Radio România Internațional

Tag: European funds

July 29, 2020

COVID-19
IN ROMANIA – The National Committee for Emergency Situations has proposed face
masks should become compulsory in open-air spaces during certain intervals.
Once public health directorates have issued an opinion on this matter, local
authorities will decide where the measure will be introduced and during which
hours. Exempt from this rule will be people carrying out strenuous physical
activity or working in areas with high temperatures and humidity, as well as
children under 5 years of age. The Committee also wants to ban the selling of
foodstuffs and soft drinks during 11 PM and 6 AM. Outside this interval,
economic operators are forbidden from admitting a number of clients higher than
the maximum number of seats and must ban activities entailing physical
interactions between clients. On beaches, people must observe a minimum
two-meter distance, with the exception of families. The Government has taken
under advisement the Committee’s recommendations and will make a decision soon.
Meanwhile the number of new infections has exceeded 1.000 for the eighth
consecutive day. Over 48.200 people have been infected so far. 7.000 people are
in hospital care, of whom 377 in intensive care. 2.269 people have died.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Nearly 17 million
people have been infected so far with SARS CoV2 worldwide, the latest
worldometers.info report shows. Some 664 thousand people died and 10.5 million
people have recovered. While efforts continue to develop a vaccine, several
Governments are imposing harsher measures to prevent a second wave of the
pandemic. The World Health Organization is urging countries to do mass-testing
and see that the population observes precautionary measures. The United States
on Tuesday reported nearly 1.600 deaths, the highest in the last two and a half
months, reads a John Hopkins University report. Also on Tuesday the US reported
60.000 new infections, after a slight decrease in the last two days. Some 4.3
million people have been infected with COVID-19 in the United States, and 149.000
people have died so far to the virus. In Europe, Italy has extended the state
of emergency until October 15. Great Britain has introduced compulsory
quarantine for all arrivals from Spain. Germany too has introduced some regions
of Spain on its so-called ‘black list’. Madrid is now the latest region in
continental Spain where face masks are compulsory in open spaces as well.
Bulgaria is now demanding citizens from 10 states to provide proof of a
negative test against COVID-19, which has to be no older than 72 hours at the
time of entry. In Greece, face masks are again compulsory in stores, banks,
public service buildings and in other enclosed spaces.

FUNDS – Romania’s
President, Klaus Iohannis, is today holding a new meeting focusing on European
funds. According to the Presidency, attending are several members of the
Government, including Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, Deputy-Prime Minister Raluca
Turcan, Finance Minister Florin Citu, Economy Minister Virgil Popescu, Minister
of European Funds Marcel Bolos and Transport Minister Lucian Bode. The
absorption of European funds was also discussed in last week’s Government
meeting in Bucharest. The president recently said that the €80 billion the
European Commission has allotted Romania will be used for economic
reconstruction. The money will be disbursed from the 2021-2027 multi-annual EU
budget and from the post-COVID-19 economic recovery plan.

DEFENSE – Romania’s Defense
Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, and the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General
Daniel Petrescu, today met with Lieutenant-General Eric P. Wendt, Commander of
the NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ). According to a Ministry
release, talks focused on hot topics on the NATO agenda, including Allied
efforts to contain the coronacrisis. Minister Nicolae Ciuca hailed NSHQ’s
substantial contribution to Romanian military deployed to the Resolute Support
mission in Afghanistan. The Romanian official said cooperation is excellent
between NSHQ and Romanian forces, both during drills as well as in theatres of
operations.

NATIONAL ANTHEM DAY – Every year, on
July 29, Romania celebrates National Anthem Day. This year the event is marked
by public authorities and other state institutions by means of specific
cultural events and actions and military ceremonies, organized bythe Ministries
of Defense and the Interior, while strictly observing COVID-prevention
measures. As part of ceremonies held in Bucharest and other large cities, the
national anthem will be performed while the flag is being raised. This year,
famous pan flute player Nicolae Voiculet will be performing the national
anthem, Awaken thee, Romanian! at 2.300 meters by the Heroes’ Cross in Bucegi
Mountains, alongside 40 other artists. Celebrated on July 29, the National
Anthem Day was proclaimed in 1998. Romania’s current anthem, Awaken thee,
Romanian!, is considered a national symbol after the fall of the communist
regime in December 1989. On music by Anton Pann, the anthem was inspired by a
patriotic poem by Andrei Muresanu in 1848.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

29 July 2020
January 23, 2020

FORUM -
President Klaus Iohannis is today attending the fifth edition of the World
Holocaust Forum, marking 75 years since the liberation of the
Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, titled Remembering the Holocaust,
Fighting Antisemitism. This is the widest public event ever hosted by the Yad
Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Previously, President Iohannis ensured
his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin, that Romania would continue to support
the preservation of Holocaust memory, combat anti-Semitism, prevent
discrimination and any means of violence. Romanian Crown custodian Margareta on
Thursday sent a letter to the Israeli president, reminding of the Romanian
Royal Family’s contribution to eradicating anti-Semitism, racism and
xenophobia. HM Queen Margareta and
Prince Radu were the first members of the Romanian Royal Family to visit the
State of Israel in April 2014. Representing King Mihai I, the two visited the
Yad Vashem Memorial Museum, observed a moment of silence before the engraved
tomb devoted to Queen Elena, while Queen Margareta lit the eternal flame in the
Hall of Remembrance.

JHA -
Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu is as of today attending the two-day informal
meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council hosted by Zagreb,
Croatia. This is the first ministerial meeting hosted under the Croatian
Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In the justice section, line
ministers will address progress on strategic policies in the fields of liberty,
security and justice, legal education and the importance of legal networks in
the civilian and trade sectors. According to a Romanian Justice Ministry
release, talks focus on civil and criminal law cooperation, border protection,
modernizing and digitizing judicial systems and adapting to the impact of AI.

FUNDS -
Romania has so far absorbed 11.04 billion euros from EU structural funds over
2014-2020 under the Cohesion and Common Agricultural policies. Adding to this
sum is another 7.92 billion euros in direct payments to farmers, Carmen Moraru,
State Secretary with the Romanian Ministry for European Funds, has said.
Romania’s absorption rate has thus reached 36%, 3% below the European average.
The Romanian official recalled that in the 2014-2020 period Romania was
allotted 22.4 billion euros under the Cohesion Policy. As regards the 2021-2027
financial framework, Romania will be earmarked 30.6 billion euros. Carmen
Moraru attended a series of meetings in Brussels at the European Commission and
European Parliament, and paid a visit to the Orsi Academy in Ghent, Belgium, a
pioneering research project funded under the Cohesion Policy.

FLU VIRUS -
A 78-year-old man from Arges County has died to the flu virus , raising the
death toll at 3 since the start of the winter season. Arges is one of the most
affected counties, alongside Brasov and Cluj and the capital city, where
hundreds of cases have been reported. Classes were temporarily suspended in
several schools and kindergartens. At national level, over a quarter of
patients presenting symptoms were officially diagnosed with the flu virus.
Doctors warn the only real prevention measure is vaccination. The number of
Romanians who have taken the anti-flu shot this year is higher compared to
2019, when some 200 people died to complications caused by the flu virus.

CORONAVIRUS – The World
Health Organization (WHO) is today expected to decide whether to call the
viral outbreak in Wuhan China a global emergency. The so-called coronavirus has
so far killed 17 people and sickened hundreds of people. On Wednesday, after
long hours of debate at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, the members of the special
committee set up to advise on how to deal with the outbreak were equally
divided in their vote in favor or against calling a global emergency. In the
past the WHO has called international alerts five times: before the H1N1 viral
outbreak of 2009, in 2014 for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, in the
Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019, again for an Ebola outbreak, for
poliomyelitis in 2014 and for the Zika virus in 2016. The new coronavirus has been
reported in 13 Chinese provinces and the Hong Kong and Macao special
administrative regions. 4 infections were reported in Thailand and 1 each in
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. Wuhan is currently on
lockdown, all means of public transport having been shut down.

TENNIS -
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, seeded fourth at the Australian Open, has
today defeated Harriet Dart of Great Britain (173 WTA), in straight sets, 6-2,
6-4 in the competition’s second round. A finalist in 2018 in Melbourne, Halep
is the only Romanian left in the competition, after Sorana Cirstea (74 WTA) was
ousted on Wednesday by Cori Gauff of the United States. Romania is also
represented in the women’s doubles.

(Translated by V.
Palcu)

23 January 2020
January 29, 2019 UPDATE

DIPLOMACY – President Klaus Iohannis has said, at a meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions in Bucharest, that he will do everything in his power to ensure that the values of the rule of law, of liberal democracy and of an independent and efficient judiciary are not affected. The president vowed that, regardless of the very dynamic domestic political situation, all decision makers will join efforts to ensure the proper fulfilment of Romania’s role as holder of the presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. He reiterated that Schengen accession remains a priority for Romania. Also, according to the head of state, Bucharest’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council is quite strong. As for strengthening the strategic partnership with the US, Klaus Iohannis said this remains a foreign policy priority for Romania.

EUROPEAN AFFAIRS — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, said in an interview with the France Press News Agency made public on Tuesday that there shouldn’t be any relation between European funds and the rule of law. Whereas Brussels and Washington have criticized the legislative overhaul in the Romanian justice system over the past two years, which- in their opinion — poses a threat on democratic institutions, Teodor Meleşcanu has referred to a reform carried out transparently. The Romanian Foreign Minister also gave assurances that Romania is a stable and solid democracy. On January 16, the European Parliament debated and voted on rules to reduce pre-financing or suspend EU budget payments to member states which interfere with courts or which do not tackle fraud and corruption. This proposal, launched by the European Commission will be a point on the agenda of negotiations with the Council of the European Union. Romania is currently holding the rotating presidency of this Council.

BREXIT — Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă and the British ambassador to Bucharest, Andrew Noble, held talks in Bucharest on Tuesday on Great Britain’s leaving the EU, against the backdrop of Romania’s holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Viorica Dăncilă and Andrew Noble underlined the very good stage of bilateral relations, the common role in securing and defending Europe, as well as the tighter economic and social ties between the two countries. The Romanian Prime Minister reiterated that Romania pays special heed to the need to protect the rights of the Romanian citizens living in the UK, and, in her turn, she gave assurances that Bucharest will make everything necessary at domestic level for the protection of the rights of British citizens in Romania.

CORRUPTION -Transparency International Tuesday presented its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks 180 countries by their public sector corruption levels as decided by consulting experts and business communities. According to the 2018 report, Romania ranks 61st in the world, with 47 points, down 2 places since 2017. Transparency International’s index uses a 0 to 100 scale, with 0 standing for extremely high corruption and 100 for no corruption at all. Out of the 28 EU member states, Romania is 24th. The top positions in the global ranking are held by Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland.

FINANCIAL — The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, on Tuesday declined the invitation for hearings in the Economic Committee of the Romanian Senate on the way in which the “Romanian Interbank Offer Rate” ROBOR is set and on the severe depreciation of the Romanian national currency, the leu, in recent times. The invitation to answer some questions in Parliament has been extended to Mugur Isărescu against the backdrop of accusations levelled very more and more often by the ruling parties as well as by some experts and journalists, according to whom the ROBOR index is allegedly set following an illegal understanding between the commercial banks, which the National Bank knows of, without intervening on the market. The central bank is also accused of doing nothing to defend the national currency. The Spokesperson for the National Bank of Romania, Dan Suciu, has said it is important that talks in the Economic Committee of the Senate do not to start from ungrounded, fake news.

EURO 2020 — The City Hall of Bucharest on Tuesday marked the countdown to EURO 2020 which kicks off in 500 days time, by mounting an exhibition with the T-shirts worn by prominent Romanian footballers such as Gheorghe Popescu, Gheorghe Hagi, Ioan Andone, Dudu Georgescu, Helmuth Dukadam, Miodrag Belodedici and Bogdan Stelea. Romania has been chosen to organise four matches on the National Arena in Bucharest. The capital city will host three Group C matches and a match in the eighth finals. Consequently, the National Arena will venue these matches on June 14, 18, 22 and 29, 2020. (Translated by AM Popescu and D. Vijeu)

29 January 2019
Romania and the absorption of European funds

Romania’s absorption rate of European funds is 20.3%, while the European average is 22%, said the minister in charge, Rovana Plumb, who made a series of clarifications related to how Bucharest uses these financial instruments created by the European Union in order to support member states achieve certain standards in various areas. Rovana Plumb presented a series of data on the stage of the absorption of European funds. She said that 6.4 billion euros entered Romania through the cohesion policy, with the figure standing at 11 billion euros if the direct payments to farmers are included. Also, funding lines of 25.3 billion euros were launched and projects worth 33 billion euros were submitted.

“The 25.3 billion euros account for 90% of the total allocation of cohesion funds managed by the Ministry for European Funds and the Ministry for Regional Development and Public Administration”, said Rovana Plumb. She emphasised that no euro was lost and the delays were recovered, while also pointing out that the relationship with the European Commission was very good, permanent and fair.

Referring to the projects sent to the European Commission, she said: “We have submitted 14 major projects to the European Commission, of which 13 have already been approved and one is being assessed by the Commission. In the area of transport infrastructure, we have submitted a major project worth 2 billion euros referring to the Gurasada-Simeria railway infrastructure. Another major project, the biggest in the EU, refers to the water and waste water infrastructure, is worth 499 million euros and is managed by the RAJA Water Company in Constanta.”

The European Minister for European Funds Rovana Plumb also said that by the end of the year, major infrastructure projects worth 2.5 billion euros would be submitted. She recalled that the absorption rate in 2012 stood at 7%, and that Romania reached 90% within a space of three years. She said the government decided to build three regional hospitals in stages, based on the allocation of European funds in the current programming period and the national allocation of 150 million euros for each case.

The government does not rule out the construction of regional hospitals funded through public-private partnership, given that the public-private partnership law was passed this year and that this type of funding can be ensured though the state budget and non-reimbursable European funds, Rovana Plumb also said.

7 November 2018
November 2, 2018 UPDATE

PRESIDENCY -The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will have a meeting on November 14th in London with the British PM, Theresa May, at the latters invitation, official sources told AGERPRES news agency on Friday. On the same day, Klaus Iohannis will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace, in honour of Charles, Prince of Wales 70th birthday, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.

GOVERNMENT- The PM of Romania, Viorica Dăncilă, said in Varna on Friday, that at the 4-party meeting between Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek and Serbian officials she had underlined that more must be done for Europes energy security, especially by diversifying supply sources and stepping up the interconnection process. In the field of transport, she reiterated Romanias interest in the building of new motorways and bridges across the River Danube. Attending the meeting were the PMs of Bulgaria and Greece, Boiko Borisov and Alexis Tsipras, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Prior to the talks, Dǎncilǎ and her Israeli counterpart agreed on the organisation of an economic forum, ahead of the joint meeting of the 2 countries governments. PM Dăncilă presented to her Israeli counterpart the changes operated on the legislation regulating public-private partnerships, which have made the Romanian investment climate more attractive. The Romanian official also reconfirmed Romanias interest in strengthening and deepening relations with Israel in energy and cyber security, healthcare, research and innovation. The 2 prime ministers also discussed means of cooperation between Romania and Israel, in the context of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council as of January 2019.

BUDGET -The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, which make up the ruling coalition in Romania, convened on Friday for talks on this years budget adjustment and on 2019 budgetary projections. Attending the meeting was also finance minister Eugen Teodorovici. The agenda also included plans for setting up a Sovereign Development and Investment Fund and the companies that should be part of this fund, personnel downsizing measures in certain ministries and governmental agencies, and a possible increase in minimum salaries as of December 1.

EU FUNDING -The European Commissioner for regional development Corina Creţu reiterated that Bucharest has so far submitted no funding applications for any major project that could be financed by the European Commission, except for the M6 underground line which is currently being analysed. We are long past the deadlines Romania has set itself for applying for EU funds for regional hospitals, for 3 motorways, for the Braila bridge and for the Bucharest ring road, Corina Creţu says. In a social network post, the European Commissioner dismisses the accusations made against her after she had repeatedly warned that the EU fund absorption by the Romanian Government has slowed down. Darius Vâlcov, adviser to PM Viorica Dăncilă, claimed on Thursday that the funding provided by the EU only accounts for 10% of the costs of building a regional hospital, and that the balance must be supplied by the Romanian state.

LABOUR- Switzerland will lift all labour market restrictions for Romanian workers in May next year. The announcement was made during a visit to Bucharest on Thursday by the president of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, who was received by President Klaus Iohannis. Alain Berset said, on the other hand, that Switzerland supports Bucharests bid for OECD membership, and that, although it is not an EU member, it will stand by Romania during the countrys presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019.

PROSECUTOR GENERAL – Romanias Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazăr, has demanded in court the suspension of procedures to remove him from office, started by the Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader. Lazar had earlier filed a complaint at the Justice Ministry against the assessment report drafted by Tudorel Toader. On October 24, the line minister started the procedure to remove Romanias Prosecutor General from office, mentioning 20 points against Lazar, among which signing a secret protocol with the Romanian Intelligence Service in 2016 and hiding the truth about this protocol.

DEFENCE –Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor said on Friday that Romania has reached the objectives set for this year in terms of the Armys endowment. The official claims that from this point of view, and not only, Romania is one of NATOs trustworthy partners. Mihai Fifor has recalled that this is the second year in a row that the Romanian Government allots 2% of the GDP for defence. The line minister has also said the Romanian military are still present on theatres of operations, and are also dispatched to Poland, under a partnership within NATO.

VETERINARY The Romanian Veterinary Board has organised a rally at the Government headquarters on Friday, in order to draw attention to the major problems facing this profession and jeopardising public health. Veterinary physicians demand the immediate amendment of the law regulating their profession, which must be brought in line with a ruling of the EU Court of Justice. Otherwise, the protesters warn, public health is at grave risk in Romania, where anybody may open a veterinary dispensary and sell medications, without the need for veterinary physician supervision, and anybody may purchase such medication and give it to animals.

FARMING Hundreds of companies from 25 countries are taking part in Bucharest, until Sunday, in the international farming trade fair INDAGRA, the largest of this kind in Romania. As part of the trade fair, the Rural Investment Financing Agency has organised a national conference on “Rural Development: A fundamental element of economic competitiveness and cohesion at EU level. Taking part in the conference was the Minister for Agriculture and rural Development, Petre Daea. The participants discussed the elements supporting the transformation of Romanian agriculture and rural communities, so as to be able to contribute to the competitiveness of the national economy.

PROTEST – Over 100 workers from the ArcelorMittal Hunedoara steelworks in south-western Romania protested on Friday against the delayed negotiations on pay-rises. The protesters claim that most of them will earn next year the national minimum wage, if the Government increases this wage. The president of the “Steelworker Trade Union, Petru Vaidoş, said the trade union will brief the ArcelorMittal European Enterprise Committee, that will convene in Luxembourg next week. This is the second protest started by the steelworkers from ArcelorMittal Hunedoara, after that organised on October 18. The company based in Hunedoara has some 700 employees. (Translated by AM Popescu and D. Vijeu)

2 November 2018
October 27, 2018 UPDATE

AIR FORCES – The joint training and common missions carried out by the Canadian military dispatched in the area and the Romanian military are unfolding exceptionally well, the head of the Canadian Royal Air Force, general lieutenant Alexander Donald Meinzinger, said on Saturday, soon after he visited the Mihail Kogălniceanu airbase in south-eastern Romania. He met with the head of the Romanian Air Force, general Viorel Pană and with the Canadian unit dispatched at Mihail Kogălniceanu. The 135 strong unit (pilots and technical staff) is carrying out NATO air policing missions, alongside members of the Romanian Air Force. These missions are aimed at developing response and deterrence capabilities, sources with the Romanian Defence Ministry say.

COLECTIV – A show inspired by the drama around the fire-ravaged Colectiv nightclub in 2015 is staged on Saturday and Sunday at the National Dance Centre in Bucharest. Titled “153 seconds, the show starts with the story of a survivor. The project has been coordinated by director Ioana Păun, who has collected testimonies made by the victims and opinions expressed by sociologists and psychologists and then staged a show on resignation and the possibility of making a change. The title “153 seconds comes from the duration of the fire which ripped through Colectiv, taking the lives of 65 people. On Tuesday, October 30, its three years since the tragedy struck the Bucharest-based club. We recall it was followed by massive protests which deplored corruption at the level of the central and local administration and led to the resignation of the Ponta-led cabinet.

EUROPEAN FUNDS – Since joining the EU, back in 2007, Romania has had at its disposal European funds worth over 45 billion Euros to develop the country, says the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu. According to her, the cohesion policy is meant to improve the living standards of the European citizens, and the results are visible in Romania, too. Corina Creţu will pay an official visit to Bucharest next week, when she is due to meet Romanian high ranking officials and to have talks on the future of the European cohesion policy.

POLL – 84% of the Romanians declare themselves patriots with a large number of them saying the disrespect for the national insignia, such as the coat of arms, the flag and the anthem should be punished by imprisonment or administrative fines. The results of the poll conducted by the CURS Polling Institute show 75% of the Romanians say they know personalities and institutions that had a major contribution to the setting up of Greater Romania. Some of the personalities which are mentioned most often include King Ferdinand, the Bratianu family and Marshall Averescu. We recall that this year Bucharest celebrates 100 years since the Great Union of December 1, 1918.

SWINE FEVER – A case of African swine fever was confirmed on Saturday in a household in Vrancea county, eastern Romania, the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority has announced. The area has been isolated, disinfection measures have been taken and the line authorities have set up checking points on the main roads. Over 1,000 African swine fever outbreaks have been confirmed in 15 counties in Romania so far, and no less than 350,000 pigs have been culled. Romania has requested support from the EU to offer damages to the affected farmers.

SUBWAY – The Metrorex trade unionists in Bucharest on Monday will resume negotiations with the management, on the new Collective Labour Agreement which expired on Saturday, October 27. Fridays talks failed to produce results. The unionists are mainly demanding pay rises and better working conditions. They warn to go on an all out strike as from November 10. The Metrorex Management claims a 42% pay rise, as demanded by the unionists, exceeds the limits of the companys budget.

SPORTS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil (no.93 ATP) on Saturday qualified to the finals of the Basel tennis tournament after winning a surprising victory in the semi-finals against the German Alexander Zverev, second seeded and no.5 ATP, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. This is the second ATP final in the Romanian players career, after that played in Sofia, earlier this year. Copil will face in the final on Sunday the winner of the match played by first-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland and seven seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

27 October 2018
October 27, 2018

DST – Romania will revert to winter time on Saturday to Sunday night. Clocks will be shifted back one hour, and 4.00 oclock will become 3 oclock, local time. Consequently October 28 will have 25 hours and will be the longest day of the year. The move is meant to balance the practice of setting the clocks forward 1 hour from standard time during the summer months, in order to make better use of natural daylight and reduce the consumption of electricity. According to a poll conducted across Europe and made public in August, 84% of the respondents would like their country to maintain the summer time and not to shift to wintertime any longer. Many of the respondents said the shift causes fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, lack of focus and energy. According to the European Commission, the EU member states should decide upon the issue. The EC calls on the EU member states to make public their choice by the end of April 2019. If the timetable set by Brussels is observed, the shift operated on March 31, 2019 will be the last compulsory shift to the summer time. The EU member states are currently grouped into three different time zones: Western Europe, Central Europe and Eastern Europe.

AIR FORCES – The head of the Canadian Royal Air Force, general lieutenant Alexander Donald Meinzinger, is today paying a visit to the Mihail Kogălniceanu airbase in south-eastern Romania, where he will meet with the head of the Romanian Air Force, general Viorel Pană and with the Canadian unit dispatched at Mihail Kogălniceanu. The 135 strong unit is carrying out NATO air policing missions, alongside members of the Romanian Air Force. These missions are aimed at developing response and deterrence capabilities, sources with the Romanian Defence Ministry say.

COLECTIV – A show inspired by the drama around the fire-ravaged Colectiv nightclub in 2015 is staged on Saturday and Sunday at the National Dance Centre in Bucharest. Titled “153 seconds, the show starts with the story of a survivor. The project has been coordinated by director Ioana Păun, who has collected testimonies made by the victims and opinions expressed by sociologists and psychologists and then staged a show on resignation and the possibility of making a change. The title “153 seconds comes from the duration of the fire which ripped through Colectiv, taking the lives of 65 people. On Tuesday, October 30, its three years since the tragedy struck the Bucharest-based club. We recall it was followed by massive protests which deplored corruption at the level of the central and local administration and led to the resignation of the Ponta-led cabinet.

EUROPEAN FUNDS – Since joining the EU, back in 2007, Romania has had at its disposal European funds worth over 45 billion Euros to develop the country, says the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu. According to her, the cohesion policy is meant to improve the living standards of the European citizens, and the results are visible in Romania, too. Corina Creţu will pay an official visit to Bucharest next week, where she will meet with high ranking Romanian officials and will have talks on the future of the European cohesion policy.

SYRIA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are today meeting in Istanbul to attend a summit on Syria, meant to consolidate a fragile truce and to give an impetus to the efforts that are being made to find a political solution to civil war, FP reports. The conflict in Syria has taken a toll of 360,000 people, since 2011. The setting up, under the UN aegis, of a committee to begin drafting a new fundamental law for Syria seems to be a major challenge, given the current stand taken by the regime in Damascus. Attending the Istanbul Summit will also be the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura.

SWINE FEVER – A case of African swine fever was confirmed on Saturday in a household in Vrancea county, eastern Romania, the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority has announced. The area has been isolated, disinfection measures have been taken and the line authorities have set up checking points on the main roads. Over 1,000 African swine fever outbreaks have been confirmed in 15 counties in Romania so far, and no less than 350,000 pigs have been culled. Romania has requested support from the EU to offer damages to the affected farmers.

SPORTS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil (no.93 ATP) is today facing German Alexander Zverev, second seeded and no.5 ATP, in the semi-finals of the Basel tennis tournament. Copil has previously defeated American Taylor Fritz and is playing his second match in Basel with a top 10 tennis player, after he surprisingly defeated Croat Marin Cilic, no.6 ATP, in the eighth finals. Playing in the other semi-final are first-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland and seven seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

WEATHER – The highs of the day range from 17 to 25 degrees C. The noon reading in Bucharest was 17 degrees C.

27 October 2018
European Funds for Romania

The European Commissioner for European Funds Corina Creţu has traveled to Romania frequently, of late, to warn the central and local authorities that sustained efforts are needed to speed up the absorption of European funds and to cut back on the risk of losing the substantial amounts of community money allotted to Romania. However, these funds should be spent based on certain projects that should bridge the gaps separating Romania from the other EU countries. Besides the lack of interest, some of the causes for the current situation are the red tape, which blocks many actions, the Romanian additional legislation in the field and the contestation of tender results, which involves long settlement deadlines in court.

Commissioner Corian Creţu: “I have always said that administrative capacity is more important than the money itself. In the recent discussions which I have held with the prime minister and the government representatives, I have pointed out to this very necessity of urgently tackling these issues, namely simplifying procedures, employing competent people, speeding up assessment and contracting of projects and providing support to beneficiaries or applicants.”

During her visit to Bacău, in eastern Romania, Commissioner Creţu joined the PM Viorica Dăncilă for a meeting with the mayors of 39 of Romania’s county seats that receive direct European funds for development, urging them to send quality projects to Brussels. According to Corina Creţu, Romania was not ready to access European funds for such projects in January 2007 when it joined the EU. But the time has not run up yet. In a communiqué made public prior to her visit to Romania, Commissioner Creţu said that over one billion Euros would be invested in urban development in Romania, and the European Commission was ready to offer the necessary support to the Romanian authorities for these resources to be used more efficiently and faster. PM Viorica Dăncilă announced that the public purchase law would be modified with a view to reducing the deadlines for solving the contestations made after the tenders for European funds.

PM Viorica Dăncilă: “We also intend to make projects for highways. We intend to build highways using European funds, and we’ll also rely on the public-private partnership law that has already been published in the Official Gazette.”

Recently Corian Creţu has expressed concern over Romania risking to lose substantial European funds for transports.

22 May 2018
European Funds for Romania

The European Commissioner for European Funds Corina Creţu has traveled to Romania frequently, of late, to warn the central and local authorities that sustained efforts are needed to speed up the absorption of European funds and to cut back on the risk of losing the substantial amounts of community money allotted to Romania. However, these funds should be spent based on certain projects that should bridge the gaps separating Romania from the other EU countries. Besides the lack of interest, some of the causes for the current situation are the red tape, which blocks many actions, the Romanian additional legislation in the field and the contestation of tender results, which involves long settlement deadlines in court.

Commissioner Corian Creţu: “I have always said that administrative capacity is more important than the money itself. In the recent discussions which I have held with the prime minister and the government representatives, I have pointed out to this very necessity of urgently tackling these issues, namely simplifying procedures, employing competent people, speeding up assessment and contracting of projects and providing support to beneficiaries or applicants.”

During her visit to Bacău, in eastern Romania, Commissioner Creţu joined the PM Viorica Dăncilă for a meeting with the mayors of 39 of Romania’s county seats that receive direct European funds for development, urging them to send quality projects to Brussels. According to Corina Creţu, Romania was not ready to access European funds for such projects in January 2007 when it joined the EU. But the time has not run up yet. In a communiqué made public prior to her visit to Romania, Commissioner Creţu said that over one billion Euros would be invested in urban development in Romania, and the European Commission was ready to offer the necessary support to the Romanian authorities for these resources to be used more efficiently and faster. PM Viorica Dăncilă announced that the public purchase law would be modified with a view to reducing the deadlines for solving the contestations made after the tenders for European funds.

PM Viorica Dăncilă: “We also intend to make projects for highways. We intend to build highways using European funds, and we’ll also rely on the public-private partnership law that has already been published in the Official Gazette.”

Recently Corian Creţu has expressed concern over Romania risking to lose substantial European funds for transports.

22 May 2018
The absorption of European funds and economic growth

Dramatically impoverished during the nearly 50-year long communist dictatorship and mismanaged during the long post-revolutionary transition, Romania got EU membership eventually in 2007.

However, the development gaps between Romania and the Western countries still persist particularly in the poor Northeastern and Southern regions, where the living standard does not even reach half of the EU average. Theoretically, the available means of bridging the gaps is the absorption of European funds.

Practically however, the Romanian authorities, be they central or local, irrespective of their political colour, have become proverbial for their poor accession of European funds. That was also the centerpiece of the motion “The absorption of European funds, a catastrophe bearing the mark of the Social-Democratic Party-ALDE coalition”.

The motion was filed in the Senate against the Social-Democrat Minister of European Funds, Rovana Plumb, by the National Liberal Party and the People’s Movement Party, being also voted by the Union for the Progress of Romania on Tuesday.

The signatories demanded the Minister to resign, criticizing what they called the disaster in the management of structural funds in Romania. Only small sums of money have been absorbed from the billions of Euros worth of funds allocated to Romania; the right wing senators said that in some cases, the projects had not even started being implemented. They also accused excessive bureaucracy, permanent amendments to the legislation and the authorities’ indifference.

Liberal Senator George Stanga: “In late 2017 Romania officially lost 1.64 billion Euros, money which the EU gave us for free. With this money, we could have built 10 regional hospitals, not 8; we could have built 160 km-long highways and four suspension bridges over the Danube. You have proved you are unable to bring in European funds. Incompetence, the lack of professionalism are reasons for you to resign. Hand in your resignation before this area is completely compromised.”

The leftist governmental majority, backed by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, predictably turned down the motion with a comfortable number of votes: 72 votes against, one abstention and only 40 votes in favour of the motion. Before the voting, the Minister of European Funds, Rovana Plumb, replied to the incriminations and in turn accused the politicized speech of the right wing.

Rovana Plumb: “I’m not that kind of person to look at the past. I’d rather build the present to ensure the outcome of the future. But nor do we accept the groundless attacks of our opposition colleagues, given that in the previous term in office, the same colleagues who today try to preach to us did not take any interest in the failed absorption of European funds. According to the European Commission’s report, the absorption rate of structural and investment funds is 16%, as against the 18% European average. Romania is ahead of EU member states with tens of years’ experience in absorbing non-reimbursable European funds.”

Minister Rovana Plumb went on to say that during the 2014-2023 period Romania was allocated about 42 billion Euros worth of European funds, 10 billion Euros of which have already been accessed.

11 April 2018
February 3, 2018 UPDATE

Chevron — The American oil company Chevron will pay to the National Agency for Mineral Resources in Romania around 74 million dollars following the annulment of three oil concession agreements without observing the financial obligations stipulated by the oil law, the Romanian government announced Saturday in a press release. The decision was made by the International Court of Arbitration, a branch of the International Chamber of Commerce based in Paris, which was asked to solve the conflict between Chevron and Romania’s National Agency for Mineral Resources. In 2011, the two sides concluded three concession agreements for exploitation, development and exploration in certain areas in southeastern Romania, which three years later Chevron decided to terminate.

Microsoft — The head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, said she had no reason to resign, after charges were dropped in a resounding corruption case investigated by her assistants because the statute of limitations had expired. Charges were dropped against six former ministers prosecuted for abuse of office allegedly perpetrated in 2003-2004 while in the case of the 7th minister the case was closed. The ministers in question were investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate for initiating or supporting government orders awarding a public procurement contract to a private company. Anti-corruption prosecutors say this company was considered, with no justification in reality, as the sole provider of Microsoft licenses in Romania, so no public tender was therefore held. Total damages stand at around 70 million dollars.

USR — The leader of the opposition Save Romania Union Dan Barna has called for the resignation of the Foreign Minister, Liberal Democrat Teodor Melescanu following a declaration, which he labels as anti-European. Minister Melescanu had labeled as gross violation of the EU principles the information from Brussels according to which the observance of the rule of law could become a condition for granting European funds. The European Commission decided, for the first time in the history of the community bloc, to start the procedure for the activation of Article 7 against Poland, which provides for the suspension of the right to vote in the European Council. According to Brussels officials, there is evident risk of serious infringement of the rule of law in Poland, where Parliament passed laws that increase the control of the executive power on the judiciary.

Commemoration — Commemoration events were held Saturday at the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to Resistance in Sighet (northwestern Romania) to mark 65 years since the death of a great Romanian politician, Iuliu Maniu. The political personality of the leader of the National Peasant Party, who was Romania’s prime minister in the interwar period and also a member of the Romanian Academy, was evoked in a number of speeches and papers presented during the events. An activist for union, a promoter of democratic principles and an adversary of Communism and Nazism, Iuliu Maniu was arrested in 1947 by the regime instated by the Soviet occupation and died in 1953 at the age of 80 in the Sighet prison, where most of the former Democratic dignitaries were detained.

Tennis — Romania’s and Luxembourg’s Davis Cup teams have obtained equal scores, 1-1, after the first two singles held Saturday in Piatra Neamt (northeastern Romania) in the first round of Europe/ Africa Zone Group II. In the first singles match on Saturday Ugo Nastasi of Luxembourg defeated the Romanian tennis player Nicolae Frunza 7-6, 1-6, 6-3. In the second match, Marius Copil defeated Christhope Tholl 6-3, 6-2. On Sunday, in the doubles, the pair Florin Mergea/Horia Tecău will play against Ugo Nastasi/Christophe Tholl and in the last two matches Copil will play against Nastasi and Frunza against Tholl. The Davis Cup matches will take place according to the new format announced by the International Tennis Federation with matches consisting of maximum 3 sets being played for two days not three, as has happened so far. Romania was demoted last year to Group I for the first time after 1993, after it lost the match against Israel 0-5. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)

3 February 2018
February 3, 2018

Chevron — The American oil company Chevron will pay to the National Agency for Mineral Resources in Romania around 74 million dollars following the annulment of three oil concession agreements without observing the financial obligations stipulated by the oil law, the Romanian government announced Saturday in a press release. The decision was made by the International Court of Arbitration, a branch of the International Chamber of Commerce based in Paris which was asked to solve the conflict between Chevron and Romania’s National Agency for Mineral Resources. In 2011, the two sides concluded three concession agreements for exploitation, development and exploration in certain areas in southeastern Romania, which three years later Chevron decided to terminate.

Microsoft — The head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, said she had no reason to resign, after charges were dropped in a resounding corruption case investigated by her assistants because the statute of limitations had expired. Charges were dropped against six former ministers prosecuted for abuse of office allegedly perpetrated in 2003-2004 while in the case of the 7th minister the case was closed. The ministers in question were investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate for initiating or supporting government orders awarding a public procurement contract to a private company. Anti-corruption prosecutors say this company was considered, with no justification in reality, as the sole provider of Microsoft licenses in Romania, so no public tender was therefore held. Total damages stand at around 70 million dollars.

USR — The leader of the opposition Save Romania Union party Dan Barna has called for the resignation of the Foreign Minister, Liberal Democrat Teodor Melescanu following a declaration, which he labels as anti-European. Minister Melescanu had labeled as gross violation of the EU principles the information from Brussels according to which the observance of the rule of law could become a condition for granting European funds. The European Commission decided, for the first time in the history of the community bloc, to start the procedure for the activation of Article 7 against Poland, which provides for the suspension of the right to vote in the European Council. According to Brussels officials, there is evident risk of serious infringement of the rule of law in Poland, where Parliament passed laws that increase the control of the executive power on the judiciary.

Tennis — Romanian tennis player Nicolae Frunza and Ugo Nastasi of Luxembourg are today playing the first Davis Cup match held in Piatra Neamt (northeastern Romania) in the first round of Europe/ Africa Zone Group II. In the second singles match Romanian Marius Copil will be up against Christhope Tholl. On Sunday, in the doubles, the pair Florin Mergea/Horia Tecău will play against Ugo Nastasi/Christophe Tholl and in the last two matches Copil will play against Nastasi and Frunza against Tholl. The matches will take place according to the new format announced by the International Tennis Federation with matches, consisting of maximum 3 sets, being played for two days not three, as has happened so far. Romania was demoted last year to Group I for the first time after 1993, after it lost the match against Israel 0-5.

Commemoration — Commemoration events were held Saturday at the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to Resistance in Sighet (northwestern Romania) to mark 65 years since the death of a great Romanian politician, Iuliu Maniu. The political personality of the leader of the National Peasant Party, who was Romania’s prime minister in the interwar period and also a member of the Romanian Academy, was evoked in a number of speeches and papers presented during the events. An activist for union, a promoter of democratic principles and an adversary of Communism and Nazism, Iuliu Maniu was arrested in 1947 by the regime instated by the Soviet occupation and died in 1953 at the age of 80 in the Sighet prison, where most of the former Democratic dignitaries were detained. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

3 February 2018
European Funds for Romania

European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, urged Romania to step up the implementation of European-funded projects. She said she was dissatisfied with the delayed completion of infrastructure projects and in general with their slow implementation. On a visit to Bucharest, she said that there are too many local officials of all sorts in Romania, whereas in other countries, there was an administrative authority for every region, discussing directly with the European Commission. The Commissioner warned that despite the progress made in the last few months, Romania risked losing significant EU funds. Corina Cretu:

“There is a further danger of Romania losing money and this country should make continued and greater efforts. I’m glad that a number of measures have been proposed, which if they were applied, could immediately yield results and Romania would not lose large sums of money by non-commitment.”

Meeting with an official in Brussels, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu spelled out the advantages of community funds, pointing out that in the last ten years of EU membership, Romania had benefited from over 45 billion Euro worth of EU funds. Considering Romania’s contribution to the EU budget, the net absorption of European funds stood at about 30 billion Euros, Isarescu said. The Governor of the National Bank insisted that the European funds were the chance of Romania’s modernization, particularly in infrastructure, not only the transport infrastructure, but also the education and healthcare ones. He warned that without European funds, Romania would be deprived of an essential source of capital. He underscored that the delayed absorption of European money or the absorption of smaller sums of money impacted the balance on the currency market and the exchange rate. As an example, over 2014-2020, the European Commission has made available to Romania over 20 billion Euros for investments in the economy; only 5% of that sum has so far entered the country. Corina Cretu said that in the next period, a first form of the EU multi-annual budget for the post-2020 period is being decided and the cohesion policy would undergo changes and reforms. Corina Cretu:

“The seventh report on the cohesion policy demonstrates very clearly that a low quality governance, the authorities’ low administrative capacity hinder economic development. That is why, in any country, we need further structural reforms directly related to the EU reform agenda.”

The Commissioner pleaded for the simplification of bureaucratic procedures in the absorption of European funds so that there should be a single set of rules, an issue that must be negotiated by the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament, Corina Cretu said.

(Translated by A.M. Palcu)

30 January 2018
European Funds for Romania

European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, urged Romania to step up the implementation of European-funded projects. She said she was dissatisfied with the delayed completion of infrastructure projects and in general with their slow implementation. On a visit to Bucharest, she said that there are too many local officials of all sorts in Romania, whereas in other countries, there was an administrative authority for every region, discussing directly with the European Commission. The Commissioner warned that despite the progress made in the last few months, Romania risked losing significant EU funds. Corina Cretu:

“There is a further danger of Romania losing money and this country should make continued and greater efforts. I’m glad that a number of measures have been proposed, which if they were applied, could immediately yield results and Romania would not lose large sums of money by non-commitment.”

Meeting with an official in Brussels, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu spelled out the advantages of community funds, pointing out that in the last ten years of EU membership, Romania had benefited from over 45 billion Euro worth of EU funds. Considering Romania’s contribution to the EU budget, the net absorption of European funds stood at about 30 billion Euros, Isarescu said. The Governor of the National Bank insisted that the European funds were the chance of Romania’s modernization, particularly in infrastructure, not only the transport infrastructure, but also the education and healthcare ones. He warned that without European funds, Romania would be deprived of an essential source of capital. He underscored that the delayed absorption of European money or the absorption of smaller sums of money impacted the balance on the currency market and the exchange rate. As an example, over 2014-2020, the European Commission has made available to Romania over 20 billion Euros for investments in the economy; only 5% of that sum has so far entered the country. Corina Cretu said that in the next period, a first form of the EU multi-annual budget for the post-2020 period is being decided and the cohesion policy would undergo changes and reforms. Corina Cretu:

“The seventh report on the cohesion policy demonstrates very clearly that a low quality governance, the authorities’ low administrative capacity hinder economic development. That is why, in any country, we need further structural reforms directly related to the EU reform agenda.”

The Commissioner pleaded for the simplification of bureaucratic procedures in the absorption of European funds so that there should be a single set of rules, an issue that must be negotiated by the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament, Corina Cretu said.

(Translated by A.M. Palcu)

30 January 2018
27 October, 2016

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke in Brussels at the Alliance meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, saying that several countries would contribute to strengthening NATOs eastern flank against Russian threats. He specified that 13 countries would take part in military concentrations in Poland and the Baltic states, while six countries would contribute with land, sea and air forces in the Black Sea region. Also under discussion at the meeting was the multinational brigade to be hosted and led by Romania. The UK announced it would send Typhoon fighter jets to Romania for patrol missions. Bucharest was represented by its defense minister, Mihnea Motoc.

On Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis and PM Dacian Ciolos criticized the bill passed by Parliament removing over 100 non-fiscal fees, including the radio and TV fees. The bill introduced by the Social Democrats passed the lower chamber of Parliament a day before, and awaits endorsement by the head of state. However, the latter believes that, in order to develop a predictable Romania, investors need to know how taxation would evolve in the next 10 years. Klaus Iohannis believes that it is wrong to change the architecture of taxation ahead of the Parliament elections of 11 December, with no consultation with businesses, trade unions and civil society. Speaking of the radio and TV tax, the president said that this issue cannot be settled within the span of a week and without long term evaluation and planning. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said he is considering challenging the bill in Constitutional Court.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed on Wednesday the decree appointing Dragos Cristian Dinu Minister of European Funds. According to the presidency, the new minister will be sworn in the same day. Dinu, formerly an undersecretary with the ministry, replaces Cristian Ghinea, who resigned in order to be able to run for parliamentary elections in December.

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, 4th seeded in the WTA, was defeated on Wednesday in two sets by Slovakian player Dominika Cibulkova, 8th seeded, in the Red Group of the 2016 WTA Finals in Singapore. In the other game in the group, world leader Angelique Kerber of Germany plays against 7th seeded Madison Keys of the US. The German player needs only a single set to qualify for the semifinals, considering she won the first two encounters. In the White Group, Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, 6th seeded, was defeated by Agnieszka Radvanska, 3rd seeded, who was the winner last year. Also part of this group, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, 9th seeded, defeated Czech player Karolina Pliskova, 5th seeded. The Russian player has already two victories under her belt, and is technically qualified for the semifinals already.

The summit dedicated to the negotiation of CETA, the EU- Canada free trade agreement, scheduled for Wednesday in Brussels, has been canceled, without a rescheduled date, according to European Union sources, quoted by AFP. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had canceled his trip to Brussels ahead of the announcement. The agreement was blocked by the Belgian Walloon region. The Canadian government said it is ready to sign the agreement as soon as Europe is ready. Romania said it would agree to the accord as soon as Canada removes visa requirements for Romanian citizens traveling to that country.

27 October 2016