Radio România Internațional

Tag: death

  • The ‘Hero of Seville’ dies

    The ‘Hero of Seville’ dies

    The legendary football goalkeeper Helmut Duckadam, winner of the European Champions Cup in 1986 with Steaua Bucharest, died at the age of 65, the Romanian sports press announces. He has faced several health problems in recent years and in September 2024 he underwent open heart surgery. Born on April 1, 1959, in Semlac, Arad, in a family of Swabians (ethnic Germans from western Romania), Duckadam made his debut in 1978 in Division A, with the county’s flagship team, UTA. After four seasons, he was transferred to Steaua Bucharest, a departmental club, patronized by the Defense Ministry, according to a Soviet model followed at the time by all the countries behind the former Iron Curtain.

     

    Duckadam was nicknamed the “Hero of Seville” after, on May 7, 1986, in the final of the European Champions Cup with FC Barcelona, ​​he saved all four of Barcelona’s penalty kicks as Steaua won the shootout 2-0, after the final finished 0-0 after extra time. In the shootout, Marius Lăcătuș and Gavrilă Balint scored for the Romanian champions. With a team made up exclusively of Romanian footballers, Steaua Bucharest was the first team from a communist country to win the most important continental interclub football trophy. Other footballers in that team that achieved that unique performance in the history of Romanian football and who have passed away in the meantime are the midfielder Lucian Bălan and the defender Ilie Bărbulescu. Duckadam’s performance was registered in the Book of Records. But, barely reaching the heights of glory, health problems forced him to give up professional football for good at only 27 years old. Three years after the final in Seville, in 1989, Duckadam returned to the field, for the last two seasons, at division B Vagonul Arad. All in all, he has 133 participations in Division A, 13 in the Romanian Cup and 9 in the European Champions Cup. His record includes two national champion titles, one continental champion and a Romanian Cup title.

     

    There is life after football, and Duckadam joined the Border Police in his hometown of Semlac. He was a major in the Police, from where he retired due to illness. In 2003, the former goalkeeper won the Visa Lottery, receiving the right to legally emigrate to the United States, but he shortly returned home. For a decade, Duckadam held the position of image president at the FCSB club in Bucharest. He was declared an honorary citizen of Bucharest, and the Presidency of Romania awarded him the “Sports Merit” Order. In recent years, Helmut Duckadam had become a sports analyst at a specialized channel in Bucharest. In the shows, he was always warm, chatty, with a good dose of humor, he preferred praise to criticism, never got angry and was incapable of offending anyone. At the news of the death of this gentle giant, his colleagues said, together with the entire Romanian football world: Thank you, Helmut! (LS)

  • February 17, 2024 UPDATE

    February 17, 2024 UPDATE

    Navalny – On Friday evening, hundreds of people gathered in Europe and the USA, in front of the Russian embassies, to pay tribute to Alexei Navalny, the number one opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow announced, on the same day, the death of Navalny, at the age of 47, in a penitentiary colony in the Arctic, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence. In Russia, a human rights organization said that more than 100 people were detained at rallies in memory of the Russian dissident. Most of those arrested are from St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown. At political level, dignitaries from all over the world, including Romania, expressed their sadness and concern over the death of Alexei Navalny. The international community has lost a brave fighter for freedom and rights, said the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, who asked Russia for a transparent and comprehensive investigation. The Romanian Foreign Ministry condemned the repeated violations of international law by the Russian regime and reiterated the importance of observing fundamental human rights and freedoms without delay.

     

    Elections – The leaders of the governing coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party – PSD and the National Liberal Party – PNL resume, on Sunday, the negotiations regarding the possible merging of the elections that are scheduled this year in Romania. If an agreement is not reached, the elections will be organized on time, said the social-democratic PM Marcel Ciolacu. The liberals insist on holding the elections for the European Parliament together with the ones for the local public administration, on June 9. The arguments put forward are the reduction of expenses and a greater voter turnout. The social democrats demand a clear calendar for the entire electoral year and propose, in addition, to merge the parliamentary elections with the second round of the presidential election. The opposition claims that the discussions on the issue of merging the elections do nothing but distract the attention of Romanians from the real problems of the coalition government.

     

    Polo – Romania’s national men’s polo team is going to the Olympic Games in Paris, the international specialized federation, World Aquatics, announced on Saturday. Romania ended this month’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on 10th position, and only the presence among the top eight would have ensured its qualification to the Olympic Games. South Africa, which was qualified as the best team on its continent, has withdrawn from the Paris Olympics. Thus, Romania, the best-ranked team among the unqualified teams, climbed the Olympic table. Polo is the only team sport with Romanian participation in the Olympics. At the World Cup, the Romanian national team was defeated in the group by Hungary, score 15-8, by Italy score 16-10 and won against Kazakhstan score 25-3. It then lost in the quarter-final playoff 9-12 to Montenegro, and in the qualifying matches it defeated China 9-7 and lost to the USA 13-9. Last month, Romania finished 8th in the European Championships in Croatia.

     

    BUCHAREST – Romania’s national rugby team was defeated by the Portuguese team, 49-24, on Saturday, in Bucharest, in their last match in Group B of the Rugby Europe Championship, the second continental competition, after the famous Six Nations Tournament. In the first two matches, Romania defeated Poland 20-8 (away from home) and Belgium 33-18 (at home). In the semifinals (March 2-3), Romania will play away from home against Georgia, the winner of Group A, while Portugal will play Spain on home ground.

     

    Munich – The G7 countries’ foreign ministers discussed on Saturday, under the Italian presidency, the international crises: the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the situation in the Red Sea and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the continuation of the support given by the G7 countries to Kyiv. The meeting is organized as part of the Munich Security Conference (February 16-18). The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, is also attending the conference in southern Germany. Romania and Estonia share common values ​​and similar concerns regarding regional security, said Minister Tîlvăr, who met, on the sidelines of the Conference, with his Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur. He also had a meeting with James Mattis, former American Secretary of Defense, an opportunity for the two to reiterate the need to continue bilateral efforts in order to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security and deepen the Romania-US Strategic Partnership. In Munich, on Friday, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Ms. Luminiţa Odobescu, pleaded, in turn, for maintaining the multidimensional international support granted to Ukraine.

     

    Paris – The Ukrainian and French presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron signed, on Friday evening, a security agreement between their countries, which also provides for the supply of ammunition. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, France will support Ukraine not only to defend itself, but also in the fight against external interference, in the protection of civil infrastructures, in counterintelligence and espionage, in cyber security and in the fight against organized crime. In the press conference held after the signing of the agreement, President Macron stated that the future accession of Ukraine to the European Union and NATO will mean a useful contribution to the peace and security of the continent. For his part, President Zelensky expressed hope that the security agreements signed with France and, earlier on the same day, with Germany, after the one with Great Britain last month, will also give an impetus to the United States to continue providing aid to Ukraine. (LS)

  • February 17, 2024

    February 17, 2024

    Navalny – On Friday evening, hundreds of people gathered in Europe and the USA, in front of the Russian embassies, to pay tribute to Alexei Navalny, the number one opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow announced, on the same day, the death of Navalny, at the age of 47, in a penitentiary colony in the Arctic, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence. In Russia, a human rights organization said that more than 100 people were detained at rallies in memory of the Russian dissident. Most of those arrested are from St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown. At political level, dignitaries from all over the world, including Romania, expressed their sadness and concern over the death of Alexei Navalny. The international community has lost a brave fighter for freedom and rights, said the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, who asked Russia for a transparent and comprehensive investigation. The Romanian Foreign Ministry condemned the repeated violations of international law by the Russian regime and reiterated the importance of observing fundamental human rights and freedoms without delay.

     

    Munich – The G7 countries’ foreign ministers are discussing today, under the Italian presidency, the international crises: the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the situation in the Red Sea and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the continuation of the support given by the G7 countries to Kyiv. The meeting is organized as part of the Munich Security Conference (February 16-18). The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, is also attending the conference in southern Germany. Romania and Estonia share common values ​​and similar concerns regarding regional security, said Minister Tîlvăr, who met, on the sidelines of the Conference, with his Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur. He also had a meeting with James Mattis, former American Secretary of Defense, an opportunity for the two to reiterate the need to continue bilateral efforts in order to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security and deepen the Romania-US Strategic Partnership. In Munich, on Friday, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Ms. Luminiţa Odobescu, pleaded, in turn, for maintaining the multidimensional international support granted to Ukraine.

     

    Paris – The Ukrainian and French presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron signed, on Friday evening, a security agreement between their countries, which also provides for the supply of ammunition. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, France will support Ukraine not only to defend itself, but also in the fight against external interference, in the protection of civil infrastructures, in counterintelligence and espionage, in cyber security and in the fight against organized crime. In the press conference held after the signing of the agreement, President Macron stated that the future accession of Ukraine to the European Union and NATO will mean a useful contribution to the peace and security of the continent. For his part, President Zelensky expressed hope that the security agreements signed with France and, earlier on the same day, with Germany, after the one with Great Britain last month, will also give an impetus to the United States to continue providing aid to Ukraine.

     

    Rugby – Romania’s national rugby team meets, today, in Bucharest, the team of Portugal, in Group B of the Rugby Europe Championship 2024. In its first games, Romania defeated Poland 20-8 (away from home) and Belgium 33-18 (at home). With two victories from as many matches played, the Romanians are on first place in the group, having the chance, depending on the results of the last round, to play the semi-final on home ground. After the group matches, the semi-finals are scheduled for the weekend of March 2-3, and the finals will take place on March 17, in Paris.

     

    Customs – Special lanes dedicated to trucks registered in the European Union were opened at the Nădlac II and Borş II customs offices, in western Romania, after a similar lane had become functional in the Calafat customs office, in the south. Thus, Romanian trucks will have priority over those from Ukraine or Turkey, said the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, on Friday, at the Government meeting. He pointed out that the lane for trucks from the EU will also exist in the Giurgiu customs office (south). The Prime Minister mentioned that this is one of the measures by which the Government responds to the requests of transporters, who have recently protested throughout the country.(LS)

  • “Maxim Dumitraș – Son and Father” Exhibition

    “Maxim Dumitraș – Son and Father” Exhibition

    In early December, the Pavel Șușară Modern and
    Contemporary Art Museum in Bucharest (MAMCO) hosted the opening of an
    exhibition bringing two generations into a dialogue. The exhibition, entitled Maxim
    Dumitraș – Son and Father, is curated by Pavel Șușară and Dalina Bădescu, and
    will be open until the beginning of February 2024. We asked one of its curators
    about the significance of this exhibition in the contemporary art landscape and
    about what makes it unique in Romania:


    Pavel Șușară:
    Indeed, it is a special-even more than special-event. It is unique in that
    such an exhibition is impossible to organise again: even if in principle someone
    could retrace the same scenario, the characters that made this exhibition
    possible would be missing. It is an art exhibition, at a basic, superficial
    level, and obviously we have all the art’s conventions present, we have
    painting, graphic art, sculpture, all the classical genres, but what makes it
    unique is its human content, its birth and its development, its substance. It
    showcases the last period in the life of Max Dumitraș’s father, who, in order
    to alleviate his loneliness and fears, was asked by Max to draw lines over a number of compositions by Max Dumitraș. What seemed to be a stereotypical
    kind of work and a routine movement grew into a form of shelter from anxieties,
    from loneliness, from the imminence of death which he obviously felt coming. It
    became a sort of curtain, a sort of fence separating his world and the world
    beyond, which was the world shaped and created by Max. But with these lines, Max’s
    father created a protective screen, where he was safe from his own fears, and
    with time, this fence became a sort of radiograph or a map of his physical and
    psychological state. The lines become more and more faltering, less precise, more
    and more fluid, until eventually it becomes completely random and unnatural. So
    this makes the exhibition a meditation on life and death, a sort of redemption through
    art, a kind of therapy for one’s dreads, a space where the certainty of
    existing is still meaningful. It is yet another certainty.



    We also asked Pavel Șușară what place does the
    artist Maxim Dumitraș hold in Romanian contemporary art:

    Pavel Șușară: He is an institution. Apart from having
    created institutions, Maxim Dumitraș is an institution himself, in what he
    achieved and in how he created events around him, organised symposiums,
    arranged a natural space, some ravines which he turned into residences and work
    areas for artists. And he did not embellish nature, he did not introduce
    artificial elements in a natural setting, but integrated art in a natural
    setting, thus proving that art in general, creation, is not separated from the
    world for which we are not responsible, but rather a form of continuity and a
    form of noticing its harmony.


    Pavel Șușară also told us about the plans MAMCO has
    for the year 2024:


    Pavel Șușară: We have already scheduled exhibitions
    for the entire year. We have a joint project with the Art Biennale in Plovdiv,
    Bulgaria and we are partners in 2024. There will be 10 Romanian artists showing
    their works there. Towards the end of the year we will have the miniature
    salon, which we have turned into a biennale. All in all, we have some 6-7
    exhibitions scheduled for next year.


    In turn, the artist Maxim Dumitraș also gave us details
    about the process behind this project completed together with his father in the
    latter’s last years of life:


    Maxim Dumitraș: I started it 8 years ago, I worked
    with my father. He worked on the composition’s vertical axis, I worked on the
    colour. We intervened and we worked together on these items, which are in fact
    some canes which turned into something else over time, just like the father
    line. They turned into objects that must be touched, we called them objects of
    better. I worked on some 150 drawings with my father, we made some books
    called Bags of dreams, in which he also made the lines and I did the colour. Between
    the ages of 71 and 92, he was my apprentice in the atelier every day. When he
    was younger, I used to be his apprentice, then we switched roles and he became
    the creator-apprentice. He was a sort of philosopher, a person of exceptional
    fairness and elegance.


    At the end of the interview, Maxim Dumitraș told us
    about his accomplishments in 2023:


    Maxim Dumitraș: I always try to simplify things, but
    every year they get more and more complicated. I made a monumental sculpture,
    some 15 tonnes in weight. I had an exhibition in Bistrița and several other
    projects in Sângeorz-Băi. It was a very prolific year, so to say. (AMP)

  • August 20, 2023 UPDATE

    August 20, 2023 UPDATE

    Working meeting – The heads of state and government from South-Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, including the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, will participate tomorrow, in Athens, in a working meeting organized at the initiative of Greece. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, will participate in the discussions. The Romanian government says that the discussions will focus on the development of regional cooperation in South-Eastern Europe, as well as on the challenges raised by the developments of the conflict in Ukraine on the states participating in the dialogue in Athens.



    Cooperation – One of Romanias objectives in the coming period is to re-conquer the traditional markets with Asian countries, such as Singapore, Vietnam and Japan – says the Economy Minister, Radu Oprea. In a press conference, Radu Oprea emphasized that the Romanian economy must take advantage of the markets and trade agreements signed by the European Union with Asian countries. The Economy Minister added that in October a joint committee meeting with South Korea will be held, and in November – the one with Vietnam, two countries with very high collaboration potential, both by attracting technology through investments in Romania, and by exporting, in the case Romanian companies.



    Inflation – Last month Romania registered one of the highest annual inflation rates in the European Union, 9.4%, show official data of the EU statistics. According to EUROSTAT, Romania ranked fifth, although the index was measured with a single digit. On first place is Hungary, with an inflation rate of 17.5%, followed by Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic, all with over 10%. The lowest annual inflation rate was in Belgium, 1.7%. Compared to June, EUROSTAT also shows, the annual inflation rate decreased in 19 member countries of the European Union, including Romania.



    Festival – The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, known throughout the world for its New Years concert, is coming to Bucharest, at the “George Enescu” Festival. The Viennese orchestra will perform two concerts at Sala Palatului – the Palace Hall in Bucharest, on September 10 and 11, according to the official program of the event. The festival will start in two weeks time, on August 27, with a recital by the “George Enescu” Philharmonic, with Cristian Măcelaru as conductor. The Royal Orchestra “Concertgebouw” from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the National Orchestra of France and the London Symphony Orchestra will also come to Bucharest.



    Ukraine – The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said in an interview given to the Spanish newspaper “El Pais” that he does not believe that giving up military aid to Ukraine will lead to peace. Josep Borrell added that Europe was doing everything possible to achieve peace negotiations that should recognize that “there is an aggressor and a victim.” The European official noted, on the other hand, that were it not for the conflict in Ukraine, it would take years for Kyiv to join the EU and he emphasized that this conflict pushed Ukraine towards the EU, where Russia did not want to see it.



    Ukraine – Ukraine will receive 42 F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday. The US, which produces the devices, has agreed to their transfer to the Ukrainian army. The Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that one of the conditions for the delivery of the aircraft is the successful completion of the military training and the testing of the Ukrainian personnel who will operate them. He also said that training will begin soon and will last at least six months. On Sunday, Zelenski visited the Eindhoven military base in the Netherlands, in the south of the country, to discuss the delivery of F-16 aircraft with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.



    Volleyball – Romania lost to Switzerland, 3-2, on Saturday evening, in Monza (Italy), in a Group B match of the European Womens Volleyball Championship – CEV EuroVolley 2023. The Romanian national team was coming after a 3 -1 victory against Croatia and a defeat by Italy, score 0-3. Romania will play against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday and against Bulgaria on Tuesday. The first four ranked teams in the group qualify for the round of 16 of the European Championship. CEV EuroVolley 2023 takes place between August 15 and September 3 in four countries, Belgium, Italy, Estonia and Germany. Romanias best result at a European Womens Championship was recorded in 1963, when the Romanian volleyball players won bronze on home ground.



    Academician – PhD Professor Constantin Bălăceanu-Stolnici, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, has passed away. On July 6, he had turned 100 years old. A neurologist by profession, a pioneer in the field of neuro-cybernetics, Bălăceanu-Stolnici wrote over 25 books and published hundreds of scientific works. After 1989, he supported the development of private education in Romania, he was among the founders of the Ecological University of Bucharest, where he taught courses in neuropsychology and the anatomy of the nervous system. Constantin Bălăceanu-Stolnici was considered the last authentic member of the old aristocracy in Romania, the last descendant of the Bălăceni family. In 2007, the National Council for the Study of the Securitate (Political Police) Archives decided that Bălăceanu-Stolnici was a collaborator of the communist political police, and the academician admitted that he had signed informative notes for the Securitate.



    Borders – The number of people who entered Romania through the Isaccea border crossing point, located on the eastern border with Ukraine, doubled, after Russia began the attack on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube, on July 24. In the last month, about 41,000 people entered Romania through Isaccea cross-border point, compared to almost 26,000 in the same period last year. The Romanian Coast Guard reported that these figures ​​are mainly caused by the doubling of ferry transport capacity across the Danube. According to it, if in 2022 ferry rides from one country to another took place every three hours, in this period the rides are at an interval of one and a half hours. At the same time, freight transport through Isaccea increased significantly compared to the same period last year. (LS)


  • December 31, 2022 UPDATE

    December 31, 2022 UPDATE


    NEW YEAR PM Nicolae Ciucă said in his New Year address on Saturday that in 2022 Romanians proved their solidarity, handled challenges “hard to imagine” and managed to do more than just endure. He mentioned the crisis facing Romania, with a war at its borders, high energy prices and skyrocketing inflation. The PM emphasised that the government would continue to protect citizens interests, to support the economy and take care of the vulnerable. In turn, the Royal House of Romania wished “A happy new year, with health, hope and peace in their hearts” to all Romanians in the country, in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova and abroad.



    MEASURES In Romania, the pension point value will be raised by 12.5% as of January 1, to reach nearly EUR 360, and minimum wages will be increased to EUR 600. On the other hand, the 10-eurocent governmental discount on fuel prices will be discontinued. The government says it is ready to reintroduce it, should fuel prices rise beyond citizens spending power. As of January 1, fuel excises will be cut down, while electricity and natural gas price caps and discounts will remain in place.



    JUDICIARY The year 2023 must see a crackdown on organised crime and criminal groups, Justice Ministry officials posted on Saturday on the institutions Facebook page. According to them, Romania has the legislation, institutions and modern strategies to achieve this goal. What it needs is more investment in logistics and leaders able to encourage all prosecutors to undertake and accomplish their critical social mission of safeguarding the law and protecting citizens and the state from all forms of crime, the Justice Ministry emphasised. The message also says that the Ministrys top accomplishment in 2022 was its contribution to Romania being issued a last positive report under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in the judiciary and the lifting of this mechanism.



    POPE European leaders paid tribute to Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday, aged 95. The president of France Emmanuel Macron praised him for his work towards a “more brotherly world”. Former Pope Benedict XVI was a “giant of faith and reason” and “a great figure in history, that history will never forget”, Italys PM Giorgia Meloni said in turn. The British PM Rishi Sunak voiced his sadness with the former Popes death, and praised him as a “great theologian.” Germanys chancellor Olaf Scholz also said that with the death of Benedict XVI, the world lost “a formative figure” of the Catholic Church. “He had set a strong signal through his resignation. He saw himself first as a servant for God and his Church,” the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen posted. The former Pope spent his last 9 years of life in the monastery within the small papal state. Elected on April 19, 2005, following the death of Pope John Paul II, he was the first German leader of the Catholic Church in 482 years. On February 11, 2013 Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the papacy, on account of his age and ill health. Joseph Ratzinger was the first Pope since the Middle Ages to step down voluntarily.



    ECONOMY Romania has the most stable economy in the region and ends the year 2022 with an over 5% economic growth rate, the finance minister Adrian Câciu posted on social media. He warned however that 2023 will be a difficult year, still marked by inflation and requiring the best use of public policy instruments for investments, reforms and supporting vulnerable categories. Adrian Câciu also emphasised the political stability and the sound partnership between the government and social and economic stakeholders. (AMP)


  • December 31, 2022

    December 31, 2022

    NEW YEAR PM
    Nicolae Ciucă said in his New Year address on Saturday that in 2022 Romanians
    proved their solidarity, handled challenges hard to imagine and managed to do
    more than just endure. He mentioned the crisis facing Romania, with a war at
    its borders, high energy prices and skyrocketing inflation. The PM emphasised
    that the government would continue to protect citizens’ interests, to support
    the economy and take care of the vulnerable. In turn, the Royal House of
    Romania wished A happy new year, with health, hope and peace in their hearts
    to all Romanians in the country, in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova and
    abroad.


    MEASURES In
    Romania, the pension point value will be raised by 12.5% as of January 1, to
    reach nearly EUR 360, and minimum wages will be increased to EUR 600. On the
    other hand, the 10-eurocent governmental discount on fuel prices will be
    discontinued. The government says it is ready to reintroduce it, should fuel
    prices rise beyond citizens’ spending power. As of January 1, fuel excises will
    be cut down, while electricity and natural gas price caps and discounts will
    remain in place.


    JUDICIARY The
    year 2023 must see a crackdown on organised crime and criminal groups, Justice
    Ministry officials posted on Saturday on the institution’s Facebook page. According
    to them, Romania has the legislation, institutions and modern strategies to
    achieve this goal. What it needs is more investment in logistics and leaders
    able to encourage all prosecutors to undertake and accomplish their critical
    social mission of safeguarding the law and protecting citizens and the state
    from all forms of crime, the Justice Ministry emphasised. The message also says
    that the Ministry’s top accomplishment in 2022 was its contribution to Romania
    being issued a last positive report under the Cooperation and Verification
    Mechanism in the judiciary and the lifting of this mechanism.


    POPE Pope emeritus
    Benedict XVI died this morning, aged 95, the Vatican announced. Over the past
    few days his health had deteriorated, AFP reports. The former Pope spent his
    last 9 years of life in the monastery within the small papal state, after
    resigning in 2013, for reasons that are still unclear. Elected on April 19,
    2005, following the death of Pope John Paul II, he was the first German leader
    of the Catholic Church in 482 years. On February 11, 2013 Benedict XVI
    announced his resignation from the papacy, on account of his age and ill health.
    Joseph Ratzinger was the first Pope since the Middle Ages to step down
    voluntarily.


    FUNDING
    Romania this year received the green light for the partnership agreement and
    all the 16 programmes under the 2021-2027 cohesion policy, thus avoiding the
    risk of losing EUR 5.2 bln, the ministry for investments and European projects
    announced. According to the institution, these 16 programmes will bring into
    the country EUR 46 bln in strategic investments in safer hospitals, transport
    networks, the water and sewage infrastructure and support for the business
    community. Eight of the 16 programmes are regional. In the previous EU financial
    period, 2014-2020, Romania received EU funds totaling EUR 25.4 bln. (AMP)

  • September 9, 2022 UPDATE

    September 9, 2022 UPDATE

    QUEEN The death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in
    English history, brought her eldest son Charles to the throne. He will reign
    as King Charles III. The protocol for proclaiming a new monarch provides for
    the speedy convening of an Accession Council made up of high-ranking
    politicians, bishops of the Anglican Church, together with secular
    representatives of the Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, aged 96,
    at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She is to be brought to London, at Westminster
    Hall, and the public will have a few days to say goodbye. The funerals will
    take place at Westminster Abbey, the church where British kings are crowned.
    The BBC notes that the last funeral of a monarch at Westminster Abbey took
    place in the 18th century. After the funeral, to be attended by heads of state
    and government from around the world, the Queen will be taken to Windsor Castle
    and buried in the Saint George Chapel within its premises. The president of Romania, Klaus
    Iohannis, sent a condolence message to King Charles III. He will be officially
    proclaimed king in a ceremony to be held on Saturday, Buckingham Palace announced.


    DEFICIT Romania’s trade balance deficit in the first 7 months of this year
    increased by almost EUR 5.9 billion, to EUR 18.77 billion, as exports rose by
    23.9% and imports increased by 29%, according to data provided by the National Statistics
    Institute, made public on Friday. Between January and July 2022, exports totalled
    EUR 52.67 billion, and imports EUR 71.44 billion. On the other hand, net
    investments in the national economy totalled EUR 11 billion in the first 6
    months of this year, down 0.8% compared to the similar period in 2021, NSI data
    show.


    ENERGY The Romanian Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, attended a special
    meeting of the EU Energy Council in Brussels on Friday, in the context of
    EU-wide discussions over the rise in energy prices. At the meeting, Romania
    supported measures such as capping Russian natural gas prices, a platform for
    the joint purchase of natural gas by the EU, and access to credit lines for
    companies with the European Central Bank, the Energy Ministry said. Romania
    also emphasised the importance of activating the EU Energy Platform for the
    joint procurement of natural gas, so as to ensure fair distribution of the
    additional gas and LNG procured by the Union. While in Brussels, Virgil Popescu
    had a bilateral meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart. Hristov Rossen. The two
    discussed the importance of regional cooperation for the joint purchase of
    natural gas, as well as for ensuring increased energy stability in the region.
    In another move, in Bucharest, energy operators have called on the Government
    to reconsider the order issued last week, which provides for capping and
    compensation of gas and electricity bills, as well as for over taxation of
    companies in the field. The Association of Energy Suppliers warns that the
    document was developed without consulting the participants in the field, thus
    jeopardizing the security of gas and electricity supply to consumers.


    COHESION The Romanian Government has adopted measures concerning one-third
    of the cohesion fund, amounting to EUR 16 billion, the Minister for Investment
    and European Projects, Marcel Bolos, has announced. He has explained that the
    money can be used to access and develop investment projects in transport
    infrastructure, health, water supply and waste management. Under the cohesion
    policy, Romania has a EUR 43 billion budget until December 31st, 2029, the
    minister has stated. The projects mainly focus on the building of 600 km of motorway
    and 3 regional emergency hospitals, in Craiova, Iasi and Cluj-Napoca.


    AID The European Commission has approved a EUR 4 bln aid scheme for
    Romania, in order to support businesses in all sectors in the context of the
    invasion of Ukraine by Russia. According to the EC, Romania’s aid scheme is
    necessary, adequate and proportionate to remedy a serious disruption to a
    member state’s economy, in accordance with EU state aid rules. Under this
    measure, the aid will take the form of guarantees for loans, with a maximum
    budget of EUR 3.6 billion, with the balance to be provided in direct grants.
    Support under the scheme will be granted until 31 December 2022 at the latest.


    TENNIS The Romanian tennis players Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu, ranking
    37 and 42 in the world, respectively, take part in the first edition of Ţiriac
    Foundation Trophy, held between the 10th and 18th
    September in Bucharest. The 2 players received wild cards from the organisers,
    and their current world rankings makes them seed no 1 and 2 in the tournament
    hosted by the Romanian capital city. Ţiriac Foundation Trophy is a WTA 125 tournament
    organised by the Romanian Tennis Federation and supported by the Ţiriac
    Foundation and the Sports Ministry. The main draw includes 32 players, and the
    doubles competition involves another 16. They compete for USD 115,000 in total
    prize money and 160 points in the WTA ranking. (AMP)

  • Reactions to the Queen’s Death

    Reactions to the Queen’s Death

    The news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96 and at the end of a 70-year reign, has saddened the entire world. “The end of an era” – this is how the passing of the longest-serving monarch of Great Britain is described. Elisabeth became Queen in 1952, aged 25, following the death of her father, King George VI. The Prime Minister of Great Britain at the time was Winston Churchill, and the Soviet Union was still led by Joseph Stalin. During her reign – one of the longest in European history – the Queen met 13 of the 14 American presidents who were her contemporaries and witnessed events that marked the history of her country and of mankind, from the moment of the moon landing and the end of the Cold War, to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the exit of Great Britain from the EU.



    “Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign” said the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, who was sworn in by the former sovereign just a few days ago. Heads of state and government and personalities from around the world mourned the Queens death and evoked her personality. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, showed that the Queen was extremely admired for the grace, dignity and devotion shown to the world.



    Reactions also came from the United States, Britains closest partner. The White House said that “the thoughts and prayers of people all across the United States are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief.” Also, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, wrote that “our thoughts are with the royal family and all those who mourn Queen Elizabeth II in the UK and worldwide”.



    Romania joins the British people and the British Royal Family in mourning the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the authorities in Bucharest say. In his message of condolences, President Klaus Iohannis emphasized that the reign of Queen Elizabeth II represents an exceptional symbol of loyalty and commitment to the public service. And the press office of the Custodian of the Crown of Romania said that that Her Majesty, Margareta, and His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, together with the entire royal family, learned with great pain the news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.



    The special connection between the kings of Romania and those of Great Britain began almost a century ago, the grandmother of Queen Marie of Romania being Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the former sovereign of Romania, Mihai I were third-degree cousins. At the same time, King Mihai of Romania and the Prince Consort Philip, who was married to Queen Elizabeth for 74 years, were cousins, born on the same day.



    The Queens eldest son, who has now automatically become King Charles III, fell in love with Transylvania on his first visit to Romania in 1998. Since then, he has constantly returned to Romania, where he owns around 10 properties, the most famous being at Viscri, the Transylvanian village that has become famous throughout Europe thanks to him. The area has acquired a fantastic tourist potential, especially after the release, in 2011, of the documentary Wild Carpathia, in which, the then Crown Prince Charles is a true ambassador of Romania. (LS)

  • The pandemic and its aftermath in Romania

    The pandemic and its aftermath in Romania

    2022 is, among
    other things, the year of the housing census of the population in Romania. Initially,
    the housing census was scheduled for 2021, but it was postponed because of the
    pandemic. We are still waiting for the final data, to be compared with the data
    collected in the previous housing census carried in 2011. Meanwhile, we have
    had a look at the current statistics which sadly point to a worrying condition
    of the country’s birth and mortality rates.


    According to statistics, the number
    of the newly-born has stayed relatively constant during the pandemic. It was
    small, anyway. However, the mortality rate has soared. In 2021, irrespective of
    the death cause, the total number of the deceased Romanians went over 334
    thousand, that is 27% more than for the timeframe previous to the pandemic. All
    told, the mortality rate’s exceeding figure during the two years of the
    pandemic went over 100 thousand people. Concurrently, in Romania, in 2020, the reported
    number of the newborn accounted for 40 thousand less infants than in 2019.


    Dr Vasile
    Ghetau is a sociologist and demography expert. He told us that in that period
    of time the fewest children in the last hundred years were born. Which means
    that the natural growth rate, made of the difference between the number of the
    newborn and the number of the deceased, is still negative and only speeds up
    the natural decline.

    Dr Vasile Ghetau: The
    natural decline of the population before the pandemic, in 2019, accounted for
    71 thousand inhabitants. In 2020, the natural decline went up to 120,000, while
    the data for the first 11 months of 2021 point to a significant increase in the
    number of deaths, with the natural decline reaching almost 150,000 inhabitants.
    If we also take the month of December into account, last year we’re highly likely
    to have witnessed an appalling natural decline, of 160-170 thousand people in
    one year alone. It is an appalling figure as compared to the country’s
    population, accounting for 19 million people.


    Here
    is Dr Vasile Ghetau once again, this time speaking about the causes of the high
    mortality rate across the country.


    Dr Vasile Ghetau: The increase in the number of deaths in 2020
    and mostly in 2021 has the COVID-19 infection as its cause only in a moderate
    proportion. The deaths have been on the rise, specifically, because of the circulatory
    system conditions and of the respiratory system conditions other than COVID. This
    increase did have something to do with the pandemic, nonetheless. However,
    research studies on that are still in progress. For instance, it has been
    unanimously acknowledged that in the case of the circulatory system diseases, social
    isolation under quarantine circumstances led up to a reported growing number of
    deaths among the elderly, against the backdrop of the pandemic. As for the
    respiratory system conditions other than COVID, if we examine some of the data,
    we can see the mortality rate has grown because of pneumonia. Perhaps the general
    context of the pandemic has something to do with the characteristics of that
    virus, yet the final data, when they are provided, will offer a very accurate
    image of the mortality as a whole, in keeping with the specific causes of deaths.
    Then we can accurately measure where the COVID-generated mortality stands,
    against the backdrop of mortality as a whole.


    Until
    then,
    we can measure the immediate aftermath of mortality in recent years.

    Dr Vasile
    Ghetau    : Mortality
    rate in October and November was on the rise, and its outcome was a decline in the
    level of life expectancy at birth, which was something predictable. So, for a
    whole year, life expectancy at birth for the entire population, male and
    female, in Romania, stands at almost 76 years. Data for the first 11 months of
    the last year point to a life expectancy rate which is three years shorter, therefore
    standing at 73 years. And, if to all that we add the month of December, life expectancy
    is highly likely to stand at 72 years. A four-year decline in life expectancy,
    that is whopping. Of course, other countries are also very likely to experience
    a rather high rate of pandemic-generated mortality that may lead to a setback
    in life expectancy. Yet we’re speaking about much smaller values than those
    reported for Romania in 2020 and those that have been quite clearly outlined
    for 2021.




    Here
    is sociologist Dr Vasile Ghetau once again, this time proving that these
    figures only make an even clearer representation of a phenomenon that has
    been ongoing for quite some time now: the new generations that have been born
    in Romania no longer provide the replacement level for the population as a
    whole.


    Dr Vasile Ghetau: In order for the population to grow or at least stay the same, for a simple
    replacement, one single woman will have to give birth to two children, in her
    life. It only takes two children for a primary population replacement process to occur.
    If, on average, more than two children are born, the population is likely to
    grow, so we’re going to have more than the numerical replacement level. However,
    in Romania, the last generation to have provided for itself the genetic
    replacement is the one born in 1961. All the subsequent generations had a final
    descendance rate lower than two children for one single woman. The more such
    generations are reported to occur, the more obvious is the fact that, in time, the
    population will be on the wane because it is unable to provide its own
    replacement.


    Further data and, implicitly, a more detailed picture of the demographic
    evolution and involution, we are going to have all that as soon as the housing census
    is completed. The online self-census of individuals begins on March 14, 2022.
    The field housing census carried through a face-to-face interview kicks off on May 16,
    2022.

    (EN)


  • March 29, 2021 UPDATE

    March 29, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 The vaccination rate is expected to reach 100,000 people per day in April, the PM of Romania Florin Cîţu announced on Monday. This is when several million doses of vaccine are scheduled to reach the country, including the new type produced by the US company Johnson & Johnson, which does not require a second dose. A new batch of Pfizer/BioNTech doses arrived on Monday in Romania, where the national vaccine rollout is in full swing. Two million people have so far got the vaccine and half of them the booster dose. On the other hand, 3,825 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Romania on Monday, out of over 14,000 tests. The total number of infections is over 940,000, and the death toll passes 23,200, according to the Strategic Communication Group. Also on Monday 120 new deaths were reported, and a new record of nearly 1,400 patients are in intensive care. The infection rate remains high in Ilfov County, over 8.5 per thousand, and in Bucharest, over 7 per thousand. New measures to contain the epidemic came into force on Sunday. In regions with an infection rate above 4 per thousand, a night curfew is in place over the weekend between 8 pm and 5 am, two hours earlier than in the rest of the week. Shops must close at 6pm at weekend, and in regions with an infection rate above 7.5 per thousand the same restrictions are applicable the entire week. The new measures have sparked protests in Romania’s big cities, where people took to the streets on Monday chanting anti-government slogans.




    MOTION A simple motion against Romanian agriculture minister Adrian Oros was discussed on Monday in the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest. The Social Democratic Party in opposition, which tabled it, is blaming the minister for having failed to take the right measures to offer compensations to the farmers affected by the drought. This is the worst period for the Romanian agriculture, heavily affected by the drought and the pandemic and also by the minister’s incompetence, the Social Democrats said. The document is to be voted upon on Wednesday. This is the third simple motion tabled by the Social Democrats in the present Parliament season. The other two, tabled against the ministers of health and economy, have been dismissed by Parliament.




    ANTI-SEMITISM The Prosecutors Office attached to the Bucharest District 1 Court ordered the 24-hour detention of a young man in a case involving death threats and anti-Semitic emails received by the actress Maia Morgenstern, director of the State Jewish Theatre in Bucharest. The message was made public by Maia Morgenstern on Theatre Day and the Jewish holiday of Passover, and was signed “On behalf of AUR. The leader of this parliamentary party, George Simion, condemned the attack, claiming the sender cannot be a member of his party. The Governments special representative for promoting remembrance policies and fighting anti-Semitism and xenophobia, Alexandru Muraru, said however he had reservations as concerns the statements of this party, which he described as a neo-fascist group known for its public anti-Semitic and nationalist views. Politicians and public figures in Romania condemned the message, and the case was given international coverage as well.




    EXAMS Romanian 8th-graders started mock exams in preparation of secondary school graduation, with the Romanian language and literature test held on Monday. The math test is scheduled on Tuesday. The mock exams are held in schools, in regions where the COVID-19 infection rate is not over 6 per thousand. In places where the rate is higher, the mock exams can be postponed, but will not be held later than May 15. The national assessment exam will take place as originally scheduled, between June 22 and 25, after authorities considered delaying it over the pandemic. Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, classes have been held mostly online this year, and the education process has been disrupted. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • April 22, 2020 UPDATE

    April 22, 2020 UPDATE

    Covid-19 Romania — Another 3 people infected with Covid-19 have died, taking the total death toll in Romania to 519, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Wednesday evening. Romania now has more than 9,700 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 and over 2,400 patients have recovered from the infection. The number of Romanian citizens outside Romania killed by Covid-19 reached 64. Over 950 Romanian citizens abroad have been infected, most of them in Italy and Spain. Also on Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis announced that after May 15, when the state of emergency comes to an end, the restrictions on the individuals’ freedom of movement would not be extended. However, people will be obliged to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces and in the public transportation means, with public gatherings remaining strictly forbidden. According to President Iohannis, the authorities are working on a detailed plan on resuming economic activities, especially in the highly restricted areas.



    Economy — The Romanian finance minister Florin Citu says that, according to his estimates, Romania’s economic situation is not as bad as initially expected. He added that next week he would receive the situation of the revenues collected by the state in the past month. He underlined that many SMEs managed to adapt to the current situation, starting to produce what is requested on the market and that they are paying their taxes. The finance minister went on to say that the state’s main objective was to ensure the population’s health, but once the peak of the epidemic is overcome, and the social distancing measures are relaxed, all necessary instruments will be used to re-launch the economy. Minister Citu also said that Romania is getting funds only from the domestic market at present but that it is also looking for financing on the international market. He added that he is also working on a government-bond issuance program.



    Media — In this period of crisis, the public mass media institutions from Europe have proved their unique importance, by providing the audience with credible, carefully verified information while avoiding fake news — said the Director General of the European Broadcasting Union, Noel Curran. He also underlined the European public radio and television broadcasters’ concern with broadcasting cultural programs and also gave the example of Radio Romania in this regard. The public mass media services provide credible news, introduce educational programs and programs for children, being very creative in their work. Against the backdrop of this unprecedented crisis, this is a very strong response, to which the public reacted in its turn — the EBU Director General added.



    Washington — The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that Washington had serious reasons to believe that the Chinese authorities delayed reporting the new coronavirus outbreak in a timely manner to the WHO. He also accused China of failing to report human to human transmission of the virus ‘for a month, until it was in every province inside of China.’ President Donald Trump said Saturday that there should be consequences for China, if it was ‘knowingly responsible’ for the coronavirus pandemic. He also added that the WHO failed to fulfill its main mission and should be held responsible for having promoted China’s disinformation. (tr. L. Simion)

  • April 20, 2020

    April 20, 2020

    EASTER In Romania, Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians are celebrating the second day of Easter, Bright Monday. On this day, the same religious service is performed in churches as the one on Easter night. Believers can only attend Mass online, as their presence in churches is restricted over the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, hundreds of people have been fined by police over the past 2 days, for breaking the measures introduced by authorities to contain the virus. In some cases, violent clashes were reported, with police resorting to their weapons in order to end the scuffles.




    COVID-19 The coronavirus pandemic has killed 451 people in Romania so far, out of a total of nearly 9,000 cases, 190 of them confirmed in the last 24 hours. Over 2,000 people have recovered. Over 1,000 healthcare personnel have so far tested positive for Covid-19, most of them in Suceava (north-east), the main outbreak in the country, and in Bucharest. According to the Healthcare Minister Nelu Tătaru, Romania is seeing an upward trend in terms of new infections, but the increase is slow. As many as 60 Romanian nationals living abroad died since the pandemic started, out of 730 that tested positive for the COVID-19, most of them in Italy and Spain.




    AID Romania will receive 800,000 USD in medical assistance from the US, in addition to the US-financed transport operation that brought protection equipment to the country, the US Embassy to Bucharest announced in a news release. Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman emphasised the close relations between the 2 countries and voiced confidence that, thanks to the cooperation between the 2 partner countries, the challenges of this period will be successfully overcome. The announcement comes shortly after an Easter message sent by the American Ambassador in Romanian on the occasion of the Orthodox Easter.




    PANDEMIC There are over 2.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world, according to data centralised by the Johns Hopkins University in the US. More than 165,000 people died, and nearly 630,000 recovered. The US continues to report the highest numbers of cases and deaths, and in Europe the worst hit countries are Italy, Spain, France and the UK. Italy already sees the 6th week of lockdown. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Rome, people will only be allowed to leave their homes in 14 days, if the daily number of new cases drops. At present Italy reports around 3,000 new cases and some 400 deaths every day. As of May 4, construction sites, shops, bars and restaurants will gradually open. Spain and France decided to postpone the lifting of containment measures for a few weeks, but in other EU countries measures are already being eased, the BBC reports. On Monday Poland reopens parks and forests and Norway opens kindergartens. The Czech Republic allows outdoor food markets to resume operation and in Albania the mining and oil industry are back to work. Also on Monday Germany reopens a number of small-sized shops, and the students due to take final exams this year go back to school. Last week Germany announced that the number of new cases is falling and that the epidemic is under control.




    OIL US oil prices dropped by around 20% on Monday, to less than 15 USD, the lowest level since March 1999, as the Covid-19 pandemic deepened uncertainties in the global market and cut the demand for fuel, while onshore storage capacities in Europe are maxing out. In its report for April, the International Energy Agency estimated that the global oil demand might fall in 2020 by a record 9.3 million barrels a day, as the pandemic paralyses the worlds economy.




    STATISTICS The EU reported a 22.4 billion euro surplus in trade, as against 16.4 billion euros in the corresponding period of 2019, according to preliminary data made public on Monday by the European Statistics Institute, Eurostat. As for Romania, data shows that in January – February 2020, exports rose by 2%, to 11.6 billion euro, while imports went up 3%, to 14.2 billion euro, resulting in a 2.6 billion euro deficit in the first 2 months of the year compared to 2.5 billion euro in the corresponding period of 2019.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Symbol of Romanian anti-communist resistance dies in Paris

    Symbol of Romanian anti-communist resistance dies in Paris

    The Romanian writer and anti-communist militant Paul Goma has died, aged
    84, in a Paris hospital, where he had been admitted after becoming infected
    with the new coronavirus. After the death of King Michael in 2017 and that of the
    dissident teacher Doina Cornea in 2018, Romanians have not lost yet another
    symbol of anti-communist resistance.




    Paul Goma was born in 1935 in Bessarabia into a family of teachers, who,
    five years later, took refuge in a reduced Romania following the annexation of
    its eastern territories by the Soviet Union. Goma was arrested in 1956 for harbouring
    hostile opinions towards the communist regime in Bucharest, a satellite of
    Moscow, and sentenced to two years in prison, followed by a period of house
    arrest until 1963. In 1977, the Securitate, the regime’s political police, again
    arrested, interrogated and tortured him for his criticism of Nicolae Ceausescu’s
    dictatorial regime.




    He was, in effect, expelled to France, and was stripped of his Romanian
    citizenship. In Paris, he was the target of an attempted assassination by parcel
    bomb masterminded by the Securitate. Paul Goma is the author of more than 30
    books, including fiction, memoirs and history, many of which were incendiary on
    account of their great courage.




    A man of sharp wit, he also turned his irony on himself, as can be seen
    from this excerpt from a rare interview he gave to Radio Romania:




    I was merely carried by the waves of history. I was no rebel, but merely
    someone who endured it all, as a Bessarabian, as a refugee and as an ordinary
    person; someone who, when he heard something he didn’t like or thought it was not
    true simply said ‘that can’t be’. More like the clown of the class who can’t
    keep his mouth shut.




    Paul Goma will always be a name who inspired hope and strengthened our
    resistance, said prime minister Ludovic Orban in a statement. The Romanian royal
    family also regret the passing of Paul Goma, describing him as one of the most
    emblematic figures of the intellectual resistance against dictatorship. (Tr.: CM)

  • January 30, 2020

    January 30, 2020

    PARLIAMENT The Social Democratic Party, in opposition, has today tabled its first motion of censure against the Liberal Government of Romania. The move was triggered by the Orban Cabinet’s decision to take responsibility for a bill reintroducing the 2-round voting system for the election of mayors, half a year ahead of local elections. The text of the motion entitled ‘The Orban/Liberal Government – the privatisation of Romanias democracy reads that the Government must go not only because attempting to change the voting system right before the election comes against European standards, but also because these changes were operated unilaterally, without parliamentary consultation and debate. According to the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and interim leader of the Social Democrats, Marcel Ciolacu, this is the most serious case of abuse of power. For the motion to pass, the Social Democrats need 233 votes. The party has 198 seats in Parliament, and their allies, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, another 30. With 5 or 6 votes short, Marcel Ciolacu said the Social Democrats are negotiating with fellow MPs. PM Ludovic Orban said he was unconcerned with the motion, and that he does not believe it has any chances to pass.




    PENSIONS The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis has a meeting today with top officials for the Higher Council of Magistrates, at their request. The meeting focuses on the scrapping of special pensions for magistrates, following the vote in Parliament on January 28th. Magistrates have initiated protests against the decision. Initiated by the Liberal Government, the bill passed by Parliament scraps all pensions that are calculated under a special procedure, except for those paid to military, police and intelligence service personnel. The benefits paid to retired artists, athletes and journalists also went untouched.




    FLU Ten people died in Romania from seasonal flu so far, according to the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control. The last death was reported in Sibiu (centre), where a 90-year old woman was infected with the AH1N1 flu virus. Several schools in Bucharest and elsewhere in the country were also closed because of flu cases. The Education Ministry announced that full or partial suspension of classes because of the flu affects over 4,000 students, but that this is not the number of cases among children.




    CORONAVIRUS The head of the World Health Organisation has called a new meeting today of the committee on the new coronavirus, to decide whether to label the situation as an international public health emergency. Airlines around the world have decided to suspend or restrict flights to continental China, as the virus spread, killing over 170 people so far. The total number of confirmed cases is nearly 8,000. A growing number of countries are evacuating their citizens from Wuhan, where the epidemic first started. A Romanian citizen also requested to be repatriated from the region. Although some experts say the virus is not as dangerous as SARS was, its quick spreading raises concerns, and some of its traits are still unknown.




    BREXIT Britain is leaving the EU on Friday night, after 47 years since joining the bloc in 1973. The Brexit deal was endorsed by the European Parliament on Wednesday, and some formalities are finalised in todays EU Council meeting. The transition will take 11 months, during which the EU and the UK will work to define their new partnership. At midnight on January 31, the British colours will be taken off the EU institutions. At a meeting with members of the British business community in Romania, PM Ludovic Orban said Bucharest supports the negotiations for a future close relationship between the Union and the UK.




    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep was defeated today by Spains Garbine Muguruza (32 WTA) 7-6, 7-5, in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. Halep fails to play a new final in Melbourne, after the one she lost in 2018 to the Danish Caroline Wozniacki. Despite the defeat, as of February 3rd Simona goes up to the second place in the WTA ranking. Halep will also be closer to the top ranked player, the Australian Ashleigh Barty, who also lost in the Australian Open semis. Muguruza will be playing the final against the American Sofia Kenin (15 WTA).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)