Radio România Internațional

Tag: Day

November 29, 2022

NATO The foreign ministers of NATO member countries, partner countries
and of the 2 candidate countries are in Bucharest for a 2-day meeting. It is
the first meeting of this kind hosted by Romania since it joined the Alliance and the
first event held in a NATO eastern flank country since the start of the war in
Ukraine, Romania’s foreign ministry highlighted. The meeting comprises 3
working sessions, 2 of which will be attended by the Allies together with
Sweden and Finland. Taking part in the third session will also be the foreign
ministers of Bosnia – Herzegovina, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. The
first day of the meeting will conclude with a working dinner attended by the
foreign minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, and the EU foreign policy chief,
Josep Borrell. The agenda of the meeting in Bucharest includes the
implementation of the decisions taken at the NATO summit in Madrid. The war in
Ukraine and the provision of long-term political and practical support from the
Allies will be the main topic of discussion. Other topics include energy security,
China, the strategic importance of the Black Sea region. NATO’s secretary
general Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Bucharest on Monday, and had meetings with
president Klaus Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign minister Bogdan
Aurescu.

MEETING Bucharest is the capital of European and Euro-Atlantic diplomacy
and even beyond these regions, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu
said. Apart from the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Romania is hosting
these days, for the first time ever, a Munich Leaders Meeting. 75 top-level
governmental officials and foreign policy and security experts are discussing
the consequences of the war in Ukraine as well as other security issues in the
region. The 11th Aspen Forum also begins in Bucharest today, with
participants including the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. The 2022 edition
of the Forum takes place in the context of the war in Ukraine, which has
affected the entire world both in economic and security terms, and which is not
expected to come to an end soon, therefore it will only deepen multiple crisis,
the Aspen Institute says in a news release posted ahead of the meeting. Also in
Bucharest, a new energy coordination task force is scheduled to convene. The
group comprises officials of G7 and other Allied countries, and is working to
mobilise or plan the supply of equipment to Ukraine as soon as possible.

PARTNERSHIP Ahead of the US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s visit to
Bucharest to take part in the NATO Council, the US Department of State hailed
the celebration of 25 years since the Strategic Partnership with Romania was
signed. A US Department of State news release mentions Bucharest’s contribution
to NATO and multinational operations, the fact that the country hosts several
NATO and American military structures, including the missile defence system in Deveselu.
I am very happy and proud to say that our strategic partnership has reached the
highest level in its quarter-century history, the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă
said in his turn, after the meeting with the US official in Bucharest. Twenty-five
years is a very important benchmark, which makes us aware that in 1997 a
generation was born which grew up and reached maturity concurrently with the
strategic partnership. I am confident that this generation will do everything
in their power to safeguard the freedom and rights we have secured and
democratic values, Mr. Ciuca also said. We have an unshakeable alliance, built
on shared values, and strong relations in the economic sector, including the
energy sector, Antony Blinken said, and also mentioned the academic and
cultural exchanges between the 2 countries.

NATIONAL DAY The Romanian Cultural Institute organises 50 events until December
10, to celebrate the National Day of Romania in 31 cities abroad. According to
the president of the Institute, Liviu Jicman, the events held in emblematic
locations in the respective countries place the works of Romanian artists among
the most important cultural landmarks of today and contribute to raising
awareness among foreign cultural and arts communities and the general public
with respect to the Romanian culture. On December 1, the National Day of Romania, a parade will be
organised in Bucharest and another one in Alba Iulia. On Monday the Parliament
celebrated 104 years since the Great Union in a special meeting. (AMP)

29 November 2022
Preparations for National Day

Every year on December 1, the National Day of Romania is celebrated across the country as well as abroad, in theatres of operations where Romanian troops are deployed or in the Romanian communities abroad.

In Bucharest, the traditional Triumphal Arch parade is scheduled, which this year will see the most extensive participation of Allied troops. For the first time since the Covid pandemic, there will be no restrictions for the public. In addition to the previous years, the military parade will showcase the latest equipment purchased by the Romanian Army.

Apart from Romanian troops, the parade will include around 150 foreign servicemen from Belgium, France, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Portugal, the US and the Netherlands, as well as troops representing the countries contributing to the NATO structures in Romania, and military equipment, including fighter jets from Canada, Italy, Spain and the US.

National Day celebrations will also be held in Alba Iulia, where messages for Romania will be sent out on November 29 as part of an educational programme hosted by the Principia Museum. On November 30, when St. Andrew, the patron saint of Romania is celebrated, Alba Iulia will host military ceremonies and wreath laying ceremonies. On the same day, a festival of traditions and customs is scheduled to begin, entitled Traditional Romania.

On December 1, the Union March will take place, and a military parade will be held in Alba Iulia, with around 850 troops and military equipment taking part, including land vehicles, helicopters and F-16 fighters. A unit of French troops, part of the NATO battle group in Cincu, Braşov County, will also take part in the parade.

The events also celebrate 100 years since the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie in Alba Iulia, where in 1600 the Wallachian prince Michael the Brave entered with his troops in what was later seen as the first political union of the Romanian territories.

Nicknamed “The Unifier,” Ferdinand I was the first king of all Romanians, the sovereign under whose reign the great union of 1918 was achieved. Ferdinand I was the one who introduced a land reform and an election reform, who worked to strengthen the Romanian nation state, and whose reign was the most prosperous period in the modern history of the Romanian state.

Standing by his side was an exceptional personality: Queen Marie of Romania, who worked as a battlefield nurse during the First World War and as a diplomat in European capitals, the one without whom, historians agree, Ferdinands success would not have been the same and Greater Romania would have been a goal even harder to achieve. (AMP)

28 November 2022
November 27, 2022

NATO Bucharest will host on Tuesday and Wednesday a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. Attending will also be the foreign ministers of Georgia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine and, for the first time, the Republic of Moldova. The war in Ukraine will be one of the main topics of the meeting. The conference will be co-chaired by the Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, and NATOs secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. This is the first event of this kind organised in Romania since the country joined the Alliance in 2004 and the second NATO formal meeting in Romania since the 2008 summit. NATOs deputy secretary general, Mircea Geoană, says the event is a bridge between this summers summit in Madrid and the forthcoming summit in Vilnius, and a contribution made by Romania to the Alliances strategic thinking and response to the complex situation on the continent.

MLM A Munich Leaders Meeting (MLM) takes place in Bucharest on Monday and Tuesday. The Romanian foreign ministry is co-hosting this prestigious event, which is part of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). Attending will be over 75 senior officials from over 25 countries, including current and former officials, experts, analysts and opinion leaders. The agenda includes relevant topics for international security, with an emphasis on developments in the Black Sea and Western Balkans regions. Other topics will be the European security architecture, implementing the new NATO Strategic Concept, hybrid threats, food security, and the energy crisis. The conclusions of the meeting in Bucharest will contribute to shaping the agenda of next years Munich Security Conference.

NATIONAL DAY Events devoted to Romanias National Day on December 1 begin in Alba Iulia on November 30, with military and wreath laying ceremonies. On December 1, more than 850 troops will parade in Alba Iulia, including a French unit part of the NATO battlegroup deployed in Cincu, Braşov County. In Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and staff of the defence ministry, interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service and the Penitentiary Agency as well as vehicles and 40 aircraft will take part in a military parade on December 1. According to a defence ministry news release, around 150 troops from Belgium, France, North Macedonia, R. of Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal and the US, will also take part. Romanian military personnel on missions abroad will also organise special ceremonies.

ENVIRONMENT The Romanian environment ministry launched a national forestation programme financed from EU funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The decision was made because forests cover less than 30% of the countrys surface, as against the European average of 40%. In some counties in the south and south-east of the country, the ratio is even have less than 5%. Farmers who no longer want to keep their farmland under crops may turn it into forests or shelterbelts. The government provides up to EUR 20,000 for a hectare of oak forest in plains areas and up to EUR 17,000 per hectare of shelterbelts, with an additional EUR 456 per year for each hectare of forest for 20 years.

ENESCU The George Enescu International Music Festival was shortlisted for the prestigious International Opera Awards, the Oscars of the opera world, the festival organisers have announced. The awards ceremony takes place on Monday at Teatro Real (Madrid, Spain). The 2021 edition was shortlisted in the Festivals section, alongside other top-level events in the world of international classical music, such as the Donizetti Festival and Garsington Opera. (AMP)

27 November 2022
October 25, 2022 UPDATE

ARMY DAY The Romanian Army Day was celebrated on Tuesday with a
series of events staged all over Romania and in other regions around the world
where Romanian troops are stationed now. Wreath laying ceremonies took place at
heroes’ monuments around Romania and abroad, in countries like Austria, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, Poland,
the Republic of Moldova and Hungary. The Army has been and will always be a
symbol of resilience and an essential element in the development of Romania,
president Klaus Iohannis
said on this occasion. He added that Romania has a distinct place within NATO
and is an indisputable provider of security at the Black Sea and on NATO’s
eastern flank. According to the Romanian Defence
Ministry, during WWII, out of roughly 540,000 servicemen deployed, 90,000 were
KIA, 60,000 MIA and over 330,000 were wounded. After freeing the Romanian
territory on October 25th, 1944, the Romanian army continued to
fight in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria alongside the allied troops,
contributing to the May 9th 1945 victory, which marked the end of WWII in
Europe.

DEFENCE The Supreme Defence Council, convening on
Tuesday in Bucharest, approved updates to key directions of the Army 2040
programme, including the budgeting for personnel needs,
reconfiguring equipment procurement programmes and revamping the defence
industry, as well as measures to better retain skilled military personnel. Army
2040 aims to help develop national military capabilities that enable the
government to fulfil its constitutional obligation to safeguard the territorial
integrity of Romania. To this end, the country will earmark 2.5% of its GDP to
defence as of 2023.The Council also
reviewed and approved the Energy Ministry’s plan to improve Romania’s energy
resilience, so as to protect citizens and to secure continuing supplies of
electricity and natural gas, for prices that are not a burden to households. The
Council also discussed the support Romania will continue to provide to Ukraine,
and looked at ways to counter prospective threats.

DECREE Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis Tuesday signed a
decree acknowledging the resignation of Defence Minister Vasile Dincu and
designating Prime Minister Ciuca as the country’s interim defence minister. The
Social-Democrat Dincu stepped down on Monday, two weeks after he made a number
of controversial statements concerning the situation in Ukraine. The Social
Democratic Party (PSD) has called for an emergency meeting of the ruling
coalition for a decision on Dincu’s successor.

COAL Romania has increased its coal output in order to cope
with the energy crisis. According to the National Statistics Institute, the output
went up by 1.7% and imports by 13.5% in the first 8 months of the year. The
National Strategy and Forecast Commission estimates for this year a coal output
10% bigger than in 2021 and imports 2.8% higher, with the coal production expected
to grow by 8% next year.

REFUGEES According
to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,
over 2.6 million Ukrainian nationals have transited Romania and over 86,500
have chosen to stay here. Eight months on from the beginning of the conflict on
February 24th, Bucharest highlights its active involvement in facilitating the
transport and transit of Ukrainian grain towards international markets. At the
same time, the humanitarian hub in Suceava, north-eastern Romania, has
contributed to 56 humanitarian aid shipments from countries like Italy, France
or Germany.

ECLIPSE A partial solar eclipse was visible in Romania on Tuesday.
According to the Astronomic Observatory in Bucharest, the sun was covered up to
44% and the eclipse lasted for two hours and a half. (AMP, DB)

25 October 2022
July 29, 2022

VISIT The president of the R. of Moldova, Maia Sandu, is today on an
official visit in Romania, at the invitation of her counterpart Klaus Iohannis.
At the press conference following the official meeting, the Romanian president
said the talks were solid and focused on many topics of bilateral interest,
taking into account the long-lasting and sincere connections between the 2
countries. He congratulated Maia Sandu on Moldova’s EU accession candidate
status granted at the European Council meeting on June 23-24. This is a historic
achievement, a landmark in the history of the country, Klaus Iohannis said, and
added that Romania will continue to support Moldova through all the means available
to it. Mr. Iohannis also pointed out that the 2 presidents agreed to take
decisive steps in terms of inter-connecting the electricity networks of their
countries, and discussed the potential of the Iaşi-Ungheni-Chişinău pipeline
as a vital element of Moldova’s energy security. In
turn, the
president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said Bucharest stood by Chisinau over the
years, and Romania’s voice ‘resounded strongly’ in Brussels in support of
Moldova’s EU candidate status. Maia Sandu voiced her confidence that the
Moldovan-Romanian partnership will contribute to overcoming the difficulties
entailed by the war in Ukraine.

ANTHEM Every year on July 29 Romania celebrates National Anthem Day.
According to the defence ministry, ceremonies are held today in all military
units across the country. In Bucharest, a religious service was held in front
of the National Military Palace, while in Râmnicu Vâlcea local authorities
organized events devoted to the song Awaken Thee, Romanian!, which was first
performed officially in this town 174 years ago. National Anthem Day was
proclaimed by Parliament in 1998. The song was written by Anton Pann, on lyrics
by the poet Andrei Mureşanu. The message of the National Anthem has a strong
impact, and calls for national unity, courage, dignity and responsibility,
president Klaus Iohannis said in a news release. In turn, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
the anthem, national colours and the coat of arms define the identity of the
Romanian nation and signify the strong connection between the past, present and
future.

FESTIVAL Sighişoara,
in central Romania, is hosting this weekend the 28th edition of the
first medieval festival in Romania. The Sighişoara citadel will be the stage of
theatre performances, music and dance shows, improvisation, arts and crafts
demonstrations. While the previous edition was attended by some 11,000
visitors, the organisers hope 16,000 people will take part this year. A
spectacular fireworks show is planned for the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
Sighisoara is the only inhabited medieval citadel in south-eastern Europe.

FOOTBALL All the Romanian football teams taking part in the European
Conference League qualifiers have moved into the 3rd preliminary
round. On Thursday Universitatea Craiova defeated the Albanian side
Vllaznia 3-0 on home turf, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. In the 3rd
preliminary round, Craiova will play against the Ukrainian team Zaria Luhansk. In
Bucharest, FCSB defeated Saburtalo (Georgia) 4-2, and is next to take on the
Slovakian team Dunajská Streda. The Romanian Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe had
the most difficult match on Thursday, against Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia, and
lost 2-0, away from home, after having won 3-1 in the first leg. In the penalty
shootouts, the Slovenians missed twice, and Sepsi moved forward in the
competition. Their next opponent is Djurgården (Sweden). And on Wednesday, CFR Cluj drew 1-1 away from home
against Inter Club d’Escaldes, of Andorra, after 3-0 at home, and are pitted
next against Belarusian champions Shahtior Soligorsk. (AMP)

29 July 2022
July 14, 2022 UPDATE

PARADE The National Day parade in France was marked this year by the
war in Ukraine. Troops from 9 countries on NATO’s eastern flank, including 12
from Romania, paraded jointly with French military as a token of the unity of
NATO Allies and of solidarity with Ukraine, Radio Romania’s correspondent in
Paris reports. According to her, this year’s celebrations unfolded under the
motto ‘Partager la flame’ (Divide the Flame), with a dual meaning: to pay
homage to Hubert Germain, the last member of the French resistance against the
Nazi occupation, who died this year, and to hail the Olympic flame ahead the
Olympic Games Paris is due to stage in 2024. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis Thursday
sent president Macron a letter of congratulations and wishes of prosperity for
the French people. Iohannis highlighted the solidity and consistency of the
Strategic Partnership between Romania and France, built on common values and
excellent cooperation both at bilateral level and within the EU and other
international bodies. Bucharest celebrated France’s national day with a
reception at the French Embassy, attended by Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae
Ciuca and by senior French officials.

ECONOMY Thanks to a
surprising 5.2% growth rate in Q1, the European Commission decided to update
its estimates on Romania’s economic growth this year, from 2.6% forecast in
March to 3.9% in its summer economic forecast made public on Thursday. The Commission
also operated a downward adjustment of its forecast for 2023, from 3.6% to 2.9%,
given that the growth trend is expected to slow down both globally and at EU
level. Private consumption and investments are expected to be the main growth
engines both this year and the next, whereas net exports will lead to a deeper
trade deficit, the Commission says.

VISIT Germany’s
foreign minister Annalena Baerbock will be on an official visit to Bucharest
and Constanţa on Friday, the German embassy in Bucharest announced. Annalena
Baerbock will co-chair the second ministerial conference of the Support
Platform for the Republic of Moldova together with her Romanian counterpart,
Bogdan Aurescu and the French state secretary for development, Francophonie, and international partnerships Chrysoula
Zacharopoulou. Also on Friday Annalena Baerbock will have meetings with PM Nicolae
Ciucă and foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, focusing on bilateral and European
policy topics. In the Black Sea port of Constanţa the German official will
discuss with local officials and representatives of German companies about
Ukraine’s grain exports via Constanţa.

CENSUS The deadline for finalising the national population
and housing census has been extended by a week, from July 17 to 24, as the
current completion rate is below 90%. The organisers are hoping to bring the
rate up to 100% using fixed census locations and door-to-door operators. For the
first time in Romania, a first stage of the national census was conducted
online, with 11 million respondents registered, which is little under half of
the estimated resident population of Romania.

DRILL Over July 14 and 25 three Romanian warships take part in the
international exercise ‘Breeze 22’ staged and coordinated by the Bulgarian Navy
in the country’s territorial and the international waters of the Black Sea and
the Bulgarian port of Burgas. This year’s edition of the exercise has brought
together navy and air forces from Albania, Belgium, France, Georgia, Italy,
Latvia, Poland, Turkey and the USA. The drill is aimed at strengthening
tactical interoperability between the navy personnel and participating units
and at practicing conventional and non-conventional war procedures.

UKRAINE Addressing an international conference on the war crimes in
Ukraine held in The Hague, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Thursday requested the creation of a special tribunal to investigate Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine. The country’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba also asked
for a special court trying the crime of aggression, defined as an attack by one
state against another. All we want is for the crime of aggression to not go
unpunished, Dmytro Kuleba said during the same conference. Political,
diplomatic and judicial leaders from around the world convened on Thursday for
a conference on the crimes committed in Ukraine since February 24. The European
Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders mentioned that 20,000 investigations
concerning war crimes in Ukraine have been opened. Around 14 European countries
are investigating these crimes, and a European Joint Investigation Team has
been set up, he added. Russia denies the abuses of which its troops are being
accused, which include shelling civilians, executions, and rapes, and in
exchange accuses Ukraine of crime wars. Meanwhile, scores of civilians were
killed or wounded on Thursday in a Russian missile attack on the town of Vinnytsia,
in central Ukraine. (AMP)

14 July 2022
June 26, 2022 UPDATE

FLAG DAY Events were organised in county capitals and in Romanian
localities hosting military units, to celebrate National Flag Day on the 26th
June. The National Flag Day was introduced to mark the day in 1848 when the
revolutionary government proclaimed the red, yellow and blue flag as the
national colours of all Romanians. The National Flag Day was introduced under a
1998 law.

MOLDOVA Russia’s ex-president and PM Dmitri Medvedev threatens that
the Republic of Moldova will see its natural gas supplies cut and exports of
agri-food products to the Russian market banned, if Chişinău joins the West’s
economic sanctions against Moscow. Medvedev, currently the vice-president of
the Security Council, posted on his Telegram channel an extensive article on
the Republic of Moldova, which Thursday was recognised as an EU candidate country.
According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Moscow, Medvedev says the
accession process may take decades, which makes Moldova’s annexation by Romania
an easier option. And, Medvedev argues, both Bucharest and Chişinău are making
efforts in this respect. The Romanian foreign ministry says Dmitri Medvedev’s
statements are part of Kremlin’s already known false rhetoric, disseminated in
the Republic of Moldova both before, and after the illegal, unjustified and
unprovoked aggression of Russia against Ukraine.

FESTIVAL The Sibiu International Theatre Festival continues in central
Romania until the 3rd July. This year’s motto is Beauty. This 29th
edition of the festival brings together artists from around the world in
theatre, dance, cinema, musical, opera and circus performances. Concerts, book
shows and exhibitions are also organized as part of the festival. Some of the
performances taking place in cultural or unconventional venues can be watched
on the Festival’s official website, digital streaming platform www.scena-digitala.ro,
and on the event’s official Facebook page and YouTube channel.

INCOMES The average monthly income per household in Romania was
nearly EUR 1,100 in 2021, up 8.9% since the previous year, according to the
National Statistics Institute. The total incomes were 3.6 times higher in
households whose members are higher-education graduates. Also, families in the
35-49 year bracket earned the most, while in terms of geographic regions the
highest incomes were reported in Bucharest-Ilfov (south), and the lowest in the
north-east of the country.

G7 The group of 7 rich democracies announced a ban on Russian gold
imports, during a summit held on Sunday, in the context of the war in Ukraine
and its impact on the energy and grains markets. According to Reuters, this
adds to sanctions already introduced against Moscow after Russia invaded
Ukraine at the end of February. The new measures will directly affect Russian
oligarchs and strike at the heart of Putin’s war machine, the
British PM Boris Johnson said. We need to starve the Putin regime of its
funding. The UK and our allies are doing just that, Mr. Johnson added.

TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, no 19 WTA and former
world leader, will take on the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova (82 WTA), in
the first round of the Wimbledon tournament. Halep, winner of the Wimbledon trophy
in 2019, is seed no. 16 this year in the competition. Another Romanian player,
Sorana Cîrstea, 32 WTA and seed no. 21, plays against Aleksandra Krunic of
Serbia (53 WTA). Gabriela Ruse (55 WTA) has the most difficult match in the All
England Club first round, against the American Coco Gauff, no. 12 in the world.
Irina Begu (43 WTA) is facing Ekaterine Gorgodze of Georgia (112 WTA), in the
same round, while Ana Bogdan (109 WTA) plays against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska
(74 WTA), and Irina Bara (121 WTA) against Chloe Paquet of France (101 WTA). In
turn, Mihaela Buzărnescu (126 WTA) will play against Natasja Schunk of Germany (156
WTA). This year’s Wimbledon tournament has record-large amounts in prize money
(over GBP 40 million) but the WTA and ATP announced they will not assign any
points, after the British organisers decided to bar Russian and Belarusian
players from taking part, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AMP)

26 June 2022
June 26, 2022

FLAG DAY Events are organised in county capitals and in Romanian
localities hosting military units, to celebrate National Flag Day on the 26th
June. National Flag Day was introduced to mark the day in 1848 when the
revolutionary government proclaimed the red, yellow and blue flag as the
national colours of all Romanians. National Flag Day was introduced under a
1998 law.

REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police announced that on the 25th
June, 12,570 Ukrainian nationals (down 2.6% since the previous
day) crossed the border into Romania. Since Ukraine’s invasion by the Russian
army on the 24th February, until midnight Saturday, Romania received 1,324,823 Ukrainian
citizens. Of them, 80,000 chose to stay in Romania and benefit from the
protection and safety provided by the Romanian authorities, the PM Nicolae
Ciucă said. The government of Romania came up with a national protection
and inclusion plan addressing the Ukrainian nationals that benefit from
temporary protection. The plan includes children’s access to education and
access to jobs for the adults.

UKRAINE Heavy blasts were heard on Sunday at dawn in Kyiv,
affecting a residential compound near the centre of the city, international
news agencies report. The incident comes hours before the opening of a G7 summit
in Germany, discussing the situation in Ukraine. Kyiv had previously been hit
in early June, while another shelling was reported in late April, during a
visit by the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.

MOLDOVA Russia’s ex-president and PM Dmitri Medvedev threatens the
Republic of Moldova that it will see its natural gas supplies cut and exports
of agri-food products to the Russian market banned, if Chişinău joins the
West’s economic sanctions against Moscow. Medvedev, currently vice-president of
the Security Council, posted on his Telegram channel an extensive article on
the Republic of Moldova, which Thursday was recognised as a EU candidate country.
According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Moscow, Medvedev says the
accession process may take decades, which makes Moldova’s annexation by Romania
an easier option. And, Medvedev argues, both Bucharest and Chişinău are making
efforts in this respect. He mentioned a recent joint meeting of the parliaments
of the 2 countries and said the president of Moldova, pro-Western Maia Sandu, would
be ready to renounce the country’s independence. Medvedev also argues that
these plans are supported by the US and the EU. Founded on part of the eastern
Romanian territories annexed by Stalin’s Soviet Union in 1940, today’s R. of Moldova
declared its independence from Moscow in 1991.

FESTIVAL The Sibiu International Theatre Festival continues in central
Romania until the 3rd July. This year’s motto is Beauty. This 29th
edition of the festival brings together artists from around the world in
theatre, dance, cinema, musical, opera and circus performances. Concerts, book
shows and exhibitions are also organized as part of the festival. Some of the
performances taking place in cultural or unconventional venues can be watched
on the Festival’s official website, digital streaming platform
www.scena-digitala.ro, and on the event’s official Facebook page and YouTube channel.

TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, no 19 WTA and former
world leader, will take on the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova (82 WTA), in
the first round of the Wimbledon tournament. Halep, winner of the Wimbledon trophy
in 2019, is seed no. 16th this year in the competition. Another
Romanian player, Sorana Cîrstea, 32 WTA and seed no. 21, plays against Aleksandra
Krunic of Serbia (53 WTA). Gabriela Ruse (55 WTA) has the most difficult match
in the All England Club first round, against the American Coco Gauff, no. 12 in
the world. Irina Begu (43 WTA) is facing Ekaterine Gorgodze of Georgia (112
WTA), in the same round, while Ana Bogdan (109 WTA) plays against Ukraine’s Dayana
Yastremska (74 WTA), and Irina Bara (121 WTA) against Chloe Paquet of France (101
WTA). In turn, Mihaela Buzărnescu (126 WTA) will play against Natasja Schunk of
Germany (156 WTA). This year’s Wimbledon tournament has record-large amounts in
prize money (over GBP 40 million) but the WTA and ATP announced they will not
assign any points, after the British organisers decided to bar Russian and
Belarusian players from taking part, in response to Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine.

26 June 2022
Messages on Europe Day

Europe must grow stronger, more vocal, more capable
and better prepared, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said in a message
on Europe Day, celebrated every year on the 9th of May. According to
the Romanian head of state, after the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, these
days we are experiencing the tragedy of the war on the borders of the EU, which
triggered the most severe humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II. In his
message, Klaus Iohannis points out that this ongoing war goes against all the
principles and values on which the European Union was built and which keep it
united-democracy, the rule of law and fundamental human rights.

These are unprecedented times in the history of the
Union, which test our very capacity to safeguard our fundamental values, based
on the concept on which the European project was built: peace, Mr. Iohannis
says in his message. According to him, preserving peace has been a constant
endeavour for Europe for the past decades, a guarantee of stability which has
enabled us to reach unprecedented levels of prosperity. Klaus Iohannis also
mentions that this year Romania celebrates 15 years since joining the European
Union, a choice made and supported by the entire Romanian society.

The head of state also believes that the benefits of
this choice are evident today for the long-term progress of our nation, with the
EU membership providing the framework for an irreversible democratic progress,
for economic and social development, for solidarity and active engagement in
the European project.

The Romanian president also emphasizes that, one and a
half decades since its accession, Romania is a member state able to contribute
solutions and to put its strengths at the service of Europe.

In turn, the PM Nicoale Ciucă, in his message on
Europe Day, voiced his hope that reason and peace return to the European
continent as soon as possible. The lessons of World War II must keep us from
tolerating a war of conquest against another independent state, as Russia does
today in Ukraine, the PM argues. According to him, WWII, whose end in Europe we
celebrate on the 9th of May, must remind all of us about the fate of
tyrants and of those who dream about occupying other countries and controlling
the world.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von
der Leyen, describes the 9th of May as the day when our peaceful,
prosperous and united Europe was born. Seventy-two years later, Europe is
stronger and more united than ever.We stand united in supporting our Ukrainian friends. A
people desperately struggling to determine its own future, the European Commission
president pointed out. (A.M.P.)

9 May 2022
European Book Day in Cluj

In late April this year in the city of Cluj Napoca, north-western Romania, right in the city center at the Casino – the Center for Urban Culture an event will be taking place, which is supposed to bring together children, young people from disadvantaged categories, publishers from Romania and writers.

The event is called European Book Day and we are going to find out more on it from Bianca Mereuță, director of the Signatura publishing house and organizer of this event in Romania:

Bianca Mereuta: With European Book Day we intend to bring the young people closer to books in a manner as creative as possible, ways that young people may find interesting, pleasant and even funny so that they may see books as an alternative to multiple stimuli they face in everyday life and which are so exciting. European Book Day began in Austria, it was founded by our Austrian partners. It is a project co-funded by Erasmus+ in which five countries are staging events through which young people from vulnerable environments with limited access to cultural events and books may get into contact with authors, the world of books and education and with other young people. They may thus spend some good time together and share the joy of reading. The project is underway in four European countries and the fifth is the communicational partner of the entire concept. Like I said Austria is the initiator of the project and the event will be held in Romania on April 27th. It will be followed by the events in Sweden in May and it will come to an end in Germany in November. European Book Day is targeting the young people.

European Book Day is at the beginning, at its first edition and attendance is free. But what is the event like? And what exactly is going to happen during this event? Here is again Bianca Mereuță:

Bianca Mereuta: European Book Day wants to bring youngsters close to books, whet their appetite for reading. So, youngsters from disadvantaged categories and young people who have access to education and books from well-off families will meet and spend some good time together. Prior to the main event, with young people from disadvantaged categories we held a series of workshops of creative writing and art during which they managed to create literary works, which are going to be on display during the European Book Day. In this way we tried to show them that reading, books and creativity are available to everyone. Everybody can create and we all have the resources to create but in order to achieve this goal we must have a foundation of culture and the awareness of the importance of education. On April 27th starting 11:30, young people and adults alike, accompanied by children of course, are expected to join us at the Casino – the Urban Culture Center and enjoy a series of book-inspired events and we also hope that we are going to spend together a couple of good hours. Young people need to think outside the box and see beyond the easy alternatives they have to quickly satisfy their needs. They need to be aware of this long-term promise, that of education, which is easily done step by step but which is actually constructive for the personality of a human being.

At the end of our discussion Bianca Mereuță, organizer of European Book Day shared the future expectations in relation to this project.

Bianca Mereuta: We’d like to turn European Book Day into a multiannual event which reaches out to as many young people around Romania as possible. They need that. So, European Book Day will hopefully grow and have an impact in the hearts and minds of those coming to Cluj these days and linger in their memory. We hope they’ll understand the habit of daily reading.

We should also note that starting this year Romania has a National Reading Day, which is marked on February 15th as according to statistics the daily average time a Romanian spends reading is five minutes and most people read about a book a year. And in a country where 10% of its citizens are buying a book a year, the school plays an essential role in cultivating an apparently obsolete activity, reading as a way aimed at saving us from a superficial environment, where we are making decisions without thinking. Reading builds deep and solid connections inside the mind of the reader, be they children or adults, the Ministry of Education said, and on that day changed the school timetable so that students were able to enjoy one hour of reading in classes. Teachers recommended children to bring to school one of the books they liked and read from it in classrooms. The objective of this action was to promote daily reading as a habit.

(bill)

30 April 2022
The Beginning of the Summer Season in Romania

This weekend, which also marks the International
Workers’ Day with barbeques and parties the summer season officially kicks off
in Romania. Many Romanians are these days travelling to the seaside resorts on
the Black Sea coast, where over 100 hotels are expected to be open. According
to travel operators, after two years of pandemic, people are now appreciating
holidays more than ever as over 80% of the rooms have already been booked and
resorts are expected to be crowded this summer season.

Hotel owners believe that roughly 30 thousand
tourists are going to spend May Day at the seaside, most of them in the resorts
of Mamaia and Costinesti. Night clubs and the Sunwaves electronic music
festival in Mamaia resort are expected to be the main attractions for young
people these days, as well as the festivals of hip-hop&trap and rock music
in the resort of Costinesti.

Prices for a holiday in a seaside resort have risen
at least 15% and when demand is higher, in the month of August, for instance,
prices can get even higher, because as the tour operators have explained, like
in any market economy it is the supply and demand, which is setting the
price.

According to Romania’s Tourism Minister, Daniel
Cadariu, beaches in the seaside resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast have
been prepared to welcome tourists. They have been cleaned by the National
Administration ‘Romanian Waters’ and submitted to operators. According to
Minister Cadariu holiday vouchers, aimed at giving an impetus to local tourism,
are to soon make it to the employees of the state and some private companies.
Every institution decides whether to offer these vouchers or not, but they have
been urged to do it as soon as possible. Here is Tourism Minister Daniel
Cadariu with more on the issue.

Daniel Cadariu: In December
we passed an emergency ordinance, on which every institution based its budget,
so that they may get the right amount of money. Now it’s true that part of this
money has so far been spent on public procurement but according to figures
released last week, nearly 97 million lei have already been deposited into the accounts
of the beneficiaries.

The Minister has also announced that private
companies can also give holiday vouchers up to six minimum wages and aren’t
limited to the 1450 lei ceiling as the state companies. This could be a real
stimulus for their employees at a time of severe labour force crisis Minister Cadariu
went on to say.

(bill)

29 April 2022
March 8, 2022

COVID-19 Today is the last day
of the COVID-19 state of alert in Romania. The epidemic sees a declining trend
across the country, with the 5th wave of the pandemic close to the
end, president Klaus Iohannis said last week. Romania was on alert for nearly 2
years, beginning on May 15, 2020. Five pandemic waves hit the country during
this period, triggering protection measures, some of which will be lifted once
the state of alert has come to an end. Over these 2 years, says the Strategic
Communication Group, some 64,000 SARS-CoV-2 patients died in Romania. By
Monday, the country had seen roughly 2.78 million infection cases. The number
of new cases reported on Tuesday for the past 24 hours is around 5,500, with 101 related fatalities also
registered, 4 of them from a previous date.

UKRAINE Russia
has sent to Ukraine most of the forces it had deployed along the borders, with
a majority of the 150,000 Russian troops currently on Ukrainian territory, the
Pentagon says. On Tuesday, the 13th day of war, the Russian
offensive focuses on the capital Kyiv in the north and in the south, where
Moscow seeks control over the Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts. Russian ships
have changed position and are preparing a rocket attack on Odessa, Radio
Romania’s correspondent in the region reports, and mentions that local
authorities continue to urge citizens to leave the city, which is believed to
be a strategic target for the Russian invasion. Meanwhile, a new ceasefire
attempt has been announced for this morning, to enable civilians to leave
several cities that are under attack, including the capital Kyiv, where a
Russian attack is expected in the coming days. President Zelensky accused the
Russian army of preventing the evacuation of civilians, while the West
described Russia’s offer to secure humanitarian corridors only to Belarus and
Russia as cynical. Adjusting the corridors and their logistics was announced
last night, after the 3rd round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in
Belarus. Fresh talks are planned for the coming days, without an exact date
announced as yet. On Thursday, a meeting is scheduled in Antalya, Turkey, between
the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, also attended by Turkey’s
diplomacy chief and mediated by the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The
UN has also called for corridors in the Ukrainian battle zones, to deliver aid
to the civilians struggling with substantial shortages.

REFUGEES Nearly 30,000 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania in
the past 24 hours, according to the Romanian border police. Since the start of
the crisis a total of around 300,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.
Bucharest approved on Monday a new set of measures to support the refugees
coming from the neighbouring country, both children and adults, whose rights
the Romanian government will fully observe. The Ukrainian children in Romania
will have access to education at the same standards as Romanian children, the
elderly and the disabled will be able to request social services, and people
seeking a job here will be able to get employed.

RESOURCES The price of all raw materials has soared
around the world since the start of the war in Ukraine and in the context of
the sanctions against Russia. The most substantial price rises were reported
for natural gas, wheat, oil and uranium. Romania will have no natural gas
shortages if Russian imports are cut, and stocks will be restored this spring,
the authorities say. The energy minister Virgil Popescu says Romania has
alternative sources. According to analysts, Romania should begin storing
natural gas as soon as possible, and it should also move to increase the local
output.

STEEL The Târgovişte Special Steel Works in southern Romania
has been taken over by the Italian group Beltrame, one of the world’s leaders
in steel flat bars, local authorities have announced. According to the
investor, apart from revamping the plant, this year 200 new jobs will be
created, followed by another 1,000 in the next 5 years. The steel works,
privatised in 2002, was held by the Russian group Mechel, but was declared
bankrupt last year.

WOMEN
The rights of women and girls have been subject to alarming pressures over the
past year, Amnesty International warns. Events in 2021 and in the early months
of 2022 have conspired to crush the rights and dignity of millions of women and
girls, said Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard. In a
statement posted on International Women’s Day, Callamard pointed out that the
COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback on women’s rights in Afghanistan were among
the developments that had a disproportionate impact on the rights of women and
girls. She also listed in this respect the widespread sexual violence
characterizing the conflict in Ethiopia, attacks on abortion access in the US
and Turkey’s withdrawal from the landmark Istanbul Convention on Gender Based
Violence,” and called on governments to revoke the decisions that have
worsened the situation of women and girls. (A.M.P.)

8 March 2022
World Radio Day 2022 – Radio and Trust

According to UNESCO, “Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium. This unique ability to reach out the widest audience means radio can shape a societys experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard. Radio stations should serve diverse communities, offering a wide variety of programs, viewpoints and content, and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organizations and operations.”

Radio continues to be one of the most trusted and used media in the world, according to various international reports. The theme of the 2022 edition of World Radio Day is therefore devoted to “Radio and Trust”.

According to an EBU study conducted in September 2021, radio is the most reliable mass medium in Europe, ranking first in 65% of the countries surveyed. 58% of Europes population trusts the radio, which is the medium in which the difference between those who do and those who do not trust it (the net trust index) is +23. In contrast, the index is +9 for the print media, +6 for television, and -19 for the Internet and -49 for social media.

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UNESCO, said on World Radio Day that we are celebrating the independence and reliability of radio. We turn to radio, more than any other medium, when we need to be informed, as radio is the only medium that can reach everywhere, especially in the remotest of areas. During a pandemic, radio thus remains one of the safest ways to know what to do, without confusing controversies. “Radio is often the medium through which learning continues when schools are closed”, Azoulay said, concluding: “A medium over 100 years old, radio is today more relevant than ever. May it live on for many more years to come!” (tr. M.I.)

11 February 2022
January 14, 2022 UPDATE

ENERGY The
Romanian government is planning an emergency order within the coalition formed
by the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, to support the citizens affected by the
rise in electricity and natural gas prices. This announcement was made by prime
minister Nicolae Ciucă after a meeting of the three-party council for social
dialogue. He said protection measures will expand beyond 1st April based on a
special bill. Trade unions say electricity and natural gas prices should be
capped at the level of December 2020, before deregulation, both at the
producers’ end, and at the suppliers’ end, for at least another six months,
even a year. They say the cap should be uniform for the population and small
businesses.

FOREIGN POLICY The EU hopes to convince the Russian president Vladimir Putin through
dialogue to give up his intentions to attack Ukraine, but it is also preparing
tough sanctions to discourage Russia, the EU foreign ministers convening in
Brest, France concluded on Friday. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent
in Paris, the French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, whose country is
holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council, said Europeans are united
and determined to make their voice heard. The EU foreign ministers are
preparing sanctions against Moscow, and new talks on the matter are scheduled
to take place in Brussels on January 24. Romania was represented in Brest by
foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu who, according to the Foreign Ministry, pleaded
for a number of elements that best reflect Romania’s interests. He said the
EU’s partnership with NATO and the US must be clearly emphasised, and stressed
the importance of presenting appropriately the current security situation in
the Eastern Neighbourhood, including the Black Sea region.

COVID-19 Romania reported on Friday almost 9,900 new Covid cases, 60% more than a
week ago, as well as 30 deaths, including three recorded earlier. Some 450
Covid patients are in intensive care. 230 outpatient centres are now available
across the country for the persons infected with Covid to check their health
condition and receive free antiviral medicine based on daytime hospitalisation,
irrespective of whether they have health insurance. Health minister Alexandru
Rafila says it is very important for patients to use these centres, unless they
are in critical situation, thus lowering pressure on hospitals.

LIST The National Committee for Emergency Situations updated the list of
high COVID risk countries. All countries in the EU and the European Economic Area
remain in the red tier, along with non-EU countries like Turkey, Israel and the
US. South Africa, Brazil and India are no longer included in the red list. Among
Romania’s neighbouring countries Serbia is on the yellow list, whereas Ukraine
and the Republic of Moldova are now in the green tier. The new list takes
effect on January 16.

CULTURE DAY Romania’s National
Culture Day is again celebrated this year through numerous concerts,
performances, exhibitions, guided tours and workshops. We have a sacred
duty. To honour our personalities, our works of art and our national
heritage, said culture minister Lucian Romaşcanu, adding: I’m
encouraging all Romanians, of all ages, to continue to respect their history,
national identity and traditions, for they are the only visiting card that
never loses its currency. National Culture Day has been celebrated for
the last 12 years on 15th January, on the anniversary of the birth of national
poet Mihai Eminescu. As part of the programme of events held this year, the
Romanian Academy Friday hosted a special event attended by leading local
cultural figures. (tr. A.M.P., C.M.)

14 January 2022
December 18, 2021

VISIT The PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă will be on a visit to
Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, for talks with senior EU and NATO officials. According
to the Government, on Monday the Romanian PM will have a working dinner with
the president of the European Council Charles Michael. On Tuesday, Ciucă will
have meetings with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der
Leyen and with other EC members. The PM will also have a meeting with the
secretary general of NATO Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO headquarters.

BUDGET The
government of Romania passed a number of measures on which the 2022 public
budget is based. An emergency order freezing the salaries of public officials and
other public sector staff, with 2 exceptions, was endorsed by the Cabinet with
amendments compared to the version subject to public debate. The bill also
includes other measures, such as a low VAT rate only for the purchase of a
family’s first home. The new tax provisions, alongside the new Ceilings Act,
are the foundation of next year’s state budget, and are designed to reduce
expenditure and maintain the public deficit below 6.2% of GDP.

ANTI-CORRUPTION The government approved the 2021-2025 National
Anti-Corruption Strategy, the justice minister Cătălin Predoiu announced. He pointed
out that the document is a political commitment to support all institutions
involved in fighting corruption, and also a first goal met out of the ones
included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan in the judicial sector. Predoiu
added that the Strategy is correlated with international instruments to which
Romania is affiliated, such as GRECO and the Cooperation and Verification
Mechanism. The CVM was introduced in January 2007, upon Romania’s and Bulgaria’s EU accession, to support the 2
countries in overcoming deficiencies in judicial reform and in fighting
corruption.

BORDER Romanian border checkpoints are getting crowded these days,
as many Romanians living abroad are coming home for Christmas. Queuing is
reported at the checkpoints on Romania’s western borders, as apart from travel
documents the digital Covid certificates and the PCR tests must be checked. Crowding
was also reported on the Otopeni International Airport, near Bucharest. Hundreds
of people waited for a long time for the authorities to check their documents. On
Monday, an additional digital form will be introduced, to trace travellers. In order
to streamline border crossing, at the checkpoint in Giurgiu (south), the number
of border police will be increased by 20%.

MINORITIES Romania
celebrates on December 18 the Day of Ethnic Minorities. The president Klaus
Iohannis said on this occasion that ethnic minorities make an essential
contribution to social cohesion and that only together can a modern Romania be
built, with no place for racism, xenophobia and intolerance. Protecting cultural
heritage, including that of national minorities, is a priority for the Culture
Ministry, which treasures the culture of minorities as an element contributing
in the shaping of Romanian culture as we know it today, reads a news release
issued by the institution. As many as 18 ethnic minorities are officially
recognised in Romania at present, namely Hungarian, Rroma,
German, Ukrainian, Russian, Lipovan, Jewish, Turk, Tatar, Armenian, Bulgarian,
Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Slovakian, Polish, Greek, Albanian and Italian.

COVID 733 new COVID-19 cases and 64 related fatalities were
reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, the authorities announced on
Saturday. The coordinator of the vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, announced
on the other hand that the number of people requesting their first doses of anti
Sars-CoV-2 vaccine is on the decrease. He detailed that the number of people
who get their first vaccine doses drops by 15-25% from one week to the next. Valeriu Gheorghiţă also said that Romania
might receive Pfizer vaccine children doses next month, and the vaccination of
children aged 5 to 11 may begin in the second half of January. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

18 December 2021