Radio România Internațional

Tag: elections in Moldova

  • October 15, 2024

    October 15, 2024

    ENERGY – Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja is today attending the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council meeting in Luxembourg. The agenda for talks includes the contribution of the energy sector to the competitiveness of the European Union, divergence of wholesale electricity prices, winter preparedness, a report on the state of the Energy Union and follow-up on REPowerEU. Earlier this month, Minister Burduja said the European Commission forwarded the Energy Council a proposal by Romania, Bulgaria and Greece on a functional energy market, “an energy union as the founding fathers would have wanted”. “If we take this commitment and abide by EU regulations, including steps towards decarbonization and green transition, then of course we ask to enjoy the same rights, access to energy at competitive prices compared to what other countries are paying”, Minister Burduja explained.

     

    CLIMATE SUMMIT – Climate change is an unprecedented challenge whose effects exceed national borders, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said in the opening of the Climate Change three-day summit hosted by Bucharest. Governments should cooperate both at national and international level to come up with an effective approach to climate change, the president said, adding that Romania faced heat waves, prolonged draught and extended floods within the space of just a few months. In this context, Romania needs to improve its policies and financial support for the research, production and application of green technologies. “We must join forces and pool our expertise to build a safer, greener future, with opportunities for all!”, the president also said.

     

    MIGRATION – The European Commission will propose a new item of legislation designed to encourage the deportation of illegal migrants, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has announced in a letter sent to EU27, published just days ahead of the EU summit of Thursday and Friday, which will also tackle migration. “We must build a level of harmonization and trust which will ensure that migrants, subject to a decision to return to one country, cannot use the gaps in the system to avoid this return elsewhere”, Ursula von der Leyen explained.  The new legislation seeks to develop “strategic” relations with the countries of origin and transfer, much like what has already been done with Libya or Tunisia. The EU has signed agreements with these countries intended, among other things, to slow down the departure of migrants to the EU from their territory, or even repatriate them to their countries of origin. Several European countries have called for a review of the so-called “return directive” of 2008, which harmonizes the rules regarding deportation at the borders.

     

    NATO EXERCISE – NATO is carrying out its annual nuclear exercise amidst growing threats from Russian president Vladimir Putin, who says he might use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. According to NATO sources, the exercise is not a response to Moscow’s threats, considering that this exercise has been held every year for the last decade. For the next two weeks, 2,000 servicemen and 60 aircraft from 13 countries will take part in the exercise hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.

     

    MOLDOVA – The European Union has introduced new sanctions against five individuals and one company, accused of seeking to destabilize the Republic of Moldova ahead of Sunday’s presidential election and the referendum on EU accession. The decision was taken by the EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg and is meant to support Moldova cope with Russia’s interference with its European accession efforts, Romania’s Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu, has told Radio Romania. The list of sanctions includes four high-ranking officials from Găgăuzia, an autonomous region in southwestern Moldova.

     

    DISCOVEREU – October 15 is the deadline for young people above 18 years of age to enroll in the current phase of the DiscoverEU program. DiscoverEU allows young people to explore Europe by rail travel. 1,400 travel passes were allotted to Romania out of a total of 35 thousand made available at community level. The winners of the selection will be able to travel across Europe for a total of 30 days, over March 1, 2025 – May 2026, either individually or in groups of up to five people. They will also be awarded a card with discounts for up to 40,000 public transport services, cultural institutions, accommodation, food, sports activities and other services. Full details are available at youth.europa.eu. (VP)

  • June 29, 2018 UPDATE

    June 29, 2018 UPDATE

    AGREEMENT Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said on Friday in Brussels that Romania is successfully involved and well managing the inflow of refugees. According to Iohannis, Romania is not a destination country for migrants but a transit one and the number of refugees transiting it is reasonable and can be easily managed. After a series of tense debates on Thursday night in Brussels the EU leaders reached an agreement on migration. The Europeans have decided among other things to create platforms aimed at sending these migrants outside the EU in order to discourage further attempts to cross the Mediterranean. The participants have also agreed to extend with six months the sanctions against Russia, in response to its annexation of Crimea.



    REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA — The Central Electoral Authority in the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population announced on Friday that mayoral elections will again be held in the capital city, Chishinau. The decision comes after the US Department of State has criticized the “non-transparent ruling” issued by Moldova’s Supreme Court of Justice which invalidated the result of the mayoral elections of June 3, in Chishinau. According to the local press, the US diplomacy has warned in a communiqué that the move is a threat to democracy. Earlier, the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, have, in their turn, condemned the decision made by the Moldovan Court. The recent elections for the city hall of Chishinau were won by the pro-European candidate Andrei Nastase, the leader of the Dignity and Truth Platform. Nastase and his second round contender, Socialist Ion Ceban, made appeals to mobilize people to come to the polls on the day of the elections, which were considered to be “electoral agitation”.



    JUSTICE OVERHAUL — The Public Ministry has identified over 30 articles suspected of being unconstitutional, following an analysis of the changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure, Romania’s Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazăr, said on Friday. He said all these provisions had been brought to the attention of the relevant institutions to notify the Constitutional Court. He made these statements after on Thursday, 12 western embassies to Bucharest made an appeal to all sides involved in amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to avoid changes which might weaken the rule of law or Romania’s capacity to fight against crime and corruption.



    DECISION The government in Bucharest has adopted a decision providing for the implementation of 8 strategic investment projects under private-public partnership. Among these projects there is the construction of two regional hospitals, a plant specialized in producing electric vehicles, a national blood and stem cells bank as well as a new tourist center in the Fagaras Mountains. In another development, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has announced that pensions in the public system and state aid for the handicapped are to be raised as of July 1st. So the pension reference point will increase by 10% and the minimum pension by 20%. Over 5 million Romanians are expected to benefit the measure.



    WEATHER The National Meteorology Administration on Friday issued a code orange alert against heavy rain for 12 counties in the north and centre of Romania, valid until Saturday morning. A code yellow thunderstorm alert has been issued for most of the country as well, expected to last for brief periods of time. On Saturday, maximum temperatures are expected to reach 26-27 degrees Celsius. Almost three quarters of the country are under threat of flooding until July 1. One of the worst affected counties is Bacau, in the east.



    TENNIS — The all Romanian pair Irina Begu/ Mihaela Buzărnescu on Friday qualified to the finals of the Eastbourne tournament in the UK, with some 850,000 dollars in prize money up for grabs. In the semifinals they defeated the pair Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine) / Ekaterina Makarova (Russia), 2-1. In the finals, scheduled for Saturday, Begu and Buzărnescu will play against Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) / Yifan Xu (China).



    HOLIDAY Orthodox and Catholic believers from the world over, including from Romania, on Friday celebrated Saints Peter and Paul, the most important apostles of Jesus Christ. They both founded Christian communities — Peter in Palestine and Rome, Paul in Anatolia and Greece. Both apostles died as martyrs in Rome, during the anti-Christian persecutions of emperor Nero. Their earthly remains are being kept in two churches built to their memory — St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and St. Paul in southern Rome. Over 450 thousand Romanians are today celebrating their name day.


    (Translated by D. Bilt & D. Vijeu)

  • October 15, 2016 UPDATE

    October 15, 2016 UPDATE

    MEETING – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis next week will take part in the European Council meeting held in Brussels, the presidents spokesperson Madalina Dobrovolschi has announced. The agenda of the meeting, scheduled for October 20 and 21, will include such topics as managing migration, trade policies as well as the external relations of the European Union, with a focus on the Russian Federation.



    BILATERAL RELATIONS – As part of his participation in the EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting in Bangkok, Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu held bilateral talks with the heads of delegations of other states in the region, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei and Cambodia. The meetings occasioned a review of bilateral relations, with a focus on Romanias interest in developing dialogue and cooperation in a number of fields, while also increasing the frequency of top-level political and sectorial contacts. Lazar Comanescu highlighted the importance Romania gives to boosting economic and trade relations with states in the region, including by stepping up direct contacts between business communities and identifying cooperation opportunities both at bilateral level, as well as at the level of the two regional groups, the EU and the Association of South-East Asian Nations. On Friday, the Romanian Foreign Minister expressed his condolences to the Thai authorities following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, saying that the monarch was appreciated internationally for his important role in promoting the modernization and sustainable development of the Kingdom of Thailand.



    TRAVEL ALERT – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has issued a travel alert for Turkey, informing Romanian citizens traveling to or transiting Turkey that the Parliament in Ankara has voted to extend the state of emergency nationwide by another three months starting October 19. In this context, given the growing security instability in the region, especially around the capital city Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, the Ministry advises caution and awareness, urging Romanian citizens to avoid getting involved in public manifestations or events that might escalate in violence. The Ministry informs it remains in permanent contact with the Turkish side with respect to providing real-time updates on further developments. On Friday, two missiles were fired on the headquarters of a fishing company in Antalya, southern Turkey, a travel destination favorite among Romanians.



    COOPERATION – The excellent level of cooperation between Romania and the state of Bavaria, as well as the interest for developing and expanding it were highlighted during the talks held in Munich between Minister Delegate for Relations with Romanians Worldwide, Maria Ligor, and representatives of the authorities of the State of Bavaria. The agenda of the visit also included meetings with Bavarian Parliaments vice-president Inge Aures and members of the local Government. Maria Ligor suggested the start of a bilateral cooperation with a view to introducing Romanian-language teaching for Romanian students at secondary education level, based on the success models in other European states. Minister Ligor also met with representatives of the Romanian community, including members of the professional associations, such as doctors, lawyers, social integration experts, as well as associations of Romanian-born German ethnics.



    EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE – The city of Novi Sad in Serbia has been designated as European Capital of Culture in 2021, the first time a city outside the European Union is awarded this prestigious title. The capital of the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural province of Vojvodina, home to 30,000 Romanian nationals, Novi Sad is located some 150 km from Timisoara, western Romania, which last month was also designated European Capital of Culture in 2021. This is the second Romanian city to receive this award, after Sibiu in 2007.



    FOOTBALL – The logo of the city of Bucharest for the 2020 European Championships was launched on Saturday on National Arena Stadium, organized by UEFA, the Romanian Football Federation and the Bucharest City Hall. The 2020 European Championship will mark 60 years since the official launch of this competition. Romania along with 12 other countries will co-host the event. Four matches, three in the group phase and one in the round of 16, will be played in Bucharest.



    SYRIA – The United States and Russia are today brokering a new ceasefire in Syria in Switzerland. Washington has stopped bilateral negotiations with Moscow due to the Kremlins decision to support the Bashar al-Assad regime in its assault on the rebel-held eastern Aleppo. President Barack Obama has urged his team to continue diplomatic efforts by holding multilateral talks with key countries in order to put an end to civil war in this country. According to our Moscow correspondent, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he would submit clear-cut proposals to his US counterpart, US Secretary of State John Kerry with respect to a new ceasefire in Syria, saying however his expectations were low for this meeting. Also attending the ceasefire talk in Switzerland will be delegates of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Egypt.



    MOLDOVA – Three opposition parties will enlist a common candidate in the presidential election to take place at the end of October in the Republic of Moldova. The leader of the Dignity and Truth Platform, Andrei Nastase, announced he is official withdrawing from the presidential race, saying he is instead backing Maia Sandu. Maia Sandu is the leader of the Action and Solidarity Party founded this spring. A former Education Minister, Maia Sandu has also enlisted the support of the Liberal-Democrats. On October 30 Maia Sandu will take on Socialist Igor Dodon, currently holding 30% of peoples voting preferences in the latest opinion polls. The first ballot is scheduled for October 30, while the second one for November 13. This is the first time in 20 years the president will be elected by citizens directly.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • April 1, 2016 UPDATE

    April 1, 2016 UPDATE

    NUCLEAR SECURITY – US President Barack Obama on Friday warned that the nuclear terrorist threat by jihadist groups continues to loom over the international community, despite global counteraction. In the opening of the nuclear summit in Washington, Obama said that although the risk has been significantly lowered, nuclear terrorism continues to evolve. Terrorist will find it harder and harder to obtain nuclear material, much owing to a key treaty ratified in over 102 states. Representing Romania in Washington was president Klaus Iohannis.



    NOMINATION — Romanian Justice Minister on Friday nominated Augustin Lazar for the position of Prosecutor General of the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The proposal has been submitted to the Superior Council of Magistracy. Under the law, the Romanian President appoints the Prosecutor General, after being proposed by the Justice Minister and green-lighted by the Superior Council of Magistracy. Augustin Lazar is at present Prosecutor General with the Alba Iulia Prosecutor’s Office. The office of prosecutor general has been left vacant after Tiberiu Nitu resigned on February 2, 4 months before his mandate expired, against the backdrop of an investigation into the illegal use of motorcades.



    PROTEST – Family doctors in Romania are protesting again, unhappy with the fact that medical services cannot be reimbursed, as the framework agreement with the National Health Insurance Agency was not extended. Doctors have announced they will not issue any subsidised prescriptions and medical letters. They are unhappy with the under funding of their sector and with the fact that they are forced to pay from their own pockets the errors produced by the health card. Doctors threaten that if their claims are not solved, within 10 days they will start a warning strike. Last week, family doctors picketed the headquarters of the Health Ministry.



    ELECTIONS IN MOLDOVA — Presidential elections will be held on October 30 in the Republic of Moldova under a draft law voted on Friday by the Moldovan Parliament. The election campaign will start on July 30. The mandate of the current head of state, Nicolae Timofti will expire on March 23, but he will remain interim president until the elections. The next president will be voted directly by Moldovan citizens, after the Constitutional Court last month nulified a 2000 provision stipulating that Parliament must elect the head of state.



    COMMEMORATION — The village of Fantana Alba in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, paid an homage to the victims of the April 1, 1941 massacre, when over 2,000 Romanians were executed by Soviet troops for wanting to take refuge in Northern Bukovina, in Romania at the time. Attending the event, Minister Delegate for Romanians Worldwide Dan Stoenescu said this painful moment would linger in the collective memory of Romanians and Ukrainians. Stoenescu went on to say that history decided that important communities of the two countries shoud live on both sides of the border. Dan Stoenescu said it was the duty of Romania and Ukraine to work together to create the premises of a good cohabitation, respect and trust, contributing to the much-needed increase of stability in this part of Europe.



    INVESTIGATION — A criminal investigation was opened in Bucharest after two Muslim young girls wearing the Islamic veil were assaulted on a street in District 2. According to the local police, the young women, aged 16 and 18, were assaulted by a group of five unknown individuals, who pulled off their veils and physically assaulted them. The victims didn’t need medical care and didn’t file a complaint, but the police have referred the matter to itself. Romania is home to over 65,000 Muslim people, most of whom are of Tartar and Turkish origin.



    CURRENCY – In January — March 2016, Romania’s national currency, the leu, managed to appreciate against 13 currencies out of the 16 most important in the region, but also against the Euro, the USD and the Swiss Franc. The Romanian currency thus registered its best January — March period in the last years. Euro lost 1.1% to the leu, from 4.52 lei, the reference rate established by the National Bank of Romania in its last session in December 2015, to 4.47 lei, as set on Thursday. The USD lost 5% to the leu in the first quarter of the year, after depreciated against the EU against the background of cautious expectations regarding the monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve, the most powerful central bank in the world.



    TURKEY – The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently on a visit to Washington, has made an appeal to the European countries to support his government’s fight against the Kurdish separatists. On Thursday, Turkey was hit again by a suicide attack, the third in less than three weeks, claimed by the PKK. A car bomb exploded in the town of Diyarbakir, in the south-east, killing 70 policemen and wounding 27 people, half of them also policemen.



  • Bessarabia and Romania

    Bessarabia and Romania

    Although the Romanian public space is rather agitated with the campaign for the upcoming presidential elections, the center of capital Bucharest on Sunday became a place of harmony. For a few hours, people forgot about political interests in the name of a goal beyond any party interests: solidarity with the Republic of Moldova. According to the organizers, over ten thousand people took part in a march showing support for the neighboring country’s European aspirations. Students and pensioners, professors and workers, right wing and left wing militants, citizens of Bucharest and of Chisinau, all voiced their conviction that, against the current political background, the union of the two states is the only way to prevent the Republic of Moldova from becoming the victim of a Russian aggression similar to the one against Ukraine.



    That was the third March for Bessarabia, whose first edition took place in 2012, when the two countries commemorated 200 years since the first annexation of that Romanian province by tsarist Russia. The current republic of Moldova, which proclaimed its independence after the failure of the neo-Bolshevik coup of August 1991 in Moscow, was created on part of the territory of historical Bessarabia, united with Romania after the First World War and re-annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. “Bessarabia is Romania!” was the slogan chanted by marchers on Sunday, and recent sociological studies show that this opinion is shared by a significant part of society.



    The proportion of Romanian citizens who stand for union has always been rather overwhelming, ranging from 70 to 90% of the total population. Although more reluctant than their Romanian fellows, Bessarabians seem to have moved away from the anti-Romanian prejudice inoculated by the Soviet propaganda along half a century of occupation. According to the surveys made over the past year, 52% of the Bessarabians have become supporters of the two countries’ union. Nobody believes, though, that this can be done right away, and the Romanians on the two banks of the River Prut will probably get together as citizens of the EU first.



    The pro-western three-party coalition in Chisinau has over the past five years promoted deep reforms, sometimes painful, this summer awarded by the EU with association and free-trade agreements. However, parliamentary elections are due in the Republic of Moldova on November 30th, and their stake is not just political, but also geo-political. Ranked first among voters’ preferences, the pro-Russian communist party, thirsty of revenge after losing its seats in 2009, has threatened that, if back to power, it will turn the Republic of Moldova away from Brussels and towards Vladimir Putin’s Russia.