Radio România Internațional

Tag: Culture Day

  • January 15, 2025 UPDATE

    January 15, 2025 UPDATE

    CULTURE DAY In Romania, January 15 was National Culture Day, marking the birth date of the national poet Mihai Eminescu. This year was all the more special as it celebrated the 175th anniversary of the birth of the greatest Romanian poet of all times. Many events took place in Bucharest and throughout the country, including conferences, debates, concerts and exhibitions, and entry to many museums was free. The Bucharest National Opera celebrated National Culture Day on Wednesday evening with a gala performance celebrating Romanian culture as expressed in faith, art and identity. The “Luceafărul” exhibition was opened at the Bruckenthal National Museum in Sibiu, the Lyric Theatre in Iași scheduled a special performance, while an exhibition called “Past, Present and Future” was opened at the Corvin Castle. On National Culture Day, the Radio Romania Culture channel invited a teenager from Vâlcea (south) to the theatre for the first time. With this symbolic gesture, the only national radio station dedicated exclusively to the arts calls on people and institutions to facilitate access to culture for their peers.

     

    PROTEST The ‘CulturMedia’ National Federation of Culture and Press Trade Unions protested on Wednesday, on National Culture Day, wearing white armbands, to warn against the underfunding of the culture sector and the salary inequities to which employees of museums, libraries and cultural centers are subjected. The Federation demands that 1% of GDP be earmarked for Culture, that the salaries of museum and public library employees be brought in line with the education payment scheme, the elimination of the huge salary disparities between employees of performing arts institutions and employees of public museums and libraries, bonuses for work carried out on weekends and public holidays, as well as the payment of overtime. The unionists also demand that hiring be resumed, to counter the chronic personnel shortage in cultural institutions.

     

    BUDGET The VAT will not be increased, Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu promised, after talks on the 2025 state budget bill with the finance minister, Tánczos Barna, and with the head of the national tax administration agency, ANAF. Ciolacu added the tax reform is expected to help bring down the inflation rate and increase people’s spending power. PM Marcel Ciolacu reiterated that the 2025 state budget bill will be passed by the government by the end of this month and will subsequently be sent to Parliament, for review and endorsement in the first week of the legislative session due to begin in February. He also said that the 7% deficit target agreed with the European Commission will be maintained, as will the target of 7% of GDP for investments. The PM also said that last year state revenues went up by 27%, and this year a roughly 30% increase is expected. The main indicators for the 2025 budget will be presented at Thursday’s government meeting. Also on Thursday, the Cabinet is to approve the presidential election timetable.

     

    INTERESTS The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania has decided to keep the key interest rate at 6.5% per annum. Also, the lending facility interest rate stays at 7.50% per annum, the deposit facility interest rate at 5.50% per annum, and the minimum reserve requirements for banks’ national and foreign currency liabilities will also stay unchanged. Last year, the central bank lowered the key interest rate twice, in July, from 7% per annum to 6.75% per annum, and in August to 6.5% per annum. The key interest rate had not been changed since January 2023. According to the bank, the annual inflation rate rose in the last three months of 2024 more than expected, to 5.14% in December, from 4.62% in September. The National Bank estimates the inflation rate will decrease in the first quarter of 2025, but slower ​​than previously expected. Significant uncertainties and risks related to inflation arise from the future tax and revenue policy, given the implementation of the set of tax and budget related measures recently approved by the Government for the purpose of fiscal consolidation, but also from the situation on the labor market and the wage dynamics in the economy. At the same time, significant uncertainties continue to be linked to the evolution of energy and food prices, as well as to future developments in the crude oil market, amid geopolitical tensions, central bank experts argue.

     

    ELECTION The MP Emanuel Ungureanu (Save Romania Union) has filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor General’s Office against Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the head of the Timiş County Council, Alfred Simonis. Ungureanu said the complaint was related to the the two officials’ TikTok chat about redirecting votes from the Social Democratic party to the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians candidate George Simion in last year’s presidential elections. He accused Ciolacu and Simonis of corrupting voters and misusing influence and authority to obtain undue benefits, as well as preventing the exercise of electoral rights. Emanuel Ungureanu called on prosecutors to question the heads of Social Democratic Party branches and to conduct computer searches to see if the call to direct votes to George Simion and Călin Georgescu circulated on the Social Democrats’ WhatsApp groups. (AMP)

  • January 15, 2025

    January 15, 2025

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    CULTURE DAY – In Romania, January 15 is National Culture Day, which marks the birth date of the national poet Mihai Eminescu. This edition is all the more special as it celebrates the 175th anniversary of the birth of the one who is considered the greatest Romanian poet of all times. Numerous events are taking place in Bucharest and throughout the country: conferences, debates, concerts and exhibitions, and entry to many museums is free. The Bucharest National Opera celebrates National Culture Day this evening, with a gala performance that pays tribute to Romanian culture as Faith, Art and Identity. The “Luceafărul” exhibition can be visited at the Bruckenthal National Museum in Sibiu (center). The Lyric Theatre in Iași (northeast) has scheduled a special performance, while the “Past, Present and Future” exhibition is being opened at the Corvin Castle (west). On National Culture Day, the Radio Romania Culture channel invited a teenager from Vâlcea (south) to the theater for the first time. Through this symbolic gesture, the only national radio station dedicated exclusively to the arts, urges people and institutions to facilitate access to culture for their peers.

     

    NATIONAL BANK – The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) convenes today for the first monetary policy meeting of the year. Most financial analysts and commercial bank experts believe that the Central Bank will maintain the key interest rate at 6.5%. Estimates are that the BNR could relax monetary policy in the second half of the year, pending clearer prospects regarding the evolution of inflation and fiscal measures. In 2024, the National Bank reduced the reference interest rate twice, from 7% to 6.5%.

     

    MOLDOVA – In Chisinau, President Maia Sandu accused the Russian Federation of wanting to provoke a political crisis in the Republic of Moldova by halting the supply of natural gas to the separatist Transnistrian region. On Tuesday, the Moldovan leader convened the Supreme Security Council to discuss the situation in the energy sector. Maia Sandu drew attention to the fact that the administration of the separatist Transnistrian region, which is facing a humanitarian crisis, has refused the aid offered by Chisinau, setting conditions for accepting the proposed solutions.

     

    HEARINGS – Former Romanian Prime Minister Petre Roman was summoned today at the General Prosecutor’s Office to be heard in the June 1990 Miners’ Riot case, in which he is accused of committing crimes against humanity. He denies any involvement. Former President Ion Iliescu and former Intelligence Service chief Virgil Măgureanu are also being prosecuted in this case, among others. Prosecutors must reopen the investigation in this case, after the evidence collected by investigators was annulled in Court. Initially, Ion Iliescu was sent to trial for crimes against humanity, along with Petre Roman and Virgil Măgureanu, but in December 2020 the High Court of Cassation and Justice decided to return the case to the Military Prosecutor’s Office, to restart the investigation from scratch. According to military prosecutors, on June 11 and 12, 1990, state authorities decided to launch a violent attack against demonstrators in the University Square in Bucharest, who were campaigning for democracy and the removal of former communist dignitaries from public office. Forces from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defense, the Romanian Intelligence Service, and thousands of miners were allegedly illegally involved in this attack. The violence resulted in 4 deaths, hundreds of injuries, illegal arrests, and damages.

     

    WASHINGTON – US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will create a new department, called the ‘Foreign Revenue Service’, whose task will be to collect customs duties, debts and all income from foreign sources, Reuters reports. Trump said on his social network Truth Social that he will sign the creation of this department on January 20, the day he is inaugurated as president. He has already announced that he will impose substantial customs duties on imports from Canada, Mexico and China, mentioning a 25% tax on imports from Canada and Mexico until these two countries neighboring the US take measures aimed at stopping illegal migration and drug trafficking at the borders. Donald Trump has also promised a 10% tariff on all imports and a 60% tax on imports from China, measures that economic analysts warn will have, among other effects, distorting trade flows, increasing costs and trade retaliation measures against American exports.

     

    PROTEST – In Romania, the National Federation of Culture and Press Unions ‘CulturMedia’ is protesting today, on National Culture Day, with white armbands, to draw attention to the underfunding of Culture and the salary inequities to which employees of museums, libraries and cultural centers are subjected. The Federation demands the allocation of 1% of GDP for Culture, the equalization of the salaries of museum and library employees with the with the ones paid for the same professions in education payment scheme, the elimination of the huge salary disparities between employees of performing arts institutions and employees of public museums and libraries, salary increases for work carried out on weekends and public holidays, as well as the payment of overtime. The unionists also demand the unblocking of vacant positions and the supplementation of job schemes to combat the chronic shortage of personnel in cultural institutions.

     

     

  • January 13, 2025

    January 13, 2025

    Election – The Romanian government will officially set the date of the presidential election this week, after the leaders of the governing coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR) decided, on Wednesday, at the first meeting of 2025, that the presidential election should take place on May 4th and 18th. A large protest was organized on Sunday, in Bucharest, by the opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), where people requested the resumption of the second round of the presidential election and the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis. The leader of AUR, George Simion, announced that the protests would continue. The Constitutional Court canceled last year’s presidential election on the grounds that the entire electoral process was flawed.

     

    Culture Day – As every year on January 15, Romania will mark the National Culture Day on Wednesday. This is also celebrated in the Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, as well as in the diaspora, in the context of celebrating in 2025 175 years since the birth of Mihai Eminescu, considered the greatest Romanian poet. Cultural and educational institutions, NGOs and authorities have prepared events in different more or less conventional spaces to bring culture closer to the public. Among other things, on Tuesday evening, a National Culture Awards Gala will be organized in Botoşani (north-east), during which prizes will be awarded for excellence in culture, for the promotion of Eminescu’s work and of Romanian culture in general or for the development of Romanian literary studies internationally.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian obtained a difficult victory, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 against the Croatian Petra Martic, on Monday, in Melbourne, in the first round of the Australian Open tournament, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Also on Monday, in Melbourne, the Romanian Sorana Cîrstea was defeated by the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-4. Svitolina has defeated Cîrstea in all four straight games so far. Anca Todoni, coming from the qualifications, also lost in the first round, on Sunday, against the Chinese Qinwen Zheng. Tuesday will see the match between the last Romanians from the main singles draw, Irina Begu and Gabriela Ruse, who will play against each other.

     

    Visa waiver – Romanian citizens will be able to travel to the United States, after March 31, through a simplified procedure, after the American authorities granted Romania the status of a country participating in the Visa Waiver Program. According to a press release from the Romanian embassy in Washington, Romanians will be able to go to the USA based on an electronic authorization called ESTA, this being applied to all trips for tourist or business purposes whose duration does not exceed 90 days. The authorization will be valid for two years, with unlimited entries or exits from the US. To participate in the Visa Waiver Program, a country must meet requirements related to counterterrorism, immigration enforcement, document security and border management. The requirements also include a visa refusal rate of less than 3%.

     

    Croatia – The acting president of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, won with a crushing score the decisive round of the presidential election on Sunday for a new 5-year mandate at the helm of the country. A socialist with populist views, Milanovici is credited with over 74% of the votes in front of his opponent supported by the conservative right-wing Government. Unlike the Executive, he criticized the military aid provided by the West to Kyiv, which made him be labelled as a pro-Russian, which destroys the country’s credibility within NATO and the European Union. The press agencies also note that the presidential election in Croatia took place in the context in which this country with less than 4 million inhabitants is facing the highest inflation rate in the Eurozone, endemic corruption and an acute lack of work force.

     

    Fires – A total of 24 people have died due to the California wildfires, according to an updated death toll. Residents evacuated because of the fires are flocking to checkpoints set up by law enforcement, hoping that they can recover belongings from their homes or simply to see if the houses still exist. Firefighters estimate that people will not be able to return home before Thursday, so they were promised that a system will be put into operation to check the condition of the homes online. Many areas look like after a bombardment, the international press reports and the power lines and gas pipelines still represent a major danger. (LS)

  • January 15, 2024 UPDATE

    January 15, 2024 UPDATE

    Protests — Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu asked the heads of the ministries in direct dialogue these days with transporters and farmers to speed up the drafting of laws that would solve the problems reported by the protesters. At Mondays meeting, the ministers presented the timetable for the approval of the respective draft laws, so that the first decisions with agreed measures in support of farmers and transporters should be adopted at the following government meetings. The Financial Supervisory Authority has announced that it is already working on a set of measures that will reduce Liability Car Insurance rates, especially for those who do not cause accidents. As far as the agricultural field is concerned, the Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, and the representatives of the agricultural associations agreed during Mondays negotiations to several requests from the farmers. Among them are the emergency granting of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture – APIA payments, the compensation of losses suffered by Romanian farmers who were affected by imports from Ukraine and the updating of the value of state aid regarding the reimbursement of the excise duty on diesel fuel purchased and used in agriculture. Meanwhile, the protests of farmers and transporters continued, on Monday, on several roads in the country.



    Healthcare – The Romanian Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, and the management of the National Health Insurance House called on family doctors on Monday to participate in good faith in the negotiations scheduled for Thursday in order to find solutions that should allow the proper financing of the field. Family doctors started protests and threatened to stop providing free consultations from February 1, after the National Health Insurance House published a project to reduce the value of the consultations point. This would mean, according to family doctors, the reduction of their income by 30% up to 50%. There are also protests at the public health departments. The employees are also demanding an increase in income, after their colleagues from the National Health Insurance House obtained increased salaries at the end of last year. Meanwhile, the Sanitas Federation continues to collect signatures to decide whether to launch an all out strike. Unionists say that the recent unlocking of vacancy-filling contests for doctors and nurses does not solve the problems in the system, because the salaries are not attractive and people will not participate in the contests.



    Environment – “The cooperation of all EU member states is necessary and I would like to assure you that we are open to dialogue and establishing, by consensus, the EUs position, both internally and internationally, from the point of view of environmental protection and climate change”. The declaration was made, on Monday, by the Romanian Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, during the discussions held on the sidelines of the Informal Meeting of Environment Ministers in Brussels. According to him, Romania took all measures to maintain a vigorous population of large carnivores, including bears, and at the same time tried to obtain the support of the EU member states. Mircea Fechet participates, on Monday and Tuesday, in the Informal Meeting of Environment Ministers in Brussels. The event has several topics on the agenda such as adaptation and resilience, ambition and climate policy, a just transition and the circular economy.



    Culture Day – The Romanian Academy and the Science Academy of the Republic of Moldova had, on Monday morning, a joint festive session organized in a hybrid system on the occasion of the anniversary of the National Culture Day. From Chişinău, the president of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Ion Tighineanu, spoke about the importance of this holiday in promoting national identity, as well as about the numerous joint actions of the two academies. He said that the representatives of the Romanian ethnic space have every chance to impose themselves through culture and centuries-old traditions, by highlighting the truth about the common identity and history, by further cultivating the Romanian language, which the poet Mihai Eminescu said is “our master”. January 15, which marks the National Culture Day, is also the date of birth of the great poet of Romanians, Mihai Eminescu, and this year we mark 174 years since his birth. The celebration is marked by a series of exhibitions, theater performances, guided tours or concerts, both in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as abroad, where there are important communities of Romanians.



    Statistics – Although they are not among the Europeans with the highest incomes, Romanians are on the second place in the European Union in terms of the degree of satisfaction with their life, shows the conclusion of the latest Eurostat report. Statistics are influenced by age, family or financial situation, diversity of lived experiences, priorities or various individual values. According to the European barometer, the average level of satisfaction at the community level is 7.1 points. Austrians are the most satisfied EU citizens, with 7.9 points, followed by Romanians, Finns and Poles, all with an index of 7.7 points. At the opposite pole are the Bulgarians, with 5.6 points. (LS)

  • January 16, 2023

    January 16, 2023

    Culture Day. On Sunday, National Culture Day and 173 years since the birth of the national poet Mihai Eminescu were marked all across Romania. Concerts, recitals and exhibitions were organized, and access to many museums was free. A gala performance was hosted by the Bucharest National Opera, attended by political personalities and diplomats. Romanian Culture Day was also celebrated abroad. The Romanian Cultural Institute has organized events in 20 cities abroad, until January 20. The events in Budapest, Warsaw, Stockholm or Beijing focus on the presentation as an international cultural landmark of the city of Timisoara, which this year is a European Capital of Culture. Brussels is hosting a book exhibition titled “Romanian cultural presences in the collections of the Royal Library of Belgium”, and in Paris, a debate was organized that brought together over 20 professionals from the publishing world, translators of Romanian literature, representatives of French publishing houses and booksellers.



    Infections. The wave of respiratory infections could reach its peak this week in Romania. Specialists estimates show a peak of infection cases could be reported until February 10, after which a decrease will follow. The latest data from the Ministry of Health indicate over 100,000 cases of respiratory infection, flu and pneumonia, detected by doctors in the first week of this year. The number is much higher than the figure from the previous interval and almost double compared to the period before the pandemic. Doctors have confirmed, in recent days, even more cases of multiple infections, with the flu virus and the coronavirus.



    Schengen. Greece has decided to follow its own initiative regarding Romanias and Bulgarias joining the Schengen Agreement. After talks in Vienna with the Chancellor and his Austrian counterpart, the Greek Minister of the Interior, Notis Mitarakis, has scheduled talks this week in Sofia and Bucharest on the coordination of migration policies and the protection of external borders. Athens believes that the accession of the two countries to Schengen will bring direct benefits for Greece as well, given that the area will be unified for road and commercial transport and will contribute to stimulating the countrys economic activity through a land link with the Schengen area, and will also help strengthen the security of the EUs external borders. The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum recalls that, while Croatias application for Schengen accession was accepted at the JHA Council in Brussels on December 8, 2022, Romania and Bulgaria were faced with the opposition of Austria and the Netherlands, although both countries concluded successfully the procedures for joining the free movement area.



    NATO. NATO will relocate some of its planes to Romania, from the air base near Aachen, in Germany, to be closer to the war started by Russia in Ukraine. The three surveillance aircraft are due to arrive in Bucharest on Tuesday to support the enhanced presence of the Alliance in the region and to monitor Russian military activity. Also, at the Otopeni base, near Bucharest, 180 soldiers will be deployed to operate the planes. The spokeswoman for the Alliance, the Romanian Oana Lungescu, stressed that the planes can detect aircraft from a distance of hundreds of kilometers, being a key instrument for NATOs deterrence and defense posture.



    Ukraine. Ukraine and the European Union have signed a memorandum on the allocation of macro-financial assistance worth 18 billion euros in 2023 – announced the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denis Shmyhal, has announced. According to him, Ukraine expects to receive a first installment of three billion euros this week. On the ground, the fighting continues. Russia launched an attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, injuring civilians and destroying residential infrastructure, according to regional official reports. At the same time, dozens of civilians are still missing after a Russian missile hit, on Saturday, a high-rise apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro (center). More than 35 people lost their lives. The city of Kherson in southern Ukraine is still under Russian attack, local authorities said. On Sunday, the headquarters of a local Red Cross unit, a rehabilitation center for disabled children, an area around a student dormitory, as well as a critical infrastructure facility were targeted.



    Refugees. So far, 565 million euros have been allocated in Romania for the management of the refugee crisis triggered by the war in neighboring Ukraine, of which 200 million euros came from international partners, reads the Bucharest governments report on efforts in the field humanitarian assistance. Of the over three million Ukrainian citizens who crossed the border into Romania, 100,000 have settled here temporarily, and 4,000 have requested asylum.



    Donation. The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, announced on Monday that Romania will receive from South Korea a donation of medical and IT equipment worth approximately eight million dollars. The donation includes complex equipment for the control of water, the control of tobacco and substances contained in tobacco, the surveillance and control of communicable diseases, which means diagnostic and sequencing equipment, stated Minister Rafila, in a joint press conference with the ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Romania, Rim Kap-soo. According to the minister, South Koreas gesture comes in counterpart with a donation of vaccines against the new coronavirus made by Romania to that country. (MI)


  • January 14, 2023 UPDATE

    January 14, 2023 UPDATE






    Culture Day. On Friday, President Klaus Iohannis decorated artists,
    personalities and important cultural institutions on the occasion of the
    National Culture Day, marked annually on January 15. The distinctions were
    awarded as a sign of appreciation for the work done and the major impact on the
    cultural space in the country and abroad. Among those decorated are the
    well-known film critic Irina Margareta Nistor, the Peles National Museum, the
    Hungarian State Theater in Timisoara (west), the National Theater in Târgu
    Mureş (center) and the Moldova Philharmonic in Iași (east). In the last two
    centuries, the cultural elites have inspired Romanian society to step on the
    road to Western modernization and democratization – said President Klaus
    Iohannis, who added that Romanians are proud of personalities whose works have
    enriched national and universal heritage and spirituality.










    NATO. NATO is moving to Romania some of the AWACS radar jets,
    currently stationed in Germany, to watch more closely the war started by Russia
    in Ukraine. The planes are scheduled to land on Tuesday at the Otopeni military
    base, near Bucharest. NATO and the Ministry of Defense announced that they will
    carry out surveillance flights
    exclusively on the territory of the Alliance, will strengthen the presence of
    allied forces in the Black Sea region, but they will also monitor Russian
    military activity. AWACS aircraft can fly at altitudes of 12,000 meters and
    detect enemy aircraft, ships or ground vehicles from 400 kilometers away. They
    can transmit information to all NATO combat aircraft, which means they can
    theoretically be used as flying command posts.










    Schengen. The Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis
    Mitarachi, has recently presented in Austria, an initiative to support the
    accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, and will visit the two
    countries next week – according to a press
    release from the Greek line ministry. Notis Mitarachi met in Vienna with the
    Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and the Minister of the Interior, Gerhard
    Karner. In Athens’ view, the extension of Schengen through the accession of
    Romania and Bulgaria will be directly beneficial for Greece, as it will be
    connected by road with other EU member states. At the same time, Greece claims that
    the enlargement of the Schengen area will help boost economic activities. The
    Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum recalls that, while Croatia’s
    application for Schengen accession was accepted in the JHA Council in Brussels,
    on December 8 last year, Romania and Bulgaria were faced with the opposition of
    Austria and the Netherlands, although they successfully completed the
    evaluation procedures for joining the free movement area as early as 2011.






    Ukraine. Turkey wants to
    see localized cessations of the conflict in Ukraine because it cannot hope for
    a more comprehensive peace deal at this stage, Ibrahim Kalin, a close adviser
    to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on Saturday. Neither Russia nor Ukraine
    is in a position to win militarily, Kalin estimated, declaring himself
    convinced that in the end, they will have to negotiate to reach an acceptable
    solution for both sides. Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, on
    February 24, Turkey, which maintains good relations with both countries,
    offered to broker the end of the war. It mediated the agreement signed last
    summer on Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea and the Bosphorus and the
    facilitation of prisoner of war exchanges. In another move, Great Britain has announced
    that it will send a dozen tanks to Ukraine. Kyiv hopes that the US, France and
    Germany will follow the British example. Russian diplomats said on Saturday
    that sending British tanks to Ukraine, as announced by London, will only ‘intensify’ the
    fighting and it’s very unlikely to change the situation on the front line.






    Refugees. More than 3 million Ukrainian citizens have crossed the
    border to Romania since the outbreak of the war in the neighboring country in
    February last year. Also, over 100,000 have temporarily settled in Romania, and
    4,000 have applied for asylum – according to a report made public in the
    presence of Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă. At Government level, six working
    groups were set up by fields of activity, which, together with the UN partners
    and civil society, allowed a good management of the situation arising from the
    Russian aggression. At the same time, they facilitated the accommodation of the
    Ukrainians in a very short time. To manage the humanitarian crisis, so far, the
    Romanian Government has allocated 565 million euros, of which 200 million euros
    came from international partners. The aid materialized in free transport, food,
    clothing, shelter, long-term accommodation, free medical and social
    interventions and services, access to the labor market and schools.






    Covid-19. China has
    recorded about 60,000 deaths from COVID-19 in just over a month, health
    authorities reported, providing the first toll since restrictions were eased in
    early December. The Chinese government stopped reporting infections and deaths
    early last month after suddenly revoking anti-virus controls. The World Health
    Organization and some governments have asked Beijing to provide more detailed
    information about the situation and the virus. In the context of the worrying
    increase in cases in this country, since the beginning of the year, the EU has
    encouraged member states to ask all travelers coming from the Asian country to
    present a negative test for COVID-19. China is the place where the SARS-CoV-2
    pandemic started approximately three years ago.














    Execution. The execution,
    in Iran, on Saturday morning, of Alireza Akbari, who held dual Iranian and
    British citizenship, is a barbaric act that will not stand unchallenged,
    said the Foreign Minister of the United
    Kingdom, James Cleverly. In turn, the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
    denounced on Twitter the callous and cowardly conviction. The
    French authorities summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires to Paris, also warning
    that Tehran’s repeated violations of international law cannot stand
    unchallenged, and the US condemned the execution, calling it
    horrific. Former Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Alireza Akbari
    (61) was arrested in 2019 and convicted of spying for the United Kingdom, a
    charge he denied. Britain asked Iran to stop the execution and release him
    immediately, but Alireza Akbari was hanged. Iran does not recognize dual
    citizenship for its citizens. (MI)



  • January 13, 2023 UPDATE

    January 13, 2023 UPDATE

    Inflation – Romanias annual inflation rate dropped to 16.4% in December from 16.8% a month before against the background of the latest price hikes of more than 22% for food products of 14.95% for non-food products and of 9.78% for services, the national institute of statistics has announced. In November last year, the countrys central bank announced an inflation forecast of 16.3% for the end of last year and a 16.3% inflation rate for the end of 2023. The banks spokesman Dan Suciu announced yesterday that Romania was going to avoid recession, in spite of a lower economic growth than last year. According to him, a significant drop in the inflation rate has been forecast for the third quarter of the year and Romania is expected to have a one-digit inflation rate towards the end of 2023.



    Humanitarian assistance – Romania was and will be a space of safety and tranquility for the waves of Ukrainian refugees, said the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, emphasizing that our country assumed from the first moment the role of a reliable European and international partner in the management of this crisis. He participated, on Friday, in Bucharest, in the presentation of the Report on Romanias efforts and achievements in the field of humanitarian assistance to refugees, childrens rights and other vulnerable categories for the year 2022. Ciucă showed that more than 3 million Ukrainian citizens crossed Romania’s borders in the last 12 months, of whom over 2.5 million benefited from direct support from the Romanian Government or from partners: free transport, food, clothing, shelter, long-term accommodation, emergency financial aid, tens of thousands of free medical and social interventions and services, access to the labor market and Romanian schools. At the same time, the Prime Minister reiterated that the fight against human trafficking remains a priority of him and of the Government and highlighted the efforts made regarding the rights of children and people with disabilities.



    Culture Day — Culture personalities and institutions from Romania were decorated on the occasion of the National Culture Day, in a ceremony that took place at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest. In his address, President Klaus Iohannis spoke about the importance of consolidating and modernizing the institutions and mechanisms that contribute to the defense of the values ​​that culture instills and develops in society. He welcomed the operationalization of funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Program targeting the field of culture and heritage. Romania’s National Culture Day, marked on January 15, the birth date of the poet Mihai Eminescu (1850 – 1889), is an occasion, this year as well, for the organization of numerous events all over the country, and also on the Internet. Several museums will offer free access on Sunday and extended visiting hours, and the Bucharest National Opera will host a special concert.



    Frontex – The number of illegal entries into the EU increased, in 2022, by 64% compared to the previous year, reaching the highest level after 2016, the European border and coast guard agency, Frontex, announced on Friday, according to AFP. Last year, 330,000 illegal entries were registered, of which 45% were via the Western Balkans route. The number of Syrian citizens has doubled, reaching 94,000. On the Central Mediterranean route, the second most used, the number of border crossings exceeded 100,000, i.e. an increase of over 50%. On the other hand, almost 13 million Ukrainian refugees entered the EU, through the land borders, from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova starting from February 24, when the war broke out, until the end of last year. This number was not included in the Frontex statistics on illegal entries into the EU. In the same period, ten million Ukrainian citizens are supposed to have left the EU through the same border sections. (LS)

  • January 15, 2018

    January 15, 2018

    NATIONAL CULTURE DAY — Today is Romania’s National Culture Day. For the last eight years, this special day has been celebrated in Romania on the 168th birthday anniversary of the poet Mihai Eminescu, on the 15th of January. A poet, prose writer, playwright and journalist, Eminescu is seen as the most important poetic voice in Romanian literature. National Culture Day is marked in Romania and abroad through a series of events.



    PSD — The executive committee of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main party of the left-of-centre ruling coalition, is today convening in emergency meeting at the initiative of its leader, Liviu Dragnea, after some members have asked for the party to no longer support the Social Democrat Prime Minister Mihai Tudose. Tension increased in the party last week, when PM Tudose asked Interior Minister Carmen Dan to resign, against the backdrop of a paedophilia scandal within the Police. Carmen Dan, seen as one of Liviu Dragnea’s protégées, has refused to resign. Also today, the National Liberal Party (PNL), the most important party in the rightist Opposition, is presenting a report on the Government’s activity, dubbed “The Black Book of the PSD Governing”. The Liberals say the new crisis proves PSD’s incapacity to rule and have asked for early elections. This is the second cabinet made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, after the one installed in January 2017 and dismissed after six months following a no-confidence vote initiated by the same leftist majority.




    EDUCATION — Some teaching staff categories in Romania have smaller salaries than drivers working for town halls, a situation that reduces to zero the country’s chances to ensure high living standards for its citizens, according to the Free Trade Union Federation in Education. Data shows that a beginner teacher’s salary in December 2017 stood at only 320 euros. Underfinanced for years on end, the Romanian education system has been constantly changed by education ministers. By the end of the current school year, new regulations for the organization and functioning of secondary education units are due to take effect, after being adopted earlier this month by the current Education Minister Liviu Pop.




    VISIT — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Mihai Tudose are holding talks on Tuesday, in Bucharest, with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, who is paying a visit to Romania as part of a European tour, which will also take him to the Baltic states, Serbia and Bulgaria, in the context in which Japan tries to secure support for its firm policy towards North Korea. Shinzo Abe will be accompanied by a delegation of business people, coming from various domains, including trade and IT, willing to identify business opportunities in the European countries which are visited by the Japanese prime minister for the first time.




    REPORT – 51% of the Europeans aged between 16 and 74 used Internet banking in 2017, according to the Eurostat. Bulgaria and Romania rank last in the EU in this respect, as only 5% and 7% respectively of their population used Internet banking services last year. Denmark ranks first in Europe, with 90% of its adult population having used Internet services in 2017, followed by the Netherlands with 89%, Finland, with 87% and Sweden with 86%.




    TENNIS — The main draw matches have started in Melbourne, counting towards the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open. In the men’s singles, Romania’s only representative has already been eliminated from the competition, as Marius Copil was defeated by the French Gilles Simon, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3. In the women’s singles, Irina Begu got through to the second round, having defeated 31st seed, Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova, 3-6, 6-4, 8-6. Romanian Monica Niculescu was eliminated after the very first round, sustaining a defeat by German contender Mona Barthel of Germany, 6-4, 7-5. Neither Mihaela Buzarnescu was able to go past the first round, being defeated by Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. World No. 1, Romanian Simona Halep and the competition’s main favourite, will be up against Australian Destanee Aiava, Romanian Sorana Cîstea, will be up against Zarina Dias, and Ana Bogdan, also of Romania, will play against Kristina Mladenovic. (Translated by Elena Enache)