Radio România Internațional

Tag: election

  • August 28, 2024 UPDATE

    August 28, 2024 UPDATE

    ELECTION The Government in Bucharest has set the calendar of the upcoming election in detail, including the technical measures and expenses for the preparation, organization and unfolding of the presidential election in Romania. So, November 24th 2024 will be seeing the first round of voting and, if needed, a second round will take place on December 8. October 5th is the deadline for submitting candidatures and election signs to the Central Election Office, while the election campaign kicks off on October 25th. In another development, the government has extended the National Programme for Local Development for another two years in order to support the over 3 thousand projects currently underway. Also on Wednesday, the Executive approved “The National Plan for a Safe School Environment” completing the measures focusing on fighting violence in the country’s education system. Discounts will be made available for therapy sessions for children victims of violence, or who were involved in such acts. The programme also includes training courses for teachers as well as an online library devoted to combating violence in schools. Under another bill endorsed in the education sector, students will be granted scholarships through state-funded cultural projects.

     

    OECD Romania on Wednesday received a positive review in the competition sector as part of its OECD accession process. According to Romania’s Competition Council, the review was issued after an assessment that took place between 2018 and 2022. During the review, the Council must demonstrate that its work meets the requirements of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Recommendations have also been made, and the stage of their implementation will be presented next year. Accession to the OECD is a priority for Romania, and is the country’s 3rd strategic goal after the NATO and EU accession.

     

    DEFICIT Romania’s budget deficit exceeds 4% of GDP after the first 7 months of the year, according to finance ministry data. In January – July, the government had total revenues of over EUR 66 bln, up 15% compared to the first 7 months of 2023. Budget expenditure however increased by over 23%, to more than EUR 80 bln. This year’s budget law is based on a 5% deficit level. Meanwhile, the minister for EU investments and projects Adrian Câciu has announced that Romania has so far received EUR23.84 bln under the cohesion policy in 2014-2020, reaching a 99.1% absorption rate.

     

    INDEPENDENCE The Republic of Moldova Tuesday celebrated 33 years since the proclamation of its independence from the former Soviet Union. Attending the ceremonies, the presidents of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia signed a joint statement of support for the country’s EU accession. In his message on this occasion, president Klaus Iohannis promised Romania will continue to provide strategic support to Moldova in all areas. In turn, PM Marcel Ciolacu reassured his Moldovan counterpart, Dorin Recean, that Romania will remain in the front line of the efforts to consolidate Moldova’s EU accession efforts, its stability and democratic development.

     

    WEATHER Thunderstorms were reported on Tuesday night in several parts of the country. Weather experts have issued scores of extreme weather warnings. In Iaşi, in the north-east, the wind brought several trees down and damaged vehicles, while entire streets in the city were flooded. Also in the north-east, in Botoşani County, firefighters were called to put out a fire after lightning struck a tree. Tens of streets and basements were also flooded in Cluj-Napoca (north-west).

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  • Who runs for Romania’s presidential seat?

    Who runs for Romania’s presidential seat?

    The nominees of the Social-Democratic Party and of the National Liberal Party for the position of Romania’s president, Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciuca respectively, might run into the second round of voting due in December this year, says a survey conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology, CURS, over August 6 and 22.

    Ranking first among the electorate’s preferences is the PSD nominee with 32% followed by PNL with 19%. They are followed by the incumbent NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana, who runs as an independent with 15% and George Simion, the nationalist leader of the AUR political group, who would muster 14% of the votes.

    The two ladies who have made public their intention to run for the presidential seat, Elena Lasconi from the United Right Alliance could get 11% while the controversial Diana Şoşoacă from the SOS Romania party only 5% of the voting intentions.

    We recall that the first round of the presidential election in Romania is to take place on November 24 and the second on December 8. They will take place in the same period as those for the country’s Parliament, due to take place on December 1, Romania’s national day.

    The election campaign for the Parliament seats will be unfolding over November 1 and 30. In Romania voters will be able to cast their ballots on December the 1 between 7 and 21 hours whereas in the Diaspora voting will kick off on 30 November at 7 hours local time and end on 1 December, at 21 hours.

    Until then, according to the same CURS survey, the first two parties preferred by the voters would muster more votes than their nominees; PSD would get 34%, while PNL 24%. AUR would take 14% and the United Right Alliance 12%. SOS Romania will have 5% and so will UDMR.

    If the situation doesn’t change, the Romanians could be governed by the same two parties, which are making up the incumbent ruling coalition, the Social-Democrats and the Liberals, which are presently enjoying a comfortable majority in the Bucharest Parliament.

    So, Romania’s political stage would be dominated by the same figures who are presently ruling the country. And if the incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu won the presidential election, he would become the first Social-Democratic president in the past 20 years.

    And if Ciolacu won the race, he would take over the presidential seat from another liberal, Klaus Iohannis. So, the stake is high for both parties!

    In the end we should mention that it’s for the first time in Romania’s history when the country has seen four types of elections in a year; those for the local administration and the European Parliament were already held in June.

    (bill)

  • August 24, 2024 UPDATE

    August 24, 2024 UPDATE

     

    CONVENTION Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu was reconfirmed as leader of the Social Democratic Party on Saturday, and officially nominated as the party’s candidate in the presidential election. In his address on this occasion, he presented the platform for which he hopes to win the president seat: a 10-year plan with 3 strategic directions: industry, agriculture and services. He argued that with its unity, the Social Democratic Party has managed to regain the confidence of Romanians, and that he offered Romanians “a president for all.” The party last won a presidential race in 2000. In their speeches, the Social Democrats teased their partners in the ruling coalition, the Liberals, and mocked the incumbent president, Klaus Iohannis. The first round of the election is scheduled on November 24, and the second on December 8th.

     

    UKRAINE The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, sent a letter to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Ukraine’s Independence Day. According to the Romanian presidency, Iohannis voiced his appreciation for the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces and civilians in defending their country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. He reiterated Bucharest’s firm commitment to provide constant, predictable and multidimensional support to Ukraine until its victory and further on in its reconstruction and European integration process. Iohannis emphasized that the security cooperation agreement signed by the 2 countries in July, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, proves that Romania’s support is not circumstantial, but long-standing, predictable and transparent.

     

    CROPS The European Union’s maize output will be smaller because of the drought and extreme heat in Romania, whose crops will be 30% lower. Estimates for the EU’s maize output were cut from 63 million tonnes, as reported last year, to 60-61 million tonnes, which is still above the level in 2022, when the drought affected the entire continent. Romania’s output is expected to drop from around 11 million tonnes last year to less than 8 million this autumn. In France, favourable humidity levels kept maize crops in a generally good condition, and the increase of the areas under crops should ensure higher output, namely over 14 million tonnes. In Poland, smaller areas under maize crops may lead to a 13% drop in output, while in Germany the crops are estimated to be 2% lower.

     

    PENSIONS The National Liberal Party, a junior member of the ruling coalition in Romania, proposes new amendments to the Pensions Law, so as to address the situation of pensioners whose benefits have been cut down in the latest revision. The Liberal leader and Senate speaker Nicolae Ciucă said the law should not have retrospective effect, and confirmed that the pensioners whose benefits have been cut down on paper will not benefit from cost-of-living adjustments for several years, although they will not be paid smaller amounts. According to official data, over 700,000 pensioners have received decisions by which their benefits have been cut down. These include workers in hazardous conditions, such as coal miners, engine drivers and nuclear industry personnel, who were able to stop working before the standard retirement age. Also at a disadvantage are people with disabilities, where the revised benefits are smaller by as much as 60%, for instance for the visually impaired. Hundreds of people are already asking for explanations from the authorities. They have until September 1 to appeal the decisions, and may even take the matter to court.

     

    MUSEUM The Bucharest Children’s Museum has reopened and is waiting for visitors with new guided interactive tours. The most recent of them shows kids the secrets of physics and chemistry. Entitled “The School of Magic – Wizard’s Castle,” it helps children understand physical and chemical reactions in a setting that reminds them of the Harry Potter universe. Apart from the School of Magic, children can enjoy 3 other tours – one devoted to the great ocean explorers, one to the human brain and one to classical fairytales.

     

    TENNIS Monica Niculescu (Romania) / Hanyu Guo (China) have qualified into the doubles finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Monterrey, Mexico. They defeated Tereza Mihalikova (Slovakia) / Olivia Nicholls (UK) 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 10-4. Niculescu and Guo won the match in 2 hours and 10 minutes and received USD 28,720 and WTA 325 points. In the final on August 25, Niculescu and Guo take on top seeded Giuliana Olmos of Mexico and Alexandra Panova of Russia. (AMP)

  • August 24, 2024

    August 24, 2024

     

    CONVENTION Romanian Social Democrats convene today to elect their new leadership and to appoint their candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. The party leader, PM Marcel Ciolacu, seeks a new term in office, backed by a team of 21 candidates. Ciolacu has also announced he will be running for president of Romania, and is to be validated by the party congress today. Another topic on today’s agenda is the election campaign, and the Social Democratic spokesman, Lucian Romaşcanu, said the party is able to mobilise so that in December Romania may have a Social Democratic president. The party last won a presidential race in 2000. The first round of the election is scheduled on November 24, and the second on December 8th.

     

    UKRAINE The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, sent a letter to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Ukraine’s Independence Day. According to the Romanian presidency, Iohannis voiced his appreciation for the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces and civilians in defending their country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. He reiterated Bucharest’s firm commitment to provide constant, predictable and multidimensional support to Ukraine until its victory and further on in its reconstruction and European integration process. Iohannis emphasized that the security cooperation agreement signed by the 2 countries in July, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, proves that Romania’s support is not circumstantial, but long-standing, predictable and transparent. On Ukraine’s Independence Day, the Cotroceni Palace in Bucureşti, the headquarters of the Romanian presidency, will be lit tonight in Ukraine’s national colours.

     

    CROPS The European Union’s maize output will be smaller because of the drought and extreme heat in Romania, whose crops will be 30% lower. Estimates for the EU’s maize output were cut from 63 million tonnes, as reported last year, to 60-61 million tonnes, which is still above the level in 2022, when the drought affected the entire continent. Romania’s output is expected to drop from around 11 million tonnes last year to less than 8 million this autumn. In France, favourable humidity levels kept maize crops in a generally good condition, and the increase of the areas under crops should ensure higher output, namely over 14 million tonnes. In Poland, smaller areas under maize crops may lead to a 13% drop in output, while in Germany the crops are estimated to be 2% lower.

     

    PENSIONS The National Liberal Party, a junior member of the ruling coalition in Romania, proposes new amendments to the Pensions Law, so as to address the situation of pensioners whose benefits have been cut down in the latest revision. The Liberal leader and Senate speaker Nicolae Ciucă said the law should not have retrospective effect, and confirmed that the pensioners whose benefits have been cut down on paper will not benefit from cost-of-living adjustments for several years, although they will not be paid smaller amounts. According to official data, over 700,000 pensioners have received decisions by which their benefits have been cut down. These include workers in hazardous conditions, such as coal miners, engine drivers and nuclear industry personnel, who were able to stop working before the standard retirement age. Also at a disadvantage are people with disabilities, where the revised benefits are smaller by as much as 60%, for instance for the visually impaired. Hundreds of people are already asking for explanations from the authorities. They have until September 1 to appeal the decisions, and may even take the matter to court.

     

    SCHOOLS Students in secondary schools and high schools in Romania with final grades above 9.50 will receive merits scholarships, under the new School Regulations recently published in the Official Journal. Merit and resilience scholarships will be granted to at least 30% of the students in each class, including in professional and dual education units. Merit scholarships for 5th graders will be granted based on the average grades in the first two modules of the current school year. For 9th-graders, scholarships will be granted based on the high school admission results, which should be above 9.50. Scholarships in public secondary schools and high schools are financed by the education ministry, except for those in military high schools, which will be funded by the defence ministry. For the new academic year, the merit scholarship minimum amount is nearly EUR 90. This amount may be increased by school boards, depending on the budget earmarked by the local authorities. (AMP)

  • August 21, 2024

    August 21, 2024

    VISIT The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying a two-day visit to Brussels as of today. He will talk with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the portfolio that Romania will receive in the future configuration of the Commission, as well as about the name of the future Romanian commissioner. Marcel Ciolacu and Ursula von der Leyen will also discuss the implementation stage of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Romanian prime minister might also present the general principles that he wants to put into practice to reduce the budget deficit.

     

    RADAR NATO strengthens Romania’s defence capabilities with a new sophisticated radar called LANZA, which has been relocated from Italy, together with its operational team. Located in Tulcea County, south-eastern Romania, this state-of-the-art facility provides a unique tracking and surveillance capability to the NATO command and control center. The aforementioned radar has been designed to improve the operational capabilities of various platforms, including military vessels and submarines. Mobile active radars are extremely effective and offer additional protection as compared to their airborne or static counterparts and they also improve interoperability within alliances and partnerships strengthening NATO air and space power.

     

    MEASURES The Romanian government will adopt, today, a series of provisions that will support energy producers in the cold season. Thus, the government will allow the local public authorities to guarantee bank loans that the energy producers under their authority will take in order to be able to buy natural gas with which to produce thermal energy for the coming winter. Through another law, the government will adopt the budget for the program of distributing vegetables, milk and fruits in schools for the 2024-2025 school year. Also in the education field, the executive will supplement the budget of the relevant ministry with 40 million lei (approx. 8 million Euros) for the finalization of seven student dormitories, which are in various stages of execution.

     

    TAROM ‘Romania’s air carrier, ‘TAROM’ doesn’t plan to give up other routes in the following period, but the volatile situation on the market can prompt further changes’ – the company’s interim director Costin Iordache said. The statement comes after TAROM announced its intention to sell the slots it has on Heathrow airport in London to Qatar Airways. The strategic deal is to be completed on October 26th as TAROM is presently in full restructuring and streamlining process.

     

    ELECTION During their national convention on Tuesday night in Chicago the US Democrats officially confirmed Kamala Harris as the presumptive nominee for the presidential election of November 5th. Democrat delegations from all over the USA again voiced their support for Harris in a ceremonial vote after President Biden dropped his bid for reelection. Harris is to deliver a major speech during the convention on Thursday marking the end of the four day event aimed at celebrating and giving an impetus to the Democrats nominees for the rest of the campaign. Vice President Harris, 60, has been the second woman nominee of the Democratic Party since its foundation in 1828 and could become, if elected, the first female president of the United States. Her opponent in the presidential election is the former US president the Republican billionaire Donald Trump.

    (bill)

  • June 25, 2024

    June 25, 2024

     

    ELECTION The ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party is to make a decision today on the date of the presidential election. The two parties are considering 2 dates for the first election round, September 15th or 29th. The government has until early July to pass an emergency order on the calendar of the presidential election, if the vote is to be held in September. The Liberals insist however that the election should be organized towards the end of the year, although they had initially agreed with a date in September. They argue that holding the election in September would disrupt the start of the new school year, and the campaign would overlap the holiday season. The Social Democrats, on the other hand, rule out any change in the agreed calendar. The 2 ruling parties must also decide whether to have separate candidates for the presidential post. On June 9th, they had a common candidate list for the European Parliament election, but had separate candidates in the local elections.

     

    FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu took part on Monday in the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. On this occasion, Mrs. Odobescu highlighted the importance of stepped-up military support for Ukraine and mentioned the decision of Romania’s Supreme Defence Council to transfer a Patriot system to Ukraine.

     

    FUNDING On Monday Romania received close to EUR 1.1 bln from the European Union for projects in the energy sector, particularly for renewable energy production. According to an EU news release, Romania and 9 other countries received total funding of EUR 3 bln, intended for 39 programmes. The largest amount was given to Romania, followed by the Czech Republic (EUR 835 mln) and Poland (EUR 700 mln).

     

    ACCESSION The ex-Soviet republics of Moldova and Ukraine today begin their official EU accession negotiations. The first talks are to be held in Luxembourg, and during this process Chişinău and Kyiv must align their national legislation to the bloc’s regulations. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, since their recognition as candidate countries, the two states have made general adjustments in key areas, proving their willingness to adapt to the EU legislation. Beginning with these inter-governmental conferences, Ukraine’s and Moldova’s progress in the implementation of relevant reforms will be assessed separately. Analysts believe this could be an advantage for Moldova, which according to the European Commission has made better progress than Ukraine so far.

     

    FORUM The Romanian interior minister Cătălin Predoiu takes part on June 25 – 27 in the Salzburg Forum Ministerial Conference in Laxenburg, Austria. According to the interior ministry, the event focuses on current and future challenges in the field of security and migration, including security and migration challenges for the EU in 2024 – 2029, security along the Danube in the context of digitization, as well as migration and migrant smuggling.

     

    THEATRE The Performing Arts Market opened today in Sibiu (central Romania) as part of the famous Sibiu International Theatre Festival. Currently in its 27th edition, the Performing Arts Market has, this year as well, face-to-face, hybrid and online components. More than 80 officials for cultural organisations and institutions in over 30 countries convene in Sibiu to establish contacts and implement joint projects. The Festival founder and president, Constantin Chiriac, says this is the only performing arts market in Romania and in Eastern and Central Europe.

     

    FOOTBALL In the European Football Championship hosted by Germany, the last matches in Group D and C are scheduled for tonight. In Group D, the Netherlands take on Austria and France play Poland, while in Group C, England plays against Slovenia, and Denmark against Serbia. Romania concludes its Group E matches on Wednesday in Frankfurt, with a game against Slovakia. In the same group, Belgium is scheduled to play against Ukraine. All 4 teams in the group have 3 points each, with Romania still first-placed in the group thanks to a better goal difference. A draw against Slovakia is enough for the team to move up into the eighth-finals. (AMP)

  • June 7, 2024 UPDATE

    June 7, 2024 UPDATE

    EU Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova have met the conditions for starting EU accession negotiations. A spokeswoman for the European Commission said in Brussels on Friday that the decision now is in the hands of the member countries. The Commission has informed the Council that Ukraine has done the latest legislative amendments in its legal system, to regulate lobbying activities and in the fields of minorities and the Republic of Moldova has operated changes in its judiciary. In the case of both countries, the Commission will be monitoring the implementation of the new amendments, but the steps taken so far allow for kicking off accession negotiations. In a first stage, the member states are expected to endorse the Commission recommendation and there is one question mark concerning the position of Hungary. A second stage will be the setting up of an inter-governmental conference with Moldova and Ukraine a moment which coincides with the start of negotiations for bringing the entire legislation in line with the bloc’s laws. The council’s presidency is presently being held by Belgium, a country, which wants the setting up of the first inter-government conference during its mandate, by the end of July.

     

    GROWTH The Gross Domestic Product of the eurozone and of the EU registered an increase of 0.3% in the first quarter of 2024 as compared to the last quarter of 2023, says data published on Friday by the EU statistical office Eurostat. According to the same data, Romania’s economy registered a slight growth above the European average with a GDP growth of 0.4% in the year’s first three months after a contraction of 0.6% in the last three months of 2023. Eurostat data are similar to those provided by the National Institute for Statistics, which revised down Romania’s economic growth in the first quarter from a previous forecast of 0.5% to 0.4%.

     

    ELECTION In Romania, Friday was the last day of the first electoral campaign in 2024. Citizens with the right to vote are expected, on Sunday, to go to the polls to choose both their representatives in the future European Parliament and in the local authorities. According to the data of the Permanent Electoral Authority, over 200,000 candidates have tried, starting from May 10, to convince voters to vote them. The oldest candidate is 100 years old, and the youngest is just over 23 years old. 11,386 people are running for mayoral positions. All in all, 207,389 candidates have registered for all the positions of local, county and municipal councilors, mayors and presidents of county councils. For the European Parliament elections, 12 political parties and electoral alliances and four independent candidates have registered, i.e. a total of 494 candidates, of whom the Romanians with the right to vote must choose 33 that will represent Romania in the European Parliament. The electoral campaign will end on Saturday morning, at 7:00 a.m.

     

    WAGES Almost 1,900,000 employees in Romania will receive increased salaries by 284 lei (57 Euros) net value, from July 1, after the Romanian Government approved the increase of the gross minimum wage from 3,300 lei (about 660 Euros) to 3,700 lei (approximately 740 Euros) and raised from 200 lei (approximately 40 Euros) to 300 lei (almost 60 Euros) the monthly amount exempted from the payment of the income tax. The executive believes that this approach will have positive effects on economic growth, the purchasing power of employees and will contribute to the reduction of undeclared work. However, the decision does not apply to employees in agriculture and the food industry, as legal provisions in force apply to these categories. The government representatives said that this increase is a step towards the adoption, from November, of the minimum wage at the European level.

    (bill)

  • Election and Misinformation

    Election and Misinformation

    The European Commission has kicked off an information campaign for citizens on the risks posed by misinformation and information handling by players from outside the European Union. The Brussels’ move comes after a survey it made over the social networks Facebook and Instagram, which it accuses of failing to comply with their obligations on fighting misinformation. In this context, the EU Executive has launched an audio-video clip to be broadcast on all the press channels in all the member states before the elections for the EU Parliament. The 30 second clip is advising the voters to have a critical attitude towards the content distributed by the online media, analyze and don’t believe everything they read.

    Voters must be aware the video and audio materials can contain fake or incomplete information especially at this time marked by the accelerated development of the AI programmes. Another piece of advice is that they should check information and rely on trusted sources, such as the main stream press and not on sites, blogs or other social media disseminating various opinions and rumors instead of verified information.

    Last but not least, European citizens should avoid conveying unverified information so that they themselves may not become a misinformation channel. The informative clip, which is going to appear on media channels in Romania as well by the end of this month, comes against the election campaign for the local and EU Parliament election, which kicked off in Romania on May 10th. We recall that it’s for the first time when Romanians will be voting for their local administration and their favourite MEPs on the same day, June 9th.

    For 30 days from now on, discriminatory messages and slogans or those inciting to hate and intolerance as well as other forms of defamation are strictly forbidden.

    The Central Election Office is firmly recommending to election contenders to obey the general rules of the campaign have a balanced, sincere and constructive discourse and avoid distorted and manipulated information in order to be able to prevent the dissemination of fake news or other forms of derailment that may hinder the good functioning of the election process. The head of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Greblă, has announced that roughly 21 million ballot papers have been printed, and that for the first time ever 900 polling stations will be set up in foreign countries upon the request of the Romanian communities living in those countries.

    The official has also pointed out that Romanians also have access to the “Code of Good Practices regarding Misinformation” as well as the “Guide for the Prevention and Combating Misinformation Actions Targeting Voters’, available on the websites of the Central Election Office and the Permanent Election Authority.

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  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    The mini-holiday of May 1 and Orthodox Easter

    Orthodox believers, a majority faith in Romania, along with Greek Catholics, celebrated Passion Week before Easter, which they celebrate on Sunday, May 5. The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, sent a message on Wednesday stating that the Resurrection of the Lord is the celebration of the merciful love of Christ, the one who defeated hatred, violence and death, giving people eternal life. That is why Easter is the celebration of forgiveness, peace and joy, Daniel said. He urged the sharing of Christ’s love, peace and joy with those around, by word and deed, especially to orphaned children, the sick and the elderly, as well as Romanians among foreigners. We remind you that, this year, the Catholic faithful celebrated Easter on March 31. The Easter holidays will end the mini-holiday that started on Wednesday, May 1, on Labor Day. Tens of thousands of Romanians spent time at the seaside, where the summer season officially opened, and in mountain resorts.

    Voting abroad in the European Parliament election

    12 parties or alliances and four independent candidates registered for the European Parliament elections that will take place on June 9 in Romania. The Central Electoral Bureau validated the final list this week,and established by drawing lots the order in which the formations will be entered on the ballot. The printing of ballot papers for polling stations abroad has already begun. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, declared that there will be a record number of polling stations outside the country, over 900, almost double those organized at the 2019 European Parliament elections. It is also the largest number of voting stations ever organized abroad. Along with the elections for the European Parliament, local elections will also take place in Romania on June 9. The political formations that wanted to enter the race for mayors, local, municipal, and county councils only had Tuesday to submit their candidacies.

    Help for TAROM

    The European Commission has given its consent for TAROM, the national airline, to receive state aid worth over 95 million euros in order to restructure. According to the Community Executive, the subsidies will allow the company to restore its long-term viability. In order to limit the possible distortions of competition generated by public support, TAROM will significantly reduce the number of routes and aircraft. The measures in the restructuring plan provide for the cancellation of a debt of over 49 million euros, and a capital injection of almost 46 million euros. The European Transport Commissioner, Adina Vălean, stated that the approval of the aid for TAROM represents a health certificate for the company, and an advantage in finding investors for the national airline operator. The Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, stated that the aid will be used mainly for renewing the aircraft fleet, optimizing destinations and commercial policy, streamlining aircraft maintenance activities, and digitizing the company.

    New evacuations from Gaza

    Nine Romanian citizens and their family members were evacuated from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, and reached the territory of Republic of Egypt, where they were taken over by the mobile consular team of the Romanian Embassy in Cairo. 323 Romanian citizens and their family members have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

    Romanian cinematography awards

    The film ‘Liberty’, directed by Tudor Giurgiu, received the Gopo Trophy for the best feature film at the Gopo Awards Gala, which took place on Monday. The film won the most Gopo statuettes, including those for best director, Tudor Giurgiu, best actor in a leading role, Alex Calangiu and best actor in a secondary role, Iulian Postelnicu. Inspired by real events, the film tells a story that happened in Sibiu (center) during the Revolution of 1989. “Freedom” and “Don’t expect too much from the end of the world”, by Radu Jude, were rewarded, ex aequo, with the prize for best script. The distinction for best actress in a leading role went to Ilinca Manolache for her role in the film ‘Don’t expect too much from the end of the world’. ‘Anatomie D’une Chute’ / ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, directed by Justine Triet (France) received the award for best European film. The actress Rodica Mandache received the award for her entire career, and the actor Dan Nuţu was honored with the award his entire activity.

    A new soccer champion

    The domestic football competition has not yet reached the end, but the team FCSB from Bucharest has mathematically secured the title of champion, since the seventh stage of the play-off, by winning against the current title holder, Farul Constanţa (southeast ). It is the first title won by FCSB in the current competitive system, with play-off and play-out, and comes after a 9-year break for the Bucharest team. In handball, the Romanian men’s champion, CS Dinamo Bucharest, qualified for the semifinals of the EHF European League continental competition, after a double victory against the Danes from Skjern Handbold. The Final Four tournament of the EHF European League will take place on May 25 and 26, in Hamburg, Germany.

  • March 21, 2024

    March 21, 2024

    SUMMITS Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis participates on Thursday and Friday in the Nuclear Energy summit, the European Council proceedings and the extended Euro Summit underway in Brussels. According to a communiqué by the presidential administration in Bucharest, the Nuclear Energy Summit, staged by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Kingdom of Belgium is today offering the heads of state and government the occasion of sharing a vision concerning the key role of the nuclear energy in reaching climate neutrality, energy security and economic development. The European Council is kicking off today with a working visit by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, which also includes an opinion exchange on the geo-political situation and present global challenges, mainly in the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine, a country invaded by the Russian troops. Emphasis will be laid on the continuation of the multidimensional support for Kyiv, including military support. President Iohannis will emphasize the fact that the neighboring Romania remains one of Ukraine’s firm supporters and plead for the continuation of the multidimensional support, including humanitarian, military and concerning the transit of the Ukrainian grain as long as it takes.’

     

    ELECTION Bucharest’s mayor Nicusor Dan has withdrawn the main executive prerogatives of the Liberal deputy mayor Stelian Bujduveanu, after physician Catalin Cirstoiu was announced the joint candidate for the Bucharest mayor seat by the PSD – PNL alliance. With support from the United Right Alliance, Nicusor Dan is running for a second term in office. In another development, the Central Technical Committee for coordinating the election for the local administration and the European Parliament on June 9th convened for a first session on Wednesday. The vice-president of the Permanent Election Authority, Marian Muhulet said there are no special challenges this year, in which Romania will be seeing all the four types of election, while the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu has made an appeal for transparency and equidistance in the process of staging fair election.

     

    PLAN Romania has two years to accomplish all the objectives assumed in the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience known as PNRR, a financial support package consisting of loans and grants mainly aimed at eliminating the issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The warning was launched in Bucharest by the European Commission officials in charge of PNRR implementation. During the conference aimed at assessing the PNRR implementation in Romania, officials have cautioned against a potential situation that if Romania fails to meet the targets, the country can find itself in the situation of reimbursing the money. The Romanian officials however, have given assurances the Plan has generally achieved headway since last year.

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  • March 18, 2024

    March 18, 2024

    ELECTIONS An emergency order merging the EP and Romania’s local elections on June 9 is discussed as of today in the Romanian Senate committees. The ruling coalition says the decision was made in order to motivate citizens to vote, but the opposition criticised the move. Save Romania Union, the People’s Movement Party and the Force of the Right party argue that the draft order changes essential elements in the elections only a couple of months before the vote date, which is against constitutional and international principles. AUR party, also in opposition, urged the Ombudsman office to challenge the new legislation before the Constitutional Court. Under the document, candidates may run in the local elections on behalf of a different party, provided that they notify the candidacy 45 days before election date.

    AMMUNITION PM Marcel Ciolacu Sunday night announced that Romania would have the most advanced ammunition powder production facility in Europe, in which the EU will also be a partner. Romania is set to receive EUR 47 mln in EU funding for this project implemented by the Romanian state-owned company Romarm jointly with Germany.

    STRIKE In Romania, local administration staff are on two-hour daily warning strike until the end of the week. Protests were also held one month ago, but were suspended after civil servants were promised solutions for their salary problems. Meanwhile, the leaders of the “Solidaritatea Sanitară” Trade Union Federation are meeting today for talks on a prospective all-out strike. Healthcare employees have been consulted online on the issue. Unionists say the 20% pay raise recently approved by the government is insufficient. Unionists in the trade sector, affiliated to the Cartel Alfa bloc, are also picketing the labour ministry headquarters today, to demand decent wages and working conditions.

    RUSSIA Vladimir Putin won the highest election score in the history of post-communist Russia, and secured another 6 years as president of the country he has been leading since late 1999. At midnight he thanked his supporters at his campaign office, where he gave a one-hour press conference saying his main challenge in this new term would be resolving tasks related with what he calls Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. Russia’s elections were criticised around the world. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was obvious for anybody that “there is no evil Vladimir Putin will not commit” in order to extend his rule. In turn, the White House claimed the elections in Russia were neither free nor fair, given Putin’s track record of imprisoning his political opponents. Poland said the vote in Russia, held under extreme pressure, made it impossible for the election to be free and democratic. News agencies mention that under Vladimir Putin Russia was involved in several brutal wars, in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria and Ukraine, and the democratic system introduced after the fall of the Soviet Union has been replaced by a regime in which independent media have been forced out of the country and the opposition has been largely eliminated, with many of Putin’s critics assassinated, arrested or forced to leave the country.

    MISSILE The US today condemned the launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea into the Sea of Japan, during the US state secretary Antony Blinken’s visit to South Korea. The presumed missile launch is the second of this kind by Pyongyang this year, after a hypersonic missile fired on January 14. Antony Blinken reached South Korea on Sunday afternoon, to take part in the 3rd Summit for Democracy conference, an initiative of the US president Joe Biden hosted by Seoul until Wednesday. (AMP)

  • The full election calendar, decided

    The full election calendar, decided

    Romanians are to go to the polls three times this year, following a decision taken by the leaders of the PSD-PNL ruling coalition in Romania. Citizens will have to elect the their new head of state, their representatives in the European Parliament, in the Bucharest Parliament as well as their mayors and local councilors. The first election is scheduled for June 9, when Romanians vote their representatives in the European Parliament and cast their ballot in the local elections, on the same day. Three months later, on September 15, the first round of the presidential elections will take place, and if needed, a second round will be held on September 29. The Romanian Parliament make-up will be decided on December 8.

    The governing coalition had intended to allow voting for the European Parliament unfold for two days, for the Romanians abroad, but eventually gave up the idea which they say would have violated the constitutional right of the Romanians at home, who only have one day to vote. Instead, it was decided to keep polling stations open for an extra hour, until 10 pm and in some cases until midnight.

    The head of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Greblă, announced that over 30,000 election experts are prepared for this year’s successive rounds of elections. He believes that in this respect, Romania is prepared for this election year, which he calls atypical.

    Toni Greblă: Why did I say that this year is atypical? Because all types of elections – for the European Parliament, for the Romanian Parliament, presidential and local – are held during six months, so organizing them it will not be very easy, as long as all other daily activities of every citizen must unfold as normal, so that people’s lives do not suffer.

    As regards Romanians’ trust in the election process, Greblă has said that the polls will be organized in a transparent manner, observing the principle of equality with all political competitors, so that the result will be the one desired by the majority of voters. In the previous presidential elections, held in 2019, over 10 million Romanians, representing 54,86% of the total number of voters included on the permanent election lists, cast their vote. Of them, approximately 945,000 were Romanians from the Diaspora. On the same year, the European Parliament elections took place, in which over 8.9 million Romanians voted, with the voter turnout standing at 49,02%. A year later, in 2020, a little over 5.9 million people participated in the elections for the Romanian Parliament, with a voter turnout rate of 33,24%. In the local elections, 8.4 million Romanians took part, accounting for 46,02% of the citizens entitled to vote. (EE)

  • Romanians’ opinion on merging the elections

    Romanians’ opinion on merging the elections

    In three and a half decades of Romanian post-communist democracy, 2024 is a very special year. It is the first in which all four possible types of elections are held: for the European Parliament, local, legislative and presidential. The latter will most likely see two rounds of voting. In other words, the electorate will be asked to go to polls five times in several months, which, according to many, risks amplifying voters’ boredom with politics. Another important element is the high costs with logistics and staff at the polling stations. That is why the idea of merging some of the elections has become viable – that is, holding local elections concurrently with the ones for the European Parliament, already set for June 9, and/or the elections for the local parliament on the same date with one of the presidential rounds, scheduled towards the end of the year.

    There are people, however, who find the idea of merging the elections at least bizarre because, they say, voting on the same day for the European Parliament and for the local mayor will inevitably alter the electoral debate, by mixing the famous and increasingly unpopular Green Deal promoted by Brussels, for instance, with the holes in a village’s pavement.

    Nevertheless, 50% of Romanians would agree with merging the elections, while a third see it as a bad idea, according to data of a CURS survey made public on Tuesday. As regards the voting intention, if the European Parliament elections were held next Sunday, the PSD (the main party of the ruling coalition) would get 31% of the votes, followed by the PNL (also in power) and AUR (the nationalist opposition) – with 20% each. Also from the opposition, the United Right Alliance (formed by the parliamentary party USR), PMP (founded by former president Traian Basescu) and the Force of the Right (a liberal dissidence headed by former PM Ludovic Orban) would get 13%, a little bit more than the present political result of USR. The populist party SOS Romania (founded by the noisy senator Diana Sosoaca who had been expelled from AUR three years ago) and UDMR, a junior partner in a number of former ruling coalitions on the right and left side of the political spectrum, would fall below the electoral threshold of 5%.

    If PSD and PNL had joint lists of candidates for the European Parliament elections, they would get 50% of the votes, according to the recent CURS survey, conducted on a representative sample and with an error margin of +/- 3%.

    This is, as sociologists and journalists would say, the picture of the moment. However, what all sociological reports have been indicating for more than 20 years is that in a ranking of the institutions that Romanians trust the most, the Army, the Church and the Academy come first while Parliament and political parties are always on the last two places. (EE)

  • May 29, 2023

    May 29, 2023

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










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










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










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




    (bill)

  • January 28, 2023 UPDATE

    January 28, 2023 UPDATE

    COOPERATION
    France and the Netherlands are eagerly waiting
    for Romania’s Schengen accession as soon as possible. This is one of the main
    elements in a joint statement on security cooperation signed in Bucharest on
    Friday by the foreign ministers of the 3 countries. The message was also
    highlighted by the Dutch diplomacy chief, Wopke Hoekstra, in the bilateral
    talks with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu. The 2 officials, together
    with the French foreign minister, Catherine
    Colonna,Friday visited the Getica National Joint Training Centre in
    Cincu, where French and Dutch troops are deployed as part of the NATO Battle
    Group created in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In fact, after the
    trilateral talks concerning Moscow’s armed aggression, Catherine Colonna said
    Ukraine must be helped to defend itself, to regain its independence and
    sovereignty. In Bucharest, the foreign officials were also received by
    president Klaus Iohannis and PM
    Nicolae Ciucă.


    CINEMA Two
    Romanian films, ‘Metronome’ by Alexandru Belc and ‘M.R.I.’ by Cristian Mungiu, are
    in the competition of the Gothenburg International Film Festival in Sweden, which
    started on Friday. According to the Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm,
    the event brings together around 400 works from around the world every year,
    with 160,000 viewers attending. ‘Metronome’, the debut feature of the director Alexandru
    Belc, is a love story in 1972 communist Romania, and critics describe it as a
    social and historical analysis of a generation forced to live in a society
    marred by suspicion and distrust. Cristian Mungiu’s ‘M.R.I.’ is set in a
    Transylvanian village, where a small factory hires new workers, troubling the
    apparent peace of the locals. The over 40-year old
    film festival in Gothenburg is the most important such event in the
    region.


    SURVEY As many as 80% of Romanian consumers allow the use of their
    personal data for advertising purposes, according to a survey conducted on the
    European Data Protection Day. The latest data in the Survey on the usage of IT&C
    in households and by individuals indicate that 1 of 2 Europeans aged between 16
    and 74 do not allow the use of their personal data for advertising purposes
    when using the internet. As many as 46% reported having allowed only restricted
    access to their location or having denied access to their data altogether. The
    countries where the use of personal data for advertising is mostly denied by
    users include the Netherlands (73%), Finland (70%), Denmark and Germany (63%
    each), Spain (62%). At the opposite pole, the lowest rates were reported in
    Bulgaria (10%), Romania (20%), Greece (29%), Slovakia (30%) and Latvia (32%).


    ELECTION
    The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis Saturday
    congratulated the president elect of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, and
    pleaded for strengthening the relations between the 2 countries. Petr Pavel, a former
    chairman of the NATO Military Committee and supporter of military support for
    Ukraine, Saturday won the runoff of the presidential elections in the Czech
    Republic, with 57.4% of the votes, according to international news agencies,
    after over 90% of the
    ballots were counted. His opponent, ex-PM Andrej Babis, got around 42% of the
    votes. The turnout was 70%. Petr Pavel, a retired general aged 61, ran as an
    independent candidate with the support of the right-of-centre government. He
    will replace the controversial Milos Zeman, who had had close ties with Moscow
    before changing course during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Petr Pavel vowed to
    be an independent president, without political bias, and to continue to support
    war-torn Ukraine and Kyiv’s bid for EU membership.


    SPORTS The Romanian
    athlete Laura Ilie won the bronze in the 10m air rifle women event of the ISSF
    World Championship on Saturday in Jakarta, Indonesia. The gold went to Eszter
    Meszaros (Hungary), who defeated Poland’s Aneta Stankiewicz in the final. Another
    Romanian, Roxana Sidi, came out 28th in the qualifiers. (AMP)