Radio România Internațional

Tag: heat wave

July 12, 2024

HEAT WAVE – Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert against extreme heat for central, northern and southeastern territories in Romania, in place on Friday. A code orange is also today in effect for the remaining counties. Highs will range between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius during the interval, with the THI expected to exceed 80. A code alert against extreme heat will take effect on Saturday and Sunday, affecting central, northern and southeastern territories, while a code red alert will be declared in the other counties. This is the most severe such weather alert issued by the authorities so far, with highs expected to reach 41 degrees. Central and local authorities are preparing measures to deal with the effects of the heat wave.

DECREE – The Government has amended the Emergency Decree on drug testing of drivers, after civil society harshly criticized the document. In the event lab tests of biological samples are not ready within 72 hours, drivers can have their licenses back. Authorities said all drivers will be submitted to a drug test if road traffic agents find illegal substances in their vehicle or in their possession. Should final lab tests turn positive, drivers will lose their licenses again and will bear the full consequences of the law.

BEAR POPULATION – The Chamber of Deputies will at the start of next week convene in an emergency session to adopt a number of legislative amendments regarding the bear population of Romania. According to one such proposal, some 500 bears that endanger human lives are expected to be shot. Romanian forests are home to some 8,000 bears, although their natural habitat can sustain only half this figure, former Environment Minister Tánczos Barna told Radio Romania. The rise in bear population and their ever-growing presence close to human settlements were submitted to public debate again after a young girl was tragically killed three days ago in a popular hiking trail.

SALARIES – The net average salary in Romania dropped to 1,025 EUR in May, by nearly 10 EUR less compared to April 2024, the National Statistics Institute reports. The gross average salary stood at 1,671 EUR, by 35 EUR less compared to April 2024. The highest average salary is reported in the IT sector, including the provision of IT services – 2,250 EUR, while the lowest average salary is reported in clothing manufacturing – 550 EUR.

INVESTIGATION – The former leftist Prime Minister of Romania in the 1990s, Petre Roman, on Friday appeared before prosecutors for a deposition in the so-called 1990 Miners Raid investigation, where he stands accused of crimes against humanity. The former president Ion Iliescu, deputy Prime Minister Gelu-Voican Voiculescu and former Romanian intelligence chief Virgil Măgureanu are also prosecuted in the investigation.

CULTMUSE – The National History Museum of Romania will be hosting the „Cultures and Heritage through Museum Education” (CULTMUSE) project for the next month. 14 volunteers from Romania, France, Sweden, Estonia, Finland and Latvia will take part in various activities designed to encourage the public to discover the world of museums. The project is funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps programme.

FOOTBALL – Romanian Cup winners Corvinul Hunedoara on Thursday defeated Hungary’s champions Paksi FC 4-0 in the first leg of the first preliminary round of Europa League. The return leg is scheduled for July 18 in Romania. Corvinul returns to European inter-club competitions after a 4-decade break. Corvinul last played in the 1982-1983 edition of the UEFA Cup, when they knocked out Grazer AK of Austria in the first round but were ousted by FK Sarajevo of the former Yugoslavia in the second round. We recall Romanian football champions FCSB defeated 7-1 Virtus of San Marino on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League first preliminary round. The return leg will be played in Bucharest next week. (VP)

12 July 2024
June 22, 2024 UPDATE

WEATHER Weather experts in Romania have issued a number of alerts for Sunday, June 23, concerning extreme heat and significant heat stress in most of the country. A code red alert for extreme heat will be in place the south of Romania. The heat wave will be persistent and temperatures will be extremely high for the 5^th consecutive day, reaching 38-39 degrees Celsius, with lows around 20 degrees.

EMPLOYMENT The number of public sector employees in Romania in April 2024 was 1,292,549,up 3,009 since the previous month, according to data made public by the finance ministry. Of the over 826,000 employees in the central public administration, more than 600,000 were working in institutions fully funded from the state budget. The largest number of such positions was reported in the education ministry (302,230), followed by the interior ministry (123,859), defence ministry (73,818), finance ministry (24,762) and health ministry (18,156). Working in local public administration institutions this April were 466,308 people, of whom 286,443 in institutions fully funded from local budgets and 179,865 in institutions fully or partly financed from other revenues.

DISINFORMATION The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed in Washington a Memorandum of Understanding on countering information manipulation. Among other things, the document provides for the coordinated development of relevant strategies, as well as for the involvement of independent media, civil society and the academia in fighting disinformation. According to a news release, the two officials have also reviewed the progress made by Romania towards inclusion in the Visa Waiver Programme, and have reconfirmed their commitment to close cooperation in view of reaching this goal as soon as possible. During her visit to the US, organised in the context of celebrating 20 years since Romania joined NATO, the Romanian diplomacy chief also had meetings with the National Security Council senior director for Europe Michael Carpenter, with whom she discussed items on the Romanian-US economic and security agenda, as well as regional developments and preparations for the forthcoming NATO Summit in Washington. Also, during a meeting with Samantha Power, USAID administrator, Luminiţa Odobescu highlighted the two countries’ shared interest in strengthening the resilience of partners in the Black Sea region, with a focus on the Republic of Moldova.

ORGANISED CRIME The Romanian interior minister Cătălin Predoiu had a meeting with the British ambassador to Bucharest, Giles Matthew Portman. The talks focused on measures to be taken in order to curb transnational organised crime. According to the interior ministry, another topic approached by the 2 officials was improving the efficiency of police work, including institutional reforms, so as to handle current challenges. Predoiu highlighted the very good cooperation between the two countries, as well as the opportunities to further develop it under the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership. The Romanian official pointed out that border protection is a priority for Romania, whose goal is to strengthen and protect the Schengen area. Mr. Predoiu also mentioned that the implementation of the Pact on migration and asylum would be both a challenge for the Member States, and an opportunity to improve national migration and asylum management systems.

FESTIVAL Sibiu, in central Romania, is hosting the 31^st International Theatre Festival (FITS). For 10 days, the public can choose from as many as 830 events, including theatre performances, music, dance, circus, exhibitions and public reading sessions, which bring together over 5,000 artists from 82 countries. Internationally acclaimed actors, directors and writers such as John Malkovich, Tim Robbins, Pippo delBono and Neil LaBute are also expected to attend. Many of the international productions in FITS may be viewed online this year, on the online platform “Scena Digitală” of the Sibiu “Radu Stanca” National Theatre, the main organiser of FITS 2024. “In terms of the number of participants, the number of partners, the diversity of projects in the festival, I believe this is the most complex cultural event in Romania and a major one at international level,” said the culture minister Raluca Turcan, who attended several events in the Festival, including the opening of the Romania-Poland Cultural Season, the first in the history of the 2 countries’ bilateral relations.

SWIMMING The Romanian swimmer David Popovici defended his gold at the 200m freestyle event in the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, after also winning the 100m freestyle race. The next challenge for the Romanian swimmer is the Olympic competition, in which Romania will be represented by 93 athletes. The latest one to qualify is the wrestler Răzvan Arnăuţ, in the 60kg Greco-Roman category, after the International Olympic Committee disqualified several Russian and Byelorussian athletes. (AMP)

22 June 2024
June 22, 2024

WEATHER A code red alert for extreme heat is in place today in 5 counties in the south of Romania, with temperatures expected to reach 38-39 degrees Celsius. On Sunday the heat wave is predicted to stay in place and even extend to the capital city Bucharest as well. Later this afternoon, heavy rainfalls and storms are expected in the northern part of the country.

DISINFORMATION The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed in Washington a Memorandum of Understanding on countering information manipulation. Among other things, the document provides for the coordinated development of relevant strategies, as well as for the involvement of independent media, civil society and the academia in fighting disinformation. According to a news release, the two officials have also reviewed the progress made by Romania towards inclusion in the Visa Waiver Programme, and have reconfirmed their commitment to close cooperation in view of reaching this goal as soon as possible. During her visit to the US, organised in the context of celebrating 20 years since Romania joined NATO, the Romanian diplomacy chief also had meetings with the National Security Council senior director for Europe Michael Carpenter, with whom she discussed items on the Romanian-US economic and security agenda, as well as regional developments and preparations for the forthcoming NATO Summit in Washington. Also, during a meeting with Samantha Power, USAID administrator, Luminiţa Odobescu highlighted the two countries’ shared interest in strengthening the resilience of partners in the Black Sea region, with a focus on the Republic of Moldova.

ORGANISED CRIME The Romanian interior minister Cătălin Predoiu had a meeting with the British ambassador to Bucharest, Giles Matthew Portman. The talks focused on measures to be taken in order to curb transnational organised crime. According to the interior ministry, another topic approached by the 2 officials was improving the efficiency of police work, including institutional reforms, so as to handle current challenges. Predoiu highlighted the very good cooperation between the two countries, as well as the opportunities to further develop it under the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership. The Romanian official pointed out that border protection is a priority for Romania, whose goal is to strengthen and protect the Schengen area. Mr. Predoiu also mentioned that the implementation of the Pact on migration and asylum would be both a challenge for the Member States, and an opportunity to improve national migration and asylum management systems.

FESTIVAL Sibiu, in central Romania, is hosting the 31^st International Theatre Festival (FITS). For 10 days, the public can choose from as many as 830 events, including theatre performances, music, dance, circus, exhibitions and public reading sessions, which bring together over 5,000 artists from 82 countries. Internationally acclaimed actors, directors and writers such as John Malkovich, Tim Robbins, Pippo delBono and Neil LaBute are also expected to attend. Many of the international productions in FITS may be viewed online this year, on the online platform “Scena Digitală” of the Sibiu “Radu Stanca” National Theatre, the main organiser of FITS 2024.

SWIMMING The Romanian swimmer David Popovici defended his gold at the 200m freestyle event in the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, after also winning the 100m freestyle race. The next challenge for the Romanian swimmer is the Olympic competition, in which Romania will be represented by 93 athletes. The latest one to qualify is the wrestler Răzvan Arnăuţ, in the 60kg Greco-Roman category, after the International Olympic Committee disqualified several Russian and Byelorussian athletes.

FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team plays against Belgium tonight in Cologne, in Group E of the European Football Championship. A draw against Belgium would give Romania enough reasons to hope for a qualification in the eighth-finals. On Friday, Ukraine, which lost its first match in this tournament, 3-0 to Romania, defeated Slovakia 2-1. Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia have 3 points each in Group E, while Belgium has no points yet. More than 20,000 Romanian fans will support the team in Cologne tonight. This is Romania’s 6^th participation in the Euro, after the ones in 1984, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016. A team of Romanian referees also takes part in this year’s continental competition. (AMP)

22 June 2024
June 8, 2024 UPDATE

Elections – More than 40,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry will be mobilized throughout the country to maintain order and public safety and to ensure protection measures at polling stations, on Sunday, when local and European Parliament elections are scheduled. According to the Interior Ministry, the electoral campaign took place under normal conditions, without serious events. The polling stations will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 p.m. The presidents of the polling stations can decide to extend the vote until 23:59, if there are people who did not have the time to exercise this right, but are inside or in the immediate vicinity of the station. Approximately 19 million Romanians are called to the polls in the nearly 19,000 polling stations in the country. Abroad there will be 915 polling stations, twice as many as compared to the EP elections five years ago, most of them being opened in Italy, Spain and Great Britain. Romania will send 33 representatives to the EP. For the first time, the data on the voter turnout will be presented in real time, online, on the election day, for each separate election, on the website of the Permanent Electoral Authority. We remind you that this year the presidential election is scheduled in September and the legislative elections in December.

European elections – Tens of thousands of people demonstrated, on Saturday, in Germany, the day before the European elections, against the extreme right, AFP informs. ‘Germany is diverse!’, ‘Stop the hate!’, ‘Down with racism!’, were the slogans written on the placards of the demonstrators in Berlin. Demonstrations also took place in Stuttgart, Leipzig, Dresden, Munich, and Frankfurt. Despite the scandals that marked its campaign for the European Parliament, the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) hopes to achieve its best performance in this election on Sunday. The elections for the 720 members of the European Parliament are already taking place in several states of the EU. In the Netherlands, the vote took place on Thursday, and in Ireland the electoral process took place on Friday. The Czech Republic voted on Friday and Saturday. Voters from Italy, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia also went to the polls. At the level of the European Union, more than 370 million voters are expected to go to the polls.

Weather – Areas in southern Romania, including the capital Bucharest, will come under a Code Orange alert for scorcher and severe thermal discomfort on Sunday, and the warning is valid until Tuesday morning. Particularly high temperatures will be recorded for this time of the year, with highs ranging between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. The weather will be scorching which leads to a heightened thermal discomfort, and the temperature-humidity index (ITU) will exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. Meteorologists warn that temperatures will remain particularly high in the coming days, especially in the southern and southeastern regions. Also, the National Meteorological Administration issued for the same period a Code Yellow alert for thermal discomfort and high temperatures in the east, south-east, south-west and center. On Sunday, the sky will be variable, with temporarily heavy clouds, showers, electrical discharges and short-term intensification of the wind, in the northwest and center. There will be torrential rains, storms and hail. The maximum temperatures will generally range between 26 and 37 degrees C, and the minimum between 11 and 22 degrees C.

Denmark – Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said on Saturday that she suffered a slight cervical strain following an assault on Friday evening when a man punched her in a market in Copenhagen, Reuters reports. ‘Apart from this, the prime minister is fine, but she is shocked by the incident,’ the official statement said. After the incident, Frederiksen was taken to the hospital for a check-up. All the official events that the Danish PM was supposed to attend on Saturday have been cancelled. The attacker, a 39-year-old man, was detained. The incident took place two days before the Danes went to the polls in the European Parliament elections. Three weeks ago, the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured in an assassination attempt. “I am shocked by the news of the attack on the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Violence has no place in our societies”, the Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, wrote on the X platform. (LS)

8 June 2024
July 22, 2022 UPDATE

Resources. PM Nicolae Ciucă has promised that Romania will have the
necessary natural gas to cover demand for the coming winter. According to the
PM, more than 1.6 billion cubic meters
of gas is already stored, and the energy plan stipulates that 80% of the total
capacity will be reached by November 1. Meanwhile, he also said, in spite of
the drought, there is enough wheat to cover the domestic demand and export
commitments and there are no reasons to worry about the maize and sunflower
crops.

Heat wave. Meteorologists have announced that Romania will be
facing extremely hot days. A yellow code warning of extreme heat and high
thermal discomfort is valid until Sunday in the southern and western half of
the country. At the same time, an orange code of growing heat and heightened
thermal discomfort was issued for Friday and Saturday, for nine counties in the
western half of the country. Thermal discomfort will be accentuated in most
regions and on relatively large areas the temperature-humidity index will reach
and exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. The skies will be variable, with
temporary cloudiness especially in the mountain area, where there will be
showers, electrical discharges, short-term intensification of the wind and
possibly gales and hail in limited areas.

Measures. On Friday, PM Nicolae Ciucă asked prefects to conduct information and
prevention campaigns so that people are aware of the risks entailed by the high
temperatures and that activities to mitigate the effects of the heat wave may
be coordinated. He added that it was important for all localities to have
cooling shelters and medical teams providing assistance and free water. PM
Ciucă also called on the line authorities to take steps to ensure navigability
on the River Danube. The low water flow has made it nearly impossible to
navigate the Danube, with several vessels stranded in sand and scores of cruise
ships cancelling their stopovers in the port of Giurgiu over the past
month.

Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia each signed, with Turkey and
the UN, an agreement that will allow Ukraine to resume grain exports via the
Black Sea. This agreement will bring relief for developing countries on
the brink of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine,
by helping to stabilize global food prices, said UN Secretary-General António
Guterres. The document, signed in Istanbul, aims to unblock three Ukrainian
ports and guarantee the delivery of millions of tons of grain. According to the
BBC, there are three main provisions of the agreement. The first is that Russia
must guarantee a truce for the duration of the shipments. Second, Ukraine must
guarantee the guidance of ships through mined waters. Also, Turkey, with the help of the UN, must
guarantee the security of the ships and inspect their cargo, because the
Russian authorities fear possible arms smuggling. The EU has described the
agreement as a step forward in the right direction and called for a rapid implementation.

Refugees. The Romanian Border Police announced on Friday that
11,511 Ukrainian nationals had entered Romania on Thursday, 4.5% fewer than the previous day. According to a news
release, border checks are conducted efficiently and in line with the national
and EU legislation, and border police units are working at full capacity.

Infringement. The European Commission announced on
Friday that it had launched four new infringement procedures against the United
Kingdom, which may lead to a referral to the European Court of Justice, for
non-compliance with the post-Brexit customs provisions provided for in the
Northern Ireland protocol. According to FP, in total, the EU executive has
initiated seven procedures of this type against London regarding the Northern Ireland
protocol, a source of tension between London and Brussels. The UK has two
months to respond to the EC’s letters and take the necessary measures. The
Northern Ireland Protocol was negotiated between London and Brussels as part of
their break-up treaty, to address the sensitive issue of the border between
Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of
Ireland, a member of the EU.

COVID-19. Nearly 7,400 new COVID cases were reported over the
past 24 hours, out of around 24,400 tests, the authorities announced on Friday.
Over 2,600 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, 171 of them in intensive care.
Seven COVID-related deaths have also been reported. Hospitals are beginning to
take measures, including increasing the number of beds set aside for COVID
patients, regular staff and patient testing, and cancelling visiting hours in
order to reduce the risk of infection. (MI)

22 July 2022
July 1, 2022

HEAT -
Code red, orange and yellow alerts against extreme heat have been issued for
the entire country. Experts warn temperatures will reach and even exceed 40
degrees Celsius. The Sibiu municipality has set up 12 cooling centers, fitted
to provide water and relief from the heat. The centers were created inside the headquarters
of a number of public institutions and in three large markets. In Mediaș, the
authorities set up centers where people can get water. First-aid tents and
water-distribution centers were set up by local authorities across Bucharest as
well. Extensive drought has been causing damage to farming regions across the
country.

CSCE -
Romania’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is today co-chairing, alongside US
Senator Roger Wicker, the panel titled Black Sea Security Summit, organized
by the US Congress Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE),
also known as the Helsinki Commission. The event is held for the first time in
Romania and offers a platform for multilateral dialogue between regional allies
and partners, focusing on security in the Black Sea Region. Attending the event
will be Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and representatives of the Helsinki
Commission, high-ranking officials from Romania and states in the region, as
well as other key partners, including from NATO. The initiative follows the
significant deterioration of the security context in the Black Sea region as a
result of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The purpose of the Helsinki
Commission is to raise awareness regarding troubling developments with a
significantly high negative impact for the entire international community at a
number of levels.

FUEL -
The authorities in Bucharest today hailed the decision of the major oil
companies operating in Romania to lower the price for fuel in their filling
stations by approximately 0.10 EUR, in line with the Government’s emergency
decree. Energy Minister Virgil Popescu thanked the companies that volunteered
to lower the price for fuel. In turn, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă hailed the
decision, calling on fiscal and consumer protection agencies to monitor the
evolution of fuel prices. The Prime Minister recalled that state institutions
are now allowed to intervene. Haulers will benefit from a partial subsidy of
fuel. The Prime Minister says the measure was designed to avoid the shortage
and rationing of fuel, as reported in other countries. Romania now has one of
the lowest fuel prices in Europe. Filling stations across the country sold
standard Diesel for approximately 1.7 EUR and gasoline for approximately 1.6
EUR.

EU COUNCIL
– The Czech Republic is taking over the six-month rotating presidency of the
Council of the European Union. This is the second time this country is taking
over this responsibility since it joined the EU in 2004. To mark this event,
European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen and the Czech Prime
Minister, Petr Fiala, are today meeting at Litomyšl Castle, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site located some 160 kilometers from the Czech capital-city Prague. The
presidency adopted the motto Europe as a task, inspired from a speech
delivered by the ex-president Vaclav Havel. During its term in office, the
Czech Republic will focus on the war in Ukraine and its consequences, seeking
to manage the flow of refugees and improve energy security. The Czech
Presidency will organize a number of ministerial meetings and at least one
summit of the 27 Member States.

ENERGY
EXPORTS – Ukraine has started exporting electricity to the European Union
via Romania, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday
evening. The President said Ukraine is preparing to up its deliveries of
electricity, which he says are capable of replacing a substantial part of the
Russian gas consumed by Europeans. Ukraine was connected to the Russian
electricity grid prior to its invasion on February 24, after which date it
functioned independently. In mid-March, the Ukrainian electricity network was
connected to the European one. As of today, Ukraine can export electricity to
the EU market. It will provide an additional source of electricity for the EU.
And much-needed revenues to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen said in a tweet on Thursday.

WIMBLEDON
– Two Romanian players will be competing in the third round in the women’s
singles at Wimbledon. Simona Halep (18 WTA) will take on Magdalena Frech of
Poland (92 WTA), while Irina Begu (43 WTA) will go up against Jelena Ostapenko
of Latvia (17 WTA).

1 July 2022
Scorching days and energy prices

The heat wave that has recently affected Romania has automatically led to an increase in electricity consumption in households. The main consumers are, of course, air conditioners. Data provided by “Transelectrica” National Electricity Transmission Company show that the consumption difference has been covered by imports, the average amount reported in recent weeks approaching 1,000 megawatts per day. The most important sources of electricity production are the hydropower plants, followed by coal-fired power plants, the Cernavoda nuclear power plant (southeast) and the hydrocarbon-fired plants. Photovoltaic systems, wind farms and biomass are only a small part of the Romanian energy production.

Actually, Romania does not have production capacities for cheaper energy because, in the last six years, no new, modern unit has been put into operation. And things are not likely to change, not even in the short term! That is why, the only thing Romanians can do to avoid paying huge bills, is to be very careful about consumption. Electricity prices have gone up across Europe amid high demand from the economic sector, which has been re-launched after the pandemic. Moreover, the electricity and natural gas market has been completely liberalized in Romania since July 1, and prices for household consumers have significantly increased.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, the annual inflation rate reached 5% in July, confirming the recent statements of the Central Bank governor, Mugur Isărescu. And the central bank expects inflation to rise to 5.6% at the end of the year. Statistics show that the highest price increases were reported by non-foods, prices growing by almost 8%. Also very big price increases were registered for energy (about 25%), gas (over 20%) and fuels (13%), which, in turn, generate price hikes for most goods and services.

The Liberal PM Florin Cîțu says the situation should not cause concern and that the prices increase is temporary, against the background of the permanent increase of the populations income. The opposition Social Democratic Party – PSD contradicts the PM, claiming that in the context of the wild liberalization of the energy market, which has led to explosive increases in electricity and natural gas prices, the situation of vulnerable consumers (pensioners, low-wage workers or families with many children) got even worse. According to PSD, which quotes the National Institute of Statistics, 41% of households in urban areas and 36% in rural areas have fallen behind on utility bills by several months. Therefore, they call for the urgent adoption of a Law of the vulnerable consumer. (LS)

12 August 2021
The hottest day of the year in Romania

On Monday Romania experienced the hottest day of 2021 so far, with temperatures reaching up to 41 degrees Celsius, in the south of the country. 16 counties and the capital Bucharest were under an orange code alert for persistent heat and particularly severe thermal discomfort, with the National Weather Service issuing a yellow code alert for 8 counties. The temperature-humidity index exceeded the critical threshold of 80 units, which considerably increased the discomfort. According to meteorologists, in the next two weeks, the heat will subside and there will be periods of very high temperatures alternating with periods of lower temperatures.

The south of the country will remain the most affected, Meda Andrei, from the National Weather Service, explained to Radio Romania: “For the time being, we are not expecting extreme temperatures, but, in the next two weeks we expect intervals with slightly higher temperatures. This week, for instance, on Thursday, the southernmost parts of Romania could see very high temperatures again, around 39 degrees C, with 36-37 degrees C in Bucharest. The highest temperatures will be reported in the south. For the rest of the country, temperatures will be normal for this period, and after a short period of cooler weather, when temperatures will drop below 35 degrees, at the end of the week, on Sunday and at the beginning of next week, temperatures will rise again above 35 degrees. But for now, we do not expect a persistent heat wave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees C.”

Physicians are drawing attention to the risks that people are running during the heat wave, especially those suffering from chronic diseases. According to the manager of the Bucharest Ambulance Service, Alice Grasu, the human body can adapt to not very big temperature variations, of 4-5 degrees, in about two weeks.

Alice Grasu: “When the temperature variations are big from one hour to another, from one day to another, from day to night, there is an aggression on the body, which is forced to adapt to these big temperature variations in a very short time. Therefore, some people with chronic conditions are at risk of having their symptoms exacerbated, so they need to take additional protective measures during this period. The vulnerable categories are the infants, young children, people with disabilities, people with chronic diseases and the elderly and they are advised not to travel long distances in the heat between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., not to make physical effort in the sun and not to sunbathe.”

Doctors also recommend people to drink water at room temperature and to avoid alcoholic drinks and caffeinated beverages because they dehydrate the body. (LS)

3 August 2021
July 31, 2021

COVID-19 – 156 new cases of
COVID infection were reported on Saturday, in addition to 3 related fatalities.
56 people are now in intensive care. We recall that, starting August 1,
teenagers aged 12-17 can receive the anti-COVID vaccine produced by Moderna, in
addition to the Pfizer vaccine. Romania is closing in on the 5 million
vaccinated people mark, of whom most have completed the full vaccination
scheme. The number, however, is below the authorities expectations.

CYBER ATTACKS – Romanian
hospitals are vulnerable to cyber-attacks, while their level of digital
security is low, the Romanian Intelligence Service has warned, after last week
a hospital in Bucharest was the target of a ransomware attack. According to the
Service, such attacks are used by hackers to demand ransom for crypted data.
Although of medium or low complexity, the attacks may severely disrupt the
activity of healthcare institutions. The Service recommends the adoption of
centralized measures to impose the implementation of minimum cyber security at
the level of these institutions.

ATTACK – The Foreign
Ministry in Bucharest announced it would provide all the necessary assistance
and will actively monitor the investigation into the circumstances of the
violent attack that killed a Romanian national on Thursday in the Arabian Sea.
The Ministry recalls that so far Romania’s missions have received no requests
for consular assistance. One Romanian citizen and a British one were killed
during an attack on Thursday onboard the Mercer Street oil tanker off the Oman
coast in the Arabian Sea. According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade
Operations, an anti-piracy organization, the attack took place some 280
kilometers southeast of Oman’s capital city. Zodiac Maritime issued a statement
saying the ship was Japanese-owned.

AMBASSDOR – Romania’s new
ambassador to the United States, Andrei Muraru, was on Friday received at the
US State Department where he presented copies of his letters of accreditation.
In a post on Facebook, the Romanian diplomat said the reception is a rare exception
made by the US State Department, which is a clear indication of the special
importance of US-Romanian relations. Andrei Muraru said that, during his
meetings with US officials, he expressed Romania’s firm commitment to
consolidating the strategic partnership at military, political, economic,
cultural and educational levels.

DEFICIT – Romania’s
budget deficit stood below 3% of the GDP after the first six months of the
year, which signals a drop according to centralized data published by the
Finance Ministry. Budget revenues are 20% higher compared to the similar period
of last year. Spending also went up by 10%, compared to 2020. The largest share
represented investment, followed by COVID-related spending. Personnel spending
also went up 4.5%, while social welfare expenses also increased by some 9%.

VISIT – Principal
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, Kathryn Huff and David Muniz,
Charge d’affaires of the US Embassy in Bucharest on Friday visited the Nuclear
Power Plant at Cernavodă. According to a US Embassy release, the visit was
aimed at starting bilateral talks over the recent ratification by president
Klaus Iohannis of the US-Romanian inter-government agreement, also marking the
10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the two
states. The US Embassy also says the agreement allows for cooperation in key
sectors for Romania as well as in the field of civilian nuclear energy,
particularly as regards projects to build Units 3 and 4 and modernizing Unit 1
at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. The USA and Romania in October 2020
signed an extended inter-government cooperation agreement regarding the
development of nuclear energy projects at Cernavodă and in the field of
civilian nuclear energy in Romania. In November 2020, the European Commission
ratified the US-Romanian agreement that provides for the building of reactors 3
and 4 at Cernavodă. The project will be using the CANDU 6 technology, which is
similar to the current one being used in units 1 and 2.

FESTIVAL – Cancelled last
year due to the COVID pandemic, the Medieval Sighişoara Festival, the
longest-lasting festival of its kind in Romania, will this year bring together
artists, craftsmen and a large number of guests. The only medieval citadel
still inhabited in southeastern Europe, Sighişoara will this weekend see
warriors, knights, ladies of the court and master craftsmen pouring in from all
corners of the country and from abroad. On Friday, the medieval play The Farce
of Master Pathelin, stage directed by our colleague from the Aromanian
Service, Toma Enache, who is also the festival’s stage director, was premiered.
A concert by the band Phoenix is scheduled for Sunday. Entry is free of charge,
face masks are mandatory and only vaccinated people or those presenting a negative
PCR test for COVID-19 can attend the performances.

WEATHER – A heat wave
continues to grip Romania, with code orange and yellow alerts having been
issued in most regions. Meteorologists expect extremely high temperatures,
thunderstorms, but also strong wind and hail during the interval. Highs may
exceed 38 degrees locally. (VP)

31 July 2021
July 28, 2021

COVID-19 – The number of infections in Romania
remains low, although it has gone up in recent days. According to the head of
the vaccination campaign, medical doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, nearly 90% of the
people currently diagnosed with COVID-19 are not vaccinated, while over 91% of
related fatalities were people who hadn’t taken the anti-COVID jab. Right now,
some 30% of Romania’s total population got immunized. Starting August 2, young
people aged 12-17 can also receive the Moderna vaccine, Valeriu Gheorghiţă
said. The Romanian official went on to say that, by mid-September, Romania
might start administering the third dose of the vaccine for at-risk categories,
such as health workers, chronically ill and people over 65 years of age. So
far, 4.8 million people have completed the full vaccination scheme in Romania.
On Wednesday, 159 new COVID infections were reported and 1 related death. 47
people are in intensive care.

GOVERNMENT – The Government is today discussing plans to further ease
anti-COVID restrictions starting August 1. Additional measures will be taken in
the case of vaccinated people, those who present a negative PCR test, no older
than 72 hours, or a rapid test no older than 24 hours, or those who have had
the disease in the last six months. All of the aforementioned categories will
be allowed to attend cultural events held outdoors within the limit of 2,500
people, in those towns and villages where the incidence rate is below 3 per
thousand inhabitants, and within the limit of 75,000 people where the rate is
below 2 per thousand. The 2,500-limit can be exceeded in the case of vaccinated
people. For sports events, crowd attendance is limited to 50% of the venue’s
full capacity. Also today, the Government is expected to discuss a bill
modifying the adoption law, by cutting waiting times and making the application
process non-discriminatory.

HEAT WAVE – Meteorologists have issued a code orange alert against
extreme heat and thermal discomfort in seven counties in the south and the
capital Bucharest, in place until Saturday. Maximum temperatures are expected
to reach 40 degrees Centigrade locally. A code yellow alert against extreme
heat is in place until Saturday for all other regions, with highs ranging from
34 to 39 degrees. Passenger and freight trains will travel at reduced speeds
during the interval. Road traffic authorities have also warned some
restrictions may be introduced due to the extreme heat.

IMF – The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday maintained its
6% economic growth estimate for global economy this year and upgraded its
outlook on the United States and other developed economies, while downgrading
its forecast for a number of developing countries affected by the fallout of
COVID-19. In the case of Romania, in October last year the IMF estimated a
growth rate of 4.6% this year. The new outlook expects Romanian economic growth
to reach 6% this year. Additionally, the IMF has upgraded its forecast for
2022, from 3.9% as originally estimated, to 4.8%. According to the new report,
Romania’s economic growth rates for 2021 and 2022 will stand above the European
average.

INFRINGEMENT – The European Commission decided to start infringement
proceedings against 12 Member States, including Romania, for their failure to
transpose EU rules banning unfair trade practices in the agricultural and food
supply chain. The deadline for transposing the regulations into national law
was May 1, 2021. The Commission sent letters of formal notice to Austria,
Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovenia and Spain requesting them to adopt and notify the relevant
measures. The Member States have now two months to reply.

BEAR CENSUS – A bear census worth 11 million Euro
started on Wednesday in Romania. Minister for Investments and European
Projects, Cristian Ghinea, explained the project is funded under the Large
Infrastructure Operational Programme. There will be two lines of investment,
one focusing on the bear census itself, while the other will help implement state-of-the-art
technologies aimed at limiting the interaction of bears with humans. On the
other hand, the Senate convened in an extraordinary sitting today to discuss
the Government’s emergency decree regulating emergency intervention in case of
bear attacks. Adopted last week, the bill stipulates bears can be tranquilized
and relocated in low-risk cases, or even shot if they pose a risk to the
livelihood of people or their livestock.

OLYMPICS – Romania has won two medals in Wednesday’s
rowing finals at the Tokyo Olympics: Ancuţa
Bodnar and Simona Radiş won gold in the women’s double scull event, while
Romania’s four crew, made up of Mihăiţă Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan
Berariu and Cosmin Pascari scooped silver. Adding to the two medals is
Ana-Maria Popescu’s silver medal scooped in the women’s epee event. Also on
Wednesday, three Romanian rowing crews secured qualification to the A Finals:
the women’s lightweight double scull crew, the men’s pair and the women’s eight
crew. In swimming, David Popovici has qualified to the A final of the 100-meter
freestyle event from fifth position with a time of 47.72. Earlier this month,
Popovici set a new world junior record at the European championships in Rome. (VP)

28 July 2021
August 3, 2018 UPDATE

SECURITY – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, hails the USAs firm commitment to the European security and defence, as reflected in the budget earmarked for the defence sector, recently approved by the US Congress. According to the Presidency, 12.9 billion US dollars will go into the missile defence system, including amounts for supporting and operating the Aegis Ashore structure in Romania, as part of the NATO ballistic missile defence system. The Presidency also reiterates Bucharests determination to further keep its bilateral and NATO commitments, both in terms of the budget allotted for defence and the national contribution to NATO missions and operations, in keeping with the decisions made at the NATO summits in Wales, Warsaw, and more recently in Brussels.

CENTENNIAL – Romanias inter-ministry committee in charge with the preparations for the Union Centennial Friday endorsed projects worth over 4.2 million euros. According to the Culture Minister George Ivaşcu, 7 of the projects have been put together by local authorities and have a combined budget of 2.3 million euros, while another 16 projects, proposed by various ministries, require a combined 2.5 million euros. The Committee has so far approved funding for over 500 projects, George Ivaşcu added. He explained that by the end of this month proposals designed by NGOs will also be selected for financing, out of a list of 232 projects.

JUDICIARY – Mihail Vlasov, the former president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, was sentenced on Friday by the Bucharest Court of Appeals to 9 years and 10 months in prison, for offences including embezzlement, forgery and the misuse of influence or authority in view of obtaining undue benefits. The judges found that the offences in this case were concurrent with the offence of influence peddling, for which Vlasov received in 2015 a final prison sentence of 5 years and 8 months. Last September however he was released on parole. The Court therefore cancelled the conditional release decision and added an additional 3 years and 10 months to the sentence, resulting a total of 9 years and 10 months. The ruling is not final.

TOURISM – Romania and Poland will have joint tourist routes to attract visitors from Asia, the Romanian Tourism Minister Bogdan Trif announced on Friday, adding that both countries excel in terms of UNESCO sites and medieval citadels. Trif made these statements in Bucharest, during an event also attended by Polands Minister for Sports and Tourism, Witold Banka. Bogdan Trif emphasised the importance of a Government Order passed by Bucharest on Thursday with respect to the full guaranteeing of tourism services, a system implemented by Poland 2 years ago. In turn, the Polish official said a task force will be set up, to design joint Polish-Romanian travel packages.

WEATHER – The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that the authorities in Spain, Portugal and Croatia have issued code red and orange alerts for extreme heat, whereas some parts of Greece and Portugal are under high wildfire alerts. Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden are also reporting very high temperatures. Weather experts announce that Europe may see a new record in terms of high temperatures in the forthcoming days. The current record is 48 degrees Celsius, reported in Greece in 1977.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

3 August 2018
Heat and thunderstorms

Code yellow, orange and red alert against scorcher, code yellow alert against atmospheric instability and warnings of the temperature-humidity comfort index exceeding the critical threshold of 80 units have made the headlines in Romania over the past few days. The codes were valid for the entire country. Temperatures stood close to and even exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in places. The heat wave which swept Romania over the past few days has taken a toll of seven lives, with hundreds of others taken to hospital for medical care.

On one day alone, over 750 people called the Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Service, that is 18% more than on a similar day of July. First aid tents have been placed in all big cities across the country. Rail speed limit reductions have been imposed to avoid accidents, and heavy vehicle traffic has been banned on highways and national roads.

Forest fire broke out because of high temperatures in the southwest of the country, with the fire spreading to some 50 hectares of deciduous forests (beech and oak), which makes it increasingly difficult to contain because of scorcher and drought. The fire spread at a fast pace and produced extensive damage to the forest fund. In the wake of the heat wave, half of the countrys territory has been hit by thunderstorms, torrential rain and hail.

Hydrologists have warned that several rivers might exceed bankfull levels and even burst their banks. Therefore, they issued a code yellow alert against flooding. On the seaside, life safeguards have raised the red flag against powerful waves. Meteorologists have announced that after only one day with normal temperatures for this time of the year, registered on Tuesday, the heat wave will make a come back on Wednesday, to gradually take the whole country in its grip.

Meteorologist Mihai Timu has further details: “By the end of the week, the heat wave will return to Romania and sweep the whole country. It will hit mostly the same regions as last week, the most affected being not only our country but also states located west of Romania. Temperatures will again reach 38 – 39 degrees Celsius, most likely in southern Crişana, Banat and Oltenia. Sunday will bring lower temperatures, but this wave of cooler weather will bring along atmospheric instability. However, the whole country will enjoy cooler days.

Meteorologists say Romania will further face fickle weather and sweltering temperatures in the following two weeks, with days marked by high temperatures, with thermometers reading 34 degrees Celsius, on an average, but also with narrow time spans when rainfalls are very likely, especially in the mountains.

Not only Romania, but the whole of Central and Southern Europe, as well as regions in Italy, Switzerland and France have been affected by heat, torrential rain, thunderstorms and floods over the past few days.

8 August 2017
August 8, 2017

PARLIAMENT – In Romania, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies convene, as of today, in a special parliamentary session. The agenda includes the emergency ordinances that the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania passed last week, and which need to be endorsed by Parliament before they can take effect. These legislative acts concern the capping of special pensions in the defence, public order and judicial sectors, as well as of child allowances, and the raise of police staff salaries. The Liberals, in opposition, argue that the legal requirements for the Chamber of Deputies to convene have not been met, and threaten to notify the Constitutional Court in this respect.

UNIONS – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, had a meeting today with representatives of penitentiary trade unions. He said he would personally coordinate the National Penitentiary Agency and would have weekly meetings with the representatives of prison personnel to find solutions to their demands. Trade union leader Sorin Dumitraşcu said the Justice Minister promised to have a meeting this week with the Prime Minister, in order to discuss the granting of up to 15% bonuses to penitentiary personnel, who have not been included in the categories of public sector staff benefiting from pay raises. Unionists also demand the improvement of work standards, solutions to the issue of personnel shortage, the reorganisation of prisons and the building of new ones. Penitentiary employees intend to stage street protests next week, over inadequate work conditions. They have been on a work-to-rule strike since August 1. We remind you that the improvement of detention conditions in Romania is a requirement issued by the European Court for Human Rights.

INFLATION – The National Bank of Romania adjusted the inflation forecast for end-2017 from 1.6% up to 1.9%, the central bank governor Mugur Isarescu announced on Tuesday, when he presented the Inflation Report. For next year as well, the National Bank raised its inflation forecast to 3.2%, up from the previously estimated rate of 3.1%. Isarescu explained that these changes were triggered by the fiscal policy, by the increase in foodstuff prices as well as by the political tensions in June, which temporarily affected the exchange rate for the national currency.

DEFENCE – The Romanian Defence Minister, Adrian Ţuţuianu, and Gen. Nicolae Ciucă, General Chief of Staff, had talks in Bucharest with the head of the Alabama National Guard, Major Gen. Sheryl Gordon, who is on a visit to Romania. The talks approached the regional security environment, particularly at the Black Sea, the strategic partnership between the US and Romania, and the planned equipment purchases for the Romanian Army. Ţuţuianu has recently announced that the Plan for military equipment procurement has been approved, and reiterated that Romania was committed to earmarking 2% of the GDP to the defence sector, as it has undertaken in its capacity as a NATO member state. During his visit to Romania, the recently appointed chief of the ANG, Major Gen. Sheryl Gordon, will take part in an exercise of Romanian mountain troops and will visit the “Getica Joint Training Centre in Cincu, Brasov County.

WEATHER – The weather is hot in the south-west and south of Romania, while in the hilly and mountain areas in the south and the centre rainfalls, thunderstorms and strong wind are reported. The highs of the day range between 24 and 36 degrees Celsius, with a 26-degree reading in Bucharest at noon. Weather experts warn that as of Wednesday a new heat wave will reach Romania, with temperatures going up to 38-39 degrees Celsius. Moreover, for the next 2 weeks meteorologists expect the weather to alternate between highs of 34 degrees Celsius and rainfalls in most regions, especially in the mountains.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

8 August 2017
1 July, 2017 UPDATE

Weather. After a hot day, yellow and orange
code alerts for storm have been issued in Romania. Torrential rain, hail and
thunderstorms are expected in the south-west, centre and east of the country
and in the mountains. The weather will become even more unstable on Sunday
evening, when a yellow code alert will be in place in the south and south-east
of the country. In some areas, the lows will not drop below 20 degrees Celsius,
while the highs will reach 34 degrees.

Protests. Fresh anti-government protests have been
announced on Sunday in Bucharest, three days after the investiture of a
government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals
and Democrats and led by the Social Democrat Mihai Tudose. The civic
organisations initiating the protest blame the government for the slow pace of the
anti-corruption fight, in particular at top level. We recall that five months
ago, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Bucharest, across
the country and in the diaspora to protest against plans by the previous
government to ease criminal laws via an emergency order. The move was seen as
an attempt to exempt influential figures from the political scene and the
administration from accountability.

UK-Romania. Great Britain and Romania have a special
partnership, which they wish to develop and strengthen, said the British
ambassador to Bucharest Paul Brummel at a conference on the consequences of the
UK’s leaving the European Union. He emphasised that bilateral trade exchanges
have reached record levels, at around 4 billion euros a year. Earlier, Brummel
said 2017 is the most intense year in recent years with respect to
Romanian-British military partnership. He said the Romanians who live, work and
study in Great Britain are welcome, adding that he was delighted with the
quality of Romanian doctors working in his country.

Law. The public
sector pay law came into force on the 1st of July, after being
signed by president Klaus Iohannis this week. The law will, however, be applied
starting next year. It provides for a gradual increase in public sector
salaries within the next five years, by more than 50% on average. The pension
index also went up by 9% on 1st of July. At the same time, however,
the price of electricity for domestic users went up by 8%, according to the
liberalisation timetable. A full liberalisation is expected on 1st
of January 2018, when the electricity price will be established by the stock
market.

Defence.
The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has called a meeting of the Country’s
Supreme Defence Council on Tuesday to discuss the army’s equipping plan for the
2016-2026 period. This year, Romania has allocated 2% of its GDP to defence
spending. The meeting on Tuesday will also look at the activity of the Romanian
Intelligence Service in 2016. According to the president’s office, the
Country’s Supreme Defence Council will also discuss about the number of troops
that may be made available by Romania for international missions and operations
in 2018.

EU. On Saturday, Estonia took over the EU rotating
presidency for the first time since joining the bloc in 2004. One of its
priorities will be to consolidate cooperation with the countries in Africa and
the Middle East to manage the migration problem. Another important goal,
according to the country’s prime minister Juri Ratas, is the digitalisation of
Europe and the free movement of data. The president of the European Commission
Jean-Claude Juncker, who travelled to Tallin on Friday, welcomed the intentions
of the Estonian government.

Festival. In July, Bucharest is playing host to
the International Street Theatre Festival, which brings together hundreds of
participants from Romania, France, Columbia, Italy, Germany, Holland, Austria
and Spain. Every week-end from Friday to Sunday, the streets of Bucharest will
host performances on stilts, magic shows, street dance performances and living
statues. Acrobatics, light shows, juggling with torches and tango and cabaret
performances will be held in the evening.

Tennis.
World no. 2 Simona Halep of Romania will play Marina Erakovic of New Zealand on
Monday in the first round at Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam tournament of the
year. Last year, Halep reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and was a
semifinalist in 2014. Also in the first round of the women’s draw, Romania’s
Monica Niculescu, world no. 51, will face Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova;
Sorana Cirstea, world no. 62, plays Dutch player Kiki Bartens; while Irina
Begu, world no. 69, faces the British player Naomi Broady. Ana Bogdan, world
no. 114, who makes her Grand Slam debut, will face the Chinese player Ying-Ying
Duan. In the men’s draw, Romania’s Marius Copil, world no. 85, will face the
German player Peter Gojowczyk in the first round.

1 July 2017
The Week in Review: 24 June-1 July

Romania has a new government

The new Romanian
Government, headed by Mihai Tudose, was endorsed by Parliament and then sworn
in on Thursday. Romania needs an alert government, focused on performance, and
the new team will have to make up for the delays caused by the previous
Government, so that the goals set in the governing programme are reached, the
new Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has stated:

Romania is
currently in a good economic situation. The economy has been growing, we have a
well-developed industry, and both incomes and consumption have also grown. What
we still lack is a serious growth in investments and revenues to the budget.

Romania’s
President Klaus Iohannis has been harsh on the ruling coalition, which, unhappy
with its former Cabinet, removed it under a no-confidence motion only after six
months after investiture, blaming it for failing to implement the governing
programme that brought victory to the Social Democrats in December 2016. The
head of state stressed the fact that, along with appointing a new Government,
the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats,
supported by the Union of Ethnic Hungarians, have changed the governing
programme too. Klaus Iohannis:

In six months,
we have passed from tax lowering to levying new taxes, from pay rises to
solidarity taxes. Such a behavior is by no means characterized by
fiscal-budgetary predictability. Dear members of the Social Democratic Party
and of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, on behalf of all Romanians I
urge you to stop this hop on-hop off.

The president signs public sector pay
law

The recent
political crisis in Bucharest has raised fears that the public sector salary
law will be left aside for a while and its implementation delayed. Moreover,
the removal of the Social-Democratic Cabinet headed by Sorin Grindeanu, who
initiated the bill in the first place, and the prospects of its being replaced
by a government of a different political colour had the pessimists believe that
the law, benefiting a large part of the population, would be forgotten.
However, everybody’s fears were dispelled when it was announced that president
Iohannis promulgated the law.

A communiqué
issued by the Presidential Administration reads that the head of state supports
the need for a sustainable increase in the salaries of public employees, in
order for their living standard to increase. The president has also stressed
the fact that it is the responsibility of the Social Democratic Party and the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats to ensure a balanced growth and to harmonise
the income growth objective with that of maintaining Romania’s macro-economic
and budgetary stability. The public salary law stipulates that over the coming
five years, state employees’ salaries will grow by more than 50% on average.
However, the law has come under criticism from employers associations and trade
unions.

The investigation into the 2009
presidential elections is closed

The Prosecutor
General’s Office on Tuesday closed the investigation into the presidential
elections of December 2009, having failed to discover any illegal acts of abuse
of office and forgery of documents and electoral records. An inquiry began
following allegations by the journalist and political advisor Dan Andronic that
a number of high-ranking officials, including Romania’s former Prosecutor
General Laura Codruta Kovesi and the former Romanian Intelligence Service
general Florian Coldea were at the home of the former deputy prime minister
Gabriel Oprea on the evening before the second round of the presidential
elections and helped Traian Basescu win the elections. The latter won a second
term defeating his rival Mircea Geoana by a narrow margin.

A number of
politicians holding public offices in 2009 were heard by the prosecutors as
part of the case. Investigators also requested documents from state
institutions such as the Permanent Electoral Authority and the Special
Telecommunications Service. A parliamentary committee is also looking into the
2009 presidential elections.

Romania faces extreme heat

Many countries
in Europe, including Romania have been faced with a heat wave starting last
week. A yellow code alert for heat and thermal discomfort was first issued on
Wednesday in 12 counties in the west, south and centre, where temperatures
reached 33 to 36 degrees Celsius. On Thursday, the colour code alert was raised
to orange, as temperatures went up to 40 degrees. For Saturday, the authorities
even issued a red code alert in some areas, where temperatures are expected to
reach 44 degrees Celsius in the shade.

More than 800
ambulance cars and almost 300 special vehicles belonging to the Mobile Emergency Service
for Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD) have been made
available and are ready to intervene in case of an emergency. The heat wave has
also affected the capital Bucharest. Just like last year, the local authorities
have put in place 20 air-conditioned tents with medical staff ready to provide
assistance, water and medicines to passers-by in need of help.

1 July 2017