Radio România Internațional

Tag: EU

February 7, 2024

EU STRASBOURG The unity of the UE is being
tested, said the president of Romania in his address before the European
Parliament on Wednesday, as
part of a debate in the This is Europe series. According to the Romanian
official, instability has reached alarming levels in the EU. The European
Union must improve the efficiency of its decision-making processes, and Romania
is fully engaged in this effort, he added. As for the war in neighbouring
Ukraine, Klaus Iohannis said Europeans must stand by Ukraine and its people. Prior to the address, the Romanian official had
a meeting with the president of the EP, Roberta Metsola, and discussed Romania’s
Schengen accession, the war in Ukraine and the neighbouring R. of Moldova. Romania’s
full Schengen accession as soon as possible, with its land borders as well,
will considerably strengthen the Union and its security and will facilitate
cohesion and cooperation among member states, the Romanian official argued. In
turn, Metsola said Europe would be stronger with Romania in the Eurozone and the
Schengen area, and told Romanians it was important for them to take part in
June’s elections for the EP and not to take Europe for granted.

MOLDOVA For the Republic of Moldova, carrying on and
consolidating strategic relations with neighbouring Romania in all sectors is a
priority, was the message brought to Bucharest by Chişinău’s new foreign
minister, Mihai Popşoi. He had talks with his Romanian counterpart, Luminiţa
Odobescu, and was also received by PM Marcel Ciolacu, who emphasised the interest
in developing joint projects benefitting the citizens of both states. Romania will
continue to support Moldova in its EU accession negotiations, the Romanian
official promised.

FARMERS
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced
the EC was dropping a proposal to halve the use of pesticides across the EU,
and explained this had become a symbol of polarisation. The move seems to be a
concession to the farmers protesting in many EU member states. Meanwhile, the
EC proposed last week a partial derogation from rules obliging farmers to keep
certain areas non-productive, and a limitation of Ukrainian imports, while also
promising to streamline the Common Agricultural Policy.

NAVAL The Damen Shipyard in Galaţi (south-eastern
Romania) will build a state-of-the-art multifunctional vessel for the
Portuguese Navy. The ship will be able to conduct ocean research missions,
search and rescue as well as emergency aid missions, and will be equipped with a
UAV launching system. Damen Group was awarded the construction works following
an EU call for tenders. Funding will be provided under the EU Recovery and Resilience
Mechanism.

MIDDLE EAST The US secretary of state
Antony Blinken is in Israel today, at a time when Tel Aviv is analysing
the response given by Hamas to a proposed truce, including hostage releases,
after 4 months of war that have seen countless victims. Blinken, whose country
is a close ally of Israel, said he would discuss the Hamas answer with the
Israeli authorities today, as part of his 5th tour in the Middle
East since October 7. The US secretary of
state, who has visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and
Qatar, is to travel next to the West Bank, an autonomous Palestinian territory
occupied by Israel since 1967.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea plays today in the
eighth-finals of the WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi (UAE), against third-seed
Maria Sakkari of Greece (9 WTA). Cîrstea (26 WTA), leads 2-1 head-to-head, the
Greek player having won the last match 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round at
Cincinnati. (AMP)

7 February 2024
European Commission versus farmers

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed, on Tuesday, in the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the withdrawal of a draft law aimed at halving the use of pesticides in the EU. The bill is a basic element of the European Green Deal and plans to halve the use of phytosanitary chemicals by 2030 (compared to the period 2015-2017). The proposal, which was rejected at the end of November in the European Parliament, while the negotiations between the states had reached a deadlock, became a symbol of polarization, said the head of the European Commission in front of the MEPs gathered in plenary session. During the discussions, approximately 20 tractors and tens of farmers gathered in front of the European Parliament headquarters to put pressure on the MEPs.

Security measures were increased in the area, to block the access of the protesters, who raised flags and placards with their demands. There were two distinct protests: one of the rural coordination, to denounce the import of products from countries like Ukraine, which are not subject to the same rules as in France, and another one of a confederation that opposes the new genetically modified organisms. Protests have recently taken place in several European countries. Spanish farmers blocked traffic on some of the most important highways on Tuesday, joining their European counterparts protesting high costs, bureaucracy and competition from non-EU countries. Many took to the streets with tractors, creating traffic jams throughout the country. Like their colleagues in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal, the Spanish farmers complain about the cumbersome European bureaucracy, the low prices they receive for their produce and the rising costs.

Farmers in Greece also protested almost all over the country, strengthened regional roadblocks and organized rallies with tractors. They are asking for the revision of the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU, which, in their opinion, has considerably reduced their incomes, as well as for compensation for the losses suffered due to the high prices of the products necessary for crops. Demonstrations also spread to Germany and Poland. Italian farmers are also preparing for large-scale demonstrations in the coming days. Bulgarian farmers also protested on Tuesday by temporarily blocking the main roads and border-crossing points, including with Romania. At the end of last week, the government coalition in Bucharest reached an agreement with farmers and transporters. In Romania, hundreds of farmers and truck drivers protested against rising business costs, with convoys of tractors and trucks, thus slowing or blocking traffic on national roads near major cities, including around the capital. Also, the protesters briefly blocked a border crossing with Ukraine and tried to cut off access to the Black Sea port of Constanţa. (LS)

7 February 2024
February 1, 2024

Meeting — The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denis Shmihal, welcomed the decision of the European Union to approve an additional financing package for his country worth 50 billion Euros. “The EU member states once again show their solidarity and unity in supporting the Ukrainian people to resist the war,” Shmihal wrote on the online social network platform X. Previously, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced on the same platform that all 27 EU member states had approved this package. According to some European diplomats, the EU agreement includes annual discussions on this package and the review of the plan in two years, if necessary. At the extraordinary meeting of the European Council, that focuses on obtaining an agreement at EU level regarding the main elements of the revision package of the multiannual financial framework for the period 2021-2027, Romania is represented by President Klaus Iohannis. The Presidential Administration in Bucharest shows in a press release that the president will firmly advocate for Ukraine, Romanias neighbor, to remain a top priority on the European Unions agenda and, in this sense, will emphasize the fact that support for this country in all forms must continue. On the eve, Iohannis participated in the memorial ceremony organized by the European Commission in memory of the French politician Jacques Delors, former president of the EC between 1985-1995, who died at the end of last year, when he was almost a hundred years old.

Agriculture – The French president, Emmanuel Macron, will have a meeting, today, in Brussels, with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, regarding the crisis in agriculture and the support measures that farmers are asking for at the level of the entire Union. The meeting takes place on the sidelines of the extraordinary European summit on the Union budget and after the European Commission announced measures that it claims will support farmers. According to the correspondent of Radio Romania in Brussels, two mechanisms have been established to block cheap imports of vegetable products, chicken meat, eggs and sugar from Ukraine, if they affect the markets. Also, the Commission is to eliminate the requirement that five percent of the surface of a farm be left uncultivated. It will be replaced by the possibility for farmers to cultivate plants that fix nitrogen in the soil, on seven percent of the surface, but without using pesticides. The decisions of the Commission must be approved by the Parliament and the Council of the European Union. From Greece to the Netherlands and from Germany to Spain, farmers protests have multiplied, they are dissatisfied with the restrictions imposed on them by environmental policies, the free market penetration of Ukrainian products and the increase in production costs, after the increase in excise duties on fuel or the elimination of subsidies.

Farmers – Thousands of Romanian farmers in the vegetable sector are expected at the offices of the Payments and Intervention Agency for Agriculture (APIA), to request the support offered by the state in the context of the losses reported due to the war in neighboring Ukraine. Requests for the compensatory payment must be submitted by March 8, at the APIA county centers. The direct grant represents a compensatory payment per surface and is the equivalent in lei of 100 Euros per hectare. The maximum value of the direct grant cannot exceed the equivalent in lei of 280,000 Euros. On the other hand, across the country, transporters and farmers continue their protests against the economic and social policies of the governors.

Cyber-attack – The Romanian government has amended the cyber security law, in an emergency procedure, so that state institutions should be informed within 48 hours at most if the IT infrastructure of any entity in the country is affected and to quickly prevent risks. The changes were made after the cyber-attack on the websites of the National Directorate for Cyber Security and the Chamber of Deputies. The Minister of Research and Digitization, Bogdan Ivan, pointed out that, in the case of the Directorate, the attack was not successful, while at the Chamber of Deputies over 300 files with public documents were stolen, as well as data not intended for the public, such as copies of identity documents of parliamentarians, including a copy of the identity card of the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Consequently he will have to change his ID card.

Parliament – Today, Romanian senators and deputies begin a new parliamentary session, the first of this year and the last but one of the legislature. Among the priorities of PSD and PNL, in the governing coalition, are the projects necessary to fulfill the milestones in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR, as well as those related to gambling and combating drug use. In turn, the opposition wants to stop possible tax increases and to prevent the violation of the Constitution.

Trial – Today, the Ministry of Finance will be empowered by the Bucharest Government to hire a law firm to represent Romania in the trial with the famous pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The case is pending before the Francophone Court of First Instance in Brussels and has the first court date February 20. The Romanian authorities were notified last December by the New York-based firm regarding the opening of a lawsuit for the recovery of sums of money, after the failure to finalize the purchase of 28 million doses of the Covid vaccine. Poland and Hungary are affected by similar procedures, and the Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, has recently said that Romania will collaborate with the Polish side in the defense effort. (LS)

1 February 2024
January 31, 2024 UPDATE

PROTESTS In Romania, local administration
staff in rural areas were on a token strike on Wednesday, with demands
primarily related to salaries. According to trade unions, almost 11,000
employees in over 800 town halls in the country signed for the protest. Unionists threaten with an all-out strike
starting on February 5 unless their demands are met. On the other hand, trade
unions in the healthcare sector announced they would carry on protests, as the
government’s current offer to raise salaries by 13.9% this year is not what
they had expected. Solidaritatea Sanitară Union Federation notified the
government of their plans to go on an all-out strike. According to the
federation, under the law the government has 10 days to negotiate with the unions
and avoid a labour dispute.

DEFICIT Romania ended the year 2023 with a
budget deficit of 5.68% of the GDP, as against the 4.4% originally forecast
when the state budget for last year was drawn up. The deficit is however below
the 6.3% estimated by the European Commission in its forecast. According to
data supplied by the Finance Ministry, the difference between revenues and
expenditure was almost EUR 18 bln.

REPORT With 46 points out of 100, Romania
remains one of the EU countries with the poorest results in the implementation
of anti-corruption measures, according to Transparency International’s annual
Corruption Perceptions Index. The organisation’s recommendations for Romania
include updating the legislation in the field of public integrity, improving
organisational and decision-making transparency, standardising and clarifying
administrative procedures.

EU
Romanian President Klaus Iohannisis in Brussels to take part in a
ceremony organised by the European Commission in memory of Jacques Delors (1925
– 2023), a former European Commission president between 1985 and 1995, and to
attend an extraordinary meeting of the European Council on Thursday. The
Council meeting will focus on an agreement on the main elements of the proposed
revision of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. The most important
decisions are the support for Ukraine, including military support under the
European Peace Facility, in keeping with the country’s needs. Klaus Iohannis
will firmly plead for Ukraine to remain a top priority on the EU agenda.

VISIT The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan
Fidan, was on a visit to Bucharest, for a meeting with his Romanian counterpart
Luminiţa Odobescu. The Turkish official also had talks with Prime Minister
Marcel Ciolacu and the Senate Speaker, Nicolae Ciucă. According to the Turkish
media, Hakan Fidan is meeting with his counterparts in Albania, Bulgaria and
Romania ‘to discuss bilateral relations, as well as current regional and global
developments’. Romania and Turkey signed a Strategic Partnership in 2011,
followed by a joint action plan, signed in 2013 by the two countries’ foreign
ministers. (AMP)

31 January 2024
Corruption Perceptions Index 2023

The Corruption Perceptions Index reflects how independent and business experts perceive corruption in the public sector in 180 states and territories. In a ranking drawn up by Transparency International by awarding points, from 0 to 100, where zero means very corrupt and 100 not corrupt at all, the continental and world champions are three Nordic states, Denmark, Finland and Norway, joined by New Zealand. Romania is ranked only on 63rd position, the same as last year. With 46 points, Romania is still among the European Union countries with the poorest results regarding the implementation of anti-corruption measures, which reflects significant deficiencies regarding the rule of law. Romania’s neighbors in the ranking and also geographically, Bulgaria and Hungary have 45 and 42 points respectively, being at the bottom of the ranking in terms of integrity. According to Transparency International, most states have made no progress at all or have made minimal progress in combating corruption in the public sector.

It’s essential to have independent, transparent, and resourceful legal authorities and institutions to be able to keep corruption under control, the organization believes. In many countries, including Romania, there is still a big gap between the provisions of the laws and the way in which they are implemented, Transparency International noted. Therefore, constant actions and measures are necessary to ensure both the improvement of anti-corruption mechanisms and the strengthening of integrity. For Romania, Transparency Internationals recommendations include updating the legislation in the field of public integrity, to bridge the gaps and correct legislative inconsistencies and improve the clarity of regulation in this area. The organization also recommends improving organizational and decision-making transparency, including through effective public consultations and easy access to information of public interest, the standardization and clarification of administrative procedures by adopting the Code of Administrative Procedure.

Also in the case of Romania, it would be necessary to adopt legislation that should clarify the status, career and efficiency of public administration employees, as well as the use of Integrity Pacts as a monitoring tool for public procurement, especially for procurement procedures and contracts with high risks for the occurrence of irregularities, integrity incidents or fraud. Transparency International reiterates the fact that there is a need for a constant involvement of all representatives of society, from the political class and institutions to the private environment and citizens, each having their own role and responsibility in strengthening public integrity. Transparency International recalls that it contributed to the establishment or consolidation of institutions with a major role in combating corruption and developed and implemented ethics and integrity standards for the public sector and the business environment. (LS)

31 January 2024
January 28, 2024 UPDATE

IMF An International Monetary Fund mission
headed by Jan Kees Martijn will be in Bucharest
between January 29 and February 1, to review the latest economic and financial
developments. The previous IMF visit to Romania was last autumn, when IMF
experts conducted their annual analysis of the Romanian economy. At that time, Jan
Kees Martijn said estimates were pointing to a budget deficit of 6% of GDP for
the end of 2023, and of 5% in 2024, as well as to an economic growth rate of 2.3%.
Romania has no ongoing agreements with the IMF at present, but the Fund
conducts regular visits to review financial and economic indicators. The PM Marcel Ciolacu voiced optimism with
respect to the IMF’s assessment. He explained that Romania still has problems
meeting a benchmark in the National Recovery and Resilience Programme, as the
EC believes Romania has too low SME taxation levels.

DRUGS The Romanian justice minister Alina Gorghiu requested the
emergency endorsement of the bills against drug trafficking and drug use. A
first bill concerns the set-up of the Drug Trafficking Register and of regional
rehab centres for drug addicts. A second bill eliminates suspended sentences
for drug trafficking. On Friday, after the Justice and Home Affairs Council,
the interior minister Catalin Predoiu announced that Romania set up a task
force integrating several institutions involved in the fight against drug
trafficking. He said Romania is on the front line of the crackdown on
international drug trafficking networks, and welcomed the Council’s decision to
include Romania’s and Bulgaria’s air and maritime borders in the Schengen area.
According to the Romanian official, EU member countries should focus on curbing
drug trafficking in ports, through an integrated international platform.

PRICES In Romania, the mark-up for basic foodstuff prices may be capped
for another 3 months. The announcement was made by Marcel Ciolacu recently, as
the capping scheme is due to come to an end soon. According to the PM, a
decision will be made following talks with all stakeholders. The agriculture
minister told Radio Romania that a discussion in this respect will be held on
Monday. He explained that according to data made public by the National
Statistics Institute and the Competition Council, the measure has been
effective. The agriculture minister added that the introduction of further
products in the list is being considered. The emergency order passed by the
government last summer in order to contain the effects of inflation saw the
temporary capping of mark-ups for several basic foodstuffs, including bread,
milk, yogurt, flour, eggs, chicken and pork. The measure was subsequently
extended and further products were included.

UN The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, Sunday called on the
countries that have suspended funding for the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees (UNRWA) to ‘at least guarantee’ the continuity of UNRWA operations,
which are vital for 2 million people, AFP reports. The UN body, which is the
main provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza, Friday announced firing a number of
employees accused of involvement in the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7,
2023. In turn, the director of the UN body, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that the
vital assistance granted by UNRWA is about to end because of funding issues. Israel
demands the resignation of Philippe Lazzarini and the termination of the
agency’s work in Gaza after the war. A number of countries, including the US, Canada,
UK, Italy and Germany, have suspended all future funding to the UNRWA.

GAC The state secretary for European affairs with the
Romanian foreign ministry, Daniela Gîtman, takes part in the General Affairs
Council (GAC) meeting in Brussels on Monday. The agenda includes a policy
debate on the legislation devoted to safeguarding European democracy, and the
presentation of the priorities of the Belgian presidency of the EU Council,
followed by an exchange of opinions between the participating ministers and
state secretaries for European affairs. The GAC meeting will also include a new
round of talks on country reports, under the annual rule of law dialogue.

UKRAINE Six months after the start of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian
defence officials and corporate executives tried to embezzle USD 40 mln
intended for arms procurement, according to SBU, Ukraine’s main security and
intelligence agency, quoted by international
news agencies. The attempted embezzlement took place in August 2022, with the
money originally earmarked for the procurement of 100,000 mortar rounds, which
were never delivered. One of the suspects was apprehended while trying to leave
the country, SBU announced. Ukraine has seen several corruption scandals since
the start of the war in February 2022. In August 2023, president Volodymyr
Zelenskyy dismissed all the regional officials in charge with army enrollments, on
grounds that they were providing recruitment exemptions for money. Curbing
corruption is one of the main conditions that Ukraine must meet in order to
join the European Union.

RUGBY The new manager of Romania’s rugby team, David Gerard
(FR), announced the 32 players selected for the national team’s debut match in
the 2024 Rugby Europe Championship. According to the website of the Romanian
Rugby Federation, only 26 of them will travel to Poland. In Rugby Europe
Championship, Romania plays in Group B, alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland.
The first match, in Poland on February 4, will be followed by 2 home games,
against Belgium (February 10) and Portugal (February 17). (AMP)

28 January 2024
January 26, 2024

Protests – The Romanian government has adopted several measures aimed at solving the problems that have brought farmers and transporters to the streets in recent weeks. Money has been allocated for subsidies for farmers of dairy cows, buffaloes, poultry and pigs, and the subsidy for diesel fuel used in agriculture has also been increased. The money will reach the farmers by the end of June this year. For farmers affected by the drought of 2023, the government adopted an emergency ordinance that allows them to postpone payment of installments to the banks. It was also decided to change the legal framework so that truck drivers will no longer be fined for the expiry of the vignette in the case of long waiting times at customs points, and as regards the healthcare employees, an overall 20% increase in the salaries was agreed in the healthcare field for 2024.

Automobile – The production of vehicles in Romania reported a record increase last year and exceeded by more than 4% the total number of cars in 2019. Adrian Sandu, the general secretary of the Romanian Automobile Manufacturers Association, believes that this increase was possible thanks to the efforts of the two factories, Dacia and Ford, to find solutions to the crisis of electronic components. “Both the Dacia and Ford teams did their best to ensure an optimal supply flow of components, so that, against the background of a consistent demand, we have this increase in production, thus registering in 2023 a new record of production of vehicles in Romania, about 513,000 units”, said Adrian Sandu.

Drugs – The European Union states should focus on the fight against drug trafficking in ports, on an integrated basis at the international level, said the Romanian Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu on Thursday in Brussels. Attending the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, he mentioned that a working group has been organized in Romania that integrates several institutions with attributions in preventing and combating drug trafficking. Cătălin Predoiu showed that, just as drug traffickers work in networks at the international level, the structures to combat this phenomenon must be organized in the same way, and Romania will be in the front line of this fight. At the same time, he welcomed the decision made by the Council last year, to expand the Schengen area with Romania and Bulgaria to include the air and maritime borders.

Flu – 18 people have died of the flu in Romania in the last week, and the total number of deaths caused by flu since the beginning of the cold season is 40. According to the National Public Health Institute, between January 15-21, over 120,000 cases of respiratory viruses and almost 7,000 cases of flu were registered, and hospitals are faced with increasing numbers of patients in the Emergency Outpatient Service Units. The youngest patients are babies only a few days old. Due to a lack of beds, doctors are forced to postpone the hospitalization of some of the patients. A little over 1 million people have been vaccinated against the flu this season, most of whom benefit from the reimbursable drug medicine scheme.

First house – Financiers who did not participate in the previous year can also register for this years edition of the “First House” program in Romania, for which the state will grant a total ceiling of guarantees of one billion lei (approx. 200 million Euros). “First House” 2024, as the program is now called, is granted in lei, for the purchase of a single house, and the maximum value of the loan is 66,500 Euros for houses whose price is a maximum of 70,000 Euros. The requested advance payment is 5%, and 119,000 Euros for homes whose price is a maximum of 140,000 Euros, in this case the requested advance payment being 15%. Since 2009, when this program was launched, over 330,000 Romanians have received loans to buy a home. They were mainly young people between 26 and 35. Most of the financing was requested for apartments with an area between 50 and 100 square meters, at prices between 50,000 and 100,000 Euros. The program directly contributed to the stabilization and maturity of the real estate market and of the mortgage market.

EU – The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, launched a strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in the EU. The initiative does not involve the adoption of decisions, it only focuses on debates about a common vision of the member states regarding agricultural policies. The Group for Strategic Dialogue and for the Future of European Agriculture is a new platform to which all those involved or influenced by agricultural policies in all Member States, all types of farmers, consumers, environmental organizations, scientists or financial institutions have been invited to participate. The discussions take place in the context in which farmers protests are gaining momentum in several European states, such as Romania, Poland, Germany, Spain, Lithuania, the Netherlands and France. The main problems of European farmers are related to the impact of EU environmental policies and the inflow of Ukrainian agricultural products into the EU, which influence farmers productivity and competitiveness.

Ankara — The Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signed, on Thursday, the parliaments ratification of Swedens candidacy for NATO membership. Parliament ratified the document on Tuesday, eliminating a major hurdle in the way of expanding the Western military alliance after a 20-month delay. At this point, Hungary remains the only country that has yet to ratify the Nordic country’s NATO membership. When Sweden and Finland applied for joining NATO in 2022, Turkey surprised some members by saying the two countries were protecting groups that Ankara considers terrorists. It approved Finlands accession in April 2023 but, along with Hungary, left Sweden to wait. Ankara has called on Stockholm to toughen its stance on local members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which the EU and the US consider a terrorist group. In response, Stockholm introduced a new anti-terrorism bill that makes membership to a terrorist organization illegal. Sweden, Finland, Canada and the Netherlands have also taken steps towards relaxing the arms export policies to Turkey. Tayyip Erdogan linked Swedens accession ratification to the USs approval of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to his country. (LS)

26 January 2024
January 21, 2024 UPDATE

Protests – The Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation, made up of several national organizations of Romanian farmers, requested the authorities in Bucharest to take all steps to convince the European forums to support the measures that can protect farmers in the Union from the effects of the sale of cheaper cereals from Ukraine. The Alliance made this move in the context of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting due on Tuesday, to discuss the proposals from five states, including Romania, regarding the regulation of Ukrainian grain trade. The Romanian farmers are asking for the introduction of a European system for monitoring the transport of Ukrainian agricultural products, a system that should guarantee that they reach their destination and do not remain on the route. Also dissatisfied with the drop in grain prices generated by Ukrainian imports, Romanian farmers protested, these past days, throughout the country, temporarily blocking customs offices at the border with Ukraine. Cheaper than those in the EU, Ukrainian cereals do not have to meet European quality standards.

Parliament — The Romanian Senate was convened, on Monday, in an extraordinary session, to adopt the emergency ordinances recently issued by the government in the context of the farmers and transporters protests. There are several laws – one of them refers to the excise duty on diesel fuel, while other modifies regulations in the field of road transport. The government adopted the ordinances on Thursday as an urgent response to the requests of farmers and transporters who have been protesting throughout the country for more than 11 days. The emergency ordinances were proposed after negotiations from the Ministries of Agriculture and Transport. One of them modifies road transport regulations. The new provisions will allow category B license holders to also drive agricultural or forestry tractors with a maximum speed of 40 km/h on public roads. Another amendment eliminates the obligation to carry out the periodic technical inspection of slow vehicles, respectively of those whose maximum designed speed is up to 25 km/h. Regarding the diesel fuel excise duty, the Government decided to postpone until June 1 the application of a European directive by which diesel and kerosene must have the same tax mark. The ordinances were adopted to respond to an emergency situation, during the parliament recess, so, according to the Constitution, the Parliament must be convened to turn them into laws. In this case, the Senate is the first chamber notified.

Weather — The bad weather affected several areas in Romania. In Bucharest, more than 20 cars were damaged by fallen trees as a result of the heavy snowfalls. On some sections of national roads, road traffic was temporarily blocked due to the layer of snow and ice formed on the road. Currently, traffic unfolds in winter conditions, and the Traffic Police called on drivers not to travel if their cars are not equipped with winter tires. Railway traffic was also affected. On some sections of the railway trains are running at low speed. Other trains are delayed due to broken rails due to the low temperatures. Also, the air traffic at Bucharest’s airports takes place in winter conditions. Delays are reported for some flights due to aircraft de-icing actions, which are carried out after the boarding of passengers.

Meeting — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, had a meeting with her Vietnamese counterpart, Bui Thanh Son, in Bucharest on Sunday. He is part of the delegation led by Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh currently on an official visit to Romania. Luminiţa Odobescu and Bui Thanh Son welcomed the state of bilateral relations established 74 years ago and emphasized the need to continue efforts to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Ms. Odobescu reiterated her commitment to identifying opportunities for cooperation in such domains as trade, culture and education, digitalization, cyber security, medicine and pharmacy. The Romanian Foreign Minister has given assurances, at the same time, that Romania will remain a constant supporter of the consolidated cooperation between the EU and Vietnam. On Sunday, the Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh was present at the signing of a memorandum of collaboration between the Romanian Institute for Research and Development in Information Technology and the Institute of Technology and Digital Transformation in Vietnam.

Bratislava – Slovakia rejects Ukraines admission into NATO, the PM Robert Fico said on the public radio. He pointed out that he was going to travel, on Wednesday, to Ukraine, to the border town of Uzhhorod, for discussions with his counterpart, Denîs Şmîhal. “I will tell him that we will block and express our veto for Ukraines accession to NATO because it would be nothing but the basis for a third world war”, said Fico, criticized by his opponents as “pro-Russian”. Slovakia, which has been a NATO member since 2004, has long been one of Ukraines staunchest supporters in its defensive campaign against the Russian invasion launched in February 2022. However, after Prime Minister Ficos left-wing nationalist government took over in October 2023, Slovakia decided to stop supplying Kyiv with weapons, although Bratislava continues to send demining systems and diesel generators in case of Russian attacks on power plants. At the 2023 Vilnius summit, NATO stated that Ukraine would be offered an invitation to join when the conditions allow it.

Sculptor – The sculptor Vlad Ciobanu, one of the most valuable fine artists in Romania, passed away at the age of 75. Since 1990 he had taught at the Bucharest National University of Arts. Throughout his career he received numerous awards, including the Prize of the Union of Fine Artists for Sculpture, in 2005. Vlad Ciobanu was the coordinator and curator of several editions of the International Sculpture Symposium ” Brâncusi Workshops” from Târgu Jiu, southwest Romania , in the period 2005-2021. He wrote numerous articles, papers and essays about the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. He had numerous solo or group exhibitions in the country and abroad, in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, France. Important monuments signed by Vlad Ciobanu can be found, among others, in Alexandria (south) – “Unknown Hero”, Alba Iulia (centre) – “King Ferdinand”, Onești (east) – “Dimitrie Cantemir”. The Artoteca Gallery, in Bucharest, hosted the last solo exhibition by Vlad Ciobanu called “Pilgrim” between December 4, 2023 and January 8, 2024. At the end of the exhibition, Maestro Vlad Ciobanu gave an interview, possibly his last interview, for our radio station, which you can listen to in one of the future editions of World of Culture.

Handball – CSM Bucharest defeated, at home, the Swedish team IK Savehof, 35-26, on Sunday evening, in a match from Group A of the Women’s Handball Champions League. After a more difficult start, the Romanians took control and dominated the match until the end. CSM Bucharest will play their next match on February 3, away from home, against Gyori Audi ETO KC (Hungary). Also on Sunday, the handballers from CS Rapid Bucharest were dramatically defeated, in an away match, by the Danish team Ikast Handbold, 30-29, in Group B of the Champions League. It was the second consecutive away match that Rapid lost by one goal difference. The Rapid players will play the next match at home, on February 4, against the vice-champion FTC-Rail Cargo Hungary. (LS)

21 January 2024
January 21, 2024

Protest — A protest by Romanian transporters and farmers was approved by the general mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, for three days, starting on Sunday, in the center of Bucharest. In this action, the local administration admitted the participation of no more than 5 thousand people, 100 tractors and 100 truck heads. The Bucharest Prefect, Rareş Hopincă, announced that, until Saturday, when the organizers had the obligation to notify the state institutions regarding the participating vehicles, the presence of only one vehicle had been communicated, but the Gendarmerie can extend this deadline. According to Radio Romania’s correspondents, on Saturday, a new protest took place in Sibiu (center), and dozens of tractors and trucks crossed the main roads of the city. A similar action took place on the southern belt of Craiova (south-west), and on the Jiului Gorge (south-west) tens of vehicles hampered road traffic, driving at low speed. Previously, the protesters also temporarily blocked Siret and Halmeu towns on the border with Ukraine, also dissatisfied with the drop in cereal prices generated by imports from the neighboring country. The European Commission is working on measures to solve to the problems caused by the export of cheap Ukrainian grains to the states bordering Ukraine – Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The representatives of the EC confirmed that they received a letter from the five countries, one of the requests being aimed at the introduction of import taxes for Ukrainian grains. These are cheaper and do not have to meet the same quality standards as those produced in the EU.

Parliament — The Romanian Senate was convened, on Monday, in an extraordinary session, to adopt the emergency ordinances recently issued by the government in the context of the farmers and transporters protests. There are several laws – one of them refers to the excise duty on diesel fuel, while other modifies regulations in the field of road transport. The government adopted the ordinances on Thursday as an urgent response to the requests of farmers and transporters who have been protesting throughout the country for more than 11 days. The emergency ordinances were proposed after negotiations from the Ministries of Agriculture and Transport. One of them modifies road transport regulations. The new provisions will allow category B license holders to also drive agricultural or forestry tractors with a maximum speed of 40 km/h on public roads. Another amendment eliminates the obligation to carry out the periodic technical inspection of slow vehicles, respectively of those whose maximum designed speed is up to 25 km/h. Regarding the diesel fuel excise duty, the Government decided to postpone until June 1 the application of a European directive by which diesel and kerosene must have the same tax mark. The ordinances were adopted to respond to an emergency situation, but during the parliament recess, so, according to the Constitution, the Parliament must be convened to turn them into laws. In this case, the Senate is the first chamber notified.

Weather — The bad weather affected several areas in Romania. In Bucharest, more than 20 cars were damaged by fallen trees as a result of the heavy snowfalls. On some sections of national roads, road traffic was temporarily blocked due to the layer of snow and ice formed on the road. Currently, traffic unfolds in winter conditions, and the Traffic Police called on drivers not to travel if their cars are not equipped with winter tires. Railway traffic was also affected. On some sections of the railway trains are running at low speed. Other trains are delayed due to broken rails due to the low temperatures. Also, the air traffic at Bucharest’s airports takes place in winter conditions. Delays are reported for some flights due to aircraft de-icing actions, which are carried out after the boarding of passengers.

Heavy snows — At least 50 people have died this week due to severe winter weather affecting the United States, the authorities have announced. Freezing, snow and ice made roads extremely dangerous, disrupted air travel, closed schools and left thousands of homes without electric power. More than 1,100 US flights were canceled and another 8,000 were delayed because of the weather, while the cold persisted in some regions, such as the center of the country. The wave of cold and heavy snow falls also hit Europe. In the west and north, hundreds of flights have been canceled in recent days. Most were at the Frankfurt airport. In Sweden, the snowstorm brought chaos to the roads and school buses, buses and commuter trains stopped running. Low temperatures and snow were also recorded in Great Britain, Scotland and France.

Sculptor – The sculptor Vlad Ciobanu, one of the most valuable fine artists in Romania, passed away at the age of 75. Since 1990 he had taught at the Bucharest National University of Arts. Throughout his career he received numerous awards, including the Prize of the Union of Fine Artists for Sculpture, in 2005. Vlad Ciobanu was the coordinator and curator of several editions of the International Sculpture Symposium ” Brâncusi Workshops” from Târgu Jiu, southwest Romania , in the period 2005-2021. He wrote numerous articles, papers and essays about the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. He had numerous solo or group exhibitions in the country and abroad, in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, France. Important monuments signed by Vlad Ciobanu can be found, among others, in Alexandria (south) – “Unknown Hero”, Alba Iulia (centre) – “King Ferdinand”, Onești (east) – “Dimitrie Cantemir”. The Artoteca Gallery, in Bucharest, hosted the last solo exhibition by Vlad Ciobanu called “Pilgrim” between December 4, 2023 and January 8, 2024. At the end of the exhibition, Maestro Vlad Ciobanu gave an interview, possibly his last interview, for our radio station, which you can listen to in one of the future editions of World of Culture. (LS)

21 January 2024
Wirtschaftsperspektive 2024: Haushaltsdefizit und Inflation bleiben Hauptprobleme

RadioRomaniaInternational · Wirtschaftsperspektive 2024: Haushaltsdefizit und Inflation bleiben Hauptprobleme

Die Situation ist im Superwahljahr noch komplizierter. Es finden Europa-, Kommunal-, Präsidentschafts- und Parlamentswahlen statt, und das Land hat auch das vergangene Jahr die Vorgaben aus Brüssel bei weitem nicht erfüllt. Das Haushaltsdefizit fiel sogar höher aus als die angestrebten 4,4 % — Ende 2023 wurde ein Haushaltsdefizit von rund 6 % registriert. Ebenfalls Ende 2023 erreichte die jährliche Inflationsrate nach jüngsten Angaben des Nationalen Statistikamtes (INS) 6,61 %.

Insgesamt ist das makroökonomische Bild für Rumänien im Jahr 2023 eher durch Abweichungen von den Berechnungen der Regierung für Inflation, Defizit und Haushaltseinnahmen gekennzeichnet. 2023 war ein sehr kompliziertes Wirtschaftsjahr für Rumänien. Die Inflation ging zwar — ähnlich wie in anderen Ländern — etwas zurück, wenn auch langsamer als im EU-Durchschnitt. Doch insgesamt verlangsamte sich die Wirtschaft in der zweiten Jahreshälfte 2023 und das reale Wachstum des BIP wird wahrscheinlich bei etwa 2 % liegen und damit niedriger als prognostiziert“, hei‎ßt es in einem im Dezember veröffentlichten Bericht, der vom Finanzexperten und Akademiemitglied Daniel Dăianu koordiniert wurde. Doch wie sieht die Rumänische Zentralbank (BNR) die Situation? Dan Suciu, Pressesprecher der Nationalbank Rumäniens, mit Einzelheiten:

2023 endete schlie‎ßlich viel besser, als wir vor allem zu Beginn des Jahres erwartet hatten. Doch auch im Laufe des Jahres gab es viele Befürchtungen, dass die Inflation höher ausfallen werde. Wir hatten einige Bedenken hinsichtlich des Wirtschaftswachstums im Jahr 2023. Das Ziel der Zentralbank war es, die Inflation zu senken, jedoch die Wirtschaft nicht gleichzeitig in eine Rezession zu treiben, wie es in vielen anderen Ländern der Region geschehen ist. Gleichzeitig wollten wir dafür sorgen, dass die Devisenreserven dieses historische Rekordniveau erreichen, so dass die finanzielle und wirtschaftliche Stabilität des Landes vor allem aus der Sicht des Auslands überhaupt nicht als gefährdet betrachtet wird.

Letztendlich haben wir gute Ergebnisse erzielt, die uns für ein vernünftiges Jahr 2024 rüsten. Ich würde nicht sagen, dass wir von 2024 Wunder erwarten, denn es gibt immer noch eine Reihe von Unwägbarkeiten. Sie wissen, dass wir ein neues Steuerpaket haben, das am 1. Januar in Kraft getreten ist. Abgesehen von den Bemühungen der Zentralbank wird sich das Steuerpaket im ersten Quartal dieses Jahres etwas inflationär auswirken, aber wir können es noch nicht richtig einschätzen. Der Ausgangspunkt der Inflation liegt bei 6 % und eben nicht bei sieben oder acht Prozent wie im vergangenen Jahr, und wir müssen sicher gehen, dass die Inflation zumindest nach diesem Quartal einen Abwärtstrend erfährt. Das ist eines unserer Ziele — das Jahr mit einer noch niedrigeren Inflation abzuschlie‎ßen, auch wenn wir im ersten Quartal einen leichten Anstieg haben werden.“

Ende Dezember 2023 erreichten die von Dan Suciu erwähnten Devisenreserven der Rumänischen Nationalbank knapp 60 Milliarden (59,77 Mrd.) Euro. Im Vergleich dazu beliefen sie sich Ende Dezember 2022 auf knapp 47 Milliarden (46,63 Mrd.) Euro. Diese Reserven seien wichtig, sagt weiter der Pressesprecher der Zentralbank:

Es ist Geld, das aus verschiedenen Quellen stammt und der Nationalbank zur Verfügung steht; je nach unserer Fähigkeit, die Devisenreserven zu erhöhen, kann dieses Geld anschlie‎ßend ausgegeben und in die Wirtschaft investiert werden, so dass die Kreditvergabe in einem akzeptablen Tempo funktioniert und sie für alle Zahlungen und für alle Finanzen des Landes verfügbar ist. Dadurch wird auch eine gewisse Stabilität des Wechselkurses gewährleistet. Die Devisenreserven des Landes können viele Funktionen erfüllen, einschlie‎ßlich der Kreditaufnahme des Landes zu niedrigeren Zinsen, damit die Wirtschaft in einem angemessenen Tempo und ohne Inflationsspitzen arbeiten kann.“

Vor dem Hintergrund der Erhöhung der Verbrauchssteuern und der Abschaffung einiger Steueranreize werde das erste Jahresquartal einen Anstieg der Inflationsrate bringen, ist die Meinung der meisten Wirtschaftsexperten. Es sei auch wahrscheinlich, dass der Trend der leichten Abwertung der Landeswährung Leu gegenüber dem Euro wieder einsetzt, sagt zum Schluss unseres Features der Finanzanalyst Adrian Codirlașu:

Ich glaube, dass der Trend einer langsamen Abwertung des Leu gegenüber dem Euro sich in den kommenden Jahren fortsetzen wird. Mit langsam meine ich zwei bis drei Prozentpunkte pro Jahr, wie wir es in den letzten Jahren erlebt haben. Das hängt mit der Inflation in Rumänien zusammen, die höher ist als in der Eurozone; au‎ßerdem spielt das hohe Leistungsbilanzdefizit in Rumänien eine Rolle. Im Zusammenhang mit den neuen Steuern, d.h. der Erhöhung der Mehrwertsteuer, der Verbrauchssteuer und der Umsatzsteuer, die eigentlich eine weitere Mehrwertsteuer ist, wird die Inflation schon im Januar ansteigen. Wir werden also im Januar einen ersten Inflationsschock erleben, der in Höhe von vielleicht einem Punkt bis anderthalb Punkten ausfallen wird.“

19 January 2024
Maia Sandu, awarded for promoting European values

The
president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, Saturday received the ‘Timişoara
Award for European Values, established this year by the authorities of the
2023 European Capital of Culture to honour personalities who champion or uphold
European values within and outside the Union.

I
accept this prize, Maia Sandu said at the award ceremony, as a vote of
confidence in Moldova’s and its citizens’ capacity to see through their fight
for freedom. She also thanked Romania for its unwavering support, and said she
wanted for her country the prosperity enjoyed by the other EU member states.

Maia
Sandu: I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise the gratitude and high
appreciation for the support we have received from Romania, an unconditional,
brotherly support for which we will always be grateful. What we see here in Timişoara,
what we see in the European Union’s cities, is what we want for the Republic of
Moldova as well. Let the living standards I see in your city, the freedom of
thought and of speech, the European values become undefeatable, here and in the
Republic of Moldova.

The
Moldovan official also highlighted that the eastward enlargement of the EU has
been a large-scale historical reparation, which will not be complete as long as
countries like Moldova and Ukraine are left outside the bloc. The nations that
choose freedom, she argued, belong together with the states and peoples of the
free world, and not in a grey area, subject to constant threats to their
sovereignty and independence.

We all know that in the Republic of Moldova such
threats, be they direct or via disloyal agents, oligarchs willing to sell out
their fellow countrymen without shame, will not disappear, but rather they will
strengthen unless we break our harmful ties with the past. But we are not
afraid and we are not wavering. Over the past few years, we have managed to end
our dependence on Russian natural gas, we have redirected our exports to new
markets, we have been building and restoring bridges and roads connecting us to
the EU. The Republic of Moldova is no longer at the service of Kremlin;
instead, it is taking its fate in its own hands and stepping resolutely on the
path of European integration, Moldova’s president added.

She
also said that this has been acknowledged by the EU member countries in
December 2023, when they decided that Moldova and Ukraine deserve to start
accession negotiations.

In
these troubled times, Maia Sandu is not only a strong leader for her nation,
but a role model for millions of Europeans outside Moldova as well, the Mayor
of Timişoara Dominic Fritz emphasised. According to him, Maia Sandu believed in
Moldova’s European aspirations when many were dismissing them as utopian and, with
unbelievable effort and courage, she is fighting resolutely to shape a European
future for Moldova. (AMP)

15 January 2024
January 11, 2024 UPDATE

Vacancies — More than 7,600 vacancies in the healthcare system were unblocked, on Thursday, by the Romanian government and vacancy-filling contests will be organized in the medical units that have a staff shortage. Of these, 2,500 positions are for doctors. Also, 365 people can be employed in the ambulance services, said the Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila. As a result, all major hospitals that need doctors, nurses and orderlies will be able to quickly hire staff. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated that there will be no financial problems, especially since this year the Health Ministry has a budget higher by 40% than in 2023. The Romanian healthcare system is facing a serious shortage of specialized staff, doctors and nurses.

Ports — The European Commission approved a state aid worth 126 million Euros for investments in Romanian ports through which Ukrainian exports pass. The measure comes against the background of the increase in the transit of goods exported from Ukraine, which poses logistical problems for the activity in the Romanian ports on the Danube and the Black Sea. The financial aid for each company in these ports cannot exceed 10 million Euros or 65% of the eligible costs of the projects. The executive vice-president of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, says that the 126 million Euros will help Romania eliminate the blockages created in ports by the large volume of goods exported from Ukraine. Since last year, most of the Ukrainian export has been made through Romania, after Russia blocked its transit through the Black Sea.

STRIKFORNATO – Romania and Lithuania have joined the NATO Striking and Support Force (STRIKFORNATO). Romania thus became the 15th member of the most powerful NATO naval force, the Defense Ministry reports. The accession is “all the more important as this year marks two decades since Romania joined NATO”, Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr says. Cooperation between the Romanian Naval Forces and STRIKFORNATO started over a year ago, as Romanian officers took part in activities and missions carried out by the STRIKFORNATO Command. The NATO Striking and Support Forces Command focuses on high-precision strikes, carrier battle groups, expedition units and strike groups made up of cruisers, destroyers and frigates. Its mission is to ensure security in the Black Sea region, an area of strategic importance to NATO.

MCM Black Sea — Romania, Turkey and Bulgaria signed, in Istanbul, the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the establishment of a Task Force to Counter the Sea Mines in the Black Sea, MCM Black Sea. The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, emphasized that the aggressiveness and contempt of the Russian Federation towards the norms of international law make the Black Sea not only a regional problem, but also one with global consequences. He also said that it is the responsibility of the three countries, as riparian states and NATO members, to make every effort for the safety of this sea, with the support and involvement of the allies. The establishment of a group was initiated by Turkey last year, in August. The activities are completely peaceful and are not directed against any country.

Protests — The representatives of the Romanian transporters who protested, on Wednesday, on several roads in the country, were received, on Thursday, at the Government, for discussions. Their grievances are mainly related to the prices of Liability Car Insurance policies and the increase in excise duties for fuel. The protest was not assumed by any professional organization, but the Federation of Romanian Transport Operators offered to mediate the dialogue between truck drivers and the authorities. Farmers also joined the transporters Wednesday protest. Discussions will continue next week.

11 January 2024
January 8, 2024 UPDATE

LAWS Parliament
is due to convene for a new session in Bucharest on February 1. Until then, the
Romanian MPs are working on new bills, focusing, among other things,
on regulating gambling and curbing drug consumption. The new legislation
includes several measures such as the relocation of casinos and betting houses
outside towns and cities, limiting gambling commercials and banning gambling
ads near schools, parks or hospitals. According to the authors of the bills,
some of them introduced as early as in 2022, the amendments come in the context
of the latest expert warnings on the
younger generation’s alarmingly growing addiction to gambling and drug consumption
as well as their vulnerability to various advertising campaigns. Drug
trafficking is punished with up to 10-year prison sentences. Other draft laws ban
minors’ access to energy drinks and restrict commercials to vaping products and
accessories.

INVESTMENTS
According to data released by the National Institute for Statistics, in the
first nine months of 2023 Romania’s construction sector reported over RON 74
billion worth of investment, which accounts for 62.6% out of the total
investment in the country’s economy. In the same period, investments in
Romania’s national economy stood at roughly RON 118.5 billion, a 14.4% rise as
compared to the period between January and September 2022.

CYBER SECURITY A
new EU Cyber Security Regulation has taken effect in the EU, introducing a
minimal set of measures for public institutions in EU member countries to
protect themselves from online attacks. In Romania, just like in most EU
countries, the number of cyber-attacks from Russia has increased since the
start of the war in Ukraine. Under the Regulation, an EU Cyber Security Board
will also be set up, which will monitor the implementation of security
measures. Member state institutions are to initiate a security enhancement
process this year and to introduce protocols to manage information networks. Under
the Orange Business Internet Security Report, 31% of the attacks against
Romania targeted the energy sector, 22% transports and 19% the governmental and
public services sector. The attacks caused losses of billions of US dollars,
and the institutions targeted in the past 2 years include the National Cyber
Security Directorate, the Defence Ministry, the Border Police and the Passenger
Railway Corporation (CFR).

SCHOOLS Students
resumed classes on Monday in the third module of the academic year in
Romania. The next school holiday is to be decided by county inspectorates and
most likely will kick off on February 19th. In another development, against the
background of a new wave of respiratory infections, medical authorities are
urging parents not to send their children to school if they show any symptoms
of a respiratory disease.

TENNIS Romanian
tennis player Ana Bogdan on Monday qualified for the round of sixteen of the
WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide, Australia with over 900 thousand dollars in
prize money. The Romanian secured a 6-3, 6-4 win against Katie Boulter of
Britain. Also on Monday the all-Romanian pair Ana Bogdan/Monica Niculescu was
defeated by the US-Dutch pair Asia Muhammad/Demi Schuurs 7-6, 6-4 in the
doubles first round. (AMP, bill)

8 January 2024
Partieller Schengen-Beitritt: Was kommt nach dem Etappensieg?

RadioRomaniaInternational · Partieller Schengen-Beitritt: Was kommt nach dem Etappensieg?

Ende 2023 gab es für Rumänien und Bulgarien eine Nachricht, auf die Bukarest und Sofia fast 13 Jahre lang gewartet hatten: Nachdem Österreich sein Veto aufgehoben hatte, genehmigte der EU-Rat den teilweisen Beitritt der beiden Länder zum Schengen-Raum einstimmig. Konkret werden vorerst die Grenzkontrollen an den Luft- und Seegrenzen zu den beiden Ländern ab dem 31. März 2024 abgeschafft. Wien hat seine Zustimmung jedoch an Bedingungen geknüpft, darunter verstärkte Grenzkontrollen, Investitionen in die Infrastruktur und die Aufnahme von Asylbewerbern aus Österreich, insbesondere von Afghanen und Syrern. Rumänien und Bulgarien werden weiterhin umfangreiche finanzielle Unterstützung und Hilfe von der europäischen Grenzschutzagentur FRONTEX erhalten, um die Grenzkontrollen zu verstärken und die illegale Migration zu bekämpfen.

In Brüssel begrü‎ßte man die Entscheidung — in einer Verlautbarung der EU-Kommission hie‎ß es, dass die Integration der beiden Länder den Schengen-Raum stärken werde, da sowohl Rumänien als auch Bulgarien neue Pilotprogramme gestartet haben, die andere EU-Staaten nach der kürzlich erfolgten Verabschiedung des Migrationspakts durch den Rat und das Parlament gerade erst umsetzen müssten. Ein weiterer Vorteil ist, dass die Aufnahme Rumäniens und Bulgariens in den Schengen-Raum den Reiseverkehr, den Handel und den Tourismus ankurbeln wird, was einen stärkeren Binnenmarkt bedeutet.

Für die Bürger Rumäniens werde der Beitritt zum Schengener Luftraum drei wichtige Vorteile mit sich bringen, betonte der Europaabgeordnete Victor Negrescu in Brüssel. Zum einen wird es für rumänische Bürger einfacher, in andere Schengen-Länder zu reisen, was ein verbrieftes Recht ist. Das bedeutet auch, dass Rumänen in der Diaspora leichter mit dem Flugzeug in ihre Heimat zurückkehren können, indem sie die vielen Flughäfen in Rumänien nutzen, von denen viele gerade ausgebaut und modernisiert werden. Zweitens wird Rumänien in der Lage sein, wichtige Güter leichter auf dem Luftweg innerhalb des Schengen-Raum zu transportieren. Dies gilt für den Transport von Medikamenten, für Notfalltransporte, die Beförderung von empfindlicher technischer Ausrüstung, Paketzustellungen und logistische Transporte von zivil-militärischen Komponenten. Und Drittens: Rumänien wird für ausländische Investoren und Touristen attraktiver werden. Die Schengen-Integration mit der Seegrenze wird gleichzeitig die Bedeutung des Hafens von Constanța am Schwarzen Meer exponentiell erhöhen.

Einziger Wermutstropfen für Rumänen und Bulgarien bleiben jedoch die Landgrenzen, weshalb die Entscheidung nun eher als Etappensieg gilt. Universitätsprofessor Ștefan Popescu, au‎ßenpolitischer Analyst und Kommentator, dazu:

Die gro‎ße wirtschaftliche Frage, um die es geht, ist die Integration mit den Landgrenzen. Aber angesichts der Zahl der Rumänen, die innerhalb der Europäischen Union jährlich in den Schengen-Raum fliegen, ist dieser Sieg auch wichtig, er hat einen praktischen und symbolischen Wert. Ich hoffe, dass wir uns dadurch auch als Bürger ersten Ranges mit der Europäischen Union identifizieren können. Ich hoffe, dass wir mehr Klarheit über die wichtigste Frage haben werden, um die es geht: die Integration der Landgrenzen. Das Jahr 2024 wird ein schwieriges Verhandlungsjahr sein, weil in der Europäischen Union Wahlen anstehen. Gegen Ende des Jahres — im Herbst — werden Wahlen auch in Österreich stattfinden. Und ich denke, dass sich die Verhandlungen über die Integration der Landgrenzen wahrscheinlich bis 2025 hinziehen werden, wenn wir eine andere Europäische Kommission und eine andere politische Konstellation in Wien haben werden. Vorerst ist es auf jeden Fall vorteilhaft, dass die Schengen-Integration mit dem Luftraum und dem Seeverkehr vonstatten geht, auch wenn der letztere im Moment noch unbedeutend ist.“

Der Beitritt zum Schengen-Raum ist für Rumänien, Bulgarien und die gesamte Union sowohl in wirtschaftlicher als auch in symbolischer Hinsicht von herausragender Bedeutung, sagt auch Universitätsprofessor Ion Bogdan Lefter.

Da einerseits viele Spediteure und andererseits die Unternehmen, die Waren herstellen, darunter leiden, wenn die Transporte am rumänischen und bulgarischen Zoll gestoppt werden, ist die Wirtschaft der gesamten Europäischen Union vom bisherigen Ausschluss der beiden Länder vom Schengen-Raum betroffen. Natürlich trifft es in erster Linie die beiden Länder, Rumänien und Bulgarien, doch auch für westeuropäische Unternehmen bedeutet es eine zusätzliche Belastung ihrer Bankkonten. Symbolisch gesehen war und ist dies ein Problem für die gesamte Europäische Union, denn es stellt die Kohäsion der EU in Frage, die eine klare Botschaft Botschaften in dieser Hinsicht haben muss.“

Rumänien und Bulgarien stecken tatsächlich jeden Tag gro‎ße Verluste weg, Experten sprechen von Milliarden Euro weniger Einnahmen jährlich. Kann die rumänische Diplomatie etwas tun, um den Beitritt mit den Landgrenzen schneller zu ermöglichen? Professor Ștefan Popescu meint zum Schluss unseres Features, das Bukarest die Beziehungen zu Wien vernachlässigt habe:

Diplomatie kann immer etwas bewirken. Die rumänische Diplomatie muss den Druck aufrechterhalten, das Thema auf der Tagesordnung der EU halten und den Dialog mit Wien fortsetzen. Denn abgesehen von den mehr oder weniger berechtigten Ansprüchen Wiens und der Tatsache, dass Rumänien durch die Absicht Österreichs, eine Reform des Schengen-Raums herbeizuführen, in Geiselhaft genommen wurde, muss an der Qualität der bilateralen Beziehungen Rumäniens zu Österreich gearbeitet werden. Mit Österreich verbindet uns vieles, wir haben enge menschliche und wirtschaftliche Beziehungen, und dennoch haben wir mit diesem Land, einem nahen Land in unserer Nachbarschaft, keinen ständigen Dialog geführt.“

5 January 2024
The Republic of Moldova to stage a referendum on Europe

Maia Sandu, the incumbent President of the ex-Soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, says she wants to run again for president in 2024 and has pledged to accomplish the mission of the countrys European integration.

After she had come to office in 2020, she called on Parliament to stage a referendum for the countrys EU accession. “In three years of my mandate we managed together with the citizens to keep peace in our country, strengthen the countrys independence, to have a government and kicked off negotiations for the Republics EU accession. Our future is in the European family and it is necessary that we tell the whole country what way we choose for the Republic of Moldova. I have called on Parliament to stage a referendum next autumn, in which the citizens vote will be decisive” – Sandu went on to say. Of course Chişinău will have to take more major steps in its European integration process, the Moldovan official added, giving assurances that she is ready to carry on this process. This would be Sandus third candidature. After she had lost the presidential seat to her pro-Russian opponent, Igor Dodon in 2016, she took revenge with a landslide victory four years later. We recall that in 2020, the leader of the pro-Western Action and Solidarity Party, a.k.a PAS, became president of the Republic of Moldova. A year later, this political force managed to get Parliament majority and step up its policy of coming closer to the EU and the USA. In 2022 the Republic of Moldova got the statute of EU accession candidate jointly with Ukraine. In 2023, the European leaders decided the republic should commence its accession negotiations in December with a new European Commission assessment scheduled for March 2024.

During the Russian-Ukrainian war, Chişinău started talking about the Russian threat and cutting its ties with the Commonwealth of Independent States. In May, President Sandu accused Russia of having tried to overthrow the authorities in Chisinau. In the meantime, the opposition, including the Socialist Party of the former country president Dodon, believes the incumbent leadership is actually receiving orders from the western curators. The Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and Romania was the first state to recognize its independence. A year later, the breakaway region of Transdniester located between the Dniester and Ukraine de facto rejected Chisinaus authority following an armed conflict with hundreds of dead, which ended after the Russian troops had joined the separatists. Russian troops are still present in Transdniester, which is functioning almost as an independent region with a territory of 41 hundred square kilometers inhabited by half a million pro-Russians. The region has its own currency, passports and car registration plates, even if its not recognized by the international community.

(bill)

27 December 2023