Radio România Internațional

Tag: dacia cars

  • February 25, 2025 UPDATE

    February 25, 2025 UPDATE

    WB Representatives of Romania’s Environment Ministry on Tuesday met World Bank officials for talks that focused on increasing the capability of creating and improving the programmes aimed at monitoring the quality of air at national level, ways of preventing wildfires and solutions regarding Romania’s vulnerability to drought and flooding. “Romania is on an ambitious course of sustainability and environmental reforms need solid investment and strong partnerships”, Environment Minister Mircea Fechet says, according to a communiqué released by the institution. Talks also focused on finding the most effective mechanisms of funding and implementing green projects be they about curbing CO2 emissions, waste management, reforestation, the protection of biodiversity or the transition towards circular economy. “We need innovative and sustainable solutions and the WB expertise provides valuable support in this sense” – the minister went on to say.

     

    TALKS Romania’s interim President, Ilie Bolojan, will be holding talks with all parliamentary parties on Wednesday to prepare Romania’s position at the special European Council meeting on March 6. The main topics of discussion are related to support for Ukraine and the preparation of the European Union’s common defense strategy, after the American administration announced that it wants to reduce its military presence in Europe. Each of the seven parties represented in Parliament and the parliamentary group of national minorities has been allocated an hour for discussions. In a message conveyed on Tuesday, Ilie Bolojan says that a series of decisions will be made at the upcoming summit, which is going to have a direct effect on Romania. “Against this complicated and dynamic background, when we are witnessing a series of changes at international level, it would be necessary for us to adjust our foreign policy to be able to handle these challenges. However there are things that aren’t going to change, namely Romania’s national interests, a safe and prosperous country, a trustworthy country at peace with its neighbours. We are a safe country because we are benefitting from solid defence guarantees” Ilie Bolojan said.

     

    MOTION A censure motion against the PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition government in Bucharest was submitted to Parliament on Tuesday. The document was signed by 154 parliamentarians from what is known as ‘the sovereignist bloc’ made up of SOS Romania, AUR and POT. However USR, also in opposition, has announced that it does not back the motion, as there are not enough votes to endorse it and that the process should have been initiated after the presidential elections in May. The signatories are accusing the Executive of illegitimacy, corruption and incompetence in managing the economy and European funds. PSD, PNL and UDMR believe the initiative will not be successful. The motion will be debated and voted upon on Friday.

     

    SALES The Romanian carmaker Dacia’s sales in Europe registered an annual decline of 5.2% in January, and the car manufacturer’s market share fell to 4.9% from 5.1%, data released on Tuesday by the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers say. The statistical data is valid for the European Union, the United Kingdom and the countries of the European Free Trade Association, namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Large car manufacturers reported mixed sale developments in January: increases of 5.4% at Renault and 16.6% at Volkswagen, but a decrease of 12.2% at Ford. The European Commission is hosting talks between car manufacturers, suppliers and unions in the field, with a view to implementing plans at EU level to protect the automotive sector, vital for the prosperity of the community bloc. In recent weeks, European carmakers have announced plant closures and layoffs, amid competition from rivals in China and the prospect of additional tariffs from the US. The European car sector employs 13.2 million people and accounts for 10.3% of all jobs in the EU industry.

     

    RATE After ten months in which Romania had the highest average annual inflation in the EU, in January 2025 Hungary climbed to first position, with 5.7%, followed by Romania, with 5.3%, and Croatia, with 5 percent, according to data published by the European Statistical Office. At the opposite end, last month, the lowest average annual inflation rates in the EU were recorded in Denmark (1.4%), Ireland, Italy and Finland (1.7%). Compared to December 2024, Eurostat shows that the average annual inflation rate decreased in eight EU member states, including Romania, from 5.5% to 5.3%, remained stable in four and increased in 15 countries. The National Bank has revised upwards the inflation forecast in Romania for the end of 2025, from 3.5% to 3.8%. The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, anticipates that this indicator will reach 3.1% at the end of 2026.

    (bill)

  • 2 January, 2018 UPDATE

    2 January, 2018 UPDATE

    Royal House Romania. The Royal House of Romania
    on Tuesday made public a review of its activities in 2017, which included 50
    visits and more than 200 public actions in Bucharest and elsewhere in Romania
    in military, diplomatic, economic, educational, social, sports, health,
    scientific and cultural areas, as well as 8 foreign trips, to the UK, Turkey,
    the Republic of Moldova, Poland, France, Bulgaria, Jordan and Switzerland, and
    3 events with high public impact, including the funerals of Romania’s last
    sovereign King Michael on 16th December. The Royal family notes that
    all visits and events held at the royal residences were covered financially by
    King Michael’s private funds. The publication of this report comes amid
    controversies over the status of the Royal House following the death of King
    Michael. Prime minister Mihai Tudose said recently that his government would oppose
    a bill to recognise the Royal House as legal entity of private law.




    Dacia cars. The French carmaker Renault on Tuesday announced that its 2017
    sales in France were the highest in the last 6 years thanks to a 6.5% rise in
    sales of Dacia cars. With 120,000 registered cars and utility vehicles, the
    Romanian brand has seen record sales on the French market. Sandero is the brand’s
    most popular model with individual persons and ranks 8th in terms of
    sales. The Duster model also saw a rise in sales, despite a new generation
    being launched. The Dacia company was taken over by Renault in 1999. Relaunched
    in 2004 with the Logan model, Dacia quickly became a big player on the European
    car market.




    Republic of Moldova. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of
    Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population, has
    moved to suspend president Igor Dodon’s responsibilities in appointing cabinet
    ministers. This comes after the pro-Russian president twice rejected the
    nominations of seven new ministers proposed by the government. He described the
    Court’s ruling as uninspired and said its members were doing what the
    government dictates. Under the Moldovan Constitution, the president’s
    deliberate and repeated refusal to appoint a nomination by the prime minister
    is a grave violation of the former’s constitutional obligations and may be seen
    as a case of the president’s no longer being able to exercise his duties.




    Cultural heritage. 2018 will be
    the European Year of Cultural Heritage, following a decision by the European
    Parliament and the European Council. The programme runs under the motto Our heritage: where the past meets the
    future and is an excellent opportunity to discover the richness of European
    heritage and foster a sense of European identity. 8 million euros is allocated
    to this programme, which features events and information, education and awareness
    raising campaigns encouraging citizens to get involved in the protection of
    cultural heritage. With 453, Europe accounts for about a half of UNESCO’s world
    heritage sites.




    Handball. The Romanian men’s
    handball side have begun training for the Carpati Trophy which begins on the 5th
    of January. Portugal, Tunisia and Bahrain are also taking part. Romania, who
    are managed by the Spanish coach Xavi
    Pascual, are also preparing for the first round of the 2019 World
    Championships preliminary games to be held between the 11th and the
    13th of January in Bolzano, Italy, and where they will face Ukraine
    and the Faeroe Islands, as well as the host country. Only the winners of the
    six preliminary groups qualify for the World Championships play-offs in June
    2018. Last Saturday, Romania won the third place at the Yellow Cup tournament
    in Winterthur, in Switzerland, after defeating Serbia in the third-place
    play-off.



  • 16 November, 2017

    16 November, 2017

    Social summit. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis travels
    to Gothenburg, in Sweden, on Friday to attend a social summit on fair jobs and
    economic growth. The event brings together EU heads of state and government,
    social partners and other key players. The summit consists of an introductory
    meeting and three other meetings focusing on specific themes that will discuss
    access to the labour market, the situation of the labour market and the
    transition between jobs. The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is to give a
    talk on the access to the labour market.




    Protocol. The Romanian Department for Emergency
    Situations and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency signed a protocol on
    Wednesday in Brussels that lays the foundations of long-term collaboration. The
    protocol provides, among others, for facilitating collaboration in case of
    disasters, the exchange of expertise in the area of emergency training and the
    organisation of seminars and conferences to train the professionals in the
    field. The accord is valid for five years, but can be extended.








    EU agency
    relocation.     The assessment made by the European Medicines Agency on its
    possible relocation from London to Bucharest exceeds its responsibilities, says
    the Romanian foreign ministry. The assessment made by the Agency, argues the
    Romanian ministry, should have only covered a number of specific aspects to
    facilitate a final assessment of the European Commission. The Romanian side is
    also unhappy with the content of the Agency’s report. The winner of the bid to
    host the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the European Union will
    be announced on the 20th of November. Now based in London, the
    European Medicines Agency is considered one of most important of the European
    Union’s 40 specialised agencies. It employs 900 people and receives visits from
    around 35,000 national regulation authorities and scientists every year given
    its essential role in approving new medicines on the European market. Bucharest
    has made a bid to host this agency along with other big cities in the EU.




    Petition. More than 65,000 people have signed an online
    petition against the government’s plans to switch the payment of social
    security contributions from employers to employees. The petition has been
    initiated by the National Trade Union Bloc, one of the biggest trade unions in
    Romania. The Bloc says a number of trade union confederations on Wednesday
    notified the Ombudsman about the government’s emergency order amending the tax
    code. The government says the transfer of social security contributions will
    not lead to a drop in employees’ net incomes. The tax code promoted by the
    government has come under criticism from trade unions, the right-wing
    opposition and the business community.




    Dacia cars. The
    sale in Europe of Dacia cars made by Renault in Romania saw a 20.3% growth in
    October compared with the same month last year, while its market share grew
    from 2.6 to 2.9%, according to statistical figures made public today by the European
    Automobile Manufacturers’Association. In the first ten
    months of the year, deliveries of Dacia cars saw an 11.3% increase in Europe.
    The Dacia car factory was taken over by Renault in 1999. Relaunched in 2004
    with the Logan model, Dacia has become an important player on the European car
    market.




    Travel warning. The Romanian foreign ministry has issued
    a travel warning for Greece, where a state of emergency has been declared in
    the wake of torrential rain and flash floods that severely hit the Symi island
    and several mainland localities west of Athens. Prime minister Alexis Tsipras
    declared national mourning in memory of the victims. 15 people were killed, but
    there are fears the death toll may rise. According to the local authorities,
    the scope of the disaster is unprecedented. Weather forecasts say there is
    still a risk of heavy rain and hailstorm as the weather phenomenon known as
    Eurydice sweeps across the region.