Radio România Internațional

Tag: European Council

June 19, 2020 UPDATE

EUROPEAN COUNCIL – Romanian president
Klaus Iohannis on Friday attended the European Council meeting, held in
videoconference format. The main points on the agenda were the 2021-2027
multiannual financial framework and the economic recovery plan. The President
said, after the meeting, that European leaders have agreed to continue talks on
the two topics, although additional points in the two packages have to be
discussed and settled. Romania was earmarked €44 billion in the current
financial framework. We’re trying to get a considerably higher amount over the
next financial framework, and we are equally fighting to obtain more favorable
conditions for their implementation, the President went on to say. The money is expected to go to economic
development, healthcare, road and rail infrastructure, water and sewage,
education and sustainable energy. President Iohannis said the next European
Council meeting is scheduled for mid-July. According to France Press, EU
leaders have called on the EU27 to swiftly reach an agreement on the post-COVID
economic recovery plan, with the aim of pulling the European continent out of a
historic recession. A bailout plan worth €750 billion is on the table, and
could represent a major step for Europe, as for the first time the sum will be
borrowed on the financial markets.

ONLINE FORM – Air passengers
entering the country via Henri Coanda airport must file an online form stating
their epidemiological status. Available as of Friday, the form is aimed at
reducing waiting times and boosting the flow of arrivals, with the overall
purpose of preventing the SARS CoV2 virus from spreading. The form can be
accessed on bucharestairports.ro.

PENSIONS – The High Court of
Cassation and Justice in Bucharest and the Ombudsman have referred a law on the
progressive taxation up to 85% of all special pensions in Romania, endorsed by
Parliament, to the Constitutional Court. The Court has criticized several
aspects, such as the fact that its rulings in this matter have been repeatedly
ignored, the Supreme Council of Magistrates has not been consulted and several
principles haven’t been observed, such as the proper and equitable taxation and
the independence of judges. There are multiple reasons of unconstitutionality,
the Ombudsman has also pointed out, adding that, under the law, the
beneficiaries of these special pensions are being discriminated against. We
recall that on May 6 Romania’s Constitutional Court turned down a law on
cancelling special pensions upon two notifications by the High Court and the Ombudsman.

NATO – The Multinational
Division South-East Command will contribute to the deterring and defence
capabilities of NATO’s eastern flank, Romania’s Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca
has said. His statement came after Parliament in Bucharest on Thursday endorsed
the setting up of this command in Sibiu, central Romania. According to Ciuca,
Romania’s initiative has been appreciated by NATO partners and accepted by the
allies thus highlighting the strategic importance of the Black Sea for the
security of the Euro-Atlantic area and the need for increasing allied military
presence in the region. The new military body will have the statute of
international military command subordinated to an allied command outside the
national structure of command and control.

SANCTIONS – EU leaders have
agreed to extend economic sanctions on Russia by another six months, reason
being Russia’s unresolved conflict in Eastern Ukraine and its refusal to
implement the Minsk peace agreements, European Council President Charles Michel
has said. Introduced back in July, 2014, the sanctions target the finance,
energy and defense sectors in Russia, preventing certain Russian banks and
businesses from accessing EU markets, as well as restricting certain European
imports. The sanctions also restrict Russia’s access to certain sensitive
technologies and services that can be used to explore and produce oil. Romania’s
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said Romania does not consider Russia to be an enemy
state, but condemns the country’s previous aggressive behavior. It’s not just
Romania’s viewpoint, but a common analysis inside NATO and the EU. The allies are
viewing Russia’s actions in the Black Sea region as generating risks, Minister
Aurescu explained. The Romanian official took part in an online debate
organized by the American Center for European Political Analysis, where he
discussed the possibility of introducing the Russian Federation into the country’s
new National Defense Strategy.

(translated by D. Bilt
& V. Palcu)

19 June 2020
April 23, 2020

Covid-19 Romania — Romania is still on a rising trend in terms of the number of new coronavirus infections reported — experts have warned. So far about 10,100 cases of infection have been reported, with the death toll reaching 527. Abroad, as many as 1,000 Romanian citizens have been confirmed with the new coronavirus, most of them in Italy, with 64 Romanians from abroad having been killed by the Covid-19 virus. On Wednesday the Romanian President Klaus Iohanis announced that after May 15, when the state of emergency comes to an end, the restrictions on the individuals’ freedom of movement would not be extended. However, people will be obliged to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces and in the public transportation means, with public gatherings remaining strictly banned.

Videoconference — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is today participating in a European Council videoconference dealing with measures aimed at managing the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the 4th conference held on the topic which gathers the heads of state and government from the EU. On March 26, the European Council members agreed on the need of a coordinated strategy for relaxing the restrictions imposed in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, on a comprehensive recovery plan and on unprecedented investments. Subsequently, the presidents of the European Council and of the European Commission drafted a roadmap for lifting restrictions across the bloc, which should be based on several criteria such as a significant drop of new coronavirus cases, control of the spread of the virus for a longer period of time, sufficient health system capacity, and testing a bigger number of people. The Committee and the Council added that a common European approach is needed in this regard, although the guidelines for and ways of lifting restrictions may differ from one state to another.

UN — The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has today announced that the new coronavirus crisis could provide certain countries with an excuse for adopting repressive measures on grounds that are not related to the pandemic. He warned that these countries risk turning the pandemic into a human rights crisis, which would be unacceptable. Mr. Gutteres has made public a UN Report which highlights how human rights can and must guide COVID-19 response and recovery from the health, social and economic crisis facing the world. Antonio Guterres added that the world could see how the virus does not discriminate, but its impacts do. According to the UN report, migrants, refugees and displaced people are the most vulnerable categories. 131 countries have closed their borders, with only 30 of them making an exception for asylum seekers. The new coronavirus has so far infected more than 2.5 million people worldwide, of whom almost 180 thousand have died, shows a Reuters death toll.

World Book Day — Starting in 1996, the Word Book and Copyright Day has been celebrated on April 23 upon a UNESCO’s initiative. The day marks the death in 1616 of three great writers of the world: the English William Shakespeare, the Spanish Miguel de Cervantes and the Spanish-born Peruvian Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Also April 23 is the birthday of such writers as Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. UNESCO declared April 23 the World Book and Copyright Day in an attempt to encourage reading, given the sharp decline in reading habits across the world. All countries of the world mark the day by holding events to pay homage to books, writers, editors, book sellers, librarians and of course to readers. The events include book exhibitions and public readings. This year, in the context of the coronaviurs pandemic, the World Book and Copyright Day is marked in a special way. In Romania, the 8th edition of the Open Books Night will be held under the motto ‘celebrate books from #home’. All readers, grownups and children, are invited to share the joy of reading online.

Paris — The French group Renault has today reported a drop of more than 19% in its revenues registered in the first quarter of 2020, against the backdrop of the coronaviurs pandemic. Renault global sales have dropped by almost 26%, and in Europe by 36%. The Dacia brand has been especially affected, reporting in Europe a car registration decline of 44.5%. Production at the Dacia Mioveni Factory, in southern Romania, was resumed partially on Tuesday, based on a volunteering principle. Dacia Company was taken over by the Renault Group in 1999. Re-launched in 2004 with the new Logan model, Dacia has become an important player on the European car market. (tr. L. Simion)

23 April 2020
December 13, 2018 UPDATE

BRUSSELS – Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis is attending in Brussels
the European Council meeting and the Euro Summit. The Council’s agenda includes
negotiations on the future EU budget after 2020, the Union’s Single Market,
migration, climate change and the fight against racism and xenophobia. As
regards the future budget of the EU, Romania’s president pleads for its rapid
adoption, specifying that Romania, while holding the presidency of the Council
of the EU, will act towards ensuring significant progress in the negotiations. Also,
he supports the efforts made by the members states with regard to the external dimension
of migration and an active involvement in the dialogue with the external
partners, the countries of origin and transit. On the sidelines of the summit,
president Iohannis has had a meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
They have discussed the informal summit on the future of Europe to be hosted by
the Romanian city of Sibiu on May 9th, 2019, which will play a major
role in outlining the strategic agenda of the EU for 2020-2024.

COOPERATION – Romania benefits from
the US’s unequivocal support for a quick accession to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the conclusions drawn
at the meeting in Washington between the Romanian Minister for the Business Environment,
Stefan-Radu Oprea, and the US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The two
officials discussed Romania’s priorities during its term at the helm of the Council
of the EU and boosting investment under the strategic partnership between the
two countries. According to statistics, bilateral trade exchanges stood at a
total 2 billion dollars in the first nine months of the year, 6.8% more than in the same period last year.
Romanian exports to the US grew by 29%, up to 1.15 billion dollars, and imports
from that country dropped by 15%, to 800 million dollars.

NO-CONFIDENCE -
A no-confidence motion against the Government formed by the Social Democratic
Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and headed by the Social
Democrat Viorica Dancila will be filed in the Romanian Parliament on Friday.
The document has been signed by 163 Senators and Deputies members of the opposition National Liberal Party,
Save Romania Union and People’s Movement Party, as well as by non-affiliated
MPs. The initiators of the motion say that this is not a just request from the
opposition, it’s a national emergency, and those who will try and reject it
will carry a historic responsibility on their shoulders. The motion will be
debated and voted on next week.

MOLDOVA – The local and parliamentary elections that are
due in the Republic of Moldova next year pose risks to the economic development
of the former Soviet state, with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population,
according to analysts with the Expert-Grup Center in Chisinau, quoted by Radio
Romania correspondents. In their opinion, a drop in foreign assistance and
budget revenues could increase the internal debt and also fees and taxes. For
2019, experts forecast an economic growth within the 3.5 – 5.2% range. However,
they also warn that decreasing taxes only a few months before the elections
will diminish budget revenues and therefore, after the election, the future
Government might increase other taxes and resort to loans from the internal
market, especially given that foreign financing has been dropping. Business
people are reluctant to investing, waiting for the result of the elections.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for February, and the local ones are due
in June. Opinion polls indicate the pro-Russia Socialists as the favourites,
followed by the pro-European opposition and the ruling Democratic Party.

HANDBALL – On Friday night in Paris, Romania’s national women’s handball
team will face the Russian team, in the semi-finals of the European
Championship hosted by France. In the same stage of the competition, the host
country plays against the Netherlands. The Romanian handballers have also
secured their participation in the World Championship in Japan, next year. The
star and leader of the Romanian team, Cristina Neagu, dubbed the best scorer in
the history of European competitions, has unfortunately sustained an injury and
she will not be able to play.

13 December 2018
October 14-20

Romania’s President on a visit to Italy and Brussels

Romania’s
President, Klaus Iohannis has had a busy agenda this week, which included a
four-day state visit to Italy and a trip to Brussels where he attended the
autumn session of the European Council. Also, the Romanian president attended
the 12th Asia-Europe Summit. Early this week, Klaus Iohannis paid
the first state visit to Italy by a Romanian president over the past 45 years. With
an estimated value of trade exchanges of over 15.5 billion Euros in 2018, Italy is Romania’s second largest trade
partner and ranks first among foreign investors in terms of the number of
companies doing business on the Romanian market. Organized in the year when
Romania celebrates 100 years since the Great Union and 10 years since
Romanian-Italian relations were lifted at the level of Consolidated Strategic
Partnership, the visit also covered issues related to the significant Romanian
community, of some 1.2 million people, the largest community living outside the
borders of the country and also the largest foreign community in Italy. During
the official talks with the Italian President and Prime Minister, Iohannis thanked
the Italian authorities for the way in which the Romanians are treated and
integrated in the Peninsula. From Rome, the Romanian president went to
Brussels, where he attended the autumn session of the European Council, and
then the 12th Asia-Europe
Summit. The first day of the EU Summit ended without any significant progress
regarding Brexit. President Iohannis said that, in spite of heated
negotiations, Great Britain’s deal has not been finalized so far. Iohannis has expressed hope that at
least a deal on a well planned withdrawal of the UK can be achieved, so that
other steps could be taken. On the second day, the European leaders discussed
issues regarding migration, internal security and strengthening the monetary
union. The
talks on migration focused on future developments, towards boosting cooperation
with third origin and transit countries. As regards internal security,
president Iohannis has underlined that preventing and fighting terrorism
should remain one of the main concerns of the EU member states.

The Romanian Prime Minister’s tour of Turkey,
United Arab Emirates and Kuwait

This
week, the Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă has taken a tour of Turkey, the United
Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The first leg of the tour was Turkey, where the PM
was received in Ankara by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two officials
agreed that Romania will further support Turkey’s European path. The two
countries expressed readiness to further cooperate to develop economic
relations, maintain security and fight against terrorism. The two officials also signed two bilateral
cooperation agreements in the fields of healthcare and education. The tour
continued in the United Arab Emirates. In
Dubai, during the meeting with the Emirati leader, sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Viorica
Dancila also presented the latest
investment opportunities in Romania and encouraged Emirati companies to take
part either in public tenders for projects financed under the existing operational programmes, or in
projects developed though public-private partnerships. Dancila said Romania
will further pay special heed to the EU’s southern neighborhood, the more so as
the country will hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council, for six
months. In Abu Dhabi, Viorica Dăncilă also
talked about attracting Emirati investments and boosting two-way trade
exchanges. On Wednesday, the heads of the Romanian and Emirati government
adopted a Joint Declaration on establishing a strategic economic partnership between
the Government of Romania and the Government of the United Arab Emirates.
Trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, research and innovation are only some
of the key domains of cooperation between the two countries’ business
environments. The last leg of the tour was Kuwait.

The 2018 Earthquake Drills

The
population should be ready as much as possible in order to know how to react in
case of disaster, the Head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, said during a ceremony marking the
end of a drill simulating a major earthquake in Romania, Earthquake 2018. Raed
Arafat said it was the biggest and most complex such exercise at European level
in the past years, which was an occasion for the Romanian authorities to test
their reaction response and speed, as well as the capacity to intervene and
cooperate in case of a powerful earthquake. Romania is considered to be one of
the most earthquake vulnerable EU countries. In the past two centuries,
Romania was hit by seven earthquake measuring
over 7 degrees on Richter’s scale. During the five-day-simulation, the training
included all structures with responsibilities
in the event of a major earthquake, of 7.5 degrees, followed by tremors,
with multiple victims and which will affect mostly Bucharest. The rescuers were
put to the test, to face limit situations, with thousands of dead and injured
and people left destitute. President Klaus Iohannis decreed the instament of a state of emergency. At its bases, the
Army mounted mobile hospitals, and special camps were laid out on stadiums and
in the satellite localities of Bucharest. State of the art mobile hospitals,
including intensive care units have been brought over from Israel, Italy and Norway,
and ambulances arrived from Austria and Hungary.

Romania’s Under 21 team qualifies for the
final tournament of the European Championships after 20 years

Romania’s
youth football team has qualified for the Under-21 European Championship due
next year, after defeating Liechtenstein
4-0, on home turf, in Ploiesti, on Tuesday, in the last qualifying Group 8
match. With seven wins and three draws out of ten matches, the Romanians ended
the qualification series undefeated, accumulating 24 points and winning a group
also made up of Portugal, Bosnia, Wales and Switzerland. Romania has
thus managed to secure a second qualification
to a European Youth Championship, after that in 1998, when the final tournament
was organised in Bucharest. The U-21 European Championships will be played over
June 16-30, 2019 in Italy and San Marino and will enjoy the participation of 12
teams.

20 October 2018
October 14-20

Romania’s President on a visit to Italy and Brussels

Romania’s
President, Klaus Iohannis has had a busy agenda this week, which included a
four-day state visit to Italy and a trip to Brussels where he attended the
autumn session of the European Council. Also, the Romanian president attended
the 12th Asia-Europe Summit. Early this week, Klaus Iohannis paid
the first state visit to Italy by a Romanian president over the past 45 years. With
an estimated value of trade exchanges of over 15.5 billion Euros in 2018, Italy is Romania’s second largest trade
partner and ranks first among foreign investors in terms of the number of
companies doing business on the Romanian market. Organized in the year when
Romania celebrates 100 years since the Great Union and 10 years since
Romanian-Italian relations were lifted at the level of Consolidated Strategic
Partnership, the visit also covered issues related to the significant Romanian
community, of some 1.2 million people, the largest community living outside the
borders of the country and also the largest foreign community in Italy. During
the official talks with the Italian President and Prime Minister, Iohannis thanked
the Italian authorities for the way in which the Romanians are treated and
integrated in the Peninsula. From Rome, the Romanian president went to
Brussels, where he attended the autumn session of the European Council, and
then the 12th Asia-Europe
Summit. The first day of the EU Summit ended without any significant progress
regarding Brexit. President Iohannis said that, in spite of heated
negotiations, Great Britain’s deal has not been finalized so far. Iohannis has expressed hope that at
least a deal on a well planned withdrawal of the UK can be achieved, so that
other steps could be taken. On the second day, the European leaders discussed
issues regarding migration, internal security and strengthening the monetary
union. The
talks on migration focused on future developments, towards boosting cooperation
with third origin and transit countries. As regards internal security,
president Iohannis has underlined that preventing and fighting terrorism
should remain one of the main concerns of the EU member states.

The Romanian Prime Minister’s tour of Turkey,
United Arab Emirates and Kuwait

This
week, the Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă has taken a tour of Turkey, the United
Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The first leg of the tour was Turkey, where the PM
was received in Ankara by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two officials
agreed that Romania will further support Turkey’s European path. The two
countries expressed readiness to further cooperate to develop economic
relations, maintain security and fight against terrorism. The two officials also signed two bilateral
cooperation agreements in the fields of healthcare and education. The tour
continued in the United Arab Emirates. In
Dubai, during the meeting with the Emirati leader, sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Viorica
Dancila also presented the latest
investment opportunities in Romania and encouraged Emirati companies to take
part either in public tenders for projects financed under the existing operational programmes, or in
projects developed though public-private partnerships. Dancila said Romania
will further pay special heed to the EU’s southern neighborhood, the more so as
the country will hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council, for six
months. In Abu Dhabi, Viorica Dăncilă also
talked about attracting Emirati investments and boosting two-way trade
exchanges. On Wednesday, the heads of the Romanian and Emirati government
adopted a Joint Declaration on establishing a strategic economic partnership between
the Government of Romania and the Government of the United Arab Emirates.
Trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, research and innovation are only some
of the key domains of cooperation between the two countries’ business
environments. The last leg of the tour was Kuwait.

The 2018 Earthquake Drills

The
population should be ready as much as possible in order to know how to react in
case of disaster, the Head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, said during a ceremony marking the
end of a drill simulating a major earthquake in Romania, Earthquake 2018. Raed
Arafat said it was the biggest and most complex such exercise at European level
in the past years, which was an occasion for the Romanian authorities to test
their reaction response and speed, as well as the capacity to intervene and
cooperate in case of a powerful earthquake. Romania is considered to be one of
the most earthquake vulnerable EU countries. In the past two centuries,
Romania was hit by seven earthquake measuring
over 7 degrees on Richter’s scale. During the five-day-simulation, the training
included all structures with responsibilities
in the event of a major earthquake, of 7.5 degrees, followed by tremors,
with multiple victims and which will affect mostly Bucharest. The rescuers were
put to the test, to face limit situations, with thousands of dead and injured
and people left destitute. President Klaus Iohannis decreed the instament of a state of emergency. At its bases, the
Army mounted mobile hospitals, and special camps were laid out on stadiums and
in the satellite localities of Bucharest. State of the art mobile hospitals,
including intensive care units have been brought over from Israel, Italy and Norway,
and ambulances arrived from Austria and Hungary.

Romania’s Under 21 team qualifies for the
final tournament of the European Championships after 20 years

Romania’s
youth football team has qualified for the Under-21 European Championship due
next year, after defeating Liechtenstein
4-0, on home turf, in Ploiesti, on Tuesday, in the last qualifying Group 8
match. With seven wins and three draws out of ten matches, the Romanians ended
the qualification series undefeated, accumulating 24 points and winning a group
also made up of Portugal, Bosnia, Wales and Switzerland. Romania has
thus managed to secure a second qualification
to a European Youth Championship, after that in 1998, when the final tournament
was organised in Bucharest. The U-21 European Championships will be played over
June 16-30, 2019 in Italy and San Marino and will enjoy the participation of 12
teams.

20 October 2018
June 29, 2018 UPDATE

AGREEMENT Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said on Friday in Brussels that Romania is successfully involved and well managing the inflow of refugees. According to Iohannis, Romania is not a destination country for migrants but a transit one and the number of refugees transiting it is reasonable and can be easily managed. After a series of tense debates on Thursday night in Brussels the EU leaders reached an agreement on migration. The Europeans have decided among other things to create platforms aimed at sending these migrants outside the EU in order to discourage further attempts to cross the Mediterranean. The participants have also agreed to extend with six months the sanctions against Russia, in response to its annexation of Crimea.

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA — The Central Electoral Authority in the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population announced on Friday that mayoral elections will again be held in the capital city, Chishinau. The decision comes after the US Department of State has criticized the “non-transparent ruling” issued by Moldova’s Supreme Court of Justice which invalidated the result of the mayoral elections of June 3, in Chishinau. According to the local press, the US diplomacy has warned in a communiqué that the move is a threat to democracy. Earlier, the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, have, in their turn, condemned the decision made by the Moldovan Court. The recent elections for the city hall of Chishinau were won by the pro-European candidate Andrei Nastase, the leader of the Dignity and Truth Platform. Nastase and his second round contender, Socialist Ion Ceban, made appeals to mobilize people to come to the polls on the day of the elections, which were considered to be “electoral agitation”.

JUSTICE OVERHAUL — The Public Ministry has identified over 30 articles suspected of being unconstitutional, following an analysis of the changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure, Romania’s Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazăr, said on Friday. He said all these provisions had been brought to the attention of the relevant institutions to notify the Constitutional Court. He made these statements after on Thursday, 12 western embassies to Bucharest made an appeal to all sides involved in amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to avoid changes which might weaken the rule of law or Romania’s capacity to fight against crime and corruption.

DECISION The government in Bucharest has adopted a decision providing for the implementation of 8 strategic investment projects under private-public partnership. Among these projects there is the construction of two regional hospitals, a plant specialized in producing electric vehicles, a national blood and stem cells bank as well as a new tourist center in the Fagaras Mountains. In another development, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has announced that pensions in the public system and state aid for the handicapped are to be raised as of July 1st. So the pension reference point will increase by 10% and the minimum pension by 20%. Over 5 million Romanians are expected to benefit the measure.

WEATHER The National Meteorology Administration on Friday issued a code orange alert against heavy rain for 12 counties in the north and centre of Romania, valid until Saturday morning. A code yellow thunderstorm alert has been issued for most of the country as well, expected to last for brief periods of time. On Saturday, maximum temperatures are expected to reach 26-27 degrees Celsius. Almost three quarters of the country are under threat of flooding until July 1. One of the worst affected counties is Bacau, in the east.

TENNIS — The all Romanian pair Irina Begu/ Mihaela Buzărnescu on Friday qualified to the finals of the Eastbourne tournament in the UK, with some 850,000 dollars in prize money up for grabs. In the semifinals they defeated the pair Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine) / Ekaterina Makarova (Russia), 2-1. In the finals, scheduled for Saturday, Begu and Buzărnescu will play against Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) / Yifan Xu (China).

HOLIDAY Orthodox and Catholic believers from the world over, including from Romania, on Friday celebrated Saints Peter and Paul, the most important apostles of Jesus Christ. They both founded Christian communities — Peter in Palestine and Rome, Paul in Anatolia and Greece. Both apostles died as martyrs in Rome, during the anti-Christian persecutions of emperor Nero. Their earthly remains are being kept in two churches built to their memory — St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and St. Paul in southern Rome. Over 450 thousand Romanians are today celebrating their name day.

(Translated by D. Bilt & D. Vijeu)

30 June 2018
June 27, 2018 UPDATE

NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE – The Parliament in Bucharest Wednesday dismissed a no-confidence motion initiated by the National Liberal Party and entitled “The resignation of the Dragnea-Dancila government – a national emergency! The text only got 166 out of the 233 votes it needed in order to pass. The signatories of the motion, which was supported by the Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party, criticised the government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats among others for the changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure, restricting the presidents powers and the negative economic developments.

PROTESTS – Thousands of people protested near the Parliament building in Bucharest in support of the no-confidence motion. They demanded the resignation of the government and are chanting anti-coalition slogans. Protesters said they are unhappy with the governments lack of interest in securing investments for infrastructure, healthcare and education, instead concerning itself only with the judicial system in order to solve their problems with the law.

EUROPEAN COUNCIL – The head of state, Klaus Iohannis, is taking part on Thursday and Friday in Brussels in a meeting of the European Council, where he will express Romanias support for the NATO and EU initiatives to improve military mobility. According to the presidential administration, he will also plead for maintaining an attractive investment climate in the EU. The meeting agenda also includes topics like migration, Brexit, the future Community budget and the Unions foreign relations, the Presidency explained.

JUDICIARY – The former chief of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism in Romania (DIICOT), Alina Bica, who Tuesday received a final 4-year prison sentence, is currently wanted internationally, the Romanian Police announced on Wednesday. She was found guilty of encouraging an offender. The former DIICOT chief is at present in Costa Rica, where according to her lawyer, she was granted the political refugee status.

INDICTMENT – The former minister for regional development Sevil Shhaideh was sent to court in the so-called “Belina case, under charges of abuse of office, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate announced on Wednesday. According to prosecutors, in 2013, when she was a state secretary in the same ministry, Shhaideh submitted to the Cabinet a draft resolution to the effect that parts of Belina Island in the Danube plains were illegally transferred from public property to the property and administration of the Teleorman County Council. Prosecutors argue that the transfer could only be done under a law, and not through a government resolution.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

27 June 2018
June 18, 2018 UPDATE

VISIT Romania is a powerful symbol of Western freedom on the Eastern
frontier, which proves the country’s development in the region and its becoming
a very important geopolitical point, the US Assistant Secretary Wess Mitchell
said in Bucharest on Monday. In an address at the Bucharest University the US
official added that Romania’s progress in combating corruption was astounding
and he encouraged the country to continue on this path. According to the US
Department of State, during his visit in Romania Wess Mitchell will be seeing
high-ranking Romanian officials and independent analysts on regional security
and economic cooperation. On Tuesday the US official will be attending the
sixth meeting of the US-Romania Strategic Partnership Dialogue. Bucharest has
been the first leg of a European tour, which will also take the US official to
Zagreb, Prague and Brussels.

MEETING Romania’s president Klaus
Iohannis on Tuesday will be meeting the ambassadors of the EU countries
accredited to Bucharest. The meeting is part of an event staged by Bulgaria’s
embassy, a country which is presently holding the EU rotating presidency.
During the event, the Romanian president will be talking about the
consolidation of democracy and the rule of law as essential elements for Romania’s
future progress, a communiqué issued by the presidential administration says.
According to the same sources, talks will also focus on aspects related to the
main topics on the agenda of the European Council meeting over June 28th
and 29th, such as migration, the EU security, the domestic market,
the Union’s future budget for the period 2021-2027 and well as its foreign
relations. Romania’s taking over the EU’s rotating presidency in 2019 will also
be tackled.

MOTION Senators in Bucharest
on Monday rejected a simple motion filed by the right-wing opposition to
dismiss Minister of the Economy Daniel Andrusca on grounds of gross
incompetence. In the motion, the opposition Liberals and the Save Romania Union
had called for his resignation deeming his performance catastrophic. According
to them, the laws for payments on the use of mines and mineral water were
blocked in spite of being part of the governing platform. At the same time, the
Liberals have announced that, by the end of the week, they would file a censure
motion against the coalition government led by Viorica Dancila.

INVESTIGATION Romanian
prosecutors are holding interviews in the Colectiv case surrounding the
Bucharest club that burned down during a concert in late 2015. A fire broke out
inside, leaving 64 dead and over 100 injured. The investigation comes after
several criminal lawsuits were filed by parents and victims against the way in
which the authorities reacted to the incident. The three owners of the club
were prosecuted for second degree murder, causing injury, and violating the
work safety and public health regulations. Also under prosecution are the
owners of the company that provided the fireworks that caused the fire, one
employee, and two legal persons. The tragedy sparked protests against the
corruption in public administration.

(translated by bill)

18 June 2018
May 15, 2018 UPDATE

CONSULTATIONS – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Viorica Dancila held talks on Tuesday on the countrys foreign policy, also on a prospective relocation of the Romanian Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A communiqué issued by the Presidency shows the president underlined that it is mandatory for Romanias foreign policy to be pursed solely in the interest of the country and that domestic tensions on foreign policy issues should come to an end immediately, for Bucharest to remain a credible player in the relation with the US, at the level of the European Union and NATO, as well as within the other strategic partnerships it is committed to. In turn, Viorica Dăncilă has said that in her capacity as head of the government, her main responsibility is to implement the governing program, including the chapter devoted to foreign policy. In this context, according to the PM, launching an analysis and assessment process into the possibility of relocating the Romanian Embassy in Israel, a proposal analysed by other countries too, is also part of this chapter. The government has recently adopted a memorandum on the opportunity of relocating the Romanian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

SOFIA– President Iohannis will attend on Wednesday and Thursday in the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia, the informal meeting of the European Council and the EU-Western Balkans Summit. According to a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, Wednesdays agenda of the informal meeting of the European Council will cover issues related to such domains as IT, research and innovation. The participants will also tackle the decision made by the US on introducing customs duties on steel and aluminium imports. On Thursday, at the EU-Western Balkans Summit, the heads of state and government will approach such issues as connectivity, security and migration. President Iohannis will underline the importance of projects in the field of connectivity, infrastructure, energy and digital networks, given that they all can enhance the convergence between the EU and the Western Balkans regions, the communiqué also reads.

RULING – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Tuesday announced that on May 29, it will issue the ruling in the trial in which the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, is facing corruption charges. The anti-corruption prosecutors request a 7 year and five month jail sentence for abuse of office and two years and six months for forgery. They say that when Dragnea was head of the Teleorman County Council, he made several employees of the Social Assistance Directorate fictitiously hire two persons who were members of the Social Democratic Partys local organization. Although the two were working exclusively for the Social Democratic Party, their salaries were paid from public money. We recall that in 2016, the Court found Liviu Dragnea guilty of having local Social Democratic leaders take people to polls illegally, in order to make sure the referendum against the then president was validated, and gave him a 2-year suspended sentence.

ECONOMIC GROWTH – Latvia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania reported the biggest economic growth in the EU in the first quarter of 2018 as against the same period of 2017, according to preliminary data made public by the Eurostat on Tuesday. Romania has reported a 4.2% economic growth. Also, according to data made public by the Romanian Statistics Institute on Tuesday, Romanias economy in the first quarter of the year went up by 4% on gross terms and by 4.2% on seasonally as against the same period last year.(translated by E. Enache and D. Vijeu)

15 May 2018
Bulgaria takes over rotating EU presidency

Deemed by most specialists as the poorest member of the European Union and criticized, both by its own citizen, as well as by its Western partners, for its ineffectiveness in combating corruption, Bulgaria hopes that its first term at the helm of the EU should significantly improve its image.

Under the slogan “Unity Makes Strength, Bulgaria will focus its efforts on three main directions: consensus, competitiveness and cohesion. The number one priority, according to Sofia, is the future of Europe and young people. Overseeing Brexit negotiations, the European prospects of countries in the Western Balkans, security and stability in a strong and united Europe, and combating illegal migration also rank high on the Bulgarian presidencys agenda.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Ekaterina Zaharieva, expressed hope that Bulgaria would join the Schengen Area by the end of the year, admitting that there are countries within the EU that believe Bulgaria and Romania dont belong to the travel-free area due to unsolved corruption issues. “The latest vote in the European Parliament showed that these skeptics are becoming fewer, but we can’t be absolutely certain that they will change their mind in the next six months, Minister Zaharieva told the press.

In turn, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov hopes that Brussels would lift the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, under which Bulgarias and Romanias efforts to reform their justice systems and combating top-level graft have been monitored ever since the two countries joined the EU in 2007.

Romania is set to take over the rotating presidency of the European Council on January 1, 2019. This week Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, updated EU leaders with respect to the ongoing preparations ahead of Bucharests European presidency. According to a press release, the timetable for the six-month mandate has already been sketched out, while internal consultations are underway with a view to identifying Romanias topics of interest, at the level of public ministries and institutions. Victor Negrescu also discussed with EU officials ways to coordinate actions in order to set out the operational program of the Trio of Presidencies, which starts on January 2019 and also includes Finland and Croatia. Bucharest wants to be an unbiased mediator while holding the EU presidency, seeking to advance the European agenda by accommodating the views of as many Member States as possible, Minister Negrescu also said.

(translated by: Vlad Palcu)

11 January 2018
The EU and common defence

The EU leaders convened in Brussels on Thursday to approve the establishment of the Permanent Structured Cooperation, PESCO, a plan that intensifies the bloc’s military cooperation. Taking part in the project are 25 EU members, except for Denmark, Malta and obviously the UK, which is set to leave the Union in March 2019.

PESCO is designed to integrate the military command entities, military industry units and operational structures of the 25 members. Attending the meeting in Brussels, President Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romania’s commitment to contribute to making this instrument operational. According to the President of Romania, its implementation should lead to a more efficient development of military capabilities, should help avoid duplication with NATO mechanisms and should contribute to enhancing cohesion among EU countries.

As the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, put it, it was a “historic” day for relaunching European defense. “We are launching Permanent Structured Cooperation, so-called PESCO, which is a practical expression of our will to build European defence,” Tusk added, emphasizing that this was good news for the EU allies and bad news for its enemies.

In turn, the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, invited to attend the EU summit, said PESCO would be a good thing for Europe and for NATO., in that it would provide more capabilities, generate more defense expenditure and better sharing of responsibilities.

The EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini hailed what she called the ‘historic decision’ of turning the EU into a “credible security provider for the world.” She mentioned that the Union, which for a long time settled for just a “soft power” role, without military weight, stepped up efforts to enhance its security after the 2014 Ukrainian crisis.

The European Council invited member states to meet their national obligations with respect to the implementation of PESCO, and called on them to carry on efforts to establish a European Defence Fund that would become operational in 2018. Starting in 2020, 1.5 billion euro would be channeled into this Fund, in order to encourage industrial research and development and to support European defence SMEs. The EU will also facilitate the use of “tactical groups,” consisting in battalions to be deployed during crises, an operation that has been hindered for more than a decade by the cumbersome political and administrative procedures involved. According to EuObserver, PESCO will cover 17 military cooperation projects, and will benefit from an initial funding of 5 billion euros.

15 December 2017
19 October, 2017

EU. The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is
attending the European Council meeting held today and tomorrow in Brussels.
Talks focus on migration, security and defence, the relations between the
European Union and Turkey and the North-Korean situation. A meeting of the EU
27 will also be held to discuss the UK’s leaving the Union and evaluate the
progress made so far in the negotiation process. According to the president’s
office, Klaus Iohannis will emphasise, among others, the need to monitor the
flow of migrants on the Eastern Mediterranean route. As to the latest
developments related to the North Korean dossier, Klaus Iohannis is expected to
say that Romania will support the efforts of the international community to
achieve a peaceful solution to the crisis, with the major goal being the
complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Trade Winds 2017. Romania has a lot to offer in
areas such as agriculture, information technology and industrial production,
prime minister Mihai Tudose said today in Bucharest at the Trade Winds 2017 US
trade mission. He mentioned Romania’s sustained economic growth, its
partnership with the European Union and NATO and its 20-year long strategic
partnership with the United States. The US ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm
said Romania is Washington’s best ally and friend in the region and pointed out
this country needs to ensure a predictable and transparent business environment
to attract investors. Trade Winds is the biggest trade promotion event organised
by the US government aimed at bringing together American and foreign
businesses. Its tenth edition, which is under way until the 24th of
October in South-Eastern Europe, has at its centre the Romanian capital, which
is also hosting a business forum.

Healthcare. Romania has made some progress in
the field of healthcare, said the European commissioner for health and food
safety Vytenis Andriukaitis in Bucharest, noting however that the area is
facing some big funding problems. He said European funds are a key instrument
that can make the system work better. Also today, a rally is held in central
Bucharest to protest against the legislative changes to come into force in
January 2018. Trade unions say these changes will lead to a decrease in salary
incomes for healthcare and social assistance employees in Romania. The protest
actions began in mid September.

Danube Region. The minister delegate for
European affairs Victor Negrescu represents Romania at the 6th
annual forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region hosted by Budapest. Talks
focus on energy security, the development of regional infrastructure,
connectivity and the future of macroregional projects after 2020. The EU
Strategy for the Danube Region is a wide-scale project co-initiated by Romania
and Austria and officially launched at European level in 2012. It was designed
as a community instrument for regional cooperation for the states in the Danube
basin.

Ukraine education law. Members of the ethnic
Romanian community in Cernauti, western Ukraine, are to meet the Ukrainian
education and science minister Lilia Grinevich this weekend to discuss
Ukraine’s new education law that drastically restricts the access of ethnic
minorities to education in their languages. The meeting comes after the ethnic
Romanians in Cernauti held protests against this law. On Thursday, in a
telephone talk with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko, Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis strongly conveyed his discontent with the new
education law in the neighbouring country. Ukraine is home to almost half a
million ethnic Romanians.

Catalonia. President Klaus Iohannis and foreign
minister Teodor Melescanu have reiterated Romania’s firm support for Spain’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity during talks in Bucharest with the
Spanish foreign minister Alfonso María Dastis Quecedo. Catalonia’s separatist
leader Carles Puigdemont today told the government in Madrid that his region
has not declared its independence but that it may do so if the central
authorities continue what he called their repression, that is if they suspend
the province’s autonomy.

Europa League. Romania’s football vice-champions FCSB,
formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, today face the Israeli side Hapoel Beer
Sheva in an away match in their third Europa League Group G match. FCSB top the
group ranking with a maximum of points, 6, followed by the Czech side Viktoria Plzeň and Hapoel Beer Sheva, both with 3
points. The Swiss side FC Lugano are bottom of the ranking with no points.

19 October 2017
June 25, 2017

POLITICAL TALKS – The leaderships of the main political parties in Romania are completing the mandates for Mondays talks with President Klaus Iohannis, for the designation of a new prime minister. Talks are also held between political leaders to consolidate a parliamentary majority. We recall that the leftist cabinet led by Sorin Grindeanu was toppled by a no-confidence motion tabled by the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, ALDE, which supported it following the legislative elections of December 2016. The Social Democrats and their ALDE partners say they further hold a parliamentary majority and will make a nomination for a new prime minister on Monday. The centre-right opposition made up of the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party rule out any collaboration with PSD, whereas the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania hasnt taken a clear stand so far.

MILITARY EXERCISE – A Romanian-U.S. military air exercise is unfolding at the Campia Turzii Base in northwestern Romania. Participating are some 200 Romanian troops, pilots and technical staff, using MiG-21 LanceR fighters and IAR-330 Puma helicopters, alongside some 300 U.S. military, using F-15 fighters and the required technical equipment. According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, the exercise which will unfold until late August, gives the chance to Romanian military to practice tactics, techniques and standard procedures specific to air operations, at NATO standards and to carry out joint flying missions with their American partners.

SUMMER EUROPEAN COUNCIL – The future Romanian government will have to get an agreement on the relocation of the European Medicines Agency from Great Britain to Romania, post-Brexit, given that the country is competing with Sweden, France, Denmark, Hungary and Bulgaria, countries which have already forwarded their offers, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said at the end of the European Summit in Brussels. Iohannis also said the future government will also have to breathe fresh air into the defence industry, because it will be able to use resources made available under the new European Defence Fund. The Romanian President demanded at the European Council that the new internal security instruments be applied in a coherent and unified manner, at the level of the whole EU, without any difference between the Schengen member and non-member states like Romania, but which apply Schengen regulations to a large extent. The Schengen membership issue has also been approached by the Romanian President in a bilateral meeting he had with French President Emmanuel Macron, who showed openness to Romanias prospective Schengen accession. Klaus Iohannis said however, he does not believe Romania will make other significant progress in the field until the elections in Germany and the appointment of a new government in the Netherlands. As regards the situation of the Romanians in the Great Britain, post-Brexit, Klaus Iohannis said the declarations made by the British PM Theresa May relative to European residents are promising, but he added he is waiting to see them materialising in concrete documents.

RUGBY – Romanias national rugby team defeated Brazil on home turf, 56-5, in the last test match of the month of June. The two teams have never met so far, as they are performing in different performance categories, according to a world classification. Romania has been a constant presence at world tournaments, whereas rugby is at the start of the road in Brazil. Ahead of the match, the Romanian rugby players have played in a tournament in Asia and North America, during which they defeated Canada, 25-9, and lost to Japan, 33-21.

25 June 2017
June 23, 2017 UPDATE

EUROPEAN COUNCIL – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, mentioned at a press conference after the summer meeting of the European Council in Brussels that highly important topics had been discussed, related to defence, security, migration, the digital agenda, economy and climate change. The Council approved the launch of PESCO, a collaborative defence structure, and decided to extend the economic sanctions against Russia by another 6 months. The European Council also agreed to work more closely with the online industry and called on social network owners to prevent the dissemination of content inciting to terrorism. As regards Brexit, President Klaus Iohannis said that both the EU 27, and the UK agreed on the need for sequenced approach in negotiations, meaning that talks on the future cooperation should only be held after the “separation issues, like citizens, money and Ireland, have been resolved. On behalf of Romania, President Klaus Iohannis pleaded for close cooperation between member states with respect to security, and for the creation of EU structures that are complementary to, rather than parallel with those of NATO.

MOLDOVA – The strategic dialogue between the Republic of Moldova and the USA has been re-launched in Chişinău, 25 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, announced at a joint briefing the Moldovan Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Galbuş, and the Deputy Assistant State Secretary Bridget Bring, who is on a visit to Moldova. In Brussels, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the situation in the Republic of Moldova should be closely monitored by the EU. She said that at a meeting of the European Peoples Party, where she discussed with the former presidential candidate Maia Sandu, a pro-European reformist defeated in last years election by the pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon. Also in Brussels, the Romanian MEP Andi Cristea said Dodons statements have nothing to do with reality and are an example of political irresponsibility. Co-chair of the EU-Moldova association committee in the European Parliament, Cristea denied Dodons statement that around half of the European funds earmarked for Moldova were stolen in Chişinău. Dodon wants the free trade and association agreements between the EU and Moldova cancelled, and pleads for his countrys joining the Eurasian Union.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

23 June 2017
European leaders and the fight against terrorism

Leaders of EU Member States convened in Brussels for the traditional European Council Summer Summit. The main topic on Thursdays agenda was the fight against terrorism, a phenomenon which has been gaining an unprecedented momentum in Europe of late. The Council wants to cooperate more closely with the online sector. European Council president Donald Tusk called on social networking sites to take action with a view to prevent online content that is deemed to incite terrorism.

President Tusk referred to the development of new tools to detect and automatically remove online content promoting terrorism. The EU official said that if online giants continue to shun the responsibility to join the fight against terrorism, the EU is ready to pass harsh laws regulating this field. Access to electronic hard evidence is key to combating terrorism, the Council pointed out. EU officials want to exchange information quickly and effectively with law enforcement agencies both within and outside the EU.

On the other hand, participants in the summit agreed on a common collective defense mechanism, which calls for deeper integration of Member States. Moreover, EU leaders urged the European Investment Bank to come up with new ways to supporting defense research and the development of defense-related activities. All this time the Council has called on Member States to develop capabilities of their own, that should be funded under the European Defense Fund and the European Defense Industrial Development Program. Attending the EU summit, Klaus Iohannis said Romania takes a keen interest in the so-called structured collaboration on external security and defense. Klaus Iohannis:

“Romania is very interested in this. We want to have a close cooperation with all EU Member States and make our own contribution. Obviously, I repeat what Ive said on other occasions, namely that we dont want to run parallel to NATO, but to develop structures that meet both the needs on the Union and supplement Allied structures.

Before all the details on this agreement are sorted out, the Councils message is clear: all member states are urged to take part in the common defense mechanism. (Translated by V. Palcu)

23 June 2017