Radio România Internațional

Tag: GAS

April 26, 2022

LAW In Bucharest, the Offshore Bill is to be
discussed this week by the specialised committee of the Senate, the first
parliamentary chamber to vote on the act. The bill regulates the development of
the natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, and stipulates that the Romanian
state has pre-emptive rights to purchase these resources. The Senate is still
waiting for the official opinion of the Economic and Social Council before
discussing the bill, for which the leaders of the ruling coalition have taken
responsibility. The Senate’s vote is expected to take place in May.

REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police announced that
the number of Ukrainian nationals that entered the country on Monday was 38.3%
higher than on the previous day. According to a news release, 4,412 Ukrainian
citizens entered Romania in 24 hours. Since the start of the crisis, over
786,000

Ukrainian citizens have crossed the border into Romania. According to the
Border Police, measures have been taken to reinforce border security.

HEALTH According to the latest official data, 321
COVID-19 cases and 1 related fatality were reported in Romania in the past 24
hours. More than 1,200 patients are currently in hospitals, 221 of them in
intensive care. In other news, one case of acute severe hepatitis was reported
in Romania, in a 5 year old. On April 21, the WHO announced 169 cases of acute
hepatitis of unknown origin among young children worldwide. At least one child
died and 17 needed liver transplants, the institution said.

MOLDOVA The president of
the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has called for a meeting of the Supreme
Security Council concerning the recent incidents in the pro-Russian separatist
region of Transnistria, in the east of that country. Two blasts were reported today in Maiak, where
two communication towers in the radio and television centre were blown up. No
victims have been reported. On Monday, the headquarters of the Security Service
in Tiraspol had been attacked with rocket launchers, and a shell was found near
the building. The doors and windows of the office were broken, and so were the
windows of nearby buildings. According to
Moldova’s Reintegration Policy Bureau, the goal
was to create tension in the region, which has been out of the Moldovan
authorities’ control since 1992, when an armed conflict that had killed
hundreds of locals was ended by the intervention of Russian troops supporting the secessionist rebels, less than a year after Chișinău had
proclaimed its independence. The ex-president of Russia Boris Yeltsin promised
to pull out the troops from Transnistria at the 1999 OSCE summit, but some 1,500
military and substantial amounts of Russian weapons appear to still be there.

UKRAINE In its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has
increased attacks on civilian targets, particularly railways, to prevent
Ukrainian forces from receiving weapons from the West. At least 5 civilians
were killed. Russian troops also destroyed 6 electricity generating units of
the Ukrainian railways, and a weapons storage facility in Slovyansk. The
Ukrainian forces withstood the attacks and said victims were reported, but did
not provide any details.

AID NATO and EU foreign
ministers convene today at the Ramstein US military base in Germany, to discuss
additional military assistance for Ukraine. At the beginning of the conflict,
the West hesitated to provide weapons to Ukraine for fear that the violence
would spiral into a larger-scale war. This reluctance subsided, however, and
today’s talks will focus on how Kyiv could be supplied with the necessary
weapons not just to withstand the Russian attack in Donbas (east), but also to
counter-attack. Previously, the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov accused NATO
of involvement in a proxy war, and said the weapons delivered by the West to
Ukraine will be legitimate targets. (AMP)

26 April 2022
April 14, 2022

Gas. The offshore bill regulating the
exploitation of natural gas in the Black Sea will be submitted in Parliament
this week, said the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu. The
amendment of the bill was sped up by the ruling coalition after a final version
was agreed by its members, the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic
Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Under the bill,
the state is to benefit from 60% of the profits generated by the exploitation
of natural gas, with the rest of 40% going to private companies. The current
legislation provides for progressive taxation, ranging from 30 to 70%, on
additional returns obtained from the rise in gas prices, with companies being
obliged to sell 50% of their natural gas production on the Bucharest Stock
Exchange.

Visit. Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu
is today travelling to North Macedonia on an official visit at the invitation
of his counterpart Bujar Osmani. Aurescu will also have talks with president
Stevo Pendarovski and the speaker of the Parliamentary Assembly Talat Xhaferi.
Talks are aimed at consolidating bilateral relations, with emphasis on expanding
and diversifying political dialogue and economic cooperation. The Romanian
official is expected to underline the importance of cooperation to preserve the
cultural and linguistic identity of kindred minorities, given their role as a bridge
in the relationship between Romania and North Macedonia. Aurescu will also
reiterate Romania’s firm and principled support for North Macedonia’s European
path. Talks will also look at the two countries’ collaboration within NATO and
the prospect of a common approach, within this alliance, of current strategic
challenges.

Ukraine visit. The speakers of the two chambers
of the Romanian Parliament will travel to Kyiv at the invitation of the chair
of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. The speaker of the Romanian
Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu will travel to Kyiv on 27th April
and he is expected to visit several areas affected by the war, including sites
of atrocities committed by the Russian army. He may also address the Ukrainian
Parliament. The Senate speaker Florin Cîţu has not announced a date for his
trip, but said he will visit areas affected by the war and will discuss with
Ukrainian officials about Romania’s involvement in Ukraine’s reconstruction
plans.

Human rights. Romania still has problems with
discrimination and corruption, according to the US State Department’s Country
Reports on Human Practices for 2021. Despite some prosecutions, corrupt
practices and misuse of public funds remained widespread in Romania, the report
says. Also, while the judiciary took steps to punish officials who committed
abuses, the authorities did not have effective mechanisms to do so, with the result that many of the cases ended in
acquittals. With respect to the media, some reporters throughout the country
continued to be harassed, sued, or threatened by authorities they investigated
or by their proxies. Other problems identified in the report are the widespread
use of bribery in the public sector, especially in health care, and anti-Semitic
incidents.

Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia continue
to prepare for the great battle expected in Donbas, the main objective of the
Russian forces after they had to withdraw from around Kyiv. Ukraine continues
to call for deliveries of heavy weapons from the West, which it sees as vital
as this stage of the conflict. The United States for the first time decided to
deliver such weapons as part of a military support package announced by
president Joe Biden worth 800 million dollars. The European Union also
announced plans to provide further 500 million euros in humanitarian aid to
Ukraine, on top of the 1 billion provided earlier. In another development, the
Russian defence ministry announced that its Moska guided missile cruiser was
seriously damaged after a fire caused a munitions explosion, but that its crew
had been evacuated. The Russian authorities did not state the location and
cause of the incident, but the governor of the Odessa region said the ship was
hit by two Ukrainian missiles.

Geopark. Buzău Land, in the south-eastern part
of Romania, has become a UNESCO global geopark, being recognised as a unified
geographical area with natural and cultural values of international
significance. This is the second area in Romania to win this status after Haţeg
Land, in the west of the country. The official ceremony to award the geopark
title will be held online on 21st April. Of the 16 areas that
applied to be designated global geoparks this year, eight have been validated,
which takes the total number of geoparks to 177, from 46 countries. The biggest
attractions in Buzău are the muddy volcanoes, the salt domes, the sandstone
concretions, the eternal flames, the cave settlements and the region’s deep-red
amber deposits. (CM)

14 April 2022
The Programme” Assistance for Romaniaʺ

The huge electricity and gas bills for both household consumers and companies in Romania have in the past months caused significant price hikes in all food and non-food products as well as in services. In statistical-financial terms, the situation has been translated into a higher inflation rate, which hasnt gained momentum yet! In this extremely difficult situation especially for the have-nots in Romania, the ruling PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition has agreed upon a series of measures to support the most vulnerable who account for almost 12 million of the countrys population. The “Assistance for Romania” package amounts to almost 3.5 billion euros out of which 9 billion lei come from EU funds the rest being covered from the state budget. Here is PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu.

Marcel Ciolacu: ʺThis project focuses on combating the price hikes, by offering support to the Romanian farmers and by increasing the processing capability of the food industry. The added value must eventually stay in Romania. The jobs must be kept here in Romania. At the same time, offering support to the Romanian companies was a priority. Through this support scheme, more than half of Romanias population will benefit from a form of protection against the price hikes. Another measure, which comes to the support of employees, both in the private and state sector of the economy, refers to zero taxes for a 200 lei pay rise for those with the minimum wages. In other words, the money goes into the employees pockets and the employer will pay no money to the state budget. ʺ The PNL president and Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, says that people in low income brackets and the students with social scholarships are going to receive vouchers.

Nicolae Ciuca: ʺA billion Euros – 50% out of EU funds, 50% from the state budget – will consist of bimonthly food vouchers of 50 Euros for the families with monthly incomes below 600 lei, families with two children, single-parent families, pensioners with pensions below 15 hundred lei, persons with the lowest income and the disabled. Students, owners of social scholarships, are to get 30 euros for every month they have classes so that they may be able to buy food, stationery and clothing. The meal vouchers value rises by 50%, from 20.17 lei to 30 lei. We have also doubled the money for daily meals in hospitals and in old peoples homes from 11 to 22 lei.

Romania needs a strong state to step in whenever necessary because the economic crisis is expected to deepen in the following months, Kelemen Hunor, head of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania says. The measures comprised by the “Assistance for Romania” package are to be implemented in two stages, on May 1st and June 1st.

(bill)

12 April 2022
Parliament discusses draft Offshore Act

This
week the Parliament of Romania is set to discuss a new draft Offshore Act, the
endorsement of which would allow for investments for offshore drilling for
natural gas in the Black Sea and for the development of the country’s petrochemical
industry.

The
bill has been approved already by the National Liberal Party, the Social
Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians (UDMR), which
make up a majority in Parliament at present and are determined to take
responsibility for the bill.

According
to deputy PM and UDMR president Kelemen Hunor, in 2026-2027 at the soonest
Romania will be able to extract natural gas from the Black Sea. He also
explained that an economic crisis also brings along opportunities, forcing
authorities to attract investors and to see what changes must be made in order for
the country to switch from thermal power plants burning coal to ones running on
gas.

In
turn, PM Nicolae Ciucă, recently elected president of the National Liberal
Party, approves of the bill, arguing that it will help Romania reduce its
reliance on Russian gas.

The
Social Democratic leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu also
backs the bill, and says there is political determination and legislative,
governmental and executive coherence for it to be endorsed.

The
Offshore Act has been stuck in Parliament for over 4 years, with several drafts
having reached various stages of the regulatory process. The new draft tabled
to Parliament has been subject to discussions in the ruling coalition for
several months now.

One
scenario is for the Romanian government to receive a minimum of 60% of the
proceeds from the natural gas, with the balance to be kept by private companies.

The
current legislation stipulates a 30% to 70% progressive tax on the additional
revenues made from the natural gas price rises, and companies are bound to sell
50% of the output through the Bucharest Commodity Exchange.

The
Offshore Act is eagerly awaited by companies
interested in drilling for gas in the Black Sea. Several gas producers,
including OMV Petrom, an Austrian company in which the Romanian
government also holds stock, spent billions of US dollars for a decade on preparations
to tap into the estimated 200 billion cubic metres of gas on Romania’s
continental shelf.

Since Romania’s domestic demand stands at around 11
billion cubic metres per year, this would turn the country into an exporter of
natural gas.

The
US company ExxonMobil also announced they would invest in the venture, however
in 2019 they decided to sell their stock to the Romanian state-owned company
Romgaz.

Over
the years, the level of taxes levied on the extraction companies was one of the
main barriers to developing the natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, making investors
reluctant and getting projects suspended, to the benefit of natural gas imports
from Russia. (A.M.P.)

11 April 2022
April 9, 2022

REFUGEES – More than 76 thousand people entered Romania on Friday, through the border checkpoints, of whom 8,623 Ukrainian citizens, down by 5.9% as against the previous day, the Border Police General Inspectorate has announced today. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, almost 660 thousand refugees have entered Romania. Most of them only transited the country on their way to Western Europe.

ELECTIONS — France holds presidential elections on Sunday. The 49 million eligible voters will pick their favourite from among 12 candidates, four women and eight men. The most likely scenario for the runoff is incumbent president Emmanuel Macron running against Marine Le Pen, a representative of the far right. Opinion polls have recently shown Macron only 3-4 points ahead of Le Pen, from 12 points in mid-February, which means that some 26%-27% of the people would vote for Macron and 23% for his contender. Coming out third in opinion polls, with 16%, is the far left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.

GAS — The ruling coalition in Bucharest has sped up talks on modifying the offshore law that regulates the exploitation of the natural gas reserves that Romania has in the Black Sea. The National Liberal Party, The Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania have agreed on a final version of the law. The document will be debated by Parliament next week and is to be adopted through emergency procedure. Thus, the Romanian state should receive at least 60% of the profit obtained after the extraction of natural gas, while private companies would get 40%. Energy Minister Virgil Popescu has recently said that as of this year, Romania will benefit an additional 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas by exploiting the deposits in the Black Sea.

RATING – Fitch Ratings has put Romania’s long-term foreign currency issue default rating (IDR) at BBB- with a negative outlook, the agency said in a statement. The negative outlook reflects “continued uncertainty regarding the implementation of policies to address structural fiscal imbalances” over the medium term and the impact of the Ukraine war and energy crisis on Romanias economic, fiscal and external performance, the agency said. Fitch Ratings expects Romania’s GDP growth to slow down to 2.1% in 2022 (from 5.9% in 2021), primarily reflecting a slowdown in private consumption and exports. Investment dynamics is expected to accelerate in 2023, which combined with the assumption of a normalisation of external trade and supply chains, will lift economic growth to 4.8%, the agency also said.

ARREST – Former Romanian Transport Minister, Elena Udrea, is in the custody of the Bulgarian Police and may be extradited to Romania next week. On Friday, Bulgarian judges postponed ruling on the extradition request because the European extradition warrant was not translated into Bulgarian. Udrea left Romania on Thursday, hours before the ruling of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which maintained the initial 6-year prison sentence for bribe-taking and abuse of office. Udrea has also been sentenced by a court of first instance to 8 years in prison for the election campaign of 2009, and she is a defendant in a third case as well. The former minister first rose to power as an advocate of the fight against corruption and the chief aide to ex-president Traian Băsescu, himself recently confirmed by a Court as a former collaborator of the Securitate, the communist political police. (EE)

9 April 2022
Die Nachrichten am Mittag, 02.04.2022

– Der Vorsitzende der mitregierenden National-Liberalen Partei, Florin Cîțu, hat heute seinen Rücktritt erklärt. Cîțu sagte, er will aber nicht das Amt des Senatspräsidenten aufgeben. Er forderte für heute die Einberufung eine neue Sitzung des Parteivorstands. Zuvor hatte er erklärt, dass die gestrige Sitzung nicht satzungsgemä‎ß war, da sie weder von ihm noch vom Generalsekretär der Partei angesetzt worden war. Zahlreiche Parteiorganisationen forderten in den letzten Tagen die Einberufung eines au‎ßerordentlichen Kongresses, um Florin Cîțu als Parteichef abzusetzen. Die führenden Vertreter der Liberalen setzten morgen einen Kongress an. Auf diesen soll das Verfahren für die Organisation des au‎ßerordentlichen Kongresses am 10. April, zur Wahl eines neuen Parteivorsitzenden, beschlossen werden soll.

– In Bukarest wird der Cotroceni-Palast, der Sitz der Präsidialverwaltung, heute Abend anlässlich des Internationalen Tages zur Sensibilisierung für Autismus in blauem Licht erstrahlen. Laut einer Pressemitteilung, begrü‎ßt die Präsidialverwaltung die Bemühungen der Zivilgesellschaft, einen Beitrag zur Verbesserung der Lebensqualität der Menschen, die unter Autismus leiden, zu leisten. Es unterstützt auch die Förderung integrativer Ma‎ßnahmen, die es den Betroffenen ermöglichen, ihr volles Potenzial auszuschöpfen. Auch die Regierung beteiligt sich an der internationalen Kampagne Light It Up Blue“, indem sie den Victoria Palast blau beleuchtet. Premierminister Nicolae Ciucă brachte seine Unterstützung für diejenigen zum Ausdruck, die sich für die Eingliederung von Kindern und Erwachsenen mit Autismus einsetzen, und betonte die Bedeutung eines sicheren und fürsorglichen Umfelds.

– Die ukrainischen Streitkräfte setzen ihre Gegenoffensive rund um Kiew fort, während sich die russischen Truppen zurückziehen. Dies geht aus einer Mitteilung des britischen Militärgeheimdienstes hervor, der von Reuters übernommen wurde. Das russische Militär gab den Antonow-Flughafen in Hostomel in der Nähe der ukrainischen Hauptstadt auf, wo seit dem ersten Tag des russischen Einmarsches in die Ukraine am 24. Februar gekämpft wird. In der Ostukraine festigten die ukrainischen Streitkräfte nach schweren Kämpfen ihre Kontrolle über eine wichtige Route nach Charkow, berichten die Briten. Ein Konvoi des Roten Kreuzes versucht heute, Zivilisten aus der südlichen Hafenstadt Mariupol zu evakuieren, die seit Beginn des Krieges von der russischen Armee umzingelt und belagert wird. Nach weiteren Informationen, die Reuters vorliegen, formiert Russland seine Streitkräfte für neue Angriffe im Südosten der Ukraine neu. Russische Raketen schlugen heute in den zentral ukrainischen Städten Poltawa und Krementschuk in die zivile Infrastruktur und in Wohnhäuser ein, sagte Dmitri Lunin, Leiter der lokalen Behörde in der Region Poltawa.

– Rumänien unterstützt die Haltung der Europäischen Union gegenüber der Forderung Russlands, für exportiertes Gas in Rubel bezahlt zu werden, sagte der rumänische Wirtschaftsminister Virgil Popescu. Er erklärte, die Rumäninnen und Rumänen hätten keinen Grund zur Sorge, da weder der rumänische Staat noch Unternehmen direkte Verträge mit Gazprom hätten. Der deutsche Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz erklärte hingegen, dass Russland nicht berechtigt sei, Zahlungen in Rubel zu verlangen, und fügte hinzu, dass die europäischen Staaten das russische Gas weiterhin vertragsgemä‎ß in Euro und Dollar bezahlen werden. Gazprom verschickte bereits Mitteilungen an seine Kunden über die Umstellung auf das neue Rubel-Zahlungssystem, das am Freitag nach einem Ultimatum des russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin in Kraft getreten ist. Moskau werde die Gaslieferungen nach Europa vorerst nicht einstellen, sagte Kreml-Sprecher Dmitri Peskow. Er präzisierte, dass die Zahlungen für Lieferungen nach dem 1. April in der zweiten Hälfte dieses Monats und im Mai erfolgen würden.

– Die rumänische Athletin Kriszta Tunde Incze gewann am Freitagabend bei den Ringer-Europameisterschaften in Budapest die Bronzemedaille in der Kategorie 65 kg. In der kleinen Finale besiegte sie Sofia Hristova Gheorghieva aus Bulgarien. Rumänien gewann bei den Europameisterschaften in Budapest insgesamt drei Medaillen: Gold mit Andreea Beatrice Ana und zwei Bronzemedaillen mit Alina Vuc und Kriszta Incze.

2 April 2022
April 2, 2022

Resignation. The president of the National Liberal Party Florin Cîţu says he is resigning from this position. A number of local branches have called for his replacement as leader of the party. Openly backed by president Klaus Iohannis, Cîţu was elected leader last September, winning against Ludovic Orban after a tense party congress. The National Liberal Party is in the ruling coalition together with the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

Autism. The presidential palace in Bucharest will tonight be lit in blue
to mark World Autism Awareness Day. The president’s office issued a statement
saying it hails the efforts of civil society to help improve the life of people
with autism and supports the promotion of inclusive polities allowing those affected
to reach their maximum potential. The government is also joining the Light It
Up Blue international campaign, with the government headquarters also to be lit
in blue. Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said he supported all those who dedicate
their efforts to the inclusion of children and adults diagnosed with autism. It
is estimated that 30,000 people with autism live in Romania, with 1,000 children
being diagnosed each year.

Gas. Romania supports the position of the European Union with regard to
Russia’s demand that its gas must be paid in roubles, said the Romanian economy
minister Virgil Popescu. He said Romanians have no cause for fear because
neither the Romanian state, nor its companies have direct contracts with
Gazprom. German chancellor Olaf Scholz said the EU and the G7 believe Russia is
not entitled to demand payment for gas deliveries in roubles and that European
states will continue to pay in euros and dollars as laid down in the contracts.
Gazprom has already sent notifications to its customers about the transition to
the new payment scheme in roubles that came into force on Friday after an
ultimatum from Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry
Peskov said Moscow will not stop deliveries for the time being and that
payments for deliveries made after 1st April will be made in the
second half of the month and in May.

Ukraine. Ukrainian forces continue to advance against withdrawing
Russian forces in the vicinity of Kyiv, according to a British defence
intelligence report. The Russian military have withdrawn from Hostomel airport,
near Kyiv, the scene of fighting from the first day of the Russian invasion of
Ukraine on 24th February. In the east of Ukraine, the Ukrainian
forces have consolidated a key route to Kharkiv following heavy fighting, the
report also notes. The Red Cross is making another attempt to evacuate
civilians from the besieged southern port of Mariupol. Russian missiles again
hit civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in Poltava and Kremenchuk
in central Ukraine, said the head of the Poltava region Dmitry Lunin.

Wrestling. Romanian wrestler Kriszta Tunde Incze won the bronze medal in
the 65 kg category of the European Wrestling Championships in Budapest after defeating
Bulgaria’s Sofiya Hristova Georgieva on Friday night. This is Romania’s third
medal in Budapest, after a gold medal won by Andreea
Beatrice Ana in the 55 kg category and a bronze medal from Alina Vuc in the 50
kg category.

Book fair. A book fair dedicated entirely to children opened in Bucharest
for the first time on International Children’s Book Day, on 2nd
April. Held under the title Children’s Book Days, it forms part of Radio
Romania’s Gaudeamus book fair. The event is hosted this weekend by Radio
Romania and features talks with writers, encounters with famous book characters
and reading and creative workshops. (CM)

2 April 2022
Rumänien diversifiziert seine Energiequellen

Infolge des Angriffskrieges in der Ukraine hat die internationale Gemeinschaft in den letzten Wochen harte wirtschaftliche und finanzielle Sanktionen gegen Russland verhängt. Einige Länder widersetzten sich lange, denn sie sind stark von russischem Gas abhängig und befürchten nun, dass Moskau bei einem möglichen Embargo den Gashahn zudrehen könnte. Zu den wichtigsten Importeuren von russischem Gas gehören Deutschland, Italien, Frankreich, Österreich, Ungarn, die Tschechische Republik und die Slowakei. Unter diesen Umständen ist die Verringerung der russischen Gasimporte für die Länder, die am stärksten von einer möglichen Versorgungsunterbrechung betroffen sind, besonders bedrohlich.

Die Europäische Kommission schlug vor, die russischen Gasbezüge um zwei Drittel zu reduzieren und die Abhängigkeit von russischen Brennstofflieferungen deutlich vor 2030 zu beenden. Sie forderte die Mitgliedstaaten au‎ßerdem auf, bis November 90 % ihrer Gasvorräte für den nächsten Winter zu sichern, und erwägt eine Deckelung der Gas- und Strompreise. Die US-Energieministerin Jennifer Granholm kündigte an, dass die Internationale Energieagentur Ma‎ßnahmen vorbereitet, um die Abhängigkeit Europas von russischem Gas zu verringern. Die Vereinigten Staaten griffen bereits auf ihre strategischen Ölreserven zurück, um die Nachfrage in Europa zu stützen, und forderten andere Förderländer auf, dasselbe zu tun.

Unter den EU-Staaten ist Rumänien glücklicherweise das Land, das am wenigsten auf russisches Gas angewiesen ist. Es ist der zweitgrö‎ßte Öl- und Gasproduzent in der Union, verfügt über gro‎ße unerschlossene Erdgasvorkommen im Schwarzen Meer und hat die Fähigkeit, auch Schiefergas zu fördern. Analysten zufolge haben fehlende strategische Visionen und Rechtsunsicherheit dazu geführt, dass diese Reserven bisher nicht genutzt wurden, obwohl sie Rumänien in die Lage versetzen würden, energieunabhängig zu sein und sogar Energie zu exportieren. Der rumänische Resort-Minister, Virgil Popescu, verspricht nun, dass eine zusätzliche Milliarde Kubikmeter Erdgas – was 10 % des rumänischen Gasverbrauchs entspricht – bereits in diesem Jahr aus der Ausbeutung eines kleineren Schwarzmeerfeldes durch die Ölgesellschaft Black Sea Oil&Gas flie‎ßen könnte. Er sagte aber auch, dass Neptun Deep, das grö‎ßte im Schwarzen Meer entdeckte Erdgasfeld mit geschätzten Reserven von 100 Milliarden Kubikmetern, nicht vor 2026 in Betrieb gehen kann. Virgil Popescu versicherte, dass die Änderungen am Offshore-Gesetz bis Ende dieser Legislaturperiode vom Parlament verabschiedet werden. Man überlege, so Popescu, dass 60 % der Gewinne aus der Erdgasförderung im Schwarzen Meer an den rumänischen Staat und die restlichen 40 % an ausländische Investoren gehen könnten.

23 March 2022
March 23, 2022 UPDATE

NATO — Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis on Thursday will attend the extraordinary NATO summit in Brussels, the Presidential Administration has announced. The meeting is held in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has increased risks to regional, European and Euro-Atlantic security. The heads of state and government will address the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and decide on the next steps to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the extraordinary NATO Summit, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previewed the decisions that he expects leaders to take, such as declaring four new NATO battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, strengthening NATO’s posture across all domains, providing additional support to Ukraine and stepping up support for other partners at risk from Russian pressure.

RULING – The Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice on Wednesday ruled that former president Traian Basescu collaborated with the political police during the communist period. The ruling is final. The Court dismissed Basescu’s appeal as ungrounded, and maintained the initial decision taken by the Bucharest Court of Appeal in September 2019. The former president denies having collaborated with the communist political police and has announced he will address the European Court of Human Rights.

RECOVERY PLAN – The Romanian Minister of Investment and European Projects, Dan Vilceanu, said Wednesday that Romania will ask Brussels for another 6 billion euros under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The total amount earmarked by the EU for Romania under the Plan is 29.9 billion euros, which will go mostly to reforms and investment.

UKRAINE – The humanitarian crisis in Ukraines besieged cities is deepening. According to the Ukrainian authorities, a significant part of Mariupol has been destroyed by shelling and some estimates speak of thousands of civilians killed in this city. Those still trapped have no access to food, water, electricity and heating and around 100,000 want to leave the area, Kyiv announced. A number of attempts to open humanitarian corridors have failed, because the ceasefire agreements were broken. The authorities are also speaking about a humanitarian disaster in Kherson, a city conquered by the Russian forces. News agencies note that the Russian forces seem to stall on all fronts and even to be pushed back in some places, including near Kyiv. According to Reuters, the Russian army has made some advances in the south and east. On Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymy Zelensky addressed the French Parliament asking its members to help put an end to the war and calling on French companies to leave Russia. Also on Wednesday, in an address to the Japanese Parliament, Zelensky asked Japan to increase the pressure of sanctions on Russia by imposing a commercial embargo on Russian products.

REFUGEES – The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is planning to open an office in Iaşi, in the north-east of Romania, to provide assistance to the Ukrainians fleeing war in their country. Physical individuals and companies who want to help Ukrainian refugees entering Romania can make money transfers directly to the General Inspectorate for Emergencies, in a special account opened for this purpose, the Bucharest Government has announced. Since the start of the war on 24th February, more than half a million Ukrainian refugees have crossed the border into Romania, over 2 million have fled to Poland and almost 370,000 to the Republic of Moldova. The World Health Organisation warned that around 500,000 refugees need medical assistance because they suffer from various conditions, including mental ones.

GAS – The European Union will propose member states to fill their gas storage to at least 90% of capacity before winter and is considering a cap on gas and electricity prices. According to France Presse news agency, the European Commission thus seeks to reduce purchases of Russian gas by two thirds. The International Energy Agency is also preparing a series of measures to reduce Europes dependence on Russian gas, said the US secretary of energy Jennifer Granholm. In Bucharest, energy minister Virgil Popescu said Romania will also secure its supply of natural gas for next winter from other sources, including the Black Sea, through the off-shore exploitation of a perimeter by the company Black Sea Oil & Gas. The project began two years ago, is about to be finalised and is estimated to provide 10% of the countrys gas supply by the end of the year.

CORONAVIRUS — Some 4,521 new cases of infection with Covid-19 have been reported in 24 hours in Romania, 619 less than the previous day, the Health Ministry announced. Since the start of the pandemic in Romania, some 2,8 million cases of infection have been reported, along with 65 thousand related deaths. After all restrictions were lifted in Romania on March 9, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila has recommended Romanians to further wear masks in crowded places and on public transport. Representatives of the World Health Organisation have announced that many of the European countries that lifted restrictions are now faced with a significant increase in infections. (EE)

23 March 2022
March 23, 2022

Refugees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is
planning to open an office in Iaşi, in the north-east of Romania,
to provide assistance to the Ukrainians fleeing war in their country. Since the
start of the war on 24th February, more than half a million
Ukrainian refugees have crossed the border into Romania, over 2 million have
fled to Poland and almost 370,000 to the Republic of Moldova.

Ukraine.
The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine’s besieged cities is deepening. According to
the Ukrainian authorities, a significant part of Mariupol has been destroyed by
shelling and some estimates speak of thousands of civilians killed in this
city. Those still trapped have no access to food, water, electricity and
heating. The authorities are also speaking about a humanitarian disaster in
Kherson, a city conquered by the Russian forces. News agencies note that the
Russian forces seem to stall on all fronts and even to be pushed back in some
places, including near Kyiv. According to Reuters, the Russian army has made
some advances in the south and east. Today, Ukrainian president Volodymy
Zelensky is expected to address France’s Parliament.

Poll. 94% of Romanian entrepreneurs believe
the Russia-Ukraine conflict will lead to an economic crisis, with six out of
ten company managers even deciding to postpone investments until the situation becomes
clearer, according to an opinion poll conducted by the National Council for
Small and Medium Sized Private Enterprises in Romania. 77% of respondents say
they will be increasing their prices in some form. The survey also shows that
most Romanian companies do not have businesses relations with Russia and
Ukraine and that those that did, have ended them.

Gas.
The European Union will propose member states to fill their gas storage to at
least 90% of capacity before winter and is considering a cap on gas and
electricity prices. According to France Presse news agency, the European Commission
thus seeks to reduce purchases of Russian gas by two thirds. The International
Energy Agency is also preparing a series of measures to reduce Europe’s dependence
on Russian gas, said the US secretary of energy Jennifer Granholm. In
Bucharest, energy minister Virgil Popescu said Romania will also secure its
supply of natural gas for next winter from other sources, including the Black
Sea, through the off-shore exploitation of a perimeter by the company Black Sea
Oil & Gas. The project began two years ago, is about to be finalised and is
estimated to provide 10% of the country’s gas supply by the end of the year.

Sport.
U-Banca Transilvania Cluj-Napoca reached the Champions League quarterfinals in
men’s basketball for the first time in the club’s history. In their final Group
K match, they defeated the Belgian side Filou Oostende 85-74 away on Tuesday
evening. They now top the group with 7 points, followed by the Spanish side Unicaja
Malaga. The drawing of lots for the quarterfinals will be held on 25th
March. In tennis, Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse defeated Croatia’s Ana Konjuh to
reach the second round at the Miami Open and will next be playing Elena
Rybakina of Kazakhstan. (CM)

23 March 2022
Romania is diversifying its energy sources

Over the past weeks, due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the international community has imposed tough economic and financial sanctions on Russia. However, behind the skepticism of some countries to impose sanctions was their dependence on Russian gas in particular, as they fear that a possible European embargo on Moscow could make the Kremlin turn off the gas. Moreover, the Russian gas reaches Europe via Ukraine. Among the major gas importers from Russia are such countries as Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In these circumstances, reducing Russian gas imports is particularly pressing for the countries most exposed to a possible supply disruption.

On the one hand, the European Commission has proposed a two-thirds reduction of Russian gas purchases and an end to dependence on Russian fuel supplies well before 2030. At the same time, the EU has called on member states to ensure, by November, 90% of the gas stocks for next winter and are considering capping gas and electricity prices. In another development, the US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm has announced that the International Energy Agency is preparing measures to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. The United States has resorted to the strategic oil reserves to support demand from Europe and has called on other producing countries to do the same. In the European Union, Romania is fortunately the least dependent country on Russian gas, being the second largest oil and gas producer in the EU, with large amounts of untapped natural gas in the Black Sea and the capacity to produce shale gas as well.

Analysts say that the lack of a strategic vision and legal uncertainty have led to these reserves not having been exploited so far, although it would allow Romania to be energy independent and export to other countries. The current energy minister, Virgil Popescu, promises that an additional amount of one billion cubic meters natural gas – the equivalent of 10% of Romania’s gas consumption – could come, even starting this year, from the exploitation by the Black Sea Oil & Gas company of a smaller perimeter in the Black Sea.

Instead, minister Popescu also says that Neptun Deep, the largest perimeter of natural gas discovered in the Black Sea, with an estimated reserve of 100 billion cubic meters, will not be operational before 2026. Virgil Popescu has also given assurances that Parliament will adopt amendments to the Offshore Law by the end of this legislative session. One of the variants under consideration is that 60% of the profit obtained from the exploitation of natural gas from the Black Sea should go to the Romanian state and the remaining 40% to foreign investors. (LS)

23 March 2022
Energiepreise: Regierung will Obergrenze einführen

Um den Druck, der durch die hohen Strom- und Gasrechnungen entsteht, zu verringern, will die Regierung in Bukarest diese Woche neue Ma‎ßnahmen auf der Grundlage einer Dringlichkeitsverordnung verabschieden. Die von der Exekutive seit November ergriffenen Ma‎ßnahmen zur Unterstützung der Bevölkerung und der Unternehmen gelten nur noch bis zum 1. April. Energieminister Virgil Popescu sagte, dass die neuen Ma‎ßnahmen bereits mit der Energieregulierungsbehörde sowie mit Lieferanten und Verteilern besprochen wurden: Wir warten nun, um den Beitrag der Regulierungsbehörde bezüglich der Regulierungstarife in die Notverordnung aufzunehmen. Sodann werden wir die Konsultation mit allen Marktteilnehmern abschlie‎ßen, um die Notverordnung zu verabschieden, damit am 1. April das neue Zuschuss-System in Kraft treten kann“.

Die Vorschläge, die der Premierminister Nicolae Ciucă am Montag unterbreitete, beinhalten Preisobergrenzen und Kostenzuschüsse. Die Obergrenzen für Strom und Erdgas werden für ein Jahr gelten, so der Premierminister, was den Bürgern und Unternehmen Preisstabilität bieten und gleichzeitig den freien Markt respektiert: Für Strom — für Haushaltskunden — haben wir einen Sozialtarif von 0,68 Lei je Kilowatt, einschlie‎ßlich Mehrwertsteuer, für Haushalte mit einem Monatsverbrauch von bis zu 100 Kilowatt festgelegt. Andere Haushalte mit einem monatlichen Stromverbrauch zwischen 100 und 300 Kilowatt werden Strom mit 0,8 Lei je Kilowatt abrechnen, einschlie‎ßlich Mehrwertsteuer. Haushalte mit einem Jahresverbrauch von bis zu 1.200 Kubikmetern profitieren von einem Tarif von 0,31 Lei pro Kilowatt“.

Die Auswirkungen der Zuschüsse für Haushalt und Gewerbe werden bis Ende dieses Jahres auf rund 3 Milliarden Euro (14,5 Milliarden Lei) geschätzt. Eine Analyse des Verbandes für Intelligente Energie weist darauf hin, dass Rumänien eines von nur drei Ländern in Europa ist, das eine Preisbegrenzung als Förderma‎ßnahme einführt. Die Preisgrenze liegt jedoch über dem Marktpreis — in diesem Fall um das 1,7-fache — sodass die Förderungsma‎ßnahmen in Rumänien zu den am wenigsten wirksamen in den EU-Ländern gehören — hei‎ßt es in dem Bericht. Die Unterstützung für die Bevölkerung fällt sogar noch geringer aus, wenn man bedenkt, dass Rumänien an zweiter Stelle der EU-Länder steht, was die negativen Auswirkungen der Energierechnungen auf den Familienhaushalt betrifft. Denn diese sind im Jahre 2022 doppelt so hoch, wie der europäische Durchschnitt, hei‎ßt es in dem Dokument weiter.

15 March 2022
Romania caps energy prices again

In an attempt to ease the pressure caused by higher energy and gas bills, the government in Bucharest will endorse new support measures to be approved through an emergency ordinance. A decision was needed in this respect because the previous measures to support companies and household consumers, which have been applied from November, are valid only until April 1st.

According to Energy Minister Virgil Popescu, the measures have already been discussed with representatives of the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority, as well as with energy providers and distributors.

Virgil Popescu: “We are waiting for the Regulatory Authority to integrate into the emergency ordinance some issues that are related to regulation fees. After we have completed talks with all the market players we next want this emergency ordinance endorsed so that we may have the new scheme operational starting April 1st.”

The new government solutions presented on Monday by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca include caps and subsidies for the aforementioned utilities. Electricity and gas will be capped for a year, and according to the Prime Minister the measure will offer the business environment and citizens stability in accordance with free market rules

Nicolae Ciuca: “Household consumers will benefit from a social fee of 0.68 lei per kilowatt, including the VAT for households with a monthly consumption up to 100 kilowatts. Household consumers with a monthly consumption between 100 and 300 kilowatts will have to pay 0.8 lei per kilowatt whereas consumers with an annual consumption up to 12 hundred cubic meters are to pay 0.31 lei per kilowatt”.

The impact of these measures has been estimated around 3 billion euros by the end of the year. But a survey by the Intelligent Energy Association reminds that Romania is one of the three European countries, which decided to cap prices to support their population. However, the capped price is 1.7 higher than the market price and that makes the aforementioned support measures the least effective in the EU. The new measures are even less significant if we take into account that Romania is the second country in the EU in terms of the negative impact energy bills have upon the family budget – double than the European average in 2022, the survey also shows.

(bill)

15 March 2022
March 8, 2022

COVID-19 Today is the last day
of the COVID-19 state of alert in Romania. The epidemic sees a declining trend
across the country, with the 5th wave of the pandemic close to the
end, president Klaus Iohannis said last week. Romania was on alert for nearly 2
years, beginning on May 15, 2020. Five pandemic waves hit the country during
this period, triggering protection measures, some of which will be lifted once
the state of alert has come to an end. Over these 2 years, says the Strategic
Communication Group, some 64,000 SARS-CoV-2 patients died in Romania. By
Monday, the country had seen roughly 2.78 million infection cases. The number
of new cases reported on Tuesday for the past 24 hours is around 5,500, with 101 related fatalities also
registered, 4 of them from a previous date.

UKRAINE Russia
has sent to Ukraine most of the forces it had deployed along the borders, with
a majority of the 150,000 Russian troops currently on Ukrainian territory, the
Pentagon says. On Tuesday, the 13th day of war, the Russian
offensive focuses on the capital Kyiv in the north and in the south, where
Moscow seeks control over the Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts. Russian ships
have changed position and are preparing a rocket attack on Odessa, Radio
Romania’s correspondent in the region reports, and mentions that local
authorities continue to urge citizens to leave the city, which is believed to
be a strategic target for the Russian invasion. Meanwhile, a new ceasefire
attempt has been announced for this morning, to enable civilians to leave
several cities that are under attack, including the capital Kyiv, where a
Russian attack is expected in the coming days. President Zelensky accused the
Russian army of preventing the evacuation of civilians, while the West
described Russia’s offer to secure humanitarian corridors only to Belarus and
Russia as cynical. Adjusting the corridors and their logistics was announced
last night, after the 3rd round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in
Belarus. Fresh talks are planned for the coming days, without an exact date
announced as yet. On Thursday, a meeting is scheduled in Antalya, Turkey, between
the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, also attended by Turkey’s
diplomacy chief and mediated by the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The
UN has also called for corridors in the Ukrainian battle zones, to deliver aid
to the civilians struggling with substantial shortages.

REFUGEES Nearly 30,000 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania in
the past 24 hours, according to the Romanian border police. Since the start of
the crisis a total of around 300,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.
Bucharest approved on Monday a new set of measures to support the refugees
coming from the neighbouring country, both children and adults, whose rights
the Romanian government will fully observe. The Ukrainian children in Romania
will have access to education at the same standards as Romanian children, the
elderly and the disabled will be able to request social services, and people
seeking a job here will be able to get employed.

RESOURCES The price of all raw materials has soared
around the world since the start of the war in Ukraine and in the context of
the sanctions against Russia. The most substantial price rises were reported
for natural gas, wheat, oil and uranium. Romania will have no natural gas
shortages if Russian imports are cut, and stocks will be restored this spring,
the authorities say. The energy minister Virgil Popescu says Romania has
alternative sources. According to analysts, Romania should begin storing
natural gas as soon as possible, and it should also move to increase the local
output.

STEEL The Târgovişte Special Steel Works in southern Romania
has been taken over by the Italian group Beltrame, one of the world’s leaders
in steel flat bars, local authorities have announced. According to the
investor, apart from revamping the plant, this year 200 new jobs will be
created, followed by another 1,000 in the next 5 years. The steel works,
privatised in 2002, was held by the Russian group Mechel, but was declared
bankrupt last year.

WOMEN
The rights of women and girls have been subject to alarming pressures over the
past year, Amnesty International warns. Events in 2021 and in the early months
of 2022 have conspired to crush the rights and dignity of millions of women and
girls, said Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard. In a
statement posted on International Women’s Day, Callamard pointed out that the
COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback on women’s rights in Afghanistan were among
the developments that had a disproportionate impact on the rights of women and
girls. She also listed in this respect the widespread sexual violence
characterizing the conflict in Ethiopia, attacks on abortion access in the US
and Turkey’s withdrawal from the landmark Istanbul Convention on Gender Based
Violence,” and called on governments to revoke the decisions that have
worsened the situation of women and girls. (A.M.P.)

8 March 2022
Measures to manage the energy crisis

In Romania, gas and electricity bills have skyrocketed in recent months, following the market liberalization and significant global increases. Many bills have doubled and, in some cases, increased 4-5 times, although there is a law under which the prices of these utilities are offset and capped for the period November 1, 2021 – March 30, 2022. In this context, the Romanian government has decided on new measures to protect the population and businesses from the effects of rising energy and gas prices.

The measures will be applied for one year, guaranteeing the predictability and stability that citizens and the business environment need. Thus, from April 1, single rate tariffs will be applied for household and non-household consumers. As for the household consumers, those who will use up to 100 kilowatts of electricity per month will have a fixed rate of 0.68 lei/kwh. According to the authorities, there are currently over 4 million households that fall into this type of consumption. Instead, those who will consume between 100 and 300 kilowatts per month will pay a little more, namely 0.8 lei per kilowatt. Another 4 million households fall into this second category of consumption, the data show. For non-household customers – SMEs, public institutions, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, places of worship, town halls, universities, NGOs, as well as other such institutions – there will be a single rate tariff of 1 leu/kwh.

For natural gas, household customers who will have an annual consumption of up to 1,200 cubic meters will benefit from a tariff of 0.31 lei/kw. For non-household consumers, the cost of natural gas will be 0.37 lei/kw. In the case of large energy consumers, electricity bills will be reduced by 20%, and other aid schemes will be adopted for natural gas. The budgetary impact for electricity and natural gas will be about 14.5 billion lei (2.93 billion Euros) by the end of this year. All these tariffs could be adopted by the government next week.

On the other hand, the authorities also decided on a series of additional measures, without violating European rules, which would expose Romania to the infringement procedure. Thus, the rate of return on the supply cost will be of maximum 5% for suppliers and an additional tax is introduced for trading activity on the Romanian market, in order to discourage repeated transactions that may lead to higher prices. At the same time, the green certificates will be suspended until the end of 2022 and their validity will be extended with a period similar to that of suspension, a measure that will temporarily reduce the fiscal pressure on the budget, which will thus better support the measures to protect the population and the economy. According to the government, the implementation of the new measures after April 1 will allow the “sustainable” continuation of the states efforts to provide protection to the population and the business environment, which, for a year, will have a price stability while observing the free market rules. (LS)

25 February 2022