Tag: Melescanu

  • 29.03.2019 (mise à jour)

    29.03.2019 (mise à jour)

    Gouvernement – Le gouvernement de Bucarest a approuvé ce vendredi la modification de plusieurs ordonnances d’urgence, dont la controversée ordonnances n° 114 qui propose des mesures fiscales vivement critiquées par le milieu des affaires. Selon l’Exécutif, les nouvelles dispositions tiennent compte de l’avis des acteurs concernés, que la coalition au pouvoir a consultés ces derniers mois, et elles sont en accord aussi avec la réalité du marché. Le gouvernement roumain a également adopté des modifications au budget de l’Administration du Fonds pour l’Environnement, ce qui assure la continuation de plusieurs programmes gouvernementaux tels « Le Tacot », programme qui offre un remboursement pour une auto vieille de plus de 8 ans, l’argent allant servir à l’achat d’une voiture neuve, moins polluante, électrique ou hybride. Par ailleurs, un programme d’installation d’équipements photovoltaïques sera bientôt lancé ; il permettra aux Roumains de produire leurs propres électricité et chauffage ou de devenir des producteurs individuels d’énergie renouvelable.



    Réunion — Une nouvelle réunion du quartet Roumanie-Bulgarie-Grèce-Serbie a eu lieu, ce vendredi, au Palais Snagov, dans la proche banlieue de Bucarest. Les premiers ministres-roumain Viorica Dăncilă, bulgare Boiko Borisov, grec Alexis Tsipras et le président serbe, Aleksandar Vucic, ont analysé l’évolution de la mise en œuvre des projets communs dans la région, dans les secteurs des transports, de l’infrastructure et de l’énergie. La réunion a été précédée par la cinquième séance du Conseil de coopération de haut niveau entre la Bulgarie et la Roumanie, axée sur une analyse du partenariat soutenu visant la consolidation de la sécurité, du développement économique et de la connectivité de la région. Les gouvernements roumain et bulgare ont signé par la suite des documents de coopération dans plusieurs domaines, évoqués par la première ministre roumaine Viorica Dăncilă : la coopération des forces de police en charge des situations d’urgence, le soutien aux PME, l’amélioration des conditions de navigation sur le secteur commun roumain et bulgare du Danube et la connectivité des infrastructures de transport des deux pays.



    Kovesi — La Haute Cour va statuer mercredi prochain sur le sort réservé à la contestation déposée vendredi par l’ancienne patronne du parquet anticorruption roumain, Laura Codruţa Kovesi, contre les mesures de contrôle judiciaire disposées à son encontre par la Section spéciale pour l’investigation des infractions commises par les magistrats. Jeudi, les procureurs de cette Section ont disposé des mesures de contrôle judiciaire à l’encontre de Mme. Kovesi, accusée d’avoir reçu des pots-de-vin, d’abus de service et de faux témoignage. A l’issue des 6 heures d’audition, l’ancienne patronne du parquet anticorruption a précisé qu’on lui avait défendu de s’exprimer devant la presse, tout ceci pour, je cite « lui clouer le bec, et pour ne plus pouvoir dénoncer ce qui arrive au système judiciaire en Roumanie », fin de citation. Kövesi a rappelé dans le contexte se trouver en plein procédure de candidature, à l’issue de laquelle sera désigné le nom du procureur européen, et où, au grand dam de certains, elle a des chances réelles. La Commission européenne a critiqué la Roumanie pour son attitude déloyale lors du processus de désignation du nom du procureur européen. Kövesi est la candidate désignée pour ce poste par le Parlement européen. Le Parlement européen et le Conseil vont négocier pour établir leur choix commun final. Deux rounds de négociations se sont achevés jusqu’ici sans résultat. Le prochain round est prévu pour les 4 et 10 avril. Le parquet européen deviendra opérationnel fin 2020.



    Décision — La Cour d’appel de Bucarest a rejeté comme irrecevable la requête formulée par le ministère roumain de la défense, qui demandait l’annulation du décret par lequel le président de la Roumanie Klaus Iohannis avait prorogé le mandat du chef de l’Etat-Major de la Défense, le général Nicolae Ciucă. La décision de la Cour d’appel n’est pas définitive mais elle est exécutoire, ce qui se traduit par le retour du général Ciucă à ses fonctions. Le ministère de la Défense a fait savoir qu’il allait se pourvoir en cassation. Pour rappel, le président Iohannis avait signé, le 28 décembre dernier, le décret de prorogation d’un an du mandat du général Nicolae Ciuca en tant que chef de l’Etat-Major. La première ministre Viorica Dancila et le ministre de tutelle, Gabriel Leş, avaient accusé le chef de l’Etat d’avoir agi sans base légale, car la proposition de prorogation aurait dû appartenir au ministère de la défense.



    Climat – Le ministre roumain des Affaires étrangères, Teodor Meleşcanu, a pris part à la réunion de haut niveau sur le climat et le développement durable pour tous, organisée les 28 et 29 mars par l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU. Selon un communiqué des Affaires étrangères issu vendredi, le chef de la diplomatie de Bucarest a souligné dans son discours la grande importance de la lutte onusienne contre les changements climatiques et pour promouvoir la protection du climat au niveau global, au bénéfice des générations actuelles et futures. Saluant le Sommet de l’ONU 2019 sur le climat, qui aura lieu à New York au mois de septembre, M. Meleşcanu a souligné l’engagement ferme de la Roumanie en faveur de l’Agenda 2030 pour le Développement durable, qui représente le cadre international développé par les Nations-Unis, en faveur de l’Accord de Paris et la Convention cadre de l’ONU sur les changements climatiques. Dans le contexte, Teodor Meleşcanu a mentionné la conférence « Building Resilience to Natural Disasters », organisé par la présidence roumaine du Conseil de l’UE, le 12 mars prochain, à Bucarest.



    Brexit — La parlement britannique a rejeté a nouveau vendredi, pour la 3e fois, l’accord sur le Brexit, à 344 voix contre pour 286 voix pour. Suite au vote, Theresa May a exprimé son regret profond pour l’échec de l’accord négocié avec l’UE. Antérieurement, le gouvernement britannique avait sollicité un délai supplémentaire, au Brexit qui aurait dû avoir lieu le 29 mars. La semaine précédente, les leaders européens ont mis en garde Londres sur un éventuel rejet cette semaine de l’accord, auquel cas le Brexit aura lieu le 12 avril. Au cas où le parlement britannique aurait avalé l’accord négocié avec la Commission européenne, le départ du Royaume-Uni de l’Union aurait attendu le 22 mai.



    Météo — Un ciel bleu, avec des températures à la hausse, est attendu pour cette fin de semaine en Roumanie. Les températures matinales seront encore négatives dans certaines régions, variant entre – 4 et + 5°, alors que celles de l’après-midi atteindront 19°C



  • Continuity in EU Foreign Policy

    Continuity in EU Foreign Policy

    There is quite a number of recurrent themes on
    the agenda of the EU diplomacy, from post-Brexit ties with London to the
    increasingly complicated relationship with the US. Also, the situation in
    conflict areas in the proximity of the European Union is an equally frequent
    topic for discussion by the member states’ foreign ministers. Monday’s meeting
    of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels was no exception, as Ukraine and
    Syria were high on the agenda of talks.

    According to the Romanian Foreign
    Minister Teodor Melescanu, everybody agreed that the EU must get more actively
    involved in finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis, which has been
    going on for almost ten years and which has a direct impact on Europe, in
    particular through the waves of migrants and the return to Europe of some of the
    combatants there. As regards Ukraine, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu called
    on the EU to convey once more a very clear message regarding the need for the
    neighboring country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity to be
    respected.

    According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Brussels, it was
    likely for the EU to seize the assets and ban the free circulation in the
    community area of the eight Russian citizens involved in last year’s incident
    in the Kerch Strait, which ended in the arrest of several Ukrainian sailors.
    Minister Melescanu explains why these sanctions have not been adopted yet:


    They are currently being analyzed by
    the EU but the main priority that we now have at EU level is taking the
    necessary steps to free the sailors arrested in the Kerch Strait. This has been
    set as the main priority and, of course, discussions are to be held concerning the people believed to be involved in this
    arrest.


    Romania’s other ex-Soviet neighbor, the mostly
    Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, was also on the agenda of the EU Foreign
    Affairs Council meeting. Parliamentary elections are scheduled in Moldova on
    Sunday, and analysts say the stake will be not only political, but also
    geopolitical. Opinion polls show Igor Dodon’s pro-Russian Socialists as
    favorites, with almost 40% of the votes, followed by the ACUM bloc, an
    electoral alliance of the pro-European right wing, with 25% and the centre-left
    Democratic Party, the main party of the current pro-Western government, with
    15%.

    Melescanu has made no secret out of the fact that he hopes the outcome of
    the Moldovan elections will be a majority that would continue its rapprochement
    with Europe. Romania believes that it would be a mistake for the EU to give up
    the financial and political investment it has made so far in the Republic of
    Moldova, Melescanu also said.

  • February 17, 2019 UPDATE

    February 17, 2019 UPDATE

    COUNCIL – On Monday, in Brussels, the Romanian Economy Minister Niculae Badalau will chair the first meeting of the Competitiveness Council (COMPET) held under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The meeting will host an exchange of opinions regarding the process that would provide an overall image of the single market and a public debate on the impact of artificial intelligence on the EU industry. For the first time, the Council will adopt conclusions regarding the promotion of artificial intelligence development and use.



    EBRD – The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has been elected Vice-President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), for a term that starts in May and ends in 2020. Teodorovici has obtained one of the two offices of vice-president, alongside the Lithuanian Finance Minister. The new president-elect of the board of governors will be the Spanish Finance Minister. Romania, through minister Teodorovici, is holding both the presidency of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council and of the board of governos of the European Investment Bank, under the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU.



    BANK TAX – The chief economist of the National Bank of Romania, Valentin Lazea, says that the tax on bank assets, imposed under an ordinance passed recently by the Romanian leftist government, might bring the profitability of the banking sector in Romania below the European average. Lazea believes that, if this happens, some banks might decide to leave the country. As regards authorities intention to diminish or redefine ROBOR, the Romanian Interbank Offer Rate, the central bank chief economist believes that this will not prevent banks from resorting to measures that would allow them to keep a certain level of their already diminished profitability. According to Lazea, Romania has to choose between a powerful and profitable banking sector, a provider of capital for investments, or a weak one, which only fuels consumption, and not development.



    FAC – On Monday, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The agenda of the EU foreign ministers meeting will include current issues such as Ukraine, Syria, the Horn of Africa and Venezuela, according to a release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Romanian foreign minister will attend a working brunch on Ukraine, organized by his Danish counterpart Anders Samuelsen, with the Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin as the main guest .



    EMPLOYMENT – More than 10,000 notices of employment or posting were issued last year for foreigners coming to Romania to work, mostly from Vietnam, Turkey, Sri Lanka and China. According to the General Inspectorate for Immigration, more than 120,000 foreign citizens were registered in Romania at the end of last year, more than half of them from non-EU countries. For this year, the Romanian Government has approved a contingent of 20,000 workers newly admitted on the Romanian labour market. According to authorities, the decision was made taking into consideration Romanias economic development potential and the need to provide the necessary workforce for certain sectors of the economy and also to prevent illegal labour.



    BERLINALE – The short reel Blue Boy, produced by the Argentinean Manuel Abramovich, with the Romanians Catalin Cristutiu as film editor and Bogdan Georgescu as creative producer, has received the Golden Bear for best short reel at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The feature film Monsters, directed by the Romanian Marius Olteanu has received the Tagesspiegel Readers Jury award. The film is Marius Olteanus debut film, and was selected for the Forum section, dubbed the most daring section of the festival. It tells the story of two young people, married for eight years. The film follows them 24 hours, exploring the way in which a string of events and encounters pushes them towards the end of their relationship. The Golden Bear went to the film Synonymes by the Israeli director Nadav Lapid. In 2018, the best film award was won by Touch me not, by the Romanian Adina Pintilie, which also got the award for best debut.



    TENNIS – On Monday, the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will climb to the second position in the WTA rankings, despite the match she lost on Saturday to the Belgian Elise Mertens, in the final of the Doha tournament. Halep lost her no.1 position after the Australian Open, falling to no 3. Next she will take part in the WTA tournament in Dubai, with 2.828.000 dollars in prize money. Another Romanian player, Mihaela Buzarnescu, will also take part in the Dubai tournament in the United Arab Emirates. In another development, on Sunday, the mens pair made up of the Romanian Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean Julien Rojer lost the final in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the pair Jeremy Chardy (France)/Henri Kontinen (Finland).

  • February 17, 2019

    February 17, 2019

    FAC – On Monday, the Romanian
    Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in
    Brussels. The agenda of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting will include current
    issues such as Ukraine, Syria, the Horn of Africa and Venezuela, according to a
    release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest. On the sidelines
    of the meeting, the Romanian foreign minister will attend a working brunch on
    Ukraine, organized by his Danish counterpart Anders Samuelsen, with the
    Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin as the main guest .






    EMPLOYMENT – More than 10,000 notices of employment or posting were
    issued last year for foreigners coming to Romania to work, mostly from Vietnam,
    Turkey, Sri Lanka and China. According to the General Inspectorate for
    Immigration, more than 120,000 foreign citizens were registered in Romania at
    the end of last year, more than half of them from non-EU countries. For this
    year, the Romanian Government has approved a contingent of 20,000 workers newly
    admitted on the Romanian labour market. According to authorities, the decision
    was made taking into consideration Romania’s economic development potential and
    the need to provide the necessary workforce for certain sectors of the economy
    and also to prevent illegal labour.




    BREXIT – British Prime Minister Theresa May has decided to speak to
    every EU member state leader over the coming days and she has written a letter
    to the Conservative MPs to appeal for unity over Brexit, France Presse reports.
    In this letter, excerpts of which have been made public by Downing Street,
    Theresa May calls on her party to act for the benefit of the national interest.
    On Monday, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay will meet EU chief negotiator Michel
    Barnier to discuss proposals put forward by a new working group of British
    lawmakers, exploring alternatives to the backstop in Ireland. Great Britain is
    due to leave the EU on March 29th, but its parliament last month
    rejected a draft divorce deal that Theresa May had negotiated with the EU,
    raising the risk of a no-deal Brexit.




    ISIS – US President Donald Trump has urged Great Britain, France and
    other European allies to take back their 800 Isis fighters captured in Syria
    and put them on trial. If this does not happen, the alternative is not a good
    one, in that we will be forced to release them, Trump said. In a message
    posted on a social network, Trump says that the entire Caliphate claimed by
    Isis in Syria and Iraq is ready to fall, and the US will pull out after
    declaring victory.






    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player
    Monica Niculescu was defeated by Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan on Sunday, in the
    last round of qualifications for the singles of the WTA tournament in Dubai,
    the United Arab Emirates, with 2.828.000 dollars in prize money. Simona Halep
    is third seed at the tournament and will go straight into the second round.
    Also from Romania, Mihaela Buzarnescu will take on in the first round the
    American Sofia Kenin. Four Romanian players will compete in the doubles:
    Buzarnescu will pair up with the Polish Alicja Rosolska, Irina Bara will play
    together with Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia, Monica Niculescu will play
    alongside the Chinese Xinyun Han, and Raluca Olaru will pair up with the Croat
    Darija Jurak. On Saturday night, in the final of the Doha tournament, Simona
    Halep, no.2 in the WTA rankings as of Monday, was defeated by the Belgian Elise
    Mertens 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. This is the first match against Halep won by Mertens (21
    WTA). Halep’s record includes 18 titles, including the Roland Garros. So far,
    she has lost 16 finals.

  • January 20, 2019 UPDATE

    January 20, 2019 UPDATE

    Brussels — On Monday the Romanian FM Teodor Melescanu will participate in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. On the agenda of the meeting are topical issues such as fighting disinformation, cooperation between the EU and the League of Arab States and the relations between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). According to a press release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry, during the meeting to be presided by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Minister Melescanu will present the participants the main themes in the focus of Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU. On Tuesday he will have meetings on the same topic at the EP’s Foreign Affairs and Development Committees.



    Council of the EU — The Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU has finalized the adoption of the first file in the field of economic and financial affairs, namely the regulations on the minimum loss coverage for non-performing exposures, the Romanian Finance Ministry officials announced. Reporting significant progress in the field of financial services is one of Romania’s priorities at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting- said the Romanian finance minister Eugen Teodorovici. He met in Strasbourg with the co-rapporteurs on the file regarding the revision of the European financial surveillance system and with the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Pervenche Beres and Othmar Karas. The Romanian finance minister also talked with Isabelle Thomas, a member in the EP’s Committee on Budgets, about the negotiations on Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.



    Berlin — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will participate on Tuesday in Aachen, in western Germany, in the ceremony for the signing of the French-German Cooperation and Integration Treaty upon the invitation of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and of the French President Emmanuel Macron. On this occasion, President Iohannis, in his capacity as president of the country holding the incumbent presidency of the Council of the EU, will deliver a speech. The ceremony will also be attended by the president of the European Council Donald Tusk and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The Aachen bilateral treaty is based, from a political and juridical point of view, on the Elysee French-German Treaty of 1963 that set the basis for a historic reconciliation between Germany and France. The Aachen treaty will focus on adjusting the relations between the two states to the challenges of the 21st century, laying emphasis on the cohesion of the two countries’ action at European level.



    Flu — The number of people killed by the flu in Romania reached 20, after on Sunday a new death was reported. A 68-year old man from the southeastern city of Galati died because of the AH3 flu virus. According to the local authorities, the victim had not been vaccinated and was suffering from serious chronic respiratory diseases. On Saturday the health minister Sorina Pintea said that Romania was on the verge of a flu epidemic. The decision to declare a flu epidemic is based on the WHO criteria, one of the most important criteria being the number of cases, namely 1,500 per 100 thousand inhabitants.



    Chisinau — The Moldovan government announced they would increase the number of polling stations for the parliamentary elections of February 24, 2019. 125 stations will be opened abroad, 25 more than at the 2016 presidential election. The number of polling stations will be doubled in Ukraine, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and Ireland, it will increase by 70% in the US, by almost 40% in Russia and by 9% in neighboring Romania. Legislative elections will take place for the first time based on a mixed electoral system, according to which 50 deputies will be elected on party lists and another 51 in uninominal electoral constituencies, in one single round.



    High Court — The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Monday will hold a new hearing in the trial in which the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Social Democratic Party is accused of corruption. He was already sentenced in a court of first instance to 3 years and 6 months in prison for having instigated to abuse of office. The prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate accused Dragnea that, during his term in office as president of the Teleorman county council he ordered the fictitious hiring of two party members at the Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection. The two were paid from public money although they worked exclusively for the party. In 2016 Dragnea received a definitive two year suspended sentence for attempted electoral fraud.



    Tennis — The world’s no. 1 player, Simona Halep will take on Serena Williams on Monday, in Melbourne, in the eighth finals of the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. On Saturday she eliminated Venus Williams on Saturday 6-2, 6-3. Simona Halep and Serena Williams have so far played against each other 9 times. Halep defeated Williams once in 2014 in the WTA Championships Red Group 6-0, 6-2. (translation by L. Simion)

  • Romania takes over EU presidency

    Romania takes over EU presidency

    For the first time since joining the European Union 12 years ago, Romania is holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Its Prime Minister Viorica Dancila says Bucharest wants to project a pragmatic vision during its 6-month term based on the principle of cohesion. Romania’s priorities rest on four pillars: a Europe of convergence, a safer Europe, Europe as a global actor; and a Europe of common values. Europe of convergence which means growth, cohesion, competitiveness will ensure, according to prime minister Dancila, sustainable and equitable development for all European citizens. This is essential, she said, in order to promote a united Europe and increase the European Union’s competitiveness at a global level.



    Viorica Dancila: “The decisions on the future of European policies must be reflected in the Union’s funding priorities. Therefore, Romania’s presidency of the Council of the European Union will contribute to the drafting of the post-2020 multiannual financial framework in order to fulfil the objectives in the next seven years and ensure a balance between growth and convergence generating policies in the community bloc.”



    Romania also aims to contribute to the consolidation of the economic and monetary union and to promote research and innovation through digitisation and connectivity as main factors in the growth of the competitiveness of European industry. The Romanian authorities also believe that intolerance, populism, racism and xenophobia can be fought through a permanent reminder of the values on which the Union is based, while also calling for greater citizen involvement in the decision making process.



    Viorica Dancila: “I believe it is necessary to encourage young people to become involved in the creation of a strong Europe based on shared European values. Also, we will support during our term the legislative initiatives related to the participation of European citizens in the European legislative process.”



    Minister for European Affairs, George Ciamba, talked about Romania’s priorities during its 6-month mandate and pointed out that, under the motto “Cohesion — a common European value” Bucharest will have to deal with very important matters for the future of the EU, such as Brexit, the future budget of the Union and the elections for the European Parliament.



    George Ciamba: “In the first period, when we work together with the current European Parliament, Romania’s priorities will focus on turning as many bills as possible into European laws. At present, we have quite a clear picture at the level of each ministry, of which initiatives can be turned into European law and which are the ones that need to be further worked on and then taken over by the next presidency. The mandate of the current European Parliament expires in April, so quite soon. Romania must have an impartial stand, but, at the same time, it must find qualified majorities that should allow it to reach a common stand within the Council. The second part of Romania’s mandate will be dedicated to the summit in Sibiu, a very important summit held only two weeks and a half ahead of the European Parliament elections. It is very important, essential I would say, as far as we are concerned, for the summit to give a signal of unity among all member states and European partners as regards the future of the Union. In the last month of Romania’s mandate, which will again be a very complicated one, we will have the chance to tackle topics that cannot be discussed before that, precisely because of the campaign for the European Parliament elections. These topics were postponed so as not to interfere with the elections. Therefore they must be discussed in one month alone, the time left before Romania’s mandate expires. Among these topics is EU enlargement.”



    Romania wants the Black Sea to become a priority zone for the EU as well, as it currently is for NATO, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has said: “One of Romania’s goals, as president of the Council of the EU, will be to come up with proposals regarding the strengthening of cooperation in the Black Sea area in general, boosting confidence among member states, promoting tourism, energy interconnectivity and direct collaboration of the EU and the regional structures.”



    All these, minister Melescanu says, are important because we want the EU to get more involved in these regional formats.

  • December 26, 2018 UPDATE

    December 26, 2018 UPDATE

    Justice — The Romanian justice minister Tudorel Toader announced he would finalize, on Thursday, December 27, the procedure for the dismissal of Romania’s prosecutor general Augustin Lazar, which was started in October. Toader accused Lazar of professional and managerial errors and Augustin Lazar took legal action against the justice ministry. The issue is to be judged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The opponents of the governing coalition claim that the dismissal of Augustin Lazar, which follows that of the former head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, is a form of political vendetta and an attempt to stop the anti-corruption fight.



    Trade statistics — In 2018 as well Romania continued to import more than it exported, show the latest data provided by the National Institute of Statistics. In the first 10 months of the year, the trade balance deficit rose by more than one and a half billion Euros as against the same period of 2017. From January 1st to October 31st exports rose by a little over 9%. At the same time, imports rose by almost 10%. Therefore the trade balance deficit reached almost 12 billion Euros. Around three quarters of Romania’s international trade exchanges were with partner countries from the EU.



    Handball — Romania’s national men’s handball team will go to Poland on Thursday to participate in the 4 Nations Cup alongside the teams of Poland, the Czech Republic and Japan. After January 1st Romania’s national team trained by Spanish Manuel Montoya and the former Romanian-born international handballer Eliodor Voica will go on a training camp to Slovakia and then they will participate in a tournament also involving the participation of the host country and the Netherlands. We remind you that the Romanian handballers failed to qualify to the World Championship due next month, which is organized by Germany and Denmark. In exchange, Romania’s national women’s team has already qualified to the World Championships to be held next year in Japan, after in December they ended on 4th place the European Championship hosted by France.



    Tourist statistics — Many Romanians wanted to spend the Christmas holidays in rural guesthouses across Romania, where the occupancy rate exceeded 90%. According to data made public by the Romanian Tourism Business Owners’ Federation, the most sought-after destinations in the rural areas were Bran, the area of Sibiu (in the center), Maramures (in the north) and Bukovina (in the northeast). Second in the top of tourist attractions were the spa resorts. Also some Romanians chose to spend the Christmas mini-holiday abroad, opting for city breaks to European countries or for trips to warm climate countries. Many tourists chose the ski resorts from Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland and France where they also visited the Christmas Fairs. As for exotic destinations, most Romanians chose Dubai, Egypt and Morocco.



    Earthquake — A 3.1 magnitude quake took place on Tuesday night in Vrancea region, southeastern Romania, at a depth of 126 kms. The most powerful earthquake of 2018 in Romania measured 5.8 on the Richter scale and occurred on October 28 in the same area. The quake was felt in the capital Bucharest as well. (translation by L. Simion)

  • December 26, 2018

    December 26, 2018

    2nd Day of Christmas — Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians in Romania are celebrating, on Wednesday, the 2nd Christmas Day, a religious celebration devoted to Virgin Mary. This is one of the oldest celebrations honoring the Virgin Mary which dates to the 5th century. Also on Wednesday the Roman-Catholic believers celebrate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr saint. On Tuesday, on Christmas Day, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church Daniel, said that the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus Christ was also an occasion to offer presents to children, old people, orphans, the sick and the lonely, as a symbol of the gift of love God gave us all. In turn, the Roman-Catholic archbishop in Bucharest, Ioan Robu, has urged people to continue educating and raising their children in the spirit of the light and teachings of Jesus Christ, of love for their country and people. The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, the PM Viorica Dancila and other politicians made Christmas wishes to all Romanians.



    Belgrade — The Romanian foreign minister Teodor Melescanu is today paying an official visit to neighboring Serbia upon the invitation of his counterpart Ivica Dačić. According to the Romanian diplomacy, the Romanian official will also have talks with president Aleksandar Vučić, the PM Ana Brnabić and with the president of the National Assembly, Serbia’s Parliament, Maja Gojkovic. High on the agenda of talks are such issues as the development of bilateral economic relations, the speeding up of Serbia’s accession negotiations with the EU during Romania’s presidency of the EU Council, in the first six months of 2019. Another issue to be tackled during the talks is the situation of the Romanian minority in Serbia. Foreign minister Melescanu will also meet with the representatives of the Romanian minority during his official visit to Serbia.



    Handball — Romania’s national men’s handball team will go to Poland on Thursday to participate in the 4 Nations Cup alongside the teams of Poland, the Czech Republic and Japan. After January 1st Romania’s national team trained by Spanish Manuel Montoya and the former Romanian-born international handballer Eliodor Voica will go on a training camp to Slovakia and then they will participate in a tournament also involving the participation of the host country and the Netherlands. We remind you that the Romanian handballers failed to qualify to the World Championship due next month, which is organized by Germany and Denmark. In exchange, Romania’s national women’s team has already qualified to the World Championships to be held next year in Japan, after in December they ended on 4th place the European Championship hosted by France.



    Chisinau — Registration of candidates for the parliamentary elections due on February 24, 2019 started on Wednesday in the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population. The elections will be for the first time based on the mixed electoral system. Therefore, 50 deputies will be elected on party lists and another 51 in uninominal electoral constituencies, in one single round. According to opinion surveys, running as favourites in the elections are the pro-Russian socialists of president Igor Dodon, followed by the pro-European right and the center-leftist ruling Democratic party. At the same time with the parliamentary elections a referendum will be held on whether to cut down the number of deputies from 101 to 61 as well as on whether the deputies could be dismissed by citizens.



    MAE — The Romanian Foreign Ministry has launched ‘The Travel Guide for the 2018 Winter Holidays’ destined for the Romanian citizens. The document includes useful recommendations for those who travel abroad as well as information on the most popular tourist destinations during this period of time, namely Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and Hungary. The document can also be accessed on the ministry’s webpage. (translation by L. Simion)

  • December 24, 2018

    December 24, 2018

    Christmas Eve — Orthodox, Greek-Catholic and Catholic Christians from all over the world on Monday mark Christmas Eve and make the last preparations for the Nativity of Jesus, one of the greatest celebrations of Christianity marked on December 25. A famous tradition in Romania on Christmas Eve is caroling, with carolers symbolizing the angels and shepherds who announced the Birth of Jesus. They make wishes of good health and wealth and receive fruit, bagels, sweets or money. The old rite Christians who form the majority in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Georgia will celebrate Christmas on January 7. These days many pilgrims visit the holy sites from Israel and the Nativity Church in Bethlehem.



    Justice — The Romanian justice minister Tudorel Toader announced he would finalize, on Thursday, December 27, the procedure for the dismissal of Romania’s prosecutor general Augustin Lazar, which was started in October. Toader accused Lazar of professional and managerial errors and Lazar took legal action against the justice ministry. The issue is to be judged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The opponents of the governing coalition claim that the dismissal of Augustin Lazar, which follows that of the former head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, was a form of political vendetta and an attempt to stop the anti-corruption fight. In another development, minister Toader announced he signed the documents for the release from prison of a former Romanian minister Elena Udrea and a former chief of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, Alina Bica, who are in prison in Costa Rica upon the request of the Romanian authorities. The two had received definitive sentences in Romania in cases of high-level corruption. The High Court of Cassation and Justice decided on the suspension of the imprisonment conviction in their case, after the Constitutional Court of Romania ruled as illegal the setting up of the panels of 5 judges at the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The ruling also led to the suspension of the imprisonment convictions in many other cases involving former ministers and incumbent politicians.



    Brexit — Romania supports the Brexit deal as well as the political declaration on the future framework of the post-Brexit relation between the EU and the UK, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu told the BBC on Sunday. He added that, from Romania’s point of view, it was important for the UK to stay as close as possible to the EU. Teodor Melescanu also said that Romania envisaged to start bilateral negotiations with the UK as part of the strategic partnership concluded by the two sides. Minister Melescanu also reminded that at the meeting held with the former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson he received assurances that the more than 400 thousand Romanians who are in the UK would not be affected by Brexit and he gave the example of the Romanian physicians and nurses who went to the UK. Boris Johnson had stated that if these people left the UK the country’s healthcare system would be severely affected.



    Jakarta — The death toll in the aftermath of the tsunami that hit Indonesia following a volcanic eruption has reached 300 dead and more than 1,000 injured, the National Agency for Disaster Management announced on Monday. Scores of people are still reported missing. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the tsunami that, on Saturday, hit the southern coasts of Sumatra and the western side of the Java island.



    Border traffic — More than 250 thousand people, both Romanian and foreign citizens, have crossed Romania’s borders over the past 24 hours in more than 60 thousand cars, the border police announced. Of them as many as 170 thousand entered Romania while almost 83 thousand left the country. In the same period of time, the border police identified 30 cases of crimes and 37 cases of offences perpetrated by both Romanian and foreign citizens. Also, 29 foreign citizens were denied entry to Romania as they did not comply with the legal provisions, and 16 Romanian citizens were prevented from leaving the country from various legal reasons. (translation by L. Simion)

  • November 23, 2018

    November 23, 2018

    BREXIT– Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will attend on Sunday a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels. EU leaders are meeting to endorse the Brexit withdrawal agreement . The summit was called by President Donald Tusk on 15 November 2018, after his meeting with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who presented to him the draft text as agreed with the UK at the level of the negotiators. Leaders are also expected to approve a political declaration on future EU-UK relations that will accompany and be referred to in the withdrawal agreement. The Commission intends to agree with the UK a final draft for this declaration, building on the outline agreed by the negotiators on both sides.




    BUDGET REVISION — The second budget adjustment for 2018 is being discussed in today’s government meeting, Romanian PM Viorica Dancila has announced. She has also said that the budget adjustment is a positive one, and is aimed at maintaining the budget deficit target of 2.97% of the GDP, ensuring the necessary funds for the implementation of the government policies and programmes and for the well-functioning of the public institutions. The finance ministry, the labour ministry and the healthcare ministry will receive the biggest amount of additional funds. The justice, internal affairs and development ministries will also receive more money, as will the health insurance fund, the state social securities fund and the unemployment fund. The ministries of transport, research and innovation, culture, education, communication and information society, European funds, waters and forests, the environment and agriculture will receive less money.




    HEALTH REPORT – The European Commission’s Health at a Glance: Europe report has been made public this month. Developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in cooperation with the European Commission, this publication provides analysis of the state of health of EU citizens and the performance of EU health systems. In addition to chapters containing statistical indicators for 35 European countries, the 2018 report includes two cross-cutting chapters on EU political priorities: promoting mental health and reducing inefficient spending. According to the report, Romanians’ life expectancy rate is among the lowest in the EU, with cardiovascular diseases and cancer as the main cause, while infectious diseases, TB in particular, are major health risks. The report also says that Romania has the lowest expenditure among all EU’s health systems, while the amounts that patients spend are very high as compared with the average spending in the community area. The insufficient staff, especially in the underproviledged areas, the underdevelopment of infrastructure are also problems of the Romanian health system. The report also says that the authorities have taken a series of measures to improve the situation.




    VISIT — Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu travelled to Seoul on Friday for a three-day official visit that marks 10 years since the signing of the strategic partnership between Romania and South Korea. On this occasion, the South Korean Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha, has called on Romania to play a key role in supporting the peace process in the Korean peninsula, especially next year, when Bucharest takes over the EU Council presidency. In turn, Teodor Melescanu said that Romania hopes to find ways of supporting the continuation of the peace process in the area, at a time when South Korea’s efforts focus on the full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.




    RadiRo – The 4th edition of the International Radio Orchestras Festival — RadiRo, organized by Radio Romania, continues on Friday with another concert by the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Ben Gernon. Also on Friday, Marilyn Mazur & The Danish Radio Big Band are giving a concert under the baton of Miho Hazama. RadiRo is the only event devoted to European and world radio orchestras. All concerts are broadcast live by Radio Romania’s channels, recorded and subsequently rebroadcast by the public television. The concerts are also rebroadcast by the radiobroadcasters that are members of the European Broadcasting Union.




    NATIONAL DAY – Around 4,000 military and experts from the defence ministry, the interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service and the National Prisons Administration, and over 200 pieces of equipment and 50 planes, as well as military from a number of allied and partner countries will take part in a military parade on the 1st of December in Bucharest on Romanias national day. The approximately 500 foreign troops taking part will come from Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, the UK, the Republic of Moldova, Slovakia, the US, Turkey and Ukraine. The Romanian military in foreign missions and theatres of operation will also be holding special military ceremonies and activities to celebrate the national day.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)







  • 18.09.2018 (mise à jour)

    18.09.2018 (mise à jour)

    Sommet – Lors de la clôture du sommet « LInitiative des Trois Mers » déroulé à Bucarest pendant deux jours en la présence du président de la Commission européenne, Jean-Claude Junker, le président roumain Klaus Iohannis a déclaré que la réunion favorise le développement économique et le renforcement de lUE. Selon le président, laugmentation du degré de connectivité et de la convergence économique entre les pays participants assurera une meilleure cohésion de lensemble de lUnion. Le chef de lEtat a encore apprécié le rôle du Sommet pour faciliter les contacts daffaires et pour encourager les investissements dans la région. Jean-Claude Juncker, présent pour la première fois au Sommet, a souligné le soutien de la Commission à lInitiative, tout en précisant que le respect de lEtat de droit demeurait essentiel et indispensable, sans quoi les investissements seuls étaient dénoués de tout effet. Avant de décoller, le président de la Commission européenne a rencontré la première ministre roumaine, Mme Viorica Dancila. Le prochain Sommet de lInitiative aura lieu en Slovénie. LInitiative des Trois Mers sest constituée comme une sorte de plate-forme informelle, au niveau des chefs dEtats et de gouvernements, réunissant autour de la table douze des Etats membres de lUE.



    Référendum – Le gouvernement de gauche de Bucarest sest réuni mardi en séance plénière, à Bucarest, pour approuver les détails techniques relatifs à lorganisation, les 6 et 7 octobre prochain, du référendum censé redéfinir la famille dans la Constitution. La première ministre Viorica Dancila a fait un appel à la responsabilité dans lorganisation du référendum, adressé aux institutions responsables. Lundi, la Cour constitutionnelle a décidé que la loi censée bétonner dans la Constitution la définition selon laquelle la famille est fondée sur le mariage librement consenti « entre un homme et une femme », qui pourrait remplacerle syntagme actuel, respectivement « entre deux époux », respectait les dispositions constitutionnelles.



    Cour constitutionnelle – La Cour constitutionnelle de la Roumanie a rejeté mardi la saisine déposée par le président Klaus Johannis au sujet des modifications législatives apportées par le Parlement à la loi régissant le fonctionnement du Conseil supérieur de la Magistrature, selon lagence AGERPRES. Dans sa saisine, le président clamait la mise en danger du rôle constitutionnel du Conseil, qui en fait le garant de lindépendance de la Justice et du fonctionnement de lInspection judiciaire.


    Mardi toujours, la Cour a admis comme fondée la saisine déposée par le chef de lEtat contre la loi portant sur les nouvelles modalités de lapplication des peines, statuant la loi non constitutionnelle dans son ensemble.


    La Cour constitutionnelle a par ailleurs reporté lexamen dune autre saisine présidentielle, sur le statut des juges et des procureurs. Pour rappel, le président Johannis a durement critiqué et de manière réitéréeles récentes modifications législatives apportées au fonctionnement du système judiciaire. Les partis dopposition, ainsi que la Haute Cour de Cassation et de Justice avaient également saisi la Cour constitutionnelle en la matière.



    Ambassadeur Washington – Le ministre des Affaires étrangères de Bucarest, Teodor Meleşcanu, a déclaré mardi que lambassadeur roumain à Washington avait commis une faute en commentant publiquement la lettre adressée par Rudolf Giuliani, ancien maire de New York et avocat personnel du président Trump, aux autorités de Bucarest. Teodor Meleşcanu envisage daborder avec la première ministre Viorica Dăncilă le sort de lambassadeur, sans préciser davantage sur sa propre position. Les déclarations du ministre interviennent à la suite de la lettre quil a reçue à ce sujet de la part de la commission de Politique extérieure du Sénat de Bucarest, dans laquelle il était demandé au ministre de réfléchir à lopportunité du maintien de lambassadeur George Maior en poste, eu égard les intérêts de la Roumanie. Ancien procureur fédéral, Rudolph Giuliani dénonçait certains abus du Parquet Anticorruption et les protocoles de collaboration conclus entre le Service roumain de Renseignement et certaines autres institutions publiques, dans sa missive adressée au président Klaus Iohannis. Cest dans ce contexte que lambassadeur roumain aux Etats-Unis, George Maior, avait qualifié cette lettre comme le fruit dun lobby mis sur pied par certaines forces impliquées dans la défense des personnes accusées de corruption.



    Genève – La deuxième Conférence internationale des jeunes francophones (CIJF) a continué, ce mardi, au Palais des Nations de Genève. Les 200 participants, représentants de la jeunesse francophone de tous les continents ont eu des échanges très appliqués sur des sujets dintérêt commun : linclusion économique et financière des jeunes, avec un état des lieux de la situation en francophonie ; les défis et les obstacles qui freinent la mise en œuvre de stratégies nationales dinclusion économique et financière des jeunes, et plus spécifiquement des femmes ; les contraintes auxquelles sont confrontées les jeunes en matière demploi dans lespace francophone et, pour finir, les opportunités et nouvelles pistes à exploiter en matière dentrepreneuriat et de création demploi. La tranche réservée aux ateliers interactifs a continué elle aussi avec des thématiques concernant lautonomie financière ou encore les compétences transversales. Sy sont ajoutés des témoignages individuels qui ont mis laccent sur les bonnes pratiques et les leçons apprises. La deuxième CIJF prendra fin ce mercredi.



    Brexit – Les chefs dEtats et de gouvernements de lUE se réuniront mercredi et jeudi à Salzburg, en Autriche, pour aborder la dernière ligne droite des négociations portant sur le Brexit. Ils décideront à loccasion de la tenue au mois de novembre dun Conseil européen extraordinaire sur le sujet. La proposition, lancée par le président du Conseil européen, Donald Tusk, serait nécessaire pour faciliter le départ du Royaume-Uni du bloc communautaire dans les délais prévus, cest-à-dire au mois de mars 2019.



    Météo – Il fera toujours beau et chaud en Roumanie pour la période, surtout dans lOuest, le Nord et le centre du pays. Les températures minimum descendront la nuit jusquà 6°, alors que les maxima toucheront laprès-midi les 30°C.

  • 12.09.2018 (mise à jour)

    12.09.2018 (mise à jour)

    Entretien — Le président de la Roumanie, Klaus Iohannis, a reçu ce mercredi le premier ministre néerlandais, Mark Rutte, en visite à Bucarest. A cette occasion, le chef de l’Etat roumain a déclaré que la relation de la Roumanie avec les Pays-Bas avait une importante composante aussi bien économique que sociale, vu les 30.000 ressortissants roumains qui vivent sur le territoire néerlandais. Les deux hommes ont également abordé l’avenir de l’Union européenne, M. Iohannis estimant que Bucarest et La Haye œuvraient pour la consolidation du bloc communautaire, même s’ils ne partagent pas les mêmes opinions sur tous les dossiers. Le président de la Roumanie et le chef du gouvernement des Pays-Bas ont également discuté de sujets tels l’adhésion de Bucarest à l’espace Schengen, la migration, le Brexit et la présidence roumaine du Conseil de l’UE, au premier semestre de l’année prochaine.



    Visite — Le commissaire européen à l’agriculture et au développement rural, Phil Hogan, commencera jeudi une visite de deux jours, a annoncé la Représentation de la Commission européenne à Bucarest. Le responsable communautaire aura des entretiens avec la première ministre Viorica Dăncilă et avec le ministre de l’agriculture et du développement rural, Petre Daea. Le commissaire Phil Hogan rencontrera également des représentants des associations de fermiers et s’entretiendra avec des habitants de la région de Cluj (nord-ouest), sur le thème « Un budget moderne pour une Union plus forte ».



    Maroc — Le royaume du Maroc apprécie le rôle endossé par la Roumanie sur la scène régionale et internationale et soutiendra la candidature de cette dernière pour siéger au Conseil de Sécurité des Nations-Unies en tant que membre non permanent, a affirmé aujourd’hui à Bucarest le ministre marocain des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération internationale, Nasser Bourita. Après la rencontre entre le chef de la diplomatie marocaine et son homologue roumain, Teodor Meleşcan, M. Bourita e encore exprimé son appréciation pour la contribution de la Roumanie à la sauvegarde de la paix et de la stabilité dans les régions voisines du Maroc, en Afrique et au Proche Orient. Le ministre Teodor Meleşcanu a réitéré par ailleurs le soutien de la Roumanie au Maroc, dans le contexte de la présidence du Conseil de l’UE que la Roumanie exercera à partir du 1er janvier prochain. Les discussions ont également porté sur l’état des relations bilatérales, vu que le Maroc est le premier partenaire économique de la Roumanie en Afrique et dans le monde arabe.



    Constitution — La Cour constitutionnelle de Roumanie a annoncé ce mercredi qu’elle examinerait, le 17 septembre prochain, la proposition législative de révision de la Constitution du pays de définir la famille comme l’union librement consentie entre un homme et une femme. Le Sénat de la Roumanie, qui est l’assemblée décisionnelle dans ce cas, a adopté mardi la proposition mentionnée. Liviu Dragnea, président de la Chambre des députés et leader du Parti social-démocrate (principal membre de la coalition au pouvoir à Bucarest), a récemment annoncé que le référendum pour la famille aurait lieu le 7 octobre. Plusieurs ONG, réunies dans « La coalition pour la famille », ont collecté environ 3 millions de signatures en faveur de cette consultation populaire, dont l’objectif est de bloquer les mariages homosexuels.



    Strasbourg — Le Parlement européen, réuni en session plénière à Strasbourg, a dénoncé mercredi les dérives anti-démocratiques de l’actuel gouvernement de Budapest et a demandé à ce que la Commission européenne enclenche les procédures prévues par l’article 7 du Traité européen. Les eurodéputés ont adopté un Rapport qui dresse une longue liste d’infractions de la Hongrie à l’égard des libertés et des valeurs européennes dans des domaines tels que la presse, le milieu universitaire, le traitement des minorités, la migration, mais également en matière de corruption et d’indépendance de la Justice. Lors des débats déroulés mardi en séance plénière au Parlement européen, le premier ministre hongrois, Viktor Orban, a accusé les doubles standards utilisés dans la rédaction du Rapport, ce qui constitue, selon lui, un abus de pouvoir. Il a aussi accusé la manière dont il a été avalisé par le Parlement européen, ce qui enfreint, toujours selon M. Orban, le Traité de base de l’UE. Si l’article 7 était finalement activé, la Hongrie risquerait une série de sanctions, y compris la suspension de son droit de vote au Conseil de l’UE.



    Météo — Pour finir un dernier mot de météo. Les prochaines 24 heures, le mercure grimpera dans les thermomètres sur l’ensemble du territoire roumain, tout particulièrement dans les régions de l’Ouest et du Nord-ouest. Le ciel, parfois couvert, s’assombrira dans le Sud-est et sur le relief, des pluies à caractère local n’étant pas à exclure. Le vent soufflera plus fort sur la côte de la mer Noire. Les températures grimperont jusqu’à 30° l’après-midi.

  • September 10, 2018 UPDATE

    September 10, 2018 UPDATE

    VISIT – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will meet on Tuesday in Bucharest with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, on the occasion of an official visit he pays to Romania. The two officials will discuss topical European issues, the future of the EU, the Union’s budget, Brexit and migration. Also approached will be bilateral ties and regional cooperation.




    2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR — Some 3 million school and pre-school children started on Monday a new school year. State Secretary with the Education Ministry Florian Lixandru told Radio Romania that 80% of pre-university schooling units have public health permits, while the remaining 20% are in the process of obtaining one or don’t have one. In another development, the Chamber of Deputies’ Education Committee next week will hear the head of the Pedagogical Publishing House after serious errors were identified in several textbooks.




    SWINE FEVER VIRUS — The African swine fever virus has spread to Giurgiu County as well, the 12th county were fever hotbeds have been identified. So far 160,000 pigs have been culled. Last week the Prosecutor General’s Office launched an investigation into the epidemic, with actionable negligence and reckless misconduct being considered as possible offences. Under harsh criticism from pig farmers, the opposition and President Iohannis for the way it handled the crisis, the Government has promised compensations. In order to prevent the disease from spreading the authorities have decided to hunt until December 1st, over 80 thousand wild boars. Hunters, however, say the measure cannot be applied in such a short time and that the hunting fund for the next few years will be seriously affected.




    CAR CRASH — Moldovan Police has opened a criminal case following Sunday’s car accident in which Moldovan President Igor Dodon sustained minor injuries. Presidential adviser Maxim Lebedinschi said Dodon didnt require medical treatment after the crash, which occurred near the town of Straseni, north of the capital, Chisinau. The collision occurred as cars in the presidential motorcade collided with an oncoming vehicle.




    TRADE DEFICIT — Romania’s trade deficit in the first seven months of the year stood at 7.6 billion euros, up by 10% as compared to the similar period in 2017, the National Statistics Institute reports. Exports to EU member states exceeded 30.5 billion euros while imports stood at 35.5 billion. Trade with EU states accounted for 75% of total trade.




    FOREIGN AFFAIRS — Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu will attend on Tuesday a new round of talks with his Polish and Turkish counterparts. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the three officials will tackle the NATO actions in the region and the international security context. This is the fifth such meeting of the Romanian, Polish and Turkish foreign ministers. On Monday Melescanu met in Bucharest with his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis. The agenda for talks focused on bilateral relations and EU topics. Finalizing negotiations over a framework agreement between the EU and Switzerland is one of the priorities of Romania’s term at the helm of the EU Council, Minister Melescanu said at the meeting. In turn, Minister Cassis argued in favor of improving two-way trade, considering Switzerland is Romania’s 8th investor. Ignazio Cassis also met with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila who highlighted the good cooperation between the two countries within the Romanian-Swiss Cooperation programme on bridging economic and social gaps within the EU.




    MANEUVERS — Russia on Tuesday will commence its largest series of military maneuvers, criticized by NATO as a rehearsal for a large-scale conflict. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, some 300,000 military will take part, including Chinese and Mongolian soldiers, 36,000 vehicles, a thousand aircraft and 80 navy vessels. Titled EST-2018, the military exercise will end on September 17. Maneuvers are underway against the backdrop of tense relations with the Western powers, marked by the Ukrainian crisis, the Syrian conflict and the numerous allegations of involvement in the internal politics of numerous states, including the USA.


  • August 27, 2018 UPDATE

    August 27, 2018 UPDATE

    Diplomats’ meeting — Bucharest is hosting, as of Monday, the annual meeting of the Romanian diplomats, under the motto Diplomacy — a pillar of Centennial Romania”. On the occasion, the Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu stated that the Romanian diplomacy should remain a fundamental bond in society. He said that Romania’s modernization was possible thanks to the consensus of the entire political class over the objectives of Romania’s integration into NATO and the EU. Romania has reached its historic objectives and is now benefiting from an unprecedented level of security and prosperity, minister Melescanu added. The special guest of the meeting is the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. Also attending the meeting are, among others, the Romanian Minister delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu and representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited to Bucharest. The main issues under discussion are Romania’s future mandate as president of the EU Council, bilateral and strategic relations, regional cooperation, the Eastern neighborhood, the UN and the economic diplomacy. The diplomats’ meeting will come to an end on Wednesday.



    Prosecutor’s Office — Romania’s Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar on Monday said that the manipulation of the public opinion is frequently used to destabilize the activity of prosecutors. He added that the Public Ministry’s actions were all transparent and took place in the spirit of truth. Augustin Lazar also said that the justice system and the rule of law are currently going though difficult times and made public the correspondence the Public Ministry had with the Justice Ministry and the Superior Council of Magistracy on the issue of the protocols concluded with the Romanian Intelligence Service. He made these statements after on Saturday the justice minister Tudorel Toader announced the start of procedures for the assessment of the prosecutor general’s managerial activity in the context of the protocols concluded with SRI. Previously, the General Prosecutor’s Office had informed that in December 2016 it had concluded two cooperation protocols with SRI that were in force for only 3 months. One of them was made public and set the conditions for access to the technical systems belonging to the National Centre for Interception of Communications, while the other, which was classified, was related to cooperation regarding crimes against national security, terrorism as well as crimes made by the military staff within the Intelligence Service.



    Paris — The French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday announced in Paris that, in the coming months, he would present a project for the consolidation of security in Europe, which can no longer rely on the US alone. He said he wanted to launch a new dialogue, mainly with Russia, on several topics, among which cyber security, chemical weapons, conventional weapons, territorial conflicts and space security. The European security and defense architecture needs to be reconsidered, Macron also said in his speech delivered on the occasion of the annual conference of French ambassadors. (news update by L. Simion)

  • Nachrichten 27.08.2018

    Nachrichten 27.08.2018

    Der Generalstaatsanwalt Rumäniens, Augustin Lazar, ist am Montag vor die Presse getreten und hat erklärt, die Manipulierung der öffentlichen Meinung werde des öfteren verwendet, um die Aktivität der Staatsawälte zu destabilisieren. Die General-staatsanwaltschaft Rumäniens sei immer transparent vorgegangen, um die Wahrheit zu finden, sagte Lazar. Jetzt sei eine schwierige Zeit für die Justiz und für den Rechtsstaat in Rumänien; die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft habe den Briefwechsel mit dem Justizministerium und mit dem Obersten Rat der Richter und Staatsanwälte zum Thema der Zusammenarbeitsprotokolle mit dem Innennachrichtendienst SRI veröffentlicht, so der Generalstaatsanwalt Augustin Lazar. Dies erklärte Augustin Lazar am Montag, nachdem der Justizminister, Tudorel Toader, am Samstag bekanntgegeben hatte, er werde ein Verfahren einleiten, um die Managertätigkeit des Generalstaatsanwaltes Augustin Lazar im Kontext der besagten Zusammenarbeitsprotokolle mit dem Nachrichtendienst SRI zu evaluieren. Die Ergebnisse der Evaluierung werden in höchstens 30 Tagen bekanntgegeben, so der Justizminister. Vorhin hatte die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft informiert, sie habe in Dezember 2016 zwei Zusammenarbeitsprotokolle mit dem Nachrichtendienst SRI abgeschlossen, die nur drei Monate in Kraft geblieben waren. Eines dieser Protokolle war öffentlich, und legte die Bedingungen für den Zugang zu technischen Systemen des Nationalen Zentrums für Überwachung und Abhörung von Telekommunikationen fest; das andere war ein geheimes Protokoll über Zusammenarbeit bei der Bekämpfung von Terrorismus, Verbrechen gegen die nationale Sicherheit, und Verbrechen, die von militärischen SRI-Mitgledern verübt werden.



    In Bukarest ist am Montag das jährliche Treffen der rumänischen Diplomatie angelaufen. Dessen Motto lautet “Die Diplomatie — ein Pfeiler des hundertjährigen Rumäniens”. Bei dieser Gelegenheit äu‎ßerte Au‎ßenminister Teodor Melescanu die Idee, dass die rumänische Diplomatie ein fundamentales Bindeglied der Gesellschaft bleiben müsse. Er würdigte die Tatsache, dass die Modernisierung Rumäniens durch den parteiübergreifenden Konsens über die Ziele der rumänischen Integration in die NATO und die EU möglich gewesen sei. Rumänien habe historische Ziele erreicht und profitiere von einem beispiellosen Ma‎ß an Sicherheit und Wohlstand, sagte Melescanu. Sondergast des diesjährigen Diplomatentreffens ist der deutsche Au‎ßenminister Heiko Maas. Darüber hinaus sind auch der beigeordnete rumänische Europaminister, Victor Negrescu, und die in Bukarest akkreditierten ausländischen Botschafter anwesend. Die Hauptthemen sind die rumänische EU-Ratspräsidentschaft im ersten Halbjahr 2019, sowie die strategischen bilateralen Beziehungen, die regionale Zusammenarbeit, die östlichen Nachbarn, die Vereinten Nationen und Wirschaftsdiplomatie. Die Veranstaltung endet am Mittwoch.



    Die für Montag geplante Tötung der rund 140.000 Schweine im grö‎ßten Schweinezuchtbetrieb Rumäniens im Landkreis Braila (im Südosten) ist auf Antrag der Betreiber verschoben worden. Angesichts des sehr hohen bevorstehenden Schadens forderten sie die Gründung einer Bewertungskommission. In dem Betrieb im ostrumänischen Brăila war zuvor die Präsenz des Erregers der Afrikanischen Schweinepest nachgewiesen worden. Im Landkreis Brăila gibt es somit drei Betriebe, in denen das Virus bestätigt wurde; 35.000 Schweine werden in einem dieser Betriebe getötet. Die Afrikanische Schweinepest hat sich auf die Landkreise im Nordwesten und Südosten Rumäniens ausgebreitet und betrifft hauptsächlich Nutztiere von Farmen und privaten Haushalten. An den bislang gut 700 identifizierten Infektionsherden wurden bereits 120.000 Schweine getötet. Der Nationalverband Pro Agro forderte die Regierung auf, das Verfahren zum Besprechen der Schweinepest-Epidemie im Landesverteidigungsrat einzuleiten. Die Afrikanische Schweinepest-Epidemie hat die Schweinefleischproduktion in Rumänien schwer betroffen. In den betroffenen Landkreisen sollte der Ausnahmezustand ausgerufen werden, meint der Verband ProAgro. Die Unternehmen, die in Schweinezucht investiert haben stehen kurz vor der Pleite, so Pro Agro.