Radio România Internațional

Tag: EU Commissioner

  • November 7, 2024 UPDATE

    November 7, 2024 UPDATE

     

    SUMMIT The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, pleaded for short and long-term solutions at a roundtable on migration occasioned by the Summit of the European Political Community in Budapest on Thursday. At the talks on migration, Klaus Iohannis warned that this remains an important challenge at European level, which requires a common and comprehensive response. He emphasised that migration continues to be worrisome in the context of the conflict in the Middle East and the continued war in Ukraine. Mr. Iohannis also said that Romania remains committed both to the implementation of effective migration management measures and to ensuring the security of the EU’s external borders. On the sidelines of the summit, the Romanian head of state also attended a meeting focused on support for the Republic of Moldova, alongside president Maia Sandu and other European leaders. At the end of the meeting in Budapest, the European leaders adopted a joint statement welcoming the results of the referendum and the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, and committing to providing further support so that the state can carry on its reforms and fight foreign interference. Klaus Iohannis also had a bilateral meeting with the secretary general of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset.

     

    VISIT The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu will make a visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on November 12 and 13, where he will have meetings with his counterpart Keir Starmer, with the Speaker of the House of Commons, and will participate in the Romania-UK Economic Forum. According to the spokesperson of the Romanian government, ahead of this visit, the Cabinet approved in Thursday’s meeting a memorandum updating the Convention between the two countries in the field of taxation and preventing tax evasion. The document takes into account the changes made in the Romanian legislation in 2023 and those related to Romania’s goal of joining the OECD.

     

    DEFENCE “Russia’s aggressive actions in the Black Sea region force us to have a common perspective, able to generate a firm response to the emerging threats at our borders,” said the Romanian defence minister Angel Tîlvăr at a meeting of defense ministers in South-Eastern Europe, held in Tirana (Albania). According to a ministry news release, the meeting was an opportunity to discuss the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its implications for regional security. In this context, Angel Tîlvăr highlighted Romania’s role as a pillar of stability in the extended Black Sea region, an area that has become a crucial point for Euro-Atlantic security. “Only through a united approach can we ensure the security of our region and stability at the borders of the EU and NATO,” he also said. On the sidelines of the meeting, in bilateral talks with his Moldovan counterpart, Anatolie Nosatiy, Tilvǎr emphasised the importance of firm support for the Republic of Moldova in the face of security challenges and destabilisation attempts, part of the Russian Federation’s hybrid actions.

     

    AGRICULTURE The Common Agricultural Policy needs a separate budget, and farmers need to be sure they will receive the funds without limitations linked to the rule of law or other unrelated conditions, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, said in Bucharest. On the sidelines of his official visit to Romania, the EU Commissioner attended the National Conference of the Romanian Farmers’ Club jointly with the minister of agriculture, Florin Barbu. The European official said that, at EU level, the agricultural trade balance with third countries reached a record-high surplus of EUR 70 billion in 2023. The Conference was attended by farmers, high-ranking Romanian and European officials with responsibilities in the development of agriculture policies and strategies, leaders in the field of agricultural technologies, as well as representatives of farmers’ associations at European and national levels.

     

    SALARIES The average annual full-time adjusted salary of Romanians is the fourth lowest in the European Union. Eurostat data shows an annual increase of approx.  EUR 2,600 for 2023, but the total amount remains less than half of the EU average. The EU adjusted average annual salary the last year was EUR 37,900, while in Romania it was approx. EUR 17,700. Luxembourg holds the record with an average full-time salary of over EUR 81,000, followed by Denmark and Ireland. At the opposite pole is Bulgaria, with EUR 13,500 per year, followed by Hungary and Greece.

     

    US ELECTION The US President Joe Biden gave assurances on Thursday that the American electoral system is fair and that a peaceful and orderly transition of power will be ensured. The statement was made in a speech addressed to the American nation on the election results and preparations for the transition on January 20, when President-elect Donald Trump will return to the White House, after defeating the Democrat Kamala Harris. “We accept the choice the country made. I’ve said many times that you can’t love your country only when you win,” Biden said in his first media appearance after Trump’s victory. As for the integrity of the American electoral system — “it is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent,” Biden said. “And it can be trusted, win or lose.” Leaders around the world reacted after Donald Trump announced his victory in the US presidential election. (AMP)

  • March 2, 2016

    March 2, 2016

    IMF – An IMF mission is in Bucharest as of today, for an annual assessment of the Romanian economy. Until March 15, the mission, headed by the new IMF chief for Romania, Reza Baqir, will have meetings with central authorities, political parties, trade unions, the business community, the academia and the banking system. The so-called “Article IV consultation is a compulsory surveillance procedure for all member states. After looking at each national economy, the IMF experts make general recommendations with respect to the monetary, financial and economic policies to be implemented in order to ensure stability and positive economic trends. At present Romania does not have an on-going loan agreement with the IMF.



    Corruption probe – Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors Wednesday ordered the prosecution of the former deputy PM Gabriel Oprea for abuse of office. According to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, in July 2015, then Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea and two former chiefs of the directorate for intelligence and domestic protection, also indicted in this case, caused the public budget to lose nearly 92,000 euros. They approved the purchase of a luxury automobile for the protection of high-ranking public officials from the budget of the Interior Ministry, although under the law the Ministry may only purchase vehicles used in the investigation of corruption-related crimes. Gabriel Oprea has also been prosecuted for two other abuse of office offences, in a case file concerning his use of a motorcade. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate initiated the investigation in October 2015, after the death of a police officer in the motorcade that accompanied Oprea.



    EU Funds – European Commissioner Corina Creţu is presenting in Bucharest today a project focusing on under-developed regions, which is related to the management of European funds. According to Eurostat, several regions in Romania are among the poorest in the EU. The poorest in the country is the North-East region, with a GDP per capita reaching only 34% of the EU average and which is the fifth poorest in the EU, says the European statistics office. The main factors generating poverty are the absence of jobs and low investment. Other poor regions in Romania are the South-West region (Oltenia), South-Muntenia and North-West. Although affected by poverty, Romania risks losing European funds, because it failed to meet the conditions agreed on with the European Commission. According to data made public by the Ministry for European Funds, Romania is the last in Europe in terms of spending EU funds.



    Bacterial Infection – Romanian authorities temporarily closed down a unit of the dairy plant in Arges, southern Romania, which produced the cheese with E. Coli bacteria that some of the babies taken to hospital for digestive infection had eaten. Factory managers say all their products are made in compliance with health and hygiene regulations and do not understand how the bacteria was found in the cheese. Meanwhile, inspectors carry on the investigations, given that another 11 children were admitted to hospitals in the county over the past few hours. Several babies are still under treatment at the Marie Curie hospital in Bucharest. According to the latest data, 45 children are currently receiving in-hospital care for digestive disorders. Three babies diagnosed with haemolytic-uremic syndrome died last month.



    Refugee Crisis – The EU is to announce today a financial support plan for the member states facing massive migrant inflows. According to AFP, some of the money is to go to Greece, which has requested 500 million euros to prevent a possible humanitarian disaster caused by the large number of migrants. On the other hand, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, called for solidarity with Greece. The true test of the European community, Tusk said, is, on the one hand, the rebuilding of the passport-free Schengen area, and on the other hand the promptness with which we help Greece at this very difficult time.



    US Primaries – The Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton strengthened their position in their respective parties after the primaries held on Tuesday in 12 American states. On the so-called Super Tuesday, Trump won seven states, whereas his main challenger, Ted Cruz, won a major state, Texas, where he is also a senator, and Oklahoma. On the other hand, Clinton won seven states, too, and her opponent Bernie Sanders came out first in Oklahoma and also in his home state of Vermont. According to France Presse, after “Super Tuesday, Trump and Clinton are closer to winning their parties nomination for the presidential election due later this year.