Radio România Internațional

Tag: European Parliament election

  • Elections and candidates

    Elections and candidates

    The start of the election year in Romania will be June 9, when around 19 million Romanians are expected to vote in local and European Parliament elections. The president of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Greblă, held a press briefing detailing how elections will unfold. Almost 19,000 polling stations will be set up at national level and 915abroad, twice the number of previous rounds of election. The total number of candidates stands at over 207,000, of whom 494 are enrolled in the race for the European Parliament. Almost 100 million ballots have already been printed and distributed across the territory, Toni Greblă said, adding that Romanian citizens can only vote at the polling station in the area of their residence in the local election. Citizens who’ve changed their residence address at least 60 days before the election can also vote in their designated polling stations. Toni Greblă also mentioned the documents required to vote in Romania – an identity card or other suitable documents except travel passports. People who need a mobile ballot box can request one, and citizens who cannot cast their votes due to visible signs of illness can be accompanied in the voting booth by a person of their choice, who cannot however be a member of the polling station or an official candidate.

     

     

    In the European Parliament election, eligible voters who reside or are temporarily living abroad can vote in any polling section abroad, upon presenting a Romanian identity document valid on the day of the vote. Voters must put a stamp on each of the five ballots they will receive, and any ballot inserted into a box other than the designated one will be considered valid and will not be canceled, Toni Greblă said.

     

     

    As early as last week, the Foreign Ministry dispatched all materials related to the vote to Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad: over 2.5 million ballots, stamps, adhesive stamps and control stamps. The list of polling stations abroad is available on the website of the Foreign Ministry, in the section devoted to the European Parliament election. Voting will start at 7:00 AM and end at 10:00 PM with the possibility of voting hours being extended until midnight if there are still voters in line who want to vote, Toni Greblă explained. On the other hand, the Central Electoral Bureau announced that real time updates will be provided on voter turnout on election day for each individual election, and that once polls close, the minutes from each polling station will be published on the Bureau’s website. (VP)

     

  • May 17, 2024 UPDATE

    May 17, 2024 UPDATE

    ECONOMY – Confidex, the index that measures Romanian managers’ confidence in the local economy, has reached its highest level in 4 years – 52.5, according to the latest relevant poll. Companies in the services sector are the most optimistic, followed by IT, constructions and retail firms. At the opposite pole are businesses in agriculture, energy and industry.

     

     

    DISINFORMATION – The Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization in Romania has launched the #nofake platform, where people can submit reports for social media content they deem inappropriate, such as digital fakes, offensive content, online disinformation and manipulation. The line minister, Bogdan Ivan, said the platform will ensure a swift analysis of digital fake reports. This new reporting system will supplement the authorities’ efforts in this field, in addition to security and reporting mechanisms provided by each social media platform, Minister Ivan pointed out.

     

     

    ELECTIONS – Romania’s Foreign Ministry and the Permanent Electoral Authority have put together the Guidelines for Romanian voters in polling stations abroad for the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 9, 2024. The document answers the most frequent questions concerning the organization of the ballot: voter eligibility, identity documents required for voting, the opening hours of polling stations, the voting procedure and the operation of the IT system monitoring voter turnout and preventing illegal voting. Citizens can find the guidelines on the ministry’s website. The Foreign Ministry, via Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad, organizes 915 polling stations for Romania’s members in the European Parliament, over double the number of stations opened for the European elections in 2019. Romanian nationals who live or travel abroad temporarily will be able to cast their ballots in any polling station abroad, using Romanian IDs valid on the day of the vote.

     

     

    WAR IN GAZA – Health Minister Alexandru Rafila on Friday announced Romanian hospitals are preparing to treat a number of Palestinian children wounded in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. The patients will be transported to Romania under the European Protection Mechanism. The Romanian official did not specify exactly when the children are expected to arrive, mentioning this would happen “in the near future”. Romanian authorities will ship 90,000 units of canned food to Gaza to support the Palestinian people. The European Commission is expected to cover transport costs.

     

     

    STUDENTS – A government resolution sets out the overall enrolment figures for public undergraduate and higher education units in Romania in the 2024 – 2025 academic year. The document sets the number of students to be enrolled in preschools, primary, secondary and high schools in the country, including for Romanian nationals living abroad, and for foreign citizens under bilateral agreements and unilateral commitments. Romanians living abroad will benefit from 1,900 places in undergraduate education units and 7,065 places in public universities, with a total of 800 monthly grants. For foreign citizens, 1,800 places have been earmarked in undergraduate education units and 4,430 in higher education institutions, with a total 1,710 monthly grants. Enrolment plans also include special places for minors who have applied for or received protection in Romania, and for stateless minors officially recognized as residing in Romania, the government explained. (AMP & VP)

  • Pre-election decisions

    Pre-election decisions

    With approximately two and a half months left before the European Parliament and local elections slated for June 9, the ruling PSD-PNL coalition decided to present a joint list of candidates for the European Parliament election, despite contrasting ideologies and being part of different groups in the European Parliament. For the local elections, however, PSD and PNL are looking to enroll joint candidates in certain cities. Such is the case of Bucharest, where at the end of long negotiations that seemed doomed to fail, the two parties decided to back physician Cătălin Cîrstoiu, the acting manager of the Bucharest University Hospital. Cîrstoiu will not enroll in any of the two parties but will run as an independent candidate. In an ironic twist of fate, the presidents of the Bucharest branches of PSD and PNL, Gabriela Firea and Sebastian Burduja, respectively, who had both hoped to run for Bucharest Mayor General, will content themselves in running the the election campaign for their parties in Bucharest.

     

     

    Over the next few days, the Social-Democrats and the Liberals are expected to announce their joint candidates for the six districts of Bucharest.  Political sources say the Liberals are eyeing districts 1 and 6 while the Social-Democrats will fight to secure districts 2, 3, 4 and 5. An appreciated physician and hospital manager with no political experience, Cătălin Cîrstoiu will go up against the controversial Cristian Popescu Piedone, running on behalf of the Social-Liberal Humanist Party, as well as the incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, praised by some and harshly criticized by others, who has secured the support of the United Right Alliance made up of USR, PMP and the Right Force. The alliance was greenlit to field joint candidates for the June 9 election after the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Tuesday validated its format. At the end of last week, the Central Election Authority had rejected the establishment protocol of the Alliance, claiming that Cristian Diaconescu was listed as president of PMP in political registries, whereas the establishment act was signed by Eugen Tomac on behalf of the said party. The High Court’s decision corrects an inadmissible abuse for any democracy, Alliance representatives say. (VP)

     

  • You + EU 2024 and Beyond debate (I)

    You + EU 2024 and Beyond debate (I)

    In January, Radio Romania produced a debate hosted by the European Parliament as part of the You+EU 2024 & Beyond project, won by the Romanian public broadcaster and co-funded by the European Parliament. Under this project, Radio Romania produces podcasts, video animations and infographics on European topics throughout the year. This was the second debate held at the European Parliament in English, focusing on what we can expect from the upcoming European election and how we convince young people to vote.


    Attending the
    debate were Marian-Jean Marinescu from the Group of the European People’s Party
    (Christian-Democrats) and vice-chair of the Committee on the Environment,
    Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), Alex Agius Saliba with the Group of the Progressive Alliance of
    Socialists and Democrats and vice-chair of the Committee on Petitions (PETI),
    Dragoş Pîslaru from Renew Europe and Chair of the Committee on Employment and
    Social Affairs (EMPL), and last but not least, Olivia Nouailhetas-Baneth -
    Associate Director at Verian, a global research and public policy center.

    In this week’s segment we’re airing the first part of the debate.

  • May 29, 2019 UPDATE

    May 29, 2019 UPDATE

    ELECTION – The National Liberal Party, leading the opposition in
    Parliament in Bucharest, got almost 27% of votes in the Sunday elections for
    the European Parliament, followed by the main ruling coalition party, the
    Social Democrats, with almost 23%. In third place comes the Save Romania Union-PLUS
    Alliance, with almost 22%. Also represented in the European Parliament is the
    Pro Romania Party, the Popular Movement Party, and the Democratic Union of
    Hungarians. The Central Election Bureau has counted 96% of votes. In the
    referendum on justice reform, held at the same time, a majority of voters said
    Yes in the issue of not granting amnesty and pardons for corruption cases,
    denying the Government the possibility of making such rulings by government
    order.




    PRESIDENCY – President Klaus Iohannis has called for the resignation of Foreign
    Minister Teodor Melescanu and Interior Minister Carmen Dan after problems
    reported on Sunday’s European Parliament ballot organized in the Diaspora.
    Thousands of Romanians waited in lines for hours to exercise their
    constitutional right to vote, many of them unable to do so. The President said
    he would set up a mixed committee that should identify major problems, come up
    with solutions so the authorities can create regulations that would prevent the
    situation from ever happening. Previously Teodor Melescanu said he provided
    everything the embassies demanded for the election, admitting the vote did not
    unfold in the best conditions in several countries and adding an investigation
    will be carried out, calling for the adoption of a voting system that should
    meet the needs of Romanians living abroad.


    GOVERNMENT – Romanian head of government Viorica Dancila announced
    that she would submit to President Klaus Iohannis a new list for nominations
    for cabinet positions left unfilled ahead of the European elections. Social
    Democrat Roxana Manzatu is the proposal for European Funds, Ana Birchall is the
    proposal for Minister of Justice, which she fills temporarily, while Natalia
    Intotero is the proposal for the Ministry of Romanians Abroad. Senator Titus
    Corlatean is nominated to replace Viorel Stefan as Deputy Prime Minister, who
    was appointed recently to the European Court of Auditors. The appointments were
    endorsed in Tuesday’s meeting of the Social Democratic leadership, in the wake
    of the arrest of party leader Liviu Dragnea. In another development, Marcel
    Ciolacu, the candidate proposed by the Social Democrats and the Alliance of
    Liberals and Democrats was appointed Chamber of Deputies Speaker after Liviu
    Dragnea vacated this position.




    POPE FRANCIS – Pope Francis sent a message to Romanians ahead of
    his upcoming visit, telling them that he is coming to the majority Orthodox
    country as a pilgrim and a brother. His state and ecumenical visit is scheduled
    for May 31st – June 2nd. The pontiff will be visiting
    Sumuleu Ciuc, an area in Transylvania with a majority Roman-Catholic ethnic
    Hungarian population, the city of Iasi, in the northeast of the country,
    another major Catholic center, and Blaj, in central Transylvania, the spiritual
    center of the Greek Orthodox community. There, Pope Francis will proclaim
    Blessed seven Greek-Catholic bishops who were killed for their faith in
    communist prisons. This is the second visit to Romania by a pontiff, after the
    visit made by Pope John Paul II in 1999, the first to a majority Orthodox
    country.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, title holder and
    third seed, qualified to the second round at Roland Garros, the second Grand
    Slam of the year. On Tuesday night she defeated Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. In the next round she will play Polish
    player Magda Linette, WTA no. 87. Irina Begu and Sorana Carstea are the other
    Romanian players qualified to the second round in the women’s singles.


    (Translated
    by V. Palcu)

  • May 28, 2019

    May 28, 2019

    ELECTION – Sunday’s vote for the
    European Parliament has earned MEP seats for six political parties, according to
    partial results made public by the Central Election Authority. The National
    Liberal Party in opposition grabbed 26.33% of the vote, followed by the Social-Democratic
    Party in power with 23.16% and the 2020 Save Romania Union – Plus Alliance with
    21.34% of the vote. The Pro Romania Party, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians
    in Romania and the People’s Movement Party will also be represented in the new
    Parliament, after grabbing 6.8%, 6% and 5.6% of the vote, respectively. The
    Alliance of Liberals and Democrats failed the meet the election threshold.
    Voter turnout stood at a record 49%. Romanians also voted in the referendum on
    the judiciary called by President Klaus Iohannis, 80% of them answering Yes.
    The turnout for the referendum was 41%, above the 30% threshold required to validate
    the vote.

    INFORMAL
    MEETING – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis is today attending
    the informal meeting of the European Council in Brussels. High on the agenda is
    the result of the European Parliament election, held over May 23-26. EU leaders
    will also hold preliminary talks over the new leadership of community
    institutions.

    PROTEST – Dozens of people on Monday evening protested in
    front of the Foreign Ministry building in Bucharest, calling on Minister Teodor
    Melescanu to step down for the poor organization of Sunday’s European
    Parliament election in the Diaspora. Thousands of Romanians couldn’t exercise
    their constitutional right to vote in the election and the referendum on the
    judiciary after standing in line for hours in front of polling stations.

    SOCIAL-DEMOCRATS -
    The Social-Democratic Party is today convening to analyze the result obtained
    in Sunday’s European Parliament election and decide on the party’s future
    course after the prison sentencing of its leader, Liviu Dragnea. Prime Minister
    Viorica Dancila on Monday took over as interim party leader, saying these are
    difficult times for the party. Dancila said she would not step down.

    POPE FRANCIS – Online registration for the visit of his Holy
    Father, Pope Francis, continue until Friday. Hundreds of thousands of people
    have already registered, including Christians from Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine,
    Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, Madagascar, Australia, Israel, Canada,
    Namibia or Reunion. Held under the motto Let’s go together!, the
    visit will have its first stop in the capital city Bucharest, the largest city
    in the east of the country, then Pope Francis will travel to Iasi, the
    spiritual capital of Romanian Roman-Catholics, Blaj, where he will beatify 7
    bishops killed in communist prisons, and the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc. In
    1999, Romania was the first country with a majority Orthodox population to have
    been visited by a Pope, i.e. John Paul II 20 years ago.

    IMF -
    A delegation of the International Monetary Fund led by IMF mission chief for Romania,
    Jaewoo Lee, will be in Bucharest until June 7 for its annual assessment of the
    Romanian economy under Article IV. The IMF delegation will hold talks with the
    Romanian authorities regarding economic developments and policies. IMF
    officials will also meet representatives of the Ministry of Public Finance, the
    National Bank and government agencies, as well as representatives of the private
    sector and NGOs. Romania currently has no ongoing agreement with the IMF, an
    institution that monitors the evolution of our country’s economy as a compulsory
    process for all member states.

    NAFSA – 24
    universities from Romania will be presenting their educational offer in
    Washington, over May 26-31 within the annual NAFSA education fair, the most
    prestigious international event of its kind, Romania’s National Council of
    Rectors has announced. The conference is expected to bring together more than
    10,000 participants and 3,500 universities from 100 countries. According to a release
    of the National Council of Rectors, Romania offers a high-quality education
    environment as well as a series of facilities in its campuses up to European
    standards at better prices than in other European countries.

    TENNIS -
    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no. 3 in the world, is today playing Alja
    Tomljanovic of Australia (47 WTA) in the opening round at Roland Garros, the
    second Grand Slam tournament of the year, where this year she returns to defend
    her title. Also today Irina Begu defeated Lin Zhu of China (108 WTA), 6-1, 6-1.
    On Monday, Sorana Cirstea (93 WTA) won 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 against Kaja Juvan of
    Slovenia (131 WTA) and advanced to the second round. Conversely, Mihaela
    Buzarnescu (30 WTA) lost 4-6, 4-6 to Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia (60 WTA).
    In the men’s competition, Marius Copil (81 ATP) lost to Benoit Paire of France
    in four sets. Copil is also enrolled in the men’s doubles, where together with
    Rohan Bopanna of India will play Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Michael
    Venus of New Zealand. Also in the men’s doubles, Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien
    Rojer of the Netherlands will play Cristian Garin of Chile and Juan Ignacio
    Londero of Argentina.
    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Reactions to Sunday’s election

    Reactions to Sunday’s election

    Often criticized
    for their overt apathy and lack of civic participation, Romanians were the
    victors of Sunday’s European Parliament election. Half of them voted in the
    election, which represents an all-time high, and 41% voted in the referendum on
    the judiciary called by the president, thus exceeding the 30% threshold
    required to validate the referendum. At the referendum Romanians were asked
    whether or not they agreed to forbidding amnesty and pardon for
    corruption-related offenses, as well as forbidding emergency decrees targeting
    the justice system. Images of endless Romanians standing in line abroad, trying
    to exercise their constitutional right to vote, went viral online. Some of them
    did manage to vote, despite standing in line for hours, feeling frustrated and
    angry, all the more so as the same happened at the presidential election of
    2014, when Romanians in the Diaspora also waited for hours in line to cast
    their vote. This is why President Klaus Iohannis and the main opposition parties
    in Romania, the National Liberal Party and the 2020 Save Romania Union – Plus
    Alliance have called on the left-of-center Government to step down. The
    President congratulated Romanians for the good voter turnout, saying their vote
    has conveyed a clear message to the political class. Klaus Iohannis:


    You have cast a clear and
    powerful vote that no politician in Romania can ignore. You have voted for fair
    policy-making, for an upright judiciary, for an independent judiciary, for good
    governance, to the benefit of Romanians and Romania.


    Sunday’s ballot
    has overthrown the political rankings in Romania. The National Liberal Party is
    now in top position, followed by the Social-Democratic Party. The 2020 Save
    Romania Union – Plus Alliance is now in third place. The Pro Romania Party, the
    People’s Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in
    Romania will also be represented in the new European Parliament. The Social-Democratic Party has lost not just
    20% of the votes they received at the legislative election of 2016, but also
    their coalition partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats from Romania,
    who failed to reach the 5% threshold. Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea
    thanked Romanians who voted for the Social-Democratic Party and reiterated his
    support for the governing program, admitting however the result is not a
    satisfying one. Commonly seen as the number one beneficiary of the cascading
    changes brought to the criminal legislation, Liviu Dragnea said he has never
    questioned the referendum on the judiciary.


    The party must conduct swift
    and comprehensive analyses. Regarding the referendum, today I voted in the
    referendum as well. Like I’ve said on several occasions, I am not against the
    referendum and I am not against the topics it proposed. Romanian society never
    had a debate concerning the fight against corruption or any other related
    topics.


    Liberal leader
    Ludovic Orban believes the results of the European Parliament election and the
    referendum reflect the will of Romanian citizens.


    Starting today, no political leader will dare speak of amnesty, pardons or
    destroying the justice system by means of emergency degrees. I am grateful to
    all Romanian citizens who cast their votes and who voted for the National
    Liberal Party.


    The president of
    PLUS Party, Dacian Ciolos, in turn hailed Sunday’s vote, which he considers
    proof of the country’s revival, while his coalition partner, Dan Barna, the
    president of Save Romania Union, said the results are a huge win for Romania.


    This reaction is the element
    on which we can further build our future. This referendum shows that when the
    decent forces of society unite, the President, opposition parties who’ve never
    stopped believing that the justice system should remain independent, such a
    referendum can pass, confirming that the judiciary must remain independent and
    Romania must remain a part of Europe.


    The Pro Romania
    party passed its first election test, becoming the 4th political
    faction in Romania. Pro Romania President Victor Ponta believes the result
    shows Romania is ready for a change.

    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • May 24, 2019 UPDATE

    May 24, 2019 UPDATE

    ELECTION – Saturday is the
    last day before the European Parliament election scheduled for Sunday. A total
    of 13 political factions and three independent candidates are running for the
    33 seats in the European Parliament. The European Council will announce the 33rd
    seat only after Brexit takes effect. Romanians abroad will vote in 441 polling stations,
    most of which were set up in Italy, Spain and Moldova. Romanians on Sunday will
    also vote in the referendum on the judiciary called by President Klaus
    Iohannis.






    UK – The British PM Theresa May
    announced on Friday that she will step down on June 7th, in response
    to calls from the Tories to allow a new leader to try and overcome the Brexit
    standoff, Reuters reports. The procedures for appointing a new prime minister
    will most likely begin on June 10th. Depending on the number of
    candidates, the process might take until autumn, but the Conservative Party is
    hoping to step up the procedure and to be in a position to announce a new
    leader by the end of July.






    MILITARY – Five Romanian military were
    wounded on Friday in Afghanistan while patrolling with US soldiers, the Defense
    Ministry has announced. The vehicle they were in was attacked with an IED. They
    were transported to the hospital of a military base and are now awake and
    stable. The five are part of Sfantul Andrei 300 battalion from Galati, deployed
    in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. Nearly a thousand Romanian soldiers are
    currently involved in external operations under NATO, EU or UN command, while
    in previous years their number exceeded 2,500. Over the years 29 Romanian
    military died and another 180 were wounded in military operations abroad.






    POPE – Dacia Group Renault has
    announced Pope Francis will travel on the streets of Bucharest using a Duster
    make. Three years ago, during his visit to Armenia, the Pope traveled from the
    airport to the capital Yerevan in a white Logan model manufactured by Dacia. On
    the other hand online registrations continue for the masses the Pope will
    celebrate in Romania. Hundreds of thousands of people have already signed up,
    in addition to Christians from Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Rwanda,
    South Africa, Nigeria, Madagascar, Australia, Israel, Canada, Namibia or
    Reunion. Held under the motto Let’s go together!, the visit will have its
    first stop in the capital city Bucharest, the largest city in the east of
    the country, then Pope Francis will travel to Iasi, the spiritual capital of
    Romanian Roman-Catholics, Blaj, where he will beatify 7 bishops killed in
    communist prisons, and the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc. In 1999, Romania was
    the first country with a majority Orthodox population to have been visited by a
    Pope, i.e. John Paul II 20 years ago.






    BLACKMAIL In Bucharest, the rector and deputy rector of the ”Alexandru Ioan
    Cuza” Police Academy, Adrian Iacob and Mihail Marcoci respectively, resigned
    on Friday after being placed under court supervision by the National
    Anti-Corruption Directorate. The two are probed into for suspicions
    of having prompted an officer, in April 2019, to send a death threat to
    journalist Emilia Şercan, in order to force her to halt a journalist
    investigation concerning the Police Academy rector. According to the National
    Anti-Corruption Directorate, between March and April this year Emilia Şercan published
    a series of articles covering the award of Ph.D. titles by the ”Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Police
    Academy.






    TENNIS The Romanian Sorana Cîrstea (93 WTA) on
    Friday lost to Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, no 39 in the world, 4-6, 5-7 in the semi-finals of the WTA
    tournament in Nurnberg (Germany). Cîrstea is one of the 4 Romanians taking part
    in the Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the
    year, which starts on Sunday. She begins with a very difficult match, against
    the Czech Petra Kvitova (6 WTA). Simona Halep, who won the tournament last year
    and is currently ranked 3 in the world, plays against the Australian Ajla
    Tomljanovic (47 WTA), Mihaela Buzărnescu (30 WTA) against Russian Ekaterina
    Alexandrova (60 WTA), and Irina Begu (118 WTA) against Lin Zhu of China (108
    WTA). In the men’s competition, the only Romanian in the singles tournament is Marius
    Copil (81ATP), playing against Benoit Paire of France (51 ATP).






    FOOTBALL – Astra Giurgiu will play Viitorul Constanta on Saturday
    in the Romanian Cup final hosted by Ploiesti. We recall CFR Cluj has won the
    fifth title in its history and its second in a row. Runner up was FCSB,
    followed by Viitorul Constanta.




    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Romanians abroad and the European election

    Romanians abroad and the European election

    The Foreign
    Ministry in Bucharest has published the Handbook of the Romanian Voter Abroad
    in the run-up to the European Parliament election on May 26. The document seeks
    to provide accurate information to Romanians abroad over the ways they can cast
    their votes in the election. The handbook includes information regarding people
    with voting rights, the documents based on which they can vote abroad and the
    voting procedure. Romanians outside the country’s borders on election day can
    vote in any polling station set up abroad. Under the legislation in force, the
    list of polling stations will be published on the webpage of the Foreign
    Ministry and on the webpages of Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular
    offices by April 27 at the latest. Romanians who vote abroad will be included
    on the lists of additional voters. Also worth mentioning is that polling
    stations abroad will not include mobile ballot boxes, while voters will not be
    able to vote based on their travel or voter cards. Moreover, postal voting will
    be ineligible in next month’s election. The handbook is available on the
    Ministry webpage in the European Parliament election section. The Foreign
    Ministry recalls that, to be able to vote, Romanian citizens must present a
    valid Romanian ID. Furthermore, the Ministry
    recommends Romanians abroad to check for updated information on its website in
    the European Parliament election section. For instance, in Italy, currently
    home to the biggest Romanian community totaling some 1.2 million people, there
    will be 70 polling stations, Romania’s Ambassador to Rome, George Bologan has
    announced:


    When organizing the election we’ve taken several factors under
    advisement, from comparative voter turnout statistics of previous years and the
    interest voiced by the Romanian community, to the flow dynamics of Romanians in
    various communities or regions as well as human and financial resources and
    logistics. On May 26 Italy will also be organizing local elections in certain
    regions.


    The upcoming
    European Parliament election are crucial for the future of the EU and its
    members. At present there are 751 MEPs elected by citizens in 28 Member States.
    If Britain leaves before May 23, Great Britain will not take part in the vote
    and the number of MEPs will drop to 705. Romania is expected to have 33 MEPs in
    the new Parliament, one more compared to the 2014-2019 tenure.

  • April 6, 2019 UPDATE

    April 6, 2019 UPDATE

    REFERENDUM – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has called a round of consultations
    next week regarding the justice referendum. On Thursday the National Liberal Party,
    Save Romania Union and People’s Movement Party will start consultations, along
    with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and national minorities. On
    Friday, the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
    are expected to meet the president. The latter has already declined the
    president’s invitation, while Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea said he
    won’t attend the consultations, although the party will send a delegation. We
    recall that on Thursday, the President announced
    that the themes which he would submit to the vote at the May 26 referendum,
    held simultaneously with the European Parliament elections, are related to
    forbidding amnesty and pardon of corruption crimes and forbidding the
    government to pass emergency decrees related to criminal offences and
    punishments, correlated with the right of other authorities to notify the
    Constitutional Court over such decrees. At the same time the President
    criticized the Social-Democrats’ propensity for passing emergency decrees and
    has called on the Government to refrain from any such actions until the
    referendum. The power in turn accused the head of state of defending election
    interests while the Liberals have welcomed the referendum.




    ELECTION – The Central Election Bureau has admitted the
    list of candidates submitted by nine political parties and independent
    candidate for the European Parliament election due in May. According to a
    release published on the institution’s website, the Bureau admitted the
    candidacies submitted by the Social-Democratic Party, the National Liberal
    Party, the 2020 Save Romania Union – Plus Alliance, the Alliance of Liberals
    and Democrats, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and the PRO Romania
    party. The candidates of the People’s Movement Party and the United Romania
    Party have also been declared eligible. The Bureau also accepted the
    independent candidacy of Gregoriana Tudoran, a representative of the Together
    for A8 Association. The decision can be challenged by April 12 and the final
    result will be announced on April 16. The election campaign starts on April 27
    and the election will be held on May 26.




    MEETING – The
    informal meeting of the EU finance ministers continued in Bucharest on Saturday
    against the backdrop of Romania’s holding the EU presidency. One of the main
    topics on the agenda was selective mobility. Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici
    said at the end of the ECOFIN meeting that European states whose workforce
    migrates to other states should come up with an aggressive package of measures
    for selective mobility. On Friday the meeting hosted under the name Eurogrup
    brought together Finance Ministers from the Eurozone and marked the first
    working session of the informal meeting of Finance Ministers and central bank
    governors, chaired by Romania’s line minister Eugen Teodorovici. Eurogroup
    members discussed the banking sector, inflation and the exchange rate as well
    as the developments in Greece.




    REPORT – Over a third of the 2,300 alerts on dangerous
    products were triggered with respect to toys, a report published by the
    European Commission for 2018 reads. Toys are followed by motor vehicles,
    clothing, textiles and fashion items. The main risks flagged are chemical risks
    and injuries, followed by the choking risk for children. Over half of the total
    number of products identified as dangerous originate from China. Cooperation with Chinese authorities in the
    product safety field continues to be a priority, the European Commission has
    announced.




    DRUG OPERATION – Over 300 police officers,
    gendarmes and divers are currently taking part in a wide drug search operation
    on the Romanian Black Seacoast over an area of 90 km, Romanian Police spokesman
    Georgian Dragan said on Saturday. Some 14 ships and two helicopters are also
    taking part in the mission. Organized by the Directorate for Investigating
    Organized Crime and Terrorism, the operation kicked off after several drug
    packages washed off on the shore on several beaches. The search op will
    continue over the next days. The Police say two people have been placed under
    pre-trial arrest and searches were made at their homes. The investigation is
    ongoing. Some 200 km of drugs have been found on beaches and out at sea so far.




    TENNIS – Romania’s Davis Cup team on Saturday defeated
    Zimbabwe 4-1 in the first round of Group II in the Europe-Africa zone. Romania
    on Saturday grabbed three wins. Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea defeated Benjamin
    and Courtney Lock in the doubles match 6-1, 6-4. In the singles, Marius Copil defeated
    Takanyi Garanganga 6-4, 7-5, while Filip Jianu defeated Mehluli Don Ayanda
    Sibanda. On Friday Dima defeated Garanganga while Copil lost to Benjamin Lock.
    The two teams previously met in 2000 when Romania won 3-2.


    (translated by V. Palcu)

  • April 6, 2019

    April 6, 2019

    REFERENDUM – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has called a round of consultations
    next week regarding the justice referendum. On Thursday the National Liberal Party,
    Save Romania Union and People’s Movement Party will start consultations, along
    with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and national minorities. On
    Friday, the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
    are expected to meet the president. The latter has already declined the
    president’s invitation, while Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea said he
    won’t attend the consultations, although the party will send a delegation. We
    recall that on Thursday, the President announced
    that the themes which he would submit to the vote at the May 26 referendum,
    held simultaneously with the European Parliament elections, are related to
    forbidding amnesty and pardon of corruption crimes and forbidding the
    government to pass emergency decrees related to criminal offences and
    punishments, correlated with the right of other authorities to notify the
    Constitutional Court over such decrees. At the same time the President
    criticized the Social-Democrats’ propensity for passing emergency decrees and
    has called on the Government to refrain from any such actions until the
    referendum. The power in turn accused the head of state of defending election
    interests while the Liberals have welcomed the referendum.




    ELECTION – The Central Election Bureau has admitted the
    list of candidates submitted by nine political parties and independent
    candidate for the European Parliament election due in May. According to a
    release published on the institution’s website, the Bureau admitted the
    candidacies submitted by the Social-Democratic Party, the National Liberal
    Party, the 2020 Save Romania Union – Plus Alliance, the Alliance of Liberals
    and Democrats, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and the PRO Romania
    party. The candidates of the People’s Movement Party and the United Romania
    Party have also been declared eligible. The Bureau also accepted the
    independent candidacy of Gregoriana Tudoran, a representative of the Together
    for A8 Association. The decision can be challenged by April 12 and the final
    result will be announced on April 16. The election campaign starts on April 27
    and the election will be held on May 26.




    MEETING – The
    informal meeting of the EU finance ministers continued in Bucharest on Saturday
    against the backdrop of Romania’s holding the EU presidency. The meeting hosted
    on Friday under the name Eurogrup, brought together Finance Ministers from the
    Eurozone and marked the first working session of the informal meeting of
    Finance Ministers and central bank governors, chaired by Romania’s field
    minister Eugen Teodorovici. Eurogroup members discussed the banking sector,
    inflation and the exchange rate as well as the developments in Greece.
    Eurogroup president Mario Centeno said following an analysis of the monitoring
    report, Athens has made important steps towards receiving a new financial
    assistance package from the EU, worth 1 billion euros.


    REPORT – Over a third of the 2,300 alerts on dangerous
    products were triggered with respect to toys, a report published by the
    European Commission for 2018 reads. Toys are followed by motor vehicles,
    clothing, textiles and fashion items. The main risks flagged are chemical risks
    and injuries, followed by the choking risk for children. Over half of the total
    number of products identified as dangerous originate from China. Cooperation with Chinese authorities in the
    product safety field continues to be a priority, the European Commission has
    announced.




    HANDBALL – Romanian handball champions CSM
    Bucharest on Friday lost 31-26 to Metz Handball of France at home in the first
    leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. The team from France has thus taken
    an important step towards securing qualification to the competition’s Final
    Four. For the first time in four years, CSM Bucharest runs the risk of not
    qualifying to this phase of the competition. The return leg will be played on
    April 13 in Metz. The Final Four tournament will be hosted by Budapest in
    Hungary over May 11-12, 2019. CSM won the Champions League in 2016 on its first
    appearance in the competition.






    TENNIS – Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea will play Benjamin
    and Courtney Lock in Piatra Neamt in the doubles match of the Davis Cup match
    pitting Romania against Zimbabwe in Group II of Europe-Africa zone. In the
    singles, Marius Copil will play Takanyi Garanganga, while Dragos Dima will play
    Benjamin Lock. The score is tied 1-all after Dima defeated Garanganga on Friday
    while Copil lost to Benjamin Lock. The two teams previously met in 2000 when
    Romania won 3-2.


    (translated by V. Palcu)

  • Political consultations on the referendum

    Political consultations on the referendum

    Last week President Klaus Iohannis announced that a referendum on
    the judiciary will be held on May 26, concurrently with the election for the
    European Parliament. Why? Because the justice system is under constant siege
    from the Social Democratic Party, explained the President, who thinks that the
    amateurism and incompetence of the current ruling alliance may be compounded by
    its willingness to legislate to the benefit of criminals, with disastrous
    consequences for the country. On Monday, President Iohannis went a step further
    and announced that he would consult Parliament on a possible broadening of the scope
    of the referendum, which he would like more powerful. The head of state once
    again criticised the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the
    Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for their non-transparent use of emergency
    orders, and cautioned them to give up such acts in the field of the criminal
    law until the referendum. President Klaus Iohannis:


    I am going to propose a new consultation to the Parliament of
    Romania, on broadening the scope of the referendum, to make it more efficient
    and more powerful. I am warning the Government of Romania that it should no
    longer issue emergency orders in the field of the judiciary and criminal law,
    until the people have expressed their will, until we have found out the
    sovereign will of Romanians.


    In response, the Social Democratic Party announced it would not express
    any position on the referendum until the President has announced the question
    he intends to ask voters. The Social Democrats claim Iohannis intends to shift
    the focus from topics like the economy, citizen incomes or the way the country
    should be defended in the European Parliament, to issues having to do with the
    judiciary. The Social Democratic Deputy Catalin Radulescu said the President
    has to stop reproving Parliament and the Government. Catalin Radulescu:


    Although today he benefits from the immunity granted under the
    Constitution by his position as president of the country, at some point he may
    no longer have it. The Government is neither his safe deposit box, nor an
    appendix to the Presidency. He should stop making these threats, which are not
    constitutional to begin with.


    In the Opposition, the National Liberal Party equates the referendum
    to a no confidence motion against the Cabinet, and as such it fully supports
    the vote. The Liberal floor leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Raluca Turcan:


    The National Liberal Party supports the President’s
    initiative, just as it has supported, all this time, all those who have been
    cheated, all those who have been abused, who have seen their hopes for an
    honest and prosperous life in Romania dashed because of the Social Democratic
    Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats.


    President Iohannis said he would also have consultations on the May
    26 referendum with political parties as well. Last week, he had meetings on
    this topic with civil society representatives, most of them in favour of this
    vote, and with magistrate associations.

  • March 28, 2019 UPDATE

    March 28, 2019 UPDATE

    REFERENDUM – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on
    Thursday announced he would call a referendum on May 26, coinciding with the
    European Parliament election. The topic will be observing the rule of law and
    the independence of the judiciary, which the President believes has been under
    constant attacks from the Social-Democratic Party in power. During this week
    the President talked to representatives of associations of judges and magistrates
    as well as civil society. Some of them have criticized the organization of a
    referendum on the same day as the European Parliament ballot, saying the
    referendum might influence the result of the election. Others have voiced the
    unequivocal support for the President’s decision.




    DANUBE – The Romanian transport minister
    Razvan Cuc and the European commissioner for transport Violeta Bulc have had
    talks in Bucharest about ways to turn the Danube river into a more attractive
    European corridor. Razvan Cuc has said his ministry will launch a tender to
    purchase a modern system to allow own dredging works, not just by third
    companies, and that increasing the river depth would lead to an increase in the
    shipment of goods via the river. The European commissioner for transport Violeta Bulc has said the Danube has great potential for the transport
    of goods and has underlined that in some EU member states inland waterways are
    used extensively. She also emphasised that in the absence of efficient roads
    and railways, Romania should develop further its Black Sea port of Constanta,
    in the south-east.




    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
    ELECTION -
    Political parties and alliances and independent candidates in Romania had until
    Thursday to submit their candidacies for the European Parliament elections on
    the 26th of May. The candidate lists were submitted to the Central
    Election Bureau, accompanied by 200,000 support signatures in the case of
    political parties and 100,000 signatures for independent candidates. The
    Central Election Bureau is to decide by the 6th of April whether to
    accept or reject the candidacies, decisions that can be appealed until the 12th
    of April. The order of the candidates on the ballot will then be established
    based on a drawing of lots. The election campaign begins on the 27th
    of April and ends on the morning of the 25th of May.




    EUROPEAN PROSECUTOR – The second round of negotiations
    between the representatives of the Council of the European Union and of the
    European Parliament to appoint a chief European prosecutor ended without a
    breakthrough, Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels quotes European sources
    as saying. There are two candidates for this position: the former head of
    Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi, who has the
    backing of the European Parliament, and the French candidate Jean-François
    Bohnert, who is supported by the Council. Further talks will be held on the 4th
    or 10th of April. The appointment of the future European chief
    prosecutor must earn the approval of both the Council of the European Union and
    the European Parliament for a single 7-year term. The European Prosecutor’s
    Office is supposed to take up its functions at the end of 2020. This will be an
    independent office responsible for the investigation, prosecution and
    indictment of fraud against the EU budget.




    UNEMPLOYMENT – The
    unemployment rate went up to 4.1% in the last quarter of 2018, up by 0.2%
    compared with the previous quarter. According to the National Institute of
    Statistics, the highest unemployment level of more than 16%, was reported among
    young people aged between 15 and 24. The occupancy rate among the 15-64 age
    bracket stood at 64.5% in the period looked at, lower compared with the
    previous quarter. The employment rate was higher among men and the urban
    population. According to the National Institute of Statistics, Romania’s active
    population stood at almost 9 million people, of whom 8.5 million were in
    employment and 368,000 out of work.




    ROMANIA-FRANCE
    SEASON
    – The Romania-France Season, which opens on the 18th of April with
    Spotlight, an international festival of lights, will feature exhibitions,
    theatre and film festivals and concerts held in more than 30 towns and cities
    across Romania. The French ambassador to Bucharest Michèle Ramis
    says the event, which has been held in more than 100 towns and cities in
    France, has enjoyed immense success, with the French public rediscovering
    Romania and its artists. The Season ends on the 16th of April in
    Paris and on the 18th of April will move to Romania until the 14th
    of July.


    (translated by C. Mateescu &
    V. Palcu)

  • February 3, 2019 UPDATE

    February 3, 2019 UPDATE

    MEETING – The Executive
    Committee of the Social-Democratic Party met on Sunday in Bucharest. The top
    issues on the agenda were the 2019 budget bill and preparations for the
    European Parliament elections due in May. Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea
    said he called on the Prime Minister and Finance Minister to analyse the
    possibility to reduce the budget earmarked to the secret services, which he
    argues could be relocated to healthcare, for instance a program to grant
    Vitamin D free of charge to children. Bucharest District 3 Mayor Robert Negoita
    asked for additional funds to local administrations, as they are expected to
    cover some of the social spending so far provided in the budget of central
    authorities. Additional funds will go to healthcare, transport and education
    while the ministries of the business sector, communications and energy will
    receive fewer funds. The bill is based on a 5.5% economic growth rate, a 2.8% inflation
    rate and a 2.5% deficit of the GDP.




    ELECTION – The Save
    Romania Union in opposition and the Liberty, Unity and Solidarity Party (PLUS)
    decided to form an election alliance ahead of the European Parliament elections
    due in May. The decision was taken on Saturday by the two parties’ executive
    committees. PLUS leader Dacian Ciolos, a former European Commission for
    Agriculture and Prime Minister of Romania, is top of the joint list for the
    ballot in May. The final list will be announced over the coming period, Save
    Romania Union Dan Barna said. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has
    also designated its candidates for the European Parliament elections, and will
    decide on the final order in March.




    FLU EPIDEMIC – The death
    toll of the flu epidemic in Romania has reached 69. The latest victim is a
    41-year-old woman infected with the type-A flu virus. She also had a history of
    pre-existing medical conditions and hadn’t taken the flu vaccine. Health
    Minister Sorina Pintea said the flu is extending nationwide and expects the
    virus to be widely circulated in February as well. Some of the measures to
    counter the epidemic are harsher hospital access restrictions, antiviral
    medicine restocking, prophylactic treatment of people who come in contact with
    the sick and the vaccination of all unvaccinated medical staff.




    UKRAINE – The Foreign
    Ministry hails the celebration of 10 years since the International Court of
    Justice issued a ruling in the Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea
    (Romania vs. Ukraine). According to a release issued by the Ministry, ICJ set
    the line of delimitation between the continental plateau and the economic areas
    of the two states, giving Romania 9,7000 skm of the 12,200 under dispute. The
    resolution of the ICJ was beneficial to both states, favouring the approach of
    a bilateral agenda constructively, also contributing to regional stability.
    According to the Ministry, the decision, which put an end to a 42-year-old
    dispute, became a reference point for subsequent maritime delimitations, being
    quoted extensively in the jurisprudence of the ICJ and other international
    courts of law, as well in the doctrine of international law in this matter.




    AWARDS – The winners of
    the 2019 BBC Audio Drama Awards are announced on Sunday as part of a ceremony
    venued at the BBC Broadcasting House Radio Theatre in London. The production of
    the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio Drama Department The
    Confession, Doina Papp’s adaption of Dostoevski’s The Demons, directed by
    Ilinca Stihi, is one of the three finalists selected for the Best European
    Drama section. The BBC Audio Drama awards celebrates the originality and
    qualify of on air and online radio drama shows as well as the actors, writers,
    producers and sound engineers’ creativity.




    POPE FRANCIS – Pope
    Francis on Sunday left for the United Arab Emirates, as part of the first visit
    a Roman Catholic Pope pays to the Arab Peninsula. During his two-day visit,
    Pope Francis will meet with Government officials and Muslim clerics. The Pope
    will also celebrate mass on a stadium in Abu Dhabi. Over a million Catholics
    await the Pope’s visit, despite criticism for the timing of the visit,
    coinciding with the Emirates’ implication in the war in Yemen, as members of
    the coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Unlike other Arab countries, in the United
    Arab Emirates Christians are free to practice their religion, provided they do
    so in private and avoid propaganda.




    TENNIS – The Romanian pair
    made up of Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu on Sunday won the doubles
    competition at the WTA tournament in Hua Hin, Thailand, totalling 250 thousand
    dollars in prize money. In the final the two defeated Ana Blinkova of Russia
    and Yafan Wang of China, 2-6, 6-1, 12-10. This is the second trophy for Begu
    and Niculescu, after the title won in Hobart. The two players also played the
    Wuhan and Moscow finals in 2015 and the one in Luxemburg in 2012.




    HANDBALL – Romanian
    champions CSM Bucharest on Saturday defeated 32-26 Krim Mercator Ljubljana of
    Slovenia in Group 2 of Champions League. CSM is now third-placed with 8 points,
    after Hungary’s Gyor with 12 and Vipers Kristiansand of Norway with 8 points.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)