Radio România Internațional

Tag: defence

June 26, 2018

NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE – The no-confidence motion initiated by the National Liberal Party and backed by Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party against the Dăncilă Cabinet was read out on Monday in Parliament, and is to be discussed and voted on tomorrow. The Government is criticised, among other things, for the changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure, for reducing the powers of the countrys president and for negative economic performances.

PARTNERSHIP – Romanias deputy PM Ana Birchall, who had a meeting on Monday in Washington with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, reaffirmed the importance of the Strategic Partnership with the US for Romanias foreign policy. The Romanian official also emphasised the need to maintain a balanced and coherent NATO policy on the eastern flank. Ana Birchall reconfirmed the goal undertaken by Romania with respect to the fair distribution of responsibilities within the Alliance, in view of strengthening its defence capabilities. Also on Monday, in a meeting with Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Ana Birchall discussed the development of the energy resources in the Black Sea, regional energy security and the development of transport and interconnectivity projects. Birchall reiterated the Romanian Governments firm commitment to ensure a transparent and attractive investment climate for the relevant companies.

DEFENCE – Romania faces Russian aggression on a daily basis in the Black Sea, and is fending off a wave of cyber-attacks and political interference, the Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor said Monday in an interview to Associated Press. He added that Romania aims to be the regions main security provider and an early warning outpost for threats to fellow NATO allies. Mihai Fifor mentioned that Romania is hosting a major US military base and has a more pro-American stance than its neighbours, which has led to cool relations with Russia. The Defence Minister added that Romania plans to demonstrate that it is a pillar of stability and security in the region and to increase its contribution to mission Resolute Support in Afghanistan, from 700 troops at present to 900.

FLAG DAY – Bucharest and other cities in Romania are hosting today military and religious ceremonies as well as air shows, to mark National Flag Day. Taking part in the events in the capital city were the Defence Minister Mihai Fifor, troops, war veterans, and retired officers. National Flag Day was proclaimed by law in 1998 and is celebrated every year on June 26. The date was chosen to mark the day in 1848 when the red, yellow and blue colours were chosen as the symbol of the Romanian nation.

EU – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, said the progress made by the European Union in the field of security and defence must contribute to strengthening the European defence and the cooperation with NATO. The statement was made in Luxembourg, at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, attended by the EU foreign ministers and defence ministers, in the presence of NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. Also in Luxembourg, Romania and Bulgaria presented the state and the prospects of Black Sea cooperation initiatives. Minister Teodor Meleşcanu pleaded for enhanced EU support for such joint projects.

CYCLING – Around 250 bikers have set out today from the capital city Bucharest, from Iaşi in the north-east, Timişoara in the west and Drobeta Turnu Severin in the south-west, to meet in Alba Iulia, in the centre of the country, where the Great Union was proclaimed 100 years ago. The cycling tour is devoted to the celebration of 100 years since the formation of the Romanian nation state, on December 1, 1918. The around 500-km route will be completed in 5 days. For a short while the participants were joined in Bucharest by President Klaus Iohannis, who took the opportunity to plead for national unity.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

26 June 2018
May 29, 2018

JUDICIARY – The judges with the High Court of Cassation in Bucharest have today postponed to June 12 a verdict in a case involving the former chief of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, Alina Bica, the businessman Dorin Cocoş and his son. Bica is accused of aggravated abuse of office while employed as a secretary of state and representing the Justice Ministry in the Central Commission for Compensation Settlement within the National Authority for Property Restitution. The former chief of the anti-mafia prosecutors office is in Costa Rica, together with Dorin Cocos ex-wife, Elena Udrea, herself a former minister and tried for corruption, after having been regarded for a long time the most influential member of the ex-President Traian Basescus circle. The 2 applied for political asylum in Costa Rica.

CORRUPTION – The High Court of Cassation and Justice once again postponed today a ruling in the case in which the Social Democratic Party president and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea is accused of corruption offences. At the previous hearing on May 15, anti-corruption prosecutors requested a sentence of 7 years and 5 months in prison for abuse of office and six months for forgery. They say that while Dragnea was the chairman of the Teleorman County Council, he ordered the Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate to fictitiously hire 2 party members, who were paid from public funds although they worked exclusively for the Social Democratic Party. In 2016, Dragnea received a suspended sentence for attempted election fraud. The Social Democratic leader is until Thursday in Switzerland, on an official visit as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

DEFENCE – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Mihai Fifor, had talks in Paris with his French counterpart Florence Parly, about the bilateral cooperation in the defence sector. According to Minister Fifor, the parties have agreed to harmonise their positions on security on the eastern flank of NATO, ahead of the Alliances summit in Brussels in July. Another topic discussed by the 2 officials was the Romanian presidency of the EU Council in the first half of next year. Fifors visit also includes, among other things, a meeting with Philippe Etienne, the diplomatic adviser of President Emmanuel Macron and former Ambassador of France to Romania, and visits to military equipment producers.

BREXIT – The deputy PM of Romania, Ana Birchall, had a meeting today with a delegation of the Romania-UK Friendship Parliamentary Group, in which context she reiterated, with respect to Brexit, the importance of protecting the rights of the Romanian citizens and their families who live, work or study in UK. ‘Romania will continue to lobby for Britain to remain as close as possible to the European Union after Brexit as well,’ Ana Birchall said. According to a news release issued by the Government, participants in the talks emphasised the importance of the Strategic Partnership with the UK, which has a sound foundation in the field of security and in the economic area.

FILM AWARDS – ‘Fixeur’, directed by Adrian Sitaru, was the winner of the Awards gala of the Romanian Filmmakers Association (UCIN), held on Monday in Bucharest. The film won the Grand Prize and the Trophy of the Association. Călin Peter Netzer won the best director award for ‘Ana, mon amour’. The Gala, one of the most important events of the year in this field, was attended by hundreds of guests. This year the Romanian Filmmakers Association celebrates 55 years since its establishment.

TENNIS – The world no 1 Simona Halep, of Romania, is playing today against the American Alison Riske (105 WTA), in the first tour of Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. Three other Romanians will also play today. Sorana Cîrstea (45 WTA) is facing the Australian Daria Gavrilova (24 WTA), Irina Begu (41 WTA) the Slovak Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (78 WTA), and Ana Bogdan (65 WTA) takes on the Czech Marketa Vondrousova (90). On Monday, two other players from Romania moved past the opening round: Alexandra Dulgheru (160 WTA) beat the American Christina McHale (no 85 WTA), and Mihaela Buzărnescu (32 WTA) defeated Vania King (1.276 WTA), also from the USA. In the mens competition, the only Romanian player, Marius Copil (95 ATP), lost to the Italian Marco Cecchinato (72 ATP).

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

29 May 2018
Action plan on military mobility

In accordance with the commitment made by Jean-Claude Juncker on building a genuine Defense Union by 2025, the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, presented at the end of March an action plan aimed at improving military mobility inside and outside the European Union. Facilitating the movement of troops and military equipment is essential for the security of European citizens and for building a more efficient, integrated Union with better response capabilities, Brussels explained.

The document identifies measures aimed at removing physical, procedural and regulatory barriers. Close cooperation among states is viewed as essential for implementing this action plan. The action plan builds on a roadmap on military mobility drafted within the European Defense Agency. The European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc explained the reasoning behind these measures:

Violeta Bulc: “Improving military mobility in the European Union is one of the very practical steps towards a fully fledged defense union by 2025. Second, we must be able to quickly deploy troops either within the EU or able to launch military operations abroad, and of course to do so we need infrastructure that is fit for this purpose. The EU is still facing a number of physical, procedural, regulatory barriers hampering military mobility, which is why we are here today.

International political developments are hard to predict, but, as we said before, the European Union needs a common defence approach and good coordination of activities, the European Commissioner also said. The Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said: “Promoting peace and guaranteeing the security of our citizens are our first priorities as European Union. By facilitating military mobility within the EU, we can be more effective in preventing crises, more efficient in deploying our missions, and quicker in reacting when challenges arise. It will be another step in deepening our cooperation at EU level, also in the framework of the Permanent Structured Cooperation we have formally launched recently, and with our partners, starting with NATO. For us, as EU, cooperation remains the only way to be effective in today’s world.

Conducting an analysis of the situation of road and railway networks in Europe to identify suitable routes for military transport is one of the proposals made by the Commission. European officials say this is necessary, among others, because many bridges in the EU have not been designed to withstand the weight or height of oversized military vehicles. On the other hand, the railway infrastructure does not have enough load-carrying capacity for military use. A list will then be made of priority projects and the needed financial support will be established. What does this action plan imply in practice?

Commissioner Violeta Bulc: “We are taking actions on two major fronts: the first front is infrastructure, transport infrastructure. And the main objective here is to make full use of our transport network for dual purposes, military and civilian. Looking back, one of the main purposes of transport networks was to transport armies. Today I am very happy that the primary reason for transport infrastructure in Europe is a civilian reason. But, of course, joint planning for the needs and of course to have infrastructure fit for purpose makes a lot of sense and it will also help us optimise our investments. So, the plan is as follows: first, by this summer, member states are invited to agree on a detailed list of military needs, requirements, and then secondly we will compare these with our transport infrastructure plans and its technical requirements. And this will cover the whole network and all modes. The next, third step, on the basis of what I just said, we will draw a priority list of dual-use projects. This work will be completed in the course of 2019.

The second action front is the regulation and procedures section, the European commissioner went on to say. This focuses on customs and VAT procedures for the transport of dangerous goods, cross-border transportation and other aspects such as combating hybrid threats. In practical terms, it all comes down to harmonising fragmented national regulations, simplifying procedures to ease the administrative burden and cut costs, as all these may cause delays hindering military mobility. Brussels believe that by improving military mobility the EU can become more efficient in crisis-prevention and improve its response time to various challenges.

(translated by: Mihaela Ignatescu)

13 April 2018
La Roumanie, Etat phare au sein de la francophonie

« La Roumanie et la France peuvent et doivent réaliser davantage ensemble en tant que partenaires privilégiés unis par des liens historiques, culturels et linguistiques très forts et partageant une vision commune sur une Europe unie, solidaire et puissante » c’est par ces mots que le chef de la diplomatie roumaine, Teodor Melescanu a résumé sa rencontre avec le ministre français des Affaires Etrangères, Jean-Yves le Drian. La visite à Bucarest de ce dernier se déroule dans un contexte symbolique marqué par le centenaire de la Grande Union de la Roumanie, à laquelle la France a eu une contribution significative.

Le caractère spécial des relations roumano-françaises a été illustré par l’anniversaire de la signature il y a dix ans du partenariat stratégique roumano-français et par les préparatifs en vue de la saison culturelle croisée Roumanie-France, un projet culturel et diplomatique d’envergure qui sera lancé à Paris autour du 1er décembre 2018, fête nationale de la Roumanie et qui s’achèvera le 14 juillet 2019, à l’occasion de la fête nationale de la France. Teodor Melescanu : « Le partenariat stratégique entre la Roumanie et la France et sa feuille de route ont eu une contribution majeure à l’approfondissement des relations bilatérales dans des domaines essentiels tels le développement économique, la coopération décentralisée, la cohésion sociale, le secteur financier bancaire, la justice, la santé, la recherche et l’enseignement, la culture, les affaires intérieures, les télécoms et la société informationnelle et ainsi de suite » a déclaré Teodor Melescanu, soulignant que tous ces secteurs ont porté le volume des échanges commerciaux à huit milliards d’euros, un record absolu.

Enfin la Roumanie souhaite jouer un rôle d’Etat phare au sein de l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, étant prête à appuyer la nouvelle stratégie du président français Emmanuel Macron sur la promotion de la langue française et du multilinguisme, a également déclaré le ministre roumain des AE. La France est bien présente dans l’économie roumaine grâce à ses grandes entreprises particulièrement dans le secteur automobile, aéronautique, de la grande distribution mais aussi par ses PME a affirmé le ministre français des AE, Jean-Yves Le Drian, soulignant que 120 mille emplois directs sont générés par la présence économique française.

Bucarest et Paris souhaitaient renforcer leur coopération dans le domaine du nucléaire civil et des lasers de haute intensité, a également précisé le ministre français. Côté affaires européennes, les deux responsables ont souligné la convergence des positions de leurs pays dans toutes les questions fondamentales de l’UE. JY Le Drian : « La Roumanie pourra compter sur le soutien de la France pour contribuer au succès de votre première présidence d el’UE. Celle-ci interviendra dans un moment charnière : la fin des négociations de retrait avec le Royame-Uni, les discussions sur les nouvelles perspectives financières, les élections européennes du mois de mai et dans ce contexte j’ai rappelé également nos attentes concernant les travaux sur l’avenir du projet européen, qui se passeront aussi sous la présidence roumaine et je dois dire que nous avons sur tout ces sujets beaucoup de points de convergence, y compris sur les nouvelles perspectives financières »

Enfin pour ce qui est des grands dossiers internationaux, tels la Syrie, le ministre français des Affaires Etrangères a déclaré qu’une ligne rouge avait été franchie par l’utilisation des armes chimiques contre des civils. Pour sa part, le Ministre roumain des Affaires Etrangères Teodor Melescanu a affirmé que la Roumanie soutenait la mise en place d’un mécanisme visant à identifier les auteurs de l’attaque chimique. Il s’agit pourtant d’une démarche qui a échoué au Conseil de Sécurité de l’ONU à cause du véto exprimé par la Russie.

12 April 2018
March 27, 2018 UPDATE

CELEBRATION – The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament have gathered in solemn session to mark 100 years since the union of Bessarabia with Romania. In the presence of Romanian officials and other figures such as Princess Margaret, Custodian of the Crown, the Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Iurie Leanca and the President of the Moldovan Parliament Andrian Candu, the Romanian deputies and senators adopted a solemn declaration which pays homage to the authors of the historic act carried out 100 years ago. A province with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population within the Tsarist Empire, Bessarabia joined Romania at the end of WWI, on March 27, 1918. Years later, in June 1940, the Soviet Union re-annexed the province under an ultimatum, and the present-day Republic of Moldova was created on part of that territory. On Sunday, at a meeting organized in Moldova’s capital Chisinau, dozens of thousands of citizens of the two Romanian states called for the re-unification between Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

DEFENCE – Romanian Defence Minister Mihai Fifor met in Zagreb on Tuesday with his Croatian counterpart, Damir Krsticevic. The focal points on the agenda of talks were ways to boost bilateral cooperation in the field. The Romanian official said the two sides would start talks on technology transfer and would start cooperating at industrial level. Minister Fifor was accompanied by representatives of the Romanian defence industry.

ANTI-CORRUPTION – The Superior Council of Magistracy on Tuesday decided to send a letter to the European Commission, asking for clarifications on several requests for information made by the European body to the Romanian authorities regarding several corruption cases. Last week, Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă sent a similar letter to the EC President, Jean-Claude Juncker. Both letters were written after the publication by the national press of a EC document issued in October 2012, calling on the Romanian Justice Ministry to provide details from the files of well known politicians and business people. The Prime Minister underlined that the Justice Ministry confirmed that the commission made similar requests in the 2012 – 2018 period. Such pieces of information are not in line with the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), Dancila also added. We recall that by the CVM, the Commission has been monitoring the evolution of justice in Romania, since the countrys joining the community bloc, back in 2007.

INTEGRITY – The legal committee with the Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday rejected the request filed by the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, to re-examine the draft law under which the interdictions imposed to MPs by the National Integrity Agency prior to 2013 cease to exist. In his request, the countrys president said the draft includes a clemency measure granted to MPs, which affects integrity standards and questions Romanias compliance with the commitments it has made as a EU member state. According to the draft, adopted in December 2017, the interdictions imposed on Deputies and Senators based on evaluation reports made by the National Integrity Agency and which took note of violations of the legal provisions regarding the conflict of interest in the 2007- 2013 period cease to exist. The Chamber of Deputies is the first notified chamber. The request for re-examination will now be submitted for debate in a plenary session and then to the Senate, which is decision-making body in this case.

RUSSIA – NATO has decided to expel seven diplomats of the Russian mission to the Alliance over the nerve agent attack in the UK, NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg announced on Tuesday. “This sends a clear message to Russia that there are costs and consequences for its unacceptable and dangerous pattern of behaviour, Stoltenberg said. Over 23 countries, including Romania and the US, decided, as of Monday, to expel some 120 Russian diplomats, in a coordinated western measure. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has notified the Russian Embassy in Bucharest that one of its diplomats would be declared persona non-grata and forced to leave the Romanian soil. Romanias decision might be “the expression of collective political insanity, says the Russian Embassy in Bucharest.

PROTESTS – Trade unionists from the Romanian health-care sector on Tuesday picketed the headquarters of the line ministry in Bucharest and on Thursday they will protest in front of the Labour Ministry. The are demanding, among other things, pay rises as of March 1, for the entire healthcare and welfare staff, the elimination of the 30% cap for bonuses and the recovery of income losses following the implementation of the latest salary regulations, as of January 1. For years, against the background of a severe under financing of the health-care sector in Romania, Romanian health specialists have left abroad in large numbers, in search for better-paid jobs. Since last year, the net incomes of the health-care personnel have grown significantly. However, they are still unhappy with their salaries and bonuses and have threatened with protests that might culminate in an all-out strike. The current minister Sorina Pintea, however, has stated that they have no reason to protest.(Translated by D. Vijeu and M. Ignatescu)

27 March 2018
March 20, 2018

PARLIAMENT – The laws on the judiciary have been endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies today, and are to be submitted to the Senate for a final vote. Previously, a special parliamentary committee passed the bill on the magistrate profession and the one regulating the organisation of the Higher Council of Magistracy. On Monday, the same committee passed the 3rd law in this package, the one concerning the organisation of courts. The bills were brought in line with the decisions of the Constitutional Court, after the Opposition and the High Court of Cassation and Justice challenged the changes adopted by Parliament. These changes include by-passing the President of Romania in the procedure for appointing the chiefs of the Supreme Court, and transferring this role to the Higher Council of Magistracy. The National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union, in Opposition, announced that the new amendments give them reasons to bring the new justice laws before the Constitutional Court again. In fact, Save Romania MPs have today resorted to an unusual protest in the Chamber of Deputies, where they lined up wearing T-shirts that read “#NoCriminals. Some of the changes originally operated on the justice laws have generated large-scale protests among civil society and magistrates.

DEFENCE – The Supreme Defence Council is convening in Bucharest today, in a meeting chaired by President Klaus Iohannis. The agenda of the meeting includes a review of the work of public institutions in the national security sector in 2017, as well as the main objectives for this year. The Council members are to analyse the work of the Cyber-Security Operations Council and the National Cyber-Security Response Centre. The latter focuses on developing the technical capabilities needed in order to improve the cyber security climate in Romania. Last years activity of the Supreme Defence Council will also be analysed, along with other topics relevant to the national security.

PROTESTS – In Bucharest, the SANITAS trade union federation has today picketed the headquarters of the Ministry for Public Finances. Unionists demand, among other things, the implementation of pay raises for all healthcare and social assistance personnel as of March 1, the scrapping of the ceiling on bonuses and the offsetting of the income decrease caused by the implementation of a new pay scheme on January 1. Also today, representatives of the National Federation of Trade Unions in Industry have picketed the Economy Ministry, against the backdrop of discontent with the law regulating the national defence industry. The union president, Ioan Neagu, said that at the beginning of the year the Government was supposed to issue a resolution to regulate the number of employees that this industrial sector may absorb per year.

FRANCOPHONIE – Like other countries in the world, Romania is celebrating International Francophonie Day, marked every year on March 20. Last night the Romanian Embassy in Paris and the Romanian Cultural Institute organised a show at the Louis Jouvet Theatre in Paris, to mark 25 years since Romania joined the Francophonie Organisation. In this context, Ambassador Luca Niculescu mentioned that in December 2018 – July 2019, Bucharest and Paris will organise the Romania-France season, a large-scale joint project focusing on contemporary culture and creativity, as well as areas like education, economy, sports and tourism.

FRANCE – Frances ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy was detained on Tuesday in a case involving the allegedly illegal funding of his campaign for the 2007 presidential election, which he won at that time, Le Figaro and Le Monde report, quoting judicial sources. Sarkozy may be held in custody for 48 hours at most, and it is for the judges to order his arrest pending trial. Ever since April 2013 Sarkozy has been targeted by an investigation following allegations of Libyas former strongman Muammar Kadhafi financing his presidential election campaign. So far, Sarkozy has denied all accusations.

BREXIT – The European affairs ministers of the EU member states, including the Romanian Minister Victor Negrescu, are discussing in Brussels today the post-Brexit relations between the Union and the UK. On this occasion, the European Commissions chief negotiator Michel Barnier will present general principles for the transition period, i.e. March 2019 to December 2020. On Monday, Barnier and Londons negotiator, David Davis, announced having reached an agreement on these guidelines, which concern, among other things, the rights of the around 4.5 million European citizens living in the UK and the 1.2 million Britons in the EU. At the end of this week the text will be discussed by the EU leaders during a meeting of the European Council.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

20 March 2018
March 18, 2018 UPDATE

WEATHER – Several road segments were closed down Sunday afternoon in the south and south-east of Romania, because of the freezing rain and black ice. Traffic was also disrupted in Bucharest. The freezing rain prevented take-offs on the countrys main airport, Otopeni – Henri Coanda, while the airport landing strips were treated with anti-icing substance to enable aircraft to land safely. Until Tuesday, a warning will be in place, against moderate sleet and snow falls, black ice and extremely low temperatures.

DEFENCE – This years first meeting of the Supreme Defence Council, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, will be held on Tuesday. According to the presidential administration, the participants will analyse the work conducted by the Council and relevant institutions in the field of national security in 2017, and will set the main goals for this year. Other topics of interest with respect to national security will also be approached.

DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu will take part in Brussels on Monday in the monthly meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. The main topics are Ukraine, Syria and Iran, the Romanian foreign ministry announced. On the sidelines of the Council meeting, the participants will have an informal lunch on recent developments in the Korean Peninsula, with the South-Korean Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha, at the invitation of the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini. The FAC will be preceded by an informal meeting over breakfast with the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin.

MOLDOVA – Save Romania Union, the second-largest opposition party in Romania, firmly supports the EU accession of the Republic of Moldova, the party president Dan Barna said on Sunday, after a meeting with several mayors from Moldova. At this stage any other statement would be rushed and strictly aimed at gaining political capital, Barna said, hinting at a possible union of Moldova with Romania. Without support from Moldovan citizens, lobbying for such a scenario at EU and international level would be very hard to do, Dan Barna also stressed. He and the vice-president of Save Romania Union Vlad Alexandrescu met on Sunday with a group of mayors from the Republic of Moldova, who signed a symbolic declaration of union with Romania. A former province with a Romanian majority under Tsarist rule, Bessarabia joined Romania at the end of WW1, on March 27, 1918. The USSR re-annexed the province, following an ultimatum in 1940, and part of this territory is todays Republic of Moldova.

RUGBY – Romanias national rugby team lost on Sunday in Tbilisi against Georgia, 25-16, in the last stage of Rugby Europe International Championship 2018, but it managed to qualify into the 2019 Japan World Cup thanks to a surprising win by Belgium against Spain, 18-10. The score in Brussels enables Romania to stay as no 2 in the REIC standings, which allows direct access to the 2019 World Cup. Romania has taken part in all rugby World Cup editions so far.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

18 March 2018
March 18, 2018

WEATHER – More than half of the national territory is affected today by a sharp decrease in temperatures, by up to 15 degrees Celsius compared to the multi-annual average, according to a code yellow alert issued by weather experts. The highs of the day range between minus 8 to 10 degrees C. Until Sunday night, in 32 counties in the centre, east and south, including the capital city Bucharest, heavy raifalls are expected, first rain and then sleet and snow. Strong winds are reported in most of the country, with gusts of 55 – 65 km/h. Meteorologists say the weather will remain unseasonably cold until the end of next week. Several rivers in the north, centre and south are subject to code orange and yellow alerts for flash floods, until Monday at noon.

DEFENCE – This years first meeting of the Supreme Defence Council, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, will be held on Tuesday. According to the presidential administration, the participants will analyse the work conducted by the Council and relevant institutions in the field of national security in 2017, and will set the main goals for this year. Other topics of interest with respect to national security will also be approached.

BOOK FAIR – The Leipzig Book Fair comes to an end in Germany today. Romania was the guest of honour, and under the motto “Zoom in Romania it organised over 70 events to promote contemporary Romanian writers. For 4 days, readers had an opportunity to meet several Romanian authors already present in the German market, such as Mircea Cărtărescu, Norman Manea, Nora Iuga and Filip Florian, as well as young writers like Lavinia Branişte and Bogdan-Alexandru Stănescu. During the event, more than 40 works translated from Romanian were promoted. The Leipzig Book Fair is one of the most important such events in Europe and the world. Meanwhile, Romania is also taking part these days, alongside 45 other countries, in the 38th Paris Book Fair. Romania, as you have never read it is the motto of the Romanian stand, which presents more than 50 recent releases and over 20 events.

BESSARABIA – The “Basarabia National-Cultural Association of Romanians in Odessa region organised this Saturday the 2nd Forum of Romanian Language Teachers in the region of Odessa. The theme of this years forum was “Education in the native language: accomplishments, reality and prospects. Taking part in the event, held in the Romanian Information Centre within the Ismail State University of the Humanities, were teachers from pre-school, secondary school and university-level institutions from the region of Odessa, in Ukraine.

MOSCOW – Russia is holding presidential elections today, precisely 4 years since Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula. The incumbent president Vladimir Putin is seeking a fresh 6-year term in office, and is facing 7 challengers, including a Communist millionaire, Pavel Grudinin, a former TV anchor, Ksenia Sobchak and a nationalist veteran, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The main opponent for Kremlin, Alexey Navalny, was banned from running on account of a criminal sentence that he claims was staged by the authorities. Putin has been heading Russia for the past 18 years, as either president or prime minister.

CRIMEA – The European Union does not recognise the annexation of Crimea by Russia, which took place 4 years ago, and continues to condemn this violation of international law and direct challenge to international security, says the EU diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini in a news release. The Romanian Foreign Ministry joins in the statement of the EU High Representative on the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. Romania firmly condemns, once again, the breaching of international law principles and rules. On this occasion, Romania reiterates its support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity.

RUGBY – Romanias national rugby team, ranking 17 in the world, is playing today against Georgia, in the last stage of Rugby Europe International Championship 2018. Romania is playing for qualification in the 2019 Japan World Cup. So far the national team has defeated Russia, Germany and Belgium and lost to Spain. So far in the competition, Georgia tops the standings and Romania comes second. The winner secures its participation in the 2019 World Cup.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

18 March 2018
March 12, 2018 UPDATE

HEALTHCARE – The Romanian Healthcare Minister, Sorina Pintea, said on Monday there are no reasons for a strike, given that incomes in the public healthcare sector did not drop. The statement comes after trade unions in the sector announced a protest going as far as to an all-out strike. Healthcare employees are unhappy with the new pay scheme and ask for a 25% increase in basic salaries concurrently with the scrapping of the 30% ceiling on bonuses. In other news, Healthcare Minister Sorina Pintea announced that within 2 weeks Romania would receive 10,000 doses of immunoglobulin, with further doses expected from Italy and the USA. Bucharest has recently asked for aid from EU and NATO countries to solve the immunoglobulin crisis triggered by last years withdrawal from the Romanian market of the producers that had covered over 80% of the demand. Romania needs 956 kilos of immunoglobulin per year.

PENITENTIARY – The number of prisoners in Romanian penitentiaries is around 22,900, while the system employs some 12,800 special civil servants, the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader told a press conference on Monday. He added that the number of prisoners is decreasing, and so is the number of repeat offenders. However, Bucharest should not wait for the issue of penitentiary overcrowding to get solved through a natural decrease in the number of people sentenced to prison. According to Tudorel Toader, Romania will build 2 new, modern penitentiaries with a capacity of 1,000 prisoners each, and an initial and continuing training centre for penitentiary staff will be set up in Bucharest.

DIPLOMACY – The 3-party meeting organised in Bucharest on Monday and bringing together the foreign ministers of Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, was an opportunity to reaffirm commitment to strengthening the European project, the Romanian FM Teodor Melescanu said. According to the Romanian official, talks have focused on relevant topics, such as the Western Balkans, the Eastern Neighbourhood, the Black Sea region, the Danube region and the Middle East. In turn, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Ekaterina Zakharieva, has expressed hopes for Romanias and Bulgarias Schengen accession, a goal supported by Greece, according to its Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias. On the other hand, Minister Teodor Melescanu has announced a 4-party meeting in the forthcoming period, with government officials from Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Serbia taking part. Also this year, a joint Romanian-Bulgarian government meeting will be held, to discuss primarily the interconnection options for the 2 countries.

DEFENCE – The defence ministers of the Bucharest 9 member countries convened in the Romanian capital city on Monday. For 3 days, officials from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, as well as NATO representatives and US State Department officials will be talking about boosting NATOs defence and deterrence posture, particularly on the eastern flank. Other topics include the adjustment of NATOs command structure, the risks and threats coming from the Alliances eastern neighbourhood as well as means to strengthen resilience on the Baltic Sea – Black Sea axis. Romania offered to host a new NATO command centre, but a decision will be made at the Alliances summit due in July in Brussels.

EXERCISE – Nearly 900 Romanian and foreign troops are taking part between March 12 and 23, in DACIAN LANCER 18, a multinational military exercise held in Brasov County, central Romania. The exercise is designed to help assess the Multinational Division Southeast Headquarters in Bucharest. An element of the NATO Force Command structure, the headquarters in Bucharest is a high-readiness command activated in December 2015, and is staffed by military personnel from Romania and 15 other NATO member countries.

MOLDOVA – The 2 largest cities in the Republic of Moldova, the capital Chisinau and the northern city of Balti, will be having early local elections on May 20, under a resolution made by the Central Electoral Commission on Monday. This is seen as a test for this autumns parliamentary election. The mayors of Chisinau and Balti resigned in February. The pro-Russian populist mayor of Balti, Renato Usatyi, has been in Russia for more than a year, and is currently prosecuted in a case involving the murder of a businessman. In Chisinau, the Liberal, pro-Western mayor Dorin Chirtoaca is in turn subject to corruption accusations in a criminal investigation, and was suspended from office in the summer of 2017.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

12 March 2018
February 20, 2018

VISIT – The PM of Romania, Viorica Dăncilă, is on her first official visit to Brussels in this capacity. The Romanian official will have meetings with the president of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, with the head of the European Council, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani and with the European Commissioner for regional policy, Corina Creţu. Strengthening the relations between Bucharest and Brussels is essential, PM Dăncilă says, both in the context of Romania taking over the presidency of the EU Council in 2019, and for Romanias involvement in the most important projects on the European agenda. She also pleads for active involvement in talks regarding the economic future of the Union.

DEFENCE – The Romanian Defence Minister, Mihai Fifor, says the state will get involved in extending the military base in Mihail Kogălniceanu, in the south-east of the country, and announced talks in this respect had already been held with the American partners. He added he would like a permanent American presence in that unit. Over the past few years, thousands of Romanian and American troops have taken part in joint military exercises in Mihail Kogălniceanu, some of them also attended by troops from other NATO countries. The same base hosted last year air policing missions, with British, Canadian and Romanian aircraft taking part. Meanwhile, the Senate Monday endorsed a bill on the procurement of HIMARS multiple rocket launchers for the Romanian Army. Under the document, the Romanian Government is awarding to the US Government contracts for the procurement of 3 systems of 18 launchers each, amounting to a total 1.5 billion euro. The bill is to be forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this respect.

TRIAL – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest has today started trying the case concerning the June 1990 miners riots, in which the ex-president Ion Iliescu and former PM Petre Roman are charged with crimes against humanity. Prosecutors argue that the authorities have planned the violent attacks against peaceful protesters gathered at the University Square in Bucharest in June 1990. Governmental agencies were illegally involved in the crackdown, prosecutors claim, alongside coal miners and other workers from various parts of the country. Four people died and nearly 1,400 were wounded.

FLU – Another 2 people died from the flu in Romania, with the death toll reaching 39, and more than 500 cases this season, reported the authorities have announced. Most of the flu patients are in Bucharest, and in the counties of Constanta (south-east), Olt (south), Braşov (centre) and Iaşi (north-east). The authorities recommend vaccination, and the Healthcare Ministry announced that around 80,000 shots were still available. So far over 920,000 people have received flu vaccines. The Healthcare Minister, Sorina Pintea, says Romania is not facing a flu epidemic at present.

DIPLOMACY – The Romanian minister delegate for European affairs, Victor Negrescu, had a meeting in Bucharest on Monday with the Republic of Moldovas deputy PM in charge of European integration, Iurie Leancă. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the two officials reviewed the key elements of Moldovas European agenda, particularly in terms of implementing the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the EU. Victor Negrescu emphasised that the strategic objective of the Bucharest-Chisinau relations is the EU accession of Moldova. He also stressed the importance of stepping up the reform and modernisation process, to the benefit of all Moldovan citizens.

HANDBALL – AHC Potaissa from Turda, north-western Romania will take on the Norwegians Fyllingen Bergen in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, according to Tuesdays draw in Vienna. The Romanians will play the first leg on home ground, on March 24 or 25, and the second leg in Norway a week later. If they move on to the semi-finals, Potaissa will have to face the winner of the matches pitting SKIF Krasnodar (Russia) against IBV Vestmannaeyjar (Iceland). Last season Potaissa lost the Challenge Cup to the Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

20 February 2018
January 22, 2018 UPDATE

CABINET – The ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party-the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania (PSD- ALDE) convened in a session in Bucharest on Monday. The Social-Democrat leader, Liviu Dragnea, and the ALDE leader, Călin Popescu Tăriceanu, said the validation of the list of nominations for the new cabinet led by Social Democrat Viorica Dăncilă has been postponed for Friday. There will be no major changes in the governing program and the number of cabinet ministers will not be changed, the two leaders have said. The previous PSD – ALDE Government had 27 ministers, three Deputy Prime Ministers and two delegate ministers, apart from the Prime Minister. Meanwhile the opposition is taking action, the Liberals saying they will start talks with the other political parties and MPs to persuade them to vote against the new Cabinet. The Liberals aim to win as many votes as possible to prevent the new cabinet from being sworn in. Parliaments vote is scheduled for January 29.

EU COUNCIL PRESIDENCY– The national document on the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council will be approved by September, at the latest. The announcement was made in Bucharest on Monday by the minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, fresh from a first meeting with his Finnish and Croatian counterparts, whose countries will hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council, after Romania. The three countries will prepare a common agenda with major topics that will be tackled in the Council over a period of 18 months. Romania will have its own six-month program, based on this agenda. The priority of Romanias mandate is preparing the European Parliament elections, scheduled for May 2019. Bucharest authorities want to adjust Romanias priorities depending on the evolution of key topics of EU interest, of which the most important are Brexit and the post-2020 multi-annual financial framework.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL – Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, on Monday
participated in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Brussels. According
to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the main issues on the agenda of talks were:
Libya and the Middle East Peace Process. Meleşcanu underlined the need for a
just and sustainable solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and
reiterated the appeal for unblocking the Peace Process and for the resumption of
a direct dialogue between the
sides. Also, the EU foreign ministers
attended a working lunch, having Israeli president Mahmoud Abbas as honorary
guest. The participants analysed ways
in which the EU and the member states can support, in a constructive way, the
re-launch of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The EU’s support for strengthening
Palestinian institutions has been reiterated. On the sidelines of the Foreign
Affairs Council meeting, a working breakfast was organised together with the
President of the European Investment Bank, EIB, Werner Hoyer, who came up with
the proposal of setting up an EIB development branch. The Romanian foreign
minister has had bilateral meetings with the new foreign ministers of Austria
and Poland.

DEFENCE – Romanian defence minister, Mihai Fifor, on Tuesday will meet in Câmpulung Muscel (in the south) with military of the 30th Battalion “The Carpathian Eagles ahead of their new mission on the theatre of operations in Afghanistan. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry, between February and August 2018, the Romanian troops will carry out specific protection missions of the Kandahar Military Air Base force, as well as missions of training, counselling and assisting the Afghan National Forces. According to the same source, the troops from Câmpulung Muscel have proved that they can accomplish some of the most complex missions in the country and on theatres of operations, in Kosovo (in 2005 and 2007), and Afghanistan (in 2008). 627 Romanian military are currently taking action in Afghanistan.

TENNIS – Romanias tennis player Simona Halep, no. 1 WTA, on Monday qualified to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, where she is seeded first. In the round of 16 she ousted Naomi Osaka of Japan, 6-3, 6-2. In the quarter-finals, Halep, the only Romanian woman tennis player still playing in the Australian Open main table will play against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, no. 6 WTA. Halep and Pliskova have met seven times so far, with the Romanian tennis player boasting five wins. In the womens doubles, tenth-seeded Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu are playing Jennifer Brady and Vania King of the United States in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

22 January 2018
November 21, 2017 UPDATE

ANTI-CORRUPTION – The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and the leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea on Tuesday went to the headquarters of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, where anti-corruption prosecutors informed him that his assets have been sequestered in the so-called Teldrum file. The investigators want to make sure that the prejudice estimated at over 20 million Euros and 30 million lei (approximately 6.5 million Euros) in the aforementioned file, which involves a total number of nine persons, will be recovered. Dragnea is prosecuted for setting up a crime group, abuse of office and financial crime, when he was the president of the Teleroman County Council, in southern Romania. According to the anti-corruption prosecutors, the file was based on a notification from the European Anti-Fraud Office raising suspicions of several offences, such as illegally obtaining European funds, based on fake documents, to rehabilitate county roads. Dragnea is also investigated in another file, at the High Court of Cassation and Justice, where he is accused of instigation to abuse of office, whereas in another file he got a two year suspended sentence, for having urged PSD local representatives across the country, in his capacity as Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party, to illegally determine people to go to the polls and vote in after in a 2012 referendum.

PATRIOT MISSILES – The bill on the purchase of Patriot missile defence systems from the US was fully endorsed on Tuesday by the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision making forum in this matter. Previously, the bill was endorsed by the Senate. Romania wants to purchase seven Patriot systems, whose total value stands at some 3.9 billion dollars. The first system, costing 765 million dollars is to be purchased by the end of the year.

CHILDREN – The Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday decided to set up the Children’s Ombudsman, in an effort to protect and promote children’ rights. The Children’s Ombudsman, which will function as part of the bigger Ombudsman institution, will have as prerogatives, among others, solving individual notifications sent by children or their representatives, actions taken by the line public institutions and notifications of cases of violation of child rights. Romania becomes the 36th European country to have an independent institution or a specialised department devoted to children.

STATE BUDGET — The coalition government in Bucharest might adopt the draft state budget for 2018 on November 29, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, said on Tuesday. According to him, after the National Day of Romania, celebrated on December 1, debates on the draft budget might start in the line parliamentary committees. Dragnea also said that by November 29, the government will have also set the national minimum wage.

CENSURE MOTION – The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania has decided to abstain from voting on the no-confidence motion filed by the right-wing opposition against the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania. The leader of the union Kelemen Hunor has stated that he agrees with some of the statements included in the motion, but has blamed the initiators for not providing alternatives to the current prime-minister and his governing programme. Signed by senators and deputies members of the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement Party, the motion accuses the Executive that, through its policies, has deeply disturbed Romanian economy. In response, the Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has stated that, thanks to the latest fiscal reform, more money will get to the state budget and to the pension fund and companies will benefit from simplified procedures.

GERMANY – Consultations have started in Germany on ways to exit the political crisis triggered by the Conservatives, the Liberals and the Greens failing to reach consensus on the formation of the new Government. The president of the country Frank Walter Steinmeier, who, according to the Constitution, must manage the crisis, has announced his intention to hold talks with all the political parties that could be part of the Government headed by Angela Merkel. We recall that her party won the legislative elections of September 24th. Steinmeier has excluded the participation of the far-right Alternative for Germany and the far-left Die Linke parties, as Angela Merkel refuses to engage in a dialogue with them. Also, the president has rejected the idea of early elections. According to the outcome of the September elections, Angela Merkel can only head a coalition government, as she excludes the alternative of a minority executive.

GAUDEAMUS BOOK FAIR – For the first time in its history, the GAUDEAMUS International Book Fair, organised this year by Radio Romania between the 22nd and the 26th of November, will have as the guest of honour not a country, but a Union, namely the European Union, through the Representation of the European Commission in Romania. This year’s edition is special, as it marks 60 years since the signing of the Roma Treaty, 30 years since the launch of the Erasmus programme and also 10 years since Romania joined the European Union. Under the motto “unity in diversity”, the European Union encourages people to discover and explore the rich cultural heritage of the old continent. This year’s edition will enjoy the participation of 300 exhibitors and will host more than 800 events.

21 November 2017
Romania purchases Patriot missiles

Romania will purchase 7 Patriot systems, for a combined 3.9 billion USD plus VAT. The first of them, already approved by the American Administration, will cost around 765 million USD and will be bought by year-end. The Defence Minister Mihai Fifor says the purchase will strengthen national and regional security and will help consolidate the Romanian-American strategic partnership.

Mihai Fifor: “The Romania-USA strategic partnership launched on July 11, 1997, has been a major landmark in Romanias foreign policy, and an efficient instrument to support the domestic defence efforts. This purchase will also entail a stronger military cooperation between Romania and the US, transfers of technologies and sensitive information, and enhanced confidence between the two allies.

The Liberal Senator Iancu Caracota agrees that the presence of this type of missile on Romanian territory means improved security. Moreover, the purchase proves that the country is perceived as a reliable partner within the North Atlantic Alliance.

Iancu Caracota: “I am happy to see that, for the first time in recent years, the Romanian defence industry becomes an important partner for the producer of the Patriot systems. We have learned that Raytheon will sign a memorandum of understanding with Aerostar Bacau, enabling the Romanian defence industry to contribute to the production and maintenance of every Patriot system delivered to Romania.

In turn, Senator Adrian Tutuianu, a member of the Social Democratic Party in power in Romania, emphasises that the country needs a modern missile system, considering that at present the Romanian Army only has short and medium range surface-to-air missiles that are obsolete in terms of operation and technology.

Adrian Tutuianu: “The solution chosen by the Army best suits Romanias security interests, ensures interoperability with NATO structures, and provides better protection to the citizens of Romania, given the fundamental changes in the regional security context since 2014.

Nicu Falcoi, a member of the Save Romania Union in opposition, emphasises that his party will continue to support the allocation of 2% of the GDP for defence.

Nicu Falcoi: “However, this money must not be spent just for the sake of spending it, but it must ensure the highest possible gains for Romania. I know that this purchase brings Romania into a select club that is by no means easy to enter, and that our air defence capabilities will increase exponentially.

Patriot systems are regarded as the worlds most advanced technology in the field, with latest-generation interceptor missiles and complex radar systems able to detect and respond to threats within seconds.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

21 November 2017
November 18, 2017 UPDATE

CENSURE MOTION – The leadership of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, the main party making up the left of centre Government in Bucharest, has adopted a resolution reiterating its support for the PSD-ALDE coalition government and its governing program and claims it has complied with the commitments it has made to the electorate. According to PSD, the Gross Domestic Product exceeds the estimates, the budget deficit is 3% lower than expected, over 250,000 jobs have been created and pay-rises have been granted in healthcare, education and culture. PM Mihai Tudose has announced the draft state budget for 2018 will be presented in Parliament within 10 days. He defended the newly adopted Fiscal Code, which provides, among others, for the complete transfer of social contributions from employers to employees and a cut in the income tax from 16 to 10%. The National Liberal Party, in opposition, says the coalition government has destabilised the Romanian economy and has filed a censure motion in Parliament, also backed by the Save Romania Union, the Peoples Movement Party and some independent MPs. According to the signatories, the benefits of a substantial economic growth have been cancelled by the Governments measures which they deem “populist and chaotic. The opposition says a governing program promising pay-rises has actually led to salary decreases, or in the best of cases, to small increases, adding that public investments have plummeted to a historic low. This is the first censure motion filed against the Tudose government, the second cabinet made up of the PSD-ALDE majority following the legislative elections held last year

DEFENCE – The US Department of State has greenlighted the sale of Patriot missile systems to Poland, the transaction being estimated at 10.5 billion USD, the Pentagon announced on Friday evening. According to Reuters, Poland, which is a NATO member state, has boosted its efforts to consolidate its defence in the wake of Russias annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, in 2014, and in response to Moscows enhanced military capacity in the region. The transaction should still however be endorsed by Congress, because it entails the purchase of advanced military technology for which special permits are needed. Romania, too, wants to purchase surface to air Patriot missiles, under a contract worth some 3.9 billion USD, without VAT. The first such system, worth 764 million USD, is to be contracted by the end of the year and become operational in 2019. The draft law on purchasing Patriot missiles from the USA was submitted to the Romanian Parliament for debate on Monday.

ANTIBIOTICS – Romania is among the fifth largest consumers of antibiotics in the EU and is the country with the highest consumption of antibiotics taken without a medical prescription, a report issued by the Romanian Health Observer, an NGO whose declared mission is to contribute to improving health services in Romania and Eastern Europe shows. According to the report, more often than not patients exert pressure on the medical staff for the release of antibiotics, even when their use is not grounded. Antibiotics do not have healing effects in the case of colds and respiratory infections and the World Health Organisation recommends that antibiotics be taken only based on medical prescription. November 18 is the European Day of rational use of antibiotics.

HIGHSCHOOL – 1.9 million pupils have finished high school in Romania in the past 10 years, of which 900,000 failed to pass the high-school leaving examination, the Baccalaureate, education minister Liviu Pop said in Iasi on Saturday. Pop also said that, for this reason, the experts of the ministry are working on new framework plans for high-school education. The minister also said that these plans will be sent for public debate as of December 15 and afterwards school curricula for high school education valid for the next school year are to be rewritten.

GAUDEAMUS BOOK FAIR – The 24th edition of the Gaudeamus-Book of Learning International Fair, organised by Radio Romania, opens its doors next week. No less than 800 editorial and professional events will be organised during the fair, which will be attended by 300 exhibitors: Romanian publishing houses boasting a long tradition in the field, education institutions, book sellers and publications, professional associations and other organisations active in the field of culture and education. The honorary president of the fair will be the well-known playwright and journalist Matei Vişniec and the honorary guest of this years edition of the fair will be the European Commission. Thus, the event will mark 60 years since the Treaties of Rome were signed, 30 years since the launch of the Erasmus program and 10 years since Romania joined the EU, says Angela Cristea, head of the EC Representation in Romania.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball team, CSM Bucharest on Sunday will meet on home turf the Polish team Vistal Gdynia, in the last match of the Champions League Group A. With four wins and a defeat, CSM ranks first in the group, which is also made up of Nykobing Falster Handboldklub (Denmark) and RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana (Slovenia). CSM Bucharest won the Champions League in 2016 and is one of the favourites of the current edition of the most-powerful European inter-club competition.

18 November 2017
November 18, 2017

CENSURE MOTION – The leadership of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, the main party making up the left of centre Government in Bucharest, has today adopted a resolution reiterating its support for the PSD-ALDE coalition government and its governing program and claims it has complied with the commitments it has made to the electorate. According to PSD, the Gross Domestic Product exceeds the estimates, the budget deficit is 3% lower than expected, over 250,000 jobs have been created and pay-rises have been granted in healthcare, education and culture. PM Mihai Tudose has announced the draft state budget for 2018 will be presented in Parliament within 10 days. He defended the newly adopted Fiscal Code, which provides, among others, for the complete transfer of social contributions from employers to employees and a cut in the income tax from 16 to 10%. The National Liberal Party, in opposition, says the coalition government has destabilised the Romanian economy and has filed a censure motion in Parliament, also backed by the Save Romania Union, the Peoples Movement Party and some independent MPs. According to the signatories, the benefits of a substantial economic growth have been cancelled by the Governments measures which they deem “populist and chaotic. The opposition says a governing program promising pay-rises has actually led to salary decreases, or in the best of cases, to small increases, adding that public investments have plummeted to a historic low. This is the first censure motion filed against the Tudose government, the second cabinet made up of the PSD-ALDE majority following the legislative elections held last year

DEFENCE – The US Department of State has greenlighted the sale of Patriot missile systems to Poland, the transaction being estimated at 10.5 billion USD, the Pentagon announced on Friday evening. According to Reuters, Poland, which is a NATO member state, has boosted its efforts to consolidate its defence in the wake of Russias annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, in 2014, and in response to Moscows enhanced military capacity in the region. The transaction should still however be endorsed by Congress, because it entails the purchase of advanced military technology for which special permits are needed. Romania, too, wants to purchase surface to air Patriot missiles, under a contract worth some 3.9 billion USD, without VAT. The first such system, worth 764 million USD, is to be contracted by the end of the year and become operational in 2019. The draft law on purchasing Patriot missiles from the USA was submitted to the Romanian Parliament for debate on Monday.

ANTIBIOTICS – Romania is among the fifth largest consumers of antibiotics in the EU and is the country with the highest consumption of antibiotics taken without a medical prescription, a report issued by the Romanian Health Observer, an NGO whose declared mission is to contribute to improving health services in Romania and Eastern Europe shows. According to the report, more often than not patients exert pressure on the medical staff for the release of antibiotics, even when their use is not grounded. Antibiotics do not have healing effects in the case of colds and respiratory infections and the World Health Organisation recommends that antibiotics be taken only based on medical prescription. November 18 is the European Day of rational use of antibiotics.

GAUDEAMUS BOOK FAIR – The 24th edition of the Gaudeamus-Book of Learning International Fair, organised by Radio Romania, opens its doors next week. No less than 800 editorial and professional events will be organised during the fair, which will be attended by 300 exhibitors: Romanian publishing houses boasting a long tradition in the field, education institutions, book sellers and publications, professional associations and other organisations active in the field of culture and education. The honorary president of the fair will be the well-known playwright and journalist Matei Vişniec and the honorary guest of this years edition of the fair will be the European Commission. Thus, the event will mark 60 years since the Treaties of Rome were signed, 30 years since the launch of the Erasmus program and 10 years since Romania joined the EU, says Angela Cristea, head of the EC Representation in Romania.

RUGBY– Romanias national rugby team is today facing the team of Samoa, in Bucharest, in the last but one test match of the year. The last test match of 2017, against Tonga, is scheduled for November 25, in Bucharest. If it wins both test matches, Romania stands chances to go up on the 13th place in the world classification, being better ranked than Italy and other strong national teams. This is the Romanians second match against the team of Samoa. The first match between the two nationals was played in 1989, when Romania defeated Samoa 32-24. Romania has qualified for the World Cup, due in Japan, in 2019.

18 November 2017