Radio România Internațional

Tag: football Europa League

  • September 14, 2017

    September 14, 2017

    Supreme Council of National Defense — Romania’s Supreme Council of National Defense is meeting today under the chairmanship of President Klaus Iohannis. The participation of the Romanian Army with naval capabilities in a NATO mission in the second half of 2017 and the national strategy for preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are two of the topics on the agenda of talks. Also, during the meeting, the PM Mihai Tudose, might ask for the approval of the members of the Supreme Council of National Defense to transfer the Cantacuzino Institute under the authority of the National Defense Ministry.



    European summit Sibiu — The Romanian authorities have already started preparing the organization, in Sibiu (central Romania), of a special summit of European leaders in the spring of 2019, the minister for European Affairs Victor Negrescu has announced today. The summit is scheduled for March 30th. The agenda of talks will focus on the future of the community bloc after Brexit. The proposal to organize such a summit in Romania was made Wednesday by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Junker in the speech he delivered before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the state of the Union. In his speech he also said that the Schengen Space should be immediately opened for both Romania and Bulgaria. Consequently, minister Negrescu has pointed out that Bucharest will intensify efforts to join the free movement area.



    Counter-air defense — The “Piatra Craiului” counter-air defense detachment from Brasov (in central Romania) are today heading for Poland. The 120 Romanian soldiers will be deployed in this country between September 2017 and March 2018, where they will join a US-led NATO combat group. The soldiers’ mission will be to ensure the rotating advanced and consolidated presence in the northeast of the Alliance, in order to discourage any potential aggression, in line with the measures adopted at the Warsaw summit. The Romanian soldiers will replace their colleagues from the “General Gheorghe Pârvulescu” Counter-air Defense Battalion no. 205 from Craiova (southwest), who have been in Poland on a 6-month mission.



    Moscow — Russia has today launched, at the EU’s gates, large-scale military exercises jointly with Belarus, which were presented as “purely defensive”. However, some NATO members have denounced them as a show of force, according to France Press. Moscow is trying to calm down the international community regarding these exercises called Zapad-2017 (“West-2017”), involving the participation of almost 12,700 soldiers for one week. Drills are taking place in the Kaliningrad enclave and in several regions in northwestern Russia, near Poland and the Baltic States, which, since the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the breakout of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, have promptly denounced Moscow’s actions, seen as a potential threat to their sovereignty. Some NATO states have expressed serious doubts as to both the scope and purpose of the military drills. NATO currently has more than 4 thousand soldiers deployed in the Baltic States and Poland.



    Football — Romania’s sole representative in the European football competitions, FCSB (formerly known as Steaua Bucharest) are today taking on, in Bucharest, the Czech team Viktoria Plzen, in the first match of the Europa League groups. The two teams have previously met in the beginning of the current European football season, when the Romanian eleven got qualified to the playoffs of the Champions League, after a 2-all draw on home ground and a 4-1 win in the away match against the Czechs. Hapoel Beer Sheva (Israel) and Lugano (Switzerland are also playing in the same Europa League group. (translation by L. Simion)

  • November 3, 2016

    November 3, 2016

    DIGITAL ECONOMY – Romania will become a major actor on the European digital market and will contribute to the plan to have a vibrant European Union, according to statements made today in Bucharest by the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Gunther Oettinger. The European official attended the opening of the Digital Romania — Industry 4.0 International Forum, joining President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos. The event brings together around 250 representatives of the IT field from both the public and the private sector. The Romanian head of state believes that digitization is not only a means for growth in industry and agriculture, but also an instrument for better public policies to the benefit of citizens.



    UNEMPLOYMENT – In Romania the number of unemployed people dropped in September by 1.7% as compared to the previous month reaching a historic low of 5.9% according to data provided by the National Institute of Statistics. At present the unemployment rate has reached the lowest level since the beginning of 2009. According to genre, the unemployment rate among men exceeded by 1.9% that reported for women, standing at 6.7% for men and 4.8% for women. As regards adults (25-47 years old), the unemployment rate has been estimated at 4.9% in September, 5,7% for men and 3.8% for women.



    MIGRANTS – Over 800 Romanian citizens found to live abroad illegally took up voluntary repatriation last year, especially from Germany, Austria, and Belgium. This is the first time when Romania appears in the top 15 countries of origin in terms of voluntary repatriation, according to the International Organization for Migration. In 2015, across the world, over 69,000 migrants received aid from various organizations to repatriate voluntarily. In 2016, Albania is in first place, followed by Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan and Kosovo. According to the law, migrants who opt to return home voluntarily receive financial help, most times from European funds.



    MOLDOVA ELECTIONS – The campaign for the second round of voting of the presidential election in the Republic of Moldova has started officially. The election is due on November 13. As many as 3 million people are called to the polls to elect their president through direct vote, after 16 years when the president was appointed by Parliament. In the first round the pro-Russian socialist Igor Dodon obtained 48% of the votes while Maia Sandu got 39%. Analysts say the election has both a political and geopolitical importance. Dodon wants to denounce the integration and free-trade agreements with the EU and favors accession into the Russia-Belarus Kazakhstan Union. In exchange, Maia Sandu wants the reform of the state and the country’s European integration. The vote turnout in the first round was almost 49%, the lowest in the history of elections in the Republic of Moldova.



    FOOTBALL – Two Romanian football teams play today in the Europa League. In Group E, current champions Astra Giurgiu play at home against Viktoria Plzen of the Czech Republic. The group is led by AS Rome and Austria Vienna, each with 5 points, followed by Astra with 3 points, and Plzen in last place with two points. In Group L, vice-champions Steaua Bucharest faces off against FC Zurich of Switzerland on the latters home turf. In that same group, Villareal of Spain leads with 5 points, followed by Osmanlispor of Turkey, and Zurich, with four points, while Steaua is in last place, with only two points. (translation by L. Simion)