Radio România Internațional

Tag: EU Directive

  • August 16, 2024 UPDATE

    August 16, 2024 UPDATE

    Gas – Romania currently has 2.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas stored in underground storages, which accounts for over 88% of the total storage capacity, given that, according to the European directives, the storages must be 85% full on September 1, the Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, announced on Friday. According to an Energy Ministry press release “daily, Romania produces approximately 25 million cubic meters of natural gas, consumes about half, and another 10 – 11 million cubic meters are stored”. Sebastian Burduja has also announced that Romania will continue to store natural gas until it reaches 100% of its storage capacity. According to him, the storage of natural gas for the winter season is all the more important since the neighboring Ukraine has announced that it will no longer extend the transit contract of Russian gas on its territory.

     

    Pensions – 4.6 million Romanian pensioners are to receive higher pensions by the end of the month. According to the Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity, Simona Bucura-Oprescu, over 80% of the pensioners are to benefit from recalculated pensions. Roughly two million are to get their pensions higher by 100 Euros. For more than one million the rises will range between 500 and 1,000 lei but 7,700 of them will see more than 3 thousand lei added to their initial pensions. Significant raises will see the people who worked over 40 years and didn’t benefit from the correction index of the past years. According to Minister Bucura-Oprescu, no pension cuts will be operated, and people will receive their recalculated pensions in September.

     

    Gymnastics – The Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu on Friday came into the possession of the bronze medal won in the floor final at the Olympic Games in Paris. The event took place in a ceremony organized on Friday on the esplanade of the Olympic House in Bucharest, following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. We remind you that, on August 5, in the floor final, Ana Maria Bărbosu was awarded the bronze medal for a few tens of seconds, but the American Jordan Chiles filed an appeal and her score was increased, so she finished in third position. Later, Romania also filed an appeal, which was finally approved. “I am happy to be in the possession of this medal and I hope to continue representing Romania at the highest level and to bring it as many medals as possible”, said the athlete.

     

    Migrants – 32 migrants were discovered, on Friday, hidden in a truck driven by a Romanian at the border point at Nădlac II, in Arad county in western Romania. They come, according to the border police, from Iraq, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan and intended to fraudulently cross the border with Hungary in order to reach Western Europe. The truck driver is being investigated for migrant trafficking, and the citizens discovered are being investigated for attempting to cross the border fraudulently. According to the waybill, the driver was transporting furniture on the Romania-Italy route.

     

    Navy Day – ‘Romania has been acknowledged and appreciated by its allies as a solid pillar of regional security and a major contributor to the process of strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture on its eastern flank’ the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said in Constanta, on the Romanian Black Sea Coast, where he participated in the events dedicated to Navy Day celebrated on Thursday. According to Iohannis, although we are living in times marked by multiple security challenges, in the context of the war Russia is waging on Ukraine, Romania is today a safe and stable country and its citizens are defended and protected against any potential threat. Thousands of tourists and citizens of Constanta gathered to watch the biggest naval show of the year, which involved the participation of over two thousand sailors and servicemen from Romania and the armed forces deployed here. The event was also attended by 15 military vessels, coast guard patrol boats, F-16 fighters, surveillance aircraft belonging to the USA and France, Puma Naval helicopters and paratroopers. (LS)

  • Romania and the European minimum wage

    Romania and the European minimum wage

    Romanians are paid one of the lowest gross minimum wages per economy in the entire European Union. Eurostat data show that they receive the second lowest average hourly wage in the Union, namely 10.4 Euros, far from the European average, which is 24 Euros per hour. Moreover, in Luxembourg an hour of work is paid almost 5 times better than in Romania. However, according to statistics, the average hourly wage has increased in recent years in Romania as well, but insignificantly in relation to the price increases that have occurred. Specialists say that, more often than not, these wage increases were not felt by employees, actually covering the price increases.

     

    According to the National Institute of Statistics, in February, the average net salary was 4,876 lei (about 975 Euros), up by 14% as compared to the same month of 2023. This year, however, things should change because Romania will introduce the European minimum wage, and according to the EU Directive, the minimum wage in a country must represent at least 50% of the average income. At present, in Romania, the value of the minimum gross salary is 3,300 lei (660 Euros) and will increase to 3,700 lei (740 Euros) starting July 1. Given that the salary taken into account when establishing the state social insurance budget for 2024 is 7,567 lei (over 1,500 Euros), the condition of the minimum salary/average salary ratio is to be respected. The introduction of the European minimum wage is also accompanied by other conditions.

     

    Thus, the governments of the member countries pledge to promote collective wage bargaining, to update and index-link the minimum wage per economy to respect the minimum wage/average wage ratio, to collect and report data on wages to the European Commission. Referring to the European Directive that will have to be implemented in Romania by November 15, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu declared that Romanians would have salaries as close as possible to the European average.

     

    Marcel Ciolacu: “The project regarding the introduction of the European minimum wage in Romania was made public, so that Romanians have jobs paid closer to the European average. I think this is what Romanians expect from us, a better standard of living and fair prices.”

     

    We remind you that the Directive on the minimum wage in the EU was adopted by the European Parliament in 2022. It obliges the member states of the community bloc that have statutory minimum wages to guarantee that the money earned will allow people to lead a decent life. Official statistics show that in many of the EU countries, the monthly gross minimum wage is below 1,000 Euros, and in some even less than 750 Euros. Most member countries have already implemented the national minimum wage directive. Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden have minimum wages set by collective labor agreements, while Cyprus has statutory wages for different occupations. (LS)

  • March 9, 2022

    March 9, 2022

    Pandemic ▪ Since March 8, at midnight, Romania has lifted all sanitary restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. After more than two years of state of emergency or alert and at the end of five pandemic waves, the Romanian authorities have decided, among other things, that the sanitary mask is no longer mandatory in both outdoor and indoor spaces, and access to various public spaces is no longer conditioned on the Covid certificate. Hospitals will continue to operate in a combined system, so that all hospitalized Covid-19 patients can be treated. At the same time, upon entering Romania, the passenger location form is no longer required. The heath minister, Alexandru Rafila, pointed out that individuals should be cautious and responsible in the next period, given that the Sars-CoV-2 virus has not disappeared.



    Visit ▪ Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, will receive, on Friday, in Bucharest, the US Vice President, Kamala Harris. According to a presidential administration communiqué, Allied measures to strengthen NATOs deterrence and defense posture on the Eastern Flank will be discussed, including the prospect of further increasing the US and allied military presence in Romania. They will also address the coordination of the transatlantic community in relation to adopting new sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The presence of Vice President Kamala Harris in Romania reconfirms the solidity of the bilateral Strategic Partnership, the communiqué also shows.



    Ukraine ▪ Ukraine must withstand Russias attacks for the next 7-10 days so that Moscow cannot claim any victory, a senior Ukrainian government official said. According to Vadim Denisenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, the most likely targets are the city of Mariupol and the capital Kyiv. ‘They need at least one victory before they are forced to enter the final negotiations’ Denisenko wrote on Facebook. The statement comes in the context in which more than two million Ukrainians have fled the country to avoid the biggest assault on a European country since World War II, Reuters reports. On the other hand, the International Monetary Fund is to approve today 1.4 billion dollars worth of emergency funding for Ukraine to help the country respond to Russias invasion, according to Kristalina Georgieva, the organizations director general. More and more Western companies are leaving the Russian market under international sanctions. On Tuesday, the American chain McDonalds announced that it was temporarily closing its 850 restaurants in Russia and suspending all operations in that country. In Russia, the sale of foreign currency will be suspended until September 9, the Central Bank announced, as it was hit by unprecedented Western sanctions. Withdrawal of cash from foreign currency accounts opened in Russian banks will be limited to 10,000 dollars, and the rest can be withdrawn only in rubles at the current exchange rate. The ruble has broken new historic depreciation records against Western currencies in recent days. Russias economy suffered another blow on Tuesday after US President Joe Biden announced an embargo on oil and gas imports from the country.



    Refugees – Nearly 320,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania since the onset of the Russian invasion until Tuesday, at midnight, the General Inspectorate of the Border Police informed. Of these, about 235,000 have already left Romania. On Tuesday, the inflow of Ukrainian refugees declined slightly. Both the Romanian authorities and the civil society have mobilized quickly and efficiently to provide accommodation, food, clothing and medicines to those fleeing the Russian invasion. The Romanians efforts were appreciated by international political figures and the Western press.



    EU directive ▪ Romania is to transpose into national legislation a European directive on whistle-blowing protection. The whistleblower is a person who reports certain illegal, incorrect or unethical practices within the public or private company he or she works in. Today’s government agenda includes a bill in this regard. Another law aims at paying Romania’s contributions to the European Organ Exchange Association and to a program run by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Another decision will set the maximum limit of the reimbursable funding that the administrative-territorial units can make for a period of three years.



    Pensions ▪ In Romania, the contribution to the Pension Pillar II will be increased by 1%, to 4.75%, starting with January 2024, according to a draft emergency ordinance put up for debate on the website of the Labor Ministry. The provision is included in the National Resilience and Recovery Plan and in the governing program. An employee currently transfers 25% of the gross salary to the pensions fund in the form of a social insurance contribution, of which 21.25% goes to the public pension system, and the rest to the private Pension Pillar II. (LS)

  • May 27, 2018

    May 27, 2018

    ROMANIANS WORLDWIDE – The large Romanian Diaspora contributes to the promotion of our identity, each Romanian national being the message bearer of our culture and customs, says Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, in a message conveyed on the Day of the Romanians Worldwide, which is celebrated every year on the last Sunday of May, as of 2015. “The state institutions should make the Romanians worldwide regain confidence in their country. This way, the Romanians can return home and use their skills, renewed mentality and the experience accumulated abroad to the benefit of community, and thus contribute to developing a stronger Romania, the president also says in his message. President Iohannis on Wednesday received a group of Romanians who hold public positions in their countries of residence, to underline how important it is to get them involved in the communities in which they live and to take a first step forward towards creating informal networks of professionals to promote the exchange of experience and good practices. To celebrate the Day of the Romanians Worldwide, musician Mircea Florian will give an electronic and folk-rock music concert in downtown Bucharest. The event is part of a festival devoted to the culture of the Romanians worldwide, which also includes an exhibition of Romanian painters living in the country and outside its borders.



    JUSTICE – To avoid sanctions, the provisions of the EU Directive on the presumption of innocence should be transposed into the national law until the European Commission notifies the European Court of Justice, the relevant minister, Tudorel Toader said on Sunday. The European Commission has launched the infringement procedure against Romania for failing to transpose the provisions of this Directive into its Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes, respectively. Infringement is a standard procedure used by the European Commission against the EU member states which do not announce in due time the transposition of the measures included in the EU Directive, AGERPRES news agency on Friday quoted an EC spokesperson as saying. According to the spokesperson, the procedure envisages 10 EU member states, and the transposition of the provisions of the respective Directive into the national law does not run counter to the legitimate objective of fighting corruption.



    ROMANIAN- GEORGIAN RELATIONS– Romania will further be a trustworthy partner of Georgias and will support that countrys European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, the visiting deputy prime minister Ana Birchall said on Saturday on a visit to Georgia, where she attended the ceremonies occasioned by that countrys independence and statehood centennial. “In 2018 Romania and Georgia celebrate their national centennials, a good opportunity for them to deepen their special relations. Now, its time we developed, to a larger extent, our political dialogue with strategic valences, economic cooperation, which has a significantly high potential, and increased contacts between our societies and citizens, the deputy prime minister Ana Birchall said in Tbilisi, according to a communiqué made public by the Government on Sunday. The Georgian side has thanked Romania for its firm and constant support for Georgia, in its effort to fulfil its European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and underlined the determination of the Tbilisi authorities to go ahead with the reform process.



    FOOTBALL – Bucharest will host, later today, Romanias Football Cup final, played by CS Universitatea Craiova (in the south), and ranking third in League One, and FC Hermannstadt (Sibiu, in the centre). It is for the first time that the Sibiu-based team manages to reach the final stage of the competition. We recall that the winner of the Romanian football championship this year is CFR Cluj (in the north-west), which will play in the Champions League, and ranking second in the classification is FCSB (former Steaua Bucharest). FCSB and CSU Craiova have qualified for the Europa League, alongside the winner of Romanias Football Cup.



    TENNIS – Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru(no.160 WTA) is today meeting American Christina McHale ( no. 85), on the first day of the French Open, the second grand slam tournament of the year. Five other Romanian women tennis players will be taking part in the Roland Garros. No.1 WTA and first seeded Simona Halep will face American Alison Riske (no. 105 WTA). Halep has so far played two Roland Garros finals, but she lost both, one of them last year. Mihaela Buzărnescu (no. 32 WTA) will meet in the first round American Vania King. Irina Begu (no. 41 WTA) will face Slovakias Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (no. 78), Sorana Cîrstea (no. 45 WTA) will meet Australian Daria Gavrilova (no.24), and Ana Bogdan (no.65) will be playing against the Czech Marketa Vondrousova (no.90). In the mens competition, Romanian Marius Copil (no. 95 ATP) will face Italian Marco Cecchinato (no.72) in the inaugural round.



    WEATHER – It is fine and warm in most regions of the country, with overcast skies in the west, south west, centre and the mountains. Rain-showers, thunderstorms and gusty wind are reported in places. The high of the day stands at 29 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 23 degrees.

  • December 11, 2015

    December 11, 2015

    BUDGET LAW – In Bucharest, the expert committees in Parliament are discussing today the draft budget for next year. The talks will continue during the weekend, and the final vote in the Parliament plenum is scheduled for Wednesday. The Social Democratic Party, in power, voiced satisfaction with the bill, which they say concurs with the previous governments views on fiscal relaxation and economic growth. In turn, the Liberals in opposition say the overall budget structure is reasonable, and slight amendments are possible during the debates in the Parliament committees, although no major changes are expected.



    INFLATION – In Romania, the annual inflation rate remained negative in November, although it rose from minus 1.6% in October to minus 1.1%, according to data released today by the National Statistics Institute. Last month, the National Bank of Romania lowered by 0.4% its annual inflation forecast, to 0.7% negative, and for next year the inflation forecast was revised up to 1.1%. The central bank governor, Mugur Isărescu, mentioned that the negative inflation rate was prompted by the lowering of the VAT for foodstuffs to 9% this summer.



    DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS – The population of Romania dropped in 2014 below the 20-million threshold, a level similar to the one reported in 1966. According to the National Statistics Institute, until 2013 the number of people fell particularly as a result of labour migration, whereas last year the main cause was the wide gap between the birth and death rates. If this trend continues, in 30-40 years the population of Romania will go down to around 14 million.



    EU DIRECTIVE – Romania must fully implement the Directive on Deposit Guarantee Schemes, under which bank clients will benefit from quicker disbursements and a better safety mechanism. The deadline for transposing these provisions in the national legislation was July, and the European Commission has officially requested Romania to conform. Ten EU member countries are yet to introduce the European Directive in their national legislation, and unless they take appropriate measures within two months, the Commission may decide to notify the EU Court of Justice.



    BSEC – Bucharest is hosting today the 33rd meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation countries. Romania, a founding member of the Organisation, held the rotating presidency for the 5th time. The meeting is chaired by the Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu, who will stress the progress made in terms of economic cooperation in the Black Sea region during Romanias six-month presidency. According to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry, Comănescu will hand over the presidency to the Russian Federation, which will head the organisation in the first half of 2016.



    NATO EXERCISE – The Romanian Naval Forces frigate “Regina Maria is taking part, alongside vessels from the US, Turkey and Ukraine, in a Black Sea exercise scheduled to conclude on December 16. The exercise is part of the NATO measures designed to enhance confidence among the allies, reads a news release issued by the Naval Forces Command. Regina Maria, with a 220-strong crew, the American destroyer USS Ross, a Turkish frigate and a Ukrainian auxiliary ship will conduct exercises to prepare response to multiple air, naval and submarine threats, to impose sea embargoes and monitor naval transportation. The exercise takes place at a time when the security situation at the Black Sea requires enhanced interoperability between the Romanian Naval Forces and its partners.



    HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball team is playing against Russia today, in the last game in Group D at the handball World Championship in Denmark. Although defeated in its last two games by the most valuable opponents so far, Spain and Norway, the defending Olympic and European champions, the Romanians moved forward into the eighth-finals, after having outperformed the national teams of Puerto Rico and Kazakhstan. In the next stage, Romania is to play on Monday against the winner of the match between France and Brazil. Romania is the only country to have taken part in all the World Championship final tournaments since 1957, with three medals won so far, the gold in 1962 and silver in 1973 and 2005.


    (translation by: Ana-Maria Popescu)