Radio România Internațional

Tag: defence

November 10, 2017

DEFENCE – The Romanian defence minister, Mihai Fifor, has presented in Brussels, at the meeting of the NATO defence ministers, the latest evolutions in setting up the adapted advanced presence in the Black Sea region. The Romanian Defence Ministry writes in a communiqué, all these refer to the Command of the Multinational Brigade in Craiova (southern Romania) which will be turned into a NATO structure, the enhanced presence of the allied naval forces in the Black Sea, air police activities, the allies’ participation in exercises on the Romanian territory. Mihai Fifor has also said Romania is on point of finalizing, alongside Bulgaria and Turkey, the concept of NATO Training Cooperation Initiative. It refers to the joint training of military of the NATO member states riparian to the Black Sea, and the first coordinated action is scheduled for early December.

VISA WAIVER — Romania is one of the few democratic allies which is not already included in the Visa Waiver Program and this should change, US Congressman Dan Lipinski has said, being quoted in a press released recently posted on the web-site of the House of Representatives. He added that Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver program would boost cooperation in the field of security, trade and economic relations and mutual tourism. Dan Lipinski has underlined that “since the Romanian Revolution of 1989 which put an end to the authoritarian communist rule, Romania has become a firm ally of the United States.” The US Congress man said Romania is a real security partner, one of the largest contributors of troops to Afghanistan, who hailed the stationing of US forces to the Black Sea and which is hosting a new multinational NATO brigade.

MINSK – Belarus might become a launching pad for Romania in order to get access to the Eurasian Economic Union, the Prime Minister of Belarus, Andrei Kobyakov, said on Friday during a meeting with Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, who is currently on an official visit to Minsk. Kobiakov has mentioned the two sides’ interest in striking partnerships for the joint production of car spare parts, furniture, clothes, textiles, building materials and farm produce. In turn, minister Melescanu has said Romania hails the rapprochment between Belarus and the European Union, with Bucharest having always supported this close dialogue. Frequently deemed by the West as the last dictatorship in Europe, the regime of president Aleksandr Lukashenko, who came to power in 1994, is a loyal ally of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. This year, Belarus lifted mandatory travel visas for EU citizens, a measure described by pundits as an attempt to improve the relationships with Brussels.

GAS STOCKS – Romania has the necessary natural gas stocks for the coming winter, with the gas supply to consumers unfolding in normal conditions, with the observance of technical standards, the Energy Ministry in Bucharest writes in a communiqué. A similar announcement was made by the main domestic natural gas supplier, Romgaz. The two announcements come after the general manager of the national gas distribution company, Transgaz, Ion Sterian, told the relevant parliamentary committee that the gas stock for the coming winter is the smallest in the last four or five years, and consequently Romania will have to increase imports by 30% in order not to cut off consumers, news agencies report.

HANDBALL — The Romanian women’s handball champion, CSM Bucharest, on Saturday will meet away from home the Slovenian team RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana, in its fifth Champions’ League Group A match. With three victories and a defeat, CSM ranks first in the group, which is also made up of Nykobing Falster Handboldklub (Denmark) and Vistal Gdynia (Poland). CSM Bucharest won the Champions’ League in 2016 and is one of the favourites in the current edition of the most powerful inter-club European competition.

FOOTBALL — Romania’s national Under 21 team is meeting this evening on home turf, in Ovidiu (south eastern Romania), the team of Portugal, in a Group 8 match of the EURO 2019 qualifiers. On Tuesday, the Romanians will play, away from home, in Wales. With three victories and a draw following the first four matches, Romania is leading the group, which is also made up of Switzerland, Bosnia and Liechtenstein. On Thursday evening on home turf, in Cluj-Napoca (in the north-west), Romania’s senior team defeated Turkey 2-0 in a friendly match. Turkey is coached by Romanian Mircea Lucescu. This was the third match without defeat for the new Romanian coach, Cosmin Contra, who has been at the helm of the national team since September, replacing the German Christoph Daum, after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup due in Russia next year. Romania will meet the Netherlands on Tuesday in Bucharest, also in a friendly match.

10 November 2017
November 8, 2017 UPDATE

FISCAL AMENDMENTS -The Romanian Government on Wednesday
adopted a series of amendments to the Fiscal Code. Finance minister Ionut Misa
claims the amendments bring significant benefits to both citizens and
companies, such as a cut from 16 to 10% in the tax on income, that is salaries,
pensions, rents, interest rates, copyrights and others. There will also be a 2%
cut in social contributions, which will be transferred from employers to employees.
According to Misa, all these measures will have as main effect an increase in
the employee’s net income, without the employer’s paying more to the state
budget. In exchange, the right wing opposition has vehemently criticised the
amendments promoted by the government. The leader of the National Liberal
Party, Ludovic Orban, deemed them a calamity and announced his party will
initiate and table a censure motion against the Tudose cabinet. He also added
the National Liberal Party will make use of all legal and constitutional forms
of protest to prevent the implementation of those fiscal aberrations, which run
the risk of ruining the Romanian economy. The big trade confederations have
repeatedly said that the amendments will actually reduce the employees’ incomes
and announced that protests will continue at national level, and might
culminate with an all-out strike.

CURRENCY -
The national currency, the leu, on Wednesday continued to lose ground against
the Euro, plummeting to the lowest level in the past five years. The leu also depreciated significantly on
the inter-banking market against the USD and other currencies in the region,
amid growing uncertainty caused by the government’s adoption of amendments to
the fiscal code, harshly criticised by trade unions, employers’ associations
and economic analysts.

EBRD – Romania’s economy could report a 5.3% economic growth,
which is estimated to go down to 4.2% in 2018, reads the latest forecast issued
by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Previous
estimates pointed to a 4% growth for 2017 and 3.5% for 2018. The National
Forecast Committee last week also revised its economic growth forecast to 6.1%
in 2017 as compared to the previous estimate of 5.6%. In October the IMF upgraded
its economic growth forecast for Romania from 4.2% to 5.5%.

DEFENCE – Security in the Black Sea area and
Romanian-American military cooperation in Afghanistan were the focal points of
the talks held in Brussels on Wednesday by Romanian defence minister Mihai
Fifor and his American counterpart, James Mattis. Relative to the bilateral
Strategic Partnership, Fifor said he talked with the US defence secretary about
consolidating NATO’s advanced presence on the eastern flank, laying emphasis on
the United States’ participation in the Black Sea region initiatives. The two officials held talks on the sidelines of the meeting of the NATO defence ministers.

THE KING – King Mihai I of Romania is in grave
condition at his house in Switzerland, which is why no event will be held to
mark his name day on the feast day of Saint Archangels Michael and Gabriel. On
Tuesday Mihai was administered the Holy Eucharist, after on Monday the Royal
House announced his condition had taken a turn for the worse. Aged 96, the King
is suffering from two forms of cancer. Ascending the throne in 1940, Mihai I
was forced to abdicate and go into exile in 1947 by the new communist
authorities. Mihai I returned to Romania only after the anti-communist
revolution of 1989, when he regained Romanian citizenship and part of the
estates seized by communist authorities.

ENERGY – Romania has stepped up its negotiations with China with a
view to building reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and a
new black coal unit at the Rovinari thermal power plant, Energy Minister Toma
Petcu said on the sidelines of a ministerial conference held in Bucharest,
attended by a Chinese delegation. In turn, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu
expressed Romania’s interest to taking part in projects fostered as part of the
new Silk Road project in China. Melescanu highlighted Romania’s strengths in
this respect, its geographic position and its transport facilities, the port of
Constanta, the Danube and the Danube-Black Sea canal.

EUROSTAT – 25.8% of Romania’s population was
employed in agriculture in 2015, placing the country on the top position at EU
level, against a community average of 4.4%, reads the latest report made public
by Eurostat. In 2015 some 10 million EU citizens worked in agriculture, of
which 7.5 in Romania, Poland, Italy, France, Spain, Bulgaria and Germany.
According to Eurostat, the rate of completing higher education studies varies
between 1.6% in Romania and 25% in the UK amongst agriculture workers. Finally,
Romania has the lowest rate at EU level, 1.5%, in terms of full-time
agriculture workers, as compared to the EU average of 16.4%.

THE POPE – Pope Francis has accepted an
invitation to become honorary member of the Romanian Academy, extended by an
official delegation of the Academy at the Vatican on Wednesday. The Pope
accepted the distinction, underlying his friendly relations with Romania. The
award will be sent to the Holy See by the Apostolic Nunciature in Bucharest.
Pope Francis is the second pope to be named honorary member of the Romanian
Academy, after John Paul II, who became a member in 2001.

CATALONIA – Spain’s Constitutional Court on
Wednesday officially revoked the unilateral declaration of independence adopted
on October 27 by Catalonia’s Regional Parliament. According to pundits, the
decision was an expected step to be taken by the Madrid authorities, after the
secessionist move had already been suspended in court. Trade unions in the region called an all-out
strike on Wednesday, to protest against the actions taken by the Spanish
justice against the former Catalan government. Radio Romania’s correspondent in
Spain says roads have been blocked, railway traffic has been brought to a halt
and all activities in schools and institutions have been suspended. One Tuesday
some 200 Catalan mayors and pro-independence MEPs met in Brussels with the
former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, which faces harsh accusations levelled
by Spain, after having favoured the organisation of the so-called
pro-independence referendum. Although he is being prosecuted, Puigdemont has
made public his acceptance to be the main candidate of his party in the future
span ballot called for December 21, by the Spanish government.

FOOTBALL -
On Thursday Romania’s national football team is playing Turkey at home in Cluj
Napoca, central Romania, and will next play the Netherlands on November 14.
Both games are friendly. Coach Cosmin Contra has called up 30 players, of whom
17 play for clubs abroad. The two games are bound to prepare preparations for
the 2020 European Cup preliminaries. Romania failed to qualify to the 2018
World Cup to be hosted by Russia, after a subpar campaign with German Christoph
Daum at its helm. We recall Romanian Mircea Lucescu is currently Turkey’s
headcoach.

8 November 2017
October 20, 2017 UPDATE

DEFENCE Romanian Defence Minister, Mihai Fifor said in Krakow on Friday that it was time for Romania and Poland to step up their cooperation including in the field of defence. The Romanian official made the statement during a meeting he had with members of the Romanian community and Polish students who are studying Romanian at the Jagiellonian University. Fifor underlined the old friendship relation between the two countries and their very good cooperation inside the Strategic Partnership. On Thursday, the Romanian Minister participated in the inauguration of the NATO Counterintelligence Center of Excellence together with his counterparts from Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. On this occasion, Fifor said Romania had supported the project of setting up this centre from the very beginning, as this institution is needed for the training of NATO experts in the field. During his visit to Poland, the Romanian official has also met Romanian officers deployed to this country as part of the US-led NATO Battle Group for the period September 2017 — March 2018.

SUMMIT The European Council president Donald Tusk announced on Friday, the last day of the Brussels summit, the beginning of the interior procedure for the second phase of the Brexit negotiations with Britain’s representatives. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said after the summit that the message conveyed by the EU leaders was a positive one, as they want to create ‘a better Union closer to the citizen.’ Asked by the journalists what he thought about the fact that British Prime Minister Theresa May had admitted that talks with the EU had reached a deadlock, the Romanian official said that nobody was trying to halt the negotiations, but there was no guarantee that headway would be made until December this year. The Romanian president said that the latest European Council session also included talks on migration, which in his opinion, was the first in a positive and optimistic tone. Iohannis added that this summer saw an increased number of migrants coming via the Black Sea without this being a mass phenomenon. Iohannis announced that Romania had decided together with the countries participating in the summit to back the Nuclear Agreement with Iran. The EU’s digital agenda, security and defence, the EU’s relations with Turkey and North Korea’s nuclear programme were also discussed during the summit.

MIGRATION 28 citizens from Afghanistan, India, Iran and Iraq have been stopped by border police at Romania’s border with Hungary. The group was made up of nine women, eight men and eleven minors with ages between one and 17 years. All of them were asylum-seekers who said their intention was to cross the border into Hungary in order to make it to countries in Western Europe. The perpetrators are to be investigated for illegal entry and if found guilty legal measures are to be taken against them. Over 1000 migrants have been trying to cross Romania’s border into Hungary since the beginning of the year.

GROWTH According to a World Bank report Romania’s economy is to register unexpected growth in 2017 and 2018. The country’s GDP will supposedly rise by 5.5% this year thanks to the fiscal incentives and the improved European economy. Increased consumption will also lead to a current account deficit as well as inflation estimated at 2% at the end of this year. The report also says that Romania’s GDP will rise by 4.1% in 2018 and 3.6% in the following year. The World Bank cautions against accumulated fiscal pressure and excessive domestic demand, which could make Romania’s economy vulnerable to shocks also limiting the authorities’ future actions.

20 October 2017
The decisions of the Country’s Supreme Defence Council

Often described as the umbrella of Romanian security structures and chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, the Countrys Supreme Defence Council on Tuesday approved Bucharests participation in the European Unions initiative in the field.

According to the presidents office, the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) will represent an intensified form of collaboration in the areas of security policy and common defence. This will allow member states who fulfil advanced criteria in the field of military capabilities and who wish to take on additional responsibilities to achieve a structured cooperation amongst themselves. Romania is to voice a preliminary intention to take part in a first set of ten projects from among those that have been proposed so far and whose later development corresponds to national priorities with respect to the development of military capabilities.

A member of NATO since 2004 and of the European Union since 2007, Romania has always had a measured involvement in the two organisations common security projects. It frequently plays host to NATO multi-national exercises, military bases and parts of the US missile defence shield are located on its territory, and Romanian troops have been in Afghanistan since the early 2000s, alongside their colleagues from the US.

Based on a political pact embraced by all parliamentary parties in Romania, 2% of the countrys GDP goes to defence, as requested by both US president Donald Trump and NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. On the other hand, as experts have pointed out, for tens of years, under NATOs safe umbrella, the Europeans waited for the Americans to protect them from external threats.

The European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has explicitly called for the creation of a European Union military force, saying this was one of the best ways to defend the Unions values and borders. “Europe’s image has suffered dramatically and also in terms of foreign policy, we don’t seem to be taken entirely seriously, said Juncker after Russias annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Ioan Mircea Pascu, the vice-president of the European Parliament and a former Romanian defence minister during whose tenure Romania was admitted into NATO, has a more diplomatic position vis-à-vis the idea of a common defence policy. He has told Radio Romania that security has become a main concern for European citizens and therefore for the EU structures. He also believes that the defence of the European Union, an aspect that has been neglected for a long time, cannot be ensured, in the event of massive aggression, without support from the American partners.

(translated by: Cristina Mateescu)

18 October 2017
Defense Procurement in Romania

A member of NATO since March 2004, this year Romania has allocated 2% of the GDP for defense, which allows it to run equipment programmes aimed at modernizing its armed forces. Attending on Wednesday a defense meeting in Bucharest, the line minister Mihai Fifor announced that the Romanian Army would purchase, by the end of the year, the first Patriot defense system.

Mihai Fifor: “We are waiting for the US’s acceptance letter in order to pass on to the contracting stage and purchase the first programme. During the talks we held with the US Defense Secretary Mattis we requested a scheduling of payments, because, on the one hand, this would be a proof of credibility, and, on the other hand, it’s much more convenient, enabling us to ensure the purchasing of these systems in the following years. Also this year, we hope that Uzina Mecanica Bucuresti, the National Company for Military Technique, and General Dynamics will start collaborating and that we will be able to purchase 10 Piranha armored carriers.”

Minister Fifor has also announced that, on the very day when Romania took over the last three F16 from the first 12-strong squadron, Bucharest started negotiations with the US government to purchase another 35 F16 fighters. These are second-hand fighters, to be taken over from Portugal.

Attending the Global SOF Symposium Europe, hosted by Bucharest, the Romanian head of state Klaus Iohannis stated that politicians must guarantee a minimum level of predictability for those who are in charge of planning defense and security. He has also said that strategic planning must ensure both enhanced flexibility with regard to procurement, and the development of capabilities adapted to current conventional, asymmetric and hybrid challenges.

Uncertainty and lack of predictability have become common topics when assessing the current security environment, both at regional and international level, president Iohannis has also said. This is the reason why, starting with the national defense strategy and continuing with the new laws on defense planning and organizing the National Defense Ministry, Bucharest has set the political and legal framework for the development and consolidation of such capabilities. Within this framework, two new command units will be established: the Special Operation Forces Command and the Cyber Defense Command.

28 September 2017
September 20, 2017

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis will deliver a speech today before the UN General Assembly. His speech will focus on the importance of having a world order based on principles and regulations, the rule of law at international level, the need to strengthen the UNO and adapting it to current challenges. In another move, the Romanian President will underline the need to have an efficient response to the major threats to international peace and security. Klaus Iohannis will attend an event titled “Education for peace”, organised by Romania and enjoying the participation of high-ranking officials. The Romanian President will underline the role played by education in conflict-prevention. Also in New York, the Romanian President will attend an event organised by the UN Secretariat and meant to launch an important report promoting the equality of chances between men and women. Klaus Iohannis will also have bilateral talks with the Moldovan PM, Pavel Filip, and the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, respectively.

WASHINGTON — The Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor has met in Washington with the White Houses Deputy National Security Adviser, Ricky Waddell. The Romanian minister has hailed the excellent cooperation between Romania and the US, both at bilateral level and within NATO, and the US official has pointed to the extremely positive agenda of cooperation between Bucharest and Washington in the following years. Mihai Fifor has also reiterated Romania’s commitment to allot 2% of the GDP for defence, whereas the American side has shown interest in supporting NATO’s efforts to fully secure the eastern flank of the Alliance and underlined that the US will further be committed to Europe.

UKRAINIAN EDUCATION LAW — The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, gathered in a plenary session in Bucharest, have issued a declaration on the new education law in neighbouring Ukraine. The Romanian MPs say they are following with concern and maximum attention the latest developments generated by the recent adoption by Ukraine’s Supreme Rada of this law which drastically infringes upon the rights to education in the native language of the ethnic Romanians in Ukraine. They are launching an appeal for a fast settlement of this situation, by well intended actions and goodwill, in the spirit of cooperation, inclusive dialogue and the strict observance of European standards in the field of national minority protection, abiding by the relevant multilateral and bilateral agreements, that Ukraine is a signatory to. On Tuesday, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a similar resolution, condemning the new law, which –in the opinion of the Hungarian MPs- does not observe the commitments made by the Kiev authorities and infringes upon the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine. The law drastically limits the access to education in the native language of many ethnic minority communities in Ukraine. This stipulates that Ukrainian should be the only teaching language in high-schools and faculties, and education in the languages of the ethnic minorities is possible only in nursery and primary schools. Almost half a million ethnic Romanians are living in neighbouring Ukraine, most of them in the Romanian territories annexed by the former USSR in 1940, following an ultimatum, and taken over by Ukraine, in 1991, as a successor state.

BUCHAREST — Romania’s capital city, Bucharest is today celebrating 558 years since it was first mentioned in documents. The name of today’s city was first mentioned in a document issued in 1459, by the then ruler of Wallachia, the famous Vlad the Impaler. In order to mark the event, the city hall has organised over the past few days, open air parties, concerts, vintage costume parades, fairs and exhibitions. Bucharest became Romania’s capital city in 1862. In the inter-war period, Bucharest was dubbed “Little Paris”, due to its elegant architecture. Romania’s main economic engine, Bucharest is considered to be a city difficult to manage, because of an old and insufficiently developed infrastructure and of heavy traffic.

MEXIC/EARTHQUAKE — A provisional death toll is expected to rise after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake stroke 120km from Mexico City, collapsing buildings and killing at least 250 people. It was the most powerful earthquake since the one which hit Mexico City in 1985, killing over 9,000. The tremor had the epicentre close to the border between the Puebla and Morelos states, in the centre, at a depth of 51 km. Many world leaders have expressed their sympathy with Mexico and offered their support to that country, which was still recovering from a fatal earthquake in the south of the country in early September.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (no. 55 WTA) has today been defeated by Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (no.71 WTA), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, in the eighth finals of the Seoul tennis tournament, with 250,000 US dollars in prize money up for grabs. Irina has also qualified to the doubles quarterfinals, alongside the Czech player Krystina Pliskova. The two will play the all Thai pair Luksika Kumkhum/ Peangtarn Plipuech. Romania’s second player in Seoul, Sorana Cîrstea (no. 52 WTA), will meet in the eighth finals American Nicole Gibbs (no.121 WTA). We recall that Irina Begu is the holder of the Seoul tournament title in 2015.

20 September 2017
September 12, 2017

DEFENCE PORTFOLIO – The incumbent economy minister, Mihai Fifor, has been nominated by the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party – the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats to take over the defence portfolio. He is to be replaced at the economy ministry by the Social Democrat MP Gheorghe Şimon. The former defence minister, Adrian Ţuţuianu, resigned a week ago, after PM Mihai Tudose reproached him for improper communication relative to the payment of salaries and allowances of troops and civilians working in the Army. The Defence Ministry had announced that the employees would receive this month only their allowances and salaries, and not their meals allowances, and without paying to the state budget the social security contributions and the income taxes. The announcement made by the defence ministry was later denied by both the prime minister and the finance minister, who said there were no problems with the payment of salaries. The president of the National Liberal Party, in opposition, Ludovic Orban, has accused the Government of being unwilling to comply with the commitment it has made to allot 2% of the GDP for the army endowment program. The care-taking defence minister is deputy prime minister Marcel Ciolacu.

MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies is today debating the simple motion tabled by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union (both in opposition), against justice minister Tudorel Toader. The signatories say the amendments to the justice laws, initiated by Toader, are an attempt to cancel the progress made in the field. The vote on the motion is due on Wednesday, in a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies. Vehemently criticised by civil society and the media, Toaders draft stipulated, among others, that the countrys president will no longer nominate the chief prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism, provides for subordinating the judicial inspection unit to the justice ministry and for increasing the number of years necessary to get promoted as a magistrate. At the start of the year, after the governments attempt to change the criminal codes by an emergency ordinance, hundreds of thousands of Romanians took to the streets in Bucharest, across the country and abroad. They accused the power of trying to exonerate influential people in politics and administration from criminal liability for acts of corruption.

US-ROMANIAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP – The Romanian Senate is today adopting a political declaration to mark 20 years since Romania signed the Strategic Partnership with the US. Launched on July 11, 1997, on the occasion of the visit paid to Bucharest by the then US president Bill Clinton, at the invitation of his Romanian counterpart Emil Constantinescu, the Partnership made possible the establishment of privileged relations between the two countries and deepened cooperation once Romania joined NATO in 2004. Romania is hosting military bases and elements of the US anti-missile shield, and its troops have fought, alongside the Americans, in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Romanian foreign ministry has recently issued a communiqué, expressing its confidence that the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA will continue to develop and expand, capitalising on all opportunities and the potential of an outstanding bilateral relation.

INTL CONFERENCE OF PUBLIC RADIO SERVICES – The mountain resort of Sinaia, in southern Romania is currently hosting the annual meeting of public radio services, which continues the Media 2020 meeting, organised by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. For two days, radio and tv experts from numerous countries are sharing their experiences and ideas on the best way in which they can face challenges specific to media institutions. The participants will also talk about the values that should be promoted by public media services, against the backdrop of a fast paced development of social media services.

ENESCU FESTIVAL – The prestigious “George Enescu International Music Festival continues in Bucharest. Today, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London will give a concert for the second evening in a row. The program includes Enescus Romanian Rhapsody and pieces by Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. The soloist of the evening is the world-famous pianist Martha Argerich, and the orchestra will perform under the baton of the outstanding conductor Charles Dutoit. Over 3,000 of the best musicians in the world will perform in Bucharest and seven other cities across the country until September 24. Inaugurated in 1958, interrupted by the communist regime in 1971 and resumed after the fall of communism, the Enescu Festival is held every other year.

12 September 2017
19 August, 2017

Arms
sale. The US State
Department has approved the sale to Romania of high mobility artillery rocket
systems worth 1.25 billion dollars, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency at
the Pentagon announced on Friday. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for
this weapons system. Romania said it was interested in buying up to 54 such
systems and related services and equipment, said the Agency, quoted by Reuters.
In a meeting chaired by president Klaus Iohannis on the 1st of
August, Romania’s Supreme Defence Council approved the army’s equipping plan
for the 2017-2026 period. The plan contains a commitment taken in 2015 by all
political parties to allocate 2% of the country’s GDP to defence starting this
year, as well as eight different equipping programmes, including the purchase
of Patriot missile defence systems from the US and 36 F16 multirole fighter
planes.

Spain attack. Spain is on its
second day of national mourning in memory of the victims of the terrorist
attacks on Thursday. A moment of silence was held across the country on Friday
and people gathered in front of improvised altars on Las Ramblas to pay their
respects and bring flowers. The authorities are considering raising the terror
alert from 4 to the maxim level 5, which implies imminent attack and the
presence of armed security forces on the streets. 14 people were killed and
more than 100 wounded in the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils. The victims
came from 35 different countries. Of the three Romanian citizens wounded in the
attacks, two have been released from hospital, while the third is in stable
condition.

World Humanitarian Day. The Romanian foreign ministry has
hailed the celebration of World Humanitarian Day on the 19th of
August, paying tribute to all those willing to take risks and make personal
sacrifices to reduce suffering and help the victims of conflicts, violence and
natural disasters. World Humanitarian Day has been celebrated on the 19th
of August following a 2008 United Nations resolution to commemorate the 2003
terrorist attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad that killed 22
people, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Secretary
General’s special envoy for Iraq. Between 2014 and 2017, Romania granted
humanitarian assistance worth more than 11 million euros to 12 states facing
crisis situations such as the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, the conflict in
eastern Ukraine, the Matthew hurricane in Haiti, the earthquake in Nepal and
the floodings in Serbia and Bosnia Hertegovina.

Finland knife attack. The Finnish police said on Saturday
that the knife attack that took place on Friday in the south-western city of
Turku is considered a terrorist attack, naming the attacker as an 18-year-old
man of Moroccan origin. Two people were killed and six wounded in the
stabbings. No Romanian nationals are among the victims.

Tennis. World no. 2
Simona Halep of Romania today faces world no. 151 Sloane Stephens of the US in
the semifinals of the Cincinnati tennis tournament worth more than 2.5 million
dollars in prize money. On Friday, Halep defeated British no. 1 Johanna Konta
in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. Last year in Cincinnati, Halep was eliminated by
Angelique Kerber in the semifinals and in 2015, she lost to Serena Williams in
the final. Also in Cincinnati on Friday, the Romanian-Taiwanese pair Monica
Niculescu and Su-Wei Hsieh reached the women’s doubles final after
defeating the fourth-seed pair Sania Mirza of India and Shuai Peng of China.

Weather. A hot weather alert remains in place today in
Romania. The highs are expected to go up to 37 degrees Celsius, with the
temperature-humidity ratio reaching and exceeding the critical 80-unit level.
It will still be hot on Sunday, but temperatures will drop slightly to 34 and
35 degrees and the weather becomes increasingly unstable in the west.

19 August 2017
August 8, 2017 UPDATE

PARLIAMENT– The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament convened in a special session on Tuesday. The agenda included the emergency ordinances that the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania passed last week, and which need to be endorsed by Parliament before they can take effect. These legislative acts concern the capping of special pensions in the defence, public order and judicial sectors, as well as of child allowances, and the raise of police staff salaries. The Liberals, in the opposition, argue that the legal requirements for the Chamber of Deputies to convene were not met, and threaten to notify the Constitutional Court in this respect.

UNIONS– The Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader had a meeting on Tuesday with representatives of penitentiary trade unions. He said he would personally coordinate the National Penitentiary Agency and would have weekly meetings with the representatives of prison personnel to find solutions to their demands. Trade union leader Sorin Dumitraşcu said the Justice Minister promised to have a meeting this week with the Prime Minister, in order to discuss the granting of up to 15% bonuses to penitentiary personnel, who have not been included in the categories of public sector staff benefiting from pay raises. Unionists also demand the improvement of work standards, solutions to the issue of personnel shortage, the reorganisation of prisons and the building of new ones. Penitentiary employees intend to stage street protests next week, over inadequate working conditions. They have been on a work-to-rule strike since August 1. We recall that the improvement of detention conditions in Romania is a requirement set out by the European Court for Human Rights.

DIPLOMACY – On Tuesday, the Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose met with the US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm. The two officials discussed bilateral cooperation and the situation in the region. According to governmental sources, the two dwelled on the role that Romania is playing on NATOs eastern flank, the US companies growing interest in our country and the situation in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova. Also, the two tackled the Romanian officials decision to spend 2% of the GDP on army equipment.

INFLATION– The National Bank of Romania adjusted the inflation forecast for end-2017 from 1.6% up to 1.9%, the central bank governor Mugur Isarescu announced on Tuesday, when he presented the Inflation Report. For next year as well, the National Bank raised its inflation forecast to 3.2%, up from the previously estimated rate of 3.1%.Isarescu explained that the changes were triggered by the fiscal policy, by the increase in foodstuff prices as well as by the political tensions in June, which temporarily affected the exchange rate for the national currency.

FUEL TAXATION – The Romanian Government wants to amend the Fiscal Code again, proposing, among other things, an increase in excise duties, a measure which would resume fuel prices valid in late 2016. According to a fresh draft decree, diesel taxation will go up by 24.9%, while duties on led-free petrol will grow by 22.8%, as of September 1st. Authorities say that the measure is necessary, given that collections have dropped and the prices in Romania are among the lowest in the EU. Transporters are extremely unhappy with this decision and threaten with protests. The Governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isarescu has warned that such an increase in fuel taxation will trigger a growth in the inflation rate.

DEFENCE– The Romanian Defence Minister, Adrian Ţuţuianu, and Gen. Nicolae Ciucă, General Chief of Staff, had talks in Bucharest with the head of the Alabama National Guard, Major Gen. Sheryl Gordon, who is on a visit to Romania. The talks approached the regional security environment, particularly in the Black Sea region, the strategic partnership between the US and Romania, and the planned equipment spending for the Romanian Army. Ţuţuianu has recently announced that the Plan for military equipment procurement has been approved, and reiterated that Romania was committed to earmarking 2% of the GDP to the defence sector, as it has undertaken in its capacity as a NATO member state. During his visit to Romania, the recently appointed chief of the ANG, Major Gen. Sheryl Gordon, will take part in an exercise of the Romanian mountain troops and will visit the “Getica” Joint Training Centre in Cincu, Brasov County.

WEATHER– A new heat wave is expected to hit Romania on Wednesday. Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert for nine counties in the west, north-west and south-west. Also, on Thursday, a code orange alert for heat and thermal discomfort will be issued, for six counties in the west and south west. Another 13 counties in the western half of the country will be under code yellow alert for severe heat. For the next two weeks, weather experts expect the weather to alternate between highs of 34 degrees Celsius and rainfalls in most regions.

8 August 2017
August 8, 2017

PARLIAMENT – In Romania, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies convene, as of today, in a special parliamentary session. The agenda includes the emergency ordinances that the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania passed last week, and which need to be endorsed by Parliament before they can take effect. These legislative acts concern the capping of special pensions in the defence, public order and judicial sectors, as well as of child allowances, and the raise of police staff salaries. The Liberals, in opposition, argue that the legal requirements for the Chamber of Deputies to convene have not been met, and threaten to notify the Constitutional Court in this respect.

UNIONS – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, had a meeting today with representatives of penitentiary trade unions. He said he would personally coordinate the National Penitentiary Agency and would have weekly meetings with the representatives of prison personnel to find solutions to their demands. Trade union leader Sorin Dumitraşcu said the Justice Minister promised to have a meeting this week with the Prime Minister, in order to discuss the granting of up to 15% bonuses to penitentiary personnel, who have not been included in the categories of public sector staff benefiting from pay raises. Unionists also demand the improvement of work standards, solutions to the issue of personnel shortage, the reorganisation of prisons and the building of new ones. Penitentiary employees intend to stage street protests next week, over inadequate work conditions. They have been on a work-to-rule strike since August 1. We remind you that the improvement of detention conditions in Romania is a requirement issued by the European Court for Human Rights.

INFLATION – The National Bank of Romania adjusted the inflation forecast for end-2017 from 1.6% up to 1.9%, the central bank governor Mugur Isarescu announced on Tuesday, when he presented the Inflation Report. For next year as well, the National Bank raised its inflation forecast to 3.2%, up from the previously estimated rate of 3.1%. Isarescu explained that these changes were triggered by the fiscal policy, by the increase in foodstuff prices as well as by the political tensions in June, which temporarily affected the exchange rate for the national currency.

DEFENCE – The Romanian Defence Minister, Adrian Ţuţuianu, and Gen. Nicolae Ciucă, General Chief of Staff, had talks in Bucharest with the head of the Alabama National Guard, Major Gen. Sheryl Gordon, who is on a visit to Romania. The talks approached the regional security environment, particularly at the Black Sea, the strategic partnership between the US and Romania, and the planned equipment purchases for the Romanian Army. Ţuţuianu has recently announced that the Plan for military equipment procurement has been approved, and reiterated that Romania was committed to earmarking 2% of the GDP to the defence sector, as it has undertaken in its capacity as a NATO member state. During his visit to Romania, the recently appointed chief of the ANG, Major Gen. Sheryl Gordon, will take part in an exercise of Romanian mountain troops and will visit the “Getica Joint Training Centre in Cincu, Brasov County.

WEATHER – The weather is hot in the south-west and south of Romania, while in the hilly and mountain areas in the south and the centre rainfalls, thunderstorms and strong wind are reported. The highs of the day range between 24 and 36 degrees Celsius, with a 26-degree reading in Bucharest at noon. Weather experts warn that as of Wednesday a new heat wave will reach Romania, with temperatures going up to 38-39 degrees Celsius. Moreover, for the next 2 weeks meteorologists expect the weather to alternate between highs of 34 degrees Celsius and rainfalls in most regions, especially in the mountains.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

8 August 2017
Military Equipment and the National Defence Industry

The Supreme Defence Council Tuesday approved the Plan for military equipment procurement in the next 10 years, amounting to roughly 10 billion euros. The document had been withdrawn from the agenda of the previous meeting of the Council, held on July 4, because it was not in line with the national political agreement to earmark 2% of the GDP for the defence sector. This agreement was signed in early 2015, at the initiative of President Klaus Iohannis, by all political parties in Romania.

According to a news release issued by the Presidential Administration, the revised Plan is a multiannual schedule of procurement projects, in line with the Strategy on equipment procurement for the Romanian Army and with the Programme for restructuring, developing and equipping the Romanian Army until 2026. The Romanian Army needs a consistent and sustained allocation of resources, because the underfinancing of the defence sector would severely affect the fulfilment of core missions and the Armys operational capacity, the document also reads.

The Presidency also mentions that in May this year Parliament approved the start of contract awarding procedures under 8 major military equipment procurement projects, exceeding 100 million euros each. In the implementation of these programmes with planned multiannual funding, the national defence industry will also be involved. According to the Defence Minister Adrian Tutuianu, these programmes include the purchase of Patriot missile systems from the USA and of another 36 F16 multirole fighters. Tutuianu recently said that these purchases will strengthen Romanias defence capacity, consolidate NATOs eastern flank and reinforce the 20-year long strategic partnership between Romania and the USA.

The estimated cost of the Patriot missiles, including technical support and the related equipment to be bought by Bucharest stands at 3.9 billion US dollars. According to the Defence Minister, the other programmes are related to the purchase of multi-role corvettes, of systems of mobile anti-vessel missile launchers, of 8×8 and 4×4 armoured personnel carriers, of long range surface-to-air missiles, of a short range air defence system, of a multiple long range rocket launcher, as well as the upgrading of combat vehicles.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

2 August 2017
July 30, 2017 UPDATE

DEFENCE – The Supreme Defence Council is to convene in Bucharest on Tuesday. The agenda of the meeting, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, includes a presentation of the Plan of equipment procurement for the Romanian Army in 2017-2026. The plan provides for the implementation of a commitment made in 2015 by all political parties, with respect to earmarking 2% of the GDP for the defence sector for 10 years, starting in 2017. The latest Defence Council meeting was held on July 4, but at that time the Plan for army equipment procurement was withdrawn from the agenda of the meeting, in order to be adjusted to the politically agreed target of earmarking 2% of the GDP to this sector.

HEALTHCARE – The Romanian Healthcare Minister, Florian Bodog, hopes Parliament will pass the new vaccination law quickly. He also welcomed the decision of Ludovic Orban, president of the National Liberal Party in opposition, to support compulsory vaccination. In turn, PM Mihai Tudose said in an interview on the public radio that the current situation requires the introduction of compulsory vaccination. On Thursday, the Cabinet discussed a draft law on vaccination, laying down responsibilities both for the authorities and healthcare staff, and for parents. The bill is designed to regulate the organisation and funding of vaccination in Romania, as well as to raise awareness on the benefits, safety, quality and possible adverse reactions to immunisation. The bill also provides for a national reserve stock covering at least the annual vaccine needs, with doses valid for at least one and a half years. The bill was drafted after the large number of measles cases and deaths caused by this disease prompted the World Health Organisation to include Romania in the 5 countries that total over 80% of the number of cases reported worldwide.

TRAFFICKING – July 30 was the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, proclaimed by the UN 4 years ago in order to put an end to this crime and protect its victims. Statistics show that millions of people around the world, particularly vulnerable women and girls, are sold every year in modern slavery. The victims are recruited from poverty-striken countries and become subject to various forms of exploitation. This week alone, the authorities in Italy and Spain have found scores of Romanians exploited by their employers in those countries. The Romanian PM Mihai Tudose said the Minister for the Romanians living abroad Andreea Păstârnac would receive increased powers, so as to make sure that no Romanian citizen living abroad would be discriminated against. In this context, Mihai Tudose is to have a meeting in Bucharest on Monday with the Ambassador of Spain to Bucharest, Ramiro Fernandez Bachiller, and with Minister Andreea Păstîrnac.

SECURITY – The security challenges currently facing Romania and NATO member states will be discussed in an event taking place in Bucharest between July 31 and August 5 and entitled ‘Defence and Dialogue in Eastern Europe’ (DDEE). International experts and Romanian officials will talk about hybrid threats, recent misinformation campaigns and large-scale cyber-attacks. Attending the event organised by Euro Atlantic Diplomacy Society will be around 200 young people from 36 countries.

NATO – A British destroyer and a Turkish frigate are in the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta for 2 days. They are part of the standing NATO group which, together with Ferdinand frigate of the Romanian Navy have taken part in joint training sessions and in sea traffic monitoring missions. On board the British destroyer, the commander of the standing NATO maritime group James Borley said the Alliance has a constant presence at the Black Sea because some riparian countries are also members of the Organisation.

TERRORIST PLOT – The Australian security forces have foiled a presumably Islamist terror plan to detonate a bomb targeting an airplane, and four individuals have been arrested, PM Malcolm Turnbull has announced, according to AFP. He added that security was tightened in Australian airports. A total of 12 terrorist plots have been foiled in Australia and some 60 people have been sent to court since the alert level was raised in September 2014. Australia is taking part in the US-led international coalition conducting air raids against the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq and Syria since the summer of 2014.

SPORTS – Romania won 8 medals, 5 silver and 3 bronze, at the 2017 summer edition of the European Youth Olympics Festival, which came to an end on Saturday in Gyor (Hungary). On the last day of the competition the Romanian athletes won 3 more silver medals. The womens handball team lost the final to the host team, Hungary, 30-23, the tennis player Nicholas David Ionel was defeated in the final by the Italian Lorenzo Rottoli, and athlete Cristian Gabriel Voicu won the silver in the 800 m race. Romanias delegation in this edition of the Festival was made up of 77 athletes, competing in athletics, cycling, gymnastics, handball, swimming, judo, rowing and tennis.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

30 July 2017
July 30, 2017

DEFENCE – The Supreme Defence Council is to convene in Bucharest on Tuesday. The agenda of the meeting, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, includes a presentation of the Plan of equipment procurement for the Romanian Army in 2017-2026. The plan provides for the implementation of a commitment made in 2015 by all political parties, with respect to earmarking 2% of the GDP for the defence sector for 10 years, starting in 2017. The latest Defence Council meeting was held on July 4, but at that time the Plan for army equipment procurement was withdrawn from the agenda of the meeting, in order to be adjusted to the politically agreed target of earmarking 2% of the GDP to this sector.

HEALTHCARE – The Romanian Healthcare Minister, Florian Bodog, hopes Parliament will pass the new vaccination law quickly. He also welcomed the decision of Ludovic Orban, president of the National Liberal Party in opposition, to support compulsory vaccination. In turn, PM Mihai Tudose said in an interview on the public radio that the current situation requires the introduction of compulsory vaccination. On Thursday, the Cabinet discussed a draft law on vaccination, laying down responsibilities both for the authorities and healthcare staff, and for parents. The bill is designed to regulate the organisation and funding of vaccination in Romania, as well as to raise awareness on the benefits, safety, quality and possible adverse reactions to immunisation. The bill also provides for a national reserve stock covering at least the annual vaccine needs, with doses valid for at least one and a half years. The bill was drafted after the large number of measles cases and deaths caused by this disease prompted the World Health Organisation to include Romania in the 5 countries that total over 80% of the number of cases reported worldwide.

SECURITY – The security challenges currently facing Romania and NATO member states will be discussed in an event taking place in Bucharest between July 31 and August 5 and entitled ‘Defence and Dialogue in Eastern Europe’ (DDEE). International experts and Romanian officials will talk about hybrid threats, recent misinformation campaigns and large-scale cyber-attacks. Attending the event organised by Euro Atlantic Diplomacy Society will be around 200 young people from 36 countries.

NATO – A British destroyer and a Turkish frigate are in the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta for 2 days. They are part of the standing NATO group which, together with Ferdinand frigate of the Romanian Navy have taken part in joint training sessions and in sea traffic monitoring missions. On board the British destroyer, the commander of the standing NATO maritime group James Borley said the Alliance has a constant presence at the Black Sea because some riparian countries are also members of the Organisation.

TERRORIST PLOT – The Australian security forces have foiled a presumably Islamist terror plan to detonate a bomb targeting an airplane, and four individuals have been arrested, PM Malcolm Turnbull has announced, according to AFP. He added that security was tightened in Australian airports. A total of 12 terrorist plots have been foiled in Australia and some 60 people have been sent to court since the alert level was raised in September 2014. Australia is taking part in the US-led international coalition conducting air raids against the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq and Syria since the summer of 2014.

SPORTS – Romania won 8 medals, 5 silver and 3 bronze, at the 2017 summer edition of the European Youth Olympics Festival, which came to an end on Saturday in Gyor (Hungary). On the last day of the competition the Romanian athletes won 3 more silver medals. The womens handball team lost the final to the host team, Hungary, 30-23, the tennis player Nicholas David Ionel was defeated in the final by the Italian Lorenzo Rottoli, and athlete Cristian Gabriel Voicu won the silver in the 800 m race. Romanias delegation in this edition of the Festival was made up of 77 athletes, competing in athletics, cycling, gymnastics, handball, swimming, judo, rowing and tennis.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

30 July 2017
The Black Sea area and its emerging tensions

The extended Black Sea area has got the profile of a geopolitical center, a region of strategic economic interest and also an outpost of NATO and the EU. This happened against the background of increasingly diversified sources of insecurity that originate in plagues such as terrorism, proliferation of mass destruction weapons and technologies, of chemical and biological weapons, drugs and human trafficking as well as illegal migration.

In this context, the fight against terrorism and organized crime alongside increased competition over energy resources and their means of transportation have turned the Black Sea into the focus of attention of European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. Starting from the idea that the Black Sea is a strategic axis, this issue has been recently approached at the Hudson Institute in the US, which, alongside the Romanian Research Institute, organized a conference on emergent tensions in the region, in terms of military and energy security. Radio Romania’s correspondent to Washington DC, Doina Saiciuc, describes the region’s geopolitical context as painted at the meeting:

Doina Saiciuc: “During most of recorded history, the Black Sea has been a strategic axis, and it continues to be so. Today, in an area where Russia annexed Crimea and supports the insurgence in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow assists military and politically the breakaway regions of Transdniester in Moldova and Abkhazia in Georgia, where Russia consolidates its military fleet in the Black Sea and where Russian planes are harassing American ships, three NATO countries are also Black Sea countries and they must deal with Russia’s military presence. These countries are Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.”

Laurentiu Pachiu, one of the founders of a group for energy policy, talked about security at the Black Sea at a time when, after the annexation of Crimea, Romania was put into the situation of having a common Black Sea border with the Russian Federation.

“If we look at the European continent from the perspective of today’s energy security, we see three security threats and challenges. The long-standing threats, aggravated today by terrorism, are the weapons of mass destruction, regional conflicts, government failures in Europe’s vicinity, and organized crime. Adding to that are climate change and threats to cyber security,” says Laurentiu Pachiu. Then, he went on to say, there is the domestic dimension of energy security, which in Europe is quite challenged. If we look at the EU countries, each of them has a different energy policy: some are based on coal, some on nuclear energy, some resort to huge natural gas imports.

At the same time, a major energy security challenge is the fact that most EU countries depend on one natural gas supplier alone, which is Russia. Experts in international relations and diplomats discussed in Constanta in southeastern Romania at the “Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum 2017” the challenges facing the countries in the region among which energy and cyber security, intelligence war and the militarisation of the Black Sea. Ambassador Sorin Ducaru, assistant of the NATO Secretary General:

Sorin Ducaru: “At the level of the Alliance, we are dealing with the most complex security context in one generation. There is a combination of classical, conventional threats that are related to the very reasons the Alliance was set up. There is another category of threats, the unconventional ones known as new threats, namely, the emergent threats to international security and to the Alliance, that include terrorist threats, cyber threats, hybrid threats combining conventional and unconventional forms as well as these tendencies targeting data manipulation.”

As regards the measures to be taken to fight these threats, Sorin Ducaru says that NATO’s approach has two components:

Sorin Ducaru: “The first component targets the defense of the allied territory and the member states, somehow related to the main reason for which the Alliance was created — that is collective defense. The second component refers to projecting stability beyond the Alliance’s territory and strengthening defense capabilities, especially in the fight against terrorism.”

Bucharest’s foreign policy is built on the idea that the Western Balkans and the Black Sea must be considered as one when it comes to security threats.

(translated by: Elena Enache)

21 July 2017
The Week in Review, April 17-22

The first vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans pays a formal visit to Bucharest

The Romanian legal system has become a model for other members of the EU, and Romanian citizens should be proud of it, said the first vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, who was on a formal visit to Bucharest. After talks with Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, the European official gave assurances that Brussels will acknowledge the fulfillment of the 12 recommendations set under the mechanism for monitoring the Romanian judiciary as soon as soon as this has happened. Frans Timmermans has also voiced confidence that the best guarantee that the fight against corruption will continue are the Romanian citizens themselves. Under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism set up by the European Commission, the judicial systems in Romania and Bulgaria have been monitored ever since accession, in 2007, with the aim of overcoming deficiencies existing in the justice system and fighting corruption in these countries. In turn, Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has stated he would like to see the Mechanism completed before Romania takes over the presidency of the EU Council. We will carry on with the major progress registered in the field of the judiciary and we will make sure justice in Romania is fair and independent, the Romanian Prime Minister also said.

The IMF improves its forecast regarding Romanian economy in 2017

The IMF has revised upwards, from 3.8% to 4.2%, its forecasts regarding the Romanian economy this year, according to the latest economic outlook report made public ahead of its spring meeting. According to the IMF, in 2017 Romania will have the second-highest growth rate in Europe, after Iceland (5.7%). Next year, Romania is expected to record a growth rate of 3.4%. As regards world economy, the IMF estimates a good growth rate next year as well. Acceleration will be largely felt both in the developed and in the emerging economies, but also in the weaker ones, in particular in the manufacturing and trading sectors.

Romania strengthens its defense sector

Romania plans to buy Patriot missile systems and HIMARS rocket launchers, the Romanian Army Chief of Staff Nicolae Ciuca has announced. The Defense Ministry has already sent an application to the US government, given that both systems are manufactured by US companies. Procurement procedures are scheduled to start this year. The Romanian Chief of Staff has stated that the Patriot system fits Romanias integrated multi-level air defense system. General Ciuca made the statement at the Smardan shooting range in Galati County, south-eastern Romania, which on Thursday hosted a tactical shooting drill, with real ammunition. 350 Romanian and US soldiers participated in the drill. Here is the Army Chief of Staff Nicolae Ciuca speaking of the importance of the drill:

Nicolae Ciuca: “This is a drill that helps increase the level of interoperability and reach the joint standards of our armies. Also, it is part of a process under which the Romanian army is consolidating its status as member of NATO and of the EU. The US soldiers are in Romania as part of the operation Atlantic Resolve, aimed at strengthening NATOs eastern flank and deterring any potential act of aggression in the Black Sea area.

As of May 1st, Romanians will travel to Canada without visas

The Canadian embassy in Bucharest announced on Wednesday that the first stage in the process of lifting mandatory visas for Romanians traveling to Canada starts on May 1st. As of that date, the Romanian citizens who have had a visa in the past ten years or who have a visa to entry the USA, can apply for an electronic travel authorization, ETA, which replaces the visa and is valid for a period of five years. The provision only applies to those who travel by plane or transit a Canadian airport. People who want to enter Canada using other means of transport will still need visas. These requirements are to be waived in December, when the Canadian government intends to lift restrictions for all the Romanian citizens.

Bad weather hits Romania

Three quarters of Romanias territory has been under codes orange or yellow alert for snow or heavy rain, strong wind and low temperatures, which is quite unusual for this time of the year. Romanian weather experts have explained that the bad weather was triggered by a trans-Balkan cyclone, which is crossing Romania these days. Strong gusts of wind cut off electricity in dozens of villages in the east and south-east. Also, because of the blizzard, several national road sectors were closed in the east, but also in the south and centre, were local and county roads were also affected. The bad weather also affected the railways. Several trains were delayed by blizzard and strong winds. Also because of the wind, the Romanian ports on the Black Sea were temporarily closed and several international flights were cancelled.

(translated by: Mihaela Ignatescu)

22 April 2017