Radio România Internațional

Tag: energy

Government resorts to exceptional procedure to pass 3 bills

Tuesdays Government meeting was, for the first time in history, held in 2 sittings, with an intermission in the afternoon to allow PM Ludovic Orban and some of his Cabinet members to take part in a roundtable organised by trade unions with respect to next years economic prospects. Later in the day, the Government resumed its meeting, with a first reading of a bill for which the Cabinet is to request Parliaments confidence within 10 days.

The bill concerns the repeal of provisions in the infamous Order 114, dubbed the “greed tax order, under which a year ago the Social Democratic cabinet had introduced additional taxes for banks and ceilings on electricity prices for households. Unhappy with the consequences of that order, the Liberals are now seeking to cancel it. In the talks with business people ahead of the Government meeting, PM Ludovic Orban spoke about the provisions to be cancelled:

Ludovic Orban: “We want to repeal the provisions regarding ceilings on the price of electricity for households, as well as the current energy export limitations and the overcharges introduced in the energy sector. We also intend to cancel all the provisions concerning privately-managed pension funds in the public pension system, the financial-banking system, and charges in the communications sector. There are a number of other provisions we have in mind, but facilities for consumers will not be affected.

All these changes will be discussed with the social partners, prior to being pushed through Parliament. Meanwhile, however, the Government initiated an extraordinary procedure, requesting Parliaments confidence on 3 other pieces of legislation: a bill amending the justice laws, the repeal of Order 51/2019 on county transportation, and a bill setting public budget ceilings.

Back when they were in Opposition, the Liberals constantly criticised the justice laws, which they now want amended to the effect of deferring the early retirement of magistrates, the extension of the seniority requirement for entry-level magistrates from 2 to 4 years and the increase in the membership of judge panels from 2 to 3. The Orban Cabinet, which is now trying to have these provisions deferred, may seek to fully repeal them next year.

Secondly, the Government wants to define in-county transportation as a public service subordinated to local authorities, so as to make sure that transport companies provide free school transport for children.

Last, but not least, the Orban Cabinet will take responsibility before Parliament for a bill setting the public budget ceilings on which the 2020 state budget law will be based. Posted for public review on the home page of the Finance Ministry, the bill stipulates a budget deficit of maximum 3.6% of GDP, and a 9.7% cap on personnel expenditure. Next years public budget will also rely on an expected 4% economic growth rate.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

11 December 2019
April 16, 2019

NOTRE DAME The danger of the Notre Dame fire in Paris has been contained, but the French authorities say that whether or not the structure of the building has resisted the fire is yet to be established. The spire of the famous Paris masterpiece has collapsed. The cause of the disaster is yet unknown, and investigations carry on. The flames affected the cathedral, destroyed the roof and the spire, but the outer walls and the 2 belfries are still standing. The 12th-century UNESCO world heritage site attracted millions of tourists every year. The billionaire families Arnault and Pinault have donated 300 million euros for the rebuilding works. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and PM Viorica Dancila have sent solidarity messages.

CULTURE The European ministers of culture convene in Bucharest today, under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Attending the event is also the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics. Also taking part in the meeting chaired by the Romanian Culture Minister, Valer Daniel Breaz, are officials from the Council of the European Unions secretariat general and from the Government of Romania. The 2 sessions will be devoted to funding and innovation for the cultural and creative industries, and to the European cultural heritage. The participants will also present the conclusions of a conference on heritage held in Sighisoara, central Romania, last week.

ENERGY A simple motion on the topic of energy is subject to a vote in the Chamber of Deputies today. The National Liberal Party in opposition, which initiated the motion, voices concern with the large number of procedures that come against the EU legislation, with the delays in the endorsement of a national strategy for the energy sector and with the rising prices of electricity and natural gas. Other members of the Opposition, including Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party, also support the motion, adding that the current Power has brought the energy sector under political control and that all measures are against free market principles. On the other side, the line minister, Anton Anton, says progress has been made in drafting the energy strategy, and that Government Emergency Order no. 114 introduces a 3-year cap on energy prices. The Energy Minister also denied the Liberals claims that 15,000 miners will be made redundant.

CORRUPTION The High Court of Cassation and Justice has today postponed to June 11 the appeal in a case involving the prime ministers adviser Darius Vâlcov, a former mayor of the town of Slatina in the south and former minister for finances. Valcov was sentenced to 8 years in prison by a court of first instance, for money laundering and influence peddling. The sentence was passed in February 2018, but the 3 judges were one year late in making public the reasoning for the ruling. In the same case, another former mayor of Slatina, Minel Prina, received a 4-and-a-half-year prison sentence, while Darius Valcovs former driver, Lucian Petruţ Şuşală, was given a 2-year suspended sentence.

JUDICIARY Romania must immediately return to the path of reform and carry on the fight against corruption, the European Commissioner for Justice Věra Jourová said at a debate in the European Parliament regarding the rule of law. According to the European official, the current situation in Romania poses serious risks of regress in terms of the rule of law, particularly with respect to the independence of courts and the fight against corruption. The Commission will resort to all means available to it, should the situation fail to improve, the EU official added. Last November, the European Parliament voiced concern with the changes in the Romanian judicial sector, and warned that they may jeopardise the separation of powers and the fight against corruption.

DEVELOPMENT The European Union has always been at the forefront of global sustainability, and sustainable development weighs significantly in all EU treaties, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu said in Bucharest today. Speaking at an international conference on “The 2030 Agenda: Partnerships for Sustainable Development, he also said that the EU has played a key role in defining the UN global targets for the year 2030 in this respect. Taking part in the conference were government officials in charge of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda from EU member countries, the Eastern Partnership, Western Balkans, Central Asia, alongside civil society representatives.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

16 April 2019
30 March 2019, UPDATE

Energy. The European
commissioner for climate action and energy Miguel Arias Canete will be in
Bucharest on Monday and Tuesday, according to the European Commission Representation
in Romania. On Monday, he will attend a meeting on the regional cooperation
initiative in the field of energy in Central and South-East Europe, an event
bringing together ministers and senior representatives from EU states and the contracting
parties of the Energy Community. On Tuesday, Miguel Arias Canete will attend the
first informal meeting of the energy council. The first energy ministerial
meeting between EU member states and the Eastern Partnership states will also
be held, with a view to consolidating regional energy cooperation.

Quadrilateral meeting. The prime
ministers of Romania, Viorica Dancila, Bulgaria, Boyko Borisov, and Greece,
Alexis Tsipras, and the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, adopted a
joint declaration at the 4-way meeting held at Snagov Palace, near Bucharest.
According to a government press release after Friday night’s meeting, the four
countries say in the declaration that they agree that the EU enlargement
process, which is a priority of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the
EU, remains an opportunity to demonstrate the European Union’s transformative
power at a time when the Union is faced with difficult challenges. Romania,
Bulgaria and Greece have hailed the efforts and progress made by Serbia’s
government in the EU accession process and encouraged Serbia to maintain the
pace of reforms. The four leaders meeting in Bucharest also reiterated support
for regional projects of common interest, particularly in the area of
transports, energy, information technology and communications, as well as youth
and sports, in order to promote the development and overall connectivity of the
region.

United Nations. The
Romanian foreign minister Teodor Melescanu has reiterated in New York Romania’s
commitment to supporting the United Nations’ peace-keeping activities. He attended
a UN ministerial meeting on uniformed capabilities, performance and protection.
According to a foreign ministry statement published on Saturday, the Romanian
official briefed UN members on the cooperation between the Department of Peace
Operations and Romania’s Mihai Viteazul Gendarmerie School of Applications. On the
sidelines of the meeting, Teodor Melescanu met the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and expressed an interest in Romania’s expanding cooperation
with the United Nations in its capacity as current holder of the presidency of
the Council of the EU.

Measles. The number of measles cases
has grown in Romania despite the fact that more children are being vaccinated.
More than 80 new cases have been confirmed this week. Since the end of 2016,
when the measles epidemic broke out, around 16,300 cases have been reported,
including 60 deaths. More than 15,300 of those who got the virus had not been
vaccinated. Measles is a contagious disease which often leads to complications.
Doctors have emphasised the importance of vaccination, especially of children.
The health ministry has been running vaccination campaigns in underprivileged
areas. While in 2017 Romania had the highest number of measles cases in the
European Union, last year it fell to 10th place.

Education. New tests for elementary
school children in years 3 and 7 and different types of baccalaureate exams are
some of the changes to the education system proposed by the education minister Ecaterina
Andronescu, who has launched a project to this effect. She wants to introduce
four types of baccalaureate exams: science, socio-humanistic, vocational and
technological. She also proposes that children are consulted about their future
careers beginning in year 7 of elementary school and that year 4 classes should
also have teachers specialised on various subjects besides a generalist
teacher. These proposals will be subject to public discussions with teachers,
trade unions and parents.

30 March 2019
February 26, 2019 UPDATE

MEETING – US President Donald Trump arrived on Tuesday in Hanoi, to meet with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The latter has traveled to Hanoi by train. The journey from Pyongyang to Vietnam took more than two days and traversed about 4,000 km. Kim Jong-un will meet the US president for a brief one-on-one conversation, followed by a social dinner. The two leaders’ meeting comes eight months after the historic summit in Singapore, the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, which failed to produce concrete results on a path to denuclearisation.

B9 – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday will attend the Bucharest Format (B9) Summit to take place in Kosice, Slovakia, the Presidential Administration has announced. Attending the event will also be heads of state from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia, as well as the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Approached at the meeting will be major topics on the NATO agenda, with a focus on security situation in the Alliance’s vicinity, including in the Black Sea area, on combating hybrid threats and strengthening resilience, in the current international context.

JUDICIARY-The Romanian Judge Forum and the “Movement for Safeguarding the Status of Prosecutors” believe the Justice Minister’s proposal to pass a memorandum giving the Higher Council of Magistracy reasonable time to issue advisory opinions is not enough. Judges and prosecutors stress that magistrates are also disgruntled with the newly set up special division investigating offences in the justice system. On Monday, after a meeting of representatives of judges and prosecutors with PM Viorica Dancila, Minister Toader announced that a dialogue mechanism would be in place to ensure that the bills drafted by the government reach the Council at least 5 days ahead, so that they may be analysed, discussed and approved. He also said the Cabinet would scrap an article in the recent emergency decree, which allowed judges to become chiefs of prosecutor’s offices and which gave the Council plenum, rather than its prosecutor division, the authority to approve the appointment of senior prosecutors. Also on Monday President Klaus Iohannis asked the Cabinet to cancel the decree. Previously, magistrates in several major cities had protested against the new changes in the justice laws, and some prosecutor’s offices suspended work this week. The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and terrorism also decided, for the first time ever, to suspend its activity until March 8, and to only deal with emergencies in this period. Civil society also rallied on Sunday night, in the capital Bucharest and other important cities.

EPPO – The former chief of Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruţa Kovesi was heard on Tuesday by the Committee on Civil Liberties and the Committee on Budgetary Control in the European Parliament, as part of the selection of the first-ever European Chief Prosecutor. A French and a German prosecutor have also been shortlisted for this position. The new European Chief Prosecutor is appointed by the European Parliament and the Council. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office will be an independent body in charge with investigating and prosecuting crimes involving EU funds, including fraud, corruption and cross-border VAT fraud of over 100 million euros. The list of offences may be broadened in the future to include terrorism. The EPPO is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2020.

ELECTIONS-The pro-Russian Socialist president of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, warned that unless parties agreed to form a government coalition after the inconclusive ballot on Sunday, he would call for early elections. His party came first, with 35 out of 101 seats in Parliament, followed by the ruling Democratic Party with 30 seats, and the pro-European Opposition with 26. OSCE observers noticed cases of vote buying, abusive use of administrative resources and obstruction of the voting process in the diaspora, but say that overall the election respected fundamental rights.

ENERGY – Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority has decided to keep the current regulated electricity tariffs in place for household end-users after March 1. Following the enforcement of Decree 114, only the distribution tariffs are to be raised, by an average 2.5%. The Energy Minister Anton Anton explained that the Authority had been consulted prior to the adoption of the Decree last year, so as to make sure that household users are not affected by prospective price hikes.

BORDER– Over 60 million people and more than 16 million vehicles entered and left Romanian territory last year, with a substantial increase in transit over the border with the Republic of Moldova as well. According to a report made public by the Border Police Inspectorate General, in 2018, over 25% of the total number of crimes reported in Romanian checkpoints took place on the Moldovan border. Checks identified nearly 3,000 Romanian and foreign citizens subject to APBs, the report also says. (Translated by Elena Enache)

26 February 2019
February 26, 2019

JUDICIARY The Romanian Judge Forum and the “Movement for Safeguarding the Status of Prosecutors believe the Justice Ministers proposal to pass a memorandum giving the Higher Council of Magistracy reasonable time to issue advisory opinions is not enough. Judges and prosecutors stress that magistrates are also disgruntled with the newly set up special division investigating offences in the justice system. On Monday, after a meeting of representatives of judges and prosecutors with PM Viorica Dancila, Minister Toader announced that a dialogue mechanism would be in place to ensure that the bills drafted by the government reach the Council at least 5 days ahead, so that they may be analysed, discussed and approved. He also said the Cabinet would scrap an article in the recent emergency decree, which allowed judges to become chiefs of prosecutors offices and which gave the Council plenum, rather than its prosecutor division, the authority to approve the appointment of senior prosecutors. Also on Monday President Klaus Iohannis asked the Cabinet to cancel the decree. Previously, magistrates in several major cities had protested against the new changes in the justice laws, and some prosecutors offices suspended work this week. The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and terrorism also decided, for the first time ever, to suspend its activity until March 8, and to only deal with emergencies in this period. Civil society also rallied on Sunday night, in the capital Bucharest and other important cities.

EPPO The former chief of Romanias National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruţa Köveşi, is heard today by the Committee on Civil Liberties and the Committee on Budgetary Control in the European Parliament, as part of the selection of the first-ever European Chief Prosecutor. A French and a German prosecutor have also been shortlisted for this position. The new European Chief Prosecutor is appointed by the European Parliament and the Council. The European Public Prosecutors Office will be an independent body in charge with investigating and prosecuting crimes involving EU funds, including fraud, corruption and cross-border VAT fraud of over 100 million euros. The list of offences may be broadened in the future to include terrorism. The EPPO is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2020.

ELECTIONS The pro-Russian Socialist president of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, warned that unless parties agreed to form a governmental coalition after the inconclusive ballot on Sunday, he would call for early elections. His party came first, with 35 out of 101 seats in Parliament, followed by the ruling Democratic Party with 30 seats, and the pro-European Opposition with 26. OSCE observers noticed cases of vote buying, abusive use of administrative resources and obstruction of the voting process in the diaspora, but say that overall the election respected fundamental rights.

ENERGY Romanias National Energy Regulatory Authority has decided to keep the current regulated electricity tariffs in place for household end-users after March 1. Following the enforcement of Decree 114, only the distribution tariffs are to be raised, by an average 2.5%. The Energy Minister Anton Anton explained that the Authority had been consulted prior to the adoption of the Decree last year, so as to make sure that household users are not affected by prospective price hikes.

BORDER Over 60 million people and more than 16 million vehicles entered and left Romanian territory last year, with a substantial increase in transit over the border with the Republic of Moldova as well. According to a report made public by the Border Police Inspectorate General, in 2018, over 25% of the total number of crimes reported in Romanian checkpoints took place on the Moldovan border. Checks identified nearly 3,000 Romanian and foreign citizens subject to APBs, the report also says.

SUMMIT North-Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Vietnam, ahead of his meeting with the US president Donald Trump tomorrow. After their first meeting in Singapore last year, this time attention will focus on persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear programme. Kim Jong-un on the other hand wants international sanctions against his country lifted. According to Donald Trump, North Korea might quickly become an “economic powerhouse in case of complete denuclearisation.

TENNIS Horia Tecău (Romania, 28) / Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands, 20 ATP), the champions of the ATP 500 Series “Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in 2017 and 2018, in the doubles competition, the only pair to have won 2 editions in the history of the tournament, take part in this years event as well. They are playing today against Jürgen Melzer (Austria, 90) – Nenad Zimonjic (Serbia, 458). The tournament has over 2,700,000 US dollars in total prizes.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

26 February 2019
July 19, 2018 UPDATE

Promulgation. Romania’s
President Klaus Iohannis has announced he has promulgated the law on judicial organization, after having exhausted all challenge procedures. Still,
the head of state has called on the Romanian Parliament to reintroduce the law
into the parliamentary circuit as of next autumn. The law is raising many
question marks and includes unclear provisions, which lack coherence and
predictability, the president has stated. He has also stressed that the justice
laws, promoted and endorsed by the left-wing coalition formed by the Social
Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, would de facto
push Romania far from the European values. We recall that last week, the Venice
Commission, in its preliminary opinion, drew attention to the fact that,
because of the changes brought to the justice laws, the independence of the
Romanian prosecutors and judges becomes questionable.

Forecast. The National Prognosis Commission has revised Romania’s economic
growth rate for this year down to 5.5% from 6.1% in its previous spring
forecast. The inflation rate has been revised up to 3.5% from 3.2% in spring.

Danube Region. Romania and Austria are to host the Secretariat of the EU Strategy
for the Danube Region, whose re-establishment was decided at a meeting of the
Monitoring Committee of the Danube Transnational Programme and the member
states national coordinators of the EU Strategy, an event held in Split,
Croatia. Beginning in September this year, Bucharest and Vienna will open two offices
of this body. The EU Strategy for the Danube Region is a high-visibility
political project and Romania’s first large-scale initiative after joining the
European Union. According to a press release published in Bucharest, Romania’s
presidency of the EU Council in the first part of next year is an opportunity
to promote this important framework for macro-regional cooperation on the
agenda of the Union and to ensure the necessary financial allocations for the
priorities proposed for the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and the other
macro-regional strategies.

Prices. In Romania, the price of
natural gas for domestic consumers will increase by 6% as of August 1st,
the National Energy Regulatory Agency announced on Thursday. Also on Thursday,
the Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovoci announced that the Government is
discussing a draft decision regarding the flattening of the price of natural
gas from the domestic production until June 2021. The minister has also stated
that he would like the same thing for the price of fuels.

Culture. The Romanian Government on
Thursday approved the funding of two big cultural projects, worth a total of 12
million Euros. The two projects are E-culture: Romania’s Digital Library and
Historical Monuments, Strategic Planning and Optimized Public Policies. Under
the E-culture project 550,000 cultural resources will be included in Romania’s
digital library, and an IT platform for the digital library and a catalogue
titled ‘culturalia.ro’ will be created . Also, some 200,000 cultural resources
will be included in the europeana.eu portal. The second project’s outcome will
be a cultural heritage code, as well as a national strategy concerning the
preservation of historical monuments. The projects will benefit from European
non-reimbursable funding.

Brexit. The European Commission has called on the EU countries to
accelerate preparations for the situation in which Great Britain leaves the
union without a clear agreement. The Commission has stated that the failure of
negotiations would seriously affect government affairs and travels. The
European Commission believes that preparations must be made at all levels, so
as to cover all potential consequences, in particular with regard to borders,
transport and data transfers.

Broadcasting. Radio Free Europe says it will resume news programs in
Bulgaria and Romania in December this year in a bid to consolidate the media
landscape in these countries. The station, which is funded by the United States
Congress, will carry multi-media reports and analyses in Romanian and Bulgarian
and will collaborate with the local media to expand existing projects that
promote public accountability and debunk fake news. The station’s Romanian
language service opened in 1950 and ended in 2008, when Romania had already
become a member of the European Union and NATO. Historians view as essential
the station’s contribution to the erosion and final collapse, in 1989, of the
communist dictatorship in Bucharest. The station still has a Romanian language
service in the Republic of Moldova. Radio Free Europe broadcasts to 26 million
people in 20 different countries with restrictions on media freedom and
where professional journalism is not fully developed.

Pop music. 18 singers from 15 different countries will be vying for the Grand
Trophy of the Golden Stag Festival to be held in Brasov, central Romania,
between the 29th of August and the 2nd of September. The initial line-up was
15, but organizers decided to expand it following great demand. Romania has
three representatives, Dora Gaitanovici, Ovidiu Anton and Raluca Blejusca,
while the Republic of Moldova is represented by Lidia Isac. The Golden Stag
Festival this year celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special edition and
65,000 Euros worth of prizes. The festival will come to an end with a Romania
Centenary show featuring traditional Romanian music and contemporary
reinterpretations of his genre.

Football. The Romanian football squad Viitorul Constanta on Thursday
qualified for the second round of Europa League’s preliminaries, after a 0-0
draw in the match against Racing FC Union Luxembourg. In the first match, away
from home, the Romanians had won 2-nil. The other teams representing Romania in
Europa League are the vice-champion FCSB (formerly known as Steaua Bucharest),
which will play in the second round against the Slovenian squad NK Rudar
Velenje and the cup winner CSU Craiova, which will play straight into the third
preliminary round. Romania’s champions CFR Cluj will take on the Swedish team
Malmo FF in the second preliminary round of the Champions League.

19 July 2018
January 4, 2017 UPDATE

SWEARING IN — The Romanian Parliament on Wednesday granted the vote of confidence to the government formed by the Prime Minister designate, Social-Democrat Sorin Grindeanu, and its governing program, which was presented to the legislature. The 26 ministers proposed by the coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats had been previously heard by the relevant parliamentary committees. After the vote in Parliament, the members of the new cabinet were sworn in, with president Klaus Iohannis in attendance. Sevil Shhaideh, the first nomination made by the Social Democratic Party for the position of prime minister, who was rejected by president Klaus Iohannis, is now deputy prime minister and minister of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds. Among others, the portfolios of the ministries of the Economy, Education, Health, Justice, Transports and the Interior will be held by representatives of the Social Democratic Party. In exchange, representatives of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats have received four portfolios in the new cabinet- the Foreign Ministry, the Relation with Parliament, Energy and the Environment. Daniel Constantin, the co-leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, has been proposed for the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister.

MEASLES — The measles outbreak may be widening, according to experts with the main infectious disease hospital in Timisoara, in the west of Romania, the main city in the region with the most cases. According to them, 124 children have been stricken by the disease. In the first three days of the year alone, 30 patients were admitted into hospital for the disease, the youngest being six weeks old. The epidemic broke out in Romania in the autumn, with 10 confirmed deaths and over 2,000 infections throughout the country. According to the Ministry of Health, the main reason for the outbreak is the parents’ refusal to vaccinate their children, which physicians warn is hazardous.

MINING — The miners in Lupeni, in Romanias coal country, have gone on a spontaneous protest against the economic situation of their employer, the Hunedoara Energy Complex. The protesters claim that they work for low wages only four days a week. The complex, which employs 5,200 people, has filed for insolvency proceedings, and awaits a court decision, which is the only way it can continue work.

TURKEY — The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the authorities have identified the perpetrator in the attack that left 39 dead on New Years Eve in Istanbul, without providing details. Turkish media alleged on Wednesday that he is from a Central Asian country. 16 people, including the wife of the attacker, have been detained. The attack occurred as Turkish forces are attempting to retake the northern Syrian city of Al-Bab, a stronghold of the so-called Islamic State, where Ankara leads an offensive against Jihadists, as well as Kurdish militias.

EU PRESIDENCY — This year, Malta takes over the rotating presidency of the EU. Over the next six months, the new team will have to grapple with major issues such as migration, security, and social inclusion, as well as the expected Brexit crisis. Malta joined the EU in 2004, and is right in the path of refugees trying to reach Europe through the Mediterranean Sea.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis star Simona Halep, right now ranking fourth in the world, has been defeated by Czech player Katerina Siniakova, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, in the eighth finals of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China, with 625,000 dollars in prize money. Romania has no other representative in the competition after Sorana Carstea was defeated by Polish player Agnieszka Radwanska and Monica Niculescu, lost to Wang Qiang. In the womens doubles, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Raluca Olaru- Olga Savchuk will be playing in the quarterfinals against the Chinese pair Chen Liang- Jing Jing Lu. We recall that Simona Halep was the winner of the Shenzhen tournament in 2015. (Translated by C. Cotoiu and D. Vijeu)

4 January 2017
March 31, 2016 UPDATE

PRESIDENCY-Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis is attending the nuclear security summit in Washington. He said on Thursday that he will hold consultations with all political parties in Romania in the following weeks on the legislation in the field and said he gladly received the echo coming from the country as regards the change and modernisation of the security law. The president also said that Romania meets the highest standards when it comes to nuclear security. On Thursday, Klaus Iohannis visited the Holocaust Memorial in Washington. “I wanted to personally pay a pious homage to all the victims of the Holocaust and to express my gratitude for the activity of this internationally acclaimed institution”, the president also said. Klaus Iohannis will participate on Friday in the session opening the summit, will attend a working dinner and talks starting from a scenario designed by the organisers, which consists in the presentation of a hypothetical case of nuclear terrorism. The Romanian President will make a declaration for the press at the end of the summit. Also on Friday, he will meet with representatives of the Romanian community in Washington.

VOTE BY MAIL — The Romanian Foreign Ministry and the Permanent Electoral Authority in Romania announce the start of the enlisting in the Electoral Register of the Romanian voters with the domicile or residence abroad. As of April 1, 2016, the Romanian nationals who want to vote in the future parliamentary elections can request to be enlisted in the Electoral Register. The enlisting period comes to a close some 3 months ahead of the elections, depending on the voting date, still to be set. In a press conference, the minister delegate for the Romanians abroad, Dan Stoenescu underlined that the enlisting of the voters in the Electoral Register is a huge and necessary step forward in exerting the right to vote in this year’s parliamentary elections, considering the amendments to the electoral law and the introduction of the vote by mail.

CORRUPTION– The Bucharest Tribunal on Thursday ruled to authorize the preventive house arrest, for 30 days, pending trial, of Craiova mayor, Lia Olguta Vasilescu. She was detained on Wednesday on charges of bribe taking, influence peddling to obtain undue financial benefits and goods and money laundering. According to a measure taken by the prosecutors on Thursday, MP Sebastian Ghita is on bail subject to legal restrictions pending trial. The bail is set at 13 million Euros. A close friend of the former Social Democratic Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Sebastian Ghita is accused of bribe giving, blackmail and securing influence. This the highest bail set so far by a Romanian court.

BORDER CONTROL — Romanian interior minister, Petre Toba, met on Thursday in Djerdap-Serbia with his Serbian counterpart, Nebojsa Stefanovic. The focal points of the talks between the two officials were migration-related issues and the need to identify additional security measures on the common border. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Interior Ministry “the two officials agreed that in the following period of time, the legal framework should be ensured to establish a common patrol made up of Romanian and Serbian border police officers. Romania has taken additional measures to tighten border security, because it has to manage some 2,070 km of the EU’s external border”, minister Toba said on the occasion.

SECURITY– According to the Pentagon, the US will deploy an armoured brigade in Eastern Europe with continuous rotations starting in February 2017, as part of efforts to discourage possible Russian aggression. The brigade will number 4,200 troops, as well as tanks and other types of armoured vehicles. The troops will rotate in and out of the allied states on the eastern flank, such as Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. US combat brigades of the ground forces are also stationed in Germany and Italy. About 62,000 US military forces are permanently based in Europe. To reassure its allies in Eastern Europe, NATO took a series of measures in the spring of 2014, such as opening logistical centres and deploying fighter aircraft in the Baltic states and additional ships in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. Moscow says the permanent deployment of troops along its borders violates the NATO-Russia Founding Act signed in 1997.

PHONE CARDS-The Romanian Intelligence Service is investigating, together with national and international partners, the use of Romanian anonymous pre-paid phone cards in areas with terrorist organisations. The Service has recently said that persons affiliated to terrorist groups have used pre-paid phone cards in Romania to communicate abroad. The investigation also looks at the possible use of such cards in the attacks carried out in Europe.

ENERGY— Romania may become an important player on the regional energy market by 2020 if the BRUA natural gas pipeline is developed, the Romanian economy minister Costin Borc told the Bucharest Forum held by Aspen Institute Romania. According to the minister, the pipeline, which links Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria, provides new opportunities for the Romanian energy sector on the European market. He also said Romania must continue work on the Arad-Szeged pipeline between Romania and Hungary and on the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline linking Romania to the Republic of Moldova, which will allow Romania to consolidate its position as an exporter on the natural gas market. The minister also emphasised the need to develop the country’s transport and IT infrastrucure.

YOUTH COUNCIL — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, on Thursday sent a congratulation message to the Youth Council of Romania, on its 10th anniversary. “On this occasion, I congratulate the Council on its involvement in projects which monitor governance and the decision making process, as well as the legislative process, from legislative proposals to the enforcement of laws. It is regrettable that a large number of young people do not find solutions to build themselves a future in Romania and choose to leave the country. It is the state’s duty to create all the premises for the young people who complete their studies and for those unemployed, alike, to stand chances to get integrated into society and on the labour market. To that end, I support the implementation of the program Youth Guarantee Scheme, as a huge step forward in order not to waste the talent and work force that the young generations have, as we well know”, Romania’s President also writes in his message.

THE HAGUE— The International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia Hague has acquitted the former leader of the Serbian Radical Party Vojislav Seselj, who was on trial for inciting and committing war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia Hertzegovina during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Held for 12 years at the Scheveningen prison from February 2003 to November 2014, Seselj was temporarily released on humanitarian grounds. He did not attend the reading of the verdict. A week ago, the court in The Hague sentenced the former political leader of the Bosnian Serbs Radovan Karadzic to 40 years in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

TENNIS— The Romanian-Russian pair Monica Niculescu and Margarita Gasparian on Friday face the Hungarian-Kazakh pair Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova in the semifinals of the Miami tennis tournament worth 6 million dollars in prize money. While this is Niculescu and Gasparian’s third tournament as a pair, they pulled of a surprising win over the Swiss-Indian pair Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. In the singles event in Miami, world no. 5 Simona Halep of Romania lost to the Swiss player Timea Bacsinszky, world no. 20, in the quarterfinals.

(Translated by Cristina Mateescu and Diana Vijeu)

31 March 2016
The Energy Market

In May 2012 Romania agreed with the international financial bodies, the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank on a timetable for the liberalization of prices for natural gas produced at domestic level, both for industrial and individual consumers. The agreement provided for the elimination, by the end of 2014, of regulated prices for industrial consumers, which has actually happened. Two months after the implementation of the measure, the president of the Regulatory Authority for Energy Niculae Havrilet said that after the renegotiation of 40% of the formerly regulated contracts that have now been liberalized, the final price of gas for industrial consumers has dropped by 5%.

The two big energy providers that manage 90% of the gas market say the drop in prices has even reached 10%. The lower gas price is also due to the providers’ decision to cut down on added taxes. As for the population, the gas price will remain unchanged until July 1st. After that date the gas price for individual consumers might rise by 5% up to 9% depending on the price increases demanded by distributors, which are to be approved by the Regulatory Authority for Energy. Niculae Havrilet has presented the first estimates and pointed out that talks over the gas price rise for the next 3 years will start next month.

“The Regulatory Authority for Energy has made a simulation in the sense that, if we use the figures mentioned in the timetable for liberalization and finalize the liberalization process by 2018, we’ll have 3 years of natural gas price growth. In our estimates we counted on a 7% growth in 2015 and a 5% growth in the next 2 years until the final liberalization. But these are only estimates based on our simulation”.

According to the Regulatory Authority for Energy a legal framework has been created that allows all consumers to be able to choose their energy provider. Also, in the context of a competitive energy market, consumers have at their disposal a free-of-charge hotline that provides information on how to change the electric power or natural gas provider. According to data provided by the Regulatory Authority for Energy the consumption of natural gas on the regulated market dropped by 10.10% in 2014, while prices on the competitive market reported 1.10% growth. Over 107 million MWh of gas were produced at domestic level in 2014, by 6% more than in previous years, and more than 9 million MWh came from external sources, that is by 52% less than in previous years.

6 March 2015
Romanian energy sector: independence vs. efficiency

Romania ranks 3rd in Europe in terms of energy independence, but it does not stand very well when it comes to energy efficiency. This is the conclusion of the participants in a forum on energy issues staged by the publication Diplomat Bucharest in Romania’s capital city. In their opinion, out of the three sub-sectors of the Romanian energy industry – electricity, natural gas and urban energy, which includes the centralized heating supply system, the latter is by far the most problematic.

According to experts, the current situation is the result of a superficial approach of this segment in the last 23 years. The public subsidies for fuel, which keep the heating system running, and various social protection measures have deepened problems in the system which are now very difficult to fix. Romania doesn’t stand any better when it comes to the efficiency of the centralised heating systems either, as in many cities these systems have not been upgraded in a very long time, participants in the forum have pointed out. In countries with free economies, central heating supply systems have proved to be a sustainable and cost-effective method. In the case of transition economies however, such systems, although relatively widespread, require serious upgrading to become competitive in terms of performance and costs.

Attending the forum, the president of the National Regulatory Authority for Public Utilities Doru Ciocan has said that after 1989 a large number of localities have been disconnected from the heating supply system. In 2014 only 70 Romanian localities were still connected to the system.

Representatives of the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority have said that before coming up with the final version of the National Energy Strategy, the Government should be updated on the needs of each area, so that the correct decisions are made, depending on the specific circumstances in each area.

Romanian Energy Minister Andrei Gerea announced last month that one of this year’s priorities in the field is to finalise the National Energy Strategy for 2015-2035, currently under public debate, and to further structural reforms, beginning with the privatisation and restructuring of companies in the field. Under the new Strategy, the investment needs of the Romanian energy sector over the next 20 years stand at about 100 billion euros. The document shows that Romania should boost the exploration and exploitation of new oil and gas reserves. Prime Minister Victor Ponta has recently said that in April Minister Gerea will present a series of proposals likely to boost electricity production.

20 February 2015
Romania’s Energy Strategy

Investment needed in the Romanian energy sector in the 2015 — 2035 period are estimated at approximately 100 billion Euros, according to the National Energy Strategy, which is now under public debate. The strategy is based on an analysis of the energy system and of the commitments made by Romania as EU member state and was developed together with specialists from the academic environment, business people and civil society representatives.

According to the document, Romania must ensure a stable, predictable and transparent market, by developing proper public strategies and policies, and by removing any potential barrier in the way of investment. Moreover, the transformation of the energy sector must be supported throughout the next decade by significant investment, new production, transport and distribution capacities, retechnologization and modernization of the existing equipment.

The strategy provides for the modernization of the nuclear, hydro-electric and coal power plants, but it also relies on the exploitation of natural gas reserves in the Black Sea. After discovering in 2012 a huge reserve of natural gas in the Romanian continental plateau of the Black Sea, OMV Petrom has this year identified an oil reserve, also in the Black Sea, but closer to the Romanian coast. This could redesign Europe’s energy map, experts say. Thanks to the natural gas in the Black Sea, Romania might not need imports any longer, and if the reserves are bigger than estimated, then the extracted hydrocarbons might cover some of the European needs as well, explained the board of OMV Petrom, a company where the Romanian state has shares too.

Currently, Romania covers most of its natural gas consumption needs from its own resources, the rest, less than 20%, being imported from Russia. Following Moscow’s recent decision to drop the South Stream project, the EU is trying to protect itself from Russia’s moods and is looking for alternative gas supply routes. One of the possibilities is a gas pipe line to cross Turkey. The EU is also interested in developing the transport of liquefied natural gas between Georgia and Romania, via the Black Sea.

On the other hand, Romania is still working on linking its pipeline network with those of its neighbors. Bucharest has understood that one way of obtaining energy independence is to reduce energy consumption, through programs such as the thermal rehabilitation of blocks of flats in Bucharest or the “green revolution”, meaning massive investments in wind energy and biogas production.

8 December 2014
The Russian Gas Delivery Strategy

30% of the EU’s gas supply depends on Russia. The developments in Ukraine increase by the day Europe’s fear about a possible interruption of gas deliveries this winter. Moscow has already reduced the deliveries and the East European states, from Poland to Serbia increase their stocks. In what increasingly seems to be a battle of nerves, without motivating its decisions, on Monday, Gazprom announced the authorities in Bucharest that by Sunday, it would reduce by 10% the quantity of gas delivered to Romania.

However, subsequently, it changed its decision saying that on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the deliveries would be normal. “Apparently, we’ll have to get used to this situation, which will be the same in the coming months. Still, the quantity of gas imported from Russia is insignificant and does not affect the safe gas supply, even if Gazprom entirely stopped the gas delivery and resumed it next spring. We are prepared to cope with any situation and the population of Romania will not suffer from cold even if it is going to be a severe winter.” — said Romanian Energy Minister, Razvan Nicolescu. He made the statement in the conditions in which Romania boasts a considerable annual domestic gas production of 11 billion cubic metres and the warehouses with a total capacity of 2.8 billion cubic metres are half full.

According to Razvan Nicolescu, during this period, Romania daily consumes 16 million cubic metres of gas, but it produces a double quantity of 31 million cubic metres. Romania’s neighbours, Bulgaria and Serbia, do not fare that well, being exposed to interruptions of gas deliveries. They are almost entirely dependent on the Russian gas transiting Ukraine, as a Bloomberg survey shows. Last week, the gas companies from Poland and Slovakia announced that the Russian gas deliveries had been reduced by 25% and 10% respectively as compared to the quantity laid down in the contracts.

The underground warehouses in the Czech Republic and Poland are full, while Slovakia will increase its stocking capacity in the next few days, the energy companies in those states have announced. Only Lithuania has enough stocking capacities to survive without Russian gas this winter, analyst Mikhail Korchemkin from East European Gas says, In mid-June, Russia ceased its gas deliveries to Ukraine, which after pro-Western leaders took over power in Kiev, refuses the price rise imposed by Gazprom. According to Moscow, Ukraine has 5.3 billion dollars worth of debts to Russia. Under the circumstances, pundits regard Russia’s decisions as ways of curtailing any surplus of gas available in the region to curb the reverse in-flow to Ukraine.

16 September 2014
June 25, 2014 UPDATE

BUCHAREST– Romania’s Parliament on Wednesday passed a declaration calling on President Traian Basescu to resign, following his brother’s involvement in a file of influence peddling and corruption. The document, passed with 344 yeas, in the absence of the MPs of the Liberal Democratic Party (in opposition) and of the pro-presidential People’s Movement Party (also in opposition), says that Traian Basescu is no longer entitled to ensure the presidency’s prestige, moral integrity and legitimacy. The MPs of the left majority made up of the Social-Democratic Party, the Conservative Party and the National Union for the Progress of Romania, as well as those of the populist Dan Diaconescu Party of the People and of the National Liberal Party, in opposition, stood for the president’s resignation. The declaration passed by Parliament has no legal value. Prior to the parliamentary session, President Basescu said he would not resign since he had not intervened in his brother’s file and was not responsible for his deeds. The initiators have sent the declaration to the EU heads of state and government, who will meet Basescu at the community summit in Brussels on Thursday.

SEECP– Bucharest on Wednesday hosted the Summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process states, whose rotating presidency is currently held by Romania. European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule attended the summit alongside representatives of the 12 member countries in the region. Romania aims to synchronize the actions carried out within that structure with the efforts of South-East European states for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

BUCHAREST- The vice-president of the Social Democratic Party, Ioan Rus, on Wednesday evening became the new transport minister in the Ponta cabinet. Former interior minister 10 years ago, Rus is replacing Dan Sova, who stepped down on Tuesday, to lead the Social Democrats’ campaign for the presidential election due in autumn. Opinion polls credit Prime Minister Victor Ponta with the highest chances of success, although he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy.

MOLDOVA-The pro-western government in Chishinau on Wednesday decided to set up a company with responsibilities in administering the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline which will convey natural gas from Romania to the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca has announced the pipeline will become operational on August 27th, one year since the start of the construction works and on the day when Chishinau celebrates 23 years since it proclaimed its independence from Moscow. The pipeline is meant to reduce Moldova’s dependence on Russian gas. We recall that on Friday in Brussels, the Republic of Moldova will sign the EU Association and Free Trade Agreements.

NATO MEETING– NATO has decided not to resume military cooperation with Russia, which it interrupted in April, following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced in Brussels on Wednesday. He went on to say that Moscow had broken rules and shattered the allies’ confidence, but he underlined that NATO leaves the doors open for a diplomatic dialogue with Moscow. Rasmussen made these statements at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, the last of its kind before the NATO Summit due in Great Britain in September. Romania was represented by the line minister, Titus Corlatean, who reiterated the Romanian government’s commitment to gradually increase budget allocations for defence, so as to reach the envisaged level of 2% of the GDP in 2017.

UKRAINE– Ukrainian defence minister, Mihail Koval, on Wednesday announced that 142 Ukrainian military have been killed since the spring of 2014, when uprisings broke out in the pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. Koval said the death toll includes only members of the armed forces which have been killed since March, when Russia annexed Crimea, until now, when the Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine are ravaged by a separatist uprising. In Moscow, the Federation Council on Wednesday cancelled its resolution of March 1st 2014 allowing President Vladimir Putin to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory. The voting took place after President Putin had called on the Federation Council to do that so as to contribute to settling the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The Russian leader has also called for the ceasefire enacted by Ukraine expiring on Friday morning to be extended and to be used for negotiations on the matter between the rulers in Kiev and pro-Russian leaders in Eastern Ukraine.

IRAQ-The first American military advisers of the 300 meant to aid the Iraqi government troops fight against Sunni insurgents have started their mission in Baghdad, the Pentagon has announced. Their main task is to assess the Iraqi troops, without however fighting with the rebels, who have mounted a quick offensive in the North in the last couple of weeks. According to the UN, over 1,000 people were killed in Iraq over June 5th-22nd. Sunni insurgents led by the radical “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” have mounted a vast offensive seizing several cities, including the second largest city of Mosul.

TENNIS- The pair made up of Romanian Monica Niculescu and Czech Klara Koukalova has qualified for the second round of the Wimbledon Ladies’ Doubles, after defeating Romanian Raluca Olaru- Austrian Sandra Klemenschits 6-1, 6-4. In the Wimbledon’s Gentlemen’s Doubles, the pair made up of Romanian Horia Tecau and Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer has qualified for the next stage, after defeating the Finnish pair Henri Kontinen-Jarkko Nieminen in three sets 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (4). In the next round, Tecau and Rojer will meet the pair made up of Spaniard Feliciano Lopez and Austrian Jurgen Melzer. In exchange, the pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Croat Marin Draganja got eliminated from the first round of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, after being defeated in 5 sets, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, by Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez. In the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles, 3rd seeded Simona Halep has qualified for the second round, after defeating Brazilian Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-2. She will meet in the second round Ukrainian Lesia Turenko. Romanian Irina Begu has also qualified for the second round, after defeating French Virginie Razzano 1-6, 6-4, 7-5. She will meet German Andrea Petkovic in the next round.

25 June 2014