Radio România Internațional

Tag: Japan

  • December 9, 2019

    December 9, 2019

    GRAFT The scourge of corruption is
    undermining democracy and the rule of law. At the same time corruption endorses
    organized crime rings and will eventually lower the citizens’ standard of
    living, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis says in his address on the
    International Anti-corruption Day. 30 years on from the demise of the communist
    regime, Romania made ‘immense headway’ in fighting corruption at high level and
    in society, the head of state went on to say adding that this process is
    ‘ongoing’, and involves the effort of changing outlooks, involves consistency,
    as well as a set of firm principles. In turn Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said
    the fight against this phenomenon is a desideratum of all the Romanians
    irrespective of their age and reiterated ‘the Romanian government’s determination
    and commitment to relentlessly supporting this process. Established by the
    United Nations Organisation in 2003, the International Anti-corruption Day is being
    celebrated every year on December 9th.










    MEETING Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is attending the
    proceedings of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. This is the first
    meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers under the chairmanship of Josep Borrell,
    the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and
    Vice-President of the European Commission. High on the agenda are relations
    between EU and Africa and human rights observance around the world. On the
    sidelines of this formal meeting, Minister Aurescu will be participating in a
    working breakfast hosted by the Greek Foreign Minister, which has as special
    invitees foreign ministers from North Macedonia and Albania.








    MOTION Romania’s
    Senate is today debating and voting on the first simple motion against a member
    of the cabinet led by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. The document has been tabled
    by the Social-Democratic opposition against Finance Minister Florin Cîţu who
    has been accused of improper statements regarding the state of the public
    finances, which led to the depreciation of the national currency. The Liberals
    say however, the motion will be another good opportunity to provide details in
    Parliament about the disastrous situation the state budget is currently in, due
    to the latest PSD ruling. The PSD’s move puts to the test the fragile majority
    of the Liberal cabinet and speaks about the support the Social Democrats currently
    rely on.












    HANDBALL The Romanian
    women’s handball side plays Sweden on Tuesday in group ll of the World Handball
    Championships underway in Japan. On Saturday Romania lost to Russia and thus blew
    their chances to qualify for the competition’s semifinals. The Romanians are
    currently fighting for the fourth position, which will allow them to play in pre-Olympic
    tournaments. Romania will be playing the host country in their last game of
    this championship. Our side is currently ranking last in their group which is
    led by Russia and Spain.












    TALKS French capital Paris is today hosting a
    first round of face-to-face talks between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky
    and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin under French-German mediation. The
    latest round of talks of the so-called Normandy Four Summit was held in 2016 in
    Berlin. The talks’ main objective is to kick-start peace negotiations between
    the authorities in Kiev and pro-Russia separatists, engaged in a conflict,
    which started five years ago and killed over 13 thousand people. The West and
    Ukraine are accusing Moscow of supplying funds and weapons to the rebels, a
    fact denied by Russia. Russian president Vladimir Putin is also to have talks
    in Paris with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and with German chancellor
    Angela Merkel.




    (translated by bill)

  • Sportevents: Schwimmen (Kurzbahn-EM), Handball (Frauen-WM), Fußball (1.Liga)

    Sportevents: Schwimmen (Kurzbahn-EM), Handball (Frauen-WM), Fußball (1.Liga)

    Rumäniens Schwimmer Robert Andrei Glinţă hat bei der Kurzbahn-Europameisterschaft in Glasgow mehrmals den Einzug ins Finale geschafft. Er wurde am Sonntag, dem letzten Tag der EM, Vierter im 50-Meter-Rücken-Rennen. Von seiner zweiten Medaille bei diesen Meisterschaften war Glinţă nur 12 Hundertstelsekunden entfernt, nachdem er bereits am Freitag eine Bronzemedaille über 100-Meter-Rücken gewonnen hatte. Glinţăs Medaillenspiegel im Laufe der Jahre enthält auch eine Bronzemedaille im 100-Meter-Rücken-Rennen bei den Kurzbahn-Europameisterschaften 2017 in Kopenhagen sowie eine Silbermedaille im 50-Meter-Rücken-Rennen bei den Langbahn-Europameisterschaften 2018 in Glasgow.



    Es geht weiter mit Handball. Rumänien hat bei der Frauen-Weltmeisterschaft in Japan seine Chance auf einen Medaillengewinn verspielt. Am Sonntag unterlagen sie in einem Spiel im Rahmen der Hauptrunden-Gruppe II Russland mit 18:27. Rumänien brach in den letzten 15 Minuten des Spiels erneut zusammen, wie bereits in seinem Erstrunden-Gruppenspiel gegen Montenegro. Das Team trifft als nächstes am Dienstag auf Schweden. Russland führt die Gruppe II mit 6 Punkten an, gefolgt von Spanien mit 5, Montenegro mit 4 und Schweden mit 3 Punkten. Rumänien und Japan stehen am Ende der Tabelle, noch ohne Punkte.



    Wir beenden unsere Zusammenfassung mit Nachrichten vom Fu‎ßball. Die rumänische Erste Liga hat einen neuen Tabellenführer. Astra Giurgiu rückte auf Platz eins vor, nachdem die Mannschaft am Sonntag zu Hause die Universitatea Craiova mit 1:0 besiegt hatte. Der ehemalige Spitzenreiter CFR Klausenburg verlor zuvor in Botosani mit 1:2. In den anderen Spielen bezwang der FCSB am Freitag in der National Arena in Bukarest Gaz Metan Mediasch mit 2:0, Chindia Targoviste schlug Poli Iasi am Samstag in Ploieşti mit 2:1 und der FC Hermannstadt gewann ebenfalls am Samstag zu Hause mit 4:2 gegen Dinamo Bukarest. In den letzten Begegnungen am Montag stehen sich Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe und Academica Clinceni sowie der FC Voluntari und der FC Viitorul Constanta gegenüber. Astra Giurgiu führt die Rangliste mit 40 Punkten an, gefolgt vom CFR Klausenburg der 2 Punkte dahinter lauert

  • December 3, 2019

    December 3, 2019

    ANNIVERSARY NATO leaders have convened
    in London for two days to celebrate the alliance’s 70th anniversary.
    On this occasion, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is expected to focus on the
    importance of solidarity and unity among the allies. Iohannis will be
    presenting the national assessments on security developments at regional and
    global levels. Reconfirming the Alliance’s unity and cohesion as well as a
    strong Transatlantic relation are essential for Romania in the present context
    and President Iohannis is expected to reiterate the importance of the Black Sea
    for the region’s security. According to Radio Romania correspondent, a joint
    statement of a strategic nature, aimed at presenting the headway achieved as
    well as some issues of concern at higher level is expected to be released
    during the event. Wednesday will see a fresh round of talks over the future of
    the alliance, after the latest statements by French president Emmanuel Macron
    who described NATO as ‘brain dead’ due to the United States’ decreasing commitment
    and Turkey’s involvement in military operations without consulting its partners.
    NATO leaders and German chancellor Angela Merkel have voiced disagreement
    towards Macron’s ‘drastic words’.












    JHA The Justice and Home Affairs
    Council of the European Union continues its proceedings in Brussels. High on
    the event’s agenda are topics such as the future EU policies on migration and
    asylum, home security, combating terrorism, environmental crime and alternative
    detention measures. The new EU chief prosecutor, Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi is
    presenting her vision and plans for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
    The institution is set to start its activity in November 2020, by which date
    the chief prosecutor coordinates the setup and functioning of the new
    structure. The EPPO will investigate cross-border fraud cases at community
    level. So far 22 Member States have officially joined the EPPO.








    HANDBALL Romania’s women handball side is today taking on Kazakhstan in
    group C of the World Championship underway in Japan. The Romanians lost to
    Spain 16-31 and secured a 29-24 win against Senegal. On Monday Romanian skipper
    Cristina Neagu was presented the trophy for the world’s best handballer in
    2018 by the International Handball Federation. Neagu is the first handballer to
    have won the title four times after the editions of 2010, 2015 and 2016. With
    110 goals, left back Neagu last year was declared the top scorer of the
    Champions League for the second time in her career.












    DEAL The
    European Union is expected to launch the world’s most ambitious programme aimed
    at fighting climate change, project known as the European Green Deal, which is
    to radically change the bloc’s economy – Bloomberg news agency has announced.
    The EU
    leaders will commit to cutting net greenhouse-gas emissions to zero by
    2050, according to a draft of their joint statement for the December 12th
    and 13th meeting. In order to
    meet this target, the EU pledges more green investment and to adjust all of its
    policy making accordingly. Easing restrictions on state aid for companies, changing public
    procurement rules, considering more ambitious targets for 2030 emissions cuts,
    penalizing imports from countries with looser emissions controls are some of
    the provisions of the aforementioned accord.




    (translated by bill)

  • ​Sports Roundup

    ​Sports Roundup

    Romania’s women’s handball team failed to have a good start at the World Championship hosted by Japan. On Saturday they were defeated by Spain 31 to 16. On Sunday, in their second match in Group C, Romania defeated Senegal 29 to 24. On Tuesday the Romanian handballers will be up against the team of Kazakhstan and Wednesday they are going to play against Montenegro. The last match in the group will be against Hungary and it is scheduled for Friday. The first ranking teams in the group will qualify to the main stage of the championship.



    Romania’s men’s handball team Dinamo Bucharest has managed to pass the group stage of the Champions League without being defeated. On Sunday, in the last stage of group D, Romania’s champions defeated, away from home, 32 to 31 the Danish team GOG Gudme and ended on first place in the group. In the League playoffs Dinamo will be up against the Portuguese team Sporting Lisbon. The two-legged tie is scheduled for February 2020. The two teams also faced each other in last year’s edition of the League when, in the same stage of the competition, the Portuguese won both legs.



    Now news from football. Matches were played at the weekend counting for the 18th round of the Romanian First League. On Friday Astra Giurgiu defeated, on home ground, Gaz Metan Medias 1-0. Dinamo Bucharest defeated 1-0 in Bucharest the team Politehnica Iasi. On Saturday, Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe won, on home turf, the match against Universitatea Craiova 1-0. The match pitting FC Voluntari against FCSB was postponed because of the rain. On Sunday, in Ploiesti, Academica Clinceni defeated 5-2 Chindia Targoviste, and in Sibiu, FC Hermannstadt and CFR Cluj ended the match in a one-all draw. On Monday, in the last match of the stage FC Botosani will be up against Viitorul Constanta. CFR and Astra are first ranked in the classification with 34 points each. (translation by L. Simion)

  • ​Sports Roundup

    ​Sports Roundup

    Romania’s women’s handball team failed to have a good start at the World Championship hosted by Japan. On Saturday they were defeated by Spain 31 to 16. On Sunday, in their second match in Group C, Romania defeated Senegal 29 to 24. On Tuesday the Romanian handballers will be up against the team of Kazakhstan and Wednesday they are going to play against Montenegro. The last match in the group will be against Hungary and it is scheduled for Friday. The first ranking teams in the group will qualify to the main stage of the championship.



    Romania’s men’s handball team Dinamo Bucharest has managed to pass the group stage of the Champions League without being defeated. On Sunday, in the last stage of group D, Romania’s champions defeated, away from home, 32 to 31 the Danish team GOG Gudme and ended on first place in the group. In the League playoffs Dinamo will be up against the Portuguese team Sporting Lisbon. The two-legged tie is scheduled for February 2020. The two teams also faced each other in last year’s edition of the League when, in the same stage of the competition, the Portuguese won both legs.



    Now news from football. Matches were played at the weekend counting for the 18th round of the Romanian First League. On Friday Astra Giurgiu defeated, on home ground, Gaz Metan Medias 1-0. Dinamo Bucharest defeated 1-0 in Bucharest the team Politehnica Iasi. On Saturday, Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe won, on home turf, the match against Universitatea Craiova 1-0. The match pitting FC Voluntari against FCSB was postponed because of the rain. On Sunday, in Ploiesti, Academica Clinceni defeated 5-2 Chindia Targoviste, and in Sibiu, FC Hermannstadt and CFR Cluj ended the match in a one-all draw. On Monday, in the last match of the stage FC Botosani will be up against Viitorul Constanta. CFR and Astra are first ranked in the classification with 34 points each. (translation by L. Simion)

  • November 23, 2019 UPDATE

    November 23, 2019 UPDATE

    ELECTIONS Romania holds the decisive round of its presidential election on Sunday. The incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, endorsed by the National Liberal Party, now in power, is facing the former Social Democratic PM Viorica Dancilă. Just like in the first round, the Romanians living abroad have 3 days to cast their ballots, and the number of pollings stations abroad has been doubled, to 838. The vote started at noon on Friday and will continue until Sunday. The number of citizens having voted so far indicates a higher turnout in the runoff than in the first round. By Saturday evening, over 315,000 Romanians had voted in foreign polling stations, of whom 17,500 voted by post, an option introduced this year for the first time. The largest numbers of voters were reported in Italy, followed by Britain, Germany, Spain and the Republic of Moldova.




    GAUDEAMUS The Gaudeamus International Book Fair, organised in Bucharest by Radio Romania, comes to an end on Sunday. On the last day of the fair, the awards of the 26th edition will be presented. 8,000 book stands have been put up as part of this edition, devoted to the 30 years since the anti-communist revolution of 1989. A total of 900 different events were scheduled, including book launches, debates and book signing sessions. On Saturday, the 4th day of the Fair, Prof. Thierry Wolton took part in the launch of the second volume of his trilogy “A World History of Communism. In this volume, entitled ‘The Victims’, Thierry Wolton speaks about the tens of millions that suffered imprisonment, deportation, torture and even extermination for their anti-communist beliefs.




    NATIONAL DAY 3,500 Romanian troops and another 500 from over 20 allied or partner countries, 200 military vehicles and over 50 aircraft will take part on December 1 in Bucharest in the National Day parade, the Defence Ministry has announced. The Romanian military on missions in theatres of operations in Afghanistan, the Western Balkans and Mali will also organise military ceremonies on National Day. Proclaimed a national holiday after the anti-communist revolution of 1989, December 1 marks the conclusion of the establishment of the Romanian nation-state at the end of World War 1, in 1918.



    COLECTIV After the Bucharest Court completed its investigations, on Monday the prosecution and the defence will present their closing statements in the case concerning the fire in Colectiv night club in Bucharest 4 years ago, in which 64 people died, one committed suicide further to the trauma and 200 others were injured. The Colectiv trial started in April 2016. After 2 years of deferrals over procedural matters, the judge assigned to the case retired, and during another year the new judge has heard the statements of scores of witnesses and victims.




    UN The 15 members of the UN Security Council endorsed a declaration reaffirming the ban on chemical weapons. The Council has reached a consensus long undermined by the war in Syria, and the Skripal affair in the UK or Kim Jong-nam case in Malaysia, AFP reports. The Council reaffirms that the use of chemical weapons is a violation of international law, and declares its firm opposition to it. The declaration, proposed by Great Britain, was passed unanimously. The UN Security Council urges all states that have not yet done so to sign the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons, which was signed in 1993 and came into force in 1997. Syria joined the Convention in 2013, Israel has signed it, but is yet to ratify it, whereas North Korea, Egypt and South Sudan are not yet parties to this Convention.




    POPE Pope Francis arrived in Japan on Saturday, on the second leg of his tour of Asia whose main goal is to send a message against nuclear weapons in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the only cities in the world ever hit by atomic bombs, Reuters says. On Sunday in Nagasaki the Pope, a vocal militant against nuclear weapons, will read a message against weapons of mass destruction. He will also meet with survivors of the Fukushima nuclear disaster of March 11, 2011, the most destructive after the one in Chernobyl in 1986. After Thailand, the first stop in his tour, the Pope reached Tokyo, where he will stay for 4 days. This is the first visit by a Sovereign Pontiff to this country in 38 years, and only the second in history. Another goal of his visit is to encourage the Catholic community in Japan, where only 1% of the population are Christians and half of these Catholics. The Pope will perform 2 services, one in Nagasaki and one in Tokyo, and will have meetings with senior Japanese officials and with Emperor Naruhito.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 19, 2019

    November 19, 2019

    ELECTION In Romania, the campaign for the second round of the presidential election continues. The vote is scheduled for Sunday, November 24th. Competing are the incumbent president, Klaus Iohannis, backed by the National Liberal Party in power, and the former Social Democrat PM Viorica Dancila. According to data made public by the Central Electoral Bureau and validated on Friday by the Constitutional Court, in the first round Klaus Iohanis got 37.82% of the votes and Viorica Dăncilă 22.26%. The turnout was 51.19%. Abroad, where Romanian citizens were able to vote Friday through Sunday, record-large numbers of voters showed up in polls (over 675,000). In the runoff as well, the Romanians living abroad will have 3 days to cast their ballots, between noon on Friday and Sunday at 9 PM, with a possible extension to midnight.




    AUTOMOTIVE In October Romania was the most dynamic automobile market in Europe, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association announced. Last month, around 11,000 vehicles were registered in Romania, up 58.1% since the same month last year. In the first 10 months of 2019, around 135,000 automobiles were registered in Romania, accounting for an annual growth rate of 18.9%, whereas the European automobile market saw a 0.7% decline. Dacia reported a 7.8% rise in sales in Europe in October, to 40,687 units. The Romanian carmaker Dacia was taken over by Renault in 1999. Relaunched in 2004 with the new Logan model, Dacia turned into a major player in the European automobile market.




    TRAGEDY The owner of the Romanian company that provided pest extermination services for 2 apartment buildings in Timişoara, western Romania, was arrested for 24 hours this morning, under charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and trafficking in controlled substances. The court will decide whether he will be kept in pre-trial arrest. Recently, 3 people died following a pest and rodent extermination operation—a 9-day baby, a 3-year old and his mother, while 20 other people, adults and children, are hospitalised. The 2 buildings have been evacuated. Preliminary investigations reveal that the intoxication was caused by neurotoxins. The tragedy caused panic among the locals, with scores of people requesting medical check-ups.




    STATISTICS Over one-quarter (27.7%) of the population of Romania were living in 2018 in households without indoor toilets. The figure is down from the 29.7% reported in 2017, but still more than 10 times above the EU average of 2.1%, according to data made public today by Eurostat, on World Toilet Day. In as many as 19 member states, the percentage of people living in housing without indoor toilets in 2018 was below 1%, including Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden where the figure is very close to zero. At the opposite pole, Romania is preceded by Bulgaria with 15.3%, Lithuania (10.6%), Latvia (9.9%) and Estonia (5.3%). Still, the number of people living without proper sanitation services in the EU dropped from 3.3% in 2010 to 2.1% last year, and in Romania it fell from 40.9% to 27.7%.




    THEATRE The Government of Japan awarded the Order of the Rising Sun to the actor Constantin Chiriac, director of the Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu and president of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, in recognition of his contribution to promoting the Japanese culture in Romania and the cultural exchanges between the 2 countries. The Order of the Rising Sun was established in 1875, and is one of the most important decorations bestowed by the Japanese government, second to the Order of the Chrysanthemum, and is the highest awarded to foreign citizens, for distinguished achievements in international relations, for the promotion of the Japanese culture and of projects aimed at preserving the environment.




    FOOTBALL Romanias Under-21 football team are playing tonight away from home against Northern Ireland in the 2021 European Championship qualifying Group 8. With 3 wins and a loss in previous matches, the Romanians rank second in the group, after Denmark. The senior team Monday lost to Spain, 0-5 away from home, in Group F of next years European Championship qualifiers, and finished 4th in the group. After the defeat, manager Cosmin Contra announced his resignation. The only chance left for Romania to qualify into the final tournament is the Nations League playoff due in March. The draw for Euro 2020 will take place in Bucharest on November 30. The Romanian capital city will also host 3 group matches and an eighth-final.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Die Rumänische Tourismusmesse

    Die Rumänische Tourismusmesse

    Die wichtigsten Tourismusagenturen und Reiseveranstalter in Rumänien, aber auch die traditionellen Tourismusregionen des Landes, waren für vier Tage auf der Rumänischen Tourismusmesse vertreten. Über 230 Reiseagenturen aus Albanien, Österreich, Bulgarien, Frankreich, Griechenland, Ungarn, Indien, Israel, Italien, Japan, der Republik Moldau, Palästina, Rumänien, Sri Lanka, der Türkei und der Ukraine haben ihre touristischen Angebote vorgestellt. Mit 21 % internationale Teilnehmern, verdeutlicht die Messe das steigende Interesse der ausländischen Reiseagenturen an den rumänischen Touristen. Diese versuchen potenzielle Kunden mit Bekannten oder neue hinzugekommen Urlaubsziele zu begeistern.



    Angebote gab es für alle Jahreszeiten, Geschmäcker, aber auch für alle Geldbeutel, wobei Urlaubsrabatte auf bis zu 50 % stiegen, zumal in diesem Jahr die Frühbucherangeboten mit speziellen Rabatten für den Black Friday überlagert wurden. Rumänen, die Schnäppchen machen wollten, konnten sich in diesem Jahr auch für einen Urlaub auf den griechischen Inseln mit nur 1 Euro Übernachtungskosten entscheiden, während andere für exotische Ziele mehrere Tausend Euro in Mexiko, Brasilien oder Thailand hinblättern mussten.



    Nachfrage, gab es auch für Skiurlaube in Österreich, Italien, der Schweiz oder Bulgarien, Weihnachts- und Neujahrsferien im In- oder Ausland, Aufenthalte im Donaudelta, in Kurorten, in den traditionsreichen Gebieten und touristischen Städten in Rumänien oder im europäischen Ausland. Bukarest festigte seine Position als Touristenattraktion, einschlie‎ßlich für die inländischen Touristen, dank der Angebote für Städtereisen, die Besuche in Wellenesszentren beinhalten.



    Auch die Weihnachtsmärkte in europäischen Städten sind nicht zu kurz gekommen. Die meisten Rumänen interessierten sich für Athen, Istanbul, Prag, Wien, Barcelona, Rom oder Lissabon. Wer etwas grundsätzliche Neues in den Ferien wünschte, konnte abgelegene Orte wie Playa Bonita in Panama, die Halbinsel Yucatan und Cancún im Mexiko sowie Angebote für Lapplandreisen buchen. Ein weiteres besonderes Angebot — eine Islandrundreise, auf der Touristen einige einzigartige Landschaften der Welt besuchen können, an der Überschneidung zweier gro‎ßer tektonischer Platten: Nordamerikas und Eurasiens. Im Angebot befanden sich auch Reisen für kleine Gruppen in au‎ßergewöhnlichen Destinationen auf der ganzen Welt wie Laos, Vietnam, Kambodscha, Costa Rica, Botswana oder Uganda, Wallfahrten zu Orten, die von Geschichte und Spiritualität geprägt sind, medizinische und Spa & Wellness-Urlaube, begleitet von Ermä‎ßigungen für Zug- oder Flugreisen und Online-Buchungsportalen.

  • Nachrichten 21.10.2019

    Nachrichten 21.10.2019


    Präsident Klaus Iohannis hat sich im Rahmen seines Besuchs in Japan am Montag mit dem japanischen Premierminister Shinzo Abe getroffen. Bei dieser Gelegenheit äußerten die beiden die Hoffnung, dass die strategische Partnerschaft zwischen den zwei Ländern im Jahr 2021 eingeleitet werden sollte. Premierminister Abe wies darauf hin, dass die Partnerschaft den Beziehungen zwischen den beiden Staaten Tiefe geben werde. Präsident Iohannis wiederum sagte, dass der Start der Strategischen Partnerschaft rechtzeitig erfolgen und positive Auswirkungen sowohl auf politischer als auch auf wirtschaftlicher Ebene haben werde. Im Jahr 2018 stattete der japanische Premierminister Bukarest einen Besuch ab. Ebenfalls am Montag führte Präsident Iohannis Gespräche mit seinem finnischen Amtskollegen Sauli Niinisto, der ihn im nächsten Jahr nach Finnland einlud, um 100 Jahre diplomatische bilaterale Beziehungen zu feiern. Am Dienstag wird Präsident Klaus Iohannis an der Feier zur Krönung des japanischen Kaisers Naruhito teilnehmen. Als 126. Kaiser in einer ununterbrochenen dynastischen Linie übernahm Naruhito am 1. Mai 2019 nach der Abdankung von Akihito, dem emeritierten Kaiser Japans, seine imperialen Vorrechte.




    Schulen, Kulturzentren, Hotels, Restaurants oder Unterhaltungsstätten für Kinder werden bei den kommenden Präsidentschaftswahlen in Rumänien im November Wahllokale für Rumänen aus der Diaspora beherbergen – zeigt die von der Ständigen Wahlbehörde veröffentlichte Liste. Insgesamt hat die Ständige Wahlbehörde 835 Wahllokale im Ausland zugelassen, die meisten davon in Spanien 143. In Italien gibt es 142 Wahllokale, in Deutschland 79, im Vereinigten Königreich 72 und in Frankreich 50. Zum ersten Mal haben Rumänen aus der Diaspora, die ihre Stimme bei den Präsidentschaftswahlen zum Ausdruck bringen wollen, drei Tage Zeit für jeden Wahlgang. So findet die Abstimmung für die erste Runde am 8., 9. und 10. November und für die zweite am 22., 23. und 24. November statt. Gleichzeitig können Rumänen im Ausland, die sich online angemeldet haben, auch per Post abstimmen. Nach offiziellen Angaben haben sich rund 43.000 Rumänen, die sich in einem anderen Land niedergelassen haben, für diese Option entschieden.




    Der designierte Premierminister, der Liberale Ludovic Orban, kommt diese Woche mit den Chefs der Parlamentsparteien in Bukarest sowie mit Vertretern der Zivilgesellschaft zusammen, um über die Struktur seiner neuen Regierung und das Regierungsprogramm zu diskutieren. Die Liste der Minister und das Programm seien fertig und würden in einigen Tagen veröffentlicht, sagte er. Orban hat bereits eine Strategie entwickelt, um die Unterstützung für seine neue Regierung zu sichern. Die scheidende Premierministerin Viorica Dancila zeigte sich zuversichtlich, dass kein sozialdemokratischer Abgeordneter für das Kabinett von Orban stimmen würde.



    .


    Über 1.000 Militär- und neun Schiffe der rumänischen Seestreitkräfte und der NATO-Verbündeten nehmen am 21. und 27. Oktober an der FALL STORM 19 teil, einer der wichtigsten Übungen im Südosten Rumäniens und in den internationalen Gewässern des Schwarzen Meeres. Ziel der Übung ist es, die Interoperabilität zu verbessern und die Fähigkeiten für die Planung und Durchführung von Einsatzkräften auf multinationaler und interinstitutioneller Ebene zu verbessern. In FALL STORM 19 sind neben den Seestreitkräften auch die Luft- und Bodentruppen der rumänischen Armee involviert.




    Die ehemalige Generaldirektorin der Fluggesellschaft TAROM Madalina Mezei ist am Montag als Zeugin vor die Nationale Antikorruptionsbehörde eingeladen worden. Sie hatte dem Interimsverkehrsminister Razvan Cuc vorgeworfen, ihr verlangt zu haben, am Tag des Misstrauensantrags gegen Premierministerin Viorica Dancila mehrere Flugzeuge am Start zu hindern. Mezei sagte, dass Cuc ihr zwei Tage vor der geplanten Abstimmung im Parlament angetragen habe, fünf Inlandsflüge am Boden zu halten und die Abgeordneten zu identifizieren, die an Bord dieser Flüge gehen sollten. Das habe sie abgelehnt. Der Minister wiederum hat die Vorwürfe zurückgewiesen. Die scheidende Premierministerin Viorica Dancila schickte die Innenkommission ihres Kabinetts zum Verkehrsministerium und zur nationalen Fluggesellschaft TAROM, um die Umstände zu klären.




    Der Oberste Gerichtshof hat einer Revision des ehemaligen Senators Dan Sova stattgegeben – das Verfahren, in dem er zu drei Jahren Gefängnis wegen Beeinflussung verurteilt wurde, soll wiederaufgenommen werden. Dies folgt auf das Urteil des Verfassungsgerichts über richterliche Spruchkörper am Obersten Gerichtsshof, die auf Korruptionsstraftaten spezialisiert sind. Nach dieser Entscheidung werden alle Rechtssachen, die vor dem 23. Januar 2019 in Spruchkörpern von drei Richtern entschieden und zu einer rechtskräftigen Verurteilung geführt haben, erneut verhandelt werden. Das gleiche gilt für laufende Verfahren vor solchen Spruchkörpern. Die Nationale Antikorruptionsbehörde hatte Sova angeklagt, 100.000 Euro im Austausch für die Vermittlung eines Rechtshilfevertrags zwischen einem Wärmekraftwerk in Govora und einer lokalen Anwaltskanzlei erhalten zu haben. Dan Sova wurde im Dezember letzten Jahres nach dem Urteil des Verfassungsgerichts aus der Haft entlassen, nachdem er sechs Monate seiner Freiheitsstrafe verbüßt hatte.

  • Society Today

    Society Today

    Artificial intelligence has already become a
    reality of the world we live in. The ethical dimension of such an unprecedented
    technological upsurge should not be overlooked. It should be granted the status
    it deserves; otherwise, the results of artificial intelligence could take
    today’s society by surprise.






    Today, everybody speaks about the fourth
    industrial revolution, just as the digital revolution is known. Artificial
    intelligence has come center-stage, and so have the robots and the Internet of
    Things. The latter is used in order to connect all sorts of automated devices,
    services and systems with one another, thus making a network of objects. The Humanitas
    Cismigiu Bookshop in Bucharest city center has played host to a debate on
    artificial intelligence. Taking part in the debate was Alexandra Cernian, a
    lecturer with the Automation and Computers Faculty of Bucharest Polytechnic
    University.






    Alexandra Cernian: The notion of artificial
    intelligence is no way something new. The concept and its early implementations
    occurred in the 1960s, when the first so-called expert-systems were created and
    were operational with the help of a couple of a very broad sets of rules,
    capable of reaching a decisional support, quite similar to the human one. The
    initial idea was to develop such systems that were supposed to replace the
    human expert in a certain field. Just like many other systems, the first
    applications were implemented in the military or in the weather forecast
    areas.






    The data storage capacity was the field that
    in recent years has seen a remarkable upsurge. The ‘cloud’ type storage systems
    have no limits from this viewpoint. What we mean by that is an almost
    instantaneous data speed processing. At
    present, data can be collected from billions of sensors, in real time, and
    almost instantaneously, data analysis and processing can be achieved. The
    notion of artificial intelligence has a new scope since, analyzing the data,
    today’s technology resorts to what is known as ‘machine learning’.






    Alexandra Cernian: Extending this issue of
    neuronal networks which try to replicate the functioning mechanisms of the
    human brain, these machines have a great speed as they extend those patterns
    and learn new things, provided people make available the data they may learn
    from. In the last five years, the progress that has been made was spectacular.
    Mention has already been made of trans-humanism and there are trends that have
    already occurred to that effect. We already have bionic medical prostheses, as
    well as all sorts of genetic treatments.






    And since the
    digital world is trying to take over some human features, the moral dimension
    also comes into discussion. Here is Constantin Vica, lecturer with the Faculty
    of Philosophy with the Bucharest University.






    Constantin Vica:
    This involves all the issues that may appear when we start interacting
    directly with a human brain. We can speak about privacy, the private sphere of
    the brain, we can speak about cyborgs, this dimension of human experience. We
    can also speak about improved cognitive functions, including its educational
    dimension. Mankind has renewed itself since its early days and for the past 200
    years the process has been done within an institutionalized system called
    school.






    A domain that
    has seen an incredible development in the past years is digital technology,
    which deals with data and algorithms but also the cognitive technology, which
    deals with the human brain and mind. But can machines replace the human brain
    entirely and get a moral conscience? Here is Constantin Vica again.






    Constantin Vica: Why
    would we need ethics today? Because artificial intelligence knows how to deal
    with everything but cannot make moral decisions. Consequently, do we need
    people anymore? On the other hand people are making huge efforts today to build
    automatic systems capable of making moral decisions. People are talking to each
    other nowadays, but things will become really interesting when we are going to
    talk to machines instead, machines that are able to provide their own answers,
    answers that haven’t been pre-programmed and do this with a certain moral
    conscience.






    Research is
    being conducted in countries like the USA, Japan and Korea to decode human
    intelligence, so that they may upload that into robots. According to Alexandra
    Cernian, human intelligence cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence in
    spite of the technical progress.






    Alexandra Cernian: This
    is a fascinating domain and the latest developments are absolutely fantastic,
    but they cannot replace the idea of ethics of what is right or wrong. I’ve
    never said that robots will completely replace humans in the future and I don’t
    encourage people to think in such a pessimistic way. Of course there are
    factories completely robotized, plants whose human personnel has been reduced
    to a single supervisor but this doesn’t involve all domains and human
    competences cannot be entirely replaced by robots.




    The scientists’
    main wish today is to implement artificial intelligence, which can reach the
    human level of functioning, the so-called general artificial intelligence.
    However, for the time being there is no consensus or clear evidence that such
    digital intelligence can be obtained in the future.









  • Society Today

    Society Today

    Artificial intelligence has already become a
    reality of the world we live in. The ethical dimension of such an unprecedented
    technological upsurge should not be overlooked. It should be granted the status
    it deserves; otherwise, the results of artificial intelligence could take
    today’s society by surprise.






    Today, everybody speaks about the fourth
    industrial revolution, just as the digital revolution is known. Artificial
    intelligence has come center-stage, and so have the robots and the Internet of
    Things. The latter is used in order to connect all sorts of automated devices,
    services and systems with one another, thus making a network of objects. The Humanitas
    Cismigiu Bookshop in Bucharest city center has played host to a debate on
    artificial intelligence. Taking part in the debate was Alexandra Cernian, a
    lecturer with the Automation and Computers Faculty of Bucharest Polytechnic
    University.






    Alexandra Cernian: The notion of artificial
    intelligence is no way something new. The concept and its early implementations
    occurred in the 1960s, when the first so-called expert-systems were created and
    were operational with the help of a couple of a very broad sets of rules,
    capable of reaching a decisional support, quite similar to the human one. The
    initial idea was to develop such systems that were supposed to replace the
    human expert in a certain field. Just like many other systems, the first
    applications were implemented in the military or in the weather forecast
    areas.






    The data storage capacity was the field that
    in recent years has seen a remarkable upsurge. The ‘cloud’ type storage systems
    have no limits from this viewpoint. What we mean by that is an almost
    instantaneous data speed processing. At
    present, data can be collected from billions of sensors, in real time, and
    almost instantaneously, data analysis and processing can be achieved. The
    notion of artificial intelligence has a new scope since, analyzing the data,
    today’s technology resorts to what is known as ‘machine learning’.






    Alexandra Cernian: Extending this issue of
    neuronal networks which try to replicate the functioning mechanisms of the
    human brain, these machines have a great speed as they extend those patterns
    and learn new things, provided people make available the data they may learn
    from. In the last five years, the progress that has been made was spectacular.
    Mention has already been made of trans-humanism and there are trends that have
    already occurred to that effect. We already have bionic medical prostheses, as
    well as all sorts of genetic treatments.






    And since the
    digital world is trying to take over some human features, the moral dimension
    also comes into discussion. Here is Constantin Vica, lecturer with the Faculty
    of Philosophy with the Bucharest University.






    Constantin Vica:
    This involves all the issues that may appear when we start interacting
    directly with a human brain. We can speak about privacy, the private sphere of
    the brain, we can speak about cyborgs, this dimension of human experience. We
    can also speak about improved cognitive functions, including its educational
    dimension. Mankind has renewed itself since its early days and for the past 200
    years the process has been done within an institutionalized system called
    school.






    A domain that
    has seen an incredible development in the past years is digital technology,
    which deals with data and algorithms but also the cognitive technology, which
    deals with the human brain and mind. But can machines replace the human brain
    entirely and get a moral conscience? Here is Constantin Vica again.






    Constantin Vica: Why
    would we need ethics today? Because artificial intelligence knows how to deal
    with everything but cannot make moral decisions. Consequently, do we need
    people anymore? On the other hand people are making huge efforts today to build
    automatic systems capable of making moral decisions. People are talking to each
    other nowadays, but things will become really interesting when we are going to
    talk to machines instead, machines that are able to provide their own answers,
    answers that haven’t been pre-programmed and do this with a certain moral
    conscience.






    Research is
    being conducted in countries like the USA, Japan and Korea to decode human
    intelligence, so that they may upload that into robots. According to Alexandra
    Cernian, human intelligence cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence in
    spite of the technical progress.






    Alexandra Cernian: This
    is a fascinating domain and the latest developments are absolutely fantastic,
    but they cannot replace the idea of ethics of what is right or wrong. I’ve
    never said that robots will completely replace humans in the future and I don’t
    encourage people to think in such a pessimistic way. Of course there are
    factories completely robotized, plants whose human personnel has been reduced
    to a single supervisor but this doesn’t involve all domains and human
    competences cannot be entirely replaced by robots.




    The scientists’
    main wish today is to implement artificial intelligence, which can reach the
    human level of functioning, the so-called general artificial intelligence.
    However, for the time being there is no consensus or clear evidence that such
    digital intelligence can be obtained in the future.









  • 21.07.2019

    21.07.2019

    Die rumänische Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă ist der Meinung, die Forderung der gewählten neuen Präsidentin der Europäischen Kommission, Ursula von der Leyen, nach einem Mechanismus zur Überwachung der Rechtsstaatlichkeit in allen Mitgliedstaaten ist fair. Dăncilă gleichzeitig sagte sie auch, dass die rumänische Regierung die Gespräche mit der Europäischen Kommission über die Aufhebung des Kooperations- und Überprüfungsmechanismus in Bezug auf Rumänien fortsetzen werde. Die rumänische Regierungschefin fügte hinzu, dass sie nach den Wahlen zum Europäischen Parlament mit dem ehemaligen Präsidenten der Europäischen Kommission und dem ehemaligen ersten Vizepräsidenten über den Kooperations- und Kontrollmechanismus gesprochen habe, und ihnen gesagt habe, dass Rumänien offen für Diskussionen sei und dass jeder einzelne Aspekt separat analysiert werden müsse. Dancila fügte hinzu, diese Gespräche müssen nicht nur mit dem Justizministerium geführt werden. Richter, Staatsanwälte und der Berufsverbände sollten ihre Standpunkte einbringen können, damit bestimmte Aspekte des Kooperations- und Kontrollmechanismus umgesetzt werden können oder um zu erklären, warum sie in Rumänien nicht umgesetzt werden können.



    Die Ukraine hält heute vorgezogene Parlamentswahlen ab. Die grö‎ßten Gewinnchancen hat die Partei des neuen Präsidenten Volodimir Zelenski. Die neu gegründete Partei Diener des Volkes“, die den Namen einer Fernsehsendung trägt, in der Zelenski einen unerwartet zum Präsidenten ernannten Lehrer spielt, könnte laut Umfragen auf 42 % bis 52 % der Stimmen kommen und würde somit deutlich vor den anderen Parteien liegen. An den heutigen Parlamentswahlen nehmen 2.742 Kandidaten aus 22 politischen Parteien teil. Sie kandidieren für 225 Sitze im Parlament. Es könnte auch zu Umverteilungen kommen, denn in der Ukraine gilt eine 5% Wahlschwelle. Weitere 199 Abgeordnete werden in uninominalen Wahlkreisen gewählt. Die vorgezogenen Parlamentswahlen wurden organisiert, nachdem Zelenski in seiner Eröffnungsrede die Auflösung des Parlaments angekündigt hatte.



    Eine Delegation des rumänischen Ministeriums für Unternehmensumfeld und Handel unternimmt bis zum 26. Juli einen Japan-Besuch, mit dem Ziel japanische Investoren in Rumänien anzuziehen. Nach Angaben des Ministeriums stehen Treffen und Gespräche in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto und Tokio mit Vertretern der japanischen Regierung und der lokalen Wirtschaft sowie Bankenvertretern über neuen Geschäftsmöglichkeiten im Zusammenhang mit dem Wirtschaftspartnerschaftsabkommen zwischen der EU und Japan an. Au‎ßerdem finden Treffen mit Vertretern gro‎ßer japanischer Unternehmen statt. Mit dem Besuch möchte die rumänische Delegation Handels- und Investitionsprojekte von gemeinsamem Interesse identifizieren. Im vergangenen Jahr belief sich der bilaterale Handel auf 710 Millionen US-Dollar.



    Tausende von Anti-Brexit-Gegnern haben in London, kurz bevor Boris Johnson voraussichtlich Tory-Chef und neuer Premierminister wird demonstriert. Am Dienstag soll die Konservative Partei den Gewinner des Rennens für Theresa Mays Nachfolger bekannt geben. Boris Johnson, ehemaliger Au‎ßenminister und Brexit-Anhänger, gilt als Spitzenreiter in diesem Rennen. Am Sonntag hat der britische Finanzminister, Philip Hammond, ein Brexit-Gegner, mitgeteilt, dass er seinen Rücktritt einreichen werden, falls Boris Johnson Premierminister wird.



    Das Wetter ist warm in den meisten Landesteilen, höhere Temperaturen werden im Süden verzeichnet. Die Tageshöchsttemperaturen werden am Montag zwischen 26 und 36 Grad C liegen, die Tiefstwerte zwischen 10 und 23 Grad. Der Himmel bleibt wechselhaft, vereinzelte Gewitter werden in der Landesmitte, im Osten und im Gebirge erwartet.

  • July 20, 2019 UPDATE

    July 20, 2019 UPDATE

    PROSECUTOR The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, told president Klaus Iohannis over the telephone on Friday that France would withdraw Jean-François Bohnerts candidacy and would back the Romanian Laura Codruța Kövesi instead for the post of head of the European Public Prosecutors Office, the Romanian Presidency announced. Previously, the European Parliament reaffirmed its support for the former head of Romanias Anti-Corruption Directorate becoming the chief EU prosecutor. This spring the European Parliament decided to back Kovesis candidacy, whereas the EU Council preferred the French Jean-Francois Bohnert. Several rounds of negotiations between the 2 institutions yielded no results. Under the rules of organisation of the new EPPO, the Parliament and Council must jointly appoint the EU chief prosecutor, for a non-renewable 7-year term in office.




    VISIT The Romanian State Secretary Maria Magdalena Grigore had bilateral meetings with high-ranking UN officials, during a visit she is making to the USA. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the topics included means to meet sustainable development goals, transport connectivity, the cooperation between Romania and the UN Development Programme, Romanias contribution to peacekeeping missions, international humanitarian assistance and economic developments in the world. Maria Grigore emphasised the importance of the UN in the current world context, and mentioned the progress made by Romania as an emerging donor, both in the field of official development assistance and of humanitarian aid.




    INVESTMENTS A delegation from the Romanian Ministry for the Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship is in Japan until July 26th, to attract Japanese investors in Romania. According to the Ministry, the agenda of the visit includes meetings and talks in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Tokyo, with Japanese governmental officials and representatives of the local business and banking community, concerning the new business opportunities entailed by the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan. Meetings will also be held with representatives of major Japanese corporations. The talks are aimed at identifying trade and investment projects of mutual interest. Last year, the bilateral trade amounted to 710 million US dollars. The main Romanian products exported to Japan included tobacco, wood, honey, vehicle components and accessories, clothes, pharmaceuticals and electrical appliances, whereas Romanias imports from Japan consisted in automobiles, tools and equipment, metal and chemical products, optical and photographic equipment and devices.




    FESTIVAL The 11th Film and Histories Festival continues in Rasnov, central Romania. Until July 28th, a special new venue in the centre of the town will be hosting film screenings, theatre performances, Baroque and rock music concerts. Conferences and roundtable talks will also be organised, on topics such as the 1989 Romanian Revolution, economic freedom, the music of freedom, freedom won and lost, cinema and freedom. Other topics approached include the Romanian migration, Europes post-Brexit future, the digital society and minorities. The 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing and the 70th anniversary of the founding of NATO will also be marked. The 2019 edition of the Festival will also host a Summer School for 72 university students and 23 high school students from Romania and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova.




    HOLIDAY In a military and religious ceremony held in Bucharest on Romanian Aviation Day, celebrated every year on 20th of July, the Romanian Defence Minister Gabriel Les thanked the Romanian military and civil aviators for their devotion and paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives. On the same day, Orthodox and Catholic Christians in Romania celebrated Prophet Elijahs feast day. According to the Bible, the prophet lived nearly 2,800 years ago and brought back faith in the Hebrew God among the people of Israel. Elijah did not die like a human, but was taken to heavens in a chariot of fire. Due to this biographic detail, St. Elijah is the patron saint of the Romanian Air Forces. Nearly 130,000 Romanians also celebrated their name day on Prophet Elijahs Feast Day.



    PHYSICS Romanias team, made up of 4 students from Bucharest, Iaşi (north-east), Timişoara (west) and Baia Mare (north), won 3 gold medals and a silver medal in the first edition of the Balkan Physics Olympiad, held in Thessaloniki, Greece between July 14th and 18th, the National Education Ministry announced. Taking part were secondary school and high school students aged 16 or under at the time of the competition. Eleven countries attended this first edition of the Olympiad.




    YOUTH Romania will be represented by 103 athletes in the 15th Summer European Youth Olympic Festival, held between July 21st and 27th in Baku (Azerbaijan). The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee announced the participants are athletes aged between 14 and 18, who will take part in the athletics, cycling, artistic gymnastics, handball, swimming, judo, wrestling, tennis and volleyball events. The Committee also says the Romanian delegations objective is to come home with 8 to 10 medals from Baku.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • 20.07.2019

    20.07.2019

    Frankreich werde die Kandidatur von Jean-François Bohnert zurückziehen und stattdessen die rumänische Anwärterin für das Amt des Leiters der Europäischen Staatsanwaltschaft, Laura Codruța Kövesi unterstützen. Dies sagte der französische Präsident Emmanuel Macron in einem Telefongespräch am Freitag dem rumänischen Landespräsidenten Klaus Iohannis zu. Zuvor hat das Europäische Parlament seine Unterstützung für die ehemalige Leiterin der rumänischen Anti-Korruptionsbehörde, für das Amt des EU-Chefstaatsanwalts bekräftigt. In diesem Frühjahr beschloss das Europäische Parlament, die Kandidatur von Kovesi zu unterstützen, während der EU-Rat den Franzosen Jean-François Bohnert bevorzugte. Mehrere Verhandlungsrunden zwischen den beiden Institutionen führten zu keinem Ergebnis. Nach dem Statut der künftigen europäischen Staatsanwaltschaft müssen Parlament und Rat gemeinsam den Chefankläger der EU für eine einmalige Amtszeit von sieben Jahren ernennen.



    Eine Delegation des rumänischen Ministeriums für Unternehmensumfeld und Handel unternimmt bis zum 26. Juli einen Japan-Besuch, mit dem Ziel japanische Investoren in Rumänien anzuziehen. Nach Angaben des Ministeriums stehen Treffen und Gespräche in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto und Tokio mit Vertretern der japanischen Regierung und Vertretern der lokalen Wirtschaft sowie der Banken über neuen Geschäftsmöglichkeiten im Zusammenhang mit dem Wirtschaftspartnerschaftsabkommen zwischen der EU und Japan an. Au‎ßerdem finden Treffen mit Vertretern gro‎ßer japanischer Unternehmen statt. Damit möchte man Handels- und Investitionsprojekte von gemeinsamem Interesse identifizieren. Im vergangenen Jahr belief sich der bilaterale Handel auf 710 Millionen US-Dollar. Zu den wichtigsten rumänischen Erzeugnissen, die nach Japan exportiert wurden, gehörten Tabak, Holz, Honig, Fahrzeugteile und -zubehör, Kleidung, Arzneimittel und Elektrogeräte, während die rumänischen Einfuhren aus Japan aus Kraftfahrzeugen, Werkzeugen und Ausrüstungen, Metall- und Chemieerzeugnissen, optischen und fotografischen Ausrüstungen und Geräten bestanden.



    Gegenwärtig findet das 11. Film- und Geschichtsfestival in der zentral rumänischen Kleinstadt Rasnov statt. Bis zum 28. Juli werden im Zentrum der Stadt Filmvorführungen, Theateraufführungen, Barock- und Rockmusikkonzerte stattfinden. Au‎ßerdem werden Konferenzen und Diskussionsrunden zu Themen wie der Rumänischen Revolution von 1989, der wirtschaftlichen Freiheit, der Musik der Freiheit, der gewonnenen und verlorenen Freiheit, des Kinos und der Freiheit organisiert. Weitere Themen sind die rumänische Migration, die Zukunft Europas nach dem Brexit, die digitale Gesellschaft und Minderheiten. Der 50. Jahrestag der ersten Mondlandung und der 70. Jahrestag der Gründung der NATO werden ebenfalls begangen. Die Ausgabe 2019 des Festivals wird auch eine Sommerschule für 72 Universitätsstudenten und 23 Gymnasiasten aus Rumänien und der benachbarten Republik Moldau veranstalten.



    Wetter — Hei‎ß ist es in der rumänischen Ebene, für den Sommer normale Temperaturen herrschen in den restlichen Landesteilen. Der Himmel ist wechselhaft, vereinzelte Gewitter werden lediglich im Gebirge erwartet. Die Tageshöchsttemperaturen liegen zwischen 26 und 33 Grad Celsius. In Bukarest wurden am Sonnabendmittag 29 Grad Celsius gemessen.

  • July 20, 2019

    July 20, 2019

    PROSECUTOR The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, told president Klaus Iohannis over the telephone on Friday that France would withdraw Jean-François Bohnerts candidacy and would back the Romanian Laura Codruța Kövesi instead for the post of head of the European Public Prosecutors Office, the Romanian Presidency announced. Previously, the European Parliament reaffirmed its support for the former head of Romanias Anti-Corruption Directorate becoming the chief EU prosecutor. This spring the European Parliament decided to back Kovesis candidacy, whereas the EU Council preferred the French Jean-Francois Bohnert. Several rounds of negotiations between the 2 institutions yielded no results. Under the rules of organisation of the new EPPO, the Parliament and Council must jointly appoint the EU chief prosecutor, for a non-renewable 7-year term in office.




    INVESTMENTS A delegation from the Romanian Ministry for the Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship is in Japan until July 26th, to attract Japanese investors in Romania. According to the Ministry, the agenda of the visit includes meetings and talks in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Tokyo, with Japanese governmental officials and representatives of the local business and banking community, concerning the new business opportunities entailed by the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan. Meetings will also be held with representatives of major Japanese corporations. The talks are aimed at identifying trade and investment projects of mutual interest. Last year, the bilateral trade amounted to 710 million US dollars. The main Romanian products exported to Japan included tobacco, wood, honey, vehicle components and accessories, clothes, pharmaceuticals and electrical appliances, whereas Romanias imports from Japan consisted in automobiles, tools and equipment, metal and chemical products, optical and photographic equipment and devices.




    FESTIVAL The 11th Film and Histories Festival continues in Rasnov, central Romania. Until July 28th, a special new venue in the centre of the town will be hosting film screenings, theatre performances, Baroque and rock music concerts. Conferences and roundtable talks will also be organised, on topics such as the 1989 Romanian Revolution, economic freedom, the music of freedom, freedom won and lost, cinema and freedom. Other topics approached include the Romanian migration, Europes post-Brexit future, the digital society and minorities. The 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing and the 70th anniversary of the founding of NATO will also be marked. The 2019 edition of the Festival will also host a Summer School for 72 university students and 23 high school students from Romania and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova.




    HOLIDAY Orthodox and Catholic Christians in Romania celebrate today Prophet Elijahs feast day. According to the Bible, the prophet lived nearly 2,800 years ago and brought back faith in the Hebrew God among the people of Israel. Elijah did not die like a human, but was taken to heavens in a chariot of fire. Due to this biographic detail, St. Elijah is the patron saint of the Romanian Air Forces, which celebrate July 20th with military and religious ceremonies. Nearly 130,000 Romanians celebrate their name day on Prophet Elijahs Feast Day.




    YOUTH Romania will be represented by 103 athletes in the 15th Summer European Youth Olympic Festival, held between July 21st and 27th in Baku (Azerbaijan). The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee announced the participants are athletes aged between 14 and 18, who will take part in the athletics, cycling, artistic gymnastics, handball, swimming, judo, wrestling, tennis and volleyball events. The Committee also says the Romanian delegations objective is to come home with 8 to 10 medals from Baku.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)