Radio România Internațional

Tag: funeral

  • August 1, 2024 UPDATE

    August 1, 2024 UPDATE

     

    Loan. Romania signed a financing agreement with the World Bank worth 600 million euros for development policies regarding fiscal management and green growth. The loan was conditioned on the implementation of some structural reforms, the actions related to the agreement being completed prior to the negotiation, the Finance Ministry announced on Thursday. According to a press release, it is about important structural reforms to strengthen fiscal management and improve resilience in the face of climate change. The financial support from the World Bank has a maturity of 15 years, with repayment in a single installment, on July 15, 2039. In the 32 years of partnership between Romania and the World Bank, the institution granted Bucharest 13 loans, worth 1.7 billion euros.

     

    Warning. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that, in the context of recent security developments and the increased risk of escalation, a travel warning is in force for the State of Israel, level 8/9 – AVOID ANY TRAVEL. The ministry strongly recommends rescheduling for a later date, depending on the evolution of the security situation, all trips for tourist or pilgrimage purposes. The security situation is volatile, significant damage can occur suddenly, without prior warning, with the consequence of closing the land and air borders of the State of Israel – warns the MFA. A similar warning, level 8/9 – AVOID ANY TRAVEL, is also in place for the entire territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The MFA points out that, against the background of the recent developments in the security situation in the Gulf area, several air transport companies have taken the decision to introduce a detour route for flights transiting the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz, given the real risk to passengers and crews’ safety.


    Commissioner.     The Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated that his colleague, MEP Victor Negrescu, is one of the options regarding the proposal that Romania is to make for the position of European Commissioner in the future European Commission. He specified that the Social-Democratic MEP Mihai Tudose refused a possible nomination for this position. August 30 is the deadline by which each member state of the European Union must propose two candidates for the post of European Commissioner in the future Community Executive. Re-confirmed for the second term as president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen emphasized, in a letter, that she wants each country to propose a man and a woman. In the former community executive, Romania was represented by the liberal Alina Vălean, who held the Transport portfolio.


    Support.     Romania is among the nine member states to receive technical support for the preparation of their national plans for the implementation of the Pact on migration and asylum, the European Commission Representation in Romania announced. According to a press release, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Romania have submitted requests for support and will receive specific advice from experts for four months. This support will help Member States prepare their national implementation plans, which must be submitted by early December.

     

    Funeral. Thousands of people participated, on Thursday, in the state-organized funeral, in the capital of Iran, of the assassinated leader of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, a ceremony marked by calls to avenge his death, France Presse reports. He is to be buried in Qatar on Friday. The Iranian government has declared three days of national mourning after the political leader of Hamas was assassinated in Tehran in an airstrike. Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated shortly after the military commander of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah, another close ally of Iran, was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon. The two attacks generated fears that the war in the East could expand. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted by the Radio Romania correspondent in Israel, admitted that difficult days will follow, but emphasized that the Israeli army is prepared for any scenario.

     

    Government. The Bucharest Government on Thursday approved an ordinance meant to regulate some measures for the management of European funds allocated to Romania through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. The document also includes provisions necessary for the fulfillment of milestones and targets within the NRRP. According to a press release by the executive, the government also adopted a draft law for the ratification of the agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding its privileges and immunities in Romania. The ratification of this international agreement, signed in Bucharest on March 19, 2024, corresponds to the political commitment of the Romanian Government to support the efforts of the international community to respond to the urgent protection and assistance needs of people affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

     

    Olympic Games. Romanian rowers Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache won the gold medals in the men’s double sculls on Thursday at the Olympic Games in Paris. Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiș, Olympic champions in Tokyo, won the silver medal in the women’s double sculls event. The women’s four-man crew came out fourth, and the men’s four-man crew came out fifth. Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle, on Wednesday evening, in a final in which the Chinese Zhanle Pan won the gold with a new world record. According to the specialized press, the final was a formidable one, the fastest in history. On Monday, Popovici (19 years old) won gold in the 200 meters freestyle. On Fiday, On Romanian athletes compete in athletics, rowing and yachting at the Olympic Games in Paris. (EE)

  • January 2, 2023 UPDATE

    January 2, 2023 UPDATE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • January 2, 2023

    January 2, 2023

    SWIMMING The Romanian athlete David Popovici was awarded the best
    swimmer of the year 2022 title by the well-known website Swimswam.com. The
    peak of Popovici’s year came at the 2022 European Championships. There, he
    first took down Cesar Cielo’s super-suited world record time of 46.91 in the
    100 free, going 46.86. Then, he swam a 1:42.97 in the 200 free, becoming the
    third male to break 1:43 behind Paul Biedermann and Michael Phelps and the first
    to do so in a textile suit, the website says. David Popovici won the 100 and
    200 free at every major long course international meet that he competed at: the
    World Championships, the European Championships, the World Junior Championships,
    and the European Championships.


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


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


    UKRAINE
    Russia last night carried on attacks on Ukraine using Iranian-made drones, and
    targeting the capital city in particular. Air raid alerts sounded for several
    hours, and local authorities say a young man was injured and several buildings
    damaged. This is the second consecutive night of heavy Russian missile attacks
    on Kyiv, after the massive one on New Year’s night. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian
    forces, which destroyed some of the drones, announced having caused substantial
    casualties among the Russian troops in Bakhmut, a small town in the east of the
    country which has been seeing heavy fighting for several months now. Apparently
    170 Russian troops were killed and at least 200 wounded. Moscow has not yet
    confirmed the losses, but said its recent attacks targeted buildings where the
    Ukrainians were reportedly producing drones.


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


    BRAZIL
    Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was sworn in and vowed to rebuild
    the country together with the Brazilian people. For his 3rd term in
    office as president, Lula da Silva (77) announced plans to strengthen
    environment protection and curb famine. He criticised his far-right
    predecessor Jair Bolsonaro’s government, arguing
    that They emptied the resources for health, dismantled education, culture,
    science, and destroyed the environmental protections. Luiz Inacio Lula da
    Silva governed the country in 2003-2010, when he fought poverty through major
    social programmes. However, corruption had deepened during his previous terms
    in office, and da Silva himself served time for corruption and money
    laundering, although later on the Supreme Court ruled it a mistrial. (AMP)

  • September 27, 2022

    September 27, 2022

    Justice – Debates continue today in Romania’s Parliament on the articles of the law on the status of judges and prosecutors. The special parliamentary committee has already been discussing for several days the last bill from the package of new justice laws drafted by the Government. On Monday the senators and deputies from the special parliamentary committee continued the article-by-article debate of the draft law on the status of judges and prosecutors and managed to adopt approximately 180 articles out of the 294 of the law. Most of the articles passed in the form submitted by the executive. Also on Monday, the report on the draft law on judicial organization was adopted by the parliamentary committee, a document that today enters the plenary debate of the Chamber of Deputies, as the first body notified.



    Tokyo – The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, are in Japan, where they participate, today, in the state funeral organized in honor of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had a decisive contribution to the launch of the actions meant to take the relations between the two countries at the level of a strategic partnership. The participation of 4,300 people, including 700 from abroad, was announced for the ceremony. Among them are approximately fifty leaders or former leaders of foreign countries, including the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel. Shinzo Abe was killed, on July 8, by a former officer, with a homemade gun, during a campaign speech. On Monday, Nicolae Ciuca met with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, with whom he discussed the security and defense component, one of the four cooperation pillars of the future Strategic Partnership, and also economic cooperation, given that Japan is the largest Asian investor in Romania. The Japanese Prime Minister assured his Romanian counterpart of his full support for the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership and the consolidation of bilateral cooperation, including at external level, in the regional and international context that requires the protection of democracy and the rule of law.



    Referendum — The so-called referendums on the annexation to the Russian Federation of the Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscows troops are ending today. Held as of Friday in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, in the east, and in those invaded since spring, Kherson and Zaporozhe, in the south, the alleged people’s consultations were denounced as a “simulacrum” by Ukraine and its Western allies. The so-called G7 group, gathering the worlds seven richest democracies, has warned that it will “never recognize” the results of the referendums, while Washington has vowed a “swift and severe” response, through further economic sanctions, to these annexations, which follow the model of the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in March 2014. Communist China, a close partner of Moscow, did not denounce the referendums, but demanded respect for the “territorial integrity of all countries”. The so-called local authorities, instated by the invading Russian army, announced that the “provisional results” of the referendums should be announced on Tuesday evening or in the coming days. The Russian Parliament will then have to vote on a text formalizing the integration of the four Ukrainian regions into Russia.



    Corruption – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Tuesday, upon the anniversary of 20 years of existence of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, that the work of anti-corruption prosecutors must be doubled by a clear, coherent legislation that guarantees the independence of the judiciary and creates the necessary mechanisms for the good functioning of the prosecutors’ offices. The president also said that the reform of the justice laws must be completed in accordance with the recommendations of European bodies. Klaus Iohannis emphasized that, with each step taken in the fight against corruption at all levels, Romania is closer to concluding the MCV, joining the Schengen area and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “A society in which corruption is sanctioned gives citizens confidence in the state and tells investors and external partners that there is predictability and stability” President Iohannis concluded.



    Football – Romanias national football team defeated, on Monday evening, in Bucharest, Bosnias national team, score 4-1, in Group 3 of League B of the Nations League, but was relegated to the third echelon. With only two victories and a draw in six games, the Romanians are on last position in the group, being outrun by Bosnia, Montenegro and Finland. Selector Edward Iordănescu announced that he was going to discuss with the management of the specialized federation if he left or remained coach of the representative team. For Romania, which also missed qualification to this years World Cup in Qatar, the next competition will be the Euro 2024 preliminaries, hosted by Germany. (LS)

  • September 26, 2022 UPDATE

    September 26, 2022 UPDATE

    ITU – More than 3,000 leaders and delegations from 193 countries are gathering in Bucharest, as of Monday until October 14, to set the global direction of digital transformation and to choose the future leadership of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency for information technology and communications. During the three weeks, the delegations will include representatives of private companies, academic institutions and national, regional and international bodies involved in the organizations activities regarding radio communications and the standardization or promotion of digital transformation in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Romania is the first country in the EU to organize this large-scale event and where the general policies of the ITU will be established, as well as the strategic and financial plans for the period 2024-2027.



    Tokyo — The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, are in Japan, where, on Tuesday, they will participate in the state funeral organized in honor of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who contributed decisively to the start of actions meant to raise the relations between the two countries at the level of a strategic partnership. Shinzo Abe was killed on July 8 by a former officer with a homemade gun during a campaign speech. During Monday’s talks with the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, Nicolae Ciuca said that raising the relations between Romania and Japan to the level of the Strategic Partnership is an opportune political act in the current international context, which materializes the remarkable vision of the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the foreign policy field. An important point of the meeting was the security and defense component, one of the four cooperation pillars of the future Strategic Partnership, the talks also focusing on economic cooperation, given that Japan is the largest Asian investor in Romania. The Japanese Prime Minister appreciated the presence of his Romanian counterpart in Tokyo and assured him of his full support for the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership and the consolidation of bilateral cooperation, including at external level, in the regional and international context that requires the protection of democracy and the rule of law.



    IMF — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised upwards Romania’s economic growth forecast for 2022 up to 4.8%, the Finance Ministry announced on Monday. In June, the chief of the IMF mission for Romania, Jan Kees Martjn, announced that the IMF had improved Romania’s economic growth forecast at almost 3.5%- 4.5% for 2022 and 2023. The reforms included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan are on schedule and will significantly contribute to our mission, as well as the fiscal sustainability measures, the management of public investments and the budget consolidation, the Romanian finance minister Adrian Câciu said. An IMF team, led by Jan Kees Martijn, visited Bucharest, between May 30 and June 10, for the annual analysis of the Romanian economy, known as the Article IV Consultation.



    Refugees – The Border Police General Inspectorate informs that, on Sunday, more than 90 thousand people, of whom almost 10 thousand Ukrainian citizens, entered Romania through border points throughout the country. The figure represents a decrease of 7.6% as compared to the previous day. As of February 10, 2022 (a pre-conflict period), more than 2.4 million Ukrainian citizens have crossed the border into Romania, the Border Police General Inspectorate also announced.



    Flu – Health experts expect a significant impact of the flu in the 2022-2023 cold season. They draw attention that vaccination against the flu remains extremely important in reducing the risk of double infection – with the classic flu virus and with SARS-CoV-2, especially among vulnerable categories. In Romania, the first tranches of flu vaccines have already arrived. They can be administered in family doctors offices.



    Rome – Italys far-right leader, Giorgia Meloni, claimed victory in Sundays election on behalf of the right-wing bloc that won most of the seats in Parliament, according to exit polls. Georgia Meloni, who leads the most voted party, Fratelli dItalia, could become the first woman prime minister in the history of the country, if the president entrusts her with the mandate. The alliance of conservative parties, which also includes Matteo Salvinis League and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party, obtained between 41.5% and 45.5%, enough to guarantee control of both Houses of Parliament. The center-left could win between 25 and 29 % of the vote, while the populist Five Star Movement, which ran alone, between 14 and 18 %. The new parliament in Rome will have a smaller number of deputies, 400 instead of 630, and 200 senators, instead of the current 315.



    Parliament — On Monday, the debates on the articles related the status of magistrates were resumed in the Romanian Parliament. It is the third bill from the package of new justice laws, drafted by the justice ministry and assumed by the government. The marathon debates in the special parliamentary committee for justice laws have led to the adoption, so far, of over 140 of the 294 articles of the law on the status of judges and prosecutors. Most articles passed in the form proposed by the Government. This week, Parliament also resumes the debates on the energy ordinance, a document currently debated by the Senate’s specialized committees. The Social Democrats (in the governing coalition) say that the bill must be improved and demand that the price cap be related to current consumption and not to last years consumption, as requested by the opposition USR. The PNL (also in the governing coalition) wants the ceiling to be set according to the consumption of the last three years for each individual month. At the debates in the Senate, the representatives of the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority said that the fairest way to establish the cap is to take as reference the consumption registered over a certain period of time, because a calculation of the energy price based on the current bill would be complicated for suppliers. (LS)

  • September 18, 2022

    September 18, 2022

    Funeral. Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, and Prince Consort Radu take part today, at Buckingham Palace, in the State reception given by King Charles III of Great Britain, the Royal Family of Romania informs. The cited source states that, during the evening, Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Radu will hold vigil besides the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, in Westminster Hall. The Custodian of the Crown and the Prince Consort arrived in London on Saturday to attend the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Custodian of the Crown Margareta is the daughter of the last Sovereign of Romania, King Michael I (1921-2017), who reigned between 1940 and 1947, when the communist puppet government, installed by the Soviet occupation troops, forced him to abdicate and go into exile. The Romanian and British royal houses are related.



    Ukraine. The Czech Presidency of the European Union requested the establishment of a special international tribunal, after the discovery of hundreds of bodies buried near Izium, a city in eastern Ukraine, reseized by Kievs troops after months of Russian occupation. “In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are inconceivable and heinous”, the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Twitter. Ukrainian authorities reported “450 bodies of civilians, bearing signs of violent death and torture, buried in a forest on the outskirts of Izium”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that “the exhumation process continues”, also stating that “torture was a widespread practice in the occupied territories” and that the Russian fascists are doing what the Nazis did. The president promises to find the culprits, “on the battle field or in justice”. The US President, Joe Biden, once again warned his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, against the use of chemical or nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Such a measure “would change the course of the war, like never before” since the second world war, Biden said, promising a “substantial response” of the United States if this step were taken.



    Refugees. The General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs that on Saturday, September 17, 241,400 people crossed Romanias borders of which 11,173 were Ukrainian citizens, 4.3% more than the the previous day. According to a press release from the Inspectorate, sent to the media on Sunday, starting on February 10, two weeks before the Russian army invaded their country, 2,339,683 Ukrainian citizens entered neighboring Romania.



    Anniversary. Numerous cultural events are scheduled today in the Capital of Romania, to mark 563 years since Bucharest was first mentioned in documents. Todays capital was first named on September 21, 1459, in a document issued by Vlad the Impaler, the then voivode of the medieval principality of Wallachia and later a source of inspiration for the famous fictional character Dracula by the Irish writer Bram Stoker.



    Tourism. Following the votes of more than 500,000 tourists from all over the world, the city of Oradea, in the north-west of Romania holds the sixth place among the top destinations suitable for both city-break trips and extended holidays, reads a Facebook post by the Romanian Ministry of Tourism. According to the “European best destinations” ranking, Oradea is considered a model for many destinations in Romania, with a surprising architectural landscape and a diverse cultural program. Designated this year as the most beautiful art nouveau destination in Europe, Oradea deserves to be on the list of tourist destinations that must be visited at least once in a lifetime, the ministry representatives say.



    Handball. The Romanian womens handball champion, Rapid Bucharest, plays, today, at home, against the French team Metz, its second match in Group B of the Champions League. A week ago, in the first match, Rapid defeated, in Croatia, the team Lokomotiva Zagreb, 31-27. Also today, Romanias vice-champion, CSM Bucharest, will meet, away from home, another French team, Brest, in a match from Group A of the League. In the first game, the Romanians beat the Slovenian team Krim Ljubljana at home, 30-28. Bucharest is the only European capital that has two teams in the most important continental womens interclub handball competition. (MI)


  • September 14, 2022 UPDATE

    September 14, 2022 UPDATE

    Debates – The new scheme for capping and compensating the price of energy on Wednesday reached the parliamentary committees in Bucharest for debates. The senators from the economic and energy commissions are debating the document recently adopted by the government, which includes the new scheme for compensating and capping the energy price, which applies from September 1. According to the emergency ordinance, the monthly consumption level up to which the price will be capped was reduced to 255 KWh, in the case of electricity. The intention of the government is for people to try to save electricity in the coming period. In the case of natural gas, the ordinance does not make any changes for domestic consumers. The interim speaker of the Senate, Alina Gorghiu, has declared that the ordinance will be modified in the commissions, if anything was omitted, but the changes will be made with the agreement of the governing coalition. The provisions in the emergency ordinance have triggered criticism from the opposition and the business environment.



    Energy — The EU will propose measures to cap the income of low-cost electricity producers and will force companies that sell fossil fuels to share the profits they make following the increase in energy prices. The announcement was made on Wednesday by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during her speech on the state of the EU held in the plenary session of the European Parliament gathered in Strasbourg. She also said that the EU bloc was also discussing capping energy prices and was working on establishing a more representative gas reference price than that at the TTF hub in Amsterdam. In the spring, at the TTF hub in Amsterdam, the gas pricing hub for the European gas market, the pricing reached the record level of almost 335 Euros for one MWh. Also, the European Commission will propose that member countries should reduce their net monthly electricity consumption by at least 10% and by 5% during peak hours, until March 31, 2023. Instead, the EC document does not include a ceiling for the price of natural gas, an idea that caused divisions among the member countries. Ursula von der Leyen has warned that a difficult period will follow for companies and households in Europe, evoking the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine.



    London – Five days after the death in Scotland, on September 8, of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, the Queen’s coffin arrived at Buckingham Palace in London, last night, to the applause of the crowd, and it was greeted by the new King Charles III. After being on public display for the first time, for 24 hours, in Edinburgh, the royal coffin was flown to the British Capital by a Royal Air Force plane and deposited overnight at Buckingham Palace before being moved, on Wednesday, to Westminster Hall, the building of the British Parliament. From this evening, people will have access to the Parliament building, to pass by the Queen’s coffin. People started queuing as of Tuesday. Hundreds of thousands of people, spread over kilometers and regardless of the weather, are expected to queue for hours to bid their final farewell to the queen. Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral will take place on September 19, at Westminster Abbey. Romania will be represented by President Klaus Iohannis. Her Majesty Margareta, the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, and Prince Consort Radu will also attend the funeral.



    Software — The Romanian government will force all central and local public authorities to give up Russian anti-virus solutions or applications that could be under Moscows control. A draft law in this sense was on the agenda of the government’s meeting on Wednesday, in the context in which other European states, such as Germany and Italy, have already made such decisions. Kaspersky company, which produces one of the best known antivirus solutions, will be directly affected by this measure, because all its software will have to be uninstalled from public computer systems in the country. Any antivirus program creates backdoors on computers and could be used for espionage. The bill’s substantiation note shows that many public institutions and local administration authorities in Romania, including Bucharest City Hall, purchase and use Russian antivirus programs, due to their low prices.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan (65 WTA) qualified, on Wednesday, to the quarter finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Portoroz, Slovenia, after defeating the Slovenian Tamara Zidansek, 6-1, 6-7, 6-1. The Romanian player will fight for a place in the quarter finals with the Spanish Cristina Bucsa (110 WTA), or the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (18 WTA). The Portoroz tournament, on an outdoor hard court, has prizes up for grabs worth over 200 thousand Euros. (LS)

  • September 10, 2022 UPDATE

    September 10, 2022 UPDATE


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



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



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



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



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


  • June 10, 2020

    June 10, 2020

    COVID-19 In Romania, 6 more people infected with the novel coronavirus died, taking the death toll to 1,360, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Wednesday. According to the latest data, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Romania is over 20,700. Of these, more than 14,900 have recovered, while 152 patients are in intensive care units. Around 3,300 Romanian nationals living abroad have so far tested positive for the virus, mostly in Italy, Germany and Spain, and 114 of them died. A large-scale testing programme begins in Bucharest today, aimed at determining the immunisation level, the City Hall announced. 10,500 people have been selected to take part, based on sampling conducted by the National Public Health Institute. The head of the Emergency Department (DSU), Raed Arafat, said on Tuesday night that the European Civil Protection structures are preparing for a possible second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that no one can predict at present whether this will be more severe than the first. Arafat argued that full relaxation is not recommended and that, should a second wave start, some measures will have to be taken.



    PARLIAMENT In Bucharest, the finance minister, Florin Cîţu, is invited today to present explanations to the Senate’s economic and budget-finances committees concerning the Standard&Poor’s decision with respect to including Romania in their investment-grade category. Yesterday, a simple motion tabled by the Social Democratic Party in opposition against labour minister Violeta Alexandru was discussed and passed by the Senate. The Social Democrats requested the Labour Minister to step down over the emergency order on furlough and other measures concerning vulnerable categories, which was poorly written and required several successive changes. The minister was also criticised for how she handled the situation of the Romanian nationals who left the country to work abroad.



    PROTEST The ”Ambulanţa” National Trade Union Federation organised a 2-hour protest across Romania, to warn against the postponement of regulations concerning the ambulance personnel and the organisation of ambulance services in the country. The unionists are also disgruntled, among other things, with the authorities failing to pay the COVID-19 bonus and other incentives, and overlooking a number of legislative initiatives coming from the Federation.



    MEETING The Romanian interior minister Marcel Vela and the US Ambassador to Bucharest Adrian Zuckerman had a meeting focusing, among others, on the strategic partnership and the Visa Waiver programme. The 2 officials also discussed the cooperation between the US and Romania in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and in fighting crime. At present Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus are the only EU member states not covered by the US Visa Waiver system.



    FUNERAL George Floyd, the African-American whose death while in police custody triggered anti-racism protests around the world, was buried in his home town, Houston. Calls for racial justice were the main theme of the funeral. In the US Congress, the Democrats yesterday tabled a police reform bill aimed at putting an end to racism in the system. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Washington, the “Justice in Policing Act of 2020 is the most ambitious and comprehensive law enforcement reform attempted in Congress in recent decades, following the massive protests sparked by George Floyds death.



    PANDEMIC The total number of novel coronavirus infections worldwide now passes 7.2 million, with over 3.5 million patients recovered and 408,000 dead, according to worldometers.info. The US remains the worst hit country in the world, with nearly 113,000 deaths, followed by Britain with close to 41,000, Brazil (over 38,000) and Italy (over 34,000 deaths). Brazil, one of the most affected countries in the world, has resumed the release of data concerning the Covid-19 infections on the governments home page, following a Supreme Court ruling. In spite of the large number of victims, many countries continue to ease containment measures and reopen their economy.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Year in Review (II)

    The Year in Review (II)

    Two governments, the same ruling coalition 2017 was the year when the government headed by Sorin Grindeanu was installed and also the year when he was sacked following a no confidence vote. Oddly enough, the same majority that put him in the prime minister post, namely, the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (PSD-ALDE), was the one that tabled the censure motion. Sorin Grindeanu was sacked for political disobedience to the Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea. It was Mihai Tudose that replaced Grindeanu, in the second half of the year. “I’m expecting you to do everything in your power to support an independent justice system in Romania”, President Klaus Iohannis told the government last January. The new leftist Government inaugurated its mandate with the infamous Ordinance 13 that partially decriminalized the abuse of office, which would have triggered the pardoning of a number of politicians guilty of various offenses. This would have also been the case for Liviu Dragnea. However, the largest post-communist protests, in support of justice and against PSD followed, forcing the government to withdraw the emergency decree and prompting the resignation of its initiator, justice minister Florin Iordache. In spite of the fact that Sorin Grindeanu was replaced with Mihai Tudose, the battle for changing the justice laws continued and was taken over by Parliament, with the same Florin Iordache in the forefront. Shortly before the winter holidays, the PSD-ALDE majority, little impressed by the almost daily protests, passed, with the support of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), a package of laws regarding the status of magistrates, the judicial organization and organization of the Higher Council of Magistracy (CSM). This is, perhaps, the quickest and most controversial legislative process in the history of the Romanian Parliament. Through this action, the Power neutralized the right-of-center Opposition and ignored the concerns voiced by the country’s foreign partners as well as the criticism leveled against it by the judicial institutions and the magistrates’ associations. In an unprecedented move, judges in Bucharest and other Romanian cities protested in front of tribunals. Embassies of seven EU states voiced their concern at the risk of the new laws affecting the independence of the judiciary and the battle against corruption. Also, some of these laws were challenged as unconstitutional by the High Court of Cassation and Justice and by the National Liberal Party (PNL). PNL, UDMR, The most controversial stipulations refer to the magistrates’ responsibility in case of judicial errors, to limiting the role of the country’s president in appointing the Prosecutor General and the heads of the main prosecutor’s offices and the setting up of a special division for the investigation of magistrates. The Power continues to defend these laws, saying they bring order to the justice system and leave less room for abuse.


    Salaries, economy and taxation


    Promised by the Social democratic Party (PSD) in the election campaign of 2016, the unitary pay law in the public system became reality by mid-2017. Promoted by its initiators as a means to put order in a salary system that dominated the public sector years on end, the law was criticized, however, by some trade unions, for failing to reach one of its main purposes, namely that of bridging the gap between the salaries of public servants. The law also provided for significant pay rises in the public system.



    The risk of major state budget imbalances was big, so the government came up with the solution of transferring from employers to employees the responsibility of paying most of the social security contributions. As a result, the civil servants’ real salaries go up by very little, if any, while those of the private sector employees end up going down, unless employers increase gross salaries to cover the contributions’ increase. Except for the ruling coalition, everybody, from employees to employers, is criticizing the so-called fiscal revolution.



    Mayors have their share of discontent, as the new fiscal code stipulates smaller income taxes, which results in fewer funds for local budgets. The debate around the pay law and fiscal changes overlaps a more comprehensive one, regarding the 6% economic growth that makes Romania number one in the EU in this respect. Experts, however, fear that an economic advance generated mostly by consumption of imported goods is unhealthy and that it should be supported by public investment.



    The death of King Michael I


    December 5, 2017 was the day when Romania’s last sovereign, King Michael I, died in Switzerland aged 96. The coffin was flown to Romania and, on December 16, King Michael was laid to rest in Curtea de Arges, in the royal necropolis at the Medieval Christian Orthodox church there. At final rest there are also his wife, Queen Anne, who passed away in 2016, as well as his three predecessors, Carol I, Ferdinand, and Carol II.



    King Michael’s funerals were attended by royal figures, heads of state and government and foreign politicians. The late king was paid homage to by thousands of people, in an emotional show of respect for his extraordinary personality. Spectators, against their will, of the public show displayed by an immoral and incompetent political class, Romanians understood that, with King Michael’s death, Romania’s reserve of dignity decreased dramatically, which makes the sovereign’s death irretrievable.



    By way of conclusion


    2017 was a complicated year. The leftist power ruled the country on behalf of a majority, who is now silent, who had given it their vote in 2016 and whom it did not hesitate to invoke every time the measures it promoted, especially the ones regarding the justice laws, were contested vehemently in the street by the Opposition and the President, by relevant institutions and by Romania’s main partners. Independent commentators emphasised again, in 2017, the political majority’s total lack of transparency in passing their laws.



    The rude and offending behaviour became an informal legal instrument in 2017, a year when Parliament was the least credible and most unpopular state institution. 2018 does not look like an easy year either. The same commentators anticipate that, after having amended the justice laws in the sense of imposing political control over the justice system, the Power will try to operate changes in the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, something that will make the battle against offenders much less effective. Will 2018 be the year of a Romania without justice? Probably not. It will surely be, however, Romania’s first year without its King. (Translated by Elena Enache)


  • Romania bids farewell to King Michael 1st

    Romania bids farewell to King Michael 1st

    A Romanian historian has these days said the counterfeit history should be re-written, to completely wash away the propagandistic rubbish the communists made use of in order to stain the reputation of the monarchy and of the country’s former sovereign, King Michael 1st. In people’s souls, the history has already started to be re-written as thousands waited patiently in endless queues that lasted up to eight hours to pay their respects to King Michael I lying in state at the Royal Palace in Bucharest.



    “King Michael led a life of sacrifice. He was forced to leave the country and was threatened with the killing of 1,000 young people unless he accepted to leave. Do you realize what that meant?”



    “I’ve learnt what he was like quite late; I didn’t know that he was a kind, caring and deeply religious man…It would have been better if things had been different, you know…



    “Unfortunately I’ve learnt about our king quite late, in the past few years. I have this regret of having known him too late in life. In school they taught us very little about him and not exactly in positive terms.”



    “If I were to describe him in a few words, I would say he personifies decency something, I haven’t seen in any other political leader in our country.”



    Decency, dignity, love and sense of duty, unaltered by ego or resentments, not even after the post-communist authorities had brutally denied his right to return to the country and pay his respects at the graves of his parents in the early 1990s. That was His Majesty King Michael I and these were the reasons that prompted Romanians to brave the endless queues late at night for a final and respectful farewell.



    “I’ll stay here for as long as it takes with the huge regret that we missed another chance, by not honoring him enough while we still had him. So this is the least I can do, spend a couple of hours in the queue for the chance to pay my last respects. I want to do at least that.”



    “I came here to pay my respects to His Majesty.”



    The European civilization also owes a lot to King Michael who bravely stood his ground against the Nazi and the Bolsheviks. We recall that on August 23rd, 1944, the king arrested fascist dictator Ion Antonescu, the country’s de facto leader, denouncing his alliance with Nazi Germany. According to historians, the king’s move shortened the war by six months, sparing hundreds of thousands of lives. The king later tried to prevent the Sovietization of Romania but he failed to do so, due to the lack of international support.



    On December 30th 1947, under the pressure of a Soviet-controlled puppet government, the king was forced to abdicate and go on a painful exile with his family, while Romania entered one of its most sinister periods, the communist era, which ended in a blood bath in December 1989. The king died after a brave life, which he led during a ruthless century. He will be buried in Curtea de Arges, in southern Romania, close to his wife, Queen Ana and his ancestors Carol 1st, Ferdinand and Carol 2nd.


  • December 12, 2017 UPDATE

    December 12, 2017 UPDATE

    King Michael – King Michaels body will be brought from Lausanne to Romania on Wednesday. The former sovereign died on December 5, at the age of 96, in Switzerland. On Monday Romanias Parliament convened in solemn session to pay tribute to King Michael I. Attending the ceremony were President Klaus Iohannis, Princess Margareta, the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, the former presidents of Romania Emil Constantinescu and Traian Basescu, the PM Mihai Tudose, the speakers of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu and Liviu Dragnea, and the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel. The Romanian authorities have declared December 14, 15 and 16 days of national mourning. King Michael I will be buried on Saturday, December 16 with state honours at Curtea de Arges, where all Romanian kings have been interred.





    World Bank – The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis received in Bucharest on Tuesday a World Bank delegation headed by the vice-president for Europe and Central Asia, Cyril Muller. During the talks, the participants discussed the need to carry on structural reforms in order to strengthen Romanias chances of sustainable economic development. In this respect, the transport infrastructure should be viewed as a top priority of public investments. According to the Presidency, the agenda of the meeting also included the issue of education, on which occasion the head of state stressed the importance of this sector and the need to improve it. The participants also looked at the recent economic developments in Romania, emphasising the need for responsible policies in this field, so that the taxation and budget framework may ensure predictability and stability for the business environment and also that it may cope with prospective risks.





    PROTESTS – The National Union Bloc (BNS), one of the largest trade union organisations in Romania, organised a rally in Bucharest on Tuesday to protest the measures introduced by the new Fiscal Code, particularly the transfer of social security payment obligations from employers to employees as of January 1, 2018. The unionists sought to warn the Government against the negative short, medium and long-term effects generated by this transfer. The National Union Bloc believes the rights of workers to be threatened, and the chances for employment relations based on respect to worsen. The new tax code measures have also been criticised by other trade unions, by the business community and the right-of-centre opposition.




    NATO – The 29 NATO member states Tuesday decided to extend Jens Stoltenbergs term in office as secretary general of the organisation until September 30, 2020. A former prime-minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg has been the NATO secretary general since October 1, 2014. He was originally elected for 4 years, replacing Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark. Romania has been a NATO member since 2004.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romanians pay tribute to King Michael I

    Romanians pay tribute to King Michael I

    Royal Hose loyalists, tourists and passers-by have stopped in front of the Royal Palace in Bucharest or of Elisabeta Palace, the Royal Familys residence in the capital city, to sign the books of condolences, light candles or lay flowers in memory of King Michael I, who died on Tuesday in Switzerland, aged 96. The Peles Castle in Sinaia, in the Southern Carpathians, the former summer residence of Romanias kings, has also become a focal point for those wishing to pay tribute to King Michael. His death prompted the biggest outpouring of grief seen in Romania in recent times, and the way simple people speak about him mirrors the deep admiration and respect that Romanians have for their king:



    Speaker: “At personal level, I feel Ive lost the last connection with my grandparents, who fought alongside His Majesty. At historical level, the loss is huge. Ive always been impressed with his grace and elegance and with how clear he spoke Romanian after so many years of exile. “


    Speaker: “May God rest his soul, and we hope that he will continue to watch over Romania and its people whom he loved so much.


    Speaker: “We have come to light some candles for the King. He was a good man.


    Speaker: “We thank him for everything that he did for Romania.



    Special religious services are held in churches in Romania and Switzerland until Wednesday, December 13, when King Michaels body will be flown to Romania and placed in the Hall of Honour of the Peles Castle in Sinaia. On the evening of the same day, the coffin will be brought to Bucharest and placed in the Throne Hall of the Royal Palace, to lie in state until the 15th of December.



    The King will be buried on December 16 in Curtea de Arges, in the south, where all of Romania’s kings are interred, including his wife, Anna of Bourbon-Parma. Around 100 personalities from all over the world, including heads of state and government and members of royal families, are expected to attend the funeral. Princess Margareta, the eldest of King Michael’s five daughters and the Custodian of the Crown, vowed to carry on his fathers legacy.



    Princess Margareta: “Throughout his long life, Romanias 4th king relied on faith, hope and patience. In every situation, he answered with justice and, when possible, with forgiveness. I am sure that in the future Romanians will continue to love the Crown, united in thought and action for the national good, as members of NATO and the EU.



    On Monday, December 11, Parliament will convene in plenary sitting to pay homage to the former monarch. December 14, 15 and 16 will be days of national mourning. King Michael of Romania was the countrys longest living monarch, living 96 years of the countrys 151 years of monarchy.



    He was credited with pre-emptively saving thousands of lives in World War II when, at 22, he had the courage to arrest the pro-Nazi leader, Marshal Ion Antonescu, a move that brought Romania on the side of the Allies. Historians say the monarchs action might have shortened the war in Europe by six months. King Michael was forced by the communists to abdicate and leave the country, and his exile lasted almost 50 years.


    (translated by: Elena Enache)

  • December 6, 2017 UPDATE

    December 6, 2017 UPDATE

    KING MICHAEL – Around 100 personalities from all over the world, including heads of state and government and members of royal families, are expected to attend the funeral of Romania’s former king Michael I, who died on Tuesday at his residence in Switzerland, aged 96. King Michael’s body will be flown to Romania on Wednesday, December 13, and placed in the Hall of Honour of the Peles Castle in Sinaia, the Romanian Royal House has announced. On the evening of the same day, the coffin will be brought to Bucharest and placed in the Throne Hall of the Royal Palace, to lie in state until the 15th of December. The King will be buried next Saturday in Curtea de Arges, in the south, where all of Romanias kings are interred. The Bucharest Government declared three days of national mourning on December 14, 15 and 16. On Monday, December 11, Parliament will convene in plenary sitting to pay homage to the former monarch. King Michael of Romania was credited with pre-emptively saving thousands of lives in World War II when, at 22, he had the courage to arrest the pro-Nazi leader, Marshal Ion Antonescu, which took Romania into the war on the side of the Allies. Historians say the monarch’s action might have shortened the war by months, saving tens of thousands of lives. King Michael ruled Romania from 1940 to 1947, when he was forced by the communists to abdicate and flee. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that King Michael was one of Romanias greatest figures and his death is a great loss for the country. In his turn, the European Commission President, Jean Claude Junker, conveyed condolences on his behalf and on the behalf of the European Commission saying “I would like to pay tribute to King Michael’s role when, in 1997, he undertook a tour of European capitals to promote Romanias entry into the European Union. Twenty-two years later, his beloved country will, for the first time, in the first half of 2019, hold the presidency of the European Union. This will be an important moment for Romania and an important moment for the future of our Union.”




    STATE BUDGET — Romania’s Government approved on Wednesday the 2018 budget bill centred on health, education and investment. According to a Government release, the budget has been built on a 5.5% economic growth, an average inflation rate of 3.1% and a budget deficit of less than 3% of the GDP. The budget bill also provides for the resources needed to increase the net minimum and average salary in the public and private sector and to also increase pensions. One of the objectives for the next year is a 4% decrease in the unemployment rate. Also, 2% of the GDP is earmarked for defence in 2018 as well. Parliament will have the final say on the 2018 budget bill and social security bill.




    MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin, who has been ruling Russia for 18 years, announced on Wednesday that he would seek a new six-year term in March. If he wins what would be a fourth presidential term, he will be eligible to serve another six years until 2024. Opinion polls show him as the clear winner, in the absence of a contender able to win public support. In spite of economic difficulties and tense relations with the West, Vladimir Putin has managed to remain widely popular in his country. His critics, however, say that during his rule the country has regressed in terms of observance of human rights and freedoms.




    BUDGET DEFICIT – The Romanian finance minister Ionut Misa has told the EUs Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) that met on the 4th and 5th December in Brussels that Romania is committed to taking the necessary steps so as not to exceed the recommended 3% budget deficit of the GDP. In a press release published after the meeting, the EU Council said Romania failed to take efficient measures to address a significant budget deviation. The Council thus issued a new recommendation revising its previous one. The Council established the deadline of 15th April 2018 for Bucharest to present a report on the actions taken in response to the revised recommendation. According to the autumn forecast published by the European Commission, the budget deficit is to reach 3% of the GDP in 2017 and is predicted to grow to 3.9% in 2018 and 4.1% in 2019.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball side defeated Spain 19 -17 in a Group A match on Tuesday to secure their qualification for the round of last 16 at the World Championships in Germany. In the other group matches, Slovenia defeated Angola 32-25, while France defeated Paraguay 35-13, thus also making it to the next round. Russia, Germany and Serbia have also qualified. After three wins, Romania, who also defeated Slovenia and Paraguay, top the group with 6 points followed by France, Spain and Slovenia with 4 points each, and Angola and Paraguay with no points. Romania will next face Angola on Thursday and France on Friday before the knock-out round. (Translated by E. Enache)

  • September 28, UPDATE

    September 28, UPDATE

    DEFENCE – Romania on Wednesday officially took over, from the Monte Real Portuguese base, the first six of the twelve F-16 jets which it purchased for 628 million Euros. The fighters have been upgraded and will interact, in the same conditions, with all other multi-role fighters owned by the NATO member states. At present, Romanias airspace is defended by Mig-21 LancerR jets, made in the former USSR, and upgraded by an Israeli firm as of 1995. The Romanian Air Forces also own subsonic training jets made in Romania, as well as cargo planes made in Italy and the US. The Romanian Army is also equipped with Puma and Alouette helicopters made in Romania under French licence. The Romanian Air Forces also operate AN-30 planes, made in the former USSR, and used for capturing aerial views and mapping.



    RESIGNATION – The co-president of the National Liberal Party, the second largest party in Romanias Parliament, Vasile Blaga, on Wednesday announced he would step down from this position and would no longer coordinate the partys campaign for the parliamentary elections scheduled for December. He will not run in the party elections due in winter, either. The decision was made after the anti-corruption prosecutors announced that Vasile Blaga is subject to legal restrictions and investigated in a corruption case. The acts of corruption were reportedly carried out between 2009 and 2012, when Blaga, who was interior minister and then Senate Speaker, allegedly intervened to favour the granting of some contracts. In exchange for his peddling in influence, Blaga allegedly received commissions worth 10%, with an overall value of 700,000 Euros, from the former mayor of Piatra Neamt (in the northeast), Gheorghe Stefan, and another businessman.



    MH17 PLANE CRASH – The Romanian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday hailed the publication by an international commission of the results of an investigation meant to cast light into the circumstances in which the civil Malaysian airlines flight MH17 crashed in Ukraines eastern separatist region, in 2014. According to the results, the Malaysian plane downed in 2014, was hit by a missile launched from a conflict area controlled by pro-Russian fighters. The minutely and independently conducted investigation is meant to clarify the circumstances in which the flight MH17 crashed and to lead to conclusions so that an act of justice be done, a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry writes. It calls on all countries able to support the investigation to fully cooperate in an effort to identify, establish and bring to justice those responsible. We recall that in July 2014, Malaysia Airlines plane operating Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people onboard died in the crash.



    MOURNING – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, and the Senate Speaker, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, on Friday will attend the funeral of former Israeli PM and President, Shimon Peres, who passed away in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, at 93 years of age. In a message of condolences to his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin, President Klaus Iohannis says that Shimon Peres was a visionary leader and a relentless fighter for a sustainable solution to the Peace Process in the Middle East. The Romanian people-says president Iohannis – will always remember the real and deep friendship of Shimon Peres, the first Israeli President to visit Romania, in 2010. In turn, Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos, evoked in his message of condolences to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, the emblematic personality of Shimon Peres, a promoter of peace, whose internationally recognised personality was also confirmed by a Nobel Peace Prize.




    FEAST OF MUSIC – The most important musical event of this autumn, the RadiRo Festival continues in Bucharest. Wednesdays program included pieces by Richard Strauss, Gershwin and Tchaikovsky, performed by the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, the oldest radio orchestra in Germany and one of the most innovative in Europe. Organised by Radio Romania, the International Festival of Radio Orchestras, RadiRo, runs until Saturday, October 1. (Translated by D. Vijeu)