Radio România Internațional

Tag: EBRD

May 13, 2020 UPDATE

MEASURES The European Commission on
Wednesday presented a package of directions and recommendations to help member
countries to gradually eliminate travel restrictions and to allow travel
companies to open their doors. According to the EU commissioner for transport
Adina Valean, the key priority is to reestablish mobility as soon as possible
but only with the observance of clear rules regarding health and safety. The
Commission’s Tourism and Transport package includes among other things a global
recovery strategy for 2020 and the coming period as well as a recommendation
aimed at turning travel vouchers into an attractive alternative to cash reimbursement for consumers. The
Commission intends to support tourism enterprises by providing liquidity particularly
to the SMEs in the industry, and preserve jobs with a financial aid of up to
100 billion euros through the SURE programme. Summer is a crucial season for
this business in Europe, when revenues go up to 150 billion euros on an average
and the number of tourists may reach over 360 million.

MOTION Romanian
MPs on Wednesday passed the simple motion tabled by the opposition PSD against
the Finance Minister Florin Cîţu. The
country’s resources must no longer be pawned, Romania must be saved from the ‘Florin
Cîţu virus,’ and the finance minister must go, reads the text of the motion.
The Social Democrats claim Cîţu proved unable to come up with efficient
measures to support the economy. On Monday, when the motion was debated, minister
Cîţu accused the Social Democrats of using the virus to promote their political
agenda. He said that during the 2 months of the government’s implementing
measures to restart the economy, the Social Democrats tried to amend them in
Parliament in a populist manner. Had their amendments been passed, Romania
would have been in economic chaos, Florin Citu added.

COVID-19 The COVID-19 death toll in
Romania has reached 1016, the Strategic Communication Group announced today.
According to the latest official data, the total number of cases is over 16,000,
of which almost 8,000 patients have recovered. The largest number of cases is
reported in Suceava (north-east) and in the capital Bucharest. Among the
Romanians living abroad, more than 2,850 have so far tested positive for the
virus, mostly in Italy, Spain and Germany, and 102 have died since the start of
the pandemic.

RULING The Constitutional Court of Romania Wednesday ruled that
the government emergency order regulating the state of alert is constitutional,
but it cannot restrict citizen rights. The Court was notified by the Ombudsman, who
claims that fundamental rights and freedoms can only be restricted by law, and
not by emergency or government orders. Delegating legislative powers that affects citizens’ rights comes
against the principle of the separation of powers, under which Parliament is
the country’s only legislative authority, the Ombudsman argued. The
Constitutional Court had previously ruled that the fines issued during the
state of emergency were unconstitutional.

ECONOMY Romania’s economy is expected
to shrink 4% this year, as against a 3.2% growth rate predicted in November
2019, reads a report made public on Wednesday by the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development. The EBRD lowered its estimates concerning the
Romanian economy in 2020, as a result of the corona crisis. For 2021, the
institution expects a 4% growth of Romania’s GDP. The EBRD is the main
institutional investor in Romania, with investments totaling over 8.6 billion
euros. The European Commission has also adjusted its estimates for the Romanian
economy this year and expects a substantial, 6% fall after years of robust growth,
while the government deficit is forecast to reach 9.2% of the GDP this year. In
turn, the IMF expects Romania’s economy to drop 5% in 2020, and to recover in
2021, when a 3.9% growth rate is predicted.

13 May 2020
December 4, 2019 UPDATE

NATO – Wednesday
marked the close of the NATO summit in London, where the leaders of the 29
Member States adopted a joint declaration reiterating the solidarity, unity and
cohesion of the Alliance. The document also shows that Russia’s repeated
aggressions represent a threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Attending the summit
President Klaus Iohannis said NATO must clearly identify its threats and
enemies as well as its position towards the rising powers. President Iohannis
said after the summit that NATO remains united and strong. NATO wants a fair
and equitable disbursement or resources for defense, whereas states that have
so far not allotted 2% of the GDP to defense spending have pledged to
accelerate procedures to this end, President Iohannis pointed out. According to
the President, the Alliance wants to kick off a reflection process on the
establishment of new strategies. On Tuesday evening, Klaus Iohannis attended
the reception hosted by Queen Elisabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

LAW – The Romanian
Chamber of Deputies, a decision making body, on Wednesday adopted the bill for
the repeal of the compensatory appeal law with 272 votes for and 5 abstentions.
The law was quite controversial because it allowed for the liberation of
thousands of detainees ahead of due date. Some of them, who had been convicted
for serious crimes, retuned to criminal behavior. Justice Minister Catalin
Predoiu explained recently that he supported the abrogation of the law, given
that its faulty content endangered Romania’s citizens. He pointed out that the
justice ministry representatives drafted a document including transitory
measures to be applied in penitentiaries in the future. The bad conditions
existing in penitentiaries generated lots of complaints at the European Court
of Human Rights. The authorities mainly want to improve the quality of
detention places.

EBRD – Prime
Minister Ludovic Orban wants a closer cooperation with the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, which would translate into investment and
technical assistance projects in such fields as transport, energy, healthcare
and constructions. Ludovic Orban on Wednesday met in Bucharest with a
delegation of the EBRD led by Charlotte Ruhe, managing director for Central and
Eastern Europe. The meeting was meant at presenting the Bank’s strategy for Romania
for the 2020-2025 period.

SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC
PARTY – The Social Democratic Party’s executive committee on Wednesday
decided the future party leadership would be elected at a special congress on
February 29. We recall Viorica Dancila resigned from the position of leader
after her failure in the recent presidential election won by Klaus Iohannis,
supported by the National Liberal Party. This was the second electoral defeat
of the Social Democrats after that in the EP elections of May 26.

OSCE – Foreign Minister
Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday will attend the 26th meeting of the Ministerial
Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). On
this occasion Minister Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s key objectives
referring to security and cooperation in Europe. Bogdan Aurescu will attend
debates on the prospects of Europe’s security and will reaffirm Bucharest’s commitment
to observe the values of multilateralism and to support efforts to consolidate
the role of the OSCE, the Foreign Ministry reports. On the sidelines of the event,
Minister Aurescu will have a series of bilateral meetings with counterparts
from participant states.

HANDBALL – The
Romanian national women’s handball team lost 26-27 to Montenegro in Group C at the
World Championship hosted by Japan. In the previous matches the Romanian
handballers lost to Spain and won against Senegal and Kazakhstan. To qualify to
the main groups, Romania needs to defeat Hungary in the last group fixture. In
the same group, Spain defeated Kazakhstan and advanced to the next phase.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

4 December 2019
September 14, 2019

EU The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici believes it is absolutely necessary for any major initiative of the new European Commission to take into account the interests of all member countries, and not only of the stronger, more influential members. According to a news release issued by the ministry, Eugen Teodorovici took part on Friday in a meeting of the Eurogroup in inclusive format and in an informal meeting of the EU ministers for economic and financial affairs (ECOFIN), organised by the Finnish presidency of the Council of the EU. The Eurogroup talks focused on the budget for convergence and competitiveness. The agenda of the ECOFIN meeting, which continues today, includes topics like hybrid threats and the resilience of financial market infrastructure, enhanced action on climate change and rebooting the capital markets union. In Helsinki, Minister Teodorovici also had a meeting with the vice-president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Pierre Heilbronn, with regard to the Banks projects in Romania and its future strategy, as well as to the national strategy to develop the Romanian capital market.

FESTIVAL In Bucharest, the Romanian Athenaeum is hosting today, on the 15th day of the George Enescu International Festival, a concert by the Liege Royal Philharmonic, conducted by Tiberiu Soare. The soloists include the Italian soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci, in Poulencs opera for soprano and orchestra “The Human Voice. Also today, the Oslo Philharmonic will give a second concert at the Palace Hall, under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. They will perform the symphonic poem Don Juan by Richard Strauss and George Enescus Sinfonia Concertate for cello and orchestra, opus 8. More than 20 choirs are also performing in several venues in Bucharest, as part of a related project entitled The city sings. The George Enescu International Festival takes place until September 22 and brings together over 2,500 of the worlds most valuable musicians from 50 countries, in 84 concerts and recitals. Bucharest and other cities in Romania and 5 other countries—Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the Rep. of Moldova—are hosting performances as part of the Festival. Radio Romania has been a co-producer ever since the first edition of the Festival, in 1958.

ELECTION The Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania has drawn up and posted for public debate a draft law endorsing the Guidelines for financing the campaigns for the 2019 presidential elections. Meanwhile, the Romanians who live abroad only have today and tomorrow left to announce how they intend to vote in this election. Extended under a government emergency order this week, the deadline is September 15. Also, beginning Thursday and until October 19, Romanian diplomatic missions may request to the Foreign Ministry the set-up of polling stations abroad. The first round of Romanias presidential election is scheduled on November 10, with the runoff due on November 24.

VISIT The Minister for the Romanian diaspora, Natalia Intotero, is in Italy until September 18, to discuss with representatives of the Romanian communities in that country about the options for voting in the forthcoming presidential election. Meetings are held in Turin, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Cagliari, Catania, Cosenza, Bari, Naples and Rome. Other topics approached also include human trafficking and the problems facing the Romanian nationals in various economic sectors in Italy, which is the host of the largest Romanian community abroad (around 1.2 million people).

MILITARY Nearly 300 troops from Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, the USA and Ukraine have taken part this week in a new training module as part of the multinational exercise Black Sea Rotational Force 19 (BSRF), held in the town of Babadag, in the south-east of Romania. The module included tactical shooting drills, first aid simulations as well as practice involving command and control procedures. BSRF is an annual exercise conducted by the US Marine Corps Forces Europe in the Balkan, Black Sea and Caucasus region. The exercise is aimed at enhancing the inter-operability of the armed forces, by means of joint training for peacekeeping and counter-insurgence operations.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Mihaela Buzărnescu was defeated by Japans Nao Hibino, 4-6, 6-0, 0-3, on Saturday in the semi-finals of the WTA tournament in Hiroshima (Japan). This has been the best performance this year for Buzărnescu (125 WTA), and the first time she won 3 consecutive matches.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

14 September 2019
February 17, 2019 UPDATE

COUNCIL – On Monday, in Brussels, the Romanian Economy Minister Niculae Badalau will chair the first meeting of the Competitiveness Council (COMPET) held under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The meeting will host an exchange of opinions regarding the process that would provide an overall image of the single market and a public debate on the impact of artificial intelligence on the EU industry. For the first time, the Council will adopt conclusions regarding the promotion of artificial intelligence development and use.

EBRD – The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has been elected Vice-President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), for a term that starts in May and ends in 2020. Teodorovici has obtained one of the two offices of vice-president, alongside the Lithuanian Finance Minister. The new president-elect of the board of governors will be the Spanish Finance Minister. Romania, through minister Teodorovici, is holding both the presidency of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council and of the board of governos of the European Investment Bank, under the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU.

BANK TAX – The chief economist of the National Bank of Romania, Valentin Lazea, says that the tax on bank assets, imposed under an ordinance passed recently by the Romanian leftist government, might bring the profitability of the banking sector in Romania below the European average. Lazea believes that, if this happens, some banks might decide to leave the country. As regards authorities intention to diminish or redefine ROBOR, the Romanian Interbank Offer Rate, the central bank chief economist believes that this will not prevent banks from resorting to measures that would allow them to keep a certain level of their already diminished profitability. According to Lazea, Romania has to choose between a powerful and profitable banking sector, a provider of capital for investments, or a weak one, which only fuels consumption, and not development.

FAC – On Monday, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The agenda of the EU foreign ministers meeting will include current issues such as Ukraine, Syria, the Horn of Africa and Venezuela, according to a release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Romanian foreign minister will attend a working brunch on Ukraine, organized by his Danish counterpart Anders Samuelsen, with the Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin as the main guest .

EMPLOYMENT – More than 10,000 notices of employment or posting were issued last year for foreigners coming to Romania to work, mostly from Vietnam, Turkey, Sri Lanka and China. According to the General Inspectorate for Immigration, more than 120,000 foreign citizens were registered in Romania at the end of last year, more than half of them from non-EU countries. For this year, the Romanian Government has approved a contingent of 20,000 workers newly admitted on the Romanian labour market. According to authorities, the decision was made taking into consideration Romanias economic development potential and the need to provide the necessary workforce for certain sectors of the economy and also to prevent illegal labour.

BERLINALE – The short reel Blue Boy, produced by the Argentinean Manuel Abramovich, with the Romanians Catalin Cristutiu as film editor and Bogdan Georgescu as creative producer, has received the Golden Bear for best short reel at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The feature film Monsters, directed by the Romanian Marius Olteanu has received the Tagesspiegel Readers Jury award. The film is Marius Olteanus debut film, and was selected for the Forum section, dubbed the most daring section of the festival. It tells the story of two young people, married for eight years. The film follows them 24 hours, exploring the way in which a string of events and encounters pushes them towards the end of their relationship. The Golden Bear went to the film Synonymes by the Israeli director Nadav Lapid. In 2018, the best film award was won by Touch me not, by the Romanian Adina Pintilie, which also got the award for best debut.

TENNIS – On Monday, the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will climb to the second position in the WTA rankings, despite the match she lost on Saturday to the Belgian Elise Mertens, in the final of the Doha tournament. Halep lost her no.1 position after the Australian Open, falling to no 3. Next she will take part in the WTA tournament in Dubai, with 2.828.000 dollars in prize money. Another Romanian player, Mihaela Buzarnescu, will also take part in the Dubai tournament in the United Arab Emirates. In another development, on Sunday, the mens pair made up of the Romanian Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean Julien Rojer lost the final in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the pair Jeremy Chardy (France)/Henri Kontinen (Finland).

17 February 2019
November 13, 2018 UPDATE

REPORTS – In its CVM report issued on Tuesday, the European Commission recommends that Romania should immediately suspend the application of the amended justice laws and the subsequent emergency ordinances passed by the Government. They should be revised in keeping with the provisions set by the Venice Commission, the Group of States Against Corruption and the European Commission. According to the Commission, the procedures for the dismissal of prosecutors should be suspended and the implementation of the changes brought to the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Proceedings frozen. The First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans has stated that Romania used to make progress in terms of reforms, but, unfortunately, that has stalled in the past months. As regards the justice field, steps have been taken backwards, by amending the justice laws, putting pressure on judges and also with regard to the fight against corruption, Timmermans has said. He has also spoken of the freedom of the press and its importance in watching the reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. Also on Tuesday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution that stresses the deep concern for the reform of the judicial and criminal legislation in Romania, which might structurally undermine the independence of the judiciary and its capacity to effectively combat corruption in this country, and therefore weaken the rule of law. The European Parliament urges Bucharest authorities to stop any measures that might decriminalize corruption and to implement the national anti-corruption strategy. Also, the MEPs urge the Romanian Government and Parliament to implement all recommendations made by the Venice Commission, the Group of States Against Corruption and the European Commission and to refrain from any reform that has the potential of harming the rule of law, including the independence of the judiciary. The European Parliament has also condemned the violent and disproportionate intervention of the gendarme forces during the anti-Government protest held in August.

REACTIONS – Romania is back to where it was 11 years ago, before its EU accession, and the Dragnea – Dancila Government has erased all the efforts made for integration, said president Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday, after the publication of the critical report on Romania drawn up by the European Commission in relation to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism and the European Parliaments critical resolution on the rule of law in Romania. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila believes that Romania should not be judged by such resolutions, which are more or less based on reality, and has stated that Bucharest will respond to the criticism. In turn Liviu Dragnea, the president of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition, has stated that beyond any resolution or report, there are other things that are important to Romania: education, health, infrastructure, agriculture, higher incomes and a predictable and favorable business environment. Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, the president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the junior partner in the coalition, has stated that the EC has unjustifiably stepped into the political area, and the CVM report is mainly technical. The president of the opposition National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, has stated that the European Commission and the European Parliament have clearly shown that the Romanian government and the ruling coalition have no interest in the European principles and values. The European Parliaments resolution and the CVM report are not against Romania, they are against the Romanian Government and the parliamentary majority, which for two years have done nothing but undermine the independence of the judiciary and try to take Romania out of the EU, the president of the opposition Save Romania Union, Dan Barna, has also stated. The signal send by Brussels is unprecedented and shows that the current power has crossed the red line, said the president of the Peoples Movement Eugen Tomac, also stressing that the warning could turn into something harsher if the Government does not take into account the recommendations made.

APPOINTMENT – On Tuesday, president Klaus Iohannis signed the decree appointing George Ciamba Minister Delegate for European Affairs. Ciamba replaced Victor Negrescu, who resigned last week. The president stated he would take a quick decision regarding Ciamba, given Romanias preparing to take over the rotating presidency of the EU Council on January 1st. Also on Tuesday, the standing bureau of the Social Democratic Party, the senior party in the ruling coalition, nominated Ecaterina Andronescu for the office of minister of education. The seat became vacant after the resignation of Valentin Popa in September.

DEFICIT – In the first nine months of the year, Romania registered a 6.6 billion Euro balance of payments deficit, up by 38.5% as compared to the same period last year. According to data centralized by the National Bank of Romania, foreign direct investment stood at 3.5 billion Euro on the first three quarters, 6% less than in 2017. Also, in the first three quarters of 2018, the overall foreign debt went up by 634 million Euros, reaching 98 million, of which 30.5% is short-term debt.

POVERTY- The lowest decrease in the number of people at risk of poverty as a result of unemployment benefits from the state or dwelling aid was registered last year in Greece (16%) and Romania (17%), data released by Eurostat on Tuesday show. In nine member states the decrease rate was below 25%, whereas the European average stood at some 32%. According to the latest report made public by Eurostat last month, over a third (35.7%) of Romanias population was at risk of poverty and social exclusion in 2017, a worse situation in the EU being registered only in Bulgaria, where 38.9% of the population runs this risk.

EBRD – Transparency in drafting government policies in the 38 countries where the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is activating has not improved since the start of the decade, with some exceptions, like Kazakhstan, Romania and Ukraine, the annual transition report issued by that financial institution shows. The document underlines the progress made by countries in six key domains, from competitiveness and resilience, to the way they are governed. According to the latest forecast issued this month by EBRD, Romanias economy will register a growth rate of 4.2% in 2018, to go down to 3.6% next year. EBRD is one of the major institutional investors in Romania. The bank has invested so far some 8 billion Euros in the country, in over 400 projects. In 2017 alone, EBRD invested some 550 million Euros in Romania. Over 500 million have been invested in the private sector, thus reaching the highest level of investment in the past seven years.

GAUDEAMUS – The 25 edition of the Gaudeamus International Fair, a landmark of the book market in Romania, an event organized by Radio Romania opens its doors on Wednesday. Gaudeamus 2018 will unfold under the auspices of a triple anniversary: the Great Union Centennial, 9 decades since the first broadcast aired by Radio Romania, one of the oldest radio stations in Europe and the 25th edition of the Gaudeamus Fair.

13 November 2018
IMF mission to Romania ends

An IMF team was on a one-week visit to Bucharest,
where they discussed with the Romanian authorities about the country’s
macro-economic prospects and budget policies for next year.

The visit was also designed as a preparation for a
consulting mission due early next year. Economic activity in Romania
remains strong with unemployment at a record low, is one of the IMF experts’
conclusions. However, according to a news release issued by the international
financial institution, despite several years of strong growth, the budget
deficit has gone up rather than down, as it should during good times, and the
2018 target remains at risk without further measures.

The
2019 budget and the medium-term financial framework should target smaller
deficits, in line with the commitments to the European Union, and should keep
the public debt to GDP ratio on a downward trend. In this respect, current
initiatives to improve the efficiency of public spending, such as expenditure
reviews and centralized procurement, are welcome, says the IMF, adding that the
modernization of revenue administration is also essential.

IMF
experts also argue that increases in public-sector salaries and planned changes
to pension benefits should be reassessed for their negative implications for
fiscal sustainability and long-term growth.

Also,
in view of enhancing the economic growth potential, structural reforms and good
governance are needed. In this regard, strengthening the institutions in charge
with public investment is a priority, to help address Romania’s large
infrastructure gap, including by means of facilitating better absorption of EU
funds, reads the IMF news release.

The
Fund forecasts a 4% growth rate for 2018, a 3.5% year-end inflation rate,
relatively stable current account deficit in the medium run and a budget
deficit of over 3% of the GDP, both this year and in 2019, if current policies
are maintained.

In
turn, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates a 4.2%
economic growth rate in Romania this year, with a slow-down to 3.6% in 2019.
The IMF and EBRD forecasts are significantly higher than the ones made by the
European Commission, which expects Romania’s economic growth rate to go down to
3.6% this year and 3.8% next year, as the rise in private consumption will slow
down and the negative balance of trade will deepen.

13 November 2018
Nachrichten 01.11.2018

Bukarest: Der rumänische Staatspräsident Klaus Iohannis hat am Donnerstag, den 1. November, per Dekret den Kultur-Verdienst-Orden im Kommandeur-Grad Kategorie F“ Förderung der Kultur“ an die Rumänische Rundfunkgesellschaft verliehen. Mit diesem Orden wird die Rumänische Rundfunkgesellschaft für ihren bedeutenden Beitrag zur Förderung und Unterstützung der Kulturwerte Rumäniens belohnt. Am 1. November 2018 feiert die Rumänische Rundfunkgesellschaft 90 Jahre seit ihrer ersten Sendung am 1. November 1928. Zu diesem Anlass geben das Nationale Rundfunkorchester, der Akademische Chor und der Kinderchor des Rumänischen Rundfunks ein Sonderkonzert im Großen Saal des Rumänischen Rundfunks unter der Leitung des Dirigenten Cristian Mandeal.

Bukarest: Rumäniens Staatspräsident Klaus Iohannis hat am Donnerstag den Bundespräsidenten der Schweiz Alain Berset empfangen. Ein wichtiges Gesprächstema war dabei die bilaterale Kooperation in den Bereichen Kultur, Bildung, Forschung und Innovation. Klaus Iohannis sprach über die Anspornung der Investitionen und die Erweiterung der Handelsaustausche, die 850 Millionen Euro überschritten haben. Ein weiteres wichtiges Thema war die rumänische Gemeinde in der Schweiz, die etwa 30.000 Menschen zählt. Die zwei Würdenträger diskutierten auch über die Aufhebung der Einschränkungen für rumänische Bürger auf dem Arbeitsmarkt in der Schweiz, ab Mai 2019. Zum Thema europäische Angelegenheiten präsentierte Klaus Iohannis die Prioritäten der rumänischen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft ab 1. Januar 2019. Seinerseits sagte Alain Berset, die Schweiz unterstütze die Kandidatur Rumäniens bei der Organisation für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung. Der Bundespräsident der Schweiz ist ebenfalls am Donnerstag mit der rumänischen Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă zusammengekommen. Angegangen wurden die bilateralen Beziehungen und Aspekte der regionalen und vielseitigen Zusammenarbeit, sowie die Prioritäten Rumäniens während der EU-Ratspräsidentschaft.

London: Die Europäische Bank für Wiederaufbau und Entwicklung hat ihre Erwartungen an das Wirtschaftswachstum Rumäniens für 2018 und 2019 nach unten korrigiert. Laut der EBRD werde die Wirtschaft Rumäniens in diesem Jahr ein Wachstum von 4,2% und 2019 von 3,6% erzielen. EBRD ist weniger optimistisch als der IWF hinsichtlich der Perspektiven der rumänischen Wirtschaft. Anfang Oktober hatte der IWF seine Einschätzungen um 1,1 Prozentpunkte nach unten auf 4% korrigiert. Für 2019 schätzt der IWF ein Wirtschaftswachstum von 3,4%, um 0,1 Prozentpunkte weniger als er im April geschätzt hatte.

Bukarest: Die rumänische Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă nimmt am Freitag im bulgarischen Warna an einem Vierergipfel mit Bulgarien, Griechenland und Serbien teil. An einem Arbeitsessen am Rande des Gipfels soll sich auch der israelische Regierungschef Benjamin Netanyahu beteiligen. Das Vierländergipfel inn Warna ist ein guter Anlass, über die regionale Vernetzung, vor allem in den Bereichen Energie, Verkehr und Telekommunikation zu diskutieren, so Premierministerin Dancila.

Bukarest: Eine Mission des IWF wird nächste Woche nach Bukarest kommen, um mit Vertretern der Behörden und anderen Personen aus der Privatwirtschaft und der Zivilgesellschaft Gespräche zu führen. Es geht um den makrowirtschaftlichen Rahmen, die Vorbereitung des Haushalts für 2019 und den Fortschritt bei der Umsetzung der Strukturreformen. Der IWF-Vertreter für Rumänien und Bulgarien Alejandro Hajdenberg erklärte, dass die Instutution 2018 mit einem Wirtschaftswachstum von 4% in Rumänien rechne. Hajdenberg fügte hinzu, dass die Inflation auf 3,5% zurückgehen und das Haushaltsdefizit 3,6% des BIP erreichen sollten.

Bukarest: 15 Jahre nach der Schließung des letzten rumänischen Traktorenwerks wird zum ersten Mal wieder ein rein rumänischer Landwirtschaftstraktor vorgestellt – er besteht zu 80% aus rumänischen Komponenten und wurde hier entworfen. Der Traktor wird auf der Agrarmesse Indagra in Bukarest präsentiert. An der Agrarmesse Indagra, die bis einschließlich Sonntag dauert, beteiligen sich mehr als 550 Firmen aus 25 Ländern, davon über 380 aus Rumänien.

1 November 2018
September 20, 2018 UPDATE

EU COUNCIL MEETING – President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday attended the informal meeting of the European Council held in the Austrian city of Salzburg. The President argued in favour of closer post-Brexit cooperation with London authorities in terms of foreign security and policy. Bucharest also wants the European Union to maintain a unitary and coherent voice in the negotiations with the UK in order to arrive at a Brexit agreement that is fair to all sides. Romania’s priority is protecting the rights and interests of its citizens who live in the UK and a close as possible a relationship between the EU and the UK after Brexit, the Romanian president also said. In terms of internal security, President Iohannis said Romania wants to strengthen European borders, both by means of regulations and by increasing FRONTEX personnel.

MEETING — The leaders of the main ruling party in Romania, the Social-Democratic Party, will convene on Friday after an open letter signed by leading members of the party call on Liviu Dragnea to step down, both as party leader and as Chamber of Deputies Speaker. Cosigners claim Liviu Dragnea’s run-ins with the law have weakened the party’s position, particularly ahead of the European Parliament election of 2019 and the legislative election of 2020. They also want Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to be interim party president pending the organization of the next congress.

REPATRIATION — Romanian Minister of Defence Mihai Fifor and US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm on Thursday attended a special ceremony in Campulung Muscel, southern Romania, hosted to welcome back the 30th Carpathian Eagles battalion. The mission of the Romanian military was to secure an important area around the military air base in Kandahar, in Afghanistan. They also provided training to the Afghan army. The battalion is mostly made up of military from the Dragoslavele 30th Mountain Troops Battalion who have also taken part in missions in theatres of operation in Kosovo, in 2005 and Afghanistan, in 2008. In April, the Mountain Troops from Campulung was the target of a car bomb attack. Eight military were initially believed to be injured, but in the end only one needed more thorough medical investigations at a hospital in Germany.

EBRD — The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Suma Chakrabarti, has called on Bucharest authorities to step up reforms aimed at facilitating the development of infrastructure. Chakrabarti claims the EBRD is interested in funding investment projects in road and rail infrastructure and help privatize state enterprises. The statement follows after the EBRD president earlier this week attended the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest. So far the EBRD has invested over 8 billion euros in Romania.

RULING — The Constitutional Court of Romania has postponed for October 16 the debate on the notifications filed by president Klaus Iohannis and opposition parties regarding the administrative code. The president claims the draft law was passed by the Chamber of Deputies in an unconstitutional extraordinary session. Several articles are vague and the code eliminates an integrity criterion for appointing members of Government. In turn, the notification filed by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union claims special pensions for local officials stipulated under the administrative code are in breach of the principle according to which all citizens are equal before the law.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu on Thursday advanced to the quarterfinals of the Seoul tournament totaling 250 thousand dollars in prize money. Begu brushed aside Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in straight sets. This is Begu’s first win against the Polish player. On Friday, Begu will take on Maria Sakkari of Greece.

(Translated by C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)

20 September 2018
February 24, 2018 UPDATE

EU BUDGET – EU funding, particularly the cohesion and the agriculture funds, might be lowered by up to 15% in the next EU multi-annual budget, beginning 2020 when the UK will no longer be a member. The announcement was made by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, at the end of an informal meeting of EU leaders. He added that 15 out of 27 member states were willing to raise their national contributions to the common budget. President Klaus Iohannis said at the meeting that Romania was open to the idea of contributing more than 1.1% of the GDP instead of 1%, so that the current levels of the cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy funding be maintained, which countries like Romania need in order to bridge the gaps in social and economic development compared to Western Europe. EU leaders have agreed that the Union must spend more on defence and security, for the Erasmus education programme and for curbing illegal migration. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has announced that EU leaders are willing to step up negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework, but that an agreement is unlikely to be reached this year.

GRECO – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, this week had a meeting in Bucharest with a delegation of the Group of States against Corruption – GRECO, which traveled to Romania for an emergency assessment of the new justice laws in respect of the fight against corruption. The talks focused on the amendments to the justice laws and the practical consequences that they may have on the judiciary. The GRECO team also had meetings with representatives of other governmental agencies, the legislative power and the judiciary, as well as of relevant NGOs. GRECO said, at the end of the talks in Bucharest, that those in charge of investigating, prosecuting and trying corruption offences should benefit from adequate independence and autonomy, including in terms of disciplinary mechanisms. The delegation recommended that Bucharest requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the planned judicial reform.

EDUCATION – Over 70 foreign education institutions are attending this weekend the 28th World Education Fair in Bucharest. Last year over 6,000 young Romanians chose to further their education abroad. Most of them went to Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain.

THE FLU – In Romania, 53 people have died from the flu this season, according to the latest report issued by the National Infectious Disease Monitoring Centre. The number of cases exceeds 800, with most of the flu patients reported in the capital city Bucharest, followed by the counties Constanta (south-east), Olt (south), Braşov (centre) and Iaşi (noth-east). The Healthcare Minister, Sorina Pintea, says we cannot speak about flu epidemic in Romania at the moment.

LOAN – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is giving out a loan of 60 million euro for the construction of a new gas pipeline crossing Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria (the BRUA pipeline), to support the regional European energy markets, the international financial institution announced in a news release. The funds will be given to Transgaz, the company building the Romanian segment of the gas pipeline. Totalling 1,318 km in length, the new European gas corridor will ensure better interconnection of the countries on its route, and will support the energy market enabling new connections with major infrastructure projects. The deputy PM Viorel Ştefan says the signing of the loan agreement between the EBRD and Transgaz on Friday in London is a confidence signal sent to investors with respect to business opportunities in Romania.

MILITARY – The Kandahar military base in southern Afghanistan Saturday hosted a ceremony to transfer authority from the Romanian Battalion 280 Infantry, Fearless Hearts, to Battalion 30 Mountain Troops, the Carpathian Eagles. For one month, the members of the two task forces conducted joint missions to enable the Mountain Troops to take over each segment of the theatre of operations. Among other things, the Romanian military are conducting land patrol missions on an area of 1,200 sq km, assisted by drones operated by the American partners and working together with the Afghan forces. Kandahar is Afghanistans second-largest town after the capital city Kabul. The area managed by the Romanian troops is densely populated, and threats are significant, the Radio Romania envoy reports. Analysts expect this summers parliamentary election to strengthen the Taliban presence in the region. A suicide attack by the Islamic State group in Kabul has killed 3 and wounded 5 people on Saturday.

EUROVISION – Romanias representative in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest held in Portugal will be chosen by the public on Sunday, by televoting. Fifteen songs will be competing in the final in Bucharest. The motto of this years edition was ‘Eurovision unites Romania!’. The Eurovision is an international music competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union, the largest association of public television broadcasters in Europe, and has been aired for 60 consecutive years. Romanias best performances so far have been the 2 third places (in Kiev, 2005, with Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem and in Oslo, 2010 with Paula Seling and Ovi) and a 4th place won by Mihai Trăistariu in 2006, in Athens.

COLD WAVE – Weather experts warn that Romania will be facing a cold wave for several days. Temperatures are expected to go down to lows of 20 degrees below 0, and stay at levels 10-15 degrees Celsius below multi-annual average figures. Strong winds will be adding to the low temperatures, while snowfalls will be reported mostly in the south, centre and south-west of the country. The cold front will be in place until around March 1st.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

24 February 2018
November 8, 2017

AMENDMENTS – The Romanian Government is today expected to adopt a series of amendments to the Fiscal Code, providing, among other things, for the full transfer of social contributions from employers to employees, a cut from 16 to 10% in the tax on income, pensions, farming-related revenues, interest rates and rent. The Governments economic session has been so far postponed twice. The ruling coalition pointed out the new measures are bound to produce positive effects, amidst fears voiced by employers, trade unions and part of civil society. The biggest trade union confederations have announced protests would continue at national level. On Sunday some 20,000 people protested the Governments measures, while yesterday saw a big protest at Dacias manufacturing plant in Mioveni, southern Romania. The new fiscal measures have been harshly criticized by the president and the right-wing opposition.

NATO – Romanias Defense Minister Mihai Fifor is starting today taking part in a two-day meeting of NATO Defense Ministers. According to Mihai Fifor, the meeting represents a new opportunity for Romania to foster its security interests in the Black Sea region and consolidate the Alliances contribution to securing its eastern flank. The main topics on the agenda for talks are the reform of NATOs command structure, the mobility of NATO troops deployed in Europe, the developments in Afghanistan, as well as North Koreas missile and nuclear programmes. Mihai Fifor will also attend the Anti-DAESH Global Coalition meeting, held on the sidelines of the NATO meeting. He will meet with US Defense Secretary James Mattis and counterparts from Great Britain, France, Portugal, Turkey and Italy, as well as with General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

EBRD – Romanias economy could report a 5.3% economic growth, which is estimated to go down to 4.2% in 2018, reads the latest forecast issued by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Previous estimates pointed to a 4% growth for 2017 and 3.5% for 2018. The National Forecast Committee last week also revised its economic growth forecast to 6.1% in 2017 as compared to the previous estimate of 5.6%. In October the IMF upgraded its economic growth forecast for Romania from 4.2% to 5.5%.

THE KING – King Mihai I of Romania is in grave condition at his house in Switzerland, which is why no event will be held to mark his name day on the feast day of Saint Archangels Michael and Gabriel. On Tuesday Mihai was administered the Holy Eucharist, after on Monday the Royal House announced his condition had taken a turn for the worse. Aged 96, the King is suffering from two forms of cancer. Ascended to the throne in 1940, Mihai I was forced to step down and go into exile in 1947 by the new communist authorities. Mihai I returned to Romania only after the anti-communist revolution of 1989, when he regained Romanian citizenship and part of the estates seized by communist authorities.

ENERGY – Romania has stepped up its negotiations with China with a view to building reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and a new black coal unit at the Rovinari thermal power plant, Energy Minister Toma Petcu said on the sidelines of a ministerial conference held in Bucharest, attended by a Chinese delegation. In turn, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu expressed Romanias interest to taking part in projects fostered as part of the new “Silk Road project in China. Melescanu highlighted Romanias strengths in this respect, its geographic position and its transport facilities, the port of Constanta, the Danube and the Danube-Black Sea canal.

THE POPE – Pope Francis today accepted an invitation to become honorary member of the Romanian Academy, extended by an official delegation of the Academy at the Vatican today. The Pope accepted the distinction, underlying his “friendly relations with Romania. The award will be sent to the Holy See by the Apostolic Nunciature in Bucharest. Pope Francis is the second pope to be named honorary member of the Romanian Academy after John Paul II, who became a member in 2001.

EUROSTAT – 25.8% of Romanias population was employed in agriculture in 2015, placing the country on the top position at EU level, against a community average of 4.4%, reads the latest report made public by Eurostat. In 2015 some 10 million EU citizens worked in agriculture, of which 7.5 in Romania, Poland, Italy, France, Spain, Bulgaria and Germany. According to Eurostat, the rate of completing higher education studies varies between 1.6% in Romania and 25% in the UK amongst agriculture workers. Finally, Romania has the lowest rate at EU level, 1.5%, in terms of full-time agriculture workers, as compared to the EU average of 16.4%.

MOLDOVA – EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom spoke about the unused potential of Moldovas free trade agreement with the EU, despite offering many benefits to the Republic of Moldova. The EU official is on a visit to Chisinau to mark three years since the agreement was ratified. Cecilia Malmstrom said Moldovan authorities must carry out additional reforms to step up trade relations with the Union. The EU official went on to say that Moldovas implementation of the memorandum signed with the IMF is a prerequisite to the EUs € 100 million financial package to this country. According to statistics, Moldovas exports to the EU exceeded $ 1 billion in the first nine months of the year, up by 16% as compared to the same period last year.

TOUR – As of today US president Donald Trump is on a three-day visit to China, an important stop part of his tour of Asia. According to international news agencies, the White House leader will meet his counterpart Xi Jinping against the backdrop of US efforts to reconstruct a single frontline against North Koreas nuclear programme. Trump will call on China to break all trade relations with North Korea and get in line with UN sanctions against Pyongyang. During his tour of Asia, President Trump has visited Japan and South Korea, and will next travel to Vietnam and the Philippines.

FOOTBALL – On Thursday Romanias national football team is playing Turkey at home in Cluj Napoca, central Romania, and will next play the Netherlands on November 14. Both games are friendly. Coach Cosmin Contra has called up 30 players, of whom 17 play for clubs abroad. The two games are bound to prepare preparations for the 2020 European Cup preliminaries. Romania failed to qualify to the 2018 World Cup to be hosted by Russia, after a subpar campaign with German Christoph Daum at its helm. We recall Romanian Mircea Lucescu is currently Turkeys headcoach. (Translated by V. Palcu)

8 November 2017
Nachrichten 11.05.2017

Dieses Jahr feiern wir 10 Jahre seit dem EU-Beitritt Rumäniens, und die Europäische Union hate mit dem Beitrit Rumäniens mehr Macht auf internationaler Ebene und Präsenz am Schwarzen Meer gewonnen. Dies erklärte EU-Kommissionschef Jean-Claude Juncker am Donnerstag in Bukarest in seiner Rede im Plenum des rumänischen Parlaments. Jean-Claude Juncker sagte, Rumänien sollte so schnell wie möglich dem Schengener Raum beitreten, weil das Land es verdiene. Über eine Europäische Union mit verschiedenen Geschwindigkeiten sagte Juncker, dies sei in den Verträgen enthalten und hob hervor, dass in der EU es nie Länder zweiter Klasse gegeben hätte. Juncker versprach, dafür zu kämpfen, dass die rumänischen Behörden den irreversiblen Charakter der erzielten Reformen garantieren. Am Donnerstag kam der EU-Kommissionschef Jean-Claude Juncker auch mit dem rumänischen Staatschef Klaus Iohannis zusammen. Bei dem Treffen sagte Iohannis, dass ohne die Unterstützung der europäischen Familie Rumänien langsamer fortgeschritten wäre. Die EU-Ratspräsidentschaft im Jahre 2019 biete Rumänien die Chance, seine Vision über die Zukunft der Europäischen Union und seine Rolle in dieser Einrichtung zu verstärken. Der rumänische Staatspräsident erinnerte an die zwei Ziele unseres Landes — nämlich an den Beitritt zum Euroraum und an den Beitritt zum Schengener Raum.

Das Plenum des Rumänischen Parlaments hat am Donnerstag den Vorschlag der Regierungskoalition der Sozialdemokratischen Partei (PSD) und der Allianz der Liberalen und Demokraten (ALDE) über die Gründung eines Untersuchungsauschüsses in Bezug auf die Organisierung und den Verlauf der Präsidentschaftswahl vom Jahr 2009, die von Traian Basescu gewonnen wurde, genehmigt. Die Untersuchung wurde vorgeschlagen, nachdem der Journalist Dan Andronic, ehemaliger Berater bedeutender Würdenträger, darunter auch des ehemaligen Staatschefs Traian Băsescu, einige Informationen bekanntgegeben hatte. Der Journalist meinte, das Wahlverfahren von Dezember 2009 sei von hohen Staatsbediensteten, darunter auch von Leitern bedeutender Institutionen, beeinflusst worden. Den Staatsbediensteten wird Amtsmissbrauch und Fälschung von Dokumenten vorgeworfen. Die Opposition stimmte gegen die Gründung des parlamentarischen Untersuchungsausschüsses, weil dessen Aktivität sich mit den Ermittlungen der Staatsanwaltschaft überlappen würde.

Die Europäische Kommission hat ihre Schätzung über das Wirtschaftswachstum in Rumänien von 4,4% auf 4,3% des BIP korrigiert. Laut den am Donnerstag veröffentlichten Prognosen für 2018, bleibt die Kommission bei ihren Schätzungen, denen zufolge die rumänische Wirtschaft sich bei 3,7% verlangsamen werde. Das öffentliche Defizit könnte im Jahre 2017 bei 3,5% vom BIP liegen und 2018 bei 3,8% des BIP. Die Exekutive in Brüssel warnte, das Gesetz zur Entgeltgleichheit sei ein Risiko für die festgelegten finanziellen Ziele Rumäniens. Die Europäische Bank für Wiederaufbau und Entwicklung schätzte das Wachstum der rumänischen Wirtschaft in 2017 auf 4%. Noch im November rechnete die Bank mit nur 3,7%. Der Konsum werde auch 2017 und 2018 die Wirtschaft ankurbeln, wozu auch höhere Mindestlöhne und Gehälter im öffentlichen Dienst beitragen werden, so die Prognose der EBRD. Auch der IWF hatte seine Schätzung über das Wirtschaftswachstum in Rumänien von 3,8% auf 4,2% verbessert.

Die Europäische Union gab am Donnerstag grünes Licht für die Aufhebung der Visa für ukrainische Staatsangehörige bei kurzfristigen Aufenthalten von maximal 90 Tagen. Die von der Ukraine lang erwartete Ma‎ßnahme soll bald in Kraft treten, nach der Validierung durch den Europäischen Rat und durch das Europäische Parlament. Die Ukrainer, die biometrische Reisepässe besitzen, werden in EU-Staaten einreisen können, aber nur für Geschäftsreisen, Tourismus, oder um Freunde und Verwandte zu besuchen. Sie bekommen keine Arbeitserlaubnis in der EU. Das Bukarester Au‎ßenministerium begrü‎ßte die Entscheidung der Europäischen Union und bekräftigte die Unterstützung Rumäniens für die Bestrebungen der Ukraine zum EU-Beitritt. Die Aufhebung der Visa für ukrainische Staatsbürger ist ein bedeutender Schritt zur Erleichterung der zwischenmenschlichen Kontakte und zur Konsolidierung der wirtschaftlichen und kulturellen Beziehungen zwischen der Ukraine und der Europäischen Union, betonte das rumänische Au‎ßenministerium in einem Communique.

11 May 2017
January 31, 2016 UPDATE

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will hold talks on Monday in Bucharest with the head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Suma Chakrabarti. The foreign official’s agenda also includes meetings with PM Dacian Ciolos, Central Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu and Finance Minister Anca Paliu Dragu. According to Suma Chakrabarti, Romania has great potential and the EBRD is ready to expand its activity in the country, following the demand for financing. The EBRD is one of the biggest institutional investors in Romania.

The Senate and Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest are resuming activity as of Monday, when the spring session of Parliament starts. Political parties have already set their priorities in terms of laws that they want to see passed. Analysts say the upcoming period will be defined by preparations for the local elections in June. The locals are the weak point of the current election law, which stipulates that mayors will be elected in just one round of voting. The Social Democartic Party and the National Union for the Progress of Romania are supporting the election of mayors in just one round of voting, while the National Liberal Party, the People’s Party as well as President Klaus Iohannis and the civil society favor two rounds of voting and have called on the Government to pass an emergency ordinace in this respect. On Monday, PM Dacian Ciolos will hold talks with parliamentary parties on this issue.

As many as 28 parliament members from 14 states have called on the Council of Europe to urgently examine the functioning manner of the Norwegian child protection services. Initiated by Romania’s representatives in the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, the measure stipulates that separating a child from his or her family should be considered only after some intermediary measures have been taken, such as social investigation, psychological counselling and mediation. The move comes after all five children of a Romanian-Norwegian family, settled in Norway, were taken by the local social services over minor physical punishments from their parents. The case continues to generate emotional responses, with thousands of people having participated in street protests in several Romanian cities on Saturday, in solidarity with the Romanian families in Norway that have been separated from their children by authorities in this country.

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has today proclaimed the canonization of John Jacob of Neamt, a monk of Romanian origin. Born in 1913 in northeastern Romania, he became a monk at the Neamt Monastery in the country and soon after he moved to the Holy Land where he lived near Jordan River and, towards the end of his life, in the wilderness of Hozeva. All his life he took care of the ill and the wounded. He later withdrew to a cave, where he died at the age of 47. The Romanian Orthodox Church declared him Saint in 1992.

The Authority for Emergency Situations in the county of Suceava, northeastern Romania, has approved a series of measures against swine flu that killed over 120 people in the neighbouring Ukraine. Five people have died in the Cernauti region alone, at the border with Romania. The Romanian Foreign Ministry recommends Romanian citizens to avoid travelling to Ukraine in the upcoming period.

Romania is attending for the 8th consecutive year the famous Venice Carnival that officially opened today. Tourists and locals will have the chance to see a special ethnographic exhibition, a selection of the most beautiful and representative heritage objects from the collection of the Village Museum in Bucharest. The exhibition is aimed at promoting Romanian culture.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

30 January 2016
January 30, 2016 UPDATE

LETTER – Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Saturday sent a letter to his Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip detailing the reforms Chisinau must carry out in the shortest time possible in order to receive the first instalment worth 60 million euros as part of a reimbursable 150-million-euro loan Romania will give to Moldova. According to a Government release, there are 7 measures that need to be adopted, including the implementation of the EU-Moldova Association Agenda, the adoption of laws to improve the business sector, setting a roadmap for signing an agreement with the IMF, reviewing vulnerabilities in the banking sector and adopting a legal timetable for correcting them, appointing a National Bank Governor by means of a transparent and reliable process and adopting an anti-corruption law package. On Tuesday, the Moldovan Prime Minister paid his first official visit to Romania.

ELECTIONS – The National Union for the Progress of Romania will have its own separate candidates in the local elections, hoping to obtain 10% of the votes, party president Gabriel Oprea said on Saturday. At the legislative elections however his party will submit joint candidates with the Social-Democratic Party. While Oprea didnt rule out an alliance with the Social-Democrats for the locals, he said it was the organizations that had a say in the matter. On the other hand, Gabriel Oprea said he opposed the switch to the two-ballot vote for the local elections, as the Liberals have proposed. The Social-Democratic Party has firmly opposed the move. Besides the Liberals, only the Peoples Movement Party has argued in favour of the new system. Local elections are scheduled to take place in early June. Legislative elections will be held later this year in Romania.

MIGRANTS – At least 33 migrants died on Saturday in a new shipwreck in the Aegean Sea, after their boat capsized, a Turkish coast guard official has announced. Originating from Syria, Afghanistan and Burma, the migrants left from Cankkale in Turkey trying to reach Lesbos Island. On Thursday, 24 migrants, including 10 children, drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of the Samos Island. The head of FRONTEX Fabrice Leggeri told Der Spiegel that approximately 1 million migrants are expected to arrive in Europe this year via Turkey. The FRONTEX official said the Government in Turkey doesnt have the means to keep the migration flows at bay, despite an agreement in this sense agreed with the EU. In 2015, over 1 million immigrants arrived in Europe.

PHOTOGRAPHY – Famous British photographer Richard John Seymour, the recipient of several photography awards, has recently visited the Turda salt mine in central Romania, as part of a project to take photos of the most spectacular anthropical landscapes. In an article published on thespaces.com carried by the CNN, the salt mine is described as an unusual attraction, visited every year by thousands of tourists. People go down in the mine to treat various respiratory diseases, others to play mini-golf, bowling or to take a boat ride on the underground lake. In 2014, Business Insider ranked the Turda salt mine among the top 25th most attractive tourist destinations in the world.

VOTE – Minister Delegate for Romanians Abroad Dan Stoenescu on Saturday, invited Romanians abroad to register with the election register and recommended they used postal voting as an alternative to the traditional voting system. In a live-video dial dialogue on his official Facebook page, Minister Stoenescu highlighted that unless they submitted the necessary documents for the authorities to take them in evidence or if they changed their home address before the deadline for signing up for the election register expires, they will only be able to vote in voting polls at embassies, consular offices and cultural institutes of Romania. Voters can register starting April 1, while the deadline for registering expires two days before the election campaign starts.

EBRD – The head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Suma Chakrabarti is paying an official visit to Romania on Monday and Tuesday. He will meet with President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, Finance Minister Anca Paliu Dragu and National Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu. The EBRD official will also discuss with representatives of the business sector the investment climate, the pace of reforms and the economic context in general. According to the EBRD, in 2016 Romanias economic growth will be the most robust at European level. EBRD is one of the biggest institutional investors in Romania, with 7 billion euros invested so far and another 14 billion from other funding sources. Last year the EBRD adopted a new strategy for Romania, prioritising investment for the next years by expanding access to financing, cutting back on regional imbalances by improving infrastructure and stepping up competitiveness in the private sector.

TENNIS – German tennis player Angelique Kerber won her first Grand Slam tournament today after defeating Serena Williams of the US in the womens finals. For her win Kerber will step up to 2nd place in WTA standings, replacing Romanian Simona Halep. Serena Williams will remain world leader. On the other hand, the pair made up of Romanian Horia Tecau and Coco Vandeweghe of the US on Sunday will play fifth-seeds Elena Vesnina of Russia and Bruno Soares of Brazil in the mixed doubles final of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Tecau and Vandeweghe knocked out Treat Huey of the Philippines and Andreja Klepac of Slovenia, 6-4, 6-4 in the semis. In 2012 Horia Tecau won the mixed doubles at Australian Open together with Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

30 January 2016
The Economy After the Government Change

The Central Bank Governor says Romanias macroeconomic situation is stable, but the effects of the current political circumstances, after the Cabinet resigned, will depend on how quickly a new government is formed and on the measures it will take.

The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu, believes that after the resignation of the Government, a new cabinet needs to be formed as soon as possible, in order not to pave the way for uncertainty at a time when the countrys economy was going well.

Mugur Isarescu: “The effects will depend on how soon a new government is formed and on the decisions that this new government will be taking. What I can tell you is that at present the economic situation that we are monitoring and for which we are responsible is stable, the countrys economic condition is generally a good one and that we have made sure that we are in a position to handle a situation which is, lets say, difficult.

On Thursday the National Bank decided to keep the key interest rate at the current 1.75% per year and minimum compulsory reserves for national and foreign liabilities at their current levels. Governor Isarescu explained that the decisions were prompted by current uncertainties, both in the country, including the absence of a budget law for next year, and internationally, including the developments in the main emerging economies and in China.

Mugur Isarescu: “Domestically, the nomination of a new government deepens the uncertainties related to the mix of macroeconomic policies, especially considering that the public budget is not yet configured. The international context, in turn, remains marked by uncertainties, fuelled particularly by the economic developments in China and other major emerging states, with an impact on the economic growth in the Eurozone and at a global level.

On the other hand, Isarescu said the annual inflation rate remained negative, and was even lower than expected, primarily as a result of a surprisingly notable drop in fuel prices. He added that inflation will remain below zero in the next three quarters as well, and then will resume an upward trend, but not exceeding 1.5%, until early 2017. Moreover, the governor added, loan contracting has strengthened particularly in the national currency segment.

For the first time in 8 years, loans in the Romanian currency have outpaced those in foreign currencies. The positive trends in the Romanian economy were confirmed by the autumn forecast of the European Commission. The EC improved its forecasts on Romanias economic growth to 3.5% for this year and 4.1% for 2016.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development also upgraded its economic growth forecasts for Romania, to 3.5% and 3.7% for this year and the next. In its latest report, released on Thursday, the EBRD says Romania will have the most substantial economic growth rate in southeast Europe this year.

6 November 2015
May 15, 2015

Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, who is currently on an official visit at the Vatican has today been received by Pope Francis. The talks focused on bilateral, European and international issues. The Romanian president underlined Romania’s interest in boosting cooperation with the Holy See. Also today, Iohannis met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, cardinal Pietro Parolin, whom he awarded the Grand Collar of Romania’s Star National Order. The program also included a visit at the Saint Peter Basilica, where he kept a moment of silence at the tomb of Pope John Paul II. Iohanis will also meet with young Romanians studying at pontifical institutions in Rome. Yesterday, Klaus Iohannis visited Romania’s pavilion at the 2015 Universal Exhibition in Milan, where he met with representatives of the Romanian community in northern Italy.

The High Court in Bucharest has today sentenced development minister, Liviu Dragnea, to a one year suspended jail sentence in the “Referendum” case, but the ruling is not final. After the ruling was issued, Dragnea tendered his resignation from the government and stepped down from all political positions he held in his party. Dragnea was brought to justice by prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, being accused that in his capacity as Secretary General of the ruling Social Democratic Party he used his influence, in other conditions than the legal ones, to influence the referendum of July the 29th 2012, to impeach the then president Traian Băsescu. In the same file, 74 other people, mostly members or former members of the Social Democratic Party, who got involved in the campaign for the referendum, have been either acquitted or received suspended jail sentences. Although 87% of the voters stood for the impeachment of president Basescu, the referendum of 2012 was not validated because of a lack of quorum.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has improved Romania’s economic growth forecast for 2015 up to 3%, from 2.8%, as was forecast in January, a report issued by the aforementioned financial institution shows. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates that in 2016 the Romanian economy will grow by 3.2%, one of the highest growth rates in the emerging Europe, whereas for the other 35 states included in the report, the EBRD estimates a growth of only 1.4% in 2016. Since the start of its activity, EBRD has invested some 7 billion Euros in 368 projects in Romania.

Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is attending in Bratislava, the meeting of the Vishegrad Group-Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, a meeting that several representatives of the Eastern Partnership and some EU members- Romania, Sweden, Latvia have been invited to attend. Participating are also the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, and the European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn. The focal point on the agenda of the meeting, which has reached its final day, was the situation in the eastern vicinity, in the current geo-political and security context, in the run up to the forth-coming Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga, on May the 21st and 22nd. Minister Bogdan Aurescu presents Romania’s stand on the approached issues, underlining the need to strengthen the Eastern Partnership and to make it a useful instrument to promote stability in the EU’s close vicinity.

The NATO foreign ministers decided at the meeting in Antalya to extend the presence of the alliance in Afghanistan post 2016, when the current mission of training Afghan military and policemen, involving over 12,000 military, comes to an end. The next mission will be civil-led, smaller than the current one and will include the participation of both civilians and military. They will provide counselling and training services for the Afghan security structures. 625 Romanian military are currently deployed in Afghanistan, most of them protecting the base in Kandahar and counselling the Afghan security forces. 23 Romanian military have been killed in the line of duty and over 150 others were injured in Afghanistan so far.

Romanian Simona Halep (2 WTA), on Friday defeated her compatriot Alexandra Dulgheru (72WTA), in the quarterfinals of the Rome tournament with 2.4 million dollars in prize money up for grabs. Also on Friday in the men’s double, the Romanian-Dutch pair made up of Horia Tecau/Jean-Julien Rojer meets Pablo Cuevas/David Marrero (Argentina/Spain).

15 May 2015