Radio România Internațional

Tag: defence

  • April 6, 2017 UPDATE

    April 6, 2017 UPDATE

    CONFERENCE – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said on Thursday that in a strong democratic society the majority and opposition must join forces for the benefit of the people. Iohannis made this statement at an international conference on The Interaction between political majority and opposition, in a democracy, organised in Bucharest by the Presidential Administration and the Venice Commission, with support from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Until Friday, the event will give the nearly 100 participants a platform to discuss the most difficult aspects of the interaction between power and opposition. At the end of the conference, the Venice Commission will draw up a report laying down core lines of action for how the political majority should interact with the opposition.




    DEFENCE – The Romanian Defence Minister, Gabriel Les, announced on Thursday that the plan to equip the Romanian Army would be finalised within about a month. In an interview to Radio Romania, he said the Army would receive attack and transport helicopters, as well as new armoured carriers, given that the ones used at present are around 30 years old. The Ministry wants the national defence industry to be involved in all the Army equipping projects, Les added.




    DRAFT LAW – The draft law on the unified pay scales for the public sector was presented on Thursday in the leading structure of the Social Democratic Party, the main partner in the ruling coalition, and will be promoted as an initiative of the MPs in the ruling coalition. The president of the Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea, said this would step up the endorsement procedure, so as to allow some of the pay rises in the bill to take effect as of July 1. Under the draft law, salaries will be gradually raised in the next 5 years, and will be calculated based on the national minimum wage. We have more on this after the news.




    CHEMICAL ATTACK – Over 85 people, including 30 children, were killed in the alleged chemical attack perpetrated in north-western Syria, according to a report made public on Thursday by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Also on Thursday, Turkey, which is hosting scores of the wounded, confirmed the use of chemical weapons. The nature of the substances has not been officially identified, but the World Health Organisation said some victims had symptoms associated with exposure to a category of neurotoxins. Several states, including France and the UK, claim that President Assads regime is behind the attack, but the latter denies the accusations. The Syrian civil war started in 2011 and killed 320,000 people.

  • March 21, 2017

    March 21, 2017

    DEFENCE – The Supreme Defence Council convenes in Bucharest today, at the initiative of President Klaus Iohannis. The main topics on the agenda are the army equipping programme and Romanias stand at the NATO summit due to take place in Brussels in May. The Council members will review the progress made last year with respect to the army upgrading and equipping programme by 2026 and after that date, as well as the activity of national security institutions in 2016 and their main goals for this year. The previous meeting of the Supreme Defence Council was held on January 31.



    MILITARY CEREMONY – The south-eastern Romanian port city of Constanta has hosted today a repatriation ceremony for the Romanian troops in Battalion 341 Infantry, known as “the White Sharks. Between August 2016 and March 2017 they took part in the NATO-led mission Resolute Support in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The 420 troops were in charge with the security of the Kandahar Airport and the coalition forces deployed there. According to data made public by the Defence Ministry, 25 Romanian military died in missions in Afghanistan, in which Romania has been taking part since 2001 as a member of the international coalitions led by NATO and the USA. Over 100 other troops have been wounded in missions in that country.




    FRANCOPHONIE – The French section of Radio Romania International won the Francophonie Award, granted by the group of Francophone embassies, delegations and institutions in Romania. Our colleagues were handed the award yesterday, on the International Day of La Francophonie, for their outstanding contribution to promoting the French language and the values of La Francophonie in Romania. Also yesterday, in central Bucharest, a bust was unveiled, in memory of Leopold Sedar Senghor, co-founder of La Francophonie. Many cultural, artistic and scientific events were also organized abroad, by Romanias diplomatic missions. The International Francophonie Day is celebrated on March 20 every year. Romania has been a member of this organization since 1993.




    FRENCH ELECTIONS – Centrist Emmanuel Macron strengthened his leadership in polls ahead of the forthcoming presidential election in France, after the first TV debate last night between the top 5 out of 11 candidates. Macrons pro-European rhetoric was counterweighed by the leader of the far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who tried to blame all Frances problems on immigration and the EU, and promised an EU membership referendum and the implementation of nationalist policies. Originally seen as the election frontrunner, but severely affected by a judicial scandal, the Conservative François Fillon presented an economic and social programme based on ultra-Liberal measures. The presidential election in France is scheduled for April 23rd and May 7th. According to current polls, Marine Le Pen will likely win the first round, but will be defeated by Emmanuel Macron in the runoff.




    HOLY SEPULCHRE – Conservation works on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalems old city centre have been finalised, and the site where Jesus Christs body is buried, according to Christian belief, will be reopened tomorrow. The last restoration works were performed over 200 years ago, and authorities were concerned with the stability of the site. The project lasted for 9 months and cost 3.3 million euros, contributed primarily by the Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian churches. The Holy Sepulchre dates back to the 12th Century, and it was built over a 4th Century structure.




    FOOTBALL – Romanias national football team is preparing Sundays home match against Denmark, in preliminary Group E for next years World Cup in Russia. After a clear win, 5-0 in Armenia, two draws, 1-1 on home turf in Montenegro and 0-0 away from home in Kazakhstan, and a severe defeat, 0-3 in Bucharest against Poland, Romania ranks 4th in the group with only 5 points. During this season the national football team is for the first time in history coached by a foreigner, the German Cristoph Daum, brought in last autumn after a poor performance at Euro 2016 in France.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 14, 2017 UPDATE

    February 14, 2017 UPDATE

    SENATE– In a plenary meeting on Tuesday, the Senate of Romania unanimously endorsed an emergency decree that repeals the controversial amendments to the criminal codes, which generated the current political crisis in Bucharest. The draft was sent to the Chamber of Deputies. Amendments can be submitted by Friday, and a plenary session of Parliament is due early next week to vote on the document. The Government building was once again picketed last night by over 1,500 protesters. For two weeks, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the country and abroad have been demanding the resignation of the government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania. They accuse the Cabinet of amending the criminal codes in order to exempt influential politicians and local and central administration officers from criminal liability. Concurrently, several hundreds of supporters of the Government request the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis, who they claimed has stepped out of his role as a mediator by joining in the anti-government protests. A referendum regarding the fight against corruption has been initiated by the President, and was approved on Monday by the Senate. Well have more on this after the news.



    BUDGET– The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has voiced concern after discussing in Bucharest with PM Sorin Grindeanu and the Finance Minister, Viorel Stefan, about the state budget bill and the social security budget bill, sent to the President for promulgation. The head of state sees the 2017 state budget as problematic, because the budget deficit risks exceeding 3%. In his opinion, the budget bill relies on overestimated revenues and very high expenditure. In exchange, the president of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, said the 2017 state budget is sustainable and it should come into effect without any delays. On Monday, the European Commission estimated that this year Romanias budget deficit would account for 3.6% of the GDP, which might lead to the initiation of the excessive deficit procedure. On the other hand, the economic growth forecast for Romania was improved to 4.4%, which is nonetheless below the 5.2% rate estimated by the Government.



    JUSTICE – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest has postponed for March 28 the trial of the case in which the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and head of the ruling Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, is charged with instigation of abuse of office. According to the National Anti-corruption Directorate, Dragnea ordered the fictitious employment of two members of his party with the Directorate General for Social Assistance and Child Protection in Teleorman County in the south. The two were paid from public funds although they were actually working for the Social Democratic Party alone. Last year Dragnea received a suspended two-year prison sentence, for having attempted in 2012 to rig a referendum to dismiss then-president Traian Basescu.



    FIGHTING EAGLES – The 500 US soldiers of the First Battalion “Fighting Eagles on Tuesday arrived at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in south-eastern Romania. They are equipped with tanks, armoured vehicles and self-propelled mortars. During their nine-month stay in Romania, the US military will take part in the drills, planned jointly with the Romanian Ground Forces. In the opinion of the US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, the presence of the US forces in Romania is a confirmation of the strong Strategic Partnership between the two countries. In turn, the Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, has said that apart from taking part in missions, the decision to increase defence spending to 2% of the GDP, according to a NATO objective, is further proof of Romanias firm commitment towards its international partners. The deployment of US troops in Romania is meant to strengthen NATOs eastern flank.



    TENNIS – Romanias womens tennis team will play against Great Britain at home on April 22 and 23, in the play-offs for Fed Cup World Group II. The drawing was held in London on Tuesday. Last weekend Romania was defeated in Bucharest by Belgium, 3-1, in the first round of World Group II. The national team now has to play to keep its spot in the second group. Fed Cup is the most important international team competition in women’s tennis.(Translated by Ana-Maria Popescu and Diana Vijeu)

  • December 17, 2016

    December 17, 2016

    COMMEMORATION – In the western Romanian city of Timişoara, ceremonies have been organised to commemorate 27 years since the start of the Revolution of December 1989, which brought down the communist regime. A day of mourning is observed on Saturday in the city, in memory of the heroes who died in Timisoara. Sparked by the locals opposition to an abusive measure of the city hall, the protests quickly spread across the country, culminating on December 22 with dictator Nicolae Ceausescus attempted escape. More than 1,000 people died and another 3,400 were wounded between December 16 and 25, 1989. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country where the communist regime was overthrown in a violent manner and the communist leaders were executed.



    DISPUTE – The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the issue of the Romanian gold reserve had a significant historical component and that it was first and foremost something for a bilateral team of historians to deal with. According to the Russian diplomacy, historical issues, including the matter of the gold reserve, were not covered by the Russian-Romanian Treaty, and a joint team of historians was tasked with researching the issue. The Russian authorities say the interim findings of this committee are to be presented at a meeting held in Moscow next year. The Russian Foreign Ministry made these clarifications after Mugur Isarescu, Governor of the National Bank of Romania, said Russia was still to return to Romania the gold reserve sent for safekeeping in the Russian Empire 100 years ago. According to the archive of the central bank, in 1916 and 1917 Romania sent to Moscow 1,926 cases containing gold coins and bars, as well as cases of jewellery belonging to Queen Marie.



    DEFENCE – The Romanian authorities are making progress in identifying another 12 aicraft to be included in the equipment of the Romanian Air Forces, but talks with the representatives of the country that produces these devices must first be held, the Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc said on Friday at Air Base 86, Borcea. He answered a question regarding the acquisition of a new squadron of F-16 fighters. In 2013, Romania decided to purchase 12 used F-16 aircraft from Portugal, but according to experts the country needs 48 multirole planes, that is, another 4 squadrons.



    LEGISLATION – The bill drafted by the Social Democratic Party on the scrapping of 102 charges and fees, including the radio and television license fee, will be sent back to Parliament for review. President Klaus Iohannis made this decision on the same day that the Constitutional Court announced the bill did not come against the Constitution. The Presidents move triggered the discontent of the Social Democratic leader, Liviu Dragnea, the initiator of the bill. Dragnea vowed not to give up the elimination of the respective charges, and said the bill would once again be pushed through Parliament.



    US-RUSSIA – US President Barack Obama said his country would respond to the cyber-attacks launched by Russia during the presidential election campaign in November. The American authorities say they have evidence that hackers linked to Kremlin broke into the email accounts of members of the Democratic candidate Hillary Clintons team, to help the campaign of Republican candidate Donald Trump. Not much happens in Russia without Vladimir Putin, President Obama told a press conference, virtually confirming the view that Russian President Putin was personally involved in the attempts to hack into the computers of the National Democratic Committee. Russia denied the accusations.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Global Cooperation and Security Plan

    Global Cooperation and Security Plan

    Having seen its presence and influence significantly reduced in the international community, following the economic and financial crisis, the European Union seems to be trying to adapt to the times, including in terms of defence. Two months ago, it established an external border monitoring and control agency, with extended powers, to replace Frontex, and now, with the endorsement of its global strategy on the security and defence policy, the Union has made a further step in this direction. The implementation plan on security and defence is the outcome of an older initiative, which the European foreign and defence ministers convening in Brussels on Monday turned into an operational project. Here is the Radio Romania correspondent in the Belgian capital city, Claudia Marcu, with details:



    Claudia Marcu: “The EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini described the implementation plan on security and defence as ambitious, pragmatic, substantial, concrete, and prepared in a record time with the full involvement of the 28 member states. The EUs High Representative for foreign policy and security pointed out, first and foremost, that this plan meant neither the establishment of a European army, nor the competition or duplication of NATO. The implementation plan is about providing the EU with all the instruments it needs to fulfil its ambitions, and outlines 3 key tasks for Europe: responding to external conflicts and crises, working with partners in building their security and defence capabilities, and protecting the Union and its citizens.



    In other words, the project is not a threat to the contribution undertaken by EU member states within NATO, but rather complementary to the current actions and future objectives of the North Atlantic Alliance.



    On the other hand, the Plan may be seen as a natural response of the Union to an unpredictable international context, in which the geopolitical element plays a key role. Russias aggressive foreign policy, pursued even at a military level, with the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and with Moscows active involvement in the secessionist conflict in east Ukraine, the instability in north Africa, following the Arab spring, the growing tensions straining the relations with Turkey and, above all, the insecurity engendered by terrorism, are all unsettling elements for the EU. Furthermore, a number of foreign policy analysts argue that Europes economic power must be accompanied by a matching military potential, even if this comes against the paradigm embraced after World War II.

  • October 31, 2016

    October 31, 2016

    COLECTIV – A silent march in Bucharest and other rallies in several other Romanian cities commemorated one year since the fire that destroyed the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, killed 64 people and injured more than 100 others. President Klaus Iohannis and PM Dacian Ciolos paid tribute to the victims. Crown Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, sent a message emphasising the importance of preserving the unity of feeling and conscience. In another message, the Ambassador of the US to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, encouraged Romanians in their fight against corruption and effort to build a safe, democratic and successful country. In turn, the Ambassador of France to Bucharest, Francois Saint-Paul, has expressed his compassion for the victims families and has said his country will continue to train Romanian healthcare professionals.



    STRIKE – More than 80,000 healthcare staff in Romania are on all-out strike as of today, the leaders of the SANITAS Trade Union Federation have announced. Throughout the protest, one-third of the employees will continue to work and emergencies will not be affected, the unions say. The protesters are mainly unhappy with the imbalances in the salary system and say they will only go back to work if their demands are granted. This is the last stage of the action initiated by public healthcare employees in September. Sanitas represents the interests of over 100,000 members.



    MISSILE DEFENCE – The Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc, is taking part in London today in the Multinational Ballistic Defence conference. The conference is organised by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Missile Defence Agency of the US Department of Defence. As a special guest, Minister Motoc will present Romanias view on the ballistic defence issue, given that Romania hosts the Aegis Ashore American missile defence system in Deveselu (south). The Romanian official will receive, on behalf of the Romanian Defence Ministry, the ‘David R. Israel’ award for merits in the anti-missile field and in recognition of the efforts and active involvement of Romania in preparing the military base in Deveselu. On the sidelines of the conference, Mihnea Motoc will have a meeting with the head of the Missile Defence Agency, vice-admiral James D. Syring.



    ELECTION – The President of the neighbouring Republic of Moldova will be decided in the November 13 election runoff, between the pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon and the candidate backed by pro-European parties, Maia Sandu. According to official figures, in the first round held on Sunday, Dodon came out the first of the 9 candidates, with 48% of the votes, followed by Sandu, with 38%. The turnout rate was the lowest in the history of parliamentary and presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova.



    EARTHQUAKE – Many Romanians living in the Puglia province called the emergency number provided by the Romanian consular office in Rome, after the 6.5 Richter earthquake that hit the centre of Italy on Sunday. A mobile unit of the Romanian Embassy is trying to provide assistance to the nearly 140 Romanian citizens who live in the towns of Norcia and Preci, severely affected by the quake, which was the strongest since 1980. The Italian authorities announced there were no casualties, but scores of people were nonetheless injured, and most buildings were seriously damaged.



    TENNIS – The Romanian Simona Halep concludes the year 2016 on the 4th position in the world ranking of professional tennis players, and is in the top 10 WTA for the third consecutive year. The top 3 places are held by German Angelique Kerber, the American Serena Williams and Radwanska Agnieszka of Poland. Three other Romanian players are in the Top 100. Irina Begu is ranked 29th, Monica Niculescu 39th and Sorana Carstea 81st. The last major competition of this year for Simona Halep was the WTA Final in Singapore. In January 2017 she will play in Shenzhen (January 1-7), where she won the 2015 final, and then in the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romania and the international security

    Romania and the international security

    Romania will
    send military instructors to Iraq as part of the international coalition
    fighting the Islamic State. Romania will contribute 50 trainers, personnel and
    military intelligence as well as special and ground forces. President Klaus
    Iohannis asked Parliament to approve this mission that will unfold for one year.




    The topic of
    increasing the coalition’s capability to fight ISIS has been tackled recently
    at NATO’s defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels. At the request of the United
    States, the Alliance has pledged to contribute surveillance planes in fighting
    the terrorist group.




    Romanian defence
    Minister Mihnea Motoc, who attended the meeting, has explained that NATO’s
    decision to support the anti-ISIS coalition is the result of a shift in the
    alliance’s strategy and targets the Islamic State’s activity within Iraq’s
    borders. Mihnea Motoc also talked about Romania’s contribution to the
    coalition:




    Romania, which
    has been part of the anti-ISIS coalition for some time now, will contribute
    with military instructors and trainers of the special forces. We will send 50
    military to Iraq to carry out advisory and training missions to develop these
    capabilities among the ranks of the Iraqi army.




    Another
    important decision taken by the NATO defence ministers is that the Alliance
    will help Europe crackdown on criminal networks in the Aegean Sea smuggling
    migrants into Europe. It was also decided to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank to
    defend central and east-European states from Russia’s threats. Consequently,
    additional troops will be temporarily stationed in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland
    and the Baltic countries. This is a historic decision, against the background
    of NATO-Moscow relations having reached their lowest point since the end of the
    Cold War.




    NATO’s Secretary
    General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the Alliance’s presence in the East will
    be as large as necessary, and its purpose is to strike a balance between the
    ground forces and quick-reaction reinforcement troops. Minister Motoc has
    assured the allied states that the anti-missile system in Deveselu, southern Romania,
    which contributes to the NATO defence strategy in the region, will be rendered
    operational in 2016 as scheduled and has reiterated Romania’s pledge to
    increase the defence budget. He has also said that Romania also sticks to its
    commitments in Afghanistan, where it has 611 military.

  • Romania and the international security

    Romania and the international security

    Romania will
    send military instructors to Iraq as part of the international coalition
    fighting the Islamic State. Romania will contribute 50 trainers, personnel and
    military intelligence as well as special and ground forces. President Klaus
    Iohannis asked Parliament to approve this mission that will unfold for one year.




    The topic of
    increasing the coalition’s capability to fight ISIS has been tackled recently
    at NATO’s defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels. At the request of the United
    States, the Alliance has pledged to contribute surveillance planes in fighting
    the terrorist group.




    Romanian defence
    Minister Mihnea Motoc, who attended the meeting, has explained that NATO’s
    decision to support the anti-ISIS coalition is the result of a shift in the
    alliance’s strategy and targets the Islamic State’s activity within Iraq’s
    borders. Mihnea Motoc also talked about Romania’s contribution to the
    coalition:




    Romania, which
    has been part of the anti-ISIS coalition for some time now, will contribute
    with military instructors and trainers of the special forces. We will send 50
    military to Iraq to carry out advisory and training missions to develop these
    capabilities among the ranks of the Iraqi army.




    Another
    important decision taken by the NATO defence ministers is that the Alliance
    will help Europe crackdown on criminal networks in the Aegean Sea smuggling
    migrants into Europe. It was also decided to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank to
    defend central and east-European states from Russia’s threats. Consequently,
    additional troops will be temporarily stationed in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland
    and the Baltic countries. This is a historic decision, against the background
    of NATO-Moscow relations having reached their lowest point since the end of the
    Cold War.




    NATO’s Secretary
    General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the Alliance’s presence in the East will
    be as large as necessary, and its purpose is to strike a balance between the
    ground forces and quick-reaction reinforcement troops. Minister Motoc has
    assured the allied states that the anti-missile system in Deveselu, southern Romania,
    which contributes to the NATO defence strategy in the region, will be rendered
    operational in 2016 as scheduled and has reiterated Romania’s pledge to
    increase the defence budget. He has also said that Romania also sticks to its
    commitments in Afghanistan, where it has 611 military.

  • February 3, 2016 UPDATE

    February 3, 2016 UPDATE

    PROSECUTION – The Romanian Senate has complied with the request of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate regarding the prosecution of the senator of the National Union for the Progress of Romania, Gabriel Oprea, former deputy prime minister for national security and interior minister. The decision was passed with 102 ayes and 31 nays. Oprea is facing two charges of abuse in office and is accused of obtaining undue benefits for himself or for another person during his term in office. One of the offences is the use of the Interior Ministrys human and material resources to illegally ensure the ministers police escort. The second offence is related to the conclusion of an agreement under which the Prosecutor General, Tiberiu Nitu, allegedly benefited from a motorcade. Prosecutors say that Tiberiu Nitu, who resigned on Tuesday, is not under investigation. The law stipulates that only the president, the prime minister and the two speakers of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, respectively, have the right to a motorcade, whereas ministers can use it only in emergencies.



    CORRUPTION– The mayor of the south-eastern Romanian city of Braila, Social Democrat Aurel Simionescu, was taken into custody on Wednesday by the anti-corruption prosecutors who accuse him of having favoured a consortium of firms, at a tender to modernize a boulevard. The facts, assimilated to corruption deeds, were reportedly made with the assistance of civil servants subordinated to the mayor, as well as with the complicity of the representatives of the firms interested in getting the public works contracts. According to judicial sources, the prejudice brought to the local administration stands at some 9 million Euros.



    JUSTICE– The Romanian government on Wednesday decided to suspend until September 1, 2016, under an emergency ordinance, the enforcement of the legal provision reducing the sentences of detainees publishing alleged scientific works. The decision comes after justice minister, Raluca Pruna, has justified her calls for the repealing of this legal provision, laid down in the Romanian law since 1969, through the fact that in the last couple of years, abuses have been reported entailing intellectual imposture in penitentiaries. The phenomenon has gained momentum: whereas 90 works were written in 2014, as many as 340 works were published in 2015, minister Pruna explained.



    SECURITY IN EUROPE–The Romanian Foreign Ministry hails the United States announcement on a four-fold increase in the budget destined for the European Reassurance Initiative/ERI for 2017, as well on its determination to assure a robust American military presence in Europe. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the announcement comes as a confirmation of the United States strong commitment to Europes security, tightening NATOs collective defense measures and discouraging risk factors. The implementation of the measures announced by the US will contribute significantly to consolidating Romanias and the other allies security in the face of security provocations in our region, a press release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday shows. The Pentagon has announced it increases its budget for Europe, up to 3.4 billion dollars, in the new security strategic context, marked by Russias actions and the ascension of the Islamic State terrorist group. Allied within NATO, Bucharest and Washington are tied by a bilateral strategic partnership.



    DEFENSE – Romania and France are supporting each others efforts to fight international terrorism, and the Romanian authorities reiterate their solidarity with France, in the difficult context generated by the recent terror attacks in Paris. This was the conclusion of the talks held in Bucharest on Wednesday by Romanian defense minister, Mihnea Motoc, and the Chief of Staff of the French Army, general Pierre de Villiers. A focal point on the agenda of the talks was the future NATO Summit in Warsaw, against the backdrop of the strategic adjustment process carried out by the North Atlantic Alliance. The French military official also met with his Romanian counterpart, general Nicolae Ciuca, together with whom he approached the security development situation in the Black Sea area and the participation of Romanian military in theatres of operations.



    ROMANIAN ECONOMY – The French credit insurance company Coface has maintained the B country risk rating for Romania, which is indicative of an unstable macroeconomic environment, the companys 2015 macroeconomic Report says. “Despite the macroeconomic balance, the setback in the transition to the Euro and the compliance with the nominal convergence criteria, Romania is still vulnerable because of the structural character of domestic microeconomic imbalance, the Report shows. According to the Report, the factors of the imbalance are the very high level of the trade credit, the great interdependence between companies, the speedy interruption of the activity of many companies as compared to the recently registered companies and the high level of instruments that were refused upon payment. According to Coface, the strengths are the relatively large domestic market, qualified and cheap work force, a significance currency reserve and the relatively stable national currency as against the Euro, the public debt level below the EU average and a low energy dependence. Coface estimates a 4.2% economic growth for Romania this year.



    ADOPTIONS – The Commission for labour and social protection of the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday passed the draft law shortening the adoption time and simplifying the adoption procedures, so that a child could be adopted more quickly. To facilitate a better relationship between children and their new family, the Commission increased the accommodation leave granted to parents from 3 to 12 months. If within a year, parents failed to adopt a child, they are now given one more year to do it.



    TOURIST INDUSTRY – According to the National Institute for Statistics, 9.8 million tourists were accommodated in various units in Romania in 2015, by 17.2% more than in 2014. 77.4% of the total number of tourists were Romanian and 22.6% were foreign, the figures being similar to the ones in 2014. Three quarters of the foreign tourists came from Europe. The average stay of Romanian tourists was 2.5 days and that of foreign tourists was 2 days. 36.3% of the tourists stayed in hotels, 21.8% in villas and 20.4% in hostels.


    (Translated by Diana Vijeu and Ana-Maria Palcu)

  • December 10, 2015 UPDATE

    December 10, 2015 UPDATE

    DEFENSE – Some 1,200 Romanian military and over 1,500 gendarmes
    will participate in NATO, EU, OSCE and UN missions abroad next year. The
    decision was made by Romania’s Supreme Defence Council, which convened on
    Thursday. Chaired by Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, this was the first
    meeting attended by the members of the Ciolos technocratic cabinet. On this
    occasion, the Guide to Romania’s National Defence Strategy for 2015-2019 and
    the Intelligence Strategy of the Romanian Intelligence Service for the same
    period have been approved. According to the Presidential Administration, the
    members of Romania’s Supreme Defence Council have also taken note of the fact
    that Romania’s relevant institutions applied the sanctions imposed at
    international level, between October 2014 and September 2015.




    BUDGET– Romania’s state and social security budget bills will be
    debated by the joint budget and finance parliamentary committees on Friday. The
    two drafts, adopted by the Government, have been submitted to Parliament this
    week, with the request to be debated and adopted as part of an emergency
    procedure. According to the timetable endorsed by Parliament, the final vote is
    expected in a plenary session of Romania’s Parliament next week.




    ECONOMY-Romania’s
    trade deficit deepened in the first ten months of the year by 1.5 billion euros,
    compared with the same period last year, to reach 6.4 billion euros. According
    to the National Institute for Statistics, exports accounted for almost 46
    billion euros, while imports stood at a little over 52 billion. Cars and
    transport equipment, as well as other types of manufactured goods held the
    biggest shares in Romania’s exports and imports in the first ten months of the
    year.




    CORRUPTION-The director
    of Evenimentul Zilei daily paper, Dan Andronic, has been detained by
    prosecutors as part of investigations into the illegal return of property
    confiscated by the communist regime to the rightful owners. A business man, an
    advisor to the former Liberal Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu and the
    director of a well-known real estate developer have also been detained as part
    of the same inquiry. The damage is estimated in this case at 136 million euros.
    A number of politicians, including the Liberal Ioan Oltean, have been investigated
    recently for involvement in cases of illegal return of property or illegal
    compensation granted by the National Authority for Property Restitution.




    AWARDS-
    Romania’s ambassador to Chishinau, Marius Lazurca, and the military attaché of
    the diplomatic mission, Dumitru Neacsu, have received the highest awards of the
    Army of the Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet state with a predominantly
    Romanian speaking population). The two awards, The Medal for Cooperation and
    The Medal for Strengthening the Brotherhood in Arms have been awarded to the
    Romanian officials by the Moldovan Defense Minister, Anatol
    Salaru. During the ceremony held at the Romanian Embassy in Chishinau, minister
    Salaru has thanked ambassador Lazurca for the efforts he has made to promote
    peace and democracy and to develop cooperation relations between the armies of
    the two neighbouring states. The Moldovan minister has also thanked the
    Romanian military attaché for his contribution to boosting Moldova’s defence
    capabilities. Ambassador Lazurca has said Romania has been and will further be
    a strategic partner of the Republic of Moldova.


    NOBEL PRIZE AWARD CEREMONY-     Stockholm on Thursday hosted the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony. The event marked 119 years since the death of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and the initiator of the most prestigious annual international prizes, that were first awarded in 1901. The Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel are traditionally awarded in Stockholm, whereas the Peace Prize is offered in Oslo, Norway. This year, the most highly acclaimed international prizes have been awarded to scientists and physicians, for neutrino science and for discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites, respectively. The only individual awards were those for literature and economy, which went to Belarussian author Svetlana Alexievich and to British professor, Angus Deaton, respectively. The Nobel Prize for economy is financed by the Sveriges Riksbank, whereas the others are granted by the Nobel Foundation. Each Nobel Prize is about 950,000 US dollars.

    (translated by Diana Vijeu)

  • 10 December 2015

    10 December 2015


    The joint permanent bureaus of the Romanian Parliament today submit their amendments to the state budget and social security budget bills, which will be debated on Friday by the joint budget and finance committees. A final vote is expected after the bills are debated by the specialist committees and in a joint meeting of the two Parliament houses. The bills on the 2016 state and social security budget approved by government were submitted on Wednesday to Parliament with the request to be debated and adopted as part of an emergency procedure.



    President Klaus Iohannis is chairing a meeting of the Romanian Supreme Defence Council, the first to be attended by members of the Ciolos cabinet. Talks focus, among others, on the deployment plan for the Romanian troops sent to missions and operations abroad next year and the 2016 budgets of the bodies with national security responsibilities. The Supreme Defence Council will also analyse the measures taken by Romania to implement the regime of international sanctions, as well as the report on the national system for the prevention and combating of terrorism.



    Romanias trade deficit deepened in the first ten months of the year by 1.5 billion euros compared with the same period last year, to reach 6.4 billion euros. According to the National Institute for Statistics, exports accounted for almost 46 billion euros, while imports stood at a little over 52 billion. Cars and transport equipment, as well as other types of manufactured goods held the biggest shares in Romanias exports and imports in the first ten months of the year.



    The director of the Evenimentul Zilei daily Dan Andronic has been detained by prosecutors as part of investigations into the illegal return of property confiscated by the communist regime to the rightful owners. A business man, an advisor to the former Liberal prime minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu and the director of a well-known real estate developer have also been detained as part of the same inquiry. The damage is estimated in this case at 136 million euros. A number of politicians, including the Liberal Ioan Oltean, have been investigated recently for involvement in cases of illegal return of property or illegal compensation granted by the National Authority for Property Restitution.



    Romania face defending Olympic and European champions Norway in a Group D match at the World Womens Handball Championship underway in Denmark. Despite losing to Spain in their latest match, Romania have secured their qualification for the round of 16, having won against Puerto Rico and Kazakhstan. If Romania lose against Spain, their final group game with Russia on Friday will no longer decide their final place in the group. Romania are the only team to have taken part in every edition of the World Championship since 1957, winning three medals in the process: gold in 1962 and silver in 1973 and again in 2005.



    (Translated by: C. Mateescu)




  • Black Sea Security

    US defence secretary Chuck Hagel paid a short visit to Romania following an invitation by his counterpart in Bucharest, Mircea Dusa. The two officials met in the Black Sea port of Constanta and discussed issues such as the military aspect of the bilateral strategic partnership, the stage of American defence projects in Romania and NATO’s plans to enhance security in the Black Sea region. After the talks, they inspected the USS Vella Gulf cruiser, which was sent to the area in response to the crisis in Romania’s neighbouring Ukraine. Mircea Dusa hailed the enhanced presence of Allied air, land and navy forces:



    Mircea Dusa: “We welcome the presence of US navy ships in the Black Sea, which means they can carry out joint exercises with the Romanian navy forces and which increases the security of the region. We also welcome the readiness of the United States and NATO to find concrete solutions so strengthen the presence of NATO capabilities on the Alliance’s eastern flank.”



    In the opinion of minister Dusa, the security situation in the region has changed dramatically. The Pentagon chief said Romania is a trusted partner and that president Barack Obama appreciated the support and friendship shown by its Black Sea ally. Earlier in Warsaw, President Obama assured his country’s east-European allies that the US would defend their security as NATO members. He said he would ask Congress for 1 billion dollars to enhance the readiness of US and allied forces in Europe. Chuck Hagel’s visit to Romania comes two weeks after a visit by US vice-president Joe Biden, who also reiterated the US’s commitment to the security of its east-European partners.



    Over the next few days, Romania will also receive the visit of three US Senators: the Republican Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain, his Republican colleague Ron Johnson and the Democrat Senator Chris Murphy. The three officials will have talks with representatives of the Romanian government, the president’s office and Parliament. Their trip to Romania comes amid worries about the conflict in Ukraine, a topic also tackled in Brussels by the G7 leaders. The latter called on Russia to pull out its troops from the border with Ukraine and use its influence with pro-Russian separatists to defuse tension in the east of Ukraine. The G7 leaders also said they were ready to impose even tougher sanctions on Russia unless the latter helps restore stability in Ukraine.