Radio România Internațional

Tag: Iraq

  • NATO, increased involvement in the Middle East

    NATO, increased involvement in the Middle East

    The worsening of the security situation in the Middle East is mainly affecting the stability of Iraq, of the entire region and also of the world. And the rising tension in the region is not benefiting anyone. Now that tensions seem to have calmed a little bit, it’s high time the international community acted to consolidate peace in the region. This is what the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told a press conference on Thursday in Bucharest when he referred to the latest developments in the Middle East. Fortunately, Klaus Iohannis said, Romania’s interests have not been affected so far, in the sense that the security of the Romanian citizens and of the Romanian troops in Iraq has not been affected.



    Early this week, the authorities had announced that the 14 Romanian soldiers deployed in Iraq were relocated, and that they were safe and sound, just like the 180 Romanian civilians in the Iraqi region of Erbil which was hit by Iranian missiles. According to President Iohannis, Bucharest is cooperating with its partners within the EU and NATO and with its strategic partners at bilateral level, mainly with the US, for tension in the Middle East to deescalate.



    Klaus Iohannis: “Romania supports the unity, independence, sovereignty and integrity of the Iraqi territory. Along the years Romania has had an important contribution to the efforts of stabilizing and reconstructing this country as part of collective international actions. This process needs to continue first and foremost to the benefit of the Iraqi citizens and to avoid wasting substantial effort in this regard. Our common fight — of the international partners and of the Iraqi institutions and citizens — against terrorism needs to continue firmly. Nobody needs new conflict hotspots, we need to boost efforts to bring peace to the region and provide the security and safety necessary for reconstruction.”



    An increased NATO involvement in the Middle East, as the US President Donald Trump has proposed, would be, according to President Iohannis, opportune in terms of the region’s security and reconstruction, and Romania is interested in contributing. Actually, NATO is currently looking into ways to respond to the proposal made by President Trump to get more involved in the Middle East, as announced by the Alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The latter had talks on Thursday in Brussels with the Romanian PM Ludovic Orban and thanked Romania for its contribution to the NATO mission of training the Iraqi troops.



    Romania plays a key role within NATO and has an essential contribution in providing security in the Black Sea region and not only — Jens Stoltenberg went on to say. He also talked about the need to invest in defense and reminded that Bucharest had already allotted 2% of the GDP for defense purposes. Jens Stoltenberg concluded that he counted on Romania and the other allies to carry on with the same determination, and received assurances from the Romanian PM that Romania would support the Alliance in reaching its targets. (translation by L. Simion)

  • January 10, 2020

    January 10, 2020

    EU The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is taking part in Brussels today in a special meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, convened by the vice-president of the European Commission Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy in the wake of the recent developments in the Middle East. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, European officials will exchange opinions and assessments on the situation in Iraq and will identify ways for the EU to contribute to easing the tensions in the region. The developments in Libya will also be tackled.




    ELECTIONS In Bucharest, PM Ludovic Orban announced after todays talks with President Klaus Iohannis, that together they decided to initiate procedures for early parliamentary elections. The PM added that a work group has been put together to handle negotiations with the parliamentary political parties for support in this initiative. Ludovic Orban said that the Social Democratic Party, which has a relative majority in Parliament, hinders the Governments initiatives and that the only solution is to have snap parliamentary elections as close as possible to the local elections scheduled this May. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats are considering a motion of no-confidence.




    UN Romanias representative at the United Nations, Ambassador Ion Jinga, addressed the Security Council as part of a ministerial debate on “Maintenance of international peace and security upholding the UN Charter. The Romanian diplomat mentioned that 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the UN, which remains the most adequate platform for collectively tackling threats to international peace and security, and that the UN Charter remains the reference document in this respect. He emphasised that the recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa prove once again the responsibility of the international community in facilitating political solutions able to support long-lasting peace. Ambassador Jinga also spoke about Romanias contribution to peacekeeping, proven among other things by its participation in 2019 in 10 UN peacekeeping missions.





    AIR CRASH The USA, Canada and Britain said that information from multiple sources indicates that the Ukrainian aircraft that crashed on Wednesday near Tehran has been taken down by Iranian armed forces. 176 people died. Iran may have accidentally shot down the plane in which 63 Canadian citizens were traveling, among other nationals, Canadas PM Justin Trudeau said. The US president Donald Trump and British PM Boris Johnson confirmed the hypothesis. All parties now ask Iran to initiate a detailed and thorough investigation. The Iranian authorities dismissed the latest intelligence as ridiculous and part of an American psychological manoeuvre. The Ukraine International Airlines flight to Kiev crashed shortly after taking off from the Tehran airport, just hours after Iran had launched ballistic missiles against 2 US military bases in Iraq, with the Iranians subsequently on alert for prospective American retaliation. According to American intelligence, the infrared signature from two suspected missile launches was identified, followed shortly afterwards by the infrared blip from the burning Boeing 737-800. On Thursday Irans Civil Aviation Organisation said the 3-year old plane faced technical problems shortly after take-off.



    HANDBALL Romanias mens handball team plays tonight in Benevento, Italy, against Georgia, in its first match in Group 3 of the qualification phase for the 2021 World Championship in Egypt. On Saturday Romania will play against Kosovo, and on Sunday they will take on the host country. The group winner qualifies into the second qualification phase, scheduled for mid-April. Manager Rares Fortuneanu, who also coaches Saint Raphael, in Frances top handball league, says he is confident Romania can qualify into next years final tournament, the first with 32 teams taking part. In the womens competition, Romania reached the main groups of the World Championship held last month in Japan.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 7, 2020 UPDATE

    January 7, 2020 UPDATE

    Bavaria — On Tuesday the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis paid a working visit to the State of Bavaria where he attended a meeting of the local government. The Romanian head of state met with the prime minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, who is the president of the Christian Social Union (CSU). The two discussed bilateral relations as well as European issues such as the EU future multiannual budget, Brexit and the migration policy. Klaus Iohannis has promised that Romania will get involved alongside the other member states to make the EU stronger and more united. He has also announced that there will be a meeting of the Romania-Bavaria joint committee, which is critical both for the political and economic relations. The PM of Bavaria Markus Söder underlined that from a geographical point of view Romania is very important to Europe. On Tuesday President Iohannis participated in the annual meeting of the parliamentary group of the CSU in the Bundestag, and met with the speaker of the Bavarian Parliament, Ilse Aigner.



    Brussels — The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban on Tuesday met with the president of the European Council Charles Michel on his first day of his working visit to Brussels. PM Orban said that Romanian would back the promotion of the EU strategic agenda, which focuses, besides protecting the citizens and their liberties, on building a green Europe, fair and neutral from the point of view of the climate impact, on promoting the European interests and values in the world. As to the challenges facing the EU, Ludovic Orban said they should be solved in a balanced manner, while taking into account the citizens’ interests. Also on Tuesday the Romanian PM and the EU chief negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier highlighted the importance of the Brexit deal, especially for the protection of the citizens’ rights. Mr. Orban said that the future partnership with Great Britain needs to be ambitious and balanced and should take into account aspects beyond the commercial and economic framework. On Wednesday Ludovic Orban will talk with the president of the EP David Sassoli and will participate in the meeting of the European People’s Party in the EP. On Thursday, the Romanian PM is to meet with the president of the EC Ursula von der Leyen and with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.



    Baghdad — The 14 Romanian military on mission in Iraq will be temporarily relocated to another coalition base. The measure follows the decision made by the ambassadors of NATO’s North Atlantic Council during Monday’s meeting to temporarily suspend the mission of training the Iraqi troops against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East. NATO subsequently announced that it also temporarily withdrew part of its personnel from Iraq. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said he was closely monitoring the situation in Iraq and that the crisis in the region could be solved by diplomatic means and the return to calm. He added that the Strategic Partnership with the US is solid and unfolding well, and that the antimissile defense shield in Deveselu, a part of the NATO defense system, is functioning optimally. The Romanian president underlined that the situation in Iraq also concerns Romania because there are many Romanian citizens who live and work in the Middle East.



    Damascus – The Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday met with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on the occasion of a surprise visit to Damascus, the first visit he pays to the Syrian capital since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. According to the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, Vladimir Putin referred to the ‘immense’ progress made by Syria and the peaceful atmosphere on the streets of Damascus. Reuters news agency recalls that president Putin had previously visited Syria in 2017 when he visited the Hmeimim air base, the largest Russian base in that country. In turn, the Syrian president expressed gratitude for Russia’s help in the fight against terrorism and for the restoration of peace. The conflict started in Syria through the repression of the pro-democracy manifestations turned into a complex civil and military war which involved Jihadist groups and foreign powers. The conflict has left behind more than 380 thousand dead and millions of people displaced and stranded.



    Madrid — The Spanish Socialist Pedro Sanchez was reconfirmed as prime minister after narrowly winning Parliament’s confidence vote. This ends a period of 8 months of political deadlock. Sanchez will be able to form a new government coalition together with the radical left Podemos that will be supported by several small regional and national parties. In their highly criticized program, the Socialists and Podemos promised to make a left turn in the sense of increasing the minimum wage, introducing taxes for the richest and for companies, and partially abrogating the controversial labor market reform, adopted by the Conservatives.



    Consumer protection — The European Commission has hailed the enforcement of the new EU consumer protection rules. The EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders considers the rules a strong warning to traders who should play by the rules, not bend them. The new rules will ensure greater transparency of online marketplaces: it will become clearer whether products are sold by trader or a private individual, and fake reviews will be forbidden. Moreover sellers will not be able to advertise fake price reductions and price comparison sites will need to inform consumers about the ranking criteria. The new rules will also enforce consumer rights: by ensuring compensation for victims of unfair commercial practices and imposing penalties in case of “mass harm situations” affecting consumers across the EU. Member states have 2 years to transpose the rules into their national legislation. (news udpate by L. Simion)

  • July 18, 2017 UPDATE

    July 18, 2017 UPDATE


    PRESIDENCY– Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tusday stated he favoured administrative decentralization but not autonomy on ethnic criteria, which would be an obstacle to development. During his visit to the counties of Harghita and Covasna, in central Romania, the only Romanian counties with a predominantly Hungarian population, President Iohannis has stated he is concerned about the future of the young people there, who do not speak Romanian and who thus have fewer opportunities on the labor market. Iohannis has also said that intolerance and the rejection of people with different ethnic origins, by either a minority or a majority group, tend to block the country as a whole. He has also said that, in spite of their tourist potential, the counties of Harghita and Covasna hardly attract any investors. The Hungarian community in Romania, made up of around 1.5 million members, is concentrated in Transylvania, in central Romania. This community has been represented in Romanias Parliament uninterruptedly, since 1990, by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) which has been part of many coalition governments in Bucharest.



    BRUSSELS– Four months after the European Commission presented its White Paper on the future of the EU, the debate on the future of Europe is picking up speed with potentially over 30 million citizens involved, the European Commission announced in a communiqué on Tuesday. In the White Paper, the European Commission presented five scenarios for how the EU could develop in the next decade. A broad debate has since been taking place, supported by political institutions and by civil society. To date, over 270,000 citizens have attended some 1,750 events organised or supported by the Commission with many more participating online. Citizens are invited to continue to express their views, notably prior to the annual State of the European Union speech on 13 September 2017, when President Juncker will outline his vision for the future of Europe.



    PROJECT– Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has proposed his Bulgarian counterpart, Boiko Borisov to connect Bucharest to Sofia and Athens through a high speed railway. The two PMs have also talked over the phone about speeding up projects for the construction of two new bridges over the Danube. Tudose and Borisov have agreed to hold a joint meeting of the Romanian and Bulgarian governments in September, when the details of a Romania, Bulgaria, Greece trilateral cooperation are to be set.



    ANAF – Romanias Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has appointed Mirela Calugareanu as President of the National Fiscal Administration (ANAF). She is replacing Bogdan-Nicolae Stan, who was sacked under a Prime Ministers decree. On Monday, the president of the main party in the ruling coalition, the Social Democrat Liviu Dragnea, stated that he had called on PM Tudose to conduct a rigorous analysis of ANAFs activity and to take the necessary measures to render the institution more effective. Dragnea was unhappy mainly with the level of taxes and fees collected to the state budget.



    MEASLES – The Romanian Health Minister Florian Bodog has announced that a set of measures will be implemented, in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, to curb the effects of the measles epidemic. Also, this week the Health Ministry has started an information campaign aimed at encouraging vaccination. Romania is faced with the biggest measles epidemic of the past years. So far, some 8000 cases have been reported. 31 patients have died.



    SABER GUARDIAN 17 – Saber Guardian 17, one of the largest and most complex NATO exercises in recent years continues in Romania. Some 8,000 Romanian and foreign soldiers are participating in the exercise, which also unfolds on Hungarian and Bulgarian soil. In the past day, soldiers have taken part in training sessions at the bases in Borducani and Cincu, in central Romania, but also in a MASCAL simulation held at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base, in the south-east of the country.



    RATING– Fitch Ratings has improved Romanias economic growth outlook for 2017 from 4.8% to 5.1%. The Agency forecasts that Romanias budget deficit this year will reach 3.7% of the GDP, which is more than the Romanian governments target of 2.9% of the GDP. Structural deficit is expected to reach 3.9% of the GDP, the current account deficit 3.1% of the GDP and the public debt 39.9% of the GDP, Fitch agency has also announced. The Romanian governments projection for 2017 is a 5.2% economic growth rate, as compared to the one estimated by the European Commission, of only 4.4%.



    IRAQ – Iraq needs massive investments to rebuild the towns and cities destroyed in the fights with the Islamic State terrorist organisation, said the Iraqi ambassador to Romania Hussain Sinjari. He has called on Romanian business people to take part in this effort, in particular to rebuild schools, hospitals and roads. Investments in agriculture are also needed, especially with regard to irrigation. Hussain Sinjari has stated that the Iraqi embassy in Romania is ready to ensure rapid access to such potential investors, by speeding the visa grating process.




  • Romania condemns terror attacks

    Romania condemns terror attacks

    Romania condemns the terror attacks that made scores of victims in Iraq and Turkey on Monday and Tuesday. Terrorism has unfortunately made numerous victims at the beginning of the year, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said, while condemning the attacks and expressing Romania’s solidarity with the countries affected. The Romanian President has reiterated Bucharest’s commitment to fighting this scourge alongside the international community, adding that all the countries should show more firmness and coordination in their efforts to combat terrorism.



    The Romanian Foreign Ministry has also vehemently condemned the terror attack in Istanbul’s historical district of Sultanahmet, pledging support for the Turkish authorities in their efforts to fight all forms of terrorism. The Romanian Foreign Ministry said that no Romanian citizens are among the victims of the attack.



    According to the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, the Islamic State is behind the attack. President Tayyip Erdogan has said his country is the first target of all the terrorist organisations in the region, but pledged that Ankara would fight all of them equally. The Turkish authorities have announced that the attacker was a 27-year old Syrian who entered Turkey from Syria.



    According to Turkish experts, the place of the attack and its targets are illustrative of the symbolic payload the Islamic State attaches to its attacks. In their opinion the attack came in response to Turkey’s having joined the international anti-Jihadist coalition. The attack in Istanbul came as a follow-up to the bloodiest terror attack in Turkey’s history, which killed 103 people at the central railway station in Ankara in October 2015. Another string of ISIS attacks took place in Baghdad on Monday, where gunmen opened fire on a crowded district, a car bomb went off and other assailants took hundreds of hostages in a shopping center.



    The US President Barack Obama has also mentioned terrorist organisations in his latest State of the Union Address before the US Congress, saying that quote “Our foreign policy must be focused on the threat from ISIL and al Qaeda, but it can’t stop there “. Barrack Obama also said that “instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world—in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of Central America, Africa and Asia. Some of these places may become safe havens for new terrorist networks” unquote.

  • International Coalition against Terrorism

    International Coalition against Terrorism

    The US and the nations that have joined the fight against terrorism Tuesday launched air strikes against 20 sites controlled by the Islamic State group in Syria. News agencies report that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates supported the military action. The US notified Damascus of the strikes launched on its territory, and explained they would not target the Syrian state.



    The action was initiated against the background of the severe worsening of the situation in Iraq and Syria, where the ultra-radical group carries on a brutal campaign of murders, rapes and hostage taking, and asks Muslims to kill the citizens of countries making up the coalition that fights against it, particularly American and French. The US and France already launched air strikes in Iraq, after the IS declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq on July the 1st.



    A Pentagon official said Tuesday’s raids targeted IS camps in Raqqa, the main Jihadist stronghold in Syria. The group also controls much of the country’s eastern part, particularly the oil-producing Deir Ezzor and much of the Turkish border. Syrian Kurdish fighters announced having halted the IS advance towards the town of Kobani, on the Turkish border, the stage of violent clashes that have prompted massive groups of civilians to seek refuge in Turkey. The US Secretary of State John Kerry called for an international coalition of European and Arab countries to join the US in destroying this terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.



    In Bucharest, PM Victor Ponta announced that Romania supported the plan and would contribute to these international efforts. A recent poll indicates that most Romanians are concerned with the situation in Ukraine, and 44% of them are worried about the armed offensive of the Islamic State.

  • June 25, 2014 UPDATE

    June 25, 2014 UPDATE

    BUCHAREST– Romania’s Parliament on Wednesday passed a declaration calling on President Traian Basescu to resign, following his brother’s involvement in a file of influence peddling and corruption. The document, passed with 344 yeas, in the absence of the MPs of the Liberal Democratic Party (in opposition) and of the pro-presidential People’s Movement Party (also in opposition), says that Traian Basescu is no longer entitled to ensure the presidency’s prestige, moral integrity and legitimacy. The MPs of the left majority made up of the Social-Democratic Party, the Conservative Party and the National Union for the Progress of Romania, as well as those of the populist Dan Diaconescu Party of the People and of the National Liberal Party, in opposition, stood for the president’s resignation. The declaration passed by Parliament has no legal value. Prior to the parliamentary session, President Basescu said he would not resign since he had not intervened in his brother’s file and was not responsible for his deeds. The initiators have sent the declaration to the EU heads of state and government, who will meet Basescu at the community summit in Brussels on Thursday.



    SEECP– Bucharest on Wednesday hosted the Summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process states, whose rotating presidency is currently held by Romania. European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule attended the summit alongside representatives of the 12 member countries in the region. Romania aims to synchronize the actions carried out within that structure with the efforts of South-East European states for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.



    BUCHAREST- The vice-president of the Social Democratic Party, Ioan Rus, on Wednesday evening became the new transport minister in the Ponta cabinet. Former interior minister 10 years ago, Rus is replacing Dan Sova, who stepped down on Tuesday, to lead the Social Democrats’ campaign for the presidential election due in autumn. Opinion polls credit Prime Minister Victor Ponta with the highest chances of success, although he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy.



    MOLDOVA-The pro-western government in Chishinau on Wednesday decided to set up a company with responsibilities in administering the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline which will convey natural gas from Romania to the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca has announced the pipeline will become operational on August 27th, one year since the start of the construction works and on the day when Chishinau celebrates 23 years since it proclaimed its independence from Moscow. The pipeline is meant to reduce Moldova’s dependence on Russian gas. We recall that on Friday in Brussels, the Republic of Moldova will sign the EU Association and Free Trade Agreements.



    NATO MEETING– NATO has decided not to resume military cooperation with Russia, which it interrupted in April, following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced in Brussels on Wednesday. He went on to say that Moscow had broken rules and shattered the allies’ confidence, but he underlined that NATO leaves the doors open for a diplomatic dialogue with Moscow. Rasmussen made these statements at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, the last of its kind before the NATO Summit due in Great Britain in September. Romania was represented by the line minister, Titus Corlatean, who reiterated the Romanian government’s commitment to gradually increase budget allocations for defence, so as to reach the envisaged level of 2% of the GDP in 2017.



    UKRAINE– Ukrainian defence minister, Mihail Koval, on Wednesday announced that 142 Ukrainian military have been killed since the spring of 2014, when uprisings broke out in the pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. Koval said the death toll includes only members of the armed forces which have been killed since March, when Russia annexed Crimea, until now, when the Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine are ravaged by a separatist uprising. In Moscow, the Federation Council on Wednesday cancelled its resolution of March 1st 2014 allowing President Vladimir Putin to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory. The voting took place after President Putin had called on the Federation Council to do that so as to contribute to settling the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The Russian leader has also called for the ceasefire enacted by Ukraine expiring on Friday morning to be extended and to be used for negotiations on the matter between the rulers in Kiev and pro-Russian leaders in Eastern Ukraine.



    IRAQ-The first American military advisers of the 300 meant to aid the Iraqi government troops fight against Sunni insurgents have started their mission in Baghdad, the Pentagon has announced. Their main task is to assess the Iraqi troops, without however fighting with the rebels, who have mounted a quick offensive in the North in the last couple of weeks. According to the UN, over 1,000 people were killed in Iraq over June 5th-22nd. Sunni insurgents led by the radical “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” have mounted a vast offensive seizing several cities, including the second largest city of Mosul.



    TENNIS- The pair made up of Romanian Monica Niculescu and Czech Klara Koukalova has qualified for the second round of the Wimbledon Ladies’ Doubles, after defeating Romanian Raluca Olaru- Austrian Sandra Klemenschits 6-1, 6-4. In the Wimbledon’s Gentlemen’s Doubles, the pair made up of Romanian Horia Tecau and Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer has qualified for the next stage, after defeating the Finnish pair Henri Kontinen-Jarkko Nieminen in three sets 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (4). In the next round, Tecau and Rojer will meet the pair made up of Spaniard Feliciano Lopez and Austrian Jurgen Melzer. In exchange, the pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Croat Marin Draganja got eliminated from the first round of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, after being defeated in 5 sets, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, by Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez. In the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles, 3rd seeded Simona Halep has qualified for the second round, after defeating Brazilian Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-2. She will meet in the second round Ukrainian Lesia Turenko. Romanian Irina Begu has also qualified for the second round, after defeating French Virginie Razzano 1-6, 6-4, 7-5. She will meet German Andrea Petkovic in the next round.

  • June 18, 2014 UPDATE

    June 18, 2014 UPDATE

    ECONOMY– The Romanian Government on Wednesday endorsed a draft law introducing a 5% reduction in employer social security contributions, as of October 1st. The aforementioned draft will be submitted to Parliament for debate and adoption in an emergency procedure. The draft is aimed at easing taxation on labour. Although the decision has not been green-lighted by Romania’s international lenders, Prime Minister Victor Ponta has given assurances there is enough money for this measure to be introduced. He has also said that the implementation cost will stand at around 191 million euros in the last quarter of this year and that the Romanian state will reach all macro-economic goals established jointly with the IMF, among which maintaining the same budget deficit. The Cartel ALFA National Trade Union Confederation however, argues that the government’s measure will in fact increase the multinational companies’ net profit and will decrease contributions to the pension fund. Therefore, Cartel ALFA asks for the 5% cut to be applied to employees and not to employers. The decision has been termed by the opposition as a populist one, given that 2014 is an election year in Romania.



    UKRAINE CRISIS– Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday made public his decision to order a unilateral ceasefire in the east of the country to allow pro-Russian insurgents to lay down weapons. Poroshenko made the announcement following a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, after two Russian journalists got killed in eastern Ukraine, a region ravaged by separatism. Russia has warned that none of the murders against Russian citizens will go unpunished. The UN Security Council condemned, in a declaration, the killing of two journalists and called for opening an investigation into violence against reporters, FP reports. The declaration also makes reference to the killing in May, of an Italian photojournalist, actually the first journalist to be killed since the start of the pro-Russian separatist uprising in Ukraine. In another move, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Wednesday asked again for the “immediate and unconditional” release of its observers who have been detained for several weeks now in eastern Ukraine. The OSCE accuses Russia of further sending paramilitary troops and guns to Ukraine.



    IRAQ-The Iraqi Government on Wednesday made an official request to the US to launch air strikes against the Jihad fighters who unleashed a flash offensive in Iraq, foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari has announced. The request was made after Jihadi fighters on Wednesday laid siege to Iraq’s largest oil refinery, some 200 kilometres away from the capital city Baghdad, and set oil reserves on fire. Earlier, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called on Iraqi people to stay united against militants. Since June 9, the Government in Baghdad (with a Shia majority membership) has been faced with an offensive by the Sunni radical group “The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”, which took control of some important regions in the north, east and west of the country, in a bid to create an Islamic state in the area. In another move, Iranian President Hossan Rohani, whose country is inhabited by a predominantly Shia population on Wednesday warned he would do anything it takes to protect Shia Islamic Holy Places in that country from the fundamentalist threat posed by the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”.



    VISIT- The minister delegate for the Romanians Around the World, Bogdan Stanoevici will pay a visit to the United States, between June 19th and 23rd. The Romanian official will have talks with Mrs.Loretta Sanchez, member of the House of Representatives (D-California) and co-chair of the Congressional Romania Caucus. Bogdan Stanoevici will also meet in New York with representatives of the Romanian community and the Romanian language press. The minister will also attend the 15th edition of a festival entitled “Romania’s Day on Broadway”.



    ASSAULT-The Romanian Foreign Ministry has asked the French authorities to clarify as soon as possible the circumstances in which a young Romanian of Roma origin was assaulted by a group of people on the outskirts of Paris. The Ministry believes that such extremely violent acts against European citizens, Romanians included, are to a certain extent the result of a public display of a xenophobic and often racist attitude by some politicians from the community area. A young Romanian of Roma origin was abducted on Friday in an improvised camp on the northern outskirts of Paris by 12 people who beat him until he became unconscious and then abandoned him. French authorities have publicly condemned the violence and opened an attempted murder investigation.



    MADRID-King Juan Carlos on Wednesday promulgated the organic law of abdication, which put an end to his 39-year long reign, news agencies report. On Thursday, June 19, Crown Prince Felipe of Asturias will be proclaimed King of Spain before the plenary sitting of Parliament.

  • June 13, 2014 UPDATE

    June 13, 2014 UPDATE

    INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MISSION– Talks between a joint delegation of Romania’s international lenders and the local authorities have been constructive, although a series of issues remain pending, an IMF communiqué shows. High on the agenda was the government’s intention to introduce a 5% reduction in employer social security contributions. The measure didn’t get the lenders’ approval but the agreement Romania has signed with the IMF, the World Bank and the European Commission remains operational, Prime Minister Victor Ponta has said. The Romanian official has also announced the government’s intention to reduce social security contributions as of October the 1st and has given assurances that Romania will respect all macroeconomic targets agreed upon with the international lenders.



    ECONOMY-Romania stands high changes of passing from the status of frontier market to the status of emerging market in the following 12-18 months, the President of the Asset and Fund Managers’ Association, Dragos Neacsu said on Friday. Representatives of the funds-managing industry claim there are several favourable indicators for Romania to get this status, among which a budget deficit below the 3% EU standard, one of the lowest indebtedness levels in the EU, of approximately 40%. To all this, we should add the recent improvement of Romania’s country rating by Standard&Poors.



    EDUCATION– Romanian education minister, Mihnea Costoiu, who is on a visit to the US until June the 16th, has met with members of Congress. The focal points of the talks covered such issues as ways to boost bilateral cooperation in the field of education and research. The Romanian side has provided details on the most important initiatives in the field of research, such as the ELI-NP project in Magurele and the Danube- Danube Delta- Black Sea project. The Romanian minister has visited the NASA headquarters, where he held talks with the director of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, Christopher J. Scolese.



    VISIT– The European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso is currently on a visit to Azerbaijan, the last leg of a tour of three Eastern Partnership states, which also included the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet country with a Romanian speaking majority, and Georgia. We recall the two countries, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, are to sign, on June 27th, the Association and Free Trade Agreements with the European Union, which they initialled at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius. In Chisinau, President Barroso signed four agreements under which the Republic of Moldova will benefit from 50 million euros in financial assistance in order to implement reforms. Jose Manuel Barroso is at his third mandate as head of the European Commission, which is due to end this year on October 31st.



    UKRAINE-Ukrainian armoured vehicles crossed the border with Russia and have been intercepted by the border police, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said on Friday. According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded explanations from Kiev about this incident. On Thursday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko denounced an alleged incursion by Russian tanks into Ukraine. The US and NATO have said that if the information provided by Kiev is confirmed, they will consider this an esclation of the conflict. In another move, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has called on decision-makers in the energy sector to make ready for a cessation of Russian gas deliveries as of Monday, the deadline set by the Russian giant Gazprom for the payment of the debt accumulated by Kiev. The request has been made after negotiations between Kiev and Moscow on the price of natural gas deliveries ended in a failure. Gazprom, the largest natural gas world producer, provides a third of Europe’s natural gas needs. Half of this amount crosses Ukraine.



    IRAQ-US President Barack Obama on Friday said he does not intend to send ground troops to Iraq, to counteract an offensive carried out by Sunni extremists, but he will be considering, in the coming days, several options to help the Iraqi security forces face the insurgents. Obama has however underlined that any military action will end up in a failure if the Iraqi leaders do not make a political effort. Also on Friday, Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, the highest Shiite religious authority in Iraq called on the population to fight Sunni insurgents who have recently conquered territories in the north and east of the country, killing hundreds of people. Jihad fighters continue to advance on Baghdad, after conquering several provinces. In recent days, by carrying out a flash-offensive, they have advanced from the northeast of the country towards the centre, coming closer to reaching their objective of setting up an Islamic state in the region. The Kurds have also taken advantage of the newly created situation, taking control of some abandoned military positions in the province of Kirkuk, which is rich in oil, a region that- according to them-should have long become part of their autonomous region.



    NEW EU DIRECTIVE-All products purchased online or from shops should be returned within 14 days, according to a new EU Directive on Consumers’ Rights, which took effect on Friday. The whole set of regulations stipulated by the new Directive will be enforced all over the EU, Romania included. The European Commission has also published an implementation guide, to be used by the member states.



    SPORTS– Romanian women’s sabre team on Thursday walked away with gold from the European fencing championship held in Strasbourg, France, following the finals they won against Russia, 38-34. The Romanian side made up of Ana-Maria Branza, Simona Pop, Maria Udrea and Simona Gherman, who also got bronze in the individual event, have defeated Ukraine in the quarters and Italy in the semis. Romania lost the finals of last year’s championship in Zagreb to Estonia.