Radio România Internațional

Tag: fire

  • “Colectiv” two years on

    “Colectiv” two years on

    Hundreds of people participated on Friday evening in a march commemorating the 64 young people who died two years ago, on October 30, in a fire in the Colectiv night club, in downtown Bucharest. 27 died in the night of the tragedy, while the other 37 died later on, in hospitals in Bucharest and abroad.



    The fire broke out during a concert by the rock band “Goodbye to Gravity. The lead singer of the band has survived. The participants in the commemoration march, relatives and friends of the victims, as well as people who knew them, walked silently, dressed in white T-shirts impressed with photos of the victims or simply carrying photos of the victims, candles and flowers. They wanted to show that they will never forget the people who died, and also to deplore the authorities incapacity to find the culprits. Although the tragic event was followed by large-scale rallies against corruption in local and central administration, the street protests only led to the resignation of the government led by the Social Democrat Victor Ponta. However Pontas resignation was not enough for all the problems of the system to be solved. A participant in Friday rally shared his opinion with us:



    “Unfortunately, few things have changed. At political level we saw the resignation of the prime minister, but from a technical point of view not much has been done, in the sense that all they did was to close down a couple of clubs that were not authorized and to issue a couple of regulations in this regard.



    The authorities claim however that changes did occur after the Colectiv fire. The number of applications for certificates and fire safety authorizations has increased by almost 85% in the past two years, according to data provided by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. Over 23,000 clubs, bars, discos, shopping malls, restaurants and stores have been inspected by fire fighters. Of them, more than 100 have been closed down and 350 have suspended their activity.



    As far as the healthcare sector is concerned, changes have been insignificant. And not only has the shortage of staff, medication and equipment remained the weak spot of the public healthcare system, but the situation has become even worse. Romanian hospitals can now provide treatment and care to only 11 people suffering from major burns, as compared to 10 in 2015. Doctor Raed Arafat, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, admits that many things are still to be improved.



    Raed Arafat: “We have managed to refurbish the Burn Hospital in Bucharest, but we cannot say that we have a higher capacity now as compared to what we had before. On the contrary, sometimes we have problems finding places to treat severe burns in hospitals all over the country, so this problem is quite urgent.



    Many had hoped that corruption and superficiality, the underlying causes of the Colectiv tragedy, would be eliminated. However, apart from several isolated legislative amendments, nothing has actually been done.


    (translated by: Lacramioara Simion)

  • January 23, 2017

    January 23, 2017

    BUDGET – The main opposition party in Parliament in Bucharest, the National Liberal Party, said they were considering a no confidence motion against the governing coalition between the Social Democrats and the Liberal-Democrat Alliance. Interim Liberal chairman Raluca Turcan said that the proposed blanket pardon of inmates and changes to the Penal Code are simply a cover for getting out of prison political clientele, and not solving issues with prison overcrowding, as claimed. The Save Romania Party said they support the Liberal initiative, and would introduce a censure motion against Justice Minister Florin Iordache. At the same time, the Romanian Intelligence Service categorically rejected serious allegations regarding its involvement in Sunday’s protests against the executive orders, telling the public that it remains non-partisan and focused on carrying out its mission strictly within the bounds of the law.



    BUCHAREST – Romania’s 2017 budget bill relies on a 5.2% economic growth this year, and a projection of over 5% for the 2018-2020 interval. The deficit relied on is 2.96% of the GDP, according to the report on the macroeconomic situation for this year and the upcoming 3, published by the Finance Ministry on its website. For the 2017 budget bill, the macroeconomic indicators considered were an expected average annual rate of inflation of 1.4%, net wages around 2,274 lei (around 505 Euro), and an average exchange rate of 4.46 lei against the Euro. Employment is expected to go up by 4.3% by the end of 2017.



    UNION – Bucharest and other Romanian cities are holding events dedicated to celebrating 158 years since the union of the Romanian Principalities. On January 24th, 1859, the Principality of Wallachia’s Election Assembly in Bucharest elected as a ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. He had been elected ruler of the Principality of Moldavia a week before. This constituted the de facto union of the two Romanian territories. Three years later, on January 24th, 1862, the union was internationally recognized. Radical reforms were instituted during Cuza’s reign, which lasted until 1866, laying the basis for modern Romania.



    CLUB FIRE – 4 people injured in Saturday’s fire in a popular Bucharest club are still in hospital in the Romanian capital. According to the Ministry of Health, 44 people were treated for smoke inhalation, hypothermia, and bone fractures. None of the patrons suffered burns. The investigation into the causes of the fire is ongoing. We recall that the fire in the Colectiv club in October 2015 during a concert left 64 dead and injured over 100. This latest fire led to the authorities running inspections all over the country in places open to the public, uncovering irregularities and issuing fines.



    TENNIS – In tennis, the Romanian pair Irina Begu and Horia Tecau missed on Monday the qualification to the quarter finals of the mixed doubles in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. The two lost against the US-Colombia pair Abigail Spears- Juan Sebastian Cabal, 0-2. Romania has no representative left in the Australian Open, after Sorana Carstea lost on Sunday in the singles the game against Garbine Muguruza of Spain in the eighth finals.



    MALTA – Ministers of foreign affairs from EU states start their two day informal meeting in Malta. They are debating the priorities of the Maltese presidency of the EU, such as migration, the single market, security, social inclusion, neighborhood policy, as well as economic issues. Malta took over the rotating EU presidency from Slovakia on January 1st, 2017. This presidency will oversee, among other things, the ongoing candidacy for EU membership of Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.


  • January 22, 2017 UPDATE

    January 22, 2017 UPDATE

    FIRE INVESTIGATION – The Romanian authorities have initiated criminal investigations, involving charges of wanton destruction of property, in relation to the fire that Friday night destroyed one of the best known nightclubs in Bucharest, Bamboo. According to the Healthcare Ministry, 44 people received assistance for smoke inhalation injuries, hypothermia, and fractures, but none of the patients reported burns. Only one person is currently in a serious condition. The victims include foreign citizens, most of them from Israel. The causes of the fire that destroyed the building are yet unknown. The owners of the nightclub had not yet obtained the premises license and the fire safety permit for the nightclub. Several witnesses have been heard and fresh inspections have been initiated in all buildings that host activities involving large attendance. We remind you that in October 2015, a fire taking place during a rock concert at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest killed 64 people. The tragedy sparked large-scale protests to denounce corruption in the public administration.



    IMF – An International Monetary Fund delegation headed by the chief of the mission for Romania, Reza Baqir, is in Bucharest these days for a first meeting with the members of the new Cabinet. The delegation has discussed this years public budgets with the Finance Minister Viorel Ştefan. The mission carries on with technical talks at expert level, including at the National Bank of Romania, where a meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday. Romania does not have a loan agreement with the IMF at present.



    MOURNING – Hungary has announced a day of national mourning on Monday, to commemorate the victims of the crash that took place in Italy on Friday night and which killed 16 people and injured another 26. The coach was taking students and teachers from a Budapest high school back home from a ski holiday in France, and near Verona it crashed into a bridge pillar and burst into flames. The causes of the accident are still to be determined.



    TRUMP ADMINISTRATION – The US President, Donald Trump, is to receive the British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House on Friday, the press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed on Sunday. The previous day Sean Spicer had announced May was the first foreign leader to visit Trump. Sean Spicer also announced that the President of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, will be received by the new President of the USA on January 31. Meanwhile, millions took part on Saturday in anti-Trump protests organised by women organisations around the world. Trump is criticised, among other things, for his anti-immigration rhetoric and sexist statements. In Los Angeles, organisers estimate 750,000 people took part, including dozens of Hollywood stars. 400,000 people took to the streets in New York, 200,000 in Boston, 150,000 in Chicago, and rallies were also held in New Zealand, Japan, Australia and major European cities. The largest protest took place in Washington, where nearly a million people attended the anti-Trump rally, including, among others, the former Secretary of State John Kerry.



    AUSTRALIAN OPEN – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (78 WTA) was outperformed on Sunday by Spains Garbine Muguruza Blanco (7 WTA), in two sets, in the eighth-finals of the Australian Open. Also on Sunday, the Romanians Horia Tecău and Florin Mergea, playing with separate partners, were eliminated from the eighth-finals of the mens doubles competition in Melbourne. Tecău and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer, seeded 11, were defeated in 2 sets by the Australians Marc Polmans/Andrew Whittington. In turn, Florin Mergea and Britains Dominic Inglot, seeded 16, lost in 3 sets to the top seeds of the doubles event, the French Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 22, 2017

    January 22, 2017

    FIRE INVESTIGATION – The Romanian authorities have initiated criminal investigations, involving charges of wanton destruction of property, in relation to the fire that Friday night destroyed one of the best known nightclubs in Bucharest, Bamboo. According to the Healthcare Ministry, 44 people received assistance for smoke inhalation injuries, hypothermia, and fractures, but none of the patients reported burns. Only one person is currently in a serious condition. The victims include foreign citizens, most of them from Israel. The causes of the fire that destroyed the building are yet unknown. The owners of the nightclub had not yet obtained the premises license and the fire safety permit for the nightclub. Several witnesses have been heard and fresh inspections have been initiated in all buildings that host activities involving large attendance. We remind you that in October 2015, a fire taking place during a rock concert at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest killed 64 people. The tragedy sparked large-scale protests to denounce corruption in the public administration.



    PROTESTS – Fresh protests against the Romanian Governments plans to table a pardons and amnesty law are announced for later today in the capital city Bucharest and other cities in Romania. Rallies are also planned abroad, such as in front of the Romanian Embassy in Paris, the Romanian Embassy in Copenhagen and in Haugesund Square in Norway. On Wednesday night, thousands took to the streets in Bucharest and other Romanian cities, to protest the Governments intention to pass an emergency order granting collective pardon and amending the provisions of the Criminal Code. The protesters fear that the amendments are designed to help influential politicians or public administration officers get away with corruption. Similar accusations were made by the Opposition parties, civil society organisations and magistrate associations. In turn, the Government claims the changes are necessary in order to solve the problem of penitentiary overcrowding and to bring the relevant legislation in line with rulings passed by the Constitutional Court.



    MOURNING – Hungary has announced a day of national mourning on Monday, to commemorate the victims of the crash that took place in Italy on Friday night and which killed 16 people and injured another 26. The coach was taking students and teachers from a Budapest high school back home from a ski holiday in France, and near Verona it crashed into a bridge pillar and burst into flames. The causes of the accident are still to be determined.



    TRUMP ADMINISTRATION – The US President, Donald Trump, is to receive the British Prime Minister Theresa May at the White House on Friday, the presidential spokesman Sean Spicer announced on Saturday. This is the first foreign leader to visit Trump after he has taken office. Sean Spicer also announced that the President of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, will be received by the new President of the USA on January 31. Meanwhile, millions took part on Saturday in anti-Trump protests organised by women organisations around the world. Trump is criticised, among other things, for his anti-immigration rhetoric and sexist statements. In Los Angeles, organisers estimate 750,000 people took part, including dozens of Hollywood stars. 400,000 people took to the streets in New York, 200,000 in Boston, 150,000 in Chicago, and rallies were also held in New Zealand, Japan, Australia and major European cities. The largest protest took place in Washington, where nearly a million people attended the anti-Trump rally, including, among others, the former Secretary of State John Kerry.



    AUSTRALIAN OPEN – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (78 WTA) has been outperformed today by Spains Garbine Muguruza Blanco (7 WTA), in two sets, in the eighth-finals of the Australian Open. Also today, the Romanians Horia Tecău and Florin Mergea, playing with separate partners, were eliminated from the eighth-finals of the mens doubles competition in Melbourne. Tecău and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer, seeded 11, were defeated in 2 sets by the Australians Marc Polmans/Andrew Whittington. In turn, Florin Mergea and Britains Dominic Inglot, seeded 16, lost in 3 sets to the top seeds of the doubles event, the French Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 31, 2016

    October 31, 2016

    COLECTIV – A silent march in Bucharest and other rallies in several other Romanian cities commemorated one year since the fire that destroyed the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, killed 64 people and injured more than 100 others. President Klaus Iohannis and PM Dacian Ciolos paid tribute to the victims. Crown Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, sent a message emphasising the importance of preserving the unity of feeling and conscience. In another message, the Ambassador of the US to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, encouraged Romanians in their fight against corruption and effort to build a safe, democratic and successful country. In turn, the Ambassador of France to Bucharest, Francois Saint-Paul, has expressed his compassion for the victims families and has said his country will continue to train Romanian healthcare professionals.



    STRIKE – More than 80,000 healthcare staff in Romania are on all-out strike as of today, the leaders of the SANITAS Trade Union Federation have announced. Throughout the protest, one-third of the employees will continue to work and emergencies will not be affected, the unions say. The protesters are mainly unhappy with the imbalances in the salary system and say they will only go back to work if their demands are granted. This is the last stage of the action initiated by public healthcare employees in September. Sanitas represents the interests of over 100,000 members.



    MISSILE DEFENCE – The Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc, is taking part in London today in the Multinational Ballistic Defence conference. The conference is organised by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Missile Defence Agency of the US Department of Defence. As a special guest, Minister Motoc will present Romanias view on the ballistic defence issue, given that Romania hosts the Aegis Ashore American missile defence system in Deveselu (south). The Romanian official will receive, on behalf of the Romanian Defence Ministry, the ‘David R. Israel’ award for merits in the anti-missile field and in recognition of the efforts and active involvement of Romania in preparing the military base in Deveselu. On the sidelines of the conference, Mihnea Motoc will have a meeting with the head of the Missile Defence Agency, vice-admiral James D. Syring.



    ELECTION – The President of the neighbouring Republic of Moldova will be decided in the November 13 election runoff, between the pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon and the candidate backed by pro-European parties, Maia Sandu. According to official figures, in the first round held on Sunday, Dodon came out the first of the 9 candidates, with 48% of the votes, followed by Sandu, with 38%. The turnout rate was the lowest in the history of parliamentary and presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova.



    EARTHQUAKE – Many Romanians living in the Puglia province called the emergency number provided by the Romanian consular office in Rome, after the 6.5 Richter earthquake that hit the centre of Italy on Sunday. A mobile unit of the Romanian Embassy is trying to provide assistance to the nearly 140 Romanian citizens who live in the towns of Norcia and Preci, severely affected by the quake, which was the strongest since 1980. The Italian authorities announced there were no casualties, but scores of people were nonetheless injured, and most buildings were seriously damaged.



    TENNIS – The Romanian Simona Halep concludes the year 2016 on the 4th position in the world ranking of professional tennis players, and is in the top 10 WTA for the third consecutive year. The top 3 places are held by German Angelique Kerber, the American Serena Williams and Radwanska Agnieszka of Poland. Three other Romanian players are in the Top 100. Irina Begu is ranked 29th, Monica Niculescu 39th and Sorana Carstea 81st. The last major competition of this year for Simona Halep was the WTA Final in Singapore. In January 2017 she will play in Shenzhen (January 1-7), where she won the 2015 final, and then in the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 29, 2016 UPDATE

    October 29, 2016 UPDATE

    COMMEMORATION – A rally will be held in Bucharest on Sunday to commemorate the victims of the tragedy that took place on October 30 last year in “Colectiv night club in the capital city. Sixty-four people died and more than 100 were injured on that occasion. The Government has approved a 2-year extension of the funding for those who undergo treatment abroad. The club owners were sent to court under charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and of failing to ensure workplace safety and health standards, and the owners of the company that supplied the fireworks were also indicted. Abuse of office charges were also brought against some employees of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, who failed to take any measures although the club did not have a fire safety license. The General Prosecutors Office has also been investigating whether the Colectiv victims were treated appropriately in the hospitals in the country, following criminal complaints from the families of the patients who died from hospital acquired infections rather than burns. The Colectiv tragedy was followed by large scale street protests that triggered the resignation of the Social Democrat Victor Pontas Cabinet.



    MOLDOVA – In the Republic of Moldova the first round of the presidential election is scheduled on Sunday. Citizens are electing their president through direct voting, after 16 years in which the head of state was designated by Parliament. According to analysts, the vote is crucial for the future geopolitical course of Moldova. The pro-Russian Socialist leader Igor Dodon is seen as the most likely to win in all opinion polls. His main challenger is the former reformist Education Minister Maia Sandu, who pleads for a reform of the state and European integration, and who has the support of other pro-Western candidates having pulled out of the race.



    ROSIA MONTANA – The Romanian Culture Minister, Corina Şuteu, has announced that Roşia Montană in the centre of the country has been included in a UNESCO tentative list, which is the first step towards inclusion in the much shorter UNESCO Heritage List. Roşia Montană was the most active mining centre in the Western Carpathians, starting with the Bronze Age, to ancient times, the Middle Ages and down to modern times. Traditional mining, based on family initiatives and small miner associations, was ended by the nationalisation of 1948, and was followed by a form of large-scale industrial mining which came to an end in 2006. Several NGOs have requested international protection for this town in the Western Carpathians, hoping this will prevent the implementation of a controversial gold mining project in the area. Other Romanian sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage List are the Danube Delta, the Sighisoara citadel, the Horezu Monastery, the painted churches in northern Moldavia, the wooden churches in Maramures, the Saxon settlements with fortified churches in Transylvania and the Dacian fortresses in Orastie Mountains.




    CETA – The European Union and Canada will hold a summit meeting on Sunday to sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the president of the European Council Donald Tusk announced last night. The signing ceremony will take place in Brussels. The deal became possible after it was approved by the Parliament of Wallonia, which had initially opposed it. On Saturday the Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders signed the agreement on behalf of his country. Bucharest, too, had opposed the free trade agreement with Canada until the latter accepted the gradual lifting in 2017 of travel visa requirements for Romanians. At present Romanians and Bulgarians are the only EU citizens who need visas in order to enter Canada.




    DIPLOMACY – The Ukrainian minority in Romania and the Romanian minority in Ukraine contribute to the sustainable development of the relations between the two countries, said the Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu. He attended on Saturday, together with his Ukrainian counterpart, the Taras Shevchenko bust unveiling ceremony in Sighetul Marmaţiei, on the Romanian-Ukrainian border. Shevchenko is the national poet of Ukraine. The 2 officials reiterated the need to strengthen bilateral relations, as well as the support given by Romania to Ukraines EU accession efforts. Also on Saturday, Lazăr Comănescu visited the new consular office of Romania in Slatina, across the river Tisza, which will open on Monday, and had meetings with representatives of the Romanian community in Transcarpathia.

  • October 29, 2016

    October 29, 2016

    COMMEMORATION – A rally will be held in Bucharest on Sunday to commemorate the victims of the tragedy that took place on October 30 last year in “Colectiv night club in the capital city. Sixty-four people died and more than 100 were injured on that occasion. The Government has approved a 2-year extension of the funding for those who undergo treatment abroad. The club owners were sent to court under charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and of failing to ensure workplace safety and health standards, and the owners of the company that supplied the fireworks. Abuse of office charges were also brought against some employees of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, who failed to take any measures although the club did not have a fire security license. The General Prosecutors Office has also been investigating whether the Colectiv victims were treated appropriately in the hospitals in the country, following criminal complaints from the families of the patients who died from hospital acquired infections rather than burns. The Colectiv tragedy was followed by large scale street protests that triggered the resignation of the Social Democrat Victor Pontas Cabinet.




    DST – Romania falls back from Daylight Saving Time to standard time tonight, with 4 AM local time becoming 3 AM local time (GMT+2). Sunday will thus be the longest day of the year – 25 hours. The measure reverses the switch to DST operated in March, when clocks were advanced by one hour so as to ensure maximum use of sunlight and reduce electricity consumption. Romania will switch back to DST on the last Sunday in March.




    MOLDOVA – In the Republic of Moldova the election campaign ended and the first round of the presidential election is scheduled on Sunday. Citizens are electing their president through direct voting, after 16 years in which the head of state was designated by Parliament. According to analysts, the vote is crucial for the future geopolitical course of Moldova. The pro-Russian Socialist leader Igor Dodon is seen as the most likely to win in all opinion polls. His main challenger is the former reformist Education Minister Maia Sandu, who pleads for a reform of the state and European integration, and who has the support of other pro-Western candidates having pulled out of the race.




    ROSIA MONTANA – The Romanian Culture Minister, Corina Şuteu, has announced that Roşia Montană in the centre of the country has been included in a UNESCO tentative list, which is the first step towards inclusion in the much shorter UNESCO Heritage List. Roşia Montană was the most active mining centre in the Western Carpathians, starting with the Bronze Age, to ancient times, the Middle Ages and down to modern times. Traditional mining, based on family initiatives and small miner associations, was ended by the nationalisation of 1948, and was followed by a form of large-scale industrial mining which came to an end in 2006. The defining features of the site are the galleries, the over ground landscape and the mining fair. Several NGOs have requested international protection for this town in the Western Carpathians, hoping this will prevent the implementation of a controversial gold mining project in the area.




    CETA – The European Union and Canada will hold a summit meeting on Sunday to sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the president of the European Council Donald Tusk announced last night. The signing ceremony will take place in Brussels. The deal became possible after it was approved by the Parliament of Wallonia, which had initially opposed it. Bucharest, too, had opposed the free trade agreement with Canada until the latter accepted the gradual lifting in 2017 of travel visa requirements for Romanians. At present Romanians and Bulgarians are the only EU citizens who need visas in order to enter Canada.




    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazar Comănescu, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkin, are attending today the Taras Sevcenko bust unveiling ceremony, in Sighetu Marmaţiei, near the Romanian-Ukrainian border. Taras Sevcenko is the national poet of Ukraine. The event is organised by the Ukrainian Union in Romania. Lazăr Comănescu has visited today the new consular office of Romania in Slatina, across the river Tisza, which will open on Monday, and had meetings with representatives of the Romanian community in Transcarpathia.

    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • April 24, 2016 UPDATE

    April 24, 2016 UPDATE

    NATO – The deputy Secretary General of NATO, Alexander Vershbow, will be received on Monday by President Klaus Iohannis, and will also have a meeting with the Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc. According to the Defence Ministry, the NATO official is in Romania between April 24 and 26 to take part in a meeting of of political leaders in the defence ministries of NATO member states. Meanwhile, the US President, Barack Obama, who is to have a meeting on Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will call on Germany to get more involved in the defence of eastern NATO member countries. German governmental sources quoted by Der Spiegel magazine said additional NATO troops might be deployed to Romania, Poland and the Baltic States. An official decision on increasing the NATO military presence in the east is to be made at the Alliance Summit due in Warsaw. The Pentagon has already announced in late March that the US will send more troops to Eastern Europe, Romania included, as of 2017, as part of the measures to guarantee security against the backdrop of Russias recent actions.



    LEGISLATION – The Romanian Labour Ministry will initiate on Monday talks with its social partners on a new emergency order aimed at doing away with inequities in public sector salaries. The new legislation is scheduled to be finalised within three weeks. In an interview to Radio Romania, the Finance Minister Anca Dragu said the Government intended to increase the lower salaries in the public administration, because the budget resources were limited. She also explained that according to data available to the Finance Ministry, in the first months of the year revenues to the state budget were higher than estimated.



    COLECTIV – The Office of the Prosecutor General has finalised its investigation into the Colectiv nightclub fire which killed 64 people and injured over 150. Several people, including the nightclub owners, will be sent to Court. The three owners are accused, among other things, of manslaughter and breach of relevant safety and security regulations. The tragedy took place last autumn, during a rock concert in which several hundreds of people took part. The fire was caused by fireworks, but overcrowding and the lack of multiple access ways contributed to the increased death toll. The Colectiv fire had a huge impact and was followed by large-scale street protests, further to which PM Victor Ponta resigned.



    PALM SUNDAY – Romanian Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrated Palm Sunday, which is a commemoration of Jesus Christs entry in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The previous day, thousands of believers and hundreds of priests took part in processions, in the country and abroad, in a symbolic reconstruction of Christs journey to Jerusalem. Palm Sunday opened the last week of Lent, also known as Passion Week, which commemorates the most dramatic days in the life of Jesus Christ. On Palm Sunday, nearly 1.4 million Romanians named after flower names celebrated their name day.




    PROTESTS – Thousands of people took part on Sunday in Chisinau, the capital city of the Rep. of Moldova, in an anti-government protest organised by the Dignity and Truth Platform. The protesters demanded the resignation of the Filip Cabinet and early parliamentary elections, and announced that they resumed around-the-clock protests against the current government. According to them, the Cabinet failed to meet the demands they had made previously, and only goes through the motions of implementing reforms. Several pro-European parties in opposition, including the Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Reformist Party, have joined the protest organised by the Dignity and Truth Platform.

  • Life after “Colectiv”

    Life after “Colectiv”

    In memory of the 64 people who died last autumn in the devastating fire which broke out at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, the families and friends of the victims set up the “Colectiv” Association. The organisation intends to put pressure on the authorities to reduce the possibility of such future tragedies and to bring to justice those responsible for the tragic events. Eugen Iancu, a founding member of the association and the father of one of the victims, says the authorities haven’t as yet assumed responsibility for having improperly managed the situation. Furthermore, he is discontent with the fact that the investigations carried out in the wake of the tragedy didn’t clearly identify the guilty people.



    Eugen Iancu: ”We want justice to take its course, and the line authorities to do their job. We are parents and we now know that minister Nicolae Banicioiu, state secretary Raed Arafat and the managers of various hospitals opposed the idea of sending our children to hospitals abroad, for a whole week. There were hospitals where nothing was done to eliminate the toxins. Doctors worked hard, but did they save lives? They would have probably done a better job if they had simply said before TV cameras: ‘take them out of here, because the conditions are improper’. “



    The Colectiv Association intends to carry out several types of activities in memory of the victims, such as setting up a musical education centre and initiating campaigns to introduce in school curricula special classes to teach students what to do in emergency situations. Those held responsible for the fire are currently being investigated by prosecutors, who have called for a new expert analysis, the fourth one, to be made until April 1. The investigators say the three reports drafted so far at the National Research Institute for Mining Safety and Protection Against Explosions, the Forensics Institute and the General Prosecutor’s Office are contradictory and generate confusion. Under the pressure of public opinion, the health minister Patriciu Achimaş-Cadariu, has said the institution he runs is to make public a thorough analysis of the line authorities’ intervention.



    Patriciu Achimaş-Cadariu: “We are making a technical analysis. Some people have left the ministry, but we have requested their standpoints and we will make public a technical analysis. Otherwise, any other emotional stand is outside a correct and objective analysis.”



    In turn, state secretary Raed Arafat, whose decisions have partly been questioned in the report, said he sent to the Prime Minister a technically documented answer, to shed light on all aspects that needed clarification.

  • January 1, 2015 UPDATE

    January 1, 2015 UPDATE

    The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, conveyed his New Year message to all Romanians. He wished them a new year 2016 with much happiness, accomplishments and higher aspirations. In a Facebook post President Iohannis talked about the changes for the better that are expected in Romania and urged Romanians to make good use of all opportunities in order to make the country progress. Also in a Facebook post the Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş wished Romanians a good and beautiful new year 2016.




    The Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş will pay an official visit to Berlin on January 7, during which he will meet with the German chancellor Angela Merkel, sources in Bucharest say. The two officials will talk, among other things, about strengthening bilateral relations and the migrants’ flow to Europe. High on the agenda of the Romanian PM’s visit to Berlin are also meetings with members of the Romanian community in Germany and with the representatives of the Romanian-German economic forum. The delegation that will accompany the Romanian PM to Berlin also includes the Foreign Minister, Lazar Comanescu, Bucharest government sources report.




    The year 2016 starts in Romania with a number of tax cuts and also with increases, especially in the local taxes. Thus, the general VAT will drop from 24% to 20%, the VAT for water will be 9%, the tax on dividends will stand at 5% while taxes will be increased for buildings. The extra excise duty on fuels, of 7 eurocents per liter will remain valid for another year, although the first version of the Fiscal Code provided for its elimination as of January 1st 2016. A new taxation scheme for buildings is in place as of January 1st, under which taxes will increase significantly especially for the small companies whose head office is in a person’s home.



    The Netherlands took over, as of January 1st, the rotating presidency of the EU for the 12th time, in a very difficult period both for Europe and the world. Fighting terrorism, the migrants’ flow, and the situation in Syria are some of the challenges of the Dutch presidency, whose key role will be to act as a moderator for the 28 EU member states. The Dutch PM Mark Rutte has given assurances that the Dutch presidency of the EU will be pragmatic, focusing on the resolution of common issues, which can only be solved through cooperation.



    Romania has to pay 113 million euros in 2016 to the EU and the World Bank from the stand-by loan agreement concluded in 2009. The money accounts for interest rates and commissions. In 2015 Romania paid more than 1.83 billion euros to the IMF, the EU and the World Bank. Also in 2015 Bucharest paid off the loan contracted from the IMF. Between 2009–2015 the total sum reimbursed by Romania to the 3 financial institutions stood at 4.837 billion euros, shows the Romanian finance ministry. Romania has to pay by 2023 another 4.88 billion euros to the World Bank and the EU. The EU will receive 3.8 billion euros.



    The Romanian Foreign Ministry says that no Romanian citizen has been wounded in the fire produced in a hotel in the centre of Dubai. Also, according to the Foreign Ministry, Romania’s General Consulate in Dubai and the Romanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi have not received any request for consular assistance in relation to this case. At least 14 people were wounded in a blaze that ripped through 20 of the 36 floors of the luxury hotel, which is located near the highest tower of the world, Burj Khalifa (828 m) while thousands of people, among whom many tourists, were gathering to celebrate the new year.



    A free trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU came into force on Friday and, in parallel, an embargo was imposed by Russia as regards the Ukrainian products. The European Commission announced the agreement would contribute to the modernization of the Ukrainian economy. The Ukrainian government authorities announced the embargo imposed by Russia would result in losses estimated at 600 million dollars, accounting for the value of these trade exchanges. President Petro Porosenko, quoted by the BBC, announced that Russia is trying to economically “suffocate” Ukraine.

  • January 1, 2015 UPDATE

    January 1, 2015 UPDATE

    The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, conveyed his New Year message to all Romanians. He wished them a new year 2016 with much happiness, accomplishments and higher aspirations. In a Facebook post President Iohannis talked about the changes for the better that are expected in Romania and urged Romanians to make good use of all opportunities in order to make the country progress. Also in a Facebook post the Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş wished Romanians a good and beautiful new year 2016.




    The Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş will pay an official visit to Berlin on January 7, during which he will meet with the German chancellor Angela Merkel, sources in Bucharest say. The two officials will talk, among other things, about strengthening bilateral relations and the migrants’ flow to Europe. High on the agenda of the Romanian PM’s visit to Berlin are also meetings with members of the Romanian community in Germany and with the representatives of the Romanian-German economic forum. The delegation that will accompany the Romanian PM to Berlin also includes the Foreign Minister, Lazar Comanescu, Bucharest government sources report.




    The year 2016 starts in Romania with a number of tax cuts and also with increases, especially in the local taxes. Thus, the general VAT will drop from 24% to 20%, the VAT for water will be 9%, the tax on dividends will stand at 5% while taxes will be increased for buildings. The extra excise duty on fuels, of 7 eurocents per liter will remain valid for another year, although the first version of the Fiscal Code provided for its elimination as of January 1st 2016. A new taxation scheme for buildings is in place as of January 1st, under which taxes will increase significantly especially for the small companies whose head office is in a person’s home.



    The Netherlands took over, as of January 1st, the rotating presidency of the EU for the 12th time, in a very difficult period both for Europe and the world. Fighting terrorism, the migrants’ flow, and the situation in Syria are some of the challenges of the Dutch presidency, whose key role will be to act as a moderator for the 28 EU member states. The Dutch PM Mark Rutte has given assurances that the Dutch presidency of the EU will be pragmatic, focusing on the resolution of common issues, which can only be solved through cooperation.



    Romania has to pay 113 million euros in 2016 to the EU and the World Bank from the stand-by loan agreement concluded in 2009. The money accounts for interest rates and commissions. In 2015 Romania paid more than 1.83 billion euros to the IMF, the EU and the World Bank. Also in 2015 Bucharest paid off the loan contracted from the IMF. Between 2009–2015 the total sum reimbursed by Romania to the 3 financial institutions stood at 4.837 billion euros, shows the Romanian finance ministry. Romania has to pay by 2023 another 4.88 billion euros to the World Bank and the EU. The EU will receive 3.8 billion euros.



    The Romanian Foreign Ministry says that no Romanian citizen has been wounded in the fire produced in a hotel in the centre of Dubai. Also, according to the Foreign Ministry, Romania’s General Consulate in Dubai and the Romanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi have not received any request for consular assistance in relation to this case. At least 14 people were wounded in a blaze that ripped through 20 of the 36 floors of the luxury hotel, which is located near the highest tower of the world, Burj Khalifa (828 m) while thousands of people, among whom many tourists, were gathering to celebrate the new year.



    A free trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU came into force on Friday and, in parallel, an embargo was imposed by Russia as regards the Ukrainian products. The European Commission announced the agreement would contribute to the modernization of the Ukrainian economy. The Ukrainian government authorities announced the embargo imposed by Russia would result in losses estimated at 600 million dollars, accounting for the value of these trade exchanges. President Petro Porosenko, quoted by the BBC, announced that Russia is trying to economically “suffocate” Ukraine.

  • November 25, 2015

    November 25, 2015

    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has signed into law a bill that raises the salaries of public healthcare personnel by 25% as of October 1, and the wages of other public sector employees by 10% as of December 1. PM Dacian Ciolos says these increases must be accompanied by an investment programme.



    The PM of Romania, Dacian Cioloş, said in the government meeting today that he wants to make sure that the chiefs of the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations who had been suspended would be dismissed and would no longer be able to get back in the system. The leaders of the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate were suspended nearly a month after the Colectiv nightclub tragedy. Investigations revealed that the relevant authorities had not conducted inspections at the nightclub, although the heavily attended event had been announced publicly. We remind you that a rock concert ended tragically when the soundproofing material on a support pillar caught fire, which quickly spread over the entire ceiling. Hundreds of people, 5 times more than the club was allowed to host, were caught under the burning pieces falling from the ceiling.




    Scores of cinema and theatre halls, restaurants and bars in Bucharest have been shut after last week the head of state Klaus Iohannis signed a law banning public activities from buildings with high vulnerability in case of earthquakes. Around 670 buildings, according to the Bucharest City Hall, have a heavily damaged structure, especially after the 7.2 earthquake in 1977, which killed nearly 1,600 people. The law was promulgated 3 weeks after the tragedy in Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, in which 60 people died so far and which sparked heated debates concerning public building safety.



    The National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Bucharest has today ordered the prosecution of the Social Democratic Senator Dan Sova in a new case, in which he is suspected of being accessory to abuse of office. According to investigators, in 2006-2008 Sova apparently caused the Govora Thermal Power Complex to incur losses of over 1 million euros. On Tuesday, the Senates Judicial Committee approved Dan Sovas arrest and pre-trial detention in a separate case, concerning the period 2011-2014. Sova, a former minister for transportation in Victor Pontas Cabinet, reportedly claimed and received 100,000 euros in bribes to ensure the same Govora power plant signed a contract with a particular law firm.



    21 people, of whom 18 Afghans and 3 Moldovan citizens, were captured by a Taliban group on Tuesday, after the emergency landing of a helicopter in the north of Afghanistan, the Republic of Moldovas government announced today. According to the same source, two Afghans and a Moldovan have been killed. The interim PM, Gheorghe Brega, said the Moldovan authorities requested support from the US and Romanian embassies in Afghanistan, in order to have the hostages released. The helicopter, owned by a private Moldovan company, was on a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan, under the UN aegis.



    President Barack Obama expressed US and NATO support for Turkeys right to defend its sovereignty, reads a news release issued by the White House. The American and Turkish presidents discussed over the telephone about the incident involving a Russian warplane downed yesterday by the Turkish Air Forces. Whereas Ankara claims to have defeated its territory, after the plane entered Turkeys air space, the Russian President Vladimir Putin labels the incident as a stab in the back by the supporters of terrorism. Kremlin warned that its relations with Turkey would be affected and that it would take concrete steps. In an emergency meeting in Brussels, NATO expressed its solidarity with Turkey and called on the parties to refrain from escalating the conflict.



    The President of France, François Hollande, is scheduled to have a meeting in Paris today with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as part of Paris efforts to rally international support in a coalition able to fight the IS terrorist group. Yesterday in Washington, François Hollande agreed with President Barack Obama to intensify air strikes in Syria and Iraq against the Jihadist group. On Monday, the head of the French State discussed the same issue with the British PM David Cameron. Hollandes diplomatic efforts to rally support against terrorism will continue tomorrow in Moscow, where the French President is to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

  • 16 November, 2015

    16 November, 2015

    In Bucharest, the cabinet proposed by PM designate Dacian Ciolos are in Parliament hearings pending their endorsement in full session. The 22 proposals include officials with European or civil society experience, and one third are women. The announced platform of the Ciolos cabinet includes reviewing investment projects, as well as education and health reforms, with a view to reducing the exodus of healthcare professionals to western countries. At the same time, the proposed government plans to create a proper framework for future elections.


    The French nation is in mourning and held a moment of silence after the terror attacks on Friday in Paris. PM Manuel Valls said today that France should expect more attacks, and that other European nations should as well in the near future. French investigators announced that Fridays attacks were planned by a group based in Belgium, with aid from agents in France. The latest victim toll is 129 dead and 350 injured, some gravely injured. Two Romanians are among the victims, according to the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest. The so-called Islamic State claimed the attacks, and as a result, French assault aircraft bombed targets in the Syrian city of Raqqa, held by the terror organization.


    One more person injured in the deadly fire in the Colectiv club in Bucharest has died in a local hospital, bringing the death toll to 56. The Health Ministry said that 55 people who sustained injuries in the fire are still in Bucharest hospitals, 12 of them in a critical state. 28 people are under treatment in other countries. The fire was started at a rock concert by fireworks, sustained by sound insulation, which caused most of the victims to be affected by poisonous inhalations, in addition to burns.


    Romanian tennis player Horia Tecau, alongside Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer, at the Champions Tournament in London, will today be taking on the Polish-Serbian pair made of Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic. Tecau and Royer are first-seed in the Fleming/McEnroe group and second seed in the competition. This past Sunday the pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Indian Rohan Bopanna defeated American twins Mike and Bob Bryan, 6-4, 6-3. The Champions Tournament, with seven million dollars prize money at stake, brings together the top eight tennis players of the season, as well as the worlds top eight pairs in the doubles competition.


    In Antalya, Turkey, the G20 summit continues, with the main emphasis on the fight against terrorism. According to an AFP release, G20 countries will attempt measures against the circulation of terrorism, with measures to bolster border and air security. G20 countries also emphasize the need to tackle the financing of terror groups and their propaganda, especially in view of the recent attacks in Paris. President Barack Obama met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ISIS situation.


    Translated by Călin Coţoiu

  • Lessons from a Tragedy

    Lessons from a Tragedy

    October 30, 2015 is one of those days that Romania will never forget. What should have been for many young people a nice weekend night out at a rock gig, turned into the bleakest day of their lives. The last one, for tens of them. For other tens of young people it was the first day of a completely different life, marked by complex and unpredictable medical interventions, physical pain and grief caused by the nightmarish moments in Bucharest’s Colectiv nightclub, where a fire changed the destinies of hundreds of people in a matter of seconds. The tragedy brought to light many and serious administrative and legislative flaws. It sparked emotion, solidarity with the victims and outrage at the perceived culprits.



    The authorities launched inspections in all clubs and bars in Romania. A mere 10% of them comply with the relevant legislation, experts say, and warn that in case of an earthquake, for instance, thousands of people would die in Bucharest’s Old City. The Romanian Society of Architects warns that the fire at Colectiv has revealed severe irregularities and errors in the fire safety authorisation and inspection process. The president of the Romanian Society of Architects, Serban Tiganas, explains in an interview with Radio Romania that the situation of big city architecture in Romania is rather poor:



    “One of the reasons has to do with the legislative framework regulating the constructions sector. Romania is still governed by an obsolete outlook, which does not focus on the soft elements, so to say, the elements that are harder to assess or measure, such as the overall quality of architecture, and in which the essential thing is for the building not to come crumbling down during an earthquake, not to kill you while using it and to have enough polystyrene insulation to preserve heat. That’s just about it. So we have a rudimentary, imbalanced system of laws governing this sector. The second major problem is related to the enforcement of these laws, such as they are, with obviously good and reasonable parts, although difficult to implement. Romania is in a position where the inspection, fines and everything else entailed by enforcing these regulations face a lot of obstacles. And this is something everyone has learned well: you can build pretty much anything or stray from what the permit allows you to build, and nothing happens. And that is a disaster. The third problem is a matter of education, and here we have two aspects. On the one hand, there’s the education of the professionals in this sector. Our profession is subject to the pressure of degradation or of a loss of efficiency and coherence. On the other hand, there’s the education of the general public, in other words, you cannot have great architecture or be a good architect unless you have good clients. A good client is someone who understands the need for high-quality space, therefore the need for good architecture, instead of just focusing on cutting costs, as is usually the case in Romania.”



    The money was also the reason why the owners of Colectiv nightclub chose cheap and unsuitable material for sound insulation, a type of sponge that lighted instantly from the fireworks that were part of the show. The fire spread quickly and a thick smoke, heavy with toxic gases, caused severe internal burns to the victims. Meanwhile, the law regulating the authorisation of nightclub running, which was already under revision, was tightened, with fines substantially increased, the owners who breach regulations subject to criminal charges and the clubs closed down.



    On the other hand, Romania saw the exemplary mobilisation of civil society. Tens of thousands of people lit candles and laid flowers, organised silent marches and felt compelled to join in the support efforts. Thousands of people queued in hospitals to donate blood. Here is the director of the Bucharest Transfusion Centre, Doina Gosa:



    “This mobilisation is impressive, to be honest I have never seen anything like this in my life. People were extremely responsive to this tragedy… To the fact that most of the victims were so young, and died or suffered terrible burn injuries… As we all know now, the greatest possible physical pain is the one caused by burns. We’ve seen on all television channels that the doctors who gave first aid were also deeply affected and sympathised with the victims, although doctors are trained to do this and are accustomed to crises, to severe injuries and all sorts of traumas.”



    The tragedy prompted tens of thousands of people to take to the streets, in Bucharest and other cities in Romania and abroad. They demanded a reform of the entire political class, and following their protest, the Victor Ponta cabinet stepped down.

  • Solidarity with the Colectiv victims

    Solidarity with the Colectiv victims

    The death toll following the horrific fire at the
    Colectiv club in Bucharest on October 30 is rising by the day. On Wednesday,
    the number of dead exceeded 50. Artists, journalists and foreign students are
    among them. Over 70 people are still in hospital in the capital city Bucharest,
    20 of whom in critical and serious condition. Over 30 people from the around
    150 who were taken to hospital on the night of the fire have been transferred
    to hospitals abroad. Doctors have warned that patients treated in the intensive
    care units and who have suffered severe burns are still at a high risk of
    infection as long as they have open wounds. Nevertheless, positive thinking is
    crucial for their condition to improve. Dr. Andrei Carandino, the chief of the
    plastic surgery unit at the Bagdasar-Arseni Hospital in Bucharest, tells us
    about the situation of the injured in his hospital:




    They were all in critical condition when they were
    first brought in. They have all undergone surgery and some of them will be
    operated on again, but their physical and mental condition is very good at
    present. Positive thinking is known to encourage healing irrespective of the
    nature of the injury, particularly in a situation like this. The fact that they
    see they are well taken care of, that their condition has improved, the support
    of their families and of the medical staff contributes to their recovery. If
    things go well, they can get well within the next two or three weeks, but
    functional recovery may take months.




    All this time, gestures of solidarity with the
    victims have been coming in from both Romania and abroad. The European
    Parliament opened its Wednesday’s plenary sitting by paying homage to the
    victims of the deadly fire in Bucharest. On this occasion European MP Victor
    Negrescu told his colleagues:




    Tens of people, most of them young, continue to
    fight for their lives in hospitals and a message from you is a gesture of
    solidarity with the Romanian society in this tragic moment. I would like to
    thank all member states that have offered us their assistance in these
    difficult times.




    Also on Wednesday, the Romanian national football
    squad and their coach Anghel Iordanescu, as well as the head of the Romanian
    Football Federation, Razvan Burleanu, lit candles outside the nightclub, in
    memory of the victims. The thoughts of the national team, the technical staff
    and the Football Federation are with the families of those who died, coach
    Anghel Iordanescu said.





    (Translated by: E. Enache; edited by: C. Mateescu)