Radio România Internațional

Tag: FAC

October 23, 2023

FOODSTUFFS The cap on mark-ups for
basic foodstuffs will be extended by another 90 days, under a draft emergency order posted on the
home page of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry. Nine other products
will be added to the list, including tomato broth, margarine, yeast, sour cream.
On August 1 a government order took effect, under which prices for 14 basic
foodstuffs were capped, following discussions with processors, distributors and
retailers. PM Marcel Ciolacu said the cap on basic foodstuffs contributed to
reducing the inflation rate below 9% last month.

NATO
Romania will continue to contribute to improving regional and Euro-Atlantic security,
including, among others, as a stability pillar at the Black Sea, president
Klaus Iohannis Monday told the participants to the opening ceremony of the
fully operational NATO Multinational Corps South-East command centre in Sibiu,
central Romania. The president mentioned that in 2018, at the NATO Summit in Brussels, he
communicated Romania’s intention to add a land corps to the Allied command and
control structure in Romania, in order to strengthen the planning and operation
of NATO’s forces and structures in Romania-the NATO Force Integration Unit, the
Multinational Division South-East Command and the Multinational Brigade
South-East. Mr. Iohannis also said that strengthening NATO’s deterrence and
defence posture at the Black Sea remains a top long-term objective. The
Multinational Corps South-East in Sibiu is part
of the NATO force structure and ensures the command
and control of Allied land operations in any situation, including crises and
war, to bolster the NATO deterrence and defence posture in Romania and
Bulgaria.

FAC The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu takes
part today in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Luxembourg. According
to the Romanian foreign ministry, the agenda includes talks on the situation in
Israel and the region following the terrorist attacks of Hamas, Russia’s
aggression against Ukraine and the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The
EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, will also discuss his visit to China, on October 12 to 14, the Belgrade – Pristina Dialogue, and the Sahel region.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Luminiţa Odobescu will take part in the
EU-Central Asia ministerial meeting.

EDUCATION Public education staff in Romania are to receive
these days the annual bonus obtained following the strike at the end of the
previous academic year. Over 326,000 employees in the sector will benefit from
this annual bonus, amounting to EUR 300 for teaching staff and EUR 100 for
administrative staff. The government has also decided to extend the deadline
for the submission of educational voucher applications, through which EUR 100
vouchers are given once a year to an estimated 410,000 underprivileged children
for the purchase of clothes and school supplies.

RALLIES Protesters took to the streets on Sunday as well
across Europe, to support either the Palestinian or the Israeli cause and the approx.
200 hostages taken by Hamas. In London, 20,000 people demanded the release of
the people kidnapped by the Islamists, after the previous day nearly 100,000
demanded an end to the slaughter in Gaza. In Paris, nearly 15,000 protested
against Israel’s shelling civilian areas, with similar rallies in Sarajevo and Istanbul,
while in Geneva the families of the hostages contacted the headquarters of the
Red Cross and the High UN Commissioner for Human Rights. In Germany, president
Frank-Walter Steinmaier and PM Olaf Scholz pleaded for the eradication of antisemitism.

THEATRE Bucharest is hosting the National Theatre
Festival until October 30th. The theme chosen for this year’s edition is Laboratories
of the Sensitive. The plays chosen for the festival were selected out of over
150 performances that premiered in the 2022-2023 season in state and
independent theatres in Romania. (AMP)

23 October 2023
May 23, 2023

STRIKE Romania’s teachers are in the second day of their
strike and trade unions say they won’t give up their protest until the
coalition government PNL-PSD-UDMR comes with a credible solution to their
claims. Although teachers aren’t satisfied with the offer made by the
authorities, Prime Minister Ciuca has called on them to go back to schools and at
the same time invited representatives of parent-student associations for a new
round of talks over the situation in Romania’s education system. In another
development, the Senate in Bucharest on Monday endorsed the new education laws,
which are to be promulgated. According to the political parties in the ruling
coalition, the new measures for the undergraduate and university education are
going to reform the system. However, the opposition believes the amendments are
not going to solve the existing problems.

TALKS
Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu jointly with his Spanish and Polish
counterparts, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno and Zbigniew Rau, respectively, is
inaugurating the trilateral format Romania – Spain – Poland during a meeting to
take place in the Spanish city of Valencia. According to a communiqué of the
Romanian Foreign Ministry, the beginning of this trilateral dialogue represents
a materialization of the close cooperation between the three countries at the
EU and NATO levels in accordance with the similar and interconnected strategic
interests, even if they are at different extremities of the European continent.
Furthermore, each of the three countries has special responsibilities at the EU
and NATO borders, the sources say. The agenda of the trilateral talks includes
the top priorities of the Spanish presidency of the European Union Council, the
upcoming two summits of the European Political Communities in Chisinau on June
1st and Granada on October 5th, the strategic resilience
and the EU enlargement, the migration, the consolidation of the Schengen
region, as well as the cooperation in terms of energy security. In the field of
security and cooperation inside NATO, the participants will also focus on other
issues such as the management of the consequences of Russia’s aggression war in
Ukraine, the support for that country and the other partners affected by the
Russian aggression, especially the Republic of Moldova, the priorities of the
NATO summit in Vilnius this year, the challenges facing the eastern and
southern vicinity of the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean.

PROTEST Scores of farmers from Romania have gone to Brussels
to participate today in a protest rally of farmers and associations staged by
the so-called enlarged Visegrad Group. Farmers are disgruntled by the serious
problems and imbalances affecting the agrifood sector in Central and Eastern
Europe against the background of the war in Ukraine. The meeting is being
attended by 200 participants from six countries, Romania, Poland, Hungary, the
Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Slovakia. 50 of these participants are coming from
Romania, representatives of the Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation AAC
have announced. According to them the situation is serious and farmers in the
aforementioned countries are presently facing plummeting prices and a sharp
drop in the demand for cereals and seeds caused by the imports of cheap cereals
from Ukraine although these shipments have initially been bound for third
countries or the traditional buyers of Ukrainian products.

COUNCIL The Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr is in Brussels to participate in the
Foreign Affairs Council in its defence configuration. The Romanian official
will be also participating in the meeting of the European Defence Agency. High
of the FAC agenda is the EU support for the invaded Ukraine as well as the
recent initiatives over the joint defence purchases and the revitalization of
the industrial capabilities of the member states. The EU High Representative
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell is expected to be presenting
the latest developments in the EU’s operational commitments and the headway in
the Permanent Structured Cooperation initiative also known as PESCO. NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will be participating in a working lunch
which has high on the agenda the EU-NATO cooperation on various levels,
especially in the area of providing a joint response to the challenges of the
present security environment.

(bill)

23 May 2023
February 20, 2023

Campaign. Hundreds
of aftershocks of the earthquakes in Gorj (southwest Romania), the most
significant having a magnitude of 4.3 on the Richter scale, have been recorded
in recent days. The 5.7 magnitude earthquake last week created acute panic and
damaged several buildings, but caused no casualties. Specialists with the National
Institute for Earth Physics say that the aftershocks will continue for about a
month. The authorities are launching today, at national level, an information
campaign on how to react in case of an earthquake, and this week the Government
will approve a decision by which the Be Prepared website can be
promoted by every institution and become more accessible to citizens.

FAC. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is
participating, today, in Brussels, in the Foreign Affairs Council. The talks
are focused on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the situation in
Afghanistan and climate and energy diplomacy. The European officials will also
address developments in Iran, with an emphasis on the human rights situation
and Iran’s cooperation with Russia in the military field. The Romanian Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, will reiterate solidarity with Ukraine and stress
the need to maintain EU support for Ukraine as long as it is needed. On the
sidelines of the council, the European foreign ministers will have an informal
exchange of views with the foreign minister of the Republic of Moldova, Nicu Popescu, introduced on the agenda at the
proposal of minister Bogdan Aurescu.

Ukraine. This morning, US President Joe Biden paid a surprise
visit to Kyiv, where he met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The American official announced additional aid in the amount of 500 million
dollars and said that new sanctions against Russia were coming this week. For
his part, Zelensky stated that he discussed long-range weaponry with Biden.
The visit was not announced for security reasons. The American president is
expected in Warsaw, where he will be received by his Polish counterpart, Andrej
Duda. On Tuesday, Joe Biden will give a speech in Poland, a key US ally, on the
same day that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will speak in Moscow,
three days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On
Wednesday, the head of the White House will meet with the leaders of Bucharest
9 (B9), including the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis. B9 is a group of NATO
members from Eastern Europe consisting of Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.

Moldova. The geopolitical challenges triggered by Russia’s
aggression in Ukraine, energy security and the fight against the Kremlin’s propaganda
and disinformation are topics on the agenda of the 10th Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.
The meeting takes place in the capital
of the Republic of Moldova, between February 19 and 21. Moldovan State
Secretary Constantin Borosan, from the Euronest Committee for Energy Security,
has stressed that the interconnection of the Republic of Moldova with the
Romanian gas supply system through the Iasi – Chisinau gas pipeline and the
European ENTSO-E electricity grid helped the state to overcome the worst energy
crises. The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly was established in 2011 by the
European Union and the Eastern Partnership states: the Republic of Moldova,
Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Timisoara. Timişoara (western Romania), which has officially become a
European Capital of Culture in 2023, looks forward with confidence to the
impressive show that will unfold until February 2024, said the mayor Dominic
Fritz, at the end of the program’s inaugural events. Under the slogan Light up
your city 1,000 events are scheduled for a year, with an international message
about the cultural values of the city transmitted by the hundreds of
diplomats and journalists who were in Timisoara this weekend, as well as by
those up to a million visitors who are expected here this year, as the mayor of
Timisoara stressed. For three days, this
past weekend, the city hosted concerts, exhibitions, debates, tourist tours and
a gala show attended by hundreds of guests, including dozens of ambassadors and
officials from the country and abroad. More on this after the news.

BAFTA. All Quiet on
the Western Front was the big winner of the 76th edition
of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, which took
place on Sunday evening in London. The film triumphed in seven categories,
including best director, best film and best film
in a language other than English, according to Variety and Reuters. The
feature film now holds the record for the most trophies won by a film in a
language other than English, dethroning the film Cinema Paradiso, from 1988, which won five BAFTA awards. Austin
Butler won the award for best actor in a leading role thanks to his
portrayal of Elvis Presley in the movie Elvis.
Cate Blanchett was named best actress in a leading role for her
role as a prestigious conductor whose career falls apart due to allegations of
abuse in the film Tar. (MI)

20 February 2023
December 12, 2022 UPDATE

TALKS The vote in the JHA
Council is very problematic for all of us in Romania. I was disappointed and
upset following this vote, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on
Monday, after receiving the president of the Swiss
Confederation Ignazio Cassis in Bucharest. The Romanian president added that he
would most certainly raise the issue of Romania’s denied Schengen bid at the
meeting of the European Council due on December 15. Romania should be a part of
Schengen, the Swiss president said in his turn. The 2
officials discussed bilateral relations and economic cooperation, with an emphasis
on boosting investments and identifying new areas of cooperation, and exchanged
views on the latest international developments, including the war in Ukraine
and its implications for the energy market and global security.

FUNDING Romania’s PM Nicolae Ciucă Monday requested all ministries
and coordinating institutions to give maximum priority to completing the 51 benchmarks
and targets in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan related to the second
payment request, amounting to EUR 2.8 bln, which Romania is scheduled to submit
to the European Commission this month. This amount adds to the EUR 3.7 bln pre-financing
amount and to a first EUR 2.6 bln instalment already cashed in by Romania. We
cannot afford to deviate from our commitments, because a lot of elements
related to reform processes, investments and even economic stability depend on
us accessing this money, the PM said at a meeting of the inter-ministry
Committee Coordinating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Committee
also reviewed the progress with respect to the 55 targets and benchmarks due
for the 3rd and 4th quarters of this year, related to the
3rd payment request that Romania is scheduled to submit to the EC
this spring.

BUDGET In Bucharest, Parliament’s specialist committees Monday approved
the draft budgets of several ministries. The education, transport, development
and defence ministries will have higher budgets next year, while the energy,
justice and healthcare ministries will receive less money in 2023. The ruling
coalition said the budget bill is based on record high investments and accounts
for 7.2% of GDP. It takes into account an economic growth rate of 2.8% of GDP,
an annual inflation rate of 8%, a growing number of people in employment and a
lower unemployment rate of 2.7%. The opposition has criticised the budget bill.
Both the power and the opposition have submitted amendments. The final vote is
due on Thursday.

MOTION Save Romania Union in
opposition Monday tabled a simple motion against the interior minister Lucian
Bode, whom they see as responsible for Romania’s failure to join the Schengen free-movement
area. According to the party, Bode shares this responsibility with the
president Klaus Iohannis, with the parliamentary majority and the diplomacy in Bucharest.
USR also invited the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu to give Parliament
explanations on this topic. Several EU member states voiced their
disappointment with the denial of Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession bids.
Moreover, the EU commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, said this would
be a priority of her term in office.

EU European democracy is under attack, the head of the European
Parliament Roberta Metsola said on Monday, voicing her outrage and sadness following
allegations of corruption in the European Parliament in relation to Qatar. In
turn, the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, Monday
called for EU institutions to be governed by the highest standards of
independence and integrity. The EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep
Borrell described the EP corruption allegations as being of the utmost
concern. Eva Kaili, a vice-president of the European parliament from Greece, and
3 other individuals were detained and charged in Belgium in an international corruption
investigation related to Qatar. The 4 were charged with participation in a criminal
organisation, money laundering and corruption.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Romanian diplomacy chief Bogdan Aurescu took part on Monday in Brussels in an informal meeting concerning the future of the Eastern
Partnership, organised at the initiative of Minister Aurescu and his counterparts
from Czechia, Sweden and Poland, and in a meeting of the Eastern Partnership
foreign ministers. In
his addresses, Bogdan Aurescu pleaded for revitalising the Eastern Partnership
and for adapting it to the new regional context, and reiterated Romania’s firm
and continuing support for it. He argued that the Eastern Partnership can make
a significant contribution to strengthening the stability, security and
prosperity in the Eastern Neighbourhood, by consolidating regional cooperation,
the security and resilience of partners and through an adequate joint response to
the challenges facing the region. Mr. Aurescu also emphasised that in the new
context generated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, a more robust
and more efficient security dimension of the Eastern Partnership is necessary.

MEETING The Romanian justice minister, Cătălin
Predoiu, had a meeting on Monday in Luxembourg with the head of the European
Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Laura Codruţa Kovesi. According to the
Romanian justice ministry, the 2 officials discussed the protection of the EU’s
financial interests, the EPPO human resources issue and the broadening of the
Office’s powers to include the prosecution of breaches of EU sanctions. I am
confidence that an in-depth dialogue with the EPPO may lead to ideas and
solutions to make the cooperation between national and EPPO prosecutors more
efficient. After all, they all fight crime, which affects both the interests of
the EU and the national interests of member states, Catalin Predoiu said. (AMP)

12 December 2022
June 20, 2021 UPDATE

WEATHER
– Hydrologists on Sunday issued code red alerts against flash floods for
several rivers in the southeast. Previously meteorologists had issued code
orange and yellow alerts against heavy rain and thunderstorms in place across
Romania until Monday. Flash floods are expected to hit the targeted areas in
the wake of massive rainfall reported in recent weeks. The situation was also
addressed on Sunday by Prime Minister Florin Cîţu on the sidelines of a videoconference held jointly with county
prefects. The Prime Minister has demanded an exemplary mobilization in all
counties affected by the floods and announced emergency aid will be provided to
everyone affected. Two thirds of the country’s counties and the capital city
have been affected. The emergency services intervened to evacuate homes, drain
water, clear uprooted trees that damaged hundreds of cars. At least two people were
killed.

FAC
– Romania’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, on Monday is attending the
Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg. According to a Foreign Ministry
release, EU Foreign Ministers will be tackling the latest developments in
EU-Russia relations, the EU’s role in the Peacekeeping Process in the Middle
East, as well as the developments in Mali, Lebanon, Iran, Turkey and Ethiopia.
Talks will also address debates on Belarus, Latin America and Iraq. As regards
Russia, the Romanian Foreign Minister will reiterate the need for a unitary and
strategic approach to EU-Russia relations. On the other hand, Bogdan Aurescu
will highlight the importance of increased EU support for the democratization
and stabilization of Iraq, expressing Romania’s support for the setup of a
European Union mission that should observe the organization of free, fair and
inclusive elections in this country. Minister Aurescu will also refer to the
importance of EU actions with a view to adopting a comprehensive set of
sanctions and imposing restrictions in key economic fields, aimed at sending a
strong political message to authorities in Belarus. The Romanian official will
also address the forthcoming steps for the promotion of the Economic Plan for a
Democratic Belarus, as a positive EU measure supporting the local population, a
project proposed in October 2020 by president Klaus Iohannis jointly with his
Polish and Lithuanian counterparts.

COVID-19
IN ROMANIA – The number of COVID-19 infections continues to drop in Romania. 53
new infections were reported on Sunday. 161 patients are still in intensive
care. Meanwhile, medical units are gradually returning to their normal activity.
Some hospital managers say their institutions are now better prepared to cope
with a possible fourth wave of the pandemic. Health Minister Ioana Mihăilă said the Indian strain of the
coronavirus can become dominant in Romania as well, which is why the percentage
of vaccinated people must increase. According to Romania’s representative at
the WHO, Alexandru Rafila, unless the vaccination campaign picks up, only 7
million people are expected to get vaccinated in Romania by the end of the
year, below the official target of the authorities. In the last 24 hours, some
20,000 people have taken the anti-COVID jab. Since the start of the campaign
last year, over 8.7 million doses of vaccine have been administered, 4.3
million people having completed the full COVID vaccination scheme.

PENTECOST – On Sunday, Orthodox and
Eastern-Catholic Christians around the world, including Romania, celebrated
Pentecost Sunday, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus
Christ. The feast day also marks the foundation of the Christian Church 50 days
after the Lord’s Resurrection. According to the New Testament, the 12 apostles
were gathered in a house, when they received the Holy Spirit, which enabled
them to preach the gospel in languages they never before spoke. According to
the Bible, Saint Peter’s sermon made 3,000 souls take the Christian baptism,
making up the first Christian community. Orthodox believers receive sanctified
walnut leaves, symbolizing the flames of the Holy Spirit resting on the heads
of the Apostles. The Traffic Police has deployed additional units on the main
roads to the seacoast or mountain resorts, where most Romanians are spending
their Pentecost mini-holiday.

TENNIS – The Romanian-German pair Horia Tecău/Kevin Krawietz on Sunday won the men’s doubles event at the ATP
500 tournament in Halle, Germany, totalling €1.3 million in total prizes, after
defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada)/Hubert Hurkacz (Poland), 7-6, 6-4.
Tecău and Krawietz, the competition’s third-seeds, have won their first final
after losing another two in Rotterdam and Barcelona in spring. (VP)

20 June 2021
June 16, 2019 UPDATE

MOLDOVA The PM of Romania Viorica Dăncilă sent a support message to her counterpart from the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and invited her to Bucharest on her first official visit in this capacity. According to a news release issued on Sunday by the Government, Romania is confident that the new Cabinet in Chisinau will carry on the EU accession efforts and successfully implement the required reforms, the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement with the EU. PM Dăncilă also reiterated Bucharests willingness to carry on the Strategic Partnership for the European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, which is at the core of the two countries bilateral cooperation. Meanwhile, PM Maia Sandu has called for the resignation of the Constitutional Court judges, who Saturday cancelled their previous rulings that dismantled Parliament and invalidated the new government, thus favouring the Democratic Party headed by tycoon Vlad Plahotniuc. On Friday the Democratic Party relinquished power and its leader left the country.

FAC The Romanian diplomacy chief Teodor Meleşcanu takes part on Monday in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. EU foreign ministers will discuss means to enhance the efficiency of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and will tackle topics of interest such as the situation in the Republic of Moldova and the developments in Sudan. Over an informal working lunch with Jordans Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, the EU officials will also exchange opinions on the developments in the Middle East. Also on Monday, the EU foreign and defence ministers will have a joint meeting to assess the implementation of the Unions Global Strategy.

NO-CONFIDENCE A no-confidence motion tabled by the right-of-centre opposition in Romania against the Government made up by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats will be discussed on Tuesday in Parliament. According to the document, Romania immediately needs a government with a pro-European stand and focusing on the countrys development priorities, namely education, healthcare, public investments and attracting European funds. The motion signatories, the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union, Peoples Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, believe Viorica Dăncilăs Cabinet must be dismissed over the repeated attempts at issuing emergency orders in the field of the judiciary and the poor handling of the EP elections. For the motion to pass, it needs 233 votes. PM Dăncilă, who is also the interim president of the Social Democratic Party, has asked the Social Democrat MPs to attend the meeting, but to abstain from voting.

THEATRE The 26th edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) continues. This years motto is “The Art of Giving. Scheduled for Sunday were a Japanese theatre performance and a concert by the French artist Adam Naas, among other performances. A total of 540 events are held as part of the Festival until the 23rd of June, bringing to Sibiu more than 3,300 artists and guests from 73 countries. According to the organisers, FITS is a celebration of the performing arts, from theatre to dance and music, but book launches, exhibitions and conferences are also organised on the sidelines of the event. This is the largest and most complex theatre festival in Romania and in Europe, and Radio Romania is one of the co-producers.

WINNERS The winners of RRIs quiz, Govora – Spa Tourism at European Level, Hans Verner Lollike and his wife, Inge-Lise, of Denmark, arrived in Bucharest on June 15th and travelled to Valcea County in southern Romania. They are staying at Palace Hotel in Govora Resort, and will be visiting the main cultural, tourist and religious sites in the area, including the town of Râmnicu Vâlcea, the Ocnele Mari salt mine, the famous Cozia and Turnu monasteries, the pottery workshops in Horezu, the UNESCO-listed Horezu Monastery and others. Our listeners will also go on a trip on Romanias highest-altitude motorway, the Transalpina. Our guests will leave Vâlcea County on June 23rd. RRI received 225 correct and complete answers in its latest quiz.

Hong Kong Hundreds of thousands once again rallied in Hong Kong on Sunday, asking for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam. On Saturday, Carrie Lam announced an indefinite suspension of the extradition bill that allowed for Hong Kong citizens to be extradited and stand trial in China. The new draft law triggered Hong Kongs most violent protests in decades. Carrie Lam apologised to the protesters, saying she was sorry for the problems caused by what she called shortcomings in her work.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

16 June 2019
February 17, 2019 UPDATE

COUNCIL – On Monday, in Brussels, the Romanian Economy Minister Niculae Badalau will chair the first meeting of the Competitiveness Council (COMPET) held under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The meeting will host an exchange of opinions regarding the process that would provide an overall image of the single market and a public debate on the impact of artificial intelligence on the EU industry. For the first time, the Council will adopt conclusions regarding the promotion of artificial intelligence development and use.

EBRD – The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has been elected Vice-President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), for a term that starts in May and ends in 2020. Teodorovici has obtained one of the two offices of vice-president, alongside the Lithuanian Finance Minister. The new president-elect of the board of governors will be the Spanish Finance Minister. Romania, through minister Teodorovici, is holding both the presidency of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council and of the board of governos of the European Investment Bank, under the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU.

BANK TAX – The chief economist of the National Bank of Romania, Valentin Lazea, says that the tax on bank assets, imposed under an ordinance passed recently by the Romanian leftist government, might bring the profitability of the banking sector in Romania below the European average. Lazea believes that, if this happens, some banks might decide to leave the country. As regards authorities intention to diminish or redefine ROBOR, the Romanian Interbank Offer Rate, the central bank chief economist believes that this will not prevent banks from resorting to measures that would allow them to keep a certain level of their already diminished profitability. According to Lazea, Romania has to choose between a powerful and profitable banking sector, a provider of capital for investments, or a weak one, which only fuels consumption, and not development.

FAC – On Monday, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The agenda of the EU foreign ministers meeting will include current issues such as Ukraine, Syria, the Horn of Africa and Venezuela, according to a release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Romanian foreign minister will attend a working brunch on Ukraine, organized by his Danish counterpart Anders Samuelsen, with the Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin as the main guest .

EMPLOYMENT – More than 10,000 notices of employment or posting were issued last year for foreigners coming to Romania to work, mostly from Vietnam, Turkey, Sri Lanka and China. According to the General Inspectorate for Immigration, more than 120,000 foreign citizens were registered in Romania at the end of last year, more than half of them from non-EU countries. For this year, the Romanian Government has approved a contingent of 20,000 workers newly admitted on the Romanian labour market. According to authorities, the decision was made taking into consideration Romanias economic development potential and the need to provide the necessary workforce for certain sectors of the economy and also to prevent illegal labour.

BERLINALE – The short reel Blue Boy, produced by the Argentinean Manuel Abramovich, with the Romanians Catalin Cristutiu as film editor and Bogdan Georgescu as creative producer, has received the Golden Bear for best short reel at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The feature film Monsters, directed by the Romanian Marius Olteanu has received the Tagesspiegel Readers Jury award. The film is Marius Olteanus debut film, and was selected for the Forum section, dubbed the most daring section of the festival. It tells the story of two young people, married for eight years. The film follows them 24 hours, exploring the way in which a string of events and encounters pushes them towards the end of their relationship. The Golden Bear went to the film Synonymes by the Israeli director Nadav Lapid. In 2018, the best film award was won by Touch me not, by the Romanian Adina Pintilie, which also got the award for best debut.

TENNIS – On Monday, the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will climb to the second position in the WTA rankings, despite the match she lost on Saturday to the Belgian Elise Mertens, in the final of the Doha tournament. Halep lost her no.1 position after the Australian Open, falling to no 3. Next she will take part in the WTA tournament in Dubai, with 2.828.000 dollars in prize money. Another Romanian player, Mihaela Buzarnescu, will also take part in the Dubai tournament in the United Arab Emirates. In another development, on Sunday, the mens pair made up of the Romanian Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean Julien Rojer lost the final in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the pair Jeremy Chardy (France)/Henri Kontinen (Finland).

17 February 2019
February 17, 2019

FAC – On Monday, the Romanian
Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in
Brussels. The agenda of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting will include current
issues such as Ukraine, Syria, the Horn of Africa and Venezuela, according to a
release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest. On the sidelines
of the meeting, the Romanian foreign minister will attend a working brunch on
Ukraine, organized by his Danish counterpart Anders Samuelsen, with the
Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin as the main guest .

EMPLOYMENT – More than 10,000 notices of employment or posting were
issued last year for foreigners coming to Romania to work, mostly from Vietnam,
Turkey, Sri Lanka and China. According to the General Inspectorate for
Immigration, more than 120,000 foreign citizens were registered in Romania at
the end of last year, more than half of them from non-EU countries. For this
year, the Romanian Government has approved a contingent of 20,000 workers newly
admitted on the Romanian labour market. According to authorities, the decision
was made taking into consideration Romania’s economic development potential and
the need to provide the necessary workforce for certain sectors of the economy
and also to prevent illegal labour.

BREXIT – British Prime Minister Theresa May has decided to speak to
every EU member state leader over the coming days and she has written a letter
to the Conservative MPs to appeal for unity over Brexit, France Presse reports.
In this letter, excerpts of which have been made public by Downing Street,
Theresa May calls on her party to act for the benefit of the national interest.
On Monday, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay will meet EU chief negotiator Michel
Barnier to discuss proposals put forward by a new working group of British
lawmakers, exploring alternatives to the backstop in Ireland. Great Britain is
due to leave the EU on March 29th, but its parliament last month
rejected a draft divorce deal that Theresa May had negotiated with the EU,
raising the risk of a no-deal Brexit.

ISIS – US President Donald Trump has urged Great Britain, France and
other European allies to take back their 800 Isis fighters captured in Syria
and put them on trial. If this does not happen, the alternative is not a good
one, in that we will be forced to release them, Trump said. In a message
posted on a social network, Trump says that the entire Caliphate claimed by
Isis in Syria and Iraq is ready to fall, and the US will pull out after
declaring victory.

TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player
Monica Niculescu was defeated by Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan on Sunday, in the
last round of qualifications for the singles of the WTA tournament in Dubai,
the United Arab Emirates, with 2.828.000 dollars in prize money. Simona Halep
is third seed at the tournament and will go straight into the second round.
Also from Romania, Mihaela Buzarnescu will take on in the first round the
American Sofia Kenin. Four Romanian players will compete in the doubles:
Buzarnescu will pair up with the Polish Alicja Rosolska, Irina Bara will play
together with Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia, Monica Niculescu will play
alongside the Chinese Xinyun Han, and Raluca Olaru will pair up with the Croat
Darija Jurak. On Saturday night, in the final of the Doha tournament, Simona
Halep, no.2 in the WTA rankings as of Monday, was defeated by the Belgian Elise
Mertens 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. This is the first match against Halep won by Mertens (21
WTA). Halep’s record includes 18 titles, including the Roland Garros. So far,
she has lost 16 finals.

17 February 2019
March 18, 2018 UPDATE

WEATHER – Several road segments were closed down Sunday afternoon in the south and south-east of Romania, because of the freezing rain and black ice. Traffic was also disrupted in Bucharest. The freezing rain prevented take-offs on the countrys main airport, Otopeni – Henri Coanda, while the airport landing strips were treated with anti-icing substance to enable aircraft to land safely. Until Tuesday, a warning will be in place, against moderate sleet and snow falls, black ice and extremely low temperatures.

DEFENCE – This years first meeting of the Supreme Defence Council, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, will be held on Tuesday. According to the presidential administration, the participants will analyse the work conducted by the Council and relevant institutions in the field of national security in 2017, and will set the main goals for this year. Other topics of interest with respect to national security will also be approached.

DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu will take part in Brussels on Monday in the monthly meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. The main topics are Ukraine, Syria and Iran, the Romanian foreign ministry announced. On the sidelines of the Council meeting, the participants will have an informal lunch on recent developments in the Korean Peninsula, with the South-Korean Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha, at the invitation of the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini. The FAC will be preceded by an informal meeting over breakfast with the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin.

MOLDOVA – Save Romania Union, the second-largest opposition party in Romania, firmly supports the EU accession of the Republic of Moldova, the party president Dan Barna said on Sunday, after a meeting with several mayors from Moldova. At this stage any other statement would be rushed and strictly aimed at gaining political capital, Barna said, hinting at a possible union of Moldova with Romania. Without support from Moldovan citizens, lobbying for such a scenario at EU and international level would be very hard to do, Dan Barna also stressed. He and the vice-president of Save Romania Union Vlad Alexandrescu met on Sunday with a group of mayors from the Republic of Moldova, who signed a symbolic declaration of union with Romania. A former province with a Romanian majority under Tsarist rule, Bessarabia joined Romania at the end of WW1, on March 27, 1918. The USSR re-annexed the province, following an ultimatum in 1940, and part of this territory is todays Republic of Moldova.

RUGBY – Romanias national rugby team lost on Sunday in Tbilisi against Georgia, 25-16, in the last stage of Rugby Europe International Championship 2018, but it managed to qualify into the 2019 Japan World Cup thanks to a surprising win by Belgium against Spain, 18-10. The score in Brussels enables Romania to stay as no 2 in the REIC standings, which allows direct access to the 2019 World Cup. Romania has taken part in all rugby World Cup editions so far.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

18 March 2018
January 22, 2018

CABINET — The leadership of the Social-Democratic Party is today convening to discuss nominations for the new Cabinet to be led by Social-Democrat Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. The Social-Democrats and their junior coalition partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, said they want to keep the current Ministers for the portfolios of Foreign Affairs, the Environment, Energy and Liaison with Parliament. The previous Government had 27 ministers, three Deputy Prime Ministers and two delegate ministers. Meanwhile the opposition is taking action, the Liberals saying they will start talks with the other political parties and MPs to persuade them to vote against the new Cabinet. The Liberals aim to win as many votes as possible to prevent the new cabinet from being sworn in. Parliament’s vote is scheduled for January 29.

FAC — Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu is today attending the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. The main topics on the agenda for talks are Libya, the post-Cotonou agreement and the peacemaking process in the Middle East. The EU’s Foreign Ministers will also attend a working breakfast, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as special guest. Additionally, a working breakfast with Werner Hoyer, the President of the European Investment Bank, will also be held on the sidelines of the event. The Cotonou Agreement, adopted in 2000, is the most comprehensive agreement between the European Union and developing countries, regulating EU relations with a total of 79 countries, of which 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Agreement is aimed at reducing and eventually eradicating poverty.

PROTEST –A few dozen people on Sunday staged a silent protest in front of the Government building against the ruling coalition’s modifications to the justice laws. Displaying the flags of Romania and the European Union and chanting slogans such as “#rezist”, “united for justice” or “stolen justice”, protesters covered their eyes and mouth with scarves and stool still, their backs turned to the Government buildins. The silent protest was staged after Saturday evening tens of thousands of people joined in large anti-government rallies in Bucharest, other large cities and abroad.

EU PRESIDENCY— Romania is stepping up its efforts to prepare its term at the helm of the European Union in January 2019. The first meeting of the Finland-Romania-Croatia trio is scheduled to take place today. The trio format was first set up under the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 and has the purpose of outlining long-term objectives. The three countries will prepare a common agenda with major topics that will be tackled in the European Council over a period of 18 months. Romania will have its own six-month program. The priority of Romania’s mandate is preparing the European Parliament elections, scheduled for May 2019. Bucharest authorities want to adjust Romania’s priorities depending on the evolution of key topics of EU interest, of which the most important are Brexit and the post-2020 multiannual financial framework.

GERMANY — German Social-Democratic leaders have started official negotiations with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Conservative Party to form a new Government. Hundreds of Social-Democrat delegates met in Bonn for a special congress, to renew their alliance with the Conservatives, an alliance that was first started in 2013. The two parties already agreed, earlier this month, on a joint governing program. The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany Party, which last September secured its first seats in the Federal Government, has criticized the Social Democrats for their decision. Negotiations are expected to start this week, much to the relief of Germany’s European partners, Reuters reports.

TENNIS — Romania’s tennis player Simona Halep, WTA no. 1, today qualified to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, where she is seeded first. In the round of 16 she ousted Naomi Osaka of Japan, 6-3, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Halep will play either Karolina Pliskova or Barbora Strykova, both of the Czech Republic. In the women’s singles, tenth-seeds Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu are playing Jennifer Brady and Vania King of the United States in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. (Translated by V. Palcu)

22 January 2018