Radio România Internațional

Tag: DST

March 31, 2019

VISIT – EU Commissioner
for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Canete on Monday and Tuesday is
paying an official visit to Bucharest, the European Commission’s Representative
Office in Bucharest has announced. On April 1, the EU official will attend the
meeting titled The Regional Energy Cooperation Initiative in Central and
Eastern Europe. The event will bring together ministers and high-ranking
officials from member states and contracting parties of the Energy Community.
The meeting will include ceremonies for the signing of energy grants under the
European Interconnection Mechanism. EU officials will also look at progress
obtained so far and will address the priorities for the future of natural gas
and energy markets and the development of infrastructure and sustainable energy
sources. On Tuesday, Miguel Arias Canete will attend the Informal Energy
Council, on the sidelines of which the first meeting of Energy Ministers from
EU states and the Eastern Partnership will be held, with a view to
consolidating regional energy cooperation.

FRONTEX – Over April 1 – June 30 the Romanian Border Police will
take part in the 2019 POSEIDON mission organized by FRONTEX, providing a
maritime patrol ship MAI 1101 as part of the Coast Guard. The mission will take
place in the Aegian Sea. The ship and the two crews will carry out patrol,
surveillance, search and rescue missions alongside the other participant
states. The purpose of the operation is to provide Greek authorities with
support in the surveillance and control at the EU’s maritime borders, as well
as for the search and rescue of people in distress on the EU’s external
borders.

EARTH HOUR – Romania
joined around 180 other countries in celebrating Earth Hour on Saturday, a
movement that warns about climate change and the loss of biodiversity. Between
8.30 pm and 9.30 pm, lights went out in several towns and cities across the
country, including the capital Bucharest, in a symbolic gesture to raise
awareness about the importance of protecting the planet. Performances, bike
races and other events were also held. According to some estimates, if every
person in Romania took part in Earth Hour by switching off their lights for one
hour, this would save more than 1 million kilowatts, enough to supply the
electricity of a community of 2,200 people for a year. Romania has marked Earth
Hour since 2009.

DST – On Saturday
night Romanians turned forward their clocks one hour in observance of Daylight
Saving Time. So, three o’clock became four o’clock with a three hour GMT
difference. The switch this year could be one of the last such changes, as the
European Parliament this week voted a proposal to renounce DST changes at EU
level starting 2021. Member States are free to choose to observe standard time
or DST.

TRADE FAIR – Romania is taking part in the HannoverMesse, one of
the biggest industrial technology fairs in the world, held over April 1-5. The
event opens on Sunday under the slogan The future development of industry. A
total of 6,500 exhibitors from all over the world are expected to take part.
This year’s partner country is Sweden.

ELECTION
IN SLOVAKIA – Liberal Zuzana Caputova has won the second round of Saturday’s
presidential election in Slovakia, thus becoming the country’s first female
head of state. Aged 45, Zuzana Caputova grabbed 58% of the vote, as compared to
41% obtained by the other candidate, Maros Sefcovic, an EU Commissioner backed
by the left-of-center ruling party. Shortly after the results were announced,
Zuzana Caputova called for unity. She said the result shows it is possible to
fight populism and earn people’s trust without using aggressive language and
personal attacks. Her adversary conceded defeat. In turn, Prime Minister Peter
Pellegrini expressed hope for a positive cooperation with the new president.

ELECTION IN UKRAINE – Some 35.5 million Ukrainians on Sunday hit
the polls to elect a new president. A total of 39 candidates have enrolled in
the race, although the Central Election Commission has registered 44
candidates, of whom 5 have in the meantime withdrawn. Favourite to win are
comedian Volodimir Zelenski, current President Petro Poroshenko and former
Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko. Various surveys show that 28.5% of Ukrainians
would vote for Zelenski, 18.8% for Poroshenko and 13.3% for Timoshenko. In case
none of the candidates grabs over 50% of the vote, a second ballot will be held
on April 21 pitting the top two candidates.

(translated by V. Palcu)

31 March 2019
March 26, 2019 UPDATE

CONSULTATIONS President Klaus Iohannis Tuesday had consultations with representatives of civil society regarding the justice referendum. The President last week said he was almost determined to call a referendum coinciding with the European Parliament election of May 26. The president’s announcement followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling sanctioning a referendum on the same day as the European Parliament election. On Wednesday the head of state will also hold talks with representatives of magistrate associations on the current state of affairs in the judiciary.

VISIT Vaccination, the assessment of medical technology, tobacco control, cancer prevention and antibiotic resistance were among the topics approached in Bucharest on Tuesday by the Healthcare Minister Sorina Pintea and the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis. Previously, the EU official was also received by President Klaus Iohannis. Vytenis Andriukaitis attended the Global Forum on “Human Rights and a World without Tobacco and called for the elimination of tobacco products from supermarkets, considering it is not rated as foodstuff. Vytenis Andriukaitis is on an official visit to Bucharest over March 26-27, and on Wednesday he will attend the opening of the 4th annual conference on tobacco control organized by the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention jointly with the Romanian Pneumology Society.

DST The European Parliament Tuesday voted, by a large majority, to end daylight saving time in the EU as of 2021. Member states will therefore scrap the practice of clock changes twice a year, and will choose to keep either permanent summer time or winter time. Under the draft resolution, the countries that decide to make summer time permanent will change clocks for the last time on the last Sunday of March 2021. Conversely, the countries that opt for permanent standard time will change clocks one final time in October 2021. The European Commission proposed to end biannual clock changes in 2018, after a poll that shows overwhelming support for the move, with 84% of 4.6 million respondents in favour of abolishing daylight saving.

EU-CHINA Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emanuel Macron and the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Tuesday held talks in Paris with Chinese President Xi Jinping about future relations between Europe and China. The Chinese President is on a tour of Europe to gather support for his project, “The New Silk Road, aimed at linking China to Europe by means of a thousand-billion-dollar investment by 2030. Several EU states have signed protocols expressing their desire to join the project, and last week Europes third-largest economy, Italy, currently facing severe economic imbalances, became the first G7 country to sing. European Commission representatives have called for the immediate establishment of a joint strategy, concerned with Chinese investment in key sectors in Member States, such as electricity grids, high-speed rail networks and port infrastructure.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

26 March 2019
October 28, 2018 UPDATE

EARTHQUAKE – A 5.8
Richter scale earthquake shook Romania on Sunday morning, without producing any
victims or material damages. The impact reached as far as Moldova, Ukraine and
Bulgaria. According to the scientific director of the National Institute for
Earth Physics, Mircea Radulian, the earthquake was a normal phenomenon for
Vrancea region. We recall the last major earthquake was reported in Romania on
November 22, 2014 and measured 5.7 degrees on the Richter scale. Two weeks ago,
Romania hosted the biggest earthquake drill in an EU state in the last 14
years. The most devastating earthquakes were those in 1940 and 1977, both killing
over 2,500 people and injuring another 15,300.

DST – Romania on Sunday reverted to winter time as per daylight
saving time. Clocks were shifted back, making Sunday night the longest of the
year. According to a European survey, 84% of respondents want to keep the
standard summer time, claiming the time shift is causing fatigue, haziness,
insomnia, focus issues and energy drain. According to the European Commission,
member states can decide on their own which time frame they should observe,
provided they report their choice by the end of April 2019. Should the
Commission’s timetable be observed, the March 31, 2019 time shift will be the
last one to be compulsory.

ATTACK – US flags were
flown on Sunday at half-mast all over the country after a synagogue shooting on
Saturday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which left 11 dead. The perpetrator
shouted All Jews must die before opening fire on the crowd. The attacker was
indicted on 29 criminal counts, including anti-Semitic crimes and risks the
death penalty, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said. According to the
BBC, this was the bloodiest attack targeting the Jewish community in the US.
President Donald Trump has labeled it a wicked act of mass murder. Pope Francis said the attack was
an inhumane act of violence.Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed horror at the attack, while Germany’s
Chancellor Angela Merkel called for increasing efforts to combat anti-Semitic
acts of violence worldwide.

SURVEY – Over 37% of Romanians want closer
relations with the USA, while 11% say Romania should strengthen relations with
France, according to the findings of a recent survey conducted by the Avangarde
Group of Social and Behavioral Studies released on Sunday. 59% of respondents say
the anti-ballistic missile shield in Deveselu is a good thing, while 20% say
it’s a bad thing. 33% say that, military-wise, NATO should increase the number
of troops in Romania, 53% say it should stay the same, while 14% want NATO to
deploy fewer troops to Romania. Asked if the US should remain Romania’s
strategic partner, 74% of Romanians said yes, 26% said no. The survey also
reveals that most Romanians believe the next US ambassador to Romania should
continue to support the fight against corruption started by the National
Anticorruption Directorate. The study was conducted over October 17-20 over a
sample population of some 800 people and an error margin of 3.2%.

VISIT – EU Commissioner for Regional Policy
Corina Cretu on Monday and Tuesday is paying an official visit to Romania. Her
agenda includes meetings with high-ranking Bucharest officials and talks over
the future of the European cohesion policy. The EU official says the cohesion
policy guarantees the quality of life for EU citizens, the effects of which are
also transparent in Romania. Corina Cretu says that Romania has been allotted
over 45 billion euros for its own development since it joined the EU in 2007.

NEGOTIATIONS – Trade unions representing the public
subway service, Metrorex, will resume negotiations over the collective
employment agreement on Monday. The previous agreement expired on Saturday and
Friday’s talks produced no results. Unionists want a 42% salary increase and
better working conditions. They threaten to launch an all-out strike starting
November 10. The Metrorex leadership claims such a salary increase is
impossible as it’s exceeding the company budget, also violating certain legal
provisions. Moreover, Metrorex leaders argue, salaries have been increased by
10% every year starting 2015.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil on
Sunday lost 7-6, 6-4 to Roger Federer of Switzerland in the Basel tournament
final, totaling some 2 million euros in prize money. This was the first match
pitting the two players and Copil’s third match against a top-10 player, after
ousting Marin Cilic of Croatia in the round of 16 and Alexander Zverev of
Germany in the semi-finals. This was also Copil’s second final in the ATP
circuit, after earlier this year he reached the final match of the ATP
tournament in Sofia. Following Sunday’s result Marius Copil will be ranked 60
in ATP standings.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

28 October 2018
October 28, 2018

EARTHQUAKE – A 5.8
Richter scale earthquake shook Romania on Sunday morning, without producing any
victims or material damages. The impact reached as far as Moldova, Ukraine and
Bulgaria. According to the scientific director of the National Institute for
Earth Physics, Mircea Radulian, the earthquake was a normal phenomenon for
Vrancea region. We recall the last major earthquake was reported in Romania on
November 22, 2014 and measured 5.7 degrees on the Richter scale. Two weeks ago,
Romania hosted the biggest earthquake drill in an EU state in the last 14
years. The most devastating earthquakes were those in 1940 and 1977, both killing
over 2,500 people and injuring another 15,300.

DST – Romania on Sunday reverted to winter time as per daylight
saving time. Clocks were shifted back, making Sunday night the longest of the
year. According to a European survey, 84% of respondents want to keep the
standard summer time, claiming the time shift is causing fatigue, haziness,
insomnia, focus issues and energy drain. According to the European Commission,
member states can decide on their own which time frame they should observe,
provided they report their choice by the end of April 2019. Should the
Commission’s timetable be observed, the March 31, 2019 time shift will be the
last one to be compulsory.

ATTACK – US flags were
flown on Sunday at half-mast all over the country after a synagogue shooting on
Saturday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which left 11 dead. The perpetrator
shouted All Jews must die before opening fire on the crowd. The attacker was
indicted on 29 criminal counts, including anti-Semitic crimes and risks the
death penalty, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said. According to the
BBC, this was the bloodiest attack targeting the Jewish community in the US.
President Donald Trump has labeled it a wicked act of mass murder. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed horror at the attack, while
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel called for increasing efforts to combat
anti-Semitic acts of violence worldwide.

SURVEY – Over 37% of Romanians want closer
relations with the USA, while 11% say Romania should strengthen relations with
France, according to the findings of a recent survey conducted by the Avangarde
Group of Social and Behavioral Studies released on Sunday. 59% of respondents say
the anti-ballistic missile shield in Deveselu is a good thing, while 20% say
it’s a bad thing. 33% say that, military-wise, NATO should increase the number
of troops in Romania, 53% say it should stay the same, while 14% want NATO to
deploy fewer troops to Romania. Asked if the US should remain Romania’s
strategic partner, 74% of Romanians said yes, 26% said no. The survey also
reveals that most Romanians believe the next US ambassador to Romania should
continue to support the fight against corruption started by the National
Anticorruption Directorate. The study was conducted over October 17-20 over a
sample population of some 800 people and an error margin of 3.2%.

ELECTION – Regional elections are being held today in
Hessa Land in Western Germany, which could further weaken parties in the Big
Coalition in power in Berlin, Reuters reports. The ballot follows two weeks
after the historic failure of the Social-Christian Union in Bavaria, the ally
of Angela Merkel’s Christian-Democratic Union, which grabbed the lowest score
in an election since 1950. The result rocked the ruling coalition, threatened
by divergences over migration. In case of a failure in Hessa, talks over
maintaining Angela Merkel at the helm of the Christian-Democratic Union could
intensify at the annual party congress slated for December.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil,
93 ATP, is today playing Roger Federer in the Basel tournament final. Federer
is world number 3 and seeded first in the tournament in Switzerland, totaling
some 2 million euros in prize money. This is the first match pitting the two
players and Copil’s third match against a top-10 player, after ousting Marin
Cilic of Croatia in the round of 16 and Alexander Zverev of Germany in the
semi-finals. This is also Copil’s second final in the ATP circuit, after
earlier this year he reached the final match of the ATP tournament in Sofia.

HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team is
today playing the defending world champions France at home in the 2020 European
Championship preliminaries. On Wednesday, Romania lost 13-21 to Portugal away
from home. Romania is drawn in Group 6 alongside France, Portugal and
Lithuania. The first two teams in each group will advance to the championship,
as well as the best-ranked four teams in second position in the group tables.
The 2020 European Championship will be hosted by Sweden, Austria and Norway.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

28 October 2018
October 27, 2018

DST – Romania will revert to winter time on Saturday to Sunday night. Clocks will be shifted back one hour, and 4.00 oclock will become 3 oclock, local time. Consequently October 28 will have 25 hours and will be the longest day of the year. The move is meant to balance the practice of setting the clocks forward 1 hour from standard time during the summer months, in order to make better use of natural daylight and reduce the consumption of electricity. According to a poll conducted across Europe and made public in August, 84% of the respondents would like their country to maintain the summer time and not to shift to wintertime any longer. Many of the respondents said the shift causes fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, lack of focus and energy. According to the European Commission, the EU member states should decide upon the issue. The EC calls on the EU member states to make public their choice by the end of April 2019. If the timetable set by Brussels is observed, the shift operated on March 31, 2019 will be the last compulsory shift to the summer time. The EU member states are currently grouped into three different time zones: Western Europe, Central Europe and Eastern Europe.

AIR FORCES – The head of the Canadian Royal Air Force, general lieutenant Alexander Donald Meinzinger, is today paying a visit to the Mihail Kogălniceanu airbase in south-eastern Romania, where he will meet with the head of the Romanian Air Force, general Viorel Pană and with the Canadian unit dispatched at Mihail Kogălniceanu. The 135 strong unit is carrying out NATO air policing missions, alongside members of the Romanian Air Force. These missions are aimed at developing response and deterrence capabilities, sources with the Romanian Defence Ministry say.

COLECTIV – A show inspired by the drama around the fire-ravaged Colectiv nightclub in 2015 is staged on Saturday and Sunday at the National Dance Centre in Bucharest. Titled “153 seconds, the show starts with the story of a survivor. The project has been coordinated by director Ioana Păun, who has collected testimonies made by the victims and opinions expressed by sociologists and psychologists and then staged a show on resignation and the possibility of making a change. The title “153 seconds comes from the duration of the fire which ripped through Colectiv, taking the lives of 65 people. On Tuesday, October 30, its three years since the tragedy struck the Bucharest-based club. We recall it was followed by massive protests which deplored corruption at the level of the central and local administration and led to the resignation of the Ponta-led cabinet.

EUROPEAN FUNDS – Since joining the EU, back in 2007, Romania has had at its disposal European funds worth over 45 billion Euros to develop the country, says the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu. According to her, the cohesion policy is meant to improve the living standards of the European citizens, and the results are visible in Romania, too. Corina Creţu will pay an official visit to Bucharest next week, where she will meet with high ranking Romanian officials and will have talks on the future of the European cohesion policy.

SYRIA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are today meeting in Istanbul to attend a summit on Syria, meant to consolidate a fragile truce and to give an impetus to the efforts that are being made to find a political solution to civil war, FP reports. The conflict in Syria has taken a toll of 360,000 people, since 2011. The setting up, under the UN aegis, of a committee to begin drafting a new fundamental law for Syria seems to be a major challenge, given the current stand taken by the regime in Damascus. Attending the Istanbul Summit will also be the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura.

SWINE FEVER – A case of African swine fever was confirmed on Saturday in a household in Vrancea county, eastern Romania, the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority has announced. The area has been isolated, disinfection measures have been taken and the line authorities have set up checking points on the main roads. Over 1,000 African swine fever outbreaks have been confirmed in 15 counties in Romania so far, and no less than 350,000 pigs have been culled. Romania has requested support from the EU to offer damages to the affected farmers.

SPORTS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil (no.93 ATP) is today facing German Alexander Zverev, second seeded and no.5 ATP, in the semi-finals of the Basel tennis tournament. Copil has previously defeated American Taylor Fritz and is playing his second match in Basel with a top 10 tennis player, after he surprisingly defeated Croat Marin Cilic, no.6 ATP, in the eighth finals. Playing in the other semi-final are first-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland and seven seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

WEATHER – The highs of the day range from 17 to 25 degrees C. The noon reading in Bucharest was 17 degrees C.

27 October 2018
October 25, 2018

ARMY DAY — The Romanian Army Day is today celebrated by all garrisons in the country, in the countries where Bucharest has accredited military attaches and in all military bases and theatres of operations where Romanian military are dispatched. Also today, 633 Romanian military who fell in the line of duty in Stalingrad are reburied in the Romanian Memorial Cemetery in Rossoshka, in the Russian Federation. The earthy remains of 1,644 Romanian military who died in the line of duty in the toughest battle of the past century were entombed in this memorial cemetery, laid out in 2015. The Romanian Army Day is an important landmark, not only in the military traditions timetable, but also for the entire nation, Romanian defence minister, Mihai Fifor, has said. According to him, thanks to the ultimate sacrifice made by its heroes, Romania was among the independent states of Europe in the late 19th century, and the descendants of these brave people, made possible the creation of the Romanian unitary state, on December 1, 1918. Mihai Fifor has said the courage of those injured while on international missions or when carrying out actions across the country in the past two decades will never be forgotten.

PROSECUTOR GENERAL — The prosecutors section of the Superior Council of Magistracy has announced that it will hear Romania’s Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar, on November 13, before expressing an opinion on the decision made by the justice minister Tudorel Toader, to initiate the procedure to remove Lazar from office. The opinion issued by the Superior Council of Magistracy is only a consultative one, as the Prosecutor General is nominated and sacked by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. Toader is accusing Lazar mostly of failing to comply with his legal duties. Lazar says however that observing constitutional principles and values has always been the underlying principle of all the decisions he has made.

NATO DRILLS — NATO is today carrying out in Norway the biggest military drills since the end of the Cold War. “Trident Juncture 18 will involve around 50,000 personnel from NATO Allies and partner countries, about 250 aircraft, 65 vessels and up to 10,000 vehicles. It takes place from Oct. 25 to Nov. 7 in central and eastern Norway, the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden”, Reuters reports. NATO Secretary General, Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, said the security climate has significantly deteriorated in Europe over the past few years. He said that Trident Juncture will send a clear message that NATO does not look for confrontation, but it is ready to defend all its allies from all threats. The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, criticized in early October what she called the sound of arms.

BALLISTIC — The European countries which are hosting US missile systems will become Russia’s targets in the event of a war- Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned against the backdrop of the Trump Administration’s announcement to withdraw the US from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The White House leader claims Russia has violated the Treaty. In response, the Putin Administration has repeatedly said that the ballistic systems placed by the US in Europe, including Romania, are violations of the agreement.

DST — Romania will revert to winter time on Saturday to Sunday night. Clocks will be shifted back, and 4.00 o’clock will become 3 o’clock, local time. Consequently October 28 will have 25 hours and will be the longest day of the year. The move is meant to balance the practice of setting the clocks forward 1 hour from standard time during the summer months, in order to make better use of natural daylight and reduce the consumption of electricity. The passenger division of the Romanian Railway Company, CFR Călători, has announced the train timetable will not be changed, following the clock shift. Considering that the shift is made simultaneously in all the neighboring countries on the same day, October 28, trains will be running according to the timetable between the border stations with the Republic of Moldova, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

25 October 2018
March 24, 2018

PROTEST Trade unions from Romania’s police and penitentiary system have taken to the streets of Bucharest to protest the working conditions and low pay. Romanian policemen and prison staffers are denouncing the stalled social dialogue and the authorities’ lack of interest in the issues currently facing the system. Low salaries, an underfunded Interior Ministry, poor logistics, a delayed adoption of the policeman’s statute, the shortage of personnel and the lack of a real protection for policemen are only a few of the issues mentioned by the protesters.

DST On Saturday night Romanians will be adjusting their clocks forward one hour in observance of Daylight Saving Time. So, three o’clock becomes four o’clock with a three hour GMT difference. March 25th will have only 23 hours in Romania as part of an event, which also involves all EU countries. DST, or Summer time as it is also known, is being observed between the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October. First implemented by Germany in 1916, DST was introduced in Romania in 1932 in order to make the most of the evening daylight.

EARTH HOUR Several cities across Romania have this year announced their participation in Earth Hour, a worldwide event annually encouraging individuals, communities and businesses to switch off non-essential electric lights for one hour in the last Saturday of March. Numerous public and private institutions from all over Romania are participating annually in this event, which is believed to be the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment in history. In Romania, a country, which has been observing Earth Hour since 2009, various events have been staged in order to raise environmental awareness among the people. Earth Hour was first staged by World Wide Fund in Sydney, Australia on March 31st 2007.

FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side today takes on Israel in an away friendly. The Romanians’ goal is to obtain after more than 20 years a win against the selection of Israel. On Tuesday, Romania will be up against Sweden, which is currently ranking 19th in the FIFA standings. Romania comes 36th while Israel occupies the 94th position. We recall that Romania failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia this year, which has the selection of Sweden among the participants.

TENNIS Romanian tennis players Simona Halep, the world’s number one, and Monica Niculescu today are playing in the third round of the Miami tennis tournament with roughly 8 million dollars in prize money. Halep takes on Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA 32nd) while Niculescu plays 13th-seeded Sloane Stephens of the USA. Also today in the second round of the men’s competition, Marius Copil of Romania plays Karen Hacianov of Russia.

translated by bill

24 March 2018
March 24, 2017

THE FUTURE OF THE EU– Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday is attending the EU Summit in Rome, where a Declaration on the future of the EU will be adopted. According to a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration, Romania will plead for a stronger, more consolidated Europe. Early this month, Bucharest sent a document to the EU member states, expressing its stand on the issue. “The fact that there is no alternative to a European solution, which places the stability of our economies and societies and the prosperity of our citizens at the centre of the Union’s actions, should be clearly expressed”, the document also writes. Another stated principle is “no step back.” The document sent to Brussels also states it is essential to preserve and build on the fundamental accomplishments of the EU- the Internal Market, Schengen, Euro, the cohesion policy and enlargement.

DEATH TOLL — The latest death toll of Wednesday’s terror attack in London, issued by the British Police earlier today, takes the number of fatalities to four. 50 other people, of 12 nationalities have been injured in the attack. Two Romanian tourists, a man and a woman are among those injured. The man has been released from hospital, whereas his partner is still in critical condition in hospital. She fell off the Westminster Bridge into the Thames River, after the attacker rammed the car into people crossing the bridge. According to the British Police, the terrorist, who was shot dead, is Khalid Masood, 52, born in Great Britain and who embraced radical Islam. Actually, the attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group. Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, has firmly condemned the attack and, in a phone conversation with the British PM Theresa May, he expressed full solidarity with the United Kingdom. Klaus Iohannis has also sent a message of condolence to the families of the victims and wished a fast recovery to those injured. In turn, PM Sorin Grindeanu has said the government, through the Romanian Embassy in London, is monitoring the health condition of the two Romanian nationals who sustained injuries. In a message on Twitter, the British ambassador to Bucharest, Paul Brummel, has sent a message to the Romanians, thanking them for their reaction to the attack.

SUMMER TIME — On March 26, the last Sunday of March, Romania will switch to summertime or daylight saving time (DST). This is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer. In Romania clocks will be advanced by one hour, from 03.00 to 04.00, local time. Consequently, this will be the shortest day of the year, with only 23 instead of 24 hours. This practice is aimed at saving electricity, using instead sunlight for a longer period of the day. Natural light is also a booster of people’s mental and physical health. DST is currently used by over 100 countries the world over.

EXERCISES– The French frigate “La Fayette” is today arriving in the Port of Constanta, in south-eastern Romania, to take part in military exercises alongside similar Romanian ships, in the Black Sea. French and Romanian marines will work together to put into practice NATO standard operation practices, according to scenarios of ensuring free navigation and a maritime traffic flow. On Monday, the frigate “La Fayette” will take part in an exercise meant to consolidate interoperability with the Romanian Navy. There will be a busy timetable, including live fire exercises. Becoming militarily operational in 1996, “La Fayette” is equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles and has a self-defence arsenal. A Panther helicopter is also onboard the ship, which increases the frigate’s action range.

TENNIS — Four Romanian women tennis players are today trying to qualify for the third round of the “Premier Mandatory” in Miami(the US), with 6.8 million dollars in prize money up for grabs. Sorana Carstea (no. 64 WTA) will meet Anastasija Sevastova (of Latvia, no. 25 WTA). Patricia Tig (no. 95 WTA) will play against the French Kristina Mladenovici, no. 18 WTA. No.5 WTA, Simona Halep will face Naomi Osaka( no. 48 WTA), and 28th seeded Irina Begu, will meet Lara Arruabarrena of Spain, no. 48 WTA. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

24 March 2017
October 29, 2016

COMMEMORATION – A rally will be held in Bucharest on Sunday to commemorate the victims of the tragedy that took place on October 30 last year in “Colectiv night club in the capital city. Sixty-four people died and more than 100 were injured on that occasion. The Government has approved a 2-year extension of the funding for those who undergo treatment abroad. The club owners were sent to court under charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and of failing to ensure workplace safety and health standards, and the owners of the company that supplied the fireworks. Abuse of office charges were also brought against some employees of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, who failed to take any measures although the club did not have a fire security license. The General Prosecutors Office has also been investigating whether the Colectiv victims were treated appropriately in the hospitals in the country, following criminal complaints from the families of the patients who died from hospital acquired infections rather than burns. The Colectiv tragedy was followed by large scale street protests that triggered the resignation of the Social Democrat Victor Pontas Cabinet.

DST – Romania falls back from Daylight Saving Time to standard time tonight, with 4 AM local time becoming 3 AM local time (GMT+2). Sunday will thus be the longest day of the year – 25 hours. The measure reverses the switch to DST operated in March, when clocks were advanced by one hour so as to ensure maximum use of sunlight and reduce electricity consumption. Romania will switch back to DST on the last Sunday in March.

MOLDOVA – In the Republic of Moldova the election campaign ended and the first round of the presidential election is scheduled on Sunday. Citizens are electing their president through direct voting, after 16 years in which the head of state was designated by Parliament. According to analysts, the vote is crucial for the future geopolitical course of Moldova. The pro-Russian Socialist leader Igor Dodon is seen as the most likely to win in all opinion polls. His main challenger is the former reformist Education Minister Maia Sandu, who pleads for a reform of the state and European integration, and who has the support of other pro-Western candidates having pulled out of the race.

ROSIA MONTANA – The Romanian Culture Minister, Corina Şuteu, has announced that Roşia Montană in the centre of the country has been included in a UNESCO tentative list, which is the first step towards inclusion in the much shorter UNESCO Heritage List. Roşia Montană was the most active mining centre in the Western Carpathians, starting with the Bronze Age, to ancient times, the Middle Ages and down to modern times. Traditional mining, based on family initiatives and small miner associations, was ended by the nationalisation of 1948, and was followed by a form of large-scale industrial mining which came to an end in 2006. The defining features of the site are the galleries, the over ground landscape and the mining fair. Several NGOs have requested international protection for this town in the Western Carpathians, hoping this will prevent the implementation of a controversial gold mining project in the area.

CETA – The European Union and Canada will hold a summit meeting on Sunday to sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the president of the European Council Donald Tusk announced last night. The signing ceremony will take place in Brussels. The deal became possible after it was approved by the Parliament of Wallonia, which had initially opposed it. Bucharest, too, had opposed the free trade agreement with Canada until the latter accepted the gradual lifting in 2017 of travel visa requirements for Romanians. At present Romanians and Bulgarians are the only EU citizens who need visas in order to enter Canada.

DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazar Comănescu, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkin, are attending today the Taras Sevcenko bust unveiling ceremony, in Sighetu Marmaţiei, near the Romanian-Ukrainian border. Taras Sevcenko is the national poet of Ukraine. The event is organised by the Ukrainian Union in Romania. Lazăr Comănescu has visited today the new consular office of Romania in Slatina, across the river Tisza, which will open on Monday, and had meetings with representatives of the Romanian community in Transcarpathia.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

29 October 2016
March 26, 2016

BRUSSELS ATTACKS – The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that the security threat level in Belgium, in the wake of Tuesdays attacks in Brussels, was lowered to 3, indicating a “serious threat. The Brussels metro was reopened, but restrictions remain in place on several lines and security forces run random checks. The international airport remains closed at least until Monday. On Friday Belgian police arrested another three individuals suspected of having ties with the terrorist cell that staged Tuesdays attacks, which killed 31 people and wounded another 300. Six other suspects were arrested on Thursday, after French and German police also arrested presumed militants having ties with the perpetrators of the attacks in Brussels and those in Paris last November. In France, president François Hollande said the network responsible for those attacks was about to be annihilated, but that other networks remained a threat.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS – In March, Romanian authorities decided to escort out of the country 23 foreigners who were staying in Romania illegally, the General Immigration Inspectorate announced on Saturday. According to a news release, nation-wide operations led to the identification of 163 illegal foreigners. The police also issued 475 warnings and fines against people who breached the Romanian immigration laws. During the same month, 78 asylum applications were filed in Romania, most of them by citizens of Syria, Yemen and Somalia seeking international protection.

ROYAL CELEBRATIONS – The Romanian Royal Family celebrates today 135 years since the proclamation of the Kingdom of Romania, as well as the birthday anniversary of Crown Princess Margareta. On behalf of King Mihai I, she will award medals to a number of personalities and institutions in Romania, Germany, France and the UK. An anniversary concert will also be organised. The former sovereign of Romania, aged 94, retired from public life early this month, and appointed Crown Princess Margareta to represent him in all public activities. Diagnosed with two types of cancer, King Mihai has recently undergone surgery at a clinic in Switzerland.

POLITICS – The National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR), a small party in the former ruling coalition, is today electing its president in a special congress. The position has been vacant since the ex-Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea resigned, further to a corruption scandal in which he is accused of abuse of office in two cases. The partys interim president, the mayor of Bucharests District 2, Neculai Onţanu, was also arrested for bribe taking. The participants in the National Extraordinary Conference will also discuss the partys political platform, regulations and preparations for the local and parliamentary elections due this year.

EASTER – Roman-Catholic and Protestants celebrate Easter this Sunday, five weeks ahead of the Orthodox and Eastern Catholics. Romania has a Catholic and Protestant community of nearly 1.5 million people. At midnight, they will take part in the special mass celebrating the Resurrection of Christ.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME – Clocks change in Romania on Saturday night, when 3 am becomes 4 am. The practice, known as Daylight Saving Time, is meant to use sunlight as much as possible. In summer, clocks are turned forward by one hour. When Romania switches to summer time, there will be a 3-hour difference between Romanias time and UTC. More than 100 different countries worldwide use Daylight Saving Time. In Romania, it has been used since 1932.

26 March 2016
October 23, 2015

Greece, Hungary, Romania and Spain have not yet fully implemented the EU Timber Regulation, which was introduced to prevent illegal timber entering the EU market, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors. “As the chain of control is only as strong as its weakest link in the single market, illegal timber could still be imported into the EU via these four countries,” says the Court of Auditors report. According to the Environmental Investigation Agency in Bucharest, one in every two trees is cut down illegally in Romania, which means that around half of all logging in the last ten years has been illegal.

Romania is switching to the wintertime on Sunday morning, when 4:00 a.m. becomes 3:00 a.m. This makes Sunday, October 25, the longest day of the year with as many as 25 hours. The switch to the Eastern European Time does not affect the current timetable of trains. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of turning the clock ahead as warmer weather approaches and back as it becomes colder again so that people will have one more hour of daylight in the afternoon and evening during the warmer season of the year. The assumption is also that it would decrease the need for artificial light sources and, as a result, save energy. In Romania, clocks will spring ahead one hour on the last Sunday of March.

The Bucharest Government is today passing the second budget adjustment this year. According to the Finance Ministry’s draft ordinance, revenues and expenditure will each go up by around 2.6 billion lei (600 million euros) while de deficit will further stand at 1.85% of the GDP. The Agriculture Ministry will get most of the money. The Transport and Energy ministers, on the other hand, will lose important amounts. The budget of the national health insurance fund will be increased, to finance the rise in salaries in place as of October 1. The Liberal opposition has criticised the fact that, under this budget adjustment, the road infrastructure sector is again underfinanced.

Romania implements its own reconfiguring and adjustment measures of its defensive capabilities to the new realities, the country’s Defense Minister, Mircea Dusa said on Friday in a message on the Romanian Army Day. According to Minister Dusa Romania witnesses, alongside its allies, a very complex security situation. The crisis in Ukraine and the developments at NATO’s southern border have prompted the Alliance to reconsider its priorities. At national level, Romania’s top priority is to strengthen the Army’s operational capability.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has called a mini-summit in Brussels for Sunday, October 25, to tackle the migrant crisis along the Western Balkans route. The leaders of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia will meet their counterparts from non-EU states Macedonia and Serbia. Tensions have built along the migrant trail after Hungary shut its borders, diverting the flow west to Slovenia, which in turn has also limited arrivals, along with Croatia. Over 12,000 migrants have crossed the border to Slovenia in the last 24 hours alone. In its turn, Greece, the first stage on the refugees’ Balkan route, has asked for additional financial support while Turkey argues that the migrant wave gets bigger because of the military operations around the Syrian city Aleppo.

Romania does not plan to issue any more foreign debt this year, given that the budget currently has a surplus, a Finance Ministry official told Reuters. The Bucharest Government raised 2 billion euros in 10- and 20-year Eurobonds this week, without the safety net of an agreement with the IMF, which is a first after 2009. Romania issued foreign debt four times last year, raising the equivalent of over 5 billion dollars in 10- and 30-year Eurobonds.

23 October 2015