Radio România Internațional

Tag: jobs

  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    The Romanian government has approved a law on implementing the Adequate Minimum Wages, with a view to integrating the EU directive 2041 into the national legislation. The gross minimum wages in Romania will be updated according to the purchasing power, the general level of wages and their distribution, in keeping with the wage growth rate and the labour productivity at national level.

    The law will be applied to all categories of employees.  Under the EU Directive 2041 in 2022, the minimum wage cannot be less than 50% of the gross average earnings. At present, the value of the gross minimum wage in Romania is roughly 660 Euros and is expected to rise up to roughly 740 Euros starting July 1st. The medium net wages in Romania in April stood at 1.048 Euros 6.4 Euros higher than in March, says the Statistics Institute. The highest wages were registered in the area of IT services, roughly 2.405 Euros, whereas the lowest were found in the clothing industry, nearly 560 Euros). The law, endorsed by the Executive is to be submitted for urgent Parliament approval.

    Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, has promulgated a law under which paternity leave will be granted to all fathers who are employees under a legal labour contract.  The document does away with the stipulations about the ensured quality of the owner within the social insurance system and introduces some provisions through which other categories of people are included, such as those with contracts for sports activities, individual labour conventions, mandate contracts, management contracts, those involved in activities following a position of public dignity and those under management and administration contracts. The paternity leave has also been extended from five to ten working days and the compensation is equal to the wages of that certain period being funded from the state budget.

    During the periods of extremely hot weather, with temperatures above 37 Celsius and a comfort index over 80, employers in Romania are taking measures to improve the working conditions and maintain the health of their employees. Territorial Labour Inspectorates say that during the periods of hot weather, employees must benefit from physical activity of reduced intensity and pace, from ventilated rooms, and whenever possible the periods of activity must include pauses in shady places. Every employee must be ensured between 2 and 4 liters of sparkling water. In order to avoid illnesses caused by work in hot weather, the personnel will undergo periodical medical examinations in order to discover the cases, which may become vulnerable in periods of extremely hot weather.  The employees in these situations will benefit from reduced working hours or are allowed to change their jobs. Any violation of the present legal regulations constitutes a contravention punishable by fines.

    According to the National Agency for Employment, nearly 44 thousand jobs are available in Romania presently. Most of the jobs are in the area of security guards, 3,099, shop assistant – 2,232 and delivery men – 1,867. Also in high demand is the unqualified personnel needed in the process of assembling and mounting parts, 1,711. Unqualified workers are also needed on various construction sites, 1,685 jobs as well as cargo handlers with 1,381 jobs available. Romania also needs 911 chef aids, 814 road transporters and 779 lorry and van drivers. A complete job offer is available at the webpage anofm.ro.

    (bill)

  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    The unemployment rate recorded in Bucharest was 0.86% in December 2023, slightly on a downward trend as compared to the previous month, according to the data of the Municipal Employment Agency. In November last year, the unemployment rate in Bucharest was 0.88%. The Municipal Employment Agency shows that, at the end of December 2022, 10,811 unemployed people were registered in its records, of whom 6,294 were women. Of the total number of registered persons, 1,462 were beneficiaries of unemployment benefits, and 9,349 were unemployed without benefits. The structure of unemployment by age groups reveals a high share of people in the 40-49 age group (over 2,750 unemployed), followed by the 30-39 segment – with 2,500 unemployed, and the segment between 50 and 55 years with about 2,450 unemployed. The unemployed with high school education account for the highest percentage of the total number of unemployed registered in the records of the Bucharest Municipal Employment Agency (32.23%), followed by those with higher education (28.77%) and those who graduated from vocational/arts and trades schools – 18.91%. At the same time, the unemployed with middle school education represent 17.04% of the total number of registered unemployed, those with postgraduate education are 2.17%, while people with primary education and no education at all account for 0.88% of the total. Currently, 13,335 jobs are available in Bucharest.



    Romanian managers plan to increase their employees salaries in 2024, shows a specialized study carried out by the Pronext agency. Thus, 7 out of 10 managers are considering salary increases between 1% and 10% and say that they want involvement from employees. On the other hand, only 2 out of 10 company heads count on salary increases between 10 and 20 percent, while approximately 4% are thinking about increases above this level. However, there are also 8% of managers who estimate that they will not increase salaries in 2024. According to the study, more than half of those surveyed say that they will hire personnel this year, but there are also 5% who say that they will reduce the number of workers. The most important things for Romanian managers are the motivation of the coordinated team, the balance between their personal and professional life and the delegation of competences to the right people. 110 company managers from Romania answered the Pronext survey.



    Almost 300 jobs are available in January in Maramureş County, most of them in the field of production and services, the County Employment Agency informed. The available positions include: brand manager, vendor, courier, carpenter, physician, caretaker, machine mechanic, driver, mechanical engineer, confectioner, car mechanic, hotel receptionist and bricklayer.



    The General Inspectorate for Immigration reports that, between January 13 and 14, 43 immigration police officers from Bucharest and from another 7 structures from the west, center, south and east of the country were engaged in specific activities. Thus, during the aforementioned period, 942 requests submitted by foreigners were resolved, including 761 requests for extending the right of residence. Also, another 176 requests for the issuance of employment authorizations, 3 invitations and 2 requests for family reunification were resolved. The immigration police also checked 169 return decisions, in order to establish whether the deadline for voluntary departure from the territory of Romania was met, and the Inspectorate specifies that such activities will continue in the next period.



    The border police from Nădlac, on Romanias western border with Hungary, caught 26 migrants from seven countries who tried to leave the country illegally, hiding in a minibus and a van. The two vehicles were checked at the Nădlac Border Crossing Points I and II and the drivers, a Romanian and a Czech, are now under criminal investigation for migrant trafficking. According to the waybills, the drivers were transporting car parts and polystyrene for commercial companies from Spain and the Czech Republic. Following investigations, it was found that the migrants are from Bangladesh, India, Syria, Iraq, Nepal, Egypt and Pakistan, most of them entered Romania legally on the basis of work permits. They are now being investigated for attempted fraudulent crossing of a state border. (LS)

  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    The number of foreign workers who can be brought to Romania in 2024 increases from 100,000 to 140,000, according to a draft decision put up for public debate by the Labor Ministry. The General Inspectorate for Immigration shows that, until October 9, more than 80,000 new employment permits were issued for workers from other states. In 2022, their number was almost 109,000, and in 2021 around 50,000. The institution specifies that, on September 30, the number of foreigners with a residence permit for the purpose of employment, secondment or dependent activities, located on the territory of Romania, exceeded 72,000. According to the data provided by the National Employment Agency, between January and August 2023, the total number of vacant jobs in Romania was approximately 506,000.



    The main fields of activity in which, in the mentioned period, a significant number of available jobs were registered were: construction of residential and non-residential buildings over 64,000, restaurants over 28,500, postal and courier activities almost 27,000, contracting staff, on temporary bases, about 26,000, protection and guard over 17,500, road freight transport over 17,000, labor placement, about 13,000, food, beverage and tobacco retail, almost 12,000, automotive industry, almost 9,000, confectionery and bakery, over 8,500.



    In 2022, the number of new employment contracts registered by Romanian employers for citizens of countries outside the European Union was over 96,000, and in 2021, around 54,000. The Labor Ministry shows that if the number of applications for the issuance of employment permits is greater than the quota of foreign workers newly admitted to the labor market in Romania, the Romanian Government can increase the quota of foreign workers based on a supporting memorandum. In 2019, the number of foreign workers newly admitted to the labor market in Romania was increased to 30,000, from 20,000 as had been established in the previous year. In the years dominated by the restrictive measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this number did not change.



    More than 65,000 jobs are currently available in Romania, the National Employment Agency informs. Most jobs, over 4,600, are for security guards, followed by those for goods handlers, over 4,200, and for commercial workers, around 3,000. 2,800 jobs are for unskilled workers in the assembly of parts and manual packaging domain, about 2,700 for unskilled workers in the demolition of buildings, masonry, mosaic, tiles and parquet fitting and installation, almost 1,900 for couriers, about 1,500 for unskilled workers for breaking and cutting construction materials, over 1,300 for unskilled workers in the clothing industry and over 1,000 for cooks and cleaning staff.



    Of the 65,000 job vacancies, almost 3,000 are intended for people with higher education, such as engineers in various fields of activity, programmers, advisors, experts, inspectors, referents, economists and accountants. Also, almost 12,000 jobs are available for people with high school or post-high school education, such as commercial workers, customer service agents, data entry, validation and processing operators, cashiers, and drivers for the road goods transportation. Another almost 12,000 jobs are intended for those with professional studies, such as goods handlers, welders, locksmiths, textiles, knitwear and synthetic materials manufacturers. (LS)

  • The most sought after jobs in Romania

    The most sought after jobs in Romania

    The most wanted jobs in Romania are in crisis-proof fields
    such as sales, bookkeeping, engineering, IT and production, says a survey on a certain
    recruitment platform. At the same time many Romanians, over 40%, are interested
    in jobs where the salary is explicitly posted in the announcements. Most
    applications have been filled in domains that are constantly looking for
    employees, with a good number of offers where salaries grow by the year.




    So the most attractive domain is that of sales, which
    also has the largest job offer in Romania with salaries between 400 and 600
    euros for salesmen and between 1400 – 1800 for managers. Wages for accountants
    and financial advisors are ranging between 800 and 1100 Euros, while expert
    accountants can get up to two thousand Euros. Engineers are getting salaries
    between 12 hundred and 18 hundred Euros according to their area and level of
    expertise, less than IT workers whose average wages are somewhere around three
    thousand Euros depending on their skills and area of expertise.




    The aforementioned recruitment platform has over 14 hundred
    jobs for civil constructions engineers in Bucharest and other major cities. Besides
    salaries, the employers are offering regular bonuses, private medical insurances,
    meal vouchers and free transportation. According to the representatives of the
    aforementioned recruitment platform, in the past years Romania has registered a
    significant growth in the field of civil construction, mainly fueled by
    infrastructure investment, the construction of new real estate and restoration
    projects.


    As for the IT field, the platform has 375 jobs
    available also including remote working. Another growing field is production,
    where employees can get up to 800 Euros monthly pay, whereas management and
    coordination positions can get between 900 and 13 hundred Euros.




    In the past three years, experts believe, the need for
    qualified personnel in the fields of construction, IT and Telecommunications,
    as well as medicine has seen a significant growth.




    In another development, even if statistics show that
    four out of ten Romanians are getting the minimum wage, recruitment experts say
    that Romania offers jobs with monthly salaries up to 7 thousand Euros.
    According to them there are employees paid as much as their counterparts in
    Germany or France and if many Romanians chose to leave the country a couple of
    years ago for better-paid jobs abroad, the situation has changed of late.
    According to data released by recruitment agencies, in the first months of the
    year, employers have published over 160 thousand new job offers for which they
    have registered 4.4 million applications. 84% were for jobs in various offices
    around the country, whereas the others were remote or jobs abroad.

    (bill)

  • May 14, 2023 UPDATE

    May 14, 2023 UPDATE

    Commemoration — The wounds caused by communism will never be fully healed, and our duty is to cultivate, every day, the respect for democratic values, as well as for the historical truth, and to educate the younger generations in this sense. This message was conveyed on Sunday by the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă on the occasion of the National Remembrance Day of Martyrs of Communist Prisons. “75 years ago, on the night of May 14/15, 1948, the communist authorities launched a vast repressive operation, marking the beginning of a long series of horrors. For almost half a century, Romania was in the darkness of totalitarianism, all the strongholds of democracy being destroyed, one by one” the prime minister said in his message. According to him, all this ordeal ended in December 1989, through blood sacrifice, when Romanians won the fight for freedom and democracy.



    Jobs – The number of jobs held in public institutions and authorities in Romania was, in March 2023, 1,277,054, 470 more compared to the previous month, 63.88% of which were in the central public administration, according to data published on the Finance Ministrys website. Out of the total of 815,788 employees in the central public administration, 600,805 worked in institutions fully financed from the state budget (plus 76 employees compared to February 2023). The largest number of occupied positions was recorded in the Education Ministry, respectively 295,367, the Interior Ministry – 125,184, the Defense Ministry – 71,989, the Finance Ministry – 24,695 and the Health Ministry – 18,202. In March, 461,266 people worked in the local public administration (plus 136), of whom 281,482 in institutions fully financed from local budgets (plus 434) and 179,784 in institutions fully or partially financed from own revenues (minus 166). The coalition government adopted, on Friday, the Emergency Ordinance on the reduction of public expenses, which, among other measures, stipulates, this year, the suspension of contests or exams for filling vacant or temporarily vacant positions, with the exception of unique jobs.



    Mission – A maritime vessel and two port surveillance and control sloops of the Romanian Coast Guard will participate, for two months, in the Mediterranean Sea, in an international Frontex mission to save human lives in danger. According to a Border Police General Inspectorate’s press release, submitted to the media on Sunday, they will carry out individual patrol, surveillance, search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea, at the external maritime border of the European Union. The main objective of the joint operation, called THEMIS, is to support the Italian authorities in the surveillance and control of the Union’s maritime borders, as well as in the search and rescue of persons in distress at sea.



    Football – The national football team of Belarus will play in Hungary, behind closed doors, the June matches against Israel and Kosovo, from Group I of the EURO 2024 preliminaries, a group which also includes Romania – the Hungarian football federation announced, after UEFA ordered Belarus to play on neutral ground. Unlike Russia, excluded from UEFA competitions after the invasion of Ukraine, its ally Belarus was not suspended by the European football forum. Belarus started the EURO 2024 preliminaries with two defeats, against Switzerland (0-5, a match that took place in Serbia) and against Romania (1-2 in Bucharest). Winner of the match in Andora too, score 2-0, Romania is ranked 2nd in the group, after Switzerland, which has a better goal difference. The two top-ranking teams in each group qualify for the final tournament in Germany. Romania has participated in five editions of the European Championship, with the best performance being the quarter-final at EURO 2000.



    Berlin – The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Sunday in Berlin that Ukraine and its Western supporters could make Russias defeat in the war in Ukraine “irreversible” as early as this year. He was received by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during his first visit to Germany since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Berlin for its help and solidarity following Germanys announcement that it will supply Kiev with weaponry worth nearly three billion dollars. In turn, Olaf Scholz said that the new package is a strong indication of support for the fight against the Russian invasion, support that will continue as long as necessary. The Defense Ministry in Berlin specified that the aid will include anti-aircraft defense systems, battle tanks, infantry vehicles, artillery ammunition and hundreds of reconnaissance aerial vehicles. This is the largest package of weapons provided by Germany to strengthen the Ukrainian armed forces, since the start of the war by Russia. (LS)

  • Trouver l’équilibre entre deux ou trois emplois

    Trouver l’équilibre entre deux ou trois emplois

    Après le phénomène de « la grande démission », présent en Roumanie comme dans les autres pays pendant la pandémie, une autre situation apparue récemment reproduit un modèle des marchés de travail de l’étranger : de plus en plus de Roumains ont simultanément deux emplois. Ce phénomène a fait l’objet d’une étude de la plateforme de recrutement eJobs.

    Ana Călugăru, responsable de communication chez eJobs, nous offre des détails : « Ces deux dernières années, le contexte économique nous a lancé beaucoup de défis et incertitudes, causées notamment par la pandémie et la guerre, ainsi que par la flambée de l’inflation de cette année. Donc, maintenant beaucoup de personnes regardent avec prudence leur carrière et leur stabilité financière. Le sondage indique que, même si en 2022 on a eu le plus grand nombre de recrutements des 20 dernières années et que les salaires ont augmenté dans presque touts les domaines d’activité, il y a toujours un besoin de compléter ses revenus sur le long terme. C’est la principale raison pour laquelle 70 % de nos répondants ont décidé de trouver un second emploi. Parmi eux, 8,2 % ont fait ce choix pour une courte période, parce qu’ils avaient besoin de gagner assez d’argent, pour acheter quelque chose de plus cher. 6,7 % d’entre eux ont répondu que c’était la manière dont ils avaient travaillé depuis toujours. En ce qui concerne les conditions de travail, 10 % des répondants, principalement des jeunes, ont déclaré que, lorsque leur premier travail n’était pas trop difficile, le temps leurs permettait d’avoir une profession de plus. Finalement, 5 % des participants souhaitent faire un changement de carrière et ont décidé d’avoir deux emplois simultanés par prudence, afin de mieux comprendre quel parcours professionnel était le meilleur pour eux. »

    Le nombre d’hommes et de femmes à l’âge mûr prêts à travailler dans plusieurs endroits à la fois est étonnant. Selon le sondage, la plupart des Roumains ayant deux emplois sont âgés de 36 à 45 ans. C’est valable pour seulement 7,4 % des jeunes âgés de 19 à 25 ans et pour 22 % des Roumains de 46 à 55 ans. Donc, il est évident que ceux qui ont une famille, des enfants et de hautes dépenses mensuelles ressentent le plus ce besoin d’obtenir des revenus supplémentaires.

    Quand même, précisément parce qu’il s’agit de familles, combien de temps est-ce qu’il leur reste encore pour leurs proches s’ils se voient obligés de travailler davantage ? Ana Călugăru nous répond : « Un autre thème du sondage a été la plus grande difficulté ressentie par quelqu’un qui a deux emplois. 60 % des répondeurs ont avoué qu’il s’agissait de garder un équilibre entre la vie privée et celle professionnelle. Plus précisément, à cause du temps qu’ils doivent dédier à leurs emplois, ils deviennent à la fois physiquement et émotionnellement épuisés. Pour 25 % des participants à notre étude, il est très difficile de gérer le temps dédié à leur travail, tandis que les 10 % d’entre eux déclarent que c’est trop difficile de bien travailler pour chacun des deux emplois. Ce n’est pas une surprise, car 40 % des participants au sondage renonceraient à leur deuxième emploi, si l’autre salaire leur suffisait pour couvrir leurs besoins financiers mensuels. »

    Hormis ceux qui travaillent à plein temps ou mi-temps, il y a aussi beaucoup d’autres qui obtiennent plusieurs revenus grâce aux collaborations. C’est en fait une alternative à un ou deux emplois stables. C’est le cas de Silvia, qui travaille comme rédactrice pour un journal culturel et aussi comme conseillère artistique pour un important théâtre de Bucarest. Ecoutons-la : « J’ai eu toujours plusieurs collaborations. Mais je ne sais pas si je peux les appeler de vrais emplois. Cela fait 6 ans que j’ai mon deuxième job, au théâtre. Donc je pourrais dire que cela fait 6 ans que j’ai deux emplois. Antérieurement, j’avais travaillé pour différents festivals de théâtre, j’avais traduit des livres ou j’avais fait la rédaction et les corrigés pour une maison d’éditions. C’est sûr que la presse culturelle offre des revenus très modestes. En l’absence d’un salaire satisfaisant, différents problème connexes apparaissent. Cela peut même affecter la créativité. Car on ne peut pas se réfugier dans sa tour d’ivoire et créer, quand les factures attendent d’être payées. Toutefois, pour moi, personnellement, ce n’était pas seulement l’aspect financier qui m’a déterminé à chercher plusieurs collaborations. J’ai toujours aimé apprendre de notions nouvelles et la presse culturelle m’a aidée à découvrir beaucoup de domaines et à connaitre beaucoup de gens. »

    A la différence de ceux qui ont plusieurs travaux fixes et donc n’ont presque jamais du temps libre, ceux dont le programme de travail est flexible peuvent se permettre de faire des activités variées. Silvia peut passer son temps libre avec des gens qui ont, comme elle, un travail plus flexible. Elle a pu jongler avec ses différents emplois sans difficulté, jusqu’à récemment, au moment où elle a commencé sa collaboration au théâtre. Silvia nous explique la situation : « Au début c’était plus intéressant et beaucoup mieux, parce qu’il me semblait que je pouvais mieux gérer ma vie. A présent c’est difficile, car cette nouvelle activité, au théâtre, se déroule presqu’entièrement dans la deuxième partie du jour et dans la soirée. Quand j’arrive chez moi, j’ai du temps seulement pour regarder un film et ensuite je me couche. Quand même, il y a des occasions quand je peux sortir avec mes amis les soirs, car eux aussi ils ont un rythme de vie similaire. Si mes amis travaillaient dans d’autres domaines, ma vie sociale serait inexistante. »

    L’inflation galopante a affecté à la fois les gens qui ont plusieurs emplois et ceux qui ne comptent que sur les collaborations. Silvia nous explique comment l’inflation a affecté sa vie : « Jusqu’au début de la pandémie, ma condition financière était stable et satisfaisante. La situation s’est détériorée cette dernière année, à cause de l’augmentation des prix, car nos salaires n’ont pas changé. Alors, maintenant, je me sens vraiment à la limite. Je ne me permets pas un troisième travail. C’est frustrant, parce que je fais tout ce qui dépend de moi afin de m’assurer une existence décente, mais je suis arrivée à la limite d’un point de vue financier. (…) Au début, j’ai souhaité un second travail précisément pour me permettre une vie sans difficultés financières. C’est-à-dire, d’avoir de petites économies afin de ne pas me déséquilibrer dans une situation imprévue. Cependant, maintenant j’argent me suffit uniquement d’un mois à l’autre à condition de ne pas avoir de situations imprévues. »

    Il faut dire aussi que la plupart des participants au sondage qui ont plusieurs emplois travaillent dans le privé. A en croire cette enquête, s’engager dans des activités multiples, soit à plein temps, soit avec un emploi du temps flexible, n’est plus une simple question de choix. Pour faire face aux difficultés économiques de nos jours, les sources multiples de revenus sont devenues une nécessité. (Trad. Andra Juganaru)

  • July 1, 2022 UPDATE

    July 1, 2022 UPDATE

    SECURITY
    NATO’s deputy secretary general Mircea Geoană said on Friday in Constanţa,
    south-eastern Romania, that the Alliance would continue to support Ukraine and
    that the Black Sea region remains a strategic one in the current military
    context. He took part in the ‘Black Sea Security Summit’, co-chaired by the
    Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu and the US Senator Roger Wicker.
    Geoana also mentioned that Russia is the greatest threat at present, and that
    China’s expansion is a challenge for NATO’s interests, values and security.
    In turn, Bogdan Aurescu highlighted that trans-Atlantic coordination in the
    face of the Russian aggression was flawless, and that it must remain so. If
    president Putin sought to divide us, he failed, the Romanian diplomat pointed
    out. Secretary of state Simona Cojocaru said Romania hailed Russian forces’
    pull-out from the Serpent Island. Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Oleksandr
    Polishchuk said Russia is willing to make compromises when it sees the free
    world not only having the means to defeat an aggressor, but also ready to take
    action and fight. The event in Constanta was held in Romania for the first
    time, and is the first multi-lateral dialogue in this format between regional
    allies and partners on the topic of security at the Black Sea.


    BACCALAUREATE 75.2% of the
    students sitting the Baccalaureate have passed the exam, the education minister
    Sorin Cîmpeanu announced in Bucharest, after the appeals stage. This year over
    49,000 appeals were submitted, fewer than last year, the education ministry
    said. Prior to this stage, the pass rate in this summer’s exam was 73.3%, the
    highest in the last 10 years, as minister
    Cîmpeanu explained. Eighth-graders have already found out their results
    in the national evaluation. The grades in this exam are the main criterion for
    high school admission. Over 80% of the participants have passed, again a record for the past 10 years.


    FUEL The authorities
    in Bucharest Friday hailed the decision of the main oil companies operating in
    Romania to lower the price for fuel in their stations by approximately EUR
    0.10, in line with the Government’s emergency order. Energy minister Virgil
    Popescu thanked the companies that volunteered to lower fuel prices. PM Nicolae
    Ciucă also welcomed the decision, calling on fiscal and consumer protection
    agencies to monitor fuel prices. Haulers will benefit from a partial subsidy for
    fuel. The PM says the measure was designed to avoid the shortage and rationing
    of fuel, as reported in other countries. Romania now has one of the lowest fuel
    prices in Europe, with stations across the country selling standard diesel for
    approximately EUR 1.7 and petrol for approximately EUR 1.6.


    EMPLOYMENT Hiring new personnel
    in public institutions and authorities in Romania is suspended until the end
    of the year, under an emergency order issued recently by the government. However,
    employment procedures started before 1 July will be completed. Other exceptions are
    also possible, in cases that are thoroughly justified and in compliance with
    personnel budgets. The government suspended hiring in the public sector in
    order to reduce expenditure and meet the budget deficit target.


    TENNIS Romania is left with only one player in the 3rd round of
    the Wimbledon tournament: Simona Halep
    (30 WTA). Halep will play on Saturday against Magdalena Frech (92 WTA) of
    Poland. On Friday, Irina Begu left the competition after being defeated by
    Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, in 3 sets. (AMP)

  • May 14, 2021 UPDATE

    May 14, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Roughly 3.8 million people have been vaccinated in Romania and two thirds of them have got the booster dose. In the last 24 hours a record-high number of 110,000 people have received a COVID-19 jab. All the Romanian territory is now in the so-called green zone as the epidemic has been contained in most of the regions. According to the Strategic Communication Group, in the past 24 hours 835 new SARS-CoV-2 cases have been reported, out of over 34,000 tests conducted nation wide. 105 people died, bringing the death toll up to 29,413. In Bucharest the infection rate dropped to 1.21 per thousand, and the number of vaccinated people is over 1 million. The vaccine roll-out continues, without the need for prior appointment, in all the centers across the country, including 10 drive-throughs in major cities. The coordinator of the vaccination campaign Valeriu Gheorghiţă said on Friday that the goal of 7 million people vaccinated by August 1 is “realistic, but it depends not only on a good organisation but also on citizens willingness to get the vaccine. This has to do with the information provided to them, and in this respect Gheorghiţǎ appealed to opinion leaders to get involved in the vaccination campaign.



    RECOVERY In its National Recovery and Resilience plan (PNRR) Romania has included a number of reforms in several key areas and its pledges have been well received in Brussels, PM Florin Citu says. According to the head of the Bucharest executive, the plan is credible and doable and the cabinet members must work hard in the forthcoming period to complete the projects that are to be funded. During the visit he has recently paid to Brussels, the Romanian Prime Minister has assured the EU officials of Romania’s commitment to implementing the reforms comprised in the governing programme, in the fiscal-budgetary strategy, as well as in the convergence programme. Romania has pledged to present its PNRR by the end of May, with a one month delay against the original EU timeframe. Half of the EU members have so far presented their national plans for funding.



    RELAXATION PM Florin Cîţu Friday promised governmental support for the hospitality industry, an economic sector severely affected by the pandemic. He said a strategy will be implemented to promote Romanian tourism both domestically and abroad. The head of government said things will gradually return to normal, with a first stage scheduled to start on May 15, and the second one on June 1. The new measures include, among other things, the scrapping of mandatory face covering while outdoors, as of Saturday, except for crowded areas, and the lifting of the night curfew. Shops will also resume their normal opening hours. Meanwhile, the National Committee for Emergency Situations Friday approved 4 pilot events in the cultural field, with 3 opera shows and 1 theatre play welcoming viewers up to 70% of the halls seating capacity.



    POLL 45% of the Romanians intend to change their job after the pandemic, shows a recent poll conducted by an online recruiting platform. The main reason of the respondents is a higher pay. 11% want to go through a retraining programme whereas 9% are ready to leave the country. The categories standing the most chances to find a job are IT experts and qualified workers.



    MILITARY The national defence minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă had a meeting on Friday in Bucharest with gen. major David H. Tabor, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR). The two officials reviewed the security developments at the Black Sea, the Afghanistan pull-out calendar and bilateral cooperation avenues in terms of special operations forces. The expertise of our American partners in special operations will certainly improve the way in which our troops will adjust their strategic transformation process, so as to be prepared for any challenge, minister Ciucă said. He added that Romania acknowledged and appreciated the constant support of the US for the deterrence efforts regarding the Russian Federations aggressive actions and for ensuring stability at the Black Sea.



    PROGRAMME Eagerly awaited by many Romanians, a scrapping programme for home appliances started on Friday, with tens of thousands of people enrolling on the dedicated online platform. The programme will have 3 stages, starting with the more energy-consuming home appliances, fridges and washing machines. The total budget is over 15 million euro, and should include 200,000 beneficiaries, who will get vouchers ranging from 40 to 100 euros for scrapping their old appliances. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • April 1, 2021

    April 1, 2021

    COVID-19 President Klaus Iohannis announced today that in the forthcoming period Romania will receive a substantial number of anti-Covid doses and the vaccine rollout can be stepped up. The head of state urged Romanians to have confidence in the benefits of immunisation. Romania is drawing close to 1 million infections since the start of the pandemic, with over 6,000 cases reported in the past 24 hours alone and a record-high number of patients in intensive care (1,434). The most cases were reported in Bucharest, but the highest infection rate is in Ilfov County, near the capital city. The death toll is now over 23,500. Meanwhile, over 3 million vaccine doses have been given since the end of December to more than 2 million people.




    PROTESTS In Bucharest and several other cities in Romania protests continued on Wednesday, for the 4th night in a row, against the anti-COVID measures introduced by the authorities. Unlike previous nights, on Wednesday protests were more low-key. Participants chanted anti-government slogans, and demanded the lifting of restrictions such as mandatory outdoor face covering, online schooling and the closing of restaurants and gyms. The authorities argue however that the measures are necessary if the accelerated spread of the novel coronavirus is to be curbed.




    REPORT The US State Departments 2020 Report on Human Rights Practices points out that Romania lacks efficient mechanisms to investigate and punish police abuse, and many corruption or abuse cases end in acquittals. According to the document, charges of brutality and cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment, brought against several police and gendarme members, have been dropped. Violence against women and children is also a serious and continuing problem in Romania, the report also reads.




    INSTITUTE Bucharest celebrates today 100 years since the Cantacuzino Institute was founded under an order signed by King Ferdinand. Since 2017, the Institute has been subordinated to the National Defence Ministry. Over the years, the institution conducted research in microbiology and related fields, produced vaccines and serums and was involved in public healthcare. Cantacuzino Institute works with instituttes and universities around the world.




    ENVIRONMENT The US president Joe Biden yesterday put forth a USD 2-billion investment plan targeting among others the creation of jobs and fighting climate change. The American Jobs Plan is an investment in America that will create millions of good jobs, rebuild our countrys infrastructure, and position the United States to out-compete China, Biden said. According to the RRA correspondent in Washington, Bidens advisers say the pandemic changed the US citizens attitude regarding the role of the government, and created expectations of unprecedented investments in the reconstruction of the country.




    FOOTBALL Romanias football team lost to Armenia, 3-2, in Yerevan on Wednesday night. In the same group J of the World Cup qualifiers, North Macedonia defeated Germany away from home. The group also includes Iceland and Liechtenstein. With one win against North Macedonia and 2 losses to Germany and Armenia, Romania ranks 4th in the group standings, topped by Armenia and North Macedonia. Only the top team in each group moves up into the final tournament, and the second-ranking teams go into playoffs. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Support and recommendations from the European Commission

    Support and recommendations from the European Commission

    The EU Council has approved the rules for the implementation of a programme called SURE, through which Brussels supports the national governments active measures to boost employment. For Romania, the amount ranges between 3 and 5 billion euro, out of a total of 100 billion euro. Bucharest will have to come up with guarantees of up to 400 million euros, PM Ludovic Orban explained. On Wednesday, he announced several active measures to support the companies and employees affected by the economic situation triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.



    Ludovic Orban: “Furlough will be replaced by a measure to support employees returning to work, with the state covering up to 41.5% of gross salaries for each employee resuming work within a company. We will also cover up to 30% of the gross salary for the companies who hire people looking for jobs, for at least 3 months.



    More generous instruments to support employment for certain categories will also be developed. These categories include young graduates or people near the retirement age, whose employment is problematic. In the economic sectors where restrictions will remain in place after June 1, the state will continue to cover employees furlough.



    According to PM Orban, this is the case with 600,000 Romanians currently on furlough, and nearly 700,000 who will be jobless in the near future. Around 350,000 people have been made redundant, and a comparable number of Romanians have returned to the country and are looking for jobs here.



    The PM made these statements on the same day when the European Commission made public the country recommendations for Romania, based on its spring forecasts. According to the Commission, if Romania keeps its current policies, its budget deficit will be negative 9.2% of the GDP this year, negative 11.4% next year, and economic recession will hit.



    Bucharest is urged to avoid introducing permanent measures that would jeopardise the sustainability of public finances. The Commission also advises Romania to extend social protection measures and access to essential services. In order to mitigate the impact of the crisis on employment, recommended measures include supporting jobseekers in strengthening their digital skills and providing equal access to education. Not least, the report recommends direct support in the economy, benefiting households as well as companies, especially small and medium enterprises and self-employed workers.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Women’s economic empowerment

    Women’s economic empowerment

    The latest EU statistics indicate that gender gaps still exist in the economy. And perhaps the most painful aspects are the ones related to womens access to jobs and incomes. In 2017, in the EU, mens incomes were 16% higher than womens, whereas in terms of pensions the figure goes up to 37%. The statistics indicate that women are still in a more vulnerable economic position than men. The situation has barely improved in the 25 years since the UN adopted the Beijing Platform for Action, seeking to promote and protect the full enjoyment of all human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all women.




    For centuries, women have provided unpaid work, consisting in household and family responsibilities. The problem, obviously, is not that these activities should be remunerated, but that they should be shared, in a fair manner, by the two partners in a household, rather than being a burden for the women alone. But again, EU statistics clearly indicate an imbalance in this respect as well




    According to the most recent report made public by the European Institute for Gender Equality this month, the Gender Equality Index for the labour market stands at 72 points out of 100. In Romania, this indicator is below the European average, standing at 68 points. More specifically, the employment rate among women is 61%, as against 79% for men. On the other hand, Romania has the smallest salary gap, with men earning on average only 3% more than women.



    Not the same is true however when it comes to pensions. In 2017, mens pensions were 63% higher in the 65-79 age bracket. In fact, the economic situation of the elderly, irrespective of gender, was the topic of an analysis run by the Social Monitor, a project initiated by Friedrich Ebert Romania based on data provided by Eurostat. Victoria Stoiciu with the Ebert Romania Foundation told us more:



    Victoria Stoiciu: “According to Eurostat figures, in 2018 in Romania 36.7% of the citizens over 65 years were subject to poverty risks. And women were the most affected. As many as 43% of the Romanian women were in this situation in 2018, as compared to 19% of the men. In fact, this is the highest poverty level among the elderly since 2009, when the economic crisis was fully felt. And this is very alarming. Although many have criticised the pension increases of the past few years, arguing that the national economy is unable to sustain them, data show that all these increases still fail to keep up with the needs of the elderly, and that poverty in this category is on the rise.



    What could be the reasons for the gender pension gap in Romania? According to Victoria Stoiciu, they are not different from the ones at work in the EU as a whole:



    Victoria Stoiciu: “This situation is caused by the gender differences in the labour market in Romania, which in turn are the result of structural disadvantages that Romanian women face and which reflect in their incomes after retirement. What are these structural disadvantages? First of all, women are less likely to participate in the labour market. The ratio of women who are employed has been systematically lower than the number of employed men. This is in part rooted in the traditionalist view that women should stay at home and take care of the family. But even when they have jobs, women work for shorter periods, and their salaries are constantly lower. And this obviously leads to discrepancies in terms of pension levels, because benefits are based on the amount contributed during the employment years. On the other hand, this also affects womens capacity to save money during their active years. And all these factors add to each other and womens systematic discrimination in the economy is the most evident after retirement.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 18, 2019

    September 18, 2019

    DEADLOCK The Constitutional Court in Bucharest is to discuss today the notification filed by PM Viorica Dancila with respect to a possible conflict of powers, triggered by the Presidents refusing to appoint interim ministers. Last week President Klaus Iohannis announced he would not accept the reshuffling proposed by the Prime Minister, which he dismissed as “void and unsuitable. Last Wednesday Viorica Dancila sent the head of state a document nominating members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for the vacant positions in Cabinet after that party left the ruling coalition last month. Also today, the Social Democratic Partys National Executive Committee convenes to discuss the situation of the Cabinet, which has many minister positions still unfilled.



    VISIT The prime Minister of Romania Viorica Dăncila received in Bucharest today her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki, for a second round of inter-governmental consultations between the 2 countries. This is the second inter-government meeting after the one in Warsaw last May, and it takes place in the context of the celebration of a decade-long strategic partnership, of 3-decades long democratic regime and of a century of diplomatic relations. The members of the 2 governments will sign a memorandum of agreement in major sectors, including infrastructure, energy, transport, communications, digitisation, entrepreneurship and the management of European funds.



    FESTIVAL In Bucharest, classical music lovers are invited today to concerts with highly appreciated artists, as part of the George Enescu International Festival. Todays programme includes a concert of the Lille National Orchestra, conducted by Vlad Vizireanu, at the Romanian Athenaeum. The soloists, Sergey Khachatryan, on violin, and Timothy Ridout, on the viola, will perform George Enescus Chamber Symphony for 12 instruments, Johannes Brahmss Violin Concerto in D major and ‘Harold in Italy’ by Hector Berlioz. The George Enescu International Festival, with Radio Romania as a co-producer, will continue until September 22, bringing together 2,500 of the worlds most celebrated musicians in 84 concerts and recitals. Bucharest and other cities in Romania and in Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the Republic of Moldova are hosting performances as part of this years Festival.



    BILL A bill on the taxation of special pension benefits, introduced by the Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, has been passed by the Senate today after being approved by the budget committee on Tuesday. The document concerns a 30% tax rate on special pensions ranging between approx. 1,480 euro and 2,115 euro, and a 50% tax rate on pensions above this threshold. Senators also decided that country presidents emoluments in excess of roughly 1,480 euro should be subject to taxation. The bill will be sent to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision making body in this respect.



    EMPLOYMENT Most EU citizens working part time last year (26% of the total) said they could not find full-time jobs, while another 24% chose part-time work because they were looking after children or incapacitated adults, according to data released today by the European Statistics Office, Eurostat. The highest percentage of people who were working part-time in 2018 because they did not find full-time employment was reported in Greece (70%), Italy (66%), Cyprus (65%), Bulgaria (59%), Spain (56.5%) and Romania (54.9%). The lowest rates were reported in Estonia (6%), Belgium, the Czech Republic and Slovenia (7% each) and Netherlands (8%). Around one-fifth of the total number of employed EU citizens had part-time jobs last year, accounting for 31.2 million women and 9.5 million men.



    ISRAEL The Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his challenger Benni Gantz are shoulder to shoulder, with 32 seats each in the new Parliament, according to Tuesdays election results after counting over 92% of the votes. Israeli mass media note however that none of them has enough allies for a governmental majority. Israel Our Home party, whose 9 seats in Knesset make it indispensible for a ruling coalition, proposed a national unity government, but its leader Avigdor Lieberman is one of Netanyahus opponents. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, Israeli citizens would not agree to a new election campaign, and the countrys president vowed to avoid a third early election.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 18, 2019 UPDATE

    May 18, 2019 UPDATE

    NATO The North-Atlantic Alliances largest communications exercise Steadfast Cobalt 2019 begins on Sunday in Otopeni, near Bucharest. Taking part are over 1,200 Romanian and foreign military from 35 NATO IT&C structures, the Romanian Defence Ministry announces in a news release. Scheduled to conclude on June 2, Steadfast Cobalt 2019 is aimed at the joint training of troops in the provision of multinational support in NATO operations and at practicing the standard procedures required in order to ensure the interoperability of NATO human and technical resources.




    CYBER-CRIME The EU member states have adopted a mechanism enabling them to punish individuals or entities from outside the bloc that commit cyber attacks. It is for the first time that the EU responds to cyber attacks in this form. Under the new mechanism, Brussels will be able to introduce travel restrictions and to freeze the assets and accounts of suspected offenders.





    JOBS Rome is hosting until Sunday a job fair for the Romanians who seek to return to their home country. The executive president of the organising association, Casa România, Dorin Coman, explains that the project took shape after the organisation found out that Romania lacks 250,000 workers in constructions alone. According to him, an objective is to help Romanians come back home, to find accurate information about the developments in the country, about the jobs available and the salary level. Taking part in the fair are many Romanian companies, operating especially in the field of constructions. According to the Italian Statistical Institute, nearly 1.2 million Romanians were living in Italy in 2018.




    TRADE FAIR Romanian furniture producers are taking part for the 2nd consecutive year in the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York – ICFF, an American global design platform. Between May 19 and 22, Romanian companies will president their products alongside more than 900 other participants from 72 countries. The Romanian pavilion is organised by the Ministry for the business environment, trade and entrepreneurship, jointly with the Romanian Furniture Producer Association. According to the Ministry, in last years edition the quality, the environment-friendly raw materials used, the innovative finishing and diversity of styles brought Romanian producers contracts of around 1 million UDS.




    HANDBALL The mens handball team CSM Bucharest Saturday won the Challenge Cup, defeating the Portuguese side Madeira Andebol SAD in the decisive leg of the finals, 26-20. In the first leg, in Portugal, the 2 teams had drawn, 22-22. Challenge Cup is the 3rd-tier inter-club competition in Europe. The current Cup holders are Potaissa Turda, from north-western Romania. Another 3 Romanian teams have also won the trophy so far: CSA Steaua Bucharest (in 2006), CS UCM Reşiţa (in 2007, 2008, 2009) and HC Odorheiu Secuiesc (in 2015), while CSU Bucovina Suceava was a finalist in 2009. In womens handball, CSM Bucureşti was kicked out from the Champions League quarter-finals by the French team Metz, after having qualified into the so-called Final Four for the past 3 years, and after having won the trophy in 2016.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Women in the digital world

    Women in the digital world

    Romanian IT&C experts have long gained appreciation at home and abroad. They include a lot of girls and women who, in spite of the stereotype that women are not fit for technical professions, have been making a career in the field, even more so than in other states. For instance, according to the 2017 statistics of the US Company Hacker Ran, Romania ranks sixth, with a score of 164.9 in a top of women programmers’ performance.



    These data concur with those provided by EU institutions. According to Eurostat, Romania and Lithuania have the second largest share of women working in IT&C — 25.7% in 2017, while the European average is nearly 17%. Bulgaria ranks first, with women accounting for 26.5% of its IT&C employees. That is no wonder if we think of the development of education in the field, as Veronica Stefan, founder of the Digital Citizens Romania Association points out:



    Veronica Stefan: “We fare well especially as regards young women studying computing and taking their degree. We’re less successful in terms of women getting an MA or PhD degree, which means those young women don’t specialize at a higher level. But we do have women programmers, who develop various technological products. All in all, Romania has a large number of certified IT&C experts. Half of the high school computer science classes are made up of boys and half of girls. Our educational system encourages technical tuition and that is apparent in the big cities.”



    Nevertheless, it is difficult to say how many women working in the IT&C sector hold managerial offices or are mere employees. Furthermore, the IT market in Romania relies on outsourcing, with many companies producing and developing ideas that come from elsewhere. Moreover, few women are on the managing board of Romanian start-ups or who are managers of Romanian entrepreneurship projects.



    Veronica Stefan: “Women are team members but not necessarily team leaders. They are often members of the communication team, or of the team developing ideas. So when it comes to entrepreneurship, figures are below expectations. It is a good thing that 30% of girls and women work and study in the IT&C sector, but things are not as good as regards entrepreneurship.”



    Things aren’t better in this respect in the rest of the EU either. Gender equality experts say that the small number of women working not only in IT, but in technology and science in general, has to do with women’s self-confidence and with the aspirations instilled by tradition and education. Lina Salanauskaite, a researcher with the European Institute for Gender Equality in Vilnius, tells us more about it:



    Lina Salanauskaite: “If you look at the share of women in terms of ICT specialists in the EU, it is about 17%, and you see that this average across all EU countries is in this group that says table, which essentially means that in the last five years there was nothing changing. We also see that in a number of countries, despite this low share of women among ICT specialists, the number of women is even dropping. There are different reasons for why we have few women in ICT professions and they relate to larger differences of why there are few women in science and engineering professions and how the gender stereotypes walk across these things. But I wanted to point out to you about the aspirations. If you look at the age of 15, essentially it’s settled, so at the age of 15, from 3% minimum of teenagers — we take the whole population of teenage boys across the EU and ask — this was the survey done by the OECD- how many of them would aspire to become ICT professionals, and so from minimum 3% maximum 15% of teenage boys wanted to become ICT professionals. Then we look in terms of girls aspirations to become ICT professionals and we see that maximum of just above 1% in four countries we have girls that aspire to become ICT professionals. So girls are not even reaching the minimum aspirations of the boys currently. And this is one of the reflections where we show that this motivation, confidence, is not about digital skills, is not about math skills, or scientific skills, it’s more about how boys and girls see their future, where they see they can be strong, where they can have maybe a progression of career going forward, where they could be able to combine work and family, etc., so we see that the age of 15 is in a way divided.”



    Back to Romania, when it comes to specialising in ITC and in basic digital skills, such as using the computer or going online to create content, for information or for looking for a job, Romania is full of paradoxes, says Veronica Stefan:



    Veronica Stefan: “Although we now speak of how well we stand in the IT and digital sector in terms of the number or specialists, when we look at the overall population, statistics show we are at the bottom of the ranking. Around 30% of the general population has basic digital competencies, which puts us on the last place in the EU. We do very well in this respect in big cities like Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi, Constanta, Craiova, Sibiu and Brasov, but large parts of the population outside these cities simply lack these skills.”


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Palcu, Elena Enache)

  • November 16, 2017 UPDATE

    November 16, 2017 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis travels to Gothenburg, in Sweden, on Friday, to attend a social summit on fair jobs and economic growth. The event brings together EU heads of state and government, social partners and other key players. The summit consists of an introductory meeting and three other meetings focusing on specific themes that will discuss access to the labour market, the situation of the labour market and the transition between jobs. The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is to give a talk on the access to the labour market.




    NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION – The National Liberal Party, the main party in opposition in the Parliament of Romania, announced that it would table a no-confidence motion on Friday against the government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania. The Liberals main criticism against Mihai Tudoses Cabinet concerns the changes in the tax code. The new version of this law switches the responsibility for social security payments from employers to employees and cuts income taxes from 16 to 10%, as of January 1, 2018. Over the past few weeks, street protests have been held in Bucharest and other major Romanian cities against the governments plans to change the tax code and the laws on the judiciary. On the other hand, PM Tudose claims that the new fiscal reform would result in more money to the state budget and social security budget, and will reduce bureaucracy.




    JUDICIARY – The Constitutional Court of Romania postponed to next week the ruling on a notification filed by the Senate Speaker Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu with respect to an alleged conflict between the Government and the Public Ministry over government resolutions. The notification was tabled against the backdrop of an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, concerning 2 former members of the current Cabinet, namely the former deputy PM and minister for regional development Sevil Shhaideh, and former minister for European funds Rovana Plumb. They resigned a month ago, after being accused in this case. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate claims that in 2013 two plots of land in the Danube plains were illegally transferred, under a government resolution, from state property into the property of Teleorman County and the management of the Teleorman County Council. At that time, Shhaideh was a secretary of state with the Ministry for Regional Development, and Plumb was minister for the environment.




    EU AGENCY – The assessment made by the European Medicines Agency on its possible relocation from London to Bucharest exceeds its responsibilities, says the Romanian foreign ministry. The assessment made by the Agency, argues the Romanian ministry, should have only covered a number of specific aspects to facilitate a final assessment of the European Commission. The Romanian side is also unhappy with the content of the Agencys report. The winner of the bid to host the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the European Union will be announced on the 20th of November. Now based in London, the European Medicines Agency is considered one of most important of the European Unions 40 specialised agencies. It employs 900 people and receives visits from around 35,000 national regulation authorities and scientists every year given its essential role in approving new medicines on the European market. Bucharest has made a bid to host this agency along with other big cities in the EU.



    AUTOMOTIVE – The sale in Europe of Dacia cars made by Renault in Romania saw a 20.3% growth in October compared with the same month last year, while its market share grew from 2.6 to 2.9%, according to statistics made public on Thursday by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. In the first ten months of the year, deliveries of Dacia cars saw an 11.3% increase in Europe. The Dacia car factory was taken over by Renault in 1999. Relaunched in 2004 with the Logan model, Dacia has become an important player on the European car market.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu, Cristina Mateescu)