Radio România Internațional

Tag: flights

  • August 10, 2024 UPDATE

    August 10, 2024 UPDATE

    Fugitives – The Romanian Justice Ministry announces that it has brought back to the country other Romanian citizens who had fled abroad to avoid serving prison sentences, namely human traffickers and pimps. Among them there is a woman convicted of pimping at 6 years and 9 months, brought from the Netherlands. Another fugitive, brought from Italy, has to serve a sentence of 6 years and 1 month for human trafficking. We remind you that, this year, the so-called Fugitives Law entered into force, by which persons convicted and repatriated to serve their criminal sentence are obliged to pay the costs of being brought back to Romania. Only in 2023, the costs for bringing back to Romania over 800 Romanian citizens in this situation exceeded 10 million lei (around 2 million Euros).

     

    Untold – The biggest music festival in Romania, Untold, continues in Cluj-Napoca (north-west). Until Sunday, more than 250 top national and international artists perform for tens of thousands of fans from all over the world. Besides the concerts, the organizers have also prepared numerous thematic parties, and as a novelty, on the main stage, the performance of musical pieces is also done in sign language for people with hearing impairments. The authorities pay special attention to preventing the sale and consumption of drugs during the festival.

     

    Enescu – The 19th edition of the George Enescu International Competition kicks off on August 31, in Bucharest. This year, there was a historic record of entries to the Enescu Competition – 555 young people from 27 countries applied for the three sections of the competition – violin, cello and piano. Out of these, only 149 were selected to participate in the first stage of the competition. Each section will have two elimination stages, the semi-final and the final. The George Enescu International Competition is an event held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania and financed by the Government of Romania through the Ministry of Culture.

     

    Inflation – The National Bank of Romania significantly improved, on Friday, the estimates regarding the evolution of inflation, from 4.9% to 4% per year for the end of 2024. The downward trend should be maintained at the beginning of next year, followed by a temporary increase in the spring of 2025, then a return to the downward trend. The national bank calculates an annual inflation rate of 3.4% for the end of next year, slightly below the previously estimated level. The central bank governor, Mugur Isărescu, stated that the inflation forecast also took into account possible risks or uncertainties, including the conduct of fiscal and revenue policies, as well as the evolution of energy and food prices.

     

    Moscow – The Russian aviation authority banned Russian airlines from flying into Israel’s airspace in the following nights, the dpa news agency reports. The ban entered into force on Saturday and is valid until August 16. Moscow did not provide a reason for the decision, but dpa believes it could be linked to a feared Iranian airstrike on Israel. Russia is a close ally of Tehran and has recently stepped up its deliveries of air defense weapons to the Iranians. Many international airlines have canceled their flights to Israel due to the threat of war in the region. Meanwhile, Israel has agreed to sending negotiators to the new talks on a cease-fire agreement and the release of hostages in Gaza, following an urgent appeal by the mediator countries – the United States, Egypt and Qatar. Hamas has not yet responded to the call, seen as an attempt to stop the escalation of the conflict, after the assassination of the political leader of the Palestinian group, Ismail Haniyeh. (LS)

  • July 8, 2024 UPDATE

    July 8, 2024 UPDATE

    PROTEST Hundreds of accountants and economists protested in front of the government building in Bucharest on Monday disgruntled by the government decisions regarding the digitalization of the fiscal administration. Similar actions have been taken in Iasi, north-eastern Romania, Timisoara in the west and Bistrita in the north-west. Members of the Employers’ Association of the Romanian Accountant Entrepreneurs say that the introduction of some mechanism such as the e-invoice or the e-VAT will raise bureaucracy as people need to fill in many forms. Furthermore, the accountants have complained that the technical instruments made available by the Finance Ministry aren’t functioning properly. The protest was also supported by travel associations and organisations in the hospitality industry as well as by the family physicians.

     

    TAROM Romania’s air carrier TAROM has announced that 10 of its flights on the Henri Coanda airport have been cancelled after 20 pilots, flight commanders, copilots and other crew members invoked health issues, which prevented them from taking off. The company has announced that some flights are to be rescheduled for tomorrow and that several hundreds of passengers, mostly foreigners, left on the airport terminals will get refunds. The company has refrained from describing the event as a strike but for the time being the reasons behind the action remain unknown. Representatives of the board of directors are expected to provide explanations at the Transport Ministry.  Among the flights cancelled are those to Beirut, Cairo, Budapest, Iasi, Madrid, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt. In this context, Romania’s delegation, which was supposed to participate in the NATO summit in Washington, had to resort to a military plane.

     

    GROWTH The National Institute for Statistics (the INS) has revised up Romania’s economic growth in the first quarter of the year, to 0.7%, from a prior estimate of 0.4%. Compared to the same quarter of 2023, the GDP registered an increase of 0.5% on the gross series and 2.2% on the seasonally adjusted series, according to provisional data the INS published on Monday. The country’s budget for the current year is based on an economic growth of 3.4%.

     

    CULTURE Romanians and foreign tourists visiting Romania are increasingly interested in culture – said the Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan. She specified that the number of people visiting museums, public collections, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums and nature reserves increased in 2023 by more than 3 million, compared to 2022. Mrs. Turcan has appreciated the professionalism and dedication of all those in the cultural sector who manage to increase public interest in cultural events and activities, as confirmed by the latest figures of the National Institute of Statistics.

    (bill)

  • September 17, 2023 – UPDATE

    September 17, 2023 – UPDATE

    UN President Klaus Iohannis will be leading Romania’s
    delegation to the 78th session of the UN General Assembly between
    September 18 and 22 in New York. In his address, Mr. Iohannis will present
    Romania’s views on current global developments, highlighting Romania’s foreign
    policy priorities and its contribution to reaching the goals on the UN
    multilateral agenda. President Iohannis will also attend the Summit on
    Sustainable Development Goals, and will be a guest of honour at the World
    Leaders Forum organised by the prestigious Columbia University in New York, where
    he will be discussing Romania’s outlook on the war in Ukraine and its impact on
    Black Sea security.


    PENSIONS A new
    version of the special pension law, comprising the amendments requested by the
    Constitutional Court, will be endorsed by the end of September, said the
    interim Chamber of Deputies speaker, Alfred Simonis. He added the law covers
    all categories of special pensions, but because the special benefits paid to
    magistrates and other categories cannot be scrapped, as it happened in the case
    of MPs, taxation will be introduced, which the Court has accepted. Also,
    Simonis said, ceilings must be introduced for each particular profession, so as
    to eliminate special pensions of EUR 8,000 or even EUR 14,000 a month. The
    Constitutional Court last month sent back to Parliament the new draft pension
    law, on grounds that pension benefits currently being paid cannot be readjusted
    to different principles than the ones in the law under which they have been
    granted.


    CEREMONY A military and religious ceremony was held on
    Sunday at the Heroes’ Cross on Caraiman Peak in central Romania, to celebrate
    95 years since the monument was unveiled. Included in the Guinness Book of
    Records, the 40m cross is the highest such monument placed on a mountain top in
    the world. It was erected at an altitude of 2,291 m between 1926 and 1928, at
    the initiative of and with support from Queen Marie and King Ferdinand of
    Romania, as a tribute to WW1 heroes.


    FLIGHTS The Romanian airline TAROM announces new flights to and from Chișinău,
    in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, as of September 24. TAROM will operate
    additional flights over weekends, to reach a total of 21 weekly return flights,
    with prices starting at EUR 85.


    MOTORWAYS As of next week Romania will have 1,000 km of
    motorway in use, with the opening of the Nuşfalău – Suplacu de Barcău segment
    of the A3 Transilvania motoway. Next month the first 20 km of the Bucharest
    ring motorway will also be opened, and next year the first 2 segments of the Ploieşti-Buzău
    motorway are scheduled to be completed.


    SCHENGEN Austria’s opposition to Romania’s Schengen
    accession is not targeted against Bucharest, but against this freedom of
    movement system, said the Austrian minister for the EU, Karoline Edtstadler. The
    statement comes after Bucharest warned it would sue Vienna over its veto to
    Romania’s accession. Karoline Edtstadler told the media she understood the
    position of Romanian authorities, but added Austria cannot close its eyes to an
    already flawed system. She explained the EU should ensure efficient protection of its external
    borders before envisioning a Europe without internal
    borders. In
    an interview to Austrian mass media, Romania’s PM
    Marcel Ciolacu said that in case of further opposition from Austria, Romania
    will have to take the matter to court and demand compensation for the losses
    incurred because of its failure to join the Schengen area.


    NATO NATO’s secretary general
    Jens Stoltenberg has warned in an interview published on Sunday, that we must
    not expect a swift end to the war in Ukraine, as Kyiv carries on its
    counteroffensive against Russian forces, AFP reports. The war began in February 2022, when
    Russian troops invaded Ukraine. As for Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO, Jens Stoltenberg promised
    that sooner or later, Ukraine will be a NATO member. In July’s NATO summit in
    Vilnius, Alliance leaders agreed that Kyiv may join NATO once
    certain conditions are fulfilled, with the US and Germany emphasising that
    these conditions include reforms to protect democracy and the rule of law. In
    mid-June the Ukrainian army launched a counteroffensive to push out the Russian
    troops from the south and east of the country, but so far only a limited number
    of localities have been freed.


    TABLE TENNIS Romania’s women’s team was defeated by Germany,
    3-0, on Sunday, in the European Table Tennis Championships final in Malmo (Sweden).
    Elizabeta Samara lost to Xiaona Shan 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-8), Bernadette Szocs was
    defeated by Ying Han 3-1 (14-16, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10), and Nina Mittelham beat
    Andreea Dragoman 3-2 (5-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 12-10), after the Romanian player
    lost two match points. Romania was already a European vice-champion, after
    winning the silver in 2021, at home in Cluj-Napoca.



    RUGBY Defending world champions, South
    Africa Sunday defeated 76-0 Romania’s national rugby team in a World Cup Group
    B match in Bordeaux (France). A week ago Romania lost to Ireland 82-8 (33-8). Romania’s rugby team is next to play against
    Scotland on September 30 and against Tonga on October 8, in Lille. (AMP)

  • January 2, 2023 UPDATE

    January 2, 2023 UPDATE

    FLIGHTS Many flights scheduled to land on or depart from the Avram Iancu International Airport in Cluj-Napoca, north-western Romania have been delayed or cancelled because of the fog. The airport’s normal schedule was completely disrupted, with flights diverted to other airports in the country or in neighbouring Hungary. Hundreds of people are queuing and complaining that the delays or cancellations had not been announced by airlines. Cluj County is subject to an extended code yellow alert for fog, with visibility below 200m and in some cases even below 50m.

    DRUGS Over 1,000 people were arrested for drug trafficking in Romania in the first 11 months of 2022. Many of them formed organised crime groups, and 55 such groups were dismantled. Over one tonne of risk and high-risk substances were seized, the Romanian Police announced on Monday.

    PENSIONS As many as 4,787,920 pensioners were registered in Romania in December 2022, with the average pension benefits standing at roughly EUR 350, according to data centralised by the National Public Pensions Agency (CNPP). Nearly 700,000 of them had worked in agriculture, with pensions only amounting to EUR 100 in their case.

    RECYCLING All traders in Romania that sell bottled water, soft drinks or alcoholic drinks in plastic, glass or metal containers between 100 ml and 3 l are bound to register within 2 months on the platform of a guarantee-return system (SGR). Otherwise, they risk fines between EUR 4,000 and EUR 8,000. The authorities want the system to become operational at the end of November 2023. Shops will also have to arrange packaging return centres. The prices of drinks will include the roughly EUR 0.10 packaging guarantee, which consumers will collect when returning the bottles. Romania will thus have the second-largest such system in Europe, after Germany, the environment minister Tanczos Barna said recently.

    NATO Western countries must be prepared to provide long-term support to Ukraine as Russia shows no signs of relenting, NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said. In an interview to the BBC, Stoltenberg said military support would ensure the survival of Ukraine as a sovereign country and force Russia to sit down and negotiate an end to the war. According to Jens Stoltenberg, Russia’s partial mobilisation programme, ordered in September, indicated that Moscow had no desire to end the war, and NATO must make sure that Ukraine stays in a strong position in the event of negotiation talks between the two sides.

    UKRAINE At least 63 Russian troops were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Makeevka, in the east, the Russian defence ministry announced on Monday, quoted by international media. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian defence ministry’s spokesman, said four missiles hit a point of temporary deployment of the Russian army in Makeevka, a town under Russian occupation. Moscow, which very rarely discusses its losses, has never reported such a large number of casualties in one strike since the start of its invasion in Ukraine on February 24 last year. The media had previously released information on the attack in Makeevka, saying it had taken place on New Year’s Eve, and that a building hosting recently mobilised reservists had been affected. The strike was facilitated by the soldiers’ extensive use of mobile phones, which enabled the Ukrainian army to identify their location, Russian sources say.

    POPE Thousands of believers have gathered in Vatican to pay their respects to the former Pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday aged 95 and whose body is lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the funeral scheduled for Thursday. On Sunday Pope Francis paid tribute to his dearest predecessor, emphasising his sacrifices offered for the good of the Church. Benedict XVI, who announced his resignation from the papacy in 2013 on account of his ill health and age, was a highly praised theologian. The funeral will be presided over by Pope Francis, and it will be the first time in the 2,000-year long history of the Catholic Church that a Pope will be buried by his successor.

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (34WTA) started the year 2023 on the right foot, defeating Shelby Rogers 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, on Monday, in the first round of the WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide (Australia). In the round of 16, Irina Begu will take on the winner of the match between Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) and Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia). (AMP)

  • National airline TAROM repatriates Blue Air customers

    National airline TAROM repatriates Blue Air customers

    It is hard to think of a less popular
    brand in Romania these days than the private air operator Blue Air. Facing
    funding shortages, the airline left thousands of passengers in airports across
    Europe.


    The government earmarked around EUR 1 mln
    from its reserve fund to cover repatriation costs for the Romanian nationals
    stranded abroad. The money will be recovered in full from the private operator,
    PM Nicolae Ciucă promised. In turn, the transport minister Sorin Grindeanu
    urged the travellers to claim compensations from the airline and to look for
    other options to return to the country, given that the national operator TAROM
    cannot possibly operate all the flights cancelled by Blue Air.


    The leader of USR party in opposition, Cătălin
    Drulă, himself a former transport minister, accuses Grindeanu of being
    aware of the situation with Blue Air, but failing to warn Romanians not to buy
    tickets. This is how thousands of people paid for nothing, Drulă said, and
    added that lies are being circulated that people will get their money back,
    but there is nothing left to take from Blue Air. Blue Air is bankrupt, nobody
    will see a refund from them.


    So far thousands of
    people have asked for help to get back to Romania, and TAROM has organised a number of special
    flights, most of them to Greece. Blue Air first decided to suspend all flights
    until 12September, because they saw their accounts frozen by the
    Environment Fund Agency, to which the company owes over EUR 5 mln. According to
    Blue Air itself, this meant cancelling 400 flights, for which over 54,000
    passengers had bought tickets. Now, the airline announces it plans to resume
    flights only on 10 October, although the authorities have unfrozen its accounts.


    The head of the National Consumer
    Protection Authority, Horia Constantinescu, said the institution is considering
    criminal proceedings against Blue Air, and explained that the company had
    already proved it did not care about passengers’ rights.


    Two months ago, the Authority fined the
    company for having cancelled a large number of flights this year, which
    affected tens of thousands of passengers.


    Blue Air is the largest Romanian airline in terms of
    the number of passengers, with an ultra-low cost business model. During 17 years
    of operation, Blue Air serviced over 32 million customers and flew over 340 million
    km, reads a news release issued by the air operator. In normal times, this
    sentence would sound like a progress report. Today, it feels more like an obituary. (AMP)

  • September 11, 2022 UPDATE

    September 11, 2022 UPDATE


    CELEBRATION The celebration of 150 years since the death of Avram Iancu, the leader of the 1848 Revolution in Transylvania, included events devoted to this national hero. Military ceremonies and religious services were held, followed by a traditional music show in Ţebea (Hunedoara County). In a message on this occasion, president Klaus Iohannis mentioned that Avram Iancu believed in the power of action and will be remembered as a fighter for social and national freedom. The head of state also mentioned Russias aggression against Ukraine and the revival of an “imperialist mindset.” The joint efforts of the international community, political dialogue rather than confrontation, and our goals, converging and complementary to those of NATO and the EU, will ensure the consolidation of European security and stability, especially in southeastern Europe and at the Black Sea, president Klaus Iohannis also said.



    9/11 In Bucharest, PM Nicolae Ciucă Sunday addressed a message of solidarity with the people of the USA, 21 years since the terrorist attacks of 2001. “The tragedy of the American nation, shared by the entire planet, struck at the heart of freedom and democracy: the trust in and respect for the other. We honour the memory of those who passed away and we stand by the survivors and rescuers in the terrorist attacks of 9/11,” the Romanian Prime Minister said. Mr. Ciucă also mentioned Romanias continued solidarity with the US, as reflected in the military cooperation between the 2 countries. “Our troops, in increasingly complex missions, have proved professionalism and dedication, contributing to the safeguarding of peace and democratic values. In the most important missions, in Iraq and Afghanistan, Romanian troops showed solidarity with their American partners, fighting together the worlds democracies against terrorism and defending fundamental rights and liberties,” reads the message. Nearly 3,000 people were killed 21 years ago by 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacking 4 aircraft.



    QUEEN The state funerals for Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday, aged 96, will take place on the 19 September. Meanwhile, Britons will have several days to pay their respects to their former sovereign, first in Edinburgh and then in London, where the Queens coffin is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. On Saturday, King Charles III was proclaimed monarch, and today he was officially proclaimed head of state of Australia and New Zealand. The British monarch is the sovereign of 14 other countries apart from the UK, although with a largely ceremonial role. The King is also the head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 countries, most of them former British colonies. For over 4 decades, King Charles has been involved in charities lobbying for environment and heritage conservation, but as head of state he will take on exclusively constitutional responsibilities. As a Prince of Wales, the new King has visited Romania almost every year for 2 decades, supporting a number of organisations and projects, especially in Transylvania, where he owns several estates. The UK Embassy in Bucharest opened an online condolence book for members of the public, but hundreds of Romanians went to the embassy offices to bring flowers and light candles for the Queen. The flag at the embassy office was flown at half-mast.



    FLIGHTS The national airline TAROM continues to repatriate the Romanians stranded in international airports after the private operator Blue Air suspended flights. On Sunday around 200 people were brought from Greeces Zakynthos and Rhodes islands, with another 200 to be repatriated on Monday, after 350 Romanian nationals were repatriated from Greece on Saturday. Four other special flights had previously been organised to Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Several thousand Romanians have been stranded in international airports since Tuesday night, when Blue Air announced it was suspending flights. Although the authorities have unfrozen the accounts of the airline, which had excessive debts to the Romanian state, Blue Air said it would only resume flights on 10 October. Blue Airs current estimated debts amount to EUR 230 mln.



    UKRAINE Since early September the Ukrainian army has freed some 2,000 sq.km of the countrys territory, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. Ukrainian forces are currently engaged in 2 counter-offensive campaigns, one in the south, targeting Herson, and the second one in the Kharkiv area in the north-east, where they entered the key cities of Kupyansk and Izyum. According to international media, these are the most important gains for Ukraine since early April, when the Russians were pushed out of Kyiv area. Reuters quotes a former chief of pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine, Igor Girkin, as talking about a “major defeat” for Russia.



    NUCLEAR Operations at the Zaporozhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, controlled by Russian forces, have been fully stopped as a safety measure, Ukraines nuclear operator Energoatom announced on Sunday. Another emergency shut-down had been ordered in August. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the nuclear plant, while president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the region around it to be demilitarised. (AMP)


  • September 11, 2022

    September 11, 2022

    9/11 In Bucharest, PM
    Nicolae Ciucă Sunday addressed a message of solidarity with the people of the
    USA, 21 years since the terrorist attacks of 2001. The tragedy of the American
    nation, shared by the entire planet, struck at the heart of freedom and democracy: the trust in and respect for the other. We honour the memory of
    those who passed away and we stand by the survivors and rescuers in the
    terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Romanian Prime Minister said. Mr. Ciucă also
    mentioned Romania’s continued solidarity with the US, as reflected in the
    military cooperation between the 2 countries. Our troops, in increasingly
    complex missions, have proved professionalism and dedication, contributing to
    the safeguarding of peace and democratic values. In the most important
    missions, in Iraq and Afghanistan, Romanian troops showed solidarity with their
    American partners, fighting together with the world’s democracies against terrorism
    and defending fundamental rights and liberties, reads the message. Nearly 3,000 people were killed 21 years ago
    by 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacking 4 aircraft.


    QUEENThe state funerals for Queen Elizabeth II,
    who passed away on Thursday, aged 96, will take place on the 19 September. Meanwhile,
    Britons will have several days to pay their respects to their former sovereign,
    first in Edinburgh and then in London, where the Queen’s coffin is scheduled to
    arrive on Tuesday. On Saturday, King Charles III was proclaimed monarch, and
    today he was officially proclaimed head of state of Australia and New Zealand. The
    British monarch is the sovereign of 14 other countries apart from the UK, although
    with a largely ceremonial role. The King is also the head of the Commonwealth, an
    association of 56 countries, most of them former British colonies. For over 4
    decades, King Charles has been involved in charities lobbying for environment
    and heritage conservation, but as head of state he will take on exclusively
    constitutional responsibilities. As a Prince of Wales, the new King visited
    Romania almost every year for 2 decades, supporting a number of organisations
    and projects, especially in Transylvania, where he owns several estates. The UK
    Embassy in Bucharest opened an online condolence book for members of the
    public, but hundreds of Romanians went to the embassy offices to bring flowers
    and light candles for the Queen. The flag at the embassy office was flown at
    half-mast.


    FLIGHTS The national airline
    TAROM continues to repatriate the Romanians stranded in international airports
    after the private operator Blue Air suspended flights. Today around 200 people
    will be brought from Greece’s Zakynthos and Rhodes islands, with another 200 to
    be repatriated on Monday, after 350 Romanian nationals were repatriated from
    Greece on Saturday. Four other special flights had previously been organised to
    Israel, Greece, Cyprus
    and Spain. Several thousand Romanians have been stranded in international airports
    since Tuesday night, when Blue Air announced it was suspending flights. Although
    the authorities have unfrozen the accounts of the airline, which had excessive
    debts to the Romanian state, Blue Air said it would only resume flights on 10 October.
    Blue Air’s current estimated debts amount to EUR 230 mln.


    UKRAINE Since early September
    the Ukrainian army has freed some 2,000 sq.km of the country’s territory,
    president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. Ukrainian forces are currently engaged
    in 2 counter-offensive campaigns, one in the south, targeting Herson, and the
    second one in the Kharkiv area in the north-east, where they entered the key
    cities of Kupyansk and Izyum. According to international media, these are the
    most important gains for Ukraine since early April, when the Russians were
    pushed out of Kyiv area. Reuters quotes a former chief of pro-Russian militias
    in eastern Ukraine, Igor Girkin, as talking about a major defeat for Russia.



    NUCLEAR Operations
    at the Zaporozhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, controlled by Russian
    forces, have been fully stopped as a safety measure, Ukraine’s nuclear operator
    Energoatom announced on Sunday. Another emergency shut-down had been ordered in
    August. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the nuclear plant, while
    president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the region around
    it to be demilitarised. (AMP)

  • September 10, 2022 UPDATE

    September 10, 2022 UPDATE


    KING Senior British MPs Saturday swore an oath of allegiance to King Charles III, officially proclaimed king by the Accession Council,a body convened to confirm the new British monarchs throughout history. Both chambers of the British Parliament held special sessions, so that lawmakers may honour the Queen. Thousands have gathered in front of Buckingham Palace, the main residence of British monarchs in London, to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday, aged 96, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. King Charles III confirmed that the day of the Queens funeral will be a banking holiday in the United Kingdom. The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey in London, on Monday, 19 September. The Queens coffin will be brought to Edinburgh on Sunday and later on to London, where the Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall. After the service, which will be attended by heads of state and government from around the world, the Queens coffin will be taken to Saint Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the Queen is to be buried.



    ENERGY EU energy ministers voiced support for emergency measures in response to the energy crisis, and even mentioned price capping for natural gas imports. At Fridays extraordinary meeting in Brussels, officials for the 27 Member States agreed that a “unified approach” was needed to address the rise in energy prices caused by Russias invasion in Ukraine. They gave the European Commission several days to come up with a solid and concrete plan, said the Czech industry minister Jozef Sikela, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Union. Romania, which was represented by the energy minister, Virgil Popescu, pleaded for measures such as a price cap on Russian gas imports or an EU-wide platform for the joint procurement of natural gas. As for cutting down consumption, Bucharest said this should be voluntary, depending on national capacities and market developments.



    FLIGHTS The national airline TAROM Saturday scheduled 2 additional flights to Greece to repatriate the Romanian passengers abandoned by the low-cost operator Blue Air, which announced it lacked funding even for fuel. TAROM has so far organised 4 other special flights, to Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Several thousand Romanians have been stranded in international airports since Tuesday night, when Blue Air announced it was suspending flights. Although the authorities have unfrozen the accounts of the airline, which had excessive debts to the Romanian state, Blue Air said it would only resume flights on 10 October. The transport minister Sorin Grindeanu urged Blue Air customers to try to find other options to return, and pointed out TAROM could not replace all the flights that had been cancelled. In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, Blue Air took out a state-guaranteed loan of over EUR 60 mln. This summer, it was fined EUR 2 mln by the Consumer Protection Authority, for cancelling over 11,000 flights in 2021 and 2022. Blue Airs current estimated debts amount to EUR 230 mln.



    UKRAINE Romania and 3 other EU member states (Greece, Poland and Lithuania) call on the European Commission to grant them exemptions from the budget deficit rules, with respect to military expenditure, in order to be able to make the investments required after the Russian invasion in Ukraine. They want this expenditure excluded from the deficit calculation, so that the 3% of GDP ceiling required by the EU may be observed. The 4 countries argue that this would help them mitigate the risks facing the Union. Meanwhile, a report made public by the World Bank, the Ukrainian government and the European Commission indicates that Ukraines reconstruction after the Russian invasion may cost around USD 350 bln, with figures set to increase in the coming months, as the war continues. According to the report, reconstruction and revamping needs in the social, industrial and infrastructure fields are 1.5 times higher than Ukraines GDP in 2021. Russias aggression had caused direct damages of over USD 97 bln by 1 June, with the most affected areas including housing (40% of the total damages), transports (31%), trade and industry (10%). The regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv are the most heavily hit, followed by Kyiv, Chernihiv and Zaporizhzhia.



    RUSSIA A number of Russian Deputies from the Sankt-Petersburg area were summoned to the police after requesting the impeachment of president Vladimir Putin for high treason, in relation to the Russian aggression in Ukraine. In a rare show of dissent, they called on Russias parliament to impeach the president for the death of Russian youth sent to war, for Russias economic downturn and brain drain, and for NATOs eastward expansion. Not least, they argued, the invasion of Ukraine had the opposite effects to those expected by Moscow. (AMP)


  • September 10, 2022

    September 10, 2022

    KING King Charles III was officially proclaimed
    monarch in a ceremony held at St. James’s Palace in London on Saturday, by the Accession Council, a body convened to confirm the new British
    monarchs throughout history.
    Also today, the Cabinet will have their first meeting with King Charles III,
    just days after PM Liz Truss formed a new government. Thousands have gathered in front of Buckingham Palace, the main
    residence of British monarchs in London, to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II,
    who passed away on Thursday, aged 96, at Balmoral
    Castle in Scotland. She will be brought to London, at Westminster Hall, and
    the public will have 4-5 days to say goodbye. The
    funerals will take place at Westminster Abbey, the church where British kings
    are crowned. The BBC notes that the last funeral of a monarch at Westminster
    Abbey took place in the 18th century. After the funeral, to be attended by
    heads of state and government from around the world, the Queen will be taken to
    Windsor Castle and buried in the Saint George Chapel within its premises.


    ENERGY EU energy ministers voiced support for emergency
    measures in response to the energy crisis, and even mentioned price capping for
    natural gas imports. At Friday’s extraordinary meeting in Brussels, officials
    for the 27 Member States agreed that a unified approach was needed to address
    the rise in energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. They gave the
    European Commission several days to come up with a solid and concrete plan, said
    the Czech industry minister Jozef Sikela, whose country holds the rotating
    presidency of the Union. Romania, who was represented by the energy minister,
    Virgil Popescu, pleaded for measures such as a price cap on Russian gas imports
    or an EU-wide platform for the joint procurement of natural gas. As for cutting
    down consumption, Bucharest said this should be voluntary, depending on
    national capacities and market developments.


    FLIGHTS The national airline TAROM provides today
    2 additional flights to Greece to repatriate the Romanian passengers abandoned
    by the low-cost operator Blue Air, which announced it lacked funding even for
    fuel. TAROM has so far organised 4 other special flights, to Israel, Greece,
    Cyprus and Spain. Several thousand Romanians have been stranded in
    international airports since Tuesday night, when Blue Air announced it was
    suspending flights. Although the authorities have unfrozen the accounts of the
    airline, which had excessive debts to the Romanian state, Blue Air said it
    would only resume flights on 10 October. The transport minister Sorin Grindeanu
    urged Blue Air customers to try to find other options to return, and pointed
    out TAROM could not replace all the flights that had been cancelled. In 2020, during
    the COVID pandemic, Blue Air took out a state-guaranteed loan of over EUR 60
    mln. This summer, it was fined EUR 2 mln by the Consumer Protection Authority, for
    cancelling over 11,000 flights in 2021 and 2022. Blue Air’s current estimated
    debts amount to EUR 230 mln.

    AUTOMOTIVE Romania’s
    automotive industry output went up nearly 25% in July and August, compared to
    the corresponding period of 2021. According to the Automotive Producers
    Association, more than 61,000 vehicles were assembled in the Ford plant in
    Craiova and Dacia-Renault plant in Mioveni. In the first 8 months of the year, over
    330,000 vehicles were produced, accounting for a 15.5% increase since 2021.


    UKRAINE Romania and 3
    other EU member states (Greece, Poland and Lithuania) call on the European
    Commission to grant them exemptions from the budget deficit rules, with respect
    to military expenditure, in order to be able to make the investments required
    after the Russian invasion in Ukraine. They want this expenditure excluded from
    the deficit calculation, so that the 3% of GDP ceiling required by the EU may
    be observed. The 4 countries argue that this would help them mitigate the risks
    facing the Union. Meanwhile, a report made public by the World Bank, the
    Ukrainian government and the European Commission indicates that Ukraine’s
    reconstruction after the Russian invasion may cost around USD 350 bln, with figures set to increase in the coming months,
    as the war continues. According to the report, reconstruction and revamping
    needs in the social, industrial and infrastructure fields are 1.5 times higher
    than Ukraine’s GDP in 2021. Russia’s aggression had caused direct damages of
    over USD 97 bln by 1 June, with the most affected areas including housing (40% of
    the total damages), transports (31%), trade and industry (10%). The regions of Donetsk,
    Luhansk and Kharkiv are the most heavily hit, followed by Kyiv, Chernihiv and
    Zaporizhzhia.


    TENNIS The Romanian tennis players Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu,
    ranking 37 and 42 in the world, respectively, take part in the first edition of
    Ţiriac Foundation Trophy, held between the 10th and 18th September in
    Bucharest. The 2 players received wild cards from the organisers, and their
    current world rankings makes them seed no 1 and 2 in the tournament hosted by
    the Romanian capital city. Ţiriac Foundation Trophy is a WTA 125 tournament
    organised by the Romanian Tennis Federation and supported by the Ţiriac
    Foundation and the Sports Ministry. The main draw includes 32 players, and the
    doubles competition involves another 16. They compete for USD 115,000 in total
    prize money and 160 points in the WTA ranking. (AMP)

  • September 7, 2022

    September 7, 2022

    FLIGHTS Freezing the accounts of the Romanian air
    operator Blue Air does not justify an immediate suspension of flights, says the
    Romanian environment minister, Tánczos Barna, who calls on the company to meet
    its obligations to passengers and the state budget. Blue Air’s accounts were
    frozen by the Environment Fund Agency because the company owes over EUR 5 mln
    and is undergoing foreclosure. Three thousand people are affected, after Blue
    Air suspended all its domestic and international flights until Monday, 12th
    September. According to the company, the decision was made after the
    Environment Ministry froze its accounts.


    MOTION A simple motion tabled by Save Romania Union (USR) in
    opposition against the Liberal energy minister Virgil Popescu was dismissed by
    the Chamber of Deputies today, with 191 votes against and 85 votes in favour of the document, coming
    from USR, the nationalist party AUR and the Force of the Right, splintered from
    the Liberal Party and headed by the ex-PM Ludovic Orban. The opposition
    criticised the energy minister for the lack of investments in production
    facilities and for his management of the electricity and natural gas price caps.
    Minister Virgil Popescu dismissed the accusations and described the USR motion
    as a populist move. He also added that the new mechanism related to energy
    bills will discourage speculation in the market.


    VISIT The president of Hungary, Katalin Novak, was received with
    honours in Bucharest today by the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, as part of
    her official visit at the invitation of the president of Romania. The talks
    will concern the means to diversify and deepen the bilateral dialogue, as well as the current regional, European and global situation, following Russia’s
    military aggression against Ukraine. The visit comes as the 2 countries
    celebrate 20 years since the governments of Hungary and Romania signed a
    Strategic Partnership Declaration for 21st Century Europe. According
    to the Romanian Presidency, president Iohannis will highlight Romania’s openness to strengthening bilateral cooperation and dialogue with
    Hungary, a very important neighbour of Romania, so as to promote projects of
    mutual interest to the benefit of the citizens of the 2 countries. This
    afternoon, the Hungarian official will also have meetings with the PM Nicolae
    Ciucă and with the speakers of the 2 chambers of Parliament.

    ECONOMY Romania’s economy grew 5.3% in the second quarter of
    this year compared to the corresponding period of 2021, the National Statistics
    Institute announced. In the first half of the year, the GDP went up 5.8%,
    compared to the first 6 months of last year. Contributing to this growth were
    trade, automotive repairs, transport and storage services, the hospitality and
    the IT&C sectors. According to the institution, the areas that hindered
    economic growth were industry, where operations dropped in the reference
    period, and the negative ratio between imports and exports.

    SURVEY A Eurobarometer survey released on Tuesday by the European
    Commission points to increased confidence of European citizens in the EU and
    continuing strong support for the Union’s response to Russia’s aggression
    against Ukraine. An overwhelming majority of EU citizens supports investments
    in renewable energy and steps to reduce the bloc’s reliance on Russian energy
    sources. Europeans are increasingly concerned with the economic situation in
    the Union and in their respective countries.


    FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions, CFR Cluj, Thursday play
    away from home against FC Ballkani, in Pristina, Kosovo, in their first
    match in Group G of the Europa Conference League. The other match in the group
    is pitting Sivasspor, of Turkey, against the Czech side Slavia Prague. Romanian
    vice-champions FCSB Bucharest also play away from home, in London, against West
    Ham United, in Group B of the same competition. The Belgian side Anderlecht
    takes on the Danish team Silkeborg IF, also in Group B. Two other Romanian
    teams, CS Universitatea Craiova and Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, have lost the
    qualifying stage of the Europa Conference League. (AMP)

  • January 4, 2021 UPDATE

    January 4, 2021 UPDATE

    TALKS The government of Romania will hold talks this week on the 2021 state budget. According to Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu, the budget is going to be based on a 7% deficit and will be submitted for Parliament approval by the end of the month. According to the Prime Minister, the 7% target is proof of the firm commitment to fiscal consolidation without hindering the economy. The budget will allow for an extension to June 30th of economic measures triggered by the pandemic, including compensations to employees during the suspension of employment and financial support for employers. A state aid scheme for the hospitality industry and travel agencies, totalling 500 million euros and financed from EU funds, will also be in place. The government might also discuss this week a bill raising the national minimum wage, while all wages in state-owned companies are to be frozen at the level of December 2020.




    COVID-19 – In the past 24 hours Romania has reported over 3,100 fresh cases of Covid-19 infections, out of 10,000 tests carried out nationwide, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Monday. Roughly 644,000 people have been infected with the virus since the first case was reported in Romania in February last year. Out of these, 577,000 have recovered. Another 78 people died to the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the onset of the pandemic to 16,057. 1,100 are in intensive care and the authorities are bracing up for a new wave of infections after the winter holidays. According to Raed Arafat, head of the Department for Emergency Situations, although the immunization campaign in Romania has commenced, prevention measures, like face covering, hand washing and social distancing remain mandatory. The vaccination campaign has been extended in Romania, which is to activate over 90% of the 376 centres for healthcare personnel and care centres. Nearly 13,500 medical workers were immunized in the first week since the vaccine was brought to Romania, with authorities targeting a daily 20,000 vaccination rate in the forthcoming period. The coordinator of the vaccination programme, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, says the second stage of the programme, targeting patients in care centres, may be initiated in mid-January.




    FLIGHTS The National Committee for Emergency Situations in Romania has updated their list of countries and areas in the COVID-19 red zone and decided to resume flights to and from the UK. People coming to Romania from this country are to isolate themselves for 10 days and must have taken a Covid-19 test at least 48 hours before their arrival. Flights to the UK were suspended on December 20th after a fresh, more contagious virus strain had been discovered in Britain. Italy has been included on the list of countries with a higher risk of transmission.




    AUTOMOTIVE The number of new car registrations went up 16% in Romania in December 2020 compared to December 2019, to 15,974 units, according to the Romanian Association of Automotive Makers (ACAROM). However, for the entire year 2020 the number dropped by 22%. As regards used vehicles registered in Romania for the first time, the number dropped by 5% in December 2020 compared to 2019, to 34,174 units. The best selling new cars in Romania in 2020 are Dacia, followed by Skoda, Renault, Volkswagen and Ford.




    ENERGY The European Commission Monday greenlighted the acquisition by the Europe Division of MIRA investment fund (Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets) of electricity production and supply assets held by the Czech group CEZ. In October 2020, CEZ Group announced the sale of its assets in Romania to MIRA, the worlds largest infrastructure management company. The transaction involved 7 companies, including electricity distribution and supply networks and Europes largest onshore wind farm, in Fântânele – Cogealac (south-eastern Romania).




    SAVINGS Four out of ten Romanians managed to save during the pandemic, as compared to two-thirds before. A survey conducted by the Romanian Research and Strategy Institute (IRES), and commissioned by the Romanian Banks Association, also shows that two-thirds of the household and corporate savings are in the local currency, mostly in short-term deposits. According to the survey, if they had money to spare, 28% of Romanians would invest in their or their familys education, 23% would keep the money in banks, 16% would start up a company and 10% would buy hard currency. The poll was conducted in December 2020.




    AIR FORCES MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft and around 90 US Air Force personnel are deployed for the next few months to ‘Gen. Emanoil Ionescu’ 71st Air Base in Câmpia Turzii, north-western Romania. According to the Romanian Defence Ministry, the Romanian Air Forces will provide technical, logistic and operational support to the MQ-9 Reapers intelligence, surveillance and recon missions as part of NATO operations. The US-Romanian cooperation is designed to strengthen the defence capacity and enhance security in the region. (tr. A. M. Popescu)

  • June 17, 2020 UPDATE

    June 17, 2020 UPDATE

    Covid-19 The Romanian Government decided to extend the state of alert by another 30 days, against the background of the Covid-19 pandemic. The measure came into force on Wednesday, though several restrictions have also been lifted. Among other things, fitness centres, betting and gambling centres and the shops inside malls have been reopened. Also, religious services are allowed inside churches. According to the authorities, although the trend has been downward, the number of cases of infection with the new coronavirus might grow anytime. Lately, new cases have been reported, raising the total to 22,760 infections. The death toll now stands at 1,451. Of those who tested positive, more than 16,100 recovered. In related news, 85 Romanian nationals working on a farm in Bavaria tested positive for the novel coronavirus. All are asymptomatic and quarantined.



    PENSIONS The Chamber of Deputies Wednesday endorsed a bill regulating the taxation of the so-called “special pensions, a controversial topic in Romanian society. With 307 votes in favour and just 1 against, the bill, endorsed by the Senate in 2019 as well, was backed by all parliamentary parties. According to Radio Romania News and Current affairs, the Deputies decided to introduce a tax on the balance between regular pensions, based on contributions to social security funds, and special pensions. Incomes from special pensions in excess of 7,000 lei (little under 1,500 euros) will thus be subject to an 85% tax. Unless it is challenged at the Constitutional Court, the bill will be forwarded to the President for promulgation. The Chamber of Deputies also passed a bill that provides that criminals convicted for manslaughter, rape, aggravated robbery, sexual abuse against children and exploitation of begging can no longer benefit from conditional release.



    FLIGHTS The Bucharest Airports National Company organized on Wednesday an event titled ‘Everything will be fine!’, which marks the resumption of flights after the break imposed by the global coronavirus crisis. Specifically, flights have been resumed to and from Austria, Germany and Switzerland, whereas those to and from the Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal and Scandinavian countries were resumed a while ago. A spokesman for the company said investments were not suspended or delayed in April and May, when the companys revenues fell by nearly 98%. At the same time, Wednesdays event was devoted to the anniversary of the first flight by a Romanian plane, designed, built and piloted by Aurel Vlaicu, on June 17, 1910.



    FOOTBALL The match pitting Romanias football team against Iceland, in the semi-finals of the European Championship playoffs, postponed twice over the coronavirus pandemic, will be played in Reykjavik on October 8, UEFA announced on Wednesday. Should it win, Romania will take on the winner of the match between Bulgaria and Hungary, on November 12. The goal is to qualify into the European Championship final tournament, rescheduled for the summer of 2021, which will be hosted by the same 12 European cities, including Bucharest. UEFA Nations League matches will also be played this autumn.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 15, 2020

    June 15, 2020

    COVID-19 In Romania, the latest data released by the Strategic Communication Group point to a total of nearly 22,100 COVID 19 cases. The largest numbers of infections have so far been reported in Suceava County (north-east) and in Bucharest. A total of over 15,800 patients have so far recovered, and 175 are currently in intensive care. So far 1,427 people died because of the novel coronavirus. Around 3,400 Romanian nationals living abroad have so far tested positive for the coronavirus, most of them in Italy, Germany and Spain, and 114 of them died. Bucharest is further lifting some of the COVID-19 containment measures today.



    PANDEMIC The worldwide death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic so far is over 435,000, out of almost 8 million cases. More than half of the patients have recovered. The US remains the worst hit country, with over 2.1 million cases and nearly 118,000 deaths, followed by Brazil, Russia, India, the UK, Spain and Italy. Europe, which was the second region hit by the pandemic, takes advantage of the more stable situation and continues to ease restrictions and to open internal borders. Italy, once the worst hit country in Europe and in the world, is today moving to a 3rd stange in lifting restrictions. Also today, Slovenia, Germany and Austria open their borders with Italy, with the first flights to Italian airports. Bulgaria is also lifting some of the COVID-19 related restrictions, although it faces an increase in the number of new cases, which raises fears of a second wave of the pandemic.



    EXAMS Over 172,000 Romanian students graduating secondary schools this year are taking their National Assessment exams as of today, as a prerequisite for high school enrolment. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year the exam is held in special circumstances. Healthcare personnel are taking childrens temperature and every school is equipped with decontamination mats, protective face masks and biocide substances to use on floors, doorknobs, desks and chairs. Children are not allowed to bring any bags or backpacks into the examination rooms and are seated 2m from each other during the exam. The students who are self-isolating, quarantined, hospitalized, and those who had a temperature above 37.3 degrees Celsius on the exam day and those suffering from conditions that may be worsened by the novel coronavirus will take the exams in a special session between June 22 and July 4.



    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is taking part today in an informal conference call with the EU diplomacy chiefs. The agenda focuses on transatlantic relations. The participants will discuss with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the importance of the partnership between the EU and the US, with an emphasis on the international consequences of the Coronavirus crisis. Another topic discussed with the American official is the relationship with China, with a view to strengthen the American-European dialogue and coordination in this respect. The Romanian foreign minister will emphasise the importance of unity and pragmatism, and the need to strengthen transatlantic ties. He will also highlight the need to maintain a strong American presence in areas affected by protracted conflicts, particularly in the Eastern neighbourhood.



    MEASURES The Romanian airline TAROM announced resuming flights to and from several EU countries. As of today, flights to Athens are resumed in normal conditions, while flights to Vienna, Frankfurt and Munich are also scheduled this week. Quarantine or self-isolation is also no longer required for the Romanian citizens arriving from 17 European countries (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary).



    BREXIT The British PM Boris Johnson and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen are holding post-Brexit trade negotiations today, after no major progress has been made towards a deal after four rounds of talks this year. London wants to end the transition period this year, whether or not a deal is reached. Experts say a failure of trade talks between Britain, which left the EU on January 31, and the 27 EU member states, may have devastating economic consequences, further deepened by the coronavirus pandemic.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Military Ordinances No. 5 and 6 of March 30, 2020

    Military Ordinances No. 5 and 6 of March 30, 2020

    Military Ordinance no.5 of March 30, 2020 on measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 extends flight suspensions, among others. For instance, the measure to suspend flights to Spain and from Spain to Romania operated by commercial airlines, is extended by 14 days, as from March 31, 2020 at 18.00 hours. The measure to suspend flights operated by commercial airlines to Italy and from Italy to Romania is also extended for a period of 14 days, as of April 6, 2020.



    Exception to the rule are flights operated by state-owned aircraft, cargo flights, airmail flights, humanitarian flights as well as emergency medical services flights. Non-commercial technical landings are also allowed.

    The new military ordinance also stipulates that people who do not respect quarantine measures will be introduced into a new 14-day quarantine cycle, will bear all costs and will face prosecution. Persons who do not respect the conditions of self-isolation at the indicated place will be forced into quarantine for 14 days will bear all costs and will be fined.

    Military Ordinance no.6 of March 30, 2020 on placing the city of Suceava and some surrounding communes under quarantine and on creating a buffer zone to protect territorial-administrative units in Suceava County is meant to contain the fast-paced spread of the novel coronavirus in the north-eastern part of the country. Thus, the city of Suceava is placed under coronavirus quarantine, as well as the surrounding area made up of the following eight communes: Adâncata, Salcea, Ipotești, Bosanci, Moara, Șcheia, Pătrăuți and Mitocu Dragomirnei.

    Severe travel and movement restrictions are introduced, with th exception of well-defined social categories, such as freight carriers and those in the food supply chain, law enforcers, personnel of the defence and national safety system and healthcare employees.

    A buffer zone is also created during the state of emergency, as a safety measure, around the localities on the red list, and it is made up of all other territorial administrative units in Suceava County.