Radio România Internațional

Tag: Eurasian Economic Union

  • November 10, 2017

    November 10, 2017

    DEFENCE – The Romanian defence minister, Mihai Fifor, has presented in Brussels, at the meeting of the NATO defence ministers, the latest evolutions in setting up the adapted advanced presence in the Black Sea region. The Romanian Defence Ministry writes in a communiqué, all these refer to the Command of the Multinational Brigade in Craiova (southern Romania) which will be turned into a NATO structure, the enhanced presence of the allied naval forces in the Black Sea, air police activities, the allies’ participation in exercises on the Romanian territory. Mihai Fifor has also said Romania is on point of finalizing, alongside Bulgaria and Turkey, the concept of NATO Training Cooperation Initiative. It refers to the joint training of military of the NATO member states riparian to the Black Sea, and the first coordinated action is scheduled for early December.



    VISA WAIVER — Romania is one of the few democratic allies which is not already included in the Visa Waiver Program and this should change, US Congressman Dan Lipinski has said, being quoted in a press released recently posted on the web-site of the House of Representatives. He added that Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver program would boost cooperation in the field of security, trade and economic relations and mutual tourism. Dan Lipinski has underlined that “since the Romanian Revolution of 1989 which put an end to the authoritarian communist rule, Romania has become a firm ally of the United States.” The US Congress man said Romania is a real security partner, one of the largest contributors of troops to Afghanistan, who hailed the stationing of US forces to the Black Sea and which is hosting a new multinational NATO brigade.



    MINSK – Belarus might become a launching pad for Romania in order to get access to the Eurasian Economic Union, the Prime Minister of Belarus, Andrei Kobyakov, said on Friday during a meeting with Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, who is currently on an official visit to Minsk. Kobiakov has mentioned the two sides’ interest in striking partnerships for the joint production of car spare parts, furniture, clothes, textiles, building materials and farm produce. In turn, minister Melescanu has said Romania hails the rapprochment between Belarus and the European Union, with Bucharest having always supported this close dialogue. Frequently deemed by the West as the last dictatorship in Europe, the regime of president Aleksandr Lukashenko, who came to power in 1994, is a loyal ally of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. This year, Belarus lifted mandatory travel visas for EU citizens, a measure described by pundits as an attempt to improve the relationships with Brussels.



    GAS STOCKS – Romania has the necessary natural gas stocks for the coming winter, with the gas supply to consumers unfolding in normal conditions, with the observance of technical standards, the Energy Ministry in Bucharest writes in a communiqué. A similar announcement was made by the main domestic natural gas supplier, Romgaz. The two announcements come after the general manager of the national gas distribution company, Transgaz, Ion Sterian, told the relevant parliamentary committee that the gas stock for the coming winter is the smallest in the last four or five years, and consequently Romania will have to increase imports by 30% in order not to cut off consumers, news agencies report.



    HANDBALL — The Romanian women’s handball champion, CSM Bucharest, on Saturday will meet away from home the Slovenian team RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana, in its fifth Champions’ League Group A match. With three victories and a defeat, CSM ranks first in the group, which is also made up of Nykobing Falster Handboldklub (Denmark) and Vistal Gdynia (Poland). CSM Bucharest won the Champions’ League in 2016 and is one of the favourites in the current edition of the most powerful inter-club European competition.



    FOOTBALL — Romania’s national Under 21 team is meeting this evening on home turf, in Ovidiu (south eastern Romania), the team of Portugal, in a Group 8 match of the EURO 2019 qualifiers. On Tuesday, the Romanians will play, away from home, in Wales. With three victories and a draw following the first four matches, Romania is leading the group, which is also made up of Switzerland, Bosnia and Liechtenstein. On Thursday evening on home turf, in Cluj-Napoca (in the north-west), Romania’s senior team defeated Turkey 2-0 in a friendly match. Turkey is coached by Romanian Mircea Lucescu. This was the third match without defeat for the new Romanian coach, Cosmin Contra, who has been at the helm of the national team since September, replacing the German Christoph Daum, after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup due in Russia next year. Romania will meet the Netherlands on Tuesday in Bucharest, also in a friendly match.

  • April 3, 2017 UPDATE

    April 3, 2017 UPDATE

    MESSAGE – The Romanian Foreign Ministry conveyed a message of condolences to the families of the people killed in the blast on the St. Petersburg metro on Monday. The message was posted on the Ministry’s Twitter page. An explosion tore through a train as it was travelling between two stations in Russias second-biggest city, killing over ten people and injuring dozens more. A second device was found and defused at another station. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.





    MEMORANDUM – The Republic of Moldodva has signed a controversial memorandum of cooperation with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union. Moldova’s President, the pro-Russian Igor Dodon, signed the document on behalf of his country, saying it was the first step towards strengthening economic cooperation with the East. Dodon also said the memorandum did not contradict previous accords signed by his country, such as the Association Agreement with the EU. On the other hand, Moldova’s PM, Pavel Filip, has recently said that the memorandum will have no legal value as it lacks the approval of the Foreign Ministry and has not been ratified by Parliament.





    MINISTERS — Two new ministers, namely the Environment Minister and the Minister for the Liaison with Parliament, were sworn in on Monday. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, a junior coalition partner in the Government led by Social-Democrat Sorin Grindeanu, nominated Gratiela Gavrilescu for the position of Environment Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Replacing Gavrilescu as the new Minister for Liaison with Parliament will be Viorel Ilie, also nominated by the Liberals and Democrats. One week ago the party leadership decided to withdraw political support for the party co-president, Daniel Constantin, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment, amidst tensions between him and the other co-president, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu-Tarcieanu.





    BORDER POLICE — The Romanian border police announced it would strengthen border control checks starting Friday. The documents of all people crossing the border will be cross-checked in national and international databases, therefore the authorities expect waiting times to spike. According to a press release, on April 7 the authorities will implement an amendment brought to the Schengen Borders Code, adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council, aimed at improving the security of the EU and its citizens. The Romanian border police says all measures have been taken to reduce waiting times and ensure functional border checks and is making efforts to ensure a balance between the security of citizens and border crossing flows.





    ELECTION IN SERBIA — The acting Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday won the presidential election in Serbia. According to the Serbian Election Commission, Vucic grabbed over 55% of the vote, while the runner-up, current Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic, won only 15% of the vote. Seen as the new strongman of Serbian politics, Vucic is an ultranationalist turned pro-European Democrat. He pledged to support Serbia’s efforts to join the EU as well as maintain privileged relations with Russia. EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, has congratulated the president elect, whom he called a partner and a friend.





    MILITARY DRILL — Three Romanian warships carrying 200 military onboard and three Turkish warships are taking part in the “Starfish” bilateral military exercise. The exercise is aimed at increasing interoperability between Romanian and Turkish naval forces. While docking in the port of Constanta, the Turkish military will also bring floral tributes to the Cemetery of Turkish War Heroes in Slobozia, southern Romania, and will visit the Museum of the Romanian Navy.





    PROTESTS — The Moscow Police on Sunday arrested 30 people taking part in an anticorruption rally, the latest after last week’s large-scale protests. Radio Romania’s correspondent reports that opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, the organizer of last week’s protests, who was already placed under 15-day arrest for resisting arrest, says he is in no way connected to the latest protest. According to the Police, a thousand people protested on Sunday as compared to the nearly 100,000 people who protested on March 26. On Friday, several dozen Romanians protested before the Russian Embassy building in Bucharest, as a token of solidarity with the anticorruption protests in Russia.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)



  • March 22, 2017

    March 22, 2017

    STRIKE Part of the employees of Romania’s railway company CFR Infrastructure went on an unofficial strike causing delays on some routes with scores of trains also being halted. According to trade union leaders, the collective labour contract has expired and although the company’s board proposed a 22.5% rise in the salary funds, the move isn’t legally grounded, as the budget hasn’t been approved. CFR employees are discontented with the improper working conditions, the shortage of equipment and fuel.



    DRILL The US ambassador in Bucharest, Hans Klemm has announced that in July Romania will be hosting a large-scale military drill that brings together 30 thousand NATO soldiers from various countries. Klemm has underscored the close friendship between Romania and the USA, their bilateral strategic partnership and alliance inside NATO.



    COMEMORATION Belgium today commemorates a year since the tragic events at the Brussels airport and underground, when 32 people were killed and over 320 wounded, in what was described as the most severe attacks in the country’s recorded history. Four Romanians were killed in the attacks, including a minor. The attacks were claimed by the same cell of the Islamic State, which also masterminded the attacks in Paris in November 2015, which left 150 people dead. Belgium, France and Germany have in the past two years been the Jihadists’ target of choice.




    MEETING Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has arrived in Washington to attend the ministerial meeting of the anti-ISIS coalition, an event hosted by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. According to sources with the Romanian Foreign Ministry the meeting’s main objective is to assess the progress made in stopping ISIS actions with emphasis on humanitarian assistance and measures aimed at stabilizing the conflict areas freed from ISIS occupation. By participating in this event, Romania has reiterated its commitment to meeting its assumed objectives and backing international efforts meant to fight terrorism and stabilize countries in the Middle East and North Africa.



    JUSTICE PardoN is not a miracle-solution for Romania’s overcrowded penitentiaries, although the country runs the risk of being condemned by the European Court of Human Rights, Justice minister Tudorel Toader has said in a debate on democracy and justice in Romania before the Committee of Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs with the European Parliament. Toader has also said that he has called on the Legislature in Bucharest to postpone the draft law on granting pardoning in some cases so that the government may take additional measures. Romanian MEPs and civil society representatives are also to speak before the committee. Toader will also meet Vera Jurova, the European commissioner for Justice, consumers and gender equality. High on the agenda are the future European Commission report on the progress made by Romania inside the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.



    SUMMIT The governments of Romania and the neighboring Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet Romanian speaking country, are to meet on Thursday in Piatra Neamt north-eastern Romania, for a new common session. The two delegations headed by Prime Ministers Sorin Grindeanu and Pavel Filip respectively will be talking ways of developing bilateral cooperation, joint projects and new cooperation opportunities. Investment opportunities in the Republic of Moldova will also be tackled as well as cooperation in the fields of IT, finance, justice and home affairs. The relation between the two countries is a special one. There are common expectations and there is permanent interest from the two countries’ citizens. We’ll continue to support the European progress of the Republic of Moldova, Romania’s Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has said on behalf of the Romanian government. The talks with Grindeanu’s pro-Western counterpart come after last week the country’s president, Pro-Russian socialist Igor Dodon, reiterated in Moscow his intention to consider denouncing the country’s association and free-trade agreement with the EU and deepening the relations with the Eurasian Economic Union as well as the federalisation of the Republic of Moldova as a peace solution in the pro-Russia breakaway region of Transdniester.




    LONDON ATTACK A car mounted the pavement and ploughed into pedestrians crossing the busy Westminster Bridge beside Londons Big Ben, killing a person and wounding several others. Then the driver entered the Parliament building and wounded a police officer. Parliament was placed on lockdown and the attacker was shot by armed police. Authorities say the attack is being treated as a ‘terrorist incident’.




  • The Republic of Moldova Looking towards the East

    The Republic of Moldova Looking towards the East

    In late December,
    Igor Dodon was sworn in as President of the Republic of Moldova. The head of
    the former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population made
    a stormy entrance into his new office. Although in 2013 the Constitutional
    Court of Moldova ruled that the Romanian language was the official language of
    the Republic, Igor Dodon replaced it, on the site of the presidency, with the
    so-called Moldovan Language. Also, he felt the urge to settle accounts with the
    former president of Romania Traian Basescu, by withdrawing his Moldovan citizenship,
    only two months after the latter had obtained it.

    Also, as a continuation of the speeches held during the election
    campaign against the Association Agreement with the EU, he decided to remove
    the EU flag from the entrance of the Republic’s Palace in Chisinau. On the
    other hand, in order to reconfirm his pro-Russian orientation, Igor Dodon chose
    to pay to Moscow his first formal foreign visit as head of state, this being
    the first bilateral visit by a Moldovan leader to Russia in the past 9 years.
    Igor Dodon’s main goal is to resume the strategic partnership with Russia, left
    aside during the term in office of his pro-European predecessor Nicolae
    Timofti, to whom the rapprochement with the EU, with help from Romania, was a
    priority.


    On Tuesday,
    president Dodon was received at the Kremlin by his Russian counterpart Vladimir
    Putin, to whom he said that the Association Agreement between the Republic of
    Moldova, concluded in 2014, could be revised or even cancelled after the next
    parliamentary elections in Chisinau, provided they are won by the Socialists’
    Party, whose leader he was until taking over the office of president. In Igor
    Dodon’s vision, the association agreement with the Europeans has not benefited
    the Republic of Moldova in any way. On the other hand, Chisinau would get
    considerable advantages if part of the Eurasian Economic Union and president
    Dodon asked for Putin’s support for Moldova to get the status of observer.

    Moscow, too, granted Igor Dodon’s visit a higher political status, which could
    be seen in the way in which the visit was organized, the list and format of
    talks. Vladimir Putin offered Dodon a historical map of the Republic of
    Moldova, as it was back in the 18th century, which made Dodon state
    that half of the current territory of Romania is Moldovan. Pundits say that
    Dodon is in Moscow to approach issues that are of interest not to Moldova, but
    to Moscow. The fact that the official delegation does not include any member of
    the Government is evidence enough that Igor Dodon is on his own and does not
    act as a representative of the state.