Radio România Internațional

Tag: Europa League

  • October 4, 2024

    October 4, 2024

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    FRANCOPHONIE – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, is on a two-day visit to France, to attend the Francophonie Summit. According to the Presidential Administration, the 19th High-level Conference of the heads of state or government of the 88 member states, full members, associate members and observers of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) has the theme “Create , innovate and do business in French’ (“Creer, innover, entreprendre en francais”). The participation of the Romanian President in the Francophonie Summit is an opportunity to highlight the country’s contribution to the global effort to transform and adapt multilateralism, an effort that also concerns the OIF, in a context marked by major challenges to the rules-based international order.

     

    VISIT – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is today making an official visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova, to meet with President Maia Sandu, PM Dorin Recean and Parliament Speaker, Igor Gross. The Prime Minister is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacşu, the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Ştefan-Radu Oprea, and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Florin Barbu. Ciolacu said previously that he was going to Chisinau to reaffirm Romania’s solid and unequivocal support for the Republic of Moldova, at all levels.

     

    SUMMIT – Romania’s development depends on investments and initiative, and our country needs people with a western attitude towards work, said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, at a summit for Romanians everywhere held Thursday in Bucharest. According to Ciolacu, over 3 million Romanians emigrated between 2008 and 2022 alone, pointing out that last year was the first time that 190,000 Romanians returned to the country. Attending the event, Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă said that he very much wants Romanians from the diaspora to return home, adding that the involvement of the state in facilitating the return of Romanians to the country is “absolutely necessary and important”.

     

    EUROBAROMETER – The main motivation for Romanians to vote in the European Parliament elections was the economic situation, according to a Eurobarometer survey published by the European Parliament. The other main reason was the increase in prices and the cost of living. The study places Romanians above the average of the 27 member states in terms of optimism regarding the future of the Union. According to the Eurobarometer, other topics that led Romanians to go to the polls were social protection, well-being and access to healthcare, the international situation, democracy and the rule of law, but also defense and security.

     

    REPATRIATION – The 69 people repatriated from Lebanon on Thursday are Romanian citizens and first degree family members, most of them women, children and medical cases, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest. The flight was made with the support of the Romanian Defense Ministry, with an aircraft of the Romanian Air Force. The move was made in the context of the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

     

    EUROPA LEAGUE – The Romanian soccer champion, FCSB (Bucharest), won its second victory in as many games in the new Europa League format, after beating the Greek champion, PAOK Thessaloniki, 1-nil on Thursday evening. The Greek team is trained by the Romanian Razvan Lucescu. In the first match of the group, the Bucharest team defeated the Latvian RFS at home, 4-1. FCSB, Lazio, Lyon, Tottenham and Anderlecht are the only teams with maximum points after two stages in the Europa League. The next match of the Romanian champions is also away, against the Scots from Glasgow Rangers.

     

     

  • October 3, 2024

    October 3, 2024

     

    DEFICIT The Romanian minister for investments and European projects, Adrian Câciu, said a 7-year plan to reduce the budget deficit would be presented by the October 15 deadline set by the EC. According to Câciu, the plan is accompanied by reforms included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The measures mainly consist in cutting unnecessary expenditure by public institutions and improved collection of government revenues.

     

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION The commissioners nominated by member states and by the EC president Ursula von der Leyen will be interviewed by the European Parliament’s specialized standing committees next month. According to France Presse, the new College of Commissioners might therefore take office in early December. Romania’s representative Roxana Mînzatu was nominated for executive vice-president for skills, education and culture, quality jobs and social rights.

     

    YOUTH European youth born in 2006, including in Romania, may enroll in the 2024 DiscoverEU programme, which provides free travel across the Union. A dedicated European Commission webpage is available for young people to enroll in order to win one of the 35,000 free travel permits and discount accommodation and meal cards. Each permit allows for one trip between March 2025 and May 2026. Winners may choose certain destinations in Europe, including ones on the DiscoverEU cultural route that connects EU capital cities, UNESCO sites and European heritage sites. Applications may be submitted until October 16. More than 300,000 youth have benefitted from this programme since its launch in 2018.

     

    WB The country partnership framework between the World Bank and Romania for 2025-2029 was launched in Bucharest. PM Marcel Ciolacu says that in the next 3 years the estimated funding for Romania from the WB group will be over USD 6 bln, in favourable financial terms. The money is intended to help bridge the gap between the more developed and integrated urban communities and the poorer and more isolated rural environment. A USD 500 mln loan agreement has also been signed, for the funding of disaster risk management policies.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions, FCSB, play tonight away from home against PAOK Thessaloniki in the Europa League group stage. In the first round, the Greek champions coached by the Romanian Răzvan Lucescu were defeated by Galatasaray Istanbul, 3-1 in Turkey, while FCSB won against RFS (Latvia) 4-1 in Bucharest. (AMP)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

     

     

    Romania’s football champions, FCSB, Thursday begin their autumn European season. The Bucharest team coached by Elias Charalambous (Cyprus) plays in Europa League, after 4 qualifier rounds.

     

    They first took part in the qualifier rounds of the top-tier continental competition, the Champions’ League, defeating the San Marino champions, AC Virtus Aquaviva, 7-1 away from home and 4-0 on home turf in the first round. In the next round, they outplayed the Israeli champions Maccabi Tel-Aviv, 1-1 in Bucharest and 1-0 away from home, in Hungary. The 3rd round of the Champions’ League qualifiers saw FCSB’s first defeat, to the Czech champions, Sparta Prague, after 1-1 in Prague and 2-3 at home. This sent the Romanian side to the Europa League playoffs, in which they beat the Austrian team LASK Linz, 1-1 in Austria and 1-0 on home turf.

     

    On Thursday, FCSB play their first match in Europa League, with a new format as of this year. In the competition’s main group stage, the Romanians will play against 8 teams, four of which will travel to Bucharest.

     

    The first match will be against the Latvian team Riga Futbols Skolas (RFS). The Baltic team also reached the competition’s main group after having lost to Bodø/Glimt (Denmark) in the Champions League qualifiers, and in the Europa League playoffs they defeated Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus).

     

    FCSB are next to play on home turf against Midtjylland (Denmark) on November 7, Olympiakos Piraeus, on November 28, and Manchester United on January 30, 2025. As for their away matches, the Romanian champions will take on PAOK Thessaloniki (coached by the Romanian Răzvan Lucescu) on October 3, against Glasgow Rangers on October 24, against Hoffenheim on December 12, and Qarabag (Azerbaijan) on January 23.

     

    Worth mentioning is also that by the end of last week FCSB had managed to sell around 34,000 sets of tickets for their home matches in Europa League. According to gsp.ro, this means profits of some EUR 3.4 million for the Bucharest-based team. (AMP)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

     

     

    Romania’s football champions, FCSB, have qualified into the main stage of the Europa League, Europe’s second-tier inter-club competition. On Thursday, in the playoffs, the Bucharest-based team coached by Elias Charalambous (Cyprus) won 1-0 on home turf against the Austrian side LASK Linz. In the first leg, in Austria, the two teams drew, 1-all. In Bucharest, the match was rather balanced, with goal opportunities on both sides. FCSB only managed to score in extra time, thanks to a spectacular goal by skipper Darius Olaru, who secured his team’s victory and qualification.

     

    In the playoffs for the 3rd-tier European competition, Conference League, CFR Cluj lost 0-3 to Paphos (Cyprus). The latter, playing on home turf, scored on 28 minutes thanks to Jajà (Brazil). Only 3 minutes later, the Spaniard David Goldar increased the difference, and the final score was set by Muamer Tankovic (Sweden) on 49 minutes, after a foul by the Slovenian Matija Boben brought the hosts a penalty kick. In the first leg, CFR had won 1-0.

     

    Over the weekend, matches are scheduled, counting for the 8th round of the Romanian football Super League. On Friday, Oţelul Galaţi take on Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. On Saturday, in Sibiu, FC Hermannstadt face Politehnica Iaşi, while in Craiova, Universitatea play Rapid Bucharest. Three games are scheduled for Sunday: FC Botoşani vs Petrolul Ploieşti, Farul Constanţa vs CFR Cluj, and FCSB vs UTA Arad. And the last matches in this round will be played on Monday, with Unirea Slobozia playing in Chiajna against Gloria Buzău, and Universitatea Cluj facing Dinamo Bucharest. After the first 7 rounds, Universitatea Cluj are top of the standings with 15 points, followed by Universitatea Craiova, with 14. (AMP)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

     

    The qualifiers for the group stages of European football competitions are drawing to a close. This week, the first leg of the playoffs is scheduled both for the Champions’ League and for Europa League and Conference League. At this point, Romania is represented by 2 teams: FCSB, fighting for a place in the Europa League groups, and CFR Cluj, very close to the Conference League group stage. Both Romanian teams are playing on Thursday.

     

    FCSB takes on LASK Linz in Austria. If they win the 2 legs of the playoffs, the team moves up into the Europa League groups. If they lose, they stay in the Conference League competition. The team based in Oberösterreich finished 3rd-placed this past season of Austria’s top league. Their best performance in Europe was in 2020, when they reached the eighth-finals of the Europa League, to be kicked out by Manchester United. LASK also reached the round of 16 in Conference League, in 2022, but was defeated by Slavia Prague. Last season, in Europa League, LASK played in Group E, where it finished last-placed, after Liverpool, Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium, and Toulouse. Also worth noting is that Linz and FCSB played a friendly match early this year in Turkey, where our team won 3-1.

     

    CFR Cluj plays Paphos, of Cyprus, and their first match will be on home turf. The Cypriot team got into the Conference League playoffs after dramatically defeating the Bulgarian side ŢSKA Sofia 1948 in the 3rd qualifying round. In the first round, in Bulgaria, ŢSKA had won 2-1. In Cyprus, the 2 teams drew, nil-all, until 7 minutes into extra time, when Paphos scored, making the result even and pushing the game into an extra 30 minutes, when they increased their lead to 4-0. Previously, Paphos had lost the first qualifying round of Europa League to the Swedish side Elfsborg, and had defeated Žalgiris Vilnius of Lithuania in the Conference League’s second qualifying round.

  • August 18, 2023

    August 18, 2023


    OLYMPIAD – Romania took 1st place at the Central European Olympiad in Informatics 2023 (CEOI 2023), held in Magdeburg, Germany. Student Luca Perju-Verzotti with the Tudor Vianu National College of Informatics in Bucharest took the first place and gold medals. Gold, silver and bronze medals were also won by three students with the Aurel Vlaicu Theoretical High School in Orăștie (central Romania) and the International Theoretical High School of Informatics in Bucharest.



    GDP — Romania is among the countries with the best results in terms of GDP growth and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the first quarter of this year, according to the Eurostat. Romanias GDP is 2.4% and has increased more than the European average of 1.2%. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, Romania has reduced them by almost 5%, while the European average is 2.9%. The EU economy as a whole has become more efficient and less polluting. In the first quarter of 2023, EU economy’s greenhouse gas emissions totalled 941 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent, a 2.9% decrease compared with the same quarter of 2022. This decrease took place simultaneously with a 1.2% increase in the EU’s GDP in the first quarter of 2023, compared with the same quarter of 2022, Eurostat reports. Most emissions were released by the housing sector – 24%, followed by industrial production – 20%, electricity and gas sector – 19%, agriculture – 13% and transport and storage – 10%. The largest decrease in emissions occurred in the electricity and gas sector – 12.3% while the transport and storage sector had the largest increase – by 7.2%


    FOREIG AFFAIRS – The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, spoke on the phone with her Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, and also with the Canadian Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly. According to a press release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry, during the discussion with the Armenian counterpart, Minister Luminiţa Odobescu reconfirmed Romanias support for the development of the relationship between the Armenia and the EU. Regarding the situation in the South Caucasus, the Romanian official welcomed the mediation efforts of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and voiced support for the peaceful resolution, through dialogue, of all pending issues, respecting the principles and norms of international law, including the provisions of international humanitarian law. On the other hand, during the telephone conversation with the Canadian counterpart, the very good cooperation on various files of bilateral interest was emphasized, such as cooperation in the energy sector, in the security and defense sectors and in the promotion of human rights. Also, the two ministers highlighted the joint commitment of Romania and Canada to provide sustained support to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, both in the context of efforts to combat the effects of Russias war in Ukraine, and in support of the European path of the two states.



    GOVERNMENT – The text of an emergency order that modifies the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, but also the proposals of the Ministry of Transport in terms of cutting red tape are on the agenda of todays meeting of the Romanian government. The government also wants to adopt and submit to parliament a draft law to revise the article of the Criminal Code, which refers to the punishment of discrimination and incitement to hatred.



    VISIT — The Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denîs Şmîhal, is in Bucharest today for talks with Romanian officials on aspects related to regional security, in the context of Russias military aggression against Ukraine. We will also discuss Romanias efforts regarding the transit of Ukrainian grain to ensure access to food worldwide, as well as issues related to the bilateral agenda for the protection of Romanian farmers and the rights of Romanian minorities in Ukraine, Romanian PM, Marcel Ciolacu said.


    FOOTBALL –Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe football squad, holder of the Romanian Cup, qualified to the Europa Conference League play-off after the 1-0 victory against FC Aktobe on Thursday evening, in Kazakhstan, in the second leg of the third preliminary round of the competition. In Sfantu Gheorghe, Sepsi had finished the match with Aktobe in a draw. On Thursday evening, the Romanian vice-champion FCSB was eliminated from the Europa Conference League by the vice-champion of Denmark, FC Nordsjaelland, who, after a goalless draw in Bucharest, won at home 2-0, in the second leg of the third preliminary round. Romanias champion, Farul Constanţa, has also qualified to the Europa Conference League play-off, which won the away match with Flora Tallinn of Estonia. Two Nordic teams will be the opponents of the Romanians in the play-off: HJK Helsinki (Finland), for Farul and FK Bodoe/Glimt (Norway) for Sepsi. (EE)


  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend


    Two Romanian football clubs stand chances of playing in this years Europa Conference League group stage. Farul Constanţa and Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe have qualified into the play-offs, after winning matches away from home.



    In the return leg of the preliminary round 3, Farul beat Flora Tallinn 2-0, after 3-0 on home turf. In the play-off, Farul will take on the Finnish side HJK Helsinki. Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, the Romanian Cup winners, Friday defeated Kazakhstans vice-champions Aktobe, 1-0, after a draw, 1-1 in the first leg. They are facing the Norwegian team Bodø/Glimt in the play-off.



    The 3rd Romanian team that played on Thursday in the Conference League qualifiers, FCSB, was kicked out of the competition after losing 0-2 away from home to the Danish side Nordsjælland, and a blank draw last week in the first leg.



    Also in football, this weekend matches are scheduled counting for the 6th round of the Romanian SuperLeague. Two games on Friday, pitting Petrolul Ploieşti against FC U Craiova 1948 and Universitatea Craiova against UTA, will be followed on Saturday by Oţelul Galaţi vs Botoşani and Dinamo Bucharest vs FC Voluntari. Two more matches are scheduled for Sunday in Bucharest: Rapid vs champions Farul Constanţa, and FCSB vs Poli Iaşi. The round ends on Monday with the last 2 matches: Sepsi vs Hermannstadt and Universitatea Cluj vs CFR Cluj. Top of the ranking are currently FCSB, with 12 points out of 4 matches, followed by Universitatea Craiova, with 11 points in 5 games.



    The World Athletics Championships begin on Saturday in Budapest. Romania takes part in the competition with 16 athletes, and the target set by the Romanian Athletics Federation is qualification in 3 finals. Last year, in the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Romanias best performances were a 6th place in hammer throw for Bianca Ghelber, and a 7th place in discus throw for Alin Firfirică.



    Also on Satuday, Romanias rugby team play their last match ahead of the World Cup in France. The Romanians are facing Italy away from home, in San Benedetto del Tronto. In the first test matches this summer, Romania lost 31-17 to the US in Bucharest, and 56-6 to Georgia, in Tbilisi. The first match for Romania at the World Cup is against Ireland, in Bordeaux, on 9 September. (AMP)


  • July 18, 2023 UPDATE

    July 18, 2023 UPDATE

    SUMMIT Romania’s efforts to mitigate the effects of the humanitarian and
    food crisis caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine was one of the topics
    discussed by president Klaus Iohannis at the the EU – Latin America summit held
    in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday. In his addresses during the meeting, the
    Romanian official praised the organisation of this summit as a necessary
    moment of reconnection of regional communities with largely converging
    interests and approaches, the Romanian Presidency says. Klaus Iohannis stated
    that Romania firmly supported dialogue and constructive cooperation with the
    partners in the region, as well as regular top-level meetings between
    representatives of the 2 blocs. President Iohannis also presented Bucharest’s views on the most
    efficient measures to fight climate change. He pleaded for the concentration
    of bilateral cooperation both on the more efficient combating of the risks
    entailed by climate change, and on capitalising on the clean energy transition
    as a new shared opportunity. The Romanian president also presented Romania’s
    outlook on the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the
    multidimensional support provided by Romania and the importance of joint action
    in order to defend a rule-based international order. On the sidelines of the
    summit, the Romanian official had a meeting with the head of the Community of
    Latin-American and Caribbean States, Ralph Gonsalves, to discuss strengthening
    the relations between Romania and the countries in that region.


    ROMANIA – MEXICO Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu had talks
    with her Mexican counterpart Alicia Barcena Ibarra on Monday on the sidelines
    of the EU-CELAC summit. Talks focused on giving a new impetus to bilateral
    relations, including by top level contact, identifying new areas of sectoral
    cooperation, the presentation of Romania’s position on Russia’s military
    aggression against Ukraine and an exchange of views on the future of EU-Mexico
    relations. The areas in which Romania is seeking to improve cooperation with
    Mexico include civil protection, cyber security and boosting economic ties with
    emphasis on enhancing investments. The talks also highlighted the importance of
    the Romanian community in Mexico and the support given by Romania in the
    evacuation of Mexican nationals from Ukraine.


    GRAIN NATO’s
    deputy secretary general Mircea Geoană condemned, in a Facebook post, Russia’s
    unilateral decision to pull out of the agreement that had guaranteed Ukraine’s
    grain exports via the Black Sea for the past year. In spite of the efforts of
    the UN and Turkey, the 4-party agreement signed by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and
    the UN expired at midnight on Monday, after it was last extended for 2 months
    in May. Russia declined a new extension of the deal signed on July 22 last year,
    on grounds of the obstacles faced by the trade in Russian agricultural
    products. The last shipment of agricultural products from Ukraine via the Black
    Sea was inspected on Monday night in Istanbul, a few hours before the expiry of
    the international agreement. The EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borell also
    condemned Russia’s decision to withdraw from the agreement which, in spite of
    the war, allowed the export of over 3 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain and
    agricultural products.


    MONEY LAUNDERING Moneyval calls on Romanian authorities to
    strengthen its measures to counter money laundering and terrorism financing, reads
    a report released on Tuesday by the Council of Europe’s monitoring body on
    money laundering. Since 2014, when MONEYVAL last evaluated Romania, the country
    has taken a number of actions to strengthen its legal and institutional
    framework to tackle money laundering and the financing of terrorism. According
    to Moneyval, Bucharest has achieved moderate levels of effectiveness in all
    areas assessed except for international cooperation, where it has achieved a
    substantial level of effectiveness and has been commended by other countries
    for its constructive assistance. Romania has improved its ability to freeze,
    seize and confiscate the proceeds and instrumentalities of domestic crime, the
    report also says.


    FOOTBALL The
    Romanian Football Federation Tuesday announced submitting its candidacy for
    organising the 2026 or 2027 Europa League final on the National Arena in
    Bucharest. After having successfully organised the EURO 2020 and this year’s
    Under-21 European Championship matches, the Federation seeks to continue
    promoting Romania as a destination for major sports events, reads a news
    release posted on the Federation’s official website. EURO 2020 brought us the
    largest public investments in infrastructure, a solid heritage that influences
    the development of Romanian football. Also, the Romanian Football Federation
    has proved that it has developed its organisational capacity and it is a
    competitive partner for UEFA in the European football circuit, and now we aim
    to move to a new stage, one fostering further development for Romanian
    football, the RFF president Răzvan Burleanu said. The National Arena has
    already hosted a Europa League final in 2012, when Atletico Madrid defeated
    Athletic Bilbao 3-0. For the next 2 years, the hosts of the Europa League final
    are already known: Dublin (Irland), in 2024, and Bilbao (Spain), in 2025. (AMP)

  • Sport Club RRI: Fotbal

    Sport Club RRI: Fotbal

    Campioana României la fotbal, CFR Cluj, a debutat, marți, în primul tur
    preliminar al Ligii Campionilor. Formația antrenată de Dan Petrescu a întâlnit,
    în deplasare, campioana Armeniei, Piunik Erevan. Partida s-a încheiat la
    egalitate, scor 0 la 0. Clujenii au controlat jocul și au avut multe ocazii de
    a marca, în special în prima repriză. Cel mai aproape de gol s-au aflat însă în
    partea a doua a întâlnirii, mai exact în minutul 73, când croatul Gabriel
    Debeljuh a trimis balonul în bara transversală a porții armene. Jucătorul croat
    a fost cel mai periculos atacant al CFR-ului, completându-se bine cu Ciprian
    Deac, celălalt stâlp al ofensivei clujene. Dominarea campionilor români a
    fost clară, raportul șuturilor către poartă, de pildă, fiind de 16-5 în
    favoarea lor, iar al celor pe spațiul porții, de 5 la 1. Mai mult, CFR a avut
    nu mai puţin de 11 cornere, față de 5 pentru Piunik, însă nu a reuşit să creeze
    faze periculoase la niciunul.


    Jocul retur dintre CFR Cluj și Piunik Erevan va avea loc miercurea
    viitoare, la Cluj-Napoca. Dacă va trece de campioana Armeniei, CFR va juca în
    turul al doilea preliminar al Ligii Campionilor cu învingătoarea din
    confruntarea care opune echipele Dudelange, din Luxemburg, şi KF Tirana, din
    Albania. Față de echipa din Luxemburg, CFR nu are amintiri plăcute. Campioana
    României s-a mai confruntat cu Dudelange în ediția 2018 – 2019 a
    preliminariilor Europa League și a fost învinsă de două ori, cu 2-0 în
    deplasare și cu 3-2 acasă.


    Până la manșa a doua a confruntării cu Piunik Erevan, CFR merge la
    Arad. Sâmbătă are loc meciul pentru Supercupa României la fotbal, în care
    clujenii vor întâlni formația Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, deținătoarea Cupei
    României. Echipa din Covasna se află la prima confruntare de acest fel. CFR are
    în palmares patru Supercupe, câștigate în anii 2009, 2010, 2018 și 2020. A mai
    disputat patru finale, pe care le-a pierdut.


  • Sport Club RRI: Fotbal

    Sport Club RRI: Fotbal

    Campioana României la fotbal, CFR Cluj, a debutat, marți, în primul tur
    preliminar al Ligii Campionilor. Formația antrenată de Dan Petrescu a întâlnit,
    în deplasare, campioana Armeniei, Piunik Erevan. Partida s-a încheiat la
    egalitate, scor 0 la 0. Clujenii au controlat jocul și au avut multe ocazii de
    a marca, în special în prima repriză. Cel mai aproape de gol s-au aflat însă în
    partea a doua a întâlnirii, mai exact în minutul 73, când croatul Gabriel
    Debeljuh a trimis balonul în bara transversală a porții armene. Jucătorul croat
    a fost cel mai periculos atacant al CFR-ului, completându-se bine cu Ciprian
    Deac, celălalt stâlp al ofensivei clujene. Dominarea campionilor români a
    fost clară, raportul șuturilor către poartă, de pildă, fiind de 16-5 în
    favoarea lor, iar al celor pe spațiul porții, de 5 la 1. Mai mult, CFR a avut
    nu mai puţin de 11 cornere, față de 5 pentru Piunik, însă nu a reuşit să creeze
    faze periculoase la niciunul.


    Jocul retur dintre CFR Cluj și Piunik Erevan va avea loc miercurea
    viitoare, la Cluj-Napoca. Dacă va trece de campioana Armeniei, CFR va juca în
    turul al doilea preliminar al Ligii Campionilor cu învingătoarea din
    confruntarea care opune echipele Dudelange, din Luxemburg, şi KF Tirana, din
    Albania. Față de echipa din Luxemburg, CFR nu are amintiri plăcute. Campioana
    României s-a mai confruntat cu Dudelange în ediția 2018 – 2019 a
    preliminariilor Europa League și a fost învinsă de două ori, cu 2-0 în
    deplasare și cu 3-2 acasă.


    Până la manșa a doua a confruntării cu Piunik Erevan, CFR merge la
    Arad. Sâmbătă are loc meciul pentru Supercupa României la fotbal, în care
    clujenii vor întâlni formația Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, deținătoarea Cupei
    României. Echipa din Covasna se află la prima confruntare de acest fel. CFR are
    în palmares patru Supercupe, câștigate în anii 2009, 2010, 2018 și 2020. A mai
    disputat patru finale, pe care le-a pierdut.


  • Sport: u.a. – Iordănescu beginnt Amtszeit mit Niederlage gegen Griechenland

    Sport: u.a. – Iordănescu beginnt Amtszeit mit Niederlage gegen Griechenland

    Übungsleiter Edward Iordănescu hat seine Amtszeit als Trainer der rumänischen Fußballnationalmannschaft mit einer Niederlage begonnen. Am Freitag unterlagen die Tricolorii in Bukarest in einem Freundschaftsspiel gegen Griechenland mit 0:1. Das einzige Tor des Spiels erzielte Andreas Bouchalakis in der 39. Minute. Rumäniens Debütanten waren Octavian Popescu vom FCSB Bukarest und Radu Drăgușin, Vertragsspieler von Juventus Turin, der an Salernitana ausgeliehen wurde.


    Die Vorbereitung auf die Nations League wird am Dienstag mit einem Freundschaftsspiel gegen Israel in Netanya fortgesetzt. Zwei Schlüsselspieler der rumänischen Mannschaft, Alexandru Maxim und Mario Camora, werden das Spiel verpassen, wie der rumänische Fußballverband am Sonntag mitteilte. Maxim ist durch eine Atemwegserkrankung stark beeinträchtigt und Camora leidet unter Muskelproblemen. Die beiden gesellen sich zu vier weiteren Spielern, die aus dem Kader gestrichen werden mussten. Das sind Răzvan Marin, Alexandru Mitriță, Deian Sorescu und Florin Tănase, die sich gerade in Isolation befinden, nachdem sie am Tag nach dem Griechenland-Spiel positiv auf Covid-19 getestet worden waren.



    Rumänien hat beim mit 8,3 Mio US-Dollar dotierten WTA-Tennisturnier in Miami keine Vertreterinnen mehr im Rennen. Die letzte Rumänin im Wettbewerb, Irina Begu, unterlag am Samstag in der dritten Runde der Weißrussin Aleksandra Sasnovici nach drei Stunden Spielzeit mit 5:7, 7:6, 4:6. In der zweiten Runde hatte Begu noch die topgesetzte Arina Sabalenka, ebenfalls aus Weißrussland, bezwingen können. Das Turnier in Miami gehört zur Kategorie WTA-1000 und somit zu den stärksten auf der WTA-Tour.



    Weiter geht es mit dem Frauenhandball. Minaur Baia Mare hat einen großen Schritt in Richtung Europa-League-Halbfinale gemacht. Am Samstag besiegte das Team aus Maramureș im Hinspiel des Viertelfinales zu Hause die norwegische Mannschaft Sola mit 40:32. Das Rückspiel wird am Sonntag in Stavanger ausgetragen. Im vergangenen Jahr war Minaur Gastgeber des Turniers, bei dem sowohl das Halbfinale als auch das Finale ausgetragen wurden, das Team belegte dabei den dritten Platz. In einem weiteren Viertelfinal-Hinspiel am Sonntag unterlag der SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea zu Hause dem dänischen Team Herning – Ikaast mit 33:39. Das Rückspiel findet am Samstag in Dänemark statt.



    Rumäniens nationaler Rallye-Meister, Simone Tempestini, wurde am Sonntag bei der Rallye der Azoren, dem zweiten Rennen der Rallye-Europameisterschaft, vierter. Laut Angaben des rumänischen Motorsportverbands habe Tempestini das beste Ergebnis Rumäniens in der modernen Ära der Rallye-Europameisterschaft“ erzielt.

  • Nachrichten 17.08.2021

    Nachrichten 17.08.2021

    Das rumänische Außenministerium hat am Dienstag mitgeteilt, dass sich noch 27 rumänische Staatsbürger in Afghanistan aufhalten. Dies, nachdem es 16 Rumänen in der Nacht zuvor gelungen war, das Land zu verlassen. Derselben Quelle zufolge hat Bukarest auch Notfallverfahren eingeleitet, um ein rumänisches Militärflugzeug für die Evakuierung der eigenen Staatsbürger nach Kabul zu entsenden. Präsident Klaus Iohannis hatte am Montag den Einsatz der rumänischen Luftwaffe zur Evakuierung rumänischer Staatsbürger aus Afghanistan angeordnet. Der Beschluss wurde auf Vorschlag von Premierminister Florin Cîțu gefasst, der sagte, dass es sich um Personen handelt, die im privaten Sektor und bei der UNO arbeiten. Der Premierminister forderte alle Rumänen in Afghanistan auf, das Land zu verlassen. Das Außenministerium rät ihnen außerdem, sich dringend mit der rumänischen Botschaft in Islamabad in Verbindung zu setzen und ihren Aufenthaltsort anzugeben, damit sie gegebenenfalls kontaktiert werden können.



    Rumäniens Bruttoinlandsprodukt hat in der ersten Hälfte dieses Jahres um 6,5 % gegenüber dem Vergleichszeitraum des Vorjahres zugenommen, so die am Dienstag veröffentlichten Schätzungen des Nationalen Instituts für Statistik. Im zweiten Quartal dieses Jahres stieg das BIP um 1,8 % im Vergleich zum Vorquartal an, und im Vergleich zum gleichen Quartal 2020 wuchs die Wirtschaft um 13 %. Ebenfalls am Dienstag teilte Eurostat mit, dass Rumänien im zweiten Quartal mit 13,6 % Wachstum zu den EU-Ländern mit der höchsten jährlichen Wachstumsrate im Vergleich zum Vorjahreszeitraum gehöre. Man vergleicht nicht ohne weiteres ein Quartal, in dem sich die Wirtschaft erholt, mit einem Quartal, in dem die Wirtschaft teilweise geschlossen war, sagte jedoch der Präsident des Finanzrates in Bukarest, Daniel Dăianu. Er wies darauf hin, dass Rumänien ein strukturelles Haushaltsdefizit und große außenwirtschaftliche Defizite hat. Die PSD, die in der Opposition ist, behauptet, dass die Wirtschaft nur um 1,9 % im Vergleich zum Vorpandemie-Niveau gewachsen sei und dass sich der Lebensstandard für 99 % der Bürger angesichts der grassierenden Inflation erheblich verschlechtert habe.



    Die rumänischen Behörden haben am Dienstag 544 neue Fälle von Covid-Infektionen bei fast 39.000 durchgeführten Tests innerhalb von 24 Stunden gemeldet. Außerdem wurden sechs Todesfälle verzeichnet. Die Zahl der in Krankenhäuser eingelieferten Personen steigt weiter an – inzwischen sind es mehr als 1.000, darunter 126 auf der Intensivstation. Andererseits ist das Interesse an der Impfung trotz wiederholter Aufforderungen durch die Behörden nach wie vor gering. Etwa 5 Millionen Rumänen sind nach dem vollen Impfplan geimpft worden.



    SPORT: Der rumänische Fußballmeister CFR Klausenburg (Nordwesten) trifft am Dienstagabend im Playoff-Hinspiel der Europa League auswärts auf den serbischen Erstligisten Roter Stern Belgrad. Die Rumänen verpassten die Qualifikation für das Champions-League-Playoff zugunsten der Schweizer Mannschaft Young Boys Bern. Sollte Klausenburg auch diesmal ausscheiden, ist dem Team ein Platz in der Gruppenphase der neu geschaffenen Europa Conference League sicher.

  • December 11, 2020

    December 11, 2020

    COVID-19 – In its session
    today the Government decided to extend the state of alert by another 30 days
    starting December 14. State Secretary Raed Arafat said all restrictions remain
    in place, including the nighttime curfew. One new measure will be introduced,
    regarding cable transport operators in ski resorts. Cable transport facilities
    will remain open, although the Government intends to avoid overcrowding in
    order to limit the spread of the virus. Therefore aerial trams with 20 seats
    will only carry 10 people. Raed Arafat called on Romanians to limit their
    visits, avoid going caroling or to New Year’s Eve parties during the winter
    holidays. 545 thousand Romanians got infected with COVID-19 since the start of
    the outbreak, of whom 80% have recovered. So far over 13,100 people have died
    to the virus. 6,460 new infections were reported on Friday, most case being
    signaled in Bucharest. Some 1,300 patients are in intensive care.




    TALKS – President Klaus
    Iohannis on Monday invited political parties to consultations with a view to
    designating the new Prime Minister. Taking part in consultations will be the
    Social-Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union -
    PLUS Alliance, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians and the Democratic Union
    of Ethnic Hungarians. The Social-Democrats have nominated Prof. Alexandru
    Rafila, Romania’s representative at the WHO, whom they want to lead either a
    Social-Democratic Cabinet, or a technocratic government. The Liberals, in turn,
    have nominated Florin Cîţu, the current Finance Minister and say they will hold
    official talks with a view to forming a majority in Parliament with the Save
    Romania Union – PLUS Alliance and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians
    starting Saturday.




    INFLATION – The annual
    inflation rate went down to 2.1% in November, from 2.2% in October, considering
    foodstuffs, non-essential products and services registered price hikes, the
    National Statistics Institute announced on Friday. In its inflation report, the
    National Bank of Romania has estimated a 2.1% inflation rate for the end of
    2020, down by 0.6% compared to its previous forecast.




    INTERNET USAGE – Over 5.3 billion
    Gigabytes of Internet were used in Romania in the first half of 2020, of which
    90% in home connections. A report of the National Authority for Management and
    Regulation in Communications in Romania (ANCOM) reveals that total broadband
    traffic registered a major increase in the first six months of the year as an
    effect of the coronacrisis, and went up by 33% compared to the previous
    semester, the biggest increase since 2015. At the same, mobile data usage
    reported a 12% increase, the lowest reported so far. During the state of
    emergency, Internet traffic moved to broadband connections, with remote work
    and online teaching becoming the norm. People staying at home also connected to
    WI-FI home connections for accessing the Internet, the President of the
    Authority, Eduard Lovin, explained.




    EUROPEAN COUNCIL – At the European
    Council meeting in Brussels, EU leaders, including Romania’s President Klaus
    Iohannis, adopted the Union’s seven-year budget and the post-pandemic recovery
    package, worth €1.8 trillion, after Poland and Hungary initially refused to
    vote in favor due to disbursements being tied to the observance of the rule of
    law. From the upcoming EU budget, Romania will receive €46.7 billion for
    various sectors, such as agriculture, cohesion, rural development,
    infrastructure or transports. From the recovery package, Romania will get €33.5
    billion in grants and loans. Another topic on the meeting’s agenda is the
    reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The Romanian
    President called for the creation of a flexible framework allowing all Member
    States, irrespective of their development, to effectively meet climate change
    goals. EU leaders also agreed to sanction Turkey for its aggressions in the
    Mediterranean Sea against Greece and Cyprus.




    SPORTS – Romania’s women’s
    handball team lost 25-20 to Croatia on Thursday in its first game in the second
    main group at the European Handball Championship in Denmark. Romania is bottom
    of the group tables with zero points and has lost all chances of qualifying to
    the semi-finals. Romania will play two more games, against Hungary and the
    defending world champions, the Netherlands. In news from football, Romania’s
    champions CFR Cluj failed to qualify to the Europa League knock-out phase after
    losing 2-1 away from home to Young Boys Berne of Switzerland. CFR Cluj ranked 3rd,
    after AS Rome, in top position, and Young Boys in runner-up position. (V.
    Palcu)

  • November 27, 2020

    November 27, 2020

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA
    – Another 8,499 new COVID-19 infections and 172 related deaths were reported on
    Friday in Romania. 457,848 people have been infected since the start of the
    outbreak and 10,884 people have died to the virus. 1,226 patients are in
    intensive care. 6,876 Romanians living abroad have tested positive for
    COVID-19, 127 of them have died. Several villages around the capital city are
    now in quarantine after the infection rate there has spiked. Doctors say the
    measures taken by the authorities are not enough to keep the pandemic in check.
    They ask for harsher restrictions, warning that the number of beds in intensive
    care units across the country is getting lower by the day. In another
    development, the National Authority for Consumer Protection has submitted seven
    notifications regarding uncertified masks in Romania, which have already been
    filtered through the EU’s rapid alert system. The Authority has recently put a
    trade ban on nearly 33 million such masks in Romania.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD
    – Over 61.3 million people around the world have got infected with SARS-CoV-2
    since the start of the outbreak, according to the latest worldometers.info
    update. Over 1.4 million people have died to the virus. In Europe, Germany
    announced plans to vaccinate 900 thousand people over the course of three
    months against COVID-19, after progress has been reported to organize the
    vaccination campaign. According to our correspondent on the ground,
    restaurants, cultural and entertainment venues remain closed, including for the
    winter holidays. Schools and nursery schools remain, however, open in Germany.
    In France, Health Minister Oliver Veran confirmed the immunization might begin
    at the end of December, underlining the need to make the process as transparent
    as possible, against the backdrop of high levels of coronascepticism in this
    country. Meanwhile the infection rate is going down in Spain. The authorities
    have called on the population to continue observing travel restrictions until
    the Government and regional authorities announce the set of special measures
    for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.




    RECOVERY – The
    Government in Bucharest has submitted for public consultation the national
    Recovery and Resilience Plan, a post-COVID economic recovery plan, under which
    Romania will receive €30 billion worth of European funds. The plan is designed
    to uphold an accelerated growth rate over the next four years. The European
    funds will be used to build new hospitals and hundreds of kilometers of
    motorway, to develop school infrastructure and digitize local administrations.
    Of the €30 billion, €14 billion represent non-refundable grants, while the rest
    accounts for low-interest loans the Commission has taken out on behalf of all
    Member States.




    GOVERNMENT – The
    Government is today convening in a new session, the second this week, aimed at passing an emergency decree introducing assistance measures for the hospitality
    sector, one of the hardest hit by the coronacrisis. The financial aid package
    includes grants tantamount to 20% of the losses incurred this year, which caps
    out at €800 thousand for a single business. Travel agencies also qualify for
    this programme. High on today’s Cabinet meeting is also the anti-COVID national
    vaccination strategy, recently made public by Bucharest authorities. President
    Klaus Iohannis said the Government should adopt the strategy before the
    country’s Supreme Defense Council meeting scheduled for next week. The
    Government will also discuss a law on granting emergency assistance to the
    families of the victims of the November 14 fire at the Piatra Neamţ Emergency
    County Hospital.




    BSEC – Romania’s
    Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today presiding the 42nd meeting
    of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea
    Economic Cooperation (BSEC). Held in videoconference format, the event marks
    the end of Romania’s presidency of the Organization in 2020. Albania will hold
    the presidency of BSEC in the first half of 2021. According to a Foreign
    Ministry release, the Council meeting occasioned a review of all projects and
    initiatives launched under the Romanian presidency, which sought to boost
    economic cooperation in the Black Sea region and increase regional dialogue
    among BSEC Member States with a view to better deal with the social and
    economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.




    FOOTBALL -
    Romania’s champions CFR Cluj on Thursday lost nil-2 to AS Rome of Italy in
    Europa League Group A. In the other group fixture, Young Boys Berne of
    Switzerland defeated Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia. Rome tops the group tables with 10
    points, followed by Young Boys with 7 points, CFR Cluj with 4 points and CSKA
    with 1 point. In the next round scheduled for December 3, AS Rome will take on
    Young Boys while CFR will play CSKA. Eliminated from the Champions League
    preliminaries, CFR Cluj is Romania’s last representative in this year’s
    inter-club competitions. (V. Palcu)

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend


    Romanian football team CFR Cluj’s chances to go
    through to the European spring have diminished as on Thursday, CFR
    sustained a home defeat by AS Rome. In a fixture counting towards Europa
    league, CFR Cluj conceded a nil-2 defeat by their Italian opponents, and are
    now 3rd placed in Group A. In Cluj, both goals of the guest team
    were scored in the second half of the match. On 49 minutes, CFR’s Croat
    footballer Gabriel Debeljuh deflected in CFR’s posts the ball shot by the
    French footballer Jordan Veretout through a freekick. Then in minute 67, Roma’s
    Armenian footballer Henrikh Mhitaryan and
    CFR’s goalie Cristian Bălgrădean clashed, so AS Roma were granted a penalty
    kick Veretout turned into a goal. In the group’s other game, Swiss team Young
    Boys Berne grabbed a 1-nil away defeat against TSKA Sofia. AS Rome are at the
    top of the table in Group A, with 1o points and have already booked their
    ticket for Europa League’ s round of 32. Young Boys Berne are the runner-up
    team, with 7 points, while CFR Cluj are 3rd-placed, with 4 points.
    TSKA Sofia are 4th placed, with 1 point on their record sheet. On
    December 3rd, AS Rome will next play Young Boys Berne on home turf,
    while CFR play TSKA Sofia, also on home ground. If they still want to qualify
    for the European spring, CFR Cluj are in dire need of a win in the match against
    TSKA Sofia. Under the circumstances, the last-round match against Young Boys
    Berne could the decide the team that makes headway into the Europa league.


    The Romanian national football team has skipped 7 positions and is now 37th-placed according to the International
    Football Federation’s rankings. Therefore, Romania will be in the second pot of
    the drawing of lots for the European preliminary groups ahead of the for 2022
    edition of the World Cup. Romania’s progress has occurred due to the team’s
    results in November: a 5-3 win in the friendly against Belarus, a 3-nil win
    ”at the green table against Norway”, counting towards UEFA Nations League,
    and a 1-all draw against Ireland, also in UEFA Nations League.



    ——-