Radio România Internațional

Tag: Leipzig Book Fair

April 30, 2023

Farmers. Until May 11, Romanian cereal producers can submit requests for financial support to make up for the losses suffered due to cheap cereal imports from neighboring Ukraine. The total amount is approximately 20 million euros, half from the European Union budget, and the other from the Romanian state budget. On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv said that the limitation of Ukrainian grain imports into the Union countries was categorically unacceptable and that such restrictions would not be in accordance with the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU and with the principles and rules of the European single market. Previously, the European Commission announced that an agreement in principle had been reached to allow the resumption of the transit of Ukrainian grain through Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. In Bucharest, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has welcomed the agreement that provides for a new support package worth 100 million euros for the affected farmers and stressed that Romanias strictly European position was a correct and balanced one.

Aid. The Romanian Government has changed the method of granting the financial support offered by the Romanian state to Ukrainian refugees. As of May 1st, the money is allocated directly to the refugees, and not to the families that host them, as has happened so far. The aid will be offered unconditionally for one month only. In the next three months, Ukrainian refugees will have to get a job and enroll their children in school or kindergarten. From the 5th month, they can benefit from the help of the Romanian state only if they find a job.

May 1st. For the current May 1 mini-holiday, Romanians have chosen, as usual, the mountain resorts on Prahova Valey and the seaside resorts. The seaside festivals have attracted tens of thousands of young people from the country and abroad, and the accommodation units have reported an occupancy rate of over 90%. About 400 festivals, concerts, fairs and sports activities are scheduled in Romania these days. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced that approximately 24 thousand policemen, gendarmes and firefighters are on duty, throughout the country, to prevent and combat illegal acts, to ensure the flow of road traffic, as well as for the safe conduct of public events. Also, the Border Police has announced that all the necessary measures have been taken to ensure an effective control and reduce waiting times at the border, in particular the crossing points on the borders with Hungary and Bulgaria.

Book Fair. Today is the last day of the Leipzig Book Fair, in Germany, where Romania is present with over 150 new titles, but also with numerous events. Famous writers such as Mircea Cărtărescu, Gabriela Adameșteanu or Ioana Pârvulescu participated in the fair. According to the organizers, the 2023 edition has enjoyed great success especially because its been the first since 2019, because of the pandemic, and the public is particularly interested in getting back in touch with the world of books and their authors. About 2,500 exhibitors from over 40 countries presented their new editorial productions. This year, Austria was the guest of honor at the Leipzig Book Fair.

Strike. Nurses in Great Britain are going on a one-day strike today, following a disagreement with the government over wage increases. They are demanding 10% higher salaries while the health minister has offered five percent and refuses to negotiate. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in London, the strike seriously affects the medical system, as, for the first time, the nurses who work in intensive care or in other wards where vulnerable patients are cared for are participating in the protest. In the following days, teachers will also go on strike, demanding higher salaries. Other union protests will take place at the end of next week, when the coronation of King Charles III takes place. Traffic officers and those who ensure regular parking will be on strike during the coronation.

Handball. CSM Bucharest meets, today, away from home, the Danish team Esbjerg, in the quarterfinals of the Womens Handball Champions League. The return is scheduled for next Sunday, in Bucharest. The two teams have met 10 times since 2017. CSM has won 5 games, Esbjerg 3 and 2 games ended in a draw. Also in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, CS Rapid Bucharest takes on, on home turf, the Norwegian team Vipers Kristiansand. The return match is scheduled for next Saturday, in Norway. The Romanian national mens handball team plays, this evening, in Gummersbach, in Germany, against the team of Ukraine, the last match in Group 4 of the preliminaries of the European Mens Handball Championship – EHF EURO 2024. (MI)

30 April 2023
Anthology of Romanian Fiction gets published in Germany

The launch of an
anthology of Romanian contemporary fiction titled Das Leben wie ein
Tortenboden. Neue Rumanische Prosa (Life as a Cake Batter), recently
released by Transit Publishers in Berlin, was one of the highlights of the
International Book Fair in Leipzig, held over March 15-18, where Romania was
guest of honour. The anthology comprises Romanian contemporary texts published
between 2002 and 2014 by writers such as Gabriela Adameşteanu, Bogdan Costin,
Petru Cimpoesu, Adela Greceanu, Nora Iuga, Dan Lungu, Marin Mălaicu-Hondrari,
Ovidiu Nimigean, Ioana Pârvulescu, Marta Petreu, Răzvan Rădulescu, Adina
Rosetti and Lucian Dan Teodorovici. After the launch at the fair, the anthology
was also presented at the Romanian Cultural Institute headquarters in Berlin.

The texts were
translated as part of workshops hosted by the Romanian Cultural Institute in
cooperation with the Romanian Department of the University of Humboldt. The
workshops, which began in 2015 and were coordinated by translator Anke Pfeifer,
are aimed at shaping a new generation of professional translators of Romanian
and German. Another goal is to facilitate contact between Romanian writers,
translators and publishers in the German-speaking space, with a view to
promoting Romanian writers on the German book market.

Anke Pfeifer,
one of the editors of the volume, has a close connection with Romanian
literature. Her PhD thesis is titled Elements of the Picaresque in Romanian
Literature. She has given Romanian literature lectures at prestigious
universities and has written articles on Romanian literature, as well as
reviews of books translated into German. Anke Pfeifer believes the recently
released anthology of Romanian prose will provide German readers with an
overview of Romanian contemporary fiction. In an interview to RRI, Anke Pfeifer
explained how this anthology was born as a result of the workshops held by the
Romanian Cultural Institute in Berlin:

The Romanian
language workshops that I give are open to everybody. The participants are
usually Romanian language students, former students or native Romanian
speakers. But they are not designed as permanent courses. Two years ago there
was a translation workshop coordinated by translator Ewa Wemme, but the
participants only translated poetry. Then the Romanian Cultural Institute in
Berlin organised a new project, focusing on prose translations, with a view to
publishing an anthology. There were some texts by contemporary Romanian authors
already translated at the Humboldt University, but these were only 6 texts, not
enough for a volume. This is why myself and the other editors, and I would like
to mention Daniela Duca and Valeriu Stancu especially, chose a few other texts
as well. And the workshop participants, some of them students, translated the
respective works. Obviously, during our classes we discussed the translations
and decided on the final version. I can certainly say that it was a pleasure
and a challenge alike for us to translate these works. And of course, the fact
that they were supposed to be published in a volume was a great incentive for
translators.

Anke Pfeifer
also tells us that there were several stages in the compilation and editing the
contemporary Romanian prose anthology published by Transit Publishers:

Eight years
ago, professor Valeriu Stancu from the Romanian Language Chair of the Alexander
von Humboldt University in Berlin chose some Romanian texts that had just been
published. But it was actually the students who worked on the translation
proper that had the last say in the selection of the texts. They chose both
short prose pieces and excerpts from novels, by authors like Dan Lungu, Lucian
Dan Teodorovici, Bogdan Costin and Razvan Radulescu. We noticed that only male
writers had been chosen, and because contemporary Romanian literature also has
some very good women writers, in the second stage of the selection process we
picked texts written by women. Some of them are writers that are already known
in Germany, like Nora Iuga and Gabriela Adamesteanu, others are less frequently
translated into German, such as Ioana Parvulescu, Adela Greceanu and Adina
Rosetti. Our anthology was talked about in the media, for instance in the
publication Neue Zürcher Zeitung,
or in special shows devoted to the Leipzig Book Fair. Two weeks ago, at the
Romanian Cultural Institute in Berlin, we presented it to quite a large
audience. We are planning further presentations, in various cities in Germany,
Austria and Switzerland. And we hope many readers will show up in those cities
as well.

At the Leipzig
Book Fair, Romania was the guest of honour, and so were the Romanian literature
projects organised by our guest today, Anke Pfeifer:

At the Leipzig
Book Fair, readers were quite interested in Romanian literature. Romania
presented more than 40 translations, and the Romanian stand was constantly
swarming with people leafing through the books. People attended the presentations
given by the guest authors, as well as the debates concerning the Romanian
culture and literature. I believe this year’s fair and the newly released books
will be a good starting point for those who want to know more about the
Romanian literature. As far as I’m concerned, I’m planning a number of reviews,
one on a novel by Stefan Agopian that has just been translated into German, and
another one on a new book of poems by Ana Blandiana.

21 April 2018
March 11-16

IMF
recommendations for Romania

The International Monetary Fund recommends a
balanced mix of monetary and fiscal policies and support for investment, so
that Romania may be able to uphold the growth pace reported last year. An IMF
mission visited Bucharest this week. Fund officials met with Prime Minister
Viorica Dancila, highlighting the need to step up tax collection and maintain
public spending within sustainable limits. The Prime Minister said the economic
and fiscal measures adopted by the Government are viable, estimating an
economic growth of 6.1%, mostly based on investments made with EU funds. For
nearly two weeks the IMF made a comprehensive analysis of Romania’s economy, a
process that must be seen through every year in every EU Member State that has
no ongoing agreement with the IMF. Fund officials met with authorities,
representatives of political parties, trade unions, business associations,
academia and banks.

Fickle
weather across the country

The heavy rainfall and the massive snow
meltdown triggered by the unexpectedly soaring temperatures across the country
have caused a rise in the flow of several rivers in Romania. According to the
Interior Ministry, floods affected dozens of villages in various areas, the
most serious of which were reported in central Romania. Line Minister Carmen
Dan went to personally ascertain the damages, trying to convince the locals to
leave their homes until the danger has passed.

Regional
meetings in Bucharest

Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu
received his Bulgarian and Greek counterparts in Bucharest, Ekaterina Zaharieva
and Nikos Kotzias, respectively. The three held talks during the
Romania-Bulgaria-Greece trilateral meeting and discussed issues of strategic
regional relevance, such as the developments in the Western Balkans, the
eastern neighbourhood, the Black Sea area, the Danube Strategy and the
prospects of the Middle East peace process . The three ministers agreed that
community funds are grounded on the principle of European solidarity, and that
the future EU budget should be balanced and not sacrifice subsidies to
agriculture and cohesion. Also this week Bucharest hosted a meeting of NATO
Defense Ministers from nine former communist states. The Ministers agreed that
NATO’s eastern flank must be consolidated. Romania’s Defense Minister Mihai
Fifor said allied presence is robust alongside NATO’s entire eastern flank,
both in the northeast, in the Baltic States, as well as in the southeast, in
Romania and the Black Sea region. Bucharest and Warsaw are the engine of the
so-called B9 Initiative, which also comprises Bulgaria, the Czech Republic,
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Hungary. The Foreign Ministers of the
nine countries wanted to reach a common approach ahead of the NATO Summit
scheduled to take place in Brussels in July.

Solidarity with the United Kingdom

In a message launched on Wednesday, the Romanian Foreign
Ministry has expressed solidarity with the United Kingdom and firmly condemns
the use of a military-grade nerve agent on the territory of an Allied state.
The reaction comes after British Prime Minister Theresa May has said Moscow was
guilty of the poisoning, in south-western Great Britain, of the former Russian
double agent Serghei Skripal, of his daughter and of a British police officer.
Many voices of the international community have deemed Skripal’s poisoning as a
severe breach of international norms and agreements on chemical weapons.

A unionist wave is sweeping the Republic of Moldova

The number of communes and towns in the
Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian
speaking population) where mayors and local councils have adopted symbolical
declarations stating their wish to reunite with Romania has reached 120. These
local leaders as well as all those supporting the reunification idea are
expected in Chishinau this month, to attend a big people’s assembly to mark 100
years since Bessarabia united with Romania.
Initiated by the Alliance for the Centennial Anniversary, made up of
civic organisations from the Republic of Moldova, Romania and the diaspora, the
meeting is meant to reiterate their confidence that the Union is the only solution
to restoring historical truth, joining the EU and NATO, to ensuring welfare and
freedom. A province with a majority Romanian-speaking population and part of
the Tsarist Empire, Bessarabia united with Romania in the wake of WW I, on
March 27, 1918. The Soviet Union re-annexed it, in 1940, following an
ultimatum, and on part of its territory, the current Republic of Moldova was
set up.

Romanian
books in Germany

20 years on, since it was honorary guest
of the International Book Fair in Leipzig, in eastern Germany, Romania has
again enjoyed this status, this week. One of the oldest events of its kind in
the world, which promotes reading, has brought together over 2,500 exhibitors
from 48 countries. Visitors had the chance to meet Romanian writers who are
already well known in the German-speaking area such as Nora Iuga, Mircea
Cărtărescu, Norman Manea and Filip Florian, as well as budding writers like
Lavinia Branişte and Bogdan-Alexandru Stănescu.Over 40
translations from Romanian literature, most of them supported by the National
Book Centre with the Romanian Cultural Institute have been promoted.

17 March 2018
March 16, 2018

ARCTIC ULTRA – The Romanian Tiberiu Useriu, aged 44, last night won, for the third time in a row, the 6633 Arctic Ultra, the most difficult marathon in the world, organized in the polar circle area. The race started on March 8th, and Tiberiu Useriu managed to conclude it after 7 days and 5 hours. Another three Romanians participated in the marathon: Avram Iancu, the first Romanian to swim the English Channel, and also Florentina Iofcea and Polgar Levente. Unfortunately, all three of them had to pull out before the end of the race.

IMF – Jaewoo Lee, the head of the IMF Mission for Romania, together with Alejandro Hajdenberg, the Resident Representative for Romania, are today presenting the conclusions of the visit that IMF experts have paid to Bucharest for a week. The IMF recommends a balanced mix of monetary and fiscal policies and support for investments, for the growth rate registered last year to be maintained this year. During talks with Romanian officials, the international experts highlighted the importance of improving budget collection and maintaining expenditure within reasonable limits. Currently, Bucharest no longer has a financing agreement with the IMF, but the latter carries out an annual assessment of the Romanian economy. This is a surveillance exercise that all member states must undergo.

DNA – The Superior Council of Magistracy has published the motivation for the negative opinion it issued with regard to the Justice Ministers request to remove Laura Codruta Kovesi from the office of Chief-Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA). The Council states in the motivation that the request for dismissal made no reference to any violation of responsibility or to the managerial component targeted by the request. According to the prosecutors department of the Council, carrying out certain criminal procedures in a manner that is different from a previous interpretation of the Constitutional Court cannot be interpreted as a violation of responsibilities. The opinion issued by the Council of Magistracy is only advisory. According to the law, president Klaus Iohannis must make a decision with regard to Kovesis dismissal. He has stated though that both the National Anticorruption Directorate and its Chief Prosecutor have done a good job. We recall that Minister Tudorel Toader requested last month the removal of Laura Codruta Kovesi and presented 20 arguments to support his request. However, at the meeting of the Superior Council of Magistracy held two weeks ago, the Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi stated that the reasons invoked by Toader were unreal, ungrounded and unproven.

POVERTY – The risk poverty among the employed population in Romania was almost double in 2016 as compared to the EU average, according to data made public by Eurostat on Friday. Romania registered the highest rate in the EU (18.9%), followed by Greece, Spain, Luxembourg, Italy and Bulgaria. The lowest risk of poverty was registered by Finland, the Czech Republic, Belgium and Ireland. On the other hand, the annual inflation rate in the EU dropped in 18 member states, stayed flat in two countries, and increased in seven, including Romania. In Bucharest, data published earlier by the National Statistics Institute show that in February the annual inflation rate went up to 4.7%, from 4.3% in January 2018, against the background of consumption goods becoming more expensive. For the end of the year 2019, the National Bank of Romania estimates an inflation rate of 3.1%.

INVESTIGATION – British authorities have announced the resumption of investigations into a string of suspect deaths that have occurred in the past years on British soil, and also after the poisoning of the former Russian spy Serghei Skripal and his daughter. Great Britain, Germany, France and the US have issued a joint statement, saying that the only plausible explanation is Russias involvement. On the other side, Russia has termed the allegations a nonsense. The Salisbury attack will be the main subject on the agenda of the meeting that the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will have with the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Stoltenberg has stated that the incident is evidence of Moscows reckless behavior for years. The NATO report presented on Thursday states that Russia is the main threat to the organization, against the background of Crimeas annexation, the support provided to the separatists in eastern Ukraine, the military presence in Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, the interference in the Western Balkan area and the attempts to undermine democratic elections and institutions.

BOOK FAIR – As of today, Romania is one of the 45 participants in the Paris Book Fair, which has reached its 38th edition. Under the logo “Romania as you have never read it before”, the Romanian stand presents more than 50 recent titles and some 20 events, enjoying the participation of writers, translators, editors and diplomats. Also, Romania is a guest of honour at the International Book Fair in Leipzig, Germany, which started on Thursday. “Zoom in Romania” is the motto of Romanias participation, aimed at promoting Romanian contemporary authors in more than 70 events.

16 March 2018
March 15, 2018 UPDATE

CVM — EU officials on Thursday met in Bucharest with representatives of the Romanian judiciary, the Parliament and Government as part of the assessment mission within the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification. The assessment mission will come to an end on Friday. The Justice Ministry officials have pointed out that talks are focusing on the analysis of recommendations, on the criminal and criminal procedure codes, the civil and civil procedure codes, and on the development strategy of the judiciary. The MCV was introduced in January 2007 upon Romania’s and Bulgaria’s EU accession, to support the two countries in order to overcome shortcomings in the reform of the judiciary and the anti-corruption fight. The Romanian authorities would like the MCV to be removed in 2019.

Book fair — Romania is a guest of honor at the 2018 International Book Fair in Leipzig, Germany. ‘Zoom in Romania’ is the motto for the more than 70 events to take place at the fair at the Romanian pavilion and in other locations, meant to promote the Romanian contemporary writers. In his inaugural speech, Romania’s foreign minister reminded that Romania was also a guest of honor at the Leipzig book fair 20 years ago.

Berlin — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Melescanu, ended his two-day visit to Germany. His agenda, on Friday, included meetings with the president of the Committee for European affairs in the Bundestag and with the president of the foreign affairs committee in the federal parliament. The talks focused on bilateral cooperation, EU enlargement and challenges facing the EU.

Poisoning — Great Britain, Germany, France and the US on Thursday made a joint declaration in which they claim that Russia’s responsibility is the only plausible explanation in the case of the nerve agent attack against a Russian double agent and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury last week. The leaders of the 4 countries called on Moscow to provide all information related to its chemical weapons program Novichok, given that this is the first time when a nerve agent of military use is used in Europe, after WWII. The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, labeled the accusations as rude and ungrounded. Moscow announced it was preparing to reply after London’s decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats. NATO considers the incident a clear violation of international norms and agreements on chemical weapons and the EU leaders will discuss next week the poisoning of the former Russian spy. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced Romania’s solidarity with Great Britain.

Slovakia — The EU called on Slovakia to shed light on the assassination of the investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and to cooperate with the European Antifraud Office. The journalist was shot dead in February together with his girlfriend while he was conducting an investigation into a case of high-level corruption. In his last, unfinished article, Jan Kuciak wrote about alleged relations between Slovak politicians and Italian businesspeople suspected of links with the Calabria mafia. On Thursday the president of Slovakia accepted the resignation of PM Robert Fico, which he had handed in one day before, and announced early parliamentary elections for the second half of May. Previously, tens of thousands of people went out in the streets to protest against corruption and to ask for Fico’s resignation.

Flu — In Romania 101 people have died of flu, shows the National Center for Monitoring and Controlling Transmissible Diseases. As many as 1,200 cases of flu have been confirmed so far. The total number of acute respiratory infections registered last week exceed 140 thousand, 67% more than that reported in the same week of the past year.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, world’s no. 1, will play on Friday against Japanese Naomi Osaka (20 WTA) in the semifinals of the Indian Wells tournament in California, USA. The tournament has total prizes worth 8 million dollars. In the quarterfinals, Halep defeated Croat Petra Martic (51 WTA) 2-1 in the sets, while Osaka defeated in two sets Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic (5 WTA). Halep won the Indian Wells tournament in 2015. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

15 March 2018
March 11, 2018 UPDATE

POLITICAL PARTIES — The National Council of the National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, which convened in Bucharest on Sunday decided that the incumbent president of the country, Klaus Iohannis, be the party’s nomination for the 2019 presidential elections. The National Council also validated the proposal on nominating Liberal leader Ludovic Orban for the position of prime minister, if the National Liberal Party comes to power. Orban has announced his party will draft a governing program, based on a cabinet including 14-15 portfolios and not 28 as is the case now. In another move, on Saturday, the main party in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party, organised elections for the positions of executive president, secretary general and vice-presidents of the party. Following the elections, PM Viorica Dancila has become no.2 in the party led by Liviu Dragnea. Also on Saturday, the Political Committee of the Save Romania Union, USR, in opposition, decided to render more flexible the party joining procedure, with the declared aim that by 2020, USR should have branches in at least 80% of the country’s towns and villages.

FLU SEASON — In Romania, the number of flu-related deaths has reached 93, after three new deaths have recently been reported, the National Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control has announced. The latest flu victims are two women, aged 72 and 52, respectively, and a man aged 56, who had not been immunized. The total number of acute respiratory infections registered over the past week exceeded 140,000, that is 67% more than in the same week of 2017, and 4.5% more than in the previous week. 1,170 flu-cases were reported since the start of the flu season until last weekend.

STEEL AND ALUMINIUM TARRIFS — The US President Donald Trump says the EU might be exempted from paying the new US tariffs on steel and aluminium, if it removes commercial barriers imposed on American products. The announcement has been made by representatives of the Commission in Brussels who have also announced they have had an inconclusive meeting with Washington’s special enjoy. Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malstrom has said the US did not provide guarantees that the EU will be spared from paying the new customs duties. The introduction of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports announced by President Trump has generated strong international reactions. China has described the measure as a severe attack on the global trade system. Chinese associations have launched an appeal to the US, to give up on the idea. This has been a major promise made during Trump’s election campaign, and it is now a reality: in two weeks’ time, new tariffs will be imposed on all countries, except for Canada, the largest steel exporter to the US, Mexico and Australia. China and the EU have warned they will take measures in response to the move and numerous people voiced concern that this step taken by the US might actually be the start of a new protectionist era. According to Donald Trump, the measure allegedly protects the US national defence and security industry.

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA — The National People’s Congress, NPC, the Chinese legislative body, has adopted a constitutional amendment which abolishes the limitation of the number of presidential mandates, which gives the opportunity to the incumbent Chinese head of state, Xi Jinping, to lead the country post 2023, international news agencies report. So far, the Chinese Constitution has provided for a maximum of two 5-year presidential mandates. This is the first constitutional amendment adopted by China in the past 14 years. Since he came at the helm of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, and he became the head of state in early 2013, Xi Jinping, 64, has gradually increased his authority, laying special emphasis on propaganda and the state media’s coverage of his actions, FP reports.

BOOK FAIR — 20 years on, Romania will again be the honorary guest of the International Book Fair in Leipzig (eastern Germany), which will open its doors on March 15. Attending the fair will be the Romanian writers Mircea Cărtărescu, Nora Iuga, Andrei Pleşu and Varujan Vosganian. The Romanian Ministry of Culture will organise 60 events at Romania’s stand, whose motto is “Romania. Zoom in”. One such event is the concert given by Ada Milea, who will be performing songs on lyrics translated into German by the German writer of Romanian origin Herta Muller, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2009, a communiqué issued by the Romanian Ministry of Culture reads. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

11 March 2018
March 10, 2018

CONGRESS — Bucharest on Saturday is playing host to an extraordinary congress of the main ruling coalition party in Romania, the Social-Democratic Party. The Congress will occasion elections for the positions of executive president, secretary general and vice-presidents. The office of president, currently held by leader Liviu Dragnea, is not subject to vote, as all Social-Democratic branches across the country have expressed support for Dragnea. Running for the position of executive president of the party is Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, who enjoys the support of the Bucharest-Ilfov regional organization and that of party leader Liviu Dragnea. On Friday, the party’s National Executive Committee validated all the 24 candidacies submitted. Attended by 4,000 delegates from all over the country, the Congress is also expected to see the adoption of several governance resolutions.

VISIT — Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu met in Zagreb with high-ranking officials, agreeing to boost bilateral relations between the two countries. Minister Melescanu attended the opening ceremony for the Romanian Honorific Consulate in Split, which will help support the Romanian community in the area and all Romanian citizens visiting Croatia. The Romanian official told Radio Romania that Bucharest and Zagreb agree on several topics of EU interest, such as identifying a viable solution that should ensure the proper functioning of the EU post-Brexit.

MILITARY – Over 1,700 Romanian and foreign troops are taking part until March 15, in a large-scale multinational exercise, organized by the Romanian Navy, in Dobrogea (south-eastern Romania) and in the international waters of the Black Sea. Spring Storm 18 is based on a unique training concept which brings together the navy, air and land forces, as part of a NATO immediate assurance action plan adopted at the 2016 Summit. Romanian troops are training jointly with fellow military from the US, France and Bulgaria, and from partner countries like Georgia and Ukraine.

FLU — The Romanian National Public Health Institute announced another two people died to the flu virus, raising the death toll to 90 across Romania. Health Minister Sorina Pintea says there is no reason to declare an epidemic at this stage.

BOOK FAIR — Romania is guest of honor at the International Book Trade Fair in Leipzig, Germany. Attending the events are writers Mircea Cartarescu, Nora Iuga, Andrei Plesu and Varujan Vosganian. The Ministry of Culture and National Identity is organizing some 60 events at Romania’s pavilion under the motto “Romania. Zoom In”, including a concert by Ada Milea, with lyrics translated into German by Herta Muller, the Romanian-born winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009. The International Book Fair in Leipzig started on Friday and will close on Sunday and is aimed at promoting contemporary literature.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, the world’s no. 1 player, qualified to the third round of the WTA tournament in Indian Wells, US, after defeating Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Simona will next play Caroline Dolehide of the United States. Another Romanian, Irina Begu, was knocked out in the second round by Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, 7-6, 6-1. Sorana Cirstea will also play Venus Williams of the US in the second round.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

10 March 2018
March 9, 2018 UPDATE

FLU — The Romanian National Public Health Institute announced on Friday that another person infected with the flu virus died. The death toll has reached 88 in Romania. The last victim is a 17-year old with pre-existing health problems who had not been vaccinated against the flu. Health Minister Sorina Pintea says that we cannot speak of a flue epidemic yet.

VISIT – Romania’s Foreign Minister, Teodor Melescanu on Friday, during his formal visit to Croatia, met with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and with the head of Parliament, Gordan Jandrokovic. Highlighted at these meetings were the good bilateral ties, the similar opinion on regional, European and international matters and the wish to consolidate and diversify Romanian-Croatian cooperation. The Romanian and Croatian officials hailed the role that the Romanian community in Croatia and the Croatian community in Romania have in strengthening the bilateral ties. Minister Melescanu visited the Romanian Orthodox Church in Zagreb, a building the local Catholic Church has made available for the Romanian community.

DEFENCE – Romania’s Defence Minister Mihai Fifor and his Greek counterpart Panos Kammenos signed on Friday in Bucharest a cooperation agreement in the field of defence. Minister Fifor said that Greece is Romania’s major ally in the region. According to the Greek official, Romania and Greece have stepped up their relations both in bilateral terms and as partners within NATO and the EU. The two officials also tackled, among other things, the situation in the Western Balkans, the extended Black Sea area and the agenda of the EU summit in July.

MEETING – US President Donald Trump has accepted to meet his North-Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un in May, South-Korean authorities have announced. According to the White House leader, “great progress” had been made but there would be no prospect of lifting sanctions until a deal was reached. Trump has also said that the ample military manoeuvres with South Korea will not be suspended. In turn, the North-Korean leader has pledged to get involved in the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and to put and end to nuclear or missile tests. Japan’s Premier Shinzo Abe has hailed the change in North Korea’s attitude but specified that Washington and Tokyo will maintain maximum pressure on Pyongyang until concrete action is taken so that it may irreversibly scrap its nuclear programme.

BOOK FAIR — Romania is this year a guest of honour of the Leipzig Book Fair, the most important such event in Europe and one of the oldest in the world. The book fair kicks off on March 15. According to a release by the Culture Ministry, Romania’s participation in this event as a guest of honour mirrors not only the good Romanian-German cultural ties but also the prospects for the development of long-term projects in the cultural and academic fields. The Romanian-born German writer Herta Muller, a Nobel laureate for literature in 2009, will attend the event.

DRILL – Over 17 hundred Romanian and foreign servicemen are participating until March 15 in one of the biggest multinational drills staged by the Romanian Armed Forces in Dobrogea, south-eastern Romania, as well as in the Black Sea’s international waters. Spring Storm 18 exercise is based on a unique training concept during which naval, air and ground forces are carrying out amphibious and minesweeping operations in a landing area. The Romanian soldiers are training together with their counterparts from the allied and partner countries such as the US, France, Bulgaria, Georgia and Ukraine. (Translated by Elena Enache)

9 March 2018