Radio România Internațional

Tag: forum

  • November 5, 2024

    November 5, 2024

     

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION Roxana Mînzatu, Romania’s nominee for European Commissioner for People, Skills and Preparedness is interviewed today by Parliament’s specialist committees. She is one of the six vice-presidents of the European Commission, headed by Ursula von der Layen. Mînzatu aims to make the teaching career more attractive, given that at least 24 EU member states are facing a shortage of teachers, and at the same time to improve the Erasmus+ programme, viewed as far too expensive by many Romanian students. On November 12, next week, Roxana Mînzatu will be heard in the specialist committees of the European Parliament.

     

    DEFENCE “The Romanian and French military are fully engaged in ensuring security and stability in the Black Sea region,” the Romanian defence minister Angel Tîlvăr said in Paris, at a meeting with his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu. The agenda included current topics related to bilateral cooperation, with an emphasis on strategic defence priorities, in the complex security context of the Black Sea region and of the Russian Federation’s continuing war of aggression in Romania’s neighbor, Ukraine. The 2 officials also discussed aspects related to the collaboration between the two states within NATO, the European Union and bilaterally. Minister Tîlvăr was among the Romanian officials accompanying PM Marcel Ciolacu, who met with his counterpart Michel Barnier on Monday.

     

    FINANCE The Romanian finance minister, Marcel Boloş, took part  in Brussels today in the meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, where they discussed VAT in the digital age, the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the annual reporting, EU statistics, international meetings and financing the climate transition. The Council will also pass two legislative acts in the field of insurance.

     

    FORUM Bucharest is hosting the Romania-Japan Energy Forum, an event that brings together companies and public institutions in the field of energy from both countries. The forum stepped up joint projects in the field of energy, in particular the development of new generation nuclear power, the expansion of renewable energy storage capacities, the production of green hydrogen and the implementation of carbon capture, use and storage technologies. As part of the forum, the Romanian energy ministry and the Japanese company Itochu Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of the Tarnița-Lăpuștești investment (central Romania), a project of strategic importance for balancing the energy system in Romania in the context of increasing the share of energy from renewable sources. Relations between Romania and Japan were raised to the strategic partnership level on March 7, 2023.

     

    ELECTION DAY US citizens today elect their president. Running for office are vice-president Kamala Harris, supported by the Democratic Party, and the former White House leader Donald Trump, the candidate of the Republican Party. Both finished their campaign in Pennsylvania, a state that could decide who the next president will be. Over 80 million voters have already cast their early vote by mail, a record number that shows interest in this election, seen by many as critical for the future of American democracy. A staggering USD 2.6 bln has been spent in the last eight months to convince the voters. Opinion polls show that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are practically tied.

     

    GEORGIA Thousands of Georgians gathered in the centre of the capital city Tbilisi on Monday evening, to protest the results of the October 26 legislative elections, won by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, and challenged by the opposition, whose supporters are now announcing protests will continue until the election is repeated. The newly elected opposition MPs refused to enter Parliament, and described the election as illegitimate, while Western observers speak of irregularities during the campaign and the vote. The opposition parties, supported by the pro-Western president Salome Zourabichvili, claim that there have been frauds and demand an international investigation or repeat elections under ‘international administration’. Both ideas are rejected by the government. Attending the protest, Salome Zourabichvili told the demonstrators that the Republic of Moldova won, referring to the victory of her pro-European counterpart Maia Sandu, and that “Georgia must not give up either”. Russia dismissed the Georgian opposition’s accusations of meddling in the election process, and the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation last Wednesday to investigate election fraud allegations. (AMP)

  • The Ratiu family, an important Romanian family in Transylvania

    The Ratiu family, an important Romanian family in Transylvania

    The Rațiu family (Rațiu of Noșlac in Turda) is one of the oldest and most respectable aristocratic families in Transylvania with a history spanning several centuries and roots dating back to the 14th century.

    The existence of this family was first documented during the reign of Sigismund of Luxemburg (1368-1437), with origins in the locality of Noșlac, Alba County (central Romania). Along the centuries, the family received several aristocratic titles, having as ancestor Stefan Rácz of Nagylak (Noșlac), who was made a nobleman by the Transylvanian prince in Alba Iulia in 1625. The Rațius remained the only noble Romanian family in Turda, a city ruled at that time by the Hungarian aristocracy and situated in north-eastern Romania. The other Romanian families had been subjected to the process of Hungarization, and gradually disappeared.

    Out of the leading figures of the Rațiu family, we’d like to mention: Basiliu Rațiu, a Greek-Catholic Archpriest or Ioan Rațiu, one of the main political figures of the 1848 revolution, lawyer and politician, chair of the Romanian National Party and one of the main authors of the “Transylvanian Memorandum”. Along the centuries, the Rațiu family gave lawyers, scholars, politicians and clergymen. The name is strongly related to the fight for the rights of the Romanians in Transylvania and the preservation of the national identity against the assimilation policies.

    A leading figure of the family’s recent history was also Ion Rațiu (1917-2000). Born in Turda, the Cluj County, he was a politician, lawyer, diplomat, businessman, writer and Romanian journalist representative of the inter-war National Peasant Party, which later turned into the Christian-Democratic National Peasants Party. Between 1940 and 1990 he lived in the UK, where together with his wife Elisabeth he founded The Rațiu Family Charitable Foundation back in 1979, which is promoting and supporting projects of education and research into Romania’s culture and history, both in Romania and the UK. The foundation offers scholarships on an annual basis.

    After his return to Romania in 1990, Ion Rațiu got directly involved in the process of rebuilding the National Peasants Party, jointly with another leading political figure after the anti-communist revolution of 1989, Corneliu Coposu. Ion Rațiu ran for the presidential seat during the 1990 election, when he got roughly 5% of the votes, ranking third. He later became an MP. In 1991, Ion Rațiu founded the Cotidianul newspaper, the first private publication after 1989. Pamela Rațiu, a descendant of the family and president of the Rațiu Foundation told us the following about Ion Rațiu’s legacy and his candidature to Romania’s presidency.

    ” You know when you meet people that have given so much of their life in the positive directions and for the country or for the people, it’s really just an honour to sit with them and listen to them and try to take some of them in. I understand why people were taken by him and I take it’s incredible to see in demonstrations today people holding placards with his photograph. And there is a great deal to be said in that he was the best president Romania never had, I do believe and that has become a legacy. I think it was a plus, because I do believe if he had succeeded to becoming president he would have been held back and not allowed to do anything that he could have done. He could have made really serious changes, but he would have had his hands tied as many leaders are by all those around him. So, by not becoming the president he became a role model, which has a legacy, a positive legacy as opposed to those who were in place at that particular time.“

    The Ratiu Foundation has a partnership with the London School of Economics IDEAS ThinkTank. The Ratiu forum focuses on programs for Romania or the Balkan region. It is a platform for free discussion on democracy and the democratic challenges in the Balkan region. The forum brings together academicians, practitioners, and Romanian citizens who share ideas and knowledge about the promotion and support of the democratic values in Romania and its neighbouring states. Also, Ion Ratiu’s cultural heritage includes the Rațiu Democracy Centre, which promotes the democratic values among youngsters, through various initiatives for pupils and students. These initiatives include legislative education programs meant to stimulate youngsters to understand and exert their civic rights and responsibilities.
    Here is what Pamela Ratiu told us, about these educational initiatives

    ” What we do, also, is try to follow in Ion’s footsteps. I mean, everything is about the family, we’re moving forward, we’re taking different steps with our partnerships and the work that we do, that, again, it goes back to the values of the family and where we see a possibility, of bringing…you know…we have the good fortune to bring in this expertise to Romania from around Central-Eastern Europe and the Balkans.”

    Ion Rațiu was one of the most conspicuous democratic figureheads in Romania after December 1989.

  • Romania and the transition to green energy

    Romania and the transition to green energy

     

    “Only with energy security, accessible energy for the economy and population and economic competitiveness can the decisive step be taken towards the next vital objective – obtaining clean, green energy”. The statement was made by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on the occasion of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC) Business Forum held in Bucharest, which was attended by representatives of the public and private sector from all over Europe and from the United States. “Our energy systems must be able to supply energy at any time and in conditions of internal or external stress to all consumers, anywhere” , the Romanian prime minister said. According to him, the diversification of energy sources and means of production is needed, and, in the context of the war in the neighboring Ukraine and the upcoming winter, immediate action is needed to support the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, all countries in the region with vulnerabilities. That is why, says the prime minister, Romania is improving its interconnection capacities with all countries in its vicinity, with Bulgaria and Greece, but also with Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The prime minister has also said that Bucharest invests in new capacities to obtain energy from renewable sources and aims to double its nuclear capacity. The goal, says Marcel Ciolacu, is to modernize the energy sector, to become more resistant to regional or global shocks.

     

    The Prime Minister also referred to the Neptun Deep gas exploration project in the Black Sea, which will double Romania’s gas production capacity and turn the country into the largest producer in the EU starting in 2027. He highlighted the support given to Romania by the US in strategic energy projects in the nuclear field, mentioning the construction of reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavodă power plant, in the southeast. Moreover, during the Forum in Bucharest, a partnership was also signed between Nuclearelectrica and two American companies, a project through which a former coal-fueled power plant is transformed into a modern nuclear-electric power plant that will produce zero carbon dioxide emissions.

     

    “Romania is very committed to making the green transition in a pragmatic and feasible way, an example for the region and the world, and this means the use of gas in the short and medium term, but also of nuclear energy”, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said in turn. The mines and coal-fired power plants in Romania will continue to operate, the minister says, for at least a year and a half, because the country still needs conventional power plants, which have proven their importance especially in the context of the recent heat wave.

     

    The discussions in Bucharest these days focus on the future of energy throughout the world, but also on the development of the energy of the future, which should be safe, accessible and above all non-polluting, on the implementation of new sources of energy production, either thermal or electric and also on the cooperation between the European states and the US. (EE)

     

  • May 19, 2024 UPDATE

    May 19, 2024 UPDATE

     

    CROATIA Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu Sunday congratulated Andrej Plenkovic, who was reconfirmed for a 3rd time as prime minister of Croatia. Marcel Ciolacu voiced his confidence that the Romanian-Croatian relationship will be further strengthened, as will relations within the EU and NATO. Following April’s elections in Croatia, PM Andrej Plenkovic’s party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 61 out of the 151 seats in Parliament, significantly above the 42 won by the Social Democratic Party. Andrej Plenkovic has been the prime minister of Croatia since October 2016.

     

    FORUM The 8th annual Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum will take place in Bucharest in the coming days. The event is organised by New Strategy Center, a Romanian think tank, with support from the national defence and foreign ministries and from the NATO Public Diplomacy Division. The conference focuses on the situation in Ukraine, as the scope and intensity of Russian attacks threaten the existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state and the security of Europe on the whole. Political leaders, security experts and civil society representatives will try to identify means to help Ukraine withstand the Russian invasion.

     

    OIL Romania’s crude oil output dropped 3.4% in the first quarter of 2024, while imports went down 15.1% compared to the corresponding period in 2023. According to the National Statistics Institute, in Q1 2024 Romania produced over 682,000 tonnes of equivalent oil less than in the corresponding period of 2023, while crude imports exceeded 1.7 mln toe. According to the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, Romania’s crude output will be on a downward trend until 2026, with an average annual drop of 2.2%, as a result of the natural decline in deposits. On the other hand, the Commission predicts an increase in crude imports by an annual 4.1%.

     

    NUCLEAR The Cernavodă nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 has been shut down for regular maintenance works on Sunday, Nuclearelectrica announced. The company promised the works will be safe for the power plant personnel, for citizens and for the environment. The Cernavodă nuclear power plant, the only one in Romania, has 2 operational units with an installed production capacity of 700 MW. The 2 reactors in Cernavoda cover around 20% of Romania’s energy consumption. The plant uses the Canadian technology CANDU 6 (Canadian Deuterium Uranium), using natural uranium as a fuel.

     

    ROWING Romania’s Mihai Chiruţă qualified into the quarter-finals of the men’s skiff event in the last Olympic qualifier regatta held in Lucerne, Switzerland on Sunday. The Romanian rower had the 4th best time in the 5 series. The quarter-finals and the semis are scheduled on Monday, with the final to be held on Tuesday. The final’s top 2 rowers qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Romania, with 11 boats, is already the nation with the most teams qualified for the Paris Olympics.

     

    HANDBALL CS Dinamo Bucharest won Romania’s men’s handball Cup after defeating CSM Constanţa 23-19, on Sunday in the final. Dinamo also won the championship without any matches lost this season. This is the 8th Cup won by Dinamo, as against 2 for CSM Constanţa. (AMP)

  • SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

    SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

    FORUM At the Business
    Forum of the Three Seas Initiative, currently underway in Bucharest, Romanian
    president Klaus Iohannis said that the region’s potential is enormous and that
    major projects of infrastructure development need to be carried on through the
    implication of other countries in the EU and also in the Western Balkans. In
    turn, Romania’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, says the Three Seas Initiative
    has become a shield to protect the future of the citizens, of economies and especially
    the security. Over one thousand business people, decision-makers and civil
    society representatives are today attending the Business Forum of the Three
    Seas Initiative – a format, which brings together the EU member states situated
    between the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Adriatic. Talks have been
    structured in four working sessions on priority topics both from the viewpoint
    of the EU and the transatlantic relationship. The business forum was preceded
    by the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative on Wednesday.








    DRONE NATO
    does not have any indication that the drone debris found on the Romanian
    territory was caused by an intentional attack launched by Moscow, the
    Alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said before the European
    Parliament on Thursday adding that they are waiting for the outcome of an
    ongoing investigation, Reuters reports.
    The North-Atlantic Alliance had previously voiced its strong solidarity
    with Romania, after being informed on the incident close to this country’s border
    with Ukraine. We are going to closely monitor the situation and keep in touch
    with our ally, Romania, NATO says. According to Romania’s president Klaus
    Iohannis, provided the drone is confirmed as belonging to Russia, the incident
    is tantamount to a severe violation of the sovereignty and territorial
    integrity of Romania. A day before, the Romanian official had said ‘there was
    no part of a drone or any other device to have reached Romania’.






    CULTURE The
    city of Timisoara in western Romania, which is the European Capital of Culture
    this year, will this month be staging a series of outdoor events, such as concerts,
    exhibitions, the famous festival Plai and a medieval one suggestively entitled
    Through Fire and Sword. The latter, which kicks off on Friday at the local
    Village Museum, is a time travel through the history of Europe from its ancient
    days to the modern time. This reenactment will be brought to life by various
    specialized groups of actors from Romania and abroad who are going to don
    vintage costumes and carry old weapons, like swords, scimitars, battle axes and
    guns in an attempt to recreate with great accuracy the atmosphere of Europe’s
    medieval burgs and not only. Visitors will be able to participate in various
    workshops of archeology, stone-carving and pottery.

    GROWTH According to
    provisional data released by the National Institute for Statistics (INS)
    Romania’s GDP registered a 0.9% growth in the second semester of the year as
    compared to the first quarter and grew by 1.7% against the similar period last
    year. Among the economic activities that have contributed to this growth were wholesale
    and retail, car and bike repair, transport and storage operations as well as
    the hospitality sector. With a limited activity in this period of time, the
    country’s industry had a negative impact upon the aforementioned GDP
    growth.

    (bill)

  • Happening in Romania

    Happening in Romania




    This week in Happening in Romania:



    The exhibition Dacia. The last frontier of the Roman world hosted by Romania’s National History Museum comes to an end this Sunday.

    The Corona old music festival is waiting for its fans between August 12 and 13 in Brasov.

    Bucharest venues the third edition of the Forum of Romanian Students Everywhere between August 16-21.





  • May 19, 2023

    May 19, 2023

    FORUM
    Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and the EU accession efforts of that country
    and of the Republic of Moldova are among the topics discussed in Bucharest in a
    forum devoted to security challenges at the Black Sea and in the Balkans. The
    2-day event comprises over 40 sessions, attended by senior civilian and
    military officials, diplomats and experts from the European Union and NATO, as
    well as partner states. Attending the event, PM Nicolae Ciucă pleaded for a
    strengthened NATO presence at the Black Sea, where free maritime and air
    traffic are jeopardised by Russia’s threats.


    SOLAR
    POWER Individual households in Bucharest and Ilfov County may enroll, as of
    today, in a new session of the Photovoltaic Green Home programme, addressing
    people who want to install solar panels using state assistance. According to
    the environment ministry, the app used for enrolment is available for separate
    development regions, in alphabetical order, with 3 working days earmarked for
    each region. The programme has a budget of around EUR 35 mln, covering over 87,000
    photovoltaic systems.


    EDUCATION Members of the
    Senate’s committee on education have today resumed discussions on the
    undergraduate education bill. On Thursday the analysis of the higher education
    bill was finalized and a positive report was issued, with certain amendments. The
    Opposition criticized the final draft of the document, which they say fails to
    ensure a true reform of the system. On the other hand, the representatives of
    the ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party, National Liberal
    Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, said the
    amendments improved the bill. Parliament is scheduled to vote on both education
    bills on Monday, when trade unions in the sector announced they would go on
    all-out strike. Negociations continue today to avoid a strike, but
    after the talks yesterday the unions announced they would not give up their
    planned strike unless their salary demands were met.


    UNESCO Codex Aureus, the
    best-known and most important illuminated medieval manuscript, currently in Alba
    Iulia, central Romania, has been included in the UNESCO heritage list. According
    to the National Library of Romania, the famous manuscript is part of the Memory
    of the World Register, which comprises 9 other 1,200-year old works from various
    countries in Europe. Most
    manuscripts are fragments of Latin gospel books, written in gold ink, and
    featuring portraits of the 4 evangelists.


    SANCTIONS The
    US and their G7 allies Friday announced new sanctions to reduce Russia’s
    ability to carry on its war in Ukraine. The sanctions, which target Russia’s
    highly profitable diamond exports, were decided right ahead of the G7 Summit in
    Hiroshima, Japan. Diamond exports, mainly to the UAE, India and EU member state
    Belgium, earn Moscow several billion US dollars a year. A
    EU official said India’s joining the new set of sanctions would be crucial. Invited to
    attend the summit in Hiroshima is also the Indian PM Narendra Modi, whose
    country has strong ties with Moscow and has been reluctant so far to condemning
    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


    RADIO The Romanian and
    Bulgarian public radio broadcasters announced they would strengthen their
    cooperation. The president and director general of the Romanian Radio
    Broadcasting Corporation, Răzvan Ioan Dincă, and the head of the Bulgarian
    National Radio Corporation, Milen Mitev, will sign an agreement in Sofia, under
    which the 2 parties will exchange news and radio programmes free of charge,
    will produce joint programmes and will provide access to archive recordings to
    their respective listeners in the next 2 years.. Radio Romania International aired
    Bulgarian-language programmes between 1946 and 1949, and again between 1995 and
    2004. Since 2022 the Bulgarian National Radio has a Romanian-language web page.
    (AMP)

  • May 18, 2023 UPDATE

    May 18, 2023 UPDATE

    FORUM The world has changed and everything in the area of security
    has been rewritten and must be revised in our Black Sea region, where a large
    part of the components of Russia’s large scale war of aggression in Ukraine are
    taking place, said Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciucă in Bucharest at the
    7th edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum. Ciucă went on to say
    that the region must cope with a long and high-intensity war that is exhausting
    the resources of both the country in conflict and those of the countries of
    Europe. The two-day forum hosts over 40 sessions. Attending are top civilian
    and military officials, diplomats and experts from the European Union and NATO,
    as well as partner states. The themes discussed include support for the
    European integration of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the reconstruction
    of Ukraine and the European security architecture after the war, as well as the
    food crisis caused by Russia’s invasion, security energy in Europe, the
    security of the Western Balkans and cyber resilience.


    FLOODING Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said the Romanian authorities
    are ready to provide assistance with rescue operations following the floods in
    Italy. The region of Emilia Romagna in the north of Italy is on high alert as a
    result of heavy rain that caused massive floods and left victims. According to
    Radio Romania’s correspondent, thousands of people have already been evacuated,
    but several tens of thousands are still stranded in areas that have been left
    without electricity. Some trains are still stationary, traffic is disrupted and
    sections of the motorway are closed.


    AGREEMENT The government of Romania and of the UK Thursday
    signed a joint action plan in Bucharest on fighting human trafficking. The
    document is part of the vision and strategy that Bucharest has embraced for the
    past 2 years to turn Romania into a country hostile to people traffickers but
    safe and friendly to the victims of this phenomenon, reads a news release
    issued by the Romanian government. Signing the document also proves our
    government’s concern and care for its more vulnerable citizens, those more
    exposed to the risks of human trafficking, who live either in Romania or in one
    of the largest Romanian diaspora communities, namely in the UK. It is absolutely vital for us to keep our
    firm commitment of fighting this scourge and our capacity and willingness to
    tackle this issue on all three key levels-prevention, combating and victim
    protection. (…) My message is quite clear: trafficking in human beings is a
    form of crime for which the government of Romania has zero tolerance, PM
    Nicolae Ciucă said.



    WB In order to solve external imbalances, Romania
    needs a mix of fiscal consolidation and structural reforms, reads a World Bank
    analysis. Political measures aimed at improving its fiscal situation include
    broadening taxable revenues, improving tax compliance, introducing critical
    reforms in public pensions and salaries and cutting inefficient expenditure. A
    consolidation of public investment management would help release significant EU
    funding and would improve critical sectors lagging behind in Romania, such as
    the public education and healthcare, reforming state-owned enterprises, or
    infrastructure. In turn, the latter would contribute to improved productivity
    and competitiveness, with a positive impact on Romania’s foreign position. Romania’s
    external imbalances have deepened lately. Since 2018, the country has seen
    deepening fiscal and current account deficits, jointly with an expansionary
    fiscal policy. The two major external shocks, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war
    in Ukraine, have strengthened these imbalances. (AMP)

  • 18.05.2023

    18.05.2023

    Forum – Le monde a changé et tout ce qui est lié à la sécurité a été réécrit et doit être révisé dans notre région de la mer Noire, où se déroulent une grande partie des composantes de la guerre d’agression à grande échelle de la Russie en Ukraine – a déclaré le premier ministre roumain, Nicolae Ciucă, à Bucarest à la 7e édition du Forum sécuritaire de la région de la mer Noire et des Balkans. Selon le responsable roumain, la région devrait faire face à une guerre longue et de haute intensité qui épuise les ressources non seulement du pays en conflit mais aussi des pays d’Europe. Le forum est constitué d’une quarantaine de sessions déroulées le long de deux jours. Y participent de hauts responsables civils et militaires, des diplomates, des experts de renom des Etats membres de l’UE et de l’OTAN mais aussi d’Etats partenaires. Parmi les sujets à l’agenda figurent l’appui à l’intégration européenne de la République de Moldova et de l’Ukraine, la reconstruction de l’Ukraine et l’architecture sécuritaire européenne d’après la guerre. Egalement à l’ordre du jour, la crise alimentaire provoquée par l’invasion de la Russie, la sécurité énergétique en Europe, la sécurité des Balkans de l’ouest et la résilience cybernétique.

    Politique – Le président Klaus Iohannis a demandé aux leaders du PNL et du PSD, membres de la coalition gouvernementale à conclure rapidement les négociations visant le partage des ministères après la rotation des premiers ministres. Le chef de l’Etat s’attend à ce que les procédures constitutionnelles pour la création d’un nouveau gouvernement commencent la semaine prochaine. Il sera dirigé par le leader du PSD, Marcel Ciolacu, après la démission du premier ministre libéral Nicolae Ciucă prévue pour le 26 mai. Les négociations au sein de la coalition gouvernementale visent la réduction du nombre des ministères, ainsi que les mesures économiques et sociales que le prochain premier ministre et le nouveau gouvernement devrait mettre en œuvre durant l’année et demi qui nous séparent des élections législatives. Rappelons-le, les dirigeants du Parti national libéral et du Parti social-démocrate se sont réunis dans des séances séparées pour décider des mandats que leurs représentants occuperont aux négociations visant la formation du prochain gouvernement. Le PSD souhaite que le prochain exécutif soit constitué de moins de ministères, avec moins de secrétaires d’Etat et moins d’agences gouvernementales. Les libéraux souhaitent pour leur par de réduire le nombre de secrétaires d’Etat et de sous-secrétaires d’Etat tout en préservant le protocole en vigueur sur lequel repose la coalition gouvernementale.

    Italie – Le premier ministre roumain, Nicolae Ciucă a annoncé que les autorités roumaines étaient prêtes à participer à des missions de sauvetage suite aux inondations d’Italie. La Région d’Emilie-Romagne, dans le nord de la péninsule est en état d’alerte maximale à cause des pluies abondantes, qui ont provoqué des inondations graves qui ont fait des victimes. Selon le correspondent de la radio publique roumaine, des milliers de personnes ont déjà été évacuées mais que plusieurs dizaines de milliers sont toujours isolées dans des régions où l’électricité à été coupée. Plusieurs trains sont toujours immobilisés, de nombreuses rues sont impraticables et plusieurs segments d’autoroute sont fermés.

    Holocauste – La Roumanie est fermement engagée dans la lutte contre la négation de l’Holocauste, a déclaré mercredi le président de la Chambre des Députés, Marcel Ciolacu, durant l’événement organisé à l’Opéra de Bucarest à l’occasion de la fête nationale de l’Etat d’Israël. « Nous encourageons la recherche, l’éducation et la commémoration de l’Holocauste et nous exprimons l’engagement ferme de notre pays dans la lutte contre le négationnisme et la dénaturation de l’Holocauste. Cet engagement bénéficie d’un fort soutien et au niveau parlementaire », a précisé M Ciolacu. Mercredi également, les deux Chambres du Parlement roumain ont marqué dans le cadre d’une réunion solennelle les 75 ans de relations diplomatiques ininterrompues avec l’Etat d’Israël. Y ont participé le président de la Knesset, le parlement unicaméral israélien, Amir Ohana.

    TikTok – Le Conseil opératif de sécurité cybernétique de Roumanie, organisme consultatif coordonné par le Conseil suprême de défense de la Roumanie a recommandé aux autorités publiques de demander aux salariés de l’Etat d’effacer l’application TikTok de leur téléphones portables de service. Selon le Conseil, l’application peut collecter des informations sensibles sur l’utilisateur, y compris le numéro de téléphone, le code de la carte SIM, les coordonnées GPS, ou des détails sur d’autres comptes connectés et les mots de passe stockés sur le téléphone. Mercredi, l’Autriche a annoncé rejoindre la liste des Etats qui interdisent TikTok, détenue par la Chine sur les téléphones de service des employés gouvernementaux. Le Royaume Uni, les Etats Unis et plusieurs autres Etats membres de l’UE ont interdit déjà cette application à cause de problèmes sécuritaires.

    Météo – Temps assez friquet sur l’ouest, le sud-ouest et sur le sud alors qu’elles tournent autour des moyennes pluriannuelles sur le reste du territoire. Il pleut sur la moitié ouest du pays. Le ciel est variable, couvert avec quelques pluies à verse sur les autres régions du pays. Les maxima iront de 18 à 25 degrés.

    Film – Sept films roumains participent à la Foire internationale « Marché du Film de Cannes », organisé du 16 au 24 mai – a annoncé jeudi le ministère de l’Entrepreneuriat et du tourisme de Bucarest. Selon un communiqué, organisé dans le sillage du fameux festival du film, « le Marché du film » est un des lieux les plus importants de rencontres de l’industrie cinématographique et des médias internationaux, étant un marché pour la commercialisation des films et le contenu audiovisuel, mais aussi une plateforme d’innovation et de changement. La Roumanie participe avec un stand national et le long de la foire, sept projections seront présentées au public spécialisé, augmentant la visibilité de l’industrie cinématographique roumaine. D’ailleurs, la production roumaines « La chèvre et ses trois enfants » a été déjà achetée et distribuée par une plateforme de vidéos sur demande.

    Santé – Le personnel de la Santé de Roumanie annonce l’organisation d’une manifestation à Bucarest le 8 juin et le début d’une grève générale le 1er juillet, annonce la Fédération Solidaritatea Sanitara – la solidarité sanitaire. Ses représentants demandent des conditions de travail décents et d’appliquer le projet de loi des salaires convenu avec le ministère de la Santé, afin de remettre dans la grille des salaires tout le personnel du secteur public de santé, à commencer par les aides-soignantes et afin d’augmenter rapidement les revenus dans le système. Les syndicalistes demandent de rapporter les bonus pour les conditions de travails difficiles aux salaires de base pour le personnel auxiliaire (aides soignantes, infirmières et brancardiers), personnel administratif et autres travailleurs. S’y ajoutent d’autres revendications relatives à la rémunération, mais aussi le déblocage des embauches dans le système public de santé et la majoration du taux des dépenses pour la santé du PIB au niveau de la moyenne de l’UE.

  • May 14, 2023

    May 14, 2023

    Commemoration — The wounds caused by communism will never be fully healed, and our duty is to cultivate, every day, the respect for democratic values, as well as for the historical truth, and to educate the younger generations in this sense. This message was conveyed on Sunday by the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă on the occasion of the National Remembrance Day of Martyrs of Communist Prisons. “75 years ago, on the night of May 14/15, 1948, the communist authorities launched a vast repressive operation, marking the beginning of a long series of horrors. For almost half a century, Romania was in the darkness of totalitarianism, all the strongholds of democracy being destroyed, one by one” the prime minister said in his message. According to him, all this ordeal ended in December 1989, through blood sacrifice, when Romanians won the fight for freedom and democracy.



    Education – The draft laws of Education, of higher and pre-university education, will enter, as of Monday, the debate of the Senate in Bucharest, which is the decision-making body in this case. The changes brought in the Chamber of Deputies are supported by the parties in the governing coalition, which state that the new measures will reform the educational system. On the other hand, the opposition representatives believe that the problems in education will not be solved with the adoption of these laws. According to the calendar established by the leadership of the Senate, the specialized committee must give a report by May 19. Save Romania Union – USR requested an extension of the calendar, given that, they claim, a hasty adoption of documents of such complexity would harm education. The deputies substantially modified the two bills compared to the form adopted by the Government, hundreds of amendments being accepted. The laws might equally undergo changes in the Senate as well.



    Museums — More than 300 cultural events took place as part of the European Night of the Museums 2023, which took place on Saturday in a joint edition between Romania and the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population). Of these, about 60 events took place in Bucharest in museums, art galleries, cultural and exhibition centers. The special guest of the Night of Museums 2023 was the world-wide phenomenon museum – War Childhood Museum, for the first time in Romania. The Romanian Athenaeum, the Football Museum and the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry participated in this initiative for the first time this year. The National Art Museum of Romania turned on its lights on Saturday, thus joining museums from dozens of European countries that opened their doors on the same night.



    Forum — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, represented Romania, on Saturday, in the EU Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, organized in Stockholm by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The forum included a series of simultaneous debates organized in the form of round tables dedicated to connectivity, energy and security. Bogdan Aurescu co-moderated the round table on security issues, entitled Joint management of security challenges in the Indo-Pacific. In his speech, the Romanian FM highlighted the interdependence relationship between the EU and the Indo-Pacific in terms of consolidating the prosperity of the two regions, the prospects for intensifying cooperation between the EU and the region, as well as the ways of jointly defining and combating security threats. According to the Romanian official, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has a major impact on global stability and prosperity, being not just a regional conflict, as it has effects at the world level. In this context, Bogdan Aurescu presented Romanias consistent and multidimensional efforts in support of Ukraine, as well as in support of the Ukrainian citizens affected by the war.



    Elections – The first round of the presidential election is taking place in Turkey on Sunday. In power for over two decades, the current head of state, the Islamic-conservative Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is facing what the press calls “the toughest challenge of his career”. His secular opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, is leading in opinion polls. He promised to restore democracy and improve Turkeys relations with the West. If none of the candidates gets more than 50% of the votes, a second round of voting will take place in two weeks’ time. (LS)

  • Le Forum des Jeunes 2023 : Constuire l’avenir par temps de crise

    Le Forum des Jeunes 2023 : Constuire l’avenir par temps de crise

    La 4e édition du Forum des Jeunes se tient ces
    31 mars et 1er avril à Bucarest, Iasi et à Cluj, un événement organisé
    par l’Ambassade de France en Roumanie, l’Institut Français de Roumanie et
    plusieurs autres partenaires roumains et internationaux.


    Un programme très
    riche est prévue cette année encore : 3 sessions sur place et transmises
    en direct sur Facebook consacrées aux attentes des jeunes dans le contexte de l’invasion
    russe en Ukraine, à l’engagement des jeunes face aux valeurs européennes et aux
    priorités des nouvelles générations pour 2023 et pour l’avenir. S’y ajoutent 8
    ateliers sur place et un atelier en ligne, tous trilingues – en français,
    roumain et anglais avec pour thématiques : le volontariat, la mobilité, le
    théâtre, l’engagement civique des jeunes, la transition verte et la durabilité
    écologique, sans oublier les opportunités de faire des études supérieures en France
    ou poursuivre une carrière francophone en Roumanie. Autant de sujets lancés en
    débat pour les jeunes de Roumanie.


    Pour nous en parler davantage, nous avons invité au micro
    Antoine Chabal, président de l’Association Jeunes Européens de France. Il compte
    parmi les invités de la table ronde de Bucarest sur l’engagement des jeunes
    face aux valeurs européennes et au débat sur les attentes des jeunes d’aujourd’hui
    dans le contexte de la guerre en Ukraine.

  • „Between Revolutions“ – Vlad Petris Werk für die Berlinale ausgewählt

    „Between Revolutions“ – Vlad Petris Werk für die Berlinale ausgewählt

    Die beiden Hauptdarstellerinnen sind Freundinnen und Kommilitoninnen an der Medizinischen Universität in Bukarest in den 1970er Jahren. 1979, als die Möglichkeit eines politischen Wandels im Iran zur Gewissheit wird, kehrt Zahra in ihr Land zurück und nimmt dort an der Revolution teil, fernab von ihrer Freundin. In den nächsten 10 Jahren kommunizieren die beiden nur über Briefe. Umrahmt von zwei Revolutionen beschreiben ihre Worte den Kampf der Frauen um Gehör, Gesellschaften im Umbruch und eine Freundschaft, die nicht zerbrechen kann.



    Regisseur Vlad Petri verwendete Archivmaterial und Dokumente sowie fiktionale Elemente und schuf so einen hybriden Spielfilm, in dem sich Dokumentarisches und Fiktionales miteinander verbinden. Für mich ist es ein Film über die jüngste Vergangenheit, der sehr stark an die unmittelbare Realität anknüpft. Es ist ein Film, der eine subjektive, weibliche Geschichte von zwei Ländern und Gesellschaften zeigt, die Tausende von Kilometern voneinander entfernt sind und die beispiellose politische Systeme erlebt haben, in denen die Menschen nach und nach von repressiven politischen Apparaten unterdrückt wurden. Es ist ein zeitgenössischer Film, der im Dialog mit den Protesten der letzten Monate im Iran steht, wo die Frauen für ihre Rechte kämpfen und eine gerechte Gesellschaft anstreben, so wie sie es 1979 taten“, sagt Regisseur Vlad Petri.



    Ich würde mit dem beginnen, was ich über die aktuellen Proteste im Iran gesagt habe. Ich habe vor drei Jahren mit der Arbeit an diesem Film begonnen, zu einer Zeit, als es noch nicht viele Protestaktionen gab. Es ist ein Zufall, dass jetzt, wo wir den Film starten, die vielleicht eindrucksvollsten Proteste im Iran seit der Islamischen Revolution von 1979 stattfinden, vielleicht die eindrucksvollsten Proteste im gesamten Nahen Osten. Ich beziehe mich auch auf die Tatsache, dass im Iran gerade die erste von Frauen geführte Revolution stattfindet, was für die Region unglaublich ist. Was mein Interesse an politischen Themen angeht, so stimmt es, dass ich mich für Osteuropa und den Nahen Osten begeistere. Ich bin auch in den Iran und andere Länder der Region gereist, und der Film ist auf diese Weise entstanden, aus mehreren Richtungen.


    Eine wichtige Rolle spielten auch die Gespräche mit meiner Mutter, die Medizin studierte und mir von Studierenden aus dem Orient erzählte, die in Rumänien studieren wollten. Ich wurde 1979 geboren, im Jahr der Islamischen Revolution. Irgendwie war diese Geschichte auf mehreren Ebenen aufgebaut, und ich fand Verbindungen, Ähnlichkeiten, aber auch Unterschiede zwischen der Islamischen Revolution und der antikommunistischen Revolution, die 1989 in Rumänien stattfand. Und ich fand es irgendwie interessant, dieses Terrain zu testen und über Hoffnungen, Optimismus und den Wunsch nach radikalen Veränderungen zu diskutieren. Denn beide Revolutionen führten zu radikalen Veränderungen, und ich halte sie immer noch für die vielleicht wichtigsten Revolutionen des letzten Jahrhunderts.



    Die Briefe im Film wurden von Lavinia Braniște geschrieben und sind inspiriert von Briefen aus den Securitate-Archiven und den Gedichten zweier bedeutender Schriftstellerinnen aus Rumänien und dem Iran: Nina Cassian und Forugh Farrokhzad. Die Autorin Lavinia Braniște zu ihrer Erfahrung:



    Als ich mit der Arbeit an dem Projekt begann, hatte Vlad die Geschichte, die einen Briefwechsel zwischen den beiden Figuren vorsah, schon ziemlich genau im Kopf, so dass er mir viele Infos geben konnte. Wir kannten uns nicht, daher kam sein Vorschlag für mich völlig überraschend. Es war etwas, das mich aus meiner Komfortzone herausholte, wie man so schön sagt, denn ich hatte noch nie an einem Projekt wie diesem gearbeitet. Ich fühlte mich geschmeichelt und gleichzeitig erschrocken über diesen Vorschlag, aber ich habe ihn mit großer, großer Freude angenommen. Ich musste ziemlich lange recherchieren, bevor ich mit dem Schreiben beginnen konnte, denn die islamische Revolution war ein Thema, über das ich fast nichts wusste.


    Ich stand ständig im Kontakt zu Vlad und wir berieten uns in allen Phasen des Projekts intensiv. Zufälligerweise hat auch meine Mutter Ende der 70er Jahre ihr Studium abgeschlossen, so dass ich einige Geschichten von ihr über diese Zeit hatte. Und ich habe noch einige eigene Erinnerungen aus den 80er Jahren, so dass ich eine gewisse Gemeinsamkeit mit Vlad hatte und wir gemeinsam diese Geschichte aufbauten, von der am Ende ein großer Teil des Textes übrig blieb. Aber insgesamt war die Arbeit an dem Film ein kontinuierlicher Prozess und eine sehr interessante Erfahrung für mich.



    Der rumänische Spielfilm Zwischen Revolutionen“ ist einer von 28 Titeln, die aus über 2.000 Filmen aus der ganzen Welt für das Hauptprogramm der Sektion Forum der Internationalen Filmfestspiele in Berlin ausgewählt wurden. Sebastian Mihăilescus abendfüllendes Spielfilmdebüt Mammalia wurde ebenfalls in der gleichen Sektion ausgewählt. Überhaupt nehmen viele weitere rumänische Filmemacher und Projekte an der diesjährigen Berlinale teil.



    Die Schauspielerin Judith State wurde für das europäische Shooting-Stars-Programm ausgewählt und der Berlinale Talents Workshop, der jedes Jahr während des Festivals stattfindet, hat vier junge Filmemacher und eine junge Filmemacherin aus Rumänien zu Gast: die Regisseurin und Schauspielerin Alina Șerban, die Schauspielerin Ioana Chițu, die Verleiherin Oana Furdea, die Filmkritikerin Dora Leu und der Soundkünstler Marian Bălan. Außerdem ist das Projekt Export Only der Produzentinnen Ada Solomon und Carla Fotea auf dem Berlinale-Markt vertreten, Spy/Master, eine HBO-Serie von Adina Sădeanu, wurde in das neue Berlinale-Serienprogramm aufgenommen, der Filmeditor Cătălin Cristuțiu sitzt in der Kurzfilmjury und Radu Jude in der Jury des offiziellen Wettbewerbs.


  • Film roumain au Forum de la Berlinale

    Film roumain au Forum de la Berlinale

    Le film « Între revoluții/Between Revolutions/Entre
    deux révolutions », du réalisateur roumain Vlad Petri, sera projeté à la
    Berlinale de cette année dans la section Forum. Le Festival international du
    film de Berlin a lieu du 16 au 26 février. S’appuyant sur des documents
    d’archives, le film raconte les parcours de vie et les destins de deux femmes, la
    Roumaine Maria et l’Iranienne Zahra, deux étudiantes, amies et collègues, à
    l’Université de médecine de Bucarest dans les années 1970. Quand, en 1979, le
    changement politique devient une certitude en Iran, Zahra rentre dans son pays
    natal, où elle prend activement part à la révolution en cours. Durant les deux
    années suivantes, les deux jeunes femmes ne communiquent plus que par des
    lettres. Encadrés par deux révolutions, leurs échanges écrits parlent du combat
    des femmes pour faire entendre leurs voix, de sociétés en train de changer
    radicalement et d’une amitié à toute épreuve.

    Le réalisateur Vlad Petri a
    utilisé des images et des documents des archives, mais aussi des éléments de
    fiction, avec pour résultat un long-métrage hybride, mélange de documentaire et
    de fiction. « Pour moi, c’est un film sur un passé récent, qui résonne
    très fort avec la réalité immédiate. Il présente une histoire subjective, au
    féminin, sur deux pays et deux sociétés géographiquement situés à des milliers
    de kilomètres les uns des autres, qui ont mis en place des systèmes politiques
    inédits et où les gens se sont peu à peu fait écraser par des appareils
    politiques répressifs. C’est un film d’actualité, qui dialogue avec les
    manifestations d’Iran, où les femmes se battent pour leurs droits et pour une
    société équitable, comme ce fut aussi le cas en 1979 »    , affirme le
    réalisateur Vlad Petri, qui ajoute : « Je commencerais avec ce que j’ai
    dit au sujet des actuelles manifestations en Iran. En fait, j’ai commencé le travail de réalisation de ce film il y
    a trois ans, quand il n’y avait pas beaucoup de manifs. C’est une coïncidence
    le fait qu’au moment où nous lançons le film, là-bas ont lieu les protestations
    les plus impressionnantes depuis la Révolution islamique de 1979; peut-être
    aussi les plus impressionnantes de tout le Moyen Orient. Je pense aussi que
    cette fois-ci en Iran, c’est la première révolution menée par les femmes, quelque
    chose d’incroyable pour cette région du monde. Quant à mon intérêt pour les
    sujets politiques, il est vrai que je suis passionné par l’Est de l’Europe et
    par le Moyen Orient. J’ai voyageait en Iran et dans d’autres pays de la région,
    alors le film s’est construit sur plusieurs directions. Les conversations avec
    ma mère ont également été importantes; elle a fait des études de médecine et
    m’a parlé des jeunes des pays d’Orient qui venaient faire des études universitaires
    en Roumanie. Moi, je suis né en 1979, année de la Révolution islamique. Cette
    histoire s’est construite par couches superposées et nous avons trouvé des
    connexions, des ressemblances, mais aussi des différences entre la Révolution
    islamique et la Révolution anticommuniste de 1989 en Roumanie. Il m’a semblé
    intéressant de tester ce terrain et de parler d’espoir, d’optimisme, du désir
    d’un changement radical. Car les deux révolutions ont produit des
    transformations radicales et je continue de croire que ce sont les plus
    importantes révolutions du siècle passé. »



    Les lettres présentées dans le film sont écrites par Lavinia
    Braniște, qui s’est inspirée de lettres dénichées dans les archives de la
    Securitate (la police politique du régime communiste de Roumanie) et de poèmes
    de deux importantes autrices roumaine et iranienne: Nina Cassian et Forugh
    Farrokhzad respectivement. L’écrivaine Lavinia Braniște raconte comment cela
    s’est passé: «Quand nous avons commencé à
    travailler sur le projet, Vlad
    avait déjà imaginé l’histoire, qui incluait aussi un échange de lettres entre
    les deux personnages, et donc il m’a donné suffisamment d’éléments. On ne se
    connaissait pas, lui et moi, ce qui fait que sa proposition m’a complètement
    surprise, m’a fait sortir de ma zone de confort, comme on dit, parce que je n’avais
    pas travaillé sur un projet comme celui-ci. J’étais flattée et aussi effrayée
    par sa proposition, que j’ai acceptée avec une énorme joie. Il m’a fallu passer
    par une longue documentation avant de commencer à écrire, parce que je ne savais
    pratiquement rien de la Révolution islamique. J’ai été constamment en contact
    avec Vlad durant toutes les étapes du projet. Le hasard fait que ma mère ait
    été étudiante à la fin des années 1970, donc elle aussi m’a raconté des choses
    sur cette période-là. Pour les années 1980, j’ai mes propres souvenirs et donc
    des points communs avec Vlad ; de ce fait, nous avons construit cette
    histoire ensemble, arrivant en fin de compte à très peu de texte. Somme toute,
    la réalisation du film a été un processus continu et une expérience très
    intéressante pour moi. »




    Le film « Între revoluții/Between
    Revolutions/Entre deux révolutions » fait partie des 28 productions
    sélectionnées, parmi les plus des 2.000 propositions venues du monde entier, dans
    la section Forum du Festival international du film de Berlin. Le long-métrage
    « Mammalia », du réalisateur Sebastian Mihăilescu, fait lui aussi
    partie de la sélection. D’ailleurs, cette année, plusieurs cinéastes et projets
    de Roumanie sont à l’affiche de la Berlinale. L’actrice Judith State participe
    au programme « European Shooting Stars », tandis que l’atelier
    « Berlinale Talents », organisé chaque année durant le festival,
    accueille cinq cinéastes roumains: la réalisatrice et actrice Alina Șerban,
    l’actrice Ioana Chițu, Oana Furdea qui
    travaille dans la distribution de films, la critique de cinéma Dora Leu et
    l’ingénieur du son Marian Bălan. S’y ajoutent le projet « Export Only »
    des productrices Ada Solomon et Carla Fotea, présent au Berlinale Market, tandis
    que la série HBO « Spy/Master », écrite par Adina Sădeanu, se
    retrouve au nouveau programme « Berlinale Series », le monteur Cătălin
    Cristuțiu est membre du jury des courts-métrages, alors que le réalisateur Radu
    Jude fait partie du jury de la compétition officielle. (Trad. Ileana Ţăroi)

  • January 20, 2023 UPDATE

    January 20, 2023 UPDATE

    ECONOMY
    Romania’s economy will be, this year as well, influenced by global
    uncertainties triggered by inflation, the escalation of the war in Ukraine, the
    energy crisis and problems in supply chains. This is one of the conclusions of
    a report on financial stability, made public by the National Bank of Romania. The
    report also mentions a systemic risk entailed by delays in reforms and in
    spending EU funds. On the other hand, the central bank calls on Romanians to be
    cautious with respect to residential real estate loans, as the high inflation
    triggers risks of default.


    PHARMACEUTICALS Romania obtained from Brussels a 3-month suspension of
    exports for certain drugs, particularly in the antibiotics and oral antipyretic
    categories. According to Bucharest, the measure is designed to ensure the
    availability of such medication for Romanian patients, as the country is
    struggling with a wave of viral respiratory infections.


    MILITARY Over 100
    troops from the US 1-26 Infantry Battalion are training with Romanian troops
    from the Sf. Andrei 300 Infantry Battalion in Galaţi until March this year. According
    to the Romanian defence ministry, the US troops were deployed late last year to
    the Mihai Kogălniceanu air base, and as of this week they were relocated to Galaţi.
    The goal of the joint training scheme is to practice working techniques,
    tactics and procedures, and to enhance interoperability in line with NATO
    requirements.


    DAVOS The international community cannot afford a strategic
    ambiguity regarding the war in Ukraine, the Romanian foreign minister said at
    the World Economic Forum in Davos. He mentioned the seriousness of the security
    crisis and the main risks and challenges for the international system, and
    emphasised the need to maintain a world order based on rules, supporting peace
    and facilitating solutions to global problems. The Romanian official also
    highlighted Romania’s efforts to support Ukraine, such as receiving over 3.3 million
    refugees and the transit of over 11 tonnes of Ukrainian grains and agricultural
    products, as well as the need to continue supporting this country. Mr. Aurescu had
    a number of meetings with representatives of the business communities in Canada
    and Portugal, with whom he discussed issues related to the energy sector in
    particular. (AMP)

  • December 1, 2022

    December 1, 2022

    NATIONAL DAY Romania celebrates
    today 104 years since the Great Union of December 1, 1918. In the capital city
    Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and staff of the defence ministry, interior
    ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications
    Service and the Penitentiary Agency as well as vehicles and 40 aircraft will
    take part in a military parade. According to the defence ministry, foreign
    troops from Belgium, France, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Portugal,
    USA and the Netherlands, as well as representatives of Allied countries
    contributing to NATO structures deployed in Romania will also be attending. All
    military institutions in the country and all vessels are flying the national
    flag. Ceremonies are also organised abroad, where Romanian troops are deployed.
    In the 2 world wars alone, the Romanian Army lost over 1,230,000 troops and
    officers. National Day events are also held elsewhere in the country and
    abroad. The Romanian Cultural Institute organises 50 events until December 10, to celebrate National
    Day in 31 cities in the world. Romania’s national day has been celebrated on December 1 since 1990.
    On this day in 1918, the National Assembly in Alba Iulia adopted a resolution
    regarding the union of all provinces inhabited by Romanians.


    MESSAGES Let us prove
    that December 1 is truly the day of our unity, a day of all those whose hearts tremble
    before the national colours, the PM Nicolae Ciucă says in a message on National
    Day. Today, just like at the end of the First World War, the main topics on
    the national agenda are security, stability and the modernisation of Romania.
    Unlike in 1918, today we have European funds for reforms and development and
    the protection provided by NATO, the most powerful military alliance in
    history, the PM posted on Facebook on Thursday. On behalf of the United
    States of America, I congratulate the people of Romania as you celebrate Great
    Union Day, and I wish them a very happy national day, the US secretary of
    state Antony Blinken also says in a message on this occasion. The US official
    emphasises that 2022 is a special year, as it marks the 25th
    anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the U.S. and Romania. The
    Ukrainian foreign ministry also sent a message congratulating the Romanian
    people and calling for unity for peace and solidarity in Europe.


    SURVEY For 9 out of
    10 Romanians in the Diaspora it is important to stay connected to their home
    country through Romanian or Romanian-language media, says a survey by Google concerning
    the use of technology by the Romanians living abroad. Over 70% of them follow
    Romanian content frequently (at least 2 or 3 times a week). According to the
    survey, 57% of the Romanians living abroad listen to Romanian music, 56% use
    social network, 53% watch Romanian TV channels, 51% read Romanian online
    publications and 26% listen to Romanian radio stations. The survey involved
    Romanian internet users aged over 18, living in Germany, Spain, Italy and the
    UK, between November 11 and 16, 2022.


    OSCE The Romanian
    foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in a meeting of the
    Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
    held in Lodz, Poland, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the organisation.
    The meeting takes place in the context of the biggest security crisis in Europe
    since World War II, caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Romanian
    diplomacy chief will condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s unjustified and
    unprovoked military aggression, and will highlight Romania’s support for the
    international efforts to bring the culprits to justice. Romania’s full
    solidarity with Ukraine and its people was also reiterated by Bogdan Aurescu at
    the meeting of NATO foreign ministers which concluded in Bucharest on Wednesday.
    Aurescu also mentioned Romania’s multidimensional support, with an emphasis on
    the humanitarian aid provided to the more than 2.9 million Ukrainian nationals
    that crossed Romania’s borders, as well as the facilitation of grain and
    foodstuff transit from Ukraine.


    ASPEN Romania has all
    the resources, particularly the human resources necessary for creating the new
    technologies of the future, the Romanian minister for research Sebastian
    Burduja said. He added that progress in the right direction depends on
    regulation and funding, particularly in early stages, and that many start-ups
    fail not because they lack ideas, but access to capital. Minister Sebastian
    Burduja Wednesday took part in the Aspen Forum held in Bucharest. The 11th
    edition of the event was organised by the Aspen Institute Romania and the
    German Marshall Fund, with NATO support and co-financing from the EU and the US
    Agency for International Development.

    UNESCO The
    Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
    Heritage, convening in Rabat, Morocco, decided to include the file The Art of
    the Traditional Blouse with Embroidery on the Shoulder (Altiță) – an Element of
    Cultural Identity of Romania and the Republic of Moldova in the UNESCO
    Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The announcement
    was made today by the MP Ana-Maria Cătăuţă, chair of the parliament’s special
    committee for UNESCO. The Romanian blouse, as everybody knows it, […] is one
    of the identity elements that give us strength and power, the Deputy Ana-Maria
    Cătăuţă said in a news release. (AMP)