Radio România Internațional

Tag: govt

  • August 7, 2023 UPDATE

    August 7, 2023 UPDATE

    Spending – The Romanian government is this week planning to adopt an emergency ordinance to cut public spending. The fifty measures envisaged include reducing the number of management and under-secretary positions, merging various institutions and eliminating holiday vouchers for some state employees. According to estimates from the Finance Ministry, this would save more than 1.2 billion Euros to the state budget by the end of the year. The government is also planning an emergency decree introducing a number of tax changes aimed at increasing budget revenues. Talks on the subject are still ongoing between the parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, amid criticism from the business community.



    Moldova — Romania is ready to provide specialist support to the National Army of the Republic of Moldova, the Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said on Monday in Chisinau. In this sense, he highlighted the recent donation of individual ballistic protection equipment and off-road vehicles, which is part of a continuous effort to support the Republic of Moldova in the field of equipping the army with modern equipment. Tîlvăr went to Chişinău at the invitation of his counterpart, Anatolie Nosatîi, with whom he discussed bilateral cooperation in the field of defense in the regional, NATO and EU contexts. Aspects were addressed regarding the evolution of the security environment in the region, as a result of the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, with an emphasis on the situations caused by the Russian bombings on Ukraine’s ports on the Danube, in the vicinity of the borders with Romania and the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, the Romanian official reiterated Romanias full support for the advancement of the Republic of Moldova on the pro-European path.



    Summit – Romania will continue to stand by Ukraine as long as it takes to win this war, said the presidential advisor and former foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu at the Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia. Any future solution for peace must guarantee Ukraines security within its internationally recognized borders and the freedom to hold sovereign elections, free of any interference, the Romanian official also said. According to the BBC, the summits final declaration only refers to the decision to hold further peace talks. The summit was attended by senior officials from dozens of countries, including Brazil, India, China and South Africa, with Russia not being invited.



    Pensions – Romanian senators and deputies are to return to Parliament this week to again amend a bill adopted at the end of June on the special pensions enjoyed by a number of professional categories in Romania, such as magistrates, the military and the police. The PM Marcel Ciolacu said that he had summoned a special session of Parliament as a number of articles of the bill were declared unconstitutional last week. According to official figures, the number of special pensions’ beneficiaries is growing, with over 10,000 beneficiaries recorded in July, up from the previous month. The highest special pension amounted to around 4,300 Euros. Romania has committed to reforming the special pensions system in order to receive funds allocated by the European Union under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.



    BNR – The National Bank of Romania – BNR decided to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 7% per year, a level established since January. At the end of Mondays meeting of the Board of Directors, it was stated that the annual inflation rate continued to decrease in June to 10.25%, against the background of cheaper fuels and the stabilization of prices for some foodstuffs. The Central Bank points out that the new statistical data reconfirms the slowdown in the economic growth rate in the first three months of the year and a modest increase from April to the end of September. BNR also states that, in the months of April and May, retail and automotive sales slowed their growth in comparison with the same period of last year, and the services provided to the population strongly accelerated their decline. (LS, CM)

  • November 24, 2021 UPDATE

    November 24, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID Ro — The Romanian authorities on Wednesday announced that nearly 2,800 people had tested positive for SARS-COV-2 in the last 24 hours across Romania. Also, 231 deaths were reported, of which 36 registered prior to the reference interval. In Bucharest, the incidence rate calculated for a period of 14 days decreased to 2.87 cases per thousand inhabitants, after, on October 22, it had reached the highest value since the beginning of the pandemic – 16.54. The interim health minister, Attila Cseke, asked the public health directorates from all over the country to remain on alert, even if the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections is decreasing. At the same time, he called for plans to be drafted within a week to deal with a predictable 5th wave of the epidemic, says the coordinator of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Colonel Valeriu Gheorghiţă, given the increase the number of new cases in many European countries. On Wednesday, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, confirmed that he was vaccinated against COVID-19. “The official stand of the Church remains the same: each believer should consult with the family doctor,” he told reporters. So far, in Romania, the number of fully vaccinated people has exceeded 7.2 million.



    COVID world — Mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 is an idea that enjoys widespread support among the German population, according to a poll released by YouGov on Wednesday, informs DPA. The prestigious market research and analysis company announced that 69% of the interviewees were in favor of compulsory vaccination and 23% against. Germany, which is experiencing a recrudescence of the number of infections, is introducing a number of new anti-epidemic measures. Thus, the green certificate becomes mandatory at work and for the use of means of transport. Besides the measures established at federal level, the German states also impose other anti-epidemic restrictions. For example, bars and clubs are closed in Bavaria, and the famous Christmas fairs will no longer take place this year. In Germany, the vaccination rate is 68%, one of the lowest in Western Europe. There are also problems in northern Italy, where traffic restrictions have been imposed at nighttime due to the alarming increase in new cases of coronavirus. To date, 84% of Italys population has received at least two doses of vaccine. The number of COVID cases is also rising in France, where the PM Jean Castex has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. In France, 88% of the eligible population over 12 years is fully vaccinated. The health situation is also complicated in Greece, where the pressure on hospitals treating COVID patients is high. The Greek government says, however, that it does not envisage a general lockdown, as the measure will not be supported by the countrys economy. The vaccination rate in Greece has exceeded 63%.



    National Day – In Bucharest, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies met in a solemn joint session, dedicated to Romania’s National Day to be marked on December 1. The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, underlined that the entire political class had the duty to stabilize the country in the next period and that pride and political interests should be abandoned. “This holiday reminds us that we have a duty to work together. It is our duty towards the Romanian people and Romania”, Ciolacu said. The Vice President of the Senate, Alina Gorghiu, pointed out that December 1st means national unity, and equally devotion, responsibility, duty, and political courage. Among the guests of the meeting were members of the Government, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bucharest, the Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church, the First Rabbi of Romania, the presidents of the Constitutional Court, the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Court of Accounts, the central bank governor as well as the heads of the diplomatic missions and of the international representations accredited to Bucharest. Romanias National Day has been marked on December 1 since 1990, after the anti-communist revolution. On December 1, 1918, the National Assembly of Alba Iulia (center) adopted the resolution of the union with Romania of the historical provinces inhabited by the Romanians.

  • Measures against failure to observe anti-COVID-19 restrictions

    Measures against failure to observe anti-COVID-19 restrictions

    The Romanian Government is looking for solutions to impose stricter compliance with the rules for preventing and combating the spread of COVID -19. Therefore, the Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has announced that a law will be drafted, which provides for the suspension of the activity, for a determined period, of the companies that do not observe the measures adopted during the state of alert, which is in force in Romania at present. The proposal was made by the National Committee for Emergency Situations, during discussions with government members. The conclusion of the talks was that many companies do not take into account the restrictions in place. The Prime Minister says that the law will target only companies, further explaining that fines will not be increased, because the move has no effect whatsoever. He says that offending companies’ activity might be initially suspended for at least 2 weeks, with the period of suspension being gradually increased for those that still do not comply with the restrictions.



    The authorities’ announcement comes shortly after images on social media networks showed that hundreds of young people from Bucharest were queuing in front of a fast-food restaurant that offered free burgers, in full pandemic. The owners did not observe the anti-epidemic rules, therefore the fast-food restaurant was fined. Moreover, a high-ranking officer within the Bucharest Police, several prosecutors and other people were seen attending an event in a central restaurant that should normally have been closed. The Interior Minister announced a preliminary investigation to be conducted in the officer’s case, in order to establish his guilt or the existence or non-existence of a disciplinary offense, given that the respective officer had been appointed to coordinate the actions aimed at preventing and combating the effects of the pandemic in Bucharest. The Interior Minister also expressed his appreciation for the work of the vast majority of the ministry’s employees who did their best, during this period, to limit the spread of the virus.



    On the other hand, it is a well-known fact that, in the mountain resorts on Prahova Valley (center), hundreds of people are crowding at the cable transport facilities to get at the top of ski slopes, which are open in Romania. Despite the presence of gendarmes, the distancing measures are not respected, given that people are crowding. It remains to be seen to what extent the new punitive measures envisaged by the government will be enforceable, if we take into account that, last year, the Constitutional Court rejected a law that imposed severe fines on citizens for non-compliance with restrictions during the emergency period. The increase in fines at that time was challenged at the Constitutional Court by the Ombudsman, who won the case. (tr. L. Simion)

  • December 30, 2020

    December 30, 2020

    Government — The Romanian government is meeting today to pass an emergency decree on measures related to the state budget for 2021. The government intends to maintain state aid for the hospitality industry and that intermediated by the IMM INVEST Program until June 30. PM Florin Citu announced that, in case he gets all the necessary approvals, the government agenda will also include a law that will introduce the AGRO IMM INVEST Program for agricultural producers, similar to the existing one for the other small and medium-sized enterprises. Also today, the government intends to increase the minimum gross salary to 2,300 lei (about 470 euros), a regulation that will come into force on January 1, 2021. Holiday vouchers will continue to be granted in 2021 as well, vouchers amounting to 1,450 lei (that is about 300 Euros), to stimulate Romanian tourism. The PM added that the government wants to extend such active measures as the indemnity granted to employees for the period of individual labor contracts suspension and the support of employers by paying part of the gross salary granted to the employees that are still working.



    Vaccination – The anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign starts today at the Marius Nasta Pulmonology Institute and the University Hospital in Bucharest. About 3,000 medical staff from the front-line hospitals fighting the COVID-19 pandemic were vaccinated in the first three days of the national vaccination campaign. The authorities announced that, in the three days since the start of the campaign, the vaccinated persons reported common and minor side effects, such as pain at the injection area and several general reactions. On Tuesday, the second tranche of more than 140 thousand doses of Covid-19 vaccines reached Romania. The vaccination campaign started in Romania on Sunday, as in most EU countries.



    COVID-19 Romania — Over 4,600 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Romania on Tuesday, out of approximately 24,000 tests made in 24 hours. Most of the new cases, over 1,300, were registered in Bucharest which is followed by Timiş County (west). As regards the contamination rate for a period of 14 days, the worst situation is reported in Ilfov County, near Bucharest, with almost five cases per thousand inhabitants. The authorities have also announced 135 COVID-19 related deaths, with 1,162 patients being in ICUs. Almost 88% of the people contaminated with the new coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic have recovered.



    Earthquake — Rescue teams are still searching for survivors among the debris resulted following Tuesdays 6.4 magnitude earthquake from Croatia, which occurred in the area of ​​the historic town of Petrinja (center). According to first estimates, at least 7 people have died and several scores have been wounded. According to France Presse, more than 20,000 people have spent their night outdoors, for fear of possible aftershocks. In Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is by Croatia and its citizens’ side and it is ready to provide help. Other countries in the region and the European Commission have offered their support.



    Post-Brexit agreement — The long-awaited post-Brexit agreement was signed on Wednesday by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Council President Charles Michel. The agreement regulates the relations between the EU and the UK starting on Friday, January 1, 2021. The European leaders considered the moment “of historic importance” and “a major step forward”, an extremely important turning point. The documents will go to London to also be signed by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Brussels and the UK have managed to reach an agreement on post-Brexit relations on the last minute, on the Christmas Eve, after many months of difficult negotiations. The new regulations will take effect on 1 January, and the document is to be ratified by the European Parliament and the parliaments of the 27 member states. At the same time, the British Parliament will meet, also today, in a videoconference, to debate this ‘historic’ trade agreement, and to put it to the vote. The UK, which officially left the EU on 31 January 2020, will definitively leave the EU single market and the customs union on 31 December, but following this agreement, no tariffs will be imposed on the merchandise originating in the EU or the UK. (tr. L. Simion)

  • Measures for the education system

    Measures for the education system


    On Monday most schools in Romania will open for a new school year. In other words they are in the green scenario, which involves the physical presence of students in school. This is not the case of Bucharest though, where the epidemiological situation and the big number of pupils in a class have imposed the yellow scenario, with part of the pupils going to school and the others studying online from home. There are schools across Romania which will not open their gates to pupils as they are in the red scenario, which means online education alone.



    Depending on the evolution of the pandemic, things can change for the better or for the worse. Many new cases of infection have been reported daily during the summer, which fueled parents’ and teachers’ worries related to the beginning of the new school year. The specific problems created by the virus overlap the chronic ailments of the education system.



    One of the biggest weakness of the education system is the lack of proper equipment. The authorities are now pressed to remedy the situation. The government increased the budget of the Education Ministry by 20 million Euros taken from the budget reserve fund to finance the National Program ‘Safe Education’.



    The head of the Chancellery of the PM Ionel Dancă explained how the money would be used: “We allotted the money necessary for School Inspectorates to purchase laptops, sanitary materials and electronic devices as well as web cams and tablets, to allow the teaching staff to hold classes online if the epidemiological situation requires it.”



    The government also adopted a memorandum which provides for connecting to the Internet a number of 3,150 schools as well as a decision for the employment of 500 persons in the pre-university education system, both teaching and non-teaching staff. The situation was created by the great number of retirements reported, as many teachers who were older than 60 opted for retirement in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The local authorities have to hire medical staff in the school health office and the Health Ministry will provide money for their salaries.



    The opposition Social Democratic Party accuses the government of failing to properly prepare the new school year from the point of view of health safety and of failing to support the local authorities in organizing the teaching process so as to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.



    The first vice-president of the PSD Sorin Grindeanu: “4 days ahead of the beginning of school, the government has not complied with its obligations, although they could have done that during the summer. There are no tablets, no face masks, no tests for the teachers and also no textbooks in many schools.”



    According to Grindeanu at present 26% of the schools do not have the infrastructure for Internet access. We recall that Romania is in full election campaign for the local elections due on September 27. (tr. L. Simion)

  • End of the line for early elections

    End of the line for early elections

    Romania’s Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled by majority vote to invalidate the Government’s emergency decree on modifying the legislation for holding early legislative elections. The Court pointed out that the emergency decree eliminating a restrictive provision, thus allowing people to cast their votes in any polling station irrespective of the constituency they belong to, with the aim of eluding the very principle under which constituencies were created, goes against the Constitution.



    At the same time the Court ruled that the provisions in the Government’s decree regulating the possibility of holding legislative and local elections simultaneously in 2020 violate citizens’ right to vote, subjecting them to a tedious and complicated voting procedure that would eventually restrain their freedom to express their political will and hence the efficiency of their right to vote. The dispositions are also in breach of people’s right to re-election, as they prevent someone from running for positions in the local administration (mayor, city councilor, county councilor) or in Parliament (deputy or senator).



    Moreover, the Court also took under advisement the fact that the bill modifying the organization of legislative elections was passed less than a year before the elections were due. Court judges say the Government failed to observe the obligation to refrain from modifying election legislation, as per the recommendations of the Constitutional Court and the Code of good practices in electoral matters released by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission).



    The Court notes that the Government’s bill infringes on citizens’ election rights, as well as on Parliament’s constitutional remit. The Court’s ruling basically rules out the possibility of holding early elections. Over the three decades that have passed since 1989, Romania has never had snap elections. Under the Constitution, procedures to trigger the elections require the consensus of the majority of political parties. As a result, legislative elections will be held in autumn as scheduled, during which time the Liberals will have to face a hostile Social-Democratic majority. (translated by V. Palcu)

  • March 8, 2020 UPDATE

    March 8, 2020 UPDATE

    Government — The Romanian Parliament’s leadership will establish on Monday the date of the vote of investiture for the new cabinet proposed by the PM designate, the Liberal Florin Citu. The joint session may be scheduled for next Friday at the latest. The Liberals would like the vote to take place sooner, and their leader, the acting PM Ludovic Orban, has said that, during the vote, the Liberal senators and deputies will act in line with the Constitution. He has made this clarification after the re-designation as the new PM of Ludovic Orban, dismissed in February through a motion of no confidence, was contested by the PSD at the Constitutional Court. The Court ruled his re-designation as unconstitutional, invoking the avowed intention of the Liberals and of the president Klaus Iohannis to hold early elections and not to gather a majority in Parliament meant to cast the investiture vote. The Social Democrats who have the biggest number of MPs announced they would make sure a quorum is obtained and will vote against the new government. To be invested, Citu’s government needs 233 votes.



    Coronavirus — 15 cases of coronavirus infection have been reported on Romania’s territory until Sunday. 5 patients have been declared cured and have been discharged from hospital. According to data published by the Strategic Communication Group, another 11 people are in institutionalized quarantine and almost 13 thousand are in quarantine at their homes and monitored. Also the authorities have taken drastic measures to contain the spreading of COVID-19. Public and private events attended by more than one thousand people will be banned until March 31. Another measure forbids access to hospitals of the patients’ relatives as well as of the medical students. The Board of the Romanian Publishers Association decided to cancel the 9th edition of the Bookfest Book Fair in Timisoara (west) which had been scheduled for the period March 12-15. Many universities from Romania have suspended courses and the Football Professional League and Federation decided that all matches in the month of March should take place without spectators. The authorities also recommend the Romanian citizens to avoid travelling to the areas affected by the new coronavirus and they call on the Romanian citizens from the areas affected by COVID-19 not to come back to Romania in order to protect their families. The Romanian citizens who come from the affected areas might be subjected to quarantine measures or self-isolation for 14 days. The measures are temporary and depend on the evolution of COVID-19 at world level.



    COVID-19 — The Italian government has announced exceptional measures to contain the spreading of the virus in Italy, the European country most affected by the new coronavirus. 16 million people from 15 regions in northern Italy have been quarantined as of Sunday. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Rome, education institutions will remain closed across Italy until April 3 as well as museums, theaters, cinema halls and all public spaces where people cannot keep a distance of 1 meter among each other. So far, thousands of cases of infection with COVID-19 have been reported in Europe, mostly in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Great Britain. The World Health Organization has reiterated its appeal to all countries of the world to make fighting the new coronavirus their top priority, claiming that containing the spreading of the epidemic is key to finding a treatment. The virus has spread to almost 100 countries, contaminating more than 106 thousand people. Around 3,600 people have died, mostly in China.



    Handball — Romania’s women’s handball team CS Gloria 2018 Bistrita Nasaud was eliminated from the EHF Cup by the Danish team Herning Ikast Handbald that defeated the Romanians on home ground 28-26 on Sunday, in the second leg of the quarter finals. The Danish team had also won the first leg 29-26. In exchange, Romania’s women’s handball champions SCM Ramnicu Valcea (south) and vice-champions CSM Bucharest have qualified to the quarter finals of the Champions League. After the matches in the main groups ended on Saturday, both Romanian teams ended on 4th position, the last one that still allowed them access to the quarter finals. In the men’s competition, Romania’s champions Dinamo Bucharest defeated in both legs the Portuguese team Sporting Lisbon in the playoffs of the Champions League, and managed a historic qualification to the round of 16. In the next stage, Dinamo Bucharest will take on Paris Saint-Germain. (update by L. Simion)


  • February 28, 2020 UPDATE

    February 28, 2020 UPDATE

    Government — In Bucharest, the PM designate Florin Citu on Friday submitted in Parliament the list of ministers and the governing program of his cabinet, after they were approved by the National Liberal Party’s executive bureau. The only change to the membership of the new government is at the finance ministry, a portfolio previously held by Florin Citu, who was replaced by Lucian Heius. The PM designate says he will negotiate with the parliamentary parties, as of Monday, the formation of a majority and he is asking the Social Democrats not to delay the timetable for the investiture of the new government. The latter claim however that the list of ministers presented without previous discussions with the parliamentary parties that should have led to the formation of a majority clearly shows that the Liberals are set to trigger off early elections. Similar opinions were expressed by the representatives of the center rightist Save Romania Union, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the center leftist Pro Romania party. The People’s Movement Party (center right) representatives say they will go to consultations with the Liberals. Florin Citu’s nomination by president Klaus Iohannis took place after the Constitutional Court on Monday ruled as unconstitutional the re-designation of Ludovic Orban as interim PM. His government had been dismissed earlier this month through a motion of no confidence.



    Coronavirus Romania — In Romania another two persons — a woman from Timisoara (in the west) and a man from Maramures (in the north) – have been infected with the new coronavirus. They have been hospitalized and are receiving treatment in two local quarantine centers. At present, 3 cases of infection with the new coronavirus have been reported in Romania, the first patient being a man from Gorj (in the south) who is now in a good state in a Bucharest hospital. He seems to have recovered from the virus infection and he will be tested again in the coming days. All the three patients have been in contact with people from Italy, the European country most affected by the coronavirus. The interim health minister Victor Costache has given assurances that around 85% of the persons infected with the virus develop mild or moderate forms of infection. According to a statement from the governments Group for Strategic Communication, 47 persons are in quarantine at the moment and over 8,300 are being monitored at home. The statement also reads that two Romanian citizens infected with the coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama, are now in hospital in Japan and are in good condition.



    WHO – The World Health Organization on Friday increased the risk assessment of the coronovirus to very high across the world. The WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the increasing number of new cases and of countries affected in the past days was really concerning. He showed that 24 cases of COVID-19 were exported from Italy to 14 countries and 97 cases were exported from Iran to 11 states, while the average number of new infections in China — 329 cases reported in the past 24 hours — has reached the lowest level in more than a month. The coronavirus has spread to Europe with the Netherlands and Northern Ireland reporting the first cases of contamination. All public schools were closed in Japan and Saudi Arabia banned foreign pilgrims from travelling to Mecca. South Korea and Iran also cause concern. The virus has contaminated over 80,000 people and has caused the death of almost 3,000 around the world, mostly in China. More than 50 countries have been affected. Stock exchange shares have seen new plunges, facing the most difficult week since the financial crisis of 2008.



    Refugees — Turkey started on Friday to allow the refugees from its territory (around 3.7 million people, mostly from Syria) to head for Europe. The Turkish authorities say they took the measure because they did not receive enough international support and had no other choice. News agencies comment that Turkey’s move is actually an attempt to force the Europeans to put more pressure on Syria and its ally Russia, in the clashes from the Syrian province of Idlib, where tens of Turkish soldiers were killed. The Bulgarian PM will meet Monday with the Turkish president after groups of migrants already reached the Bulgarian border. ‘We are concerned that the Turkish border guards have withdrawn from the frontier” said the Bulgarian PM. Greece and Bulgaria have consolidated measures at their land and sea borders. A Turkish official warned that the world should know that the Syrian refugees are a problem of the entire world, especially of the countries in the region and Europe, not only of Turkey. The EU retorted by asking Ankara to observe the 2016 agreement under which it committed to stop the migrants’ wave in exchange for financial aid. (translation by L. Simion)

  • February 8, 2020 UPDATE

    February 8, 2020 UPDATE

    Government – The PM designate of Romania, Ludovic Orban, announced he would submit, on Monday, in Parliament the list of ministers and an updated governing program with a view to starting procedures for the investment of a new government. The announcement came after President Klaus Iohannis designated the Liberal leader to from a new cabinet. The decision was made after the first Orban government was dismissed on Wednesday through a no confidence motion initiated by the main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, following the government’s decision to assume responsibility for a bill on returning to the election of mayors in two rounds of voting, only a few months ahead of the elections. The Romanian president also reiterated his opinion that holding early elections was the best option for Romania at the moment. The interim vice prime minister Raluca Turcan said that all Liberal MPs would attend the meeting for the investiture of the new cabinet but they would abstain from voting, with a view to triggering off early elections. To call early elections the Parliament should reject two consecutive proposals of PM designate. However, before getting a vote in Parliament for the second Orban government, the Social Democrats announced they intended to notify the Constitutional Court over the re-designation of the outgoing PM Ludovic Orban as the new PM.



    USR — The leaderships of the Save Romania Union party (USR), the 3rd most important party in the Romanian Parliament and of the extra-parliamentary party PLUS, led by the former PM and European Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, met Saturday in separate meetings to decide on a merger. Following internal elections called at the initiative of the USR president Dan Barna, 91% of the USR members voted for their party to be positioned on the center-right side of the political spectrum. Elected on common lists, the USR and PLUS MEPs are affiliated to the Renew Europe centrist group.



    Commemoration – Commemorations of the great Romanian politicians Iuliu Maniu took place on Saturday at the Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance in Romania from Sighet (northwestern Romania) to mark 67 years since the death of the great politician. The political personality of the leader of the National Peasant Party, a prime minister of Romania in the interwar period and a member of the Romanian Academy was evoked in various speeches. A militant for national unity, a promoter of democratic principles and an adversary of Nazism and Communism, Maniu was arrested in 1947 by the puppet regime instated by the Soviet invaders and died at the age of 80 in 1953 in the Sighet prison where most of the former Democratic dignitaries had been imprisoned.



    Repatriation — The repatriation procedures from Syria, through Turkey, of a family of 3 Romanian citizens have been finalized — the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. According to a press release, the Romanian diplomats in Ankara and Istanbul undertook the necessary steps to facilitate the Romanian citizens’ entry and accommodation in Turkey. The repatriation measure is part of the constant actions of consular assistance and protection granted to Romanian citizens who are facing special situations. Since the onset of evacuation operations from Syria in 2011, 790 Romanian citizens have been repatriated.



    Rugby — Romania’s national rugby team was defeated by Portugal, 11-22 on Satruday evening, away from home, in the 2nd round of the Rugby Europe Championship, after having been defeated in the first round by Georgia, 13- 41, one week ago, also away from home. In the 3rd round of the Rugby Europe Championship, Romania will take on Spain on February 22 in Botosani, northeastern Romania. (translation by L. Simion)

  • The Week in Review (03-09.02.2020)

    The Week in Review (03-09.02.2020)

    “Le roi est mort, vive le roi!”



    The Liberal leader Ludovic Orban — the PM dismissed on Wednesday through a motion of no confidence following the vote of 261 MPs from Bucharest, was again designated, only one day after removal, to occupy the PM position and form a new government by the right wing president Klaus Iohannis. Fresh from marathon talks with the representatives of all parliamentary parties and groups, the Romanian president announced his decision and expressed his wish to hold early parliamentary elections.



    Klaus Iohannis: “Returning to the voters is the correct solution. To put it simply, returning to the electorate means early elections. And holding early elections is my first option.”



    But, for holding early elections, Parliament should reject two consecutive proposals for prime minister. Until then, according to the Constitution, the candidate to the PM position must ask, within 10 days from his designation, for Parliament’s vote of confidence on his program and government membership. Ludovic Orban said he would maintain the ministers of the former cabinet, because he is contented with their activity, and since the National Liberal Party is in favor of early elections, the Liberals decided to reject any proposal for a new government.



    Ludovic Orban: “There is no party holding an absolute majority in Parliament on its own, therefore it’s the president who decides on the candidate for the position of PM. From my point of view, I believe we can have early elections.”



    Until holding a vote in Parliament for the second Orban government, the interim leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu, announced he was considering notifying the Constitutional Court in relation to the designation of the outgoing PM Ludovic Orban as the new PM: “After obtaining the largest number of votes ever in Parliament for a no confidence motion, I doubt that the re-designation of Ludovic Orban as PM is legal. I am not an expert in constitutional matters, but we’ll certainly ask for clarifications until getting a vote in Parliament.”



    In the no confidence motion, the Social Democrats alongside the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania accuse the Orban government of having infringed on the democratic principles, because they preferred assuming responsibility for the law on the election of mayors in two rounds of voting only a few months ahead of the local elections, out of political reasons and not in the interest of citizens.



    According to the Social Democratic Party, the first Orban government violated decisions of the Constitutional Court and recommendations of the European institutions. The Liberals argued, however, that returning to the election of mayors in two rounds will give them more legitimacy and representation. Anticipating the scenario of a defeat during Wednesday’s vote, one evening earlier, the first Orban cabinet adopted a record number of emergency decrees, namely 25, of which some were vehemently contested by part of the public opinion in Romania.



    International reactions to the sacking of the Orban cabinet



    Romania’s latest political developments did not go unnoticed by the international press. According to Radio Free Europe, the Orban cabinet fell after only 3 months in office, through a no-confidence vote initiated by the opposition Social Democrats (PSD) and endorsed by a Parliament majority made up of the PSD, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and Pro Romania. The total number of yes-votes stood at 261, exceeding even the PSD estimates.



    The situation was caused by several mistakes, which enraged both the Social Democrats and also the parties that used to back the Orban cabinet. In turn, Deutsche Welle believes the present political crisis in Romania looks more like an endless political loop and not a real chance to a fresh start. Bloomberg, Euronews, the New York Times, Le Monde, Le Figaro, La Croix, Courrier International, La Libre Belgique have also covered Romania’s latest political crisis and so have the Al Jazeera TV channel in English as well as several sites such as euractiv.com, euobserver.com and politico.eu.



    Flu epidemic and coronavuris



    Against the background of an increasing number of flu-related deaths, authorities on Thursday declared a flu epidemic in Romania. According to the National Center for the Control and Supervision of Communicable Diseases, the number of infections has doubled as compared to previous estimates and to the number registered last week and the flu virus has been confirmed in 60% of the cases tested. Officials have cautioned against the flu infections, which is likely to maintain its upward trend in the following weeks, but this is not unexpected as many people have not been vaccinated. The Romanian authorities have also given assurances they have taken all the protection measures against the coronavirus.



    Winter has finally arrived in Romania



    After more than two months of warm, spring-like weather, most of Romania’s territory has this week been hit by a wave a cold weather with snowfalls and blizzard. Road, rail, maritime and air traffic has been disrupted and many towns and villages have been left without electricity. Gale-force winds have broken down trees and destroyed roofs. The extreme weather phenomena have prompted the authorities to close down schools. And speaking about winter and extreme weather conditions, we cannot wrap up this programme without mentioning the performance obtained by a 45 year old Romanian, Tiberiu Useriu, who has come second in the Yukon Arctic Ultra race, staged every year close to the Arctic Circle. Tibi Useriu has covered the 500 kilometer distance in 7 days and 33 minutes. Yukon Arctic Ultra is a tougher race than 6633 Arctic Ultra, Tibi managed to win three years in a row. (translation by L. Simion and D. Bilt)

  • January 12, 2020 UPDATE

    January 12, 2020 UPDATE

    Highway — An important meeting for the future highway linking Sibiu (centre) to Pitesti (south) is scheduled for Monday at the Transport Ministry in Bucharest. The meeting is meant to provide clarifications in relation to a request by the EC regarding the impact of this major infrastructure project on the environment. Granting European non-reimbursable funds for this project depended on these very clarifications. The meeting announced by the line minister Lucian Bode is going to be attended by representatives of the transport, European funds and environment ministries, and of the agencies for protected areas and environment protection. European experts will also participate in the meeting to provide consultancy for preparing infrastructure projects. Of the 5 segments of the highway, a contract for design and construction has been signed for only one segment and works are to star in spring. Two segments are still in the assessment stage, while for the other two segments, actually the most difficult ones given their location in a mountainous area, a tender will be held. The total value of the project stands at 1.3 billion Euros of which 85% is to be disbursed by the EC.



    Gendarmes — 14 Romanian gendarmes, who participated in the NATO mission of training the Afghan public order and security forces for almost 6 months, retuned home on Sunday. In Afghanistan the Romanian gendarmes carried out tens of missions of training and protection, for which they received the non-Article 5 NATO Medal, shows the Facebook page of the Romanian Gendarmerie. 12 contingents of the Romanian Gendarmerie have so far been deployed as part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan. At present, the Gendarmerie is participating in 9 international missions under the aegis of the EU, the UN and the OSCE.



    Epee — The Romanian fencer Ana Maria Popescu, 35, won the silver medal in the women’s epee event at the 2020 Fencing World Cup in Havana, Cuba, after she was defeated in the final by the Polish Aleksandra Zamachowska. An Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 in the team event, Ana Maria Popescu defeated in the eighth finals the Ukrainian Olena Aleksandra Zamachowska, in the quarter finals she won against the Chinese Sun Yiwen and in the semifinals she defeated the French Marie-Florence Candassamy. Another Romanian fencer Amalia Tătăran was defeated in the quarter finals by Zamachowska after she had defeated the Italian Giulia Rizzi in the eighth finals. (update by L. Simion)

  • January 12, 2020

    January 12, 2020

    Government — The ruling Liberal government in Romania is considering all the ways for adopting the law on electing mayors in two rounds of voting. The PM Ludovic Orban does not rule out assuming responsibility for the law or issuing an emergency decree, although he believes there are chances for the law to be passed by Parliament. He pointed out that the Liberal Party would designate its candidate for the Bucharest City Hall following a survey. As to the law providing for the doubling of allowances for children, the PM is in favor of postponing the deadline for adoption, until the government is able to ensure the necessary financial resources from the state budget, through budget adjustment, after July 1. The PM made these statements in the context in which President Klaus Iohannis announced that he would promulgate the respective law which was passed in December following an initiative of the former governing Social Democratic Party.



    Iran – In Teheran thousands of Iranian protesters called on the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to resign after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed that they had downed a Ukrainian plane with 176 people on board, mostly Iranians and Canadians. According to the Iranian authorities, the plane was downed by mistake. The American President Donald Trump warned Iran not to transform protests into a massacre and hailed the protesters’ courage in a Twitter post, in English and Farsi. The police intervened to disperse the protesters. The British ambassador to Iran was detained for several hours by the police, as he was filming the manifestation against Ali Khamenei at the Amitkadir University and the Iranian papers wrote that the ambassador allegedly instigated the students to protest. The Iranian president Hassan Rohani phoned his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zelenski to apologize for the incident. The Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said that Iran had to take whole responsibility for what happened, adding that such a tragedy should not have happened in a period of increased tensions.



    Talks – The Russian President Vladimir Putin and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who visited Moscow for the 1st time in the past two years, talked about energy policies, with focus on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, and also about several international issues such as the situation in Libya, Iran and Syria. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Moscow, at the end of the their talks, the two officials confirmed their determination to complete the building of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was suspended last month under the threat of American sanctions. The Kremlin leader reiterated that Russian would be able to finalize the works on its own, but admitted, for the first time, that the exploitation of the pipeline can be postponed for the end of 2020 or even for the first quarter of 2021. The project has been criticized by the US, Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine, because it would increase Western Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and would give Moscow an instrument for political pressure.



    Handball — Romania’s national men’s handball team has qualified to the 2nd stage of the preliminaries of the 2021 World Handball Championship, being ranked 1st in the group with 4 accumulated points. The Romanians on Saturday defeated Kosovo 32-21 and Georgia defeated Italy 28-25 in Benevento (Italy). Sunday is seeing the last two matches between Kosovo and Georgia and Italy and Romania. However the Romanian team cannot lose its position in the group irrespective of today’s results.



    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (74 WTA) defeated its conational Irina Begu (101 WTA) 6-2, 7-6 (9) in the last qualifying round to the main singles table at the WTA tournament in Hobart (Australia), which has prizes up for grabs worth 275,000 dollars. Cîrstea, top seeded in this stage, will be up against Kristyna Pliskova (The Czech Republic) in the first round. The two players previously met once in 2013, in the 2nd round of the Australian Open, when Sorana defeated Kristyna. Simona Halep, world’s no. 3 player, was designated 2nd seed of the WTA tournament of Adelaide (Australia) which will start on Monday, having total prizes of 848,000 dollars. (translation by L. Simion)

  • December 11, 2019

    December 11, 2019

    Law — The Liberal government in Bucharest passed, on Tuesday evening, three draft laws for which they are to assume responsibility, said Wednesday the head of the PMs office, Ionel Danca. He said the three bills are related to the modification of the justice laws, the abrogation of an ordinance regarding passenger transport within counties, the budget caps and the budgetary and fiscal strategy. The head of the PMs office said the government will forward today to Parliament the letter regarding the aforementioned bills, for which it will take responsibility, with Parliament being expected to decide on a timetable.



    Rating — Standard and Poor’s (S&P) has revised downwards Romania’s outlook from stable to negative, due to the deficit increase, affirming their ‘BBB-/A-3’ ratings for the long and short term debt in hard currency and the local currency. The large spending deviations by the previous Social Democratic government have forced Romania’s current leadership to revise up its fiscal targets for 2019 and 2020, against the backdrop of a slowing economy, S&P shows. According to the S&P report, the planned wage and pension increases will contribute to a widening of Romania’s already substantial current account deficit through 2020. Although the agency expects significant fiscal consolidation to commence next year, the rigid budget structure and volatile policy environment pose risks to that assumption. Also S&P warns that it might lower its ratings on Romania within the next 24 months if fiscal and external imbalances continue to deteriorate and persist for longer than the agency currently anticipates.



    Swine fever — Due to swine fever and the increase in import prices, the price of pork meat has doubled in 2019 and it might triple in early 2020, says the president of the Romanian Meat Association, Radu Timis. He has however given assurances that for the winter holidays Romanians will find pork meat in shops. Radu Timis believes that next year half of the companies processing pork in Europe will disappear. In turn, the National Sanitary, Veterinary and Food Safety Authority has given assurances that it will draft a new strategy for fighting and controlling African swine fever, that will have to be assumed by all institutions involved and also by farmers and the line industry.



    Tokyo — Romania’s national women’s handball team was defeated on Wednesday 37-20 by Japan in their last match in the main Group II of the World Championship hosted by Japan. On Tuesday the Romanian handballers were defeated by Sweden as well 34-22. Romania ended the championship on 12th place. In the final tournament the Romanian team was defeated 4 times at a difference of at least 9 points, but also obtained a victory against the team of Kazakhstan. The Romanians qualified to the pre-Olympic tournament after obtaining the 4th position in the European Championship, but their performance in Kumamoto, Japan, was disappointing, just like their entire performance in 2019.



    Inflation — In Romania, the annual inflation rate rose to 3.8% in November 2019 from 3.4% in October, in the context of price hikes for food and non-food products and service, shows data published on Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics. The National Bank of Romania lowered to 3.8% the inflation rate forecast for the end of 2019 and estimates an inflation rate of 3.1% for the end of 2020. In turn, the IMF revised upwards its estimates for consumption prices in Romania this year up to an annual average growth of 4.2% as against 3.3% estimated in spring. (translation by L. Simion)

  • December 6, 2019 UPDATE

    December 6, 2019 UPDATE

    Government — The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban announced at the beginning of Friday’s government meeting that the government would take responsibility for several draft laws among which the laws on budget caps and on the modification of the justice laws. The Liberal PM pointed out that the budget cap law is necessary to complete the state budget and social security law. The modification of the justice laws is meant to suspend temporarily the deadlines for the early retirement of magistrates, the adoption of panels of 3 judges, etc. Ludovic Orban announced the government’s measure to assume responsibility for these draft laws would be adopted in a future government meeting, to be able to start the proceedings in Parliament.



    December 1989 revolution — Manifestations started in Timisoara in western Romania to mark 30 years since the December 1989 anticommunist revolution with 2 book launches: the book “Candlelight against time” by Titus Suciu and Vasile Bogdan and a scientific newsletter called “Memorial ‘89” published by the Writes’ Union. Marches will take places to retrace the route of the revolution marches, there will be remembrance services and laying of flower wreathes at the heroes’ monuments. Festive gatherings, symposiums, exhibitions, concerts and book launches will also be held as well as events devoted to the young generation, to keep the memory of those who died for freedom alive. December 17 will be a day of mourning and on December 20 manifestations will culminate with festivities and concerts dedicated to the day when Timisoara became the first city of Romania free of Communism.



    Brussels — The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is deeply concerned with the abrogation by the Romanian Parliament of the compensatory appeal law and with the fact that the authorities have not provided ways to compensate for the existing situation, so as to observe the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights. The justice minister Catalin Predoiu has been in Strasbourg these days where he gave explanations about the Romanian authorities’ decision. In an official communiqué, the Committee of Ministers reminds of the ‘old structural problems’ of Romania related to prison overcrowding and inhuman and degrading detention conditions. The communiqué also shows that important progress has been made especially in reducing overcrowding. Strasbourg officials also announced that they took note of the explanations provided by the Romanian justice minister and hailed the Bucharest government’s pledge to draft a comprehensive action plan.




    Handball – Romania’s national women’s handball team on Friday won the match against Hungary 28 to 27 after a dramatic match, which brought them qualification to the main groups of the World Championship hosted by Japan. Romania had previously defeated Senegal and Kazakhstan and was defeated twice by Spain and Montenegro respectively. Thus Romania still has a chance to go to the 2020 Olympic Games also hosted by Japan.



    Warsaw — The German chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday said in a speech delivered during her first visit to the site of the former Nazi extermination camp in Auschwitz, located on the territory of Poland, that Germany is responsible alone for the existence of that camp. Even if the atrocities perpetrated in the extermination camps leaves one speechless, silence is not an answer, Mrs. Merkel said, adding that there will be no tolerance for anti-Semitism in Germany and Europe. Angela Merkel announced that 60 million Euros would be granted to the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation to maintain the compound where almost 1.1 million people were killed between 1940 and 1945. The Polish PM also warned that the history of the Auschwitz extermination camp should not be forgotten, the memory of the atrocities committed there being a duty towards the victims.



    Strike — In France, the leaderships of the central trade union federations decided, in a Friday meeting, to carry on with the strike until the government gives up entirely the idea of replacing the current pension system with one based on points accumulated alongside one’s career. Further protests have already been announced for Saturday in Paris. Strikers announced new marches and large scale manifestations all across France for December 10. The strike has affected most subway, bus and tram lines. The reform of the pension system, one of the important measures proposed by president Emmanuel Macron, is aimed at unifying the 42 current retirement plans (private, for public servants, special, complementary, etc) in one single universal system based on points. (translation by L. Simion)

  • Proposals for ministers after interviews

    Proposals for ministers after interviews

    The Romanian MPs and senators are expected to vote on Monday on the new Liberal government designated to govern Romania until legislative elections are held. After two days of hearings in Parliament’s special committees, on Tuesday and Wednesday, of the 16 candidates proposed by the PM designate Ludovic Orban only 13 have received a favorable vote, while 3 have been rejected. The 3 rejected candidates were to lead the ministries of finance, labor and development, that is those ministries that have to manage the country’s budget, more precisely big amounts of money necessary for Romania’s development. The Liberal leader and PM designate Ludovic Orban stated that he was satisfied with the proposals he made and announced he would maintain his proposals for Monday’s vote in Parliament.



    Ludovic Orban: “I am very content with the performance of the candidates appointed by the National Liberal Party. They have lived up to expectations, and I must underline that there has been a marathon 3-hour interview as never before, when the candidates were asked tens of questions by MPs.”



    The vote of the special parliamentary committees is advisory. Nevertheless, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Social Democrat Marcel Ciolacu, reminded of an unwritten rule according to which the candidates that do not get the green light in the committees are generally replaced by the PM designate. According to him, a new round of hearings might be held in due time, to observe the voting schedule established initially.



    Marcel Ciolacu: “If the PM designate is willing to do that, both I and the speaker of the Senate, Mr. Teodor Melescanu, are open to hold a new round of hearings to be able to observe the voting deadline of November 4, 2 p.m.”



    Ludovic Orban’s cabinet, which is to replace the Social Democratic government headed by Viorica Dancila, dismissed through a motion of no confidence, needs at least 233 votes in Parliament to be endorsed. In this sense, the PM designate Ludovic Orban has signed early this week accords and political agreements with the Save Romania Union party, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians’ in Romania, the People’s Movement Party, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and the national minorities group.



    In exchange, Pro Romania, a splinter group from the Social Democratic Party PSD, said they were to decide whether to vote or not for the new government, while the PSD stated they would not participate in Monday’s plenary meeting vote. Therefore, the question is whether there will be the necessary quorum for the Liberal government to pass. That is why Ludovic Orban said negotiations with MPs would continue up until early next week to make sure MPs will attend Monday’s plenary session. (translation by L. Simion)