Radio România Internațional

Tag: EU

  • Spring economic forecasts

    Spring economic forecasts


    The COVID-19 pandemic, skyrocketing energy prices, steep inflation and the consequences of the war started by Russia in neighbouring Ukraine were as many blows to the economy of the EU countries.



    And still, they seem to have absorbed these successive shocks and to get back to a positive trend. The European Commission has announced that the blocs economy performed better than expected, with a one per cent growth of GDP in the first 3 months of the year.



    Of the 27 member states, Romania is expected to see a 4% economic growth this year, one of the best in the EU. Positive factors include a drop in energy prices back to the level reported 2 years ago, a resilient labour market, a rise in consumption and investments.



    The EU economy, experts say, has managed to contain the negative impact of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, and coped with the energy crunch by quickly diversifying supply sources and by reducing considerably its natural gas consumption.



    The significant drop in energy prices has ripple effects across the economy, leading to falls in production costs. In turn, consumers get lower energy bills, although private consumption is expected to stay low as long as salary increases remain below the inflation rate.



    However, the inflation rate dropped in the first quarter of 2023 and it may reach 7.3% in April and 5.8% towards the end of the year, says Radio Romanias correspondent in Brussels, who looked at the European Commissions spring economic forecasts.



    The EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Paolo Gentiloni, acknowledges negative aspects, such as the rise in interest rates and tighter conditions for loans, but says that, rather than a weakness of the banking system, this is an adjustment to post-crisis signals.



    Another major element for the European economy is the implementation of post-Covid national recovery and resilience plans, which are basically capital injections, with an average absorption rate of 3% of GDP. According to the EU Commissioner, by 2024, recovery and resilience plans will have amounted to 3.5% of Spains and Greeces gross domestic product, nearly 3% in Croatia and Portugal, 2.5% in Slovakia and Italy, 2% in Romania and Bulgaria, 1.5% in Poland and Hungary and 1% in France and Slovenia.



    The Unions labour market is expected to have a moderate response to the slower economic growth rate. Employment is predicted to go up 0.5% this year and 0.4% in 2024, with the unemployment rate estimated to stay at little over 6%. (AMP)


  • May 12, 2023 UPDATE

    May 12, 2023 UPDATE

    GOVERNMENT The Government of Romania passed an emergency
    order on rebalancing the state budget, in a special meeting on Friday, the
    finance minister Adrian Câciu announced. He outlined the key measures in the plan, including a 10% reduction on
    expenditure with products and services, except for expenses in public
    healthcare and education, and a ban on procuring, leasing and rentals of automobiles
    and office equipment in public institutions. One exception is the car scrapping
    programme for the public authorities purchasing non-polluting vehicles. The
    programme is designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport
    sector, by encouraging the use of eco-friendly vehicles. The
    finance minister also announced that the number of advisers to officials in
    central administration structures, currently standing at around 900, will be
    reduced by one-half following the implementation of the emergency order aimed
    at making public spending more efficient.


    INFLATION In Romania,
    the year-on-year inflation rate dropped significantly in April, to 11.23% compared
    to nearly 15% in March. While this does not mean that products and services are
    growing cheaper, the rise in prices has nonetheless slowed down. According to
    data released by the National Statistics Institute on Friday, there are
    products that were more affordable in April than in March, including sunflower
    oil. Also on Friday, the National Bank confirmed that this downward trend in
    consumer price increase will continue. But the central bank governor Mugur
    Isărescu also warned those who have or are planning to take out loans in
    foreign currencies, and said that interest rates for the euro and US dollar
    will increase further. The National Bank forecasts a 7.1% inflation rate for
    the end of this year, as against 7% announced previously, and a 4.2% rate for
    the end of next year. Mugur Isărescu added that prices for fruit and vegetables
    will likely continue to go up for another 2 months, as the yield will be
    affected by the weather conditions in Europe, the drought in Spain and the
    aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey.


    ENERGY The Polytechnic University in Bucharest officially launched
    the first NuScale Energy Exploration (E2) Centre outside the United States on
    Friday. The centre hosts a simulator of the NuScale Power’s VOYGR™ small
    modular reactor (SMR) power plant control room, and will educate and train the
    next generation of nuclear engineers to operate advanced civil nuclear reactor
    technologies while establishing Romania as a regional educational and training
    hub for the next stage of civil nuclear deployments across Romania and Europe,
    reads a news release issued by the US Embassy in Bucharest.


    MUSEUMS
    The National Network of Romanian Museums has announced an absolute record
    number of cultural events enlisted as part of the Night of Museums – 297 in
    Romania and 14 in the Republic of Moldova. Bucharest will host around 60 events
    proposed by museums, art galleries, cultural centres, opera houses, choirs,
    palaces, institutes, high schools and music festivals. The special guest of the
    current edition is the War Childhood Museum, for the first time in Romania. The
    exhibition, entitled Listen, is hosted by the Romanian Peasant Museum. Access
    is free of charge.


    AWARD – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will receive the Franz
    Werfel Human Rights Award granted by the German Centre against Expulsions, DPA
    reports. Aged 63, Iohannis will become the 11th winner of this award, granted
    to him for his tireless and multilateral commitment to defending human rights
    and minority rights in Romania and Europe. The award, granted every two years,
    comes along with a money prize of 10,000 euros. Among the previous laureates
    are former German president Joachim Gauck, the winner of Nobel prize in
    Literature, Herta Muller and historian Karl Schlögel. The prize will be awarded
    during a ceremony held on June 4 in Frankfurt, Germany, when a congratulatory
    speech will delivered by former European Commission President Jean Claude
    Juncker.


    YOUTH Over 1,400 Romanian 18-year olds are among the 35,000 beneficiaries
    of free EU travel passes granted this year under the Discover EU programme. In
    order to find out more about the culture and history of the EU and to come in
    touch with people across the continent, the beneficiaries will be able to
    travel by train, individually or in groups of up to 5 people, between June 2023
    and September 2024. The current round of the programme saw more than 145,000 applicants
    from EU member states and Erasmus Plus countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein,
    Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey). (AMP)

  • ENISA: Agentur der Europäischen Union für Cybersicherheit in Bukarest eingeweiht

    ENISA: Agentur der Europäischen Union für Cybersicherheit in Bukarest eingeweiht





    Am Ende eines Wettbewerbs, an dem auch Belgien, Deutschland, Spanien, Luxemburg, Polen und Litauen teilnahmen, wurde Rumänien im Dezember 2020 von den Vertretern der EU-Staaten ausgewählt, eine wichtige EU-Agentur zu beherbergen. Es handelt sich um das Europäische Zentrum für Cybersicherheit (ENISA), das die Wirtschaft und die Bevölkerung vor Cyberangriffen schützen, die Forschung in diesem Bereich unterstützen und den europäischen Unternehmen bei der Entwicklung ihrer Cybersicherheitskapazitäten helfen soll. Bukarest konnte mit mehreren Vorteilen punkten: gute Faserkabelinfrastruktur und schnelles Internet sowie wirtschaftliche Begünstigungen für das Zentrum und seine Mitarbeiter, denn IT-Leute sind generell von verschiedenen Steuern und Abgaben befreit. Eine Rolle spielte sicherlich auch die Tatsache, dass Bukarest bislang eine der wenigen europäischen Hauptstädte war, die noch keine europäische Agentur beherbergte.



    Die Agentur wurde am heutigen 9. Mai in Anwesenheit von Premierminister Nicolae Ciucă und europäischen Beamten eröffnet, darunter Roberto Viola, Generaldirektor der Generaldirektion Technologie und Kommunikation der Europäischen Kommission. Das Europäische Kompetenzzentrum für Cybersicherheit ist für die Verwaltung der einschlägigen EU-Zuwendungen aus dem laufenden langfristigen EU-Haushalt, d.h. für den Zeitraum 2021–2027, zuständig, insbesondere für die Umsetzung von Arbeitsprogrammen für Cybersicherheit sowie für die Verwaltung von Cyberprojekten im Rahmen des Programms Digitales Europa“ und des Programms Horizont Europa“, hei‎ßt es in einer Mitteilung aus Brüssel.



    Darüber hinaus wird es im Auftrag der EU-Kommission zum Aufbau eines europäischen Cyber-Schutzschildes beitragen und mit einem Netz nationaler Koordinierungszentren zusammenarbeiten, um ein Ökosystem für Innovation und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit im Bereich der Cybersicherheit in der gesamten EU zu schaffen. Cybersicherheit ist eine Schlüsselpriorität und der Schutz unserer digitalen Souveränität erfordert gemeinsame Anstrengungen“, wird Binnenmarktkommissar Thierry Breton in der Mitteilung zitiert. Das Europäische Kompetenzzentrum für Cybersicherheit bringt hochrangige Ressourcen und Experten aus der gesamten EU zusammen, um innovative Lösungen für Cyber-Bedrohungen zu entwickeln und unsere Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen Angriffe zu erhöhen. Gemeinsam können wir eine sichere und geschützte digitale Welt für alle Europäer schaffen“, hei‎ßt es weiter in der Mitteilung.



    In den nächsten sieben Jahren wird das Europäische Zentrum für Cybersicherheit 4,5 Milliarden Euro in Cybersicherheitsprojekte investieren. Davon sind 2 Mrd. europäische Gelder, der Rest wird von den EU-Mitgliedstaaten beigesteuert.

  • Gesundheitsreform: Krankenhäuser mit EU-Hilfe finanziert

    Gesundheitsreform: Krankenhäuser mit EU-Hilfe finanziert





    Die Gesundheit ist ein Bereich, der für alle Menschen von grö‎ßtem Interesse ist, und wir müssen ihm die gebührende Aufmerksamkeit und unser verantwortungsvolles Engagement widmen, um die Gesundheitsreform umzusetzen“, sagte Premierminister Nicolae Ciucă. Nach Angaben des Regierungssprechers Dan Cărbunaru sieht das Programm der Exekutive den Bau und die Ausstattung von 7 neuen Kreiskrankenhäusern und 20 kommunalen oder städtischen Krankenhäusern vor, die entweder neu gebaut oder saniert und ausgestattet werden sollen.



    Der Gesamtbetrag, mit dem dieses Programm finanziert wird, beläuft sich auf fast 2 Milliarden Euro und wird aus europäischen Mitteln über das Gesundheitsprogramm, aber auch über die Europäische Investitionsbank bereitgestellt. Der Zeitplan ist recht straff und sieht die Veröffentlichung von Leitlinien bis zum 15. Mai und die Veröffentlichung von Ausschreibungen bis zum 10. Juli vor, so dass alle Finanzierungsverträge bis Ende des Jahres unterzeichnet werden können.“




    Laut dem Minister für europäische Investitionen und Projekte, Marcel Boloș, eröffnen die gesetzten Fristen die Aussicht auf den Zugang zu Mitteln aus dem sogenannten operationellen Programm für Gesundheit. Dieses wurde Ende November letzten Jahres von der Europäischen Kommission genehmigt und ist ein mehrfach finanziertes Investitionsprogramm mit einem Gesamtetat von 5,8 Mrd. Euro. Dies ist das erste Mal, dass Rumänien von einem Gesundheitsprogramm profitiert, das massive Investitionen in die Krankenhausinfrastruktur, qualitativ hochwertige medizinische Dienstleistungen und die Ausbildung von medizinischem Personal unterstützt“ — sagte Minister Boloș nach der Genehmigung des Projekts durch die EU-Exekutive. Mit diesem Budget, so der Minister, werde das medizinische System in Rumänien wieder aufgebaut, so dass die Menschen von Bedingungen, Dienstleistungen und Personal auf dem Niveau europäischer Länder mit effizienten öffentlichen Gesundheitssystemen profitieren können.



    Ferner ist erwähnenswert, dass die Investitionen, von der Planung bis zum Bau und der Ausstattung der Krankenhäuser, bis Juni 2026 abgeschlossen sein müssen, um weitere Finanzierungen von der EU zu erhalten. Darüber hinaus warnten Experten der Weltbank in einer kürzlich durchgeführten Analyse vor dem kritischen Risiko“, dass Rumänien die Umsetzung von drei wichtigen Projekten des Nationalen Wiederaufbau- und Resilienzplans (PNRR) aufgrund von Verzögerungen in den verschiedenen Projektphasen (Studien, Ausschreibungen, Beginn der Arbeiten u.a.m.) verfehlen könnte. Dazu gehören auch die Mittel für die 27 Krankenhäuser. Die Opposition und Gesundheitsexperten hatten die Verzögerungen bei der Genehmigung der Liste der in das Programm aufzunehmenden Krankenhäuser mehrfach kritisiert. Letztendlich hatte die Regierung in Bukarest die Liste erst im Februar genehmigt.

  • April 29, 2023

    April 29, 2023

    EU — The European Union has decided to extend for another year the suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports, so as to support its economy during the war started by Russia. The announcement was made by Sweden, which holds the rotating presidency of the community bloc. We recall that the suspension of these taxes generated discontent among farmers in several countries, culminating with the ban, at the beginning of this month, on cereals imports from Ukraine by Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. The European Commission has now proposed paying compensations to farmers in five countries bordering Ukraine, including Romania, and allowing these countries to ban the sale of certain Ukrainian grains on their domestic markets. But, the five countries must continue to allow the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products, so that they can be sold in other regions.



    Congress — The representatives of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (part of the governing coalition) are electing on Saturday, on the second day of the congress held in Timisoara (west), their president for the next 4 years. The only candidate is the current leader of the party, Kelemen Hunor, who wants to keep his party in the governing coalition. He said that the big challenge of his mandate will be maintaining one round in the local elections. According to Kelemen Hunor, a strategic document will also be adopted at the congress that will show the priorities of Romania and of the Hungarian community for the coming years in the economic, social, political and rights-of-national-minorities fields. Attending the Ethnic Hungarians’ congress, the leaders of National Liberal Party and of the Social Democratic Party (the main parties of the three-party coalition), namely the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu, respectively, expressed their support for continuing their partnership with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, saying that they were a pole of stability and professionalism within the coalition.



    May Day – Over 400 festivals, concerts, trade fairs and sports competitions are scheduled to take place over the May Day long weekend, and over 70,000 people are expected to travel to the Black Sea Coast on this occasion. Romanians also chose to spend the May 1st mini-holiday in the Danube Delta and in the Prahova Valley mountain resorts. The number of hotel reservations across Romania is 4 times higher this year than in 2022, show data from a hotel platform. The Interior Ministry announced that some 24,000 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters will be on duty across the country to prevent and combat crime, fluidize road traffic and reduce waiting times at border checkpoints as well as to ensure order and safety at various public events. The Border Police has also taken measures to optimize customs procedures and reduce waiting times, with a focus on the crossing points on the Hungarian and Bulgarian borders.



    Budget — Romanias state budget registered a deficit of 1.42% of the gross domestic product, i.e. 22.75 billion lei (about 4.6 billion Euros) in the first three months of 2023, the Romanian Finance Ministry announced. The loss was mainly caused by the increase in the volume of investments by 56.5% compared to the same period of the previous year and the compensation of bills related to the consumption of electricity and natural gas for domestic and non-domestic customers in the amount of 2.5 billion lei (about 500 million Euros). Other factors that contributed to the deficit were the higher volume of reimbursements of goods and services for medicines, the slowing down of the fees and taxes collection rate as well as the implementation of the second stage of the Support Program for Romania. Last year, the state budget registered, in the same period, a deficit of 15.7 billion lei (about 3.1 billion Euros).



    Green House — Next week Romania sees the start of the “Green House” program, through which the state offers financing to individuals for the installation of solar panels. For now, both the producing companies and the potential beneficiaries have at their disposal the application guide of the program, which was issued on Friday. To register, those who wish to install solar panels must enter an application on the website of the Environment Agency. The funding remains the same as last year – 20,000 lei per person (approx. 4,000 Euros), accounting for 90% of the expenses. The Romanian authorities propose to double the budget allocated to this program this year and thus reach 150,000 systems installed in 2023. (LS)

  • April 28, 2023 UPDATE

    April 28, 2023 UPDATE

    EU — The European Union has decided to extend for another year the suspension of customs duties and quotas on imports from Ukraine, so as to support its economy during the war started by Russia. The announcement was made by Sweden, which holds the rotating presidency of the community bloc. We recall that the suspension of these taxes generated dissatisfaction among farmers in several countries, culminating with the prohibition, at the beginning of this month, of cereals imports from Ukraine by Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. The European Commission has now proposed paying compensations to farmers in five countries bordering Ukraine, including Romania, and allowing these countries to ban the sale of certain Ukrainian grains on their domestic markets. But, the five countries must continue to allow the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products, so that they can be sold in other regions.



    Congress — The representatives of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (part of the governing coalition) held a congress in Timisoara (west). The current leader of the party, the Deputy Prime Minister Kelemen Hunor, is running for a new presidential mandate. According to him, a strategic document will also be adopted during the congress that will show the priorities of Romania and of the Hungarian community for the coming years in the economic, social, political and rights-of-national-minorities fields. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania wants to remain in the government also after the change of the prime minister, scheduled for the end of May, said Kelemen Hunor, who received assurances in this regard. The leaders of National Liberal Party and of the Social Democratic Party (the main parties of the three-party coalition), the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu, respectively, also took the floor at the congress.



    May Day – Over 400 festivals, concerts, trade fairs and sports competitions are scheduled to take place over the May Day long weekend. Over 70,000 people are expected to travel to the Black Sea coast on this occasion. Some 24,000 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters will be on duty across the country to prevent and combat crime, fluidize road traffic and reduce waiting times at border checkpoints as well as to ensure order and safety at various public events, the Interior Ministry reports. The Border Police has also taken measures to optimize customs procedures and reduce waiting times, with a focus on the crossing points on the Hungarian and Bulgarian borders.



    Schengen — Romanias accession to Schengen, the European free travel area, could be debated at the end of September, when the first meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council is scheduled under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Romanian Interior Minister Lucian Bode announced. He showed that, until the end of June, under the presidency of Sweden, the accession file of Romania and Bulgaria has no chance to be on the agenda of the JHA Council. “Spain stated, through the Interior Minister Marlaska, both in Bucharest and in Vienna, a few days ago, that it will put on the agenda of its presidency the file of Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. So (…) we put our hope in the Spanish presidency. The Spanish presidency will decide, depending on the discussions and the conclusions it will reach in its approach with Austria, whether this will happen in September or in October, November, December,” said minister Bode. In December 2022, Austria blocked Romanias Schengen candidacy, claiming that our country is part of the Balkan route of illegal migration. The accusation was rejected by the Romanian authorities and officially denied by the European institutions.



    Budget — Romanias state budget registered a deficit of 1.42% of the gross domestic product, i.e. 22.75 billion lei, in the first three months of 2023, the Romanian Finance Ministry announced. The loss was mainly caused by the increase in the volume of investments by 56.5% compared to the same period of the previous year and the compensation of bills related to the consumption of electricity and natural gas for domestic and non-domestic customers in the amount of 2.5 billion lei. Other factors that contributed to the deficit were the higher volume of reimbursements of goods and services for medicines, the slowing down of the fees and taxes collection rate as well as the implementation of the second stage of the Support Program for Romania. Last year, the state budget registered, in the same period, a deficit of 15.7 billion lei.



    Literacy – The degree of literacy for Romanian students between the ages of 6 and 14 is low, only 11% of them being in the “functional” area, shows the 2023 edition of the National Literacy Report. According to the document, made by the standardized test platform for students brio.ro, together with seven other non-profit organizations in the field of education, the results are similar to those of last year, without notable changes. “There are 42% functionally illiterate children, 47% minimally literate and only 11% are functional. The school system does nothing to help them, children enter school non-functional and after eight years the non-functional percentage drops by only 1.5%. Almost everything children learn in school is rote learning. Children are not able to interpret the texts they read and fail to make logical inferences about the texts, consequently they will be virtually unable to interact with any type of text,” the executive director of the brio.ro platform, Gabi Barctic said. Literacy skills reflect a persons ability to relate to a text. The competent reader understands and interprets the text even at a first careful reading, uses the information in it and interacts with it to achieve their goals. (LS)

  • On Schengen, once again

    On Schengen, once again

    Austria is one of the top investors in Romania, with
    total investments put at over EUR 12 billion in 2021. But it is also the only
    EU member state openly opposing Romania’s Schengen accession, which is puzzling
    for both Bucharest, and Brussels. At the latest meeting of the Justice and Home
    Affairs Council last December, Vienna vetoed Romania’s accession to the
    border-free area, disregarding all the reports dating as far back as 2011 that
    said the country met all technical criteria to be a Schengen member.


    A regrettable and unjustified attitude, president Klaus
    Iohannis said at the time. The EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Ylva Johansson,
    pointed out that she would make it a priority to secure Romania’s and Bulgaria’s
    Schengen accession this year, while the European Commission chief, Ursula von
    der Leyen, and the Council president, Charles Michel, said they were expecting
    progress to be made.


    But while on a visit to Bucharest on Wednesday,
    Austria’s minister of the interior Gerhard Karner shattered all hopes in this
    respect: Romania made important headway in fighting illegal migration, but
    there is still a lot to be done to ensure efficient protection of the Union’s
    borders, he said.


    Romania’s Schengen accession is not only a goal, but a
    right, his counterpart Lucian Bode said in response, and added that it was not
    natural for Romania to only have obligations and no rights.


    Lucian Bode: We told the Interior Minister that
    Romania’s Schengen accession process must be completed in 2023. By virtue of this
    European concept of an area without internal border checks, joining Schengen is
    not only an aspiration of Romania, but rather a right granted under the
    treaties signed by all member states. As regards the decisions made today, we
    have agreed on an action plan to prevent illegal migration, and we have signed
    three cooperation documents.


    The agreements signed in Bucharest concern the fight
    against migrant smugglers and asylum abuse, and include a joint action plan to
    curb illegal migration on the east-Mediterranean route, which stipulates, among
    other things, that Romanian police workers will be sent to the Austrian
    interior ministry and Austrian workers will be deployed at the Nădlac
    checkpoint on the Romanian-Hungarian border. (AMP)

  • EU will Sicherheit und Stabilität in der Moldaurepublik stärken

    EU will Sicherheit und Stabilität in der Moldaurepublik stärken





    Der rumänische Chefdiplomat Bogdan Aurescu begrü‎ßte die politische Einigung seiner Amtskollegen in der EU, ein Sanktionssystem der Europäischen Union zu schaffen, um destabilisierenden Handlungen gegen die Republik Moldau entgegenzuwirken. Er sagte, Rumänien arbeite bereits mit den Behörden in Chișinău zusammen, um eine erste Liste der zu sanktionierenden Personen zu erstellen.



    Die kleine Republik, die auf einem Teil der 1940 von der stalinistischen Sowjetunion annektierten ostrumänischen Gebiete gegründet wurde und seit 1991 von Moskau unabhängig ist, wird von Analysten seit Ausbruch des russischen Invasionskriegs als der am stärksten gefährdete Nachbar der Ukraine angesehen. Die Bedrohungslage wird immer ernster. Die Herbeiführung von gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen in der Moldaurepublik wäre ein Wendepunkt in der gegenwärtigen Situation“ — sagte unlängst die Innenministerin der prowestlichen Regierung in Chișinău, Ana Revenco. Es gebe bereits Gewissheit darüber, dass Russland jetzt viel intensiver versuche, die Situation in der Moldaurepublik zu destabilisieren, wobei Moskau auch auf die Unterstützung flüchtiger Oligarchen zähle. Alle Elemente eines hybriden Krieges, wie falsche Bombendrohungen, Cyberangriffe, illegal finanzierte Proteste, Erpressung mit Energielieferungen, seien eine gro‎ße Herausforderung für das gesamte Ressort der inneren Angelegenheiten gewesen, sagte die Ministerin gegenüber Radio Chișinău. Die Pro-Kriegs-Propaganda, die Aufstachelung zum Hass und die Desinformation, die Teil desselben hybriden Krieges sind, sollen die Widerstandsfähigkeit der Bürger schwächen — warnte die moldauische Innenministerin Ana Revenco.



    Vor diesem Hintergrund betont der rumänische Au‎ßenminister Bogdan Aurescu, dass jede Ma‎ßnahme, die zur Erhöhung der Sicherheit der Moldaurepublik ergriffen wird, auch für Rumänien von Vorteil ist. Die rasche Einführung eines Sanktionsregimes durch die Europäische Union werde ein sehr wichtiges Instrument sein, um die Widerstandsfähigkeit und Sicherheit des Nachbarstaates im Kontext der von Russland inszenierten Aktionen zu stärken, so der rumänische Chefdiplomat.



    Josep Borell, der Hohe Vertreter für die EU-Au‎ßen- und Sicherheitspolitik, hob seinerseits hervor, dass die Republik Moldau eines der am stärksten vom Krieg in der Ukraine betroffenen Länder ist. Deshalb habe Brüssel 40 Millionen Euro zur Unterstützung der Verteidigungsfähigkeit des Landes bereitgestellt. Ebenfalls in diesem Monat gab der Haushaltsausschuss des Europäischen Parlaments eine befürwortende Stellungnahme zu einer makrofinanziellen Hilfe in Höhe von 145 Mio. EUR für die Republik Moldau ab.



    Der rumänische Europaabgeordnete Siegfried Mureșan (EVP-PNL), Leiter der Delegation des EU-Parlaments für die Beziehungen zu Chișinău, betonte die Notwendigkeit, dass die Makrofinanzhilfe unverzüglich im Europäischen Parlament verabschiedet wird und die Gelder die Republik Moldau pünktlich bis zum Jahresende erreichen. Er fügte hinzu: Die Moldaurepublik ist ein EU-Beitrittskandidat, und wir müssen dem Land helfen, die Herausforderungen zu bewältigen und die europäische Integration fortzusetzen.“ Die endgültige Abstimmung im Plenum des Europäischen Parlaments wird höchstwahrscheinlich im nächsten Monat stattfinden.

  • Romania and the Ukrainian agricultural products

    Romania and the Ukrainian agricultural products

    The Russian-Ukrainian war also creates controversy from the point of view of the agricultural products from the neighboring country. Due to the armed conflict that led to the blocking of some trading routes, Ukraine was forced to call for the help of European countries. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, as of February 2022 until now, Kiev has increased its exports through its three ports on the Danube up to 1.5 million tons of grains per month. The farmers from Romania as well as from other countries in Eastern Europe are affected by the cheap imports, stating that they are almost on the verge of bankruptcy, as they cannot face this competition. Romanian farmers, who have recently staged protests, accuse that their losses amount to more than 200 million Euros due to grain imports from Ukraine, which are cheaper by about 100 Euros per ton. In a letter addressed to the European Commission, five countries, namely Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria, requested additional support for farmers affected by the cheap Ukrainian agricultural products, as well as the reintroduction of customs duties on agricultural products from Ukraine.



    Subsequently, four of them, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia, announced the suspension of imports of cereals and other agricultural products from that country. Romania is the only country neighboring Ukraine that still allows the import of agricultural products from Ukraine. However, the Romanian authorities have started to control the quality of cereals entering the country, to seal and monitor the shipments in transit. The Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said that Bucharest did not decide to block imports of agricultural products from Ukraine because, when adopting measures in the current context, we should take into account the entire set of consequences that these measures produce.



    In his turn, the Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, met, last week, with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mikola Solski, with whom he agreed to keep in touch, weekly, in relation to the amounts of cereals that are to leave Ukraine, in an attempt to limit imports. Petre Daea insisted that it is important that any decision regarding the restriction of Ukrainian imports be made by common agreement with Brussels and not unilaterally, as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria did. “These decisions had to be lifted so that the Commission could intervene to establish the rules to protect our farmers, and we have also shown solidarity with the farmers from other countries,” minister Daea added. The European Commission has announced that it will provide farmers in Central and Eastern Europe, affected by the inflow of cheap agricultural products from Ukraine, with an additional aid of 100 million Euros. The possibility of banning the import of certain categories of products from Ukraine was also mentioned. (LS)


  • EU funding for hospitals

    EU funding for hospitals

    The Romanian defence minister, Angel
    Tîlvăr, and health minister, Alexandru Rafila, have signed a number of
    financing contracts for healthcare infrastructure investment projects under the
    National Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).


    The funds will be channeled into military
    hospitals around the country, as well as other hospitals in Bucharest and Constanţa
    (south-east). The emergency military hospitals in Sibiu (centre), Piteşti (south),
    Craiova (south-west) and Braşov (centre) will receive money for revamping and
    for building new wards.


    The defence minister says patients’
    confidence in military hospitals is quite high and emphasized that substantial
    funding will be used for such hospitals.


    Angel Tîlvăr: The documents I am honoured to sign today
    together with Mr. Rafila, the health minister, allow the financing of new
    buildings for 4 military hospitals in the country, which will receive around
    EUR 81 mln under Component 12, Healthcare, of the RRP.


    Also under the RRP, in Bucharest a new TB
    diagnosis and treatment centre will be built, using some EUR 26 mln. The
    manager of the Pneumophtysiology Institute, Beatrice Mahler, explains that this
    investment will benefit both patients, and the specialists in the field:


    Beatrice Mahler: This investment
    has been long awaited by Romanian TB patients, who fortunately, thanks to this
    kind of investments, will no longer feel stigmatised, but also by the
    healthcare staff, because we want not only patients to be safe, but the
    personnel as well.


    In turn, the health minister
    pointed out that funding will be earmarked next for the revamping of family
    physician practices:


    Alexandru Rafila: We will soon
    finalise all the investment contracts, both for hospital healthcare and for
    outpatient facilities, including family physician practices, for which the
    final stage will be soon reached, allowing for their financing, revamping and
    equipment procurement.


    The newly signed contracts also cover
    the building of a new mother and child health facility as part of the Constanţa
    Emergency Hospital, and the extension of the Municipal Polyclinic there.


    The National Recovery and Resilience Plan is designed to ensure the development of Romania, by increasing its
    resilience in crisis situations after the COVID-19 pandemic, and by
    capitalising on the country’s economic growth potential, through major reforms
    and key investments. In order to receive funding,
    Member States submit their national plans to the European Commission, and
    receive money in instalments, until August 2026, depending on their meeting specific benchmarks. Romania benefits
    from over EUR 29 bln under this facility. (AMP)

  • The EU and the Ukrainian grain exports

    The EU and the Ukrainian grain exports

    Romania has decided to continue to allow the transit of Ukrainian grain but introduced additional control measures to protect its farmers such as the establishment of customs controls for all agrifood products coming from Ukraine, as well as the sealing and strict monitoring of grain trucks while they are transiting the Romanian territory. The measures have been announced after the talks on Wednesday attended by the Agriculture Ministers of the two countries. How was this situation possible? In order to support Ukraine after the war Russia commenced against this country last February, the EU has suspended customs duties and the other means of trade protection applied to imports of grain and other food products coming from that country.


    However, the decision has caused turmoil on East-European markets and five countries – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – have notified the European Commission against the backdrop of the protests mounted by their disgruntled farmers.


    In a common letter, the five countries have proposed a series of measures aimed at significantly reducing the market imbalances caused by the massive imports of Ukrainian cereals. They have also applied for European support for the development of the transport infrastructures in their countries but also for additional vehicles needed by their market operators.


    Through a well-developed transport network the products coming from Ukraine could reach faster their destination in other world regions while Brussels, in cooperation with the world food programme, must work out a solution so that the Ukrainian grain may not remain in the EU, the Prime Ministers of the five countries said in their letter to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Later, Poland and Hungary were the first to take unilateral measures, banning the imports of cereals and other food products from Ukraine to protect the local farming sector. Slovakia and Bulgaria followed suit against the background of the plummeting prices in the region.


    Furthermore, the harvest season, which is due in two months is going to take farmers aback and they are expected to face a series of issued related to storing capabilities, presently occupied by the Ukrainian grain. The European Commission has called on all the four countries to give up all the restrictive measures they have individually imposed and which Brussels has deemed as illegal and running against the accession treaty as well as the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU. In the meantime, president von der Leyen on Wednesday sent a letter to the Prime Ministers of Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary pledging 100 million Euros in support for the farmers in those countries affected by the fiscal and transit facilities granted to Ukraine. This new financial aid joins another of its kind, worth 56.3 million Euros, already in force.


    (bill)


  • Focus on the eastern flank

    Focus on the eastern flank


    Fifteen companies from 11 countries, Romania included, have been identified as able to start production in the defence industry, in the context of the EUs 3-pillar plan to boost ammunition deliveries to Ukraine.



    EUR 1 bln will be disbursed to plants for deliveries from existing stockpiles. Another EUR 1 bln will be spent to help ammunition plants replenish depleted stockpiles, while the 3rd pillar aims at increasing the blocs defence industrys capacity for the longer term.



    Romanian facilities are among those that will be able to help cover Ukraines ammunition demand, but they need investments. This is one of the reasons why the European Commissioner for internal market, Thierry Breton, has traveled to Romania and had meetings with senior officials.



    After his talks with PM Nicolae Ciucă, the European Commissioner said he was confident Romania would be able to play an even more important role in the EU defence industry, and added that Bucharests earmarking 2.5% of GDP for defence this year proves that Romania understands that this expenditure contributes not only to protecting the country, but to protecting the European continent as well.



    Thierry Breton also said that, given that the EU has committed to support Ukraines efforts to withstand Russias aggression, we must make sure we have the capacity to deliver the equipment and ammunition it needs, including by boosting EU production capacity.



    In turn, PM Nicolae Ciucă emphasized that strengthening the defence industry would help improve Romanias resilience and capacity to handle future challenges.



    After the meetings with Romanian officials in Bucharest, the European Commissioner visited two defence industry factories run by Romarm, Romanias chief producer and provider of military equipment and services, present in over 50 other markets in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. Romarm is currently trying to revamp its production units, either through partnerships with private companies, or through EU funded projects.



    Also in Bucharest these days is the chair of NATOs Military Committee, admiral Rob Bauer, for talks focusing on the security situation at the Black Sea, on NATOs deterrence and defence missions, and on this years main training events.



    He discussed with the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu the preparations for the NATO summit due in Vilnius in July and the implementation of the decisions made at the Madrid summit. While at the headquarters of the Romanian Defence Ministry, Rob Bauer also had talks with the line minister, Angel Tîlvăr, and with the chief of general staff, gen. Daniel Petrescu.



    NATO remains a core pillar of Romanias security policy, Daniel Petrescu said, and added that the Romanian Army is always improving its quick and efficient response capacity. Since its first day as a NATO member, Romania has proved its dedication to the Alliance, and has made it clear it understands the value of collective defence, admiral Rob Bauer pointed out in turn. (AMP)


  • April 6, 2023

    April 6, 2023

    Protests — On Friday, the Romanian farmers are organizing protests in several counties and in Bucharest, dissatisfied with the solution found by the European Commission to the problems and serious imbalances facing the Romanian agri-food sector, against the background of market distortions caused by the armed conflict in Ukraine. According to the farmers, the total elimination, since the middle of last year, of customs duties on all goods from Ukraine has exported the effects of the war, commercially speaking, to the neighboring countries, creating an involuntary dumping effect, as it has stimulated Ukrainian farmers to sell cheaper. The representatives of the Romanian farmers point out that this measure has not helped and will not help the Ukrainians to resume their production cycle. Instead, it has strongly disrupted the market in Romania.



    Beijing – The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the French President Emmanuel Macron are discussing today, in Beijing, with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, especially about Chinas role in finding a peace solution in Ukraine. The two are trying to convince the Chinese leader to exert his influence on Russia to end the war. Shortly after arriving in Beijing, Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about growing tensions between China and the West, and Ursula von der Leyen adopted a tougher stance, warning that the future relations between China and the EU will be influenced by how Beijing will approach the war in Ukraine. For the moment, Western allies only see an ever-closer economic rapprochement between China and Russia. The issue was on the agenda of the meeting of the NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday, who expressed concern about the Chinese-Russian partnership, which threatens Ukraine. In response, NATO decided to close ranks with its partners in the South Pacific. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg announced that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are also invited to the summer summit of the Alliance in Vilnius, in which the Ukrainian president will also participate.



    Gaudeamus – The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, organized for the 22nd time in the heart of Transylvania, in the city of Cluj, takes place from Thursday until Sunday. The event is hosted in 14 exhibition pavilions, including over 60 stands that bring together the offer of numerous publishing houses, Romanian and foreign book distributors, producers and distributors of music and games. The virtual stands of the participants can be found on www.gaudeamus.ro, in the online version of the fair, so that the editorial novelties, special offers and surprises prepared by the participants are also accessible to book lovers who cannot visit the fair. More than 30 book launches and presentation sessions are organized, numerous book-prize contests, as well as the “Miss Reading” contest – one of the highlights of the Gaudeamus Fairs for over 15 years.



    Codes – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted the draft laws that regulate the criminal and criminal procedure codes in the form drafted by the Ministry of Justice, without any amendment. Thus, they gave up the setting of a value threshold from which criminal sanctions are applied for abuse and negligence in office, as the senators had decided. Also, they kept the possibility of using phone tapping made by specialized services as evidence in the case of several crimes, including tax evasion and corruption. The Chamber of Deputies is a decision-making body in this case.



    NATO – On Friday, the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană will visit the South-East Multinational Brigade from Craiova (southern Romania), whose Command has the mission to ensure the command and control of a NATO operation of the Article 5 type – Collective Defense, contributing, in this way, to the consolidation of the South-Eastern flank of the Alliance, to the security of the territory and the population of the member states. The NATO official made this announcement in an interview given to AGERPRES news agency, in Brussels, after the conclusion of the meeting of foreign ministers from the allied states, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mircea Geoana spoke in the interview about the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance and the relationship with the partner countries, as well as about the agenda of his mandate as NATO Deputy Secretary General, which was extended until October 2024. Mircea Geoana also referred to the war in Ukraine. In his opinion, the Kremlin leadership has been using the nuclear rhetoric in the most unprofessional and irresponsible way, even before the start of the war in Ukraine.



    Visit – The former president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, is visiting Bucharest today. He will be received by president Klaus Iohannis and will be granted the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Academy of Economic Studies (ASE). The event takes place in the context of the manifestations organized by the higher education institution, on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of its establishment on April 6. Jean-Claude Juncker was the President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019.

  • The President of the European Council visits Bucharest

    The President of the European Council visits Bucharest

    Accession to the free travel Schengen Area and to the European single currency zone would perfectly shape Romanias European integration. If entry into the euro zone does not represent a major temptation for the established EU states, though, and it does not seem a major issue for Romania either at the moment, remaining outside Schengen is a major source of frustration for Bucharest. At the end of 2022, the goal of accession seemed perfectly achievable, but Austrias fierce opposition appeared untimely. Romania once again missed Schengen accession, although the European institutions and the other partners in the Union had validated as justified and deserved its place in the Schengen Area.



    On a visit to Bucharest on Monday, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said, after discussions with President Klaus Iohannis, that he supported Romanias efforts to join Schengen as soon as possible. Charles Michel said that he was convinced that the European Union would be safer if Romania entered the Schengen area. He added that it was clear to him that Romania had fulfilled all the necessary obligations to join and he hoped that a possible solution would be found and that he would do everything he could to get this decision as soon as possible. Charles Michel went on to say that Schengen accession was a common goal in 2023, and that they would continue to work together. Why? Because they understand the citizens’ disappointment. He also said that he would like to be able to tell the people of Romania that there was this support at the European level for Romania to join the Schengen area as soon as possible.



    Accession to Schengen remains a national objective and all the Romanian authorities are working to achieve it, President Iohannis reiterated. However, he drew attention to the fact that, although Romania meets the conditions for accession, it can only come after a complicated negotiation process, under the conditions of Austrias opposition.



    Klaus Iohannis has avoided giving any date for accession: “There is no concrete assumption of any date from June or October or anytime in the future. But my ambition and ours is to complete this process successfully for Romania this year and in the best version for Bulgaria too, of course. It suits us best to enter the Schengen area together. We dont have to prove anything. Everyone understood that we are prepared, but we have a situation generated by migration worldwide and at the European level, where, of course, we can intervene as much as possible. We can manage the migration that would come through our area and we do it very well. Thats why we negotiated with the European Commission a pilot project on the border between Romania and Serbia to show how this process can be managed efficiently.”



    Once among the most enthusiastic supporters of the European project, some of the Romanians are now disappointed with the Union. The president expressed concern about the growth of Euroscepticism and did not rule out the failure of Schengen accession to be a possible cause. (LS)

  • Interview with the EU Youth Coordinator Biliana Sirakova

    Interview with the EU Youth Coordinator Biliana Sirakova

    The 2023 edition of the “Your Europe, Your Say” programme, organised by the European Economic and Social Committee, took place over 23-24 March and was aimed to ensure that the voices of young people are heard when Europes future is shaped.



    RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu has used the opportunity to talk to the EU Youth Coordinator at the European Commission, Biliana Sirakova: