Radio România Internațional

Tag: loan

  • October 22, 2024 UPDATE

    October 22, 2024 UPDATE

    Montenegro – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, will pay an official visit to Montenegro on Wednesday, at the invitation of his counterpart Jakov Milatovic. Talks between the two presidents will focus on political-diplomatic and defense cooperation, support for Montenegro’s European path and the main regional and global security challenges. As regards the sectoral areas of cooperation, opportunities for increasing investments and commercial exchanges and boosting contacts in the fields of energy, tourism, agriculture, internal affairs, research, education and culture will be addressed.

     

    Salaries – The Chamber of Deputies adopted, on Tuesday, as a decision-making body, a draft law that ensures a new mechanism for establishing the level of the minimum wage, according to the provisions of a European directive in the field. Employees have access to minimum wage protection, in the form of a legal minimum wage or in the form of decent wages and working conditions established under collective labor contracts, collective agreements or other written agreements. According to the bill, the gross minimum basic salary per country guaranteed in payment is established annually by Government decision and is applied from January 1 of the following year, with periodic updating once a year, after consultations with the representative trade union and employer confederations at the national level. The minimum gross basic salary per country guaranteed, in payment, established by Government decision can be granted to an employee for a maximum period of 24 months, from the date of conclusion of the individual employment contract.

     

    IMF – The International Monetary Fund has revised downwards the estimates regarding the growth of the Romanian economy this year, from 2.8% as forecast in April, shows the latest report published on Tuesday by the international financial institution. According to the IMF, after an increase of 2.1% last year, the advance of the Romanian economy will slow down to 1.9% this year, and will accelerate up to 3.3% in 2025. The institution also expects a continuation of the worsening of Romania’s current account deficit, up to 7.5% of the GDP this year. As regards inflation, the IMF forecasts that Romania will register an average annual price increase of 5.3% this year, followed by a 3.6% increase in 2025. As for the unemployment rate, the IMF estimates that it will remain stable, to 5.6% this year and to 5.4% next year.

     

    Moldova – The Romanian Foreign Ministry hails the organization by the Chisinau authorities, at high democratic standards, of the presidential election and the constitutional referendum of October 20 in the Republic of Moldova. The entry into the second round of the election, with a solid score, of the candidate with the most authentic and deep pro-European commitment, President Maia Sandu, as well as the result of the constitutional referendum, proves, despite the challenges, the citizens’ attachment to the European, democratic future of the Republic of Moldova”, reads a press release. Maia Sandu won the first round of the election and will face the candidate of the Socialist Party, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in the 2nd round. The referendum on the country’s EU accession passed with a difference of less than 12,000 votes. The EU and the White House welcomed the election results, while Moscow, accused of meddling in the election process, denied its interference and said that the elections had not been free.

     

    Loan – The European Parliament approved, on Tuesday, a loan of up to 35 billion Euros to Ukraine, which will be financed from the profits generated by the Russian assets frozen in Europe, AFP reports. The sum represents the EU’s contribution to the assistance package worth almost 45 billion Euros, agreed upon in June by the world’s major economies, gathered in the G7 group. The US, Canada, Great Britain and Japan are yet to decide to what extent they will participate in this loan. According to AFP, Russian assets worth around 280 billion Euros were frozen in the EU following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

     

    Visit – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, is paying a working visit to Turkey, in Istanbul, between October 22-24, at the invitation of his counterpart, Yaşar Guler. The two officials will have a bilateral meeting, during which they will discuss the results recorded since the implementation of the MCM Black Sea project and the necessary steps to follow in the creation of the military mobility corridor between Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, according to the Letter of Intent signed last week at Meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. On the sidelines of the visit, minister Angel Tîlvăr had a meeting with Haluk Gorgun, the president of the Defense Industry Agency (SSB) and participated in the SAHA EXPO 2024 International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition, a reference event in the field of defense and the aerospace industry organized at the Center Exhibition in Yeşilkoy, Istanbul.

  • Loan for modernizing the Army

    Loan for modernizing the Army

    Romania signed a loan agreement with the United States for the modernization of the Army. The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Government headquarters, in the presence of the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the US ambassador to Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, as well as the director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Michael Miller. 920 million dollars will allow both the strengthening of the defense capacity, by equipping the army with modern technology, and the development of the relevant national industry, said Prime Minister Ciolacu, underlining that this significant loan shows, at the same time, the trust and the status that Romania enjoys in the relationship with its strategic partner, the United States.

     

    Marcel Ciolacu: ʺToday Romania joins a very small group of key partner states of the United States that have so far benefited from this program developed through the US Fund for financing and I am glad that we will use this money both to strengthen Romania’s defense capacity by equipping it with modern technology, and to develop the local defense industry. We will develop new production capacities in Romania, we will create jobs for Romanians and we will become relevant again in terms of the production of military equipment at the regional level. At the same time, we will have access to state-of-the-art military equipment, which will help us work together with the United States and our NATO allies to strengthen collective defense and deter threats to Romania and the countries on the Eastern flank of the Alliance.ʺ

     

    In turn, Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec believes that the signed agreement is more than a financial one, it represents the strength and resilience of the bilateral partnership, as well as the joint commitment of the United States and Romania to ensuring peace, stability and security in the region. According to Mrs. Kavalec, in the 20 years of NATO membership, Romania has demonstrated countless times that it is a reliable ally and a pillar of stability along the eastern flank of the Alliance and in the Black Sea region. By offering American funds, Washington’s goal is to ensure that Romania remains at the forefront of innovation and military equipment for many years to come, which will equally strengthen bilateral economic relations, Kathleen Kavalec added. She also mentioned, in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Romania’s exemplary response, from hosting thousands of Ukrainian refugees to facilitating grain transit and training the Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. (LS)

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Romanian national football team has booked its ticket for EURO 2024. Head-coach
    Edward Iordănescu succeeded such a performance with a pool of regulars made of young
    footballers. Of them, only two footballers had been to a final tournament
    before, Denis Alibec and Nicolae
    Stanciu. We recall Alibec and Stanciu were under the helm of Edward
    Iordanescu’s father, Anghel Iordanescu, at the 2016 edition of the European
    Championship hosted by France. Today’s generation of important national team
    footballers ok shape in 2019 when Romania’s national U-21 team reached as far
    as the semifinals of the European Championship, jointly hosted by Italy and San
    Marino. Ianis Hagi is one of the leaders of this generation. We recall Ianis is
    currently a midfielder for Spanish first-league team, Deportivo Alavés. ON
    Saturday, Ianis Hagi sealed the fate of the match pitting Romania against Israel,
    scoring the winning goal for his team. Romanian national squad’s 2-1 win
    against Israel sent the team to the EURO 2024 one round ahead of the
    preliminaries’ final stage.


    Reason enough for Radio Romania International to
    designate Ianis Hagi the Athlete of the week.


    In Hungary’s Felcsút, the locality that played host to
    Romania’s match against Israel, Ianis Hagi was on the pitch from the very first
    minute of play. When the score was 1-all, Ianis Hagi shot the ball inside
    Israeli’s box in minute 63, scoring the winning goal for his team. Immediately
    after he scored, Ianis was replaced by Florinel Coman. The score stayed the
    same until the end of the match. Here is what Ianis Hagi stated after the match
    We met our set target. That’s what we worked for. That’s what we wanted for
    ourselves, right from the start and I believe we fully deserved out ticket for
    EURO.


    Ianis Hagi is the son of one of Romania’s greatest footballers, Gheorghe
    Hagi. He was born on October 22, 1998, in Istanbul, Turkey, at the time when
    his father was signed up by Galatasaray. He began playing football with the
    Gheorghe Hagi Academy in Ovidiu, a locality in the vicinity of Romania’s main Black
    Sea harbour, Constanta. In 2014, Ianis
    Hagi made his debut in Romania’s League one, also under the helm of his father,
    being signed up by Viitorul Constanta. Ianis Hagi’s career includes stints with
    Fiorentina, in Italy, with Genk, in Belgium and with Scottish team Glasgow Rangers.
    Ianis Hagi is still under contract with Rangers, but he has been on loan for Alaves
    since this summer. Ianis Hagi made his debut with Romania’s national team in
    the autumn of 2018. We recall that back then Romania secured a 3-nil win against
    Lithuania, in a League of Nations match.

  • The status of real-estate property in Romania

    The status of real-estate property in Romania

    The information, albeit incomplete, is
    interesting with respect to lodgings, as it was revealed by the population
    Census carried in 2021. Such pieces of information carve out an image of our
    country caught between two extremes: at the lower end of the scale, a great
    many localities are abandoned, especially in the countryside, where the houses outnumber
    the inhabitants proper, while at the upper end of the scale we have the urban, extremely
    crowded areas, and where we have fewer lodgings as compared to the number of citizens.
    Concurrently, even though Romania has probably the greatest number of real estate
    property owners across Europe, it fares poorly with the respect to the quality of
    lodging. The concentration of the population in the big cities and on their outskirts
    can be explained by the employment opportunities, educations and ways of
    spending the leisure time the urban areas offer to those interested. As for the
    depopulation of villages, it can also be explained through the demographic
    decline but also through peoples’ migration to regions capable of offering, potentially
    at least, a better life. Or at least that is the conclusion of the Associate Professor
    with the Geography Faculty Bogdan Suditu, who is also the president of Bucharest
    Municipality’s Technical Town-Planning Commission.


    It is a trend that has been
    on the rise after 1990 and even more, after 2000. The rural regions lose
    population or the population is ageing, while many villages do not have any
    population at all, any longer. Furthermore, there is this trend of youngsters
    to migrate to the cities that, on one hand, have employment opportunities and,
    on the other hand, education-related or professional training opportunities. I
    also used the data provided by the census and the situation is quite worrying. I
    should like to point to the fact that of 3,181 administrative-territorial
    units, a mere 77 of them have more than 25,000 inhabitants, which is very
    little. Meaning that 2.4% of the administrative-territorial
    units     have a reported number of inhabitants exceeding 25,000. But I will also
    hit the other extreme. We have 2,501
    administrative-territorial units, that is 78% of Romania’s administrative-territorial
    units with less than 5,000 inhabitants. We sometimes have situations where the
    number of employees in the municipality is not greater than the active
    population of those commune. Indeed, we have hit upon two extremes where, on
    one hand, the population is concentrated in the big cities, Bucharest, Constanța, Timișoara, Iași,
    Craiova, Cluj and the metropolitan area of those cities is developing, while on
    the other hand we have a great many administrative-territorial
    units that stand to lose. We have, in Romania, a commune with 88 inhabitants. We’re
    speaking about Batrana in Hunedoara County.


    There is nothing
    new about the situation reported for 2021; similar facts had also been reported
    ten years ago, at the previous census. For instance, in 2011 they found out 129 villages had zero inhabitants and, following a calculation
    system where, for the reported figure they took into account the overall number
    of rural localities, the conclusion was that 2,000 villages had less than 100
    inhabitants. Waiting for the complete data, we presume that in 2021, the phenomenon
    has been more intense. What
    can be done to improve the condition of the people living in those deserted
    areas, but also that of those living in the over-crowded neighborhoods?

    Bogdan
    Suditu:


    There
    is a National Lodging Strategy which was officially approved last year and that
    is a very good thing. Its targets mainly consider the vulnerable groups and
    equally the improvement of access mechanisms to a decent lodging, whether we
    speak about a rented place or about private property. Obviously, it is a national
    strategy focusing on what the Government can do, yet it
    also sets the framework for the cooperation with the public local authorities. The scourge of the demographic decline has not
    hit Romania alone. There are many other countries facing similar problems. The
    mechanism the Government has come up with, the ensuing strategy, target the improvement
    of mechanisms, so much so that, on one hand, in the big cities and in the
    crowded areas, the lodgings stock should develop, while, on the other hand, it
    is obvious that lodgings can also be built in the rural regions, but there we
    still need to see for whom exactly that can be implemented. If Romania draws population,
    or migrants, they’re highly unlikely to head for the rural regions. So what can
    we do? We need to improve, meaning we need to use the existing resources more
    efficiently. For instance, instead of having five schools in a rural area hit
    by depopulation, one such school will just do, a school with good teachers,
    where children from remote villages can be fetched with a school bus made
    available by the town hall. It is one of the solutions that can be implemented and
    it really is implemented, in some cases, so that people’s living standards can
    be improved and they do not have to leave any more.


    As for overcrowding, in
    2020, 45% of Romanians lived in overcrowded lodgings,
    with the reported such percentage being the highest in the EU. It is, obviously,
    an average percentage, Bogdan Suditu explained. He went on to say the
    phenomenon is typical for the big cities, but also for the smaller ones. It
    mainly takes into account the stock of lodgings built during the communist era
    and where, as we speak, lodgers of several generations bundle in. Bodgan Suditu:


    There are
    still very many people, in Romania, who are very close to retirement or who have
    just retired, who still live in the apartment they moved into 30-40 years ago, where they raised their children, but the latter
    are gone, while the elderly stayed. So such a situation is a reality of the big
    cities and we should be concerned about that, we need to find solutions
    tailored to the new circumstances, as the elderly inhabiting such very big lodgings,
    that does not mean they have a better living standard, since the maintenance
    costs for such lodgings are very high. And obviously, for some, they have a
    large and fine lodging, yet it is very costly as compared to a retired person’s
    incomes.


    Paradoxically, Romania
    is also the European country with a great number of real estate property owners, the Romanians
    opting for buying their own house or flat rather than paying a rent for their
    lodging. But what are the consequences of that? Bogdan
    Suditu attempts an answer:


    We become owners at a very,
    very high cost. The idea of ownership and the safety ownership brings with it, that
    is a very good thing. Unfortunately, the idea of owning a lodging, apart from
    the costs we’ve spoken about, it comes with very many barriers related to mobility. The moment you purchased the apartment on loan, it is all too clear you are not
    going to move out very easily, even if you may find out after a month, or a year,
    that your neighborhood falls short of certain utilities, After one, two or
    three years, when you have children and you find out there is no nursery school
    in the neighborhood you moved into, it is going to be pretty hard, since you
    contracted a real estate loan and therefore you have no choice other than living in
    a neighborhood on the outskirts of
    Bucharest, Cluj or Iasi, it will be difficult for you to find someone else who
    is willing to buy it so you can find a lodging which is closer to the nursery
    school or closer to a park and suchlike.


    The need for safety provided by having a
    property of your own, that need is still great for the Romanians. Yet the stock
    is very limited of the built lodgings if such a need is to be catered for, a
    need which sometimes is in contradistinction with another one: the need for
    mobility.

  • EU money for Romania’s infrastructure

    EU money for Romania’s infrastructure


    Romania is set to receive the first payments under the
    Recovery and Resilience Facility, intended for the country’s economic recovery. The European Commission has authorized
    the first disbursements in the grant and the loan components of the plan. The
    decision means EUR 2.6 bln coming Romania’s way.


    Bucharest had applied for
    these first payments in May, after meeting the 21 targets and milestones
    related to the 4th quarter of 2021. In September, the European
    Commission’s assessment of these targets was endorsed and forwarded to the
    Economic and Financial Committee, which also approved it.


    At the time, the
    president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said the positive
    assessment had been prompted by good and quick progress in implementing the
    first set of reforms and investments under the Plan.


    This is a moment that
    confirms the government’s consolidated effort, which translated into the
    meeting of the targets and milestones undertaken by Romania for the last
    quarter of 2021 and into reforms of major importance for our country,ˮ the
    minister for European projects and investments, Marcel Boloş, said.
    Realistically speaking, it is only the beginning of a long road ahead of us,
    but one which, if key aspects in the Plan are completed, will result in
    boosting the economy and in generating a solid multiplier effect for
    investments in motorways, railway infrastructure, schools, hospital
    infrastructure and everything related to the strengthening of the Romanian
    economy,ˮ Marcel Boloş added.


    The next payment
    application will amount to a total EUR 3.2 bln, for which over 50 targets will
    have to be met, related to the first half of this year.


    Under the Recovery and
    Resilience Facility, Romania can benefit from nearly EUR 30 bln. For the
    implementation of its national plan, Bucharest has already cashed in 2
    pre-financing instalments totalling around EUR 3.8 bln.


    In related news, the
    minister for European projects and investments stated last week that he hoped
    the European Commission would endorse all the 8 regional operational programmes
    by November, which would be a turning point in that it would be for the first time that local
    authorities will make independent decisions on how to spend these EU funds. Marcel Boloș pointed out that half
    of the 8 programmes for the 2021-2027 financial cycle have been approved, and
    that they amount to a combined EUR 11 bln. The EU money for the regional
    programmes may be used up until 2030. (AMP)

  • August 4, 2022 UPDATE

    August 4, 2022 UPDATE


    INTEREST The 3-month ROBOR index, based on which the cost of consumer loans in lei with variable interest is calculated in Romania, rose on Thursday from 8.05% to 8.11% per annum, the highest level in the last 12 years. In early 2022, the index was 3% per year. Rates on mortgage loans and “First house” loans have increased by 50% since the beginning of the year and almost doubled as compared to a few years ago. IRCC, the reference index for consumer loans, is 2.65% p.a., up from 1.86% three months ago. In the last three months, more than 10,000 beneficiaries of the “First house” programme have requested to switch from ROBOR to IRCC for calculating loan interests.



    AIR FORCES As of August 4, the Canadian Royal Air Force is conducting an air policing mission in Romania. According to the defence ministry, a unit of 180 troops and 6 CF-188 Hornet aircraft, will operate under NATO command in the next 4 months, jointly with Romanian Air Force units, while another 2 aircraft will take part in drills organised jointly with NATO allies. This is the 6th rotation of Canadian troops at Romanias Mihail Kogălniceanu air base since 2017. Canadian forces were also deployed in Câmpia Turzii in central Romania in 2014. The presence of the CF-188 Hornet aircraft in Romania is part of the action plan for ensuring NATO operational capability in the eastern flank, and proves the Alliances unity and determination in response to recent security challenges, the Romanian defence ministry said.



    COVID-19 Three military hospitals in Romania have reopened wards for treating COVID patients. In Sibiu (centre), patients have five beds available, with another five available in Cluj Napoca (north-west). The Emergency Military Clinical Hospital in Timisoara (west) also reopened the Modular Medical Isolation and Treatment System, where patients have already been admitted. More than 4,000 people infected with coronavirus are currently hospitalised in Romania, and the number of those in Intensive Care is around 300. On Thursday, more than 8,600 new infections with SARS-COV-2 were announced in 24 hours. The authorities also reported 27 deaths.



    TAIWAN The Chinese army Thursday fired missiles towards the Taiwan Strait, shortly after the start of military drills around the island, France Presse and Reuters reported. China initiated large-scale live-fire drills around Taiwan in response to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taipei. Pelosi is the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in the last 25 years. She assured Taipei of the USs commitment to supporting the democracy of the self-governed island claimed by Beijing. Taiwan has condemned the Chinese drills.



    UNTOLD Cluj-Napoca, in north-western Romania, is hosting until August 7 the UNTOLD electronica festival, currently at its 7th edition. For the opening night on Thursday, the organisers have brought to Romania, for the first time ever, a unique show by the German DJ and producer duo Claptone and 100 dancers and animators. The crowd will be welcomed by fantastic characters, international acrobats, animators, cheerleaders, dancers from Romania, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and Ukraine, with parades, fireworks and laser shows. UNTOLD takes place in several locations, with the main stage placed in the Cluj Arena. The line-up includes the worlds best DJs, and the organisers expect nearly 400,000 people to attend. UNTOLD is one of the largest music festivals in the world. (AMP)

  • Decisions on European money

    Decisions on European money

    The European money is waiting to be used, after the Romanian Government has approved the emergency decree allowing access to a loan worth almost 15 billion Euros granted by the European Commission under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. More than 29 billion Euros, of which over 14 billion represent a grant and about 15 billion a loan, will be made available to Romania through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. During his recent visit to Brussels, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă discussed with European officials about how this national plan, supported by European funds, will become a reality. Nicolae Ciucă has announced in Brussels that the government will soon create a structure to monitor, coordinate and verify the way in which this European instrument will be used.



    According to the Finance Ministry, the loan from the European Commission will be used to achieve three major goals. To finance the reforms provided in the National Recovery Plan, to cover the state budget deficit and to refinance the government public debt. The money will be transferred in 10 installments, until December 31, 2026, as the objectives that Romania has assumed are gradually fulfilled and the investments associated with the loan are made. Each money transfer, including the pre-financing, shall be granted on favorable terms at the cost level of the European Commission. The loan will be paid back over the next 30 years, in equal installments, with a 10-year grace period. “I want Romanians to know what happens with the loans we take; I believe that they have this right, given that it’s them who will support the loan reimbursement. I will do my best to ensure that every Euro borrowed is put to work and contributes to the development of the country and the improvement of peoples lives “, the Finance Minister, Adrian Câciu underlined.



    On the other hand, the European Commission has proposed three new taxes in the Community bloc. Over the next few decades, they are going to allow for the reimbursement of funds collected by the EU to finance the NextGenerationEU grant component, the Unions economic recovery package meant to support Member States affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The first tax is based on revenue from trading emission certificates. The second tax is based on the resources generated by the mechanism proposed by the EU to adjust carbon dioxide emissions at the border, the so called CBAM — Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The Commission proposes the allocation of 75% of the revenues generated by this border adjustment mechanism to the EU budget. The third tax is based on the share of residual profits of multinationals that will be reallocated to EU Member States under the recent OECD agreement on reallocating taxing rights. In the period 2026-2030, it is estimated that these new sources of revenue will generate a total of up to 17 billion Euros annually for the EU budget. (LS)

  • April 1, 2020

    April 1, 2020


    ANALYSIS -
    President Klaus Iohannis is today chairing a meeting aimed at analyzing and presenting
    public safety and order measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Taking part are Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, Interior Minister Marcel Vela,
    Defense Minister Nicolae Ciuca and State Secretary with the Interior Ministry,
    Police Chief Bogdan Despescu. Authorities report 2,245 infections with the new
    coronavirus and 85 deaths. 220 people have recovered. Prosecutors have launched
    a criminal investigation into several irregularities reported at the Suceava
    County Hospital in Suceava, the only county where total quarantine has been declared
    and where a large number of medical staff and patients have tested positive for
    COVID-19. A third of the total number of people who died to the virus were from
    Suceava.




    UNEMPLOYMENT
    – Businesses, self-employed people and other types of employees can apply for
    technical unemployment starting today. Labor Minister Violeta Alexandru made a
    series of declarations regarding the two decrees regulation this field. The
    state will thus pay 75% of the average gross salary, namely no more than 475
    euros. The measure is in place only during the state of emergency. Athletes are
    also eligible for this type of unemployment benefits. All the related documents
    will be filed online.




    LOAN – The
    Finance Ministry has taken out a new loan worth 415 million euros on the local
    markets. Finance Minister Florin Citu says the money will be used to pay
    salaries, pensions, social welfare benefits and VAT refunds. Financial
    institutions have provided the state with funds after a period when cash
    withdrawals, from both the population and businesses, have doubled compared to
    December 2019. The National Bank says this represents the peak of financial
    tensions caused by the coronavirus crisis.




    INDUSTRY -
    The Romanian pharmaceutical industry will report a record high turnover in 2020,
    an estimated 14 billion euros, in the context of the growing demand of
    medication and sanitary equipment generated by the coronavirus pandemic, reads
    a recent study conducted by KeysFin, one of the country’s top business
    information providers. According to estimates, the economy will drop in 2020 by
    as much as 7%. Still, the pharmaceutical industry, which has been reporting
    constant growth in the last 10 years, will be one of the privileged sectors in
    the current context, alongside the food, IT&C and agriculture industries,
    as well as energy, natural gas and water supply providers. Some 170
    manufacturers of medicine and pharmaceutical gear are certified in Romania, in
    addition to 6,500 retailers and wholesalers trading these types of products.








    CORONAVIRUS
    IN EUROPE – The COVID-19 pandemic has
    killed over 30,000 people in Europe, of which two thirds in Italy and Spain,
    France Press quotes information released by national authorities. France is the
    country with the third-largest number of victims. Europe is the continent most
    affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Commission has proposed the disbursement
    of an additional 75 million euros to support operations aimed at repatriating
    European citizens and increasing the reserve budget for the purchase of medical
    equipment. The Commission is considering an adjustment of the said budget.
    Since the start of the pandemic, some 2,300 EU citizens have been repatriated
    from China, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Tunisia, Georgia, the
    Philippines and Cape Verde. Another 80 similar flights are scheduled for the
    coming days.


    STUDY – Isolation and other measures adopted to avert the
    COVID-19 pandemic from spreading have saved the lives of some 59,000 people in
    11 European countries, researchers with the Imperial College in London have
    revealed. The measures taken under advisement are quarantine for the sick, the
    closing-down of schools and universities, banning public gatherings, social
    distancing measures and general isolation. Italy, the first country to introduce
    strict measures and where the pandemic has reached its peak, some 38,000 lives
    were saved due to the decision to impose total quarantine, the study reveals.
    Next on the list is Spain with 16,000 lives saved, followed by France with
    2,500 lives saved, Belgium with 560, Germany with 550, the UK with 370,
    Switzerland with 340, Austria with 140, Sweden with 82, Denmark with 69 and
    Norway with 10 lives saved. Researchers say that any more deaths will be
    averted by keeping interventions in place until transmission drops to low
    levels.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • February 24, 2018 UPDATE

    February 24, 2018 UPDATE

    EU BUDGET – EU funding, particularly the cohesion and the agriculture funds, might be lowered by up to 15% in the next EU multi-annual budget, beginning 2020 when the UK will no longer be a member. The announcement was made by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, at the end of an informal meeting of EU leaders. He added that 15 out of 27 member states were willing to raise their national contributions to the common budget. President Klaus Iohannis said at the meeting that Romania was open to the idea of contributing more than 1.1% of the GDP instead of 1%, so that the current levels of the cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy funding be maintained, which countries like Romania need in order to bridge the gaps in social and economic development compared to Western Europe. EU leaders have agreed that the Union must spend more on defence and security, for the Erasmus education programme and for curbing illegal migration. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has announced that EU leaders are willing to step up negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework, but that an agreement is unlikely to be reached this year.



    GRECO – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, this week had a meeting in Bucharest with a delegation of the Group of States against Corruption – GRECO, which traveled to Romania for an emergency assessment of the new justice laws in respect of the fight against corruption. The talks focused on the amendments to the justice laws and the practical consequences that they may have on the judiciary. The GRECO team also had meetings with representatives of other governmental agencies, the legislative power and the judiciary, as well as of relevant NGOs. GRECO said, at the end of the talks in Bucharest, that those in charge of investigating, prosecuting and trying corruption offences should benefit from adequate independence and autonomy, including in terms of disciplinary mechanisms. The delegation recommended that Bucharest requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the planned judicial reform.



    EDUCATION – Over 70 foreign education institutions are attending this weekend the 28th World Education Fair in Bucharest. Last year over 6,000 young Romanians chose to further their education abroad. Most of them went to Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain.



    THE FLU – In Romania, 53 people have died from the flu this season, according to the latest report issued by the National Infectious Disease Monitoring Centre. The number of cases exceeds 800, with most of the flu patients reported in the capital city Bucharest, followed by the counties Constanta (south-east), Olt (south), Braşov (centre) and Iaşi (noth-east). The Healthcare Minister, Sorina Pintea, says we cannot speak about flu epidemic in Romania at the moment.



    LOAN – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is giving out a loan of 60 million euro for the construction of a new gas pipeline crossing Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria (the BRUA pipeline), to support the regional European energy markets, the international financial institution announced in a news release. The funds will be given to Transgaz, the company building the Romanian segment of the gas pipeline. Totalling 1,318 km in length, the new European gas corridor will ensure better interconnection of the countries on its route, and will support the energy market enabling new connections with major infrastructure projects. The deputy PM Viorel Ştefan says the signing of the loan agreement between the EBRD and Transgaz on Friday in London is a confidence signal sent to investors with respect to business opportunities in Romania.



    MILITARY – The Kandahar military base in southern Afghanistan Saturday hosted a ceremony to transfer authority from the Romanian Battalion 280 Infantry, Fearless Hearts, to Battalion 30 Mountain Troops, the Carpathian Eagles. For one month, the members of the two task forces conducted joint missions to enable the Mountain Troops to take over each segment of the theatre of operations. Among other things, the Romanian military are conducting land patrol missions on an area of 1,200 sq km, assisted by drones operated by the American partners and working together with the Afghan forces. Kandahar is Afghanistans second-largest town after the capital city Kabul. The area managed by the Romanian troops is densely populated, and threats are significant, the Radio Romania envoy reports. Analysts expect this summers parliamentary election to strengthen the Taliban presence in the region. A suicide attack by the Islamic State group in Kabul has killed 3 and wounded 5 people on Saturday.



    EUROVISION – Romanias representative in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest held in Portugal will be chosen by the public on Sunday, by televoting. Fifteen songs will be competing in the final in Bucharest. The motto of this years edition was ‘Eurovision unites Romania!’. The Eurovision is an international music competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union, the largest association of public television broadcasters in Europe, and has been aired for 60 consecutive years. Romanias best performances so far have been the 2 third places (in Kiev, 2005, with Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem and in Oslo, 2010 with Paula Seling and Ovi) and a 4th place won by Mihai Trăistariu in 2006, in Athens.




    COLD WAVE – Weather experts warn that Romania will be facing a cold wave for several days. Temperatures are expected to go down to lows of 20 degrees below 0, and stay at levels 10-15 degrees Celsius below multi-annual average figures. Strong winds will be adding to the low temperatures, while snowfalls will be reported mostly in the south, centre and south-west of the country. The cold front will be in place until around March 1st.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • April 26, 2016 UPDATE

    April 26, 2016 UPDATE

    ABU – The 4th edition of the ABU Radio Song Festival was held in Beijing, China. This event, organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, is the Asian equivalent of the Eurovision Song Contest, but it only addresses radio stations. A special guest of the festival this year was Romania’s representative, Analia Selis. The festival marks the end of this year’s Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Conference. On the sidelines of the Festival was held the Media 2020 Conference, organised by Radio Romania and Radio China International. The Conference focused on the need to further maintain the relevance of radio, by adjusting its content. An example of how to use radio to promote culture was offered by Radio Romania’s President and Director General, Ovidiu Miculescu, who talked about the Gaudeamus International Book Fair.




    SURGERY – On Tuesday, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis was operated on his right shoulder at the “Dr. Carol Davila” Military Hospital in Bucharest. The surgery went well and the President will resume his duties as of Wednesday.




    ELECTIONS — In Romania, April 26 was the deadline for parties, election alliances, ethnic minority organisations and independent runners to submit their candidacies for the local elections. Candidacies may be challenged until May 1, and remain final as of May 4. The election campaign begins on May 6 and ends on June 4, one day before the elections. Competing in the local elections are established political parties like the Social Democrats, the Liberals, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats or the People’s Movement Party, as well as many new parties, given that as of last year the Romanian legislation allows for political parties to be set up by at least 3 members. It is for the third time since 1989 that a technocratic government organises elections in Romania, after the Theodor Stolojan Cabinet in 1991-1992, and the Mugur Isărescu Cabinet in 1999-2000.




    NEGOTIATIONS — The authorities in Bucharest carry on talks with trade unions on a new emergency ordinance concerning salaries in the public sector. The Labour Minister, Dragoş Pîslaru, has announced that the priority in these negotiations is to do away with imbalances in the system. The order on public sector salaries is to be subject to public debate starting mid-May and to take effect as of June 1. In the last three-party meeting, the main trade union federations demanded an increase of all public sector salaries, instead of only the smaller ones, as the Government intends, and warned that otherwise protests might be resumed.




    LOAN — The Romanian Senate endorsed a law concerning a 150 million euro loan to be granted by Romania to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, for the financing of the country’s budget deficit. Last November, the law was sent back to Parliament by President Klaus Iohannis, against the backdrop of political tensions in Chisinau and of uncertainties related to the implementation of the reforms. The loan is to be transferred in maximum three instalments.




    COLECTIV — The interim Prosecutor General of Romania, Bogdan Licu, announced the opening of a criminal investigation into the leaking of information in the Colectiv case, after a few days ago the media published a copy of the indictment. The Colectiv case, concerning the fire that killed 64 people last October in a nightclub in Bucharest, is to be tried in the forthcoming period. According to the information made public by the media, six people are reportedly sent to court: the three owners of the nightclub, two pyrotechnicians and the owner of a fireworks company. The tragedy was followed by large-scale street protests, which led to the resignation of PM Victor Ponta.




    CHERNOBYL – Ukraine commemorated on Tuesday 30 years since the worst nuclear accident in history, the explosion of one reactor in the Chernobyl nuclear plant. During the 10-day fire that followed, huge amounts of radioactive substances were spread in the atmosphere. There are no official data concerning the total number of victims, but 25,000 people are known to have died in decontamination operations alone. According to experts, the death toll is a lot higher. A UN survey indicates that nearly 5 million people affected by radiation exposure still live in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.



    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • April 26, 2016

    April 26, 2016

    ELECTIONS – In Romania, today is the deadline for parties, election alliances, ethnic minority organisations and independent runners to submit their candidacies for the local elections. Candidacies may be challenged until May 1, and remain final as of May 4. The election campaign begins on May 6 and ends on June 4, one day before the elections. Competing in the local elections are established political parties like the Social Democrats, the Liberals, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats or the Peoples Movement Party, as well as many new parties, given that as of last year the Romanian legislation allows for political parties to be set up by at least 3 members. It is for the third time since 1989 that a technocratic government organises elections in Romania, after the Theodor Stolojan Cabinet in 1991-1992, and the Mugur Isărescu Cabinet in 1999-2000.



    NEGOTIATIONS – The authorities in Bucharest carry on talks with trade unions on a new emergency order concerning salaries in the public sector. The Labour Minister, Dragoş Pîslaru, has announced that the priority in these negotiations is to do away with imbalances in the system. The order on public sector salaries is to be subject to public debate starting mid-May and to take effect as of June 1. In the last three-party meeting, the main trade union federations demanded an increase of all public sector salaries, instead of only the smaller ones, as the Government intends, and warned that otherwise protests might be resumed.



    LOAN – The Romanian Senate endorsed a law concerning a 150 million euro loan to be granted by Romania to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, for the financing of the countrys budget deficit. Last November, the law was sent back to Parliament by President Klaus Iohannis, against the backdrop of political tensions in Chisinau and of uncertainties related to the implementation of the reforms. The loan is to be transferred in maximum three instalments.



    COLECTIV – The interim Prosecutor General of Romania, Bogdan Licu, announced the opening of a criminal investigation into the leaking of information in the Colectiv case, after a few days ago mass media published a copy of the indictment. The Colectiv case, concerning the fire that killed 64 people last October in a nightclub in Bucharest, is to be tried in the forthcoming period. According to the information made public by the media, six people are reportedly sent to court: the three owners of the nightclub, two pyrotechnicians and the owner of a fireworks company. The tragedy was followed by large-scale street protests, which led to the resignation of PM Victor Ponta.



    THEATRE – Romania is hosting for the first time the award gala of the Europe Theatre Prize. This year the prize goes to the Swedish choreographer and director Mats Ek, while a special award will be presented to the Romanian director Silviu Purcărete. Established in 1986, as a European Commission pilot project, and granted for the first time in 1987, the Europe Theatre Prize rewards artists and theatre institutions that contribute to better understanding among Europes nations.



    CHERNOBYL – Ukraine commemorates today 30 years since the worst nuclear accident in history, the explosion of one reactor in the Chernobyl nuclear plant. During the 10-day fire that followed, huge amounts of radioactive substances were spread in the atmosphere. There are no official data concerning the total number of victims, but 25,000 people are known to have died in decontamination operations alone. According to experts, the death toll is a lot higher. A UN survey indicates that nearly 5 million people affected by radiation exposure still live in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.



    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu is facing today the Dutch Richel Hogenkamp, in the first round of the Rabat tournament in Morocco, with 230,000 US dollars in prize money. In the same round, another Romanian, Andreea Mitu, plays today against New Zealands Marina Erakovic. A third Romanian player taking part in the competition Monday lost her match against Russian Ekaterina Makarova, in two sets.