Radio România Internațional

Tag: education

30.05.2023 (mise à jour)

Education
– A l’issue d’une nouvelle série de pourparlers avec le gouvernement roumain,
les syndicats de l’Education nationale ont décidé de poursuivre leur grève. La
décision a été prise après que les autorités eurent rejeté la demande de
majoration salariale des personnels de l’Education. Le gouvernement a pu offrir
seulement des suppléments financiers de 4000 lei, soit quelque 800 euros, pour
le personnel enseignant et de 1500 lei, soit 300 euros pour celui non
enseignant. Plus de 15000 protestataires se sont réunis mardi Place de la
Victoire avant de se déplacer vers le siège de la Présidence roumaine pour
demander à Klaus Iohannis, lui-même ancien professeur, de trouver une solution.
Celui-ci s’est dit prêt à médier la signature d’un accord politique afin de régler
les revendications salariales qu’il a caractérisées de légitimes. Le déblocage
du système de l’Education et la fin de la grève sont essentiels pour le bon
déroulement de l’année scolaire. Les élèves et les étudiants soutiennent les
revendications de leurs professeurs.

Visite – Le chef
de l’Etat roumain, Klaus Iohannis, recevra vendredi, au Palais de Cotroceni, le
roi Charles III du Royaume Uni de la Grande Bretagne. Selon l’agenda
présidentiel, à l’issue d’une cérémonie officielle, les deux responsables
politiques auront une entrevue en tête à tête avant de rencontrer des
responsables politiques, des représentants de la société civile et du Corps
diplomatique. Dans une déclaration pour Agerpress, l’ambassadeur britannique à
Bucarest, Andrew Noble, a affirmé que la visite du roi Charles III a un
caractère privé, mais que le souverain rencontrera le président roumain dans un
geste de courtoisie. C’est pour la première fois qu’un monarque du Royaume Uni
visite la Roumanie. Charles III détient plusieurs propriétés en Roumanie qu’il
visitait du temps où il était Prince de Galles.

Syrie
– Convoqué d’urgence, lundi, par le premier ministre Nicolae Ciuca, le Comité
national pour les situations d’urgence a approuvé l’octroi à titre gracieux
d’une aide humanitaire à la Syrie destinée à la population touchée par le
tremblement de terre majeur produit le 6 février dernier en Turquie. Cette aide
est accordée au terme d’une demande d’assistance humanitaire formulée par Damas
via le Mécanisme européen de protection civile. C’est à l’aide de l’Administration
nationale des réserves publiques et de la Patriarchie Roumaine, que Bucarest
enverra en Syrie des biens de première nécessité, des denrées alimentaires, des
médicaments et d’autres produits. Le transport se fera par voie aérienne, avec
l’appui du ministère roumain de la Défense.

Réfugiés – La Roumanie pourrait adopter une
législation temporaire pour faciliter l’accès des Ukrainiens au marché de
l’emploi. C’est ce qu’a déclaré mardi le ministre du Travail, Marius Budăi,
lors du forum « Reconstruire l’Ukraine » organisé par la Chambre de
commerce roumano-ukrainienne, sous les auspices de l’Ambassade ukrainienne à
Bucarest. Et le responsable roumain de rappeler que toute de suite après le
déclenchement de l’offensive russe en Ukraine,
la Roumanie a changé sa législation pour permettre aux réfugiés de se
trouver plus facilement du travail. Le forum a été organisé en présence aussi
bien des responsables gouvernementaux des deux pays que des représentants des
entreprises roumaines intéressées à contribuer à la reconstruction de
l’Ukraine.

Retraites
– La Chambre des députés de Roumanie s’apprête à décider de la forme finale du
projet de modification de la loi des retraites. C’est la Commission européenne
qui a réclamé tous ces changements avant d’allouer des fonds à la Roumanie, via
le Plan national de relance et de
résilience. Au terme de nouveaux amendements, l’âge légal à partir duquel il
est possible de partir à la retraite serait mis en rapport avec le système
public de la retraite pour supprimer les départs exceptionnels. Pour les
diplomates et le personnel auxiliaire des tribunaux, la retraite se fera à
partir de 65 ans. Le même principe sera mis en place progressivement, jusqu’en
2035, dans le cas des militaires.

Météo
– Mercredi, il fera beau et chaud presque partout en Roumanie. Des averses de
pluie risquent d’arroser plusieurs régions. Les températures iront de 21 à 30
degrés. Nous aurons 29 degrés à midi, à Bucarest.

30 May 2023
29.05.2023

Grève – Les leaders des syndicats de l’Education
nationale rencontrent ce lundi le ministre roumain du Travail, Marius Budai,
pour discuter de la nouvelle grille des salaires. Le leader de la Fédération
nationale des Syndicats de l’Education, Marius Nistor, a déclaré que le repère
salarial en fonction duquel on devrait calculer les salaires des professeurs
débutants devrait être le montant moyen du salaire brut mensuel. Tant que les
responsables politiques n’approuvent pas un acte normatif en ce sens, la grève
continuera, a encore précisé M. Nistor. Lors des dernières négociations, l’Exécutif
roumain a proposé le versement en deux tranches d’un supplément financier de
2500 lei, soit 500 euros, pour le personnel enseignant et de 1000 lei, soit
quelque 200 euros, pour le personnel non enseignant. Après la manifestation de
la semaine dernière, devant le Gouvernement, les syndicalistes ont annoncé
protester mardi devant le siège de la présidence roumaine.

Protestations – Les cheminots roumains se réunissent
aujourd’hui devant le Ministère des Transports pour réclamer des augmentations
salariales, parallèlement à la mise en place des réglementations qui
garantissent la modification de la grille des salaires et de la hiérarchie
professionnelle au sein de la SNCF Roumanie. Les protestataires demandent aussi
aux responsables politiques de voter le budget des compagnies ferroviaires. Les
représentants syndicaux n’excluent pas d’observer une grève générale à partir
du 1 juillet.

Défense – Le centre d’instruction au combat de la localité de Smârdan, dans
le sud-est de la Roumanie accueille à partir d’aujourd’hui un important
exercice militaire international. Ce furent le ministre roumain de la Défense,
Angel Tâlvar et le chef de l’Etat major de la Défense, Daniel Petrescu à donner
le coup d’envoi de l’exercice appelé « Saber Guardian 23 ». C’est le
plus ample et le plus complexe exercice multinational d’instruction de cette
année. Il réunit jusqu’au 9 juin un nombre record de forces et de moyens
techniques : soit 10 000 militaires, dont plus de 5 000 de Roumanie et le
reste de 13 Etats membres de l’OTAN et partenaires de
l’Alliance. « Saber Guardian 23 » s’inscrit dans une série
d’exercices commencée en 2013 organisés deux fois par an et visant à intensifier
l’interopérabilité dans une large sphère de missions.

Turquie – Le
chef de l’Etat roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a félicité lundi son homologue turc,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pour sa victoire à la présidentielle. Dans un message sur
Twitter, Iohannis a affirmé attendre impatiemment la poursuite de la
coopération bilatérale fondée sur le partenariat stratégique entre les deux
pays. Au pouvoir depuis vingt ans, Erdogan a remporté dimanche une nouvelle
victoire. Il a obtenu 52,16% des suffrages contre 47,84% au candidat social-démocrate
Kemal Kiliçdaroglu qui, à 74 ans, a perdu le pari de la démocratie
apaisée qu’il promettait. Des leaders du monde entier ont félicité
Erdogan que l’opposition turque critique pour être devenu de plus en plus
autoritaire depuis la tentative de coup d’Etat de 2016. L’annonce de sa
victoire aux élections a entraîné une nouvelle chute de la livre turque, la
monnaie nationale.

Moldova
– Dans un entretien pour la publication Géopolitique, la cheffe de la
République de Moldova, la pro-occidentale Maia Sandu, a déclaré « que même
s’il existe du soutien à la réunification de la Roumanie, il n’est pas
suffisant » et que le principal objectif des responsables moldaves reste
l’adhésion européenne de leur pays. Maia Sandu qui a la double citoyenneté,
roumaine et moldave, a rappelé les bonnes relations bilatérales et le soutien que
Bucarest accorde à Chisinau. Si une consultation populaire avait lieu en
République de Moldova le dimanche prochain, au sujet de l’adhésion du pays à
l’UE, 53% des citoyens se prononceraient
en faveur de l’intégration européenne, 30% des Moldaves seraient contre, 5% ne
se présenteraient pas aux urnes et 11% seraient indécis, relève le dernier
sondage IMAS. Par ailleurs, 32% des Moldaves souhaiteraient l’union de leur
pays avec la Roumanie et 55% se diraient contre une telle idée. Quant à
l’adhésion de l’ex république soviétique à l’OTAN, 24% des citoyens seraient
pour et 60% contre.

MAE – Le ministère roumain des Affaires Etrangères a appelé l’ambassadeur
de la Hongrie voisine à Bucarest en raison des « messages publics
inadéquats » que la présidente hongroise, Novak Katalin a lancés, surtout
sur sa page Facebook, durant la visite privée qu’elle a récemment faite en
Roumanie. Dans un communiqué, la diplomatie roumaine souligne qu’elle appelle
constamment les responsables et les personnalités politiques de Hongrie à faire
preuve de retenue au cours des visites privées qu’ils effectuent en Roumanie.
Et pourtant, la cheffe de l’Etat hongrois, a lancé toute une série de messages
inadéquats dont un qui vise une région historique de la
Roumanie. « Mon Dieu, ne laisse pas la Transylvanie mourir » est
un des messages que Novak Katalin a postés sur Facebook, tout comme l’hymne du
pays des Sicules. Conformément au ministère des Affaires Etrangères de
Bucarest, de tels messages ne sont pas conformes aux relations de bon voisinage
et de collaboration entre la Roumanie et la Hongrie. Novak Katalin a participé
samedi à Șumuleu Ciuc (région du centre de la Roumanie à majorité magyare) au pèlerinage
organisé à l’occasion de la Pentecôte catholique.

Tennis -
La joueuse roumaine de tennis, Ana Bogdan, rencontrera aujourd’hui la
colombienne, Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, au tableau du concours de simple dame
de Roland Garros, deuxième tournoi de Grand Chelem de l’année. Hier, la
roumaine, Irina Begu, a battu la Hongroise, Anna Bondar, au premier tour de la
même compétition. La troisième Roumaine présente à Rolland Garros est Sorana
Cîrstea qui rencontrera l’Italienne, Jasmine Paolini.

Météo – Le ciel
est variable en Roumanie, plutôt couvert dans le sud-ouest et dans le sud-est
où des phénomènes orageux pourraient faire leur apparition dans l’après-midi.
Les quantités d’eau cumulées suite aux précipitations pourraient dépasser les
20 à 25 litres par mètre carré. Les températures vont de 20 à 28 degrés.

29 May 2023
La rotation gouvernementale reportée

Au terme de l’accord
de novembre 2021 sur lequel repose l’actuelle coalition gouvernementale en
Roumanie, le Premier ministre et leader libéral, Nicolae Ciucă, aurait dû, au
bout d’un an et demie de mandat, céder
sa place à la tête du gouvernement au chef de file du PSD, Marcel Ciolacu,
actuellement président de la Chambre des députés. La passation du pouvoir était
prévue pour le 26 mai. N’empêche, les représentants
du PSD (Parti Social-Démocrate) – du PNL (Parti National-Libéral) et de l’UDMR
(Union Démocrate Magyare de la Roumanie), les trois au pouvoir en Roumanie, ont
décidé de reporter le moment à cause de la grève dans l’Education nationale.

Il faut de la
stabilité pour solutionner un conflit social sans précédent dans le courant des
deux dernières décennies, ont lancé les responsables politiques. Le Premier
ministre, Nicolae Ciucă, affirme:

« Nous
avons discuté hier, jusque tard dans la nuit, nous avons repris les pourparlers
ce matin et nous avons décidé que je garde mon mandat jusqu’à ce que tous ces
problèmes trouvent une solution. J’espère créer les conditions opportunes pour que
nous puissions mettre en œuvre dans les plus brefs délais la rotation
gouvernementale prévue au niveau de la coalition. »

L’idée
d’attendre la fin de la grève pour opérer le changement à la tête du
gouvernement et le partage des fauteuils ministériels a été avancée par le leader
social-démocrate, Marcel Ciolacu.

« Cette décision, nous l’avons
prise ensemble. Moi, en tant que président de la Chambre des députés,
représentant du Législatif, et vous en
tant que Premier ministre, représentant de l’Exécutif. Les revendications des
professeurs sont légitimes. Nous essayerons de leur trouver solution le plus
rapidement possible.Les problèmes des enseignants sont tout
à fait légitimes, mais il faut aussi trouver les moments les plus favorables.
De ce fait, nous avons décidé que les principales priorités du programme
gouvernemental étaient les systèmes de l’Education et de santé. »

Sans qu’il soit
directement impliqué dans la rotation à la tête du gouvernement, le leader de
l’UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, considère le report de celle-ci comme une mesure
nécessaire. La coalition actuellement en place en Roumanie a la possibilité
d’œuvrer au bénéfice du pays, selon Kelemen Hunor :

« Moi, je reste optimiste. Je fais
confiance à la coalition politique et je fais confiance aux Roumains qui comprennent
que nous traversons une période difficile. En même temps, je sais que le pays,
tel qu’il est actuellement, peut traverser et il traversera un chemin au bout
duquel, la société sera mieux développée, avec de bons services publics, avec
des institutions stables, avec des institutions qui répondent aux besoins des
citoyens. »

Depuis l’opposition,
le leader de l’Union Sauvez la Roumanie, Cătălin Drulă, accuse les dirigeants
de la coalition gouvernementale, qui négocient depuis des mois leurs positions au sein du futur exécutif, de
tourner le dos à la réalité. Il affirme que le report de la rotation politique
ne fait que prouver l’échec de l’actuelle gouvernance. Catalin Drula

« Ils ont également raté le projet de la
« La Roumanie éduquée », qui tient à
cœur au président Klaus Iohannis. Aujourd’hui, alors que la rotation aurait dû
avoir lieu, nous avons la première grève générale dans l’Education des 18
dernières années. Les enseignants sont dans la rue, les écoles sont fermées et
les enfants restent chez eux», a conclu Cătălin Drulă.

29 May 2023
May 25, 2023 UPDATE

Strike — The strike in the education system in Romania continues, after the unions rejected the latest offer made by the government, which they consider offensive. The teachers were to receive 2,500 lei this year, in two installments, and the non-teaching staff 1,000 lei. The money would have been granted on a “professional career card”. The trade unions are asking for a rise in incomes of 25% and a law under which the salary of a beginner teacher should be the equivalent of the average gross salary. A new round of negotiations took place on Thursday in Bucharest. Employees in the pre-university education system started an all-out strike on May 22, dissatisfied with the level of salaries and working conditions. The union leaders have stated that they will not give up the protest until their demands are resolved.

Deficit – The European Commission Executive Vice-President, Valdis Dombrovskis on Wednesday called on the member states to more effectively apply their plans of recovery and resilience, to make investments and cut on spending. The European Commission has again drawn attention to the economic situation in Romania, the only EU country for which the excessive deficit procedure has been activated. According to Brussels, Romania spends more money than it has and must cut its deficit under 3% by the next year. According to the Romanian government, the budget deficit is expected to go down under 4.4% of the GDP this year and 2.9% next year.

Visit — Currently, “a real war is going on in Europe” said, on Thursday, in Sibiu (center), the president of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who reiterated the call for unity in this context. ‘Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have considerably strengthened NATOs Eastern Flank and have considerably expanded our cooperation in the field of security policy. Both within the European Union and within NATO, our countries collaborate closely, based on trust’, the German official emphasized. Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, stated, in turn, that the Romanian-German friendship, with an old tradition, has now reached an unprecedented point of development. The two met with the representatives of the German community in Romania and visited the “Samuel von Brukenthal” National College, with tuition in German, a school attested in documents almost 650 years ago. The German president is on a state visit to Romania until Friday.

Football – Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe won Romanias football cup after a 5-4 win against Universitatea Cluj in the shootouts on Wednesday evening. 120 minutes into the game, the score was nil-all. The hero of Sepsi was its goalkeeper, Roland Niczuly, a former player of Universitatea Cluj. Niczuly managed to save three shots, after Universitatea had got the upper hand but wasted two chances. Sepsi has won the trophy for the second time in a row. We recall that this ambitious football side from central Romania, lost the finals of the aforementioned competition in 2020. Universitatea Cluj was left with the trophy they won in 1965, losing the Romanian Cup finals for the fifth time.

Moldova – Less than 0.5% of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who spent their holiday abroad last year chose the Commonwealth of Independent States – CIS as their destination – reveals a study published in Chişinău. The research appeared in the context in which the Moldovan government made the decision to withdraw from the CIS, given the fact that one of its founding members, Russia, attacked another founding member, Ukraine. 40% of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova would, however, like the country to remain in the CIS, and Moscow claims that, by leaving the organization, the Republic of Moldova risks losing economic advantages. Official statistics show, however, that the commercial relations of the Republic of Moldova are currently mainly oriented towards the European Union. The Republic of Moldova wants to join the European Union “as soon as possible” in order to protect itself from the Russian threat and hopes for a decision “in the next few months” regarding the opening of negotiations, President Maia Sandu had previously said.

Banks – The banks in Romania will have to issue new repayment schedules, where the amount of the principal on the loan will be paid by consumers in equal installments over the entire loan term, said the general director of the National Authority for Consumer Protection, Paul Anghel. Also, the president of the institution, Horia Constantinescu, pointed out that he had already signed the orders to stop these deceptive practices for 11 banks that were previously fined because the installments was mainly composed of interests in the first years of repayment. The Authority for Consumer Protection announced on Thursday that eight other banks were sanctioned for the way in which they calculate loan rates. Moreover, the Authority notified the Competition Council over what it called the cartel attitude of some banking institutions. However, the Romanian Association of Banks contradicted the Authority and showed that this calculation method was included in the Romanian legislation since the setting-up of regulations on lending activity. (LS)

25 May 2023
Social discontent in Romania

The Romanian coalition government is in a fix, under double pressure, put by both the education and healthcare trade unions which are asking for significant salary increases, and by the excessive budget deficit, which is above the limit allowed in the European Union. The teachers and the non-teaching staff have been on an all-out strike since Monday, which they say could be extended for several weeks, jeopardizing the national exams. So far, the negotiations have failed. The trade unionists want the authorities to find quick solutions for increasing the salaries of all the teaching staff.

The representatives of students and parents have also had talks with the government. They support the demands of the teachers, but they are worried about the approaching end-of-year exams. The government claims that the solution is the adoption of the salary law. However, the teachers have lost patience, they say that they are tired of promises and demand the adoption of a law that should increase all salaries in the education system until the new law on public sector salaries is drafted by Parliament. The authorities should increase not only the incomes of the beginner teachers but also those of all teaching staff, the trade unionists claim.

According to Anton Hadăr, the leader of the Alma Mater National Trade Union Federation they are speaking about 260,000 people: We did not receive a satisfactory proposal. Longer-term solutions, i.e. the future salary law, are also being protracted. At this pace, I guarantee you that there will be a strike this entire week, and I think the strike will be extended, not just for a week.

Social discontent is rising dangerously in the area of healthcare too. Dissatisfied with the fact that the unitary salary law was allegedly not applied correctly, the trade unionists from the Sanitas Federation picketed the Health Ministry. A possible strike by nurses and caretakers will not affect the hospitalized patients, but it will cause the postponement of certain surgical operations.

The president of the Sanitas Federation, Leonard Bărăscu: The all-out strike does not affect the patients, I can guarantee that, because the sick will receive the best care possible, as before. The problem is that we will have to give up certain surgical operations for chronic patients, that will be canceled or postponed for a few days.

Healthcare employees want the continuation of employment in the field of Health and Social Assistance, the granting of the basic salaries in the grid to all employees, the calculation of all the increments and the hourly rate for night shifts by reference to the paid salary, the calculation of the food allowance by reference to the current minimum gross salary in Romania and the adequate funding of Health and Social Assistance institutions. On June 8, there will be a warning strike with work being interrupted for two hours, and the all-out strike is scheduled for June 15. (LS)

24 May 2023
May 23, 2023 UPDATE

Strike – The all-out strike in Romanian pre-university education continues. Tuesday’s discussions between the government representatives and those of the employees did not lead to a concrete result. Union leaders say the governors have promised to present concrete calculations related to wage demands. Previously, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă asked the teachers to return to the classrooms. The representatives of the parents and students associations asked the authorities to come up with solutions that would end the strike in education. They said that if the strike lasted more than a week, the situation would become dangerous for the future of the students, who want the strike to end as soon as possible. In another development, on Monday, the Bucharest Senate, as a decision-making body, adopted the new education laws. The political parties in the government coalition claimed that the measures included in the pre-university and university education law reform the system. On the other hand, the opposition believes that the law will not solve the existing problems.

Protest – Trade unionists in the medical sector, who have announced their support for the all-out strike in the education system since yesterday, have launched their own protest actions. They picketed the headquarters of the Health Ministry on Tuesday. Their claims are related to the application of the provisions of the salary law to all employees, with reference to the categories of personnel who have the lowest incomes, such as nurses or caretakers, the granting of holiday vouchers and the modification of the calculation system for increments, night shifts and food allowance.

Border – A new border crossing point between Romania and the Republic of Moldova was inaugurated on Tuesday. At Leova – Bumbata it will be possible to cross the border, over the Prut River, on a pontoon bridge. For the moment, the border crossing point will be used only for tests, for 10 hours a day, by minibuses and cars, and then it will be available for heavy goods transport. The decision to open this border point, through which the Prut can be crossed, was made after Russia invaded Ukraine, and road freight transport from Ukraine increased considerably through the Republic of Moldova and Romania.

Defense – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, participated on Tuesday in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (CAE) in Brussels in the format of the Defense Ministers from the member states and in the meeting of the Steering Board of the European Defense Agency (EDA). “The discussions were substantial and represented a new opportunity to confirm the support of the European states for Ukraine. I emphasized the importance of consistent EU support for the defense industry in Eastern European states to ensure the strengthening of the European industrial base in an inclusive manner. I reiterated Romanias firm support for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, for their European aspirations”, the Romanian official said. He also highlighted the importance of coordinating European actions with NATO, to ensure the coherence of response measures to challenges in common operational fields.

Exhibition – A traveling photo exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the United States and Romania was opened on Tuesday in Cluj-Napoca (north-west). The US Ambassador to Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, stated that, during this period, Romania made remarkable progress in consolidating democracy, became a pillar of regional peace and security and developed economically for the prosperity of all. Todays Romania is an exemplary NATO ally, the American diplomat emphasized. The exhibition, which explores the diplomatic, security, economic and cultural relations between the two peoples, will be open until June 20. It was also presented in Bucharest and other big cities.

Trilateral – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, inaugurated, on Tuesday, together with his counterparts Jose Manuel Albares Bueno and Zbigniew Rau, the trilateral format Romania – Spain – Poland, during a meeting in Valencia. Aurescu welcomed Romanias excellent bilateral relations with Spain and Poland and the close cooperation between the three countries at the EU and NATO level. He also addressed the subject of Romanias accession to the Schengen area, the foreign ministers of Spain and Poland reconfirming the active and constant support given in achieving this goal. Moreover, the Spanish foreign minister emphasized that Romanias accession to Schengen would be among the priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council. It was decided that the meeting, named Valencia Trio, would take place annually, at the ministerial level.(LS)

23 May 2023
23.05.2023 (mise à jour)

Grève – La grève générale dans
l’Education roumaine se poursuit. Les négociations de mardi entre les
représentants du gouvernement et des syndicats ont échoué. Aux dires des
syndicalistes, les responsables politiques se sont engagés à discuter les
revendications salariales selon des calculs concrets. Antérieurement, le premier
ministre, Nicolae Ciuca, avait
appelé les professeurs et les enseignants à retourner en classe. Les
représentants des associations de parents d’élèves et d’élèves ont exigé des
solutions censées mettre un terme à la grève qui, disent-ils, risque de
péricliter l’année scolaire si elle se prolonge au-delà d’une semaine. Par
ailleurs, le Sénat de Bucarest a adopté lundi les nouvelles lois de l’Education
nationale. Les partis politiques de la coalition au pouvoir affirment que les
mesures sont censées réformer le système. En revanche, l’opposition considère
que les changements n’arriveront pas à résoudre les problèmes déjà en place.

Sanitas – Après avoir déclaré
soutenir la grève dans l’Education nationale, les syndicalistes de la Santé
ont déclenché leur propre mouvement de protestation. Mardi, ils ont manifesté
devant le Ministère de la Santé, en réclamant la revalorisation du travail des personnels
non médicaux et des sages-femmes, des tickets vacances et la modification de la
manière de calculer le paiement des périodes de garde.

Frontière – Un nouveau point de
passage frontalier entre la Roumanie et la République de Moldova a été inauguré
mardi à Leova – Bumbăta, aux bords du Prut. La rivière pourrait être traversée
grâce à un pont flottant qui sera ouvert dans les dix jours à venir au trafic
léger avant de permettre le passage des poids lourd. La décision d’ouvrir un
nouveau point de passage frontalier a été adoptée après l’invasion russe de
l’Ukraine.

CAE – Le ministre roumain de la Défense, Angel Talvar, a
participé mardi à Bruxelles, à la réunion du Conseil Affaires Etrangères et à
celle du Comité directeur de l’Agence européenne de défense. « Les
discussions ont été substantielles et ont confirmé le soutien que les pays
européens accordent à l’Ukraine. Nous avons mis en évidence l’importance d’un
appui consistant que l’Europe offre à l’industrie militaire des pays de
l’Europe de l’Est. Nous avons réitéré le soutien ferme de Bucarest au parcours
européen de Kiev et de Chisinau » a fait savoir le ministre roumain. Et
Angel Talvar de mettre en évidence l’importance que l’Europe et l’OTAN
coordonnent leurs réponses aux défis auxquels se confrontent les domaines
opérationnels communs.

Trio Valence – Inauguration mardi, à Valence, en Espagne, d’une réunion
trilatérale Roumanie-Espagne-Pologne, en présence des chefs des diplomaties
roumaine Bogdan Aurescu, espagnole Jose
Manuel Albares Bueno et polonaise Zbigniew Rau. Le ministre Aurescu a salué les
relations excellentes que la Roumanie a avec l’Espagne et la Pologne et la
coopération étroite entre les trois pays aussi bien au sein de l’UE qu’au sein
de l’OTAN. A Valence, le responsable roumain a abordé aussi le sujet de
l’adhésion roumaine à l’Espace Schengen. L’occasion pour ses homologues de
Madrid et de Varsovie de reconfirmer le soutien constant que leurs pays
accordent à la Roumanie en ce sens. D’ailleurs, la présidence espagnole du
Conseil de l’UE se fera une priorité de l’adhésion roumaine à l’Espace de libre
circulation. Les trois responsables ont décidé que la réunion trilatérale
surnommée « Valence Trio » ait lieu chaque année, au niveau
ministériel.

Exposition – Une exposition photo
itinérante qui célèbre le 25ème anniversaire du Partenariat
stratégique roumano-américain a été inaugurée mardi, à Cluj, en présence de
l’ambassadrice des Etats-Unis à Bucarest, Mme Kathleen Kavalec. Son Excellence
a déclaré que la Roumanie a enregistré des progrès remarquables dans le
renforcement de la démocratie, pour devenir un pilier de paix et de sécurité
dans la région et un exemple de prospérité économique. De nos jours, la
Roumanie est un allié exemplaire de l’OTAN, a encore affirmé la diplomate
américaine. L’exposition qui explore les relations bilatérales diplomatiques,
économiques, culturelles et de sécurité
est ouverte jusqu’au 20 juin. Elle a été déjà présentée à Bucarest et dans
d’autres grandes villes.

Météo – Après des températures en
dessous de la moyenne saisonnière, maintenant, la Roumanie souffre de chaleur.
Des pluies et des orages sont signalés dans plusieurs régions du pays.
Mercredi, les températures iront de 21 à 29 degrés. Nous aurons 28 degrés
mercredi midi, à Bucarest.

23 May 2023
May 22, 2023

STRIKE An all-out strike has been initiated today in Romanian public
undergraduate education. According to trade unions, taking part are over 150,000
teachers and 70,000 non-teaching staff, disgruntled with the government’s
salary policies. A two-hour token strike in higher education is also scheduled
for today.

EDUCATION The new undergraduate and higher education bills are discussed and voted on as of today in the Senate, the
decision-making parliamentary body in this respect.
At the end of last week’s talks in the Senate’s committee on education, the
representatives of students and parents said that over 90% of their requests were
answered in the new legislation. In turn, the religious denominations welcomed
the amendments to the new bills. With respect to the undergraduate education,
the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, in power, say the bill meets students’
educational needs, supports teachers’ career development and fosters quality and
equity in the education system. The draft law includes measures to enhance
safety in schools and to ensure the access of children with special needs to
regular classes. The opposition, on the other hand, believes these important issues
noted by civil society are not solved.

VISIT The president of Germany, Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, will make an official visit to Romania on the 24th to 26th
May, at the invitation of president Klaus Iohannis. According
to the Romanian presidency, the visit is a major landmark for the excellent
Romanian-German relations. Talks will focus on extending and deepening
bilateral cooperation in political, security and economic areas. The Romanian
presidency also mentions that Germany is a reliable ally of Romania,
contributing to the security in the region, and also the country’s main trade
partner and the second-largest foreign investor in the national economy. The
two heads of state will also exchange opinions on current security developments
and on consolidating the defence posture in NATO’s eastern flank. During
his visit to Romania, the president of Germany will also travel to Sibiu
(centre) and Timisoara (west).

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in the meeting of the EU Foreign
Affairs Council in Brussels. The EU foreign ministers discuss measures to
mitigate the effects of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. According to the
Romanian foreign ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s firm, multidimensional
and continuing support for Ukraine and will express hopes that an agreement
will be reached as soon as possible on the 8th support package for
the Ukrainian air forces under the EU Peace Facility. Minister Aurescu will
also highlight the importance of keeping pressure on Russia by consolidating
sanctions, and will reiterate the idea of setting up a special international tribunal
for the crime of aggression to prosecute Russian crimes of aggression during
the war in Ukraine.

TECHNOLOGY Bucharest Tech
Week, the largest technology and innovation trade fair in Central and Eastern
Europe, has begun in Bucharest today. The event brings together over 70 speakers,
national and international tech experts, and 1,500 professionals from over 100
companies operating in various fields. The first 5 days are devoted to
conferences on innovation, HR, retail, Java and Software Architecture, under
the heading Business Summits. The largest technology and innovation
exhibition, Tech Expo, will also be open to the public over the weekend of 26 May.

GREECE The right-of-centre party headed by Greece’s incumbent PM,
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has won Sunday’s parliamentary election, but failed to get
absolute majority. New Democracy won over 41% of the votes, and will have 146 seats
in parliament. Its left-of-centre rivals, Syriza party, won 21% of the votes
and 71 seats in parliament. The 3% threshold has been reached by 5 of the 36 parties
that took part in the election. Kyriakos Mitsotakis ruled out a coalition
government. Unless the winning parties manage to form a government, early
elections will be held on 25 June.

FOOTBALL Farul Constanţa
won Romania’s football championships, after defeating FCSB 3-2, on home turf
on Sunday night, in the 9th round of the Super League. Farul managed a spectacular come-back in the championship final,
after FCSB had been leading 2-0. (AMP)

22 May 2023
May 21, 2023 UPDATE

EDUCATION On Monday the staff in Romania’s public undergraduate
education will go on strike, the trade unions in the sector announced after
Sunday’s talks with government officials. The protest will continue until
unions have received a credible solution from the government, the leader of
the Spiru Haret Trade Union Federation, Marius Nistor, said. The government put
forth a clear roadmap for the endorsement of the new salary law and promised pay
raises for non-teaching staff, which according to unionists would only amount
to EUR 20 a month. Financial incentives for entry-level teachers and experienced
staff teaching in underprivileged areas have also been proposed. The higher
education staff will also go on token strikes as of Monday, the head of the Alma
Mater National Trade Union Federation Anton Hadăr announced. Trade unions said
negotiations would continue in the coming days.

MOLDOVA
A large-scale rally was held in Chişinău on Sunday, at the initiative of
president Maia Sandu, in order to prove Moldovans’ support for the country’s EU
accession. Europe is the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova is
Europe. Moldova is not alone, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta
Metsola said in Romanian at the European Moldova National Assembly. Participants
adopted a resolution confirming the support of Moldovan citizens for the
country’s EU accession efforts. The rally takes place as the Republic of
Moldova, an EU accession candidate country, would like to begin accession
negotiations by the end of this year. For this stage to begin, Moldova must
complete 9 recommendations, which will be assessed by this autumn in a European
Commission report. In Bucharest, the Organisation of Moldovan Students
organised a similar rally in front of Moldova’s Embassy. Scores of people
watched the speeches in Chisinau jointly with the Moldovan Ambassador to
Bucharest, Victor Chirila.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part on
Monday in the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The EU
foreign ministers will discuss measures to mitigate the effects of Russia’s
aggression in Ukraine and the situation in the Horn of Africa. The EU officials
will also touch on the bloc’s commitment in Central Asia, developments in Tunisia,
the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the context of high-level EU
diplomatic contacts with both countries. According to the Romanian foreign
ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s firm, multidimensional and
continuing support for Ukraine and will express hopes that an agreement will be
reached as soon as possible on the 8th support package for the
Ukrainian air forces under the EU Peace Facility. Minister Aurescu will also
highlight the importance of keeping pressure on Russia by consolidating
sanctions, and will reiterate the idea of setting up a special international tribunal
for the crime of aggression to prosecute Russian crimes of aggression during
the war in Ukraine.

RAILWAYS The president of Romania’s Competition Council, Bogdan
Chiriţoiu, made statements concerning Carpatica Feroviar, a new company that
will take over the operations of the state-owned railway freight corporation CFR
Marfă. The new company will take over the profitable contracts and the
equipment needed for completing them, while the other assets will be sold in order
to cover as much as possible of the old company’s debts to the state budget
Chiriţoiu explained. He emphasised that current operations will not be
discontinued. The financial performance of CFR Marfă improved slightly in 2022,
but the company still owes some EUR 400 mln to the state budget and social
security budget.

BEEKEEPERS Romanian beekeepers say they are left with large amounts
of unsold honey because of imports of cheaper and poorer-quality honey. The
head of the Romanian Beekeepers Association, Ioan Fetea, says the situation is
particularly serious as last year’s yield was a lot smaller than in previous
years. Last year beekeepers saw modest yields, but they could not even sell those,
precisely because of these dumping practices, obviously explained by the fact
that that honey is not in line with EU regulations. Almost half of the honey
imported into Europe is adulterated, counterfeit, and obviously sold very
cheaply, which puts tremendous pressure on local producers, Fetea explained. Beekeepers
are also struggling with a fall in the number of bee families, because of the
use of insecticides in agriculture.

UKRAINE The US president Joe Biden Sunday announced new military aid
measures for Ukraine, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. The new aid package will
consist of ammunitions, artillery and armoured vehicles, Joe Biden explained, just
days after approving the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According
to Reuters, this new package is worth up to USD 375 mln and is designed to
strengthen Ukraine’s defence in the war against Russia. The British PM Rishi
Sunak also announced in Hiroshima that his country would start training
Ukrainian pilots this summer, to support Ukraine’s air forces in the conflict.
Rishi Sunak added that no one wants peace more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but
the terms for peace, he added, should be based on Ukraine’s principles. In the
3-day summit in Japan, the G7 nations voiced their willingness to stand by
Ukraine in the long run.

ROWING Romania won 2 gold and 3 silver medals at
the 2023 European Rowing Under 19 Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France,
in which it took part with 11 boats. Romania came out second in the overall nations
tables, behind Italy and ahead of Turkey. In last year’s competition, Romania
had won 5 medals (3 gold, one silver and one bronze), and finished top of the
ranking by nations. (AMP)

21 May 2023
May 21, 2023

EDUCATION
In Bucharest, the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă, the Social Democratic leader Marcel
Ciolacu and the labour minister Marius Budăi invited trade unions in public
education to talks in order to avoid an all-out strike announced for tomorrow. Unionists
said protests could only end when the solutions to their demands, particularly
concerning salaries, were introduced in officially endorsed legislation. The
finance minister Adrian Câciu said the teaching staff’s demands could have been
solved, if Romania had received the money in the second disbursement round
under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is currently suspended
because of targets that have not been met in the field of energy, for which the
National Liberal Party is responsible. On the other hand, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
the solution to the unions’ demands has to do with the unified salary law that
the labour ministry headed by the Social Democrats has failed to finalise in
spite of the support of the entire ruling coalition. Amid these disagreements, the
president of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu, demanded that
negotiations on the new cabinet make-up following the PM rotation should be
suspended until the issue in the education sector has been solved, and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, a junior partner in the ruling
coalition, agreed. The Liberals on the other hand argue that the government
transition should be completed quickly in order to maintain stability and
balance. Under a protocol signed by the 2 parties, on 26 May the Social
Democrats should take over the prime minister post from the Liberals, for the
next 1,5 years, until the next general elections.

MOLDOVA
A large-scale rally is held in Chişinău today, at the
initiative of president Maia Sandu, in order to prove Moldovans’ support for
the country’s EU accession. Europe is the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of
Moldova is Europe. Moldova is not alone, the president of the European
Parliament, Roberta Metsola said in Romanian at the European Moldova National
Assembly. Participants adopted a resolution confirming the support of Moldovan
citizens for the country’s EU accession efforts. The rally takes place as the Republic
of Moldova, an EU accession candidate country, would like to begin accession
negotiations by the end of this year. For this stage to begin, Moldova must
complete 9 recommendations, which will be assessed by this autumn in a European
Commission report. In Bucharest, the Organisation of Moldovan Students
organised a similar rally in front of Moldova’s Embassy. Scores of people
watched the speeches in Chisinau jointly with the Moldovan Ambassador to
Bucharest, Victor Chirila.

UKRAINE The US president Joe Biden Sunday announced new military aid
measures for Ukraine, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. The new aid package will
consist of ammunitions, artillery and armoured vehicles, Joe Biden explained, just
days after approving the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According
to Reuters, this new package is worth up to USD 375 mln and is designed to
strengthen Ukraine’s defence in the war against Russia. The British PM Rishi
Sunak also announced in Hiroshima that his country would start training
Ukrainian pilots this summer, to support Ukraine’s air forces in the conflict.
Rishi Sunak added that no one wants peace more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but
the terms for peace, he added, should be based on Ukraine’s principles. In the
3-day summit in Japan, the G7 nations voiced their willingness to stand by
Ukraine in the long run.

FLOODING
In Italy, code red alerts for heavy rainfalls with landslide risks are valid
today as well, in the Emilia Romagna region in the north of the country, already
affected by unprecedented flash floods. Fourteen people died and 36,000 others
were evacuated by the authorities. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent
in Italy, in Ravenna province alone, the most severely hit by the floods, over 16%
of the territory has been evacuated. A preliminary estimate by Confagricoltura,
the association of Italian farmers, indicates that the flooding in Emilia
Romagna caused crop damages of over EUR 1.5 bln.

GREECE
Greece is holding elections today for its single-chamber 300-seat parliament, with
around 9.5 million people expected to take part in the vote. As many as 36 parties
and political associations are running for parliamentary seats, for which they
need at least 3% of the votes. The most likely to win is incumbent PM Kyriakos
Mitsotakis’s party, New Democracy, with 33% of the voting intentions in polls. The
left-of-centre Syriza party, headed by Alexis Tsipras, is predicted to carry
26% of the votes. A novelty in this election is the scrapping of the 50-seat
bonus for the winning party. Unless the parties manage to form a new
government, early elections will be held in July, with a return to the previous
bonus system. (AMP)

21 May 2023
19.05.2023 (mise à jour)

Gouvernement
– Le gouvernement roumain pourrait décider sa nouvelle composition la semaine
prochaine, a déclaré le ministre roumain des Affaires Intérieures, Lucian Bode.
A ses dires, l’UDMR n’a pas encore annoncé si elle serait d’accord oui ou non
avec les changements proposés au sein de la coalition. « Si on opte pour
une formule gouvernementale avec 18 ministères, l’UDMR se verra attribuer deux
portefeuilles et un poste de vice premier ministre, le PNL aura huit
ministères, un poste de vice-premier ministre et celui de secrétaire général du
gouvernement et le PSD aura huit ministères et les postes de premier ministre,
de vice premier ministre et de chancelier du gouvernement. Selon le protocole
signé par les trois partis membres de l’actuelle coalition au pouvoir, le
leader social-démocrate remplacera celui libéral à la tête du gouvernement.

Education – La direction du Sénat roumain a décidé que les rapports de la Commission spécialisée chargée de l’Education devraient être approuvés d’ici lundi. Les débats sur la loi sur l’enseignement pré-universitaire se poursuivent. Vendredi, plusieurs amendements ont été approuvés dont celui qui porte sur la scolarisation des enfants aux besoins particuliers. Les écoles de Roumanie seront obligées, entre autres, de mettre à la disposition de ces enfants des assistants sociaux et des spécialistes en analyse comportementale. Les prévisions sur le transport des élèves et sur la lutte contre l’abandon scolaire sont restées sous la forme adoptée par la Chambre des députés. Le vote décisionnel aura lieu la semaine prochaine, en session plénière.

Grève
– Le président de la Chambre des députés de Bucarest, le leader
social-démocrate, Marcel Ciolacu, s’est dit prêt à discuter ce weekend avec les
leaders des syndicats de l’Education nationale pour trouver un compromis et
éviter le déclanchement de la grève. Dans un message sur fb, M. Ciolacu a
précisé que le premier ministre libéral, Nicolae Ciuca, est à son tour ouvert
au dialogue. Aux dires du leader du PSD, les responsables politiques et les
syndicalistes doivent se mettre d’accord afin que les élèves puissent continuer
à se rendre à l’école. Selon lui, une grève perturberait non seulement les
activités éducationnelles, mais aussi le quotidien des familles. Les
syndicalistes de l’Enseignement pré-universitaire ont décidé d’entrer en grève
générale le 22 mai, mécontents du niveau salarial et des conditions de travail.

Maison
Verte- Les aides locales pour les
installations de panneaux solaires dans la région Bucarest-Ilfov, versées du
budget public au programme « La Maison verte photovoltaïque » ont été
épuisées en moins de 10 minutes, a fait savoir le Ministère roumain de
l’Environnement. Les 100 millions de lei d’aides ont été réservés intégralement
par 4993 personnes. Le programme s’adresse aux Roumains qui souhaitent doter
leurs foyers d’installations de production d’énergie solaire photovoltaïque. Selon
le ministère de l’Environnement, la demande d’enregistrement est disponible
pour les régions de développement classées par ordre alphabétique, chaque zone
disposant de trois jours ouvrables. A partir du 24 mai, ce sera aux
départements du centre de la Roumanie de se voir allouer le budget pour les panneaux
solaires. Le programme « La Maison verte photovoltaïque » dispose
d’une enveloppe de 1,75 milliards de lei, soit 350 millions d’euros ce qui
correspond à la mise en place de 87.000 panneaux solaires.

Frégate
– Les militaires roumains de la frégate « Le roi Ferdinand » ont
participé du 13 au 19 mai à des manœuvres complexes en mer Méditerranée dans le
cadre de l’opération EUNAVFOR MED IRINI. Différents exercices militaires se
sont déroulés au bord du navire, parallèlement à des vols de surveillance
aérienne du trafic maritime et à des vols d’entrainement à bord d’un
hélicoptère Puma naval embarqué. La frégate « Le roi Ferdinand » a
mouillé vendredi dans le port de Catane, en Sicile, afin de renforcer ses
capacités de combat et préparer les futures missions dans le cadre de
l’Opération EUNAVFOR MED IRINI.

Moldova – La présidente du Parlement européen, Roberta
Metsola, participera dimanche, à Chisinau, à l’Assemblée La Moldavie
européenne, à l’invitation de la cheffe de la République de Moldova, Maia
Sandu. Celle-ci invite tous les citoyens moldaves, y compris ceux de la
diaspora, à se réunir dimanche, à partir du 11h00, Place de la Grande Assemblée
nationale, pour prouver la volonté du pays d’emprunter la voie européenne. Une
résolution sera adoptée pour l’occasion par laquelle Chisinau confirmera le
soutien des Moldaves au parcours européen du pays. L’événement est organisé
quelques jours avant le sommet de la Communauté politique européenne prévu le
1er juin, en République de Moldova.

Radioactivité – Le niveau de radioactivité en Roumanie n’a pas enregistré des hausses suite aux récentes
explosions en Ukraine, a fait savoir l’Agence nationale pour la Protection de
l’Environnement. Dans un article sur Internet, les représsentants de
l’institution précisent que les Roumains n’ont aucune raison de paniquer, puisque
les données enregistrées dernièrement montrent des valeurs normales de
radiations. Les précisions interviennent dans le contexte où le président
russe, Vladimir Poutine, a affirmé qu’un nuage radioactif serait arrivé en
Pologne, après des explosions à un dépot de munitions d’uranium appauvri, en Ukraine.

19 May 2023
May 19, 2023

FORUM
Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and the EU accession efforts of that country
and of the Republic of Moldova are among the topics discussed in Bucharest in a
forum devoted to security challenges at the Black Sea and in the Balkans. The
2-day event comprises over 40 sessions, attended by senior civilian and
military officials, diplomats and experts from the European Union and NATO, as
well as partner states. Attending the event, PM Nicolae Ciucă pleaded for a
strengthened NATO presence at the Black Sea, where free maritime and air
traffic are jeopardised by Russia’s threats.

SOLAR
POWER Individual households in Bucharest and Ilfov County may enroll, as of
today, in a new session of the Photovoltaic Green Home programme, addressing
people who want to install solar panels using state assistance. According to
the environment ministry, the app used for enrolment is available for separate
development regions, in alphabetical order, with 3 working days earmarked for
each region. The programme has a budget of around EUR 35 mln, covering over 87,000
photovoltaic systems.

EDUCATION Members of the
Senate’s committee on education have today resumed discussions on the
undergraduate education bill. On Thursday the analysis of the higher education
bill was finalized and a positive report was issued, with certain amendments. The
Opposition criticized the final draft of the document, which they say fails to
ensure a true reform of the system. On the other hand, the representatives of
the ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party, National Liberal
Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, said the
amendments improved the bill. Parliament is scheduled to vote on both education
bills on Monday, when trade unions in the sector announced they would go on
all-out strike. Negociations continue today to avoid a strike, but
after the talks yesterday the unions announced they would not give up their
planned strike unless their salary demands were met.

UNESCO Codex Aureus, the
best-known and most important illuminated medieval manuscript, currently in Alba
Iulia, central Romania, has been included in the UNESCO heritage list. According
to the National Library of Romania, the famous manuscript is part of the Memory
of the World Register, which comprises 9 other 1,200-year old works from various
countries in Europe. Most
manuscripts are fragments of Latin gospel books, written in gold ink, and
featuring portraits of the 4 evangelists.

SANCTIONS The
US and their G7 allies Friday announced new sanctions to reduce Russia’s
ability to carry on its war in Ukraine. The sanctions, which target Russia’s
highly profitable diamond exports, were decided right ahead of the G7 Summit in
Hiroshima, Japan. Diamond exports, mainly to the UAE, India and EU member state
Belgium, earn Moscow several billion US dollars a year. A
EU official said India’s joining the new set of sanctions would be crucial. Invited to
attend the summit in Hiroshima is also the Indian PM Narendra Modi, whose
country has strong ties with Moscow and has been reluctant so far to condemning
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

RADIO The Romanian and
Bulgarian public radio broadcasters announced they would strengthen their
cooperation. The president and director general of the Romanian Radio
Broadcasting Corporation, Răzvan Ioan Dincă, and the head of the Bulgarian
National Radio Corporation, Milen Mitev, will sign an agreement in Sofia, under
which the 2 parties will exchange news and radio programmes free of charge,
will produce joint programmes and will provide access to archive recordings to
their respective listeners in the next 2 years.. Radio Romania International aired
Bulgarian-language programmes between 1946 and 1949, and again between 1995 and
2004. Since 2022 the Bulgarian National Radio has a Romanian-language web page.
(AMP)

19 May 2023
May 17, 2023 UPDATE

Strike – In Romania, education employees will go on an all-out strike as of Monday. The meeting that the leaders of the main education trade union federations had, on Wednesday, in Bucharest, with the liberal Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the leader of the Social Democratic Party – PSD, Marcel Ciolacu, did not produce any results that convinced the representatives of the employees to give up the protest, the president of the Federation of Trade Unions, Simion Hăncescu, announced. In turn, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said that there would be a new discussion on Monday. Education employees organized a two-hour warning strike on Wednesday. The unions announced that the protest is a stage in the labor conflict generated by the low wages and the lack of investments in the field. The National Federation of Parents Associations in the pre-university education system supports the teachers approach and understands their grievances, but specifies that the initiation of the all-out strike would harm the students, especially those in the final years.

Diplomacy – Romania is deeply committed to combating any form of extremism and hate speech at home and anywhere in the world and supports all the European projects dedicated to combating anti-Semitism. The statement was made on Wednesday morning by the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, at the solemn joint session of the Romanian Parliament marking 75 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between Romania and the State of Israel. “Israel is one of Romanias strongest and most important partners in the Middle East, but also the state with which we have an increasingly strengthened economic relationship. I think, however, that the potential of commercial exchanges is much higher”, Nicolae Ciucă said. Present at the meeting in Bucharest, the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, Amir Ohana, stated that Romania was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Israel and took important steps to commemorate the Holocaust, which demonstrates its commitment to combating anti-Semitism. According to Amir Ohana, the ties between Romania and Israel are “better than ever”.

Summit — The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, participated, in Reykjavik, between May 16-17, in the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe, held during the mandate of the Presidency of Iceland. On Wednesday, he delivered a speech during the general debate “United for Europe”. On the other hand, Klaus Iohannis said that Russias aggression against Ukraine must remain a central point on the organizations agenda. He pointed out that Romania fully supported the Reykjavik Declaration, adopted at the end of the summit, which reconfirms the particular role of the Council of Europe in the multilateral architecture at the European and international level. At the same time, the establishment of the International ‘Register of Damage’ caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, in which Romania participates as a founding state, was also announced in Reykjavik. Also on Wednesday, the Romanian head of state had a series of bilateral meetings, on the sidelines of the Summit, with his counterparts from the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia.

Conference – The Chief of the Romanian Defense Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, participates, between May 17 and 19, in the 16th edition of the Conference of the Chiefs of the Defense Staffs from the Balkans on military cooperation issues, organized in Sofia, in neighboring Bulgaria. According to Romanian Defense Ministry, the agenda of the forum includes analyzes of the security situation in the Balkan area, as well as methods of collaboration between the states in the region. At the same time, General Daniel Petrescu will have a bilateral meeting with his Turkish counterpart. The forum takes place annually and brings together the chiefs of defense staffs from nine countries in South-Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. The forum aims to boost regional military cooperation by strengthening security and ensuring a climate of stability in the Balkan region, to identify and develop a regional crisis management mechanism and joint participation in exercises to increase the interoperability of the armed forces in the region. Defense chiefs from Croatia and Slovenia, as well as high-level representatives of NATO and the EU, are also invited to this edition of the conference.

CCR – The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) decided on Wednesday that the crime of abuse of office can be criminalized even without a value threshold, the judge being the one who can decide on the seriousness of the act. The Court rejected as unfounded the objection of unconstitutionality formulated by the High Court of Cassation and Justice regarding the criminalization of abuse of office without a value threshold. At the same time, the Court decided that the Romanian Intelligence Service’s interceptions cannot be used as evidence obtained on national security warrants also in the case of corruption cases. We remind you that, initially, the Senate established a value threshold of 250,000 lei (approx. 50,000 Euros) for criminalizing abuse of office, but following the scandal caused in the public space, the Justice Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, proposed a new threshold of 9,000 lei (approx. 1,800 Euros). Later, the Legal Committee of the Chamber of Deputies gave up the threshold, and the plenum adopted the draft law that amends the Criminal Code and refers to abuse and negligence in office without any threshold. (LS)

17 May 2023
May 15, 2023 UPDATE

MIG-21 On Monday Romania retired its aging Russian-made
MIG-21 LanceR fighters it inherited from the communist regime and replaced them
with more modern F-16s. The measure is part of the process of strengthening of
NATO’s eastern flank, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Romania now relies
on 17 second-hand F-16s purchased from Portugal. We recall that in November
last year the government in Bucharest signed a contract with Norway for another
batch of 32 F-16 fighters. A NATO member since 2004, Romania also wants to buy
the latest generation of F-35 fighters but experts believe this expensive
project will become reality in years. The total number of MIG 21 fighters
Romania has is secret but according to unofficial estimates it somewhere around
25. However, the communist Romania boasted nearly 400 of these famous Russian
fighters. According to Romania’s Defence Ministry, 30 Mig-21s sustained damage
in various flight incidents between 1991 and 2022.

STRIKE The SANITAS trade union
federation is gathering signatures in order to call for an all-out strike in
the country’s healthcare and social assistance systems, starting June 15.
Representatives of the federation believe that, in spite of the pressure put by
the authorities, the laws governing wages in the area are not applied in full.
They also claim that there are still categories of employees who have not been
properly compensated, and the line authorities show no real intention to comply
with the legislation.

VISIT President Klaus Iohannis is
taking part on Tuesday and Wednesday in Reykjavik, Iceland, in the fourth
summit of the Council of Europe. The meeting comes against the background of
the Russian invasion in Ukraine, and the council was one of the first
international institutions to react, by excluding the Russian Federation as a
member, according to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest. The summit
will inaugurate an international registry of damage caused by the Russian
invasion, and Romania will be a founding member state. This event has a special
significance for Romania, as this year is the thirtieth since it joined the
organization.

LAWS The draft education laws were submitted to
the Senate’s special committees, on Monday, which are expected to issue an
opinion. The laws are expected to be debated in the Education Committee on
Tuesday. A final vote on the education laws is scheduled for May 22 in the
Senate, the decision-making body in this case. According to Education Minister Ligia
Deca, the laws seek to prevent and combat school dropout and functional
illiteracy, to implement a pupil-oriented education, to ensure safety in
schooling units and provide teachers with better training and support
opportunities and observe professional ethics standards. Ruling coalition
parties say the laws will reform the education system, but the opposition has
voiced criticism, arguing the laws fail to provide solutions to the problems of
the education system and represent a failure of the Educated Romania project
endorsed by the presidency.

(bill&VP)

15 May 2023
15.05.2023

Education – A Bucarest, les propositions des lois de l’Education
nationale sont soumises aujourd’hui aux débats des commissions spécialisées du
Sénat roumain. Demain, des discussions à ce sujet auront lieu au sein de la
Commission chargée de l’éducation avant que le Sénat ne donne son vote final,
le 22 mai. Aux dires de la ministre, Ligia Deca, les lois se proposent de
lutter contre l’abandon scolaire et l’illettrisme fonctionnel, tout en
contribuant à la mise en place d’une éducation centrée sur l’élève, d’un plus
de sécurité dans les écoles, d’une formation approfondie des enseignants et du
respect du code éthique et de déontologie. Aux dires des représentants des partis
de la coalition au pouvoir, les nouvelles mesures réformeront le système de l’Education
nationale. En revanche, l’opposition considère que les propositions
législatives ne répondent pas aux problèmes auxquels le système se confronte et
représentent un échec du projet présidentiel « La Roumanie éduquée ».

Avions – Les derniers vols des appareils MiG 21 LanceR des
Forces aériennes roumaines se déroulent aujourd’hui, dans le cadre de
cérémonies sur plusieurs bases aériennes du pays. Les appareils seront
acheminés à la Base aérienne 95 de Bacau dans l’est qui organise aujourd’hui
une journée des portes ouvertes. Le retrait des avions Mig 21 se fait aux
termes d’une décision du Conseil suprême de défense de la Roumanie datant de
l’année dernière qui vise à accélérer la transition vers les avions de combat
américains F16.

Visite – Le chef de l’Etat roumain, Klaus Iohannis,
participera mardi et mercredi au quatrième Sommet du Conseil de l’Europe qui se
déroule à Reykjavik, en Islande. Selon un communiqué de la présidence roumaine,
la réunion se propose de mettre en lumière le rôle du Conseil dans l’actuel
contexte géopolitique marqué par l’agression russe en Ukraine. Responsable de
la démocratie, des droits de l’Homme et de l’Etat de droit, l’organisation figure
parmi les premières structures internationales ayant réagi d’une manière
concrète à l’invasion militaire en Ukraine, en décidant d’exclure la Russie de
ses structures.

Moldova – La République de Moldova lancera une procédure
de retrait de l’Accord visant l’Assemblée interparlementaire de la Communauté
des Etats indépendants, a annoncé lundi le président du Parlement de Chisinau,
Igor Grosu, cité par Radio Chisinau. « Au bout de 30 ans, il est évident
que la présence de notre pays au sein de cette structure n’a contribué ni au
règlement du conflit de Transnistrie, ni au retrait des troupes russes, ni à
lutter contre les embargos économiques ou les chantages énergétiques » a
souligné Igor Grosu. Et lui d’ajouter que la Communauté des Etats indépendants
ne protège pas les pays des attaques militaires, de la guerre et de l’occupation
illégale. Créée le 8 décembre 1991, la
CEI a pour objectif d’acter la fin de l’existence de l’URSS en tant que « sujet
du droit international et de la réalité géopolitique » et de préserver les
liens entre les futurs nouveaux États. La République de Moldova est membre de
cette Communauté depuis 1994.

Festival – Coup d’envoie
ce lundi, à Bucarest, du Festival du Film européen. Après les éditions
déroulées à Timisoara et Oravita, le festival s’ouvre ce soir dans la capitale
roumaine par la projection du film The Pod
Generation. Réalisée par Sophie Barthes, le film a été primé au Festival
Sundance. Jusqu’au 23 mai, le public bucarestois est attendu en salle de cinéma
pour découvrir des productions primées aux plus importants festivals du film
tels Berlin, Venise, Sundance ou Locarno.

Météo – Ce lundi, les températures approchent la moyenne de la
saison, avec des valeurs allant de 18 à 25 degrés. Le ciel est couvert et le
brouillard persiste dans l’ouest, le nord-ouest et le sud-ouest du pays et des
pluies éparses risquent de tomber sur le relief. Le vent souffle légèrement sur
l’ensemble du territoire et plus fort en altitude, sur les sommets des Carpates
méridionales. A Bucarest, nous avons un ciel morose et 25 degrés à midi.

15 May 2023