Radio România Internațional

Tag: Maia

March 30, 2023 UPDATE

INTERVIEW ‘Moscow does not give up the
idea of taking over power in the Republic of Moldova and resorts to various
actions in an attempt to instate a Russia-friendly government in Chisinau’, the
country’s president Maia Sandu said in an interview to the Voice of Bessarabia.
According to her, it is only the heroism of the Ukrainian army, which is
keeping the frontline far from the Moldavian-Ukrainian border, but the country
is facing the elements of a hybrid war. Sandu has given assurances that the
people serving Russia’s interests are going to be identified but in order to
achieve that, the country needs to strengthen the capabilities of its
Intelligence and Security Service SIS.

SUPPORT In Bucharest on Thursday Spain reiterated its full support for
Romania’s accession to Europe’s border-free area Schengen, through the voice of
its Interior Minister, Fernando Grande Marlaska Gomez. Romania has worked
extraordinarily hard to achieve this goal and for a long period of time, the
Spanish official has pointed out. Minister Gomez held talks with his Romanian
counterpart, Lucian Bode, with bilateral cooperation against human and drug
trafficking high on the agenda. According to Bode, Romania is fully ready to
join the Schengen zone, and the decision last year was totally unfair. We
recall that the only country, which opposed Romania’s entry into Schengen was
Austria, on migration-related grounds.

BILL The
leaders of the ruling National Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party in
Romania, Nicolae Ciucă and Marcel Ciolacu, have announced that they
decided to support the proposal made by the Ministry of Justice regarding the
establishment of a threshold of 9,000 lei (about 1,800 euros) up to which abuse
of office is decriminalized. The announcements of the two come after the Senate
approved a draft law that provides for a value threshold for abuse and neglect
in the service in the amount of 250,000 lei. The change caused criticism and a
street protest in Bucharest. The opposition Save Romania Union has warned that
the value threshold of 50,000 euros for damage to the public budget to be
considered a criminal offense was also provided for by the well-known Ordinance
13 of 2017, which the government at the time abandoned after massive street
protests.

OECD The
Secretary of State for Romania’s Accession to the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, Luca Niculescu, was appointed to the Steering
Committee of the new OECD Regional Center in Istanbul. He welcomed the
initiative to establish the Center, aimed at encouraging inter-regional
cooperation, providing a platform for dialogue on public policies and
supporting the states in the region to face the main economic and social
challenges. According to a release by the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, Luca
Niculescu expressed, at the same time, the availability of the Romanian
authorities to contribute with sectoral expertise to the activity of the OECD
Regional Center in Istanbul, recalling that Romania provides financial support
for the main regional programs of the organization.

(bill)

30 March 2023
March 18, 2023 UPDATE

FOOTBALL – Romanian selector Edward Iordanescu has summoned 26 players for the games with Andorra and Belarus, the first for the Romanian national football side in the qualifiers for Euro 2024 hosted by Germany. Romania will be up against Andorra in an away match on March 25th after which it takes on Belarus at home. Romanias eleven has been included in the first group of the qualifiers together with Switzerland, Israel, Kosovo, Belarus and Andorra. The first two squads in the ten preliminary groups will qualify for the final tournament. The last three places will be decided following the Nations League play-offs in March next year.

VISIT – Attracting investments in the Romanian economy through projects in the fields of infrastructure and energy are the main objectives of the visit, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis started in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday. The four-day visit takes place at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates. Boosting the already-growing economic relations between the two countries and developing joint projects on fighting climate change, in the field of food and cyber-security are high on the agenda. According to the presidential administration in Bucharest, the United Arab Emirates continues to be the first trade partner of Romanias in the Gulf area and Iohannis visit has been the first paid by a Romanian president in the past 20 years.

MINISTRY – The Romanian Foreign Ministry reiterates the firm position of condemning and unrecognizing the illegal annexation by the Russian Federation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as its support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally-recognized borders. Nine years on since its illegal annexation by Russia on March 18th, Romanias Foreign Affairs Ministry says in a press release on Saturday that the annexation is a blatant violation of international law as well as of the multilateral documents signed by Russia, including the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. According to the same sources Romania condemns the use of the Crimean territory by Russia during the illegal and unprovoked aggression commenced by Russia on February 24th 2022. Romania also doesnt recognize the illegal annexation by the Russian Federation of the regions in eastern Ukraine (Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia), which are an inalienable part of Ukraines national territory under the international law.

SPEECH – Maia Sandu, the pro-western president of the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, has given assurances the state she leads isnt presently facing the danger of war. In an unexpected speech before the countrys Parliament, Sandu says the Russian Army cannot make it to the Republic of Moldova as long as the neighboring Ukraine is resisting in the war. Sandu has repeated the allegations about the attempts to destabilize the country by Russia and the pro-Russian opposition party Shor. The Shor group has a clear mission from the Kremlin and the Russian Security Service (FSB), namely to bring the war to the Republic of Moldova. Their goal is to destabilize through violence and put an end to the countrys democratically-elected rule. According to President Sandu, specialized institutions have managed to prevent any destabilizing attempts. However, Sandu says, the greatest danger the country is presently facing is corruption. She called on Parliament and government to create an Anti-corruption Tribunal, a specialized court in charge of investigating the big corruption cases including in the countrys legal system and has pledged the process of reforming and cleaning the aforementioned system will be completed in spite of the resistance currently faced. President Sandu has also said that the Republic of Moldova is not alone in facing the aforementioned challenges, but enjoys support from Romania, the United States and the European Union.

TENNIS Players Ana Bogdan, Jaqueline Cristian, Irina Bara, Monica Niculescu and Anca Todoni are part of the Romanian tennis side due to take on Slovenia in the qualifiers for the final tournament of Billie Jean King Cup, the Romanian Tennis Federation has announced on its formal webpage. The Romanian-Slovenian match is due over April 14th and 15th at Sport Park Bonifika, in the Slovenian city of Koper. The winner will qualify for the competitions final tournament. The only direct match between the two sides took place in the year 2000 when Slovenia outperformed Romania 3-0 in Spain in the group one of the competition for the Europe-Africa Zone.

(bill)

18 March 2023
March 18, 2023

VISIT – Attracting investments in the Romanian economy through projects in the fields of infrastructure and energy are the main objectives of the visit, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is today starting in the United Arab Emirates. The four-day visit takes place at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates. Boosting the already-growing economic relations between the two countries and developing joint projects on fighting climate change, in the field of food and cyber-security are high on the agenda. According to the presidential administration in Bucharest, the United Arab Emirates continues to be the first trade partner of Romanias in the Gulf area and Iohannis visit has been the first paid by a Romanian president in the past 20 years.

MINISTRY – The Romanian Foreign Ministry reiterates the firm position of condemning and unrecognizing the illegal annexation by the Russian Federation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as its support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally-recognized borders. Nine years on since its illegal annexation by Russia on March 18th, Romanias Foreign Affairs Ministry says in a press release on Saturday that the annexation is a blatant violation of international law as well as of the multilateral documents signed by Russia, including the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. According to the same sources Romania condemns the use of the Crimean territory by Russia during the illegal and unprovoked aggression commenced by Russia on February 24th 2022. Romania also doesnt recognize the illegal annexation by the Russian Federation of the regions in eastern Ukraine (Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia), which are an inalienable part of Ukraines national territory under the international law.

SPEECH – Maia Sandu, the pro-western president of the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, has given assurances the state she leads isnt presently facing the danger of war. In an unexpected speech before the countrys Parliament, Sandu says the Russian Army cannot make it to the Republic of Moldova as long as the neighboring Ukraine is resisting it in the war. Sandu has repeated the allegations about the attempts to destabilize the country by Russia and the pro-Russian opposition party Shor. The Shor group has a clear mission from the Kremlin and the Russian Security Service (FSB), namely to bring the war to the Republic of Moldova. Their goal is to destabilize through violence and put an end to the countrys democratically-elected rule. According to President Sandu, specialized institutions have managed to prevent any destabilizing attempts. However, Sandu says, the greatest danger the country is presently facing is corruption. She called on Parliament and government to create an Anti-corruption Tribunal, a specialized court in charge of investigating the big corruption cases including in the countrys legal system and has pledged the process of reforming and cleaning the aforementioned system will be completed in spite of the resistance currently faced. President Sandu has also said that the Republic of Moldova is not alone in facing the aforementioned challenges, but enjoys support from Romania, the United States and the European Union.

TENNIS – Players Ana Bogdan, Jaqueline Cristian, Irina Bara, Monica Niculescu and Anca Todoni are part of the Romanian tennis side due to take on Slovenia in the qualifiers for the final tournament of Billie Jean King Cup, the Romanian Tennis Federation has announced on its formal webpage. The Romanian-Slovenian match is due over April 14th and 15th at Sport Park Bonifika, in the Slovenian city of Koper. The winner will qualify for the competitions final tournament. The only direct match between the two sides took place in the year 2000 when Slovenia outperformed Romania 3-0 in Spain in the group one of the competition for the Europe-Africa Zone.

(bill)

18 March 2023
Romania’s assistance for the Republic of Moldova continues

Romania will continue to support the neighbouring Republic of Moldova to overcome the crises it is presently facing, the head of the Romanian diplomacy Bogdan Aurescu said in Chisinau on Monday during the visit he paid upon the invitation of his counterpart, Nicu Popescu.

According to Radio Chişinău, the sides have underlined the importance of developing the interconnectivity of the two countries power grids, of easing crossborder traffic including through the construction of bridges over the Prut River.

Talks also focused on the implementation of an agreement on non-reimbursable financial assistance of 100 million euros offered by Romania to its neighbour. Projects over more than 25 million have already been homologated

Also high on the agenda was the process of making the support platform for the Republic of Moldova, initiated by Minister Aurescu jointly with his German and French counterparts, operational. The two officials have also tackled the European roadmap for the Republic of Moldova and Romanias concrete support for this objective, including through opening EU accession negotiations.

In another development, Minister Aurescu says that he doesnt have information on the risk of a Russian invasion of this country through northern Ukraine as they are now speculating in Chisinau.

He says that Romania will be taking all necessary measures if need be, but at the moment he doesnt believe the neighbouring country is at risk, as the war Russia is presently waging in Ukraine has reached a deadlock.

The Republic of Moldova loves Romania for the assistance it provided in difficult times as well as for its strong support in the process of the countrys EU accession, the Moldovan pro-western Prime Minister Maia Sandu recently said around Romanias national day on December 1st.

She described Romania as “the shoulder you can rely on in times of need, mentioning the countrys main contributions and investments, such as in kindergartens, school busses, scholarships, diesel fuel, vaccine, humanitarian aid, support for modernizing the villages, for improving communication with the loved ones by eliminating the roaming fees, the support given to Moldovan culture and the construction of bridges between the two countries.

Romania is also loved for the electricity it provides, which brings light to Moldova at a time when Russian missiles are spreading darkness as well as for the Romanian language, which is also the language we grew up with,” the Prime Minister, who also got the Romanian citizenship, went on to say. Created on part of the Romanian eastern territories annexed by the Stalinist Soviet Union following an ultimatum in 1940, the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence on august 27th 1991, in the wake of the abortive new-Bolshevik coup against the last Soviet leader, the reformist Michael Gorbachev. On the same day, Romania became the first country in the world to recognize Moldovas independence.

(bill)

20 December 2022
November 6, 2022 UPDATE

GAS
According to data released by the national company Transgaz, on Monday morning
Romania will rely on 3 billion cubic meters of stored gas, which is tantamount
to a storage degree of 97.7% of its total capacity. Romania has exceeded the
quantity of stored gas in the same period last year by 701 million cubic meters.
The minimum threshold of 80% approved for Romania in the new European
Commission regulation was attained on September 17.

REFUGEES According to the Romanian border police, roughly 187 thousand
people crossed Romania’s borders either to enter or to leave the country on
Saturday. They were Romanian and foreign citizens who used over 50,500 vehicles.
Out of them 9,158 were Ukrainian nationals, 16.81% more than the previous day.
According to a press release, since February 10th, two weeks before
the Russian invasion, 2.7 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most
of them transited the country for other destinations and over 86,500 decided to
stay in Romania.

SUPPORT Authorities in Bucharest are presently
considering a series of alternatives to ease the access of population to firewood, after
the initial cap of 80 Euros per cubic meter has led to a market crisis. One of
the options could be the idea of granting vouchers to the needy. According to
the country’s Environment Minister Tanczos Barna, the ordinance on capping
firewood prices will be amended next week so that it may truly protect those
who use firewood for heating in winter. He explains that the law, formerly
endorsed by the Senate, will be amended in the Chamber of Deputies so that
firewood may become available on the market again. A couple of days ago, the
country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca admitted the initial capping measures
had failed to yield the desired result. The opposition USR has drawn attention
to the fact that the law has already caused irregularities on the firewood
market.

THEATRE The National Theatre Festival (NTF)
continues in Romania until November 13. Theatre performances during this event
will have in-person attendance, after two years of pandemic with online
performances. The NTF includes over 60 theatre shows that have been mounted by
state and independent theatre troupes from Romania and abroad. The festival,
which this year unfolds under a suggestive motto, ‘Fragile borders. Fluid
histories’ also boasts an on-air section including a series of exquisite radio
shows.

ENERGY Romania is presently covering over 90% of
the neighboring Republic of Moldova’s need for electricity, Romanian Foreign
Minister Bogdan Aurescu has told a TV channel. According to him, the situation has
become severe in the neighboring country, which relies 100% on foreign supplies
of gas and electricity. Aurescu has also mentioned Romania’s support for the
neighboring country consisting in firewood and oil fuel. Romania has also called on the international community to give
grants to the Republic of Moldova so that the country may buy energy on the
free market. After the Russian invasion, Ukraine became unable to export energy
to the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, Russian giant Gazprom announced
in October its intention to diminish gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova due to
the alleged disputes over the payment and the refusal of the Ukrainian pipeline
operator to provide an all-out service for the transport of the Russian gas.
According to Moldovan president Maia Sandu her country is presently seeing the
severest energy crisis in its history.

(bill)

6 November 2022
July 29, 2022

VISIT The president of the R. of Moldova, Maia Sandu, is today on an
official visit in Romania, at the invitation of her counterpart Klaus Iohannis.
At the press conference following the official meeting, the Romanian president
said the talks were solid and focused on many topics of bilateral interest,
taking into account the long-lasting and sincere connections between the 2
countries. He congratulated Maia Sandu on Moldova’s EU accession candidate
status granted at the European Council meeting on June 23-24. This is a historic
achievement, a landmark in the history of the country, Klaus Iohannis said, and
added that Romania will continue to support Moldova through all the means available
to it. Mr. Iohannis also pointed out that the 2 presidents agreed to take
decisive steps in terms of inter-connecting the electricity networks of their
countries, and discussed the potential of the Iaşi-Ungheni-Chişinău pipeline
as a vital element of Moldova’s energy security. In
turn, the
president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said Bucharest stood by Chisinau over the
years, and Romania’s voice ‘resounded strongly’ in Brussels in support of
Moldova’s EU candidate status. Maia Sandu voiced her confidence that the
Moldovan-Romanian partnership will contribute to overcoming the difficulties
entailed by the war in Ukraine.

ANTHEM Every year on July 29 Romania celebrates National Anthem Day.
According to the defence ministry, ceremonies are held today in all military
units across the country. In Bucharest, a religious service was held in front
of the National Military Palace, while in Râmnicu Vâlcea local authorities
organized events devoted to the song Awaken Thee, Romanian!, which was first
performed officially in this town 174 years ago. National Anthem Day was
proclaimed by Parliament in 1998. The song was written by Anton Pann, on lyrics
by the poet Andrei Mureşanu. The message of the National Anthem has a strong
impact, and calls for national unity, courage, dignity and responsibility,
president Klaus Iohannis said in a news release. In turn, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
the anthem, national colours and the coat of arms define the identity of the
Romanian nation and signify the strong connection between the past, present and
future.

FESTIVAL Sighişoara,
in central Romania, is hosting this weekend the 28th edition of the
first medieval festival in Romania. The Sighişoara citadel will be the stage of
theatre performances, music and dance shows, improvisation, arts and crafts
demonstrations. While the previous edition was attended by some 11,000
visitors, the organisers hope 16,000 people will take part this year. A
spectacular fireworks show is planned for the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
Sighisoara is the only inhabited medieval citadel in south-eastern Europe.

FOOTBALL All the Romanian football teams taking part in the European
Conference League qualifiers have moved into the 3rd preliminary
round. On Thursday Universitatea Craiova defeated the Albanian side
Vllaznia 3-0 on home turf, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. In the 3rd
preliminary round, Craiova will play against the Ukrainian team Zaria Luhansk. In
Bucharest, FCSB defeated Saburtalo (Georgia) 4-2, and is next to take on the
Slovakian team Dunajská Streda. The Romanian Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe had
the most difficult match on Thursday, against Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia, and
lost 2-0, away from home, after having won 3-1 in the first leg. In the penalty
shootouts, the Slovenians missed twice, and Sepsi moved forward in the
competition. Their next opponent is Djurgården (Sweden). And on Wednesday, CFR Cluj drew 1-1 away from home
against Inter Club d’Escaldes, of Andorra, after 3-0 at home, and are pitted
next against Belarusian champions Shahtior Soligorsk. (AMP)

29 July 2022
Joint Parliamentary session Romania – The Republic of Moldova

One
day after the European Commission recommended the member states to grant
Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova the status of EU-accession candidate,
Chisinau hosted for the first time a joint session of the Parliaments of
Romania and the ex-Soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova. ‘We are
continuing to count on Romania, which is a major voice in European institutions’,
leaders in Chisinau say. In the opening of the joint session, Moldovan
president Maia Sandu, who signed the country’s EU accession request as early as
March, said the recommendation of the European Commission is an important
moment for the future of her state and the hope that all citizens need.

Maia Sandu: Romania has always been by our side. Our
relations today are at the highest level in the past 30 years. However, there
is still more to do but Romania’s expertise and experience have been and will
continue to be very helpful to us.

In turn, Igor Grosu, the
president of the Legislature in Chisinau hasreiterated
the fact that the Republic of Moldova has constantly benefitted from
unconditional assistance from Romania.

Igor Grosu: Over the years Romania has been a genuine
supporter of the Republic of Moldova and the range of cooperation has far
exceeded the traditional character of relations of good vicinity.

Igor
Grosu has also said the commitments assumed by the Republic of Moldova on the
reform of justice, fighting corruption and ensuring energy independence are
clear and will be met. Chișinău has been given assurances of all the support
Bucharest can provide for its European integration from the president of the
Romanian Senate, Florin Cîţu.

Florin Citu: The future of the Republic of Moldova is in
the big European family. This is a fundamental desideratum for the Republic of
Moldova and Romania alike due to the past, values and ideals that unite us.

The
president of the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, Marcel Ciolacu, has also
given assurances that Romania will continue to stay together with the
neighboring state. He pleaded for joint actions between the two countries
especially for the benefit of their citizens.

Marcel Ciolacu: The future we are building today must be together.
And those who want to separate us certainly don’t work for the benefit of our
citizens. And this joint construction project starts right here in Chisinau.

Romania’s
support for the Republic of Moldova’s European integration and the
consolidation of bilateral cooperation in all fields of activity has been
reiterated in a joint statement signed at the end of the aforementioned
Parliamentary session. In the document both states are firmly condemning the
aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and are reiterating the
full support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Ukraine within its internationally-recognized borders.

(bill)

20 June 2022
Sports roundup

Brazilian
tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia has won the WTA tournament in Birmingham with
251,750 dollars in prize money. In the finals Haddad Maia defeated Shuai Zhang 5-4,
after the Chinese had abandoned the game. Hadad Maia had secured a 6-3, 2-6,
6-4, win against Romanian Simona Halep in the semis while Zhang had also
defeated another Romanian, Sorana Cârstea, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6.

Romanian
swimmers Robert Glinta and David Popovici have qualified for the finals of the World
Swimming Championship in Budapest. Glință has qualified for the finals of the 100-meter
backstroke race while Popovici, who is at his first participation in the
aforementioned competition, has qualified for the finals of the 200-meter
freestyle race with the best time also setting a record for junior contests of
one minute, 44 seconds and 40 hundredths.

Romanians Razvan Ursachi and Iulian Teodosiu have ranked fifth and sixth
respectively in the individual sabre contest of the European Fencing
Championships in Antalya, Turkey. In the quarterfinals, Ursachi lost to Sandro
Bazadze of Georgia 15-8 while Teodosiu also lost the quarters to Bolade Apithy
of France 15-10.

Another two Romanians, George Dragomir and Codrin Cozmuleanu came 24th
and 31st respectively. While on Friday in the women’s foil event Emilia
Corbu and Mălina Călugăreanu of Romania came 28th and 32nd
respectively.

Romania’s football selection has conceded a 2-1 defeat to Italy in its
first game of the European Under-21 Championship. In the other game of the
group, France secured a 5-0 win against Slovakia. Romania will next play France.
The first two sides in every group will
qualify for the semifinals and the World Cup due in Indonesia next year. Sides ranking third will go into the playoffs
for a fifth European place at the World Cup.

(bill)

20 June 2022
Sports roundup

Brazilian
tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia has won the WTA tournament in Birmingham with
251,750 dollars in prize money. In the finals Haddad Maia defeated Shuai Zhang 5-4,
after the Chinese had abandoned the game. Hadad Maia had secured a 6-3, 2-6,
6-4, win against Romanian Simona Halep in the semis while Zhang had also
defeated another Romanian, Sorana Cârstea, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6.

Romanian
swimmers Robert Glinta and David Popovici have qualified for the finals of the World
Swimming Championship in Budapest. Glință has qualified for the finals of the 100-meter
backstroke race while Popovici, who is at his first participation in the
aforementioned competition, has qualified for the finals of the 200-meter
freestyle race with the best time also setting a record for junior contests of
one minute, 44 seconds and 40 hundredths.

Romanians Razvan Ursachi and Iulian Teodosiu have ranked fifth and sixth
respectively in the individual sabre contest of the European Fencing
Championships in Antalya, Turkey. In the quarterfinals, Ursachi lost to Sandro
Bazadze of Georgia 15-8 while Teodosiu also lost the quarters to Bolade Apithy
of France 15-10.

Another two Romanians, George Dragomir and Codrin Cozmuleanu came 24th
and 31st respectively. While on Friday in the women’s foil event Emilia
Corbu and Mălina Călugăreanu of Romania came 28th and 32nd
respectively.

Romania’s football selection has conceded a 2-1 defeat to Italy in its
first game of the European Under-21 Championship. In the other game of the
group, France secured a 5-0 win against Slovakia. Romania will next play France.
The first two sides in every group will
qualify for the semifinals and the World Cup due in Indonesia next year. Sides ranking third will go into the playoffs
for a fifth European place at the World Cup.

(bill)

20 June 2022
Sports roundup

Brazilian
tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia has won the WTA tournament in Birmingham with
251,750 dollars in prize money. In the finals Haddad Maia defeated Shuai Zhang 5-4,
after the Chinese had abandoned the game. Hadad Maia had secured a 6-3, 2-6,
6-4, win against Romanian Simona Halep in the semis while Zhang had also
defeated another Romanian, Sorana Cârstea, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6.

Romanian
swimmers Robert Glinta and David Popovici have qualified for the finals of the World
Swimming Championship in Budapest. Glință has qualified for the finals of the 100-meter
backstroke race while Popovici, who is at his first participation in the
aforementioned competition, has qualified for the finals of the 200-meter
freestyle race with the best time also setting a record for junior contests of
one minute, 44 seconds and 40 hundredths.

Romanians Razvan Ursachi and Iulian Teodosiu have ranked fifth and sixth
respectively in the individual sabre contest of the European Fencing
Championships in Antalya, Turkey. In the quarterfinals, Ursachi lost to Sandro
Bazadze of Georgia 15-8 while Teodosiu also lost the quarters to Bolade Apithy
of France 15-10.

Another two Romanians, George Dragomir and Codrin Cozmuleanu came 24th
and 31st respectively. While on Friday in the women’s foil event Emilia
Corbu and Mălina Călugăreanu of Romania came 28th and 32nd
respectively.

Romania’s football selection has conceded a 2-1 defeat to Italy in its
first game of the European Under-21 Championship. In the other game of the
group, France secured a 5-0 win against Slovakia. Romania will next play France.
The first two sides in every group will
qualify for the semifinals and the World Cup due in Indonesia next year. Sides ranking third will go into the playoffs
for a fifth European place at the World Cup.

(bill)

20 June 2022
Sports roundup

Brazilian
tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia has won the WTA tournament in Birmingham with
251,750 dollars in prize money. In the finals Haddad Maia defeated Shuai Zhang 5-4,
after the Chinese had abandoned the game. Hadad Maia had secured a 6-3, 2-6,
6-4, win against Romanian Simona Halep in the semis while Zhang had also
defeated another Romanian, Sorana Cârstea, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6.

Romanian
swimmers Robert Glinta and David Popovici have qualified for the finals of the World
Swimming Championship in Budapest. Glință has qualified for the finals of the 100-meter
backstroke race while Popovici, who is at his first participation in the
aforementioned competition, has qualified for the finals of the 200-meter
freestyle race with the best time also setting a record for junior contests of
one minute, 44 seconds and 40 hundredths.

Romanians Razvan Ursachi and Iulian Teodosiu have ranked fifth and sixth
respectively in the individual sabre contest of the European Fencing
Championships in Antalya, Turkey. In the quarterfinals, Ursachi lost to Sandro
Bazadze of Georgia 15-8 while Teodosiu also lost the quarters to Bolade Apithy
of France 15-10.

Another two Romanians, George Dragomir and Codrin Cozmuleanu came 24th
and 31st respectively. While on Friday in the women’s foil event Emilia
Corbu and Mălina Călugăreanu of Romania came 28th and 32nd
respectively.

Romania’s football selection has conceded a 2-1 defeat to Italy in its
first game of the European Under-21 Championship. In the other game of the
group, France secured a 5-0 win against Slovakia. Romania will next play France.
The first two sides in every group will
qualify for the semifinals and the World Cup due in Indonesia next year. Sides ranking third will go into the playoffs
for a fifth European place at the World Cup.

(bill)

20 June 2022
Parliament cooperation Romania – The Republic of Moldova

Romania and the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet Romanian-speaking country, enjoy extremely close relations as the two countries share the same language, history, culture and traditions. And these two states are going to have a first joint Parliamentary session in the near future, Ion Grosu, president of the Republic of Moldovas Legislature, has announced upon his meeting in Chisinau with Marcel Ciolacu, the president of the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest. Igor Grosu said that he was happy that the first session would be hosted by Chisinau, which is a clear signal of support for the incumbent government. He described the bilateral relations as excellent while Romania is the Republic of Moldovas best economic partner and closest friend regarding the support provided for the countrys EU accession.

In turn, Ciolacu has said that Bucharest has always been by Chisinaus side and reiterated Romanias commitment to supporting the Republic of Moldovas EU accession. “The Republic of Moldovas place is in the European Union. There is no other way for the Republic of Moldova to develop than to join the European Union,” Ciolacu says. In early March, the Republic of Moldovas president Maia Sandu signed the countrys EU accession request in a move, which was viewed by many as historic, as it happened in a difficult regional context, created by Russias military invasion of Ukraine and the crisis of the Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Moldova.

Similar requests had been earlier submitted by Georgia and Ukraine It seems that we are facing a war of attrition, which is going to affect us all, Ciolacu went on to say adding that Bucharest and Chisinau must obviously help each other out of these economic crises and citizens must be supported by the two governments to overcome these situations as soon as possible. At the same time the head of the Chamber of Deputies believes the neighboring state is in no need of military support.

Marcel Ciolacu: “I believe the Republic of Moldova does not need military backup, what it actually needs is to secure its borders, something to benefit the entire Europe and I believe that Romania must get more involved in this process together with the Republic of Moldova. Romania is really a shield for the Republic of Moldova and this is how things must be.”

Ciolacu has also held talks with the head of the Moldovan state, Maia Sandu, who thanked him for the support Romania offered including the non-reimbursable 100-million-euro loan agreed upon the joint sessions of the governments of Chisinau and Bucharest in February and the 10-million-euro loan announced at the Berlin conference in April. After meeting the countrys Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţa, Marcel Ciolacu said that Romania firmly supports the extension of the EUs financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova.

(bill)

7 June 2022
May 6, 2022 UPDATE

TOUR The first lady of the United States, Jill
Biden, has arrived in Romania, the first leg of a European tour, which will
also take her to Slovakia. The plane carrying her landed at the Mihail
Kogalniceanu airbase in south-eastern Romania, where Jill Biden will be meeting
the US troops stationed there. On Saturday, when America celebrates Mother’s
Day, Jill Biden will be visiting Ukrainian mothers and children who had to flee
their country because of the war as well as aid workers and teachers who are
helping these children to get integrated into a stable and safe school
environment. Jill Biden will be meeting members of the Romanian government in
Bucharest, too.

GRANTS The government in Bucharest on Friday approved 60 million Euros
in grants to four fields of the economy, such as the food industry,
acquaculture, fish farming and agriculture – the Minister of Investment and
European Projects, Marcel Bolos has announced. 5 thousand euros are to be
granted to small enterprises, natural persons, authorised natural persons,
family and individual enterprises doing businesses in the aforementioned
fields. The total budget for this measure is around 50 million euros and will
have over 10 thousand beneficiaries. The second measure is represented by the
grants for working capital with a budget of 250 million euros. Grants of 15% of
the turnover will be given to small and medium-sized enterprises, though they
are not to exceed 120 thousand euros. The number of beneficiaries has been
estimated at ten thousand.

REFUGEES Over 860 thousand Ukrainian nationals
have entered Romania since the Russian invasion of their country, which began
on February 24. According to data released by the Border Police Inspectorate,
since the onset of the invasion until Thursday at 24 hours, 866,916 Ukrainian
citizens entered Romania. Since February 10th, before the beginning of the
conflict, 901,445 Ukrainians have entered Romania.

SURVEY A flash Eurobarometer survey carried out in all EU
member states shows the vast majority of EU citizens approve of Brussels’
response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and believe that Ukraine is part of the
European family. Romanians also believe that the EU has shown solidarity with
Ukraine, with 82% saying they are pleased with the response of their fellow
nationals.

VISIT The situation in Ukraine was high on the agenda of the formal
talks the presidents of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda
held on Friday. Iohannis said that Romania supports the consolidation of the
set of actions against Russia adding the only acceptable alternative must have
as a result the restauration of the territorial integrity of the neighboring
Ukraine. On the other hand, Iohannis announced that Romania would be hosting in
Bucharest jointly with Germany and France the second edition of the support
platform for the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova and invited
Lithuania to get involved. In turn, the Lithuanian president underlined the
importance of the Romanian-Lithuanian cooperation for strengthening NATO’s eastern
flank. Lithuania would continue to offer support to Ukraine and its refugees,
Nauseda said adding that on Saturday he would be visiting the Republic of
Moldova, the country who received the largest number of refugees in relation to
its population. During a phone call with the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu
on Friday, Iohannis reiterated Romania’s full solidarity with the Republic of
Moldova. The two officials revised new assistance options, which Bucharest can
continue to offer in all aspects of this crisis.

(bill)

6 May 2022
The Republic of Moldova signs up for EU accession

The ex-soviet
Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova has recently asked to be accepted in the
European Union. The move, considered historic for Chişinău, comes against a
very complicated regional context: the war in neighboring Ukraine, the crisis
of the Ukrainian refugees who have made it to the Republic of Moldova as well
as the presence of Russian troops in the breakaway region of Transdniester,
which is no longer under the control of the authorities in Chişinău.

We recall
that Transdniester de facto came out of Chisinau’s control in 1992 following an
armed conflict with hundreds of dead, which ceased only after the intervention
of the Russian troops on the side of the separatists. In 1999, at the OSCE summit
in Istanbul, Russia, led at that time by president Boris Elţîn, pledged to pull
out its troops and gear from Transdniester. Five years later, the process was
stooped in its tracks and the Russian troops are still stationed there.

Against this
background, even more complicated by the recent invasion of Ukraine, president
Maia Sandu on Thursday night signed the Republic of Moldova’s EU accession
request. The Moldovan leader said the authorities in Chisinau are ready to
achieve this national objective. ‘We have the chance to ensure a better and
safer future for the next generations’, Sandu says adding that the Republic
must have a clear EU roadmap.

Maia Sandu We are signing the EU accession request for the Republic of Moldova.
And we are ready to do everything for achieving this fundamental national
objective. We must take immediate
actions under the present circumstances and we are clearly seeing the opportunity
of ensuring a better and safer future for the next generations. Achieving this
objective is our duty towards the citizens.

The document signed
by president Sandu, Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţă and Parliament Speaker Igor
Grosu, is to be submitted to Brussels in the following days. Georgia has also
submitted a similar request after Ukraine on Monday had asked to enter the
bloc. In its efforts to join the European Union, Moldova relies on support from
its European partners.

Bucharest,
which has been a staunch supporter of the Republic of Moldova’s independence
and integrity for many years now, is also fully supporting this country in its
efforts to join the European Union. Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis has recently said that Romania fully supports
the EU integration of Ukraine as well as that of the Republic of Moldova and
Georgia. The place of these EU partners are in the European family and Romania
will do its best to make this thing possible, Iohannis went on to say. The Republic of Moldova’s request to entry
into the European Union is a historic move – Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae
Ciuca says, giving assurances that Romania will continue to work side by side
with Chisinau for achieving this goal.

(bill)

4 March 2022
July 13, 2021

GOALS Reforming state companies and
streamlining fiscal administration are two of the main objectives Romanian
Prime Minister Florin Citu says he will pursue as an interim Finance Minister.
These two objectives were also high on the agenda of talks the Romanian
official recently held with a World Bank delegation headed by Anna Bjerde,
vice-president for Europe and Central Asia. On the occasion, Citu has also
presented a series reforms assumed by the government, such as those concerning the
pension system, public salaries as well as those aimed at achieving fiscal
sustainability. The Prime Minister has mentioned the reform of the state
companies and the process of streamlining the fiscal administration and the
National Bank for Development. The World Bank has congratulated the government
on the economic growth envisaged for 2021, Romania being among the few
countries, which this year could entirely recover from the last year’s
contraction.

INS According to data released by the
National Institute for Statistics on Tuesday, in the first five months of the
year, Romania registered a trade deficit of roughly 9 billion Euros. Exports
stood at nearly 30 billion Euros whereas imports totaled over 38 billion.
Transport machinery and gear as well as other manufactured goods accounted for
most of the international exchanges. Romania’s imports and exports were mainly done
inside the EU. On the other hand, the annual inflation rate went up to 3.9 % in
June 2021 and 3.8 % in May against increasing prices in food and non-food products
as well as services. According to a quarterly report issued by Romania’s
Central Bank, the inflation rate will be maintaining an upward trend in the
following months to reach 4.1 % in December.

TALKS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is today hosting
the inauguration event of a round of talks on the future of Europe, which also
involves the participation of the European Commissioner for Transport Adina
Valean. According to the presidential administration, the major objective of
this round is the consolidation of the European project for the benefit of all
citizens. The conference on the future of Europe kicked off in Strasbourg on
May 9th and debates over this project are to be held all throughout the year
and in the first half of 2022 with a view to drawing up some guidelines over
the bloc’s future.

VACCINE Israel has kicked off a third-shot rollout for people
with impaired immunity in an attempt to contain the Covid-19 pandemic thus
being the first country in the world to resort to such a measure before the US
and European regulating authorities have approved Pfizer’s request in this
respect. Patients are going to be tested two weeks after the third shot and if
the level of antibodies is low, a fourth dose is to be made available. The
decision has been made against the fast spreading Delta Plus variant at a time
when the entire world is expecting a fourth wave of infections. In another
development, Brazil on Monday reported 745 Covid-related fatalities and over 17
thousand infections. Brazil ranks third in the world in terms of the number of
infection and deaths after the United States and India. At least 188 million
infections have so far been reported around the world and over 4 million
fatalities, according to worldmeters.info.

ELECTION Romania hails the results of the recent
election in the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova and pledges
support in the country’s European integration process, after the presidential
party Action and Solidarity registered a landslide victory with 53% of the
votes. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has congratulated the Moldovan
citizens on their clear option for reforms and the rule of law and President
Maia Sandu on her courage, perseverance and vision. According to the local public
radio, this has been the highest number of votes ever registered by a right-wing
party in the republic and the party’s interim president Igor Grosu has
announced the government team is ready. According to Russian news agency TASS,
socialist leader Igor Dodon has said he will build a responsible opposition but
the period of good relations with Russia has ended.

(bill)

13 July 2021