Radio România Internațional

Tag: funding

  • Ruling coalition discusses budget bill

    Ruling coalition discusses budget bill

    The government is working to complete the 2021 budget bill, bound to stay under a 7% of GDP budget deficit ceiling, as agreed with Brussels. Preparations have been stepped up lately, as the goal is for the document to be submitted to Parliament early next month, when the parliamentary session begins. But with major expenditure triggered by the pandemic, the distribution of the limited funds available is rather difficult.



    The Liberal PM Florin Cîţu asked the members of his coalition government for a list of key projects for each ministry, so as to ensure efficient fund distribution, and says he hopes the talks with the main authorising officers will lead to a balanced budget, able to support economic growth. Investments and healthcare will certainly be the funding priorities, the PM said, and mentioned plans to amend the legislation on public sector salaries and pensions.



    Florin Cîţu: “The pension law must be based on the principle of contributions, this will be the starting point. As for the salary law, the point is to ensure more efficiency in public administration, tying salaries to performance. Apart from a clear hierarchy, we must also introduce performance indicators tied to these incomes.



    Under the current legislation, the pension increase scheduled for this year entails a financial effort of roughly 1.6 billion euros, and a reform of the public pension system, as desired by the prime minister, takes time and will have no effect on this years budget.



    Romanias public budget is under huge pressure at present, because of the need to comply with the deficit target agreed on with the European Commission, says the leader of the USR PLUS party, deputy PM Dan Barna:



    Dan Barna: “We will see how the final bill comes out and how we will meet the deficit target agreed on with the EC. And in this respect, we will also see the amendments, if any, submitted by our parliamentary groups.



    This years state budget must be balanced and must target development, investments and jobs, the president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, deputy PM Kelemen Hunor said in his turn:



    Kelemen Hunor: “We must be very, very efficient in spending the money for development, from the National Rural Development Programme, from the operational programmes, and from the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme, because the national budget will have less money available for investments than what citizens and local authorities would like.



    The Social Democrats in opposition have drafted an alternative budget, to prove that the country has enough money to provide massive support to the economy and to increase citizens incomes. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • December 1, 2020

    December 1, 2020

    National Day. Low-key celebrations
    due to the pandemic are held today in Romania and the Romanian communities
    abroad to celebrate the National Day on 1st December. In Bucharest’s Arch of
    Triumph Square, usually the site of military parades involving thousands of
    troops and attended by thousands of spectators, a modest military celebration
    was held this year with around 150 troops, to pay tribute to the Romanian
    heroes who contributed to the creation of Greater Romania. The guests included
    doctors, medical staff and foreign ambassadors, alongside president Klaus
    Iohannis, prime minister Ludovic Orban and the interim Senate speaker Robert
    Cazanciuc. Dear Romanians, the involvement of each an every one you is needed
    today, just like in the important moments we celebrate on National Day, said
    president Iohannis. He continued: We have seen all over the country
    heart-warming stories about people who reach out to help others, about people
    who volunteer and about people who are donating for hospitals in difficulty.
    This is what the union of Romanians signifies in 2020!. The president kept a
    moment’s silence in memory of the Romanian soldiers who died on battlefield and
    of the victims of the pandemic. Low-key events attended only by the local
    authorities were held in all big cities in Romania. This year, the foreign
    ministry is running a digital diplomacy project to mark national day. This is a
    platform for virtual encounters and dialogue dedicated to Romania’s friends and
    partners and Romanian citizens and communities abroad held in a format adapted
    to the current global health crisis. To celebrate the National Day, the
    Romanian Cultural Institute is hosting a series of online events to promote
    Romanian culture and civilisation.




    Coronavirus Romania. For Romania, November was the
    most difficult month in terms of the coronavirus pandemic, recording almost
    half of all infections so far and more than a third of all coronavirus-related
    fatalities. 2,000 more people than at the end of October are receiving hospital
    treatment and 300 more people are in intensive care. Recent days have seen
    signs, however, that the situation is improving slightly. Tuesday saw 4,272 new
    daily cases and 199 new deaths, while 1,259 people are now in intensive care. While
    two weeks ago almost the entire country was in the high-risk red category,
    with counties where the infection rate over 14 days was 8 and 9 cases per 1,000
    inhabitants, only two counties now have an infection rate of more than 7 cases
    per 1,000 inhabitants and two others are in the green category, with an
    infection rate of less than 1.5 cases per 1,000 inhabitants. The authorities
    are urging people to continue to respect the sanitary rules in place.






    EU funding. Starting on 1st December,
    Romania can access 3 billion euros worth of European Union funding as part of a
    temporary support programme to mitigate unemployment (SURE). Romania is to
    receive a total of 4 billion euros in two stages, the president of the European
    Commission Ursula von der Leyen told Radio Romania. She also said she hoped an
    agreement would eventually be reached, but that the European Commission is
    working on alternatives for member states to be able to access the recovery
    package which is currently blocked by Hungary and Poland who are opposed to EU
    funding being linked to the rule of law. Von der Leyen also said the first
    vaccinations against Covid-19 may take place before the end of the year.




    NATO. The Romanian foreign minister
    Bogdan Aurescu is attending a new meeting of NATO foreign ministers to discuss
    security in the Black Sea region. The talks, which are held in a
    video-conference format, are looking at the application of allied decisions
    with regard to NATO’s adjustment to current security developments and strategic
    challenges. According to a statement from the foreign ministry in Bucharest,
    minister Aurescu is expected to speak about the need to keep up efforts to
    consolidate allied presence in the region and strengthen the coherence of the
    eastern flank. The meeting consists of three working sessions, one in allied
    format on Tuesday and two with partner states on Wednesday.




    Piracy. At least one Romanian
    national is among the sailors kidnapped from a vessel attacked by pirates in
    the Gulf of Guinea, in the Atlantic Ocean. The attack took place on Monday on a
    British oil tanker with a crew of 23 people of different nationalities, four of
    whom were kidnapped. Piracy is common in this area along the West African
    coast, with kidnappers usually demanding a ransom to release the sailors.

  • The Week in Review November 21-18

    The Week in Review November 21-18

    Romania, 9 months since its first coronavirus case


    Nine months after the first coronavirus infection was reported in the country, during which hundreds of thousands of other cases have been confirmed, the daily number of Sars-CoV-2-related deaths remains high, and so does the number of patients in intensive care.



    Experts warn that although the daily number of new cases has been on a slight decrease since the beginning of this week compared to last week, this is not enough to be optimistic. They believe that only after 14 days with a positive trend can the situation be assumed to be stable.



    Authorities introduced local lockdowns in areas with high infection rates. The results are already evident, and the rate is dropping. The restrictions introduced nation-wide, such as the compulsory face covering both indoors and outdoors, nighttime curfews and the switch to online classes in schools have also played a part.



    President Klaus Iohannis said Romania will not go under full lockdown after the general election due on December 6. However, this is not the time for relaxation, he said, and urged citizens to continue to observe the safety measures and to spend the winter holidays with the members of their own households.



    The president also voiced hopes that as soon as conclusive data is published, Romanians will be less skeptical with respect to a vaccine. According to a poll run by the Avangarde Social and Behavioural Studies Group, only 30% of the Romanians would get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as one is available in the country.



    Meanwhile, Romanian authorities are presenting the anti-COVID vaccination strategy, which is seen as a matter of national security. The strategy will be submitted for endorsement by the Supreme Defence Council next week. Healthcare and other key sector personnel and high-risk social categories will be the priority groups to receive the vaccine.



    The National Defence Ministry will play a very important role in supporting inter-institutional efforts during the anti-COVID vaccination campaign, providing the logistic means for this national campaign. The distribution strategy also takes into account the specific transport and storage requirements for each vaccine.



    The government approved the 3rd budget adjustment this year


    The Romanian Government Monday adopted the 3rd and last budget adjustment this year, one that takes the budget deficit to roughly 19.5 billion euros. Unlike earlier predictions, the budget deficit will reach 9.1% of GDP by year end, and the economy will shrink by 4.2%.



    PM Ludovic Orban said the adjustment was required in order to cover the expenditure incurred with the COVID-19 pandemic, with the payment of increased pension benefits and balancing local budgets. He explained that new challenges and expenses had to be handled, as the pandemic and a number of recent laws have increased the pressure on the state budget.



    Additional funds will be earmarked to the Labour Ministry for pension, furlough and flexible working time payments. The Health Ministry will also get more money for the anti-COVID efforts, including bonuses for ambulance staff, who had not been included in the original regulation providing bonuses to healthcare staff fighting the pandemic.



    The finance minister Florin Cîţu announced an increase in Romanias contribution to the EU financial effort to produce a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. He explained that this budget adjustment also ensures that public investment projects worth around 11 million euros will be carried on. Public education and agriculture have also received additional funds. The Agriculture Ministry will therefore be able to pay compensations to the farmers affected by this years drought. On the other hand, budget cuts were operated, affecting the Finance Ministry and the Interior Ministry, the Presidential Administration and the Chamber of Deputies.




    Bucharest presents National Recovery and Resilience Plan


    The Government of Romania Thursday night presented the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which will use EU funding to help the Romanian economy overcome the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is designed to ensure the accelerated development of the country in the coming 4 years, and the EU money will be spent on new hospitals, hundreds of kilometres of motorway, school infrastructure and the digitization of public administration.



    Under the plan, over 30 billion euros will be invested in the most important sectors of the Romanian society. Of the total, non-reimbursable grants amount to nearly 14 billion euro, and loans at favourable interest rates contracted by the European Commission on behalf of the member states account for the balance.



    The plan has been subject to public debate as of Thursday, with civil society invited to make suggestions, to be reviewed by the Government. After that, the plan will be sent to Brussels. Several NGOs working in the education, healthcare and social fields have already voiced their intention to contribute to the document, which, they say, must include first and foremost support measures for vulnerable categories and pay special attention to underprivileged youth and children, helping them to complete their education. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • November 23, 2020 UPDATE

    November 23, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 President Klaus Iohannis announced Monday that the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign will be endorsed by the Supreme Defence Council in the forthcoming period. On Monday Iohannis had talks with ministers of Defence, Healthcare and Interior Affairs to discuss the campaign. Under the strategy, priority groups will include healthcare staff, vulnerable people, and personnel in key sectors. Klaus Iohannis emphasised that once approved by relevant international bodies, the vaccines will be safe, efficient and are the only viable solution to end the pandemic. Romania will receive 10.7 million anti-COVID-19 shots from the European Commission in several batches. On Monday another 4,207 new infections with SARS-CoV-2 and 130 related deaths were reported in Romania. The national death toll has reached 10,177. Since the beginning of the outbreak, 422,825 people got infected with coronavirus, over two thirds of whom have recovered.



    ELECTION Citizens living in quarantined areas will be able to vote in the December 6 legislative election. On Monday Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said there will be no restrictions in this respect, adding that citizens infected with COVID-19 and those in quarantine or home isolation will be able to vote with the help of mobile ballot boxes. More and more towns and villages across Romania are going into lockdown as the infection rate continues to grow.



    CoD Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu Monday opened the 32nd meeting of the Council of Democracies (CoD), held online this year. Aurescu reiterated Bucharests firm commitment to promoting the principles of the Warsaw Declaration, and its support for countries undergoing democratic transition processes. Romania is holding the Council presidency until September 2021. Founded in 2000 and totaling 106 member states, the Council of Democracies is the widest platform for exchanging views and know-how in the field of global democracy.



    AID The European Commission approved a nearly 4.4 million EUR aid scheme for Romanian regional airports, to cover net losses incurred because of the pandemic between March and June this year. The scheme is open to Romanian airports with 200,000 to 3 million passengers per year.



    TELEWORK Almost half (48%) of the Romanians currently working from home say they appreciate no longer wasting time in traffic, but over 26% say their emotional state is worse, according to a survey made public by Reveal Marketing Research on Monday. Among the advantages of teleworking, 45% of the interviewees list the flexible working hours and 42% the time spent with their families. Also, although 79% of Romanians believe they are as efficient or even more efficient than they were at the office, 44% say they are now working more. The survey was conducted this October, and included 600 people from big cities who are working fully or partly from home.



    POLLUTION In Europe, better air quality led to a drop in the number of premature deaths between 2009 and 2018, but Europeans are still affected by air pollution, reads a European Commission report released on Monday. Six EU Member States (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland and Romania) exceeded the ceiling for fine particulate matter in 2018. According to the report, there remains a gap between EU’s legal air quality limits and WHO guidelines, an issue that the European Commission seeks to address with a revision of the EU standards under the Zero Pollution Action Plan. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • EU Funding and the Rule of Law

    EU Funding and the Rule of Law


    On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted a resolution that includes proposals for a mechanism aimed at protecting and strengthening democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. The reason is simple: the current control mechanisms used to monitor the health of democracy in the EU are no longer effective, because they are not binding enough when the governments fail to observe the rules. In the resolution, the European Parliament reaffirms its worries in relation to what it describes as “the rise and entrenchment of autocratic and illiberal tendencies, further compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic and economic recession, as well as corruption, disinformation and state capture, in several Member States.”



    The document also reads that the EU remains structurally ill-equipped to tackle an ongoing and unprecedented crisis of its fundamental laws, giving as an example the Councils failure to make meaningful progress in enforcing the procedures started against Hungary and Poland. That is why, the European Parliament believes, specific country recommendations are needed for the initiation of the Mechanism on the protection of European values, infringement proceedings and conditions to access European funds.



    Therefore, the EP proposes an Annual Monitoring Cycle, which will include preventive and corrective aspects, based on specific recommendations, with calendars and objectives for concrete measures, budget conditionalities and infringement proceedings. The proposals would strengthen and add to the existing mechanisms, such as the recent European Commission Report on the Rule of Law. Failure to settle the issues identified in this way might lead to specific corrective measures.



    Basically, the European Parliament wants the states that do not observe the European values and the principles of a European type of liberalism to no longer have access to the funds of a community founded on the very principles that such states breach.



    The European Parliament will only approve the 2021-2027 budget if there is a concrete conditionality mechanism that allows for a reduction or suspension of EU funding, when a member country does not respect the principles of the rule of law. Directly targeted by Union procedures for attempts to politically subordinate justice and public media, the conservative regimes in Hungary and Poland have threatened to block the future EU multiannual budget and the European post-pandemic recovery fund of 750 billion euros, if conditionalities on the rule of law will be introduced.



    In the ex-communist East there is a temptation to reinterpret the rules for ones own benefit. Even though no infringement proceedings have been launched against them, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia have been criticized for corruption and, in the case of the former left-wing government in Bucharest, pernicious changes to the laws of justice. (M. Ignatescu)


  • September 28, 2020 UPDATE

    September 28, 2020 UPDATE

    ELECTION
    – President Klaus Iohannis on Monday said Sunday’s results in the local
    election mark a victory for Romanian democracy, but also an unprecedented
    victory reported by right-wing parties. The President said the voter turnout
    was good, considering the health crisis the country is facing, and this proves
    society is acting responsibly. Romanians have voted for a new direction, for
    common sense and respect towards citizens, as well as for democracy, President
    Iohannis said. The President congratulated the National Liberal Party and the
    Save Romania Union – PLUS alliance for their good results in Sunday’s ballot,
    and asked them to continue cooperating with a view to shaping up a new majority
    in Parliament after the legislative election slated for December. According to
    partial results, the independent candidate Nicuşor Dan, backed by the
    National Liberal Party in power and the Save Romania Union – PLUS alliance won
    42.78% of the vote, to the detriment of his opponent, Social-Democrat Gabriela
    Firea, the current Mayor General of Bucharest, who won 37.95% of the vote.
    Candidates supported by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union-PLUS have
    reported victories in 3 of the 6 districts in the capital city, while left-wing
    candidates have won the mayor seats in the other three. Over 46% of Romanians
    voted in Sunday’s ballot to elect 41 presidents of county councils, over 1,300
    county councilmen, 40,000 local councilmen and over 3,200 mayors. Nationwide,
    the Social-Democratic Party has reportedly won 20 county councils, the Liberals
    17 and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians 4.




    COVID-19
    – 1,271 new coronavirus infections were reported on Monday in Romania, taking
    the total number of cases to almost 124,000. 99,344 people have recovered. 30
    new deaths were also reported on Monday, with the death toll now standing at
    4,748. Globally, the pandemic has caused more than 1 million deaths and over
    33.3 million infections, according to worldometers.info. Some 25 million people
    have recovered. The worst hit regions in terms of number of deaths are Latin
    America and the Caribbean, Europe, the United States and Canada. In the US
    alone, infections have passed 7.3 million and the death toll is nearing
    210,000. India also topped 6 million cases on Monday. According to World Health
    Organization officials, coronavirus fatalities could double to 2 million before
    a successful vaccine is widely used, and this figure could be even higher
    without coordinated measures to contain the pandemic.




    FUNDING
    – The European Commission has approved modifying the Competitiveness
    Operational Programme for Romania, by redirecting funding worth €550 million
    from the Cohesion Fund in order to offset the economic fallout of the
    coronacrisis. According to a Commission release, some 120,000 SMEs and other
    digitization and e-education initiatives will be able to access the funds. The
    Commission recalls Romania has already attracted some €350 million worth of EU
    funds in the healthcare sector to help doctors in the first line of defense
    against COVID-19. Thanks to the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative, a
    total of €900 million from the Cohesion Fund is being earmarked to efforts at
    combating the coroanvirus and its effects in Romania.




    EPPO -
    Romanian Laura Codruța Kovesi was sworn
    in on Monday as the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office at the
    Court of Justice of the European Union. Joining her in the swearing-in ceremony
    were another 22 prosecutors representing the 22 EPPO member states. In a joint
    agreement signed on October 16, 2019, the European Parliament and the Council
    of the European Union designated Laura Codruța Kovesi as the first head of the
    EPPO. Under a resolution passed on July 27, 2020, the Council of the European
    Union appointed the first European prosecutors. EPPO is an independent body of
    the European Union charged with investigating, prosecuting and taking to court
    crimes that infringe on the EU’s financial interests, such as corruption, or
    cross-border VAT fraud that result in a prejudice exceeding €10 million. To
    this end, the EPPO is conducting investigations and prosecutions working with
    the relevant courts of law in member states. The EPPO will be headquartered in
    Luxembourg.




    DEFICIT – Romania’s budget deficit went up to 5.18% of the GDP after the first
    eight months of the year, from 2.1% in the similar period of last year, the
    Ministry of Finance reports. Over half of the deficit reflects the costs of
    measures introduced to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. According to official
    estimates, the budget deficit will reach 8.6% this year, 5% of which directly accounting
    for the economic fallout of COVID-19.




    TENNIS – 4 Romanian tennis players will
    be competing in Tuesday’s first round at Roland Garros. Ana Bogdan will take on
    Timea Babos of Hungary, Monica Niculescu will play Danielle Collins of the
    United States, Sorana Cîrstea will
    go up against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, while Irina Bara will play Donna
    Vekic of Croatia. On Wednesday, Simona Halep, the top seed at Roland Garros,
    will play another Romanian player, Irina Begu. In the last encounter at the
    semi-finals in Prague, Halep defeated Begu. Eight Romanian players will compete
    in the women’s doubles: Raluca Olaru, Monica Niculescu, Irina Begu,
    Andreea Mitu, Irina Bara, Ana Bogdan, Patricia Ţig and Sorana Cîrstea. In the
    men’s doubles, Romanian Horia Tecău and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands,
    last year’s quarterfinalists, are seeded 12 and will play Cristian Garin of
    Chile and Pedro Martinez of Spain.


    (Translated by C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)

  • Creating a budget for the EU

    Creating a budget for the EU

    Promoting divergent views on the EU budget for next year, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU are currently negotiating to reconcile their positions. At the end of the talks, the Commission might well find itself forced to come up with a new budget structure.



    The budget put forth by the Commission, amounting to 168.3 billion euros, is roughly midway between the one supported by Parliament and the one created by the Council. The EP voted in favour of a 170.97 billion euro budget, whereas the Council, which represents the member states and rejected the amendments tabled by the Parliament, would like a budget of 166.8 billion, accounting for an increase of only 0.6% compared to last years figure.



    The priorities of the Council, the Parliament and the Commission are the same, the European Commissioner for Budget Gunther Oettinger said however in Strasbourg, listing among these priorities the economic growth and jobs, the youth, migration and strengthening Europes environmental policy. Speaking to Radio Romania, the MEP Siegfried Muresan talked about the Unions financial situation and priorities:



    Siegfried Muresan: “This is the last year of the 2014-2020 financial cycle, so there can be no miracles at this point. This cycle was planned back in 2013, and a lot has happened since then, which the European policymakers could not have predicted. First of all, we had the refugee crisis, we needed money for securing Europes borders, for increasing investments—and Id like to mention the setup of a special investment fund, called the Juncker Plan, for strategic investments, which mobilized investments of 440 billion euros leading to the employment of 1.1 million people in the EU. What Im trying to say is that we are entering the last year of this cycle, and most of the reserves have been used up for these unforeseen measures. It is now important for us to finance properly the traditional, classical priorities of the EU, so that the Union may be able to cover the expenses of the EU fund beneficiaries. The demand for funding is growing, which is why it is important that we have managed to come up with a budget that ensures the timely coverage of all these expenses.



    Seeking to get as close as possible to the goal of earmarking 20% of the total 2014-2020 budget for environment-related expenses, as planned in 2013, the European Parliament pays special attention to climate change. Estimates indicate that the target will not be achieved, particularly because of the small climate-related expenses in 2014, but the Parliament wants to contribute significantly to innovation, research and new, environment-friendly technologies next year. It also intends to support digitization, to help climate research as well as research in the field of severe disease and of more efficient farming. All these are adding to the efforts to create new jobs, to strengthen the competitiveness of the Unions economy and to reduce poverty.



    The Parliaments priorities related to climate, the future and youth are shared by the Council. The challenge is that 2020 is the last year of the current financial cycle, a year when some net payers will want to reduce the budget whereas other member countries would like more money in the field of cohesion and agriculture. Moreover, the Brexit situation remains uncertain, which in turn entails some costs.



    Siegfried Muresan: “In 2013 the UK signed the Unions multiannual budget for 2014-2020. In other words, irrespective of the actual date of its leaving the Union, Britain has committed to contribute to the community budget until December 31, 2020. And since they have contributed to the budget, it is only fair that they should also benefit from it. Britain has paid an annual average of 10 billion euros more than it has received, so obviously when the UK leaves, the Union will be 10 billion euros short. What do we do about it? First of all, we will reduce red tape in accessing EU funds, we will make it easier for beneficiaries to get EU funding, which means that each beneficiary will have smaller management expenses. We will do more with each euro of the EU budget. This is a first measure. The second is that each member state will have to contribute slightly more than before, and the third is that there will be budget cuts in the fields that require less money.



    According to the Romanian MEP, these budget cuts will not affect Romania, because the EU believes Romania still needs help and as such it will receive help in the forthcoming 7-year cycle as well.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 26, 2019 UPDATE

    October 26, 2019 UPDATE

    MILITARY Nearly 1,400 Romanian and foreign troops with 220 vehicles are taking part in the multinational exercise Scorpions Legacy 2019, held between October 25 and November 8 in Cincu, Braşov County, in central Romania, the press office of the Multinational Brigade South-East announced. The goal of the exercise is to train the staff of the multinational brigade headquartered in Craiova and of the affiliated units in Bulgaria, Italy and Portugal, though computer-assisted command drills, field training practice and shooting practice. The Headquarters Multinational Brigade Southeast ensures high-level capability to command forces deployed in the south-east of the Allied territory, with an important contribution to NATOs collective defence.



    MOTORWAY The Romanian Transport Ministry has submitted a funding application to the European Commission, concerning a 122 km-long motorway connecting Sibiu in central Romania to Pitesti in the south. According to the ministry, the first stage, for which funding is requested, consists in the construction of 53 km of motorway. The project amounts to a total 1.3 billion euros, 85% of which will come from the EU budget in non-reimbursable funds, and the balance from the Romanian government. The deadline for completion is December 2023.



    REPATRIATION Three Romanian citizens, 2 of them underage, were repatriated from Libya, via Tunisia and Turkey, the Foreign Ministry announced. The measure is part of the constant assistance and consular protection efforts made by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, via diplomatic offices in countries with major security risks. The Ministrys homepage continues to run a maximum-alert travel warning for Libya, reading “Major threat – leave country or area immediately!.



    MIGRANTS Border police from the Nădlac checkpoint, western Romania, found 20 citizens from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and India hiding in a truck while attempting to cross the border illegally. The police say they were trying to reach Western Europe. Investigations are now conducted against the truck driver, suspected of human trafficking and against the foreign citizens for attempted illegal border crossing.



    BREXIT The ambassadors of the 27 EU member states have deferred a decision regarding the Brexit postponement period to next week. Recently, they have agreed in principle on a new postponement of Britains exit from the Union, scheduled for October 31, and are now to reach a consensus on a new deadline. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, recommended a 3-month extension, to January 31. The European Parliament also agrees with this date, which would allow Britain to clarify its position and the EP to properly fulfil its duties.



    TENNIS The Romanian Simona Halep, number 5 in the world, landed in the Purple Group of the WTA Finals in Shenzhen (China), held between October 27 and November 3. On Monday she will play against the Romanian-born Canadian Simona Andreescu, no 4 WTA. Halep, winner of this years Wimbledon trophy, takes part in the tournament of the worlds elite 8 for the 6th time in her career. The Purple Group also includes Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) and Elina Svitolina (Ukraine), according to Fridays draw release. This edition has record-high prizes—14 million USD, twice as much as last year.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Week in Review 29 September – 5 October

    The Week in Review 29 September – 5 October

    No-confidence motion against the Cabinet


    The Cabinet headed by Viorica Dancila is facing a new motion of no-confidence, the first since the ruling coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats fell apart in August. The text of the motion against the Social Democrats minority government was read in Parliament on Thursday. The document, entitled “In order to rebuild Romania, the Dancila Cabinet must be dismissed immediately! will be discussed next Thursday, on October 10. The motion signatories argue that although the country has seen a favourable economic period, with significant economic growth, the Government has failed to start even one major infrastructure project. Confidence in the Romanian economy is dwindling, first of all because the business legislation changes almost on a weekly basis, the Opposition also says. The Social Democratic PM Viorica Dancila says on the other hand that the Government will not fall. The motion was signed by 237 MPs, from across the political spectrum, 4 more than the number of votes required for the document to pass.




    Romanias new nominations for European Commissioner


    The Romanian Government had to come up this week with new nominations for European Commissioner for Transport, after the European Parliaments legal affairs committee rejected Rovana Plumb on grounds of a conflict of interests. Convening in Bucharest on Tuesday night, the National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party decided that MEP Dan Nica, a former telecoms minister, was the Governments new nomination for the post. They also chose Gabriela Ciot, a state secretary with the Foreign Ministry, as a back-up candidate, in case the European Commission wanted a woman for this position. Disgruntled with both Rovana Plumbs candidacy, and with the 2 subsequent alternatives, the Opposition called on PM Viorica Dancila to no longer make any nominations without consultations with the President and without a vote in Parliaments specialised committees. The president of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, warned that otherwise more candidates will be rejected, damaging Romanias international reputation.




    EIB triples funding for Romanian SMEs


    The European Investment Bank triples the funds granted to Romanian small and medium sized enterprises. The announcement was made on Thursday by the EIB vice-president Andrew McDowell. The funding, increased from 500 million to 1.38 billion euros, can support 5,000 small and medium companies. McDowell added that the EIB Group provides not only financial resources, but also consulting services for preparing and implementing complex projects. He signed new contracts and changes in the existing agreements with the Romanian banking institutions interested in facilitating the access of Romanian companies to funding. According to the Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, over 2,000 Romanian SMEs have benefited from such funding so far.




    Anti-mafia chief prosecutor resigns


    The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis Wednesday signed a decree dismissing Felix Banila as chief prosecutor of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism. The latter had previously announced he would step down, although he claimed that he had not failed to do his duty. On Monday the President called for Banilas resignation, criticising him for the way in which the institution handled the investigations in the Caracal killings, a case with a heavy emotional impact on the public. Prosecutors are trying to determine whether 2 under-aged girls were killed by a presumed people trafficker, Gheorghe Dinca. The President argued that in both cases he saw delayed and outrageous responses from certain authorities, proving their disregard for both the victims and their families.



    Romania, guest of honour in Europalia International Art Festival


    The 50th edition of the Europalia International Art Festival, with Romania as a guest of honour, continues in Brussels, after it opened to the public on Wednesday. The official opening was on Tuesday, when King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Mathilde and the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis visited a Brancusi exhibition organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute at the Bozar Centre. This is the most important exhibition devoted to the Romanian sculptor in decades, and the highlight of the Festival. For the coming 4 months, events will be organised as part of Europalia in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and Britain, including over 250 visual art, music, theatre, literature and performing arts projects.




    Media 2020 Conference in Bucharest


    Radio Romania organised the 5th edition of the Media 2020 Conference, jointly with Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. The event in Bucharest brought together more than 40 representatives of the most important public media organisations in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Attending the event, the ABU president Javad Mottaghi emphasised that public media services need independent, unbiased and reliable news produced by professionals. The debates focused on the future of public media in the digital era, on strategies to protect copyright and on fighting fake news. Radio Romania and BBC Radio signed a bilateral partnership agreement. Similar agreements have been signed by Radio Romania with Radio France and RAI, as part of the Romanian public broadcasters strategy to collaborate with Europes most prestigious media institutions.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • European funds for Romania

    European funds for Romania

    The European Commission has adopted
    a four billion euro investment programme for 25 large-scale infrastructure
    projects in 10 member states. The projects cover several important areas such
    as healthcare, transportation, research, the environment and energy.




    4 of these 25 projects are to be
    implemented in Romania and aim to improve transportation in Bucharest,
    environment protection, also targeting a better water management. They will
    benefit from European funding of nearly two billion euros. Funds worth one
    billion euros will contribute to upgrading Bucharest’s ring road by extending
    several segments of that road. Another 97 million euros will be allocated for
    the second underground line in Bucharest including new tracks and rolling stock.
    Also, 603 million euros will finance the protection and rehabilitation of the tourist
    section of the Black Sea coast in Constanta County, south-eastern Romania. The
    project includes seafront reinforcement works, beach nourishment, measures for
    biodiversity conservation and monitoring equipment. The European Union will
    also invest over 135 million euros in high-quality drinking and waste water
    systems in Timis County, western Romania. 15,000 residents will be connected to
    the drinking water network and some 380,000 people will benefit from drinking
    water of higher quality.




    The European Commissioner for
    Regional Policy Corina Cretu said that an obstacle in the way of attracting
    more European funds for projects in Romania had been the change of priorities
    and the lack of coordination. She hailed however the fact that in the 2007-2013
    period, a better absorption of funds was reported and certain delays had been
    eliminated. Corina Cretu:




    I’m satisfied with the way in which
    European money has been used, for instance in the field of small and
    medium-sized businesses. I’m satisfied that the disengagement of EU funds has
    been avoided with the change of the Regional Operational Programme, which
    allowed for the purchase of ambulances in all counties of the country. My only
    regret is that at the end of my term in office we don’t know the fate of the
    three regional hospitals envisaged to be built and we don’t have other road
    infrastructure projects since Romania is the country with the highest road
    death rate in the EU.




    The European Commissioner expressed
    hope that projects that are vital for Romania will be submitted to the European
    Commission as soon as possible, including the projects for regional hospitals
    and for more motorways. According to the European Commission, more than 250
    major projects have received EU funding for the 2014-2020 period. The EU’s
    contribution to these projects amounts to 31 billion euros, accounting for half
    of their value.

  • European funds for Romania

    European funds for Romania

    The European Commission has adopted
    a four billion euro investment programme for 25 large-scale infrastructure
    projects in 10 member states. The projects cover several important areas such
    as healthcare, transportation, research, the environment and energy.




    4 of these 25 projects are to be
    implemented in Romania and aim to improve transportation in Bucharest,
    environment protection, also targeting a better water management. They will
    benefit from European funding of nearly two billion euros. Funds worth one
    billion euros will contribute to upgrading Bucharest’s ring road by extending
    several segments of that road. Another 97 million euros will be allocated for
    the second underground line in Bucharest including new tracks and rolling stock.
    Also, 603 million euros will finance the protection and rehabilitation of the tourist
    section of the Black Sea coast in Constanta County, south-eastern Romania. The
    project includes seafront reinforcement works, beach nourishment, measures for
    biodiversity conservation and monitoring equipment. The European Union will
    also invest over 135 million euros in high-quality drinking and waste water
    systems in Timis County, western Romania. 15,000 residents will be connected to
    the drinking water network and some 380,000 people will benefit from drinking
    water of higher quality.




    The European Commissioner for
    Regional Policy Corina Cretu said that an obstacle in the way of attracting
    more European funds for projects in Romania had been the change of priorities
    and the lack of coordination. She hailed however the fact that in the 2007-2013
    period, a better absorption of funds was reported and certain delays had been
    eliminated. Corina Cretu:




    I’m satisfied with the way in which
    European money has been used, for instance in the field of small and
    medium-sized businesses. I’m satisfied that the disengagement of EU funds has
    been avoided with the change of the Regional Operational Programme, which
    allowed for the purchase of ambulances in all counties of the country. My only
    regret is that at the end of my term in office we don’t know the fate of the
    three regional hospitals envisaged to be built and we don’t have other road
    infrastructure projects since Romania is the country with the highest road
    death rate in the EU.




    The European Commissioner expressed
    hope that projects that are vital for Romania will be submitted to the European
    Commission as soon as possible, including the projects for regional hospitals
    and for more motorways. According to the European Commission, more than 250
    major projects have received EU funding for the 2014-2020 period. The EU’s
    contribution to these projects amounts to 31 billion euros, accounting for half
    of their value.

  • European funds for Romania

    European funds for Romania

    The European Commission has adopted
    a four billion euro investment programme for 25 large-scale infrastructure
    projects in 10 member states. The projects cover several important areas such
    as healthcare, transportation, research, the environment and energy.




    4 of these 25 projects are to be
    implemented in Romania and aim to improve transportation in Bucharest,
    environment protection, also targeting a better water management. They will
    benefit from European funding of nearly two billion euros. Funds worth one
    billion euros will contribute to upgrading Bucharest’s ring road by extending
    several segments of that road. Another 97 million euros will be allocated for
    the second underground line in Bucharest including new tracks and rolling stock.
    Also, 603 million euros will finance the protection and rehabilitation of the tourist
    section of the Black Sea coast in Constanta County, south-eastern Romania. The
    project includes seafront reinforcement works, beach nourishment, measures for
    biodiversity conservation and monitoring equipment. The European Union will
    also invest over 135 million euros in high-quality drinking and waste water
    systems in Timis County, western Romania. 15,000 residents will be connected to
    the drinking water network and some 380,000 people will benefit from drinking
    water of higher quality.




    The European Commissioner for
    Regional Policy Corina Cretu said that an obstacle in the way of attracting
    more European funds for projects in Romania had been the change of priorities
    and the lack of coordination. She hailed however the fact that in the 2007-2013
    period, a better absorption of funds was reported and certain delays had been
    eliminated. Corina Cretu:




    I’m satisfied with the way in which
    European money has been used, for instance in the field of small and
    medium-sized businesses. I’m satisfied that the disengagement of EU funds has
    been avoided with the change of the Regional Operational Programme, which
    allowed for the purchase of ambulances in all counties of the country. My only
    regret is that at the end of my term in office we don’t know the fate of the
    three regional hospitals envisaged to be built and we don’t have other road
    infrastructure projects since Romania is the country with the highest road
    death rate in the EU.




    The European Commissioner expressed
    hope that projects that are vital for Romania will be submitted to the European
    Commission as soon as possible, including the projects for regional hospitals
    and for more motorways. According to the European Commission, more than 250
    major projects have received EU funding for the 2014-2020 period. The EU’s
    contribution to these projects amounts to 31 billion euros, accounting for half
    of their value.

  • January 29, 2018 UPDATE

    January 29, 2018 UPDATE

    CABINET – The new government of Romania, headed by the Social Democrat Viorica
    Dăncilă, was validated on Monday by the 2 chambers of Parliament, which
    convened in a special meeting after the ministers designates were heard in the
    specialised committees. The new Cabinet, nominated by the Social democratic
    Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, got 282 votes, and it only needed 233. 136 MPs votes against
    and there was one abstention.Also on Monday,
    the new ministers were sworn in, in the presence of the head of state, Klaus
    Iohannis.He voiced his hope that this 3rd
    cabinet backed by the ruling coalition would put an end to the government
    hopping that last year led to a deterioration of the social climate and an
    atmosphere that cannot be conducive to
    the development of society. There is
    a red line that governments are not allowed to cross, and infringing upon the
    independence of the judiciary is unacceptable, the President warned    . The ruling coalition must not overlook the
    signal conveyed by hundreds of thousands of Romanians, who continue to support
    the rule of law through street rallies, Iohannis added. Previously, in
    Parliament Viorica Dancila said the goal of her Cabinet was for Romania
    to be in the top half of the EU economies in 2020. She added that the means
    to achieve this included an increase in infrastructure upgrade investments, further increases in citizen incomes, a public administration reform
    and reducing bureaucracy. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania
    and ethnic minorities MPs decided to give the new Cabinet a chance, whereas the
    National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement Party, all
    in Opposition, voted against it. The new Cabinet is made up of 28 members, with 4
    deputy PMs, as compared to 3 in the previous executive team.




    JUSTICE – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, will meet in Brussels on Wednesday with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The focal points on the agenda of talks include the judicial overhaul, the fight against corruption and Romanias holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. The Commission has recently voiced its concerns with the latest developments in Romania, and called on the Romanian Parliament to reconsider the changes brought to the justice laws. The independence of the judiciary and its capacity to fight corruption effectively are essential cornerstones of a strong Romania in the EU, the President and the First Vice-President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and Frans Timmermans, respectively, said in a joint statement. At the end of 2017, the parliamentary majority made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania adopted changes to the justice laws, raising concern among European institutions and member states, generating wide-scale protests in the country and stirring harsh criticism from magistrates and the right wing opposition.




    EU FUNDS – In 2007-2017 Romania has received 45.7 billion Euros from the EU budget, accounting for an annual average of 2.8% of the GDP, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, said on Monday in a conference also attended by the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu. The central bank governor has also said that taking into account Romanias contribution to the EU budget, net inflows of European funds stood at 30.4 billion Euro, that is 1.8% of the GDP per year on average. Corina Creţu Monday started a two-day official visit to Romania. Her agenda also includes a meeting with the Prime Minister designate, Viorica Dăncilă, for talks on European funds. The European official has said she comes to Bucharest to lay the foundations for a tight and fruitful cooperation with the new Government, with regard to the best use of resources available under the multi-annual 2014-2020 financial framework, and for talks on the new post-2020 financial framework.




    EU – The European Commission organises a ministerial meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, with 9 member states taking part, including Romania, which may be subject to infringement over breaches in air quality regulations. The other participants, besides Romania, are the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Slovakia, Spain and Hungary. A 2008 European Directive defines air quality thresholds and binds member states to limit the exposure of their citizens to air pollution. In spite of this obligation, air quality standards are still breached in over 130 cities in Europe, the European Commission says.




    DEFENCE – Romanian chief of staff, gen. Nicolae Ciucă, takes part on Tuesday in Bratislava, in a conference of the US European Command (EUCOM). According to a news release issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry, Central European military chiefs will discuss, at the EUCOM conference, NATOs best possible responses to global security challenges. Other topics include national and regional security challenges, including the southern and eastern flanks of NATO, the common training programme for 2018 aimed at enhancing interoperability and the development of crisis response capabilities, the development of USA projects in Europe, and means for NATO members and partners to contribute to agreed Allied initiatives.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 18, 2017 UPDATE

    December 18, 2017 UPDATE

    1989 REVOLUTION — Events continued on Monday in Timisoara, western Romania, to commemorate the heroes fallen 28 years ago, during the 1989 revolution that took down the communist regime. The schedule of events started on Saturday, and will end with the celebration of Victory Day, 20th December, the day when Timisoara was declared the first city free of communism. The revolution was triggered by a revolt of Timisoara citizens as a protest against abuse by the authorities. It quickly spread across the country, causing the dictator couple Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu to attempt to flee on December 22nd. Between December 16 and 25, more than 1,000 people died and 3.400 were injured. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country where the transition from communism was violent. Top military prosecutors said on Monday in a press conference that the main cause of violence, death and injuries was a military diversionary campaign started on the night of December 22nd.




    MINORITIES — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis issued a message on National Minority Day, emphasizing the special role they had in developing modern Romania. According to the head of state, himself an ethnic German, national minorities are a living, vibrant part of Romanian society, contributing not only to preserving their own ancestral heritage, but to the development of society at large. In his message, President Iohannis recalled that he recently endorsed the law proclaiming December 18 National Minority Day, an expression of the fact that Romania recognizes, respects, protects and values the common cultural heritage that knits the nation together.




    BUDGET — The Parliament in Bucharest on Monday adopted, on articles, the 2018 budget bill. Also green lighted were the amounts earmarked for the Presidency, Senate, Chamber of Deputies and the Government’s General Secretariat. Works will continue on Tuesday when the addendums will be debated, with the final voting being scheduled for Thursday. Romania’s budget next year is based on a 5.5% economic growth and a budget deficit of 2.97% of the GDP.




    FUNDING — European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu met on Monday in Bucharest with PM Mihai Tudose. The head of government said that the executive had met its commitment to attract European funding, considering that orders for payment have been filed covering as much as 5.2 billion Euro. According to the PM, the target for next year is at least 6.3 billion Euro. The declaration was made after the European commissioner and the head of the government in Bucharest signed financing contracts. Commissioner Cretu, who stays in Romania until Tuesday, is scheduled to attend various events related to European funding.




    JUSTICE — On Monday hundreds of judges and prosecutors protested outside Courts in the capital Bucharest and several other cities, over planned modifications to the legal system they say will hamper prosecutions. The changes are proposed by the ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. It is for the first time in years that judges and prosecutors express in this manner their disapproval with the measures passed by the legislative power. Thousands of people took to the streets in protest on Sunday in Bucharest and other cities across the country against proposed changes to the legislation regulating the judicial system. The special parliamentary committee that studies proposed changes met on Monday to discuss the amendments introduced to modify the draft law, which will be debated by the Senate as a decision making body. These are related to the status of magistrates and the laws on judicial organization and the functioning of the National Council of Magistracy.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)





  • 2017 State Budget Reaches Parliament

    2017 State Budget Reaches Parliament

    The Romanian Government has adopted the draft laws on the state budget and social security budget for 2017. The law relies on an expected 12 billion-euro hike in Romanias GDP as compared to the previous year. Finance Minister Viorel Stefan explains:



    Viorel Stefan: “The main macroeconomic forecast we used in drawing up the budget for 2017 are an economic growth rate of 5.2%, a budget deficit of 3%, revenues standing at 56.6 billion euros and spending at 62 billion euros. We estimate an inflation rate of 1.4% and an unemployment rate of 4.3%.



    According to Viorel Stefan, the budget for healthcare has seen a significant increase. The priority of the Health Ministry for 2017 is to allot an additional 155 million euros for subsidized and free medicine, building regional hospitals, fitting each county hospital with a computed tomography scanner, purchasing mandatory vaccines for children and fitting seven hospitals with linear accelerators for cancer treatment.



    Finance Minister Viorel Stefan says an additional 1.4 billion euros have been allotted to the Labour Ministry as compared to 2016, in order to help sustain two important decisions, namely increasing the national minimum wage to 320 euros starting February 1 and increasing pensions starting this spring.



    The Transport Ministry got an additional 60% funding as compared to the previous year for the construction of new motorways and wrapping up construction works for a new subway line in Bucharest. The Culture Ministry will get additional funds too, as salaries of employees working in performing arts institutions will also be increased. The state budget for this year also observes Romanias commitment towards its international partners in NATO, regarding the allotment of 2% of the countrys GDP to the field of defence.


    (translated by: Vlad Palcu)