Radio România Internațional

Tag: European Parliament

  • TikTok management at EP hearing

    TikTok management at EP hearing

     

    The video-sharing app TikTok Tuesday defended before the European Parliament its measures to counter disinformation in the first round of Romania’s presidential election, and denied having favoured the far-right outsider Călin Georgescu.

     

    TikTok officials told the EP’s Committee on internal market and consumer protection that all candidates had been taken into account in the system without discriminating between independent contenders and those who were members of a party. The platform’s global head of product for authenticity and transparency, Brie Pegum, stated that of the networks taken down in recent months for unlawful political content, only one supported Călin Georgescu and it had much fewer followers than others supporting other candidates. She also stressed that the platform had eliminated over 66,000 fake accounts in Romania, around 7,000,000 fake ‘likes’, around 10,000,000 fake followers and 1,000 accounts that replicated candidate profiles.

     

    In turn, TikTok’s head of public policy and government relations, Caroline Greer, explained that the app had applied its own rules for electoral processes during the Romanian elections. She also added that in the months leading up to the elections she had had meetings with various authorities, including several political parties and the Romanian electoral authority. In addition, she mentioned that TikTok had 95 Romanian content moderators.

     

    Our view is strictly limited to what happens on the platform. We do not know what happens outside it, we do not know what the financial capacity of the candidates is or what they do elsewhere, the TikTok executive said. MEPs say, however, that the answers provided by the company do not clarify the question marks related to the transparency of the app operation or the tools used in countering manipulation.

     

    The Romanian MEP Dan Nica, leader of the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament, reiterated the request for the European Commission to get involved in the inquiry. He believes that it is important for European institutions to step in to prevent the misuse of online platforms for political purposes, which could affect the election process and citizens’ confidence in democracy.

     

    In fact, after the first round of the presidential election on November 24, Romania called on the European Commission to launch a formal investigation into the TikTok platform, based on the EU’s social media rules, which require companies to assess and mitigate threats to election integrity. Similar accusations were made against TikTok in connection with the recent parliamentary elections in Ireland. (AMP)

  • The future EU budget

    The future EU budget

    On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted a proposal for next year’s EU budget, expected to stand at 201 billion EUR. However, it is not the final version, because the European Parliament must reach an agreement with the EU Council. The latter would like the European Union to invest about 10 billion EUR less. On the contrary, MEPs say more money is needed, given the slightly fragile situation from an economic point of view. On the other hand, the European Council advises caution and says it does not want to put pressure on national budgets or on the population. The European Parliament emphasizes the common policies of the community bloc, while the Council focuses more on issues at national level. Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu is one of the two negotiators of the European Parliament in its relations with the Council.

     

    “The version of the European Parliament offers more opportunities for Member States, because we tried to integrate those measures with an immediate effect on citizens’ lives. Whether we are talking about Erasmus or the Civil Protection Mechanism, these are direct intervention mechanisms. Whether we are talking about agriculture and the support for young farmers or whether we are talking about improving the transport infrastructure, again, we see these programs have an immediate effect in increasing the standards of living”.

     

    In addition, the budget proposed by the European Parliament benefits all states with smaller contributions to the European budget, which then stand to gain from the distribution of money through community programs and policies. What are the benefits for Romania? Victor Negrescu explains:

     

    “I would refer here, in particular, to the support offered by the European Parliament for the program devoted to border security, in which we mention the support for the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area. I would refer here to the coordination of the social security system, which would allow the European diaspora, including the Romanian one, to transfer their rights and social benefits, including pensions, more easily from one state to another. I refer here to the consistent support for the agricultural sector or to the consistent support for the Republic of Moldova, which is greater than the one proposed by the Council”.

     

    The European Parliament and the EU Council will start negotiations, of course, with the participation of the European Commission. The latter has its own budget proposal, similar to the one put forward by Parliament. The EU budget is expected to be adopted in the second half of November. (VP)

  • Romania’s Prime Minister in Brussels

    Romania’s Prime Minister in Brussels

    The Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, held talks with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday. High on the agenda were the renegotiation of the country’s National Plan of Recovery and Resilience, known as PNRR, the future agreement on curbing the country’s budget deficit and the Romanian proposal for the future European Commissioner.

    Marcel Ciolacu mentioned Bucharest’s request to renegotiate the PNRR, to reduce by 10 percent the loan component and the payment request number 3. Out of the total 76 landmarks only four remained under discussion and one of them was about the ceiling at which a company could be considered a micro-enterprise.

    According to the Prime Minister, the ruling coalition in Bucharest must decide whether to lower the ceiling or leave it to the present level, but in this case they have to give up a sum of money from the payment request number 3.

    Marcel Ciolacu says that he forwarded during the talks a new agreement regarding Romania’s deficit that should expand over 7 years because, as the Prime Minister says, the biggest investment is expected to take place in the next two years.

    Prime Minister Ciolacu also briefed the EU official on investments in the country’s road and rail infrastructures.

    “The first Romanian proposal regarding the road infrastructure was to have a sum of 13.7 billion Euros earmarked. The sum eventually approved stood somewhere around 7 billion though. The difference is co-funded by Romanian state, Ciolacu explained.

    The Prime Minister reconfirmed in Brussels the proposal that Victor Negrescu, the incumbent vice-president of the European Parliament, become the new Romanian EU commissioner adding that he wishes a relevant economic portfolio for Romania.

    However, the formal proposal will be submitted to the Commission in the following days, the Prime Minister says. We recall that several EU countries, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal have not submitted their proposals for the EU commissioners yet.

    Every EU member has been designated a commissioner seat and once sworn in these candidates will be responsible for various portfolios within the Commission.

    Governments present their nominees, who are approved by the president of the EU Executive. The nominees are to be heard in mid-September and get European Parliament endorsement in October.

    Prime Minister Ciolacu and Ursula von der Leyen also tackled Romania’s accession to Schengen with its ground borders. Marcel Ciolacu described the European Commission president as the “biggest supporter of Romania’s fully-fledged Schengen accession” and voiced his conviction that this accession would happen in the next period.

    (bill)

  • Ursula von der Leyen, re-elected

    Ursula von der Leyen, re-elected

    The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has been confirmed at the helm of the European Commission for the next 5 years, after she was voted, on Thursday’s first session of the new European Parliament since the June election. The support for von der Leyen was even greater compared to her first term, although right-wing and left-wing opposition forces have consolidated their presence in the community bloc. Her candidacy was dealt a major blow, analysts say, after an EU Court of Justice ruled, a day before the election, that Ursula von der Leyen had not been transparent enough with the public about pandemic contracts for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines. However, everything turned out well at the end of intense negotiations that took place until the very morning of the voting day, according to some political sources. Ursula von der Leyen received 401 votes although she needed half plus one of the total of 720. In her speech in Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen pleaded for a strong Europe and promised to make industry and defense her priorities. The president of the European Commission reconfirmed the continuation of support for Ukraine in all forms and condemned the actions of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that could have weakened the Union, after his recent visit to Moscow, in the context in which Hungary holds the EU Council presidency.

     

     

     

    According to the EPP, Ursula von der Leyen’s party of origin, the pro-European, pro-Ukraine and pro-rule of law majority in the European Parliament reflects the reality of European society. Ursula von der Leyen’s agenda targets both right-wing and left-wing policies, managing to respond to most of the citizens’ requests. The Social Democrats, the second largest group in Parliament, supported von der Leyen after her program included social and agricultural policies. Renew, the third-largest group in the coalition, gave von the Leyen less votes than before. Romanian MEPs however voted to support Ursula von der Leyen’s second term in office. Although they are not part of the coalition, part of the Greens voted in favor of Ursula von der Leyen. Just in like with the Social-Democrats, the Greens were promised the Commission would focus on environmental policies and the plan for affordable housing. The vote and hearings on EU Commissioners are scheduled to follow. Governments of EU Members will each have to present two candidates (one woman and one man) for the positions of European commissioners, von der Leyen said. The final vote on the structure of the Commission could be slated for September.

     

     

     

    The only incident of first day was the aggressive intervention of Romanian MEP Diana Şoşoacă, who was twice expelled from the hall for interrupting the session. The incident was criticized by all parliamentary groups, including the radical or extremist ones, and condemned by the Romanian MEPs because it mars the image of Romania at international level. Listed as a pro-Russian politician and leader of the populist SOS Romania party, the former Senator returned to her antics in the Romanian Parliament. In Brussels, however, failure to observe the rules is subject to immediate sanctions. (VP)

  • The European Parliament supports Ukraine

    The European Parliament supports Ukraine

    The European Parliament reconfirmed its support for Ukraine for as long as it is necessary to achieve victory against Russia. A resolution adopted on Wednesday presents the first official position of the newly elected European Parliament regarding Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The document reasserts the continuous support of MEPs for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. The resolution was fully supported by five of the eight groups of the community legislature – EPP, S&D, Renew, the Greens and the ECR (Conservatives). The delegations of Romanian sovereigntists and ultranationalists from AUR and SOS took a stand against the resolution regarding EU support for Ukraine.

     

     

    In its resolution, the European Parliament asks the EU to maintain and extend its sanctions against Russia and Belarus, as well as to monitor and review their effectiveness and impact. Reasserting their firm belief that Moscow must financially compensate Kyiv for the major damages it caused, MEPs hail recent EU efforts to direct revenues from frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv. MEPs have also called for “a solid legal regime for seizing Russian state assets frozen by the EU”. The European Parliament also hailed the outcome of the recent NATO summit and reaffirmed its position that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to joining the Alliance. At the same time, MEPs asked the EU and its Member States to increase their military support for Ukraine for as long as it is required and in any form necessary. It also called on the European Commission to come up with long-term financial assistance for the reconstruction of Ukraine, based on the recently established Mechanism for Ukraine.

     

     

    For its part, considering that Kyiv has met the required conditions, the European Commission on Wednesday announced it has greenlit the disbursement of a new installment worth 4.2 billion EUR from the 50 bln-EUR-euro macro-financial assistance package provided to Ukraine by EU27 until 2027. The conditions refer to the implementation of 69 reforms and 10 investments established in the plan agreed between Kyiv and Brussels, which includes measures stipulated in EU accession negotiations. The plan includes reforms in several areas, including energy, agriculture, transport, green transition, digital transformation, as well as objectives to be achieved with a view to joining the EU, such as the adoption of the community acquis, the management of public finances, combating corruption and money laundering. After the disbursement of the new instalment, Ukraine has so far received over 12 bln EUR from the financial aid package promised by the EU. (VP)

  • July 16, 2024

    July 16, 2024

    HEAT WAVE – A code red alert remains in place in Romania, with severe thermal discomfort reported during the interval and the THI expected to exceed 80 units. Thunderstorms are expected to hit mountainous areas, accompanied by strong wind and hail. Temperatures are expected to reach and exceed 42 degrees Celsius during the interval. Restrictions for heavy road traffic have been set in place between 11 AM – 7 PM on all national roads, express roads and motorways, with the exception of four counties in the north. Trains are also running at lower speeds, the National Rail Company saying the measure will remain in force when temperatures at ground level reach 50 degrees Celsius. The authorities have called on the population to use drinking water responsibly. The heat wave has exacerbated the draught, which caused water supply restrictions in nearly 300 settlements. Romania’s 40 reservoirs are now at 80% capacity, and water levels are expected to further drop by the end of the month, authorities say. The Danube River is also reporting decreasing water levels, although no supply issues have so far been reported at the Cernavodă NPP. Extreme heat is also exerting additional pressure on Romania’s energy grid. Romania increased its electricity output by 400 MW amidst growing energy demand, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said at the end of the Energy Ministry Committee meeting. Despite high temperatures and the high demand for electricity at present, there is no risk of blackouts, the Romanian official pointed out

     

     

    BEAR HUNTING – The Chamber of Deputies on Monday approved a draft law tabled by UDMR amending legislation on bear hunting, a document voted last year by the Senate. Under the new law, some 400 brown bears can be shot over 2024-2025, mostly in Covasna, Brașov, Harghita and Mureș counties. The initiative follows last week’s tragedy, when a 19-year-old girl was mauled down by a bear on a popular hiking trail.

     

     

    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – The new European Parliament starts its activity today. The first plenary session is scheduled today in Strasbourg. MEPs have three days to elect their president, vice-presidents and members of special committees. On Thursday, MEPs are voting on Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for a second term at the helm of the European Commission. Von der Leyen has already secured the support of heads of state and government from EU Member States, and needs at least 361 of the total number of 720 eligible votes. The European People’s Party remains the number one political force in the European Parliament, having won 188 seats in the June election. The Social-Democrats won 136 seats, while Renew grabbed 177. The three parties together hold enough votes to get von der Leyen re-elected. Not all MEPs representing these parties are expected to vote for her, which is why the former European Commission president is trying to secure the support of the Greens. The 720 MEPs are today voting to elect their new president, with Roberta Metsola of the EPP favorite to win a new term in office. Also today, MEPs will choose the structure of the Permanent Bureau, consisting of 14 vice-presidents and 5 quaestors. Two Romanian MEPs are running for the position for vice-president – Social-Democrat Victor Negrescu and Nicolae Ștefănuță, an unaffiliated MEP backed by the Greens.

     

     

    TRUMP – The Republican Party on Monday nominated Donald Trump as the official candidate for the US presidential election, scheduled for November 5. The announcement was made at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, held over July 15-18. In turn, Donald Trump nominated Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his vice-president should he win the election. A former critic of Trump turned staunch supporter, J.D. Vance (39) is a former US serviceman and successful writer. As a Senator, he has constantly militated for topics close to Donald Trump, such as combating migration and defending economic protectionism. The Republican Convention is held after last weekend Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman fired a bullet at Trump, piercing his left ear and killing a member of the audience. Another two people were gravely injured before Secret Service staff killed the attacker. According to the FBI, the 20-year-old gunman had acted alone and used a legally bought firearm.

     

     

    FOOTBALL – Romania’s football champions, FCSB are today playing Virtus AC of San Marino at home in the return leg of the Champions League first preliminary round. FCSB won 7-1 in the first leg. If it qualifies to the next round, FCSB will play Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel. Romanian Cup winners Corvinul Hunedoara, CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova are the other teams representing Romania in European inter-club competitions. (VP)

  • June 25, 2024 UPDATE

    June 25, 2024 UPDATE

    EU The ex-Soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on Tuesday officially kicked off their EU-accession talks. According to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ‘the path ahead will be challenging, but also filled with immense opportunities for Moldova and Ukraine. Together, we can forge a larger, more dynamic and forward-looking Europe.” The first talks are taking place in Luxembourg and along the process Chisinau and Kyiv must bring their legislations in line with the EU one. According to Radio Romania correspondent in Brussels, since they were given the candidate status the two countries have carried out adjustments in key areas proving their readiness to bring their legislation in line with that of the EU. Starting with these inter-governmental conferences, the accession roads of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova are splitting now and the two countries will be treated differently, according to the speed they are applying reforms. Pundits believe this could be an advantage for the Republic of Moldova, which, from the European Commission’s viewpoint, has progressed better than Ukraine, heavily affected by war.

     

    DATE The ruling PSD-PNL coalition in Bucharest on Tuesday postponed their decision on the presidential election as they failed to reach an agreement in this respect after several hours of talks. Two days are being considered for the first round of voting, September 15th or 29th. The government has a deadline by the beginning of the next month to endorse an emergency ordinance over the presidential election schedule, if the ballot is to take place in September. However, the Liberals insist that the election be held later this year, although they had initially agreed for the month of September. They argue the September election will disrupt the beginning of the new school year and the election campaign will overlap the period of summer holidays. The Social–Democrats are ruling out the idea of changing the election date. The two parties also have to decide whether they will have one candidate or will each present their own candidate. On June 9th PSD and PNL ran on joint tickets in the election for the European Parliament but had their own candidates for the local administration.

     

    FUNDING On Monday Romania received close to EUR 1.1 bln from the European Union for projects in the energy sector, particularly for renewable energy production. According to an EU news release, Romania and 9 other countries received total funding of EUR 3 bln, intended for 39 programmes. The largest amount was given to Romania, followed by the Czech Republic (EUR 835 mln) and Poland (EUR 700 mln).

     

    THEATRE The Performing Arts Market opened in Sibiu (central Romania) on Tuesday as part of the famous Sibiu International Theatre Festival. Currently in its 27th edition, the Performing Arts Market has, this year as well, face-to-face, hybrid and online components. More than 80 officials for cultural organisations and institutions in over 30 countries convene in Sibiu to establish contacts and implement joint projects. The Festival founder and president, Constantin Chiriac, says this is the only performing arts market in Romania and in Eastern and Central Europe.

    (bill)

  • Who will represent Romania in the EP

    Who will represent Romania in the EP

      

     

    On Tuesday night, the Central Electoral Bureau presented the final results of the election for the European Parliament, held on June 9 in Romania. After more than a week of uncertainty, the Official Journal released the memo centralising the vote count and seat allocation, which is the official closure of the EP election.

     

    The latest figures only confirmed the ranking and the distance between the election contenders. First placed remains the alliance comprising the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, which also make up the ruling coalition in Romania, and which got 48.5% of the votes, securing 19 of Romania’s 33 seats in the European Parliament.

     

    Second came the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), in opposition, which was backed by 14.93% of the voters. AUR will send 6 MEPs in the European legislative body.

     

    The United Right Alliance ranks 3rd, having received 8.71% of the votes. Save Romania Union (USR), the People’s Movement Party and the Force of the Right thus secured 3 Deputy seats.

     

    The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, with 6.48% of the votes, and S.O.S. Romania Party with 5.03%, have barely made the threshold and will also contribute 2 MEPs each. Adding to them is Ştefănuţă Nicolae Bogdănel, a former USR member who ran independently and was voted by 3.08% of the Romanians.

     

    According to the Central Electoral Bureau, the turnout was 9,444,894, accounting for 52.4% of the total eligible voters in Romania. For the EP election, organised by Romania concurrently with its local elections, 18,955 polling stations were opened in the country and 915 abroad. The total number of valid votes cast in the polling stations abroad was 210,410.

     

    The Social Democrats and the Liberals won the election for the EP in the diaspora as well, with 21.35% of the votes, followed by the United Right Alliance with 16.34%, and by AUR, with 14.65%. S.O.S. Romania carried 13.52% of the votes, REPER Party 9.7%, the United Diaspora Party 7.05%, and the non-affiliated candidate Ştefănuţă Nicolae-Bogdănel 5.9%.

     

    Romania is to organise 2 more elections this year. In autumn, Romanians will be asked to elect the country’s president and the members of the national parliament. But while the general election date has already been set for December 8, the date of the presidential vote is still subject to negotiations between the Social Democrats and the Liberals in the ruling coalition. (AMP)

     

  • June 7, 2024 UPDATE

    June 7, 2024 UPDATE

    EU Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova have met the conditions for starting EU accession negotiations. A spokeswoman for the European Commission said in Brussels on Friday that the decision now is in the hands of the member countries. The Commission has informed the Council that Ukraine has done the latest legislative amendments in its legal system, to regulate lobbying activities and in the fields of minorities and the Republic of Moldova has operated changes in its judiciary. In the case of both countries, the Commission will be monitoring the implementation of the new amendments, but the steps taken so far allow for kicking off accession negotiations. In a first stage, the member states are expected to endorse the Commission recommendation and there is one question mark concerning the position of Hungary. A second stage will be the setting up of an inter-governmental conference with Moldova and Ukraine a moment which coincides with the start of negotiations for bringing the entire legislation in line with the bloc’s laws. The council’s presidency is presently being held by Belgium, a country, which wants the setting up of the first inter-government conference during its mandate, by the end of July.

     

    GROWTH The Gross Domestic Product of the eurozone and of the EU registered an increase of 0.3% in the first quarter of 2024 as compared to the last quarter of 2023, says data published on Friday by the EU statistical office Eurostat. According to the same data, Romania’s economy registered a slight growth above the European average with a GDP growth of 0.4% in the year’s first three months after a contraction of 0.6% in the last three months of 2023. Eurostat data are similar to those provided by the National Institute for Statistics, which revised down Romania’s economic growth in the first quarter from a previous forecast of 0.5% to 0.4%.

     

    ELECTION In Romania, Friday was the last day of the first electoral campaign in 2024. Citizens with the right to vote are expected, on Sunday, to go to the polls to choose both their representatives in the future European Parliament and in the local authorities. According to the data of the Permanent Electoral Authority, over 200,000 candidates have tried, starting from May 10, to convince voters to vote them. The oldest candidate is 100 years old, and the youngest is just over 23 years old. 11,386 people are running for mayoral positions. All in all, 207,389 candidates have registered for all the positions of local, county and municipal councilors, mayors and presidents of county councils. For the European Parliament elections, 12 political parties and electoral alliances and four independent candidates have registered, i.e. a total of 494 candidates, of whom the Romanians with the right to vote must choose 33 that will represent Romania in the European Parliament. The electoral campaign will end on Saturday morning, at 7:00 a.m.

     

    WAGES Almost 1,900,000 employees in Romania will receive increased salaries by 284 lei (57 Euros) net value, from July 1, after the Romanian Government approved the increase of the gross minimum wage from 3,300 lei (about 660 Euros) to 3,700 lei (approximately 740 Euros) and raised from 200 lei (approximately 40 Euros) to 300 lei (almost 60 Euros) the monthly amount exempted from the payment of the income tax. The executive believes that this approach will have positive effects on economic growth, the purchasing power of employees and will contribute to the reduction of undeclared work. However, the decision does not apply to employees in agriculture and the food industry, as legal provisions in force apply to these categories. The government representatives said that this increase is a step towards the adoption, from November, of the minimum wage at the European level.

    (bill)

  • June 6, 2024 UPDATE

    June 6, 2024 UPDATE

     

    STATEMENT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is one of the 17 heads of state to sign a joint statement pleading for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It is time for the war to end and this deal is the necessary starting point, the statement reads. The signatories call on both parties to agree to the US president Joe Biden’s plan, which provides for a 6-week ceasefire in a first stage, accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from the densely populated areas of Gaza, and a hostage-prisoner exchange. In a second stage, whose details are yet to be set, a permanent end of hostilities and the release of all hostages would take place.

     

    WAGES The government of Romania Thursday approved an increase of national minimum wages to roughly EUR 740 as of July 1. Over 1.8 million employees are estimated to benefit from this measure. The EUR 40 tax deduction for minimum wages has also been raised to EUR 60. The government also passed a bill amending the Romanian Citizenship Act. According to the justice ministry, the measure was required in order to modernize the current legislative framework, to facilitate Romania’s participation in the US Visa Waiver programme, and to help complete benchmarks in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The new provisions concern the digitization of procedures, so that the application stages may be followed online, the introduction of a citizenship card, and the use of biometric identifiers such as face and fingerprints.

     

    D-DAY Scores of heads of state and government celebrated in Paris on Thursday the 80th anniversary of the Allied Normandy landings, a decisive moment in defeating Nazi Germany in WWII. The US president, Joe Biden, said Ukraine was invaded by a tyrant and promised his country and NATO would stand strong with Kyiv for as long as necessary in this conflict initiated by Russia. He vowed that the free world would not “surrender to bullies.” Attending the ceremonies in France were also King Charles and the French president Emanuel Macron.  They paid tribute to the 73,000 British troops who took part in the landings. Also present were WWII veterans, many of them over 100 years of age. Locals as well as lots of tourists were in attendance. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, was not invited to take part because of his role in the invasion of Ukraine.

     

    VOTE Polling stations opened on Thursday in the Netherlands, the first country to vote in the elections for the European Parliament due over June 6 and 9. Roughly 370 million people are expected to vote in all the 27 EU member states in the following days. Analysts are forecasting a rise of far-right and Euro-sceptical parties amid frustrations caused by the rising cost of living, migration and green policies that are getting more and more unpopular. Like in most EU countries, in Romania the vote for the European Parliament is due on Sunday, concurrently with the local elections. Romania gets 33 seats in the European Parliament.

     

    BOOK FAIR Until June 16th, Romania will be attending the 83rd edition of the Madrid Book Fair with a national stand and 20 literary events. This has been Romania’s 13th participation in this large-scale event staged by the Romanian Cultural Institute through the National Book Centre and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Madrid, with support from the Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Embassy in Spain. Among the protagonists of the events there are writers Gabriela Adameşteanu, Eugen Barz, Aura Christi, Nichita Danilov, Cristian Fulaş, Miguel Gane, Stejărel Olaru, Radu Paraschivescu, Radmila Popovici, Andreea Răsuceanu and Radio Romania Journalist Corina Sabău.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostyuk qualified without playing in the semis of the doubles contest in Roland Garros as Russians Mirra Andreeva and Vera Zvonareva failed to attend the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Ruse and Kostyuk have won a check of EUR 148,000 and 780 WTA points. This is the second Grand Slam semi-final for Ruse and Kostyuk after the Australian Open last year. In the semis Ruse and her partner will be playing the all-Italian pair, Jasmine Paolini/Sara Errani.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s football team will be up against Lichtenstein in Bucharest on Friday night in their last training game before the European Championship in Germany. In another friendly on Tuesday our footballers managed a goalless draw against neighbouring Bulgaria. In Group E of Euro 2024, Romania will be playing Ukraine on June 17 in Munich, Belgium on June 22 in Cologne and Slovakia in Frankfurt 4 days later. Officials of the football federation in Bucharest say they expect a large number of Romanian football fans to attend, whether residents in Germany or in other Western European countries. Romania’s last participation in a European football tournament was in 2016 and in the World Cup in 1998. (AMP, bill)

  • April 22, 2024 UPDATE

    April 22, 2024 UPDATE

    VISIT – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Monday started a three-day official visit to South Korea, the first country in the Asia-Pacific region which Romania has a strategic partnership with. Iohannis laid a wreath at the National Cemetery in Seoul. Political consultations will focus on issues related to the consolidation of the Strategic Partnership, political-diplomatic and defense cooperation, the main regional and global challenges and boosting trade and investments in various sectors. Among them are green and nuclear energy, new technologies, IT&C, environment and climate change management, infrastructure, health and education. The meeting will also emphasize the special inter-cultural exchanges, which have been consolidated in recent years. The Romanian president’s visit to South Korea is the first in 16 years.

     

    MISSIONS – Parliament on Monday greenlit the participation of Romanian military in demining naval missions in the Black Sea following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, in response to the Romanian president’s request. Romania will deploy general staff and a military vessel with an 85-strong crew. Parliament also approved the participation of the Romanian Army in the EU maritime security mission in the Red Sea. 3 Romanian servicemen will join the Prosperity Guardian mission led by US in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the territory of Bahrain.

     

    AIRCRAFT – Three F-16 aircraft purchased by Romania from Norway, landed on Friday at the “General Emanoil Ionescu” 71st Air Base in Câmpia Turzii (center). It is the second series of three such aircraft bought by Romania from the Norway, the first being received last November. According to the Defense Ministry, through the 32 multirole F-16 aircraft that will endow two more squadrons of the Air Forces by the end of next year, Romania is strengthening its air defense at a level adapted to the security challenges in the region.

     

    SERVICEMEN – The Romanian army faces a shortage of professional servicemen. The first conscription campaign held over February-April, over 6,400 people applied for the 5,100 vacancies, 24% failed the fitness test, 18% the psychological test and 12% the medical test. The total number of candidates who passed was 2,626. The Romanian Defense Ministry says the level of difficulty for the fitness test is average, allowing people aged 18-45 with normal fitness development to pass it without major difficulties.

     

    EP – The European Parliament convenes in a new plenary sitting in Strasbourg, as of today until Thursday. The meeting’s agenda includes topics such as violence against women, the revision of the EU’s Agricultural Policy and combating money laundering. Iran’s attack on Israel, the ban on the EU market for products manufactured through forced labor, the effects of the so-called Russian interference in the European Parliament, the assessment of the results of the Russian elections and the situation of the state of law in Hungary will also be discussed. The plenary sitting this week is the last one of the current European Parliament makeup, before the European elections on June 9. (EE & VP)

  • March 21, 2024

    March 21, 2024

    SUMMITS Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis participates on Thursday and Friday in the Nuclear Energy summit, the European Council proceedings and the extended Euro Summit underway in Brussels. According to a communiqué by the presidential administration in Bucharest, the Nuclear Energy Summit, staged by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Kingdom of Belgium is today offering the heads of state and government the occasion of sharing a vision concerning the key role of the nuclear energy in reaching climate neutrality, energy security and economic development. The European Council is kicking off today with a working visit by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, which also includes an opinion exchange on the geo-political situation and present global challenges, mainly in the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine, a country invaded by the Russian troops. Emphasis will be laid on the continuation of the multidimensional support for Kyiv, including military support. President Iohannis will emphasize the fact that the neighboring Romania remains one of Ukraine’s firm supporters and plead for the continuation of the multidimensional support, including humanitarian, military and concerning the transit of the Ukrainian grain as long as it takes.’

     

    ELECTION Bucharest’s mayor Nicusor Dan has withdrawn the main executive prerogatives of the Liberal deputy mayor Stelian Bujduveanu, after physician Catalin Cirstoiu was announced the joint candidate for the Bucharest mayor seat by the PSD – PNL alliance. With support from the United Right Alliance, Nicusor Dan is running for a second term in office. In another development, the Central Technical Committee for coordinating the election for the local administration and the European Parliament on June 9th convened for a first session on Wednesday. The vice-president of the Permanent Election Authority, Marian Muhulet said there are no special challenges this year, in which Romania will be seeing all the four types of election, while the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu has made an appeal for transparency and equidistance in the process of staging fair election.

     

    PLAN Romania has two years to accomplish all the objectives assumed in the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience known as PNRR, a financial support package consisting of loans and grants mainly aimed at eliminating the issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The warning was launched in Bucharest by the European Commission officials in charge of PNRR implementation. During the conference aimed at assessing the PNRR implementation in Romania, officials have cautioned against a potential situation that if Romania fails to meet the targets, the country can find itself in the situation of reimbursing the money. The Romanian officials however, have given assurances the Plan has generally achieved headway since last year.

    (bill)

     

  • February 28, 2024 UPDATE

    February 28, 2024 UPDATE

    CONGRESS The European People’s Party (EPP) congress will be held in Bucharest next week, on March 6th and 7th. Over 2,000 delegates from more than 40 countries will take part, including the president of the European Commission, the president of the European Parliament, heads of state as well as European Commissioners affiliated to the EPP. The agenda will focus on the party’s preparations and strategy for the European Parliament elections. The meeting is hosted by the National Liberal Party (a member of Romania’s ruling coalition), jointly with the EPP. Bucharest last hosted an EPP congress in October 2012.

     

    MOLDOVA The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu had a meeting in Bucharest on Wednesday with Moldova’s deputy PM for integration, Oleg Serebrian.  The two officials reviewed the regional security developments and Russia’s destabilising actions, with a focus on their impact on the Republic of Moldova. In this context, minister Luminiţa Odobescu praised Chişinău’s efforts to curb the effects of the hybrid war and reconfirmed the support Romania is prepared to extend in this process. She also reiterated Romania’s support for a comprehensive, peaceful and sustainable solution for the issue of Transnistria, in compliance with international law and in line with the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova, within its internationally recognised borders and without affecting its European future. Since 1992 Transnistria has been de facto independent from Moldova, following an armed conflict in which Russian troops backed the separatists.

     

    NAVALNY The European Parliament Wednesday condemned the killing of the Russian activist Alexei Navalny in prison, and called for an international independent investigation to establish the circumstances of his death. The EP honoured to the life and legacy of the Russian activist in Strasburg, in the presence of his widow, Yulia Navalnaya. The meeting was opened by the EP president, Roberta Metsola, who spoke about Alexei Navalny’s courage of fighting against an authoritarian regime. She emphasised that Alexei Navalny had dedicated his life to the fight against corruption and for a democratic Russia.

     

    CONCERT The Children’s Choirs of Radio Romania and Radio Bulgaria will give a joint concert at the Radio Hall in Bucharest, on Thursday. It will be the first time when these choirs perform together, and the concert programme is spectacular, as both choirs can easily perform difficult works, adding set design elements that will impress the audience. The event is part of an international cooperation programme between the two public radio broadcasters. On the same day, the Bulgarian Children’s Choir will open a reception hosted by the Bulgarian Embassy in Bucharest, on the occasion of Bulgaria’s National Day, celebrated on March 3rd.

     

    HANDBALL Romania defeated Croatia, on Wednesday, 26 – 24 at home, in Group I of the European Women’s Handball Championship qualifiers. The away leg will be held on Sunday, in Koprivnica. The two teams are competing for the top spot in the group, currently having the same number of points, 4, but being separated by goal difference (43 vs. 24). They are followed by Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina, without any points. Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, CS Dinamo Bucharest beat CSM Constanţa 33-25, in main group IV of the men’s EHF European League. The Romanian champions thus secured a spot in the playoffs, with the group winner going straight into the quarter-finals. (AMP)

  • Romanians’ opinion on merging the elections

    Romanians’ opinion on merging the elections

    In three and a half decades of Romanian post-communist democracy, 2024 is a very special year. It is the first in which all four possible types of elections are held: for the European Parliament, local, legislative and presidential. The latter will most likely see two rounds of voting. In other words, the electorate will be asked to go to polls five times in several months, which, according to many, risks amplifying voters’ boredom with politics. Another important element is the high costs with logistics and staff at the polling stations. That is why the idea of merging some of the elections has become viable – that is, holding local elections concurrently with the ones for the European Parliament, already set for June 9, and/or the elections for the local parliament on the same date with one of the presidential rounds, scheduled towards the end of the year.

    There are people, however, who find the idea of merging the elections at least bizarre because, they say, voting on the same day for the European Parliament and for the local mayor will inevitably alter the electoral debate, by mixing the famous and increasingly unpopular Green Deal promoted by Brussels, for instance, with the holes in a village’s pavement.

    Nevertheless, 50% of Romanians would agree with merging the elections, while a third see it as a bad idea, according to data of a CURS survey made public on Tuesday. As regards the voting intention, if the European Parliament elections were held next Sunday, the PSD (the main party of the ruling coalition) would get 31% of the votes, followed by the PNL (also in power) and AUR (the nationalist opposition) – with 20% each. Also from the opposition, the United Right Alliance (formed by the parliamentary party USR), PMP (founded by former president Traian Basescu) and the Force of the Right (a liberal dissidence headed by former PM Ludovic Orban) would get 13%, a little bit more than the present political result of USR. The populist party SOS Romania (founded by the noisy senator Diana Sosoaca who had been expelled from AUR three years ago) and UDMR, a junior partner in a number of former ruling coalitions on the right and left side of the political spectrum, would fall below the electoral threshold of 5%.

    If PSD and PNL had joint lists of candidates for the European Parliament elections, they would get 50% of the votes, according to the recent CURS survey, conducted on a representative sample and with an error margin of +/- 3%.

    This is, as sociologists and journalists would say, the picture of the moment. However, what all sociological reports have been indicating for more than 20 years is that in a ranking of the institutions that Romanians trust the most, the Army, the Church and the Academy come first while Parliament and political parties are always on the last two places. (EE)

  • Romania’s president at the European Parliament

    Romania’s president at the European Parliament


    Initiated in 2022, shortly after the Russian Federation started its war against Ukraine, the debate series “This Is Europe” has reached its 13th edition, in which the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis presented his views on the future of Europe and solutions to the problems it is facing before the European Parliament.



    The European project requires attention, effort, patience and integrity on a daily basis, if we are to live free, in a united and thriving Europe, the Romanian official said in Strasbourg, adding that present-day Romania is a strong advocate of coordinated action in the spirit of European values.



    “We have a responsibility to support a Europe that carries forward these principles and values, including towards our friends in the European neighbourhood that have chosen our democracy and development model. And a key stage in this process is the European elections. The priorities we will define together after these elections will have to help us give pragmatic responses to the challenges of the present and to prepare better for the challenges of the future,” president Iohannis believes.



    The Romanian official also mentioned the unprecedented geostrategic challenges facing the Union. “The rules-based international order is being challenged over and over again. Russia pursues its aggression against Ukraine. Around the Union, instability and insecurity have reached alarming levels. The open conflict in the Middle East, the situation in the Red Sea, and the worrying developments in the Sahel, all these have a systemic impact on our own security,” Klaus Iohannis pointed out.



    At the same time, he went on to say, “Climate change, economic difficulties, and illegal migration continue to generate their own negative impact, adding to the complexity of global dynamics. On top of all these challenges, we witness a crisis of values and, as far as I see it, a crisis of public trust in our institutions.”



    The president of Romania emphasised the importance on EU action based on unity, solidarity, cohesion and the rule of law, and pleaded for continuing support for Ukraine, adding that defending democracy, territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as the rules-based international order cannot be subject to any “solidarity fatigue”.



    In his speech, president Iohannis said Romania was one of the best examples of the transforming power of the EU, which has provided undeniable and concrete benefits for Romanian citizens. “Enlarging our European family by accepting new members will only strengthen the Union,” he argued, and mentioned the historic decisions made at the European Council in December 2023 with respect to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia.



    The Romanian official also emphasised that the EU must remain a free movement area, and pleaded for Romanias full Schengen accession as soon as possible, thus allowing the country to make a concrete contribution to strengthening the security of the European bloc. (AMP)