Radio România Internațional

Tag: IMF mission to Bucharest

  • November 4, 2018 UPDATE

    November 4, 2018 UPDATE

    Muscat — The opening of the Romanian Embassy in Muscat, the capital of Oman, as well as the lifting of visa requirements for the citizens of this country who have diplomatic or official passports are significant steps in the process of expanding relations between Romania and Oman, said the Romanian PM Viorica Dancila, who is paying a 3-day official visit to Oman. PM Dancila met with Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said, the Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers in the Sultanate of Oman with who, she analyzed opportunities for cooperation in such fields as agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, healthcare and education. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent the PM Dancila encouraged investments in Romania, and she underscored that the business environment is supported following the modification of the public-private partnership legislation. The next leg of her tour of the region is Qatar. Last month Viorica Dancila made a tour of the Middle East which included Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Also on Friday PM Viorica Dancila met with her Israeli counterpart on the sidelines of a regional meeting held in neighboring Bulgaria.



    PSD — The National executive committee of the Social Democratic Party — PSD, the main party in the ruling coalition in Bucharest, is meeting on Monday, with the clear purpose of nominating the leaders of the Financial Supervisory Authority and of the National Council of the Audiovisual. The press speculates that they might also discuss the details of the government reshuffle announced by the PM Dancila. The meeting takes place against the backdrop of increasing tension between the supporters of the party leader and speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, and those of the general mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea.



    IMF — An IMF mission headed by the IMF chief for Romania, Jaewoo Lee, will be in Bucharest between November 6th to 12th. According to the IMF resident representative in Romania and Bulgaria, Alejandro Hajdenberg, the IMF experts will look into the recent economic and financial developments in Romania, will update the macro-economic prospects and discuss the 2019 budget. At present, Romania does not have a running funding agreement with the IMF, but the financial institution is annually assessing the evolution of the Romanian economy.



    Chisinau — Moody’s rating agency confirmed the long term rating for Moldova at B3 with outlook stable. Moody’s experts say the ex-Soviet state enjoys solid economic growth, with a moderate government debt and an improvement in institutional capacity, against the backdrop of moderate political risks and diminished risks in the banking sector. However, they remarked a persistence of difficulties in the governing act and a reduced political predictability. According to Moody’s, Moldova’s economic growth was solid in the first semester of 2018, the real GDP reporting a 4.5% growth as compared to a 2.9% growth in the same period of last year.



    Rome — Roman and Greek-Catholic bishops from Romania on Monday will start a one-week visit to Rome, where they will meet with Pope Francis. This is the 5th visit to the Vatican by the members of the Episcopal Conference of Romania after the fall of the Communist dictatorship in 1989 and the first visit to meet the current Pope. Joining the conference members is also the Roman-Catholic bishop of neighboring Moldova. We remind you that in 1999 Romania became the 2nd country with a majority Orthodox population to be visited by a Pope, namely Pope John Paul II.



    Bucharest city hall — The general mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea, will pay a visit to Madrid on Monday. Together with the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena Castrillo, she will sign a memorandum of cooperation between the two cities in the fields of sustainable development, infrastructure, education, culture and tourism. Gabriela Firea will also meet with Madrid city hall experts specialized in smart cities and infrastructure as well as with the representatives of companies dealing in urban planning and urban governance. The Bucharest general mayor will also participate in the opening of the World Forum on Urban Violence and Education for Coexistence and Peace, and will meet with the president of the Madrid Community, Angel Garrido.



    Dublin — The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has warned that Brexit undermines the agreement known as “Good Friday Agreement” which put an end to decades of violence in Northern Ireland, the BBC reports. “Anything that pulls the communities apart in Northern Ireland undermines the Good Friday Agreement, and anything that pulls Britain and Ireland apart undermines that relationship,” said Mr Varadkar in an interview to the state television RTE. One of the biggest sticking points in the Brexit negotiations is the Irish border, and the UK government says that nothing that they agree with the EU will risk a return to a hard border. Brexit is scheduled for March 2019.



    Tennis – The pair made up of the Romanian tennis player Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer on Sunday lost the doubles final of the ATP Masters tournament hosted by Paris, which had total prizes up for grabs worth 4.8 million Euros. Tecau and Rojer were defeated 2-0 in the sets by the pair made up of the Spanish Marcel Granollers and the American Rajeev Ram. In Saturday’s semifinals, Tecau and Rojer defeated 2-0, in the sets, the 2nd seeded pair made up of the Americans Mike Bryans and Jack Sock. Their adversaries in the final took advantage of the injury of Croat Mate Pavic, who could no longer team up with the Austrian Oliver Marach. For Tecau this is going to be the 54th doubles final in his career and the 3rd in 2018, after the titles won in Dubai and Winston-Salem. (translation by L. Simion)

  • November 4, 2018

    November 4, 2018

    Visit — The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila is on a 3-day visit to the Sultanate of Oman. This is the first meeting of the two countries’ prime ministers since the establishment of diplomatic relations on May 1st, 1974. The PM Viorica Dancila will participate in the official opening of the Romanian Embassy in the Sultanate of Oman and will inaugurate an honorary consulate. The Romanian PM will meet with his Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said, the Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers in the Sultanate of Oman, and will attend a business forum. The next leg of her tour of the region is Qatar. The high level talks are aimed at consolidating bilateral relations, both from a diplomatic and an economic point of view, the Romanian government officials said. The Romanian PM will end her visit to Qatar on November 8. Last month Viorica Dancila made a tour of the Middle East which included Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Also on Friday PM Viorica Dancila met with her Israeli counterpart on the sidelines of a regional meeting held in neighboring Bulgaria.



    IMF — An IMF mission headed by the IMF chief for Romania, Jaewoo Lee, will be in Bucharest between November 6th to 12th. According to the IMF resident representative in Romania and Bulgaria, Alejandro Hajdenberg, the IMF experts will look into the recent economic and financial developments in Romania, will update the macro-economic prospects and discuss the 2019 budget. At present, Romania does not have a running funding agreement with the IMF, but the financial institution is anually assessing the evolution of the Romanian economy.



    Bucharest city hall — The general mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea, will pay a visit to Madrid on Monday. Together with the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena Castrillo, she will sign a memorandum of cooperation between the two cities in the fields of sustainable development, infrastructure, education, culture and tourism. Gabriela Firea will also meet with Madrid city hall experts specialized in smart cities and infrastructure as well as with the representatives of companies dealing in urban planning and urban governance. The Bucharest general mayor will also participate in the opening of the World Forum on Urban Violence and Education for Coexistence and Peace, and will meet with the president of the Madrid Community, Angel Garrido.



    Tennis — The pair made up of the Romanian tennis player Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer is today playing in the doubles final of the ATP Masters tournament hosted by Paris, which has total prizes up for grabs worth 4.8 million Euros. Tecau and Rojer will take on the pair made up of the Spanish Marcel Granollers and the American Rajeev Ram. In Saturday’s semifinals, Tecau and Rojer defeated 2-0, in the sets, the 2nd seeded pair made up of the Americans Mike Bryans and Jack Sock. Their adversaries in the final took advantage of the injury of Croat Mate Pavic, who could no longer team up with the Austrian Oliver Marach. For Tecau this is going to be the 54th doubles final in his career and the 3rd in 2018, after the titles won in Dubai and Winston-Salem.



    Dublin — The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has warned that Brexit undermines the agreement known as “Good Friday Agreement” which put an end to decades of violence in Northern Ireland, the BBC reports. “Anything that pulls the communities apart in Northern Ireland undermines the Good Friday Agreement, and anything that pulls Britain and Ireland apart undermines that relationship,” said Mr Varadkar in an interview to the state television RTE. One of the biggest sticking points in the Brexit negotiations is the Irish border, and the UK government says that nothing that they agree with the EU will risk a return to a hard border. Brexit is scheduled for March 2019. (translation by L. Simion)

  • January 19, 2017 UPDATE

    January 19, 2017 UPDATE

    EP — The Romanian Foreign Ministry on Thursday hailed the election of the Italian Conservative Antonio Tajani as President of the European Parliament. The Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, said that Tajani’s long and dedicated experience as a supporter of the common European interests was a great advantage. Also minister Meleşcanu alongside the Minister Delegate for European affairs, Ana Birchall, expressed Romania’s full availability to have a dialogue with the new European Parliament President. Antonio Tajani, 63, a candidate of the European People’s Party Group in the EP, was elected for a term in office of two and a half years. He was the spokesman for the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a European Commissioner for Industry between 2010- 2014.



    WASHINGTON — The Speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, talked in Washington with the president of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ed Royce, about the Romanian-American relations. According to a social network post, the American official underlined the seriousness which Romania proved in various difficult circumstances. In turn, Liviu Dragnea, reiterated Romania’s commitment to its Strategic Partnership with the US as well as the Romanian Government’s pledge to develop bilateral political and economic relations. Liviu Dragnea said Romania would continue to be a pillar of trust in the trans-Atlantic relations. He is in the US to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of the US President Donald Trump. He received the invitation to attend the ceremony together with the PM Sorin Grindeanu from one of the two vice-presidents of the committee on inaugural ceremonies.



    Gfk STUDY — Romania’s purchasing power stands at one third of the European average, reveals a study made by the Gfk marketing company in more than 100 countries. With an average purchasing power of 4,181 euros, Romanians are ranked 33 in the classification, same as in 2015, standing way below the average purchasing power of 13,672 euros reported in the 42 European countries analyzed. The inhabitants of Bucharest have the biggest purchasing power in Romania, of 6,288 euros per capita, with 50% more than the country average value, an amount that places Bucharesters almost at the same level with the Poles who are ranked 29th in Europe. The first ten countries in Europe in terms of the purchasing power are Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Germany and Great Britain.



    EU-MOLDOVA — The European Commission on Thursday praised the economic benefits of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the Republic of Moldova, which is part of the Association Agreement signed in 2014. According to an EC communiqué, in 2015, European imports from the Republic of Moldova increased by 5%. The EU is the main economic partner of the Republic of Moldova, absorbing around 62% of its exports, more than Russia (12%) and Belarus (6.7%), show data provided by the EC. The Association Agreement is the basis for the EU-Moldova bilateral relation and provides the legal framework for political and trade relations, the EC communiqué also writes. On Tuesday, in Moscow, the new Moldovan President, pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon, said he wanted to renegotiate the Association Agreement with the EU and talked about a possible cancellation of the agreement.



    IMF MISSION — An IMF delegation headed by the head of the IMF mission to Romania, Reza Baqir, had a first meeting in Bucharest with the Romanian Finance Minister Viorel Ştefan. The main topic under discussion was the 2017 budget. The IMF mission will continue with technical talks with experts, including from the national bank. The IMF delegation is in Bucharest for one week for a first meeting with the members of the new government. At present Romania does not have a running agreement with IMF. (translation by Lacramioara Simion)

  • June 4, 2014 UPDATE

    June 4, 2014 UPDATE

    US DEFENSE SECRETARY VISITS ROMANIA- US Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel, who is paying a visit to Romania, is due to meet his Romanian counterpart, Mircea Dusa on Thursday, in the Romanian Black Sea Port of Constanta. The talks will focus on the military dimension of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, laying emphasis on the US support granted to Romania in the current context, against the backdrop of the latest developments in its eastern neighbourhood, the importance of reassuring measures, at allied level and the operation stage of US projects unfolding in Romania. The two officials will also visit the USS Vella Gulf cruiser, which is in the Port of Constanta until June the 6th, as it participates in drills alongside NATO allies, as part of cooperation in the field of security. Chuch Hagel is also due to meet Prime Minister Victor Ponta. Hagel’s visit succeeds the visits paid to Romania last month by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the CIA deputy director, Avril Haines, and US vice-president, Joe Bidden.



    THE EURO– Romania does not meet two of the five convergence criteria to switch to the Euro, namely those regarding inflation and the exchange rate. However, it complies with those referring to the budget deficit, the public debt and long term-interest rates, the Convergence Report issued by the European Commission on Wednesday shows. 6 other EU member states, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and Sweden don’t meet the necessary conditions to switch to the European single currency. According to the European Commission, these countries’ situation will be reassessed in the following two years. According to the convergence report, Lithuania has met all criteria and consequently, the Euro zone will have 19 members as of January the 1st, 2015.



    THE US PRESIDENT’S EUROPEAN TOUR– The EU will sign, by June the 27th at the latest, the economic part of the Association and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy announced in Brussels, ahead of the G7 Summit, devoted to the Ukraine crisis. The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has said the EU is ready to host, next month, a meeting securing international support for Ukraine. The US President Barack Obama is also in Brussels, for the G7 Summit. Earlier in Warsaw, he had promised to Ukraine’s new president elect, Petro Poroshenko, an additional military aid against threats by pro-Russian separatists, backed by Moscow. The two officials also discussed a plan to restore peace, boost economic growth and reduce Ukraine’s energy dependence on Russia. Obama deplored Russia’s “obscure tactics” and “aggression” in Ukraine. The US president reiterated in Warsaw on Wednesday his country’s commitment to the security of its East-European allies, among which Romania. On Tuesday, Obama announced that he would propose to Congress to approve the allocation of one billion dollars for the deployment of new US forces in the region.



    UKRAINE- Kiev authorities are considering the possibility of declaring martial law in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where the army has mounted a strong counter-offensive against pro-Russian separatists. The airport in Donetsk, which should have re-opened its doors on June the 6th, will continue to be closed down until the end of the month, because of the conflict in the region. The offensive continued on Wednesday near Sloviansk, a hotbed of pro-Russian separatism. In another development, forces loyal to the self-proclaimed Republic of Luhansk have occupied a military base in this city.



    IMF MISSION TO BUCHAREST- Talks continue in Bucharest between Romanian authorities and the joint delegation of the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank, which is in Bucharest on a new mission to assess Romania’s standby agreement concluded with these institutions last autumn. IMF representatives on Tuesday discussed technicalities at the Finance Ministry and met with National Bank officials. Talks focused on monetary policy, inflation and the stability of the banking sector. IMF officials also met with the members of the joint parliamentary budget and finance committees. The main topic of interest was the Government’s intention to cut back 5% on employers’ social security contributions, as well as means of implementing this measure without increasing the budget deficit.



    ECONOMY- Romania reported a 3.8% economic growth in the first three months of the year, up by 0.1% as compared to the last quarter of 2013, recent data made public by the National Institute of Statistics read. Industry had the largest contribution to the increase of the country’s GDP, accounting to 2.3%. According to the report, constructions, financial mediation services, insurance brokerage, professional activities and administrative services have had a negative impact on the evolution of the gross domestic product.



    ARREST- National Anti-corruption Prosecutors have detained the director of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture Dorel Benu and the head of the Suceava Police Department as part of a corruption case involving the misuse of EU funds. Benu faces corruption allegations in some 240-court cases, referring to illegal subsidies granted to natural and legal persons, as well as to certain parishes and monasteries. A total of 20 people are currently being investigated.



    TENNIS- The best Romanian woman tennis player of the moment, Simona Halep, ranked 4th in WTA standings, on Wednesday qualified for the semi-finals of the Roland Garros tournament in Paris, the second Grand Slam of the year. In the quarterfinals, Halep defeated Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, ranked 27th in WTA standings, 6-2, 6-2. Halep will meet in the semi-finals German Andrea Petkovici, who defeated Italian Sara Errani, 6-2, 6-2. In the doubles event, the pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Croat Marin Draganja will play Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain.