Radio România Internațional

Tag: military

  • July 22, 2019

    July 22, 2019

    CANDIDATE The president of the Social Democratic Party, in power in Romania, PM Viorica Dăncilă, is to have talks with the leaders of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, also in the ruling coalition, and of Pro Romania, the party headed by the former leftist prime minister Victor Ponta. The negotiations concern the forming of a coalition with a common candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. Viorica Dăncilă has recently said she would like a much broader support platform, including non-parliamentary parties, trade unions and NGOs, for the November election. Next week, the Social Democrats are scheduled to nominate their presidential candidate, who will be validated at a special congress on August 3rd.




    EXPORTS Romanias exports to the other 27 EU member countries went up 4.9% in January – April 2019, as compared to the corresponding period of last year, whereas imports from the Union grew by 7.5%, the National Statistics Institute reports. Romanias top 3 EU export markets were Germany (23.3%), Italy (11.1%) and France (7.4%). As for imports, the 3 largest partners are Germany (19.9%), Italy (9.2%) and Hungary (7.2%). In the first 4 months of the year, Romanias total FOB exports amounted to 23 billion euro, and total imports to 28.1 billion euro, up 8.3% since January – April 2018. The trade deficit was little over 5 billion euro, i.e. 1.3 billion euro more than in the corresponding period of last year.



    UKRAINE With more than half of the votes counted on Monday, the Central Election Committee in Kiev announced that president Volodymyr Zelenskys party, Servant of the People, won 42.47% of the votes in Sundays snap election, whereas the Opposition Platform for Life came second with 12.91%. Third-ranking are ex-president Petro Poroshenkos European Solidarity party and former PM Yulia Timoshenkos Batkivshcina party with around 8% each, followed by the newly formed Voice party founded by rock star Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, with over 6% of the votes. The other 15 parties in the race failed to meet the 5% threshold to get into parliament. Kiev also announced that the turnout was 49.84%, the lowest in the history of independent Ukraine.



    BREXIT The European Commission prepares a huge aid package for Ireland, in order to make up for the economic loss entailed by a no-deal Brexit, Reuters reports, quoting The Times. The EU is ready to ‘spend whatever is necessary to support the Irish government in case of any disruption of trade, a high-ranking source has said. Over the weekend, thousands of anti-Brexit protesters marched in London ahead of the expected announcement of Boris Johnson as the new prime minister. On Tuesday, the Conservative Party in power will announce the winner of the race for Theresa Mays replacement, and the former foreign secretary Boris Johnson is largely viewed as the frontrunner. The Chancellor Philip Hammond, who is against a no-deal Brexit, announced his intention to step down if Boris Johnson becomes the new prime minister. The UK is set to exit the European Union on October 31st.



    MILITARY The 10th ‘Eurasian Partnership MCM Dive’ multinational exercise begins today in Constanta and along the Romanian Black Sea coast. Until Thursday, tens of military divers from Romania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia and the US will take part in explosive device search and identification drills, will conduct open, semi-closed and surface-supplied diving missions and target searches using underwater drones. This is the only annual multinational exercise organised in the west part of the Black Sea, designed to improve the training of NATO divers and of diving units from Peace Partnership member countries.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • July 21, 2019

    July 21, 2019

    EU PM Viorica Dăncilă sees as fair the view taken by the new president elect of the European Commission, Ursula van der Leyen, who wants a new mechanism monitoring the rule of law in all member states. Dăncilă also said the Romanian Government would carry on talks with the European Commission concerning the lifting of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism with respect to Romania. The head of the Romanian Government added that after the elections for the European Parliament she discussed with the former president of the European Commission and the former first vice-president about the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, and told them that Romania is open to discussion and that each and every aspect must be analysed separately. But, Viorica Dancila added, these talks must involve not only the Justice Ministry. The opinions of judges, prosecutors and magistrate associations must also be taken into account, in order for certain aspects in the CVM to be implemented or to explain why they cannot be implemented in Romania.




    ELECTION Ukraine is holding early legislative elections today, with the party headed by the new president Volodymyr Zelensky standing most chances to win. The newly established party, called ‘Peoples Servant after the name of a TV show in which Zelensky plays a teacher unexpectedly turned president – is ahead of its challengers in polls, with 42% to 52% of the voting intentions. 2,742 candidates from 22 political parties take part in todays legislative election. They are running for 225 seats in parliament, distributed to the parties that make the 5% election threshold. Another 199 MPs will be elected in single-member constituencies. The early parliamentary elections were organised after in his inauguration speech Volodymyr Zelensky announced having decided to dismantle parliament.




    BREXIT Thousands of anti-Brexit protesters rallied in London just days before Boris Johnson is expected to become Tory leader and the new Prime Minister. On Tuesday the Conservative Party is to announce the winner of the race for Theresa Mays replacement. Boris Johnson, former foreign secretary and a Brexit supporter, is seen as the frontrunner in this race.




    MILITARY Romania has taken part, alongside another 11 NATO member countries, in the Sea Breeze 2019 international military exercise held until today in the Bulgarian waters of the Black Sea. More than 2,000 troops from Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, the USA and Turkey were involved. The main goal was to enhance interoperability and interaction between the naval forces of the participating countries. Taking part in the drills were 26 combat and auxiliary vessels, 10 airplanes and helicopters, as well as representatives of various institutions, public and non-governmental organisations.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romania, the EU and NATO

    Romania, the EU and NATO

    The defence ministers of the EU states met in Bucharest to look into the prospects of implementing the EUs Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy. The meeting was organised by the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. The efforts to consolidate the strategic partnership between the EU and NATO were the focus of the talks. The High Representative of the European Union Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini urged the participants to finalize an agreement, in the weeks to come, that should allow for the continuation of the “SOPHIA operation in the Mediterranean Sea, designed to fight human trafficking.



    A special guest of the meeting, NATOs Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, who underscored that defence on the Alliances eastern flank and in the Black Sea region was a priority, while pointing to the fact that the relations between NATO and the EU should be based on close cooperation. He also said that Romania would continue to comply with the responsibilities it assumed as part of its relationship with NATO.



    Klaus Iohannis: “There has been much talk lately of ‘burden sharing in terms of budget expenditure for defence. Romania has committed to earmark 2% of the GDP to defence and we are keeping our promise. A large part of this money will be channelled, as decided during the meeting of Romanias Supreme Council of National Defence, into the modernisation of the army, and this has been deemed as a positive example within NATO.



    Jens Stoltenberg has hailed the increase in expenditure for the Romanian army, pointing out that these contributions make the Alliance stronger and Romania safer. NATOs Secretary General also mentioned the presence of the Romanian military in Afghanistan, who are working for that countrys stability, and the European efforts in the field of defence. Jens Stoltenberg appreciated the EU efforts in defence, because, he said, that can help develop new military capabilities, address the fragmentation of the European defence industry and also improve defence spending across Europe. He also said that the Europe Union and NATO are cooperating more closely than they have done ever before, and that it is important that EU efforts on defence complement, rather than compete with NATO.



    NATOs Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg added that the EU can never replace NATO, which remains the bedrock of European security. He added that after Brexit 80% of NATOs defence expenditure would come from non-EU Allies and that 3 of the 4 battlegroups in the Baltic region and Poland would be led by non-EU NATO Allies: the US, Canada and the UK.



    (translated by: Lacramioara Simion)

  • October 16, 2018

    October 16, 2018

    VISIT – President Klaus Iohannis state visit to Italy focuses today on economic aspects, after on Monday the talks with the President and PM of Italy concerned the importance of the Romanian community in Italy and Bucharests priorities during its presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. The President of Romania is taking part in the opening of the Romania-Italy business forum, an event designed to encourage the economic dimension of the consolidated strategic partnership. Also today President Iohannis will have a meeting with representatives of the Romanian community in Italy, the largest Romanian community abroad and the largest foreign community in Italy.



    DIPLOMATIC TOUR – While on an official working visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă had a meeting today with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the countrys vice-president and PM and the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai. The 2 officials have assessed bilateral relations, with a focus on economic aspects. Viorica Dancila presented the main advantages of investing in Romania and encouraged the participation of Emirate companies in projects financed under current operational programmes, as well as in public-private investment partnerships. The Romanian PM also had a meeting today with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) in Dubai. Romania gives priority to long-term cooperation with the UAE in fields such as industrial and civilian constructions, technology transfers, agriculture and food safety, nuclear and green energy, defence and IT, PM Dancila said. On Monday the PM of Romania was on a visit to Turkey, where she was received by the head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The 2 officials agreed last night in Ankara that Romania will continue to support Turkeys European accession efforts, and said the 2 countries are determined to work together to further develop their economic relations, to ensure security and fight terrorism. They have also signed 2 bilateral cooperation documents, in the field of healthcare and education.



    JUDICIARY – The Constitutional Court of Romania has today admitted part of the objection raised by President Klaus Iohannis to changes in the Law on local elected officials. The President argued that the changes introduce new penalties for local and county councillors, which were already regulated by the Conflict of Interests Act. The bill will therefore be returned to Parliament, which is to bring the unconstitutional articles in line with the ruling of the Constitutional Court. Also on Tuesday the institution admitted the objection raised by the head of state against the bill modifying the Law on the organisation and functioning of the Court of Accounts. On the other hand, the Constitutional Court postponed to October 25th the objections filed by the President and the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union in opposition, regarding changes to the Administrative Code. The head of state says the law has been endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies in a special sitting, which comes against the Constitution and violates the principle of bicameralism. President Iohannis also believes several articles are unclear, and he criticises the scrapping of incompatibility as an integrity criterion in selecting the members of the Cabinet. Also today, the Constitutional Court has deferred to October 24th the notifications submitted by President Iohannis, the Supreme Court, and the opposition parties, against changes to the Criminal Code and the Law on preventing, investigating and punishing corruption offences.



    EXERCISE – The “Earthquake 2018 national exercise organised by Romania has reached its 4th day. The simulation exercise involved all the structures with responsibilities in a major earthquake response situation in Bucharest. Rescuers practice responses to critical situations, with thousands of dead, injured and evacuated people. The Romanian Interior Ministry announced that the EU ModEx exercise was also initiated, focusing on the coordination and collaboration of healthcare service modules. This is the largest and the most complex exercise for medical modules as part of the European civil protection mechanism. Observers and participants from 26 EU member states are involved, as well as capabilities from non-EU member countries.



    INVICTUS – Romanias representatives in the 2018 Sydney Invictus Games will be meeting today the Defence Minister Mihai Fifor and the Chief of Staff, Gen. Nicolae Ciucă. The 15 Romanian military wounded in the line of duty are taking part, between October 17 and 29, in 6 individual sports events—archery, athletics, indoor rowing, powerlifting, road cycling, and swimming, and in the sitting volleyball event. Last year in the Invictus Games held in Toronto, Canada, Romania was represented by 15 wounded troops, in 6 individual events and 1 team event. In their first participation in the Games the Romanians won a gold, a silver and 2 bronze medals. Invictus Games is a sports competition first held in 2014, for national teams made up of veterans and troops wounded in theatres of operations.



    FOOTBALL – Romanias national Under-21 football team is playing tonight, on home turf, in Ploiesti, against Lichtenstein, in its last qualifier match for the 2019 European Championships in Italy. The other 2 matches scheduled in this group are Portugal vs. Bosnia and Wales vs. Switzerland. With 6 wins and 3 draws in its previous matches, Romania is top of the group with 21 points, and only needs a draw to qualify for its first under-21 final tournament in 20 years. Second comes Portugal with 19 points, and 3rd Bosnia with 18 points. The 9 preliminary group winners go straight into the final tournament, and playoffs will be held by the best 4 teams of the ones coming out second in the group stage.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 11, 2018

    June 11, 2018

    VENICE COMMISSION – A Venice Commission delegation is in Romania on a 2-day visit focusing on the changes to the justice laws. The delegation will have meetings with President Klaus Iohannis, with Parliament members, and officials from the Justice Ministry, High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Constitutional Court, the Prosecutor Generals Office, the National Anti-corruption Directorate, the Higher Council of Magistracy, judge and prosecutor associations and civil society organisations. Both President Iohannis, and the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have requested the opinion of this body, which comprises independent experts in constitutional law, with respect to the Romanian laws on the organisation of courts, the operation of the Higher Council of Magistrates and the status of judges and prosecutors. The requests came after the right-wing opposition, the media and civil society claimed that these laws are used by the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in order to stop the fight against corruption and get control over magistrates.




    TRADE – Romanias exports totaled over 22 billion Euros in January – April 2018, while imports reached nearly 26 billion euros, according to data made public today by the National Statistics Institute. The trade deficit reached 3.7 billion euros in the first 4 months of the year, as against 3.3 billion euros last year. According to the Institute, in the first 4 months most of the imports and exports were accounted for by vehicles and transport equipment and other manufactured products.




    EXERCISE – A large-scale military exercise involving more than 800 Romanian and British troops is taking place until June 22 in the counties Braşov (in central Romania) and Prahova (in the south). The troops are training as part of Sarmis 18, which is coordinated by the Brasov-based 2nd Mountain Troops Brigade. Also taking part are members of Battalion 47 Communications and IT and 1st Battalion, The Rifles from the UK. The exercises are designed to simulate military interventions in case of hybrid threats.




    THEATRE – In Sibiu (central Romania), the 25th International Theatre Festival continues. This is the largest performing arts event in Romania and one of the most important in Europe. Today, on the 4th day of the festival, over 40 events will take place, including the opening of the performance exchange, a structure launched 22 years ago in Romania, which brings together companies and festival directors from around the world. Thousands of artists from over 70 countries are performing every day both in theatre halls and in unconventional venues.




    SUMMIT – The North-Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and US President Donald Trump are in Singapore, where they will hold a historic meeting tomorrow morning. The summit is the first one between a Kim dynasty member and a US president in office. The talks, whose outcome is uncertain, will focus on the achievement of a special agreement regarding, above all, a full, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea in exchange for relaxing international economic and diplomatic sanctions. President Donald Trump has today voiced optimism about the eagerly awaited meeting, which was unimaginable just months ago, when Trump and the Pyongyang leader were exchanging harsh lines that made the world fear the worst.




    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, returns to Bucharest today, when she is to present her first Grand Slam trophy, won in Roland Garros on Saturday, to the Romanian public. We remind you that Halep defeated the American Sloane Stephens in the final.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 25, 2017

    August 25, 2017

    JUSTICE – The European Commission has asked the Government of Romania to provide more details regarding the suggested reform of the judiciary, and has expressed concerns that this may be a step back in the fight against corruption. The European Commission requested further explanations from Bucharest and mentioned that the irreversibility of Romanias progress in curbing corruption over the past 10 years is vital. The ruling Social Democratic Party called for calm and reiterated that the endorsement of the new legislation is a lengthy process, requiring approvals from many institutions, and that its coalition partner, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, believes the changes will strengthen the rule of law. The National Liberal Party in opposition accuses the ruling coalition of trying to make the judiciary subordinated to the executive power. President Klaus Iohannis described the proposed changes of the justice system laws, announced on Wednesday by Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, as an attack against the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. In turn, the National Anti-Corruption Agency criticises the changes announced by the Justice Ministry, and announces a general assembly meeting in a weeks time, in order to express the institutions views on these changes.



    VISIT – The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who is on an official visit to Bulgaria today, had a meeting in Varna with his counterpart Rumen Radev, who said the EU Directive on seconded workers should seek a balance between the older and newer members of the Union. Macron pointed out that he would like Bulgaria, which will take over the half-year presidency of the EU Council on January 1, 2018, to play a full role in the talks on deepening the European integration, and added that this country should be a member of the new Schengen area. Bulgaria is the third stage of the French Presidents tour, after Austria and Romania. On Thursday in Bucharest, Emmanuel Macron and his counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, decided to consolidate the bilateral strategic partnership, particularly in the political, economic, cultural and research areas. Iohannis said France and the EU need Eastern Europe if the European project is to be re-launched, and pointed out that Romania is a trustworthy partner.



    DIPLOMACY – A new round of 3-party talks between the foreign ministers of Romania, Poland and Turkey, takes place today in Warsaw. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the topics include the situation in the Western Balkans, with a focus on the support given by NATO to these partners in its eastern flank. Special attention will be paid to strengthening NATOs deterrence and defence posture, based on the guidelines laid down at the 2016 Warsaw Summit and the specific roles of Romania, Turkey and Poland in this process. The Foreign Ministry mentions that todays meeting is the fourth in this format. The previous 3-party consultations were held in Ankara in August 2016.



    MILITARY – Constanta County in south-eastern Romania, hosts several multinational naval and air exercises. The Romanian Navy and the American destroyer USS PORTER are taking part in a joint exercise at the Black Sea, aimed at enhancing the interoperability of the participating vessels. The military drills will end on August 28th. The USS PORTER, which arrived in the port of Constanta on Tuesday, is in Romania for the 4th time. Meanwhile, 4 CF-188 Hornet aircraft of the Canadian Air Forces will conduct air policing missions together with Romanian Air Force planes, as part of NATOs plan to strengthen the Alliances eastern flank.



    MIGRATION – Illegal migration at Romanias western border has surged recently, says the Regional Border Police Inspectorate. The Timisoara police found more than 100 migrants, including 42 children, in a local boarding house. Out of the total number, 82 are Iraqis, and most of the others are African refugees. The majority are coming from Serbia and trying to cross into Hungary, so as to go further into western Europe. Apart from the increase in the number of migrants trying to get into the Schengen area, the number of people smugglers identified and arrested by the Romanian border police.



    MEASLES – The number of deaths caused by measles in Romania has reached 33, the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control, subordinated to the National Public Health Institute, has announced today. The latest victim was a 10-month Iraqi girl, who came into Romania through Timis County, in the west, in early July. Romania is struggling with the most severe measles epidemic of the past few years. More than 8,000 cases have been reported so far. The large number of cases and deaths made the World health Organisation include Romania on a list of 5 countries that account for a combined 80% of the total number of measles cases in the world. The Government of Romania has recently passed a bill that makes children vaccination mandatory.



    FOOTBALL – Romanias football vice-champions, FCSB (formerly known as Steaua Bucharest), are to find out their opponents in the Europa League group stage, following the drawing in Monaco today. On Wednesday night, FCSB was kicked out of the Champions League playoffs, after it was defeated at home 1-5 by the Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon. The first leg had ended in a goalless draw. On Thursday, Romanian champions Viitorul Constanta lost the playoff for the Europa League groups, being thrashed 0-4 by the Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg. Viitorul had already lost the first leg, 1-3 at home.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Military Equipment and the National Defence Industry

    Military Equipment and the National Defence Industry

    The Supreme Defence Council Tuesday approved the Plan for military equipment procurement in the next 10 years, amounting to roughly 10 billion euros. The document had been withdrawn from the agenda of the previous meeting of the Council, held on July 4, because it was not in line with the national political agreement to earmark 2% of the GDP for the defence sector. This agreement was signed in early 2015, at the initiative of President Klaus Iohannis, by all political parties in Romania.



    According to a news release issued by the Presidential Administration, the revised Plan is a multiannual schedule of procurement projects, in line with the Strategy on equipment procurement for the Romanian Army and with the Programme for restructuring, developing and equipping the Romanian Army until 2026. The Romanian Army needs a consistent and sustained allocation of resources, because the underfinancing of the defence sector would severely affect the fulfilment of core missions and the Armys operational capacity, the document also reads.



    The Presidency also mentions that in May this year Parliament approved the start of contract awarding procedures under 8 major military equipment procurement projects, exceeding 100 million euros each. In the implementation of these programmes with planned multiannual funding, the national defence industry will also be involved. According to the Defence Minister Adrian Tutuianu, these programmes include the purchase of Patriot missile systems from the USA and of another 36 F16 multirole fighters. Tutuianu recently said that these purchases will strengthen Romanias defence capacity, consolidate NATOs eastern flank and reinforce the 20-year long strategic partnership between Romania and the USA.



    The estimated cost of the Patriot missiles, including technical support and the related equipment to be bought by Bucharest stands at 3.9 billion US dollars. According to the Defence Minister, the other programmes are related to the purchase of multi-role corvettes, of systems of mobile anti-vessel missile launchers, of 8×8 and 4×4 armoured personnel carriers, of long range surface-to-air missiles, of a short range air defence system, of a multiple long range rocket launcher, as well as the upgrading of combat vehicles.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • April 20, 2017

    April 20, 2017

    TIMMERMANS — First Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, is today on an official visit to Romania. The European official has meetings scheduled with PM Sorin Grindeanu and with the speakers of the two chambers of Parliament, Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu. Timmermans will hold talks with the leadership of parties represented in Parliament, as well as with the partners in the Mechanism of Cooperation and Verification in the judicial system. Timmermans will also be talking to citizens about future of Europe, centering on the White Charter, about the 60 year anniversary of the Rome Treaty, and the ten year anniversary since Romania joined the EU.



    GYMNASTICS — Romanian athlete Marian Dragulescu qualified in the floor event finals and the vault finals in the European Gymnastics Championships. The event is hosted by the Romanian city of Cluj, which wraps up on April 23. This edition is attended by 274 athletes from 37 countries. Romanian gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci is ambassador for the European Championships. The last edition of this event hosted by Romania took place in 1957. Stay tuned for more after the news.



    WEATHER — Bad weather will continue to afflict Romania over the next couple of days. Rain, snow, gales and low temperatures have caused the authorities to extend a code yellow until Friday at noon, taking into consideration the snow in the mountains as well. A code orange alert is in place until noon on Friday in the eastern and southern Carpathians as well, with winds expected to reach speeds of up to 80 to 90 km/h. Maximums today are between 0 and 12 degrees Celsius. The worsening of the weather has affected road traffic. Several flights have been delayed by the weather on Cluj International Airport. A few localities in the north and southeast were left without power.



    TENNIS — Romanias womens tennis team plays at home this weekend, taking on the UKs team, in a bid to hold on to their place in the world group in the Fed Cup. The games are scheduled for April 22 and 23, in the resort of Mamaia, on the Black Sea coast. Romanias team is made up of Simona Halep, 5th seeded, Irina Begu, 33rd seeded, Monica Niculescu, 47th seeded, and Sorana Cirstea, 61st seeded. The UK brings into play two top 100 players, Johanna Konta, 10th seeded, and Heather Watson, 72nd seeded. Romania and the UK have faced off five times so far in the Fed Cup, with the Romanians winning four times.



    MILITARY — Romanian officials from the government and the armed forces joined US Embassy officials at the firing range in Smardan, for the initiation of a new stage of the Justice Eagle 17 joint US-Romanian military exercise. Yesterday, in the first live fire exercise, hundreds of Romanian and US troops responded to simulated enemy fire. The exercise, concluding on May 5th, is the most important to take place on the eastern border of Romania. The US troops are part of the American land contingent in Europe, and are part of Washingtons commitment to strengthening collective security and cooperation in Eastern Europe, as part of the Atlantic Resolve operation.



    ALARMS — Romania continues its widest ranging exercise to test alarm system at a national level. Emergency sirens are being tested between 10 AM and 3 PM in 11 counties, after tests were carried out in Bucharest yesterday. The sirens are supposed to announce chemical accidents, air attacks, or severe flooding, and can be heard on a radius of around 500 meters. 7,700 such sirens are distributed around the country for civil protection. The exercise, concluding Friday, is supposed to measure speed of reaction in case of emergency, as well as coverage of alarms, in addition to response measure awareness.

  • EU-NATO Military Cooperation

    EU-NATO Military Cooperation

    Improving collaboration with NATO is one of the pillars of the comprehensive EU defense package. In this context, the European Commission last year proposed creating a European defense fund, boosting investment in defense research, as well as consolidating the domestic defense market. European and NATO leaders have already approved 40 concrete proposals, from cyber security to maritime defense. Recently, EU foreign and defense ministers announced they offer their support for consolidating EU security and defense. This consolidation is supposed to be achieved through better cooperation in planning defense, as established at the September 2016 summit in Bratislava. The new efforts led to the decision to create a center for planning and coordinating military missions that do not have an executive nature. At this point, the EU has three such missions: in Somalia, Central Africa, and Mali. The main aim is to improve the ability to react by consolidating collaboration with NATO.



    After the security conference in Munich, EU states seem more and more inclined to form an army as a pillar of the Atlantic alliance, as a foundation for NATO, as military analyst Alexandru Grumaz told Radio Romania: “Europe has to build this pilot army around this pillar of cohesion that is NATO. We can form a European army if we have this pilot army around. We have to accept the fact that the series of crises and conflicts in Europe’s close vicinity is the new normal. Immigration or the situation in Ukraine have become the new normal, along with everything that happens in close vicinity. The states neighboring the EU in the east, the ones that have association accords with the EU, have gradually lost their motivation, such as Moldova and Ukraine, because the benefits promised to these states have not materialised.”




    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hailed the efforts made by Europe in terms of defense, and, after several years of budget cuts, member states have understood the fact that they have to increase their budgets dedicated to defense. Romania has been a member of NATO since 2004, and is among the states that are boosting their defense budget, which has reached this year 2% of the GDP. In the meantime, Romania has modernized several shooting ranges. At the same time, Romanian soldiers are attending various military drills abroad too. In the last two years, NATO and Romania have run the most extensive military drills since the end of the Cold War.



    Liviu Muresan, executive president of the Eurisc Foundation, spoke to us about the issue of domestic and foreign security: “The new approach to defense and security that Romania has is very complex, and it involves not only discussions at the level of the authorities, but also more dialog. More dialogue is also needed with the private sector, and I am referring to the defense industry, the entities that are able to perform up to the level required by acquisition programs. At the same time, a discussion of principle regarding the Romanian Army in 2017 has to take place. Let us not forget that there have been things happening in the past few weeks, and will happen in the immediate future, in terms of clarifying relations between the big actors. The new Trump administration is in a process of clarifying its relation with Russia. And, depending on this clarification, most likely these relations will be reset, including at the NATO level. At the same time, we have to understand that these clarifications of the positions are not definitive. The big powers are rearranging the chessboard, depending on the other sides vulnerabilities or weaknesses.”



    According to Liviu Muresan, we have to focus on Romania, as well as NATO and the EU, without losing sight of Russia.

  • The Week in Review, December 12-18

    The Week in Review, December 12-18

    The Social Democrats win the December 11 legislative elections, but do not have a majority in Parliament


    The Central Electoral Bureau Thursday announced the final results of the legislative elections held on Sunday, December 11, in Romania. The new political make-up of Parliament includes 6 groups. The leftist Social Democratic Party won the election by a substantial margin, and has 221 of the 465 seats in the two Chambers. This means that the Social Democrats only need to secure another 12 votes to get the majority they need in order to nominate the new cabinet members. The second-largest group will be the National Liberal Party, with 69 Deputies and 30 Senators, followed by the Save Romania Union with 30 Deputies and 13 Senators. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania will have 21 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 9 in the Senate, while the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania won 20 seats in the Chamber and 9 in the Senate. The Peoples Movement Party, headed by the former president Traian Basescu, will have 18 deputies and 8 Senators, whereas the ethnic minorities, other than the Hungarian one, will have a combined 17 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.




    President Iohannis holds consultations on the new government


    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Wednesday held a first round of talks with the political parties elected into the new Parliament, concerning the new government make-up. The Social Democrats and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats declined the invitation, on grounds of procedural flaws, but said they would discuss with the head of state after the validation of the new Parliament. The declination was regarded as impolite by President Iohannis, who only met with the representatives of the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, the Peoples Movement Party and the ethnic minorities. He emphasised that the prime minister he would appoint must come from a party or alliance that proved it had a majority in Parliament. The interim president of the National Liberal Party, Raluca Turcan, criticised the economic programme of the Social Democratic Party as unsustainable. The head of Save Romania Union, Nicusor Dan, said he wanted an honest, transparent government, working for the common good instead of personal interests. He also announced Save Romania would not be part of a government led by the Social democrats and their president Liviu Dragnea. A new round of talks will be held after the new Parliament takes office.




    The Social Democratic Party makes its first decisions after the elections


    The Social Democrats nomination for the new prime minister will only be made public after it has been communicated to President Klaus Iohannis in the forthcoming consultations. The Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea said on Wednesday that his party would go for a name that was in line with the Constitution and was acceptable for everyone.



    Liviu Dragnea: “I will not make this proposal while keeping in mind an advantage for myself, or for President Iohannis, or even for the Social Democratic Party. I will keep in mind the advantages for the country.



    The ruling alliance will include the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Liviu Dragnea also told a press conference. In fact, he made a detailed presentation of the governing programme, which, he said, would be fully implemented. Some of its provisions are tax cuts, a raise in minimum wages and pension benefits, as well as higher salaries in public education and healthcare. The budget deficit target is set at 2.95% of the GDP.




    Romania consolidates its military defence


    Three more F16 aircraft Wednesday landed in Romania. The fighters come from Portugal and will join the six other aircraft already taken over in late September from the Mont Real Air Base, while three more will arrive in Romania in the first half of next year. Three years ago, Romania decided to purchase from Portugal 12 used F16 aircraft for 628 million euros, and last year the authorities announced their intention to buy more such planes. Experts say Romania needs 48 multirole planes, that is, 4 squadrons.



    Meanwhile, the US will step up measures to increase troops in Romania, Gen. Ben Hodges, commanding general US Army Europe has announced. He has added that the American troops will arrive in the German port of Bremerhaven on January 6, and will be immediately sent to Romania, Poland and the Baltic states. This summer NATO approved a plan to reinforce its military presence in Eastern Europe. The plan sets up 4 multinational combat battalions comprising up to 4,000 troops, backed by a 40,000-strong rapid response force.




    President Iohannis takes part in the winter session of the European Council


    The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis took part on Thursday in the winter meeting of the European Council in Brussels, on which occasion he emphasised the importance of strengthening the NATO – EU cooperation and the need to closely monitor developments related to the migration flows in the eastern Mediterranean. Discussing the developments in Syria, the EU leaders firmly condemned the continuing siege of Aleppo. In this context, President Iohannis and the other EU leaders reiterated the importance of an inclusive political solution, able to end the tragedy in Syria. As regards the Russian Federation, an agreement was reached to extend the EU sanctions against this country for another 6 months, starting on January 31, 2017, given the lack of progress in implementing the Minsk agreements. Finally, with respect to Britain leaving the EU, the European leaders confirmed that they would not accept free access of British products on the single market if London restricted the free movement of Europeans to the UK.

  • December 17, 2016

    December 17, 2016

    COMMEMORATION – In the western Romanian city of Timişoara, ceremonies have been organised to commemorate 27 years since the start of the Revolution of December 1989, which brought down the communist regime. A day of mourning is observed on Saturday in the city, in memory of the heroes who died in Timisoara. Sparked by the locals opposition to an abusive measure of the city hall, the protests quickly spread across the country, culminating on December 22 with dictator Nicolae Ceausescus attempted escape. More than 1,000 people died and another 3,400 were wounded between December 16 and 25, 1989. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country where the communist regime was overthrown in a violent manner and the communist leaders were executed.



    DISPUTE – The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the issue of the Romanian gold reserve had a significant historical component and that it was first and foremost something for a bilateral team of historians to deal with. According to the Russian diplomacy, historical issues, including the matter of the gold reserve, were not covered by the Russian-Romanian Treaty, and a joint team of historians was tasked with researching the issue. The Russian authorities say the interim findings of this committee are to be presented at a meeting held in Moscow next year. The Russian Foreign Ministry made these clarifications after Mugur Isarescu, Governor of the National Bank of Romania, said Russia was still to return to Romania the gold reserve sent for safekeeping in the Russian Empire 100 years ago. According to the archive of the central bank, in 1916 and 1917 Romania sent to Moscow 1,926 cases containing gold coins and bars, as well as cases of jewellery belonging to Queen Marie.



    DEFENCE – The Romanian authorities are making progress in identifying another 12 aicraft to be included in the equipment of the Romanian Air Forces, but talks with the representatives of the country that produces these devices must first be held, the Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc said on Friday at Air Base 86, Borcea. He answered a question regarding the acquisition of a new squadron of F-16 fighters. In 2013, Romania decided to purchase 12 used F-16 aircraft from Portugal, but according to experts the country needs 48 multirole planes, that is, another 4 squadrons.



    LEGISLATION – The bill drafted by the Social Democratic Party on the scrapping of 102 charges and fees, including the radio and television license fee, will be sent back to Parliament for review. President Klaus Iohannis made this decision on the same day that the Constitutional Court announced the bill did not come against the Constitution. The Presidents move triggered the discontent of the Social Democratic leader, Liviu Dragnea, the initiator of the bill. Dragnea vowed not to give up the elimination of the respective charges, and said the bill would once again be pushed through Parliament.



    US-RUSSIA – US President Barack Obama said his country would respond to the cyber-attacks launched by Russia during the presidential election campaign in November. The American authorities say they have evidence that hackers linked to Kremlin broke into the email accounts of members of the Democratic candidate Hillary Clintons team, to help the campaign of Republican candidate Donald Trump. Not much happens in Russia without Vladimir Putin, President Obama told a press conference, virtually confirming the view that Russian President Putin was personally involved in the attempts to hack into the computers of the National Democratic Committee. Russia denied the accusations.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • 9 May, 2016

    9 May, 2016

    RESIGNATION – Romania’s Healthcare minister Patriciu Achimas-Cadariu has today submitted his resignation amid the scandal triggered by the diluted disinfectants used in hospitals. The health Ministry is continuing its investigation in this case and has started taking samples from all hospitals in Romania, as the head of the Romanian government Dacian Ciolos has asked. The substances will be tested in terms of concentration and efficacy. Some of the samples, which already proved unsatisfying and have been discovered in 50 hospitals, have been sent to a national institute for further analysis. The Prosecutor’s General Office has launched a parallel investigation. Searches have been carried out in hospitals and the offices of the company providing these disinfectants, which have been proved to have a concentration ten times lower than required. Against the background of this scandal, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos is holding talks with healthcare experts on the measures needed to improve the situation in the system.



    CEREMONIES — Military and religious ceremonies are today held in all military units in Romania and abroad marking the death of the two Romanian military killed on Saturday in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc has announced the two will be promoted post-mortem. The two were killed in a military training facility close to Kandahar, where they were training Afghan police officers. The attackers were wearing Afghan security forces uniforms, and the attack seems to be the work of Taliban terrorists. A third Romanian military wounded in the attack was transferred to a hospital in Germany, where he is now stable. Over 28 Romanian military have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.



    Romanian handball champions CSM Bucharest won the most important inter-club competition, Champions League. The Romanian side made history on Sunday evening, grabbing a hard-won victory (29-26) against the Hungarian side Gyor in the Champions League final. It was an electrifying game with two periods of extra time and a penalty shootout to decide the winner. CSM Bucharest thus becomes the third Romanian club to win Champions League, after Stiinta Bacau in the 1960-1961 season and Rapid Bucharest in the 1963-1964 season.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep went up two places in the WTA ranking published today, reaching fifth place. Ahead of her are American player Serena Williams, German Angelique Kerber, Polish player Agnieszka Radwanska and Spanish player Garbine Muguruza. Romania has four more representatives in the top 100 rankings: Monica Niculescu, 34th seeded, Irina Begu, 35th, Alexandra Dulgheru, 98th, and Sorana Carstea, 99th. Simona Halep recently won the first trophy of the season in Madrid, and qualified directly for the tournament in Rome, going straight to the second round. Two more Romanians will be playing there, Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu.



    FOOTBALLER — The private paramedic service PULS are under suspension, following numerous irregularities uncovered by the investigation into the death of footballer Patrick Ekeng from Dinamo Bucharest. PULS was under contract with the Dinamo football club when they played the game in which the player suddenly collapsed on the pitch, even though he had no apparent health problems. The 26 year-old from Cameroon died on Friday night in intensive care. Prosecutors have opened an investigation for criminal negligence.



    9 MAY — The 9th of May has triple significance for Romanians. It celebrates the day of independence, proclaimed in 1877, the allied victory in WWII, and the unification of Western European countries. On May 9 1877, the Assembly of Deputies proclaimed the countrys state independence. On the same date in 1945, Germany capitulated to the Allies, ending the war in Europe. Also, on May 9th 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman gave a historic speech, proposing a plan for economic cooperation between France and Germany, ending the historic rivalry between the two powers. The Schuman proclamation laid the basis for building a united Europe.