Radio România Internațional

Tag: denied

  • December 9, 2022

    December 9, 2022

    SCHENGEN Romania’s and Bulgaria’s bid to join the Schengen
    free-movement area may be included on the agenda of the European Council
    meeting next week, at the request of the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis,
    political sources in Bucharest said. I am convinced we will reach the
    accession of Romania and Bulgaria during this mandate and this will be my
    priority, Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, said in
    her turn. The statement comes after on Thursday at the EU Justice and Home
    Affairs Council meeting, Austria opposed Romania’s entry.


    AMBASSADOR The
    Romanian foreign ministry announced that following Austria’s veto regarding
    Romania’s Schengen accession, the country’s ambassador to Vienna, Emil
    Hurezeanu, was recalled for consultations by minister Bogdan Aurescu. The
    embassy will be headed by an interim charge d’affairs. According to diplomatic procedure,
    the decision is an indication of Romania’s firm disagreement with Austria’s
    position and also of the deterioration of current relations with that country.


    BUDGET The draft state budget
    and social security budget of Romania were passed by the government and have
    been forwarded to Parliament for discussion. The ministries set to receive more
    funding include the defence, agriculture, transport, development and education.
    Less money than this year will be earmarked for energy, judiciary and public
    healthcare. The two bills also stipulate a 10% increase in public sector
    salaries, a 12.5% increase in pension point value and an increase of the
    national minimum wage to approx. EUR 610 per month. AUR party in opposition
    already announced it would table amendments because it disagreed with the draft
    budget.


    WORKERS Another 100,000 non-EU citizens will be given access to the
    Romanian labour market next year. The figure decided by the government is
    similar to the one approved for 2022, and it is intended to cover the labour
    deficit in sectors like constructions, hospitality, protection and guard
    services, road transport and trade.


    INVESTMENTS Net investments in the Romanian economy in the 3rd
    quarter of the year reached EUR 8 bln, up 13.3% compared to the corresponding
    quarter of last year, according to unaudited data made public by the National
    Statistics Institute today. For the first 9 months of the year, the figure is
    around EUR 19 bln, up 4.5% since 2021. Major increases were reported in
    constructions and heavy industry. According to the National Statistics
    Institute, net investments are expenditure incurred with creating new fixed
    assets or with developing, upgrading and rebuilding existing ones, and with the
    transfer of ownership on existing fixed assets.


    GAUDEAMUS The 29th edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair organised by Radio
    Romania is under way in Bucharest until Sunday. The event brings together 200
    participants and a variety of editorial products on different formats, for all
    ages and areas of interest, including music and educational games. The line-up
    features 600 different events and related projects. As a first, the fair also
    has special areas dedicated to interactive activities for young visitors. All
    stands are also available online on the gaudeamus.ro website. The fair’s
    honorary president this year is poet Ana Blandiana.


    FOOTBALL The FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar has reached the
    quarter-final stage. Two matches are scheduled for today, pitting Croatia
    against Brazil and the Netherlands against Argentina. On Saturday, Morocco
    takes on Portugal and England is facing France. (AMP)

  • December 8, 2022 UPDATE

    December 8, 2022 UPDATE

    SCHENGEN The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council Thursday
    denied Romania’s and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen free movement area,
    with 2 votes against. Accession requires a unanimous vote. Of the 27 member
    countries, the Netherlands and Austria voted against, with the former specifying
    that it only opposed Bulgaria’s accession. Austria argued that it feared an
    increase in illegal migration. Croatia, on the other hand, received the green
    light for accession on January 1, 2023. The European Commissioner for home
    affairs, Ylva Johansson, congratulated Croatia on its accession and said
    Bulgaria and Romania also deserved to be accepted. In Bucharest, the president Klaus
    Iohannis said the lack of consensus regarding Romania’s bid was profoundly
    unfair. The Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă said he was ‘deeply disappointed’ and
    emphasised that Austria’s vote was ‘unjustified’. The president of the Social
    Democratic Party in power, Marcel Ciolacu, said the European unity and
    stability had received a harsh blow from Austria, which in difficult times
    chose to forsake its European friends and serve Russia’s interests instead. Austria’s
    veto to Romania’s Schengen accession is an unfair and immoral attitude, lacking
    solid reasons, the deputy PM and leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic
    Hungarians in Romania Kelemen Hunor said in his turn. In the opposition, the
    president of USR party, Cătălin Drulă, sees the JHA Council’s decision as ‘profoundly
    unfair’, and argues that the Austrian government’s position will go down in
    history as an instance of discrimination. In turn, George Simion the head of AUR
    party, also in opposition, defines the decision as a ‘failure of Romania’s current
    government and of president Klaus Iohannis’.


    FARMERS Romanian farmers will benefit from around 16 billion
    euros under the strategic plan for 2023-2027 approved on Wednesday by the
    European Commission. Some 10 billion euros account for direct payments and
    sectoral interventions, while 6 billion will be allocated to rural development.
    Romania’s agriculture minister Petre Daea said the plan also includes an
    instrument to support farmers who suffered losses as a result of natural
    disasters, with 400 million euros being earmarked to this end.


    REFUGEES The Border Police said almost 65,500 people crossed
    the border into Romania on Wednesday, including more than 7,300 Ukrainian
    nationals, down 1.2% compared with the previous day. Since 10th February 2022,
    two weeks before the Russian army invaded Ukraine, more than 3 million
    Ukrainians have crossed the border into neighbouring Romania. Most of them have
    continued their journey to countries in western Europe, but over 80,000 have
    chosen to stay, according to official figures.


    GAUDEAMUS The 29th edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair
    organised by Radio Romania is under way in Bucharest until Sunday. The event
    brings together 200 participants and a variety of editorial products on
    different formats, for all ages and areas of interest, including music and
    educational games. The line-up features 600 different events and related
    projects. As a first, the fair also has special areas dedicated to interactive
    activities for young visitors. All stands are also available online on the
    gaudeamus.ro website. The fair’s honorary president this year is poet Ana
    Blandiana. (AMP, CM)