Radio România Internațional

Tag: energy projects

  • September 7, 2023 UPDATE

    September 7, 2023 UPDATE

    DRONE – NATO does not have
    any indication that the drone debris found on the Romanian territory was caused
    by an intentional attack launched by Moscow, the Alliance’s Secretary General
    Jens Stoltenberg said before the European Parliament on Thursday adding that
    they are waiting for the outcome of an ongoing investigation, Reuters
    reports. The North-Atlantic Alliance had
    previously voiced its strong solidarity with Romania, after being informed on
    the incident close to this country’s border with Ukraine. We are going to
    closely monitor the situation and keep in touch with our ally, Romania, NATO
    says. According to Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, provided the drone is
    confirmed as belonging to Russia, the incident is tantamount to a severe
    violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Romania. A day
    before, the Romanian official had said no parts of a drone or any other device
    have reached Romania.




    INVESTMENT – On the sidelines
    of the 3SI business forum, Romania presented two projects worth over 200 mln
    EUR, including a high-performing AI computer, Minister for Research, Innovation
    and Digitization, Bogdan Ivan has said. The Romanian official said the
    Government on Friday will pass a decree that will simplify public procurement
    in the field of IT. More specifically, the decree will eliminate 50% of
    bureaucracy in terms of public procurement to make sure the over 1 bln EUR for
    the government cloud will arrive in time, Minister Ivan pointed out. We recall
    Romania pledged under the National Recovery and Resilience plan to render the
    government cloud 70% operational by the end of 2024 and 100% by 2026.




    ENERGY – Also on the
    sidelines of 3SI Business Forum, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said Romania
    is a regional leader in terms of energy stability. The Romanian official said
    Romania’s gas reserves exceeded 88% on September 1, a target Romania pledged to
    achieve at EU level. Appreciation came both from Brussels and the Republic of
    Moldova, a country facing severe difficulties in terms of its energy reserves.
    Minister Burduja said that the national energy company Transgaz has taken over
    Moldovatransgaz, which operates the energy transport grid in the Republic of
    Moldova, something that will help Chișinău break with Moscow’s influence and
    interference.




    TRANSPORT – On the sidelines
    of the 3SI Business Forum, Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu has presented an
    update on the implementation of two pan-European transport projects – Via
    Carpathia and Rail-2-Sea. Via Carpathia will link Lithuania to Greece and will
    consist of three corridors built in Romania, totaling 1,700 kilometers of
    motorways and express roads. At present, project completion stands at 35%.
    Rail-2-Sea will link the rail systems of Gdańsk in Poland to Constanța,
    Romania, and provides for the building of four rail tracks in Romania.
    Completion stands at 30%. Moldova’s Minister of Infrastructure and Regional
    Development, Andrei Spînu, called that both Moldova and Ukraine be made part of
    these road and rail projects. Additionally, US General James Jones, former
    supreme commander of allied forces in Europe, highlighted the importance of
    transport infrastructure in the current security context, arguing it is key to
    ensure the swift movement of NATO forces on the Alliance’s eastern flank.




    GRECO – The Group of
    States against Corruption (GRECO) have recommended Romania to streamline its
    efforts to promote integrity and prevent corruption in the central government and
    law enforcement agencies. In a report published today in Strasbourg, GRECO
    recognizes progress reported by Romania in developing an institutional and
    legal framework to combat corruption and investigate the integrity of
    government officials. The report hails the adoption by Bucharest of legislation
    regulating incompatibilities and conflicts of interests, as well as the coming
    into force, in December 2022, of a new law on the protection of whistleblowers.
    GRECO however calls on Bucharest to strengthen measures to prevent and combat
    top-level corruption in top executive
    functions such as the President, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers,
    Ministers, Secretaries and Undersecretaries of State, Presidential Advisers,
    State Advisers, State Councilors and Ministerial Advisers, and in staff members
    of the Police and the Gendarmerie. GRECO has issued a number of 26 such
    recommendations. Romanian authorities are expected to report back to GRECO on
    the implementation of its recommendations by 31 December 2024, so it can assess
    the country´s level of compliance. (DB & VP)







  • March 2, 2023 UPDATE

    March 2, 2023 UPDATE

    PROTESTS – Trade unionists in
    the education sector are staging a new series of protests, unhappy with low
    salaries. In Iași, some 300 people rallied in front of the Prefect’s Office,
    calling on the government to find ways to increase the revenues of auxiliary
    teaching staff and pay overtime. Moreover, protesters want regulations to apply
    so as to award bonuses for special working conditions, considering workers in
    the education sector do not benefit from these salary rights. Protesters are
    determined to move to all-out strikes, one of the union leaders said. Protest
    actions are scheduled across the country in the coming period.




    MOLDOVA -Bucharest
    authorities will unreservedly support Moldova’s leadership to reach their EU
    accession goal. This message was conveyed by president Klaus Iohannis to
    Moldova’s new PM, Dorin Recean, who made a visit to Romania. Recean also met
    with PM Nicolae Ciucă and with the Speaker of the Chamber of
    Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu. The latter assured the Moldovan official of Romania’s
    support as regards the supply of natural gas, through the import contract
    signed with Azerbaijan.




    UKRAINE – The Ukrainian army
    keeps things under control on all battlefronts in the country, dpa news agency
    cited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as saying. He said in a video message that
    people behind the frontline continue to suffer. Deliberate terror, Zelenskyy
    said about the Russian artillery attacks on towns and villages in the south,
    where Moscow constantly tries to destroy everything that people have. According
    to the Ukrainian president, the country’s military are trying to keep those
    people safe. We recall that February 24 marked a year since the start of the
    Russian military aggression against Ukraine, which has so far made tens of
    thousands of victims. Entire towns have been destroyed and around 8 million
    people have fled war and have taken refuge in numerous countries, including
    Romania.




    ENERGY – We must invest in
    all low-carbon emission energy sources, in order to reach the decarbonisation
    objective assumed at European level and achieve energy independence, Romanian
    Energy Minister Virgil Popescu has said. He is attending, in Zagreb, Croatia,
    the works of the 4th ministerial meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic
    Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC). Popescu said the social and economic
    advantages of nuclear energy and of any other source of energy are worth
    considering. P-TECC is a multilateral initiative led by the US Department of
    Energy, that focuses on the rapid decarbonisation of Central and East European
    economies, helping strengthen energy security in the region, create business
    connections with US companies, and foster cooperation. The meeting focuses on
    fostering and enhancing solidarity among European countries amidst the current
    energy crisis, ensuring energy transition efforts move forward alongside energy
    security actions, and furthering coordination and cooperation on energy-related
    projects in Central and Eastern Europe.




    CRASH – The head-on
    collision between two trains in Greece on Tuesday night, that killed over 40 people, was caused by a tragic human error, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos
    Mitsotakis has said. The country’s transport minister, Kostas Karamanlis, has
    resigned after the passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, carrying more
    than 350 people collided with a freight train near the city of Larissa, in the
    north. He said the railway system the government inherited in 2019, when he was
    appointed minister, was not up to 21st century standards. Most victims are
    young people, the PM said. Many students were returning to Thessaloniki after a
    long weekend, with Monday being a bank holiday. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has
    announced that no assistance requests have been received so far. (EE & VP)





  • February 28, 2022

    February 28, 2022

    MEETING -
    Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Monday met with the president of the
    European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud-Basso, on
    the sidelines of the European Investment Bank Group Forum in Luxembourg.
    According to the Presidency, Klaus Iohannis praised the activity of the EBRD in
    Romania, in particular its support to the private sector by means of a wide
    array of financial and technical assistance instruments. Additionally, the
    president underscored the EBRD’s key role in funding investment at local level
    as well, including to boost the absorption of EU funds. President Iohannis
    praised the EBRD’s support to the development of Romania’s capital markets.
    Klaus Iohannis also met with the president of the European Investment Bank
    Group, Werner Hoyer, and hailed the substantial contribution of this
    institution to the implementation of EU objectives and policies, particularly
    as regards investment in the public and private sectors. President Iohannis
    spoke of the excellent cooperation between the EIB and Romania, highlighting
    the fact that the Bank has been Bucharest’s strategic partner for over 32
    years, providing specialized technical assistance in a number of fields and
    funding major reform projects.


    AGREEMENT -
    The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the European Commission president
    Ursula von der Leyen have reached an agreement that is expected to end trade
    disputes in Northern Ireland in the wake of Brexit. The two officials said the
    agreement marks a fresh start in bilateral relations. According to Radio
    Romania’s London correspondent, Sunak and von der Leyen used an unprecedented
    cordial tone to announce the impossible: a new deal that would simplify trade
    with Northern Ireland at UK level, and that would also protect the EU’s single
    market. Should the new agreement be ratified, trading with Northern Ireland
    will become easier, cheaper and faster. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has
    hailed the new agreement on Twitter, stating that the EU and the UK remain key
    allies, devoted to tackling global challenges together.


    UKRAINE – Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr
    Zelensky, has admitted that the situation in Bakhmut, a city sieged by Russian
    invasion forces, is getting more difficult by the day. The enemy is
    systematically destroying anything that can be used to reinforce our defenses,
    Zelensky said, who labeled Ukrainian servicemen involved in this battle true
    heroes. As early as last summer, Moscow’s troops have been trying to take
    Bakhmut, a key strategic settlement, that has become a symbol of the battle for
    the entire Donbas region. In a statement to the Russian television, the head of
    pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, claims that all access
    routes to the Ukrainian fortress in Bakhmut are in firing range. Previously,
    the owner of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced his mercenaries had
    captured the village of Yahidne, just north of the city.


    VISIT – New projects in the energy
    sector are high on the agenda of the official visit paid by Romanian Chamber of
    Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu to Azerbaijan. Marcel Ciolacu met in Baku with
    the Azeri president Ilham Aliyev. Talks focused on the contract for the
    delivery of 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Romania over a year. The
    contract is also meant to support the Republic of Moldova as well, Marcel
    Ciolacu said. The project for the
    transport of LNG and the ROMGAZ-SOCAR partnership for the construction of two
    terminals in the Black Sea have also been examined by the two officials. The
    underwater cable will be 1,200 km long and will transport as much as 1,000
    megawatts, carrying electricity via Georgia under the Black Sea to Romania and
    then to Hungary and the rest of Europe. Azerbaijan is Romania’s first partner
    in the South Caucasus, Marcel Ciolacu said.


    WIZZ AIR – The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air will suspend all
    flights in and out of Chișinău starting March 14 due to an elevated risk of
    crossing the Moldovan airspace, in the context of the war in Ukraine. The
    safety of passengers and operating crews remains the number one priority for
    Wizz Air, and the company did not take this decision easily, a press release
    reads. Starting March 14, Wizz Air will offer additional flights out of Iași,
    in the north, to support passengers from the Republic of Moldova. A new
    Iași-Berlin route will be established, while Wizz Air will supplement flights
    to Barcelona, Milan, Bergamo, Bologna, Rome, Dortmund, Larnaca, London and
    Treviso. (VP)

  • February 28, 2022

    February 28, 2022

    MEETING -
    Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Monday met with the president of the
    European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud-Basso, on
    the sidelines of the European Investment Bank Group Forum in Luxembourg.
    According to the Presidency, Klaus Iohannis praised the activity of the EBRD in
    Romania, in particular its support to the private sector by means of a wide
    array of financial and technical assistance instruments. Additionally, the
    president underscored the EBRD’s key role in funding investment at local level
    as well, including to boost the absorption of EU funds. President Iohannis
    praised the EBRD’s support to the development of Romania’s capital markets.
    Klaus Iohannis also met with the president of the European Investment Bank
    Group, Werner Hoyer, and hailed the substantial contribution of this
    institution to the implementation of EU objectives and policies, particularly
    as regards investment in the public and private sectors. President Iohannis
    spoke of the excellent cooperation between the EIB and Romania, highlighting
    the fact that the Bank has been Bucharest’s strategic partner for over 32
    years, providing specialized technical assistance in a number of fields and
    funding major reform projects.


    AGREEMENT -
    The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the European Commission president
    Ursula von der Leyen have reached an agreement that is expected to end trade
    disputes in Northern Ireland in the wake of Brexit. The two officials said the
    agreement marks a fresh start in bilateral relations. According to Radio
    Romania’s London correspondent, Sunak and von der Leyen used an unprecedented
    cordial tone to announce the impossible: a new deal that would simplify trade
    with Northern Ireland at UK level, and that would also protect the EU’s single
    market. Should the new agreement be ratified, trading with Northern Ireland
    will become easier, cheaper and faster. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has
    hailed the new agreement on Twitter, stating that the EU and the UK remain key
    allies, devoted to tackling global challenges together.


    UKRAINE – Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr
    Zelensky, has admitted that the situation in Bakhmut, a city sieged by Russian
    invasion forces, is getting more difficult by the day. The enemy is
    systematically destroying anything that can be used to reinforce our defenses,
    Zelensky said, who labeled Ukrainian servicemen involved in this battle true
    heroes. As early as last summer, Moscow’s troops have been trying to take
    Bakhmut, a key strategic settlement, that has become a symbol of the battle for
    the entire Donbas region. In a statement to the Russian television, the head of
    pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, claims that all access
    routes to the Ukrainian fortress in Bakhmut are in firing range. Previously,
    the owner of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced his mercenaries had
    captured the village of Yahidne, just north of the city.


    VISIT – New projects in the energy
    sector are high on the agenda of the official visit paid by Romanian Chamber of
    Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu to Azerbaijan. Marcel Ciolacu met in Baku with
    the Azeri president Ilham Aliyev. Talks focused on the contract for the
    delivery of 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Romania over a year. The
    contract is also meant to support the Republic of Moldova as well, Marcel
    Ciolacu said. The project for the
    transport of LNG and the ROMGAZ-SOCAR partnership for the construction of two
    terminals in the Black Sea have also been examined by the two officials. The
    underwater cable will be 1,200 km long and will transport as much as 1,000
    megawatts, carrying electricity via Georgia under the Black Sea to Romania and
    then to Hungary and the rest of Europe. Azerbaijan is Romania’s first partner
    in the South Caucasus, Marcel Ciolacu said.


    WIZZ AIR – The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air will suspend all
    flights in and out of Chișinău starting March 14 due to an elevated risk of
    crossing the Moldovan airspace, in the context of the war in Ukraine. The
    safety of passengers and operating crews remains the number one priority for
    Wizz Air, and the company did not take this decision easily, a press release
    reads. Starting March 14, Wizz Air will offer additional flights out of Iași,
    in the north, to support passengers from the Republic of Moldova. A new
    Iași-Berlin route will be established, while Wizz Air will supplement flights
    to Barcelona, Milan, Bergamo, Bologna, Rome, Dortmund, Larnaca, London and
    Treviso. (VP)