning as many bills as possible into European laws. At present, we have quite a clear picture at the level of each ministry, of which initiatives can be turned into European law and which are the ones that need to be further worked on and then taken over by the next presidency. The mandate of the current European Parliament expires in April, so quite soon. Romania must have an impartial stand, but, at the same time, it must find qualified majorities that should allow it to reach a common stand within the Council. The second part of Romania’s mandate will be dedicated to the summit in Sibiu, a very important summit held only two weeks and a half ahead of the European Parliament elections. It is very important, essential I would say, as far as we are concerned, for the summit to give a signal of unity among all member states and European partners as regards the future of the Union. In the last month of Romania’s mandate, which will again be a very complicated one, we will have the chance to tackle topics that cannot be discussed before that, precisely because of the campaign for the European Parliament elections. These topics were postponed so as not to interfere with the elections. Therefore they must be discussed in one month alone, the time left before Romania’s mandate expires. Among these topics is EU enlargement.”

Romania wants the Black Sea to become a priority zone for the EU as well, as it currently is for NATO, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has said: “One of Romania’s goals, as president of the Council of the EU, will be to come up with proposals regarding the strengthening of cooperation in the Black Sea area in general, boosting confidence among member states, promoting tourism, energy interconnectivity and direct collaboration of the EU and the regional structures.”

All these, minister Melescanu says, are important because we want the EU to get more involved in these regional formats.

4 January 2019
Romania’s Interior Minister, in Brussels

Migration, border management and strengthening the security of the
Union are the home affairs priorities Romania has set for its presidency of the
Council of the European Union, between January 1 and June 30, 2019. The
interior minister Carmen Dan went to Brussels to present them on Thursday, at
the last meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council under Austrian
presidency.

The visit was preceded on Wednesday by a joint meeting of Viorica
Dancila’s Cabinet and the European Commission, whose president Jean-Claude
Juncker voiced his confidence that Romania is able to hold the rotating
presidency successfully.

According to a news release issued by the Interior Ministry, a
central element in the field of migration and border management is the
strengthening of the European border agency, Frontex, by means of enhanced
personnel and logistical capabilities provided by the member states. Other
aspects on which the Romanian Interior Ministry will focus include fighting
online content that promotes terrorism and developing the concept of Community
Policing across the EU.

Community Policing is an initiative of the Romanian Interior
Ministry designed to facilitate relations between police and expat communities
in EU member countries. According to the news release, Romania has considerable
experience in the field, and is already conducting missions in countries like
Italy, Spain, France and Bulgaria. Such operations have been quite successful
in terms of preventing and fighting offences with Romanian victims or
perpetrators living in the respective states.

On the sidelines of the JHA Council, Minister Dan also had bilateral
meetings with her counterparts from Bulgaria, Germany and the UK. Key topics
included the rights of the Romanian citizens in Britain and of the British
citizens living in Romania after Brexit, which is scheduled to take effect
during Bucharest’s presidency of the EU Council. In turn, Romania and Bulgaria
undertook to work together on sensitive issues such as migration. The two
interior ministers also agreed to deploy Romanian police forces this month on a
new mission in Bulgarian resorts, where many Romanian tourists are expected to
spend their winter holidays.

The next informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council is
due to take place in Bucharest on February 6-8, 2019. In the first 6 months of
next year, Romania is also set to host tens of other high-level events in the
field of home affairs, including the EU – US Justice and Home Affairs
Ministerial Meeting.

7 December 2018
The annual meeting of Romanian diplomacy

Bucharest is currently hosting the meeting of the Romanian diplomacy, an
event which has a special significance this year. On the one hand, Romania
celebrates the Great Union Centennial and, on the other, one of the main topics
on the agenda of talks is Bucharest’s first mandate at the helm of the Council
of the EU in the first half of 2019.

The annual meeting of the diplomacy is a
large platform of debate on a series of topics of major interest for Romania,
such as bilateral and strategic relations, which are national priorities,
alongside regional cooperation, the eastern neighbourhood and economic
diplomacy.

Attending the meeting of the heads of Romania’s diplomatic and
consular missions abroad, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu has stated
that Romania’s diplomacy should remain a fundamental binder of society. He has
recalled that the country’s modernization process was possible due to the
consensus reached by the whole political class on Romania’s main objectives, accession
to NATO and the EU, and he has underlined that Romania enjoys an
unprecedentedly high level of security and prosperity.

In another move, the
Romanian Foreign Minister has said that in November, Parliament will adopt the
main political objectives of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, underlining
that there is solidarity at the level of the political class in Romania with
respect to EU-related issues. He has given these assurances as there have been
voices which cast doubt on Romania’s mandate, against the backdrop of political
tensions in the country.

In a press conference given jointly with his German
counterpart Heiko Maas, the special guest of the Bucharest-meeting, Teodor
Meleşcanu has also said that Romania will hold this presidency under the
auspices of the idea of a more united, integrated and cohesive Europe. In turn,
the German official has voiced confidence that the Romanian presidency of the
EU Council will be an efficient one and underlined that Bucharest will enjoy
Berlin’s support during its term at the helm of the Council.

Heiko Maas has
also recalled what the main challenges of this mandate will be: Brexit, the multi-annual financial framework and migration-related issues. The German Foreign
Minister has also referred to the reform of the judiciary in Romania and
underlined that the right balance in the separation of state powers can be reached.
The German official has also said that compromise can be reached, and that
would in turn render society more united.

28 August 2018
The annual meeting of Romanian diplomacy

Bucharest is currently hosting the meeting of the Romanian diplomacy, an
event which has a special significance this year. On the one hand, Romania
celebrates the Great Union Centennial and, on the other, one of the main topics
on the agenda of talks is Bucharest’s first mandate at the helm of the Council
of the EU in the first half of 2019.

The annual meeting of the diplomacy is a
large platform of debate on a series of topics of major interest for Romania,
such as bilateral and strategic relations, which are national priorities,
alongside regional cooperation, the eastern neighbourhood and economic
diplomacy.

Attending the meeting of the heads of Romania’s diplomatic and
consular missions abroad, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu has stated
that Romania’s diplomacy should remain a fundamental binder of society. He has
recalled that the country’s modernization process was possible due to the
consensus reached by the whole political class on Romania’s main objectives, accession
to NATO and the EU, and he has underlined that Romania enjoys an
unprecedentedly high level of security and prosperity.

In another move, the
Romanian Foreign Minister has said that in November, Parliament will adopt the
main political objectives of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, underlining
that there is solidarity at the level of the political class in Romania with
respect to EU-related issues. He has given these assurances as there have been
voices which cast doubt on Romania’s mandate, against the backdrop of political
tensions in the country.

In a press conference given jointly with his German
counterpart Heiko Maas, the special guest of the Bucharest-meeting, Teodor
Meleşcanu has also said that Romania will hold this presidency under the
auspices of the idea of a more united, integrated and cohesive Europe. In turn,
the German official has voiced confidence that the Romanian presidency of the
EU Council will be an efficient one and underlined that Bucharest will enjoy
Berlin’s support during its term at the helm of the Council.

Heiko Maas has
also recalled what the main challenges of this mandate will be: Brexit, the multi-annual financial framework and migration-related issues. The German Foreign
Minister has also referred to the reform of the judiciary in Romania and
underlined that the right balance in the separation of state powers can be reached.
The German official has also said that compromise can be reached, and that
would in turn render society more united.

28 August 2018