Radio România Internațional

Tag: France

  • February 19, 2025

    February 19, 2025

    MEETING Romania will be represented by the interim president Ilie Bolojan today, in the second meeting on Ukraine hosted by France, political sources told AGERPRES. The countries invited to take part are Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Romania, Sweden and Belgium. On Monday, leaders from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark met in Paris, at the invitation of president Emmanuel Macron, alongside the leaders of the European Union and the NATO Secretary General, to discuss the latest developments related to Ukraine, in the context of the peace initiatives launched by the new American administration. ‘Romania, in its dual capacity as the EU member country with the longest border with Ukraine and the country that has consistently and from the very beginning provided multidimensional, humanitarian, economic and military support to its neighbour, has a direct interest in carrying on the collective European and Euro-Atlantic support for Ukraine, in response to the brutal and illegal war of aggression by the Russian Federation,’ stated the Romanian foreign ministry. On the other hand, president Bolojan Tuesday told the ambassadors accredited to Bucharest that Romania believes in the future of the EU and remains a pro-Atlantic state and a responsible ally.

     

    ELECTIONS The ruling coalition in Bucharest convenes today to complete the steps to set up an electoral alliance comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which will back the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu in the presidential elections due in May. Asked whether he would withdraw from the presidential race in favor of the interim president Ilie Bolojan, Crin Antonescu ruled out this possibility. The new alliance is to be registered with the Central Electoral Bureau on Thursday. The 5 supreme court judges who will be part of the Bureau will also be designated by a drawing of lots at that time.

     

    BRANCUSI Every year on February 19 the National Day of Constantin Brâncuși is celebrated in Romania. The Romanian Cultural Institute organises in the coming period, both in the country and abroad, events marking the 149th birthday anniversary of the great Romanian sculptor. In 2024, the monumental ensemble “The Path of Heroes”, created by Constantin Brâncuși in Târgu Jiu, was included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. That same year, an important exhibition devoted to the Romanian artist was organised at the Pompidou Center in Paris. Most of his works belong to the Pompidou Center, as a legacy left to the French state, but many other famous works by Brancuși are hosted by major museums in the world.

     

    FOOTBALL Romanian football champions FCSB will play on Thursday evening at home against the Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki in the decisive leg of the play-offs for the round of 16 of the Europa League. In the first leg against the Greek team coached by the Romanian Răzvan Lucescu, FCSB won 2-1 away from home last week.

     

    WEATHER At the 2 Bucharest airports, “Henri Coandă” and Băneasa, flights may experience delays due to the need to de-ice aircraft. According to the Bucharest Airports National Company, no flights have been canceled because of the weather conditions, the runways and taxiways are operational, and planes are landing and taking off safely. The roads in 12 counties, especially in southern and central Romania, as well as in the capital city Bucharest, have been affected by heavy snowfalls in recent days, and dozens of collisions and skids have occurred, as some roads are partly covered with snow. According to meteorologists, as the sky clears, temperatures will drop more and more by the end of this week and at the beginning of next week, possibly reaching minus 15 degrees Celsius, including in Bucharest.  (AMP)

  • November 4, 2024

    November 4, 2024

    Visit – The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu is paying a working visit to France today, where he will meet with his counterpart, Michel Barnier, as well as representatives of the Romanian community in the Paris region. The visit begins at the Euronaval Exhibition, the largest and oldest exhibition in the world dedicated to the naval defense industry, which opened its doors this morning near Paris. This year’s edition of the exhibition, featuring over 500 exhibitors from around the world, is dedicated to naval security and enhancing combat capabilities, in a tense geopolitical context where the industry needs to provide rapid solutions to military Navies involved in conflicts and for protecting sensitive areas. France is one of Romania’s most important trade partners and investors. The relationship between the two countries has consistently strengthened in recent years, including in the political and defense areas, thanks to the strategic partnership and France’s commitment to its role as the framework nation of NATO’s multinational battle group in Romania, following the war of aggression Russia started against Ukraine.

     

    Floods – The Romanian Foreign Ministry is verifying, through the Romanian Embassy in Madrid and the Romanian Consulate in Castellon de la Plana, the information regarding four Romanian citizens who are reported missing following the recent weather phenomena in Spain. The rest of the individuals previously reported as missing are safe. The Valencia region, located in southeastern Spain, has been hit by devastating floods described by experts as “unprecedented,” which killed at least 217 people, including one Romanian. Dozens of others remain missing. The Spanish press also wrote on a Romanian family that lost their lives in the floods in La Torre, a district near Valencia. The ministry stated in a press release that the representatives of the diplomatic mission and the consulate office remain in constant contact with the Spanish authorities, and mobile consular teams have kept in contact with the Romanian citizens, depending on their requests.

     

    Moldova – The incumbent president of the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), the pro-European Maia Sandu, has won a second term in office after defeating the pro-Moscow candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo in the decisive round of presidential election held on Sunday. According to data provided by the Central Electoral Commission in Chișinău, Sandu received over 55% of the votes. She thanked the Moldovan citizens living in the Diaspora for voting for her in large numbers. The voter turnout in the diaspora, including in neighboring Romania, is considered historic, being the highest in the last 30 years. Over 320,000 Moldovan citizens voted abroad on Sunday, compared to nearly 240,000 in the first round of voting. The voter turnout in the second round of elections in the Republic of Moldova was 54.31%.

     

    Strike – A token strike was announced by the employees of the National Archives in Romania, the first in the 192-year history of this institution. The archivists from the 42 branches across Romania are unhappy that their salaries are much lower than those from the institution’s central structures. There are differences of 2,000 lei (500 Euros) between employees with the same skills and duties, say the trade unionists. Moreover, they want to warn the authorities that funds are needed to improve the conditions in which the documents, some of which are of inestimable value, are kept. Today’s token strike could turn into an all-out strike on November 11, if the authorities do not come up with an answer to the employees’ demands.

     

    Campaign – During this period, the campaigns for the presidential and parliamentary elections are being held simultaneously in Romania. On November 24, the first round of the presidential election will take place, on December 1 – the voting for the appointment of deputies and senators, and on December 8 – the second round of the presidential election. In the electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections, the parties, alliances or independents must convince the electorate to vote for them in order to win as many of the 466 seats of senators or deputies as possible. On the other hand, 10 candidates proposed by political parties and 4 independents are competing to become president of the country.

     

    US election – The Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and the Republican Donald Trump remain in a tight race in the seven swing states ahead of the US presidential election, according to the final New York Times/Siena College poll. The opinion poll shows that Vice President Harris has minimal advantages in Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin and the former President Trump in Arizona. According to the survey of 7,879 likely voters conducted in the seven states between October 24 and November 2, the two are very close in Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania. In all seven states, the results were within the poll’s 3.5% margin of error. About 40% of respondents have already voted and Kamala Harris leads by 8% among them, while Donald Trump leads among those who say they are very likely to vote but have not yet, the poll shows. Both candidates participated in campaign events at the end of the week in the swing states.

     

    Searches – 130 searches are taking place today in Bucharest and in six counties in the south of Romania, in a file regarding non-compliance with the arms and ammunition regime, qualified smuggling and drug trafficking. Also, 60 people, including the gallery leader of a football club and a singer, are brought to hearings. According to the judicial source, the investigations revealed that a foreign citizen of Turkish origin organized, together with several Romanians, a criminal group specialized in the procurement and sale of lethal firearms, without identification markings, made from components produced in Turkey. These weapons, known as ghost guns, are illegal in all European states. The traffickers brought them into Romania by road, hidden in goods transport vehicles or in the component parts of cars and they were sold through intermediaries to violent clans or individuals. So far, almost 50 such weapons have been confiscated. (LS)

  • “Between Romania and France”.  A Bucharest Art Gallery Exhibition

    “Between Romania and France”.  A Bucharest Art Gallery Exhibition

    The annual exhibition organised by the Bucharest Art Gallery with the Bucharest City Museum is of particular importance this year, when Romania celebrates 30 years since it became a full member of the International Francophonie Organisation. We talked about the exhibition with the museum’s deputy director, Elena Olariu:

     

    Elena Olariu: “The exhibition was opened on November 17, 2023 and will stay on until September 26 this year, so there is enough time for art lovers to see it. In 2023 we celebrated 30 years since Romania joined the OIF, and this is precisely the reason why this exhibition was organised. The most important idea conveyed by the works on display is the intrinsic connection between Romanian and French art. Since the second half of the 19th Century, and especially in the 20th Century, until the communist regime started, Romanian youth would go to Europe to study art. They would study in Munich and in Paris. In Paris, they would go to the greatest art academy in the world, the Beaux Arts, as Paris had become the world’s art centre, at least in the second half of the 19th Century.”

     

    Elena Olariu gave us more details about the history of Romanian Francophonie from the perspective of fine arts and the Romanian artists’ love for France and especially for Paris. She also spoke about the beginnings of modern art in Romania and the birth of higher education in arts, initiated by the painter Theodor Aman (1831-1891):

     

    Elena Olariu: “It was in the French capital that Theodor Aman studied, for instance, and it is with him that our exhibition begins. He completed his art studies in Paris and even started to show his works there, at the official art salons, major art exhibitions, the largest in Europe actually, which showed works by French artists and by the artists who stayed in Paris after graduation. Theodor Aman had fulfilled his dream of studying in the European capital of art. But he returned to Romania and set up the Fine Arts School here in Bucharest.”

     

    The deputy director of the Bucharest City Museum also listed a number of other major Romanian artists (such as Nicolae Grigorescu, 1838-1907, Ion Andreescu, 1850-1882 and Ștefan Luchian, 1869-1916), whose works are on display at the Suțu Palace, and who were influenced by France and the artistic connections with the arts in Paris:

     

    Elena Olariu: “Another important artist, a grand master, our national painter Nicolae Grigorescu, also left for Paris to complete his education in arts. Many of these Romanian artists had been church painters and they went to Paris to learn about modern art, the art of easel painting, as we would say today. Andreescu did the same, and we have an interesting work of his in the exhibition. … After Grigorescu and Andreescu, it was Ștefan Luchian’s turn to come to Paris. Although Luchian had initially studied in Munich, he lived for a while in Paris afterwards. And this very interesting alternation between Munich and Paris was a regular practice for a long time.”

     

    Elena Olariu also mentioned the extraordinary relationship between the Romanian painter Theodor Pallady and the great French painter Henri Matisse:

     

    Elena Olariu: “In France, Romanian artists met French artists as well… Pallady, for instance, became friends with Matisse, … and, for those who don’t know the amazing story of the Romanian traditional blouse, he offered the French artist a small series of traditional blouses with exquisite needlework. He gave them to Matisse as a present, and in turn Matisse made an important series of drawings and paintings featuring these peasant blouses worn by young female models. … These impressive connections were not only important in terms of art per se, but also in terms of the promotion of Romanian culture in general, and this is a very important aspect to keep in mind.”

     

    We asked Elena Olariu which other artists are featured in the exhibition:

     

    Elena Olariu: “Other important artists in the exhibition are Ștefan Popescu, who studied in Munich but lived many years in Paris, and Kimon Loghi, for instance, who travelled and worked across France. Iosif Iser, Max Arnold, Ștefan Constantin and many other artists travelled constantly between Romania and France. And I would also like to mention Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck, represented in our exhibition by a number of graphic works and paintings.”

     

    At the end of our conversation, Elena Olariu concluded:

     

    Elena Olariu: “We believe this exhibition fully reflects the important connections between Romania and France, especially in the inter-war period, and the heights reached by Romanian art during those times.” (AMP)

  • Investments in locomotives and trains

    Investments in locomotives and trains

    The Romanian Railways will receive new trains and locomotives, after the Railway Reform Authority signed a contract with the Polish manufacturer PESA for 62 Regio electric short-distance commuter trains, as well as a contract with the French manufacturer Alstom for 16 new locomotives. The first contract is worth 3.2 billion lei, i.e. 640 million euros, and the second one is worth 760 million lei, about 150 million euros. Also, last December, Bucharest signed a contract with the Polish manufacturer for the delivery, starting in 2026, of 20 long-haul InterRegio trains. However, Romania still needs 150-200 new locomotives, as well as short-distance and long-distance trains, said the president of the Railway Reform Authority, Ştefan Roşeanu. He spoke on Radio Romania about the rolling stock situation.



    Ştefan Roşeanu: “Unfortunately, we know that most of the trains we have in circulation are obsolete, the lack of investment from the last 20 or so years speaks for itself. Basically, since the larger series of Blue Arrow trains, purchased in the early 2000s, there has been no major investment made until the new wave, which started in 2022. We have some new trains bought by a private operator, but in general, we are talking about second-hand vehicles, which are repaired, modernized and put back into circulation also on the Romanian railways.



    According to him, the investments carried out by the Authority are essential to reduce the age of the railway fleet as a whole, as well as to improve the working conditions for the railway staff. Thus, they intend to start bringing the new trains and locomotives to Romania and put them into circulation in the latter half of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. Ştefan Roşeanu says that in this way competition between the railway companies present in the country will be stimulated.



    Ştefan Roşeanu: “We will be able to see for the first time in Romania that on a route like Braşov-Bucureşti, which is the busiest route in Romania, we have public services operated by three different operators, with the same type of trains. So, we will be able to make a much clearer comparison than today, between the quality and the respect that the operators have towards the rolling stock and towards travelers in general.



    Previously, Romania bought 37 new electric trains from the French manufacturer Alstom, the first train being already in static and dynamic tests. Once these trains go into circulation, there remains the problem of railways that have been waiting for years to be rehabilitated. According to statistics, out of the approximately 12,000 kilometers of railway network, in Romania there is decent traffic on approximately 500 km, i.e. at a speed between 140 and 160 km per hour. (LS)

  • January 29, 2024

    January 29, 2024

    PARLIAMENT This week sees the start of this
    year’s first parliamentary session in Romania, marked by a special election
    context in which Romanian citizens are expected to take part in 4 types of
    elections-for the European Parliament, for the national parliament, as well as
    presidential and local elections. The Senate’s agenda includes, among others,
    emergency orders concerning the farmers and carriers who have been protesting
    across the country. The Chamber of Deputies has a number of bills pending
    endorsement, including legislation concerning drug trafficking and gambling. This
    weekend the justice minister Alina Gorghiu said 3 bills have been submitted to
    Parliament, which are aimed at curbing drug trafficking. They concern the
    set-up of a national drug trafficking register and of regional rehab centres, while
    the so-called 2 Mai Bill eliminates suspended sentences for drug trafficking
    and increases penalties to up to 10 years in prison. Other bills pending
    approval introduce 10-year driving bans for DUI, and healthcare and
    psychological assistance for people found in possession of illegal drugs.


    ECONOMY An International
    Monetary Fund mission headed by Jan Kees Martijn arrives
    in Bucharest today to review the latest economic and financial developments.
    This is a regular consultation based on Romania’s relation with the IMF, and it
    comes 4 months after the previous visit. The IMF expects a budget deficit of 6%
    of GDP and an economic growth rate of 2.3% this year. IMF experts also
    recommend a number of additional reforms, and in the previous assessment visit
    they mentioned the scrapping of the remaining exemptions, privileges and
    loopholes, a more efficient VAT implementation, a reformed property tax system,
    and the use of fiscal policies in order to promote efficient energy and the
    clean energy transition. Romania has no ongoing agreements with the IMF at
    present.


    BRANCUSI Some 100 works were included in the largest
    exhibition in 50 years in Romania devoted to the sculptor Constantin Brâncuși.
    Opened in late September in western Romania as part the Timişoara – European
    Capital of Culture, the exhibition came to an end on Sunday night. Sculptures,
    photographs, arhive documents and footage were on display in Timişoara’s National
    Art Museum. To mark the end of the exhibition, the National Bank of Romania
    launched a commemorative silver coin honouring the sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi.


    PROTESTS The French farmers’ protests have
    reached a new stage today, with major roadways into Paris and other large
    cities to be blocked indefinitely as of today. The main trade union in the sector threatened
    large-scale operations, including a complete obstruction of food supply flows
    to the capital city’s supermarkets, so that the locals may feel the effects of
    the protests. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, the plan
    includes the use of tractors to shut down motorways and slow down traffic. Similar
    steps are also planned for France’s second-largest city, Lyon. Farmers protest the
    inadequate payments for their produce, the red tape and the competition coming
    from cheap imports. In a move to address the situation, PM Gabriel Attal admitted
    that a first set of measures, announced on Friday, was insufficient and
    promised new decisions to increase farmer revenues would be made this week.


    MIDDLE EAST Iran denies involvement in
    Sunday’s drone attack on a US military base in north-eastern Jordan, near the
    Syrian and Iraqi borders, in which 3 US troops were killed. The Islamic
    resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, and the US president
    Joe Biden said these are groups known to be supported by Iran. Biden warned
    that the US would respond to the attack. These are the first US troops killed
    in the Middle East since the start of the war in Gaza, prompting fears of an
    extended conflict in the region. Meanwhile, Paris hosted a meeting of officials
    from the US, Egypt, Qatar and Israel, aimed at brokering a new ceasefire in Gaza
    and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas. Negotiations will continue this
    week. Violence continues in Gaza, and locals say Israeli air raids and shelling
    have increased in recent days in the region’s north and centre. According to
    the Israeli Army, its troops are involved in heavy fighting in the south, in Khan
    Younis, where they have taken out a number of terrorists. The humanitarian
    crisis is worsening, and UN calls on nations to resume their donations. (AMP)

  • January 10, 2024

    January 10, 2024

    Economy – The Romanian economy grew by 1.8% last year, by 0.8 % less than previously estimated, shows a World Bank report. The report also revised downwards the estimates regarding the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2024 and 2025, when the growth rate of the Gross Domestic Product would be 3.3% and 3.8%, respectively. According to the World Bank, the world economy will slow down for the third consecutive year, up to 2.4%.



    Partnership – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, congratulated Gabriel Attal on his nomination to the position of Prime Minister of France. The Romanian PM states that he is ready to work together with his new counterpart to strengthen the Romanian – French strategic partnership. Attal, a former Education Minister, was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to form the new government of France, after the former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resigned. At 34, Gabriel Attal, with studies in political sciences, becomes the youngest prime minister in the history of France, according to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris.



    Free travel – Almost 2,000 young Romanians aged 18 will receive a free travel permit to explore the diversity of Europe, as part of the DiscoverEU initiative, a program funded by Erasmus+. They will travel mainly by train between March 2024 and May 2025, to learn new things about the history and cultural heritage of Europe and meet people from all over the continent. So far, over 11,600 young Romanians have benefited from such a travel permit.



    Water polo — Romania’s national mens water polo team won Group D of the European Championship in Croatia, after defeating the Slovakian team, score 8-7, on Tuesday evening, in Dubrovnik. In the previous matches, the Romanians defeated the Netherlands and Slovenia. They will play a play-off match for qualification for the quarterfinals against Group B bottom-placed team, Georgia, in Zagreb, on Thursday. At the European Womens Championship, organized in the Netherlands simultaneously with the mens, Romania ranked 14thout of 16 participating teams.



    Flu – At least nine people sick with the flu have died since the beginning of this cold season in Romania. The Romanian Health Ministry announces that there is currently no flu epidemic in the country, but medical units are facing an accelerated increase in the number of respiratory viruses’ cases, especially flu. The situation is also complicated by the acute lack of doctors, the expert in health policies, Emilian Imbri, told Radio Romania News and Current Affairs Channel.



    Under financing – Family doctors in Romania point out that their budget allocation has been reduced by 25% in 2024, compared to 2022. They argue that the system is already underfunded and that the decrease in income will further deepen the already existing shortage of family doctors. The president of the national family doctors’ society, Dina Mergeani, states that the permanent centers operate with the doctors’ own money, they have not yet been paid for the October – December period, and the suspension of their activity would block the emergency rooms. (LS)

  • Sports roundup

    The delegation, which represented Romania at the European Judo Championship held by the French city of Montpellier at the weekend, obtained no medal. Alex Cret obtained the best Romanian performance, a 7th place in the 90 kilogram category. He defeated Stuart McWatt of Britain in the first round and Bulgarian Ivailo Ivanov in the round of 16. The Romanian was eliminated in the quarters by Mihael Zgank of Turkey, who eventually became the bronze medalist.


    The Romanians attempt to re-qualify was stopped in its tracks by Hungarian Krisztian Toth, who also became bronze medalist. Romania participated in the aforementioned event with four Judokas and the last medal obtained by the Romanians in European championships was a silver obtained by Andreea Chitu in the 52 kilogram category in 2020.


    Romanias male handball side played two friendlies last week. On Thursday in Pdgorica, the Romanians were outperformed by Montenegro 38-28, while on Saturday in Toulouse they lost to France 21-40. We recall that France boasts three Olympic titles, six world trophies and three European.


    The games were part of the training campaign for the European Championships due in Germany in January, when Romania will be part of group B together with Spain, Austria and Croatia. The Romanian handballers will go to the aforementioned competition as outsiders as Spain was European vice-champion in 2022 and Croatia in 2020. As for Austria, they have outperformed the Romanians in both qualifying games. Our handballers havent qualified for a European Championship since 1996.


    Irina Bara and Dalila Jakupovic have won the doubles of the ITF tennis tournament in Heraklion, a competition with 40,000 dollars in prize money. The Romania-Slovenian pair defeated on Sunday, the Romanian-Greek pair Oana Gavrilă / Sapfo Sakellaridi, 3-6, 7-6, 10-8.


    Last weekend saw the matches counting towards the 15th leg of the Romanian Football Superleague. On Friday in Iasi, local side Poli versus Otelul Galati ended in a one-all draw. Also in draws ended the games on Saturday pitching Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe against Petrolul Ploieşti, nil-all and Universitatea Craiova versus FC U Craiova 1948 one-all. On Sunday FC Voluntari won their away match against Universitatea Cluj 2-1, and Farul Constanţa obtained a one-all draw against FC Botoşani. In the legs derby Rapid Bucharest secured a 2-1 win against FCSB. FCSB ranks first in the standings with 31 points, followed by CFR with 30 and Rapid with 29.


    (bill)


  • RRI Sports club

    RRI Sports club

    Romania has been
    outperformed 3-0 by the en-titre Olympic Champions France in Varna, Bulgaria,
    in the quarterfinals of the European Volleyball Championships hosted by Israel,
    Italy, Bulgaria and North Macedonia. France has thus had their revenge after
    Romania’s 3-1 win in the group’s stage.




    Robert Adrian
    Aciobăniţei was Romania’s best scorer with 11 points whereas the best French
    player was Jean Patry with 14 points.


    The
    progress of Romania’s national volleyball side kicked off in group D with two
    defeats 0-3 against Portugal and 2-3 against Israel. The Romanians made a
    strong comeback though and defeated Turkey 3-2 and Greece 3-1.




    They also clinched a surprising 3-1 win against
    France, which ended on the first position in the group’s ranking with 12
    points. France was followed by Portugal with 9, Romania also with 9, Turkey
    with 8, Israel 4 and Greece 3. The first four sides qualified for the round of
    16 where Romania first took on Croatia. Our players secured a 3-2 win against
    Croatia, the side on the second position in Group B. The Romanians were the
    first to get the upper hand 2-0, but the Croatians managed to level the points
    later into the game. However Romania succeeded in winning the last set
    eventually.




    Alexandru Raţă
    scored 30 points for Romania, while Petar Dirlic, 29 for the Croatian side. In
    the final ranking Romania went 7th.


    We recall that at the
    previous edition of the aforementioned competition, hosted by France, Slovenia,
    Belgium, and the Netherlands in 2019, Romania ranked 21st. Romania’s
    prize closet includes a title in 1963, two silver medals in 1955 and 1958 and
    two bronze in 1971 and 1977.




    (bill)

  • Les sapeurs-pompiers roumains à l’étranger

    Les sapeurs-pompiers roumains à l’étranger

    Cet été, la
    Roumanie a connu des vagues successives de chaleur excessive, sans pour autant
    être confrontée à des incendies de végétation, même si le risque de leur
    apparition existait toujours. Dans ces conditions, les sapeurs-pompiers ont effectué
    des missions dans des autres Etats-membres de l’Union européenne gravement ravagés
    par les incendies et qui avaient demandé l’assistance internationale.


    La Grèce est un
    de ces Etats qui ont demandé de l’aide dans leur combat contre le feu.
    L’Inspection générale pour les situations d`urgence (IGSU) de Bucarest a
    informé que mardi les sapeurs-pompiers roumains avaient accompli avec succès
    leur mission d’éteindre l’incendie de la ville d’Alexandroupolis et ont été
    déployés par la suite dans la région de Dadia pour une autre intervention. Ils
    y travaillent pour éteindre un incendie étendu sur plus de 3 kilomètres -
    précise encore l’Inspection. D’ailleurs, 52 sapeurs-pompiers roumains ont œuvré
    pour localiser et éteindre l’incendie dans la proximité de l’hôpital
    d’Alexandroupolis. Au total, 56 sapeurs-pompiers avec 10 camions-pompe, un
    véhicule de première intervention et de commandement et un car étaient partis
    lundi pour la Grèce, suite à la demande à l’assistance internationale faite
    dans le contexte des incendies de végétation qui ravagent ce pays. La Roumanie
    avait transmis tout de suite, soit le 20 août dernier, son intention d’aider la
    Grèce au Centre de coordination de la réaction d’urgence de la Commission
    européenne par le Département pour les situations d’urgence par l’Inspection
    générale pour les situations d’urgence, en tant que point national de contact.


    D’ailleurs, ce
    n’est pas la première mission des sapeurs-pompiers roumains, cet été, en Grèce,
    Dans la deuxième moitié du mois de juillet et début août, des dizaines de
    sapeurs-pompiers déployés de Bucarest ont aidé à éteindre les incendies qui
    ravageaient la Grèce continentale ainsi que plusieurs îles.


    Le Premier
    ministre Marcel Ciolacu a félicité les sauveteurs roumains pour leur altruisme,
    leur courage et leurs efforts. « La Roumanie et l’Europe sont solidaires avec
    le peuple grec, qui a besoin de soutien, et nous espérons qu’ensemble, nous
    pourrons revenir à la normale au plus vite ! », a déclaré le chef du
    gouvernement de Bucarest.


    Par ailleurs,
    l’Inspection générale pour les situations d’urgence a annoncé que les sapeurs-pompiers
    déployés en Corse avaient été impliqués dans les opérations censées éteindre un
    incendie forestier à proximité du village de Corte. C’était la première mission
    des sapeurs-pompiers roumains en Corse, aux côtés des équipages de sapeurs-pompiers
    militaires et civils de France. Ils ont été assistés par 2 hélicoptères et 2
    avions bombardiers d’eau. L’Inspection précise que le 15 août dernier la
    Roumanie avait envoyé en Corse une équipe spécialisée d’une vingtaine de sapeurs-pompiers
    afin d’éteindre les incendies de forêt.

  • Le dramaturge Matei Vișniec, Docteur Honoris Causa de l’UNATC

    Le dramaturge Matei Vișniec, Docteur Honoris Causa de l’UNATC

    Le dramaturge Matei Vișniec, l’auteur roumain
    contemporain le plus présent à l’affiche des théâtres de Roumanie, s’est vu
    remettre le titre de Docteur Honoris Causa en marge des festivités marquant le
    73ème anniversaire de l’Université d’Art théâtrale et de
    Cinématographie de Bucarest. En 2018, Vișniec a été nommé par la France Chevalier
    des Arts et des Lettres. Dans son discours lors de la cérémonie de remise du
    titre de Docteur Honoris Causa, Vișniec s’est penché sur le théâtre indépendant
    et ses artistes et sur la nécessité pour l’Etat roumain de mettre en place une
    stratégie nationale pour les soutenir. Il a également rendu hommage au grand
    critique de théâtre George Banu, décédé en janvier dernier, et a mis en
    évidence sa relation avec la Roumanie et la France, les deux pays où il s’est
    formé et a créé.


    Poète, dramaturge, romancier et journaliste, Matei
    Vişniec est né le 29 janvier 1956 à Rădăuţi, dans le nord de la Roumanie. Il a
    fait ses débuts littéraires en 1972, lorsque la revue Luceafarul publie
    plusieurs de ses poèmes. Il figure parmi les fondateurs du Cénacle de lundi
    ayant à sa tête le critique littéraire et professeur des universités, Nicolae
    Manolescu. Sa bibliographie comporte sept recueils de poésie, sept romans dont
    « Syndrome de panique dans la Ville Lumière», « Amours du type
    soulier, amours du type parapluie » ou encore « Monsieur K
    libéré », un recueil de nouvelles et plus de 50 pièces de théâtre. En 1987,
    il quitte la Roumanie, et arrive en France où il demande l’asile politique. Il
    commence à écrire des pièces de théâtre en français et travaille comme
    journaliste pour Radio France internationale. Après la chute du communisme, en
    décembre 1989, il partage son activité entre la France et la Roumanie, entre deux
    cultures et deux langues. Ses pièces de théâtre sont traduites dans une
    trentaine de langues et sont intégrées dans les répertoires des théâtres de
    plus de trente pays. Le nom de Matei Vișniec figure aussi dans « Le
    dictionnaire des étrangers qui ont fait la France ».




    Matei Vișniec : « Ce dictionnaire est très
    intéressant pour montrer l’ouverture et la force culturelle de la France.
    L’ouvrage répertorie quelque quatre milles noms depuis la Révolution française
    jusqu’à aujourd’hui, donc depuis 1793 jusqu’à nos jours. Il présente les
    étrangers venus en France et ayant eu une contribution significative à la
    culture et à la spiritualité française. Parmi eux, les Roumains dont la
    participation fut extrêmement importante. Les Roumains ont commencé à voyager
    en France vers la fin du XIXème siècle et se sont imposés dans des domaines très
    divers. Je voudrais mentionner un des noms que l’on oublie souvent. Celui d’un
    comédien originaire de Iasi qui, après des études de théâtre, est devenu une
    grande star du film muet et des comédies de boulevard. Son nom ou plutôt son
    nom de scène était Eduard de Max. D’autres
    Roumains figurent dans les pages de ce dictionnaire. Parmi eux, le regretté
    critique de théâtre, George Banu. Il est considéré comme un théâtrologue
    français d’origine roumaine, puisque son œuvre n’est pratiquement écrite qu’en
    français, même s’il a pris soin par la suite de la traduire en roumain pour la
    faire publier en dans son pays d’origine aussi. Ce dictionnaire arrive à mettre
    en lumière la forte contribution des Roumains à la culture française et je me
    réjouis d’en faire partie. Surtout que j’ai écrit une trentaine de pièces de
    théâtre en français, dont plusieurs sont parues chez des éditions importantes
    telles Actes Sud. Mes textes ont été joués des centaines de fois par
    différentes compagnies indépendantes françaises et presque chaque année, au
    moins une de mes pièces est entrée en sélection au Festival d’Avignon. J’ai
    toujours essayé de créer des ponts entre la France et la Roumanie, de
    m’inspirer de ce que la France m’offrait pour encourager les Roumains à faire
    de même. Pour moi, la France a représenté une grande ouverture, elle m’a donné
    des ailes, sans me couper mes racines. Parce que moi, je me suis formé en
    Roumanie, j’ai la sensibilité d’une âme d’écrivain roumain et de l’Europe de
    l’Est et la poésie, c’est surtout en roumain qu’elle fait vibrer mon
    cœur ».




    Depuis 2016, le théâtre
    municipal de Suceava, dans le nord-est de la Roumanie, porte le nom du célèbre
    dramaturge Matei Vișniec.
    Ecoutons-le :




    « A ma connaissance, ce théâtre est le dernier de
    Roumanie créé par des fonds publics. Avant son ouverture il y a sept ans, j’avais
    lancé un festival de théâtre à Suceava avec l’appui de la regrettée poétesse Carmen Veronica Steiciuc, les membres du Rotary
    Club, de l’Association Bucovina, bref autant de personnes aux grandes qualités
    humaines et très enthousiastes. Et grâce à ce festival, on est arrivé à faire
    venir dans la salle de spectacles les habitants de la ville pour leur présenter
    des spectacles importants de toute la Roumanie. C’est grâce à cette
    manifestation qu’on a compris que Suceava avait besoin d’un théâtre de
    professionnels, d’un théâtre d’art, avec des comédiens qui prennent le pouls de
    la ville, qui répondent aux besoins culturels des gens et qui deviennent des
    célébrités locales. Heureusement, ce théâtre existe et c’est formidable de voir
    que les dix acteurs qui vivent à Suceava et qui forment la troupe du Théâtre
    Matei Visniec arrivent à produire au moins quatre spectacles par an.
    D’ailleurs, comme je l’ai déjà dit par le passé, ce théâtre a mis en place
    plusieurs projets importants. »




    Fin mars, le Théâtre national
    Ion Luca Caragiale de Bucarest présente en première le spectacle « Le mot
    progrès dans la bouche de ma mère sonnait faux », d’après un texte de
    Matei Visniec. La mise est scène porte la signature de Botond Nagy, qui a déjà réalisé plusieurs spectacles sur
    les textes de Visniec. Parmi eux, « Le retour à la maison » qui présente
    l’absurdité du sacrifice humain en temps de guerre. Production du Théâtre
    Matei Vişniec de Suceava, le spectacle a été sélectionné dans le
    cadre du Festival national de théâtre, édition 2022.





  • July 1, 2023 UPDATE

    July 1, 2023 UPDATE

    Aid – Spain is allocating a new aid package for Ukraine, worth 55 million Euros, and promises long-term support to Kyiv, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in a speech held in the Ukrainian Parliament on Saturday. Of this amount, 51 million will reach Ukraine through the World Bank, to support small and medium sized enterprises, and the rest of the money will be used for the reconstruction of schools bombed by the Russians. Spain took over the presidency of the European Union on Saturday, July 1. Pedro Sánchez also addressed the subject of Ukraines NATO accession, giving assurances that he supported the establishment of the Ukraine-NATO Council.



    Riots — The French President Emmanuel Macron postponed his state visit to Germany, which was scheduled for Sunday evening until Tuesday, due to riots started in France after the deadly shooting of a teenager of African origin by a member of the law enforcement. The French police arrested almost 1,000 people throughout the country, and the authorities brought out armored vehicles of the Gendarmerie on the streets and mobilized no less than 45,000 policemen and gendarmes. The public transport at night was banned and the sale of pyrotechnic or flammable materials was restricted. The most violent protests took place in Marseille, Lyon, Grenoble and in some parts of Paris. President Emmanuel Macron accused the protesters of using the teenagers death for their purpose and urged parents to keep their children at home.



    B-FIT Street! — This weekend July 1 and 2 promises to be a festive one in Bucharest, where the biggest international street theater festival in the city, B-FIT in the Street! is scheduled. After a three-year break, the event returns to Bucharest and transforms the central streets into pedestrian areas, where spectators can witness aerial acrobatics and interactive music performances. They will also enjoy sound installations, street musicians, cabaret dancers, fantastic characters who perform in itinerant shows, creative workshops and sports activities.



    Shipyard — The Severnav shipyard from Drobeta-Turnu Severin (south-west of Romania) launched the first fully equipped ship on Friday, after a 12-year production break. The cargo named “Napoleon” was made for a Romanian ship owner. It is a chemical tank, equipped with the latest technologies and equipment, dedicated to river transport of petroleum products – gasoline, diesel or bio-components. The shipyard on the Danube, with an experience of about 170 years, is trying to resume the construction of turnkey ships. This year, at Severnav, at least nine more ships are going to be launched for the Romanian market as well as for the Western European market.



    Migration — The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the management and strengthening of the Union borders are among the main elements in the fight against illegal migration. She hopes that the ongoing pilot projects in Bulgaria and Romania will serve as a model of good practices for other external borders as well. The European leaders, gathered on Thursday and Friday, in Brussels, had heated debates on the issue of migration management, without reaching an agreement. Poland and Hungary are opposed to the pact that provides for the relocation of asylum seekers on the principle of solidarity. However, the reform continues its course, after last month it was approved by the Council through a qualified majority, instead of consensus.



    Russia — 40 employees of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest, together with their family members, are to leave Romania on board a civil aircraft belonging to a Russian airline. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Romanias decision to reduce the staff of the Russian diplomatic mission reflects the current level of bilateral relations, in the context of Moscows launching a war of aggression against Romanias neighbor Ukraine. We remind you that, at the beginning of this month, the Romanian diplomacy announced Russia that it must reduce the number of posts in Romania by 61%. It was Russia’s choice to reduce posts and to ask its officials to leave Romania. (LS)

  • March 24, 2023

    March 24, 2023

    EDUCATION Romania’s
    government has today approved a bill on the country’s participation in the 2025
    Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The government says
    Romania’s participation is intended to bring the Romanian education in line
    with developments in high-performing education systems in the world, and to
    review one’s own performances in relation to the other participating countries.
    The initiators argue this participation is important given Romania’s EU
    membership and its current observer status and future membership of the Organisation
    for Economic Co-operation and Development. PISA tests indicate the extent to
    which students are prepared to face current society challenges, and measures the
    basic skills of 15 year olds in areas like reading, maths and sciences.


    SCRAPPING In
    Romania, the Rabla Clasic and Rabla Plus scrapping programmes were launched on
    Friday. They are designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the
    use of non-polluting vehicles. The vouchers provided by the government may
    reach EUR 10,000 for the purchase of electric cars worth up to EUR 75,000.


    VISIT While in Chişinău, PM Nicolae Ciucă reiterated Romania’s
    support for neighbouring Republic of Moldova’s European accession efforts. In a
    meeting with his counterpart, Dorin Recean, Ciucă announced the building of new
    bridges across Prut river and the set up of new border checkpoints. In turn, PM
    Recean announced that very soon EUR 25m out of a non-reimbursable EUR 100m assistance
    package provided by Romania will be used for the development of village schools
    and infrastructure.


    PROTESTS France’s
    PM Élisabeth Borne condemned the violence accompanying Thursday’s protests
    against the pension reform, which increases retirement age from 62 to 64. Violent
    clashes have been reported in several cities. According to trade unions, attending
    the protests in nearly 300 localities were 3.5 million people, but the interior
    ministry argues there were only 1.2 million. Most protests were peaceful, but in
    Paris and some other cities incidents were reported. Some 150 police officers
    and gendarmes were injured and hundreds of violent people were arrested. Unionists
    are determined to try all legal means to cancel the law endorsed on Monday and
    to carry on protests. This weekend, each union will organise actions in their
    towns and regions, and a new call for strike and nation-wide protests is
    announced for Tuesday, March 28, Radio Romania’s correspondend in Paris reports.


    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team plays against Andorra away
    from home on Saturday, in the first round of the EURO 2024 qualifiers. The final
    tournament will be hosted by Germany. Also on Saturday in
    Group I, which includes Romania, Belarus takes on Switzerland and Israel faces
    Kosovo. On March 28, the national team faces Belarus in Bucharest. The top 2
    teams in each of the 10 preliminary groups qualify into the final tournament,
    with the last 3 participants to be decided in March 2024, after the Nations
    League play-offs. (AMP)

  • March 23, 2023

    March 23, 2023

    Brussels — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is participating, on Thursday and Friday, in the spring meeting of the European Council and in the Euro Summit in an extended format, hosted by Brussels. According to the Presidential Administration, they will tackle the situation in Ukraine, especially food security and the reconstruction process, climate change and measures to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. “We must be united on the side of Ukraine, we must be in solidarity with Ukraine, we must help Ukraine with everything we can. It is very important that Ukraine has a strong position and that we can do many things”, said the Romanian president in a press conference before the start of the Council. There will be other extremely important topics, President Iohannis also said, related to the economy, the single market, competitiveness. They will discuss the best methods to prevent the deindustrialization of Europe and the energy issue, as well as the situation of the Republic of Moldova, which will receive substantial additional aid from the EU.



    Chisinau – On a visit to Chisinau, accompanied by several ministers, the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had talks with the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu and with the Prime Minister Dorin Recean. The meetings focused on issues related to the accession of this state to the EU, the way in which the republics economy can develop, the path to democratic reforms and the situation in the area in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. The leader from Chisinau thanked Romania for the support provided for the population and the economy of the Republic of Moldova to get through the complicated winter, caused by an exponential increase in energy and gas costs, and through the acute lack of supply of these resources, in particular following the interruption of supply by Gazprom for several months. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă thanked, in turn, for the decision of the Moldovan Parliament to adapt the legislation in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court, respectively to grant the Romanian language the status of official language in the Republic of Moldova. Consolidating the security environment in the Republic of Moldova and ensuring the resources to combat any form of destabilization of this country is a priority for Romania, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă also said during the discussions with Dorin Recean. Romania is our advocate in all European institutions, therefore we can advance on our European path, said the Moldovan Prime Minister. During the meetings, the implementation stage of the support program for the Republic of Moldova presented, financed with 100 million Euros by the Government of Romania. In this sense, the Romanian Prime Minister announced the release of the first tranche worth 25 million Euros of this program.



    London – The Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is on an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at the invitation of his counterpart, James Cleverly. The two officials will discuss bilateral strategic partnership relations, as well as international developments, with an emphasis on the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Republic of Moldova, the relations between the EU and the United Kingdom and cooperation within NATO. On Wednesday, minister Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting with the UK Secretary of State for Defense, Ben Wallace, with whom he discussed, among other things, bilateral cooperation in the field of defense and within the North Atlantic Alliance, with an emphasis on the stability and security of the Black Sea. On the sidelines of the visit, the heads of the Romanian and British diplomacies will sign the updated Joint Declaration of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and will open the first edition of the Romania – United Kingdom Bilateral Forum.



    Protests – France is almost blocked today, on the ninth day of national mobilization against the pension reform. With a general strike in many areas and street demonstrations announced in almost 300 localities, the trade unions and the opposition want to force the French government to withdraw the law it has just adopted, which provides for the increase in the retirement age, from 62 to 64 years old. On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said that the reform was an unfortunate necessity to protect the pension system and that he accepted its unpopularity.



    Film – The first feature film of the Romanian director Alexandru Belc – “Metronome” will be screened on Friday at the Muranów cinema in Warsaw. The film represents Romania at the Francophone Film Festival in Poland, which takes place between March 22 and 26 in Warsaw. Along with the Romanian film, the Festival includes eight other fiction films from Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Morocco, proposed by the French Institute in Poland, which is also the main organizer. At the most recent edition of the Cannes Film Festival, “Metronome” was awarded the Best Director Award in the “Un certain regard” section. (LS)

  • L’auteure et la metteuse en scène, Alexandra Badea

    L’auteure et la metteuse en scène, Alexandra Badea

    Pour cette édition du Son des mots, un projet radiophonique de Radio Roumanie Internationale, réalisé en partenariat avec la librairie Kyralina, on s’est déplacé à l’Institut français de Bucarest. Aux manettes de cette édition, Elena Diaconu, de l’équipe « Kyralina », et Ioana Stăncescu, de l’équipe francophone de RRI. Notre invitée est Alexandra Badea, écrivaine et metteuse en scène d’origine roumaine, née à Bucarest en 1980 et vivant à Paris depuis 2003, auteure de plusieurs textes dramatiques publiés chez L’Arche éditeur, mais aussi de deux romans dont le dernier « Tu marches au bord du monde » est sorti en 2021, aux Editions des Equateurs.

  • Perspectives sur la guerre en Ukraine

    Perspectives sur la guerre en Ukraine

    Depuis presqu’une année déjà, une guerre se déroule en Europe, première guerre conventionnelle sur le Vieux Continent depuis la Seconde guerre mondiale. Le 24 février 2022, la Russie a attaqué l’Ukraine avec comme but officiel la démilitarisation et la dénazification de celle-ci. Mais voilà que l’Ukraine a résisté et après le choc initial, elle a même réussi à repousser les forces du Kremlin de plusieurs certaines régions – d’abord dans le nord et puis dans le nord-est et vers la fin de l’année dernière dans le sud. Désormais, une guerre « des positions » se déroule dans l’est du pays sur la toile de fond d’un hiver qui semble avoir immobilisé les forces de deux côtés. Alors que les deux armées se préparent pour de nouvelles opérations militaires au printemps. La Russie mobilise des dizaines voire des centaines milliers de soldats alors que l’Ukraine fait appel à la communauté internationale pour lui fournir de l’équipement militaire de plus en plus puissant et moderne. A quels événements peut-on s’attendre au printemps ? Quel sera le dénouement de ce conflit dévastateur ? C’est le moment des analyses et des diverses perspectives. « Il ne faut jamais croire M Poutine, puisqu’il est un menteur professionnel » ce sont les mots de Bernard Kouchner, qui était chef de la diplomatie française durant une des guerres que la Russie a menée ces vingt dernières années : la guerre russo-géorgienne de 2008. Nous l’écoutons dans les minutes suivantes dans une interview réalisée par Daniela Coman, correspondante de la Radio publique roumaine en France.