Radio România Internațional

Tag: EPP

  • June 10, 2024

    June 10, 2024

    Local elections – The incumbent general mayor of Bucharest, the independent Nicuşor Dan, won a new mandate in Sunday’s local elections, obtaining almost 47% of the votes, according to the partial results. On second position, at a great distance, is the social-democratic candidate Gabriela Firea. In the General Council, the Social Democratic Party – PSD (in the governing coalition together with the National Liberal Party – PNL) and the United Right Alliance, which supported Nicusor Dan, are tied, with about 27% of the votes. PSD and PNL won, in this order, the most county councils. European Parliament elections were also held in Romania on Sunday, which were won by the joint list proposed by PSD and PNL. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR (sovereigntist, ultranationalist) is on 2nd position, at a big distance, followed by the United Right Alliance and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR.  Romania will be represented by 33 MEPs.

     

    European elections – The partial results of the European elections held between June 6-9 show that the first position is held by the European People’s Party group, which obtained 191 mandates, 15 more than in the last elections. The Social Democrats are in second position, with 135 mandates, which means a decrease of four mandates compared to 2019. Renew loses almost 20 mandates but keeps the third position. The two far-right Eurosceptic parties, the Conservatives and Reformists group, as well as the Identity and Democracy group, climb to fourth and fifth place. The Greens lose fourth position and fall to sixth, with 53 mandates, compared to the 71 they held following the 2019 elections, and the extreme left remains in seventh position with 35 mandates. The independents got 50 mandates, and the unaffiliated parties 45 mandates. According to these partial data and according to last night’s declarations of the political leaders, Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels reports, the future majority will be formed through the negotiation between the first three groups, just as happened in the past. Together, they hold a comfortable majority of 409 parliamentary mandates out of a total of 720, so the vote for the future European Commission should not pose any problems. The European People’s Party wants Ursula von der Leyen to get a second term as head of the Commission, for which only 361 votes are needed. The president of the European Commission has said that her centre-right alliance will act as “a bastion against extremes” in the European Parliament, following a surge in people’s support for nationalist parties. Far right and radical rightist parties won the elections in France, Austria and Italy and came second in Germany and the Netherlands. Following the results in France, President Emmanuel Macron decided to hold early elections in three weeks’ time.

     

    Deficit – Romania’s trade balance deficit in the first four months of the year was just over 9.3 billion euros, 440 million Euros higher than the one recorded in the same period last year, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) announced on Monday. During the analyzed period, exports totaled almost 31.3 billion Euros, and imports over 40.6 billion Euros. According to INS, in the first four months of the year, important shares in the structure of exports and imports are held by machines and transport equipment, as well as by other manufactured products. The value of intra-EU27 exchanges of goods accounted for about 73% of both total exports and total imports.

     

    Tech Week – Bucharest hosts between June 10-16 the eighth edition of Bucharest Tech Week, an emblematic event that transforms the city into the epicenter of technological innovation and where more than 25,000 technology enthusiasts are expected. With a focus on redefining the human experience through technology, the event promises to inspire industry professionals and enthusiasts alike, giving them the opportunity to discover the latest trends and innovations. Bucharest Tech Week maintains the same successful structure, the organizers announced: 5 days of Business Summits, followed by Tech Expo, the largest tech exhibition in Romania, dedicated to the public at large, held throughout the weekend. This year, the five business summits bring together over 50 local and international speakers, and over 60 partner companies respectively, that will bring to the attention of those present over 450 technology solutions dedicated to the business environment. Among the participants in the opening ceremony is Mircea Geoană, NATO Deputy Secretary General.

     

    Summit – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, will participate on Tuesday, in Riga, in the Bucharest Format Summit 9 (B9), which he will co-chair alongside the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, and the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will also participate in the event. The meeting takes place one month before the NATO Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C., which marks 75 years since the Alliance was founded. In Riga, the leaders will have the opportunity for an in-depth exchange of views on the major objectives and the main expected results for the Washington Summit, with focus on strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture on the Eastern Flank, as well as on intensifying support for Ukraine, writes a press release from the Romanian presidency. (LS)

  • The European People’s Party Congress in Bucharest

    The European People’s Party Congress in Bucharest

    The President of the European Commission, the German conservative Ursula von der Leyen, received, on Thursday, in Bucharest, the approval of her political family, the European People’s Party (EPP, center-right), to run for a second term at the helm of the European Commission. “We have 90 days until the European Parliament elections” on June 6-9, she said from the podium of the Romexpo compound, thanking the participants for their “trust” and broad “support” (400 votes for, 89 against). The congress in Bucharest was hosted by the National Liberal Party – PNL, affiliated to the EPP and part of the governing coalition in Romania together with the leftist Social Democratic Party – PSD, member of the European socialists group.

     

    The EPP has the largest group in the current European Parliament, and polls regarding voting intentions in the 27 member states continue to credit it with the first place. Which, the analysts write, will allow the EPP to remain at the helm of Europe, with a Commission in which, as before, the socialists and, respectively, the liberals from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)-Renew Europe will be co-opted. Von der Leyen announced in Bucharest the priorities for the next five-year virtual mandate, with focus on supporting Ukraine invaded by the Russian troops, European defense and the fight against extremism. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, should not win this war that he started and through which he tries to move the borders by force, von der Leyen said, adding that they remain with Ukraine, and this is the only way in which they can preserve the freedom and prosperity of the European Union.

     

    At the EPP Congress, an extensive electoral manifesto was unanimously voted, in which the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the free travel Schengen Area is demanded, among other things. The unanimity cracked, however, after only a few hours. Austria still has objections to the admission of the two countries, members of the EU since 2007 and which will only enter Schengen at the end of this month with the air and sea borders, not with the land borders. About 25 million Romanians and Bulgarians remain, the press writes, second-rate Europeans, only because this is the will of the Austrian conservative chancellor Karl Nehammer whose party is, in turn, affiliated to the EPP. Although the community statistics contradict them, the chancellor and his executive team accuse, with an insistence that is already tiring for everyone, the waves of illegal migrants from Africa or Asia that would arrive in his country through Romania. In Bucharest, Nehammer discussed both with the president Klaus Ioahnnis,the ex-Liberal leader, and with the social-democratic prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, but his position remained unchanged: currently, the Schengen system does not work, therefore, it cannot be extended. (LS)

  • March 7, 2024

    March 7, 2024

     

     

    CONGRESS The congress of the European People’s Party continues in Bucharest today, when the party’s nominee for president of the European Commission is to be chosen. On Tuesday the party’s Political Assembly validated Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for a new term in office. On Thursday, president Klaus Iohannis and other EU heads of state and government are scheduled to address the Congress. Over 2,000 delegates from more than 40 countries, including the president of the European Commission, the president of the European Parliament, presidents and prime ministers, party presidents and European commissioners in the EPP have convened in Bucharest for the congress. The main goals of the event are the selection of the EPP president and decisions on the party’s main policy documents and election platforms. The meeting is hosted by the National Liberal Party, a member of the ruling coalition in Romania, jointly with the EPP. Bucharest last hosted an EPP congress in October 2012.

     

    MEETING The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis has a meeting scheduled today with Austria’s federal chancellor, Karl Nehammer, the Romanian Presidency announced. According to Agerpres, the two officials are expected to discuss Romania’s full Schengen accession. The European People’s Party unanimously adopted, during its congress in Bucharest on Wednesday, a manifesto demanding Romania’s accession to the Schengen area as soon as possible, after the Austrian delegation of the People’s Party, in power, renounced voting against. According to the manifesto, “we need full accession to Schengen for Bulgaria and Romania, by lifting as soon as possible not only the air and maritime checks, but also the checks at the land borders”.

     

    ELECTIONS The government of Romania is to analyse today a draft emergency order on merging the local elections and the elections for the European Parliament on June 9. According to an INSCOP poll commissioned by News.ro, the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, in power in Romania and running on joint lists of candidates, would get 43.7% of the votes. Next in the poll come the nationalist party AUR with little over 20%, and the United Right Alliance, also in Opposition, with 13.7%. As for the local elections, the poll indicates the Social Democrats would get 30.6% of the county and local council seats, the Liberals 25.6%, AUR 17.4%, and the United Right Alliance 9.8%. With respect to merging the two elections, the poll suggests over 57% of citizens are in favour of the idea. More than one-third of the interviewees are in favour of joint candidate lists for the Social Democrats and the Liberals in the European elections and separate lists for the local elections, while 51.3% disagree with the decision. Romania’s presidential elections are scheduled in September, and the general elections are due in December.

     

    MOLDOVA France and the Republic of Moldova are set to sign economic and defence cooperation agreements today.  The documents will be signed in Paris by president Emmanuel Macron and president Maia Sandu. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, Macron and the French foreign ministry have repeatedly voiced concern with Russia’s threats against Ukraine’s neighbour, Moldova. A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry, Christophe Lemoine, said Moldova was facing “increasingly aggressive attempts at destabilization” by Russia. This agreement is aimed at supporting the modernization of Moldova’s armed forces, and our support will not be limited to defence. We have mobilized the international community by creating the support platform co-chaired by France, Germany and Romania, launched shortly after the start of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, when Moldova was highly vulnerable to the aftermath of the war, the French official also said.

     

    MINES A sea dredger, a PUMA Naval helicopter and a team of combat divers with the Romanian Naval Forces specialising in the clearing and disposal of explosives are today inspecting the southern part of the Romanian sea coast, to detect a suspected naval mine, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. A floating item was spotted in the region by the Coast Guard, which requested the intervention of the Naval Forces, in line with relevant national procedures. According to the defence ministry, since the start of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, 95 naval mines have been destroyed in the Black Sea, and this one is the 6th mine disposal mission during this period. (AMP)

  • EPP – support for full Schengen accession

    EPP – support for full Schengen accession

    The European People’s Party unanimously adopted, on Wednesday, on the first day of its Congress in Bucharest, an electoral manifesto in which it demands that Romania and Bulgaria fully join the Schengen area. The document was approved by the more than 2 thousand participants in the Congress. In other words, the manifesto surprisingly also received the vote of the representatives of the People’s Party from Austria, a country whose chancellor, Karl Nehammer, from the same political family, has, until now, vehemently opposed this perspective, despite the fact that Romanians and Bulgarians have been, for many years, technically prepared to fully enter the free travel area and despite the repeated appeals from EU officials at the highest level.

     

    In fact, in Bucharest, the president of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, reiterated, on Wednesday, that Romania and Bulgaria meet all the criteria, not forgetting to mention, however, the challenge from Vienna. He said that he also wanted to ask the socialists in Austria to reconsider their position, because they are also against Romania and Bulgaria having full access to Schengen, so there is an Austrian challenge and they have to convince all the parties there to give the green light, said Manfred Weber.

     

    Romanians who live and work abroad are waiting for Romania to enter Schengen with land borders as well, said the president of the National Liberal Party – PNL, in the governing coalition in Romania, Nicolae Ciucă.

     

    And the leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, stated that postponing Romania’s full accession will harm Europe: “The political tango around accession to the Schengen area can neither be assumed nor continued. We must say this loud and clear here as well, in our political family. We can and we will protect the external borders of the Union. We are prepared to do so. All sorts of excuses and pretexts can be invented to delay full accession to the Schengen area, but this will do enormous damage in the short term. I’m asking all those who had reservations about Romania’s accession to the Schengen area to put our common interests in the medium and long term first, not the immediate political gain.”

     

    Last December, the Council of the European Union voted for the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen, with controls at air and sea borders being lifted from March 2024. In order to accept their full accession to the free travel area, with controls lifted also at land borders, which is the most important component actually, Vienna set conditions. Will these conditions fade away in front of the need to obtain a good score in the June election for the European Parliament or, on the contrary, will they be strengthened? (LS)

  • February 28, 2024 UPDATE

    February 28, 2024 UPDATE

    CONGRESS The European People’s Party (EPP) congress will be held in Bucharest next week, on March 6th and 7th. Over 2,000 delegates from more than 40 countries will take part, including the president of the European Commission, the president of the European Parliament, heads of state as well as European Commissioners affiliated to the EPP. The agenda will focus on the party’s preparations and strategy for the European Parliament elections. The meeting is hosted by the National Liberal Party (a member of Romania’s ruling coalition), jointly with the EPP. Bucharest last hosted an EPP congress in October 2012.

     

    MOLDOVA The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu had a meeting in Bucharest on Wednesday with Moldova’s deputy PM for integration, Oleg Serebrian.  The two officials reviewed the regional security developments and Russia’s destabilising actions, with a focus on their impact on the Republic of Moldova. In this context, minister Luminiţa Odobescu praised Chişinău’s efforts to curb the effects of the hybrid war and reconfirmed the support Romania is prepared to extend in this process. She also reiterated Romania’s support for a comprehensive, peaceful and sustainable solution for the issue of Transnistria, in compliance with international law and in line with the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova, within its internationally recognised borders and without affecting its European future. Since 1992 Transnistria has been de facto independent from Moldova, following an armed conflict in which Russian troops backed the separatists.

     

    NAVALNY The European Parliament Wednesday condemned the killing of the Russian activist Alexei Navalny in prison, and called for an international independent investigation to establish the circumstances of his death. The EP honoured to the life and legacy of the Russian activist in Strasburg, in the presence of his widow, Yulia Navalnaya. The meeting was opened by the EP president, Roberta Metsola, who spoke about Alexei Navalny’s courage of fighting against an authoritarian regime. She emphasised that Alexei Navalny had dedicated his life to the fight against corruption and for a democratic Russia.

     

    CONCERT The Children’s Choirs of Radio Romania and Radio Bulgaria will give a joint concert at the Radio Hall in Bucharest, on Thursday. It will be the first time when these choirs perform together, and the concert programme is spectacular, as both choirs can easily perform difficult works, adding set design elements that will impress the audience. The event is part of an international cooperation programme between the two public radio broadcasters. On the same day, the Bulgarian Children’s Choir will open a reception hosted by the Bulgarian Embassy in Bucharest, on the occasion of Bulgaria’s National Day, celebrated on March 3rd.

     

    HANDBALL Romania defeated Croatia, on Wednesday, 26 – 24 at home, in Group I of the European Women’s Handball Championship qualifiers. The away leg will be held on Sunday, in Koprivnica. The two teams are competing for the top spot in the group, currently having the same number of points, 4, but being separated by goal difference (43 vs. 24). They are followed by Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina, without any points. Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, CS Dinamo Bucharest beat CSM Constanţa 33-25, in main group IV of the men’s EHF European League. The Romanian champions thus secured a spot in the playoffs, with the group winner going straight into the quarter-finals. (AMP)

  • September 5, 2023 UPDATE

    September 5, 2023 UPDATE

    VICTIM Another patient severely
    injured in the blasts in Crevedia (southern Romania) died on Tuesday morning,
    bringing the number of casualties to 5, the Health Ministry announced. The
    victim was of Nepalese origin and had burns on more than 90% of his body. The
    powerful explosions followed by a fire took place, 10 days ago, at an LPG
    station in Crevedia, south of Bucharest, which was operating illegally.




    NATO Together with our Allies, we will continue to
    strengthen the NATO structures on Romanian territory, president Klaus Iohannis
    said on Tuesday. He added that Romania will continue to support Russia-invaded
    Ukraine as long as necessary. Iohannis received the PM of Luxembourg Xavier
    Bettel at the military base in Cincu, central Romania, and addressed the NATO
    Battle Group in Romania, which comprises around 1,000 French, Dutch, Belgian
    and Luxemburgish troops and is spearheaded by France.




    WIND POWER On Tuesday, Romania had over 40% of its electricity
    demand covered from wind power sources, as the National Meteorology
    Administration issued a code yellow alert for strong winds in the south and south-east,
    where most of the country’s wind farms are located. According to the National
    Energy Regulatory Authority, wind farms have a total installed capacity of over
    3,000 MW, and most turbines were in operation on Tuesday. The second most important
    electricity source is nuclear power, followed by hydro power and coal.


    EPP The leaders of the
    European People’s Party (EPP), the largest group in the European Parliament,
    have decided that the National Liberal Party, a member of the ruling coalition
    in Romania, will host the EPP congress ahead of the European elections in 2024. Attending
    the event in Bucharest will be over 2,000 delegates from over 40 countries, including
    all the heads of state and government from EPP member parties, the EC president,
    Ursula von der Leyen, the European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola, and
    all the European commissioners affiliated to the EPP.




    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team is preparing the home matches
    against Israel, scheduled on Saturday, September 9, and Kosovo, on Tuesday,
    September 12, in Group I of the qualifiers for next year’s European
    Championships hosted by Germany. After 4 group matches, with 2 wins and 2
    draws, Romania has 8 points and ranks 2, after Switzerland (10 points). The
    group also includes Belarus and Andorra. The top 2 teams in each group qualify
    for the final tournament. Romania’s last participation in a European football
    championship was in 2016, and it last qualified in a World Championship final
    tournament in 1998. (AMP)

  • June 1, 2022

    June 1, 2022

    June 1 — On the International Childrens Day, marked on June 1 special activities are organized throughout Romania. Children are expected at concerts and flash mobs, treasure hunting parties, sports and creative activities and theater performances. In Bucharest, the Palace of Parliament opens its doors, and children and their companions will be able to visit the plenum halls of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, and can also participate in outdoor activities in the gardens of the largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon. Superheroes and princesses, a flight simulator, a magic show or a military marching band will make the day for children. In Oradea (west), the State Philharmonic presents a special concert with cartoon music, and in Constanţa (southeast) there will be puppet shows, magic and face painting.



    Vouchers — Wednesday sees the start, in Romania, of the process of issuing, distributing and uploading the social vouchers offered through the government program Support for Romania– the Romanian Ministry of Investments and European Projects announced. The vouchers have a face value of 250 lei (about 50 Euros), are intended for people in situations of material deprivation or risk of poverty and are part of the most important initiative of this kind carried out, so far, from the perspective of the number of beneficiaries. According to the aforementioned source, over 2.5 million Romanians will receive vouchers for the purchase of food products: pensioners from the public pension system, people with a very severe, severe or moderate disability, families with at least 2 dependent children or single parents. A first for this social assistance program is the wide range of funding sources, both from the state budget and from European non-reimbursable funds.



    Embargo — The US has welcomed the embargo on Russian oil imports decided earlier this week by the European Union, which thus cuts off funding for Russias war against Ukraine, France Presse reports. The European leaders have reached an agreement under which Russian oil imports will be reduced by about 90% by the end of the year. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US, which is less dependent than Europeans on Moscows energy, has already announced a ban on all Russian oil imports. He also hailed the European efforts meant to diversify energy supply and develop renewable sources to reduce long-term dependence on Moscow.



    Unemployment — The unemployment rate in the European Union stood at 6.2% in April, a stable figure as compared to the previous month and down from 7.5% in the same period in 2021 – show data released today by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). With an unemployment rate of 5.5% in April, Romania ranks among the EU member states with a low level of unemployment. The lowest rates were reported in the Czech Republic (2.4%), Germany and Poland (both with 3%) and Malta (3.1%). On the other hand, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in April in Spain (13.3%) and Greece (12.7%).



    PPE — The Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, as presdient of the National Liberal Party, has had several bilateral meetings with European officials on the sidelines of the European Peoples Party (EPP) Congress in Rotterdam: with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, as well as with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. At the same time, Nicolae Ciucă met with the new president of the European Peoples Party, Manfred Weber. During his meeting with Ursula Von der Leyen, the Liberal leader expressed appreciation for the European institutions constant and sustained effort to ensure coordination and unity at EU level. At the same time, the Romanian PM also expressed his support for the rapid implementation of the sixth package of sanctions against the Russian Federation and strongly condemned the war of aggression launched by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. The future of the EPP, the current EU agenda and the enlargement of the Schengen area were the topics discussed in the meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Prime Minister Ciucă also reiterated on this occasion that Romanias accession to the Schengen area is a priority for the Romanian authorities. (LS)

  • April 26, 2018 UPDATE

    April 26, 2018 UPDATE

    ISRAEL – While on an official visit to Israel, a Romanian delegation made up of PM Viorica Dăncilă, Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu, and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea, was received on Thursday by President Reuven Rivlin. The Romanian officials said that strengthening cooperation with Israel was a priority, particularly considering the 70-year long tradition of diplomatic relations. The agenda of talks also included the appointment of a Romanian ambassador to Israel, given that the post has been vacant for almost one and a half years, the relocation of the Romanian Embassy to Jerusalem and regional topics like the situation in Syria and the Iranian nuclear file. On Wednesday, PM Viorica Dăncilă and her counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the excellent level of bilateral relations. The Romanian prime minister voiced her satisfaction with the interest shown by the Israeli side in a proposed partnership that would generate joint projects in the field of new technologies. The participants also discussed means of cooperation in the military, strategic and cyber security fields. Also on Wednesday, the Romanian Prime Minister visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Centre, and had a meeting with the leader of the left-wing Opposition in the Israeli Parliament, Isaac Herzog.





    JUDICIARY – The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis Thursday referred a regulation on the organisation of the Official Journal to the Constitutional Court. The President argues that the public company that runs the Official Journal of Romania cannot be subordinated to the Chamber of Deputies as long as the law stipulates no powers for the Chamber in this respect. Meanwhile, also on Thursday the High Court of Cassation and Justice decided to refer to the Constitutional Court a bill on alternatives to imprisonment, under which sentences below 5 years in prison may be switched to house arrest or to weekend detention in special centres. The Chamber of Deputies endorsed this bill on Wednesday.




    PROTESTS – Deputy PM Viorel Ştefan Thursday promised the Romanian trade unions in the public healthcare sector that on May 2 he would come up with a solution to address the income losses in the sector. The unionists, who staged a rally in Bucharest on Thursday, announced they would not give up their protests. Several categories of healthcare staff claim their net wages have dropped since the implementation of the new tax and salary regulations, and they demand the scrapping of the current 30% cap on bonuses. The rally in Bucharest will be followed by a token strike on May 7, while May 11 is the announced start date of an all-out strike in the healthcare and social assistance sector.




    EPP – Ludovic Orban, president of the National Liberal Party, in opposition in Romania, announced that the European Peoples Party (EPP), the political family to which his party is also affiliated, will have a common candidate for president of the European Commission. Orban discussed the topic in Brussels with the EPP president, Joseph Daul. The candidate, Orban added, will be elected in the EPP congress due in November in Helsinki. Orban also said that he had discussed with the EPP leaders the details of a common strategy to ensure job stability at European level, a strategy that also targets the Romanians who will work in the UK after Brexit.





    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no 1 in the world, will take on CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) in Fridays quarter-finals of the WTA tournament in Stuttgart, which has 816,000 US dollars in total prize money. Halep previously defeated the Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova (18 WTA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. In last years edition of the Stuttgart tournament, Halep was defeated in the semi-finals.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • July 26, 2017

    July 26, 2017


    BRUSSELS – The Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader is meeting in Brussels today with the First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans. The two officials will discuss the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism and its prospects. The agenda of talks also includes the package law on the judiciary, which Tudorel Toader wants to see passed by the Romanian Government by September 1st. The meeting with Frans Timmermans was agreed upon during the visit that Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has paid to Brussels recently.



    MOLDOVA – The European Peoples Party (EPP) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) have today denounced the deterioration of the rule of law and democratic standards in the Republic of Moldova. In a joint statement, the EPP and ALDE leaders Joseph Daul and Hans van Baalen respectively, call on the EU to reassess the agreement of association with this former soviet state, with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population. They are accusing the ruling democrats and the socialists headed by the pro-Russia president Igor Dodon of autocratic tendencies. Daul and van Baalen say that the Alliance made up of the Democratic Party of Moldova and the Socialist Party of Moldova has stubbornly rejected the recommendations made by the Venice Commission and has changed the election system. The two parties also condemn the growing number of acts of intimidation and harassment targeting the pro-European opposition and the use of selective justice to quiet them down, as it has happened with the liberal mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca, arguably accused of corruption.



    NATO – A British fighter from the Mihail Kogalniceanu base in south-eastern Romania has been sent to intercept two Russian Tupolev bombers which were flying across the Black Sea, close to the NATO airspace. According to the British media, the NATO combined air operations centre in Torrejon, Spain, was the one that ordered the plane to intercept the Russian fighters. There are four British Typhoon aircraft at Mihail Kogalniceanu, and their role is to carry out patrol missions across the Black Sea.



    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has voiced Romanias full support for a mediation by Kuwait of the crisis in the Gulf region. He has appreciated the measures taken by the Emir of Kuwait, the Sheikh Sabah Ahmad al Jaber Al-Sabah to ease the tension by bringing the parties to the negotiation table and by starting a political dialogue between Qatar and its neighbours. The latter accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism. Melescanu made the statement during a meeting he had with Kuwaits ambassador to Bucharest, Talal Mansour Alhajeri. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the two officials discussed the current stage of Romanian – Kuwaiti cooperation, with focus on prospects of boosting political dialogue and cooperation within international organisations.



    EXTREME WEATHER – One person has died and 30 have been wounded by storms in various parts of Romania. Heavy rainfalls, hail and strong winds have left dozens of localities without electricity. Houses and yards have been flooded, hundreds of trees have been felled down, breaking electricity poles, cars and roofs, and many roads have been covered in mud. For today, weather experts have announced variable skies and scattered rain showers in the north and east. In the hilly and mountain areas though, heavy rains, thunderstorms and powerful winds continue.



    FRANCHOPHONE GAMES – On Tuesday, Romanian athletes won a golden medal and one silver at the 2017 Francophone Games in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Both medals were won in the mens javelin throw event. Romania has so far won 18 medals: 5 gold, 6 silver and 7 bronze. This year Romania is participating in the games with 57 athletes in 6 events. At the previous edition, hosted by Nice, France, Romania won 23 medals. Previously Romania used to take part in both segments of the games, sports and culture, but this year it is only active in the sporting events.



    FOOTBALL – Romanias football champion FC Viitorul Constanta is today taking on APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus, in the first leg of the Champions Leagues third preliminary round. On Tuesday, in the same stage of the competition, Romanias vice-champion FCSB (former Steaua Bucharest) ended in a draw, 2-2, the match against the Czechs from FC Viktoria Plzen. On Thursday, in the Europa League, also in the third preliminary round, CS Universitatea Craiova will meet the famous AC Milan, Dinamo Bucharest will play against Athletic Bilbao, and Astra Giurgiu will take on the Ukrainians from FK Oleksandria. All matches are hosted by Romania. The return games are scheduled for next week.