Radio România Internațional

Tag: Denmark

June 8, 2024 UPDATE

Elections – More than 40,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry will be mobilized throughout the country to maintain order and public safety and to ensure protection measures at polling stations, on Sunday, when local and European Parliament elections are scheduled. According to the Interior Ministry, the electoral campaign took place under normal conditions, without serious events. The polling stations will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 p.m. The presidents of the polling stations can decide to extend the vote until 23:59, if there are people who did not have the time to exercise this right, but are inside or in the immediate vicinity of the station. Approximately 19 million Romanians are called to the polls in the nearly 19,000 polling stations in the country. Abroad there will be 915 polling stations, twice as many as compared to the EP elections five years ago, most of them being opened in Italy, Spain and Great Britain. Romania will send 33 representatives to the EP. For the first time, the data on the voter turnout will be presented in real time, online, on the election day, for each separate election, on the website of the Permanent Electoral Authority. We remind you that this year the presidential election is scheduled in September and the legislative elections in December.

European elections – Tens of thousands of people demonstrated, on Saturday, in Germany, the day before the European elections, against the extreme right, AFP informs. ‘Germany is diverse!’, ‘Stop the hate!’, ‘Down with racism!’, were the slogans written on the placards of the demonstrators in Berlin. Demonstrations also took place in Stuttgart, Leipzig, Dresden, Munich, and Frankfurt. Despite the scandals that marked its campaign for the European Parliament, the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) hopes to achieve its best performance in this election on Sunday. The elections for the 720 members of the European Parliament are already taking place in several states of the EU. In the Netherlands, the vote took place on Thursday, and in Ireland the electoral process took place on Friday. The Czech Republic voted on Friday and Saturday. Voters from Italy, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia also went to the polls. At the level of the European Union, more than 370 million voters are expected to go to the polls.

Weather – Areas in southern Romania, including the capital Bucharest, will come under a Code Orange alert for scorcher and severe thermal discomfort on Sunday, and the warning is valid until Tuesday morning. Particularly high temperatures will be recorded for this time of the year, with highs ranging between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. The weather will be scorching which leads to a heightened thermal discomfort, and the temperature-humidity index (ITU) will exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. Meteorologists warn that temperatures will remain particularly high in the coming days, especially in the southern and southeastern regions. Also, the National Meteorological Administration issued for the same period a Code Yellow alert for thermal discomfort and high temperatures in the east, south-east, south-west and center. On Sunday, the sky will be variable, with temporarily heavy clouds, showers, electrical discharges and short-term intensification of the wind, in the northwest and center. There will be torrential rains, storms and hail. The maximum temperatures will generally range between 26 and 37 degrees C, and the minimum between 11 and 22 degrees C.

Denmark – Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said on Saturday that she suffered a slight cervical strain following an assault on Friday evening when a man punched her in a market in Copenhagen, Reuters reports. ‘Apart from this, the prime minister is fine, but she is shocked by the incident,’ the official statement said. After the incident, Frederiksen was taken to the hospital for a check-up. All the official events that the Danish PM was supposed to attend on Saturday have been cancelled. The attacker, a 39-year-old man, was detained. The incident took place two days before the Danes went to the polls in the European Parliament elections. Three weeks ago, the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured in an assassination attempt. “I am shocked by the news of the attack on the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Violence has no place in our societies”, the Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, wrote on the X platform. (LS)

8 June 2024
June 8, 2024

Elections – Today is a day of reflection in Romania, before the European Parliament and local elections that take place on Sunday. The polling stations will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 p.m., compared to 9:00 p.m. in the previous elections. The presidents of the polling stations can decide to extend the vote until 23:59, if there are people who did not have the time to exercise this right, but are inside or in the immediate vicinity of the station. Approximately 19 million Romanians are called to the polls in the nearly 19,000 polling stations in the country. Abroad there will be 915 polling stations, twice as many as compared to the EP elections five years ago, most of them being opened in Italy (150), Spain (147) and Great Britain (104). In the elections for the European Parliament, there are 15 candidates for one seat, and Romania will send 33 representatives to the EP. According to the data presented by the Permanent Electoral Authority, there are 20% fewer competitors in the local elections compared to four years ago. For both elections, over 102 million ballots were printed, and the Romanian authorities claim that they have taken all the necessary measures regarding the smooth running of the electoral process. For the first time, the data on voter turnout will be presented in real time, online, on election day, for each separate election, on the website of the Permanent Electoral Authority. We remind you that this year the presidential election is scheduled in September and the legislative elections in December.

EP elections – The elections for the 720 members of the European Parliament are already taking place in several states of the EU. In the Netherlands, the vote took place on Thursday, and exit polls showed an increase in the popularity of the extreme right, which would have obtained seven seats in the future European Parliament, compared to only one in the current legislature. In Ireland, the electoral process took place on Friday, as well as in the Czech Republic, where voting will continue today. Italian citizens will also vote for two days. Also today, voters in Latvia, Malta and Slovakia will go to the polls to nominate their future MEPs, while the rest of the EU countries will hold European Parliament elections on Sunday. Over 370 million voters are expected to go to the polls throughout the European Union.

GDP – The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the euro zone and the European Union registered an advance of 0.3% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, according to data published by Eurostat. According to statistics, Romania’s economy recorded an evolution slightly above the European average, with a GDP growth of 0.4% in the first three months of the year, after a contraction of 0.6% in the last three months of 2023. The Eurostat data are similar to those previously announced by the National Institute of Statistics, which revised downwards Romania’s economic growth in the first three months of this year, to 0.4%, from 0.5% as previously estimated.

Salaries – Almost 1.9 million employees in Romania will receive their salary increased by 284 lei (approx. 57 Euros), net value, from July 1, after the Romanian Government approved the increase of the gross minimum wage from 3,300 lei (approx. 660 Euros) to 3,700 lei (approx. 740 Euros) and raised from 200 lei (approx. 40 Euros) to 300 lei (approx. 60 Euros) the monthly amount exempt from the payment of the income tax. The executive believes that this approach will have positive effects on economic growth, the purchasing power of employees and will contribute to the reduction of undeclared work. However, the decision does not apply to employees in agriculture and the food industry, as legal provisions in force apply to these categories. The government representatives said that this increase is a step towards the adoption, as of November, of the minimum wage at the European level.

Attack – The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu conveyed a message following the attack on his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen, which took place on Friday in a Copenhagen square. “I am shocked by the news of the attack on the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Violence has no place in our societies”, Marcel Ciolacu wrote on the X platform today. Mette Frederiksen was attacked by a man on Friday, but no signs of injury are reported. The police announced that a man was arrested and the incident is being investigated, but did not provide further details. The incident took place two days before the Danes went to the polls in the European Parliament elections. Three weeks ago, the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured in an assassination attempt.

Fraud – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is conducting investigations in Romania and Spain, in a case involving a fraud in public procurement of 10 million Euros. EPPO specifies in a statement that it is about European funds for the modernization of the water infrastructure and the improvement of energy efficiency. Several searches have been carried out so far in Hunedoara county (west), at a hospital and another public institution, thee beneficiaries of the funds, as well as in the Spanish region of Andalusia. The European prosecutors show that a group of companies from Romania, which also included a company from Spain, presented false documents and statements in order to receive the contracts for the execution of the works. (LS)

8 June 2024
December 5, 2023

Conference– Romania is interested in developing, using and producing green technologies, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Monday, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai. Klaus Iohannis underlined, during the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2023 event, that in order to effectively respond to climate change, governments must develop a strong partnership with businesses, financial institutions, research and innovation entities and NGOs. He pointed out that the large university centers, such as those in Bucharest and Cluj (north-west), are innovating in the field of sustainable construction materials and applications for energy efficiency. At the same time, Romanian companies support the progress of heat pump technology, essential for the decarbonising of the building heating and cooling sector, president Iohannis added.

Visit — The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is meeting, today, in Washington, with representatives of the American companies Lockheed Martin and Google. The Romanian PM’s agenda also includes today discussions with members of the American Congress. Previously, he met with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, with the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and with the Secretary for Energy, Jennifer Granholm.

JHA — The Justice and Home Affairs Council continues today in Brussels. The Schengen issue is back on the agenda, being tackled from the perspective of the efficient management of the migration issue. It is a recurring analysis of the state of the Schengen area based on key indicators, such as the number of asylum seekers who have been rejected. Romania and Bulgaria have run several pilot projects regarding migration management. Both the Commission and the Spanish presidency of the Council are supporters of the entry of the two states into the Schengen area. We remind you that Romania and Bulgaria received, as part of the JHA Council of December 8-9, 2022, a negative vote from the Netherlands and Austria for joining the free travel Area. On Monday, on the first day of the Council meeting, talks focused on holding Russia accountable, from a penal and financial point of view, for the invasion of Ukraine, as well as on making the European Public Prosecutors Office more efficient. The member states’ ministers and the European chief prosecutor, Laura Codruţa Kovesi, analyzed the latest legislative proposal regarding the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters. As for how Russia can be held accountable for the war in Ukraine, talks focused on how to bring the culprits to justice, as well as on how to use the Russian frozen assets in the international space for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Handball — Romania’s national womens handball team takes up, this evening, the strong Danish team, in the last match in group E of the World Championship hosted by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The Romanian players won the other two games, against Chile and Serbia, and are qualified for the main groups, where they will face Germany, Poland and Japan. Romania is the only team that participated in all 26 editions of the World Womens Handball Championship. Their record includes a world title, two silver medals and one bronze medal. (LS)

5 December 2023
RRI Sports Club

Romanias women handball team found out its opponents in the main group stage of the European Championship hosted by Denmark. Romania is scheduled to play against Croatia on Thursday, against Hungary on Monday, December 14, and one day later against defending world champions the Netherlands. They were all part of Group C, in which Croatia came out first, followed by Hungary and the Netherlands. Romania goes into Main Group 2 with no points, after it lost to Norway and Germany, the teams in Group D that moved up.

At this championship in Denmark, the Romanian Cristina Neagu became the first player to reach 250 goals scored in the history of the European competition. Neagu scored for the 250th time in Mondays match against Norway. Romanias left back started the European championship with 237 goals, and now she has reached 253.

Neagu was already the top scorer in the history of the European Championship in the 2018 edition, when she broke Hungarian Agnes Farkass record of 205 goals scored between 1994 and 2002.

Named the worlds best player by the International Handball Federation in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, Neagu is not in best shape at EURO 2020, after having tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

She still has the fastest throw in the tournament, at 129 km/h. She also has the second-best number of assists, 615, after her teammate Cristina Laslo, with 624. And she is Romanias top scorer in Denmark, with 16 goals in 46 throws, accounting for a 35% rate. (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

9 December 2020
RRI Sports Club

Romanias women handball team found out its opponents in the main group stage of the European Championship hosted by Denmark. Romania is scheduled to play against Croatia on Thursday, against Hungary on Monday, December 14, and one day later against defending world champions the Netherlands. They were all part of Group C, in which Croatia came out first, followed by Hungary and the Netherlands. Romania goes into Main Group 2 with no points, after it lost to Norway and Germany, the teams in Group D that moved up.

At this championship in Denmark, the Romanian Cristina Neagu became the first player to reach 250 goals scored in the history of the European competition. Neagu scored for the 250th time in Mondays match against Norway. Romanias left back started the European championship with 237 goals, and now she has reached 253.

Neagu was already the top scorer in the history of the European Championship in the 2018 edition, when she broke Hungarian Agnes Farkass record of 205 goals scored between 1994 and 2002.

Named the worlds best player by the International Handball Federation in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, Neagu is not in best shape at EURO 2020, after having tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

She still has the fastest throw in the tournament, at 129 km/h. She also has the second-best number of assists, 615, after her teammate Cristina Laslo, with 624. And she is Romanias top scorer in Denmark, with 16 goals in 46 throws, accounting for a 35% rate. (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

9 December 2020
November 24, 2020

COVID-19 Romanias anti-COVID-19 vaccination strategy has been finalised and will be endorsed by the Supreme Defence Council in the forthcoming period, President Klaus Iohannis announced. He added, after a meeting with healthcare experts, that an action plan has been put together and all official information concerning the vaccination campaign will be posted on a separate website. Over 7,750 new COVID-19 cases and 196 related deaths have been reported over the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to over 10,370. Since the start of the pandemic, at least 430,000 people have tested positive for the virus, more than two-thirds of whom have so far recovered. Over 1,200 patients are currently in intensive care.

PANDEMIC The WHO welcomes the announcement regarding a 3rd anti-COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Oxford University jointly with AstraZeneca. The British researchers say the vaccine is at least 70% efficient, but that, depending on the treatment scheme, the protection rate can reach as high as 90%. Pfizer jointly with BioNTech and Moderna had previously announced efficiency rates of over 90% and of 95% respectively for their vaccines. So far 59 million people have tested positive for Sars-Cov-2 worldwide, with the global death toll standing at nearly 1.4 million. In Europe, France and Britain are planning to ease restrictions for the winter holidays.

BUDGET The Government of Romania Monday approved the 3rd budget adjustment this year. More funds have been earmarked for healthcare and agriculture. PM Ludovic Orban said the adjustment was required in order to cover the expenditure incurred with the Covid-19 pandemic, with the increased pension benefits, flexible working hours and furlough payments and with the balancing of local budgets. The adjustment also helps financing public investments, the finance minister Florin Cîţu said in his turn. The main elements underlying this adjustment are a budget deficit standing at 9.1% of GDP and a negative 4.2% growth rate.

CORRUPTION The National Anti-Corruption Directorate is working on a corruption-related criminal case in Sibiu (central Romania). Prosecutors are investigating the awarding of a contract for 2 modular hospital units for Covid-19 patients in the Sibiu County Hospital. During this springs state of emergency, the County Council paid some 1.2 million euros under this contract. The units, with 35-bed capacity and the necessary equipment, were opened in October. The Sibiu County Hospital and Public Healthcare Directorate are under military management as of recently. Sibiu County has the highest COVID-19 infection rate in the country, and several places in the county, including the capital city, are under lockdown.

HANDBALL Romanias womens handball team are preparing for the European Championship hosted by Denmark between December 3 and 20. Romania is playing in Group D in the final tournament, alongside Norway, Germany and Poland, with the games taking place in the town of Kolding. Denmark is the sole host of the tournament after the second designated host, neighbouring Norway, pulled out. On November 16, only 17 days before the first game was due, Oslo announced that healthcare constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic prevent it from organising the competition. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

24 November 2020
Romania is in for more extreme weather

Yellow, orange and red warnings for
bad weather have been issued for some regions or even for the entire Romanian
territory almost on a daily basis in recent weeks. On Tuesday alone, several yellow
and orange warnings for unstable weather were issued for almost all of the
country’s southern regions.

In Galati, eastern Romania, a man lost
his life in a thunderstorm. The bad weather has also caused material damage
including in capital city Bucharest, where gale force winds knocked over trees,
posts and billboards, blocking traffic and damaging vehicles.

Several bridges have been destroyed
by flooding in the country’s south. Rail traffic has also been disrupted by the
heavy downpours which caused delays of up to 30 hours on some routes. Hundreds
of households in eastern and south-eastern Romania were left without
electricity on Tuesday night.

Firefighters have been deployed to
towns and villages in 13 counties across the country in an attempt to remove
the bad weather effects. They took action to pump water out of scores of
households, yards and basements. After these extreme phenomena, Romania is
bracing up for a new heatwave with temperatures above 30 degrees centigrade and
almost two weeks of muggy weather in almost all its territory.

The heatwave is also affecting the whole
continent. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has issued several travel alerts especially
for Greece, currently facing a higher risk of forest fire, and for France,
which is also bracing up for hot temperatures in most of its regions. Record
highs of 39-40 degrees centigrade are to be witnessed in Germany and the
heatwave is also expected to be felt in the north of the continent in countries
like Sweden and Denmark.

(translated by bill)

26 June 2019
Sports Weekend

The main sporting event this
weekend is the football match pitching Romania against Sweden in Stockholm.
This is our footballers’ first qualifying match for the European Championship
in 2020; Romania is part of group F together with the teams of Spain, Sweden,
Norway, the Faeroe Islands and Malta and only the group’s first two sides are
qualified for the final tournament.

Football fans aren’t expecting a
good show from their favourite ones on Saturday as Romania’s untrained lineup
has managed only lackluster performances in recent years. In a world ranking,
drawn up by the International Football Federation, Sweden comes 14th,
whereas Romania is on the 25th position. Out of the other sides in
group F only Spain fares better coming ninth in the ranking while Norway is 48th
– place; the Faeroe Islands is on the 97th position and Malta coming
182nd.

Romania’s under twenty-one football
selection conceded a one-nil defeat to Spain’s similar side in a friendly game
on Thursday. Headcoach Mirel Radoi could not rely on 9 players who had been
summoned at the national side for the match against Sweden. During the same
training campaign in Spain, Romania’s under 21 side will be taking on Denmark
in Marbella.

We recall that our young
footballers have for the first time qualified for such a tournament and are to
represent us this summer at Euro 2019 in Italy and San Marino. They are part of
group C together with England, France, and Croatia. The Under-21 European
championship is due to unfold between June 16th and 30th.

Romania is no longer represented in
the men’s single contest of the tennis tournament in Miami after Marius Copil
was eliminated by Albert Ramos Vinolas 6-4, 7-6, 6-2. Irina Begu also conceded
defeat to Romanian-born Canadian Bianca Andreescu, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.

22 March 2019
Sports Weekend

The main sporting event this
weekend is the football match pitching Romania against Sweden in Stockholm.
This is our footballers’ first qualifying match for the European Championship
in 2020; Romania is part of group F together with the teams of Spain, Sweden,
Norway, the Faeroe Islands and Malta and only the group’s first two sides are
qualified for the final tournament.

Football fans aren’t expecting a
good show from their favourite ones on Saturday as Romania’s untrained lineup
has managed only lackluster performances in recent years. In a world ranking,
drawn up by the International Football Federation, Sweden comes 14th,
whereas Romania is on the 25th position. Out of the other sides in
group F only Spain fares better coming ninth in the ranking while Norway is 48th
– place; the Faeroe Islands is on the 97th position and Malta coming
182nd.

Romania’s under twenty-one football
selection conceded a one-nil defeat to Spain’s similar side in a friendly game
on Thursday. Headcoach Mirel Radoi could not rely on 9 players who had been
summoned at the national side for the match against Sweden. During the same
training campaign in Spain, Romania’s under 21 side will be taking on Denmark
in Marbella.

We recall that our young
footballers have for the first time qualified for such a tournament and are to
represent us this summer at Euro 2019 in Italy and San Marino. They are part of
group C together with England, France, and Croatia. The Under-21 European
championship is due to unfold between June 16th and 30th.

Romania is no longer represented in
the men’s single contest of the tennis tournament in Miami after Marius Copil
was eliminated by Albert Ramos Vinolas 6-4, 7-6, 6-2. Irina Begu also conceded
defeat to Romanian-born Canadian Bianca Andreescu, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.

22 March 2019
January 5, 2016

Although temperatures are slightly increasing, the weather remains very cold for this time of the year in Romania. Snowfalls are still reported in the south-east and north-west. The highs range between minus 8 and 5 degrees Celsius, with a minus 6 degree reading in Bucharest at noon. Over the past few days, 3 people died because of the biting cold, and 42 others have been rescued by the authorities. Road, railway and air transport is disrupted by the snow and wind.

Bulgaria, Romanias southern neighbour, announced a code yellow alert against snow, black ice and strong wind, valid today in several parts of the country, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. Romanian citizens who travel or intend to travel to Bulgaria are urged to have their vehicles properly equipped and to check the latest news in this respect. The Foreign Ministry previously warned Romanian tourists that a similar alert was in place in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The importance of guaranteeing the freedom of the press is vital to any democratic country, particularly in a EU member state, said the Liberal Deputy Ionuţ Stroe, the head of Romanias delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In a statement to Radio Romania, he described as disquieting the fact that a law drafted by the new Conservative power in Poland, under which the directors of the public radio and television stations are to be appointed by the finance minister, was passed by the Parliament in Warsaw without public debate. On Monday, 4 international media freedom watchdogs filed a complaint in this respect with the Council of Europe. They criticise the law as threatening the independence of public media. The authors of the protest urge the Polish Conservative party “Law and Justice to immediately scrap this law, which is pending for promulgation by President Andrzej Duda, from the same party.

Copenhagen announced temporary controls on its German border, shortly after Sweden had taken similar measures at its border with Denmark. The Danish PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen warned that unless the EU manages to protect its borders, several countries will have to tighten security checks. He explained that, following the restrictions imposed by Sweden, Denmark might be faced with a large number of illegal immigrants. In turn, the Swedish authorities claim that they are trying to reduce the number of refugees reaching their country. Last year, 160,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden, the largest number in Europe after Germany. Denmark and Sweden are the last states to introduce border checks in the Schengen zone. In September 2015, Germany introduced controls on its Austrian border, and last week Norway, which is not an EU member but is part of the visa-free area, announced that travelers without a visa would be denied access to the country.

The leaders of the Moldovan pro-Western Liberal and Democratic parties, announced they would hold new talks in order to form a new parliamentary majority and a new government. The announcement comes after on Monday the prime minister designate, Ion Sturza, failed to get the votes of a sufficient number of MPs in the Moldovan Parliament, more than half of whose members were absent from the session. The Parliament Speaker, Adrian Candu, said that the vote is failed according to the Constitutional Court rules, and the head of state Nicolae Timofti is now to nominate a new candidate for the PM seat. Should the new attempt fail as well, Timofti must dissolve the Parliament and announce early elections. The previous cabinet, headed by the Liberal-Democrat Valeriu Streleţ, was dismissed on October 29, following a no-confidence motion tabled by the pro-Russian Communists and Socialists, but backed by the Democratic Party as well.

The UN Security Council strongly criticized the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, and Saudi Arabia suspended diplomatic ties with Iran after its embassy in Tehran was stormed and set alight by violent protesters, disgruntled with the execution of Shia Muslim cleric Nimr Baaqer al-Nimr by Riyadh. As tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran escalate, Russia expressed willingness to host negotiations between the two foreign ministers. In turn, the EU and USA call for calm following the row between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran.

The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 2 in the world, has withdrawn from the Brisbane tournament in Australia, having nearly 900,000 US dollars in prize money, and so did the current trophy holder, no. 4 WTA Maria Sharapova of Russia. Simona said that, in spite of the problem with her left leg, she would take part in the Sydney tournament next week. Two other Romanian players, Andreea Mitu and Patricia Maria Ţig, have qualified in the doubles quarter-finals of the Shenzhen tournament in China, which has 500,000 US dollars in prize money. In the first round, they defeated Zarina Dias / Ling Zhang (Kazakhstan/China), 6-2, 6-4.

5 January 2016
December 17, 2015 UPDATE

The western city of Timisoara was in mourning on Thursday, commemorating the victims of the 1989 anti-communist revolt. 90 people lost their lives and almost 400 were injured during the popular uprising 26 years ago. A special mass was held at the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Opera hosted the opening of a contemporary art exhibition. Timisoara is the city that sparked the revolution, which then rapidly spread all over the country, eventually toppling the Ceausescu regime on 22 December. Between December 16 and 22, over a thousand people lost their lives, and almost 3,400 were wounded. Romania is the only country of the former Soviet bloc where the regime change was accompanied by a bloodshed, and the deposed communist leaders were executed. The Romanian Parliament meets on 21 December in solemn session to mark the 26th anniversary of this momentous event.

The immigration crisis, securing the EU’s external borders, fighting terrorism as well as the British proposal to reform the EU are the main topics under discussion at the European Council summit under way in Brussels. According to a communiqué of the Romanian government, Romania supports the application of measures meant to secure the EU’s external borders in order to guarantee internal security while maintaining the principle of the free movement of people within the community space. Romania is represented at the winter European Council meeting by PM Dacian Cioloş.

Thousands of Romanian transporters protested on Thursday in Bucharest against the rise in the price of the compulsory civil liability insurance policy. A delegation of the protesters talked with the government representatives who said they would work out solutions to reduce the price of these insurance policies. In a communiqué, the insurance companies’ representatives explained that the rise in the price of the insurance policy is due to the fact that, as regards external transportation, the level of damages is much higher and in some countries unlimited. Also the level of damages for bodily injuries and moral prejudice in Romania is unpredictable, the Romanian courts’ practice lacking consistency. Transporters are also discontent with the maintenance of the fuel extra excise duty after January 1st 2016 and of the obligation of transport operators to pay excessive amounts of money for royalties. Thousands of buses, coaches, cabs and commercial trucks gathered in front of the Government building in Bucharest.

Romania’s national women’s handball team has qualified to the semi-finals of the World Championships in Denmark. In the dramatic game on Wednesday night, the Romanians defeated the Danes 31-30, after extra time. The victory goal was scored in the very last second of the game. On Friday, in the semi-finals, Romania plays against Norway, while the Netherlands contend with Poland. The latter two are veritable surprises, just like Romania’s presence is, considering that in the group stage it got defeated by Spain, Norway and Russia.

The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is the most trusted political figure in Romania, according to a poll published on Thursday. According to the barometer, almost 60% of the people polled said they have high or very high confidence in the president. 40% trust the Governor of the National Bank, Mugur Isarescu, and 32.6% trust the prime minister. The poll was run between November 26 and December 2. The sample was 1,071 people.

International markets have had a positive reaction to the US Federal Reserve decision to raise the reference interest rate, for the first time after 2006, even though the figure was quite small, 0.25%. This indicates that the US economy has finally overcome the effects of the world financial crisis. The hike was followed by a similar one in Hong Kong, where the currency is linked to the US dollar. Next year, new interest rate hikes are expected, resulting in pressure on emerging markets and national currencies in countries from India to Indonesia, according to the BBC. While some states, such as Japan, could benefit from a weaker national currency, which makes exports cheaper, other states, such as Australia, could have problems, since the price of their consumer goods is already low. Also, in some developing countries, businesses could face more expensive loans, the BBC informs.

17 December 2015
RRI Sports Club: Romania qualifies for the World Women’s Handball Championship semifinals

The Romania national womens handball team on Wednesday evening grabbed a surprising win over Denmark (31-30), managing to advance to the semifinals of the World Handball Championship. Cristina Neagu has been declared best player of the match, after scoring 15 goals.

In the three other fixtures, at this stage of the competition, France lost to the Netherlands, 25-28, Poland registered a surprising win over Russia, 21-20, while Norway defeated Montenegro, 26-25.

In the semifinals, Romania will be taking on Norway, while Poland is pitted against the Netherlands. Romania is the only country to have participated in all final tournaments of the World Championships, since 1957, boasting three medals: gold in 1962 and silver in 1973 and 2005, respectively.

(Translated and edited by: Diana Vijeu)

17 December 2015
December 14, 2015

BUDGET – Romanias 2016 draft budget law is being discussed in Parliament as of today, without major changes on the bill tabled by the Government. The budget committees unanimously approved the Cabinets bill. Few amendments have been accepted, and they have no significant financial impact. The most heated debates concerned the budget of the Transport Ministry, where many MPs tried to support local infrastructure projects. The final vote on the budget is scheduled for Wednesday.

EU – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu, is taking part today in Brussels in a meeting of the EU foreign ministers. The agenda of talks includes the recent developments in the Eastern Partnership countries, further to the commitments undertaken at the Summit in Riga in May. The Eastern Partnership is part of the EUs European Neighbourhood Policy, and apart from the EU member countries it includes six eastern European states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The initiative was launched at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Prague, in May 2009. In Brussels, the participants will also discuss means to contribute to fighting terrorism, the support the EU can give to the political resolution and reform processes in Iraq, and the situation in Libya.

COLECTIV – Another patient injured in the October 30 fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest died on Sunday. The woman was being treated in a hospital in Germany, where she had been transferred three weeks ago. The Colectiv fire death toll thus reached 61. At present, 21 patients are treated abroad, and 22 others in Romanian hospitals. The Health Ministry is currently analysing options for the construction of a new hospital for burns patients in Bucharest. Under a programme funded by the World Bank, three such units will be built, in Iasi (in the north-east), Târgu Mureş (centre) and Timişoara (west).

FRANCE – The second round of the local elections in France, held on Sunday and seen as a major test ahead of the presidential ballot in 2017, was won by the right-of-centre opposition, headed by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, which won the election in 7 out of the 13 regions, including Paris, which had been a Socialist stronghold for 17 years. Second came Hollandes Socialists, with 5 regions. The surprise came from the far-right National Front party, headed by Marine Le Pen, which failed to win any region although after the first round it was a favourite in almost half of them. These results were prompted by higher voter turnout and by the fact that in two regions, where they had slim chances to win, the Socialist Party and its left-wing allies withdrew and urged their supporters to vote for the right, so as to prevent the National Front from winning.

MOLDOVA – The interim president of the Liberal Democratic Party in the Republic of Moldova, the ex-PM Valeriu Streleţ, announced on Sunday night that his party would take part in the political negotiations for the establishment of a new parliamentary majority and a new government. The Liberal Democrats however will not give up the three conditions announced previously, namely the nomination of a non-affiliated prime minister, the elimination of political involvement in running state-owned institutions and the resignation of those involved in massive banking frauds. The Constitutional Court announced that the Parliament of Moldova may be dissolved unless a new Cabinet is validated by the end of January 2016.

HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball team Sunday won a breath-taking match against world Champions Brazil, 25-22, in the eighth-finals of the World Championship in Denmark. Thanks to this surprising win, the Romanians booked their places at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In the quarter-finals, Romania will face Denmark on Wednesday. Romania remains the only country which has taken part in all the World Championship final tournaments since 1957. Its track record includes a gold medal in 1962, and two silver in 1973 and 2005.

(translation by; Ana-Maria Popescu)

14 December 2015
December 11, 2015

BUDGET LAW – In Bucharest, the expert committees in Parliament are discussing today the draft budget for next year. The talks will continue during the weekend, and the final vote in the Parliament plenum is scheduled for Wednesday. The Social Democratic Party, in power, voiced satisfaction with the bill, which they say concurs with the previous governments views on fiscal relaxation and economic growth. In turn, the Liberals in opposition say the overall budget structure is reasonable, and slight amendments are possible during the debates in the Parliament committees, although no major changes are expected.

INFLATION – In Romania, the annual inflation rate remained negative in November, although it rose from minus 1.6% in October to minus 1.1%, according to data released today by the National Statistics Institute. Last month, the National Bank of Romania lowered by 0.4% its annual inflation forecast, to 0.7% negative, and for next year the inflation forecast was revised up to 1.1%. The central bank governor, Mugur Isărescu, mentioned that the negative inflation rate was prompted by the lowering of the VAT for foodstuffs to 9% this summer.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS – The population of Romania dropped in 2014 below the 20-million threshold, a level similar to the one reported in 1966. According to the National Statistics Institute, until 2013 the number of people fell particularly as a result of labour migration, whereas last year the main cause was the wide gap between the birth and death rates. If this trend continues, in 30-40 years the population of Romania will go down to around 14 million.

EU DIRECTIVE – Romania must fully implement the Directive on Deposit Guarantee Schemes, under which bank clients will benefit from quicker disbursements and a better safety mechanism. The deadline for transposing these provisions in the national legislation was July, and the European Commission has officially requested Romania to conform. Ten EU member countries are yet to introduce the European Directive in their national legislation, and unless they take appropriate measures within two months, the Commission may decide to notify the EU Court of Justice.

BSEC – Bucharest is hosting today the 33rd meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation countries. Romania, a founding member of the Organisation, held the rotating presidency for the 5th time. The meeting is chaired by the Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu, who will stress the progress made in terms of economic cooperation in the Black Sea region during Romanias six-month presidency. According to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry, Comănescu will hand over the presidency to the Russian Federation, which will head the organisation in the first half of 2016.

NATO EXERCISE – The Romanian Naval Forces frigate “Regina Maria is taking part, alongside vessels from the US, Turkey and Ukraine, in a Black Sea exercise scheduled to conclude on December 16. The exercise is part of the NATO measures designed to enhance confidence among the allies, reads a news release issued by the Naval Forces Command. Regina Maria, with a 220-strong crew, the American destroyer USS Ross, a Turkish frigate and a Ukrainian auxiliary ship will conduct exercises to prepare response to multiple air, naval and submarine threats, to impose sea embargoes and monitor naval transportation. The exercise takes place at a time when the security situation at the Black Sea requires enhanced interoperability between the Romanian Naval Forces and its partners.

HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball team is playing against Russia today, in the last game in Group D at the handball World Championship in Denmark. Although defeated in its last two games by the most valuable opponents so far, Spain and Norway, the defending Olympic and European champions, the Romanians moved forward into the eighth-finals, after having outperformed the national teams of Puerto Rico and Kazakhstan. In the next stage, Romania is to play on Monday against the winner of the match between France and Brazil. Romania is the only country to have taken part in all the World Championship final tournaments since 1957, with three medals won so far, the gold in 1962 and silver in 1973 and 2005.

(translation by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

11 December 2015
December 5, 2015

The Romanian Ministry for Finances made public the draft budget for 2016. The ministries that will receive more money than in the previous financial year include the defence, interior, education, culture and healthcare. Fewer funds than in 2015 will be allocated for the transport, labour, justice and finance ministries. According to the bill, the budget revenues for next year will be nearly 0.8 billion euros higher than in 2015, while expenses will be 3.5 billion euro higher, and cover all the measures approved this year by the Government and Parliament. According to the Government, next year’s budget reflects a number of principles, including fiscal predictability, aimed at encouraging private investments and enhancing the confidence of the business community, efficient budget spending, improved transparency in spending public money and a transformation of the relationship between the state and taxpayers, in the sense of a more friendly attitude of public institutions towards citizens.

The Romanian Health Ministry announced that all the victims of the October 30th fire at Bucharest’s Colectiv nightclub who are still in hospitals in Romania would be transferred abroad if their doctors recommend it and their families agree. The decision comes after the management of the Hospital for Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery in Bucharest admitted that three of the patients injured in the tragedy died from infections acquired in the hospital. Sixty people died in that fire and many others were injured. At present there are 31 patients in hospitals in Bucharest and 30 in clinics abroad. The protests against corruption in central and local administration that followed the tragedy led to the resignation of the Social Democrat Victor Ponta’s Cabinet.

Romanian troops will be training for a week, as of Monday, together with military from the USA and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, at a shooting range in south-eastern Romania, which is hosting the Platinum Lynx 16.2 module of the Black Sea Rotational Force multinational exercise. The exercise is aimed at carrying on the joint training of troops, at enhancing the interoperability of participating forces and strengthening their partnership.

France is taking a day for reflection today, ahead of the first round of regional elections, scheduled for Sunday. According to opinion polls, the National Front, having little competition on the far right, ranks first with around 30% of the voting intentions, followed by right and centre-right parties and by the ruling Socialist Party with only 22%. The election campaign took place amid security measures taken after the terror attacks of November 13th in Paris, which left 130 people dead. The Radio Romania correspondent in Paris notes that for the second round the Socialists suggested an alliance with the moderate right, but the offer has been rejected by some of its leaders.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigations officially rated as an act of terrorism the attack that killed 14 people and wounded 21 others on Wednesday in San Bernardino, California. The FBI chief, James Comey, said there are indications that the attackers were inspired by foreign terrorist organisations, but added that there is no evidence that they were members of a terrorist group.

The Romanian women’s handball team is today playing its first game in the final tournament of the World Championship in Denmark, against the national team of Puerto Rico. The same Group D also includes Kazakhstan, Spain, Norway and Russia. The top four ranking teams in each group qualify into the eighth-finals. Ahead of the World Championship, the Romanian national team played four friendly games, outperforming the Czech, Cuban and Swedish teams and losing to France. Romania is the only country which has taken part in all the World Championships final tournaments since 1957. The Romanians won gold in 1962 and silver in 1973 and 2005.

(translation by: Ana Maria Popescu)

5 December 2015