Radio România Internațional

Tag: energy

  • Eurobarometer on energy

    Eurobarometer on energy

     

     

    Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine forced the European Union as a whole and most of its member states to gradually give up Russian natural gas, so as not to fuel Moscow’s war machine. This, added to the goal of phasing out polluting fossil fuels in a reasonable timeframe, has pushed the energy issue quite high on the Union’s agenda.

     

    More than three-quarters of Europeans believe the EU should have a stronger coordination role on energy matters, and according to a Eurobarometer on this topic, made public on Tuesday, EU citizens support the Union’s energy policy.

     

    Eight in ten Europeans agree that implementing a climate neutrality target will spur new jobs and attract investments in the clean energy sectors, while three-quarters of them agree that climate neutrality will reduce dependence on energy imports.

     

    Europe, said most of the interviewees, should diversify its energy sources, including thought renewable energy investments, and over 50% of Europeans argue we should save energy whenever possible.

     

    40% of respondents answered that a European energy policy means ‘ensuring more affordable energy prices for consumers’, with another 33% saying the EU should invest in innovative energy technologies. Also, 30% said measures should focus on reducing energy consumption across Europe.

     

    More than three-quarters of Europeans say they have considerably changed their habits to consume less energy at home in the last five years. When asked to choose from a list of options to reach climate neutrality, a majority of the respondents said the EU should encourage member states to focus on measures to support households in energy poverty, reduce energy consumption and make it easier for citizens to produce and consume their energy from renewable sources.

     

    In a matter of a few years, the Union has redesigned almost every piece of its energy legislation, in line with the European Green Deal and in response to Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine and to Moscow’s weaponising its energy resources. Building revamping has been encouraged, and the operation of the electricity and natural gas markets has been reformed.

     

    Due to the new EU financing instruments, impressive progress has been made to support citizens and the economy in reaching the climate neutrality goal by 2050.

     

    In recent years, record-high energy bills for households and businesses, triggered by the rise in demand following the COVID-19 pandemic and by the war in Ukraine, have put pressure on national budgets and fuelled a rise in inflation, the Eurobarometer also reads. (AMP)

  • Energy for the future

    Energy for the future

     

     

    Over the past few years, the European Union has managed to withstand critical risks to its security of energy supply, regain control over the energy market and prices, and accelerate the transition towards climate neutrality.

     

    These are some of the conclusions in the European Commission’s state of the energy union report made public in the first half of September. A state of the energy union report is released every year, to assess the progress made by the Union in meeting its energy goals.

     

    “We have designed a comprehensive framework to lead the energy sector towards a carbon-free future,” the energy commissioner Kadri Simson explained at the time. “The EU is now well equipped to meet its climate neutrality goal while making sure that industry stays competitive,” she went on to say, adding that the EU has agreed to higher renewable energy and efficiency targets and has reformed markets and the world’s highest standards for the hydrogen economy and reducing methane emissions. “Following two record years for renewables installations, in the first half of 2024 wind and solar have risen to new highs, overtaking for the first time ever fossil fuels in our electricity mix,” the European commissioner also said:

     

    Kadri Simson: “Green investments have reached a record level, thanks also to national recovery and resilience plans, and by mid-June this year out of the EUR 240 billion disbursed as part of national recovery and resilience plans, 184 billion have been allotted to energy-related reforms and investments. Market integration and grid and infrastructure development has also been key to ensure renewable expansion.”

     

    Europe must rely on more clean energy produced domestically, and import less fossil fuel, in order to secure the competitiveness, supply security and the Union’s energy independence and economic resilience, Kadri Simson also said. We have taken major steps with our joint projects and with the quick adjustment of our gas infrastructure to support the changing import models since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European official also pointed out.

     

    Kadri Simson: “Unity and solidarity have allowed us to turn a crisis into an opportunity. Together we have managed to put an end to decades of dependence on Russian fossil fuels. We used to import 150 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia every year, and it is now less than 50. Our dependence from Russia dropped from 45% in 2021 to 15% last year. And as we are looking ahead to the next winter, EU gas storage has reached the 90% filling target on August 19, weeks ahead of the 1st of November legislated deadline. We know that across Europe we decreased gas consumption by 18% between 2022 and 2024, which is also more than the goal initially set.”

     

    A member of the European Union and a part of the carbon-neutrality efforts, Romania has in turn reduced its natural gas consumption. While a few years ago demand peaked at 70 million cubic metres per day during winter, last year it barely reached 54-55 million.

     

    Natural gas reserves are currently close to a record-high 94% gas storage rate, and coal reserves are over 550,000 tonnes, so authorities say that the country will have no problems coming out a normal-temperature winter season on Romanian gas alone.

     

    But, energy transition goals aside, there are still people in Romania without access to electricity. Specifically, over 11,000 people live in some 5,400 homes in remote villages without electricity. They are the planned beneficiaries of a project called “Energy for life,” which brings solar panels to isolated areas, with the ambitious goal of leaving no homes without power. Here is Dumitru Chisăliță, president of the Smart Energy Association:

     

    Dumitru Chisăliță: “At the rate we are targeting, this extreme energy poverty can be eradicated, we believe. Obviously, this requires the participation of public institutions, with substantial funding. After all, 5,400 buildings is not a lot for Romania at present. Our math indicates that some 15 to 27 million euros should be enough to eradicate this energy poverty, and this money may be provided from certain funds, including the Green Home programme. Power distribution networks also need to be developed, because at the moment they are below the required technical and financial levels. Last but not least, the funding can be supplemented from sponsorship and various sustainability models that can be implemented.”

     

    In the past 4 years, the “Energy for life” project has brought electricity to 39 homes, 10 sheep farms and 2 mountain huts in 25 villages across 5 counties. (AMP)

  • September 4, 2024

    September 4, 2024

    Amnesty – The Romanian government is analyzing, in today’s meeting, the draft emergency ordinance regarding tax amnesty for companies and individuals. The document provides bonuses for those who pay their taxes on time as well as for those who decide to pay certain arrears. The budget deficit target for this year could be reached, say the Finance Ministry representatives, if several categories of measures were implemented to improve the collection of budget debts, because at the end of August the arrears to the state budget of natural persons and legal entities exceeded 71 billion lei (over 14 billion Euros). The state wants to recover these arrears, asking the debtors to pay their main debt by November 25, and consequently interest, penalties and all related accessories will be cancelled. On the other hand, natural persons, authorized natural persons and professionals who have debts smaller than 5.000 lei (1,000 Euros) can benefit from a special amnesty. The draft ordinance also provides for measures that curb spending on goods and services, as well as spending on investments. Economists anticipate that the budget deficit will exceed 7% of the GDP this year.

     

    Green Corridor – The ‘Green Corridor’ project is a matter of national security and a bold response to the energy problem, to the need to diversify energy resources in the eastern flank region, the Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja said in a press conference on Tuesday. The Energy Ministry organized, on Tuesday, a meeting of the Energy Ministers from the states involved in the implementation of the “Green Corridor” project, the 8th edition, with the participation of the European Commission (EC). The countries participating in this project are Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria. The “Green Corridor” project provides for the construction of a direct current cable that will connect the first four states. Bulgaria had a guest status at the ministerial meeting in Bucharest.

     

    Football – Romania’s national football team starts, on Friday, the new season of the League of Nations. The Romanian footballers will play the first away match against Kosovo, and on Monday, September 9, they will face Lithuania at home. Cyprus is also part of Romania’s group C2. First place means direct promotion to League B of the next edition of the League of Nations, while second place leads to the play-off for promotion. At the same time, the 4th place leads to direct relegation to League D, while the 3rd place keeps the national team in the same League C for the next edition as well. Being ranked in the League of Nations groups has a direct effect on the European preliminaries for the 2026 World Championship. The new coach of the national team is Mircea Lucescu, who returns to this post after almost 4 decades. Edward Iordanescu left the position of selector after Euro 2024, the edition in which the Romanian team qualified for the round of 16.

     

    Ukraine – The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, submitted his resignation on Wednesday, announced the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanciuk, according to Reuters. Stefanciuk said the resignation is to be discussed by lawmakers soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said changes were taking place in the government to consolidate and achieve the results Ukraine wants. AFP previously reported that at least six Ukrainian politicians, including ministers, submitted their resignations on Tuesday and a presidential adviser was dismissed ahead of the announcement of a major government reshuffle after two and a half years of war with Russia. Several ministers have already submitted their resignations on Tuesday evening, especially those in the strategic industry, Oleksandr Kamişin, responsible for armament production, in the justice field, Denis Maliuska, and in the environment field Ruslan Strileţ.

     

    Stock exchange – The stock market in Romania is registering one of the highest growth in Europe, and investors are optimistic about the continuation of this trend. BET, the reference index of the capital market in Romania, consisting of the shares of the 20 most valuable companies from different fields of activity, had, in the last 12 months, a return of almost 40% and was ranked 5th among the more than 90 stock indices tracked by the Bloomberg agency. Despite the decline recorded in August, the BET index is close to its all-time high, having risen in 13 of the last 15 months. The listing in 2023 of the state company Hidroelectrica, whose initial public offering raised 1.8 billion dollars, brought even more foreign investors to Romania. After the success recorded, the Romanian state is now analyzing the sale of shares in other companies it owns, such as the Bucharest National Airports Company (Compania Nationala Aeroporturi). Experts believe that the capital market in Romania could be raised, next year, from the status of a frontier market to an emerging market. And all this in the context in which investors are carefully watching the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for December, as well as how the government in Bucharest intends to reduce one of the largest budget deficits in the European Union. (LS)

  • August 6, 2024 UPDATE

    August 6, 2024 UPDATE

    COACH Mircea Lucescu, 79, Romania’s best football headcoach, on Tuesday was officially appointed selector of the country’s national squad, a position he held 38 years ago. Along a fruitful professional career, Lucescu coached several famous elevens such as Corvinul Hunedoara, Romania’s national eleven, Dinamo Bucharest, the Italian sides Pisa, Brescia and Reggiana, Rapid Bucharest, Inter Milan, Galatasaray Istanbul, Besiktas Istanbul, Shaktaar Donetsk, Zenith Sank Petersburg, the national football side of Turkey and Dinamo Kyiv. The new selector has signed up for two years, his main goal being the qualification of Romania’s national side for World Cup 2026 to be hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada.

     

    APPEAL The White House administration has reiterated its calls on Iran and Israel to avoid war, warning that a possible Iranian response to the killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran may generate a conflict that could get out of control and saying that escalation benefits no one. The White House meeting took place amid rising fears of a possible extended conflict in the Middle East, with Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah last week vowing to retaliate for the killing of Islamist leaders. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also called for urgent action to prevent wider war in the Middle East, press agencies report. In another move, the foreign ministers of the 57 countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are to meet in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss “the continued crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people,” including the killing in Tehran of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. They will also discuss Israel’s “aggressions against the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to a statement issued by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, quoted by EFE news agency.

     

    ENERGY Romania is looking for technical arguments to delay the deadline agreed with the European Commission to close its coal-fired power stations. Minister Sebastian Burduja explained on Monday that more time is needed to make the transition to gas-fuelled energy sources, given that 15% of the country’s energy production is still dependent on coal. Before closing its coal plants, the latter must be replaced by gas sources, said the minister, adding that investments in this respect are delayed. He made these statements during the signing in Belgrade of a memorandum on the construction of a gas interconnector between Romania and Serbia. This will lead to lower prices for natural gas for users and more diverse supply sources.

     

    OLYMPICS Romanian athlete Alina Rotaru-Kottmann, bronze medallist in the last year’s World Championships in Budapest, on Tuesday qualified for the finals of the long jump event of the Paris Olympics. Two other athletes of Romania’s, Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă have also qualified for the semifinals of the men’s double scull race of 500 meters. So far, Romania has won seven medals in Paris, three gold, three silver and one bronze. Swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200 m freestyle event and the bronze in 100 m freestyle; two more gold medals came from Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache in Men’s Double Sculls and from Maria Magdalena Rusu, Roxana Anghel, Ancuţa Bodnar, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Bereş, Ioana Vrînceanu, Simona Radiş and Victoria Ştefania Petreanu in the women’s eight race. The silver medals have been won by Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş in the Women’s Double Sculls race; Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel in the Women’s Pair; and Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc in the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls. Romanian athletes who win medals in Paris will be rewarded with 140,000 Euros for the gold medal, 100,000 Euros for silver and 60,000 Euros for bronze.

    (bill)

  • July 23, 2024

    July 23, 2024

    ENERGY – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday in Bucharest that only with energy security, accessible energy for the economy and for the people and economic competitiveness can the decisive step be taken towards the next vital objective, that is obtaining clean, green energy. The Prime Minister attended the Business Forum of  Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation, where high-ranking representatives from the public and private energy sectors discussed energy security and transition, infrastructure projects and how cities apply clean, green strategies. On the other hand, Marcel Ciolacu announced that Romania will negotiate with the new European Commission a seven-year agreement to re-enter the 3% deficit target, saying the country is in a period of ‘accelerated’ development and it is very important that the investments continue.

     

    DROUGHT – Against the background of the severe drought affecting Romania, water supply is restricted in about 450 cities, towns and villages, most of them in the eastern part of the country. Many farmers say that they have lost their crops, especially where irrigation is not possible. In trying to support those affected, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, had a first meeting on Monday with commercial banks representatives, whom he asked for solutions to cover rates and interests on loans for farmers facing drought. The affected area so far is almost 2 million hectares for corn and sunflower and 100,000 hectares for wheat and rapeseed. Water levels are also dropping. More on this topic, after the news.

     

    STUDENT CAMP – The Prefect’s Office in Harghita County (central Romania) has announced that that the institutions of the Interior Ministry will ensure public order between July 23 and 28, when the ‘Tusványos’ 2024 Summer University and Student Camp are held in the town of Băile Tuşnad, also attended by the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban. 80 police officers from the public order, traffic, criminal investigations and special operations structures will be present daily in the area and in its vicinity.

     

    SUPPORT – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, mentioned, once again, Romania’s support for the neighboring Ukraine, invaded by the Russian troops, and emphasized the need to speed up the European Union’s assistance, including the military one, granted to Kyiv. At Monday’s meeting in Brussels with her European counterparts, Odobescu reaffirmed Romania’s support for the formula for ending the war proposed by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskky, which she believes is capable of guaranteeing sustainable peace, respecting territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter.

     

    CONCERT – The Orchestra and Choir of the Bucharest National Opera will hold, on Wednesday, a sacred music concert at the “Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael” Orthodox Cathedral in Paris. The Romanian Opera tour ends on July 25, at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, with another concert, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Romanian House at the Olympic Games. On Monday, Romanian artists performed in the gardens of the Versailles Palace, an event also held in the context of the Summer Olympics. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Paris, the extraordinary concert entitled “Éthos Roumain” is a project financed by the Government of Romania, through the Department for Romanians Everywhere, in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris. The event aims to increase the visibility of Romanian culture and its promotion abroad, as well as to strengthen the cultural ties between Romania and France.

     

    FOOTBALL – The Romanian football champion, FCSB is up against the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv this evening on home turf, in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Champions League. The return match is scheduled for July 31, in Budapest, Hungary, because, due to the security situation in the region, the Israeli teams cannot host international matches at home. (EE)

     

  • July 21, 2024

    July 21, 2024

    Mission – The Romanian Air Forces have reached the end of their mission in North Macedonia, and on Saturday a Spartan type aircraft performed five missions to limit and extinguish fires in this country. According to the Defense Ministry, the aircraft crew operated in difficult conditions, with multiple outbreaks and strong wind, which made the extinguishing operations more difficult. In support of the aerial missions, ground teams provided real-time images and data about the situation on the ground. All in all, the aircraft of the Romanian Air Forces performed 21 firefighting missions in North Macedonia.

     

    Energy – Coal production and import are estimate to decrease, in Romania, in the period 2024-2027, as other energy production capacities will be put into operation, show estimates published by the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis. The Commission mentions that the year 2023 was marked by the continuation of the downward trend in coal production, after the drop of more than 7% in 2022, with a higher contraction of 16.2% estimated. In terms of import, it is estimated that it registered significant reductions, namely -28% for coal and -11.8% for coke. Most of the coal resources were used for the production of electricity and thermal energy. The Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, said that he would do everything possible to extend the operating terms of coal-fired power plants, a process started in Brussels since last year.

     

    Olympiad – Six high school students from Romania won medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad, according to an Education Ministry press release. They won one gold medal, four silver and one bronze medal. All six students are from Bucharest. The 65th edition of the Olympiad took place in Bath, Great Britain.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu was defeated by Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-1, on Saturday evening, in the semifinals of the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo (Italy), which has total prizes up for grabs worth over 230,000 Euros. Irina Begu (142 WTA), the 2022 champion, and Muchova (35 WTA), seed no.2 in Sicily, are now tied, 2-2. The Romanian player defeated her in the second round at Roland Garros in 2019, and in the second round in Madrid, in 2023. Muchova won, in 2023, in the third round at Roland Garros.

     

    Organized crime – The Director of the Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime within the Romanian Police, Cătălin Şerban, said, on Saturday, in a press conference, that in the first semester of this year the police officers and prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) organized almost 900 operative actions, of which a third were large-scale operations, increasing by 2.5% compared to the first six months of 2023. About 3,400 people were investigated and 1,275 people were detained for 24 hours. More than 1,000 people were remanded in custody, 8.9% more compared to the same period of last year, said Cătălin Şerban. The Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime participated in the EUROPOL policy cycle, assuming coordinating roles and carrying out activities in the areas of human trafficking, migrant trafficking, cyber crime and drug trafficking.

     

    Israel – Israel bombed the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, controlled by the Houthi rebels on the Red Sea, after the drone attack in Tel Aviv, claimed by the Yemeni group and left one dead and 10 wounded. The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that anyone who attacks Israel will pay dearly. According to the Yemeni media, controlled by the rebels, three people died and more than 80 were injured in the Israeli attacks. It is Israel’s first direct response to the Houthi drone and missile attacks that have targeted its territory in recent months. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Jerusalem, the Israelis targeted oil, gas, ammunition and weapons depots, and after the attack, fires could be seen from all parts of the city. The Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that that image was captured throughout the Middle East and that every enemy of Israel can now understand that the arm of the Israeli army is long. The Houthi rebels have promised a painful response in retaliation to the Israeli attack. (LS)

     

  • July 19, 2024 UPDATE

    July 19, 2024 UPDATE

    Energy – The government is preparing a plan of immediate and medium-term measures to cover the electricity consumption needs of both citizens and companies, regardless of the weather conditions, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday, at the end of the meeting of the Energy Command team. The immediate measures, as stated in the Government’s press release, include, among other things, the increase in energy production and the identification of a standard format for the conveyance/communication of electricity measurement data between distributors and suppliers. At the same time, the National Energy Regulatory Authority has announced that it will analyze the pricing mechanism in order to protect the final consumer from market fluctuations. Recently, the national energy system has been under pressure due to the heat wave. There have been problems with covering the energy needs, and the distribution infrastructure causes concern, as it is overloaded during periods of high temperatures, when electricity consumption is much higher than in normal periods.

     

    Meeting – At the 4th meeting of the European Political Community, held in Great Britain, Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, pleaded for cooperation in the field of energy and for the continuation of the support given to Ukraine invaded by the Russian troops, the Presidential Administration in Bucharest announced. The Romanian president stressed that the efforts to strengthen cooperation in the field of energy and connectivity ‘are essential goals for strengthening national and European resilience, in a context marked by the challenge of managing climate change, but also by developments such as those in Ukraine, which reconfirmed the need for action to limit strategic dependencies’. A meeting of the leaders from Romania, Great Britain, Poland, France and Germany with the pro-European president of the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population) Maia Sandu was held on the sidelines of the event. The Western partners have reiterated their determination to continue supporting the Republic of Moldova reach its goals of peace, prosperity and democracy, the quoted source said.

     

    IT outage – Numerous banks, media institutions, airports, transports, hospitals and other activities are still affected by the consequences of what is called the largest IT outage in history, produced this morning. Microsoft has suggested that multiple shutdowns and restarts of operating systems, even up to 15, would be required as an effective troubleshooting step. CrowdStrike, the cyber security company largely responsible for the outage, explained that some systems do not restore themselves automatically, but promised that it made it its mission to ensure that every customer would fully restore their systems. However, the impact of cyber security interruptions will affect some applications and consequently the activity of many companies for days. In Great Britain, for example, the Government held an emergency meeting to analyze methods of managing the problems caused by the IT outage that affected airports, banks, the health system, television channels and others. Key sectors of daily life, including health services and public transport, were also affected in Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Norway. Even the 911 emergency system went down in the United States. The first to report problems were airports all over the world, including Romania, where, at the “Henri Coandă” International Airport, several flights were delayed, and the online booking and check-in at some operators were not available. Out of the 110,000 commercial flights scheduled for Friday around the world, 1,390 have been canceled by midday, according to Cirium aviation analysis company, quoted by the BBC. Passengers are advised to inform themselves before leaving for the airport.

     

    Fires – The number of wildfires in Romania in June this year was almost three times higher than in the same period of last year, the National Agency for Environmental Protection announced. Despite the measures taken by the authorities and the checks carried out, in the first six months of the year there have already been 60 fires, while throughout 2023 there were 82 such incidents. The fire affected not only stubble fields and agricultural land, but also protected areas, such as national parks. According to the relevant Agency, stubble burning causes a reduction in agricultural harvests by 25-35%. Burning releases very large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which are some of the main causes of acid rain. Also, fires cause casualties among animals and birds in the affected perimeters.

     

    Aid – The European Commission has approved an amendment to an existing aid scheme notified by Romania, including an increase in the total budget by 54.4 million Euros to support tomato producers in protected spaces, such as greenhouses, and garlic producers. The Commission concluded that the measure requested by the Romanian government is necessary, adequate and proportionate to remedy a serious disruption of the economy of a member state, in accordance with European legislation. Brussels’ decision comes in the context of the war waged by Russia against Ukraine and against the backdrop of the temporary crisis framework for state aid, the EC stated.

     

    July 20 – The Day of Romanian Aviation and Air Forces is celebrated on Saturday, July 20, when the Orthodox calendar celebrates the Holy Prophet Elijah – the spiritual protector of aviators. A military ceremony and an air show will take place on Saturday morning at the Air Heroes Monument in Aviatorilor Square in Bucharest, when aircraft such as F-16, F-18 or Black Hawk will fly over the capital of Romania. (LS)

  • June 25, 2024 UPDATE

    June 25, 2024 UPDATE

    EU The ex-Soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on Tuesday officially kicked off their EU-accession talks. According to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ‘the path ahead will be challenging, but also filled with immense opportunities for Moldova and Ukraine. Together, we can forge a larger, more dynamic and forward-looking Europe.” The first talks are taking place in Luxembourg and along the process Chisinau and Kyiv must bring their legislations in line with the EU one. According to Radio Romania correspondent in Brussels, since they were given the candidate status the two countries have carried out adjustments in key areas proving their readiness to bring their legislation in line with that of the EU. Starting with these inter-governmental conferences, the accession roads of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova are splitting now and the two countries will be treated differently, according to the speed they are applying reforms. Pundits believe this could be an advantage for the Republic of Moldova, which, from the European Commission’s viewpoint, has progressed better than Ukraine, heavily affected by war.

     

    DATE The ruling PSD-PNL coalition in Bucharest on Tuesday postponed their decision on the presidential election as they failed to reach an agreement in this respect after several hours of talks. Two days are being considered for the first round of voting, September 15th or 29th. The government has a deadline by the beginning of the next month to endorse an emergency ordinance over the presidential election schedule, if the ballot is to take place in September. However, the Liberals insist that the election be held later this year, although they had initially agreed for the month of September. They argue the September election will disrupt the beginning of the new school year and the election campaign will overlap the period of summer holidays. The Social–Democrats are ruling out the idea of changing the election date. The two parties also have to decide whether they will have one candidate or will each present their own candidate. On June 9th PSD and PNL ran on joint tickets in the election for the European Parliament but had their own candidates for the local administration.

     

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

     

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

    (bill)

  • June 25, 2024

    June 25, 2024

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

  • April 15, 2024

    April 15, 2024

    Attack – “Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” António Guterres told the body’s Security Council as it met to discuss Saturday’s Iranian attack. “The Middle East is on the brink,” he warned. “The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate” insisted Antonio Guterres. The Iranian attack, called “Operation Honest Promise”, was a response to the strike that destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, an attack in which seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, lost their lives. Iran has put the blame on Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied. Since the Iranian revolution of 1979, Israel has been the avowed enemy of the Islamic Republic. So far, Tehran has not attacked Israel head-on, and the two countries have usually clashed through third parties, such as the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.

     

    Visit – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying an official visit to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week. The main topics of discussion concern the fields of energy, port infrastructure, agriculture and IT. Investment opportunities in Romania, in the field of renewable energy, both offshore and on-shore, will also be addressed. The parties also intend to develop the public-private partnership to support large-scale projects, both in the highway and railway infrastructure. One such project, said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, is Moldavia’s Highway. Topics of regional and international interest will also be discussed.

     

    Energy – The Romanian Energy Ministry is organizing, on Monday, in collaboration with several entities, an event dedicated to the first cyber security exercise organized in Romania. According to the institution, the purpose of the exercise is to establish the level of preparation of the energy companies in order to face potential cyber attacks. Based on the exercise, a risk assessment will be made, and according to the results, procurement plans for goods and services in cyber security will be established, said the quoted source.

     

    Strike – The Romanian employees of the National Trade Register Office, on Thursday, will go on a Japanese-style strike, at the national level, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES news agency on Monday. They request the Government to take urgent steps to increase salaries by 15%, given that the Office is the public institution with the lowest salary level in the judiciary field. At the same time, the trade unionists demand the granting of increased benefits for risk and neuropsychological overload, a right that is granted to all other categories of employees from the ‘Justice’ occupational family. The trade unionists announced, for the period April 23-25, rallies at the national level in all counties, and on April 26 a rally at the headquarters of the Justice Ministry. In August, the collective labor conflict will be started, the trade unionists also announced.

     

    Price – In Romania, the average price of one liter of gasoline increased, compared to last month, by 3.2%, while one liter of diesel oil increased by one percent. With an average price of one liter of gasoline of 1.47 Euros and of diesel oil of 1.51 Euros, Romania ranks 3rd in the European Union, in the top of the countries with the cheapest fuel, after Bulgaria and Malta. The price of oil could increase, today, after Iran’s attack on Israel, according to some analysts, quoted by the Reuters news agency. Everything depends on how Israel and the West choose to fight back.

     

    Art – The Romanian Culture Minister, Raluca Turcan, is starting today a five-day visit to Italy, in the context of Romania’s participation in the 60th edition of the Venice Art Biennale. Raluca Turcan will participate in the opening of the exhibition “What Work Is” by Şerban Savu, presented at the Romanian Pavilion at this year’s edition of the Biennale, as well as at the New Gallery of the Romanian Institute of Culture and Humanistic Research in Venice. According to a Ministry of Culture press release, Romania’s participation in the Venice Biennale is a constantly renewed declaration of membership to European and world culture. The Culture Ministry traditionally supports the Romanian presence at the Venice Biennale, one of the most prestigious cultural events in the world. (LS)

  • Energy market in the spotlight

    Energy market in the spotlight

     

    High energy costs affect the budgets of Romanian households, which are forced to pay the highest prices in the European Union. Whereas in Spain and Portugal, for instance, which have invested massively in green energy sources, energy prices may be as low as EUR 1 / MWh, in Romania, where traditional, more costly and polluting energy sources are still used extensively, prices reach EUR 69 / MWh. And this happens in spite of the country having the capacity and resources for a quick transition to renewable energy and for turning 100% green.

     

    Decision-makers in Bucharest are considering all these aspects, and nuclear energy holds an important place in the energy equation. Romania is set to build two additional units at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant and is working on extending the lifespan of one of the existing units.

     

    In fact, the country has an encouraging experience in terms of nuclear power, and the plant in Cernavodă has some of the best capacity factors in the world and a flawless track record in terms of safety. The statement was made by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, who has been in Bucharest these days and has had talks with PM Marcel Ciolacu, the foreign minister Luminița Odobescu and the energy minister Sebastian Burduja.

     

    The talks focused on the close cooperation between Romania and the IAEA in developing a civilian nuclear programme and on the prospects for strengthening this cooperation in the energy sector.

     

    The Agency director highlighted Romania’s international profile and its internationally acknowledged, responsible nuclear policy. He also praised Romania’s significant investments in the development of its nuclear programme, including the implementation of new nuclear technologies such as small scale modular reactors (SMRs).

     

    For the time being, speaking about the existing situation, the energy minister Sebastian Burduja has good news for Romanians: as of next month, prices will go down, especially natural gas prices:

     

    Sebastian Burduja: “For many Romanians, there will be cost decreases, especially in terms of natural gas, which will be evident as of next month. Electricity prices will also drop, especially for those consumers subject to a higher ceiling, the RON 1.3 / KWh, which is the current ceiling in the market.”

     

    But, Mr. Burduja went on to explain, a supplier does not buy the entire amount of electricity it needs at market price; they have longer-term contracts, bilateral agreements and various other financial arrangements, which lead to a different average monthly price. (AMP)

     

  • The Republic of Moldova grows less dependent on Russian oil

    The Republic of Moldova grows less dependent on Russian oil

    In 2023, Romania was again the biggest supplier of oil products for the Republic of Moldova, according to the data published by the National Agency for Energy Regulation in Chişinău. Moldova last year imported almost 1 million tonnes of diesel oil, petrol and liquefied gas, up almost 7% compared with the previous year, to see a full recovery of the oil product market after the consecutive crises generated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the start of the war in Ukraine, according to energy experts quoted by Radio Chişinău. Diesel oil was the most imported oil product, with a share of almost 75%. Almost all the petrol imported by Moldova comes from Romania, as well as 70% of diesel oil. Russia, which was once one of the biggest suppliers of oil products for the Moldovan market, last year provided only 1.7% of Moldova’s diesel oil imports.

     

    In another move, the Romanian government extended the obligation imposed on Romanian producers to close direct contracts for electricity sales to Moldova if need be. The reason for this move is that the authorities in Chişinău may be faced with a shortage of electricity from the power plant located in the break-away region of Transnistria and which is its main source.

     

    The Romanian media recently noted that the interconnection of the energy and gas grids of Romania and Moldova was a major economic and strategic objective for Bucharest, with a memorandum signed by the states becoming a government decision. The latter document writes that there is common will to integrate Moldova into the European energy market and for Romania to provide energy to this state for the long term. In the field of natural gas, the two sides intend to develop projects aimed at interconnecting the two states by looking into ways to boost bidirectional natural gas transport capacity, extending pipelines and enhancing natural gas storage capacity on Romanian territory.

     

    The two sides will also work to maintain a minimum level of crude oil and oil products reserves and will sign a bilateral agreement to provide for the identification of storage facilities to create emergency stocks for Moldova in Romania. Romania and Moldova also pledge to promote the objectives of the memorandum before the European Commission and other international financing institutions in order to secure the funds needed to meet these objectives, as well as specialist advice.

  • Energy, from stocks to consumption

    Energy, from stocks to consumption


    Neither the cold nor the high energy bills will give Romanians the shivers this winter. If the weather is normal, natural gas stocks will cover domestic demand and there will be no need for imports, the Bucharest authorities said. According to the Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, in case of special requests from the Republic of Moldova or other states in the region, Romania can resort to external resources.



    Sebastian Burduja: We have a gas stock of almost 103% (…) and, with this gas stock, plus what we manage to produce during the cold season, we can get through a normal winter only with Romanian gas. What does a normal winter mean? Meteorologists say it means one, maximum two episodes of frost and blizzard in a month, an episode lasting between 3 to 7 days. In case of a hard winter, if we have special requests from the Republic of Moldova or other states in the region, we are ready to activate an option with Azerbaijan, secured by Romania last spring, through which we have access to one billion cubic meters from Azerbaijan. If this is not enough, we also have the option of importing liquefied natural gas on the Greece-Bulgaria-Romania route or, of course, Turkey-Bulgaria-Romania. The reservoirs are at an optimal level of 74.7 and last but not least, the coal stocks are according to the assumed calendar.



    The good news is confirmed by statistics, as Romania’s electricity consumption decreased by 6.7% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2022, according to the National Institute of Statistics. Both the population and the economy consumed less. Electricity production increased by more than 3%, the highest increase, of 40%, being reported by hydropower plants. Electricity imports were lower by 8%, while exports increased by almost 70%. This prompted the president of the National Energy Regulatory Authority, George Niculescu, to state: (track) Romania is consolidating its production capacities. The amount of energy produced in Romania increases every year. We see this from the Energy Authority as well, through the number of licenses we grant, so basically, investors’ appetite in the field is maintained.



    But there is also an alarm signal. The energy transition that Europe wants is too accelerated and too expensive and it is not known, in the current and future geopolitical context, how the citizens would react to possible price increases. However, in the opinion of some specialists in the field, coal cannot and should not be eliminated from the energy mix, but included in it, alongside natural gas, nuclear or hydro energy and other renewable sources. (EE)



  • Solar Energy in Romania

    Solar Energy in Romania

    According to a new Global Market Outlook For Solar Power 2023 – 2027 report, the year 2022 will remain in recent economic history as the year in which solar energy saw the largest addition of energy capacity, determined by the increase in energy prices, the stabilization of the supply chain, and post-pandemic recovery programs. In 2022, 239 GW of new solar capacity was recorded globally, marking another all-time high and registering an impressive annual growth rate of 45%, the highest since 2016. As a result, total installed solar capacity worldwide has crossed the 1 Terawatt mark at the beginning of 2022, and rose to almost 1.2 TW at the end of the year.




    Every hour, the Earth receives a sufficient amount of energy to support the planetary consumption for a period of one year, says Mădălina Nechifor – PhD student at the Faculty of Electrical, Energy, and Applied Informatics Engineering with the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University in Iasi (northeast Romania), in a material published on the Infoclima website. Although we currently manage to convert only a small fraction of the available solar energy into electricity, in the future we will be able to optimize and use more and more of this resource, with significantly lower costs compared to conventional energy. The key to ensuring economic prosperity, sustainability, and environmental health, while creating new local jobs and providing greater energy autonomy, as well as reducing energy poverty, lies in the implementation of an efficient system based on renewable and free sources, such as solar energy.




    Although the prices of facilities of this kind have risen quite a bit in recent years, solar power remains significantly cheaper than any fossil fuel or nuclear power, taking into account the general trend of increasing prices of energy technologies. In fact, prices have already started to fall on some levels. Vlad Zamfira, from the specialist website Infoclima, said:


    Investment in photovoltaic systems is a must-do, especially in the context of the increase in energy prices starting at the beginning of 2023. ESMAP, an indicator that reflects the potential of photovoltaic energy of each country, for Romania it provides us with a value of almost 3.6 kilowatt-hours per square meter per day, and this places us globally at number 182. Overall, the outlook for solar energy in Romania is a positive one. Despite the many challenges and obstacles to a wider scale-up related to infrastructure, regulation, financing, and public awareness, the sector has steady growth: 20,000 prosumers in September 2022, for example. Numerous solar parks and PV installations have been built in various regions of the country, given that one hectare of land equipped with solar panels can generate an average of 1252 megawatt-hours of electricity during a given year in Romania. It should be noted that only by using 0.22% of the unpopulated area of our country, with the help of photovoltaic systems, theoretically, the entire national electricity requirement could be provided.




    The International Energy Agency estimates that in 2023 approximately $380 billion will be invested in solar energy, surpassing investments in the oil industry for the first time. Each crisis has its own unique characteristics, and although the COVID-19 pandemic has created difficulties in the fight against climate change, the recent energy crisis has had the opposite effect, focusing attention on renewable energy sources, and solar energy has become a mainstay in reducing dependence on energy sources derived from fossil fuels.




    For the end of the current year, the estimates are that the number of prosumers will exceed one hundred thousand. We have a national goal of phasing out the use of coal-based energy by 2032, which is expected to increase the adoption of sustainable energy, especially wind turbines and solar PV installations. According to forecasts by the data and analysis company Global Data, the estimated photovoltaic capacity in Romania will register a significant increase between 2021 and 2030, from 1.39 GW in 2020 to 4.25 GW in 2030, says Mădălina Nechifor, who has also developed her own initiative – Your Solar Roof – for public awareness of the beneficial effects of using solar panels and renewable energy in general. It should also be emphasized that, in recent years, the Romanian government has adopted policies and measures to promote renewable energy, including solar energy, through support and incentive schemes. Romania’s solar potential is considerable, given the favorable climatic conditions and high levels of solar radiation. It is essential to understand that, with the increase in the number of prosumers, we will not only have a greater share of energy produced from renewable sources, but will also help reduce dependence on energy imports, increase consumer welfare, and increase resilience both at the national level, as well as at the individual level.


  • Romania and the Green Economy

    Romania and the Green Economy

    Bucharest has these days become a regional hub for debates on climate change, as the Romanian capital is hosting Climate Change Summit, the largest event of this kind in Central and Eastern Europe.



    In a message conveyed in the onset of the event, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has said that no country or nation is safe from climate change effects. “We have to work together, beyond national and sectoral borders, to step up the process of global decarbonisation,” Iohannis went on to say. The Romanian official hails the fact that part of the event is being housed by universities and said that young people must be given authority and opportunities to participate in the process of stepping up the green transition. In turn the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, has announced the number of prosumers, those who arent only consumers but also produce energy by means of renewable sources, is estimated to reach 236 thousand by the end of 2025 and to go over 350 thousand by 2030.



    “This is a good thing that translates as decarbonisation, system decentralization and better resilience”, Burduja has also added. According to the minister, Romania has the big chance of an optimum position to benefit the energy revolution and the budget available for investment in the field, which presently stands at 18 billion euros, will enable the development of fresh projects in the area.



    The transformation of Romanias economy in one digital and green is a long-term process, which requires solid national planning that has to be accepted by all the political forces, by businesses and civic groups alike, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says. According to him the process of reducing climate change effects is a priority for the present cabinet. He pointed out that the Executive intends to both increase the resilience and sustainability of the energy system and agriculture and improve the management of water and mineral resources. Ciolacu added that future solutions will be developed through both the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the other national and European financial instruments so that Romania of the year 2030 may be better prepared to face climate challenges.



    Another step forward in the process of decarbonising the economy has been announced at the aforementioned summit by the Environment Ministry. According to state secretary, Ionuţ Banciu, Romania has succeeded in decoupling the economic growth and gas emissions and managed to curb their volume by two thirds. He says that Romania has reached the climate targets set in 2020 and the governments strategy to reach climate neutrality by 2050 is being debated upon and is expected to get the green light by the end of November.


    (bill)