Radio România Internațional

Tag: Diplomacy

  • Romanian-Japanese Diplomatic Relations

    Romanian-Japanese Diplomatic Relations

    Regardless of physical distances, people, communities and societies come closer because they feel and desire closeness. Until the 20th century, when globalization reduced everything, people had a natural attraction to their more distant peers. They wanted to learn their customs, learn their language, and get to know their mentalities. Romanians and Japanese have known each other formally for approximately 125 years, the writings of the Romanian traveler Nicolae Milescu Spătarul about the Japanese from the second half of the 17th century being from a time when the movement of people was reduced.

    At the beginning of the 20th century, more precisely in 1902, the Japanese ambassador to Vienna initiated contacts with the Romanian side and expressed his desire for bilateral relations to be established between the two countries. A trade treaty was signed that year that would constitute the legal basis for the development of the relationship. At the outbreak of the First World War, Romania and Japan were on the same side of the trenches, in the Entente alliance. In August 1917, Romania opened its diplomatic representation in Tokyo, with Japan doing the same five years later, in 1922. Between 1922 and 1927, the Romanian legation in Tokyo was closed due to budget cuts, but after 1927, when the Romanian legation reopened, relations would operate uninterruptedly until September 1944. During World War II, Romania and Japan were allies again, this time within the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis.

    After the war, relations resumed in 1959, and Ion Datcu was appointed Romania’s ambassador to Japan in 1966. In 1994, interviewed by the Oral History Center of the Romanian Broadcasting Company, Datcu recalled that when he arrived at the post, he did not find many Japanese officials who knew much about the country he came from.

    “Regarding Romania, I was amazed by the little knowledge that existed in parliamentary circles, even among members of the government. They knew very little, and I remember, at that time, when we were discussing certain issues, even European ones, they could not understand the fact that we had different positions from the Soviet Union. They saw this part of Europe as a block of a monolith. In fact, this was not only a Japanese thing, I found the same thing in the USA. But I want to say that businessmen, on the other hand, knew things, had interests. I visited many enterprises, we were already buying ships, building ships, I also christened some ore carriers, fishing vessels were bought. Even the big electronic equipment companies were prospecting the market. I noticed this interesting difference between politicians and businessmen. There was a big discrepancy.”

    But Ion Datcu was going to get a big surprise at the meeting with the Japanese sovereign.

    “Emperor Hirohito was an extraordinarily likable man, beyond his aura of mysticism, he was an extremely warm, approachable man. And I had the incredible surprise that the emperor knew more about Romania than the members of the government at that time. He started talking to me about the Danube Delta and was a great specialist in fauna, especially in fish. And he even showed me this, he had some books, and then I promised him ‘Your Majesty, I’ll do my best’, and when I went on vacation and I brought him some books that I found, with maps of the Danube Delta, and I offered them to him. And he kept asking me, ‘How long will this paradise in Europe last?’ And I came up with the idea, I said ‘Maybe you come once and see the Danube, the Danube Delta and the Black Sea’, this area that he considered to be of great interest for his studies. He had probably studied biology and studied various animals from these waters.”

    Romanian-Japanese relations were dominated by economic issues. Ion Datcu even said that the Japanese had invented a new type of diplomacy, the economic one.

    “My mandate in Bucharest was, indeed, almost entirely economic. At that time, we had the idea of modernizing a series of industrial capacities, including the aluminum factory. I remember doing it with a company, Marubeni, we built a fleet, and we were trying to export as well and we even managed to export billets to a country that produced steel of certain types and sizes, they produced ball bearings and many other products, I even remember an egg paste. It was not a very big political interest from the Romanian government’s point of view. At that time, Japan was an economic interest, and from the Japanese point of view it was the flowering period of the so-called economic diplomacy. They inaugurated economic diplomacy. For me, who had studied these aspects a lot, I had the impression that economic diplomacy could not be done apart from politics, apart from military factors and so on, as is normal. The truth is that the Japanese, indeed, developed and refined economic diplomacy. What did this mean? Their foreign policy and diplomatic priorities were established, apart from the United States of America, in the neighboring area and elsewhere, according to economic interests.”

    Romania and Japan, two countries located at a great distance from each other, already have a century-old tradition of bilateral contacts. It is a tradition that keeps them close through the past, but also through the values of the present.

  • January 27, 2025 UPDATE

    January 27, 2025 UPDATE

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    OPINION – The decision to annul the election results should be taken by the highest electoral body, and the power of the Constitutional Court (CCR) to do so should be limited to exceptional and clearly regulated circumstances, the Venice Commission says in a report on the annulment of the presidential elections in Romania. In Bucharest, the opposition political parties, namely USR, AUR and the Young People’s Party, reacted by emphasizing that, in effect, the consultative body of the Council of Europe confirmed that the Constitutional Court’s decision was illegal and abusive. Former Minister of Justice, Tudorel Toader, explained, however, that this commission issued opinions, not a decision, and the suggestions made are not binding. We recall that the presidential elections scheduled for November 2024 were annulled by the CCR before the second round. The court made its decision based on documents provided by the Supreme Council for National Defense, citing interference from a so-called state actor.

     

     

    DECISION – The EU foreign ministers, convened within the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), decided on Monday to extend for another six months, until July 31, 2025, the restrictive measures applied against Russia for its continued actions to destabilize the situation in Ukraine, according to a statement from the EU Council, Agerpres reports. These economic measures, first introduced in 2014, were significantly extended as of February 2022 in response to Russia’s illegal, unjustified and unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine, the statement also reads. The FAC meeting in Brussels is the first in this format organized during the Polish presidency of the EU Council, a position taken on January 1. It is also the first such meeting attended by Emil Hurezeanu as head of the Bucharest diplomacy.

     

     

    ARTIFACTS – Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu had talks with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp in Brussels on Monday regarding the theft of Romanian artifacts, including a 2,500-year-old golden helmet, from the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands. The two ministers agreed to cooperate very closely at operational and diplomatic level. The golden helmet of Coţofeneşti, as well as three Dacian gold bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia, some of Romania’s most important artifacts, were stolen following a ‘particularly serious incident,’ the Ministry of Culture announced. The General Prosecutor’s Office reported that a criminal case had been opened ex officio. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced the organization, at the Government level, of a crisis team for the efficient coordination of activities to recover the four stolen artifacts.

     

     

    HOLOCAUST – Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu emphasized on Monday the Romanian Government’s firm commitment to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism and to promote the memory of the Holocaust victims, saying it is the authorities’ duty to ensure that the “Romanian society knows and does not repeat the mistakes of history”. In his opinion, education must play a central role in this respect. The Prime Minister participated, at the Coral Temple, in a ceremony dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the commemoration of the victims of the anti-Jewish Legionary Pogrom in Bucharest. Ciolacu welcomed the release of the first Israeli hostages, including two women with Romanian citizenship and Romanian origins, following the signing of the Agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which offers the prospect of lasting peace in the region.

     

     

    BELARUS – The current president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, won the presidential election with about 87% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by the electoral commission. His four opponents reportedly received 1% to 2% percent of the vote. International media write that the elections were intended to give a seventh consecutive term to the autocrat Lukashenko, in power since 1994 and considered the most docile ally of Putin’s Russia. On the eve of the vote, the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said that the leader in Minsk “has no legitimacy” and that “the new electoral charade is an affront to democracy.” On Monday, Britain, the European Union and their allies condemned the “rigged” presidential elections in Belarus. “We are united in condemning the sham presidential elections in Belarus on January 26, as well as the ongoing human rights violations committed by the Belarusian regime,” a joint statement by Australia, Canada, the EU, New Zealand and the United Kingdom said.

     

     

    BACCALAUREATE – High school senior students in Romania have been taking the oral tests in the first session of this year’s Baccalaureate exam starting on Monday. The assessment of communication skills in Romanian takes place until Wednesday, with the oral tests in ethnic minorities’ native languages held over three days, starting on January 29. The foreign language oral tests are scheduled between February 3 and 5, and digital skills will be tested between February 5 and 7. The organisation of these tests during the school year has been criticised by some students, teachers and education experts, especially because high school students must also attend classes during the exam days. The written tests in the Baccalaureate exam begins on May 30 and end on June 30, when the final results are to be announced.

     

     

  • January 24, 2025 UPDATE 2

    January 24, 2025 UPDATE 2

     

    CELEBRATION Military and religious ceremonies, performances and exhibitions took place on Friday in all the major cities in Romania, marking the Union of the Principalities. In Orthodox churches, special services were performed and bells were rung for a minute. 166 years ago, on January 24, 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of Wallachia, after having been elected ruler of Moldavia on January 5. The political decision of the principalities to unite was the first stage in the creation of the modern Romanian state. Leading politicians sent messages on the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. “January 24 is a moment of assessment and reflection on the legacy of our ancestors and on the responsibility we have to preserve and promote it,” president Klaus Iohannis emphasised. PM Marcel Ciolacu pointed out that the Union is an example of how an important political project undertaken in accordance with the will of the people can become reality. Romanians enjoy an extended weekend on this occasion, as Union Day has been declared a public holiday. Many have chosen to spend it in mountain resorts.

     

    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu will have a meeting with NATO’s secretary general Mark Rutte at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, January 28, reads a statement from the North Atlantic Alliance. On January 14, Emil Hurezeanu received the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O’Brien. According to a foreign ministry news release, on that occasion the Romanian official appreciated the US contribution to the security and defense of NATO’s Eastern Flank, as well as to the development of the strategic approach to the Black Sea region. The two officials also appreciated the bilateral relationship, highlighting ‘significant’ achievements such as Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver program, the development of economic and energy sector cooperation, and coordinated Romania – US – EU action.

  • Romania – FRG diplomatic relations

    Romania – FRG diplomatic relations

     

    The fact that, after 1945, there were two German states on Europe s map, was the effect of deep divergences between the US, Great Britain and the USSR regarding the future of the country that had triggered the terrible war. The two Germanys, West and East, were in hostile terms. Walter Hallstein, the first president of the European Economic Community, had given the name to the doctrine by which the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) did not have diplomatic relations with the countries that had recognized the Democratic Republic of Germany (DRG), while the countries that were part of a group, out of solidarity, did not have diplomatic ties with the German state from the opposite bloc. Thus, Romania, located in the communist bloc, did not have diplomatic ties with the Federal Republic of Germany.

     

    Things would change, however, starting the second half of the 1960s. In 1967, Romania managed to establish diplomatic relations with West Germany due to changes in the approach to European relations. With two reciprocal visits, that of the Romanian Foreign Minister Corneliu Mănescu to the FRG and that of the West German Foreign Minister Willy Brandt to Bucharest, the foundations of rapprochement would be laid. In 1994, the Oral History Center of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting interviewed diplomat Vasile Șandru, who remembered the context in which the changes took place: “The visit of Vice Chancellor Wili Brandt, who was also Foreign Minister at the time, took place after Romania had established diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany. The context was as follows: in the summer of 1966, the Political Consultative Committee of the Warsaw Treaty had convened in Bucharest. In the document adopted on that occasion, the idea of ​​convening a European conference on collaboration and security in Europe was launched. There was also a provision that advocated the normalization of relations with both German states. In keeping with this document, Romania initiated the establishment of normal diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany, doing so from its own positions, by its own decision, without any consultations with its allies. Of course, this generated a reaction of dissatisfaction, especially from the Soviet Union and the other states participating in the Warsaw Treaty, which argued that the establishment of relations with Germany should have been done through a collective act.”

     

    Perceptions were reset: “Romania’s initiative had a positive echo in Federal Germany and, at the beginning of 1967, the action of establishing diplomatic relations took place. Previously, Romania had established official consular and commercial relations with West Germany. We already had a commercial-consular representation in Cologne. Now it was time to raise these relations to the highest level of diplomatic relations. From the Federal Germany s point of view, establishing diplomatic relations with Romania meant, in fact, abandoning the Hallstein doctrine, which was a spectacular step, I would say, even in the context of the Cold War. West Germany had had, until then, a very firm attitude in not establishing any kind of relations with the states that had relations with the German Democratic Republic. The position of the Federal Republic of Germany was not to recognize the existence of a second German state.”

     

    Vasile Șandru believes that personal involvement also contributed a lot to creating a new atmosphere: “Willy Brandt went to the seaside where he was received by Nicolae Ceaușescu with whom he had a conversation that lasted about five hours. With Nicolae Ceaușescu, the discussions were predominantly political and referred not only to the political situation in Europe, but also to the party-line ties between the communist and socialist parties. How did Willy Brandt approach this visit? He came with his wife and son, Lars – he had a son who became a participant in these leftist movements in Germany. So he approached the issue of the visit not only on a political level, but also on a personal level, to get closer to our country. Mrs. Brandt and her son had a separate program on the coast. They had a very interesting program, they were very satisfied with the visit, they were also able to see some Romanian traditional shows and visited cultural sites. It was a visit with a program that also helped them make an idea about Romania.”

     

    In 1997, Communist dignitary Paul Niculescu-Mizil said that, beyond the optimism with which we regard it today, there was more to it than we suspect: “When I was in prison, I listened to a television report by Cornel Mănescu, about how diplomatic relations with the FRG were established. He said that he went to Germany, that he met with Brandt and Brandt said let’s establish diplomatic relations, then they shook hands and said yes, we agree. Let’s be serious. I know how those relations were established; I was a member of the Permanent Presidium. This problem was discussed and re-discussed, how to do it, how to get to this, how the Soviets will react, if it is good, if it is not good. This was discussed for days and days. And when he left, Mănescu had a clear mandate, to go and end diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany, as the only option. I was part of many delegations, it would be absurd to say anything else. I had a mandate from home, and if it did not match the situation there, I would have to report back home and ask for approval.”

     

    In 1967, Romania was the second country in the communist bloc to establish relations with West Germany, after the USSR. It was a diplomatic move through which old ties of the Romanian space with the entire German space were restored.

  • 145 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Italy

    145 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Italy

    An exhibition celebrating 145 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Italy opened at the National Bank of Romania, after being first staged  at the headquarters of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament in Rome in October this year. The exhibition brings together photographs, archive documents and old Italian coins illustrating the history of the relations between the two countries. Diplomatic relations between Romania and Italy began in 1879. On December 6, 1879, Italy’s first envoy and minister plenipotentiary Giuseppe Tornielli presented his credentials to King Carol I of Romania. Two months later, on February 15, 1880, the first envoy and minister plenipotentiary of the young Romanian nation state, Nicolae Kretzulescu, presented his credentials to King Umberto I of Italy. Diplomatic relations between Romania and Italy were raised to embassy level in 1964.

    The head of the Diplomatic Archives Doru Liciu tells us more about Romanian-Italian relations in history:

    “We are celebrating this year 145 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and Italy. Our peoples, however, have a history going back more than two thousand years, given our common Latin origin. And it was precisely our shared Latin origins that led to the establishment of the first relations between what would later become Romania and Italy. This then continued into the Middle Ages, when the first Genoese colonies were established on the territory of present-day Romania at the mouths of the river Danube and the Black Sea, and then later during the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, when Italian travelers to the Romanian lands noticed, as did the Romanian chroniclers, the similarities in the languages spoken by the two peoples owing to their shared Latin origin. Later, during the 18th century, the sons of Romanian boyars and rulers studied at universities in Italy, such as the University of Padua. At the beginning of the 19th century, the first Italian consulates and vice-consulates were established in Iași, in Bucharest and in the Danube ports of Brăila, Galați and Sulina. The revolution of 1848 and the success of the Risorgimento movement aimed at the reunification of Italy represented a model for the Romanian revolutionaries, and Italy played a special role for Romania when, in January 1859, the Romanian Principalities became united, both electing Alexandru Ioan Cuza as their sole ruler. The opinion of the Piedmont Diplomatic Litigation Council was decisive, concluding that, from a legal point of view, Cuza’s election was legal. It argued that the provisions of the Paris Convention of 1858 had been respected because they provided for the election of two rulers in Iași and Bucharest, but did not establish whether this should be one and the same person. So, the favorable opinion of the Piedmont Council represented a legal argument for the recognition of the Union of the Romanian Principalities and the election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Relations between Romania and Italy continued to develop. In 1873, Romania opened a diplomatic agency in Rome, and its first envoy, first diplomatic agent, was Constantin Esarcu, an important figure on the Romanian political scene and a founder of the Romanian Athenaeum, to which he left all his wealth after death.”

    Doru Liciu also told us more about the exhibition hosted by the National Bank of Romania and its highlights:

    “We wanted to highlight the most important moments in our relations: the Union of the Romanian Principalities, the recognition of Romania’s independence and the establishment of diplomatic relations, the cooperation and collaboration during the First World War, when Italy and Romania, despite officially being allied with the Central Powers, chose to join the Entente in order to achieve their national ideals of unification. The Romanian Legion was formed in Italy, made up of former prisoners of war from the Austro-Hungarian army, Romanians originating from Transylvania, Bukovina and Banat who campaigned for the union of all Romanians and contributed decisively to the Union of Bukovina and Transylvania with Romania. The exhibition also paid special attention to cultural relations, which flourished in the interwar period following the opening of the Romanian Academy in Rome in the 1920s and of the Humanistic Research Institute in Venice in the 1930s. So, we, here, at the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are seeking to promote history as a means of becoming familiar with the past, without being stuck in the past, and trying to understand the present and build a better future.”

    The 145 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Italy prove, once more, that the values ​that the two countries share, and which are also laid down in the two reference documents present in the exhibition, namely the Joint Declarations on the Strategic Partnership from 1997 and the Consolidated Strategic Partnership from 2008, have an even stronger significance in the current geopolitical context.

  • Nicolae Titulescu and the Romanian diplomacy in Europe in the 1930s

    Nicolae Titulescu and the Romanian diplomacy in Europe in the 1930s

     

    The diplomacies of countries that gravitate around the powerful ones, always have the mission of being one step ahead of events. They must decipher trends and intentions, if possible even before they occur. Diplomacies of the satellite countries are present in the capital cities and in all the places where important decisions are made. Some of them, even reach privileged positions. That was also the case of the Romanian diplomacy in the interwar period, under the leadership of Nicolae Titulescu (1882-1941).

    The end of  WWI had left behind a tense context and complicated European relations, marked by resentment. The defeated countries from the bloc of Central Powers led by Germany did not come to terms with the provisions of the peace treaties generically called the “Versailles system”. That would have meant legalizing their territorial losses and paying war damages. The emergence of the League of Nations in 1919, that would later be today’s UN, was an attempt to bring representatives of all nations together, at one table, and discuss de-escalation. Romania was a defender of the Versailles System and the League of Nations, through which the status quo would be maintained. One of the most active diplomats for that was Nicolae Titulescu.

    A lawyer by training, Titulescu was born in Craiova, in southern Romania. He was part of the Conservative Party and a supporter of Romania’s entry into  WWI alongside France. After the war, he was minister plenipotentiary in Britain, and between 1928-1936 he served as foreign minister in several governments. As of 1921, he was Romania’s permanent delegate at the League of Nations, being elected twice, in 1930 and 1931, as its president.

    Iosif Igiroșianu was a diplomat discovered by Nicolae Titulescu. In 1997, the Radio Romania Oral History Center interviewed Igiroșianu, who explained why Romania enjoyed a privileged position at the League of Nations and the role Nicolae Titulescu played in obtaining it: “Romania was the only country in the world that had a legation with the League of Nations. That was accepted by the Swiss government to please Titulescu. Titulescu had done many things for the Swiss, he organized most of the gatherings and conferences in Switzerland because he was interested in them as well. And then, of course, all these things were of interest to the Swiss because he suddenly put Geneva in an extraordinary light.”

    Thus, in the structure of Romanian diplomacy, the representative in Geneva, with the League of nations, became even more relevant than the minister in Bern. Titulescu was regarded as a negotiator with important countries, while the one in Bern was considered only an official with ties to the country by which he was sent. Titulescu was the one expected to make friends from among the most important politicians and the most influential diplomats and to create connections that would benefit Romania.

    Titulescu himself was more than a permanent representative of Romania in Geneva. At one point, he was requested to mediate a reconciliation between the French and British governments. A friend of the French Prime Minister Pierre Laval, he was considered a very nice man, with a lot of distinction and a lot of tact.

    The dispute between the French and British governments emerged over how Germany should be treated. France and Britain had generally gone hand in hand on security guarantees in Europe after WWI. The two had forced the signing of the Treaty of Locarno in 1925 which guaranteed France’s eastern borders. But at the beginning of the 1930s, Britain had proposed France a taming of the policy towards Germany, a proposal that France did not take kindly to due to the fear of the revival of German militarism. British suspicions went further, to the idea that France was trying to dominate Europe more than Germany was capable of. In that context, Titulescu was asked to come in. His role is explained by Iosif Igiroșianu: “The high profile diplomats, out of vanity, did not want to request meetings with the other side. Contacts were not being made through ministries, they were made through the heads of governments or major political figures. So they needed Titulescu. He had been a minister in England for a long time, he had many friends, and then the French did not want to ask the English to meet, and the English did not want to ask the French to meet. They wanted everything to be arranged through a third person who would probe the mentalities, the attitudes, and discuss with every party.”

    In 1936, Titulescu was removed from public office in Romania because of he was against fascism and went into exile to Switzerland and then to France. He died in Cannes in 1941, disappointed by the course that history had taken.

  • September 1, 2024 UPDATE

    September 1, 2024 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY Diplomacy plays a crucial role in ensuring peace and a framework favourable for the development of the country, president Klaus Iohannis said on the Romanian Diplomacy Day, celebrated on September 1. In an international context marked by conflicts, crises and challenges to the rule-based international order by certain actors, Romania benefits from security and stability, and contributes to ensuring Europe’s security, thanks to a coherent and courageous foreign policy, guided by well defined and well applied principles and values, the president emphasised. In turn, PM Marcel Ciolacu said the role of Romania’s diplomacy is to make a contribution to the regional and global stability and security, as well as to protect and promote national interests and the interests of Romanian citizens. The foreign ministry will remain an institution that safeguards the interests of Romania, as a democratic, free and responsible EU member country and a trustworthy NATO Ally, the foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu said in her message on this occasion.

     

    PENSIONS The ministry for labour and social solidarity has completed the revision of public pension benefits in time, and over 82% of pensioners will receive increased benefits as of September, according to a message posted by the institution on its Facebook account. More than 3.8 million people have had their pensions raised by an average 26.65%. The ministry reiterated that although decisions were issued under which certain pensioners’ benefits were cut down, this is only valid on paper and the higher amount will continue to be paid. Meanwhile, the Parliament of Romania resumes its sessions on Monday, and its agenda includes a bill raising the pension tax threshold from EUR 400 at present to EUR 600. The ruling coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party decided to rush the new bill through Parliament, so that it may take effect on October 1.

     

    FLOODS Rivers in Dobrogea (south-east) are under a code yellow alert for flash floods, Romanian weather experts warned on Sunday. The two counties in the region, Constanta and Tulcea, were under code yellow and orange alerts for heavy rainfalls and strong wind on Sunday as well. The heavy rainfalls in the past few days caused damage in the south-east of Romania. The most affected region was the Black Sea coast, where precipitations reached 200 litres per square metre, the equivalent of 6 months’ worth of rain. Agigea, Tuzla, Venus, Saturn, Mangalia and Vama Veche were among the most affected resorts.

     

    INSURANCE Four out of 5 households in Romania are vulnerable to natural disasters, fire or explosion, according to data released by the National Insurers Union. Only 17% of the homes in Romania are protected by an optional insurance policy. Only 3 regions are above the national average—Bucharest-Ilfov, 29%, the west of the country, with 20%, and the centre of the country, 18%.

     

    SCHOOLS The number of schools in Romania to use electronic class registers in the school year beginning on September 9 is 63% higher than last year. According to the education ministry, nearly 1,900 schools will use electronic registration, 733 more than in 2023. As many as 167 of them are in Bucharest. Under the law, they use private software or platforms, and cannot request students or their families to pay for these services. All electronic registers will have authentication options for teachers, students and parents.

     

    STRIKE The families of the Israeli hostages in Gaza have called for an all-out strike, to push the government into reaching an agreement with the Hamas Palestinian terrorist group concerning the release of all hostages. Civil service personnel around the country responded by declaring a half-day strike as of Monday. The call for a strike was made after the Israeli army found the bodies of 6 Israeli hostages in a tunnel in Rafah, in the south of Gaza Strip. Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the hostage killing proved that Hamas was not interested in a deal, the BBC reports. (AMP)

  • July 25, 2024

    July 25, 2024

    Paris – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, is participating, today, in the inauguration of the House of Romania in Paris, an event organized by the Romanian Embassy in France. Tomorrow, he will attend the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, as well as the reception offered on this occasion by the French President, Emmanuel Macron. Last week, Iohannis received, at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, the Romanian Olympic team that will compete in the Olympics. He handed the athletes the national flag, which will be carried during the opening ceremony by rowers Ionela and Marius Cozmiuc. The Romanian Olympic team has 106 athletes.

     

    Elections – The Romanian government is meeting today to discuss the organization of the parliamentary and presidential elections in November and December, respectively. The government will also analyze several draft emergency ordinances regarding the field of competition, the Romanian citizenship law and setting the maximum number of posts for the National Institute of Magistracy and the National School of Clerks. On the agenda of talks is also a bill that will bring a series of amendments and additions to the law on the public service of thermal energy supply, and the Interior Ministry is to benefit from a series of donations consisting of equipment, consumables and IT equipment. Also today, the budgets of the Ministries of Research, of the Environment, of the Legislative Council and the General Secretariat of the Government for the National Sports Agency will be supplemented. Last but not least, the Romanian government is to adopt a draft emergency ordinance regarding the implementation of the Start-Up Nation program for stimulating small and medium-sized enterprises, the 2024 edition.

     

    Diplomacy – Bucharest is hosting the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy. On this occasion, President Klaus Iohannis met, on Wednesday, with the heads of diplomatic missions, the heads of consular offices and the directors of Romanian cultural institutes. Romania, the president said, has become, in the last ten years, a credible, involved and respected regional, European and international actor, a real provider of stability and security. He told the Romanian diplomats that Romania’s major foreign policy objectives remain the consolidation of the role and influence in the EU and NATO and the deepening of the strategic partnership with the US. The second day of the meeting begins with a thematic session dedicated to hybrid threats and how to respond to them, with the participation of the Secretary General of the European External Action Service, Stefano Sannino and Oana Lungescu, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) expert and former spokesperson for NATO. The debates will continue in a session with an economic theme, attended by guests from the government apparatus and the business environment. On this occasion the opportunities and perspectives regarding the stage of Romania’s accession process to the OECD and current topics on the diplomatic agenda will be addressed, as well as Romania’s economy in the current geopolitical context.

     

    Eurobarometer – More than 72% of the EU citizens believe that the community forum plays an important role in supporting the rule of law in their country, according to a recent Eurobarometer. In Romania, the proportion is 65%. The poll was released on Wednesday at the same time as the Rule of Law in the EU report, and shows that almost 9 out of 10 Europeans think it is important for all member states to respect the Union’s core values, an opinion unchanged from 2019 to present. Compared to 5 years ago, the proportion of those who feel informed about these values ​​has increased, from 43% to 51%. Through these fundamental values, Europeans understand the observance of human rights, the rule of law and democracy. The survey also shows that for 86% of Europeans it is important that the press and civil society organizations can work freely, without any pressure, even if they are critical of the government.

     

    Drone – Remains of a Russian drone were found in the north of Tulcea county, in the southeast of Romania, after the attacks from Tuesday night to Wednesday on the civil and port infrastructure in Ukraine, near the border with Romania, the Defense Ministry (MapN) reported on Thursday. According to MapN, the locations identified as possible areas of incidence are outside inhabited areas, with no infrastructure elements being affected. The Ministry announced that it has intensified the monitoring and surveillance measures of the national airspace. At the same time, MApN has sent a firm message of condemnation of these attacks by Russia on objectives and elements of Ukrainian civil infrastructure, which are unjustified and in serious contradiction with the norms of international law. We remind you that on the last two nights, the residents of the northern part of Tulcea County received RO-ALERT messages, informing them about the possibility of objects falling from the sky on the Romanian territory near the border with Ukraine. Similar incidents, in which fragments of Russia n drones fell on Romanian soil, were reported in the fall of 2023 and this year, in March.

     

    US – The US President Joe Biden said he withdrew from the race for a new term as president because he needs to unite the Democratic Party before the November elections. “I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation” he said. Biden said his domestic and foreign policies deserved another term, but American democracy must be saved, a statement that observers interpreted as an allusion to former Republican President Donald Trump’s despotic tendencies. He has said that he is now supporting Vice President Kamala Harris to become the new Democratic candidate in the electoral battle against Trump. In this context, the Democratic Party Committee agreed on a plan to officially nominate Harris as a presidential candidate on August 1, 20 days before the party convention. It is going to nominate its vice-president by August 7. (LS)

  • June 23, 2024

    June 23, 2024

     

    PENTECOST Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians in Romania celebrate today the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus, a feast day also known as the Pentecost and in Romanian as “Rusalii”. The Pentecost is a symbol of the establishment of the Christian Church, 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ and 10 days after Ascension Day. Believers evoke the moment when the Holy Spirit gave the 12 Apostles the gift of speaking many languages to preach to the crowds, and when the first 3,000 people were baptised, thus establishing the first Christian community.

     

    DIPLOMACY Romania has made progress towards inclusion in the US “Visa Waiver” programme, the Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu told Radio Romania, at the end of a visit to Washington. According to her, “there has been substantial progress in the legislative area, with the relevant legislation already adopted by the Romanian side. There has also been progress in terms of visa renewal, so as to get the visa refusal rate below 3%. I am taking this opportunity to further request support for visa renewal, because we need as many approved visas as possible, a lot is still to be done and we hope we will be able to reach this goal as soon as possible.” In Washington, the Romanian diplomacy chief had a number of meetings with senior US officials, including the secretary of state Antony Blinken.

     

    MIGRANTS Eleven migrants from Bangladesh, Syria, Ethiopia and Egypt have been caught trying to cross the Romanian border into Hungary illegally. They were hiding in metal rolls carried on a lorry driven by a Turkish national. The illegal migrants, aged 15 to 40, were trying to get into the Schengen area. They are now probed into for attempted illegal border crossing, while the driver may be charged with migrant smuggling.

     

    FITS The 31st Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), offers the public on its 3rd day a wealth of theatre performances, music, circus and exhibitions. Today’s highlights include an organ concert by Stefan Donner, a circus performance titled “YouGur”, and the play “Scandal behind the scenes”. According to the organisers, the 10-day festival comprises 830 events: theatre performances, music, dance, circus, exhibitions and public reading sessions will bring together over 5,000 artists from 82 countries.

     

    EU Next week the European Union starts its accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The EU Council’s Belgian presidency announced the official opening will take place on June 25, and that the 2 countries’ accession roadmaps will be assessed separately. The EU Council brings together the 27 Member States, which have already approved the accession and negotiation frameworks for the 2 candidate states. Chişinău and Kyiv submitted their candidacies shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania lost 2-0 to Belgium, on Saturday night in Cologne, but remains top placed in the most evenly balanced group at the European Football Championship. Romania, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine all have 3 points each ahead of the last round in Group E, with better goal differences for Romania and Belgium. Romania’s decisive match for qualification in the eighth-finals is scheduled on Wednesday against Slovakia, in Frankfurt. Moving up into the next stages of the competition are the top 2 teams in each group and the best 4 third-ranking teams in each group. (AMP)

  • June 20, 2024

    June 20, 2024

    UKRAINE In Bucharest, the Supreme Defence Council convened today to analyse a possible transfer of a Patriot missile system to Ukraine’s armed forces, after the US president Joe Biden called on the NATO member states in Europe that own such systems to look into the possibility of donating some to Ukraine. Over a month ago in Washington president Klaus Iohannis said in a meeting with the US president at the White House that Bucharest would find a solution for a possible transfer, but emphasised at that point that it was unacceptable for Romania to be left without anti-aircraft defence. In the Council meeting today, the participants will also present Bucharest’s goals at the NATO Summit due in Washington next week, given that a deterrence posture is critical for Romania, and the country’s defence capacity must be complete. On the other hand, president Klaus Iohannis stated yesterday that after the discussion in the Council he would also make public his decision regarding his NATO leadership candidacy, after both Hungary and Slovakia had announced their support for Mark Rutte (Netherlands) as the next NATO secretary general.

     

    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu is on a 2-day official visit to the US as of today. She is scheduled to have political talks with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and will also have meetings with National Security Council members. The Romanian diplomat will also take part in the opening of the Romania-US Economic Forum, where she will highight the development potential of the Romanian-US economic relations, including through cooperation in the energy sector and in the Ukraine reconstruction efforts. Organised in the context of the celebration of 20 years since Romania joined NATO, the visit is an opportunity to review the progress made in the bilateral relations, in the cooperation for strengthening Euro-Atlantic security, with a focus on the Black Sea region and on identifying means to consolidate the Romania-US Strategic Partnership.

     

    MILITARY Romania takes over for 6 months the command of a NATO vessel group operating in the Mediterranean, which also includes military ships from Italy, Spain and Turkey, officials for the Romanian Naval Forces announced. The “Viceamiral Constantin Bălescu” minelayer, with a crew of 85 Romanian and foreign troops, leaves the Constanţa military port to the port of Salamis, in Greece, where the command transfer ceremony is scheduled on Friday. The Romanian Naval Forces mentioned that, with the participation in this mission, Romania helps meet the commitments regarding regional security and strengthen international cooperation in view of maintaining stability in the Mediterranean.

     

    VISIT Romania and Italy will continue to work together and to cooperate with all Allies towards strengthening NATO’s role in preventing any wars, president Klaus Iohannis said after a meeting with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, who was on an official visit to Bucharest on Wednesday. Klaus Iohannis highlighted the foundations for the development of the bilateral relation and cooperation with Italy, including as part of European and Euro-Atlantic structures. In turn, Sergio Mattarella said he supported Romania’s full Schengen membership. As for the European dimension, the president of Italy emphasized that the EU enlargement was a major objective.

     

    SWIMMING The Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the 100m freestyle race on Wednesday night at the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, with 46 sec 88/100. Popovici was only two hundredths of a second away from the European record he set in Rome in 2022. The world record (46 sec 80/100) was set in February by China’s Zhanle Pan. Second in the European competition came Nandor Nemeth (Hungary), 47 sec 49/100, followed by Serbia’s Andrej Barna, 47 sec 66/100. In the 2022 European Championships in Rome, David Popovici won Romania two gold medals, in the 100m and 200m freestyle races. (AMP)

  • June 3, 2024 UPDATE

    June 3, 2024 UPDATE

     

    ELECTIONS This is the last week of campaign ahead of the European Parliament and local elections slated for this Sunday. Some 19 million Romanians are expected to go to the nearly 19,000 polling stations in the country. 915 stations have been set up abroad, twice as many as for the European Parliament elections five years ago. Polling stations will open at 7 AM and close at 10 PM, one hour later compared to previous rounds of election. Polling station presidents can opt to extend the voting process until midnight, if there are still people queuing in the station. According to the Permanent Election Authority, the total number of candidates for the local and European Parliament elections is close to 208,000. For the first time, voter turnout updates will be provided in real time on election day, for each separate ballot, on the website of the Permanent Election Authority. Romania will also host presidential elections in September and parliamentary elections in December.

     

    DEFENCE ‘The EU’s strategic approach to the Black Sea region must include support for the countries in the region, which are facing hybrid threats and the spill-over of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,’ the Romanian defence minister, Angel Tîlvăr, said on Monday at a meeting with the interim chief of the European Commission representation in Romania, Mara Roman. According to the defence ministry, Angel Tilvar highlighted the support provided by Romania to Ukraine and to the Republic of Moldova. The participants emphasised the increasingly important role played by the European Commission in supporting EU member states in the defence and security area, and the need to further develop the relations between the EU and NATO.

     

    BANKING The foreign currency reserves of the National Bank of Romania reached a new all-time record, over EUR 65 bln at the end of May, up 4.1% compared to the previous month. According to the central bank, Romania’s international reserves (foreign currency plus gold) are currently around EUR 72.2 bln, 3.5% more than in April. The National Bank also announced that the payments for the public debt due in June amount to nearly EUR 148 mln.

     

    FLOODS The bodies of the two Romanians reported missing at the end of last week following flash floods and rising river levels have been found in Italy. The bodies of two of the three missing Romanian young people who drowned on Friday in Natisone River, were found in the province of Udine (northeast). Searches for the third missing person continue. The young people were bathing in Natisone despite the ban, when water levels suddenly rose. Following the information sent by the Italian authorities, the Romanian Foreign Ministry confirmed that two of the deceased were Romanian nationals, and conveyed its condolences to the bereaved families. Consular office representatives are constantly in touch with the local authorities in order to obtain information regarding the search operations for the third missing person, as well as with the families of the deceased citizens, and are ready to provide consular assistance depending on requests and in line with their attributes. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced Romanian citizens can request consular assistance by calling the numbers of Romania’s consular office in Trieste.

     

    DIPLOMACY Romania is and will remain a supporter of Montenegro’s EU accession efforts, the Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu said in Bucharest on Monday, as part of a joint statement with her counterpart from Montenegro, Filip Ivanovic. The Romanian official added that the Western Balkans were a region of strategic importance, and political and security developments there have a direct impact on the security and prosperity of Europe as a whole. In this context, the two officials signed an Action Plan for cooperation between Romania’s and Montenegro’s foreign ministries in 2024-2025. ‘Montenegro and Romania have long-established friendship relations and are committed to further developing them,” Filip Ivanovic said in turn, adding that this commitment translated in the Action Plan for cooperation and thanking Romania for its support.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team is playing Bulgaria on Tuesday and Liechtenstein on Friday, June 7, in two friendly matches ahead of the European Championship due to kick off on June 14 in Germany. Bucharest will host both matches. Romania was drawn in Group E alongside Ukraine, Belgium and Slovakia. The national team will play Ukraine on June 17 in Munich, Belgium on June 22 in Cologne, and finally Slovakia on June 26, in Frankfurt. Romania last took part in a European Championship in 2016 in France. (AMP)

  • Foreign Policy Opinion

    Foreign Policy Opinion

    Sharing
    borders with the Black Sea and allied as NATO member states for 2 decades,
    Romania and Turkey are also tied by a strategic partnership which they have
    decided to extend. Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, has recently had
    talks in Bucharest with Romania’s diplomacy chief Luminiţa Odobescu, and
    announced that a high-level Council for strategic cooperation would be
    established to this end.


    The
    defence cooperation is an important component of the two countries’ bilateral
    relations, the Turkish official pointed out. A critical topic approached during
    the recent talks was the current security context and ways for the two
    countries to help consolidate and enhance security at the Black Sea, the Romanian
    foreign minister said in her turn. She thanked Turkey for its participation in
    the NATO air policing missions in Romania, which contributes to strengthening
    the Allied defence and deterrence posture on the eastern flank.


    Luminița
    Odobescu also mentioned the recent decision to set up the Romania-Turkey-Bulgaria
    Naval Group tasked with clearing the mines floating in the Black Sea, which is
    a concrete example of the way in which the three countries are able to work
    together in the region.


    Consolidating
    the economic cooperation between Turkey and Romania was also on the agenda of
    the meeting. Bilateral trade amounted to USD 9.4 bln in the first 11 months of
    last year, and is expected to reach USD 15 bln in 2025.


    The
    two officials also discussed the situation in the Middle East. The Turkish
    foreign minister argued that 2 million people are being bombed by Israel in
    Gaza and are struggling with hunger and infectious diseases. In turn, Luminiţa Odobescu said
    close coordination of international efforts is necessary in order to achieve
    sustainable peace in the Middle East. She argued that the needs of Palestinian
    civilians remain a priority for Romania, even though, like many other partners,
    Romania suspended its financial contribution to the UN agency for Palestinian
    refugees after some of the agency’s employees were found to have been involved
    in the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.


    A
    major concern for the Romanian diplomacy is also the war in neighbouring
    Ukraine, which was invaded by the Russian army nearly 2 years ago. Luminița
    Odobescu emphasised that the situation in Ukraine is in fact a priority for the
    EU as well, and pleaded for continued European support to Kyiv. Since the start
    of the war, more than 7 million Ukrainian nationals have transited Romania to
    seek shelter, and the Romanian port of Constanța has become a vital hub for
    Ukraine’s grain exports. (AMP)

  • January 23, 2024

    January 23, 2024

    CELEBRATION On January 24 Romanians
    will celebrate 165 years since the Union of the Romanian Principalities,
    Moldavia and Wallachia, under the rule of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Military and
    religious ceremonies will be held in major cities across the country, as well as performances,
    exhibitions, events in museums and other cultural institutions. In Focşani, in
    the south-east, a large-scale celebration will be held, including a military
    parade and the traditional Union Round Dance in the town’s central square. The
    city of Iaşi, in the north-east, will host a ceremony at the statue of ruler Alexandru
    Ioan Cuza and a military parade. In Bucharest, the George Enescu Philharmonic
    Orchestra will give a special concert. In January 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was
    elected ruler both in Moldavia, and in Wallachia, and under the 1866
    Constitution, the United Principalities started using the official name of
    Romania.


    VISIT Moldova’s deputy PM and minister of foreign affairs and European integration, Nicu Popescu, is on a working visit in
    Bucharest today, where he is to have talks with his Romanian counterpart,
    Luminiţa Odobescu, and other officials, MOLDPRES
    news agency reports. The 2 foreign ministers will discuss means to develop and
    consolidate the bilateral partnership, and the next steps in Moldova’s EU
    accession negotiations. The European Council recommended the start of EU
    accession negotiations with Ukraine and the R. of Moldova in December.


    DIPLOMACY The president
    of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday, at the annual meeting with the
    ambassadors accredited to Bucharest, that Romania will continue to
    stand by Ukraine. Iohannis emphasised that due to Bucharest’s efforts over 33
    million tonnes of Ukrainian grains, accounting for more than 60% of the
    products carried through the EU’s Solidarity Corridors, transited Romania. Klaus
    Iohannis added that Romania will stand by Moldova and Ukraine in their
    negotiations for EU accession, and emphasised that it is crucial for the 2
    countries to continue to receive financial support and know-how for the
    consolidation of their public institutions and economy. As for the situation in
    the Middle East, he voiced support for a two-state solution, in line both with
    the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and with Israel’s right
    to security. In this context, president Iohannis mentioned that Romania conducted
    a very difficult operation providing assistance and support to the Romanian
    citizens in that region. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the
    Romanian authorities involved in the evacuation of the Romanian nationals
    there, as well as to thank our partners in Israel, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan for
    their support, Klaus Iohannis added.


    UKRAINE
    The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu stated in Brussels on Monday
    that EU member countries must use all means to help Ukraine in its war
    against Russia. Attending a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, she
    emphasised that Ukraine must remain a priority on the EU agenda. It is
    important for us to maintain pressure over Russia, and Romania supports a new
    set of sanctions against Russia, the Romanian official added. Meanwhile, the
    conflict carries on, with Russia attacking Kyiv and Kharkov with missiles this
    morning. Stay tuned for more after the news.


    VIETNAM Over 2,000 Vietnamese nationals are legally
    employed in Romania, said the president of Romania’s Chamber of Commerce and
    Industry Mihai Daraban at the Romania-Vietnam Economic Forum held in Bucharest
    in the presence of Vietnam’s PM, Pham Minh Chính. Daraban called on
    decision-makers in both countries to create a predictable environment for
    employment, because the Romanian economy needs more workforce.


    NATO Turkey’s
    Parliament is today discussing the ratification of Sweden’s accession to NATO, said
    the private tv station CNN Turk, quoted by France Presse. The foreign policy
    committee in the Turkish Parliament last month endorsed the ratification, but a
    vote in a plenary session is also necessary before the protocol may be signed
    by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO
    countries yet to ratify Sweden’s NATO accession. Ankara cited Stockholm’s lack
    of cooperation in extraditing to Turkey a number of individuals suspected of
    ties with terrorist organisations, especially in the Kurdish region, while
    Budapest says Swedish politicians have made a habit of criticising Viktor
    Orban’s conservative regime, AFP reports.


    ISRAEL The
    Israeli Army announced today that 24 Israeli troops were killed in the Gaza
    Strip clashes in the last 24 hours, making it the worst daily toll for the
    Israeli Army since the start of the war against Hamas, Reuters reports. Last
    week, Israel launched an offensive to capture the town of Khan Yunis, which
    Israel says is now the main stronghold of the Hamas terrorists responsible for
    the October 7 attack in the south of Israel in which 1,200 people were killed.
    Some 26,000 people died in Gaza since the start of Israel’s military
    operations, the healthcare authorities in Gaza announced. (AMP)

  • November 30, 2023 UPDATE

    November 30, 2023 UPDATE


    COP28 The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis travels to Dubai on Friday, to attend the UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, with 140 heads of state expected to take part. The conference started on Thursday with the adoption of a historic decision to finance losses and damages for the countries affected by global warming. The year 2023 has been the hottest on record, with an average global temperature approx. 1.4°C above pre-industrial levels, the World Meteorological Organization announced.



    DEFENCE Romanias new Army Chief of Staff is the general lieutenant Gheorghiţă Vlad. At the swearing in ceremony on Thursday, president Klaus Iohannis said gen. lt. Vlad was entrusted with the responsibility of carrying on the Armys process of adapting to new challenges and of maintaining a high level of battle training for the troops. We need more determined measures to re-launch the national defence industry, the president also said, including through industrial cooperation, so that a larger share of the ammunition and equipment we need may be produced domestically. This and the high level of military training, will ensure a strong and credible defence capacity, adapted to the new security challenges, the head of state added.



    RECYCLING In Romania, the deposit and return scheme for beverage containers became operational on Thursday. Romania will run the second-largest programme of this kind in Europe, after the one in Germany, in terms of the number of containes processed. Romanians who pay a 10-Eurocent deposit on purchasing bottled beverages from retailers will be able to return the container to drop-off centres organised by retailers, and will be refunded their deposits without having to produce the receipt for the original purchase. Deposit-carrying containers will be introduced gradually, with a transition period until current stocks in shops are sold out.



    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu took part on Wednesday in an informal dinner ahead of the OSCE ministerial council in Skopje, organised by the rotating chairmanship holder, North Macedonia. Talks focused on Russias war of aggression against Ukraine and the need for an efficient OSCE in times of conflict. In her address, the Romanian diplomat emphasised the difficult circumstances in which the Organisation operates, in the context of Russias unjustified and unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine. She also reiterated Romanias solidarity with the Ukrainian people, emphasising the multi-dimensional support given to Ukraine. Luminiţa Odobescu also highlighted the negative impact on the Republic of Moldova, the social and economic difficulties facing Moldova as a result of Russias various pressures, as well as the relevance of Moldova in the security dynamics of the region.



    UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment rate in Romania was 5.4% in October, below the 6% EU average, the European Statistics Office announced. According to data released on Thursday, the Eurostat puts the number of unemployed people in the EU at nearly 13 million. The unemployment rate was 14.8% among youth, 6.4% among women and 5.8% among men. The lowest figure in October was reported in Malta – 2.5%, and the highest in Spain – 12%.



    HOLIDAY On Thursday Christians celebrated St. Andrew the Apostle, the patron saint of Romania. Historical records indicate that Saint Andrew preached in Scythia, in the north and west of the Black Sea, including present-day Dobrudja, where he ordained priests and bishops who took the word of Christ to the Dacian population between the Danube and the Carpathians. As such, he is recognised as the patron saint of Romania. He was martyred by crucifixion in the city of Patras, in Greece. (AMP)


  • September 29, 2023

    September 29, 2023

    Notification — The Save Romania Union — USR and the Force of the Right, in opposition, intend to notify the Constitutional Court today about the coalition (PSD-PNL) governments taking responsibility for the package of fiscal-budgetary measures. The two parties claim that there are numerous violations of the fundamental law in the government’s document. The USR leader, Cătălin Drula, claims that principles of fiscal responsibility were allegedly violated. Moreover, the notification to the Constitutional Court will also include the observations of the experts of the Justice Ministry regarding the Governments measures, which minister Alina Gorghiu would have ignored when she issued a favorable opinion for the legislative proposal, Catalin Drula said. Initially, the opposition evoked a censure motion, and today is the last day when they could submit it, but it is unlikely that they will be able to collect the required number of signatures.



    Conference — The Speaker of the Romanian Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, is participating also today in the Conference of Presidents of Parliaments from the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, organized in Ireland, Dublin. On the eve, he had said that populism harmed democracy and endangered the civil rights of all. According to the Romanian Senate Speaker, in the context of the war on Romania’s border, the role of national parliaments in the reconstruction of Ukraine and the challenges to representative democracy in unstable times are topics of great interest for Romania, as an EU and NATO member country. He also spoke about Romanias role in supporting neighboring Ukraine, from where more than five million refugees came



    Meeting – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, is participating, today, in the meeting of the heads of diplomatic missions from the EU member states accredited to Bucharest, organized by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. On the eve, the Romanian FM took part in the opening of the second edition of the international Euro-Atlantic Forum for Resilience, with the theme Resilience at Sea and its Impact on Land. She emphasized the relevance of the Black Sea region in the context of the Russian Federations war of aggression in Ukraine, a region with a special geopolitical significance, located at the epicenter of this conflict. Minister Odobescu stated that Romania acted and will continue to act in coordination with the neighboring states and strategic partners, so as to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through the Romanian ports.



    Gas – Natural gas and electricity tariffs on the Romanian market will continue to be subsidized until the end of March 2025, the National Energy Regulatory Authority -ANRE announced. Thus, Romanians will pay 68 bani (13 euro cents) per kilowatt for a monthly consumption of up to 100 kilowatts, 80 bani (16 euro cents) for a consumption range of 100-255 kilowatt, 1.3 lei (26 euro cents) for a consumption between 255 and 300 kilowatts, and for what exceeds 300 kilowatts – 1.3 lei for the entire amount. In the case of gas, the price for one kilowatt/hour will not exceed 31 bani (6 eurocents). The ANRE representative, Valeriu Steriu, stated that this measure brings predictability and is “a safety net” for the population and industrial consumers. He showed that the total amount reimbursed by the Romanian state to the energy companies that applied the capped price scheme, was almost 21 billion lei (about 4.2 billion euros) two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Transgaz National Company announced that it has already stored an amount of gas that exceeds 96% of the total storage capacity. (LS)