Radio România Internațional

Tag: JHA Council

  • December 5, 2023

    December 5, 2023

    Conference– Romania is interested in developing, using and producing green technologies, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Monday, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai. Klaus Iohannis underlined, during the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2023 event, that in order to effectively respond to climate change, governments must develop a strong partnership with businesses, financial institutions, research and innovation entities and NGOs. He pointed out that the large university centers, such as those in Bucharest and Cluj (north-west), are innovating in the field of sustainable construction materials and applications for energy efficiency. At the same time, Romanian companies support the progress of heat pump technology, essential for the decarbonising of the building heating and cooling sector, president Iohannis added.



    Visit — The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is meeting, today, in Washington, with representatives of the American companies Lockheed Martin and Google. The Romanian PM’s agenda also includes today discussions with members of the American Congress. Previously, he met with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, with the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and with the Secretary for Energy, Jennifer Granholm.



    JHA — The Justice and Home Affairs Council continues today in Brussels. The Schengen issue is back on the agenda, being tackled from the perspective of the efficient management of the migration issue. It is a recurring analysis of the state of the Schengen area based on key indicators, such as the number of asylum seekers who have been rejected. Romania and Bulgaria have run several pilot projects regarding migration management. Both the Commission and the Spanish presidency of the Council are supporters of the entry of the two states into the Schengen area. We remind you that Romania and Bulgaria received, as part of the JHA Council of December 8-9, 2022, a negative vote from the Netherlands and Austria for joining the free travel Area. On Monday, on the first day of the Council meeting, talks focused on holding Russia accountable, from a penal and financial point of view, for the invasion of Ukraine, as well as on making the European Public Prosecutors Office more efficient. The member states’ ministers and the European chief prosecutor, Laura Codruţa Kovesi, analyzed the latest legislative proposal regarding the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters. As for how Russia can be held accountable for the war in Ukraine, talks focused on how to bring the culprits to justice, as well as on how to use the Russian frozen assets in the international space for the reconstruction of Ukraine.



    Handball — Romania’s national womens handball team takes up, this evening, the strong Danish team, in the last match in group E of the World Championship hosted by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The Romanian players won the other two games, against Chile and Serbia, and are qualified for the main groups, where they will face Germany, Poland and Japan. Romania is the only team that participated in all 26 editions of the World Womens Handball Championship. Their record includes a world title, two silver medals and one bronze medal. (LS)

  • Romania and the Schengen area

    Romania and the Schengen area

    Romania maintains its goal to join the Schengen area this year, the Romanian Interior Minister, Lucian Bode, announced in Brussels. Even if the subject of Romania’s entry into the free travel area was not on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council – JAH, the Romanian official reiterated that Bucharest might have a chance of integration in 2023. For this, however, the subject should be included on Spains list of priorities, a country that will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union in the second part of this year. According to the Romanian official, the European interior ministers reiterated their support, but Austria, which was opposed to Romanias accession also in December, maintains its reservations.



    Lucian Bode: I want to welcome the statements of several interior ministers, who reiterated their support for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. The Spanish Interior Minister specifically requested that this objective be reached by the member states this year. He confirmed to me that on March 30 he will be in Bucharest on a working visit, and, on the occasion, we will certainly be able to discuss the goals of the Spanish presidency and the goal that we want to be a priority for the Spanish presidency, namely Romania’s accession to the Schengen area.



    According to minister Lucian Bode, the expansion of the Schengen area, beyond the advantages brought to Romania, will raise the level of security at the EU borders. Moreover, he says, the new figures presented by the European Commission during the meeting show that migration along the Western Balkan corridor has decreased by almost half compared to last year. The Romanian interior minister believes that this is an additional argument for the fact that security at the border of Europe has been strengthened. However, some Romanian MEPs say that Romania would not have any chances of entering the free travel area this year.



    Eugen Tomac, the MEP who sued the European Council at the European Court of Justice, accuses the Council of violating the European legislation and of political discrimination. He says that although the three states met the technical criteria, the Council made the political decision to reject Romania and Bulgaria, while Croatia was accepted, at the December Council in Brussels. Eugen Tomac also initiated a petition entitled Romania deserves to be in Schengen and invites Romanians to sign it.



    Eugen Tomac: “We want our voice, our message related to this topic to be very clear and correctly understood by the European decision-makers. It is a legitimate move; the Council made an act of injustice that must be repaired at the Court of Justice of the European Union.



    It should also be mentioned that Spain will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in a difficult period. (LS)

  • Romania and the Schengen area

    Romania and the Schengen area

    Romania maintains its goal to join the Schengen area this year, the Romanian Interior Minister, Lucian Bode, announced in Brussels. Even if the subject of Romania’s entry into the free travel area was not on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council – JAH, the Romanian official reiterated that Bucharest might have a chance of integration in 2023. For this, however, the subject should be included on Spains list of priorities, a country that will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union in the second part of this year. According to the Romanian official, the European interior ministers reiterated their support, but Austria, which was opposed to Romanias accession also in December, maintains its reservations.



    Lucian Bode: I want to welcome the statements of several interior ministers, who reiterated their support for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. The Spanish Interior Minister specifically requested that this objective be reached by the member states this year. He confirmed to me that on March 30 he will be in Bucharest on a working visit, and, on the occasion, we will certainly be able to discuss the goals of the Spanish presidency and the goal that we want to be a priority for the Spanish presidency, namely Romania’s accession to the Schengen area.



    According to minister Lucian Bode, the expansion of the Schengen area, beyond the advantages brought to Romania, will raise the level of security at the EU borders. Moreover, he says, the new figures presented by the European Commission during the meeting show that migration along the Western Balkan corridor has decreased by almost half compared to last year. The Romanian interior minister believes that this is an additional argument for the fact that security at the border of Europe has been strengthened. However, some Romanian MEPs say that Romania would not have any chances of entering the free travel area this year.



    Eugen Tomac, the MEP who sued the European Council at the European Court of Justice, accuses the Council of violating the European legislation and of political discrimination. He says that although the three states met the technical criteria, the Council made the political decision to reject Romania and Bulgaria, while Croatia was accepted, at the December Council in Brussels. Eugen Tomac also initiated a petition entitled Romania deserves to be in Schengen and invites Romanians to sign it.



    Eugen Tomac: “We want our voice, our message related to this topic to be very clear and correctly understood by the European decision-makers. It is a legitimate move; the Council made an act of injustice that must be repaired at the Court of Justice of the European Union.



    It should also be mentioned that Spain will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in a difficult period. (LS)

  • New efforts for Schengen

    New efforts for Schengen

    Sweden took over the six-month presidency of the European Union from the Czech Republic and, even if the case of Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area is not a priority for the new presidency, Romanian diplomacy is trying to keep the topic high on the agenda. In December, at the last Justice and Home Affairs Council, Austria blocked Romania’s accession to the free movement area, and the Netherlands blocked Bulgaria’s.



    The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, used the opportunity offered by the official launch, on Thursday, in Bucharest, of the Swedish presidency of the European Union to reaffirm that accession to Schengen is a major priority for Romania. Aurescu said that the country counts on Sweden’s support in this case, as a mediator. Romania, he stressed, proved to be a de facto guardian of the security of the European Union against the background of the war in Ukraine. The events in the neighboring country have demonstrated that Romania has both the competence and the will to effectively respond to major challenges, believes Bogdan Aurescu, according to whom the refusal to include Romania in Schengen was incorrect.



    Unfortunately, despite our active contribution to the security of Europe and the implementation of the Schengen acquis, and despite the fact that we are ready to become Schengen members, the JHA Council did not achieve unanimity in December with regard to our accession, and incorrectly, we were denied the chance to become members of the Schengen Area. A positive decision regarding our presence in the Schengen Area is essential to build a united and prosperous European Union, the Romanian Foreign Minister said.



    Bucharest hopes that the Schengen issue will be imposed on the agenda of the next meeting of the JHA Council, and the Swedish ambassador to Bucharest, Therese Hydén, stated that this will happen when all conditions allow it.


    We took over this very important file from the Czech Republic. This is a very important matter and we will try to find a solution. We collaborate closely with Romania on this issue and with all interested and involved parties. Schengen will be on the agenda of the council meetings when the conditions are met, that is, when Austria has changed its position towards Romania and, practically, when things have become clear regarding Romania and Bulgari, said Therese Hyden. Sweden is committed to this path and will make efforts, she also stressed.



    In turn, the head of the European Commission Representation in Bucharest, Ramona Chiriac, recalled that the Community Executive supports the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the European area of ​​free movement. With the two countries in Schengen, we are stronger, not weaker. In Europe we are safer, not in danger, and we are more prosperous and more attractive as a single market for our international partners – said the head of the European Commission Representation. (MI)



  • January 23, 2020

    January 23, 2020

    FORUM -
    President Klaus Iohannis is today attending the fifth edition of the World
    Holocaust Forum, marking 75 years since the liberation of the
    Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, titled Remembering the Holocaust,
    Fighting Antisemitism. This is the widest public event ever hosted by the Yad
    Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Previously, President Iohannis ensured
    his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin, that Romania would continue to support
    the preservation of Holocaust memory, combat anti-Semitism, prevent
    discrimination and any means of violence. Romanian Crown custodian Margareta on
    Thursday sent a letter to the Israeli president, reminding of the Romanian
    Royal Family’s contribution to eradicating anti-Semitism, racism and
    xenophobia. HM Queen Margareta and
    Prince Radu were the first members of the Romanian Royal Family to visit the
    State of Israel in April 2014. Representing King Mihai I, the two visited the
    Yad Vashem Memorial Museum, observed a moment of silence before the engraved
    tomb devoted to Queen Elena, while Queen Margareta lit the eternal flame in the
    Hall of Remembrance.




    JHA -
    Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu is as of today attending the two-day informal
    meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council hosted by Zagreb,
    Croatia. This is the first ministerial meeting hosted under the Croatian
    Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In the justice section, line
    ministers will address progress on strategic policies in the fields of liberty,
    security and justice, legal education and the importance of legal networks in
    the civilian and trade sectors. According to a Romanian Justice Ministry
    release, talks focus on civil and criminal law cooperation, border protection,
    modernizing and digitizing judicial systems and adapting to the impact of AI.




    FUNDS -
    Romania has so far absorbed 11.04 billion euros from EU structural funds over
    2014-2020 under the Cohesion and Common Agricultural policies. Adding to this
    sum is another 7.92 billion euros in direct payments to farmers, Carmen Moraru,
    State Secretary with the Romanian Ministry for European Funds, has said.
    Romania’s absorption rate has thus reached 36%, 3% below the European average.
    The Romanian official recalled that in the 2014-2020 period Romania was
    allotted 22.4 billion euros under the Cohesion Policy. As regards the 2021-2027
    financial framework, Romania will be earmarked 30.6 billion euros. Carmen
    Moraru attended a series of meetings in Brussels at the European Commission and
    European Parliament, and paid a visit to the Orsi Academy in Ghent, Belgium, a
    pioneering research project funded under the Cohesion Policy.




    FLU VIRUS -
    A 78-year-old man from Arges County has died to the flu virus , raising the
    death toll at 3 since the start of the winter season. Arges is one of the most
    affected counties, alongside Brasov and Cluj and the capital city, where
    hundreds of cases have been reported. Classes were temporarily suspended in
    several schools and kindergartens. At national level, over a quarter of
    patients presenting symptoms were officially diagnosed with the flu virus.
    Doctors warn the only real prevention measure is vaccination. The number of
    Romanians who have taken the anti-flu shot this year is higher compared to
    2019, when some 200 people died to complications caused by the flu virus.




    CORONAVIRUS – The World
    Health Organization (WHO) is today expected to decide whether to call the
    viral outbreak in Wuhan China a global emergency. The so-called coronavirus has
    so far killed 17 people and sickened hundreds of people. On Wednesday, after
    long hours of debate at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, the members of the special
    committee set up to advise on how to deal with the outbreak were equally
    divided in their vote in favor or against calling a global emergency. In the
    past the WHO has called international alerts five times: before the H1N1 viral
    outbreak of 2009, in 2014 for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, in the
    Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019, again for an Ebola outbreak, for
    poliomyelitis in 2014 and for the Zika virus in 2016. The new coronavirus has been
    reported in 13 Chinese provinces and the Hong Kong and Macao special
    administrative regions. 4 infections were reported in Thailand and 1 each in
    Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. Wuhan is currently on
    lockdown, all means of public transport having been shut down.




    TENNIS -
    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, seeded fourth at the Australian Open, has
    today defeated Harriet Dart of Great Britain (173 WTA), in straight sets, 6-2,
    6-4 in the competition’s second round. A finalist in 2018 in Melbourne, Halep
    is the only Romanian left in the competition, after Sorana Cirstea (74 WTA) was
    ousted on Wednesday by Cori Gauff of the United States. Romania is also
    represented in the women’s doubles.


    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)

  • December 2, 2019

    December 2, 2019

    NATIONAL DAY – The Chamber of Deputies
    and the Senate are today convening in a solemn joint session to mark the
    National Day of Romania. Addressing Parliament will be President Klaus
    Iohannis, Senate Speaker Teodor Melescanu, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marcel
    Ciolacu, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban as well as representatives of
    parliamentary groups. The list of guests includes former heads of state, the
    Custodian of the Royal Crown, Margareta, Romanian Orthodox Church Patriarch
    Daniel, the archbishops of the Roman-Catholic and Eastern-Catholic Churches,
    the presidents of the Constitutional Court, the High Court of Cassation and
    Justice, the Romanian Academy, the Court of Accounts and the Legislative Council.
    Attending will also be National Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu, Ombudsman Renate
    Weber, Bucharest City Hall Mayor Gabriela Firea, the directors of the Romanian
    Intelligence Service, the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service, the Protection
    and Guard Service, the Special Telecommunications Service as well as members of
    the Government. December 1 became Romania’s National Day after the December
    1989 anti-Communist revolution and it marks the completion, at the end of WWI,
    in 1918, of the process of creating the Romanian unitary nation state, when all
    the provinces included in the neighboring multinational empires, with a
    majority Romanian-speaking population, came under the authority of Bucharest.




    JHA – The Justice and Home Affairs
    Council of the European Union is convening in Brussels on December 2-3. High on
    the agenda are topics such as the future EU policies on migration and asylum,
    home security, combating terrorism, environmental crime and alternative
    detention measures. On Tuesday, the new EU chief prosecutor, Romanian Laura
    Codruta Kovesi will present 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 must coordinate 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 adhered to
    the EPPO.




    BILL – Save Romania Union leader Dan
    Barna said the draft law on the organization of local elections in two separate
    rounds should be adopted by the end of Parliament’s current session. Prime
    Minister Ludovic Orban claims the Liberals support the bill, warning however it
    requires the vote of at least 165 MPs, while the Liberal Party is supported by
    a fragile majority in Parliament.




    UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate in
    Romania stood at 2.98% in October, a slight decrease compared to the same month
    in 2018 and to the previous month this year, the National Employment Agency
    announced on Monday. The total number of unemployed was below 260 thousand,
    most of whom were reported in rural areas. Most of them are aged 40-49,
    followed by those above 55 years of age. Broken down in terms of training,
    unemployed people without any diplomas and those with basic education had the
    largest share of total number of unemployed.




    NATO – London on Tuesday and Wednesday
    is hosting the NATO summit, celebrating 70 years of NATO existence. High on the
    agenda are the fight against terrorism, arms control and relations with Russia
    and China. Representing Romania will be president Klaus Iohannis. According to
    the presidency, Klaus Iohannis will highlight Romania’s contribution as a NATO
    member and the need to continue determent and security efforts on the eastern
    flank and in the Black Sea region.




    HANDBALL -
    Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest on Sunday defeated GOG Gudme of Denmark
    32-31 in Group D of the men’s Champions League. Dinamo is undefeated at the end
    of the group phase, with 7 wins and 3 draws. They are top of the tables with 17
    points, followed by Orlen Wisla Plock of Poland with 11 points, GOG of Denmark
    with 9 points, IFK Kristianstad of Sweden with 9 points, Cehovskie Medvedi of
    Russia with 8 points and Kadetten Schaffhausen of Switzerland with 6 points. In
    the playoff, Dinamo will play Sporting Lisbon of Portugal. The first leg will
    be played away from home in February, with the return leg scheduled in
    Bucharest. The two teams faced off in last year’s edition of the playoffs as
    well, when Sporting won 32-31 in the first leg and 27-26 in the return leg. In
    women’s handball, at the World Cup in Japan, Romania will play Kazakhstan on
    Tuesday. Romania so far lost 16-31 to Spain and defeated Senegal 29-24.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • January 26, 2016 UPDATE

    January 26, 2016 UPDATE

    MOLDOVA– The new Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Pavel Filip, has said in Bucharest that his country is going through difficult political times, but his government wants to prove it is a European one. The Moldovan official has also said that Romania’s support is extremely valuable to Chisinau and has thanked the Romanian authorities for their help. In turn, the Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has stressed that Romania will support Moldova financially as soon as measures are taken proving that there is will to reform the country. The 150 million Euro reimbursable loan will be disbursed in three instalments. The Republic of Moldova’s political stability is important not only to Chisinau, but also to Romania and the entire region, Dacian Ciolos has also said. Pavel Filip has also been received in audience by Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis. His visit to Romania, the first after the Moldovan government was sworn in last week, is taking place against the background of protests staged by pro-Russia parties and the pro-European Dignity and Truth Platform threatening with large-scale protest meetings unless early elections are announced by Thursday.



    JHA COUNCIL– Romanian justice minister, Raluca Pruna, attended, in Amsterdam, on Monday and Tuesday, an informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, alongside her counterparts from all the EU member states. The justice ministers discussed, among others, ways to exchange and share information on criminal records and cross border cyber crime. On the occasion, the Romanian official expressed confidence that the half-yearly rotating presidency of the EU Council, held by the Netherlands, will be extremely energetic in the field of justice and home affairs.



    CORRUPTION- The Speaker of the Romanian Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, has announced that the Permanent Bureau of the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament on Wednesday will discuss the National Anti-Corruption Directorates request to start prosecution against former Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea. The ordinary session of the legislature starts on February 1. The leader of the National Union for the Progress of Romania, former interior minister Gabriel Oprea, is facing two charges of abuse in office, relating to the use of the official motorcade.




    FINANCE– The European Commission has published a report warning that 11 European countries, including Romania, are faced with high risks concerning the sustainability of public finances, with a debt level standing high even after a 10 year time-frame. According to the same document, though, in the short run Bucharest is not faced with significant risks of fiscal pressure. The European Commission has also announced that Romania’s public debt might increase to over 60% of the GDP in 2026. The other countries mentioned in the report are France, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland and Great Britain.



    PROTEST-The main professional forestry associations in Romania on Tuesday organized in Bucharest, in front of the Government building, a protest action aimed at unblocking the activity of this sector. The main claims are related to the state-owned company “Romsilva, about which protesters say it blocked the entire industry after increasing by 300% the wood auction starting price. Therefore, those who need wood choose to buy it from the black market, and not from the state company, and that has tripled illegal cutting and selling of wood. Romania is now one of the countries with the highest prices of wood in Europe, protesters say.



    TERRORISM– Islamic State Jihadists are preparing fresh attacks within the EU, a report issued by the European Police Office, Europol, reads. The document talks about a change in ISIS’s strategy, which is now capable of staging very complex and well coordinated strings of attacks anytime and anywhere in the world, with support from local militants. The report was presented on the official launching in Amsterdam of a new European Counter Terrorism Centre. The centre will mainly focus on the community of 5,000 European citizens who became radicals after taking part in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, many of whom returned to their countries of origin and are now a major threat to security, Europol, has announced. The Islamic State terrorist organisation is active in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. Since September 2014, an US-led international coalition has been launching air strikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.



    TENNIS-The Romanian Horia Tecau and the American Coco Vandeweghe have qualified without actually playing in the quarter finals of the Australian Open’s mixed doubles. The two tennis players were to play against the all-Italian pair Sara Errani/Fabio Fognini, but the latter decided to withdraw from the competition. In the next stage, the Romanian – American pair will play against the Americans Bob Bryan/ Bethanie Mattek – Sands, seeded 2nd at the competition. Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean Julien Rojer, the Australian Open’s first seeds, failed to qualify for the semi-finals, as they were defeated by the French Adrian Mannarino and Lucas Pouille.


    (Translated by Diana Vijeu and Mihaela Ignatescu)

  • September 21, 2015 UPDATE

    September 21, 2015 UPDATE

    The ruling coalition in Romania Monday decided to continue to support the Social Democrat Victor Ponta as PM. His situation was analysed by the National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition, after on Thursday the anti-corruption prosecutors formally indicted him for offences committed prior to his appointment as prime minister, when he was a lawyer. Victor Ponta faces charges of forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering, in a corruption case involving contracts signed by the Turceni and Rovinari power companies. Ponta has repeatedly denied the charges. Meanwhile, the National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, Monday tabled a no-confidence motion on the governments lack of credibility as a result of Prime Minister Victor Pontas legal problems. The motion will be read out in Parliament on Wednesday, and the vote is scheduled for September 29. For the motion to pass, it needs 276 votes in Parliament. The proceedings against the prime minister and four other individuals, including the Social Democrat Senator Dan Sova, were initiated on Monday at Romanias Supreme Court.



    A joint meeting of the cabinets of Romania and the Republic of Moldova will be held on Tuesday in the Romanian Black Sea resort of Neptun. According to a news release issued by the Romanian government, special attention will be given to ways to carry on energy infrastructure projects, to ensure the inter-connection of the national electricity and natural gas systems. Other joint projects, in the field of transportation, agriculture, healthcare and education, will also be discussed. During the joint meeting, talks will also focus on the financial difficulties that the Republic of Moldova is experiencing, on Chisinaus efforts to stabilise the banking system and to sign an agreement with the IMF. On the other hand, Romania will reiterate its strong support for Moldovas European accession efforts.



    The Romanian deputy PM and Interior Minister, Gabriel Oprea, takes part on Tuesday in Brussels in an extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council focusing on the migration issue. He announced that Romania stands by its position as regards the number of migrants it can receive, namely 1,785 people, and if a vote is held, Romania will vote against mandatory relocation quotas. On Wednesday, also in Brussels, a special summit of the EU heads of state and government will be held, in an attempt to find solutions to the current migrant crisis in Europe. Many EU countries, particularly the central and east-European ones, oppose the mandatory redistribution of the 160 thousand migrants. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on EU leaders to share the responsibility for the most serious migration crisis since the Second World War.



    The Romanian authorities are making preparations for the possible arrival of refugees in Romania. According to the interior ministry, an exercise is carried out in the western county of Timis, near the border with Serbia, related to the creation of temporary refugee camps. These military-type shelters are guarded by security forces and may accommodate hundreds of people. Meanwhile, the Romanian interior ministry Monday tabled a bill imposing harsher penalties for migrant smugglers. The bill increases the minimum penalty from 3 to 5 years in prison and the maximum one from 10 to 12 years. The proceeds from people trafficking operations are also to be seized. This initiative is designed to deter the recruitment, transport and people smuggling across the Romanian border.



    Romanias president Klaus Iohannis Monday received the new US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, who also had a meeting with the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu. According to the Foreign Ministry, the two discussed the bilateral political and military cooperation, means to broaden the economic cooperation, and aspects related to regional stability and security, with a focus on developments in Romanias neighbouring regions. Hans Klemm said that during his term he would focus on developing Romanian-American economic ties and providing assistance to Romania in the fight against corruption. Mark Gittenstein was the latest US ambassador to serve in Romania, his term ending in December 2012. Since then, the US embassy in Bucharest has been run by a charge daffaires.



    The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Monday called on the radical left-wing Syriza partys Alexis Tsipras, elected PM on Sunday, to maintain the stability of the country and comply with the reform calendar undertaken by Greece. Alexis Tsipras left-wing Syriza party won Sundays early elections in Greece, and will have 145 out of the 300 seats in Parliament, according to the final vote count. The Conservative leader Vangelis Meimarakis, Tsipras main rival, whose party will have 75 seats in Parliament, has conceded defeat. Alexis Tsipras said he would try to form a new ruling coalition together with the small right-wing Independent Greeks Party (10 seats in Parliament) in order to implement Greeces third bailout agreed in July in exchange for 86 billion euros.