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  • Environmental sustainability projects awarded in Bucharest

    Environmental sustainability projects awarded in Bucharest


    “It is the 12th hour. If not now, never. If not us, nobody.” This is the imperative motto of the first edition of the Green Gala Report held early this year. The tone is set by the sense of urgency and the environmental problems of which we are all aware. The online publication Green Report has been notifying these problems for the past 15 years, ever since its establishment. But its online pages speak not only of these problems, but also put forth solutions, most of them identified by environmental watchdogs and some of them even by businesses.



    In fact, the Green Report awards granted at the recent gala draw attention precisely to the way in which environmental problems start being tackled through sustainable economic projects in Romania. The awarded projects belong to NGOs, to business organisations and local authorities. Raluca Fișer, the president of Green Revolution Association, which initiated the Green Report, told us more about the criteria for selecting these projects:



    Raluca Fișer: “We awarded 12 prizes, because we had 12 categories, but in the circular economy category we had 2 winners, a project put forth by a company and another one by an NGO with excellent projects in the field of circular economy. As many as 94 projects were selected in the 12 categories, and we had 54 companies and associations taking part. We were quite happy with the quality and diversity of the participating projects, which is a great thing for an event at its first edition. And we believe it is a great sign that people are becoming aware that sustainable economy is an integral part of any business plan and of any strategic approach of a market.”



    The Green Report Gala also showcased the development of environmental thinking in Romania during these past 15 years.



    Raluca Fișer: “Environment protection is no longer a topic for green activism alone, it has grown into a global emergency which informs the European and global agenda. We set out to show that circular economy and sustainable development are part and parcel of the business environment. An environment-friendly attitude is not only about everybody eating lettuce and walking around in forests, it also involves technology and efficiency in using our limited resources. We strongly believe that sustainable development must be integrated in any business, because it provides countless competitive advantages. And first of all, a company manager must be aware of their responsibility towards the community in which they work. Community involvement, one way or another, and the care for the environment are today so important that, if overlooked, they may push an enterprise into bankruptcy.”



    The star of the Green Report Gala was an organisation called “Workshops without borders,” which won 2 awards, in the categories “Excellence in Circular Economy” with its “educlick” platform, and “Excellence in Agri-Food” for its “bio&co” social farm, and a nomination in a 3rd category. The programme director of the “Workshops without borders” association, Lorita Constantinescu, told us more about the winning projects:



    Lorita Constantinescu: “We won the circular economy category with a project called EduClick. It is a platform to collect e-waste and repair computers, which we donate to schools in underprivileged areas which have no access to funding for their IT labs. Since the pandemic broke out, we have been sending computers to schools, which gave them to children who did not own a computer so that they could study online. In fact, the social component is the most important element for our association. Our social mission is to help re-include vulnerable people in the labour market. “Workshops without borders” was set up in 2008 and EduClick was the first workshop that we started. We basically created the conditions for vulnerable people to return to an active, employed life. We hire them for our workshops and for 2 years they take part in a job shadowing programme during which they learn the skills for a specific job. And when they complete the programme we help them find a job.”



    This is not the only project through which “Workshops without Borders” proved that environmental protection goes hand in hand with social involvement. In the category “Excellence in Environmental Innovation,” the organisation received a nomination for its Remesh project, in which plastic banners are turned into accessories such as bags and purses. Just like with EduClick, workers from underprivileged backgrounds are employed in this social enterprise with environmental ramifications.



    Lorita Constantinescu: “This is the 3rd workshop of our association: a social farm, where we grow vegetables and sell them in a farm-to-fork system. A few years ago, we set out to help vulnerable people to get employment in rural areas as well. While our first 2 projects, EduClick and Remesh, were located in Bucharest, we tried to do something for people in rural communities as well, so we went to the village of Ciocănari, some 30 km from Bucharest. We leased a plot of land and hired people from the vulnerable community in the village. It took around 3 years for us to get the organic farming certificate, and today we grow 80 vegetable varieties. We sell them to consumers in a direct subscription system.”



    The farm in Ciocănari currently has just over 90 subscribers, but the organisation hopes the model will be replicated by as many enterprises as possible. (A.M.P.)


  • February 10, 2022 UPDATE

    February 10, 2022 UPDATE

    MILITARY President Klaus Iohannis and NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
    will visit the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57, the Romanian Presidency
    announced. The 2 officials will also discuss with the troops deployed to the
    military base and subsequently will have a joint press conference. Military
    equipment for the US Task Force (TF) Cougar has already reached Romania. TF
    Cougar will primarily consist of a
    Stryker squadron relocated from Germany to Romania to protect the region in the
    context of the Russia-Ukraine standoff. President Iohannis said
    after a visit to the Headquarters Multinational Brigade South-East on Thursday
    that the US and France deciding to strengthen their military presence in Romania
    is a ‘firm sign of the coherence and consistency of Euro-Atlantic solidarity’ and
    invited other Allied countries as well to consider contributing troops to the
    multinational structures in Romania.


    DRILLS Russia and Belarus Thursday began 10 days of military exercises near
    the border with Ukraine and Poland. According to the Russian defence ministry, the drills are aimed at the tasks of repelling
    external aggression while conducting a defensive operation, countering
    terrorism and protecting common interests.
    NATO is concerned that the Russian military build-up in Belarus is part of a
    plan to attack Ukraine. Moscow denies plans to invade Ukraine, and says it will
    pull out its troops from Belarus as soon as the drills are over. According to Radio
    Romania’s correspondent in Moscow, Russia relocated troops and equipment from
    as far as Siberia and the Far East, 10,000 km away, for the exercise in
    Belarus.


    GOVERNMENT The governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova will hold their
    first joint meeting in Chişinău on Friday, with the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă scheduled
    to also have talks with president Maia Sandu and the Moldovan parliament
    speaker Igor Grosu. A joint action and solidarity plan for the energy sector
    will be put together within 6 months of signing a joint memorandum on energy
    security, which is scheduled for Friday, the Romanian government spokesman Dan
    Cărbunaru said. He added that a bill was passed on the mutual recognition of
    diplomas. Over 12,000 students and 2,000 pupils from Moldova are currently
    attending Romanian schools. The 2 governments are also to sign an agreement on
    Friday concerning the building, maintenance, repair and use of a cross-border
    bridge in Ungheni. Another agreement between the 2 states will concern roaming
    and international call tariffs.


    ECONOMY Romania’s economy went up by 6.3% in 2021, thanks to a
    sound domestic demand, but the pace will slow down to 4.2% this year, to reach
    4.5% in 2023, according to the winter economic forecast released by the
    European Commission on Thursday. Last autumn the EC estimated Romania’s GDP
    would grow by 7% in 2021, with rates of 5.1% and 5.2% forecast for 2022 and
    2023 respectively. The most recent data concerning confidence in the economy
    indicate positive, although moderated economic growth prospects, especially in services,
    retail, constructions and industry. Private consumption is also expected to
    recover in the second half of the year, when restrictions will be eased out and
    inflation will slow down. Meanwhile, the EC substantially adjusted its 2022
    inflation forecast for Romania, from 4% estimated in November to 5.3% this
    winter, after a 4.1% inflation rate in 2021.


    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu Thursday managed a
    spectacular win against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-0, which
    secured her a place in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Sankt
    Petersburg, Russia. Another Romanian, Jaqueline Cristian, lost to Aleksandra
    Sasnovich of Belarus, 6-2, 6-3, and left the competition. (A.M.P.)

  • February 9, 2022

    February 9, 2022

    COVID-19 In
    Romania 27,346 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported on Wednesday, fewer than
    on the previous day, and 176 related deaths, 5 of them from a previous date.
    According to experts, who have identified the Omicron variant of the coronavirus
    in all sequenced samples, Romania may have achieved herd immunity and the fifth pandemic wave is quite likely to end in spring. The vaccination rate
    remains very low, and the number of fully vaccinated citizens is little over 8
    million.


    CONFERENCE The Romanian health minister Alexandru Rafila takes part today and
    tomorrow in a joint conference of EU foreign and health ministers on global
    health and in an informal meeting of EU health ministers, due in Lyon and Grenoble (France). The 2 events are organised by the French
    presidency of the EU Council. The participants will discuss the EU measures to
    support developing countries in accessing medicines in the context of the COVID-19
    pandemic, and to strengthen national healthcare systems. The informal meeting
    of health ministers will focus on the intervention and resilience of public
    health systems in case of crises, and on the joint development of policies to
    create a ‘Union of health.’


    MOTION The Chamber of Deputies in
    Bucharest Wednesday dismissed the simple motion tabled by the opposition party USR
    against the Liberal minister for energy Virgil Popescu, with 98 votes in favour
    and 190 against. According to the authors, Popescu is a threat to Romania’s
    energy security and must be dismissed immediately. The motion was scheduled for
    debates on Monday, but the meeting was suspended after the co-president of the
    nationalist party AUR, George Simion, assaulted the energy minister during his
    address. The meeting was subsequently resumed, but with only the opposition MPs from AUR and USR in attendance. Virgil
    Popescu and the MPs from the ruling coalition left the hall in protest. Prosecutors
    have opened a criminal case with respect to the incident.


    ECONOMY Romania’s trade balance deficit in 2021 amounted to EUR 23.69
    billion, over EUR 5.3 billion higher than in 2020, according to data released
    on Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute. Last year exports totalled
    EUR 74.7 billion and imports over EUR 98 billion.
    Official data also reveal that in 2021, vehicle and transport equipment
    accounted for 44.9% of Romania’s exports and 35.2% of imports, with other
    manufactured products also accounting for large shares of the country’s foreign
    trade.


    UKRAINE International diplomatic efforts continue with a view to deescalate
    the Russia-Ukraine standoff. The president of France Emmanuel Macron called for
    a dynamic dialogue with Russia, which he sees as the only way to make peace in
    Ukraine possible. Macron discussed with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin in
    Moscow and with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, and
    voiced confidence that progress will be made in the peace talks, but
    warned that risks still exist and that months of negotiations will be needed. In
    turn, president Volodymyr Zelensky said he was looking forward to resuming
    Normandy Format negotiations with Russia, brokered by France and Germany. He
    also insisted that president Putin complied with the Minsk agreements, whose
    main clause concerns the sovereignty of Ukraine. The Russian-Ukrainian tensions
    were also discussed on Tuesday in Berlin by the German chancellor Olaf Scholz with
    the presidents of France Emmanuel Macron and of Poland, Andrzej Duda. Germany,
    France and Poland are united in their goal of preserving peace in Europe,
    said the German chancellor, who is to travel to Moscow next week.


    TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana
    Cirstea today takes on seed no. 2 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the round of 16
    of the WTA 500 tournament in Sankt Petersburg (Russia). Two other Romanians, Irina
    Begu and Jaqueline Cristian will play tomorrow in the same round, against Petra
    Kvitova of the Czech Republic and Aleksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, respectively. (A.M.P.)

  • January 12, 2022

    January 12, 2022

    Covid-19. Romania reported today
    8,600 new Covid cases and 44 deaths. The incidence rate is on the rise around
    the country, including the capital Bucharest, where it passed 3 cases per 1,000
    inhabitants, the city now being in the red tier. This means that restaurants,
    cinemas, gyms and other venues can open at 30% capacity. Also, schools where
    the vaccine uptake among staff is under 60% will switch to online teaching. The
    National Public Health Institute confirmed the sustained community transmission
    of the Omicron variant, saying almost half of the cases did not have contact
    with someone infected. In the meantime, preparations are being made for opening
    outpatient Covid evaluation centres around the country.






    Treatment. Governments from around
    the world are rushing to purchase Paxlovid, the drug made by Pfizer to treat
    coronavirus infection, after several countries, including France, cancelled
    their contracts for Molnupiravir, made by Merck, over low efficacy in clinical
    trials. The UK in December approved the treatment with Pfizer’s antiviral
    medicine, while South Korea approved the emergency use of this drug. The
    European Medicines Agency is evaluating both drugs but said both can be used to
    treat adult patients without official recommendation. In another move, the
    World Health Organisation said the current Covid vaccines may need to be
    adjusted to make sure they are effective against Omicron and other variants.

    Foreign policy. Romania
    will continue to develop as an active, trusted, involved and respected member
    of the EU and NATO. Romania’s approach is focused on continuity, based on the
    three essential pillars of its foreign policy: consolidating the country’s role
    and influence in the EU and NATO and developing and deepening the strategic
    partnership with the US, said president Klaus Iohannis at a meeting with
    foreign diplomats in Bucharest. Iohannis also said Romania is worried about the
    security situation in Ukraine and its implications for Euro-Atlantic security
    and added that Romania will continue to support the efforts of the Republic of
    Moldova to join the European Union.




    Statistics. The National Institute of
    Statistics maintained at 0.4% its forecast with regard to the growth of the
    Romanian economy in the third quarter of last year compared with the previous
    quarter, but changes were made to the share of investments and consumption to
    GDP growth. Also, in the third quarter, the net added value saw important
    changes in the sectors of information and communications, constructions,
    financial mediation and insurances and real estate transactions.




    NATO-Russia. NATO and Russia are today holding talks in Brussels on the
    security guarantees requested by Moscow. The latter wants firm guarantees that
    NATO would not expand eastwards and that it would limit its activities in the
    east-European states that joined the Alliance after the end of the cold war.
    Russia massed troops near the border with Ukraine and asked NATO not to accept
    this former Soviet republic as a member. Washington said it cannot agree to
    these demands. US ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said neither NATO, nor any
    NATO member state is considering Russia’s request to halt NATO’s expansion.
    Russia and the United States had a first round of talks on this subject on
    Monday in Geneva, but no concrete agreement was reached.




    Schengen. Paris will make every efforts to contribute to the expansion
    of the Schengen area, said the French ambassador to Bucharest Laurence Auer at
    an event to launch France’s presidency of the European Union Council. The
    French diplomat explained for Radio Romania that from the point of view of the
    French presidency, the expansion and consolidation of the Schengen area must be
    discussed simultaneously and that Romania passed all technical tests and is
    ready to join the passport free area. The representative of the European
    Commission Representation in Romania Ramona Chiriac, who also attended the
    event, said the Commission supports Schengen’s expansion to include Romania,
    which meets all conditions, but is yet to be a member.




    Film. Man and Dog, the first feature
    film directed by Ştefan Constantinescu will have its opening at the 45th
    Gothenburg Film Festival, which will be held between the 28th
    January and 6th February. A co-production between Romania, Bulgaria,
    Sweden and Germany, Man and Dog is a love story in exile in the guise of a film
    noir that blends absurd humour with darker feelings of alienation and impending
    doom. The Gothenburg festival brings together hundreds of films and thousands of
    professionals from around the world. This year, organisers are planning to hold
    it the event in-person, after an exclusively online edition last year.




    Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian today lost in
    straight sets, 1-6, 5-7, to world no. 4 and French Open champion Barbora
    Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in the round of last 16 of the Sydney tournament.
    Another Romanian player, Gabriela Ruse lost today in the same round to world
    no. 7 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia. The Sydney tournament is a WTA 500 event and
    is worth over 700,000 dollars in prize money. The next big event in world
    tennis is the Australian Open, which is held between the 17th and
    the 30th of January. (CM)



  • November 16, 2021 UPDATE

    November 16, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 The coronavirus epidemic stays on a downward trend in Romania. On Tuesday the
    authorities reported 4,128 new Covid infections out of over 55,000 tests, which
    accounts for a 7.41% positive rate. Another 397 related fatalities were also
    reported, including 54 that had not been recorded in the system earlier. Some
    14,000 Covid patients are currently receiving hospital treatment, including
    almost 1,700 in intensive care. The incidence rate is on the decrease in
    Bucharest, dropping to 5.34 cases per 1,000 inhabitants on Tuesday. In related
    news, non-invasive testing is due to begin in schools for children and
    teachers. At the moment, almost three quarters of Romanian schools and kindergartens
    are holding in-person classes, the rule being that only schools with a
    vaccination rate among their staff of at least 60% can reopen for in-person
    teaching, the rest holding classes on line. As for vaccination, the pace has
    dropped steadily in recent days, compared to a peak of over 110,000 doses
    administered on 27 September. Nearly 7 million Romanians are fully vaccinated
    at present.




    SCHOOLS Legal and financial education have become
    compulsory skills in primary and middle schools in Romania. President Klaus
    Iohannis Tuesday signed a law amending the Education Act, to include these
    areas in the national curriculum. The document also includes financial and
    legal education in the teaching programmes of local lifelong learning community
    centres. In a first stage, these subjects can be introduced as optional school
    subjects only, because national curricula must be approved by the Education
    Ministry.




    ECONOMY Romania,
    Hungary and Lithuania have the biggest annual growth rate in the European Union
    in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year,
    according to preliminary data published by the European statistical office
    Eurostat. GDP grew in the EU by 3.9%, with Romania at 8%, Hungary at 6.1% and
    Lithuania at 6%. However, according to the latest figures published by the
    National Institute for Statistics, Romania’s economic growth rate slowed down
    to 0.3% in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter. In the first
    nine months of the year, GDP grew by 7.1% compared with the same period last
    year. Economic experts say the growth rate will slow down even more this autumn
    and winter, while the inflation rate may go up to 8% in the context of the
    current political crisis.




    EU Romania’s
    foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu attended a ministerial meeting of the Eastern
    Partnership held in Brussels, where EU foreign ministers agreed to expand the
    criteria for imposing new sanctions against Belarus. The new sanctions would
    target those involved in weaponising the plight of migrants. The European Union
    is accusing Belarus of intentionally creating a migrant crisis on the border
    with Poland and the Baltic countries in retaliation to the Union’s earlier
    sanctions against the regime in Belarus for its crackdown on the opposition.
    Minister Aurescu presented Romania’s stand on the strategic priorities of the
    Eastern Partnership post-2020 and called for a consolidation of the security
    dimension in the Eastern Neighbourhood, as well as for greater involvement from
    the EU in solving the frozen or protracted conflicts in this region.




    MILITARY The EU is considering a joint military force of up to 5,000 troops by
    2025, to intervene in a number of crises without needing to rely on the US,
    according to a draft strategic plan, Reuters says. The EU
    Rapid Deployment Capacity should include land, sea and air capabilities. Two decades after the EU leaders first agreed to
    set up a force of 50,000-60,000 troops, which never became operational, the
    strategy drafted by the EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell is the most concrete
    effort to create an independent military force that does not rely on US assets.
    Not all the 27 EU member states would have to contribute troops, but a
    consensus would be required for any deployment. Since 2007, the EU has had
    battlegroups of 1,500 troops available, but they have never been deployed, in
    spite of efforts to use them in Chad and Libya.





    Radio and TV Parliament
    approved the new leadership of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation,
    which Radio Romania International also forms part of. With the support of the
    Social Democratic Party, the new director general at Radio Romania isRăzvan-Ioan
    Dincă, a former National Opera director who has a court of first instance
    conviction for abuse of office and false statement but who was later acquitted.
    The leadership of the Romanian television was also appointed, with the
    journalist Dan Cristian Turturică becoming the new director general, with the
    support of the National Liberal Party. The members of the new boards are
    appointed for a 4-year term and have to take an oath in Parliament. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Autumn economic data

    Autumn economic data

    The inflation rate continued to grow in
    Romania in September as well, when it passed 6%, 1% higher than in the previous
    month. Official data indicate that this growth occurred amid rising prices for food
    and non-food products and services. The highest price hikes were recorded last
    month for potatoes, which are almost 19% more expensive, other vegetables and canned
    vegetables, citrus fruit and other exotic fruit and the category called other
    services. However, the biggest price hikes since the beginning of the year
    were in electricity costs, which rose by 23%, and natural gas, by 20%, costs
    that exploded across the European market.




    National Bank experts recently said they
    were expecting the rising costs of electricity and natural gas to continue to
    push the annual inflation to significantly higher figures than those forecast
    earlier. In an attempt to keep the inflation rate in check, the National Bank
    of Romania increased the reference interest rate to 1.5% per year, after almost
    one year of stagnation. The central bank now expects the inflation rate to
    reach 5.6% by the end of the year. More bad news comes from the National
    Institute for Statistics, which says that in the first eight months of the
    year, Romania’s trade deficit rose by over 3 billion euros compared with the
    same period in 2020.




    Also, the International Monetary Fund
    warned that the post-pandemic economic recovery remains hesitant, with developing
    economies suffering the most. According to the Fund, growth was affected by low
    vaccination rates and the rising cost of food and goods. Bigger than expected delays
    in the supply of distribution networks are leading to rising inflation rates
    and the lower growth rates forecast for this year globally. The International Monetary
    Fund has improved, however, its estimates with respect to the performance of
    the Romanian economy, expecting it to grow by 7% this year, from 6% in its
    previous spring forecast.




    According to its latest World Economic Outlook
    published on Tuesday, the Fund also expects Ireland (13%), Estonia (8.5%) and
    Hungary (7.6%) to see higher economic growth rates than Romania this year. With
    respect to 2022, however, the Fund has maintained its forecast concerning the
    growth of Romanian economy at 4.8%. Beyond 2022, the growth rate of the
    Romanian economy is expected to slow down, to only 3.5% in 2026. The World Bank
    also recently improved its outlook with respect to Romanian economy, forecasting
    a GDP growth of 7.3% this year and 4.8% next year. (CM)

  • October 6, 2021

    October 6, 2021

    Covid-19. Romania today recorded
    almost 15,000 new Covid infections and 331 related fatalities, while more than
    1,500 Covid patients are in intensive care. The incidence rate hit a new record
    high in the capital Bucharest, nearing 11 per 1,000 inhabitants from 6.33 last
    week. In incidence rate is over 10 in 10 cities around the country. The
    healthcare system is under unprecedented pressure, with hospitals struggling to
    find beds for new admissions.




    Economy. The World
    Bank improved its estimate on the evolution of the Romanian economy this year
    to 7.3%, 1.3% higher than previously estimated in June, according to its latest
    forecast for Europe and Central Asia. For next year, the World Bank is
    expecting a 4.8% growth rate, 4.3% more than previous estimates. In 2023, the
    World Bank is expecting Romania to grow by 3.9%. As for Europe and Central
    Asia, it says a surprisingly strong recovery in the first half of the year
    boosted economic activity on emerging markets and developing countries, with
    regional economy expected to grow more than estimated to reach 5.5% this year.








    Finance. The decision of the National Bank of
    Romania to increase the key interest rate to 1.5% per year, up from 1.25%, came
    into force today. The central bank is thus trying to keep in check the recent
    steep growth of the inflation rate, which has exceeded estimates. According to
    the National Bank, the situation is the result of price hikes, especially
    electricity and natural gas, and, while it cannot influence these developments,
    it can intervene in areas that it can control. The Bank forecasts that the
    price of energy products will continue to grow, with the inflation rate hitting
    significantly higher values than expected. Official data show that the annual
    inflation rate passed 5.2% in August.




    Politics. Romania’s minority government formed
    by the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in
    Romania and led by the Liberal Florin Cîţu fell yesterday after a vote of
    no-confidence. 281 out of Parliament’s 318 MPs voted against the government.
    The motion was initiated by the Social Democrats in opposition and also got the
    votes of the Save Romania Union, until recently in the coalition government,
    and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians. In his first public reaction after
    the vote, president Klaus Iohannis said Romania was facing a health as well as
    a political crisis and invited political parties for consultations next week
    to nominate a new prime minister.






    Summit. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is
    attending the informal autumn summit of the European Council and the EU-Western
    Balkans summit hosted by Slovenia. EU leaders together with the six partners in
    the Western Balkans are discussing the reaffirmation of the European prospects
    of this region. Officials are discussing developing cooperation and social and economic
    recovery in the context of the pandemic and the implementation of an economic
    and investment plan that will generate more sustainable,
    environmentally-friendlier and more digital growth. They are also looking at
    ways to boost regional cooperation and collaboration on political and security
    matters.




    Anniversary. Last night in Paris, Romania celebrated
    65 years of UNESCO membership in the presence of its foreign minister Bogdan
    Aurescu and UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay. The latter congratulated
    Romania for its long-standing membership and spoke about future projects. The
    Romanian foreign minister said Romania benefitted enormously from cooperation
    with UNESCO, in education, culture and science. The anniversary was marked by
    an exhibition of documents and photographs from the archive of the Romanian
    foreign ministry and a concert given by Violoncellissimo ensemble led by Marin
    Cazacu. (CM)



  • July 14, 2021 UPDATE

    July 14, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid-19 update. Romania on Wednesday reported 79 new
    Covid infections from over 13,000 tests and 3 new related fatalities. Most
    cases were recorded in Cluj and Ilfov counties and in the capital Bucharest. 51
    Covid patients are in intensive care. Also,
    Romania has recorded to date 87 cases of infection with the Delta strain and three related
    deaths. More than half of these cases are linked to outbreaks, while the source
    of infection is unknown in 31 cases. Most Delta variant cases were recorded in
    Bucharest and three other counties in the south of Romania.




    Donation. Romania will donate
    100,000 Covid vaccine doses to Vietnam, the Romanian authorities announced on
    Wednesday. Earlier, Romania donated half a million doses to the
    majority-Romanian speaking Republic of Moldova, as well as smaller batches to
    Ukraine and Serbia. At the beginning of the month, the Irish government said it
    agreed on principle to purchase one million doses of vaccine doses from Romania, days after Bucharest had
    sold some one million doses to Denmark. Romania’s vaccine supply exceed demand,
    owing to a high degree of reluctance to vaccination among the population.




    Education. The Romanian government on Wednesday approved
    a memorandum committing to the Educated Romania project launched by president
    Klaus Iohannis. An inter-ministerial working group will be created chaired by
    prime minister Florin Cîţu and co-chaired by education minister Sorin Câmpeanu
    to work on the project’s implementation. President Iohannis said the project aims to reduce early school leaving
    and functional illiteracy rates, ensure basic digital skills for both pupils
    and teachers, develop vocational education and boost the number of higher
    education graduates. The project already has significant financial support
    under the 3.6 billion euro National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the president
    also said.




    Economy. The
    post-pandemic recovery plans of 12 EU countries were green-lighted by the EU economy
    and finance ministers. This is the final stage of the process, allowing these
    countries to conclude advantageous loan agreements with EU institutions in
    order to implement their recovery plans. These countries are Austria, Belgium,
    Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia
    and Spain. According to Romanian MEP Dragoş Pâslaru, a member of the Save
    Romania Union and PLUS Alliance, in the ruling coalition, the European
    Commission is in direct dialogue with Bucharest, working on the final details of
    Romania’s recovery and resilience plan. He said the plan is
    expected to be approved in September. From opposition, the Social-Democrat MEP
    Victor Negrescu says the government should explain why Romania requested the
    Commission to extend the plan’s assessment deadline.




    Bastille Day. Romania and France faced the pandemic together and
    continued to consolidate and intensify their bilateral relations, said French
    ambassador to Bucharest     Laurence Auer at a reception
    to celebrate France’s National Day. She recalled that the bilateral strategic
    partnership was extended last year and that the European recovery plan, the
    green transition package and the debate on the future of Europe are important
    areas of cooperation between Romania and France. Romanian president Klaus
    Iohannis also spoke about Romanian-French solidarity during the pandemic and emphasised
    that Bucharest and Paris have a common vision on the European project and a
    host of EU policies. In Paris, France’s National Day parade returned after a
    one-year interruption because of the pandemic.




    Football. Gibraltar’s football champions Lincoln Red Imps
    will be facing the Romanian champions CFR Cluj in the second Champions League
    qualifying round. Lincoln qualified after defeating the Luxembourg side Fola
    Esch 5-nil at home, after 2-all away. CFR’s qualification was hard-won, having
    lost the first leg against the Bosnian side Borac Banja Luka 1-2 and then
    winning on Tuesday 3-1 at home, leading to 3-all on aggregate, which meant the
    match had to go into extra-time. Starting with the current season of the
    European cups, the advantage of home-scored goals no longer applies, so in the
    event of a tie, the match goes into extra-time and penalty shoot-outs, if
    necessary. (CM)

  • July 13, 2021 UPDATE

    July 13, 2021 UPDATE

    Europe. A Union of the future
    is, in Romania’s view, a project indissolubly linked to the idea of European
    unity and solidarity in everyone’s interest, a project in which we should be
    concerned about the well-being of all member states and European citizens, said
    president Klaus Iohannis at the official launch of a national debate on
    Europe’s future. He added that the undeniable value of these principles was
    reconfirmed by the recent crisis. If European citizens today have access to
    vaccines, if European economies are about to be relaunched – then these things
    are possible especially thanks to our shared capacity and of the entire Union to
    mobilise itself and respond efficiently to an unprecedented crisis in the
    history of the European project, the Romanian president also said. The launch
    of the debate was also attended by the European Commissioner for Transport
    Adina Vălean. The Conference on the Future of Europe was launched in
    Strasbourg on 9th May and debates on this subject will be held
    throughout the year and in the first half of next year, with a view to providing
    new guidelines on the future of the European Union.




    Fire. One of
    the two patients with severe burns flown to Germany after a fire at Petromidia
    refinery in south-eastern Romania has died, although his condition had been
    stable during hospitalisation, transport and treatment, Kaz Munai Gas, the
    company owing the refinery, said in a statement. The other patient is now
    stable and is responding to treatment, the statement also reads. Earlier this
    month, after an explosion followed by a fire at Petromidia refinery, a person
    died and five were wounded, two of whom were flown to Germany. Prosecutors have
    started a criminal investigation into the accident.




    Covid-19. A quarter of Romanians are vaccinated
    against Covid-19, and the authorities are looking for ways to give a new
    impetus to the mass vaccination campaign. Experts say all available vaccines
    provide significant protection, including against the more transmissible Delta
    variant which has already led to an increase in new infections in several
    countries.






    Moldova. The result of the early parliamentary elections in the Republic
    of Moldova should be a starting point from which the new government should
    accelerate genuine and ambitious reforms, said David McAllister, the head of
    the European Parliament delegation who observed the elections. He also said
    that the population of the Republic of Moldova gave a clear, strong and
    impressive mandate to the Action and Solidarity Party to start implementing the
    ambitious agenda of president Maia Sandu. The European Union is looking forward
    to working with this new strong and stable government and with the new
    parliament to solve the challenges facing the country,     McAllister also
    said. Romania, too, welcomed the result of the elections in Moldova as a
    victory of democracy and promised to support Moldova on its path to European
    integration. The Action and Solidarity Party won almost 53% of the votes in
    Sunday’s elections and has a comfortable majority in Parliament.




    Tennis. Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan,
    ranked 98th in the world, reached the second round of the WTA 250
    tournament in Budapest, worth some 235,000 dollars in prize money, as she
    defeated American player Varvara Lepchenko in two sets. Bogdan is seeded fifth
    and will next face Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova. Also on Tuesday, Romania’s Jaqueline
    Cristian, who is no. 153 in the world, lost to Serbia’s Ivana Jorovic. On
    Monday in the first round, another Romanian player, Irina Bara, world no. 119,
    defeated Italy’s Sarra Erani in three sets, while 4th seed Irina
    Begu, world no. 71, lost to Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. (CM)



  • Optimistic economic forecast

    Optimistic economic forecast

    Romania will have the highest economic growth rate in the EU this year, according to the summer forecast of the European Commission, which predicted the Romanian economy will grow by 7.4% this year and by 4.9% next year.



    The new forecast for 2021 is 2.3% higher than the spring estimates, because, according to the European institution, the Romanian economy performed strongly in the first quarter. The confidence of consumers and business people has also remained high so far. Private consumption is expected to stay sound, backed by the lifting of COVID restrictions, particularly in the fields hit severely by the pandemic, and by the increase in salaries in the first months of the year, the Commission said.



    Moreover, investments will remain strong in 2021-2022, supported by both the private and public sectors. Exports are set to improve in line with the ongoing recovery in Romanias main trading partners but the contribution of net exports to growth is expected to remain negative over the forecast horizon, the Commission believes. Growth is projected to continue into 2022, although at a slower pace.



    PM Florin Cîţu says these forecasts are the consequence of the private sector responding well to the measures implemented so far, and having confidence that all the reforms announced by the government will be implemented.



    Meanwhile, professor Mircea Coşea, Ph.D., explains what these figures actually mean for Romania, in his opinion:


    Mircea Coşea: “This 7% growth is actually not growth but recovery. In macroeconomic terms, there is a major difference between recovery and economic growth. What we are actually doing is recovering, that is, getting back to where we were. This is not necessarily to mean we will live better. Moreover, if we look at whats behind these figures, we will see things are rather disquieting. A recovery at this record-rate for the EU is not healthy. Compared to other countries around us, this extremely high figure means that in fact Romania does not rely on a proper economic foundation, but on loans.



    At EU level, the economy is expected to grow by 4.8% this year and 4.5% in 2022, after economic activity above expectations in the first quarter and after the easing of COVID containment measures in the second quarter. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • May 24, 2021 UPDATE

    May 24, 2021 UPDATE

    EU. Romania’s
    president Klaus Iohannis is attending a special meeting of the European Council
    held in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday. High on the agenda are the EU
    coordination to tackle the Covid pandemic, fighting climate change, and the
    EU’s relation with Russia and the UK. With regard to the pandemic, the Romanian
    president stands for close coordination among member states and for the rapid
    implementation of the digital green certificates at the EU level on condition
    they do not hinder free movement. Regarding the climate change issue, Iohannis
    is expected to plead for the setting up of a flexible legal framework to allow member
    states to identify the best solutions for meeting the target of 55% cut in
    greenhouse gases by 2030.




    Belarus plane.
    The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has voiced deep concern regarding the
    unacceptable decision by the authorities in Belarus to force a passenger plane
    flying from Athens to Vilnius to land in Minsk. The Romanian Foreign Ministry
    views the incident as very serious and calls for an independent international
    investigation to determine the exact circumstances in which it occurred. The
    Romanian authorities say they received no request for consular assistance from
    a Romanian citizen in connection to this incident. Belarus and
    Latvia on Monday expelled each other’s ambassadors and entire embassy staff.




    COVID-19. The
    number of new coronavirus cases is on a downward trend in Romania. Some 230 new
    infections were recorded on Monday, the lowest number since the beginning of
    June last year. 36 related fatalities were also reported, and 580 Covid
    patients are still in intensive care. More and more hospitals around the
    country have been reorganising their activity following the decreasing number
    of Covid patients. The vaccine roll-out continues across the country. 7.3
    million doses have been administered in this country to over 4 million people
    since the start of mass vaccination in December last year, with almost 3.2
    million people being fully vaccinated.




    Schools. The
    Romanian Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu has announced the national exams are
    to be held as scheduled and will be taken in person. There will be two sessions
    hosting the National Evaluation Exam and the Baccalaureate. In August schools
    will be able to stage more classes to catch up with lost learning. Teachers are
    encouraged to stage summer camps and other activities in a bid to improve the
    students’ education. We recall that last week all pupils in Bucharest and other
    regions where the infection rate dropped under 1 per 1,000 inhabitants resumed
    in-person learning, accounting for 93% of Romania’s 3 million pupils.




    Hero.
    In his opening remarks of the general assembly of the World Health
    Organisation, the director of this organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
    praised the sacrifice shown by the Romanian doctor Cătălin Denciu and said he
    would be honoured with an award for his courage. 48-year-old Denciu was on duty
    at a hospital in Piatra Neamţ, in north-eastern Romania, in November last year,
    when a fire broke out. Ten patients were killed and Denciu suffered third
    degree burns on 40% of his body trying to save others.







    Economy. It’s a decisive week for Romania’s
    national recovery and resilience plan before being submitted to the European
    Commission and so that Romania could access the almost 30 billion euros worth
    of development funds it is eligible for. The final version of the document,
    including all implementation details, must be finalised by the end of the
    month, but the main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, insists the
    government must present the plan in Parliament. Otherwise they threaten not to
    vote for a European treaty that increases the spending of member states to the
    EU budget and which needs to be voted by two thirds of Romanian MPs in order to
    pass.




    Middle East. US Secretary of State
    Antony Blinken on Monday left Washington for a 4-day trip to Jerusalem,
    Ramallah, Cairo and Amman. After Friday’s ceasefire between Israel and the
    Islamist movement Hamas after ten days of bombardments and rockets being fired,
    US president Joe Biden and secretary Blinken said the two-state solution is the
    only possible solution. On the first leg of his tour, Blinken will meet Israeli
    president Reuven Rivlin prime minister Benjamin
    Netanyahu and foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi. In Ramallah, in the West Bank,
    Blinken will have talks with the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud
    Abbas and prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh. He will not meet, however, the Gaza
    Strip leaders, because the US views Hamas as a terrorist organisation and does
    not have direct contacts with its leaders. Blinken will next travel to Cairo
    for talks with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and foreign minister
    Sameh Shoukri, who were involved in the mediation that led to the ceasefire between
    Israel and Hamas. On the last of his trip to the region, in Amman, Blinken will
    be received by Jordanian king Abdullah II and his counterpart Ayman Safadi,
    with Jordan being, together with Egypt, one of the few Arab states to have
    long-standing diplomatic relations with Israel. (CM)



  • May 22, 2021 UPDATE

    May 22, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 The number of new Covid-19 cases in Romania on Saturday was 455, out of over 28,000 tests. In hospitals, the number of coronavirus patients is under 3,700, 623 of them in intensive care. Also, 59 COVID-related deaths were reported for the past 24 hours. The vaccine rollout continues, with several vaccination marathons scheduled this weekend in various cities. Drive-thru centres are also operational in several parts of the country. Since the end of December, nearly 7.3 million vaccine doses have been administered in Romania, with more than 3.1 million people receiving the booster dose as well.



    PILGRIMAGE Thousands took part on Saturday in the traditional Catholic Whitsun pilgrimage in Şumuleu Ciuc, in central Romania. The organisers have taken measures to ensure the event complies with the Covid-19 safety rules. Hundreds of volunteers have been mobilized to this end, alongside hundreds of gendarmes, police, firefighters, mountain rescue workers and ambulances. Last year, the pilgrimage on Mount Şumuleu, which brought together over 100,000 people from around the world every year, was cancelled over the pandemic. In 2019, on June 1, Pope Francis travelled to Şumuleu Ciuc, where he held a service devoted to Mary, the Mother of God. The Şumuleu Ciuc pilgrimage dates back more than 450 years.



    ECONOMY The Romanian finance minister Alexandru Nazare took part on Friday and Saturday in Lisbon in this years first physical meeting of the Economic and Financial Council (ECOFIN). Nazare announced in a Facebook post that on Saturday he had bilateral meetings with EU officials, including Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Paolo Gentiloni, and with his counterparts from Greece, Spain, Ireland and Italy, and discussed the state of European economies in the context of the pandemic and the implementation of the European Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. According to the Romanian official, the ECOFIN session began on Friday with talks on the structure of the economic and fiscal policies designed to facilitate the quick recovery of the European economies after the COVID-19 pandemic.



    MOLDOVA In the Republic of Moldova the campaign for the July 11 snap elections has officially started. Political analysts say this would be a tough race between pro-European and pro-Russian parties. The pro-European Action and Solidarity Party, founded by the incumbent president of the country, Maia Sandu, promised a fair and clean campaign, to gain citizens trust. Their main opponent is the Socialists Party headed by the former president Igor Dodon, which forms a pro-Russian electoral bloc together with Vladimir Voronins Communists. Also running for seats in parliament is the party headed by the mayor of Bălţi town, Renato Usatyi, which aims to win over a chunk of the pro-Moscow electorate, and a party headed by Ilan Shor, the hideaway tycoon who lives in Israel after having been sentenced to 7 years in prison by a court of first instance, following the USD 1 billion bank fraud scandal.



    PANDEMIC As of Monday Spain opens its borders to travelers from countries deemed safe, such as the UK, Austria, China, Israel and Japan, without healthcare restrictions, the Radio România corrspondent in Madrid reports. As of June 7 travellers who have completed a full vaccination scheme approved by the WHO or the European Medicines Agency will also be welcomed to the country. Austria has also revised entry conditions, with the new measures to be enforced as of the end of June. People travelling to Austria from countries for which travel alerts are not in place, Romania included, are exempt from self-isolation requirements. Entry into Austria is allowed for those who produce a vaccination certificate, a negative SARS-CoV-2 test or an anti-body test taken in the past 3 months. Tests are not required for children up to 10 years of age. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • May 12, 2021 UPDATE

    May 12, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Romania stays in the so-called green scenario as Bucharest and all counties report COVID-19 infection rates below 1.5 per thousand. In the past 24 hours 930 new cases were reported, out of over 24,300 tests conducted acros the country. The Strategic Communication Group announced another 98 COVID-related deaths, which brings the total death toll to 29,233, and 874 patients in intensive care. The coordinator of the vaccine rollout Valeriu Gheorghiţă said the fall in infection numbers is the result of the immunisation campaign. Over 3.7 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 2.5 million have also got the booster dose. People may get jabs without prior appointment in all vaccination centres in the country. After Timişoara (west) and the capital Bucharest, another major city, Craiova (south), is organising a vaccination marathon, with similar events scheduled this weekend in other cities in Romania.



    RECOVERY The PM of Romania Florin Cîţu reconfirmed, during his
    meeting with the European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis in
    Brussels on Wednesday, the Romanian government’s goal to ensure economic
    recovery and sustainable post-pandemic economic growth, with a focus on reform
    and investments.Florin Cîţu also voiced gratitude to the European
    Commission for its support, guidance and cooperation, after the talks on
    Romania’s priorities as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan held
    on Wednesday with Margrethe Vestager, EC executive vice-president. Previously,
    the Romanian PM had also had talks with Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for
    Transport.



    PUBLIC MEDIA As of Tuesday night, Romania’s public radio and TV corporations have new interim directors. Parliament has appointed journalist Liviu Popescu as head of the Romanian public radio, while Ramona Saseanu has become interim director of the national TV. The two are to hold these positions for 6 months, until the appointment of new boards of directors for the two institutions. On Tuesday, Parliament rejected the annual reports submitted by the two institutions for the years 2017, 2018, 2019, which entailed the dismissal of the 2 boards of directors.



    ECONOMY Romanias economy is expected to grow by 5.1% in 2021 and 4.9% next year, according to the spring economic forecast made public by the European Commission. The institution has upgraded its February estimates, when it forecast a 3.8% growth this year and 4% in 2022. Brussels also expects the unemployment rate in Romania to go up from 5% last year to 5.2% in 2021, but to drop to 4.8% in 2022. Inflation is also set to reach 2.9% this year, with a slight decrease to 2.7% predicted for next year. According to the same forecast, the budget deficit will drop from 9.2% of GDP last year to 8% of GDP this year and to 7.1% of GDP next year.



    CONFERENCE Strengthening Romanias Strategic Partnership with Poland underscores the special relationship and the firm commitment to contributing to regional security, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said in a message on Wednesday at an international conference devoted to the centennial of the Romania-Poland Defensive Alliance. The event was hosted by the Romanian Embassy in Poland. The head of the Romanian state mentioned that the Romanian-Polish Defensive Alliance signed in 1921 was the first regional collective security project and the first strategic partnership with Poland.



    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign ministry confirmed that the Russian Federation declared the deputy military attaché with the Romanian Embassy in Moscow, Alin Iliescu, a persona non grata, in retaliation to a similar measure taken by Romania on April 26 with respect to the Russian Embassys deputy military attaché Aleksey Grishaev. Romanian authorities argued that the decision was prompted by Grishaevs activity, which came against the 1961 Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. Many central and east-European ex-communist countries made similar decisions to expel Russian diplomats in the past few weeks. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • April 23, 2021

    April 23, 2021

    COVID-19 The way out of the COVID-19 pandemic is mass vaccination, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said today. He added that containment measures will be eased out as the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections, of patients in ICUs and of COVID-related deaths decreases. Yesterday, at the end of the first meeting of an inter-ministry committee working to ensure Romanias return to normal as of June 1, PM Florin Cîțu said in his turn that the return to normal life is conditional on vaccination. The number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose in Romania is now over 2.8 million. Meanwhile, the authorities announced on Friday over 2,500 new infections in 24 hours, and 170 COVID-related deaths. Another 1,391 patients are in intensive care. Three counties in Romania, Bucharest, Ilfov in the south-east and Cluj in the centre, are still in the red zone, with little over 4 COVID cases per thousand inhabitants, while the other counties report rates below 3 per thousand.



    MEETING The Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral meeting works very well, and its relevance and effectiveness have grown significantly, contributing in its 9 years of existence, to strengthening the North-Atlantic Alliance and to ensuring security in the eastern flank, including the Black Sea region, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said. The Romanian official took part on Friday in the plenary session of the meeting, alongside his counterparts from Poland, Zbigniew Rau and Turkey, Mevlut Cavuşoglu. At the end of the meeting, the 3 foreign ministers signed a joint declaration, for the first time since the trilateral meeting has been held. Today the participants tackled security-related topics, with a focus on the regional situation, on the outcomes of the latest NATO minister-level meetings and on the prospects for this years summit of the Alliance. The 3 countries officials emphasised on Friday that they would like NATO to be a stronger political and military actor, with global reach. The participants also discussed the progress in implementing the projects selected in the 2020 trilateral meeting and the ways to strengthen trilateral dialogue, including by developing new projects.



    ECONOMY All EU member countries ended the year 2020 with budget deficit. According to Eurostat, Romania was among the states with the highest deficit figures, 9.2% of GDP, double the level reported the previous year. Eurostat preliminary data point to a skyrocketing budget deficit EU-wide, from 0.5% of GDP in 2019 to 6.9% last year. The highest levels, ranging between 11% and 9.5%, were reported in Spain, Malta, Greece, Italy, Belgium and France. Denmark is the only country that reported budget deficit below 3%.



    PANDEMIC Greece, one of Romanians summer holiday destinations of choice, was included by the Romanian authorities in the list of countries with high epidemic risk, due to the large number of coronavirus infections. The list now comprises 60 countries and regions. Alongside Greece, it also includes Turkey, Bulgaria, the Maldives, France, Italy, Austria, Germany and the US. Travellers returning from these countries must produce a negative COVID test before boarding the plane or coach. People having tested negative will still isolate for 10 days upon arrival. The measure does not apply for travellers having received both vaccine doses, or having recovered from the disease in the past 90 days. The total number of coronavirus infections is now over 145 million worldwide, with more than 123 million patients recovered and some 3 million deaths reported by worldometers.info. In Germany, a controversial law takes effect today, which grants more powers to the federal government. Italy has in turn extended the state of emergency until the end of July. France is lifting part of the restrictions as of 3 May, with children returning to schools, but with night curfews still in place.



    TENNIS Romanian player Simona Halep, seed no 2 in the WTA tournament in Stuttgart (Germany), plays today against Russias Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarter-finals of the competition. On Thursday in the round of 16, Alexandrova defeated the Swiss Belinda Bencic 6-1, 7-5, whereas Halep beat the Czech Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3. Simona Halep and Ekaterina Alexandrova have played against each other 3 times so far, with the Russian winning 2 of the matches. Two other Romanian players, Sorana Cirstea and Ana Bogdan, take on Russias Veronika Kudermetova and Belgiums Fiona Ferro, respectively, in the quarter-finals of the Istanbul tournament. (tr. A.M. Popescu)