Radio România Internațional

Tag: environment

  • The Net-Zero Industry Act

    The Net-Zero Industry Act

    The European Council and Parliament have endorsed the final form of a law aimed at boosting clean technologies in Europe. Among these are the methods of capturing CO2 emissions and this translates into new obligations and opportunities for the Romanian oil and gas companies

    The Net-Zero Industry Act provides for incentives to all investments in clean technologies concurrently with curbing the EU’s dependency on fossil fuels. Through this document, the Union wants that by 2030, at least 40% of the production of clean technologies it needs, be made on the Union’s territory. Some of the advantages offered to this type of industry is simplifying the investment legislation and cutting the time needed for getting permits and authorizations.

    On the other hand, the member states will be able to grant preferential funding schemes for investment in clean technologies with a better market access. They will also be able to introduce new public tender criteria so that clean technologies are favoured. These include the photovoltaic and wind systems, heat pumps, hydrogen, the nuclear energy or the battery industry.

    In order to cut down on emissions the law also provides for projects for CO2 storage and the European oil and gas producers have clear obligations to provide these injection reservoirs.

    The target is of 50 million tons of injected CO2 by 2030 and since Romania is the second European producer, local companies have the obligation to provide deposits for the injection of 9 million cubic meters. Romanian companies Romgaz and Petrom have shown dissatisfaction because they must invest in injection before finding proper customers for this job.

    According to the latest Euro-barometer, the Europeans continue to voice their concern regarding the environment considering it an aspect, which affects them personally.

    Over three quarters of the Europeans believe that environment issues have a direct impact over their everyday life and health. At the same time more than four out of five respondents have admitted that the EU legislation in the field is needed to protect the environment in their country. Citizens are also concerned about the costs of pollution and 92% of them believe it is the companies that should pay for curbing pollution whereas 74% of them say that public authorities should cover the costs.

    The poll also shows the citizens’ concern about pollution and water shortage, their support for the circular economy and environmental protection as well as for raising people’s awareness about the impact of toxic chemical substances.

    (bill)

  • March 25, 2024 UPDATE

    March 25, 2024 UPDATE

     

    MOTION In Bucharest, the Chamber of Deputies discussed on Monday a simple motion against the agriculture minister Florin Barbu (Social Democratic Party), accused of having backed a bill allowing the reed in the Danube Delta to be used for the financial benefit of certain politicians. The simple motion, called “Praising Ceauşescu will not save the Romanian agriculture,” was tabled by Save Romania Union in opposition, after the agriculture minister’s appreciative discourse about the country’s former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. USR also accused Florin Barbu of having treated the protesting farmers with contempt and of having ignored the MPs requests to present his activity. Barbu dismissed the motion as “a complete joke” and a string of “battle cries, propaganda and many untruths.” The Chamber is to vote on the motion on Tuesday.

     

    DRUG TRAFFICKING The Romanian police will be able to monitor and identify drug traffickers more efficiently once a new special register in this field has become operational. The bill regulating the register was signed into law by president Klaus Iohannis on Monday. Depending on the sentence received in court, traffickers will be entered into the registry for 5 to 20 years, during which the police will be aware of the risks of the monitored person selling banned substances again, the justice minister Alina Gorghiu explained. Drug using and trafficking have seen an upward trend in Romania lately. More than one tonne of drugs was seized last year, and also last year Romanian antidrug structures seized the largest amount of Ecstasy so far (230,000 tablets), the justice minister said.

    SCHENGEN Full Schengen accession by the end of this year is achievable, the Romanian interior minister Cătălin Predoiu believes. He says Romania has already completed preparation for lifting checks at the EU internal air and maritime borders, as approved by the EU Council as of the end of this week. Predoiu added that Romania and Austria cooperate very well in fields like border protection and fighting illegal migration and cross-border crime, and said he suggested extending the cooperation between the 2 countries beyond Schengen, with a focus on fighting drug trafficking and human trafficking.

    INVESTIGATION Romanian prosecutors subordinated to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office seized assets worth EUR 2.4 mln from an Italian suspect subject to an investigation in Bologna concerning cross-border fuel trafficking. The total damages in the case amount to EUR 92 mln. In Romania, prosecutors seized 18 properties owned by the suspect, have frozen 14 bank accounts and assets in Romanian companies. Three Italian nationals are probed into for bringing into Italy oil products from refineries in Croatia and Slovenia, in order to resell them for lower prices to Romanian and British companies, and to bill them to Italian shell companies run by members of the crime group, the EPPO explained.

    ALERT The government of France has raised the terror alert warning to its highest level after Friday’s massacre in Moscow. The country’s PM, Gabriel Attal, said in a social media post that “the decision was taken in light of the Islamic State’s claiming responsibility for the attack and the threats weighing on our country.” France has seen some of the bloodiest terror attacks masterminded by Islamist fighters, such as the ones in 2015-2016, which left roughly 300 dead and hundreds wounded. The government in Paris has explained that the Islamist organisation has been recently involved in a series of attempted attacks, which have been thwarted by police forces in several European countries, such as France and Germany, and the PM Monday morning summoned the heads of the services responsible for the country’s security and safety.

    HANDBALL The Romanian women’s handball side Dunarea Braila has qualified for the final tournament of the EHF European League after a 26-25 home win against the Croatian side Podravka Vegeta on Sunday in the second round of the quarter finals. Dunarea, which also won the first game against Podravka, is Romania’s second representative in the EHF Finals Women, due on June 1 and 2 in Graz, Austria, after Gloria Bistrita. Romania’s champions CSM Bucharest have qualified for the quarter finals of the Champions League in women’s handball after a double win against the Slovenian side Krim Mercator Ljubljana and will be playing in the quarters against the French side Metz Handball.

  • A Green Pact in Romania

    A Green Pact in Romania

    Environmental protection must not be neglected, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said during a meeting that brought together several NGOs in the field.  According to the president, thanks to the projects run by various NGOs, citizens have better understood the benefits of some actions aimed at environmental preservation and have become real partners in the green transition. Nevertheless, there are still challenges to address; the Romanian President went on to say. Iohannis says that he stands for the need of a national pact, under which the environmental protection becomes a priority and has underlined the importance of education for the environment and climate.

    Klaus Iohannis: “We are talking about projects, which propose new activities for students or contribute to the training of teachers to complete the still limited government capabilities in terms of environmental education. Moreover, many organizations have been taking moves directly involving communities in nature preservation but also in energy transition. Through suchlike projects, citizens are better understanding the benefits of some environmental activities and are becoming certain partners in the green transition.”

    The Romanian President believes that efforts aimed at protecting the environment can be implemented so that they may benefit the national economy.

    Klaus Iohannis:  “Measures in terms of energy access and energy efficiency must support the most vulnerable consumers through investment that simultaneously reduce both the bills and the pollution. At least part of the green technology used in the new investment must be made in Romania to create fresh jobs and added value.”

    In turn, Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has underlined the active role civil society is playing in developing and implementing environment policies. He pleaded for partnerships between the public sector and civil society with a view to contributing to the protection and preservation of natural resources and the creation of a cleaner and safer environment for the Romanian citizens.

    Marcel Ciolacu: “Sometimes, some people forget that economic and social development must take into account and be in a state of balance with nature. And for this reason, your role is all the more so important as all these desiderata – sustainable development, fighting climate change, the rehabilitation and protection of natural areas, education and raising people’s awareness – have to be the main pillars, Romania’s development must be based upon.

    The minister has recalled a series of successful projects run in the past years, which contributed to the promotion of sustainable development and mentioned that politicians, through the decisions they make, must take into account the reality in Romania’s economy and social environment as well as the NGOs proposals.

    (bill)

  • February 22, 2024 UPDATE

    February 22, 2024 UPDATE

    ELECTIONS The United Right Alliance in opposition says it will challenge in court the move by the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democrats and the Liberals to merge local and European elections. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians, also in opposition, has described the decision to merge elections as illegal and unconstitutional. The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciucă, respectively, on Wednesday evening announced local elections and the national ballot for the European Parliament would be held on the same date in June. The two parties are to form an election alliance and run on joint lists in the European elections, but on separate lists in the local elections. The presidential elections are to be held in September and the parliamentary elections in December.

     

    HEALTHCARE The PM of Romania Marcel Ciolacu Thursday announced new hirings to fill over 2,200 vacancies in the healthcare and social assistance sectors. He also said the government intended to recruit almost 10,000 physicians, nurses and other healthcare personnel in hospitals this year, after procedures to fill another 7,600 vacancies received the green light last month. Ciolacu said this meant better services for patients, as well as less pressure on current hospital staff. The Romanian public healthcare system is struggling with severe personnel shortages, a situation reported both by doctors, and by patients.

     

    UKRAINE Ukraine must stay united and win the war started by Russia, Ukraine’s ambassador to Bucharest Ihor Prokopchuk said at a round table organised by the embassy. He believes the sanctions against Russia were effective, but they need to be even more effective in order to further reduce the financial resources that enable Russia to carry on the war. The diplomat also mentioned that Russia’s aggression on his country started 10 years ago. According to Prokopchuk, Russia’s current large-scale invasion is accompanied by a blatant violation of international law, the destruction of cities and many victims among civilians. Ihor Prokopchuk voiced confidence that Ukraine would win the war, and spoke about his people’s courage and heroism in withstanding the invasion and thwarting Russia’s plans to separate the country from Europe. The Ukrainian ambassador thanked Romania and the other international partners for their political, military and financial support, as well as for the sanctions against Moscow, and said he was hoping this support would continue until Ukraine won the war.

     

    ENVIRONMENT The Romanian Black Sea coastline gained 23 hectares of beach this year in the resorts of Eforie and Agigea, following works to reduce coastal erosion and expand the beachfront. According to the environment minister Mircea Fechet, this not only benefits the environment, but also the economic and tourist activities in the area. He says legal solutions are being searched for to allow businesses to rent sections of the beach for at least 10 years, as opposed to 2 years at present. The minister believes this will make business activity more stable and predictable and drive prices of tourist services down.

     

    TABLE TENNIS Romania’s women’s team was defeated by Japan, 3-0, on Thursday, in the quarter-finals of the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan (South Korea). On Wednesday, Romania qualified for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, thanks to a 3-0 win against Egypt in the eighth-finals.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea qualified into the semi-finals of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Dubai, after a spectacular win on Thursday against the defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. Cîrstea (33, 22 WTA) defeated Vondrousova in 2 hours and 41 minutes, after saving 6 match points. (AMP)

  • January 15, 2024 UPDATE

    January 15, 2024 UPDATE

    Protests — Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu asked the heads of the ministries in direct dialogue these days with transporters and farmers to speed up the drafting of laws that would solve the problems reported by the protesters. At Mondays meeting, the ministers presented the timetable for the approval of the respective draft laws, so that the first decisions with agreed measures in support of farmers and transporters should be adopted at the following government meetings. The Financial Supervisory Authority has announced that it is already working on a set of measures that will reduce Liability Car Insurance rates, especially for those who do not cause accidents. As far as the agricultural field is concerned, the Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, and the representatives of the agricultural associations agreed during Mondays negotiations to several requests from the farmers. Among them are the emergency granting of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture – APIA payments, the compensation of losses suffered by Romanian farmers who were affected by imports from Ukraine and the updating of the value of state aid regarding the reimbursement of the excise duty on diesel fuel purchased and used in agriculture. Meanwhile, the protests of farmers and transporters continued, on Monday, on several roads in the country.



    Healthcare – The Romanian Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, and the management of the National Health Insurance House called on family doctors on Monday to participate in good faith in the negotiations scheduled for Thursday in order to find solutions that should allow the proper financing of the field. Family doctors started protests and threatened to stop providing free consultations from February 1, after the National Health Insurance House published a project to reduce the value of the consultations point. This would mean, according to family doctors, the reduction of their income by 30% up to 50%. There are also protests at the public health departments. The employees are also demanding an increase in income, after their colleagues from the National Health Insurance House obtained increased salaries at the end of last year. Meanwhile, the Sanitas Federation continues to collect signatures to decide whether to launch an all out strike. Unionists say that the recent unlocking of vacancy-filling contests for doctors and nurses does not solve the problems in the system, because the salaries are not attractive and people will not participate in the contests.



    Environment – “The cooperation of all EU member states is necessary and I would like to assure you that we are open to dialogue and establishing, by consensus, the EUs position, both internally and internationally, from the point of view of environmental protection and climate change”. The declaration was made, on Monday, by the Romanian Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, during the discussions held on the sidelines of the Informal Meeting of Environment Ministers in Brussels. According to him, Romania took all measures to maintain a vigorous population of large carnivores, including bears, and at the same time tried to obtain the support of the EU member states. Mircea Fechet participates, on Monday and Tuesday, in the Informal Meeting of Environment Ministers in Brussels. The event has several topics on the agenda such as adaptation and resilience, ambition and climate policy, a just transition and the circular economy.



    Culture Day – The Romanian Academy and the Science Academy of the Republic of Moldova had, on Monday morning, a joint festive session organized in a hybrid system on the occasion of the anniversary of the National Culture Day. From Chişinău, the president of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Ion Tighineanu, spoke about the importance of this holiday in promoting national identity, as well as about the numerous joint actions of the two academies. He said that the representatives of the Romanian ethnic space have every chance to impose themselves through culture and centuries-old traditions, by highlighting the truth about the common identity and history, by further cultivating the Romanian language, which the poet Mihai Eminescu said is “our master”. January 15, which marks the National Culture Day, is also the date of birth of the great poet of Romanians, Mihai Eminescu, and this year we mark 174 years since his birth. The celebration is marked by a series of exhibitions, theater performances, guided tours or concerts, both in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as abroad, where there are important communities of Romanians.



    Statistics – Although they are not among the Europeans with the highest incomes, Romanians are on the second place in the European Union in terms of the degree of satisfaction with their life, shows the conclusion of the latest Eurostat report. Statistics are influenced by age, family or financial situation, diversity of lived experiences, priorities or various individual values. According to the European barometer, the average level of satisfaction at the community level is 7.1 points. Austrians are the most satisfied EU citizens, with 7.9 points, followed by Romanians, Finns and Poles, all with an index of 7.7 points. At the opposite pole are the Bulgarians, with 5.6 points. (LS)

  • October 15, 2023 UPDATE

    October 15, 2023 UPDATE

    Israel – The Israeli army is deployed along the Gaza Strip for a ground offensive in the north of the Strip, an army spokesman announced on Sunday. Israel has consistently urged Gaza inhabitants living in the north of the territory to leave south as quickly as possible, accusing Hamas, which opposes the evacuation, of preventing civilians from leaving. Israel says it is targeting Gaza City to destroy the operations center of the Palestinian Islamist movement, labeled as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU. Over 1,400 people were killed in Israel during the attack launched on October 7 by Hamas commandos, show the latest figures provided by the army on Sunday. The Israeli response to the attack killed over 2,400 people in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened, on Sunday, for the first time, the extended emergency cabinet. The meeting, held at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, began with the ministers holding a moment of silence in memory of the Israelis killed by Hamas on October 7. On the other hand, Israels army blocked the border with Lebanon after pro-Iranian Hezbollah militias, allied with Hamas, attacked an Israeli settlement with rockets, killing one man and wounding three others. On a diplomatic level, the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to Israel on Monday, extending his Middle East tour by one day. On Sunday Antony Blinken had a meeting in Riyadh with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose country has suspended talks regarding a possible normalization of relations with Israel.



    MAE — The Romanian Foreign Ministry — MAE announced that, against the backdrop of the deterioration of the security situation in the State of Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Crisis Cell is continuing its ongoing efforts to evacuate, under safe conditions, the Romanian citizens from the Gaza Strip who requested this. There are approximately 200 Romanian citizens in the Gaza Strip who would like to leave the area and have requested the support of the Romanian authorities. The MAE, through the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Romanian Representative Office in Ramallah and the Romanian diplomatic missions in the region, maintains coordination with other states and international organizations that undertake similar measures for their own citizens or officials. On Saturday, 58 Romanian citizens returned from Israel with a private flight. All in all, so far, 2,220 Romanians have been repatriated from Israel. On the other hand, the MAE confirmed the death of two other Romanian-Israeli citizens. The death toll thus rises to four.




    Luxembourg – The Romanian Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, participates on Monday, in Luxembourg, in the meeting of the Environment Council. According to the data published on the website of the European Council, high on the agenda of the meeting are such issues as the purification of urban waste water and the standards regarding CO2 emissions for new heavy vehicles, among others. The Environment Ministers will try to reach an agreement on a proposal to revise the Directive on the treatment of urban wastewater. The proposal asks member states to draw up plans for large cities to manage urban runoff generated by rainfall.




    Trade – The online sale of goods and services has progressed in Romania and has come to represent 3.17% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product. Thus, Romania dominates the market in Eastern Europe, generating almost 60% of the sales in the region. A turnover of almost 10 billion Euros is estimated for this year. Compared to Central and Eastern Europe, only Poland and the Czech Republic surpass Romania, and, at the level of the continent, the country ranks 12th, the Romanian Association of Online Stores informs on the occasion of the National E-Commerce Day. 94% of Romanian buyers prefer to order online from Romanian stores, while 21% also ordered from foreign websites.



    Handball — Romania’s womens national handball team defeated the Greek team, away from home, score 32-20, on Saturday, in Group 1 of the 2024 European Championship preliminaries. The Romanian players have scored the 2nd outright victory in this stage of the championship, after a score of 49-17 with Bosnia-Herzegovina, at home. In another match, Croatia outperformed Bosnia-Herzegovina, in an away match. Romania takes first place, with 4 points, followed by Croatia, 4 points, Greece, 0 points, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 0 points. The national team will play the next match on February 28, at home, against Croatia. (LS)

  • September 14, 2023

    September 14, 2023

    GOVERNMENT
    – The Bucharest government has several normative acts on its agenda today,
    among which emergency support for farmers affected by the increase in grain
    imports from Ukraine and supporting the production of vegetables grown in
    protected areas. The government also wants to green light procedures for the
    implementation of the National Program for the development and support of the
    food industry in the period 2023-2026 and to increase the domestic production
    of farm and food products and the volume of processed products with high added
    value intended for export. The executive also plans to grant emergency
    humanitarian aid to Syria.




    DRONES
    – The Russian Federation’s attacks on the Ukrainian Danube ports of Reni,
    Izmail and Chilia are unacceptable, State Secretary with the Romanian Defense
    Ministry, Simona Cojocaru, said. In recent weeks, we have witnessed an
    unprecedented escalation of this war of aggression, very close to Romania’s
    border the minister said, after new drone fragments, most likely Russian,
    were discovered in the Danube Delta, bordering Ukraine.




    STUDY
    – Seven out of ten Romanians are interested in having a sustainable lifestyle,
    but the price continues to be a major obstacle, so that only 38% find ‘green’
    products affordable, while 53% say these products are harder to find, according
    to the latest study on the benefits of sustainability. The data processed by
    Reveal Marketing Research highlights the fact that, for Romanian consumers,
    sustainability is mainly about using resources responsibly, especially by
    reducing waste and recycling, caring for the environment and endangered
    species, but also about taking measures to reduce pollution and carbon
    emissions.




    FESTIVAL -
    The State Philharmonics in Sibiu is today taking the stage of the George Enescu
    Festival under the baton of the American conductor Roderick Cox. Attending the
    event for the first time, and conducting a Romanian orchestra also for the
    first time, Roderick Cox will give two concerts during the festival: on
    September 14 in Sibiu and on September 16 in Bucharest. Together with the
    orchestra in Sibiu and violinist Ioana Cristina Goicea, Roderick Cox will offer
    the public in Sibiu and Bucharest a program centered on the Concerto for violin
    and orchestra in D major op. 25 by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, but also highlights
    of the Fourth Symphony in F minor op. 36 by P.I. Tchaikovsky, as well as a
    masterpiece of contemporary Romanian symphonic works: Gyorgy Ligeti’s
    Lontano. Radio Romania is co-producer of the George
    Enescu International Festival.






    EU – The war in Ukraine, the tensions with
    Russia and the energy crisis were mentioned by the president of the European
    Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her state of the union address that she
    held, on Wednesday, in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Mrs. von der
    Leyen also spoke about the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen
    area. She clearly said that the two countries deserve to be welcomed in the
    free movement area but she did not offer a clear solution to overcome Austria’s
    opposition. Romanian MEPs, regardless of political color, believe that
    Bucharest must put pressure on the European authorities to make Schengen possible by the end of the year. (EE)








  • August 2, 2023

    August 2, 2023

    BUDGET The ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party carry on talks on the fiscal measures that must be implemented in order to reduce the state budget deficit. Overall public expenditure cuts of some EUR 1.2 bln are targeted, concurrently with tax increases by a similar amount. Public institution mergers, the scrapping of 200,000 public sector jobs that are currently vacant, personnel downsizing and cuts in the management allowances paid by public companies are some of the measures considered by the government. The 2 parties have also agreed on 2 VAT rates, 9% and 19%, although a 5% VAT rate will be in place as an exception for books alone. The Social Democrats and the Liberals however differ as regards a proposed additional 1% tax on luxury homes and on the profits of companies with more than EUR 100 mln in turnover.



    E-COMMERCE Last year Romanians spent nearly EUR 7 bln online, one-quarter of the amount on clothes and footwear alone. According to a survey, the Romanian e-commerce market comprises a rough 100 online stores reporting over 1,000 orders per day. One in 5 Romanians regularly order online, and 50% of them do so twice every 3 months. In Europe, the share of online shopping rose from 55% in 2012 to 75% in 2022, with the highest increases reported in Estonia, the Czech Republic and Romania.



    FORESTRY A new draft Forestry Code was released for public consultation on Tuesday in Romania. The surface areas where forest clearing is banned will be increased approx. 10 fold, and the vehicles that carry wood illegally will be seized. The bill will also enable the government to take over the task of reforesting land that has been cleared and subsequently abandoned by its owners. The measures come after the European Commission initiated an infringement procedure against Romania for failure to implement several environment-related directives.



    FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Romanian foreign ministry warns citizens who are traveling or intend to travel to the Italian island of Sardinia that local authorities there have issued a code orange alert for wildfire risks. On the other hand, the ministry also announced it was taking steps to repatriate 4 Romanian nationals from Niger, as the security situation in that country is worsening.



    UKRAINE Russia’s continued attacks against the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on Danube, in the proximity of Romania, are unacceptable. These are war crimes and they further affect Ukraine’s capacity to transfer their food products towards those in need in the world, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis posted on Wednesday on social media. A Russian drone attack hit Ukrainian port infrastructure in Izmail, on the Danube, close to NATO-member Romania. According to Kyiv, the attack caused fires at the port and industrial infrastructure and damaged the elevator there. Russia started targeting Ukraine’s ports after terminating a UN deal enabling the country’s grain exports via the Black Sea.



    UNTOLD Thousands of gendarmes, firefighters, anti-drug and local police officers, as well as 800 private security guards, have been mobilized for the 4-day music festival UNTOLD in Cluj-Napoca, which begins on Thursday, to make sure that safety measures are complied with by all participants. Two mobile hospitals and 3 first-aid stations will be located near the festival site. The line-up for the 8th edition of UNTOLD, one of the largest music festivals in Europe, includes over 250 artists from Romania and abroad. Tens of thousands of music lovers from around the world are expected to attend. (AMP)


  • Greener cars for the EU

    Greener cars for the EU

    As of 2035 the
    European Union is phasing out the sale of new vehicles running on diesel and
    petrol. Member states
    have reached a final agreement on the proposal, and the vote was given at a
    meeting of EU energy ministers.


    Under the new rules, in the next 12 years
    vehicle CO2 emissions are to be cut by 55% compared to 2021 figures. As for
    vans, the target is 50% by 2035, but as of that date emissions are to be cut by
    100%, which means the end of internal combustion engine production. This type
    of engines will be allowed nonetheless after that date, provided that they use
    climate-neutral e-fuels. This exemption is the outcome of Germany’s pushback on
    the new legislation over the past month.


    Climate-neutral fuels, currently under
    development, are synthetic and their use generates emissions, however their
    neutrality is given by the fact that they are produced by capturing CO2 from
    the atmosphere using electricity from renewable sources, and the same amount of
    CO2 captured for their production is released through their use.


    Biofuels will also be banned as of 2035, on
    grounds that they are generated in agriculture and already have a carbon
    footprint. The use of environment-friendly fuels will be regulated in
    subsequent legislation. But experts are already wondering what type of energy
    will be accepted in order to produce them.


    One option could be nuclear electricity, a
    resource increasingly appreciated by the European Commission for EU’s
    transition to an emission-free economy. Countries like France, Poland and
    Romania are trying to obtain recognition and advantages for the production of both
    the electricity itself, and of synthetic fuels like hydrogen. Opposing the use
    of nuclear energy are Germany, Austria and Spania.


    Meanwhile, Norway has set the tightest deadline for giving up internal combustion engines. The country is a world leader
    in terms of electric car market share, with nearly 79% of the sales in 2022
    consisting in plug-in electric vehicles.


    Internal combustion engines are being
    phased out precisely as the sales of Dacia,
    the car made by the French group Renault in Piteşti, Romania, among other
    locations, have been rising across Europe. According to
    the company, Dacia is ranking 3rd
    in Europe by sales to individual buyers, accounting for a record-high 7.6%
    market share. Ford is the
    second-largest player in the Romanian automotive market, thanks to a production
    facility in Craiova operated by the Turkish-US joint ventureFord Otosan. (AMP)

  • March 19, 2023

    March 19, 2023

    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently
    on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, has traveled today to Masdar
    City, a model of sustainable urban development with solutions centered around
    energy efficiency and environment protection. The Romanian official was presented
    solutions for transport and urban cooling and ventilation, building energy
    generation and optimum usage of natural light in schools and research
    institutions. The solutions tested in Masdar City may be an inspiration for
    other cities increasingly interested in sustainability, including in Romania. Contributions
    to these solutions come, among others, from Romanian researchers as well,
    affiliated to research institutes in Masdar City, the Romanian presidency said
    in a news release. President Iohannis will be in the UAE until Tuesday, at the
    invitation of his counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main
    goals of the visit include strengthening the political and diplomatic dialogue
    on topics of mutual interest, encouraging bilateral economic relations, which
    are already on a significant positive trend, and attracting investments in the
    Romanian economy through projects in fields like infrastructure, energy,
    climate change, cybersecurity and food security.


    REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police Inspectorate General
    announced that on Saturday as many as 86,342 people entered Romania using
    border checkpoints around the country. Of them, 8,510 were Ukrainian nationals.
    Since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of their
    country, nearly 3.8 million Ukrainian citizens entered Romania. Most of them have travelled
    further on to western European countries, but around 100,000 of them have
    chosen to stay in Romania, according to the authorities in Bucharest.


    CHILDREN Border police prevented over 5,300 Romanian
    underage nationals from crossing the border out of the country in 2022, because
    their parents or the adults accompanying them were unable to produce the
    documents required for taking minors out of the country. The interior ministry
    announced on Sunday that the number is twice as big as in the previous year. Also,
    since the beginning of 2023, more than 800 Romanian minors have been stopped at
    the border because they lacked valid travel documents, the accompanying parent
    lacked the consent of the other parent or because the adults accompanying them,
    other than their parents, failed to present clear criminal records. Under the
    law, underage Romanian nationals can only leave the country based on a valid
    travel document, passport or identity card, provided that they are accompanied
    by an adult and have the consent of their parents.


    RUGBY Romania’s
    national rugby team takes on Spain today in a match for the 3rd
    place in Rugby Europe Championship 2023, the second-tier European competition
    after Six Nations. The match is played in Badajoz, Spain. The competition final,
    pitting Georgia against Portugal, is played tonight as well. In August Romania’s
    rugby team is scheduled to play test matches against Georgia and Italy, ahead
    of the World Cup in France, organised between September 8 and October 28. Romania will play in Group B, alongside Ireland, South Africa,
    Scotland and Tonga.


    HANDBALL Romania’s women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, are
    playing today away from home against Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana, in the first
    leg of the playoffs for the Champions’ League quarter-finals. The second leg
    takes place in Bucharest. This is Rapid’s first presence in the Champions’
    League, and the match against the Slovenian champions is also the team’s first
    march in European competitions with the Danish manager Kim Rasmussen, who
    replaced Carlos Viver (Spain). 150 Romanian fans will attend the game. If they
    qualify into the quarter-finals, Rapid will be facing Kristiansand (Norway). Romania’s
    vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, have already qualified into the quarter-finals,
    where they will take on the winner of the playoff between the French side Brest
    and the Danish team Esbjerg. (AMP)

  • March 9, 2023 UPDATE

    March 9, 2023 UPDATE

    Environment. The Romanian government will double the funds for environmental programs that include photovoltaic panel installation projects, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă announced on Thursday. He stated that the funding is worth 2 billion euros and that the number of beneficiaries could reach 80,000. The Minister of the Environment, Tánczos Barna, explained that not only individuals will be supported in the installation of photovoltaic panels, but also those units that provide social assistance to vulnerable people. With regard to the car-scrapping program, the intention is to remove from traffic, in collaboration with the local authorities, 100 thousand vehicles older than 15 years, with the final target being a quarter of a million scrapped. Two new programs will also be implemented, financed from the environmental fund, for the development of waste management systems.



    Bills. The bills on Education are being analyzed by the Bucharest Government, in order to establish the final form that will be submitted for Parliament approval. The debates in Parliament, however, are very likely to get heated. The Government believes that the new laws will help reduce school dropout, improve the countrys education system and help young people adapt to the labour market requirements. The opposition, however, has criticised the amendments announced by the line minister Ligia Deca, describing the bills as faulty, superficially made and prone to creating imbalances. The bills have also been criticized by all those involved in the educational process, students, teachers and parents. “History of Communism” will be included in the curriculum, the Education Minister announced at the beginning of the government session. All children will thus have the opportunity to learn about the sacrifices made in the past to have a democratic society today, said Ligia Deca.



    Energy. The Italian electricity and gas provider Enel on Thursday announced the transfer of its operations in Romania towards Public Power Corp (PPC) of Greece, in exchange for 1.26 billion euros as part of a plan focusing on green energy production and cutting debts. Enel has made public its intention to focus on countries with growth potential like Italy, Spain, the United States, Brazil, Chile and Columbia. The Enel-PPC deal is expected to complete in the third quarter of this year. The Italian group has been a major player on Romanias energy market since 2005 and currently boasts 3 million customers in three major regions of this country.



    Schengen. Interior Minister Lucian Bode pleaded on Thursday, in Brussels, for Romanias accession to the Schengen Area this year. Beyond the advantages to Romania, the level of security at the borders of the Union will also increase, and the new figures presented by the European Commission show that the migration along the Western Balkans corridor has already decreased by almost half compared to last year. Lucian Bode says that a signal was given that accession could be a priority on the agenda of the future European presidency, which will be held by Spain in the second part of the year. He has stated that several interior ministers have reaffirmed their support for the inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria in the European area of ​​free movement.



    Talks. Defence Ministers from EU member countries on Wednesday convened in Stockholm for talks over a two-billion euro plan of providing howitzer shells to Ukraine so that the country will improve its fighting capabilities against Russia. A final decision on the aforementioned project is expected during a similar conference due on March 20th. According to press agencies, Ukraine has cautioned that the quantity is not enough to make the difference in the war against Russia. Ukraines Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who also attended the conference in Stockholm, says that his country needs at least one million 155mm artillery shells, which would cost 4 billion euros, double than the plan presented in Stockholm. The total EU support for Ukraine presently stands at 12 billion euros.



    COVID-19. The number of COVID-19 infections is on the rise in Romania and according to the latest reports, the figures doubled last week as compared to February. Physicians believe though that the present situation should not create concern, whereas experts say that the real number of infections could be higher than officially announced. At the same time, the number of respiratory infections is dropping under 100 thousand cases confirmed in late February. (MI)

  • January 2, 2023

    January 2, 2023

    SWIMMING The Romanian athlete David Popovici was awarded the best
    swimmer of the year 2022 title by the well-known website Swimswam.com. The
    peak of Popovici’s year came at the 2022 European Championships. There, he
    first took down Cesar Cielo’s super-suited world record time of 46.91 in the
    100 free, going 46.86. Then, he swam a 1:42.97 in the 200 free, becoming the
    third male to break 1:43 behind Paul Biedermann and Michael Phelps and the first
    to do so in a textile suit, the website says. David Popovici won the 100 and
    200 free at every major long course international meet that he competed at: the
    World Championships, the European Championships, the World Junior Championships,
    and the European Championships.


    RECYCLING
    All traders in Romania that sell bottled water, soft drinks or alcoholic drinks
    in plastic, glass or metal containers between 100 ml and 3 l are bound to
    register within 2 months on the platform of a guarantee-return system (SGR). Otherwise,
    they risk fines between EUR 4,000 and EUR 8,000. The authorities want the
    system to become operational at the end of November 2023. Shops will also have
    to arrange packaging return centres. The prices of drinks will include the
    roughly EUR 0.10 packaging guarantee, which consumers will collect when
    returning the bottles. Romania will thus have the second-largest return system in
    Europe, after Germany, the environment minister Tanczos Barna said recently.


    NATO
    Western countries must be prepared to provide long-term support to Ukraine as
    Russia shows no signs of relenting, NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said.
    In an interview to the BBC, Stoltenberg saidmilitary
    support would ensure the survival of Ukraine as a sovereign country and force
    Russia to sit down and negotiate an end to the war. According to Jens Stoltenberg,
    Russia’s partial mobilisation programme, ordered in September, indicated that
    Moscow had no desire to end the war, and NATO must make sure that Ukraine stays
    in a strong position in the event of negotiation talks between the two sides.


    UKRAINE
    Russia last night carried on attacks on Ukraine using Iranian-made drones, and
    targeting the capital city in particular. Air raid alerts sounded for several
    hours, and local authorities say a young man was injured and several buildings
    damaged. This is the second consecutive night of heavy Russian missile attacks
    on Kyiv, after the massive one on New Year’s night. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian
    forces, which destroyed some of the drones, announced having caused substantial
    casualties among the Russian troops in Bakhmut, a small town in the east of the
    country which has been seeing heavy fighting for several months now. Apparently
    170 Russian troops were killed and at least 200 wounded. Moscow has not yet
    confirmed the losses, but said its recent attacks targeted buildings where the
    Ukrainians were reportedly producing drones.


    POPE
    Thousands of believers have gathered in Vatican to pay
    their respects to the former Pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday aged 95
    and whose body is lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the funeral scheduled
    for Thursday. On Sunday Pope Francis paid tribute to his dearest predecessor,
    emphasising his sacrifices offered for the good of the Church. Benedict
    XVI, who announced his resignation from the papacy in 2013 on account of his
    ill health and age, was a highly praised theologian. The funeral will be
    presided over by Pope Francis, and it will be the first time in the 2,000-year
    long history of the Catholic Church that a Pope will be buried by his successor.


    BRAZIL
    Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was sworn in and vowed to rebuild
    the country together with the Brazilian people. For his 3rd term in
    office as president, Lula da Silva (77) announced plans to strengthen
    environment protection and curb famine. He criticised his far-right
    predecessor Jair Bolsonaro’s government, arguing
    that They emptied the resources for health, dismantled education, culture,
    science, and destroyed the environmental protections. Luiz Inacio Lula da
    Silva governed the country in 2003-2010, when he fought poverty through major
    social programmes. However, corruption had deepened during his previous terms
    in office, and da Silva himself served time for corruption and money
    laundering, although later on the Supreme Court ruled it a mistrial. (AMP)

  • November 27, 2022 UPDATE

    November 27, 2022 UPDATE

    NATO The president of
    Romania Klaus Iohannis will receive the
    NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, in Bucharest on Monday. Stoltenberg
    will chair the meeting of NATO foreign ministers hosted by the Romanian capital city as of Tuesday. Also on this
    occasion, the US state secretary Antony Blinken will travel to Bucharest, and
    will have meetings with president Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign
    minister Bogdan Aurescu. The NATO meeting, the
    first of this kind organised in Romania, focuses on
    supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion, energy security and
    implementing the Alliance’s new strategic concept.


    MLM A Munich Leaders
    Meeting (MLM) takes place in Bucharest on Monday and Tuesday. The Romanian
    foreign ministry is co-hosting this prestigious event, which is part of the Munich
    Security Conference (MSC). Attending will be over 75 senior officials from over
    25 countries, including current and former officials, experts, analysts and
    opinion leaders. The agenda includes relevant topics for international
    security, with an emphasis on developments in the Black Sea and Western Balkans
    regions. Other topics will be the European security architecture, implementing
    the new NATO Strategic Concept, hybrid threats, food security, and the energy
    crisis. The conclusions of the meeting in Bucharest will contribute to shaping
    the agenda of next year’s Munich Security Conference.


    NATIONAL DAY Events
    devoted to Romania’s National Day on December 1 begin in Alba Iulia on November
    30, with military and wreath laying ceremonies. On December 1, more than 850 troops
    will parade in Alba Iulia, including a French unit part of the NATO battlegroup
    deployed in Cincu, Braşov County. In Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and staff of the defence
    ministry, interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special
    Telecommunications Service and the Penitentiary Agency as well as vehicles and
    40 aircraft will take part in a military parade on December 1. According to a
    defence ministry news release, around 150 troops from Belgium, France, North
    Macedonia, R. Of Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal and the US, will also take
    part. Romanian military personnel on missions abroad will also organise special
    ceremonies.


    ENVIRONMENT The
    Romanian environment ministry launched a national forestation programme
    financed from EU funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The
    decision was made because forests cover less than 30% of the country’s surface,
    as against the European average of 40%. In some counties in the south and
    south-east of the country, the ratio is even have less than 5%. Farmers who no
    longer want to keep their farmland under crops may turn it into forests or
    shelterbelts. The government provides up to EUR 20,000 for a hectare of oak
    forest in plains areas and up to EUR 17,000 per hectare of shelterbelts, with
    an additional EUR 456 per year for each hectare of forest for 20 years.


    UKRAINE Heavy rainfall is expected in
    Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv as of Sunday, with sub-zero temperatures both
    during the day and at night. Millions of people in the city and the region
    around it are still without electricity and heat, after Russian shelling
    damaged the country’s energy infrastructure. The region of Dnipropetrovsk, in
    central Ukraine, was once again hit by 5 Russian missile strikes and heavy
    artillery attacks, the regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. Homes and
    other buildings were destroyed, but no victims were reported. However, in the
    southern region of Kherson, where the Russian troops pulled out 2 weeks ago, at
    least 32 people were killed in the bombings, the Ukrainian police reported.


    ENESCU The George
    Enescu International Music Festival was shortlisted for the prestigious International
    Opera Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of the opera world, the festival organisers have
    announced. The awards ceremony takes place on Monday at Teatro Real (Madrid,
    Spain). The 2021 edition was shortlisted in the Festivals section, alongside
    other top-level events in the world of international classical music, such as
    the Donizetti Festival and Garsington Opera.


    HANDBALL The men’s
    handball teams of Romania, Egypt, Algeria and Slovakia take part in this year’s
    Carpaţi Trophy, on December 28th and 29th in Oradea,
    north-western Romania, the Romanian Handball Federation announced. Egypt and
    Algeria are qualified to the forthcoming World Championships scheduled for January
    2023. Romania’s manager Xavi Pascual invited 24 players to convene for the
    competition on December 26th. (AMP)

  • November 27, 2022

    November 27, 2022


    NATO Bucharest will host on Tuesday and Wednesday a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. Attending will also be the foreign ministers of Georgia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine and, for the first time, the Republic of Moldova. The war in Ukraine will be one of the main topics of the meeting. The conference will be co-chaired by the Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, and NATOs secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. This is the first event of this kind organised in Romania since the country joined the Alliance in 2004 and the second NATO formal meeting in Romania since the 2008 summit. NATOs deputy secretary general, Mircea Geoană, says the event is a bridge between this summers summit in Madrid and the forthcoming summit in Vilnius, and a contribution made by Romania to the Alliances strategic thinking and response to the complex situation on the continent.



    MLM A Munich Leaders Meeting (MLM) takes place in Bucharest on Monday and Tuesday. The Romanian foreign ministry is co-hosting this prestigious event, which is part of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). Attending will be over 75 senior officials from over 25 countries, including current and former officials, experts, analysts and opinion leaders. The agenda includes relevant topics for international security, with an emphasis on developments in the Black Sea and Western Balkans regions. Other topics will be the European security architecture, implementing the new NATO Strategic Concept, hybrid threats, food security, and the energy crisis. The conclusions of the meeting in Bucharest will contribute to shaping the agenda of next years Munich Security Conference.



    NATIONAL DAY Events devoted to Romanias National Day on December 1 begin in Alba Iulia on November 30, with military and wreath laying ceremonies. On December 1, more than 850 troops will parade in Alba Iulia, including a French unit part of the NATO battlegroup deployed in Cincu, Braşov County. In Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and staff of the defence ministry, interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service and the Penitentiary Agency as well as vehicles and 40 aircraft will take part in a military parade on December 1. According to a defence ministry news release, around 150 troops from Belgium, France, North Macedonia, R. of Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal and the US, will also take part. Romanian military personnel on missions abroad will also organise special ceremonies.



    ENVIRONMENT The Romanian environment ministry launched a national forestation programme financed from EU funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The decision was made because forests cover less than 30% of the countrys surface, as against the European average of 40%. In some counties in the south and south-east of the country, the ratio is even have less than 5%. Farmers who no longer want to keep their farmland under crops may turn it into forests or shelterbelts. The government provides up to EUR 20,000 for a hectare of oak forest in plains areas and up to EUR 17,000 per hectare of shelterbelts, with an additional EUR 456 per year for each hectare of forest for 20 years.



    ENESCU The George Enescu International Music Festival was shortlisted for the prestigious International Opera Awards, the Oscars of the opera world, the festival organisers have announced. The awards ceremony takes place on Monday at Teatro Real (Madrid, Spain). The 2021 edition was shortlisted in the Festivals section, alongside other top-level events in the world of international classical music, such as the Donizetti Festival and Garsington Opera. (AMP)


  • The National Forestry Strategy under Scrutiny

    The National Forestry Strategy under Scrutiny

    The National Forestry Strategy 2030, which is
    part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), was presented in
    Romania on Monday. According to Environment Minister Tanczos Barna, the
    strategy comes with a new approach in terms of control and restrictions and
    provides for raising the forested areas by 56 thousand hectares until the year
    2026. The national forestry strategy builds a new future for Romania’s forests;
    the minister went on to say. In his opinion, the new strategy lays emphasis on
    increasing the responsibility of the owners, on protection and biodiversity and
    also provides for subsidies to owners whose forests are in the protection area.




    Tanczos
    Barna: The strategy comes with a new approach in terms of control and
    restrictions so that the increased responsibility of the owners may lead to a
    better implementation of this strategy. At the same time the forest’s role of
    protection, of biodiversity, this social service the forests provide to the
    entire community, continues to be very, very important. So we are going to
    raise the surface of forests and strictly protect them but the sate must also
    provide subsidies and offer support to owners whose forests are in the
    protection areas.




    The aforementioned strategy will have to be
    endorsed by the government until September 30th. Then a new
    legislation is needed. According to Barna, Parliament must endorse a new
    forestry code in 2023. And because the forestry strategy has been included in
    the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience, its most important objectives
    will benefit from EU funds.




    The forestry strategy comes after 400 thousand
    hectares of farmland in 34 Romanian counties have been affected by drought this
    year and many Romanian farmers want to build their own irrigation systems.




    Under the latest legislative amendments, farmers
    are allowed to build local irrigation systems. The state pledges to cover 50%
    of the price of electricity used by such local irrigation systems while the
    water used in the process is free of charge.




    The surface affected by wildfires fueled by the
    drought has this year been 10 times higher than the average of the past 15
    years. The former chief of the Environment Guard, Octavian Berceanu, has
    cautioned that the ashes will eventually affect the urban areas, which presently
    lack any forest barriers. According to the European information system, roughly
    150 thousand hectares of land have been destroyed by fire in Romania this year
    as compared to 15 thousand between 2006 and 2021. With 0.63% of its surface
    affected by fire, Romania comes second at EU level after Portugal and is
    followed by Spain and Croatia.



    (bill)