Radio România Internațional

Tag: military drill

April 9, 2019 UPDATE

EUROPEAN COUNCIL – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday
will attend the European Council meeting in Brussels devoted to Brexit.
According to the presidency, heads of state and government will discuss in the
EU27 format the latest developments in the Brexit file, as well as Theresa
May’s latest request for a new deadline. European Council President Donald Tusk
said the EU might extend the deadline for Brexit, provided the British
Parliament ratifies the agreement with the EU.

CAMPAIGN – The Government supports Romanians worldwide to help them
understand their rights and obligations, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said
Tuesday at the launch of the third edition of the national campaign
Information at home! Safety everywhere!. The campaign addresses Romanians who
study, work and live abroad. The program is run in every city and will help
present the most important elements of legislation of countries of destination,
regarding work conditions and consular assistance services, the Prime Minister
said. According to Viorica Dancila, the campaign also comprises information
programmes the Government is currently running, such as Diaspora start-up,
Start-up Nation, Homecoming bonuses. Launched in 2017 in three counties and
extended last year at national level, the campaign has proved very efficient, Prime
Minister Dancila added. Official data points to a drop in the number of victims
of human trafficking, as a result of the effort to inform citizens over the
risks they expose themselves to when working as seasonal or illegal workers
abroad.

ACCUSATIONS – Romania’s Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar on
Tuesday dismissed public accusations claiming he denied parole to several
anti-communists dissidents during his time as a member on the Parole Committee
of the prison in Aiud. Lazar said he did not handle cases investigating crimes
against the communist regime. He added he is not an officer, agent or informer
of intelligence services. The attacks were launched to coincide with my
candidacy for a new mandate of prosecutor general, Augustin Lazar went on to
say.

CITIZEN INITIATIVE – Romania’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday
ruled that the citizen initiative to revise the Constitution, under which
people who receive final sentences should no longer be allowed to occupy public
positions, is in line with the fundamental law. The initiative was signed by approximately
1 million people and will be submitted to Parliament for debate and vote. To
modify the Constitution, a referendum must be staged and meet the required
quorum, whereas the citizen initiative must pass in Parliament.

DIGITIZATION – Romania supports development and innovation in the
field of agriculture and culture, and women’s participation in digital economy,
Romanian Minister of Communications, Alexandru Petrescu said on Tuesday at the
third edition of the Digital Day. The event is organized in Brussels by the
European Commission. Minister Petrescu has said that the signing, on Tuesday,
of joint declarations on the digitization of agriculture and of the cultural
heritage and also opportunities for women to make a career in the digital
sector are important topics on the agenda of the Romanian Presidency of the
Council of the EU.

DRILL – Sea Shield 2019, a military drill involving the
participation of more than two thousand servicemen from six countries, is
underway in Constanta, Romania’s main Black Sea port. Participants will be
training in order to be able to respond to various types of attacks, coming
from submarines, battleships or warplanes in the Black Sea. According to
Vice-admiral Alexandru Mîrşu, the Romanian Navy Chief of Staff, the structure
coordinating the exercise, the drill’s scenario is a fictional one being by no
means provocative. NATO has beefed up its presence in the Black Sea from 80 to
120 days per year and the NATO Mine Countermeasures Group made up of ships from
the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania is proof of the
Alliance’s commitment to protecting the eastern flank, preventing conflicts and
keeping peace in the region.

EXERCISE – Vigorous Warrior 19, the most complex multinational
medical exercise in the history of NATO, continues until Friday in three
locations in Romania, namely, Bucharest, Cincu and Constanta. The purpose of
the exercise is joint training to provide multinational medical support in NATO
operations, thus practicing the necessary procedures to provide continuous
medical care, strategic medical evacuation, increasing the level of training
and response to a possible chemical, biological or improvised device incidents.
The exercise, organized by Romanian Defense Ministry in collaboration with the
Medical Department of the National Defense Ministry and the NATO Center of
Excellence for Military Medicine, is attended by representatives from 38
countries, most of them NATO members.

IMF – The IMF has downgraded its economic growth forecast for
Romania this year to 3.1% and to 3% for 2020, also estimating an increase in
the inflation rate and the current account deficit. As regards consumer prices, the IMF estimate
has gone up for 2019, to an annual inflation rate of 3.3% as compared to the
previous 2.7% estimate. The inflation rate is expected to stand at 3% in 2020. The
IMF also downgraded its estimate regarding Romania’s current account deficit to
5.2% as compared to the original estimate of 3.4%. The IMF has also downgraded
its global economic forecast to 3.3% this year.

MEDALS – Romanian athletes Loredana Toma and Irina Lepsa on Tuesday
won six medals, three gold, two silver and one bronze in the 64-kg category at
the European Weightlifting Championships in Batumi, Gerogia. Romania has so far
grabbed 12 medals in this year’s edition, of which six gold, two silver and
four bronze. 14 Romanian athletes are taking part in the championships, which
counts as a preliminary qualifying stage for the Tokyo Olympics next year.

(translated by V. Palcu)

9 April 2019
April 9, 2019 UPDATE

EUROPEAN COUNCIL – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday
will attend the European Council meeting in Brussels devoted to Brexit.
According to the presidency, heads of state and government will discuss in the
EU27 format the latest developments in the Brexit file, as well as Theresa
May’s latest request for a new deadline. European Council President Donald Tusk
said the EU might extend the deadline for Brexit, provided the British
Parliament ratifies the agreement with the EU.

CAMPAIGN – The Government supports Romanians worldwide to help them
understand their rights and obligations, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said
Tuesday at the launch of the third edition of the national campaign
Information at home! Safety everywhere!. The campaign addresses Romanians who
study, work and live abroad. The program is run in every city and will help
present the most important elements of legislation of countries of destination,
regarding work conditions and consular assistance services, the Prime Minister
said. According to Viorica Dancila, the campaign also comprises information
programmes the Government is currently running, such as Diaspora start-up,
Start-up Nation, Homecoming bonuses. Launched in 2017 in three counties and
extended last year at national level, the campaign has proved very efficient, Prime
Minister Dancila added. Official data points to a drop in the number of victims
of human trafficking, as a result of the effort to inform citizens over the
risks they expose themselves to when working as seasonal or illegal workers
abroad.

ACCUSATIONS – Romania’s Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar on
Tuesday dismissed public accusations claiming he denied parole to several
anti-communists dissidents during his time as a member on the Parole Committee
of the prison in Aiud. Lazar said he did not handle cases investigating crimes
against the communist regime. He added he is not an officer, agent or informer
of intelligence services. The attacks were launched to coincide with my
candidacy for a new mandate of prosecutor general, Augustin Lazar went on to
say.

CITIZEN INITIATIVE – Romania’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday
ruled that the citizen initiative to revise the Constitution, under which
people who receive final sentences should no longer be allowed to occupy public
positions, is in line with the fundamental law. The initiative was signed by approximately
1 million people and will be submitted to Parliament for debate and vote. To
modify the Constitution, a referendum must be staged and meet the required
quorum, whereas the citizen initiative must pass in Parliament.

DIGITIZATION – Romania supports development and innovation in the
field of agriculture and culture, and women’s participation in digital economy,
Romanian Minister of Communications, Alexandru Petrescu said on Tuesday at the
third edition of the Digital Day. The event is organized in Brussels by the
European Commission. Minister Petrescu has said that the signing, on Tuesday,
of joint declarations on the digitization of agriculture and of the cultural
heritage and also opportunities for women to make a career in the digital
sector are important topics on the agenda of the Romanian Presidency of the
Council of the EU.

DRILL – Sea Shield 2019, a military drill involving the
participation of more than two thousand servicemen from six countries, is
underway in Constanta, Romania’s main Black Sea port. Participants will be
training in order to be able to respond to various types of attacks, coming
from submarines, battleships or warplanes in the Black Sea. According to
Vice-admiral Alexandru Mîrşu, the Romanian Navy Chief of Staff, the structure
coordinating the exercise, the drill’s scenario is a fictional one being by no
means provocative. NATO has beefed up its presence in the Black Sea from 80 to
120 days per year and the NATO Mine Countermeasures Group made up of ships from
the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania is proof of the
Alliance’s commitment to protecting the eastern flank, preventing conflicts and
keeping peace in the region.

EXERCISE – Vigorous Warrior 19, the most complex multinational
medical exercise in the history of NATO, continues until Friday in three
locations in Romania, namely, Bucharest, Cincu and Constanta. The purpose of
the exercise is joint training to provide multinational medical support in NATO
operations, thus practicing the necessary procedures to provide continuous
medical care, strategic medical evacuation, increasing the level of training
and response to a possible chemical, biological or improvised device incidents.
The exercise, organized by Romanian Defense Ministry in collaboration with the
Medical Department of the National Defense Ministry and the NATO Center of
Excellence for Military Medicine, is attended by representatives from 38
countries, most of them NATO members.

IMF – The IMF has downgraded its economic growth forecast for
Romania this year to 3.1% and to 3% for 2020, also estimating an increase in
the inflation rate and the current account deficit. As regards consumer prices, the IMF estimate
has gone up for 2019, to an annual inflation rate of 3.3% as compared to the
previous 2.7% estimate. The inflation rate is expected to stand at 3% in 2020. The
IMF also downgraded its estimate regarding Romania’s current account deficit to
5.2% as compared to the original estimate of 3.4%. The IMF has also downgraded
its global economic forecast to 3.3% this year.

MEDALS – Romanian athletes Loredana Toma and Irina Lepsa on Tuesday
won six medals, three gold, two silver and one bronze in the 64-kg category at
the European Weightlifting Championships in Batumi, Gerogia. Romania has so far
grabbed 12 medals in this year’s edition, of which six gold, two silver and
four bronze. 14 Romanian athletes are taking part in the championships, which
counts as a preliminary qualifying stage for the Tokyo Olympics next year.

(translated by V. Palcu)

9 April 2019
April 5, 2019 UPDATE

PRESIDENCY – President Klaus Iohannis has
condemned the latest anti-Semitic gestures and actions and called on the relevant authorities to take firm action to sanction
them. In a press release the presidency recalls Romania stands out as a
regional successful model in terms of preserving the memory of the Holocaust,
owning to the past, combating anti-Semitism, negationism, xenophobia, hatred,
racism, populism and discouraging hate speech. Prior to this statement, Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin condemned the vandalization of some 70 tombs in the
Jewish Cemetery in Husi, northeastern Romania, one of the most serious such
anti-Semitic offences this year. The Israeli official recalled that Bucharest
auhtorities are taking measures to coutneract anti-Semitism and xenophobia.
Meanwhile, the Israeli media has quoted the president of the Federation of
Jewish communities in Romania, Aurel Vainer, who said such anti-Semitic events
are unacceptable and are affecting democracy in Romania. The US Embassy in
Bucharest has in turn unequivocally condemned the act of violence in Husi,
claiming this is not just an attack on the Jewish community, but on the
diversity of the entire Romanian society.

REFERENDUM – Also on Friday President Iohannis has called a round of consultations
with political parties on April 11 and 12 over the referendum on the judiciary.
On Thrsday, the President announced that the themes which he would submit to
the vote at the May 26 referendum, held simultaneously with the European
Parliament elections, are related to forbidding amnesty and pardon of
corruption crimes and forbidding the government to pass emergency decrees
related to criminal offences and punishments, correlated with the right of
other authorities to notify the Constitutional Court over such decrees.

VISIT – Two-way trade between Romania
and Slovakia has for the first time exceeded 3 billion euros at the end of
2018, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Friday after meeting with Slovakian
Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini. Talks focused on developing bilateral
cooperation in various fields such as education, energy, culture, home affairs,
public administration, tourism, environment, healthcare and agriculture. In
turn, Prime Minister Pellegrini expressed hope that bilateral economic and
political relations would intensify. The two officials met in Banska Bystrica,
where the Romanian official paid a floral tribute in the National Insurrection
Square. Viorica Dancila then travelled to the city of Zvolen for a visit to the
local military cemetery where the remains of 10 thousand Romanian soldiers, who
fought for the liberation of Czechoslovakia in WWll, are buried.

B9 INITIATIVE – Romania’s Defense Minister Gabriel Les was
in Warsaw to attend a meeting of Defense Ministers from countries, which are
members of the Bucharest 9 Initiative. The meeting, staged jointly by linr
ministries from Poland and Romania, was attended by Defense Ministers from
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania,
Slovakia and Hungary as well as by NATO officials and representatives of the US
Department of Defense. According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, the meeting
in Warsaw tackled the contribution of B9 states to strengthening NATO deterrence
and defense, with a focus on the coherent implementation and full
operationalization of the Advanced Allied Presence on the Eastern Flank. On the
sidelines of the meeting, Les met with his Polish counterpart, Mariusz
Błaszczak, stressing the major
role of the two countries as promoters of the B9 Initiative, in establishing a
unified position of NATO’s Eastern Allies that should be promoted on NATO’s
common agenda. In another development, Minister Les met with Romanian military
from the Blue Scorpions Anti-Air Defense Unit deployed in Poland as part of
NATO’s Combat Group.

DRILL – Over April 5-13 the Romanian
navy is staging the biggest international drill in Romania’s territorial waters
and in the international waters of the Black Sea. 14 Romanian warships and six
from Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands and Turkey are taking part in
the drill during which over 2000 servicemen will be training to respond to attacks
coming from under the sea, air or surface. The drill’s scenario implies a
coordinated crisis response carried out under a UN Security Council resolution.
The aforementioned drill also involves the participation of the NATO Permanent
Black Sea Force.

DISTINCTION- The Royal House of Britain on
Friday decorated Romanian Florin Morariu for the courage he displayed during
the terrorist attack of June 2017, which killed 8 people and wounded 48.
Morariu is the first Romanian to receive the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery. At
the time of the attack Florin Morariu worked in a bakery close to the bridge in
London and helped a few people to take shelter and stood up to the attackers.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

5 April 2019
June 22, 2018 UPDATE

SENTENCE – The Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition in Romania, decided in the emergency meeting held on Friday to support Liviu Dragnea further hold his public positions, namely, that of leader of the Social Democratic Party and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. On Thursday, Dragnea was sentenced to prison for instigation to abuse of power by a court of first instance. The executive president of the Social Democratic Party, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, believes that Dragnea should benefit from the presumption of innocence until the final ruling, while the party vice-president and Interior Minister Carmen Dan claims that the sentence issued by the High Court of Cassation and Justice is politically motivated. The High Court of Cassation and Justice has said in a communique that Government and Parliament members do not have the legal competence to state that the application of the law is under the influence of the arbitary. The communique also says that the unfolding of judicial procedures in a state of law is based on the fact that judges are the only ones qualified to have a say on how grounded an accusation is, based on the evidence in the file. The right-wing opposition wants Dragnea to resign from his public offices.

REVOLUTION CASE – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis has submitted to the Minister of Justice Tudorel Toader the request for the criminal prosecution of the retired admiral Emil Cico Dumitrescu, investigated for crimes against humanity committed during the 1989 Revolution. The first post-communist president Ion Iliescu and the former prime-minister Petre Roman, as well as his deputy Gelu Voican Voiculescu are also being prosecuted in the Revolution case. They allegedly masterminded a military diversion, aimed to legitimize them as leaders of the power that took over after the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu attempted to flee, a diversion in which many people were wounded and killed and which caused significant material damage. 1,166 people died in the events of December 1989, 800 of them after the toppling of the Ceausescu regime.

JUSTICE LAWS – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis believes that the adoption, as soon as possible, of an interim decision of the Venice Commission as regards the justice laws in Romania is extremely necessary, state counsellor Bogdan Dima has said before the plenary session of the Venice Commission. The Law on the functioning of the Higher Council of Magistracy, just like the ones regarding judicial organization and the status of judges and prosecutors, is on the agenda of the talks that the chairman of the parliamentary committee in charge with the laws, Florin Iordache, is having at the plenary session of the Venice Commission, the advisory body of the Council of Europe in the field of constitutional law. Iordache has stated that the three bills are in line with the opinions expressed by the Venice Commission and do not affect the independence of the judiciary. A Venice Commission delegation has recently paid a visit to Bucharest, to analyze the justice laws. Their modification, in the form wanted by the coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats has been criticized by the right-wing opposition, magistrates associations and many civil society voices.

DECISION – The EU Council has adopted a decision establishing that Romania has once again failed to take effective action to correct a significant budget deviation and is asked to take urgent measures in this respect. The Council issued a new recommendation, the third to Romania since June 2017 under the EUs significant deviation procedure. The Council recommends that Romania take measures to ensure that the nominal growth of net primary government expenditure does not exceed 3.3% in 2018 and 5.1% in 2019, representing an annual structural adjustment of 0.8% of GDP in both years. This will put Romania on an appropriate adjustment path towards its medium-term budgetary objective. Any windfall gains should be used for deficit reduction, and budgetary consolidation measures should secure a lasting improvement. The Council set a deadline of 15 October 2018 for Romania to report on action taken.

CENTER – The Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor has announced that a recovery center for soldiers returned from theaters of operations abroad will be established near Targoviste, in southern Romania. Investment might start next year. The project is an initiative of the Veterans Association and of the Disabled Veterans Association.

MILITARY DRILL — Troops, equipment and vehicles of the US Army have started to arrive in Romania and Bulgaria for a two-month rotation, in support of the Atlantic Resolve Operation, the Romanian Defense Ministry announced on Friday. The rotation of the ‘IRONHORSE’ brigade will start in Romania, with a part of equipment and troops going further, to Bulgaria. The American soldiers will train alongside Romanian troops from the air and land forces with a view to enhancing interoperability between the participating units, the release also reads.

MOLDOVA — Moldova’s Court of Appeal endorsed on Thursday the invalidation of the early elections for the office of mayor of the capital Chisinau. The second round of the ballot was won on June 3rd by the representative of the pro-European opposition, Andrei Nastase, who defeated the pro-Russia socialist Ion Ceban. Nastase has announced he will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Justice and has called for street protests. The decisions made by the courts have already triggered protests in the country and reactions from the European Union and the US Embassy in Chisinau, who have called for the appeal procedures to be carried out in a transparent manner. In Bucharest, the Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has warned that the invalidation of elections might affect the stability of the republic, and the right-wing opposition has voiced support for Nastase. If Nastases win is not validated by a higher instance, Chisinau will be headed by an interim mayor until the local election normally due next year.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

22 June 2018
March 4, 2018

Kiev — The Romanian Minister for Romanians Abroad, Natalia Intotero, has again called on the Ukraine authorities to modify the article in the Education Law restricting the right of the Romanian community to learn in its mother tongue. The Romanian minority in Ukraine, in the historical regions of Cernăuţi and Transcarpatia (west), is well integrated and should have to right to learn in its language, said Mrs. Intotero, following her visit to the two regions. Almost half a million ethnic Romanians are living in Ukraine, mostly in the eastern Romanian territories annexed in 1940 by the former Soviet Union following an ultimatum. The territories were subsequently taken over by Ukraine as a successor state.

Drills — More than 1,700 Romanian and foreign soldiers will be participating, as of Monday until March 15, in one of the largest multinational drills organized by the Romanian Naval Forces in the southeast region of Dobrogea and in the Black Sea international waters. Spring Storm 18 is based on a unique concept of joint training of the naval, air and ground forces. The drill is part of the plan of NATO immediate assurance measures adopted at the NATO summit held in Warsaw in 2016. The Romanian soldiers will be training alongside soldiers from the US, France and Bulgaria as well as from partner states such as Georgia and Ukraine.

Commemoration — Romania commemorates Sunday 41 years since the devastating earthquake of March 4, 1977. The 7.2 magnitude quake killed 1,579 people, mostly from Bucharest, and caused material damage estimated at the time at 2 billion dollars. 230 thousand residential buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. The quake caused an economic and social crisis which, according to historians, the Communist dictatorship could no longer cope with, until it was toppled in December 1989. Experts warn that hundreds of buildings might collapse in Bucharest in the event of a similar quake.

Handball — Romania’s women’s handball champions CSM Bucharest are today playing on home ground against the Danish team FC Midtjylland, in a main group match of the Champions League. Ahead of this match, the Romanian handballers were ranked 3rd in a group of 6, being outclassed by Gyor of Hungary and Rostov Don of Russia. The first 4 teams in the group will qualify to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, which CSM Bucharest won two years ago, at their first participation in the championship. On Saturday another two Romanian women’s teams played on home ground in the first round of the EHF Cup quarterfinals. HC Zalău defeated the Turkish team Kastamonu Belediyesi 29 — 28, and SCM Craiova lost to Lada Togliatti of Russia 23-25.

Berlin — The members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) voted for the resumption of the “great” government coalition with the Conservatives of chancellor Angela Merkel, the center left party leadership announced on Sunday. After centralization of the results of the postal voting, 66% of the almost half a million members of SPD said YES to the agreement concluded last month by the party leaders with the CDU/CSU grouping – the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and its Bavarian counterpart the Christian Social Union. The vote allows Germany to break an unprecedented political deadlock, more than 5 months after the legislative elections, following which no parliamentary majority could be formed.

Rome — Italians are expected to the polls on Sunday to vote in parliamentary elections. The publication of opinion surveys regarding voting intentions was forbidden in the 2 weeks preceding the elections, although analysts estimate that no party will be able to win the majority. After an election campaign dominated by the issue of migration and youth unemployment, the right wing party of the former PM Silvio Berlusconi is back into the voters’ preferences, being backed by two extremist parties. Next in the voters’ preferences are the populist Five Star Movement and the leftist governing Democratic Party that lost votes due to their weak recovery policy. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

4 March 2018
February 12, 2018 UPDATE

Report – The Romanian Parliament’s plenary sitting approved on Monday the report of the commission that investigated aspects related to the presidential election in 2009. According to the report, a series of facts likely to fuel suspicions of electoral fraud have been found. The report’s conclusions were backed by MPs with the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and rejected by the opposition, who voted against it, while representatives of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and of the national minorities abstained from voting. The report will be submitted to the relevant institutions, such as the Prosecutor’s Office with the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Presidential Administration, the Higher Council of Magistracy and the Government. The report says that the election was allegedly rigged in favor of the rightist Traian Basescu, helping him win a second term as president to the detriment of the Social Democrat Mircea Geoana.

Military drills — 100 Romanian soldiers will be training, starting on Monday until Friday, together with around 200 soldiers from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and the US in the Babadag shooting range (in southeastern Romania) as part of the “Black Sea Rotational Force” multinational drill. Participating in the drill from the Romanian Army are soldiers from the ground and naval forces as well as from the air forces.

Flu — The National Public Health Institute on Monday announced that the number of deaths caused by the flu virus in Romania reached 21. More than 300 people have got the flu so far and over 800 thousand people have been vaccinated against it. Doctors have reiterated recommendations to the population to get vaccinated against the backdrop of a surge in flu cases. According to health minister Sorina Pintea Romania is not yet dealing with a flu epidemic, adding that prevention measures are very important and hospitals and public health institutions should take the necessary measures in this respect.

Chisinau — The Audiovisual Coordinating Council in the Republic of Moldova is monitoring, as of Monday, whether radio and television stations observe the so-called ‘anti-propaganda’ law, which came into force on February 11. The law is aimed at eliminating the propagandistic messages from the Russian Federation and at protecting consumers from possible attempts of disinformation or manipulation from the outside. At the same time, the law is meant to eliminate media provocation against the Republic of Moldova, by rejecting TV and radio programs that provide information, analyses, military and political content that are not produced in the EU, the US, Canada and other states which are members of the European Convention on Cross-Border Television.

Baccalaureate – In Romania, as many as 177,000 high school students and graduates from the previous graduating classes on Monday had started the exams assessing their linguistic and digital competences as part of the national Baccalaureate exam. Exams include oral examination in the Romanian language, and in the mother tongue for the students belonging to national minorities, assessment of digital competences and of linguistic competences in a language of international circulation. This is the first time when these exams are scheduled during the school year, several months ahead of high school graduation. The written examinations of the national Baccalaureate exam are scheduled for June.

Tennis — 5 tennis players from Romania, among whom world’s no. 2 Simona Halep, are participating in the Doha tournament, in Qatar. On Monday, in the first round, Monica Niculescu (92 WTA) defeated Russian Maria Sharapova (41 WTA) in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 while Mihaela Buzărnescu (43 WTA) beat Ukrainian Lesia Ţurenko (40 WTA), 7-5, 6-4. On Tuesday, after the inaugural round, Irina Begu (37 WTA) will take on the Australian Samantha Stosur (44 WTA), and Sorana Cîrstea (38 WTA) will play against Maria Sakkari of Greece. Simona Halep, who qualified directly to the 2nd round, will be up against Russian Ekaterina Makarova (36 WTA). Halep won the Doha tournament in 2014. (Translated by Elena Enache)

12 February 2018
December 8, 2017 UPDATE

MICHAEL I The last sovereign of Romania, King Michael I, is being commemorated through special religious services around the country and also in Switzerland, where he died on December 5th. His body will be brought to Romania on December 13th. Since his death, many people have signed books of condolences at the royal Peles Castle in the mountain resort of Sinaia and also in Bucharest. The Romanian government has declared the 14th , 15th and 16th of December days of national mourning. The former sovereign will be buried on December 16th in Curtea de Arges, southern Romania.

CONSTITUTION Promoting the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and ensuring the integrity of public jobs and positions are constitutional, non-negotiable values, which cannot be restricted or eliminated, said President Klaus Iohannis on Friday, in a message conveyed on Romanian Constitution Day, established through a referendum 26 years ago. As the head of state, whose duties include defending and upholding the Constitution, Iohannis urged all state institutions to observe not only the letter, but also the spirit of the fundamental law. Romanians are now more united than ever around fundamental principles and they are campaigning actively to defend these principles, the president also stated. His address came against the background of street protests sparked off by some controversial amendments proposed by the leftist ruling coalition, which are currently under debate in Parliament.

ISRAEL Romania maintains its stand with regard to the creation of two states, Israel and Palestine, existing together as good, prosperous neighbours, said in Bucharest on Friday the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu. He said that the solution must be reached through direct dialogue between the two parties and without unilateral measures, which would impact negotiations in a negative way. According to Melescanu, the announcement made by the US President Donald Trump regarding the recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel is a clear signal that the US wants to get involved in finding a solution. Donald Trumps statement triggered international reactions. An ally to the US, Saudi Arabia has termed the decision as irresponsible. Other traditional allies have criticised Trumps stand too, while Russia and China have voice worries over a potential escalation of tensions in the region. All Palestinian factions have condemned this decision, calling for strikes and protests. Large scale rallies have been staged in Gaza Strip and many countries in the region have warned that changing the status of Jerusalem will generate religious tension.

BREXIT The European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker announced in Brussels on Friday that sufficient progress had been made in the first phase of Brexit negotiations to allow movement to the next phase. At a joint conference with the Prime Minister Theresa May, Junker said that both sides had shown adaptability and readiness for compromise. In turn, Theresa May stated that London and Brussels had reached an agreement on the rights of the EU and British citizens and on the Irish border. On December 15th, the European Council must decide whether sufficient progress has been made so that negotiations with London can advance. According to the European Commission, progress has been made in the three priority fields: citizens rights, dialogue on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and the financial agreement. Following the European Commissions announcement, the Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu has stated that the situation of the Romanian citizens in Great Britain is priority zero.

NATO A NATO liaison office was inaugurated on Friday in Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, after a series of delays. The opening ceremony was attended, among others, by the Deputy Secretary General of the Alliance Rose Gottemoeller and the Prime Minister of Moldova Pavel Filip. The NATO Deputy Secretary General said that the inauguration of the office was a clear signal and confirmation of the fact that NATO paid particular attention to the relationship with the Republic of Moldova. In turn, Pavel Filip said that the opening of the office was an element of normality and openness towards the world. On the other hand, the President of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon stated that existence of the mission in Moldovas capital would be a security threat and would affect the states sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. NATOs liaison office in Chisinau, which, according to experts, is just a diplomatic mission, will have only civilian staff, just like the missions in Georgia, Russia and Ukraine.

TRADE AGREEMENT The EU and Japan on Friday finalized negotiations for a trade agreement, which started in 2013. According to France Presse, the announcement was made right before the World Trade Organisation summit, sending a clear message to the international community, the US president Donald Trump in particular. In a joint satement, the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe state that “the finalisation of the negotiations on the EU-Japan EPA demonstrates to the world the firm political will of Japan and the EU to keep the flag of free trade waving high and powerfully advance free trade”. According the European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmstrom, the agreement is of utmost importance. “The Commission will submit the agreement for the approval of the European Parliament and EU Member States, aiming for its entry into force before the end of the current mandate of the European Commission in 2019” reads the European Commissions press realease. The EU is Japans third largest trading partner.

DRILL The French frigate Guepratte, which has arrived in the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta, is to join Romanian corvette Eugeniu Rosca and dreadnought Lupu Dinescu for an air-defence drill, which also involves the participation of warplanes from the Romanian and Canadian air forces stationed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base. The drills main aim is to raise the training level of the participant crews as well as to develop relations between allied forces.

HANDBALL Romanias national womens handball team has qualified on the first position for the round of 16 of the World Championships in Germany. On Thursday night the Romanian handballers clinched a win against Angola, while France drew their match against Spain allowing the Romanians to end up on the first position in group A. Romania will be further playing the winner of the game pitching Hungary against the Czech Republic. The Romanian handballers have so far managed only good shows with four wins in their fixtures against Paraguay, Slovenia, Spain and Angola. At the previous edition in 2015, Romania ended up on the third position walking away with bronze. Romania is the only side that has so far participated in all the 22 editions of the world championship.

8 December 2017
September 8, 2017

VISIT — EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu on Friday is meeting Transport Minister Razvan Cuc in Bucharest as part of her visit to Romania. The two will tackle the EU funds allotted to road and rail infrastructure in Romania. On Thursday, Commissioner Cretu said transportation is a field of concern for the Commission.

UKRAINE — Minister for Romanians Worldwide, Andreea Pastarnac, has called a meeting with the Ukrainian ambassador to Bucharest to discuss the new education law passed in Ukraine. According to a ministry release, Romania is concerned over the recent changes in the education system, which provide for exclusively Ukrainian-language teaching in high-schools and universities, while restricting teaching in the mother tongue to kindergartens and elementary schools. Over half a million Romanians in Ukraine will be affected by the new law. Prime Minister Mihai Tudose called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with the “delicate situation” in Ukraine. The Ministry recalls that, according to the provisions of the Framework Convention on protecting national minorities, a state commits to granting ethnic minorities the possibility to become literate in their mother tongue.

MILITARY DRILL — The Resolute Castle 17 military drill is coming to an end today. Kicked off in April, the drill brought together some 450 Romanian soldiers. Training and implementing infrastructure projects, jointly with US military of the 926th Engineer Brigade of the US Terrestrial Forces, as well as other units of the US army and naval forces, the US national guard and US ground forces put on reserve, in addition to military engineers from the UK, were the highlights of the exercise. Held for the third year in a row, the drill was aimed at increasing the operability of military and crisis-response capabilities, developing inter-operability between the engineer divisions of the Romanian, American and British armies, as well as improving training facilities and infrastructure. Projects carried out during the Resolute Castle 17 drill are part of the European Reassurance Initiative program.

BORDER SECURITY — Romania will strengthen its borders, the Romanian Police has announced, one year since the first measures to consolidate our country’s border with Serbia were implemented in the wake of a wave of immigrants trying to illegally cross into our country. The measures included using daytime and night-time monitoring equipment at full capacity, enhancing technical equipment and supplementing staff. In the first seven months of the year, the Romanian border police identified as many as three thousand foreign citizens trying to illegally cross the border. In most of the cases the migrants were trying to cross into Romania in route to Hungary and Western Europe. Several groups of migrants tried to forcefully cross the border from Bulgaria and from the Black Sea, the Border Police reports.

MOLDOVA — Romania remains Moldova’s top trade partner, says the National Bureau for Statistics in Chisinau. According to data collected in the first seven months of the year, two-way trade between Romania and the Republic of Moldova stood at 660 million dollars. Moldova’s main foreign market remains the EU, accounting for 64% of its exports.

ENERGY — Serbian Energy Minister, Aleksandar Antic, said his country was interested in striking a deal with Romania in the field of natural gas. Attending an energy forum in Alexandroupoli, Greece, Minister Antic said Romania had good results in exploring the natural gas pockets in the Black Sea. Moreover, the Serbian official said he would attend the meeting of Energy Ministers from Central and South-eastern Europe hosted by Bucharest over September 28-29.

TENNIS — Romanian Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands will play Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez of Spain in the men’s doubles final at the US Open. In the semis Tecau and Rojer, seeded 12 in the competition, defeated first-seeds Henri Kontinen of Finland and John Peers of Australia, 1-6, 7-6, 7-5. Horia Tecau has also qualified to the mixed doubles final alongside CoCo Vandeweghe of the US, where the two will play Martina Hingis of Switzerland and Jamie Murray of Great Britain. (Translated by Vlad Palcu)

8 September 2017
August 24, 2017

MACRON — A reform of the status and rights of workers in the European Union, one of the foundations of his election campaign, is the aim of the tour of Central and Eastern Europe French President is making this week. After visiting Austria yesterday, Emmanuel Macron is today visiting Romania, where he is meeting President Klaus Iohannis. Talks will focus on developing bilateral relations and the strategic partnership as well as on hot topics on the European and international security agenda. Emmanuel Macron and Klaus Iohannis will have an open dialogue about boosting trade and exchanges under the 2018-2019 Romania-France season, an important bilateral project. Another topic on the agenda for talks is Romania’s Schengen accession.

MILITARY — A Romanian infantry battalion has started a six-month operation in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. The Romanian military are to undergo an accommodation period and are expected to be fully operational by the end of the month. The battalion will take part in three important missions NATO is carrying out in Afghanistan as part of its Resolute Support operation: protecting Kandahar airport, ensuring the security of the airport premises and accompanying high-ranking officials. At present some 626 Romanian military are deployed to Afghanistan, making Bucharest the fourth-largest contributor to the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization.

DRILL — Romanian Naval Forces are conducting a joint military exercise in the Black Sea alongside the US battleship USS Porter. The exercise is due to end on August 28. USS Porter arrived on Tuesday in the port of Constanta.

MIGRANTS — 53 people, of which 16 children, were rescued by the Romanian border police on a mission to Greece as part of Poseidon Sea 2017, a FRONTEX maritime operation. The people were travelling on an overcrowded boat in the Aegean Sea, carrying Afghani, Irani and Iraqi nationals. They were safely transported to shore and handed over to the authorities in Chios port where ID-ed and registered. Since their deployment to Greece in January this year, the Romanian coast guard police have rescued over 900 people travelling in small-sized boats in Greek waters, both individually and as part of joint rescue operations.

ACCIDENT — Eight Romanian citizens sustain minor injuries in a car accident in northwestern Germany, the Foreign Ministry reports. A bus carrying 40 Romanians veered off road and capsized in Lower Saxony. According to the German Police, the majority of people on the bus were Romanian season workers. The Romanian Embassy in Berlin is working with the local authorities with a view to ascertaining the identity of the victims and the state of their health and is ready to offer any consular assistance.

FOOTBALL — Romanian champions Viitorul Constanta are today playing the return leg of the playoffs for the Europa League main group phase against Red Bull Salzburg away from home. In the first leg Viitorul lost 1-3 at home. On Wednesday, vice-champions FCSB lost 1-5 at home to Sporting Lisbon in the return leg of the playoffs for the Champions League main group phase. The first leg was a blank draw.

TENNIS — Two tennis players are taking part in the second preliminary round of the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. In the first round, Mihaela Buzarnescu, 133 WTA, edged out Maria Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, and will take on Grace Min of the US in the next round. Irina Bara, 192 WTA won the first match after Myrtille George of France withdrew from the competition. Bara will play Bernarda Pera of the US in the next round. Alexandra Cadantu and Patricia Tig were eliminated in the first round. Another three Romanian players are in the US Open main draw: Simona Halep, Sorana Carstea and Ana Bogdan. US Open will kick off on August 28 and is offering 50 million dollars in prize money. (Translated by V. Palcu)

24 August 2017
November 14, 2016

FOREIGN AFFAIRS – Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu is today attending alongside his EU counterparts the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. The agenda of the meeting covers such issues as the situation in Turkey, the Eastern Partnership, the developments in the Southern Neighbourhood, with special emphasis being laid on the Syrian file. The stage of implementing the EU Global Strategy for Common Foreign and Security Policy will be approached during a common session of the EU foreign and defence ministers, on the same day. On the sidelines of the Council, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, on Sunday initiated an informal talk between the foreign ministers, including Lazar Comanescu, on the trans-Atlantic relation.

ELECTION – General Rumen Radev, a former air force commander, won the presidential election held on Sunday in Bulgaria. The pro-Russia, anti-migration Radev won 58.1 percent of the vote, compared with 35.3 percent for the candidate of the ruling centre-right GERB party, Tsetska Tsacheva. Centre-right Prime Minister Boyko Borisov quit his post following the defeat of Tsetska Tsacheva.

UNITED STATES – Barack Obama has today started his final foreign trip as the United States head of state. He will first visit Greece, then meet with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, British Premier Theresa May and Italian PM Matteo Renzi. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Washington DC, after his stop in Germany, President Obama will head to Lima, Peru, for the final leg of his trip and his final APEC Leaders’ Summit, where the focus will be on trans-Pacific trade. As of January 2017, the new president-elect Donald Trump will replace Barack Obama at the White House.

MILITRY DRILL – Military from Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Georgia are today taking part in a multinational exercise for combat engineers, held in south-eastern Romania until November 18. The military drill is hosted every year by each of the four countries, under NATO coordination.

MOLDOVA – The pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon won the second round of the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, with 52% of the votes. His contender, the pro-European reformer Maia Sandu got only 48% of the votes, according to results made public today by the Central Electoral Committee. Voters were called to the polls to elect their president through direct voting, for the first time in 16 years, time in which the head of state was appointed by Parliament.

FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football squad will play a friendly match against Russia on Tuesday in Grozny. On Friday, Romania’s national team sustained a 3-nil defeat against Poland, in Bucharest, in a fixture counting towards the preliminaries of the 2018 World Cup. After the game Romania’s manager, the German Christoph Daum admitted his team now stands slim chances to qualify for the final tournament. With 5 points on their record sheet, Romania is 4th placed in Group E.

14 November 2016
July 27, 2016

EU – Romania will hold the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union for January-June 2019, by six months earlier than initially scheduled. The EU Council has taken this decision following Britain’s vote to leave the EU. British Premier Theresa May has said that her country will not take over the EU presidency next July as the London government will be busy negotiating the terms of its EU exit. Estonia will be the country to hold the EU presidency as of next July, instead of Britain.

SOLIDARITY – The Romanian Orthodox Church has said that the attack that took place in a church in northwestern France is a “symbolic attack on Europe’s Christian identity”, and has voiced solidarity with the French people. On Tuesday, two terrorists killed in a barbaric way an 84-year old priest during the religious service he was holding in the presence of several people. One of them was seriously injured in the attack. The perpetrators were killed by the police. ISIS has claimed the attack.

DRILL – Over July 27th and August 7th, 27 hundred soldiers from 10 countries are participating in a large-scale exercise in Cincu, central Romania. Five NATO members are to join the drill: Romania, the USA, Canada, Poland and Bulgaria. They will join five members of the Partnership for Peace: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The opening ceremony will be attended by Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc.

VOTING – The Bucharest Government will submit to public debate, until mid-August, a draft emergency order on the revision of the postal voting law for Romanians abroad, PM Dacian Ciolos has announced today. We remind you that parliamentary elections will be held in Romania at the end of this year. The National Liberal Party has asked the Government to take several measures to facilitate voting abroad. One of these requests is to increase the number of polling stations abroad at least to the level of 2014. Also, applications by Romanian citizens living abroad to be included in the Election Registry should be submitted by made electronic post. According to the Electoral Authority, over 3,600 applications to be included in the Election Registry have been submitted by July 25, 2016. Over 3 million Romanians are currently working abroad legally, most of them in EU countries.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, WTA’s 5th seed, qualified on Wednesday morning to the round of sixteen of the tennis tournament in Montreal, Canada, after defeating Australian Daria Gavrilova no 54 WTA, 6-2, 6-3. Halep will next meet the winner of the game between Czech Karolina Pliskova and Italian Sara Errani.

FOOTBALL – Romania’s vice champion Steaua Bucharest was up against the Czech side Sparta Praga in an away match on Tuesday evening in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The match ended in a draw with both teams scoring once. In the same stage of the competition, Romania’s champion Astra Giurgiu is today playing at home against FC Copenhagen.

27 July 2016
July 24, 2016

LEGISLATION – The Romanian Government will next week green light a bill that transposes into national law the European Directive on the single European railway area. According to a release of the Transport Ministry in Bucharest, the bill will then be sent to Parliament to be adopted by end-October. On Friday, the European Commission has referred Greece, Luxembourg and Romania to the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) for failing to transpose the Directive into national law. The EC proposed daily penalty payments of almost 30 thousand euros for Romania.

RALLY – A rally in support of democracy is to take place in Istanbul today, at the initiative of the Republican People’s Party, the main opposition party. Also, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, an Islamist-rooted party founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has announced it would join the rally. In the meantime, the authorities continue the campaign against the people suspected of involvement in the attempted coup on July 15 or of supporting Fethullah Gulen, an Islamist cleric who lives in self-imposed exile in the US, accused by President Erdogan of having masterminded the coup. On Saturday, Turkish authorities arrested a close collaborator of Gulen. On the same day, President Erdogan ordered the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and other institutions in his first decree since imposing a state of emergency after the failed military coup.

ASYLUM – As many as 443 people have submitted asylum applications in Romania in the first half of the year, by 40% less than in the same period of 2015, the Immigration Inspectorate has announced today. Most asylum seekers come from Syria, (154), Iraq (69), Pakistan (33) and Afghanistan (21). Also, 430 international protection applications have been solved, and a form of protection was granted in 226 cases, with 132 people being granted the status of refugees and 94 people being granted subsidiary protection.

INTERNSHIP – The Romanian Government’s official internship programme will be launched on Monday at Romania’s National Library in the presence of Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and of several ministers. 200 students and graduates will be interns in 43 public institutions, of which 20 ministries. The interns come from 20 Romanian and 32 foreign universities. The Government’s internship programme is currently at its 4th edition.

MOURNING – Afghan authorities have today declared a day of national mourning, after Saturday’s bloody suicide attack in Kabul that killed over 80 people and injured another 230. The attack targeted members of the ethnic community Hazara, made up of Shia Muslims. The IS claimed the attack, one of the bloodiest in Afghanistan in the past few months.

DRILL – Several hundred Romanian and American military are participating, between July and September, in the Dacian Eagle 2016 drill at an air base near the central Romanian town of Campia Turzii. The drill is aimed at enhancing the level of training and interoperability, through joint flights. It is also an opportunity to practice standard procedures and techniques used during air operations, in keeping with the NATO standards.

OLYMPICS – Several athletes of Romania’s Olympic Team, namely members of the boxing, judo, fencing, athletics and swimming teams, have today left for Rio to attend the 31th edition of the summer Olympics, to be held between August 5th and 21st. Over 100 Romanian athletes will take part in this year’s Olympics. Brazilian Foreign Minister, Jose Serra, announced on Saturday that 45 heads of state and government would attend the opening ceremony to be held on the famous Maracana stadium. Around 85 thousand military will ensure the protection of the 10 thousand athletes and officials and also of tourists.

FOOTBALL – Romanian football coach Mircea Lucescu has won his first trophy with Zenit Sankt Petersburg, the team that he has taken over this summer. Zenit Sankt Petersburg won Russia’s Supercup, after defeating TSKA Moscow 1-nil. Thus, after 22 trophies won in Ukraine with Sahtior Donetk, Lucescu is now at his first trophy in Russia.

TENNIS – The team made up of Romanian Monica Niculescu and Belgian Yanina Wickmayer won the women’s doubles final of the WTA tournament in Washington, worth 227 thousand dollars, after defeating the Japanese team Shuto Aoyama/Risa Ozaki, 6-4, 6-3.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

24 July 2016