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Tag: Dancila

  • ראש ממשלת רומניה על היחסים עם מדינת ישראל

    ראש ממשלת רומניה על היחסים עם מדינת ישראל

    ראש הממשלה VIORICA DANCILA אמרה כי עברת שגרירות רומניה בישראל מתל אביב לירושלים היא באחראיות הנשיא קלאוס יוהאניס. אימצנו תזכיר בממשלה, ניתוחנו את המצב כדי לראות מה דעתם של משרדים ממשלתיים שונים ושל מוסדות שונים אחרים. את תוצאות הניתוח הזה העברנו לנשיא. ההחלטה בנדון היא פוליטית, והיא אמורה להתקבל ע”י הנשיא. הוא זה שמחליט אם להעביר את השגרירות לירושלים, אמרה DANCILA.



    סוגיית העברת שגרירות רומניה בישראל יצרה ויכוחים ברומניה. נשיא IOHANNIS אמר שוב ושוב כי רומניה חייבת לכבד את עמדת האיחוד האירופי והחלטות האו”ם הרלוונטיות בנדון.



    מצד אחר DANCILA הזכירה כי אחת העדיפויות של נשיאות רומניה במועצת האיחוד האירופית, שהסתיימה ב30 ביוני, היתה המאבק נגד אנטישמיות, נגד דברי שטנה והגזענות.



    ראש ממשלת רומניה חזרה על חשיבות שיתוף הפעולה האסטרטגי עם ישראל והוסיפה כי בפגישות עם בכירים ישראלים דנו במאבק רומניה באנטישמיות, בחינוך השואה, בהגדרת ההאנטישמיות, אשר רומניה אימצה באופן רשמי.



    אנו רוצים יחסים טובים מאוד עם ישראל ואני חושבת שבאמצעות הדיונים שמקיימים הצלחנו לקרב את רומניה לישראל, אמרה VIORICA DANCILA. היא הוסיפה כי יחסים הטובים מאוד עם ישראל אינם שוללים קשר טוב מאוד עם מדינות המפרץ הפרסי.

  • July 11, 2019 UPDATE

    July 11, 2019 UPDATE

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION – On Thursday, the former Romanian Social-Democrat MEP Ioan Mircea Pascu, proposed by the Romanian Government for the office of interim European Commissioner for Regional Policy, was interviewed by the EC President Jean-Claude Juncker. The candidate proposed by Estonia was also heard on Thursday. According to regulations, the EC president must verify the candidates skills and abilities before deciding on assigning them a certain portfolio. The two candidates will also be heard by the chairs of the European Parliament Committees and the MEPs are to vote in Strasbourg, next Thursday. Pascu would replace Corina Cretu, who on May 26th was elected MEP for the Pro Romania Party, formed by dissidents, former members of the Social Democratic Party. Pascu is a veteran of leftist politics in Romania. In 2004, when Romania became a NATO member, he was Minister of Defense. Since 2007, when Romania joined the EU, Pascu has been a member of the European Parliament.



    DECISION – The Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, who in March announced that Romania would move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, claims that president Klaus Iohannis should take responsibility for a decision on this matter. Its the responsibility of the president of the country, who should give a clear answer about moving the embassy, Dancila has stated. She has also said that Romania has very good ties with both Israel and the countries in the Gulf area, and has announced she is to pay another visit to Qatar. In spring, during a visit to the United States, at the invitation of a pro-Israeli lobbying organization, the Prime Minister announced the moving of the embassy. Following that announcement, King Abdulah II of Jordan canceled his planned visit to Romania. The idea of moving the embassy was first launched on a TV station by the Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea, who is now in prison for corruption.



    POPULATION – On January 1st, 2018, Romanias resident population stood at 19.5 million inhabitants, and the natural growth remained negative, according to data made public by the National Statistics Institute on Thursday. The female population accounted for 51.1% of the total. As compared to January 2017, the population had aged, with the adult population (aged 15 to 64) accounting for 66.2% of the total population. Romania ranks 7th among the members of the EU, which has a total of 513.5 million inhabitants. The figures were published on World Population Day, an event observed on July 11the every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues.



    MOLDOVA – The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Moldova, Eduard Harunjen, resigned on Thursday. He claimed health problems, but also said that some politicians had been trying for some time to get control over the Prosecutors Office. Previously, the Interior Minister Andrei Nastase had called for the prosecution of Harunjen, for participation in usurpation, exceeding his professional responsibilities, judiciary interference and passive corruption. Appointed in 2016, the Prosecutor General allegedly handled political files as ordered by the former Democratic government, controlled by the oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc. The new Moldovan Prime Minister, the pro-European Maia Sandu, has announced she would like to have a European prosecutor heading the Prosecutor Generals Office, saying she asked the former head of the National Anticorruption Directorate in Romania, Laura Codruta Kovesi. The pro-Russia president of the country, Igor Dodon, does not favour the idea of bringing a European prosecutor to Chisinau. Ms Kovesi is competing against the French Jean-Francois Bohnert for head of the future European Public Prosecutors Office, which might become operational next year.



    JAZZ – 60 artists from around the world are participating in the Garana Jazz Festival, in south-western Romania, which started on Thursday and lasts until Sunday. The famous Norwegian sax player Jan Garbarek is back after 12 years, together with another three outstanding musicians: the Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu, the German composer Rainer Bruninghaus and the Brazilian guitar player Yuri Daniel. On Friday, the Catholic Church will host the traditional annual concert given at the festival by the organ player Raul Kusak. The Garana Jazz Festival, organized by the cultural foundation Jazz Banat, a member of the European Jazz Network, has been held for 20 years, bringing outstanding musicians and a large audience to the little village in the Banat Mountains.



    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 7 in the WTA rankings, on Thursday qualified for the first time for the final of the Wimbledon tournament, the third Grand Slam of the year, after defeating in the semi-finals the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, 6-1, 6-3. In the other semifinal, the American Serena Williams (10 WTA) has defeated the Czech Barbora Strycova. The final between Halep and Williams, both former world no.1, will be held on Saturday. To Halep, aged 27, this is the 5th Grand Slam final. She is the second Romanian representative to play the Wimbledon final, after Ilie Nastase, who lost the finals in 1972 and 1976.


    (translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)

  • July 9, 2019

    July 9, 2019

    GRECO Romania has made little progress to put in place measures to
    prevent corruption among parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors and to
    address the concerns raised by its controversial judicial reform says the
    Council of Europe’s anti-corruption institution GRECO in two reports that it
    has published today. GRECO is deeply concerned
    by the fact that the authorities have disregarded the recommendation to abandon
    the setting-up of the section for the investigation of the offences in the
    judiciary. On the other hand GRECO hails the announcement made by Prime
    Minister Dancila regarding the intention to give up the controversial justice
    reforms. GRECO decides to continue to evaluate Romania’s complying with the
    recommendations included in the two reports and has called on the authorities
    to report back on the progress achieved by June 30th 2020.












    PSD
    Leaders of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main component of the ruling
    coalition in Bucharest have today begun talks about government reshuffle. These
    talks might take several weeks, during which the activity of ministries is to
    be assessed – the party’s new leader, Viorica Dancila, has announced. After the
    assessment, the Social Democrats will decide which ministers should be
    replaced. According to the Prime Minister, the PSD candidate to the
    presidential election this autumn will be established based on a poll in the
    first half of August. We recall that Prime Minister Dancila went to the helm of
    the party after the coalition’s strongman Liviu Dragnea had been arrested on
    corruption charges. We recall that the PSD also lost the European Parliament
    election to the opposition National Liberal Party while its partner ALDE failed
    to clear the 5% threshold.












    TENNIS Romanian
    tennis player Simona Halep, currently ranking 7th in the world standings, will
    be up against Chinese Zhang Shuai in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon
    tournament, the third Grand Slam competition of the year. On Monday, Halep
    outperformed the tournamnet’s revelation, 15-year-old US challenger Cori Gauff.
    Halep’s best Wimbeldon performance was in 2014, when she made it to the
    semifinals. Also today, Romanians Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu are playing
    against Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. In
    the men’s double, Horia Tecau of Romania and his Dutch partner Jean-Julien
    Rojer will be taking on Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Columbia in
    the quarter finals. We recall that Tecau and Rojer won the tournament in 2015.












    FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions, CFR Cluj will today be playing FC
    Astana of Kazakhstan in an away game counting towards the first preliminary round
    of the Champions League. On Thursday in the first preliminary round of the
    Europa League, FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, will be up against
    Milsami Orhei of the neighboring Republic of Moldova in a home match, while CSU
    Craiova will be playing in an away fixture FK Sabail of Azerbaijan. The return
    games are due next week. Romanian Cup holder, Viitorul Constanta, will be
    playing directly in the Europa League’s second preliminary round against
    Belgian side FC Anvers, coached by former Romanian international Ladislau
    Boloni.












    PROSECUTOR The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet,
    Romanian-speaking country might today launch procedures to revoke its chief
    prosecutor Eduard Harujen, accused of having carried out the political orders
    of the former government. Appointed in 2006, the former chief prosecutor
    prosecuted political files upon requests coming from the country’s former
    ruling Democratic Party headed by the controversial tycoon Vladimir Plahotniuc.
    The country’s new Prime Minister Maia Sandu has announced she would like a
    European Prosecutor to take over Harujen’s job adding that she has conveyed an
    invitation in this respect to the former head of Romania’s Anti-corruption
    Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi. However, the country’s pro-Russia president
    Socialist Igor Dodon is not comfortable with the idea of having a European
    prosecutor in Chisinau. We recall that Kovesi is presently running against
    French Jean-Francoise Bohnert for the position of chief of the future European
    Prosecutor’s Office, which might become operational next year.












    PROPOSAL Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has proposed the former
    MEP Social-Democrat Ioan Mircea Pascu for the position of interim commissioner
    for regional policies to replace Corina Cretu, who was elected MEP on May 26th.
    The move comes after the EU Council has rejected a proposal by the head of the EU
    Executive Jean Claude Juncker that other commissioners should take over positions
    left vacant after the elections for the next four months that remained from the
    mandate of the present commissioners. The main argument invoked by the European
    Commission was that referring to budget expenses. ‘We regret the Council’s
    decision not to accept the proposal, but the responsibility on this is now
    entirely with the Council’, a spokesperson for the Executive told our
    correspondent in Brussels. A veteran leftist politician who got involved in the
    country’s political life shortly after the anti-communist revolution of 1989,
    Pascu, 70, was Defence Minister in 2004 the year of Romania’s entry into NATO
    and an MEP when the country joined the European Union in 2007.








    (translated by bill)

  • Nachrichten 03.07.2019

    Nachrichten 03.07.2019

    Nach einer Entscheidung des rumänischen Verfassungsgerichts vom Mittwoch könnten mehrere erstinstanzliche Urteile in prominenten Korruptionsfällen aufgehoben und die Verfahren wieder aufgenommen werden. Das Gericht hatte Einwänden stattgegeben, denen nach erstinstanzliche Spruchkörper am OGH nicht rechtmä‎ßig gebildet wurden, da sie nicht auf die Bearbeitung von Korruptionsstraftaten spezalisiert waren. Die neuliche rechtskräftige Verurteilung von Ex-Psd-Chef Liviu Dragnea sei davon nicht betroffen, argumentierten Experten.



    Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă hat einen Bericht über den rumänischen EU-Ratsvorsitz im ersten Halbjahr vorgelegt. Demnach sei die Präsidentschaft ein Erfolg gewesen; Rumänien habe zudem bewiesen, dass es den Werten des Europäischen Parlaments stark verbunden sei, indem es sich für die Konsolidierung des europäischen Projekts, für eine Union der Bürger, der Freiheiten, der gemeinsamen Anstrengungen und Fähigkeiten einsetzt. Rumänien habe seine Pflicht erfüllt und bewiesen, dass es ein verantwortungsbewusstes Mitglied der Union ist, das sich um die Weiterentwicklung der europäischen Agenda zum Wohle der Bürger kümmert, so Dăncilă.



    Das Plenum des Parlaments hat in Bukarest den neuen Verwaltungsrat der rumänischen Zentralbank bestätigt. Chef der Bank bleibt Mugur Isărescu, der seit 1990 mit einer kurzen Auszeit im Amt ist. Die Zentralbank werde weiterhin auf eine vorsichtige und verantwortungsbewusste Politik setzen und hat als langfristiges Ziel den Beitritt des Landes zur Eurozone, sagte Isărescu bei den Anhörungen am Dienstag. Der Verwaltungsrat der Zentralbank, die in Rumänien Nationalbank hei‎ßt, besteht aus neun Mitgliedern, die vom Parlament für jeweils fünf Jahre gewählt werden.



    Die Abgeordnetenkammer hat am Mitwoch eine Wahlgesetznovelle verabschiedet, die Verzögerungen und Schwierigkeiten bei der Abstimmung im Ausland vermeiden soll. Unter anderem ermöglicht das Gesetz rumänischen Bürgern im Ausland, bei den Präsidentschaftswahlen in diesem Jahr entweder per Brief oder im Laufe von drei Tagen in Wahllokalen abzustimmen. Am Sonntag besteht für Wahllokale im In- und Ausland die Möglichkeit, die Abstimmung bis Mitternacht zu verlängern, falls Bürger noch im Lokal auf ihre Stimmabgabe warten. Erste Umfragen zu den Ergebnissen dürfen erst am Sonntag nach Mitternacht veröffentlicht werden.




    Das Europäische Parlament hat am Mittwoch den italienischen Sozialisten David Sassoli zu seinem Präsidenten gewählt. Der 63jährige Ex-Journalist aus Florenz soll nach Vereinbarung der Staats- und Regierungschefs der EU sein Amt für zweieinhalb Jahre ausüben und dann von einem EVP-Politiker abgelöst werden. Die EU-Staaten haben am Dienstag die deutsche Verteidigungsministerin Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) als Präsidentin der Europäischen Kommission vorgeschlagen. Sie muss allerdings noch im Europäischen Parlament bestätigt werden. Für die nächsten fünf Jahre wird der spanische Au‎ßenminister Josep Borrell Hoher Vertreter für auswärtige Angelegenheiten und der belgische Premierminister Charles Michel der nächste Präsident des Europäischen Rates. Die Französin Christine Lagarde, bislang IWF-Chefin soll die Europäische Zentralbank übernehmen.




    Die moldauische Premierministerin Maia Sandu und der EU-Nachbarschaftskommissar Johannes Hahn haben am Mittwoch in Brüssel über die Konsolidierung des Dialogs auf höchster Ebene zwischen der Republik Moldau und der Europäischen Union diskutiert. Premierministerin Maia Sandu wies darauf hin, dass ihre Regierung die demokratischen Institutionen wieder aufbauen und das Vertrauen der Bürger in den Staat wiederherstellen wolle, indem sie die Missbräuche und Unregelmä‎ßigkeiten der früheren Regierung untersucht, eine auf Integrität und öffentlichem Vertrauen basierende Justiz schafft, Fachleute in Schlüsselpositionen einsetzt und die Bedingungen des EU-Assoziierungsabkommens erfüllt. Besprochen wurde auch die Zusammenarbeit im Bereich der EU-Unterstützung und die Möglichkeiten zur Stärkung der bilateralen Zusammenarbeit im Rahmen der Östlichen Partnerschaft. Kommissar Hahn begrü‎ßte die Bemühungen der moldauischen Regierung, die Reformen voranzutreiben, und erklärte, dass die EU die Entwicklungen in der Republik Moldau genau verfolgt.



    Beim rumänisch-rumänischen Duell in der zweiten Runde in Wimbledon hat sich Simona Halep gegen Mihalea Buzarnescu in 3 Sätzen (6-3, 4-6, 6-2) durchgesetzt. Halep und Monica Niculescu, die am Dienstag Andreea Petkovic aus Deutschland besiegte, sind als einzige rumänische Spielerinnen im Rennen geblieben.


  • 30 June, 2019

    30 June, 2019

    EU presidency. Romania’s rotating 6-month
    presidency of the Council of the European Union comes to an end today. Romania,
    which joined the Union in 2007, has held the presidency for the first time. Its
    term was marked by key moments such as the Sibiu summit held on Europe Day on 9th
    of May and the elections for the European Parliament held between the 23rd
    and the 26th of May. The president of the European Council Donald
    Tusk has sent a message to the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on the
    conclusion of the Romanian presidency, saying: You managed to have 90 pieces of legislation agreed in
    the last 100 days before the European elections, including border protection,
    reducing CO2 emissions and building a digital Europe. That is impressive!




    EU summit. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis attends a special summit in Brussels
    to discuss the nominations for the EU’s top jobs. An agreement must be reached
    by the 2nd of July, when the new European Parliament holds its
    inaugural session. The positions that are being negotiated are the roles of
    European Parliament speaker, European Council president, the High
    Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the president of the
    European Central Bank, and, the most disputed, the president of the European
    Commission, a position currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker. The German press
    says that after talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan, chancellor
    Angela Merkel reportedly gave up endorsing the candidate of the European
    People’s Party Manfred Weber, who was contested by France and the
    Central-European states.




    Commemoration. President
    Klaus Iohannis sent a message on Sunday on the 78th anniversary of
    the Iasi pogrom of 1941. Tolerance, respect and solidarity are essential,
    defining elements that underlie Romanian contemporary society, principles we
    must nurture and defend, his message writes. Iohannis also welcomed the
    initiative of the local authorities to turn the former police headquarters into
    a place for the commemoration of the Jews killed in 1941. He said he would
    continue to support the creation in Bucharest of a national museum of the
    history of Jews and the Holocaust. In June 1941, almost 15,000 people were
    killed in Iasi, in the north-east, in the biggest massacre against the Jews
    committed in Romania.




    Party congress. Prime minister Viorica Dancila
    was re-elected on Saturday at an extraordinary congress as leader of the Social
    Democratic Party, the main force in the ruling coalition in Bucharest. She is
    the first woman to hold this position in her party. The former president of the
    party, Liviu Dragnea, is now in prison for acts of corruption. The finance
    minister Eugen Teodorovici was elected executive president and
    former defence minister Mihai Fifor secretary general.




    Tennis. The no. 7 seed Simona Halep of
    Romania will face Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the first round at
    Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins on Monday.
    Another Romanian player, Mihaela Buzarnescu, plays against Jessica Pegula of
    the US in the first round and will meet Halep if she makes it to the second
    round. Qualifier Ana Bogdan is up for a tough match against the British no. 1 Johanna
    Konta, who is seeded 9th. Sorana Cirstea will face 25th
    seed Amanda Anisimova of the US. Monica Niculescu, who got a wild card for
    Wimbledon, plays Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. Qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse faces
    Germany’s Julia Goerges in the opening round, seeded 18th. In the
    men’s draw, Romania’s Marius Copil faces Argentina’s Guido Pella in the first
    round.




    Film. The European Film Festival comes to an end in Sibiu,
    in central Romania, where it brought together seven recent titles and a classic
    film from the 1990s. The line-up included the French-Belgian production Memoir
    of War directed by Emmanuel Finkiel, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s political thriller The
    Realm, Benedikt Erlingsson’s comedy Woman at War, Bálint Kenyeres’s Yesterday, Elina
    Psykou’s Son of Sofia and the 1998 Irish production My Left Foot by Jim
    Sheridan. The European Film Festival was also held this year in Bucharest,
    Ramnicu Valcea, in the south, Targu Mures, in the centre, as well as in
    Chisinau, in the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority
    Romanian-speaking population.

  • June 29, 2019 UPDATE

    June 29, 2019 UPDATE

    PSD Congress — The Social Democratic Party in Romania, in the ruling coalition, on Saturday elected its leadership at an extraordinary congress. The PM Viorica Dancila was elected president of the party thus replacing the former party strongman Liviu Dragnea who was sentenced and imprisoned for corruption. The finance minister Eugen Teodorovici was confirmed as executive president and Mihai Fifor, a former defense minister was elected secretary general.



    Brussels — The president of the European Council Donald Tusk on Saturday conveyed a message, on Twitter, to the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis at the end of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. “You managed to have 90 pieces of legislation agreed in less than 100 days, that is impressive” Donald Tusk also wrote on Twitter. Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU comes to an end on June 30. Romania’s presidency was marked by key moments such as the Sibiu summit held on Europe Day on May 9 and the EP elections of May 23 to 26.



    Festival — Sibiu (in central Romania) is the venue for the European Film Festival which brings 7 new films as well as a 1990s classic. Until Sunday when the festival ends, film lovers have the opportunity to watch a romantic drama “Memoir of Pain” a French-Belgian coproduction directed by Emmnauel Finkiel, a political thriller “Power Games” by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, the comedy “Woman at war” by Benedikt Erlingsson, Bálint Kenyeres’ film “Yesterday”, “Son of Sophia” by Elina Psykou, “Julia” by Elena Martín and the classic “My Left foot” a 1989 production by Irish director Jim Sheridan. This year the European Film Festival has also been venued in Bucharest, Râmnicu Vâlcea (south), Târgu Mureș (center) and in Chisinau, the Republic of Moldova.



    Medal — The German minority in Romania represents a bridge between Romania and countries such as Germany and Austria, the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis stated on Saturday, at a ceremony during which he was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania, which is the highest distinction of this body. Klaus Iohannis added that the Forum members, the members of the German community have always got actively involved for ensuring good understanding within the communities in Romania. The award ceremony was held in Sibiu, where Klaus Iohannis was a mayor for almost 14 years. Klaus Iohannis was also a leader of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania.



    Weather — The World Meteorological Organization announced that 2019 is going to become one of the yeas with the highest temperatures ever reported, and the past 5 years were the hottest in the history of temperature measurements. Several European countries have been facing very high temperatures for this time of the year these days, caused by a wave of hot air from northern Africa. Fires have destroyed several houses and hundreds of hectares of land in southern France which is being faced with a record heat wave. Hundreds of vegetation fires have also been reported in Greece and the scorcher has made victims in Spain and Italy. In 3 quarters of Spain’s 50 provinces, fire alerts have been issued. Experts believe that such extreme weather phenomena will become frequent due to climate change. (translation by L. Simion)

  • Nachrichten 29.06.2019

    Nachrichten 29.06.2019

    Regierungschefin Viorica Dăncilă wurde am
    Sonnabend auf dem außerordentlichen Kongress der rumänischen Sozialdemokraten
    zur Parteivorsitzenden gewählt. Neuer Exekutivvorsitzender wird Finanzminister
    Eugen Teodorovici und Generalsekretär Mihai Fifor, der mehrere Ministerposten
    bekleidet hat, zuletzt den des Verteidigungsministers. In Rumänien haben sich
    am Sonnabend mehr als viertausend Sozialdemokraten zu einem außerordentlichen
    Kongress getroffen, um die neue Parteiführung zu wählen. Die Stelle des
    Parteichefs wurde vor einem Monat frei, nachdem der ehemalige Koalitionsführer
    Liviu Dragnea wegen Korruptionsdelikten zu einer Freiheitsstrafe verurteilt und
    eingesperrt wurde.




    Die deutsche Minderheit in Rumänien übt eine
    Brückenfunktion zwischen unserem Land und Ländern wie Deutschland oder
    Österreich, hat am Sonnabend der rumänische Staatschef Klaus Iohannis erklärt,
    als ihm die Ehrenmedaille des Demokratischen Forums der Deutschen in Rumänien
    verliehen wurde. Iohannis sagte ferner, die Mitglieder des Forums, die
    Mitglieder der deutschen Gemeinschaft haben sich immer aktiv für das gute
    Auskommen der Gemeinschaften des Landes eingesetzt. Den höchsten Orden des
    Verbands hat der Landespräsident in Sibiu (dts. Hermannstadt) entgegenommen,
    Stadt deren Bürgermeister er fast 14 Jahre war. Klaus Iohannis war auch
    Vorsitzender des Demokratischen Forums der Deutschen in Rumänien.


    Die schwierigen Verhandlungen über die Neubesetzung von EU-Spitzenposten kommen offensichtlich voran. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass wir näher an einer Lösung sind“, sagte EU-Ratspräsident Donald Tusk am Freitag am Rande des G20-Gipfels im japanischen Osaka. Es sei aber noch zu früh, um etwas Konkreteres zu sagen. Er wolle am Rande des Gipfels weitere Gespräche mit den dort vertretenen EU-Staats- und Regierungschefs führen. Bei dem kniffligen Personalpaket geht es um die Nachfolge von EU-Kommissionschef Jean-Claude Juncker sowie vier weitere Spitzenposten. Die Christdemokraten wollen, dass ihr Europawahl-Spitzenkandidat Manfred Weber (CSU) Junckers Job bekommt und argumentieren, dass die Europäische Volkspartei (EVP) bei der EU-Wahl die meisten Stimmen bekommen hat. Liberale und Sozialdemokraten wollen diese Argumentation jedoch nicht akzeptieren.



    Das Europäische Filmfestival kehrt bis Sonntag nach Sibiu (Zentralrumänien) zurück und bringt sieben neue Filme und einen Klassiker der neunziger Jahre. Die Veranstaltung wurde am Freitag von der Produktion Froh wie Lazarus“ der Regisseurin Alice Rohrwacher eröffnet, die 2018 den Preis für das beste Drehbuch der Filmfestspiele von Cannes gewann. Bis Sonntag werden auch das romantische Drama Der Schmwerz“, eine französisch-belgische Koproduktion, unter der Regie von Emmanuel Finkiel, der Politthriller Machtspiele“ in der Regie von Rodrigo Sorogoyen, die Komödie Frau im Krieg“ in der Regie von Benedikt Erlingsson, der Film Gestern“, unter der Regie von Bálint Kenyeres, Sofias Sohn“, Film der Regisseurin Elina Psykou Julia“ unter der Regie von Elena Martín und der Klassiker Mein linker Fuß“, eine irischen Produktion aus dem Jahr 1989, gedreht von Jim Sheridan. Das Europäische Filmfestival wurde in diesem Jahr in Bukarest, Ramnicu Valcea (Süden), Targu Mures (Mitte) und in der Hauptstadt der benachbarten Republik Moldau, Chisinau, veranstaltet.



    Die rumänischen Mannschaften (Junioren und Senioren) haben sechs Goldmedaillen (vier bei den Junioren und zwei bei den Senioren) und zwei Silbermedaillen (beide Senioren) bei der 5. Auflage der Internationalen Geografischen Olympischen Spiele für Mittel-, Süd- und Südosteuropa gewonnen. Laut dem Bildungsministerium in Bukarest beförderten die Ergebnisse Rumänien auf die erste Stelle in der Rangliste der Nationen. Der Wettbewerb umfasste drei Tests, alle in englischer Sprache: einen theoretischen (schriftlichen) Test, einen praktischen (Feld-) Test und ein Multimedia-Beispiel. An diesjähriger Auflage, die vom 23. bis 29. Juni in Belgrad stattfand, nahmen 78 Schülern aus 8 Ländern teil.

  • June 28, 2019 UPDATE

    June 28, 2019 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY Romania’s presidency of the
    EU Council, which ends on Sunday, involved courage, responsibility and
    political commitment – the Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs,
    George Ciamba said on Friday. The mandate was a litmus test for Romania and a
    reconfirmation of its commitment to the European project, the Romanian official
    also said. According to Minister Ciamba, during the six months at the helm of
    the EU Council, Romania has definitely contributed through concrete actions to
    the consolidation of the Union, a project that remains vital for Europe’s wellfare
    and security. At the end of the half-yearly presidency, Minister Ciamba has
    voiced his conviction that Romania has strengthened its profile at European
    level becoming a more powerful, more credible and relevant voice. Finland is to
    take over the EU rotating presidency from Romania on July 1st.












    FESTIVAL
    Over June 28th
    and 30th, the city of Sibiu in central Romania will be playing venue
    for the European Film Festival. Among other productions the screenings will
    include Emmanuel Finkiel’s Memoir of Pain, Rodrigo Sorgoyen’s political
    thriller The Realm and Benedikt Erlingsson’s comedy Woman at War. Film
    lovers will have the opportunity to watch the 1989 Irish production ‘My Left
    Foot’ signed by Jim Sheridan, which tells the story of Irish writer Christy
    Brown. The European Film Festival has this year been hosted by Bucharest,
    Ramnicu Valcea, in southern Romania, Targu Mures, in the country’s center and by
    Chisinau, the capital of the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova.












    PSD
    The National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main
    political group in the incumbent ruling coalition in Romania convened on Friday
    to validate the candidatures for the first positions within the party and to
    establish the agenda of the party’s extraordinary congress on Saturday. At the
    end of the meeting the head of the government, Viorica Dancila, who also holds the
    PSD’s interim presidency, has announced that four Social-Democrats are running
    for the first position in the party, while three are vying for the position of
    executive president. The position of party president became vacant last month,
    after the party’s strongman Liviu Dragnea had been indicted and sent to prison
    on corruption charges.










    FOOTBALL Romania’s Under-21 football side on Thursday night conceded a 2-4
    defeat to Germany, in the semifinals of the Under-21 European Football
    Championship jointly hosted by Italy and San Marino. In the other semifinals
    fixture, Spain outperformed France, 4-1. Romania’s under-21 football team has
    had an en excellent run in the aforementioned tournament. Having qualified for
    the semifinals, Romania secured their ticket for the 2020 edition of the
    Olympic Games in Tokyo.






    (translated by bill)

  • 24 June 2019, UPDATE

    24 June 2019, UPDATE

    EU. Romania’s holding the rotating
    presidency of the Council of the European Union is, next to the country’s
    accession to the Union 12 years ago, the confirmation of its commitment to the
    European project, said prime minister Viorica Dancila on Monday at the Conference of Parliamentary
    Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC). She
    said Romania will continue to act towards the consolidation of the European
    Union, strengthening European policies and promoting the crucial importance of
    solidarity and union within the European Union. The minister for European
    affairs George Ciamba says Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU has
    been rooted in reality and tailored to current challenges, while its term has
    been full of challenges. The results show that Romania has acted in an
    efficient and pragmatic manner, has managed to calibrate its objectives,
    resources and efforts suitably, and has demonstrated courage and consistency,
    respecting the limits of the traditional powers of the presidency of the
    Council of the EU, the Romanian minister also said.




    Parliament. The Romanian Parliament will meet in an extraordinary sitting on July 1st.
    The decision was made on Monday by the standing bureaus of the Chamber of
    Deputies and the Senate. The agenda of the meeting next week will include the
    amendment of the election law and the establishment of a parliamentary
    committee to investigate allegations from the public regarding electoral fraud
    during the European elections on the 26th of May.




    Report. Romania’s president Klaus
    Iohannis has warned the government about the alarm signal sounded by the Venice
    Commission with respect to the successive changes to the justice laws by means
    of emergency orders. The president says the aspects noted by the Commission reinforce
    the conclusion that the government has abused the instrument of the emergency
    order. In a report published on Monday, the Venice Commission recommends the
    Romanian government to drastically reduce the use of emergency orders in the area
    of the judiciary and to reconsider the need to create a special department to
    investigate magistrates.




    Republic of Moldova. The first
    payment to the Republic of Moldova as part of a macro-financial assistance
    agreement with the European Union may be made in September, has said the head
    of the European Parliament delegation Heidi Hautala on a working visit to the
    Moldovan capital Chisinau. She has voiced the support of the European
    Parliament for the government in Chisinau and the efforts of the authorities to
    carry out democratic reforms. Moldova’s prime minister Maia Sandu has
    reiterated her cabinet’s intention to implement the necessary reforms and her
    confidence that Brussels will soon resume its financing programmes. A European
    Parliament delegation has travelled to the Republic of Moldova to evaluate the
    political situation in this former Soviet state with a majority
    Romanian-speaking population in the wake of a recent constitutional crisis and
    to have talks with the new government. Last year, the European Union suspended
    its macro-financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova worth 100 million
    euros over this country’s anti-democratic slippage.




    Govora competition. The winners of RRI’s competition
    dedicated to the Govora spa, namely Hans Verner Lollike of Denmark and his wife
    Inge-Lise, have ended their trip to Valcea County, in southern Romania. The two
    winners, accompanied by RRI journalist Razvan Emilescu, stayed at Palace Hotel
    in Baile Govora and visited the county’s major cultural and tourist
    attractions, including the Govora spa and the Govora monastery, the Museum of
    Art in Ramnicu Valcea, the Ocnele Mari salt mine, the Olt River valley, the
    Cozia monastery, the pottery centres in Horezu and the Horezu monastery, which
    is a UNESCO world heritage site, and Dintr-un lemn monastery. The two visitors were also taken on the Transalpina,
    the highest altitude major road in Romania. They also made a trip to Targu Jiu to
    see the outdoor works by the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, and
    another short trip to Bucharest to see the historic centre. At the end of their
    stay, the two visitors gave an interview to RRI, which will soon be available
    in our Traveller’s Guide programme.




    European Games. Romania’ Laura Georgeta Coman won the
    gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle competition at the European Games in Minsk. Coman
    is defending European champion in this event and was Romania’s flag bearer at
    the opening of the Games on Friday night. Romania has so far won three other
    medals in Minsk, all bronze and all in the sambo competition, thanks to Daniela Poroineanu, Anda Mihaela Valvoi and
    Alina-Petronela Paunescu.




    Weather. A warning
    for unstable and hot weather is in place in Romania until Tuesday night.
    Torrential rain, lightning, storms and hail are expected. The amount of
    precipitation is likely to reach 15-25 litres per square metre, and even 35-40
    in some places. The weather will be very hot and humid, with highs of 34
    degrees Celsius expected. The torrential rains that have fallen in recent days
    have caused flooding on waterways, with fire fighters being deployed to assist the
    people whose homes have been flooded.



  • The Week in Review (June 17 – 23, 2019)

    The Week in Review (June 17 – 23, 2019)

    The PSD-ALDE government has weathered a no-confidence vote



    The left-of-center Government in Bucharest led by the interim Social-Democratic leader Viorica Dancila on Tuesday survived a no-confidence motion submitted by the right-wing opposition. The document, which says that Romania urgently needs a government with a pro-European vision focusing on the countrys development priorities – education, health, public investment, and attraction of European funds – mustered 200 out of the 233 votes needed for its endorsement. The initiators of the no-confidence vote, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, the Peoples Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, have accused the Government of mounting relentless attacks on the judiciary and destabilizing the economy. Government officials, however, expressed doubt with the oppositions willingness to take over the Government at this time. The censure motion has been announced by the main opposition political group, the National Liberal Party, shortly after the European Parliamentary elections on May 26th, when the ruling Social Democrats ranked second and their coalition partner ALDE failed to clear the election threshold of 5%.




    Romania was represented at the EU summit in Brussels by its president, Klaus Iohannis



    EU leaders, who have recently convened in Brussels for the European summer summit, have adopted the EU Strategic Agenda for the following five years, a document focusing on four priorities – citizen protection, developing a solid economic basis, building a green, equitable, climate-neutral and social Europe, and last but not least the promotion of European values and interests at world level. However, the heads of state and government who convened in Brussels failed to reach an agreement on holders of the main offices in the EU and postponed a decision on this issue until June 30th. The most disputed position is that of head of the European Commission, for which the candidate must obtain at least 21 votes from the member states, as well as majority in the European Parliament. During the Brussels summit, where the Romanian president briefed the participants over the results Bucharest obtained in its six-month mandate, the European leaders hailed the activity carried out by Romania on the multi-annual financial framework, where agreements were reached on 10 sectoral programmes out of the 37 submitted by the European Commission. The Romanian presidency of the EU was a good one with a large number of files successfully finalized, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis pointed out shortly before the beginning of the European Council in Brussels, recalling that the summit held in Sibiu, central Romania, on May 9th enjoyed a tremendous success.




    Talks on improving election legislation



    Romanias Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has announced the government is working on a project aimed at improving the voting process with a view to allowing citizens from Romania and abroad to exercise this Constitutional right under the best conditions possible. The presidential administration had earlier called for urgent measures to eliminate dysfunctions like those that affected the latest election in the Diaspora. We recall that tens of thousands Romanians spent hours in queues at the polling stations abroad in an attempt to cast their ballot in the European Parliament elections on May 26th. Most of these were even unable to vote just like in the presidential election of 2014. A working group at presidential administration level has gathered opinions from the Romanian citizens in the Diaspora, the line authorities, from NGOs, and election experts. Together with them it identified the measures to implement so that all citizens could vote in decent conditions.




    Romanians and the border-free Schengen Area



    Romania is not far from its entry into Europes border-free area, Schengen, or the day of its inclusion into the Visa Waiver programme, the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopulous said in Bucharest. The EU official participated in the EU-U.S. Ministerial Meeting on Justice and Home Affairs in Bucharest hosted against the background of Romanias holding the EU rotating presidency. An EU member since 2007, Romania should have entered Schengen in 2011, but its entry has been repeatedly postponed due to opposition from some member countries. According to Dimitris Avramopulous accession will take place shortly as the country has lived up to almost all its obligations. The day is not far either when Romanians will no longer need a visa for the USA. The meeting in Bucharest was also attended by US Attorney General William Barr, who held meetings with high-ranking Romanian officials. On that occasion Barr expressed his appreciation for the Strategic partnership the US has with Romania, which he described as the staunchest ally of the USA in the region.



    (translated by bill)


  • June 20, 2019 UPDATE

    June 20, 2019 UPDATE

    DRAFT According to Romania’s Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila, the
    government is working on a draft amendment to the election legislation with a view
    to improving the voting process so that Romanian citizens from the country and
    abroad may be able to exercise this Constitutional right in as good conditions
    as possible. The Prime Minister has also added the executive will carry on with
    the investment programme as well as with activities related to Romania’s
    presidency of the EU – a mandate, which is coming to an end and which has met all
    its objectives as complex files have been dealt with and measures with a public
    impact have been taken. According to Dancila the Romanian presidency of the EU
    has drawn up and presented a reviewed version of the negotiation document for
    the future EU budget. The executive is also focusing on the emergency ordinance
    regulating the alternative transportation platforms such as Uber, Bolt and
    Clever.












    MEETING The Romanian presidency of the EU Council was very good, as
    solutions to a large number of files were found during it, Romanian president
    Klaus Iohannis said before the European Council’s meeting in Brussels on
    Thursday. Iohannis went on to say the summit hosted by Sibiu, in central
    Romania, on May 9th proved a very good opportunity for the adoption
    of a series of healthy principles in the EU’s strategic agenda for the period
    between 2019 and 2024. High on the agenda of the two-day summer summit in
    Brussels are official appointments to
    leading positions in the European institutions together with the future
    multi-annual budget of the EU, measures aimed at fighting climate change,
    foreign relations and the latest developments in the Brexit process. The
    Romanian president is also to attend on Friday the EURO+ Summit in enlarged
    format.








    ATTORNEY Romania is one of
    the most important partners for the United States in fighting transnational
    crime, according to US Attorney General William Barr, who said that the
    partnership has deep roots in a commitment to democratic values and the rule of
    law. This posting on the State Department website comes after a visit made this
    week by Mr. Barr to Bucharest. According to him, the visit he made to Bucharest
    provided an opportunity to reaffirm the fact that the rule of law is durable
    and that people and institutions have to be governed by just, transparent, and
    equally applied laws. At the same time, he said he hoped that Romania would not
    give up its fight against corruption. In Bucharest, the Attorney General was
    received by President Klaus Iohannis, and held talks with PM Viorica Dancila
    and Minister of Justice Ana Birchall.




    FOOTBALL Romania’s youth
    football team is preparing its Friday game against England as part of the Under
    21 European Championship, which is taking place in Italy and San Marino. The
    Romanian team started off on the right foot on Tuesday, crushing Croatia 4-1.
    France defeated England 2-1. Romania is at its second such presence in a final
    tournament, after the 1998 championship in Bucharest. The finals are scheduled
    for June 30.



  • Nachrichten 20.06.2019

    Nachrichten 20.06.2019

    Ministerpräsidentin Viorica Dăncilă hat auf einer Pressekonferenz die aktuelle Tätigkeit der Regierung erörtert. Die Exekutive arbeite derzeit an einem Entwurf zur Verbesserung der Wahlvorgänge. Bürger im In- und Ausland sollen künftig das in der Verfassung verankerte Recht unter den bestmöglichen Bedingungen ausüben können, sagte Dăncilă. Ferner sprach sie von der Fortsetzung des Investitionsprogramms sowie den letzten Entscheidungen im Zuge des endenden EU-Ratsvorsitzes. Rumänien habe dabei komplexe Rechtsakte verwaltet und deshalb seine Ziele erfüllt, schätzte die Regierungschefin. Der rumänische Ratsvorsitz habe auch die revidierte Version des Verhandlungsdokuments über den künftigen EU-Haushalt vorgelegt. Abschließend erwähnte Ministerpräsidentin Dăncilă den Entwurf einer Eilverordnung über die Regulierung alternativer Transportplattformen wie Uber, Bolt und Clever.



    Rumäniens Präsident Klaus Iohannis hat den rumänischen EU-Ratsvorsitz als sehr gut bezeichnet. Im Vorfeld des Europäischen Rates in Brüssel sprach er von einer sehr hohen Anzahl erfolgreich abgeschlossener Rechtsakte. Der EU-Gipfel in Hermannstadt im Mai sei ein guter Anlass für die Vereinbarung gesunder Prinzipien für die strategische EU-Agenda bis 2024 gewesen, so Iohannis. Einen Themenschwerpunkt in Brüssel bildet die Besetzung von Führungsämtern in den europäischen Institutionen für den neuen institutionellen Zyklus. Auch über den künftigen mehrjährigen Finanzrahmen der Union sowie den Klimawandel und die Außenbeziehungen der EU soll beim zweitägigen Treffen des Europäischen Rates gesprochen werden. Die europäischen Staats- und Regierungschefs wollen dabei auch über die jüngsten Entwicklungen um den Brexit diskutieren. Am Freitag wird Präsident Iohannis auch am erweiterten EURO+ Gipfel teilnehmen.



    Rumänien ist einer der wichtigsten Partner der USA im Kampf gegen die grenzüberschreitende Kriminalität. Das sei die Schlussfolgerung des US-Generalstaatsanwaltes William Barr nach seinem Besuch in Bukarest diese Woche, steht auf der Website des US-Außenministeriums. Dort heißt es im Anschluss, die Partnerschaft sei tief in einem Engagement für demokratische Werte und Rechtsstaatlichkeit verwurzelt. Der Besuch in Bukarest sei ein guter Anlass gewesen, die Tatsache zu betonen, dass Menschen und Institutionen durch gerechte, transparente und gleichermaßen angewandte Gesetze regiert werden müssen. Zugleich drückte Barr seine Hoffnung aus, dass Rumänien seinen Kampf gegen die Korruption nicht aufgeben werde. In Bukarest wurde der Generalstaatsanwalt von Präsident Klaus Iohannis empfangen und führte Gespräche mit Premierministerin Viorica Dancila und Justizministerin Ana Birchall.



    Der palästinensische Premierminister Mohammad Schtajjeh hat Rumänien für seine Entscheidung gedankt, seine Botschaft in Israel nicht von Tel Aviv nach Jerusalem zu verlegen. Das hätte er für einen falschen Schritt mit einer falschen Symbolik gehalten, sagte Schtajjeh. Ende Mai hatte Rumäniens Ministerpräsidentin Dăncilă bekräftigt, dass eine derartige Maßnahme dem Vorrecht von Präsident Klaus Iohannis obliege. Im Oktober 2018 übermittelte das rumänische Außenministerium der Regierung eine Analyse der möglichen Folgen einer solchen Entscheidung. Die Idee wurde von dem ehemaligen sozialdemokratischen Chef Liviu Dragnea aufgegriffen, der heute wegen Korruption im Gefängnis sitzt.

  • June 17, 2019 UPDATE

    June 17, 2019 UPDATE

    CONCLUSIONS The EU Council on Monday adopted a series
    of conclusions concerning the EU’s commitment towards regional cooperation in
    the Black Sea area during the proceedings of the Foreign Affairs Council in
    Luxembourg where Romania was represented by its Foreign Minister Teodor
    Melescanu. The Council has reiterated its long-term commitment to promoting
    prosperity, stability and resilience in the Black Sea area. The Council has
    underlined the increasingly strategic importance of the Black Sea region for
    the EU calling for the union’s firmer involvement in regional cooperation
    having as foundation the Black Sea Synergy. At the same time the Council
    remains concerned about the security challenges in the Black Sea. In this
    context, it reiterates that international law observance, including the
    principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, the UN
    Convention on the law of the sea, including the freedom of navigation as well
    as observance of the EU’s political decisions and its non-recognition policy
    for Crimea are instrumental in the EU’s approach to regional cooperation in the
    Black Sea.










    MOTION MPs in Bucharest on Tuesday are
    expected to debate upon and vote a censure motion the opposition tabled against
    the PSD-ALDE coalition government. According to the document, Romania urgently
    needs a government with a pro-European vision focused on the country’s
    development priorities like education, health, public investment and attracting
    European funds. The signatories of the motion – the National Liberal Party, the
    Save Romania Union, the People’s Movement Party and the Democratic Union of
    Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, say the executive led by the Social-Democratic
    Prime Minister Viorica Dancila must be sacked for the way in which they staged
    the European Parliament election abroad and for repeatedly trying to issue
    emergency ordinances in the justice field. The ordinance needs 233 votes to
    pass and the initiators also needs the support of ProRomania Party led by the
    country’s former Social Democratic Prime Minister Victor Ponta, from the
    national minorities as well as votes from the ruling coalition. The incumbent
    Prime Minister, who is also the interim president of the Social Democrats, has
    called on the latter to attend the debates to ensure the quorum but to abstain
    from voting.










    MAYOR Romanian-born musician Octavian Ursu
    has become the Christian-Democratic mayor of the German city of Gorlitz after
    defeating in the second round of the local election Sebastian Wippel a former
    policeman, representative of the Alternative for Germany. The Romanian mustered
    55% of the votes in the second round of the election. Ursu, 51, graduated from
    the Music Conservatory in Bucharest and left for Germany where he got hired at
    the Gorlitz philharmonics as a soloist. In 2009, he enlisted with Angela
    Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and in 2010 he took over the municipal constituency
    in Gorlitz. In 2014 he got elected in the legislature of the Federal State of
    Saxony. The Romanian got support from celebrities from Germany and abroad who
    signed a petition urging the citizens to vote against ‘hatred and hostility,
    isolation and discord. Famous movies like ‘Inglorious Basterds’ and ‘Monuments
    Men’ have been shot in Gorlitz.








    CARS
    Over two thirds of the cars registered in Romania in the first five months of the
    year are second-hand purchases. According to the National Directorate for
    Licenses and Registration out of the 240 thousand vehicles registered in
    Romania since January until the end of May, only 60 thousand are new vehicles.
    Nevertheless, the number of new vehicles registered in this period is 20%
    higher than the similar period of 2018. The so-called Rabla programme has
    significantly contributed to this increase as under this programme 30 thousand
    people have so far benefitted from bonuses to scrap their old vehicles. The
    Romanians’ mostly preferred brands are the local Dacia, followed by Volkswagen,
    Skoda, Renault and Ford. At the end of last year Romania had over 8 million
    vehicles registered, 7% higher than in 2017.






    (translated by bill)

  • June 3, 2019 UPDATE

    June 3, 2019 UPDATE

    Pope’s visit — President Klaus Iohannis on Monday extended his greetings to all those who welcomed Pope Francis in Romania, highlighting that they gave an example of understanding and solidarity. He also thanked the authorities who have contributed to the success of the Pope’s apostolic visit to Romania. The Romanian president showed in a communiqué, that for 3 days, Romania was a welcoming host for Pope Francis who met openhearted and diverse people, a nation with a rich tradition that has confidence in its future which it is building through the solidarity of all of its citizens, irrespective of their mother tongue or faith. On Sunday evening, following his visit to Romania, the Pope wrote in a Twitter message in Romanian: “May the Blessed Virgin Mary extend her maternal protection to all the citizens of Romania, who throughout history have always placed their trust in her intercession. The Pope’s 3-day state, apostolic and ecumenical visit to Romania was held under the motto “Let’s walk together!” Hundreds of thousands attended the public events held on this occasion in Bucharest, Şumuleu Ciuc, Iasi and Blaj.



    Brussels — The Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă announced she would meet on Tuesday in Brussels with the president of the EC Jean Claude Juncker, with the first vice-president of the EC Frans Timmermans as well as with the president of the Party of European Socialists Serghei Stanishev, in the context of the recent EP elections. The Romanian PM said she would discuss with the European officials about the Romanian proposal for European Commissioner and also about the positions in the EP. PM Dancila said she would plead for ensuring an adequate and balanced representation at the level of European institutions.



    Senate — The plenum of the Romanian Senate on Monday rejected the request of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for approving the start of criminal prosecution against the speaker of the Senate, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu. 38 senators voted for the Anti-Corruption Directorate’s request, 71 voted against and one abstained from the vote. Prosecutors claim that the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats indirectly received undue benefits worth almost 800 thousand dollars from an Austrian company when he held the position of PM between 2007-2008. Last week the Senate’s committee on the judiciary had decided to give a favorable answer to the request of the anti-corruption prosecutors.



    Informal meeting — The series of events held under the aegis of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU continues in Bucharest which hosts, on Monday and Tuesday, an informal meeting of the EU agriculture ministers. The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan is also attending the meeting. Research in agriculture and bioeconomy will be one of the main topics of discussion. In the context of negotiations on the multi-annual budget of the Union, Romania, as a holder of the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, believes the strategic planning of the common agricultural policy has the potential to consolidate the implementation of bioeconomy and to build synergies with agricultural policy and rural development instruments. While in Bucharest, Phil Hogan also met Monday with the PM Viorica Dancila with whom he discussed the legislative package regarding the reform of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy.



    Decree — The Romanian government on Monday passed an emergency decree which provides for the election of county council presidents through direct vote by the citizens, and not through the vote of the county councilors, as stipulated by the current regulation. The move is actually a return to the system of electing county council presidents that was valid in the period 2008-2016. The spokeswoman for the Romanian presidency Mădălina Dobrovolschi on Monday said that changing the election law through an emergency decree, in the sense of introducing the uninominal vote for electing county council presidents, is actually a gift from the prime minster to the local authorities in her attempt to win their support. Mădălina Dobrovolschi also added that this change will help the incumbent county council presidents.



    London – The US President Donald Trump on Monday started a state visit to Britain where he met with members of the Royal Family and had a private lunch with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. The visit marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and takes place in the context of the Brexit crisis and of PM Theresa May’s forthcoming resignation. On Tuesday the US President will have meetings with the outgoing PM Theresa May and with American and British business leaders. His visits ends on Wednesday when he will attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark June 6, 1944, when 160,000 British, American, French and other Allied troops landed in Nazi-occupied Normandy in WW2. Donald Trump will then travel to Ireland and France.



    EP elections results — The Central Electoral Bureau in Romania on Monday announced the final results of the EP elections held on May 26. The Bureau’s spokesman Marian Muhuleţ announced that the opposition National Liberal Party will have 10 seats, the Social Democratic Party in the governing coalition will get 9 seats and the 2020 Alliance made up of the Save Romania Union party and PLUS party will get 8 seats. The Pro Romania Party, the People’s Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania will receive 2 seats each. Romania will be represented in the future EP by 33 MEPs for a 5-year mandate. Romania will receive its 33rd seat in the EP after Brexit.



    Tennis – Number 3 in the world and defending Roland Garros champion Simona Halep on Monday qualified to the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam tournament in Roland Garros. She defeated 6-1, 6-0 the Polish player Iga Swiatek (104 WTA). Also on Monday, in the men’s doubles, the Romanian Horia Tecău and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer were defeated by Guido Pella/Diego Sebastian Schwartzman of Argentina, in the quarter-finals, 4-6, 4-6. (news translated and updated by L. Simion)

  • June 2, 2019

    June 2, 2019

    Pope Francis’ Visit — The 7 martyr Greek Catholic bishops beatified on Sunday left to the Romanian people a ‘precious’ heritage which can be summed up in two words: freedom and mercifulness, said Pope Francis before 100 thousand people who attended the Holy Mass held by the pontiff in Blaj (in central Romania) known as a spiritual place of the Romanian Greek Catholics. The 7 bishops who died for their faith during the communist regime will be included in the calendar with their new holy names and will be celebrated on June 2. Pope Franscis underlined that the martyrs proved faith and great love for their people in the face of the Communist persecution. Attending the ceremony in Blaj are president Klaus Iohannis and the PM Viorica Dancila. Also on Sunday, the 3rd day of his visit to Romania, the pontiff will meet with members of the Rroma community. On Saturday the Pope met with young people and families in Iasi) northeastern Romania), home to a large community of Catholics, and said that he felt together with the people present the warmth of being with their family. Pope Francis visited the Cathedral ‘Holy Virgin Mary, Queen’ and blessed 800 children, old and sick people. As many as 150 thousand pilgrims attended the ceremonies. Also on Saturday the pontiff held a Mass at the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc in eastern Transylvania, a place inhibited by a majority ethnic Hungarian population, which venues annually the largest Catholic pilgrimage in Central and Eastern Europe. “Let’s Walk Together” is the motto of Pope Francis’ 3-day visit to Romania. The visit occurs 20 years after the one paid by Pope John Paul II, which was the first visit by a Pope to a country with a majority Orthodox population.



    Meeting — The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila on Sunday met with her Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip, in Iasi, in the context of the two officials’ participation in the events occasioned by His Holiness Pope Francis’ visit to Romania. The two PMs talked about the Romanian-Moldovan relations and the two countries’ ongoing common projects. Other topics tackled during the meeting were: the continuation of programs for refurbishing schools and kindergartens, the development of road infrastructure, energy inter-connection, the building of the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline and of the Ungheni-Chisinau railway with European standard gauge as well as the framework for providing roaming services. The Moldovan PM thanked Romania for the constant support granted for the implementation of their agenda of reforms, including a grant of more than 200 thousand Euros recently offered, the implementation of the 112 emergency call service, and the provision of state-of-the-art medical equipment to the hospital in Comrat



    Bookfest — The 14th edition of Bookfest International Book Fair comes to an end on Sunday. The guest of honor of the fair this year was Great Britain. Bookfest brought more than one million books, of which 4 thousand new releases, and it included more then 350 events. Casa Radio publishing house was among the many publishers participating in the fair, contributing over 150 special titles.



    Weather forecast — Meteorologists have issued a fresh alert for the entire territory of Romania valid until Tuesday morning. Unsettled weather, rainfalls, strong winds and hail are expected in most regions. Hydrologists have also issued a code orange alert for floods valid until Sunday afternoon for 22 hydrographic basins in several regions of Romania. The heavy rainfalls and storms have affected 90 localities from 22 counties. In Prahova county, in the south, three children drowned in the high flood, while a 4th kid is reported missing. Almost 11 thousand firefighters, policemen and gendarmes were involved in the operations of evacuating the population from the areas running the risk of flooding, of saving people and limiting the effects of the extreme weather phenomena. The government announced urgent measures to support the people and communities affected by the floods.



    Exercise — Monday will see the opening ceremonies for the Multinational Exercise Saber Guardian 2019 in 5 locations in Romania where the main drills will take place: Cincu, Borduşani, Babadag, Smârdan, and Râşnov. The exercise is meant to highlight the cohesion, unity and solidarity of partner and allied states, with a view to ensuring defense against any aggression, anywhere in Europe. (translation by L. Simion)