Radio România Internațional

Tag: Drill

  • February 19, 2025 UPDATE 1

    February 19, 2025 UPDATE 1

    Crime – Romania is among the countries with a low level of crime and a high level of safety, according to information published by the online platform numbeo.com. It collects data from around the world on people’s perceptions of safety and crime. According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, at the European level, Romania is perceived by citizens as a safer country than countries such as France, Great Britain, Italy or Germany. The online platform confirms the latest international reports, such as that of the US State Department, which highlights the progress made by Bucharest in the field of public safety and places Romania among the safest states in the EU bloc.

     

    NATO – The NATO Steadfest Dart 25 exercise, considered the biggest this year, is in full swing on the territories of Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. The drill started last month and involves the mobilization of soldiers from nine allied states. The exercise is led by the Joint Allied Command from Naples and involves the first operational deployment of the Allied Rapid Reaction Force, established on July 1, 2024. Thus, the ability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to mobilize and rapidly deploy forces to defend its borders is being tested. More than 10,000 soldiers, over 1,500 land combat vehicles and over 20 planes and helicopters, plus 17 ships and submarines, are participating in the exercise, with combat exercises in the air, water and on land, as well as in cyberspace, being scheduled. In Romania, Steadfest Dart 25 takes place in the Smârdan range in Galati county, in the southeast, and the country participates with approximately 1,150 soldiers and 120 combat vehicles.

  • January 18, 2025 UPDATE

    January 18, 2025 UPDATE

    Protest – Thousands of members and supporters of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), the main opposition party in Romania’s Parliament, protested on Saturday in Bucharest and across Romania, demanding, among other things, the resumption of the second round of the presidential election. They criticized the court’s decision by which the action opened by the independent candidate Călin Georgescu in the case of the cancellation of the presidential election was definitively rejected and said that it defies millions of Romanians who demand the resumption of the second round of voting and that it ignores the lack of clear evidence. Organized on time, on November 24, 2024, the first round was invalidated by the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR), which, based on documents provided by the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT), invoked the interference of a so-called state actor. The second round, scheduled for December 8, was to be contested by Georgescu, accused of connections with Russia, and the opposition Save Romania Union (USR) leader Elena Lasconi. In the diaspora, where the polling stations for the decisive round opened on December 6, tens of thousands of Romanians had already voted when the CCR decided to invalidate the first round. The costs of the invalidated election allegedly stand at almost 1.4 billion lei (the equivalent of about 280 billion Euros). On December 21, the acting president’s second and last five-year presidential mandate was to expire, according to the Constitution, but his mandate was extended until the election of a new president to be validated by the CCR.

     

    NATO – Hundreds of British military vehicles are on their way to Romania, loaded on ferries, to take part in a major NATO exercise, the British government announced. 2,400 British soldiers, with 730 military vehicles, will form the main battle group, supported by representatives of five other NATO countries, and the United Kingdom will ensure the command of the land component. The new allied reaction force replaced the NATO response force last year and aims to quickly and effectively respond to any threat in peacetime, crisis or conflict.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the round of 16 of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after defeating the pair Elise Mertens (Belgium)/Ellen Perez (Australia) 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in Melbourne. In another second round match, the Romanian Jaqueline Cristian and her Italian partner Camilla Rosatello were defeated by the pair Leylah Fernandez (Canada)-Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Jaqueline Cristian was also defeated in the singles by the German Eva Lys 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the third round.

     

    Intelligence Service – The Romanian Intelligence Service presented new details about the strategic objectives in Romania that a Colombian citizen intended to blow up, at the instigation of a person from Russia. The target was a recyclable waste deposit, two oil extraction wells and a Natural Gas Regulating Metering Station. Luis Alfonso Murillo Diosa was sent to court last November for crimes against national security. According to the investigators, the Colombian was affiliated with an extensive network of saboteurs, controlled through intermediaries by the Russian secret services, which targeted several European states. A former military, trained in intelligence gathering activities, Diosa arrived on Romanian territory in July 2024.

     

    Fair – Romania will participate in the largest organic products fair in the world, BioFach 2025, which will take place in Nuremberg (Germany) between February 11-14, announced the Bio-Romania Association, supported by the Romanian Government through the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade. According to the Association, Romania has been present for 20 years at this event dedicated to agriculture and ecological products. Since 1990, BioFach has become the essential meeting point for organic food producers worldwide, offering networking opportunities and a place where ideas can be exchanged between all actors in the value chain of the organic sector.

     

    US – The inauguration ceremony of the US President-Elect, Donald Trump, will be moved indoors, as the weather forecast for Monday in Washington indicates very low temperatures, the American press announces. Therefore, the swearing-in ceremony, which was supposed to take place on the steps of the Capitol, will take place inside the Capitol Rotunda, just as it was done at the ceremony for the second term of the former president Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump has told his supporters that they will be able to see the inauguration ceremony on screens located inside the Capital One Arena, a sports arena in Washington with a capacity of 20,000 people. The transition team announced that, on Monday, Donald Trump would again use his own Bible, and also the “Lincoln Bible”, a copy known by this name because it was the holy book used by the 16th president of the USA , Abraham Lincoln. The Republican leader also used these two copies when taking the oath for his first mandate, in 2017, the EFE agency reports. (LS)

  • January 25, 2024

    January 25, 2024

    TALKS Romanian Prime
    Minister, Marcel Ciolacu is today having a new round of talks with trade
    unionists from the country’s medical system. In the meantime, representatives
    of the Sanitas Confederation, who threatened with an all-out strike, are
    presently picketing the Labour Ministry headquarters. Authorities and trade
    unionists have decided the setting up of a working group consisting of Sanitas
    representatives as well as experts from the ministries of Finance, Labour and
    Healthcare, to analyze specific issues facing every sector and every
    professional category in the field of healthcare and social assistance. Medical
    employees have called for a 20% pay rise. On Wednesday, another trade union
    federation, Hipocrat, announced its response to the unity appeal made by
    Sanitas and kicked off a signature campaign with a view to launching an all-out
    strike.






    CHANGES Mihai Popsoi, the incumbent vice-president
    of Parliament in the pro-western government of the Republic of Moldova, an
    ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking country, has been appointed Foreign Minister to
    replace the outgoing minister, Nicu Popescu, who stepped down. The new
    government reshuffle is to also include a new minister portfolio, that of
    European Integration. Ex-minister Popescu might become chief-negotiator for the
    country’s EU-accession.




    ISRAEL British Foreign Secretary,
    David Cameron, has told the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that
    Britain still believes in the need for a two-state solution after the later
    rejected the allies’ demands for Palestinian statehood. During a meeting in
    Jerusalem, the British official has reiterated his call for an ‘immediate
    humanitarian pause’ in Gaza, by opening more crossing points to allow crucial
    humanitarian aid into the besieged strip. In another development, the United
    States has deplored the recent Israeli attack on a UN shelter in Khan Yunis, the
    south of the Gaza Strip, which killed several people and has called for the
    protection of the UN sites. The Israeli army has announced it surrounded Khan
    Yunis and stepped up its operations against the terrorist group Hamas. According
    to Hamas sources roughly 26 thousand Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been
    killed in the Israeli bombardments and onslaught in Gaza, while the UN has
    cautioned against the famine caused by the latest Israeli-Hamas conflict.






    DRUGS Fighting drug
    trafficking remains a priority in Romania in spite of the extremely complex
    domestic agenda in 2024, Romanian Interior Minister, Catalin Predoiu said in
    Anvers, Belgium during the launch of a new platform aimed at fighting drug
    trafficking in Europe. Networks of domestic and international cooperation are the
    most effective ways to fight drug trafficking, Minister Predoiu says adding
    that Romania’s Police and Border Police as well as the institutions coordinating
    various financial activities, transport and logistics will resort to concrete
    measures aimed at keeping the phenomenon at bay.








    DRILL The biggest military
    drill staged by the North Atlantic Alliance since the Cold War kicked off on
    Wednesday. Roughly 90 thousand troops from the member states will be
    participating in Steadfast Defender 2024, which is due until May this year.
    Through this drill NATO wants to prove its capability of rapidly deploying
    troops from North America or from the other NATO areas in order to strengthen
    Europe’s defence. Steadfast Defender 2024 will be a clear demonstration of our
    unity, strength and determination to protect each other, our values and the
    rules-based international order, says the Supreme Allied Commander Europe,
    general Christopher Cavoli.




    (bill)

  • September 11, 2023 UPDATE

    September 11, 2023 UPDATE

    SCHOOL The Romanian
    President Klaus Iohannis announced that the issue of drug consumption among
    young people will be included on the agenda of the next meeting of the
    country’s Supreme Council of National Defense. Attending the opening of the new
    pre-university year at a school in Bucharest on Monday, he emphasized that this
    phenomenon represents a serious challenge to national security. Klaus Iohannis
    also said that he continued to support the increase in teachers’ salaries as of
    January 1, 2024. He gave assurances that he remained firm and would support all
    measures to make the commitments made by the Government this summer come true.
    The new school year started, in Romania on Monday, for approximately 3 million
    pupils and preschoolers. It will have 36 weeks of courses, and it is organized
    in five modules, just like the previous one. The Green Week and
    Doing School Differently will take place between September 11, 2023
    – April 26, 2024 and can be set by schools in any of modules 1, 2, 3 or 4, in
    intervals of 5 consecutive working days. The school year will end on June 21,
    2024. The pupils entering the 5th grade will be the first to take an additional
    high school entrance exam in the summer of 2027.




    DEFICIT Romania’s trade deficit in the first seven months of this
    year stood at 15.6 billion Euros, 17% lower as compared to the same period last
    year, shows the latest data published by the National Institute for Statistics.
    In this period, Romania’s exports totaled 55 billion Euros, 4.6% higher than
    the similar period of the past year. At the same time, between January 1st
    and July 31st 2023, Romania imported goods of 70 billion Euros, 1.1%
    lower than in the same period of 2022. In July 2023, the country’s exports
    stood at 8 billion Euros, while imports at 10 billion, which created a deficit
    of 2 billion Euros. As compared to July last year, exports in July this year went
    down by 3% while imports by 11.5%.










    DRILL
    The Romanian and US Naval Forces are jointly organizing, as of Monday until
    Friday, September 15, a multinational exercise called Sea Breeze. It will take
    place in the area of ​​responsibility of the Romanian Naval Forces in the Black
    Sea and the Danube Delta and aims to develop teamwork between the participating
    countries in the field of combating explosive devices, especially sea mines, so
    that navigation can take place freely. Soldiers from Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine,
    France and the UK are also taking part in the exercise.




    FOOTBALL
    Romania’s national football side is playing at home on Tuesday the selection of
    Kosovo, in a game counting towards Group one in the preliminaries of the
    European Championship due in Germany, next year. After five matches in the
    group, with two wins and three draws, Romania boasts nine points presently
    ranking second after Switzerland with 11 points. The group also includes
    Belarus and Andorra. The first two sides will be playing in the final
    tournament. Romania last qualified for a European football tournament in 2016
    and our latest participation in a World Cup was in 1998.


    (bill)

  • August 13, 2023 UPDATE

    August 13, 2023 UPDATE

    DAY Naval forces are these days
    staging a series of activities devoted to Navy Day here in Romania, which will
    culminate on August 15, when Romanians are celebrating the Christian holiday of
    the Dormition of the Mother of God, St. Mary, who is also the protector of
    sailors. Various events and activities are being staged on this occasion in
    Bucharest and the Romanian port-cities on the Danube – Braila, Tulcea and
    Galati. The most important event will take place on Tuesday, August 15th
    when, after a pause of four years, the seamen are expected to be presenting a
    demonstrative exercise entitled ‘Romanian Naval Forces 2023’. Helicopters and
    speed boats carrying the flags of Romania, NATO and the EU will be opening the
    exercise, which is to be followed by a parade of the school-vessel ‘Mircea’,
    Romania’s honorary ambassador on the world’s seas and oceans.






    CARS The number of registered new cars in Romania grew in the first
    seven months of this year by a fifth as compared to the same period in 2022.
    Green cars, hybrid and electric have registered an increase over 36% with a
    market share of nearly 23%, according to data published by the Association of
    Car Producers and Importers. Petrol cars have seen a 1.4% drop against the same
    period last year while diesel vehicles have dropped almost every year 1% and
    presently have a market share of 13%.






    DRILL Roughly 250 servicemen from France and Luxembourg and 65
    pieces of technical equipment of NATO battle group in Romania are going to
    participate starting Monday until August 18th in a joint exercise in
    the shooting range of Babadag, south-eastern Romania. The drill’s main aim is
    to test the rapid deployment of troops and gear as well as to increase
    interoperability among the forces of the NATO battle group. According to
    sources with the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, the drill contributes to
    raising military cooperation between Romania and the participant countries,
    France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg as well as to strengthening
    NATO security on its Eastern Flank.






    GAUDEAMUS The Radio Romania Gaudeamus book fair is waiting for its
    visitors in downtown Sibiu, central Romania with numerous titles, sales and
    events. The organizers have prepared book launches and round-table talks for
    all ages. The little ones have been invited to attend the launch of a
    collection entitled ‘Children Readings from Grandma’, while adults can
    participate in various events focusing on self-development. The event, which
    remains open until Tuesday, has brought together over 40 participants,
    including some of the best known publishing houses, the main suppliers of
    books, games, music and educational materials.






    HOLIDAY The
    Romanians are enjoying a four-day mini-holiday, after Monday, August 14th
    has been declared a bank holiday here in Romania right ahead of the St. Mary
    holiday on August 15th. Various events are being staged all over the
    country and tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Nicula Monastery,
    in Cluj county, north-western Romania. Concerts are also taking place, such as
    the Summer Well festival, in Buftea, close to Bucharest, while the days of the
    city of Braila are also being celebrated. Many Romanians are celebrating these
    days in the mountain resorts of the Prahova Valley, in southern Romania, while
    the seaside resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast are preparing for their
    busiest weekend this summer. According to hotel owners here the tourists’
    number is to reach 110 thousand. The Romanian Interior Ministry has deployed
    over 8 thousand police and 6 thousand gendarme troops to prevent any criminal
    activity during the aforementioned holiday. The border check points at
    Romania’s border with Hungary and Bulgaria are also benefiting from additional
    personnel.








    (bill)

  • June 15, 2023

    June 15, 2023

    GOVERNMENT Romania’s Prime Minister
    designate, Social-Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu today comes before
    Parliament in Bucharest with a list of the new cabinet to be sworn in and with
    a fresh ruling plan. PSD and PNL enjoy the majority although the Democratic
    Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, UDMR, has left the ruling coalition. The
    new Prime Minister’s ruling programme includes five major objectives; solving
    the prickly issue of the special pensions, the endorsement of the law on unitary
    wages, a new price cap on products, the development of the public systems in
    education and healthcare, raising the national output and the creation of better-paid
    jobs. The opposition USR and AUR have voiced discontent at the new ruling
    programme as well as at the new cabinet ministers and have pledged to cast a nay-vote.
    The UDMR have announced they will provide the quorum needed but their MPs aren’t
    going to participate in the voting. Nevertheless, the group has announced its intention
    of having Parliament cooperation with the coalition parties on various
    interesting projects. The Ciolacu government is expected to get endorsement
    from the MPs belonging to the other national minorities. However, there are Liberals
    and Social Democrats who will abstain from voting for the new Executive,
    although they are running the risk of being excluded from their own parties.










    POVERTY Over 34% of
    the Romanians were facing the risk of poverty and social exclusion in 2022, the
    highest rate in the EU, according to data released by Eurostat, the statistical
    office of the European Union. Romania is followed in the ranking by Bulgaria,
    Greece and Spain. The states with the lowest rates of people facing the risk of
    poverty are the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Poland. At the EU level, the risk
    of poverty and social exclusion was higher among women than men. We’ll have
    more on the issue after the news.








    DRILL Roughly 600 Romanian and allied
    servicemen are taking part until Friday in the Dacia Strike 23 multinational
    drill currently underway at the Smardan Training Ground close to Galati in
    eastern Romania. The drill focuses on the interaction between the joint command
    structures of the Multinational Division Southeast and the ground troops
    deployed. Dacian Strike 23 is the second biggest war drill the NATO troops
    have carried out in the past two weeks in the training ground of Smardan after ‘Saber
    Guardian 23’, an event that brought together a record number of troops and pieces
    of military equipment.








    MAE The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest
    has recommended the Romanians who travel to Pristina to encourage our football
    side in their game against the local side, in the EURO 2024 preliminaries, to
    enter Kosovo through Blaze, in North Macedonia. The only checkpoint between
    Serbia and Kosovo recommended is Merdare, which is very likely to be overcrowded
    due to additional security measures. The Romanian Foreign Ministry does not
    recommend the check points in northern Kosovo because they could be blocked or
    closed down due to the worsening security situation in the region. At the same
    time, the Ministry recalls the situation in the area remains unpredictable and
    recommends the Romanian football fans to refrain from chanting or posting
    political slogans, which could trigger a response from the hosts. The Romanians
    are also advised to avoid traveling at night as well as crowded or isolated places.








    WEATHER The weather in Romania is
    generally unstable with an overcast sky and thunderstorms in the mountains, the
    southwest and center. Heavy downpours are expected in the aforementioned areas
    as well as on isolated areas in the other parts of the territory. The highs of
    the day range between 20-31 degrees with a noon reading in Bucharest, where the
    weather is presently hot, of 30 degrees Celsius.




    (bill)

  • May 29, 2023

    May 29, 2023

    BILL Romania’s Labour Minister Marius Budai is expected to
    forward to the Chamber of Deputies a bill on the special pensions paid to several
    categories of state employees. The document, which is a landmark in the
    National Plan of Recovery and Resilience, was endorsed by the Senate in late
    March. According to Budai, the retiring age will gradually increase for all the
    Romanian citizens up to 65 years. At the same time no pension in Romania is
    going to exceed the salary and will be calculated on the entire period of
    contribution not only on the last years of activity. Minister Budai has tackled
    the new amendments with representatives of the European Commission and they
    have been agreed upon by the ruling coalition leaders.










    STRIKE Trade union leaders in Romania’s education system are
    today participating in a new round of talks with Labour Minister Marius Budai
    for the future salary scale. Marius Nistor, head of the Trade Union Federation
    in education, said the salary of a beginner teacher should be based on the
    average gross salary in the economy. Nistor says that in the absence of a law
    in this respect the all-out strike the teachers kicked off on May 22nd
    is not going to stop. The government’s first offer includes a 500 euro bonus
    that should be granted to teachers in two installments, while the auxiliary
    personnel will benefit from 200 Euros also in two installments. However, trade
    unions in Romania’s education system have asked for a 25% pay rise for all
    employees until the single salary law comes into effect. Teachers are preparing
    another meeting in front of the government building on Tuesday, the second
    after the one last week attended by more than 10 thousand teachers.










    ELECTION Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, has congratulated his Turkish
    counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for having won another term in office. In a
    Twitter post, Iohannis says he is looking forward to the continuation of the
    tight cooperation based on the strategic partnership between the two countries.
    Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for the past 20 years, on Sunday emerged as
    winner in the second round of the presidential election in that country with
    52.1% of the votes as compared to 47.9% mustered by his lay opponent Kemal
    Kilicdarolu supported by an election alliance of six parties ranging from the
    nationalist right to the liberal left. The Islam and the appeal to the Ottoman legacy
    have been reinvigorated during Erdogan’s rule. The opposition says though that
    his regime has become more and more authoritarian particularly after the
    attempted coup in 2016. Erdogan has in the past years promoted a tougher rhetoric
    against Turkey’s Western partners as well as a series of controversial economic
    policies. The announcement of his victory has led to a new devaluation of the
    country’s national currency, the lira.










    DRILL The Centre for Battle Training in Smardan, south-eastern Romania, is
    today hosting a major international drill entitled Saber Guardian 23. The
    inauguration ceremony has been attended by the country’s Defence Minister Angel
    Tîlvăr and Chief of Staff, General Daniel Petrescu. The exercise, which is to
    take place until June 9th , represents the largest and most complex
    multinational training activity with the participation of a record number of
    forces and technical equipment. The drill has brought together roughly 10
    thousand servicemen, half of them from Romania and the rest from 13 NATO and
    partner countries. Saber Guardian 23 continues the series of drills started in
    2013, which are taking place twice a year with a view to stepping up
    interoperability within a wide range of missions.




    (bill)

  • November 18, 2022 UPPDATE

    November 18, 2022 UPPDATE

    Aid — The European Commission approved, on Friday, an aid scheme worth approximately 200 million Euros (985 million lei), notified by Romania to support processors of agricultural products, in the context of the war waged by Russia against Ukraine – shows a EC press release. The measure addresses, in particular, operators in the milling, oils and fats, dairy products and animal feed industries. The scheme aims to provide liquidity to eligible beneficiaries who are affected by the current geopolitical situation and the rising energy costs. The commission found that Romanias framework aid scheme meets the stipulated conditions. Thus, the value of the aid will not exceed two million Euros per beneficiary, and the support is granted until December 31, 2023 at the latest.



    Schengen — The Austrian Interior Ministry officials have announced Viennas opposition to the admission of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia to the Schengen area of ​​free movement – the Austrian press reports, quoted by international news agencies. “It is an inopportune moment to vote on the enlargement now, when the system of external borders is not functional” – said the Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. Austria is currently dealing with an increased number of refugees who have passed through other EU states along the so-called Balkan route. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 90,000 have arrived at the Austrian border since the beginning of the year, and 75,000 of them were not previously registered in any other EU country. The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, has said this week that Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia should join the free movement area without delay. Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Ireland and Cyprus are the only EU states that are not part of the Schengen area, to which, however, the non-EU countries Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have been admitted.



    Drill – About 600 Romanian soldiers from Infantry Battalion 20 Dolj of the Southeast Multinational Brigade from Craiova (south) and allied soldiers from France, Poland, Portugal and the United States of America, with over 70 pieces of technical equipment, will participate, between November 21 – 25, in the joint training exercise Black Scorpions 22.8, at the Joint National Training Center (CNII) Getica in Cincu, Braşov county (centre). According to a statement sent on Friday by the Romanian Defense Ministry, the objectives of the exercise include the joint training of the military and, implicitly, increasing the cohesion of the trained structures through training exercises in the field and tactical exercises with combat firing.



    Rugby — Romania’s national rugby team meets the national team of Samoa, on Saturday, in Bucharest, in its last test match in November. In the previous matches, also at home, the Romanians beat Chile, 30-23, and lost to Uruguay, 16-21. Romania is qualified for the World Cup due next autumn, in France, where it will play in Group B, along with South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and Tonga. Romanias matches are scheduled in the cities of Bordeaux and Lille. (LS)

  • July 30, 2022

    July 30, 2022

    Drill — The Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă participates, today, in the battle flag presentation ceremony of the American unit from the 57th Air Base “Mihail Kogălniceanu” in the southeast of Romania. On this occasion, forces and equipment of the 2nd Combat Team Brigade from the 101st American Airborne Division, deployed in Romania after the Madrid summit, are conducting a demonstration exercise alongside Romanian soldiers of the 9th “Mărăşeşti” Mechanized Brigade. A technical exhibition is also organized that displays attack helicopters, tanks, armored amphibious transporters, artillery and anti-aircraft artillery elements, specific engineering and first aid equipment from the equipment of the Romanian and American subunits participating in the exercise.



    Olympiad — The PM Nicolae Ciucă congratulated the Romanian students, teachers and coordinators for the outstanding results obtained in this years International Linguistic Olympiad. The education minister, Sorin Cîmpeanu, has also praised the results of the Romanian team at this competition: one gold medal, one silver and one bronze. “Together with the young people who obtained excellent results in other subjects at the Olympiad, who have recently written success stories, they show that Romanian education is performing well and has a beautiful future. Good luck! We are proud of you” the PM Ciucă wrote in a message posted on the Governments Facebook page. We remind you that, this year, the Romanian students obtained the 3rd place in the world at the International Geography Olympiad and the second place in Europe. In Physics, the Romanian students won four gold and one silver medals, and in Mathematics, with two gold and four silver medals, the Romanian team ranked 5th in the world, out of 104 participating countries, and 1st in Europe.



    Sighisoara festival — Knight fights, demonstrations about the healing power of fairies, fairs, theater or medieval dances – these are some of the surprises that have been announced for Saturday, the second day of the 28th edition of the Sighişoara Medieval Festival, in central Romania, organized under the High Patronage of Her Majesty Margareta Custodian of the Romanian Crown. The Festival program also includes a painting workshop for children, an archaic music workshop and a horse riding and archery workshop. We recall that Sighişoara is the only inhabited medieval fortress in southeastern Europe.



    Olympics — The Romanian athletes won another five medals – one gold, two silver and two bronze, on Friday, on the last but one day of the 16th summer edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival, from Banska Bystrica (Slovakia). The gold went to the judoka Bogdan Alexandru Petre in the 100 kg category. In the swimming competition, Aissia Claudia Prisecariu won the silver medal in the womens 100m backstroke event, and the womens 4x100m mixed relay team won the bronze medal. In tennis, Gabriel Gheţu and Eva Ionescu won silver in the mixed doubles final, and Eva Ionescu also got bronze in the womens singles. Romania ranks 12th in the medal standings, with 3 gold, 8 silver and 5 bronze medals. Romania is represented at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival by 92 athletes, in 8 disciplines – athletics, swimming, cycling, gymnastics, judo, volleyball, handball and tennis. At the previous edition, in 2019, Romania won 19 medals.



    Monkey pox – The first two deaths, outside Africa, of people infected with monkey pox were announced on Friday by Spain and Brazil, but it is not known if the respective virus has caused the deaths. The Brazilian authorities stated that the Brazilian man who died also had serious comorbidities. The two deaths in Brazil and Spain bring to seven the number of deaths reported worldwide since May, with the first five reported in Africa, where monkey pox is endemic and was first detected in humans in 1970. The World Health Organization last week declared this disease a global health emergency, after approximately 16,000 cases have already been reported in 75 countries, many of them in Europe. (LS)

  • July 28, 2022 UPDATE

    July 28, 2022 UPDATE

    UKRAINE The Romanian foreign ministry firmly criticised the move of
    the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, who posted
    on social media a map assigning current Ukrainian territories to Romania and
    other neighbouring countries. The foreign ministry regards such attitudes as
    part of the Russian Federation’s propaganda and disinformation campaign, which
    has intensified since the start of the illegal and illegitimate war against
    Ukraine. Such ‘proposals’ and ‘analyses’ concerning the random resetting of
    national borders and promoting violations of international laws are just failed
    attempts to justify Russia’s breaches of the international order based on
    rules. The institution reiterates Romania’s full support for the independence,
    sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally
    recognised borders, and once again condemns Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked
    military aggression against that country. Romania is and will remain a partner
    of Ukraine and reconfirms its full support and deep compassion for the
    Ukrainian people, the victim of a brutal aggression, the institution’s news release
    also reads.


    FUNDS The prime minister Nicolae Ciucă has said Romania’s absorption
    rate of European funds as part of the 2014-2020 financial exercise stands at
    64.5%, a level similar to that of Germany and only slightly lower than France,
    but ahead of older member states like Belgium (59%) and Italy, Spain and The
    Netherlands (each with a little over 56%). According to Ciucă, Romania absorbed
    22 billion Euros out of the 35 billion it is allocated in the 2014-2020 period.


    DROUGHT Drought has so far affected 150,000 hectares of farmland in
    20 different counties across Romania, said the agriculture ministry, based on
    daily reports on the state of the crops. The irrigation systems are struggling
    to cope, owing to the drop in the level of the water used to feed the
    irrigation stations. The biggest such station, in Brăila county, in the
    south-east, was shut down because of the low Danube water flow. The station was
    providing water for 250,000 hectares of land in the region. The water flow of
    the river Prut, in the east, is also dropping, having already reached a record
    low level. Agriculture minister Petre Daea said the animal breeding sector is
    also affected by drought.


    WHISTLE-BLOWERS The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis Thursday sent
    back to Parliament for reconsideration the Law on the protection of whistle-blowers,
    stating that some of the legislative solutions must be revised. Previously, a coalition
    of 20 NGOs, civil associations and trade unions, as well as whistle-blowers,
    had sent an open letter to the president, urging him not to sign the bill into law.
    Civil society organisations argue that in the form passed in Parliament, the
    act reduces the protection mechanisms for whistle-blowers, and Romania risks
    infringement procedures for the selective transposition of the relevant EU
    Directive. Save Romania Union, in opposition, also called on Iohannis to send
    the law back for urgent reconsideration, stating that the current text
    dissuades corruption reporting and poses a major risk of Romania being left
    without the funding under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. In
    mid-July the Constitutional Court had dismissed USR party’s complaint
    concerning the law, as unconstitutional.


    DRILL Over 20 aircraft from 7 NATO member states Thursday took part
    in a joint drill as part of the enhanced Vigilance Activities – eVA headed by
    NATO AIRCOM based in Germany. According to the defence ministry, the goal of
    the exercise is to prove NATO’s capacity to plan, coordinate and execute a
    complex air space security mission in the event of any type of attack or threat
    on Allied territory. In response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, NATO significantly
    enhanced its defence and deterrence capability, including by means of
    strengthening its presence on its eastern flank. (AMP)

  • July 14, 2022 UPDATE

    July 14, 2022 UPDATE

    PARADE The National Day parade in France was marked this year by the
    war in Ukraine. Troops from 9 countries on NATO’s eastern flank, including 12
    from Romania, paraded jointly with French military as a token of the unity of
    NATO Allies and of solidarity with Ukraine, Radio Romania’s correspondent in
    Paris reports. According to her, this year’s celebrations unfolded under the
    motto ‘Partager la flame’ (Divide the Flame), with a dual meaning: to pay
    homage to Hubert Germain, the last member of the French resistance against the
    Nazi occupation, who died this year, and to hail the Olympic flame ahead the
    Olympic Games Paris is due to stage in 2024. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis Thursday
    sent president Macron a letter of congratulations and wishes of prosperity for
    the French people. Iohannis highlighted the solidity and consistency of the
    Strategic Partnership between Romania and France, built on common values and
    excellent cooperation both at bilateral level and within the EU and other
    international bodies. Bucharest celebrated France’s national day with a
    reception at the French Embassy, attended by Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae
    Ciuca and by senior French officials.


    ECONOMY Thanks to a
    surprising 5.2% growth rate in Q1, the European Commission decided to update
    its estimates on Romania’s economic growth this year, from 2.6% forecast in
    March to 3.9% in its summer economic forecast made public on Thursday. The Commission
    also operated a downward adjustment of its forecast for 2023, from 3.6% to 2.9%,
    given that the growth trend is expected to slow down both globally and at EU
    level. Private consumption and investments are expected to be the main growth
    engines both this year and the next, whereas net exports will lead to a deeper
    trade deficit, the Commission says.


    VISIT Germany’s
    foreign minister Annalena Baerbock will be on an official visit to Bucharest
    and Constanţa on Friday, the German embassy in Bucharest announced. Annalena
    Baerbock will co-chair the second ministerial conference of the Support
    Platform for the Republic of Moldova together with her Romanian counterpart,
    Bogdan Aurescu and the French state secretary for development, Francophonie, and international partnerships Chrysoula
    Zacharopoulou. Also on Friday Annalena Baerbock will have meetings with PM Nicolae
    Ciucă and foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, focusing on bilateral and European
    policy topics. In the Black Sea port of Constanţa the German official will
    discuss with local officials and representatives of German companies about
    Ukraine’s grain exports via Constanţa.

    CENSUS The deadline for finalising the national population
    and housing census has been extended by a week, from July 17 to 24, as the
    current completion rate is below 90%. The organisers are hoping to bring the
    rate up to 100% using fixed census locations and door-to-door operators. For the
    first time in Romania, a first stage of the national census was conducted
    online, with 11 million respondents registered, which is little under half of
    the estimated resident population of Romania.


    DRILL Over July 14 and 25 three Romanian warships take part in the
    international exercise ‘Breeze 22’ staged and coordinated by the Bulgarian Navy
    in the country’s territorial and the international waters of the Black Sea and
    the Bulgarian port of Burgas. This year’s edition of the exercise has brought
    together navy and air forces from Albania, Belgium, France, Georgia, Italy,
    Latvia, Poland, Turkey and the USA. The drill is aimed at strengthening
    tactical interoperability between the navy personnel and participating units
    and at practicing conventional and non-conventional war procedures.


    UKRAINE Addressing an international conference on the war crimes in
    Ukraine held in The Hague, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
    Thursday requested the creation of a special tribunal to investigate Russia’s
    invasion of Ukraine. The country’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba also asked
    for a special court trying the crime of aggression, defined as an attack by one
    state against another. All we want is for the crime of aggression to not go
    unpunished, Dmytro Kuleba said during the same conference. Political,
    diplomatic and judicial leaders from around the world convened on Thursday for
    a conference on the crimes committed in Ukraine since February 24. The European
    Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders mentioned that 20,000 investigations
    concerning war crimes in Ukraine have been opened. Around 14 European countries
    are investigating these crimes, and a European Joint Investigation Team has
    been set up, he added. Russia denies the abuses of which its troops are being
    accused, which include shelling civilians, executions, and rapes, and in
    exchange accuses Ukraine of crime wars. Meanwhile, scores of civilians were
    killed or wounded on Thursday in a Russian missile attack on the town of Vinnytsia,
    in central Ukraine. (AMP)

  • July 14, 2022

    July 14, 2022

    EXPORTS The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest used diplomatic channels to convey a message to Kyiv that Romania allows Ukrainian ships loaded with cereals to use the Danube channels of Bastroe and Chilia. According to the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, Romania tries to muster consistent international support to create a transit corridor, including on the sea, for the transport of Ukrainian cereals to third countries against the backdrop of the growing food crisis triggered by the Russian aggression. On Wednesday the city of Istanbul in Turkey held talks on ways of unblocking Ukraines grain exports. The conference brought together delegations from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UNO. Ukrainian vessels are carrying grain to the Romanian port of Constanta to be further shipped to various destinations in Europe, Africa or the Arab world.



    PARADE Festivities occasioned by the National Day of France are this year being attended by honoured military guests from Eastern Europe, including 12 from Romania as a token of gratitude for these countries efforts to defend NATOs eastern flank against the background of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. According to Radio Romania correspondent in Paris, France wants thus to convey a message of unity to NATO allies as well as a strong message of solidarity with Ukraine. The festivities are this year unfolding under the motto Partager la flame (Divide the Flame) with a double significance: to pay homage to Hubert Germain, the last member of the French resistance against the Nazi occupation who died this year, and to hail the Olympic flame ahead the Olympic Games Paris is due to stage in 2024. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has today sent President Macron a letter of congratulation and wishes of prosperity for the French people. Iohannis has underlined the solidity and consistency of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and France, built on common values and excellent cooperation both at the bilateral level and within the EU and other international bodies. The French Embassy in Bucharest will mark the event through a reception, which is to be attended by Romanias Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and by Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, state secretary for development, Francophonie, and International Partnerships with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.



    REFUGEES According to data released by the General Border Police Inspectorate, on Wednesday 12 thousand Ukrainian refugees crossed the border into Romania. Since February 10, before the onset of the Russian invasion, 1.55 million Ukrainian nationals have entered Romania, although only a small part chose to remain here.



    DRILL Over July 14 and 25 three Romanian warships are participating in the international exercise Breeze 22 staged and coordinated by Bulgarian Navy in the countrys territorial and the international waters of the Black Sea and the Bulgarian port of Burgas. This years edition of the aforementioned exercise has brought together navy and and air forces from Albania, Belgium, France, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Turkey and the USA. The drill is aimed at strengthening tactical interoperability between the navy personnel and participating units and at exercising the procedures of conventional and non-conventional war.



    FOOTBALL Romanias football champions CFR Cluj have been eliminated from the preliminaries of the Champions League by Armenian side Pyunik Yerevan. After a goaless draw away, the Romanians lost 4-3 at home after the penalty shootout. CFR Cluj will be playing next in Europa Conference League, where they are to take on Inter Club dEscalades of Andorra. Another three football sides from Romania are playing in the aforementioned competition. These are runner-up FCSB, Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe, winners of the Cup and Universitatea Craiova, presently ranking third in the Romanian championship.


    (bill)


  • June 3, 2022 UPDATE

    June 3, 2022 UPDATE

    Ukraine — On Friday it’s 100 days since Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, during which time the Russian military failed to achieve any of its initial campaign goals, according to the British Military Intelligence Service. The Russians were unable to capture the capital, Kyiv, or the Ukrainian power centers. After losing the battle for Kyiv, Moscow decided to focus its efforts on Donbas, an area made up of ​​two regions of Ukraine where the Russian army has been pressing for weeks. The Russians have resorted to heavy artillery fire there, including on the localities, and have made some tactical progress, the British experts show. The Russian army has advanced not only into eastern Ukraine but also into the southern region. All in all, the attackers managed to occupy about 20% of Ukraines territory, according to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. He added that the entire Russian-occupied territory was a disaster area and that Moscow was solely responsible for it. The Russians have destroyed cities, bombed homes and civilian targets, and have been charged with numerous war crimes. They have also been subjected to a number of international economic and political sanctions. Ukraine hopes to turn the tide of battle, with the arrival of heavy weapons promised by the West, especially high-performance missile systems.



    Drill – Romanian soldiers and allies from five European countries and the United States are participating in a multinational exercise at the NATO Smârdan Center in eastern Romania. Both ground and air combat equipment is used. The exercise, which has been taking place since May 24, is attended by over 1,000 Romanian soldiers along with comrades-in-arms from France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Portugal and the United States. The training aims to increase interoperability through computer-assisted command exercises, field troop training and tactical training with real combat ammunition. Through such training events, the Command of the Southeast Multinational Brigade is being trained to be able to command forces deployed in the NATO Southeast region, in order to ensure the contribution of this structure to the collective defense of the Alliance, the Romanian Defense Ministry says.



    Film – The 3rd edition of the Romanian Film Festival in Washington, the largest event promoting Romanian cinema in the USA, begins on June 3rd at Miracle Theatre. Organised by the Embassy of Romania to Washington and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, the festival is devoted to the 25 years since the signing of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA. Screened as part of the event, under the heading “Reinventing realism: the Romanian New Wave,” are 12 feature films: “Blue Moon”, “Berliner”, “The Windseeker”, “Poppy Field”, “Mikado”, “Unidentified”, “#dogpoopgirl”, “Luca”, “Man and Dog”, “Lebensdorf”, “Otto the Barbarian”, and “Miracle”. The festival will come to an end on June 19.



    School — For the Romanian 8th graders, Friday was the last day of school, and also the last day of enrollment for the National Assessment Exam, the high school final exam that is the basis for high school admission. The tests are scheduled for the middle of this month. However, the high school graduates will be the first ones to take the Baccalaureate exam, which starts on Monday with the oral examination in the Romanian language subject. The school year ends on June 10, and the next one, with a radically modified structure, will begin on September 5.



    Prize — On Saturday, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will be awarded the European Charlemagne Prize of the Sudeten German Homeland Association for 2020. The ceremony will take place in Hof, Germany. The association decided to award him the distinction in recognition of his merits in terms of the understanding and cooperation between the peoples and countries of Central Europe. In the context of the pandemic, the ceremony could not be held, being rescheduled for June 4 this year, when the Day of Sudeten Germans is also celebrated. (LS)

  • June 3, 2022

    June 3, 2022

    UKRAINE 100 days have passed since the start of the Russian invasion in
    Ukraine. Since February 24, Russia has captured a sizeable part of its
    neighbouring country’s territory, but the Ukrainian army has put up a tougher
    resistance than most experts had expected. Russian forces now control around
    20% of the Ukrainian territory, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said
    in his midnight address, which has become a tradition since the start of the
    war. He added that the entire occupied territory is now a disaster area, and
    Moscow is fully responsible for this. Violent clashes continue, especially in eastern
    Ukraine, where Russia tries to capture Donbas. The fiercest battles are
    currently fought in the town of Severodonetsk, the most important one still
    controlled by the Ukrainian forces in Luhansk region. Russian forces have
    resorted to intensive shelling, including on civilian targets, having
    completely destroyed several Ukrainian cities, such as Mariupol, captured after
    3 months’ fighting, and Severodonetsk, where two-thirds of the homes are in
    ruins. Russia has suffered substantial losses, over 30,000 dead and thousands
    of pieces of equipment according to Ukraine, but it still retains superiority
    in the field. Moscow is also superior in terms of heavy weaponry, but as of
    recently Ukraine is receiving this type of weapons from its Western supporters.


    MILITARY Romanian troops and Allies from 5 European
    countries and the USA are taking part in a multinational exercise at the
    Smârdan NATO Centre in eastern Romania. As part of the exercise, today a drill
    is organised in which NATO military use land and air equipment. Taking part in
    the training operation, which started on May 24, are over 1,000 Romanian
    troops, joined by military personnel from France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy,
    Portugal and the US. The training session is designed to enhance
    inter-operability, so as to enable the Multinational Brigade South-East Command
    to manage forces deployed to NATO’s south-east region to protect the Alliance,
    the national defence ministry explains.


    AID The government of Romania will grant
    EUR 140 in aid next month to pensioners whose retirement benefits do not exceed
    EUR 400. The measure was approved on Thursday and is designed to help the most
    vulnerable pensioners cope with the recent price rises. The government is also
    working on an emergency order increasing the value of meal vouchers.


    JUBILEE Britain is celebrating these days the Platinum Jubilee of Queen
    Elizabeth II, the monarch with the longest reign in the history of the country.
    The Royal Family convene today for a religious service at St. Paul’s Cathedral,
    celebrating the Queen’s 70-year rule,
    however the sovereign will not be present after experiencing discomfort while
    watching Thursday’s parade at Buckingham Palace. On Thursday London hosted a
    large-scale military parade, with 70 aircraft, some of
    them used during WWII, flying over the crowds.


    FILM The 3rd edition of the Romanian Film
    Festival in Washington, the largest event promoting Romanian cinema in the USA,
    begins on June 3rd at Miracle Theatre. Organised by the Embassy of
    Romania to Washington and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, the festival
    is devoted to the 25 years since the signing of the Strategic Partnership
    between Romania and the USA. Screened as part of the event, under the heading Reinventing
    realism: the Romanian New Wave, are 12 feature films: Blue Moon,
    Berliner, The Windseeker, Poppy Field,
    Mikado, Unidentified, #dogpoopgirl, Luca,
    Man and Dog, Lebensdorf, Otto the Barbarian, and Miracle. The festival
    will come to an end on June 19. (AMP)

  • November 2, 2021

    November 2, 2021

    MANDATE The Liberal
    retired General Nicolae Ciuca has today stepped down from the position of
    Romania’s Prime Minister designate after his failed attempt to rally Parliament
    support for a minority PNL-UDMR government. The Liberal leadership is to decide
    today over a new negotiation mandate in order to get majority. PNL leader, the
    interim Prime Minister Florin Citu, announced yesterday that his party would
    hold talks with all the democratic forces in Parliament. The Liberals are also
    going to decide today upon the person nominated for the position of Prime
    Minister. The former PNL partner USR and UDMR have announced their readiness to
    rebuild the right-wing coalition, which they left in September upon a conflict
    with the then Prime Minister Florin Citu. The PNL-UDMR minority government
    headed by Florin Citu was dismissed through a censure motion and Nicolae Ciuca
    has been the second Prime Minister designate after the failed attempt by USR
    leader Dacian Ciolos to get support for his cabinet.








    COVID-19 Over 11 thousand new Covid-19 infections
    were reported in Romania on Tuesday as well as 591 related fatalities. The
    situation in the country’s hospitals has worsened with over 20,500 patients
    currently under treatment, 1876 of them in ICUs. Six patients in a severe
    condition have today been flown to hospitals in Hamburg by a plane belonging to
    Germany’s air forces. The intervention is part of the international support
    Romania benefits, which includes medicine supplies, assistance in the treatment
    of patients by medical personnel from other countries. The Romanians’ interest
    in vaccination has slightly decreased in the past days with only 49 thousand
    getting the first jab of an anti-Covid vaccine.








    DRILL Over 1,000 Romanian and foreign
    troops and roughly 100 land, air and naval vehicles are participating until
    November 12th in a joint drill entitled ‘Junction Strike 21’. In the first days
    of the drill, Romanian and Portuguese servicemen trained in a fictitious hybrid
    warfare scenario in Mangalia, southern Romania. The drill has brought together
    troops of the special forces of Georgia, Greece, Britain, the Republic of
    Moldova, Poland and the USA. On Monday, Air base 57 in Mihail Kogalniceanu,
    south-eastern Romania, played venue for a demonstrative exercise of enhanced
    air policing by Romanian and Canadian servicemen. Enhanced air policing under
    NATO command is a collective defence mission aimed at protecting the Alliance’s
    air space and consists of intercepting aircraft that may violate a national
    airspace for various reasons.








    SUMMIT Romania has one of the lowest rates of
    greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the EU, Romanian president Klaus
    Iohannis said in Glasgow on Tuesday, adding that the country intends to
    increase its production of electricity out of renewable sources in the future
    as well. Greenhouse gas emissions have been cut down by 64% and Romania
    presently boasts one of the lowest rates in the EU, Iohannis went on to say.
    The Romanian official also says that our country is fully supporting the EU efforts
    to cut CO2 emissions by 55% until 2030. Over 100 world leaders, who have
    convened for the climate change summit COP 26 in Glasgow, have pledged to stop
    and reverse illegal logging and land degradation by the end of the decade and
    earmark 19 billion dollars out of public and private funds for the protection
    and regeneration of forests.




    (bill)