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Tag: EU Council

The future EU budget

On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted a proposal for next year’s EU budget, expected to stand at 201 billion EUR. However, it is not the final version, because the European Parliament must reach an agreement with the EU Council. The latter would like the European Union to invest about 10 billion EUR less. On the contrary, MEPs say more money is needed, given the slightly fragile situation from an economic point of view. On the other hand, the European Council advises caution and says it does not want to put pressure on national budgets or on the population. The European Parliament emphasizes the common policies of the community bloc, while the Council focuses more on issues at national level. Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu is one of the two negotiators of the European Parliament in its relations with the Council.

“The version of the European Parliament offers more opportunities for Member States, because we tried to integrate those measures with an immediate effect on citizens’ lives. Whether we are talking about Erasmus or the Civil Protection Mechanism, these are direct intervention mechanisms. Whether we are talking about agriculture and the support for young farmers or whether we are talking about improving the transport infrastructure, again, we see these programs have an immediate effect in increasing the standards of living”.

In addition, the budget proposed by the European Parliament benefits all states with smaller contributions to the European budget, which then stand to gain from the distribution of money through community programs and policies. What are the benefits for Romania? Victor Negrescu explains:

“I would refer here, in particular, to the support offered by the European Parliament for the program devoted to border security, in which we mention the support for the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area. I would refer here to the coordination of the social security system, which would allow the European diaspora, including the Romanian one, to transfer their rights and social benefits, including pensions, more easily from one state to another. I refer here to the consistent support for the agricultural sector or to the consistent support for the Republic of Moldova, which is greater than the one proposed by the Council”.

The European Parliament and the EU Council will start negotiations, of course, with the participation of the European Commission. The latter has its own budget proposal, similar to the one put forward by Parliament. The EU budget is expected to be adopted in the second half of November. (VP)

24 October 2024
October 27, 2023 UPDATE

DECISIONS – The European Union will continue to support Ukraine with substantial funds. It is one of the decisions taken on Friday, in Brussels, on the second day of the European Council. Ukraine remains a priority for the European Union, proof of that being the fact that most funds from the multiannual budget revision will go into helping Kyiv, in this case 50 billion euros. The European Council President, Charles Michel, said that another priority is the prevention of terrorism and of other extremist actions in the community area, against the background of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but also in the context of the pressure to which the Union is subjected to, due to increasing migration. Another concern of the EU is the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia, which is increasingly tense. A third topic of the Council meeting was Europes economic situation, and its goal to be a leader not only in terms of green technologies, but also as regards technologies in general. Romania was represented at the European Council by President Klaus Iohannis, who reiterated the need to continue supporting Ukraine, as long as needed. He spoke in favor of a clear and united vision, at EU level, on the situation in the Middle East and emphasized the importance of avoiding the escalation of the conflict. Iohannis also emphasized the need to review the EU budget, so as to reflect the new challenges.

ORDER – The Bucharest Government on Friday adopted an emergency order that extends by three months the cap on the price of basic food products and expanded the list of such products. The Government also green lighted a project to reduce spending by local and central public authorities. Finance Minister, Marcel Boloş, announced that the budget deficit is now 3.55% of the GDP and that the target remains at 4.4% at the end of the year. He explained that, in the past years, budget expenditure with goods and services in the last two months of the year increased three, four or five times compared to the previous months. That is why it was decided that this year, the respective expenses cannot exceed the average of the previous months.

ATTACK IN THE US – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, has conveyed a message of condolence to his American counterpart Joe Biden in the wake of the armed attack in Lewiston, Maine. Romania stands with the American citizens and the families of the victims, to whom we convey our compassion. We also wish speedy recovery to the wounded, the president’s message reads. At least 22 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded in an armed attack in Maine, where the suspect is still at large.

FEAST DAY – Orthodox Christians in Romania on Friday marked the feast day of Saint Demetrius of Basarabov, also known as Saint Demetrius the New, the patron saint of Bucharest. A pilgrimage to his relics and the reliquary of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki brought over from Greece continues in the capital-city. Saint Demetrius the New lived south of the Danube in present-day Bulgaria. After his death, his relics were found by locals after the saint appeared in the dream of an ill young girl, indicating the place where his body lay. The relics were given to Romania as a gift during the Russian-Turkish War, in 1774.

DST – Daylight Saving Time ends on October 29 in Romania, when 4AM will become 3AM, making Sunday the longest day of the year. In 2023, Romania switched to DST on March 26 to benefit from daylight. (EE)

27 October 2023
February 9, 2023

Brussels – President Klaus Iohannis represents Romania, in Brussels, in the extraordinary meeting of the European Council. Russias war against Ukraine, the economic situation in the European Union and migration are the three important topics to be discussed, this weekend, by the leaders of the 27 member states. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, during the Council meeting, the commitment of the European Union and its member countries to support Ukraine at all levels will be reiterated as well as the commitment to continue to hold the Russian Federation responsible for the invasion of the neighboring country. At the same time, the European leaders will analyze the best solutions at European level to ensure the competitiveness of the Unions economy in the short and long term.

Earthquake — The death toll of the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday continues to rise, exceeding 16,000 dead on Thursday, and the chances of survival for the people trapped under the rubble are diminishing. The bad weather and cold are complicating the rescuers task, given that the first 72 hours are crucial to find survivors, according to the head of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik. Twitter has become inaccessible to Turkeys main mobile telephony providers amid growing online criticism of the authorities handling of the tragedy. “We had difficulties at the beginning with the airports and on the roads, but we are better today and tomorrow we will be even better” – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on the eve, apparently to defuse the population’s anger over the slow reaction of his regime. In power since 2003 and a candidate for a new mandate in the May presidential election, Erdogan also announced the distribution of 10,000 Turkish liras (the equivalent of about 494 Euros) to each family affected by the earthquake.

Rescue — Romania has sent a second search and rescue team to those areas from Turkey devastated by strong earthquakes at the beginning of the week. Currently, there are almost 120 Romanian rescuers on the ground, accompanied by specially trained dogs, equipment and transport vehicles. Bucharest decided to send humanitarian aid also to Syria, which was seriously affected by earthquakes as well. On the other hand, 26 Romanian citizens who requested support to return home were repatriated. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, there are no Romanian citizens among the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey.

OECD – Romanias accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is the next step on the countrys way to modernization, development and prosperity — the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said Thursday, in Bucharest, at a conference organized by the Government on the benefits that member countries of this Organization have. This event marked one year since the start of Romanias accession process to the OECD. “Romanias accession to the OECD has become a major foreign policy objective and a strategic objective of the country, after accession to the European Union and NATO” – Nicolae Ciucă stated, recalling that the Organization has under its umbrella states that represent over 70% of world trade and approximately 90% of the capital investments value. Regarding the current economic situation in Romania, the prime minister recalled that, in 2022, the Gross Domestic Product increased by almost 50 billion Euros as compared to the previous year, i.e. 4.9%, which is a significant increase.

EU summit — The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, in Brussels, in the plenum of the European Parliament, that the defense of the Ukrainian territory against the Russian invasion also represented the defense of Europe. “We are defending ourselves against the most anti-European force of the modern world,” he said. Zelensky also expressed his belief that his country would join the EU after winning the war against Russia. At the same time, he thanked the European Parliament for the help Ukraine receives from the EU to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Today, Zelensky is participating, in Brussels, in a summit of the EU heads of state and government. He is on a surprise tour of Europe and left his country for the second time since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, after a first trip to Washington in December. The Ukrainian president on Monday first visited Great Britain, the biggest contributor, after the United States, in terms of military aid to Ukraine, then he went to France, where he met with president Macron and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. In London and Paris, Zelensky called for fighter jets “as soon as possible” to reject the Russian offensive. (LS)

9 February 2023
March 24, 2022 UPDATE

NATO – Attending the extraordinary NATO
summit on Thursday, in Brussels, the heads of state and government of the 30
member states approved 4 new combat groups in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and
Hungary. These will supplement the already existing 4 groups in the Baltic
countries and Poland. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that
defense at sea and in the air will be strengthened, cyber security will be
strengthened, and the Ukrainian army will be equipped with anti-tank and
anti-missile systems, as well as with equipment for the detection and protection
against nuclear and chemical weapons. He said no troops would be sent to the
former Soviet republic. The allies are doing what they can to support Ukraine
with weapons so that the Ukrainians can defend themselves, but ‘we have a
responsibility to prevent it from becoming a war in Europe’, Jens Stoltenberg
said. On the other hand, NATO has urged China not to support Moscow
economically or militarily. At the same time, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was
condemned in the strongest possible terms, the Alliance calling on the Russian
President Vladimir Putin to end the war immediately, and requesting Belarus to
end its complicity. Present in Brussels, together with Prime Minister Nicolae
Ciuca, President Klaus Iohannis underlined that boosting NATO’s presence in Romania,
the Black Sea and the entire Eastern Flank is a strategic objective of Romania,
in response to the implications of the Russian aggression on the European and
Euro-Atlantic security, and this consolidated presence must be unified,
balanced and coherent, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. US President Joe
Biden was also present at the summit, the second extraordinary summit of the
North Atlantic Alliance this year, after the one on February 25.

European Council – Romania’s president
Klaus Iohannis is attending, on Thursday and Friday, the European Council meeting
in Brussels. The US President Joe Biden has also been invited at the meeting as
a confirmation of the tight Transatlantic coordination against the security
background created by the Russian aggression in Ukraine. High on the agenda are
the latest security developments in Ukraine with emphasis on the EU political,
financial, material and humanitarian assistance to this country. Participants
will also tackle ways of providing assistance to the Ukrainian refugees, as
well as the Strategic Compass, an instrument aimed at providing a roadmap in
terms of security and defense at EU level. The European Council will also approach
the energy prices situation and the measures to support the most vulnerable
categories and the business environment, on short term.

Ukraine – The United States announced further
financial sanctions against Russia on Thursday, targeting the political world,
the oligarchs and the defense industry in response to the invasion of Ukraine,
and is strengthening coordination with Western allies to prevent Moscow from
using its gold reserves, AFP reports. These measures, which mainly involve a
freeze of their assets in the United States, involve more than 300 members of
the State Duma and the institution itself, as well as dozens of ‘large public
companies’ in the defense sector. Also on Thursday, the Russians and Ukrainians
exchanged prisoners, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereşciuk announced
on Facebook. On the ground, almost a month after the start of the Russian
invasion of Ukraine, fighting continues, and the damage is growing, as are the
casualties. Kharkov (northeast), the country’s second most important city, was
bombarded again. In Kherson (south), Makariv and Irpin (near Kyiv), the
Ukrainians regained key positions. Russian bombs continue to fall on Kyiv,
Nikolaev (south) and Chernihiv (center). In Odessa (Black Sea port) barricades
are being erected and aid is being distributed. However, the most dramatic
situation remains in Mariupol (port at the Sea of Azov), a city bombed
incessantly for days on end and 90% destroyed. On the other hand, Ukraine
allegedly managed to hit with a ballistic missile a large landing ship of
Russian forces in the coastal city of Berdyansk (Sea of Azov). Near the
landing ship, two other large Russian ships were allegedly hit and left the
port immediately.

G 7
– The leaders of the world’s most industrialized countries (G7) – US, UK,
Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada – meeting in Brussels on Thursday, warned
Russia not to use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons in its war against
Ukraine, according to a statement released at the end of the meeting. All
countries are ready to receive refugees from Ukraine, the statement read. As
regards energy, leaders are urging oil and gas-producing countries to act
responsibly and increase deliveries to international markets, adding that the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) should get involved.
They also promised that G7 member countries would avoid bans on food exports.

Corruption – The former Romanian
Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu was sentenced, on Thursday, by the High
Court of Cassation and Justice to 8 years and 6 months in prison for bribe
taking and influence peddling, in a case related to the assignment of a
contract for the rehabilitation of some railway sections. In the same case, the
former MP Cristian Boureanu received a sentence of 4 years and 3 months (previously
he had been given a suspended sentence). The decision of the magistrates is not
final. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, in the period 2005-2017, a
foreign company paid approximately 20 million Euros, as commissions, to
Romanian officials or persons with influence over them, in connection with the
conclusion and execution of contracts for railway rehabilitation. According to the
National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Sebastian Vladescu received the amount of
2.2 million Euros, and Cristian Boureanu obtained 2.1 million Euros. (LS)

24 March 2022
June 29, 2020

RESTRICTIONS The Romanian Health Minister Nelu Tataru has announced that authorities are considering restricting circulation in certain places, if new coronavirus hotbeds are discovered. He has stated that an analysis is being conducted into the situation on Prahova Valley and on the Black Sea Coast, because these are the areas where the rules are less observed. He has also stated, though, that quarantine in holiday destinations is not going to be imposed.

COVID-19 RO In Romania, the latest data reported by the Strategic Communication Group indicate over 26,500 cases of Covid-19. Most infections have been reported so far in the county of Suceava, in the north-east, and in Bucharest. Of the people confirmed positive, more than 18,900 have been declared cured and discharged from hospital. So far, 1,634 people have died of Covid-19 in Romania. The Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has drawn attention to the fact that the current public information campaign should convince citizens to observe the rules of protection against the pandemic. He has called on state institutions to check on the ground whether these rules are being observed. Romanian researchers say it is very unlikely that people who have been cured can be infected again. They came to this conclusion after analysing the SARS-CoV-2 virus circulating in the country and which they have proved to have originated in Wuhan, China. Most likely, the spread in Romania was done locally, through intra-community transmission at the level of the countrys regions.

PANDEMIC The global toll of the coronavirus pandemic stands at more than 10.2 million cases confirmed and 500,000 deaths, according to worldometers.info. The epicenter of the pandemic is now on the two American continents, where Brazil has exceeded the threshold of 1.3 million infections. 57,000 Brazilians have been killed by Covid-19, and the situation is getting worse, as the virus is spreading to small towns, where patients are transported to urban centers with better medical infrastructure, which creates the so-called boomerang effect. However, the worst situation remains in the United States, where more than 128,000 dead and 2.6 million infected have been reported so far. European officials are unable to agree on a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter the EU spaces as of July 1st. The EU closed its borders in mid-March, and now tourism-dependent countries like Greece want a quick reopening.

PARLIAMENT The Romanian two-chamber parliament ends its ordinary session this week. The agenda is focused on several bills, including the ones on local elections and the appointment of members in major public institutions. The leadership of the Chamber of Deputies must give a decisive vote on the bill on empowering the government to issue ordinances during the parliamentary vacation. The document was rejected by the Senate, the majority Social Democrats explaining that the Executive could not be credited in this respect, as it did not take measures following the sanctioning of several ministers by means of simple motions. The bill proposing the organization of local elections on September 27th might also be on the agenda. On the other hand, the opposition Social Democratic Party expects from the government a bill regulating the quarantine, isolation and hospitalization conditions.

EU COUNCIL On July 1, Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, which will focus, among other things, on overcoming the crisis caused by the new coronavirus. Berlins priority agenda also includes concluding negotiations on Britains withdrawal from the EU, as well as issues such as climate protection, digitalization and the positioning of Europe between the two great powers – China and the United States. The most important chapter with regard to managing the coronavirus crisis will be addressed next month, when a post-pandemic program for EU economic reconstruction will be discussed at a summit in mid-July in which European leaders will take part in person. In the coming weeks, the Recovery Fund will be the subject of intense fighting between European capitals, with an economic and investment plan financed by debts worth 750 billion euros. The reconstruction program is to be negotiated and agreed along with the EU budget for 2021-2027, worth more than 1,000 billion euros. Negotiations with the United Kingdom, which left the EU in January, must be concluded by the end of autumn, otherwise a difficult economic rupture could occur, with customs duties and other trade barriers in early 2021 – German officials warn.

FLOODS Until midnight, River Prut in northern Romania is under code orange for floods on the Botosani, Vaslui and Iasi sectors. Also, a code yellow alert is in place in Vaslui and Galati. River Timis too, in the west, is under code yellow alert for flood. Romanian Waters Authority continues to monitor all the rivers in the country whose levels have increased in recent days. Even if in some place the waters have receded, the intervention teams still have to remove the mud and branches that covered land and roads. (M. Ignatescu)

29 June 2020
October 14, 2019

Consultations — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is today having a new round of talks with the parliamentary parties with a view to forming a new government. He will announce on Tuesday, at the latest, the proposal for prime minister. On Friday, after the first round of talks, the head of state showed the urgent need for a transitional government made up of the National Liberal Party or around this party which initiated the motion of no confidence that led to the dismissal of the Social Democratic government. According to Klaus Iohannis the new government needs to draft the budget for 2020 and to ensure the organization in good conditions of the November presidential election. The Liberal leader Ludovic Orban might take the seat of PM. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats – ALDE, a former partner of the PSD in the ruling coalition, supports a Liberal government but on certain conditions. The Save Romania Union wants early elections that should be organized by the future government early next year. The People’s Movement Party — PMP and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians – UDMR in Romania are against early elections. The Ethnic Hungarians will make a proposal for prime minister to President Iohannis and the PMP wants the new government to pass an emergency decree under which mayors should be elected in two rounds of voting. Pro Romania party has not ruled out a possible participation in the new government. PSD has not taken part in the consultations. The Social Democrats’ leader Viorica Dancila subsequently announced that they would support a Liberal government is the Liberals signed the so-called Pact for the Romanians’ welfare.

European prosecutor – The Council of the EU on Monday confirmed the appointment of the Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi to the post of European chief prosecutor and the appointment is next to be confirmed by the EP, shows a communiqué of the Council of the EU. Laura Codruta Lovesi is currently a prosecutor with the General Prosecutor’s Office of the High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania. She has previously held various positions of prosecutor during her career in Romania, among which chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate.

Luxembourg – Dan Neculăescu, a secretary of state with the Foreign Ministry, is participating in Luxembourg in the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. High on the agenda of the Council meeting are topical international issues such as the situation in Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan. According to a Foreign Ministry communiqué, during a working lunch the European officials have the opportunity to informally exchange opinions with the Ukrainian foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko.

Orthodox pilgrimage — The largest Orthodox pilgrimage organized in Romania and one of the largest pilgrimages in Europe, continues in Iasi, in northeastern Romania, at the Holy Relics of the Saint Parascheva who is commemorated on October 14. Priests from Romania, the neighboring Republic of Moldova, Greece and Bulgaria have held an open-air special liturgical service this morning. It is estimated that until Tuesday the number of pilgrims will exceed 120 thousand. Born near Constantinople in the early 11th century Saint Parascheva has been considered the protector of the Romanian Principality of Modavia since 1641, when her holy relics were brought to Iasi by ruler Vasile Lupu. They were granted to him by the Ecumenical Patriarch after the Romanian ruler had paid off the Patriarchate’s debts to the Ottoman administration.

Football — Romania’s Under-21 national football team is playing today, on home turf, against the team of Northern Ireland in a Group 8 match of the Euro 2021 preliminaries. On Thursday, the Romanians defeated Ukraine 3-0, also at home, after last month, in their debut match, they had lost 1-2 to Denmark. We recall that in June Romania’s Under 21 team qualified, for the first time, to the semifinals of the European competition final to be hosted by Italy and San Marino and thus got a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics. In the seniors’ competition Romania’s football team will play on Tuesday in Bucharest against Norway in Group F of the 2020 European Championships preliminaries. (translation by L. Simion)

14 October 2019
May 14, 2019

COUNCIL -
Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Daea is today presiding the meeting of the
EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels. The main topic on the agenda is
the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy Reform Package. Ministers will also
exchange views on the new delivery model set out in the Commission proposal for
a regulation on the CAP strategic plans. On the sidelines of the Council
meeting, ministers will discuss a strategic long-term vision for a climate
neutral economy from the point of view of agriculture, as well as the declaration
of cooperation for a smart and sustainable digital future for European
agriculture and rural areas.

EASTERN
PARTNERSHIP – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu called
for continuing reforms and modernization processes in ex-soviet states from the
Eastern Partnership. On Monday Minister Melescanu attended the Eastern
Partnership ministerial meeting in Brussels, bringing together Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The Romanian
official hailed the 10th anniversary of the Partnership, coinciding
with the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union, as a good
opportunity to reassert the importance of the partnership to both EU citizens
and the citizens of the Eastern Partnership.

MILITARY -
An Italian military unit is deployed by NATO at the Mihail Koglniceanu base in
southeastern Romania, charged with carrying out air policing missions for the
first time in Romania. Over the next four months, 130 Italian military, pilots
and technical crew and four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft will join Romanian Air
Force military and MiG-21 Lancer jets to carry out these missions under NATO
command. The joint air policing missions are aimed at developing the reaction
and deterrence capacity and consolidate interoperability between the two
countries’ Air Forces. The deployment of the Italian unit to Romania is part of
the action plan for ensuring NATO operational capacity in response to security
challenges on the Alliance’s eastern flank.

CANNES FESTIVAL – The 72nd edition of the Cannes Film
Festival is kicking off today and will run until May 25. Romania is represented
in the official and alternative film sections. Corneliu Porumboiu this year
competes for the Palme d’Or with his latest feature La Gomera / The
Whistlers, his first film produced abroad, on La Gomera island in Spain and in
Singapore. The short reel program entitled Romanian Short Waves will also be
featured in the Short Film Corner devoted to short reels and young talent. Among
the 13 short reels selected are Bogdan Muresanu’s Christmas Gift, Adi Voicu’s
The Last Trip to the Seaside and Today Artist, Tonight Taximetrist by
Dumitru Grosei. Also representing Romania is filmmaker, screen writer and
producer Catalin Mitulescu as a jury member for the Cinefondation and short
reel section.

EUROVISION -
The first semi-final of the Eurovision song contest is today taking place in
Tel Aviv. Representatives of 17 countries will tonight compete for a place in
the final. Last year’s winner, Netta Barzilai, will open the contest with a
remix of the song that won the trophy in 2018, Toy. Easter Peony, Romania’s
representative, will perform On a Sunday in the second semi-final on May 16.
The final will take place on May 18. The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will
bring together representatives of 41 countries enrolled in the race for the
trophy.

TENNIS -
Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (113 WTA) is today playing Daria Kasatkina of
Russia (21 WTA) in the opening round at the WTA tournament in Rome, totaling
3.4 million dollars in prize money. Also today, Mihaela Buzarnescu (29 WTA) is
playing the former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (27 WTA).
In the second round world no. 2 Simona Halep will play the winner of the match
pitting Merketa Vondrousova against Barbora Strycova, both from the Czech
Republic.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

14 May 2019
March 8, 2019 UPDATE

EU COUNCIL – Romanias Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has presented in Bucharest the results of the first two months of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Its been an efficient and high-quality mandate, highly appreciated by all European partners, the Prime Minister has said underlining the completion of 67 files during this period. Referring to major issues on the European agenda, Dancila has stated that Romania has managed to secure consensus on several pending files like the post-2020 EU budget, the functioning of the European single market, competitiveness, stimulating digitization, social protection, internal security, fighting terrorism, handling migration challenges, the future of the EU after Brexit through tight cooperation as well as an open and constructive dialogue with representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the General Secretariat of the Council. In the first two months of its term, Romania managed over 650 events and meetings, both in the country and in Brussels, the Prime Minister has also said.

JHA – The Romanian interior and justice ministers, Carmen Dan and Tudorel Toader respectively, attended in Brussels on Thursday and Friday the Justice and Home Affairs Council, held in the context of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. On Friday, the justice ministers held talks on the functioning of the European Public Prosecutors Office. Tudorel Toader has stated that the participants discussed stages for the designation of the candidates for the office of European prosecutor, a process that must be finalized by the end of the month. The European Commissioner for Justice, Vera Jurova, has stated that one of the objectives is the designation of a European chief prosecutor by April and encouraged a fair process, without any attempt at discrediting any of the candidates. On Thursday, the first day of the JHA meeting, it was established that each member state would have a platform to report the incidents that might affect the European Parliament elections, due in May. Also, the EU Council has adopted a decision to modify the civil protection mechanism.

BUDGET – The macroeconomic forecasts the 2019 state budget is based upon are unrealistically optimistic, Cosmin Marinescu, an economic advisor to the Romanian president, said in Bucharest on Friday. According to Marinescu, incomes are over evaluated by 1% of the GDP and are based exclusively on promises. Investments from local authorities are at an all-time low of 1.2% of the GDP and the budget adopted in February indicates a Romanian contribution to the EU diminished by 105 million Euros. Marinescu went on to say that the big deficit shows that there is no adjustment against 2018, which runs counter to the European Commissions recommendation of 1% of the GDP. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has sent back to Parliament the law on the 2019 state budget. The president had previously notified the Constitutional Court, which deemed the law as constitutional. The 2019 budget is based on a 5.5% economic growth, a 2.5% deficit and a GDP of 200 billion Euros.

ECONOMY – With a 0.7% growth in the fourth quarter of 2018 as against the previous three months of the year, Romanias economic growth was three times higher than the 0.2% reported in the Eurozone and more than double the 0.3% reported in the EU, says the statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat. However, the growth rate of the Romanian economy in the last three months of 2018 was below the ones in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Slovakia. Finland, Denmark and Spain have also reported a growth rate of 0.7% whereas Germany, Europes biggest economy, reported zero growth in the same period of last year. Greece and Italy experienced a decline of 0.1%. In comparison with the same period of 2017, in the fourth quarter of 2018, Romanias economy registered a growth rate of 4%, nearly four times higher than the 1.4% EU rate and 1.1% in the Eurozone.

JUSTICE – Romanias Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar called on the Superior Council of Magistracy on Friday to refer to the Constitutional Court the constitutional legal conflict between the Government, on the one hand, Parliament, the SCM and the Prosecutor Generals Office on the other, a conflict triggered by the way in which the Executive has modified the justice laws. According to Augustin Lazar, by adopting emergency decrees amending the justice laws, the Government has exceeded its constitutional responsibilities and these actions are a threat to democracy and the rule of law. The recent emergency decree no.7, which has once again modified the justice laws, has been vehemently criticized by magistrates. Prosecutors and judges from some 80 prosecutors offices and courts across the country have protested by suspending their judicial activities and public relations and staging demonstrations in front of the courts. In solidarity with the magistrates, actors from several theaters in Romania, professors and students have organised protests too.

DEMOGRAPHICS – Romanias population continues to diminish due to a decline in the fertility rate and also due to migration, data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) show. 200 people, mostly men aged 30 to 40, leave the country on a daily basis. According to the aforementioned institute, on January 1st 2018 there were 120 thousand people less than on January 1st 2017. According to the same data, more Romanians died than were born and the number of those leaving the country was higher than those who entered it. A 2017 INS survey shows that more children were born in Romanian families living in Italy than in Romania and the number of children born in Romanian families abroad is double than in Romania.

HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball champions CSM Bucharest ended in a draw the match against the German team Thuringer, the last in Group 2 of the Champions League. The Romanian team ranks 3rd in the group and has already qualified for the quarter finals. Top of the group is Gyor of Hungary. Vipers of Norway and FTC Budapest have also qualified for the next round of the competition, where they will compete against the top four teams in Group 1 for a place in the Final Four tournament in Budapest, Hungary. CSM won Champions League in 2016.

8 March 2019
March 4, 2019 UPDATE

Emergency decree – The emergency decree no. 114 includes a set of measures meant to boost economic development by raising the level of investments and by supporting projects directly benefiting the citizens — said Monday the PM Viorica Dancila in the plenum meeting of the Chamber of Deputies. She added that the decree would not be abrogated but it would be amended by the government. According to the PM, repealing the emergency decree would be tantamount to canceling the increase of incomes, investments and facilities. The PM was invited in Parliament by the Liberal opposition that contested the decree alongside the other opposition parties, the business environment and banks representatives. The controversial decree imposes new taxes in the banking, telecommunications and energy fields. Meanwhile, the Senate tacitly adopted during Monday’s plenum meeting, the draft law on the approval of emergency decree no. 114. In another development, the National Liberal Party announced they would file a simple motion against the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, because emergency decree no. 114 will impact the Romanian economy and its consequences will be felt by all citizens.

EU Council — One of the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU is to develop the Union’s social dimension, by implementing the European pillar of social rights — said Monday the Romanian minister of Labor and Social Justice, Marius Budai, at the informal meeting of the Social Protection Committee. The event under way in Bucharest is being attended by as many as 90 EU experts. On the first day of the meeting, the European officials discussed ways to grant appropriate assistance to the most vulnerable people, minimum revenues to ensure a decent life that should allow access to social services and integration on the labor market. They also tackled ways to combat inequities and to promote active inclusion. On the second day of the meeting, the officials will debate, among other things, the results of implementing Europe 2020 Strategy and the OECD Report on financial incentives and savings schemes for retirement.

BRUA — The BRUA natural gas conveyance project is very important for southeastern Europe, and Romania is totally devoted to achieving this project, as works on its territory are going according to the plan, said Monday in Brussels the Romanian energy minister Anton Anton. According to him, this gas pipeline will allow interconnection with the gas networks of the neighboring countries and will thus ensure enhanced energy security in the region. Minister Anton said that by means of BRUA the authorities hoped to create a genuine regional energy market that will contribute to the strengthening of the European single market. The Romanian official on Monday participated in Brussels in a meeting with representatives from Austria, Bulgaria and Hungary on the development construction works of the BRUA gas pipeline that will connect Bulgaria to Romania to Hungary and to Austria.

OECD — Romania has received France’s support for accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — OECD, the Romanian finance ministry officials announced on Monday. Finance minister Eugen Teodorovici thanked his French counterpart for the letter he addressed to the secretary general of the OECD and underlined that the gesture proved that the European partners appreciated the activity of the Romanian government within the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU and recognized Romania as an equal partner within the European community. According to finance minister Teodorovici Romania’s possible accession to the OECD would entail a number of advantages among which increased confidence in the country’s economy, access to instruments and centers of economic decision-making as well as the opportunity to contribute to the global economic governance. (news updated by L. Simion)

4 March 2019
The Week in Review, February 11-16

2019 budget

It’s the middle of February and Romania finally has a state budget for 2019. The government majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, with the support of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, on Friday passed the budget bill proposed by the government without major changes. The budget is based on an economic growth rate of 5.5%, a deficit level of 2.76% and a GDP of over 1,000 billion lei (the equivalent of more than 200 billion euros). The government says healthcare, education and investments are the privileged areas. President Klaus Iohannis says, however, that the budget was created in a hurry and is based on unrealistic economic estimates. He warned that this should not be the budget of the Social Democrat leadership, but of Romania, and has denounced in particular the diminution of the budgets of national security institutions, a move he has described as irresponsible.

Economic statistics

Romania’s economic growth rate slowed down in 2018 to 4.1% from 7% in the previous year, according to estimates published on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics. The figures point to a lower GDP growth than the estimates of the National Commission for Prognosis, which indicated a 4.5% growth rate for the Romanian economy in 2018. The European Commission has recently shown in its winter economic forecasts that the economic boom that began in Romania in 2017 slowed down in 2018. The real growth of the GDP decreased from 7% in 2017 to an estimated 4% in 2018, said the European Commission.

Polemic between Parliament and the National Bank of Romania

The governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isarescu has given assurances there is no deviation from the ROBOR indicator at the real level of the market. At Tuesday’s hearings before the economic and budget and finances committees, he explained that at the moment, the ROBOR level — the main indicator based on which the variable interest rates for loans in the national currency are calculated — can only vary between 1.5 and 3.5%, as these are the values at which the National Bank can attract banks’ deposits. The chair of the senate’s economic committee, the Liberal Democrat Daniel Zamfir, has said that the banking sector in Romania has the lowest level of financial intermediation in the European Union while its profitability is double the European average. The disputes between Zamfir and Isarescu intensified after the national currency, the leu, reached historically low exchange rates against the euro for several consecutive days in January. At the same time, the ROBOR indicator went up to almost 3%, thus placing additional burden on people with bank loans.

Politics and anticorruption

President Klaus Iohannis has requested the department investigating crimes in the judiciary to clarify as soon as possible the situation of the case opened against the former chief of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi. The president says this department should not be a political instrument of investigation and intimidation of magistrates and prosecutors. The opposition has described the case as an example of political policing orchestrated by the power in Bucharest. Kovesi was cited in the case on suspicion of abuse of office, bribe taking and false testimony. She said she was innocent and that it was no coincidence that she was cited precisely before going to Brussels to appear before MEPs for an interview for occupying the position of European chief prosecutor, for which the media see her as a favourite. The person who denounced her is the former Social Democrat MP Sebastian Ghita, the protagonist of several corruption cases and currently a fugitive from justice in the neighbouring Serbia.

The Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU

The EU member states pledged on Tuesday to consolidate the framework for the supervision of financial institutions to find the best solutions to combat money laundering. The Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union was invited to initiate, as soon as possible, negotiations with the European Parliament on the entire legislative package on this theme. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, who chaired the ECOFIN meeting, emphasised that the rules for combating money laundering would be fully implemented in all EU member states.

Tennis

The Romanian women’s tennis team went up three places and are now in the fifth position in the Fed Cup ranking published by the International Federation (ITF). The climb comes after an away win over the Czech Republic, the current holders of the trophy and who will maintain their top position. France, Romania’s next opponents, defeated the Czech Republic 3-2 thanks to the points obtained by Simona Halep, who won both of her singles matches, and the pair Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu. Mihaela Buzarnescu lost her two singles matches. Romania will face France away, on the 20th and 21st of April, this being their second presence in the higher stages of the competition since 1973.

16 February 2019
February 14, 2019

ECONOMY – Romanian economy slowed down from a 7% growth rate in 2017, to 4.1% in 2018, according to estimates made public today by the National Institute of Statistics. Data indicate a lower GDP growth rate as compared to the predictions made by the National Forecast Commission, which indicated a growth of 4.5% in 2018. Also in the last quarter of 2018 the Romanian economy slowed down to 0.7%, from 1.7% in the second quarter. Recently, the European Commission too has shown that the economic boom registered by Romania in 2017 slowed down in 2018.

BUDGET – Romanian MPs have started discussing the articles of the 2019 draft state budget and social security budget, after finalizing general debates on Wednesday. The final vote is due on Friday. The bills have been endorsed by the specialized parliament committees. As to the version proposed by the Government, the budgets earmarked for the Finance ministry, the Romanian intelligence office and the Security Guard Service have been diminished. The Education Ministry has got more money for investment, just like the Transport Ministry. The budget was built on an estimated 5.5% economic growth rate, a 2.5% deficit and a GDP of some 200 billion Euros.

ELA – Today, the European Parliament and the Romanian presidency of the EU Council have reached a provisional agreement on the Commissions proposal to establish a European Labour Authority (ELA). According to a press release, the new authority will support fair labour mobility within the EU, allowing citizens and businesses to seize the opportunities offered by the single market, while supporting cooperation between national authorities, including in preventing and tackling social fraud and abuse. Next, the agreement will be submitted to the Councils Permanent Representatives Committee for approval. Once the Member States Permanent Representatives confirm the agreement, it will be subject to a final vote by the plenary of the European Parliament.

KOVESI – The former head of the National Anticorruption directorate in Romania, Laura Codruta Kovesi, has announced she has been cited by the Department of Criminal Investigations in the Judiciary to testify as a suspect. She is accused of official misconduct, bribery and false testimony. Kovesi has stated she is innocent and that there is no coincidence that she received the subpoena right before her being heard in the European Parliament as prime candidate to lead the European Public Prosecutors Office. In another development, the Prosecutors Office of the Superior Council of Magistracy has decided to appoint Calin Nistor head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, where he is currently deputy chief prosecutor, and interim head of the directorate, following Anca Jurmas refusal to carry on her mandate. The office became vacant after Ms. Kovesi was revoked by president Klaus Iohannis, following a ruling of the Constitutional Court. Subsequently, the justice minister proposed Adina Florea as head of the Directorate, but the head of state rejected the proposal.

SURVEY – The Army continues to be the institution that Romanians trust the most, according to a survey conducted by INSCOP Research over January 21st – February 5th. Next come the church, the gendermerie and the police. According to the same survey, 39.7% of the Romanians trust the National Anticorruption Directorate, and 39.1% trust the Presidency. Bottom of the rankings are political parties, with 11.8% and Parliament with 9.8%. As regars international institutions, Romanians trust NATO – 49.9%- , the EU – 47.8% – and the European Parliament – 44.7%. The European Commission enjoys the trust of 43.8% of the Rmanians. The sample used in the survey was 1080 people, aged over 18.

NATO – The meeting of the NATO defence ministers continues in Brussels today. The agenda includes topics such as the future of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and its violation by Russia. Romania is represented by minister Gabriel Les, who on Wednesday took part in two formal meetings: one devoted to developments related to INF and the second on implementing the deterrence and defence posture. The participants have voiced worries over Russias SCC-8 ground-launched cruise missile. One important issue on the agenda of talks is the fair sharing of responsibilities. Romania has reaffirmed its commitment to earmarking 2% of the GDP for defence and to maintain this contribution in the coming years too.

METRO – The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, has approved the allocation of 517 million euros for the building of 6 km of rail, a segment of the 14 km metro line planned to connect Burcharests central area to the Henri Coanda airport. The projects also covers the building of six new metro stations and the purchase of 12 trains.

DIASPORA – The Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini hopes that several economic issues will be resolved during the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. In an interview with the Radio Romania correspondent in Rome, the Italian official has stated that he appreciates the contribution of the Romanians who work legally in Italy and has voiced his intention to sanction and isolate those very few offenders that might tarnish the image of honest workers. There are some 1.2 million Romanians living in Italy, making up the largest foreign community in that country.

14 February 2019
February 11, 2019 UPDATE

BUDGET – Monday was the last day for the Romanian MPs to introduce amendments to the draft state budget passed on Friday by the coalition government. Debates are scheduled to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in the joint budget and finance committees. On Wednesday, the draft budget goes under plenary debate, with the final vote due on Friday. The draft budget was designed based on an expected economic growth rate of 5.5%, a 2.5% deficit, and a GDP around 200 billion Euro. Part of the budget design is the earmarking of 2% of the GDP for defense, in line with the commitments Romania made to its NATO allies, as well as a 15% rise in pensions as of September. The opposition has sharply criticized the timeline of the budget, as well as its provisions, which it deems unrealistic.

FINANCE -On Tuesday, Romanian Finance Minister Teodorovici will chair in Brussels the second meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council. The agenda includes the vote on the compromise proposal of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU concerning the European System of Financial Supervision and the conclusions of the report on fiscal sustainability, as well as the guidelines for the 2020 budget. On Monday, Eugen Teodorovici took part in Brussels in the Eurogroup meeting, to discuss the proposal on the budget for convergence and competitiveness.

INFLATION – The National Bank of Romania has increased to 3% the inflation forecast for the end of this year, the Central Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu announced on Monday, when he presented the quarterly report on inflation. In November, the Central Bank had estimated a 2.9% inflation rate this year, and 3.2% in 2020. Also on Monday, the National Institute of Statistics announced that the average net salary in Romania went up by 5.9% in December last year, as compared to the previous month, reaching some 620 Euro. The biggest salaries were reported in the IT sector, and the lowest in the hospitality industry.

BREXIT – The British Prime Minister Theresa May will make a statement before Parliament on Tuesday, to inform the MPs about the Brexit negotiations, the premiers spokesperson announced on Monday. Also on Monday, the European Chief Negotiator for the UK Exiting the EU, Michel Barnier, warned London that time was “extremely short” to conclude a deal before Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29th. “The withdrawal agreement which we agreed with Theresa Mays government remains the best way to ensure an orderly withdrawal of the UK”, Michel Barnier said.

BERLIN – On Saturday, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will take part in the 55th edition of the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, which hosts the most important world leaders every year. The event is centered around transatlantic cooperation, and President Iohannis will speak of the need to strengthen NATO as guarantor of Euro-Atlantic security. Also, the Romanian head of state believes that the EU-NATO cooperation ensures security and prosperity. President Iohannis previously attended the Munich conference in 2016 as well.

EUROSTAT – Of the almost 18 million engineers and scientists in the EU in 2017, 59% were men and 41% were women, according to Eurostat. In Romania, of the 540,400 engineers and scientists, almost 314,000 were men, and 227,000 were women. Men are over-represented in high technology industries, accounting for 83%, while in the services sector the situation is much more balanced, with 55% men and 45% women. In five EU member states, women make up the majority of engineers and scientists: Lithuania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Portugal, and Denmark.

FLU – The number of people who have succumbed to the flu in Romania has reached 107, according to the National Public Health Institute. Healthcare Minister Sorina Pintea has announced that the epidemic cannot be expected to tone down yet. According to official data, 3,000 cases of flu were confirmed last week, as well as over 145,000 cases of viral respiratory infections.

TENNIS – Romanias womens tennis team has defeated the Czech Republic 3-2 in the Fed Cup and qualified to the semi-finals, where they will be playing the French team. On Sunday, in the decisive game, the pair Irina Begu – Monica Niculescu defeated 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 the number one pair in the world, Barbora Krejcikova/ Katerina Siniakova. In the singles, Simona Halep, no.2 in the WTA rankings, defeated Karolina Pliskova and Katerina Siniakova. Mihaela Buzarnescu was defeated by both Siniakova and Pliskova. This is the second presence Romania has in the top four in the competition since 1973.

11 February 2019
January 28, 2019 UPDATE

BUDGET – In Bucharest, the 2019 draft budged will be presented by the Government on Tuesday, Darius Valcov, the adviser of PM Viorica Dancila has said. According to Valcov, more money than last year will be allotted to education and healthcare. Romanias consolidated budget at the end of last year registered a deficit of 2.88% of the GDP, just like in the previous year, according to data published on Monday by the Finance Ministry. Budget revenues were by 17.2% higher than in 2017. Budget expenditure was by 16.8% higher than in 2017, due in particular to staff expenditure, which was by 23.7% higher than in the previous year.

FLU – In Romania, 47 people have died from the flu this winter, Romanian authorities have announced. Some 3 million pupils have resumed school on Monday, after on Friday all classes were suspended, over the flu scare. Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu has announced that classes will not be suspended this week, as it is the last in the first semester of the school year. Authorities will soon decide whether to declare flu epidemic at national level, given the alarming increase in the number of cases across the country.

EU COUNCIL — The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, attended in Monday in Brussels the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the first during the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The main topic on the agenda was the Common Agricultural Policy 2020. Protecting farmers in the community area and encouraging the production of vegetable proteins are priorities of the next Common Agricultural Policy that Romania also supports. Also, under the reformed Common Agricultural Policy, the Commission has proposed to allow the use of certain grape varieties that had been banned a few years ago.

DATA PRIVACY – The National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing organized on Monday in Bucharest, on the European Data Privacy Day, the conference titled “Ensuring the Observance of the GDPR”. The event was held under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The European Data Privacy Day is celebrated on January 28th by all the countries members of the Council of Europe and celebrates the adoption in 1981, in Strasbourg, of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data. 43 European states have joined the international convention, as wells as countries from other continents. Tiberiu Gandu, the Executive Director of the National Association of Telecommunications and Internet Providers, has stated that, in terms of personal data protection, the EU has the strongest regulation in the world.

TALKS – Romania wants to actively participate in the consolidation of the European project and plans to make things advance in the economic, financial and fiscal sectors, to the member countries’ benefit. The statement was made on Monday by the Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici during a meeting he had in Bucharest with his Norwegian counterpart, Siv Jensen. The two officials also talked about the priorities of Romania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in the economic and financial sectors.

WEATHER – Weather in Romania is getting warmer, after days of extreme phenomena affecting the capital Bucharest and 20 counties. According to the latest report, presented on Monday by the Interior Ministry, some 8,000 fire-fighters, police officers and gendarmes were deployed across the country to intervene in extreme situations. Some 2,200 trees and 44 electricity poles fell and damaged 360 vehicles. According to a communiqué issued by the Energy Ministry, some 22,000 households are still without electricity, especially in the south and east of the country. Traffic has been resumed and is now normal on all motorways and national roads.

MOLDOVA – The Moldovan branch of Amnesty International on Monday voiced concern over the high risk of violation of the electoral law and the international conventions that the Republic of Moldova is a party to, Radio Chisinau reports. According to an Amnesty International release, several candidates have reported cases of police failing to intervene in cases of harassment and aggression perpetrated by alleged sympathizers of their opponents political parties. The announcement was made given that parliamentary elections are due in the Republic of Moldova on February 24th.

TENNIS – The Japanese Naomi Osaka, who has recently won the Australian Open, is the new number one in the WTA rankings. The Romanian Simona Halep has stepped down to the third place. Osaka, aged 21, is the first Asian player to become leader in the tennis professional circuit. Second in the rankings comes the Check player Petra Kvitova, a finalist in the Australian Open, with 700 more points that Halep. Romania still has 6 players in the top 100. In the mens rankings, the Romanian Marius Copil has gone up to the 56th position, the best in his career. (Translated by Elena Enache)

28 January 2019
Talks in Bucharest on the cohesion policy

The motto “Cohesion, a shared European value reflects Romanias vision for its term in office at the helm of the EU Council. Frequently mentioned in the speeches of EU leaders, reducing the social and economic gaps between the Unions member states, regions and citizens has been one of the most important goals of the European bloc.

The cohesion policy was, in fact, one of the 2 key topics on the agenda of the first event organised in Bucharest by the national parliament as part of the Romanian semester. Ensuring true cohesion in Europe, the unity of member countries in the face of political, economic and social challenges, promoting pluralism, tolerance and solidarity, are among Romanias priorities while holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, Romanian officials emphasised. The Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu said measures to safeguard cohesion are essential for bridging the gaps between the various regions of the EU:

Calin Popescu Tariceanu: “With the EU currently facing difficult challenges, we, as members of national parliaments, are called upon to promote solidarity on the continent, to support convergence, to build and safeguard cohesion in the Union. We believe such measures are fundamental, so that the current gaps between the East and the West, and between the North and the South, do not become irreversible. The risk is that we might allow extremist and populist forces to turn these gaps into fractures that will fuel a multi-speed Europe and eventually dismantle it altogether.

In turn, the European Commissioner Corina Cretu believes the cohesion policy is about and for the citizens. In her opinion, it is the instrument that provides answers to the issues and tensions facing the European bloc, such as Brexit, migration and cross-border security. She warned that, in some cases, regional disparities have deepened, particularly in the member states in Central and Eastern Europe, and this is because there are urban regions that grow very fast, including those around the capital cities, whereas other regions develop at a slower pace.

Corina Cretu: “The cohesion policy for 2021-2027 will be closer tied to the European agenda and priorities, and will focus on key priorities such as innovation, competitiveness, employment, climate and environment challenges.

Corina Cretu added that, for the first time in the history of the European Union, the cohesion policy has been earmarked 373 billion euros, 80% of which will be channelled into the less developed regions.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

22 January 2019
January 12, 2019

EU Romanias PM Viorica Dancila will be on a visit to Strasbourg on Monday and Tuesday. She will present to the European Parliament the priorities of the first Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union and have meetings with EU officials. On Friday, during talks with the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and with members of the College of EU Commissioners in Bucharest, Viorica Dancila emphasised that the Romanian presidency will seek to achieve consensus among Member States over the multi-annual financial framework, and is looking for “small, but reliable steps in this respect. According to the Romanian PM, the talks held on Friday between members of the Romanian Government and of the College of Commissioners were structured into 3 thematic sections and focused on EU priorities like the single market, the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union, migration, security and justice.

CHURCH Pope Francis, who will make a visit to mostly-Orthodox Romania between May 31st and June 2nd, will have a meeting with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, a Romanian Patriarchy spokesman announced. He emphasised that the good relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church translate, among others, in the hospitality with which Romanian communities have been received in many countries, especially in Italy, where many Romanian parishes hold religious services in locations made available by the local Catholic communities. On Friday the Vatican and the Romanian Presidency confirmed the Popes visit to Romania. He will visit the capital city Bucharest, the cities of Iaşi (in the north-east) and Blaj (centre), as well as the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc (centre). Pope Francis is the second Pope to visit Romania, after John Paul II who was in 1999 the first head of the Catholic Church to visit a mostly Orthodox country since the East-West Schism of 1054.

MEASLES 36 new measles cases have been confirmed in 8 counties in Romania over the past week, according to data from the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control, posted on the website of the National Institute for Public Health. Most cases have been reported in counties Teleorman (south), Sălaj (north), Maramureş (north), Neamţ (east) and Prahova (south). The total number of measles cases confirmed in Romania so far is 15,600, with 59 deaths also reported. The most frequently affected are non-vaccinated children.

DEFENCE The Romanian Defence Ministry has suspended the procurement procedure for 4 multirole corvettes worth 1.6 billion euro. The head of the Armaments Department, Andrei Ignat, has notified the Military Prosecutors Office with respect to the corvette procurement operation, based on reasonable suspicions regarding the lawfulness of the procedure, likely to affect national security interests. The bid, which should have been completed last year, has been postponed several times. Competing for the contract are 3 major international companies: Damen, from the Netherlands, Fincantieri of Italy and Naval Group from France.

PASSPORTS The new Romanian electronic passports, to be issued as of this week, will be virtually impossible to forge, said the head of the Directorate General for Passports Mirel Toancă on Saturday. He said each page of the new documents includes a stylised image of a well-known Romanian historic or tourist site, such as the Danube Delta, the Scărişoara Cave or Sighişoara medieval citadel. The fees for the issue of the new passports remain unchanged, and the ones valid at present will remain in use. Simple electronic passports are valid for 10 years, and temporary ones are valid 1 year.

WEATHER Europe continues to be ravaged by massive snowfalls and freezing temperatures. In the south-east of Germany, 4 regions initiated emergency plans after several days of continuing snowfalls. Several flights have been cancelled in Munich and Frankfurt, and traffic was disrupted on several roads. Schools have been closed. Major problems are also reported in Austria, where Innsbruck authorities advised people to stay indoors to avoid prospective avalanches. In Hungary, authorities have issued a code yellow alert for snow storms in the north-east of the country and a code red warning for freezing temperatures. Around 20 people have died in Europe in the past week because of the extreme weather conditions.

MACEDONIA Greeces PM Alexis Tsipras congratulated his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, after a historic vote in Skopje to rename the country “The Republic of North Macedonia. Zoran Zaev won by a narrow margin the 2-thirds of the parliamentary votes needed for this goal, with the nationalists in Opposition boycotting the meeting. This is the last but one major obstacle to the settlement of a decade-long dispute with Greece over the name “Macedonia, which Athens claims for the north of Greece. According to the BBC, the next step is the ratification of the agreement by the Greek Parliament, paving the way for Macedonias prospective accession to the EU and NATO.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

12 January 2019