Radio România Internațional

Tag: Geoana

NATO, the US and Europe

Born in 1958, a former ambassador to Washington and a former foreign minister in the early 2000s, when Romania was admitted into NATO, Mircea Geană was described as one of the most forefront Atlanticist politicians in Romania.

Between 2005 and 2010, he led the Social Democratic Party, which has been dominating the Romanian political scene for over 3 decades. And, unlike a long line of Social Democratic leaders, from Ion Iliescu to Liviu Dragnea, via Adrian Năstase and Victor Ponta, he was never involved in criminal investigations or subject to allegations of plagiarism.

In 2009, Geoană lost the presidential election to Traian Băsescu, by a small margin. Since October 17, 2019, the Romanian Mircea Geoană has been NATOs deputy secretary general, and as of late the media and political analysts in Bucharest have noticed he has been more often in Romania than in Brussels, which suggests he might be interested in running for president once again, at the end of this year.

Just days ago, the NATO deputy chief came home again, to launch his book, Battle for the future of Romania. Thoughts of a Romanian at the top of NATO in Ploieşti.

On this occasion, speaking about the large-scale NATO exercise due to take place in Poland soon and expected to be the largest since 1988, Mircea Geoană said he wished the exercise to be read as a determent by prospective opponents. 90,000 people, the most diverse equipment, all Allies (…) taking part in this exercise, Romania included (…) You show your strength and your ability to bring additional forces from North America to Europe in a quick and professional manner, and you prove that the entire Alliance is able to mobilise, Geoană said.

He also explained that America needs allies in Europe and elsewhere in the world, and if Donald Trump returns to the White House after this autumns election, there will probably be “shifts in the emphasis” of the US-NATO relationship.

Geoană cited what not only Trump, but all US presidents have said: many of the USs European allies do not invest in defence, and America has to pay for the Allies security while they mind their own economy and get cheap natural gas from the Russians. However, Geoană went on to say, in his last State of the Union address nearly 4 years ago, Trump praised NATO.

Speaking about the extent to which the Romanian army is prepared for a prospective conflict, Geoană emphasised the importance of military drills. When you hear about such exercises, do not be concerned. What I hope for Romania (…) is for this bigger investment (…) to be able to lead to a rebirth of the defence industry (….) It is a pity not to try to create jobs, not to create an innovation ecosystem around the defence sector, the NATO official concluded. (AMP)

22 January 2024
November 17, 2023 UPDATE

BUDGET PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that there will be no new
taxes next year and that the Romanian government will have money by fighting
tax evasion. According to him, in October, revenue collection to the state
budget reached a record level, around EUR 8. By keeping the same pace and
maintaining non-essential expenses under control, the PM added, by the end of
the year we will meet the deficit target agreed with the European Commission.
The statement comes after, recently, the Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă argued
that Romania cannot afford an increase in taxes next year and that funding
sources must be found to support the draft pensions law.

POVERTY
One in 5 Romanians was affected by poverty in 2022, the National Statistics
Institute reported. The number of people in need was 4.2 million, slightly
below the figure reported in the previous year. The highest poverty rate was
reported among youth up to 24 years of age, with the poverty rate for
households with children and youth 5.2% higher than in households without dependent
children and youth. The National Statistics Institute also said that, without
pension and other welfare payments, nearly half of the population would have
been below the poverty threshold, and the situation would have been even worse
among the elderly.

VISIT
Romania and Tanzania have agreed on mutual student grant programmes. The
president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis had a meeting with his counterpart, Samia
Suluhu Hassan in the capital city Dar es Salaam on Friday, and discussed the
development of this country’s relations with the EU. Tanzania may count on
Romania as regards promoting and encouraging its relations with the EU, president
Iohannis said after the meeting. He presented Romania’s view on giving a fresh
impetus to the country’s relations with African states, based on the recently
adopted National Strategy for Africa. Iohannis also said agreements were
reached on bilateral cooperation in areas like education, civil protection,
agriculture, forestry, IT and cyber security. In turn, the president of Tanzania
announced that Romania decided to provide 10 grants for students from Tanzania,
which in turn will be providing 5 grants to young Romanians who wish to study
there. Two memorandums were also signed on disaster risk management and
cooperation and research in agriculture. The president of Romania is on a tour
in Africa, which began on Tuesday in Kenya. On Saturday, Klaus Iohannis will be
received by the president of Zanzibar, Hussein Mwinyi, and then he will travel
to the Republic of Cabo Verde, for talks with president Jose Maria Neves. The
tour concludes on November 23 in Senegal, with political consultations with
president Macky Sall.

MILITARY The Romanian
company Aerostar, based in Bacău, eastern Romania, Friday signed a cooperation
agreement with Derco Aerospace (a member of the US group Lockheed Martin),
concerning technology transfer for the repair of F-16 aircraft equipment operated
by the Romanian Army. Attending the event was NATO’s deputy secretary general
Mircea Geoană. He said NATO was interested in 2 goals-expanding the defence
industry in all member states and creating an innovation ecosystem for dual-use
industries (civilian and military), benefiting the newer NATO member states.
The agreement was signed just days after the opening of the first European F-16
training centre, at the Feteşti air base in the south-east of Romania, and capitalises on 26 years of cooperation between Lockheed Martin and Romania.

FOOTBALL
Romania’s national football team are in Hungary for a match against Israel on
Saturday evening, in Qualifying Group I of the 2024 European Championship to be
hosted by Germany. Because of the war at home, the Israelis had to postpone
their October-November matches, and to play abroad the matches scheduled at
home. Romania completes the qualifying stage on Tuesday, in Bucharest, with a match
against Switzerland. Undefeated in the first eight matches, Romania has 16
points and is behind group leader Switzerland on goal difference. Next comes
Israel, with 11 points, and Kosovo, with 10 points. The two top-ranking teams
in each group go to the final tournament. Romania last qualified for a final European
tournament in 2016 and for a World Cup in 1998. (AMP)

17 November 2023
The visit of the NATO Deputy Secretary General to Chisinau

On a visit to Chisinau, the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană referred to the recent incidents on Romanias territory, near the border with Ukraine, where pieces of a drone similar to those used by the Russian army were discovered, emphasizing that these belong to the category of incidents, not deliberate attacks. He admitted that such situations might occur again but underlined that there is no information according to which Russia would deliberately attack allied territory, and NATO continues to take measures to strengthen the protection of allied territory, including that of Romania. We are in permanent contact with our Romanian ally – said Mircea Geoană – recalling that the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, recently had a telephone conversation with President Klaus Iohannis on this subject. As regards the Republic of Moldova, the NATO official said that its place is in Europe next to the family of Western democracies.

He added that, although there is no military risk threatening this state, it is still subject to a hybrid war, caused by Russia, from the use of the energy weapon to cyber-attacks, to disinformation, influencing democratic mechanisms, inciting to social rebellion. Mircea Geoană said that the neighboring Ukraine, which is resisting Russia, is currently also defending the Republic of Moldova from direct military attacks.

Mircea Geoana: I want to reconfirm here, in Chisinau, the fact that we do not see a military risk from the Russian Federation towards the Republic of Moldova, for the simple fact that Ukraine is doing such a good job with our support too, so this military risk at the moment and for the foreseeable future is not here. This does not mean that the Russian Federation has not launched and continues using, as we speak, everything that means the arsenal of the hybrid war against the Republic of Moldova, from the use of the energy weapon to cyber-attacks, disinformation, influencing democratic mechanisms, instigating to social rebellion. And for us it is very important to strengthen the resilience of the Republic of Moldova, while respecting the neutrality of this country.

In his turn, the Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean emphasized that Russia’s war in Ukraine has greatly changed the perception of security in Europe and the world. He mentioned that many states understood that they need a developed defense sector and Chisinau’s priority now is to have an army in line with the NATO standards.

It is necessary to strengthen the defense capacity, especially through investments in the army, insisted Dorin Recean: Moldova’s neutrality does not mean indifference, does not mean that were doing nothing. That’s why we have to strengthen our defense capacity, that’s why we have to make these investments in the national army, in such a way that we have the national army in line with the NATO standards and, obviously, we will have the support of our partners in this sense.

Dorin Recean added that the Republic of Moldova will participate in the NATO programs on new technologies and innovations. (LS)

15 September 2023
May 11, 2023 UPDATE

PLANT Romania will have the first tyre
plant without carbon dioxide emissions in the world. Construction works already
started on this plant in Oradea north-western Romania on Thursday. The total value
of this investment stands at around 600 million Euros and is being made by a
well-known Finnish consortium. The Romanian government’s contribution stands at
100 million Euros. The output is due to commence next year and the new factory
will provide hundreds of new jobs. The investment was launched in the presence
of Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, who said: It is very important in
the moves currently underway at the EU and world level to protect the
environment and is an example to be followed.

RISK Romania runs the risk of staying in the middle-income
trap and unless it changes its present outdated economic model, it would find
it very difficult to become a state with a developed economy, NATO Deputy
Secretary General Romanian Mircea Geoana said. In my opinion, Romania’s
present economic model is outdated. It has far too long been based on small
incomes, cheap labour and exports with much too little added value to be able
to be competitive and climb the ladder of the developed nations. That’s why it
is very clear that we need to build our future by learning from what went wrong
in the past years Geoana said at the Future is now summit held in Bucharest.
According to him only few countries have managed to get out of the
middle-income trap like South-Korea for instance. He has also mentioned the
efforts in this direction made by countries in our region such as the Czech
Republic, Estonia and Poland.

FESTIVAL The Cinefemina Film Festival
has kicked off in Bucharest. The festival promotes and supports women working
in the European film industry by screening features and short films directed by
talented women filmmakers and producers. Running until May 14, the festival
will bring to cinema halls 12 European features and 5 short films. Produced by
film studios from Italy, France, Greece, Romania, Austria, the Netherlands,
Portugal, Poland, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Hungary, the productions tackle a
variety of genres, from comedy, drama to romance. This year, apart from film
screenings, organizers have also prepared meetings with filmmakers as well as
experts in a number of related fields, representatives of NGOs and journalists.
These debates are aimed at promoting women in industries traditionally
dominated by men.

GRANTS European Transport Commissioner
Adina Vălean on Wednesday distributed two grants worth 60 million euros to
Romanian beneficiaries for the construction of the rail bridge in Ungheni on
the Romanian border with the Republic of Moldova and for the modernization of
the Port of Constanța in the southeast. The funds are earmarked under the
Connecting Europe Facility. Regarding the bridge in Ungheni, Commissioner Vălean
said the project will be an extension of the A8 motorway to the Republic of
Moldova, adding that Romania has applied for and secured funding for six
bridges.

(bill&VP)

11 May 2023
April 6, 2023

Protests — On Friday, the Romanian farmers are organizing protests in several counties and in Bucharest, dissatisfied with the solution found by the European Commission to the problems and serious imbalances facing the Romanian agri-food sector, against the background of market distortions caused by the armed conflict in Ukraine. According to the farmers, the total elimination, since the middle of last year, of customs duties on all goods from Ukraine has exported the effects of the war, commercially speaking, to the neighboring countries, creating an involuntary dumping effect, as it has stimulated Ukrainian farmers to sell cheaper. The representatives of the Romanian farmers point out that this measure has not helped and will not help the Ukrainians to resume their production cycle. Instead, it has strongly disrupted the market in Romania.

Beijing – The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the French President Emmanuel Macron are discussing today, in Beijing, with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, especially about Chinas role in finding a peace solution in Ukraine. The two are trying to convince the Chinese leader to exert his influence on Russia to end the war. Shortly after arriving in Beijing, Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about growing tensions between China and the West, and Ursula von der Leyen adopted a tougher stance, warning that the future relations between China and the EU will be influenced by how Beijing will approach the war in Ukraine. For the moment, Western allies only see an ever-closer economic rapprochement between China and Russia. The issue was on the agenda of the meeting of the NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday, who expressed concern about the Chinese-Russian partnership, which threatens Ukraine. In response, NATO decided to close ranks with its partners in the South Pacific. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg announced that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are also invited to the summer summit of the Alliance in Vilnius, in which the Ukrainian president will also participate.

Gaudeamus – The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, organized for the 22nd time in the heart of Transylvania, in the city of Cluj, takes place from Thursday until Sunday. The event is hosted in 14 exhibition pavilions, including over 60 stands that bring together the offer of numerous publishing houses, Romanian and foreign book distributors, producers and distributors of music and games. The virtual stands of the participants can be found on www.gaudeamus.ro, in the online version of the fair, so that the editorial novelties, special offers and surprises prepared by the participants are also accessible to book lovers who cannot visit the fair. More than 30 book launches and presentation sessions are organized, numerous book-prize contests, as well as the “Miss Reading” contest – one of the highlights of the Gaudeamus Fairs for over 15 years.

Codes – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted the draft laws that regulate the criminal and criminal procedure codes in the form drafted by the Ministry of Justice, without any amendment. Thus, they gave up the setting of a value threshold from which criminal sanctions are applied for abuse and negligence in office, as the senators had decided. Also, they kept the possibility of using phone tapping made by specialized services as evidence in the case of several crimes, including tax evasion and corruption. The Chamber of Deputies is a decision-making body in this case.

NATO – On Friday, the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană will visit the South-East Multinational Brigade from Craiova (southern Romania), whose Command has the mission to ensure the command and control of a NATO operation of the Article 5 type – Collective Defense, contributing, in this way, to the consolidation of the South-Eastern flank of the Alliance, to the security of the territory and the population of the member states. The NATO official made this announcement in an interview given to AGERPRES news agency, in Brussels, after the conclusion of the meeting of foreign ministers from the allied states, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mircea Geoana spoke in the interview about the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance and the relationship with the partner countries, as well as about the agenda of his mandate as NATO Deputy Secretary General, which was extended until October 2024. Mircea Geoana also referred to the war in Ukraine. In his opinion, the Kremlin leadership has been using the nuclear rhetoric in the most unprofessional and irresponsible way, even before the start of the war in Ukraine.

Visit – The former president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, is visiting Bucharest today. He will be received by president Klaus Iohannis and will be granted the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Academy of Economic Studies (ASE). The event takes place in the context of the manifestations organized by the higher education institution, on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of its establishment on April 6. Jean-Claude Juncker was the President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019.

6 April 2023
01.04.2023

Bruxelles – Le mandat du roumain Mircea Geoană d’adjoint au secrétaire général de l’OTAN a été prolongé d’une année, jusqu’à octobre 2024. Le patron de l’OTAN Jens Stoltenberg lui a remercié et a souligné que Mircea Geoană a été un secrétaire général adjoint remarquable et un grand soutien personnel, durant une période critique pour la sécurité euro-atlantique. Dans un message sur Facebook, Mircea Geoană a écrit que la décision de prolonger ce mandat, tout comme sa nomination en 2019 ont été un exemple pour tous les Roumains de viser haut et pour la Roumanie d’obtenir l’audace et la sagesse de mettre à profit les opportunités stratégiques offertes par les changements géopolitiques. Par ailleurs, selon la publication The Sun, la présidente de la Commission européenne Ursula von der Leyen, devrait se porter candidate aux fonctions de prochain secrétaire général de l’OTAN, étant donné que Jens Stoltenberg doit absolument achever son mandat cet octobre, après trois prolongations successives. Le premier ministre espagnol, Pedro Sánchez, et le secrétaire britannique à la défense, Ben Wallace, seraient également candidats à ces fonctions.

Défense – Le ministre roumain de la défense, Angel Tîlvăr, s’est entretenu à Washington, avec les représentants d’instituts américains de recherche et analyse de renom dans la sphère des études de sécurité. Selon un communiqué transmis aujourd’hui par le ministère de la défense de Bucarest, les réunions ont visé la guerre en Ukraine, la manière dont l’OTAN a répondu pour soutenir l’Ukraine, mais aussi les leçons apprises et les moyens de consolider le soutien allié pour ce pays. Ce qui plus est, les participants aux pourparlers ont évoqué les décisions du sommet de Madrid, respectivement les mesures de renforcement de la défense et de la dissuasion sur le flanc est de l’OTAN et la manière d’implémentation de celles-ci. Egalement dans le cadre de sa visite aux Etats Unis, le ministre de la défense Angel Tâlvar a souligné les bénéfices du partenariat stratégique entre la Roumanie et les Etats Unis. Le 30 mars, le ministre roumain a rencontré Cara Abercrombie, qui coordonne la politique de défense et du contrôle des armements dans le cadre du Conseil national de sécurité des Etats Unis et le 31 mars il a rencontré Gina Ortiz Jones, secrétaire adjointe des Forces aériennes des Etats Unis.

Relance et résilience – La commission européenne a verse jusqu’ici plus de 150 milliards d’euros aux etats membres dans le cadre du mécanisme de relance et de résilience en moins de deux ans depuis sa création, stimulant des réformes et des investissements dans les Etats bénéficiaires. Affin de rendre le fonctionnement du mécanisme plus transparent, la commission a lancé cette semaine, une carte interactive enligne, périodiquement mise à jour qui présente les projets financés par ces fonds. Sur les 350 projets présentés, 10 proviennent de Roumanie. Parmi eux figurent le programme national de reboisement, l’autoroute A17 qui relie les villes de Ploiesti, dans le sud et Pascani, dans l’est ou la modernisation du chemin de fer reliant les villes de Cluj et d’Oradea, dans le nord-ouest.

Migrants – Le ministère roumain des Affaires Etrangères a fait savoir aujourd’hui que les autorités canadiennes n’avaient pas confirmé le fait qu’il y avait des Roumains parmi les huit personnes décédés à la frontière américano – canadienne. Auparavant, la presse a informé que huit personnes, dont une famille de Roumains, avaient décédé alors qu’ils tentaient de traverser illégalement la frontière entre le Canada et les Etats Unis. Ils sont été découverts dans une zone marécageuse du fleuve qui sépare le Québec de l’Etat de New York. Une autre personne, le propriétaire de l’embarcation utilisée pour le transport des huit est portée disparue. Le président américain Joe Biden et le premier ministre canadien Justin Trudeau ont décidé la semaine dernière d’arrêter les demandeurs d’asile qui arrivent au Canada illégalement. Selon la police, l’accord n’a pas provoqué la tragédie des deux familles.

Météo – Températures assez douces pour cette période de l’année, mais la météo est morose à travers le pays. Ciel couvert sur le nord, l’ouest et le sud-ouest, ou il pleut. Des précipitations sont attendues presque partout en Roumanie. En montage des chutes de neige sont possibles. Les maximas vont de 11 à 19 degrés. 11 degrés à Bucarest.

Musée – Plusieurs musées roumains participent à l’exposition internationale Premiers rois d’Europe, du Field Museum of Natural History de Chicago. L’exposition, qui rassemble plus de 700 artefacts archéologiques préhistoriques de première importance provenant des collections d’Albanie, de Bosnie-Herzégovine, de Bulgarie, de Croatie, du Kosovo, de Macédoine du Nord, du Monténégro, de Roumanie, de Serbie, de Slovénie et de Hongrie, sera ouverte jusqu’au 28 janvier 2024. Premiers Rois d’Europe est le résultat d’un projet culturel sans précédent, mené en collaboration avec plus de 25 musées en Europe. L’exposition présente, avec d’autres objets provenant des collections de musées des pays mentionnés, une sélection d’artefacts préhistoriques et protohistoriques datant de la période néolithique, de l’âge du bronze et jusqu’au deuxième âge du fer – de cinq musées roumains.

Tennis – La joueuse roumaine de tennis, Sorana Cîrstea a raté la qualification en finale du tournoi de Miami aux Etats Unis. Elle a été battue vendredi par la sportive Tchèque Petra Kvitova 7-5, 6-4, dans les demi-finales du tournoi WTA 1 000.

1 April 2023
Bucharest will host a NATO meeting

A meeting of the foreign ministers from the NATO member states will take place for the first time in Bucharest next week. Also for the first time, the meeting will be joined by the Moldovan foreign minister, and the foreign ministers from Georgia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine will also attend the meeting in Bucharest. High on the agenda of the meeting will be the situation in Ukraine, says the spokeswoman for NATO, the Romanian Oana Lungescu.

According to her, the NATO foreign ministers will hold a meeting in Bucharest almost nine months after Ukraine was illegally invaded by Russia. Therefore, the situation in Ukraine, as well as the global situation in the Black Sea area, the concerns we have related to the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic region will be the priorities of the agenda of the meeting in Bucharest, said Oana Lungescu.

In his turn, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană, states that next weeks meeting of the foreign ministers of the NATO member countries, in Bucharest, is a bridge between last summers summit, in Madrid, and the next one, in Vilnius. He also mentions that the meeting is Romanias contribution to the Alliances strategic thinking and to NATOs response to the current, very complex situation on the continent.

Mircea Geoană: ʺThere are almost 50 nations that contribute indirectly to NATO, but in a process led by the United States, in the contact group for Ukraine. We continue to see the active wish of allies and partners to help Ukraine from a military point of view. At the same time, we must say that from a political point of view, this time, we do not see conditions for a negotiation between the two sides in the near future, for an obvious reason. The positions are so different and so massively far from each other that, today, we do not see the conditions for the two sides finding common ground for starting negotiations”.

Moreover, at political level, NATO does not have contacts with Russia. In addition, no one within the Alliance is negotiating anything on behalf of Ukraine – the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană, also said. According to some NATO officials, on the first day of the meeting in the capital of Romania, on November 29, a session dedicated to the war between Russia and Ukraine will be organized, followed by an informal dinner to which the Ukrainian Foreign Minister was invited, who is expected to provide details on the situation in his country.

On November 30, a discussion of the allied ministers with the representatives of Finland and Sweden is scheduled. There will also be a session dedicated to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, an opportunity for the NATO countries to make additional commitments to these partners, in the form of adapted aid packages. (LS)

23 November 2022
November 4, 2022

EVENT GoTech World, the largest IT and digital event
in Central and Eastern Europe ends in Bucharest today. The event has brought
together some of the world’s most important players in this field, more than 80
top companies the world over have exclusively presented their products and
services. Besides various exhibitions, GoTech also includes a series of
sessions, which involves the participation of 130 speakers, influencers,
experts and entrepreneurs from the IT world. The Deputy Secretary General of
NATO, Romanian Mircea Geoana, is expected to deliver a speech today, which is
the second day of this prestigious event. Another interesting moment will be
the attendance of ballerina Merritt Moore, who is also a quantum physicist. She
has become famous for having combined science and dance through the use of
robots.

DATA According to data released by the National
Registry Office, the number of companies, which suspended their activity in
Romania in the first nine months of this year, has almost reached 11 thousand, being
20% higher than in the same period of 2021. Most of the companies that closed
down were located in Bucharest and several other major cities, and were
operating in the wholesale and retail businesses, vehicle repair and
maintenance and other professional scientific and technical activities.

GAME The national women’s handball side of
Romania on Saturday will be up against the Netherlands in their first match in
the European Championship’s group C. The tournament takes place over November 4th
and 20th in Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro. Group C also
includes France and North Macedonia. Romania has so far participated in every edition
of the aforementioned competition save for 2006 and the best result it obtained
was a bronze medal in 2010. In 2020 our handballers ranked 12th.

LAW
Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Friday promulgated a law banning
offenders from running for leading political positions such as senators, MPs,
mayors, presidents of county councils and others. Under the aforementioned law,
the ban does not apply in cases involving rehabilitation, amnesty or
decriminalization.

TRADE The volume of trade exchanges between Romania and Germany in the
first nine months of the year has exceeded 28 billion dollars, 18% higher than
in the same period last year, says the Federal Statistics Office quoted by the
Romanian-German Chamber of Trade. According to the same sources, the volume of
German exports to Romania stood at roughly 15 billion Euros, while imports
exceeded 13 billion, placing Romania on the 19th position in a
ranking concerning exports and on the 21st position in terms of imports.
Federal authorities have voiced hope that Romania will join the Schengen zone
as soon as possible in what is seen as a strong political signal acknowledging
the country’s positive achievements in terms of European integration.

SPORT Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj have
qualified for the play-offs of the round of 16 of Europa Conference League
after their one-nil home win against FC Ballkani of Kosovo. CFR ranks second in
the group after Turkish side Sivasspor. Teams ranking second in the
competition’s groups are playing tie games against sides on the third position
in Europa League. Romania’s vice-champions FCSB have lost their last game in the
group to English side West Ham United and are presently at the bottom of the
table. Play-off games for the round of 16 are to be played between February 16
and 23.

(bill)

4 November 2022
June 25, 2022

SUMMIT Romanian president
Klaus Iohannis has attended the European Council in Brussels during which the
Republic of Moldova and Ukraine have been granted the status of EU-candidate
countries. The European leaders have also tackled the ways in which the EU
members can avoid a major energy crisis in winter. High on the summit agenda
was the situation in Ukraine, the bloc’s relation with the Western Balkans as well
as a series of economic issues. Iohannis has reiterated Romania’s consistent
support for Kiev and presented the efforts to facilitate the exports of
Ukrainian cereals adding that Romania’s ports and transport corridors are
functioning at full capacity. During the Euro summit in Brussels, president
Iohannis has reiterated his conviction for the European future of the countries
in the Western Balkans and the support for the opening as soon as possible of
the talks with North Macedonia and Albania and the identification of solutions
for the process of bringing Bosnia-Herzegovina closer to the union.

ATTACK The alleged
assailant on Friday night in Oslo is a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin who
is known to the intelligence services, a police official said on Saturday. He
didn’t reveal the identity of the suspect, but mentioned the assailant’s previous
brushes with the law for carrying weapons and drug possession. The attack in
downtown Oslo left two dead and 21 wounded, out of whom 10 severely. According
to police sources, the suspect was being held on suspicion of murder, attempted
murder and terrorism, based on the number of people targeted at multiple
locations.

NATO At the NATO summit in
Madrid next week, the Black Sea region will be acknowledged as having a
strategic importance in the collective defence and battle groups in Romania and
other eastern countries could be given the status of brigades. The alliance’s
deputy secretary general, Mircea Geoana said the summit would bring good news
for Romania, but also for Ukraine for the transatlantic relation and the
alliance per se. ‘From the military and security viewpoints’, Geoana says ‘and
because Russia is an unpredictable and aggressive player, Romania will have the
same quality in terms of national security as Germany and Belgium. There will
be no difference in what NATO has on the eastern flank and in Western Europe.
Next week we are going to attend the NATO summit in Madrid and we are expecting
historic news for Romania’. The talks in Madrid will also be focusing on the
requests from Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, although no decision is
expected in this respect because of Turkey’s opposition.

FESTIVAL Until July 3rd, the city of Sibiu in central Romania is
seeing the International Theatre Festival currently at its 29th
edition. The festival, which is unfolding under a theme simply entitled
Beauty, includes productions of theatre, dance, circus, film, musical and
opera. Street performances, concerts, book launches and exhibitions have also
been included in the festival’s agenda. For ten days artists of the world stage
are offering the public the possibility of enjoying live performances that have
been acknowledged at international level being also recipients of prestigious
awards.

(bill)

25 June 2022
February 11, 2022

NATO – Romania, as NATO member country and strategic partner of the US, benefits all security guarantees that it needs, in the context of the heaviest crisis after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The statement was made by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday, during a visit he made together with the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg and the Alliance’s Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana, at the military base in Mihail Kogalniceanu, south-eastern Romania. The officials met with military personnel from allied nations deployed to Romania. Military equipment for the US Task Force (TF) Cougar has already reached Romania. In his turn, Stoltenberg said the presence of NATO troops in Romania is important because it is “a powerful demonstration” of NATO unity. Around 1,000 American military are dispatched in Romania, amid concerns raised by the military build-up at the border with the neighboring Ukraine. A NATO member since 2004, Romania was already hosting 900 American military, 250 Polish and 140 Italian soldiers.

MOLDOVA — The Romanian prime Minister, Nicolae Ciuca noticed, at the start of a joint meeting of the Romanian and Moldovan governments on Friday in Chisinau, the ”biggest openess” ever recorded in the bilateral ties. According to PM Ciuca, Romania will continue to be a firm and vocal supporter of Moldova’s European path. He reminded that in 2020, a year of crisis, Romania granted Moldova assistance for development worth a record 46.8 million euros, that went mainly to education and scholarship. In turn, the Moldovan PM, Natalia Gavrilita, said her cabinet is firmly committed to securing a predictible and atractive framework for foreign investors, in keeping with the best European practices. Ahead of the meeting, the Chisinau Government approved a bilateral accord on the implementation of the technical and financial assistance programme, based on an unrepayble financial aid worth 100 million euros granted by Romania and also an accord on cutting tariffs for roaming services between the two countries at lest ten times.

CORONAVIRUS — The number of new Covid-19 infections continues to drop in Romania. On Friday, the Group for Strategic Communication announced 22,737 new cases and 132 deaths, five of which from an earlier date. The Romanian authorities consider easing the restrictions taken in the context of the pandemic, but in a graddual manner, after the model of the countries which have already passed the peak of the current wave, the head of the Department for Emergencies, Raed Arafat, said. The number of new cases is dropping, and, if this tendency maintains, we could be restriction free before Easter, Arafat said. In his turn, the head of the mass immunization campaign, Valeriu Gheorghita, said that in the future vaccination against Covid-19 will be seasonal, just like the flu vaccine, but adjusted to the strain in circulation at that moment. The immunization rate among adults stands at 50.5% in Romania at present, Valeriu Gheorghita said.

UKRAINE – US President Joe Biden has urged American citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, for fear of a Russian invasion. He has warned that “things could go crazy quickly” in spite of diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis. Biden has made it clear he will not send troops to Ukraine nor even to evacuate American citizens in the event of a conflict, as, if American and Russian troops start shooting one another, a world war could start. Last month the US and its western allies already evacuated the families of the diplomatic personnel in Ukraine. Biden’s warning comes after the latest Russian troops’ movements and joint Russian-Belarusian military drills on the territory of the latter.

ECONOMY – Romanias economy went up by 6.3% in 2021, thanks to a sound domestic demand, but the pace will slow down to 4.2% this year, to reach 4.5% in 2023, according to the winter economic forecast released by the European Commission on Thursday. Last autumn the EC estimated Romanias GDP would grow by 7% in 2021, with rates of 5.1% and 5.2% forecast for 2022 and 2023 respectively. The most recent data concerning confidence in the economy indicate positive, although moderated economic growth prospects, especially in services, retail, constructions and industry. Private consumption is also expected to recover in the second half of the year, when restrictions will be eased out and inflation will slow down. Meanwhile, the EC substantially adjusted its 2022 inflation forecast for Romania, from 4% estimated in November to 5.3% this winter, after a 4.1% inflation rate in 2021.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (56 WTA) is today up against Tereza Martincova( 42 WTA) of the Czech Republic, in the quarterfinals of the Sankt Petersburg tournament. Begu managed a spectacular win on Thursday over Czech Petra Kvitova, 6-4, 6-0. Another Romanian in the competition, Jaqueline Cristian, was defeated by Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-3. (EE)

11 February 2022
December 17, 2021 UPDATE

MOURNING A day of mourning was observed on
Friday in memory of the people killed 32 years ago in Timişoara, the city that
sparked the Romanian anti-communist revolution. Commemoration events included
religious services, laying of flowers and special exhibitions. ON 17th
December 1989 army and security forces opened fire against the people
protesting against Romania’s communist regime in the city of Timişoara in the
west of the country. More than 60 people were killed that evening, and several
hundreds were wounded. 17th December is considered the darkest day
in Timişoara’s contemporary history.

SUMMIT EU leaders who met for the winter summit in Brussels called for a boost
in vaccination levels amid concerns over the Omicron variant. Romania was
represented at the meeting by its president, Klaus Iohannis. EU leaders also
discussed the rise in energy costs and the tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
According to the Romanian president’s office, the meeting of the European
Council was followed by the Euro summit in extended format, where EU leaders
adopted a declaration reiterating the EU’s commitment to provide vigorous,
rapid and coordinated response for post-pandemic economic recovery.

TRIAL Prosecutors
have called for maximum penalties for all those indicted in the ‘Colectiv’ file.
They have also referred to the small damages awarded by the court in comparison
to the suffering of those wounded or the relatives of those who died in the
blaze that destroyed the Colectiv night club six years ago. The Colectiv
tragedy can repeat any time and society has been scarred by it, one of the
prosecutors says. We recall that two years ago a court in Bucharest ruled that the
former mayor of district 4 in Bucharest Cristian Popescu together with another
employee of the city hall, the owners of the aforementioned club and a couple
of employees of the fireworks company involved in the incident should serve prison
sentences between 3 and 12 years.

NATO The North Atlantic Alliance
remains vigilant about Russia’s military buildup at the border with Ukraine,
NATO’s deputy secretary general Romanian Mircea Geoana told Radio Romania on
Friday. According to Geoana, NATO doesn’t know Moscow’s final intention, which
might reiterate the situation in 2014, when it occupied the Ukrainian peninsula
of Crimea. The NATO official has made an appeal for Russia’s resuming talks
adding that at present there are no major security risks for the allies in the
eastern flank.

POLL 61% of
Romanians hope 2022 will be better in terms of jobs, with 69% saying 2021 was
harder than the first pandemic year in terms of personal and professional
challenges, according to a survey conducted by BestJobs online recruitment
platform. Six in ten respondents are considering changing their job for higher
pay or are expecting a promotion or pay rise from their current job. 26% of
Romanian employees say 2021 was better than 2020, with 25% saying this
improvement was recorded on a private level, 17% on a professional and 15% on
both. The BestJobs survey was conducted between 20th November and 10th
December using a sample of 1,041 Internet users. BestJobs is one of the biggest
online recruitment platforms in Romania.

(bill)

17 December 2021
October 26, 2020 UPDATE

Covid-19 — Over 2,800 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Romania in the past 24 hours, with the number of Covid-19-related deaths nearing 6,500. The number of patients in ICUs remains high, more than 800. Several big cities of Romania, such as Timisoara (west), Sibiu (center), and Baia Mare (north), Bucharest included, operate in the red scenario, reporting more than 3 cases of COVID-19 per one thousand inhabitants. Besides online courses for at least 14 days, the red scenario instates the obligation to wear a face mask in the street, in open-air spaces as well as inside buildings and a ban on indoor activities in restaurants and cafes. The National Committee for Emergency Situations on Monday updated the list of COVID-19 high-risk countries. As of October 26, travelers coming into Romania from these countries must isolate for 14 days. The list comprises 30 countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France, the UK, Ireland and Portugal. The US and the R. of Moldova are no longer on the list.

COVID-19 world — The total number of COVID-19 cases has exceeded 43.4 million around the world, with more than 1.16 million deaths being reported. The number of recovered patients stands at almost 32 million, according to Worldometer.info. The most affected countries are the US, Brazil and India. The situation is equally serious in Europe which continues to report a big number of infections. Spain reintroduced the state of emergency and Italy has taken further restrictive measures. On Friday France reported over one million cases of COVID-19. In the Czech Republic, which has reported the highest rate of contaminations and deaths in Europe in the past two weeks, partial lockdown has been imposed until November 3.

Visit — The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban is on an official visit to France on Monday and Tuesday. Ludovic Orban met with his French counterpart Jean Castex, with whom he shared Romania’s wish for more solidarity among Europeans in this difficult period. The two officials signed several official documents including a cooperation agreement between the two countries. The main objective of the Romanian PM’s visit to France is the signing of the roadmap for the next 4 years regarding cooperation between Romania and France. Another document refers to a memorandum of intent among the two countries’ governments for cooperation in the nuclear energy field. The Romanian PM invited the French companies already operating in Romania to continue to develop their activity.

Partnership — NATO will have a homogeneous defense and deterrence posture, announced NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana in a press briefing. This is a concept for defense and deterrence for the euro-Atlantic area, which is currently debated by the Alliance. Asked by a Radio Romania reporter about the defense fragmentation on the eastern flank, Mircea Geoana showed that the Black Sea is included in the first large-scale comprehensive assessment of NATO’s security of the past 40-50 years. The NATO official also talked about the NATO-EU cooperation on the issue of military mobility within such forums as the Three Seas Initiative, of which Romania is a member. He said the Alliance encourages everything related to infrastructure, be it economic, military or strategic. Also Mr. Geoana said that the Romanian — American strategic partnership is becoming more robust with every year passing by. (update by L.Simion)

26 October 2020
The Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy

The essential coordinates of Bucharest’s foreign actions remain
unchanged: to strengthen the role it plays in the European Union and NATO and
the Strategic Partnership with the United States. These pillars of the Romanian
foreign policy have this week been mentioned by the country’s President Klaus Iohannis,
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu at the annual
meeting of the Romanian diplomacy.

The event has been held as a videoconference to prevent the spread
of the coronavirus pandemic. In a message conveyed to the participants, NATO
Deputy Secretary General Romanian Mircea Geoana has underlined that Romania is
a vital member of the Alliance and plays the role of a ‘regional pivot’ in
terms of defence and deterring the threats against the alliance.

He pointed out to the fact that older security risks have been
amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic including in the Black Sea region. Russia,
Mircea Geoana went on to say, is continuing the aggressive-behaviour pattern with
disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks and military actions.

The former head of the Romanian diplomacy in early 2000, the Deputy
Secretary General of NATO added that China’s global ascension is changing the
international balance and the allies must pay attention to this process. The
guest of honour, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and
Security policy, Josep Borrell has said that the EU members must continue to
work together in an integrated manner to give a common response to the new
geopolitical challenges. Another invitee, the Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha
Gonzalez Laya has said that ‘Spain doesn’t have any geopolitical ambition in
Belarus, its support in the context of the tensions in this country being
solely related to the precious values of the European Union.’

Viorel Mosanu, Romania’s ambassador in Minsk, conveyed a similar
message on Wednesday. The Romanian official joined his colleagues from other EU
countries to pay a visit to a leading figure of the opposition in Belarus,
writer Svetlana Aleksievich.

A recipient of the Nobel prize in literature, Alexievich, who has
been actively opposing president Alexander Lukashenko, has confessed that she
is afraid of being apprehended by his political police, which has kept the
dreadful soviet name KGB.

Romania’s
Foreign Minister has specified that the goal of Mosanu’s visit was to ensure
that human rights are being observed. I believe we must put pressure on the
regime to have an open dialogue with the opposition and stop using repressive
measures, the head of the Romanian diplomacy went on to say.

The latest
abuses by president Lukashenko, who has been in power for the past 26 years,
and has been described as Europe’s last dictator, have prompted reactions in
the two chambers of Parliament in Bucharest. The Romanian MPs have recently
passed two declarations calling on the authorities in Minsk to observe the
human rights and put an end to reprisals against their own citizens.

(tr. bill)

10 September 2020
L’OTAN et les nouvelles menaces

La Roumanie accueille depuis plusieurs années des bases militaires américaines, ainsi que plusieurs éléments du bouclier antimissile que les Etats Unis ont installé en Europe de l’est. Pourtant, cette présence militaire américaine pourrait augmenter, si le pays le souhaite, estime Mircea Geoană, adjoint au secrétaire général de l’OTAN. Ces propos reposent sur le fait que la Russie ne cesse de renforcer ses capacités militaires dans la région de la mer Noire.

La Roumanie, ajoute le responsable otanien, occupe une position géographique très complexe et possède tous les arguments pour demander une présence alliée ou américaine plus solide dans la région. Ecoutons Mircea Geoană : « A mon sens, il faut présenter une série d’arguments, qui sont évidents. D’un côté, la présence agressive et la consolidation des capacités militaires offensives de la Fédération de Russie en mer Noire et, de l’autre, la base de Mihail Kogalniceanu (dans le sud-est de la Roumanie), qui est parfaitement située du point de vue géographique et stratégique pour accueillir des forces expéditionnaires. Je suis convaincu que nos leaders, nos militaires, nos diplomates connaissent très bien ces arguments et je sais qu’à l’heure où l’on parle, ou dans la période suivante, ils utiliseront leur influence pour faire mettre en avant nos intérêts nationaux », a déclaré Mircea Geoană.

Ancien ambassadeur de Roumanie à Washington et ministre des Affaires Etrangères dans les années 2000, lorsque la Roumanie a intégré l’OTAN, Mircea Geoană partage les mêmes positions que la diplomatie de Bucarest. Le 12 juin, à l’occasion même de la Fête nationale de la Fédération de Russie, l’actuel ministre roumain des Affaires Etrangères, Bogdan Aurescu, a convoqué l’ambassadeur russe à Bucarest, Valery Kuzmin, pour lui communiquer que la présence de la Fédération de Russie parmi les menaces sécuritaires mentionnées dans la nouvelle stratégie de défense de la Roumanie ne devrait pas constituer « une surprise ». C’est une conséquence du comportement connu de la partie russe dans la région, un comportement qualifié de « déstabilisateur » par les responsables de Bucarest, y compris dans le cadre des prises de position communes au niveau de l’OTAN et de l’UE.

Par ailleurs, Mircea Geoană affirme que, même si le président Donald Trump vient de décider d’une réduction du nombre de militaires américains déployés en Allemagne, la présence américaine en Europe ne devrait pas baisser, mais qu’elle serait adaptée aux nouvelles réalités stratégiques.

Pour ce qui est de la Chine, l’adjoint au secrétaire général de l’OTAN a expliqué que l’Alliance analysait l’ascension évidente de Pékin. Il a aussi mentionné le risque représenté par la distorsion de la compétition économique mondiale, lorsqu’un Etat ne fait qu’acheter des idées, des personnes qualifiées et des entreprises entières, des pratiques courantes de la Chine sur la scène mondiale. La pandémie de COVID 19 n’a pas éliminé les risques sécuritaires existants, elle les a même amplifiés, et baisser la garde serait une grave erreur, a conclu le secrétaire général adjoint de l’OTAN, Mircea Geoană.

23 June 2020
Le sommet de l’OTAN de Londres

Les leaders des Etats membres de l’OTAN, réunis au début de mois de décembre à Londres, ont adopté une déclaration commune où ils réaffirment l’unité des alliés et admettent, pour la première fois, l’émergence de nouveaux défis provoqués par l’ascension de la Chine au rang de puissance globale. Par ailleurs, le même document fait état des actions agressives de la Russie, qui constituent une menace pour la sécurité euro-atlantique. Enfin, la déclaration se veut rassurante, en soulignant son caractère défensif et sa disponibilité au processus de désarmement. Néanmoins, l’Alliance va continuer à renforcer ses capacités militaires, censées décourager des menaces potentielles, en assurant une défense crédible, faite d’un mix des systèmes de type nucléaire, conventionnel et antimissile, adaptés en permanence.

Le professeur des universités Iulian Chifu, président du Centre pour la prévention des conflits et d’alerte précoce, évalue les résultats du sommet comme une véritable avancée. Ecoutons-le : « Nous avons eu ce Conseil, la déclaration finale et des documents, dont la teneur est plutôt encourageante. Ces documents réaffirment l’engagement de tous autour d’une série de thématiques, y compris au sujet de l’article 5. Ce qui est vrai c’est que ce n’est pas l’OTAN en soi qui a des problèmes, c’est juste que les différents leaders de l’Alliance ont des agendas différents, mais qui ne sont pas nécessairement contradictoires. Peu importe, car l’OTAN continue d’avancer, et le principe « un pour tous et tous pour un » demeure d’actualité, étant vivement soutenu par tous les membres de l’Alliance. »

Les divergences au sein de l’Alliance Atlantique sont inhérentes, mais ce qui est important c’est la communauté des points de vue en ce qui concerne la sécurité, la lutte contre le terrorisme ou les provocations lancées par la Russie, a souligné, à Londres, le secrétaire général de l’OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg. La déclaration finale fait par ailleurs état du désir de réfléchir sur l’avenir de l’Alliance, déclaration fortement soutenue par le président français Emmanuel Macron. Celui-ci ne renie pas son affirmation quant à l’état de mort cérébrale de ladite Alliance, étayant ses propos par les actions militaires de la Turquie en Syrie et par l’achat par Ankara du système antimissile russe.

Enfin, les leaders de l’OTAN ont, pour la première fois, abordé ouvertement l’ascension de la Chine sur le plan international. Iulian Fota, analyste en matière de sécurité, explique : « C’est la première fois dans son histoire que l’OTAN aborde le sujet de la Chine, et de son ascension sur le plan international. C’est un changement de cap. Et beaucoup d’experts pensent que l’avenir de l’Alliance et son évolution future, seront en lien avec son positionnement par rapport à la montée en puissance de la Chine sur l’échiquier international. Car, s’il s’agit d’identifier une puissance concurrente de l’Occident, une puissance qui représente un défi à moyen et long terme pour l’Occident, tout le monde sait qu’il s’agit de la Chine, et non pas de la Russie. La Russie, en dépit des problèmes qu’elle soulève, ne constitue pas une menace à plus long terme, ne dispose pas des ressources ni des capacités nécessaires pour occuper cette place et défier l’OTAN à plus long terme. »

Quant à la Roumanie, il est certain que le sommet de l’OTAN a pris en considération les intérêts stratégiques de la Roumanie dans la mer Noire. Iulian Chifu : « Je pense que l’on peut lire juste les 9 derniers points de la déclaration finale pour avoir la quintessence de ce sommet. Un sommet qui marque du coup les 70 années d’existence de l’Alliance, un sommet spécial donc, et où la Roumanie marque des points, notamment parce que l’Alliance réaffirme son intérêt pour la région de la mer Noire, devenue l’une de ses priorités, un espace opérationnel pour l’OTAN, au même titre que l’espace conventionnel, le cybernétique et le spatial. »

Iulian Chifu précise que, dans le contexte mouvant qu’est le nôtre, l’Alliance de l’Atlantique Nord est l’organisation internationale qui s’est le mieux adaptée aux changements géopolitiques actuels. Un processus d’adaptation qui doit se poursuivre, affirme à son tour le Roumain Mircea Geoană, adjoint au secrétaire général de l’OTAN, dans une interview pour Radio Roumanie. : « Nous sommes une alliance qui s’est adaptée mieux que toute autre aux défis de nature globale. En revanche, il nous reste la dimension politique de l’Alliance, qui devrait être abordée par les chefs d’Etats et de gouvernements. Car si l’on veut garder cette capacité d’adaptation, de garder notre rang de bouclier de l’Occident démocratique, nous ne pouvons le faire qu’à travers une relation transatlantique forte, en renforçant le pilier européen au sein de l’OTAN, et en s’appuyant sur une UE plus robuste. »

Et si l’Alliance de l’Atlantique Nord fait à l’heure actuelle état d’une santé reluisante, il n’en reste pas moins qu’elle doit maintenir sa capacité à s’adapter aux nouveaux défis, au milieu d’un monde en perpétuel mouvement. (Trad. Ionuţ Jugureanu)

20 December 2019