Radio România Internațional

Tag: EURO 2024 preliminaries

  • October 13, 2023 UPDATE

    October 13, 2023 UPDATE

    MIDDLE EAST CRISIS – In a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart,
    Isaac Herzog, Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday condemned the
    unacceptable attacks against Israel, expressing regret over the loss of
    countless innocent lives. Romania is ready to provide emergency assistance if
    required, Klaus Iohannis said, thanking president Herzog for Israel’s support
    in helping Romanian citizens get back safely. The Knesset on Thursday voted the
    creation of a national emergency government and a war cabinet. Pundits say an
    extended coalition is needed to pass military and political decisions over the
    coming days after last Saturday’s unprecedented attack on Israel. Launched by
    Hamas insurgents in Gaza, the attack and the ensuing Israeli retaliation strikes
    have already killed thousands of people on both sides. Some 150 people are held
    hostage by Hamas in Gaza.




    ROMANIAN VICTIMS – Two
    Romanians with Israeli citizenship and residing in Israel have been killed
    since the start of the crisis in the Middle East, the Romanian Foreign Ministry
    announced. One fatality was announced by Israeli authorities on October 9 while
    another person reported missing on Thursday was confirmed dead on Friday. The
    Romanian MFA has conveyed condolences to the victims’ families, firmly
    condemning terrorism in all its forms. The Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv and the
    General Consulate in Haifa are in permanent contact with Israeli authorities to
    collect reports on Romanian citizens.




    REPATRIATIONS – Over 2,160 Romanian
    nationals have been brought back home safely from Israel onboard flights
    operated by the national airline TAROM, the Romanian Foreign Ministry
    announced. A few hundred Romanians in Gaza are monitored by Bucharest
    authorities as well, although only some request assistance to get home. Prime
    Minister Marcel Ciolacu says the Cabinet might cover repatriation costs for
    citizens with low income and has called on Romanians to avoid pilgrimages to
    Israel.




    PRODUCTION – Romania’s
    agricultural production in 2022 stood at nearly 22 bln EUR, according to data
    published by the National Statistics Institute. Yields went up slightly in the
    south compared to the previous year. Overall, however, total output went down
    by as much as 39%. Compared to 2021, livestock reported increases in developing
    regions in the west, northwest, south and center.




    FOOTBALL – Romania’s national
    football side ended in a goaless draw their Thursday’s match against Belarus in
    Budapest as part of the EURO 2024 preliminaries. Although they managed a good
    show on Thursday, the Romanians failed to defeat a rather modest opponent.
    Belarus is playing its games on neutral ground, under a UEFA decision. In
    another Group I game, Kosovo defeated Andorra 3-0 while the match pitting Israel
    against Switzerland has been postponed for November 15th. After the draw on
    Thursday, Romania ranks second in the group with 13 points after Switzerland
    with 14. Israel ranks third with 11 points, followed by Kosovo with 7, Belarus
    with 5 and Andorra with 2. On Sunday, Romania will be playing Andorra at home
    in a game where only children under 14 are granted access to the stadium. (DB
    & VP)

  • June 16, 2023

    June 16, 2023

    GOVERNMENT – The
    freshly sworn-in Prime Minister, Social-Democrat Marcel Ciolacu is today
    holding his first meetings with members of his new cabinet, including deputy
    prime ministers Marian Neacșu and Cătălin Predoiu, Minister for Investment
    Adrian Câciu, Labor Minister Marius Budăi and Finance Minister Marcel Boloș.
    Also today, Prime Minister Ciolacu is holding talks with Education Minister
    Ligia Deca and representatives of education trade unions. In yesterday’s
    government session, Marcel Ciolacu announced his main priorities include
    slashing prices for basic foodstuffs and curbing inflation.




    STRIKE -
    Unionists of the national airline TAROM have threatened to launch a strike
    unless they receive a 15% salary raise. The Ministry of Transport has agreed to
    operate an 8% salary increase, provided this loss-incurring company is
    restructured. Representatives of the Sanitary Solidarity Federation on Thursday
    staged protest rallies near medical units across the country, calling for
    salaries and benefits in line with regulations in force and the relaunch of
    vacancy-filling contests in the healthcare system. Union representatives say
    that unless their grievances are heard and solutions are found, they will be
    organizing a work-in strike on June 27 and starting July 1 they will go on
    all-out strike. We recall that the strike action in the public education system
    was suspended on Monday after the Government pledged its commitment to raise
    salaries and provide bonuses to employees in the system.




    COMMITTEE – The Romanian-German mixed
    government committee on the German minority in Romania met on Thursday in
    Timișoara. On the sidelines of the session, the committee published a joint
    cooperation protocol for preserving the identity of German ethnics. The meeting
    was held this year against the backdrop of very intense Romanian-German
    relations, also as a result of the major contribution of the German minority in
    Romania. The committee agreed to boost bilateral relations in the fields of
    arts and culture by means of specific projects, to conserve German buildings
    and monuments in Romania, as well as to support German-language teaching by
    posting German teachers and developing applied sciences curricula. We recall
    Germany is Romania’s top trade partner, last year two-way trade standing at 40
    mln EUR, as well as Romania’s second-largest investor, with over 25,000
    companies with German capital participation and a total invested capital of 5.5
    bln EUR.




    VISITS – The Prime Minister of the
    Republic of Moldova, Dorin Recean, is paying an official visit to Bucharest on
    Saturday, government sources say. The Moldovan official will meet his Romanian
    counterpart, Marcel Ciolacu. The Romanian Prime Minister in turn is expected to
    pay his first external visit to Germany, where he will hold talks with
    Chancellor Olaf Scholz.




    FOOTBALL -
    Romania’s football team is today playing Kosovo in Pristina in Group I of the
    EURO 2024 preliminaries. Romania started the qualification campaign with two
    wins, 2-0 against Andorra and 2-1 against Belarus at home. On June 19, in
    Lucerne, Romania will take on the top-seed Switzerland. The first two teams in
    each group will qualify to the EURO 2024 championship to be hosted by Germany.




    WEATHER -
    Romanian meteorologists have issued warnings against stormy weather for western
    counties, in place until Saturday afternoon. Four counties in the southwest
    have been placed under a code red alert for heavy rain. During the interval,
    rainfall volumes are expected to exceed as much as 80 liters/square meter in
    isolated areas. Several counties in the south are already bracing for flash
    floods in the wake of the heavy rainfall of the last few days. Hydrologists
    have issued a code red alert against flash floods and heavy rainfall in excess
    of critical water levels, in place until Saturday afternoon for several rivers
    in the southwest. The highs of the day range between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.
    Warm weather and overcast skies are reported in Bucharest with slight chances
    of rain in the second half of the day. The noon reading in the capital city was
    30 degrees. (VP)