Tag: Moldova

  • 22.06.2023

    22.06.2023

    Aides
    – Réuni en séance ce jeudi, le gouvernement roumain est censé approuvé le
    versement d’une aide d’urgence de 7 millions de lei, soit 1,4 millions d’euros
    à la population touchée dernièrement par les intempéries et les inondations.
    Les précipitations abondantes ont inondé des fermes dans le centre, le
    sud-ouest et le sud de la Roumanie où les sapeurs-pompiers ont dû intervenir à
    plusieurs reprises pour évacuer l’eau des cours, sous-sols et maisons.


    Colectiv
    – L’ancien maire des 4ème et 5ème arrondissements de Bucarest, Cristian
    Popescu-Piedone, est sorti mercredi de prison, après que la Cour suprême a
    accepté son pourvoir en cassation et disposé de sa remise en liberté. L’ancien
    édile a été relâché au bout d’une seule des quatre années de prison auxquelles
    il a été condamné pour sa responsabilité indirecte dans la tragédie de Colectiv.
    Par conséquent, il a le droit de reprendre son mandat à la tête du 5ème
    arrondissement. En revanche, le tribunal a rejeté les pourvoirs de cassation
    des autres inculpés dans le même dossier. Le président de l’Association des
    vicitmes de Colectiv, Eugen Iancu, affirme ne pas être surpris par la remise en
    liberté de Piedone, puisque, dit-il, les responsables de la Mairie du 4ème
    arrondissement où la tragédie avait eu lieu sont également en liberté. La
    justice roumaine est une honte soigneusement financée, a martelé Iancu. Le 30
    octobre 2015, 64 personnes sont mortes après un incendie qui est survenu lors
    d’un concert de rock dans le club Colectiv. L’endroit fonctionnait sans toutes
    les autorisations légales et ne respectait pas les règles de sécurité incendie.
    Au bout de plusieurs années de procédures judiciaires, le maire Cristian
    Popescu Piedone, les patrons du club, les deux pompiers du service des urgences
    et les deux techniciens qui ont monté le feu d’artifice du concert de rock ont
    été condamnés à des peines de prison ferme.


    Londres – Les Etats-Unis vont fournir 1,3 milliard de dollars (1,2
    milliard d’euros) d’aide supplémentaire à l’économie ukrainienne, en
    particulier ses infrastructures essentielles, a annoncé mercredi le secrétaire
    d’État Antony Blinken lors de la conférence internationale pour la
    reconstruction de l’Ukraine à Londres. Par ailleurs, la Commission européenne
    propose aux Etats membres de l’UE de prévoir une aide à l’Ukraine de 50
    milliards d’euros sur les quatre prochaines années, a annoncé mardi la
    présidente de l’exécutif européen, Ursula von der Leyen. La conférence de
    Londres réunit des dizaines de participants, des leaders politiques et des
    hommes d’affaires du monde entier. La Roumanie y est représentée par sa
    nouvelle cheffe de la diplomatie, Luminita Odobescu.












    Moldova – La coopération économique et la gestion des crises provoquées dans le
    contexte de la guerre en Ukraine ont dominé l’agenda des discussions menées
    mercredi, à Chisinau, par les premier ministres roumain, Marcel Ciolacu et
    moldave, Dorin Recean. Celui-ci a remercié Bucarest du soutien accordé à son
    pays, dans ses efforts de rejoindre la communauté européenne. Par ailleurs, le
    chef du gouvernement de Chisinau a rappelé que les relations bilatérales sont
    de plus en plus solides grâce à la construction de ponts, de routes et de
    réseaux énergétiques entre les deux pays. Marcel Ciolacu a été accompagné à
    Chisinau par le président du Sénat et ancien premier ministre, Nicolae Ciuca.


    Brevet
    – Les élèves de troisième appartenant aux minorités nationales passent ce jeudi
    l’épreuve de langue et de littérature maternelle de l’Evaluation nationale,
    équivalent du Brevet. Lundi, tous les enfants en dernière année de collège ont
    passé l’épreuve l’examen de langue et de littérature roumaine et mercredi,
    celui de mathématiques. La moyenne obtenu à la fin des examens est censée leur
    permettre l’admission au lycée. C’est la première année quand cette moyenne ne
    prend plus en compte les points obtenus en contrôle contenu. Le calendrier de
    l’admission au lycée prend fin le 19 juillet. Le Baccalauréat commence le 26
    juin.














    Football – La sélection roumaine de football masculin a perdu
    mercredi soir, à Bucarest, face à l’Espagne, au premier jour du Championnat
    européen de football des moins de 21 ans, organisé en Roumanie et en Géorgie.
    Les tricolores roumains font partie du Groupe B, aux côtés de l’Espagne,
    l’Ukraine et la Croatie. Le tournoi final se déroule du 21 juin au 8 juillet et
    réunit 16 équipes, divisées en quatre groupes. La Roumanie accueillera sur son
    territoire deux quarts de finale et une demi finale. Les trois équipes
    premièrement classées obtiendront leur qualification aux JO de l’année
    prochaine, de Paris.




    Météo – Il fait chaud dans la plupart des régions de
    Roumanie, notamment dans l’ouest où l’indice humidex touche le seuil critique
    de 80 unités. Le ciel est variable, plutôt couvert et des phénomènes orageux
    risquent de toucher le centre et le sud du territoire. Les températures
    maximales iront de 26 à 34 degrés. Nous avons 34 degrés à midi, à Bucarest.





  • June 21, 2023 UPDATE

    June 21, 2023 UPDATE

    Visit. Romania supports the start of EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova as soon as possible, said Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu in Chişinău during his first foreign trip since taking office. He was received by Moldovas president Maia Sandu and met his counterpart Dorin Recean, with whom he discussed Romanian-Moldovan collaboration in areas like security, economy, investments and infrastructure. Dorin Recean said that everything must be done for the benefit of the citizens on both banks of the River Prut. He stood for the creation of a friendly economic environment and urged Romanian businesses to invest in his country. Marcel Ciolacu reiterated Bucharests readiness to provide all necessary support to step up Moldovas process of European integration. “We are obliged to put a special emphasis on the economic area. Trade relations between Romania and the Republic of Moldova last year increased by 50%, we reached almost 3.6 billion dollars and I believe that this is the right way”, Ciolacu pointed out.



    Gas. OMV Petrom and Romgaz have approved the development plan for the Domino and Pelican South commercial natural gas fields in the Neptun Deep perimeter, in the Black Sea. OMV Petrom is the operator, each of the companies having a 50% stake. Up to 4 billion euros will be invested for the development phase of the project, which will generate a production of about 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Former Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă stated that Romania will soon become energy independent. He stressed that, when the exploitation of the Neptun Deep perimeter is fully operational, the domestic production will be the double of what it is today, and Romania will become the largest gas producer in the European Union.



    Ukraine. Leaders and representatives from more than 60 countries are attending in the British capital London a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine. Kyiv is trying to mobilize as many states, businesses and financial institutions as possible to support the reconstruction of the country, even before the end of the war. Ukraines immediate needs are evaluated at 14 billion dollars, but a study conducted by the World Bank estimates that the recovery of the Ukrainian economy would cost 411 billion. On the eve of the conference, the European Union announced its 4-year financial offer for Ukraine, amounting to 50 billion euros. This includes loans and grants and should provide predictability to other donors and investors. In exchange, Ukraine is expected to implement an ambitious reform program needed for it to join the European Union and to guarantee investments and reduce risks. The US has announced that it will provide an additional 1.3 billon dollar aid to the Ukrainian economy, especially for basic infrastructure. Romania is represented in London by its new foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu.



    NATO. The NATO Battle Group in Romania, for which France is the framework nation, represents an “important contribution to strengthening the credibility and effectiveness of the collective deterrence and defense posture in the Black Sea region and a proof of the solidity and consolidated allied commitment in the region”, said the Romanian Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, on Wednesday. He met, in Paris, with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu. The two discussed cooperation in the field of endowment programs for the Romanian Army and stressed the importance of the European Unions support for the states in the Eastern Neighborhood affected by the security situation in the region. In this context, the particularly vulnerable situation of the Republic of Moldova was highlighted. The two Defense Ministers also discussed bilateral collaboration within the framework of European initiatives for the development of capabilities. (MI)


  • 21.06.2023 (mise à jour)

    21.06.2023 (mise à jour)


    Visite – La
    Roumanie est favorable au démarrage aussi rapide que possible des négociations
    d’adhésion européenne de la République de Moldova, a affirmé mercredi, à
    Chisinau, le premier ministre roumain Marcel Ciolacu, qui effectue sa première
    visite à l’étranger. Il a été reçu par la présidente moldave Maia Sandu et
    s’est entretenu avec son homologue Dorin Recean sur la coopération
    roumano-moldave dans les domaines de la sécurité, de l’économie, des
    investissements et de l’infrastructure. Dorin Recean s’est quant à lui dit en
    faveur de la création d’un milieu économique favorable et a invité les agents
    économiques roumains à investir dans son pays. A son tour, le premier ministre
    roumain a réitéré l’ouverture de Bucarest d’offrir tout son appui pour accélérer
    le processus d’intégration européenne de la République de Moldova. « Nous
    sommes obligés de mettre ensemble un accent particulier sur la zone économique.
    Les relations commerciales entre la Roumanie et la République de Moldova ont
    augmenté de 50 % l’année dernière, nous avons atteint près de 3,6 milliards de
    dollars et je pense que nous sommes dans la bonne voie », a déclaré
    Marcel Ciolacu. Il est accompagné à Chisinau par le nouveau chef du Sénat de
    Bucarest, et ancien premier ministre, le libéral Nicolae Ciuca.


    Gaz – Les
    sociétés OMV Petrom et Romgaz ont approuvé le projet d’exploitation des
    gisements de gaz naturel du périmètre Neptun Deep, de la mer Noire. Chacune des
    deux sociétés aura une participation de 50% et la première étape du projet supposera
    un investissement de 4 milliards d’euros censée générer par la suite la
    production de 100 milliards de mètres cubes de gaz naturel. L’ancien premier
    ministre, Nicolae Ciuca, a affirmé que la Roumanie sera bientôt indépendante du
    point de vue énergétique. A partir du moment où les travaux d’exploitation dans
    le périmètre Neptun Deep seront entièrement opérationnels, la production
    intérieure sera deux fois plus grande qu’à présent et le pays deviendra le pays
    producteur de gaz le plus important d’Europe.






    Ukraine – Les leaders et représentants d’une soixantaine de pays se
    sont réunis à Londres pour une conférence sur la reconstruction de l’Ukraine
    envahie par les troupes russes. La Roumanie y est représentée par sa ministre
    des AE, Luminiţa Odobescu. Kiev tente ainsi de mobiliser autant de pays que
    possible, des entreprises et des institutions financières pour appuyer
    l’Ukraine. Ses besoins immédiats s’élèvent à 14 milliards de dollars, mais le
    cout total en a été estimé à 411 milliards par la BM. Les Etats-Unis ont annoncé une aide supplémentaire de 1,3 milliards de
    dollars à l’économie ukrainienne, notamment aux infrastructures essentielles.












    Paris – Le
    groupement tactique de l’OTAN déployé en Roumanie, dont la France est la
    nation-cadre, représente une « contribution importante au renforcement de
    la crédibilité et de l’efficacité de la position collective de dissuasion et de
    défense dans la région de la mer Noire et une preuve de la solidité de
    l’engagement allié renforcé dans la région », a déclaré mercredi le ministre
    roumain de la Défense, Angel Tîlvar. Celui-ci a rencontré à Paris, son
    homologue français, Sébastien Lecornu.
    Les deux responsables ont examiné des aspects liés à la coopération dans
    des programmes de dotation de l’Armée roumaine. Ils ont également mis en
    évidence l’importance du soutien de l’UE
    pour les pays du Voisinage Oriental affectés par la situation de
    sécurité dans la région. Dans ce contexte, ils ont également mis en avant la
    situation extrêmement vulnérable de la République de Moldova. Et pas en dernier
    lieu, les deux ministres se sont penchés sur la coopération bilatérale au sein
    des initiatives européennes pour le développement des capacités défense.







    Brevet – Les
    élèves de Roumanie qui ont terminé le collège ont passé mercredi l’épreuve de
    maths, le 2e examen de l’Evaluation nationale, équivalent du Brevet
    français. Lundi, ils ont passé l’épreuve de langue et de littérature roumaine.
    Puis, jeudi, les élèves appartenant aux minorités nationales passeront un
    examen en langue et littérature maternelle. Les premiers résultats seront
    affichés le 28 juin et les résultats finaux le 4 juillet. C’est en fonction de
    la moyenne obtenue à l’examen de l’Evaluation nationale que les élèves roumains
    se feront inscrire au lycée. Ceux qui n’ont pas passé leur Brevet sont censés
    continuer leur scolarité dans une école professionnelle. 10% des élèves
    roumains se trouvent dans cette situation.

    Météo – Jeudi, les températures seront à la
    hausse partout en Roumanie. Des pluies tomberont sur plusieurs régions. Les températures
    maximales iront de 26 à 33 degrés. Nous aurons 30 degrés jeudi, à midi, dans la
    capitale roumaine.

  • Romania’s FM visits Chișinău

    Romania’s FM visits Chișinău

    Opening the EU accession negotiations of the Republic of Moldova as soon as possible is a priority of Romania’s international policy – said Romanias foreign minister, Luminiţa Odobescu. Early this week she paid her first visit to Chișinău, after taking over her mandate at the Foreign Ministry, which shows the importance that Romania attaches to its Eastern neighbor, to which it is linked by a past based on a common language, history and culture. For many decades under the influence of Moscow, due to the support of the pro-Russian forces in the region, the Republic of Moldova fundamentally reconfigured its national interest after the accession to power, in the not too distant past, of pro-European leaders.



    However, Romania’s support for the return of the small Republic to the West was constant and there was no Romanian official at the highest level who did not emphasize this aspect. So, now it is Luminiţa Odobescu’s turn to have discussions with her counterpart from Chișinău about the support that Romania gives to Moldova through humanitarian aid, energy resources or support in the field of increasing resilience.



    In a joint press statement with Luminița Odobescu, the Moldovan Foreign Minister, Nicu Popescu, also reviewed the constant help that Bucharest offers to Moldovan citizens, regardless of their geopolitical preferences, and hailed the strengthening of the bilateral strategic partnership for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova.



    Nicu Popescu: Thanks to the openness and dialogue that we have had our relations with Romania are the strongest in the last 30 years.



    The Romanian FM Luminiţa Odobescu promised the authorities in Chişinău a robust, priority support from Romania, adapted to the needs of Moldova with a view to preparing the opening of the EU accession negotiations as quickly as possible, possibly by the end of this year, as the Moldovan citizens would like: Granting political-diplomatic support to the Republic of Moldova for the advance of the European agenda is a priority of Romania’s foreign policy. We therefore support obtaining as soon as possible a favorable decision for the Republic of Moldova to start accession negotiations.



    The Romanian Foreign Minister also had talks in Chişinău with the Prime Minister Dorin Recean, with the President of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, and with the Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru. She was also received by the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. There were discussions, among others, about strategic projects in the fields of energy, transport and digitalization, about the intensification of Romanias support for the reform objectives assumed in Chişinău, as well as about Romania’s full and determined support for strengthening the security and stability of Moldova. (LS)


  • June 20, 2023 UPDATE

    June 20, 2023 UPDATE

    Refugee – Romanians have shown unprecedented solidarity, offering a space of safety and peace to the Ukrainian refugees, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said in his address on the World Refugee Day. “In March 2022, we got the clear picture of terror, on the cratered streets and destroyed buildings in the cities of Bucha and Irpin. We understood the horror lived by the desperate families forced to flee the war. Over 4.6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have chosen our country as their refuge,” Ciolacu wrote on Facebook. According to him, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Romanians have proven their ‘support and generosity in the face of terror.



    Visit — Romania is a supporter of the European path of the neighboring Republic of Moldova, and this process will be covered together by the two states – said, on Tuesday, in Chisinau, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, during a press conference with her counterpart Nicu Popescu. In his turn, the Moldovan FM recalled the Romanian support offered to Chisinau in the energy, political and financial fields, especially in the context of Russias war in Ukraine. Odobescu also had discussions on Tuesday with the Prime Minister Dorin Recean and with the Parliament President Igor Grosu. She said that the Romanian authorities would continue to provide robust, priority support adapted to the needs of the Republic of Moldova. On Monday evening, Luminiţa Odobescu was received by the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the discussions focusing on Chisinaus European agenda and the regional security situation. The Romania FM appreciated the substantial progress of the Moldovan authorities regarding the reforms agenda, in particular following the recommendations made by the European Commission in June 2022, when Moldova was granted the status of European integration candidate state. On Wednesday, Romania’s new PM Marcel Ciolacu will pay a working visit to Chisinau.



    Moldova – The Constitutional Court of Moldova, an ex-soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population has ruled as unconstitutional the SOR party founded and led by the oligarch Ilan Sor. The party has been accused of actions that run against the rule of law, jeopardizing the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova, being funded from abroad and backed by the Russian secret services. The party leader fled to Israel after having received a prison sentence for his involvement in the theft of one billion Euros from Moldova’s banking system. From there he initiated jointly with the partys vice-president Marina Tauber a series of anti-government protests.



    Football – Romanias national football team ended in a two-all draw their away game against Switzerland in Group 1 of the Euro 2024 preliminaries. The Romanians were dominated in the match, being led 2-0, but they managed an unexpected comeback and leveled the score towards the end of the match. In the other Group 1 matches, Belarus secured a 2-1 win against Kosovo and Israel also obtained a 2-1 victory against Andorra. Switzerland, the favorite of the group, and Romania, are ranked on the first two positions in the classification, which ensures them qualification for the final tournament in Germany.



    Magistrates – Magistrates from several courts and prosecutors offices in Romania have announced that they are suspending their work as of Wednesday, as they are dissatisfied with the government’s intention to change the conditions for the special pension scheme. Judges and prosecutors argue that changing their special pension schemes violate the independence of the judiciary. The ruling coalition wants, among other things, to gradually increase the retirement age for judges and prosecutors to 65, and to calculate their pensions on the basis of their income from several years, not just from the last year of activity. Currently, judges and prosecutors are retiring after only 25 years of work. The elimination of special pension schemes for several social categories in Romania is a condition for the country to receive the following installments of European money under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Special pensions are not based on contributions, they were granted by law, and are often very high compared to normal pensions in Romania. Magistrates say they will only solve urgent cases.



    Museum – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday approved, with a majority of votes, the setting up of the National Museum of History and Culture of the Roma in Romania – a public institution of national importance, subordinated to the National Agency for Roma. The purpose of the museum is, among other things, to present and promote the history, culture and traditions of this national minority, to know, at national and international levels, its contribution to the evolution and modernization of Romanian society over time, as well as to combat racism and discrimination. The initiator of the proposal, a deputy representing the national minorities, Cătălin Manea, declared that the vote in the Chamber of Deputies – decision-making body in this case – is historic. The National Museum of Roma History and Culture will contribute to revealing historical truths.



    Exams – 8th graders had a day off on Tuesday, after taking the written exam in the Romanian language and literature as part of the National Assessment on Monday. On Wednesday, the next test in mathematics is scheduled and on Thursday the students who belong to national minorities will take the exam in their native language and literature. The first results will be published on June 28, and the final ones, after resolving the appeals, on July 4. From this year, high school enrollment will be based only on the mean obtained at the National Assessment, and the mean of the middle school points will no longer be taken into account as before. Students who did not register for the exam can only attend the courses of a professional or dual school. Almost 10% of those who started the eighth grade in the fall are in this situation. (LS)

  • 20.06.2023 (mise à jour)

    20.06.2023 (mise à jour)

    Diplomatie – La Roumanie soutient le parcours européen de la République
    de Moldova voisine, et les deux Etats vont parcourir ce processus ensemble, a
    déclaré mardi, à Chisinau, la nouvelle cheffe de la diplomatie roumaine, Luminiţa
    Odobescu, lors d’une conférence de presse avec son homologue moldave Nicu
    Popescu. Celui-ci a rappelé, à son tour, l’appui offert par Bucarest à son pays
    dans le domaine énergétique, politique et financier, notamment dans le contexte
    de la guerre menée par la Russie en Ukraine. Mardi, la ministre roumaine a eu
    des pourparlers avec le premier ministre, Dorin Recean et le président du
    Parlement de Chisinau, Igor Grosu. Lundi soir, Luminita Odobescu a été reçue
    par la cheffe de l’Etat moldave, Maia Sandu. Leurs discussions ont porté
    notamment sur l’agenda européen de Chisinau et sur la sécurité régionale.
    L’occasion pour la cheffe de la diplomatie roumaine d’apprécier les progrès
    substantiels enregistrés par les autorités moldaves pour ce qui est de l’agenda
    des réformes, notamment en ce qui concerne les recommandations de la Commission
    européenne formulées en juin 2022 au moment où le pays a reçu le statut de pays
    candidat à l’adhésion européenne. Mercredi,
    le premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu, fera une visite à Chisinau.




    Roms – La Chambre
    des députés de Bucarest a adopté lundi, en tant que chambre décisionnelle, le
    projet législatif portant création du Musée national de l’histoire et de la
    culture des Roms de Roumanie. Lutter contre le racisme et la discrimination -
    c’est un des principaux objectifs de cette institution de culture qui
    fonctionnera sous l’autorité de l’Agence nationale pour les Roms. Elle se donne
    aussi pour mission de présenter et de promouvoir l’histoire, la culture et les
    traditions de cette minorité nationale et de faire conntaîre au niveau national
    et international sa contribution à l’évolution et à la modernisation de la
    société roumaine au fil du temps. La création de ce musée et un acte
    réparatoire pour la communauté rom, a affirmé Cătălin Manea, député du Groupe
    des minorités nationales.


    Magistrats – Les magistrats de
    plusieurs tribunaux et parquets de Roumanie ont annoncé suspendre leurs
    activités à partir de mercredi, mécontents de la volonté du gouvernement de
    changer leurs conditions pour prendre la retraite. La coalition au pouvoir en
    Roumanie envisage de repousser progressivement jusqu’à 65 ans l’âge de la
    retraite pour les juges et les procureurs et de calculer la pension en fonction
    des revenus sur l’ensemble de leur carrière et non seulement en fonction du
    salaire touché pendant la dernière année d’activité. La suppression des régimes
    spéciaux de retraite pour plusieurs catégories professionnelles de Roumanie
    figure parmi les conditions que le pays doit remplir pour se voir verser les
    nouvelles tranches de fonds européens via le PNRR.
















    Brevet – Les élèves de Roumanie qui ont
    terminé le collège ont passé lundi l’épreuve de langue et de littérature
    roumaine, première épreuve de l’Evaluation nationale, équivalent du Brevet
    français. Mercredi, ils seront censés passer l’épreuve de maths. Jeudi, les
    élèves appartenant aux minorités nationales passeront un examen en langue et
    littérature maternelle. Les premiers résultats seront affichés le 28 juin et
    les résultats finaux le 4 juillet. C’est en fonction de la moyenne obtenue à
    l’examen de l’Evaluation nationale que les élèves roumains se font inscrire au
    lycée. Ceux qui n’ont pas passé leur Brevet sont censés continuer leur
    scolarité dans une école professionnelle. 10% des élèves roumains se trouvent
    dans cette situation.









  • June 2, 2023

    June 2, 2023

    Strike — The Romanian Education Minister, Ligia Deca, emphasized, on Friday, that all salaries in the education system will increase. She said that, through an emergency ordinance, a gross sum worth 1,000 lei (about 200 Euros) per month will be granted for the teaching and auxiliary teaching staff and, respectively, 400 lei (about 80 Euros) per month for the non-teaching staff. On Thursday, after the last round of negotiations with the government, the union leaders announced that the all-out strike in the Romanian education system would continue after Tuesday, when the mini-vacation ends. They again rejected the increases proposed by the Government, increases transposed in an emergency ordinance adopted on the same day. President Klaus Iohannis, who had shown readiness to negotiate a political agreement aimed at ending the strike, believes that the government has given the education system employees everything they asked for and that they no longer have reasons to protest.



    Visit — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis receives King Charles III today. The two will have face-to-face talks, and then a meeting with the state authorities, the civil society representatives and the Diplomatic Corps. The British ambassador to Bucharest, Andrew Noble, told AGERPRES news agency that the visit of the new monarch is private and that he will meet with President Iohannis as a courtesy gesture. It is the first time that a British monarch visits Romania. On May 6, Charles III was crowned King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He became king last September after the death of his mother Elizabeth II. As Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998, and declared himself an admirer of the country and especially of Transylvania, the historical province that bears the traces of the cultural heritage of the ethnic Germans who came to these parts 8 centuries ago. Charles got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2015, the Prince of Wales Romania Foundation was launched, a charitable organization that supports the preservation of architectural heritage, agriculture and sustainable development in Romania. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross, in sign of “appreciation for his activity in Romania and for promoting the country’s image in the world”.



    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu meets, today, the Czech Karolina Muchova, in the third round at Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. The Romanian player defeated Muchova this spring in Madrid. Begu remained the only representative of Romania in the singles competition on the Parisian clay court. In the womens doubles, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the second round on Thursday, after defeating the Russian pair Ana Blinkova/Varvara Graceva, in three sets. Ruse and Kostiuk will face Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium)/Shelby Rogers (USA) in the second round.



    Football – The former Romanian football champions, CFR Cluj (north-west) qualified for the Europa Conference League, after defeating FC U Craiova with a score of 1-0, after extra time, on Thursday evening. The CFR Cluj players will play in the third continental competition alongside the 2ndplaced team in the championship, FCSB (Bucharest) and the winner of Romania’s Cup, Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe. The title holder, Farul Constanta (southeast), will play in the Champions League.



    Moldova — On June 1, the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population) was the host of the second summit of the European Political Community. The meeting was attended by 48 heads of state and government, who discussed security and peace, the development of economic and social infrastructure in Europe and resilience in the face of the threats caused by the war in Ukraine. At the same time, the European officials reiterated their support for the Republic of Moldova in order to achieve the commitments assumed as a candidate state for EU accession. The European Political Community is a new political coordination platform, which aims to promote political dialogue and cooperation to address issues of common interest and to strengthen the security, stability and prosperity of the European continent. The idea of ​​the initiative of a European political community belongs to the French President Emmanuel Macron, who, on May 9, 2022, presented this project to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, in full debates on the launch of Ukraines accession process. Five months later, the first summit of the European Political Community took place in Prague.



    Debt -The US Congress has approved a deal to lift the countrys borrowing limit, days before the worlds largest economy is due to default on its debt, the BBC reports. The bipartisan measure sped through the Senate, a day after it was approved by the US House of Representatives. President Joe Biden has said he will enact the measure into law. This will save the US from defaulting on its debt of more than 31 billion dollars, something considered catastrophic. The country is forecast to overshoot its current debt ceiling on Monday 5 June, according to the BBC.



    Project – The European program “Rendez-vous aux jardins” (“Meetings in the Gardens”) that has now reached the 20thedition, being organized by the French Ministry of Culture and coordinated, in Romania, by the National Heritage Institute is taking place between June 2 and 4,. “Rendez-vous aux jardins” is an event organized on the first weekend of June since 2003, following the European Heritage Days model, and aims to capitalize on the cultural and natural assets of each country. The project takes place in more than 2,300 parks and gardens in Europe, which open their gates to the public, some of which are exceptionally accessible, and which offer various activities for visitors of all ages. (LS)

  • 01.06.2023

    01.06.2023

    Grève – Le décret
    d’urgence adopté aujorud’hui par le gouvernement roumain change radicalement la
    manière de calculer les salaires du personnel de l’Education nationale, a
    déclaré le premier ministre, Nicolae Ciuca. Selon l’acte normatif, le revenu du
    personnel enseignant connaîtra une hausse de 1000 lei brut, soit 200 euros,
    tandis que celui du personnel non-enseignant sera majoré de 400 lei. Les
    responsables politiques s’engagent que les revenus des professeurs en début de
    carrière soient calculer dans la nouvelle grille des salaires en fonction du
    montant net du salaire moyen. Les majorations stipulées par le décret d’urgence
    voté mercredi, par l’Exécutif, ont été qualifiées d’insuffisantes et rejettées par
    les syndicalistes qui poursuivent leur grève.




















    Chisinau – La
    situation en Ukraine, les problèmes énergétiques, de sécurité et
    d’interconnexion dominent l’agenda du Sommet de la Communauté politique
    européenne, a affirmé la cheffe de la République de Moldova, Maia Sandu, qui accueille la réunion d’aujourd’hui. A ses dires, les discussions bilatérales
    porteront aussi sur l’adhésion de son pays à l’UE. La réunion se déroule en
    présence du président roumain, Klaus Iohannis et d’une cinquantaine de chefs
    d’Etat et de gouvernement et des leaders des institutions européennes. Le fait
    d’accueillir le sommet de la Communauté politique européenne sur son territoire
    confère à la République de Moldova l’occasion de reconfirmer sa vocation
    européenne, a affirmé l’administration présidentielle de Bucarest. Klaus Iohannis
    aura une allocution dans le cadre de la réunion plénière et participera au
    groupe de travail sur des questions de sécurité. Dans son discours, le leader
    roumain se penchera sur les conséquences de l’invasion russe de l’Ukraine dans
    les domaines sécuritaire, économique, alimentaire et humanitaire, tout comme
    sur le soutien que Bucarest accorde à ses voisins moldave et ukrainien. La
    réunion de Chisinau se déroule en présence de Volodymir Zelenski. La Communauté
    politique européenne est une formation intergouvernementale de débat et une
    plateforme de coordination politique entre les pays européens avec pour but la
    promotion du dialogue politique et de la coopération pour le renforcement de la
    sécurité, de la stabilité et la prospérité européennes. L’initiative de mettre
    en place une telle communauté appartient au leader français, Emmanuel Macron.
    La CPE s’est réunie pour la première fois en octobre dernier, à Prague.




    XXX – L’OTAN
    surveillera l’espace aérien de la République de Moldova tout au long du sommet de
    la Communauté politique européenne, informe Reuters. La réunion des leaders des
    27 pays membres de l’UE et de vingt autres pays se déroule dans des caves à vin célèbres, situé à 20 kilomètres seulement de la frontière ukrainienne.
    C’est un véritable défi de sécurité et d’organisation, a souligné l’agence de
    presse. Des avions de chasse AWACS survoleront jusqu’à demain, le ciel de la
    République de Moldova, précise l’OTAN. Ces derniers mois, des débris de
    missiles provenant de la guerre en Ukraine ont été retrouvés sur le territoire
    moldave. Depuis sa position haute et grâce à son radar, un AWACS a la capacité
    de voir toutes les activités ennemies. Avec cette capacité technique, il peut
    fournir un préavis de menace à la chaîne de commandement, a précisé la porte
    parole de l’Alliance, la Roumaine, Oana Lungescu.




    MSC – La
    Roumanie participe jusqu’au 9 juin à la 107ème réunion du Comité de la Sécurité
    maritime de l’Organisation maritime internationale, IMO, de Londres.
    L’événement a un rôle particulièrement important dans le domaine du transport
    maritime et représente une occasion essentielle pour débattre de la
    sécurité maritime. Le Comité représente l’organisme technique le plus important
    de l’Organisation maritime internationale. Il est chargé de mettre en place les
    normes de sécurité internationales de la navigation sur mer. La Roumanie est
    membre actif de l’IMO et l’un des fournisseurs les plus Ovidiu Sorin Cupşa, à
    la tête du Centre roumain pour l’instruction et le perfectionnement du
    personnel navigant.


    1 juin – Ce
    jeudi, 1 juin, c’est la Journée de l’Enfance. A cette occasion, le Parlement
    roumain organise une journée des Portes ouvertes. Les enfants sont donc
    attendus à visiter des salles de réunion, tout comme les bureaux des deux
    présidents des Chambres parlementaires. Plusieurs ambassades dont celles de
    l’Espagne, de la Turquie, de l’Italie ou encore du Japon, ont mis en place dans
    la cour du Sénat, des stands où les enfants sont attendus découvrir des jeux
    spécifiques à chacun des pays. Le 1 juin marque le début d’un pont de cinq
    jours qui finira le 5 juin, le lundi de la Pentêcote orthodoxe. Par conséquent,
    les hoteliers s’attendent à ce que 70.000 touristes prennent d’assaut le
    littoral roumain.














    Météo – En Roumanie,
    les températures iront ce jeudi de 21 à 30 degrés et des phénomènes orageux
    risquent de toucher plusieurs régions de Roumanie. Des coups de foudre et de
    tonnerre, des pluies torrentielles, de la grêle, de fortes rafales se produiront
    notamment dans l’ouest, le centre, le sud-ouest et le sud du pays, tout comme
    dans la région des Carpates. Les quantités d’eau cumulées suite aux
    précipitations risquent de dépasser les 30 litres par mètre carré. Ciel
    couvert, des pluies éparses et 27 degrés ce jeudi, à Bucarest.

  • May 31, 2023 UPDATE

    May 31, 2023 UPDATE

    EDUCATION The government’s new salary offer for teachers will be
    presented to unions in an expedited procedure, so as to allow teachers to
    decide on whether to continue the strike, the education union leaders announced
    at the end of Wednesday’s negotiations. The government proposed a monthly gross
    EUR 200 payment to teaching staff and EUR 80 for non-teaching staff in the
    sector. An emergency order will also be passed, allowing entry-level teachers
    to have a starting salary equal to the national average gross wage. The all-out
    strike in Romanian undergraduate education has reached its 10th day.


    MOLDOVA The Republic of Moldova Thursday hosts the European
    Political Community Summit, attended by 50 heads of state and government. The
    European Commission is represented by its president Ursula von der Leyen and
    the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. The most important subjects on the
    agenda of the summit are security, stability and cooperation in Europe. Also attending will be the
    president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. On
    Tuesday, the EU Council decided to double the macro-financial aid for the
    Republic of Moldova from EUR 150 to 295 million.


    POLICE On Wednesday in Romania prison officers protested salary
    levels and the working conditions. Penitentiary police workers say they work
    extensive extra hours in order to make up for personnel shortages, and oppose
    the planned increase of retirement age in the sector. Trade union
    representatives had a meeting with the justice minister, who said the dialogue
    was constructive and promised that the rights of prison officers will be
    respected. Cătălin Predoiu added that in the following two years at most, up to
    2,000 officers will be recruited in order to fill the vacancies in the penitentiary
    system.


    CHAMPIONSHIP The 2023 World Rescue Championship takes place in
    Craiova, southern Romania, between June 1 and 4. This is the largest such event
    of the International Canine Federation, with more than 60 search and rescue
    dogs taking part, from 10 countries (Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Italy,
    Japan, Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine and the Netherlands). The world’s top 19
    teams will compete in various sections, including surface search for missing
    persons, obedience and dexterity, and search for victims in the rubble.
    Craiova is the first city in the world to have organised five World Rescue
    Championships (2009, 2016, 2021, 2022, and 2023).


    GRAIN EU agriculture ministers meeting in the AGRIFISH council have
    not managed to unblock 100 million euros worth of aid for farmers affected by
    Ukraine’s export of cheap grain. Romania is one of the five countries that may
    benefit from the aid and it stands to receive around EUR 30 million. The
    European commissioner for agriculture Ianusz Wojciechowski gave assurances that
    the aid will be unblocked and the situation monitored. He said he was not in
    favour of using the EU budget to buy Ukrainian grain to be supplied to the
    world food programme because the cost would be three times that of the cereals
    themselves. He believes the money would be better used, in the long term, to
    improve the infrastructure, for example that of Romania, and said he would have
    talks in this regard with the European commissioner for transport and
    infrastructure Adina Vălean.

    TENNIS The only Romanian
    athlete left in the Roland Garros competition, Irina Begu, Wednesday defeated
    Italy’s Sara Errani, in 2 sets, 6 – 3, 6 – 0. On Tuesday, Sorana Cirstea was
    kicked out of the competition by another Italian player, Jasmine Paolini. Also
    on Tuesday, the Canadian athlete Bianca Andreescu won against Victoria
    Azarenka (Belarus) in 3 sets. (AMP)

  • La République de Moldova reçoit une  aide européenne doublée

    La République de Moldova reçoit une aide européenne doublée

    Considérée depuis longtemps comme l’Etat européen le plus pauvre, la République de Moldova (pays ex-soviétique, mais majoritairement roumanophone) est dépendante de l’aide financière des partenaires occidentaux. La situation est devenue plus grave après que, le 24 février 2022, les troupes russes ont envahi l’Ukraine. A partir de ce moment-là, la République de Moldova a dû gérer un énorme flux de réfugiés ukrainiens, et trouver des solutions aux problèmes économiques causés par la guerre au pays voisin. Qui plus est, Moscou, qui n’a jamais accepté l’idée que Chișinău est gouverné par un régime pro-occidental, a lancé de multiples tentatives pour déstabiliser la situation politique.

    Par ailleurs, en République de Moldova, l’état d’urgence a été prolongé de 60 jours, à partir du 4 juin prochain. Une décision déterminée, évidemment, par la guerre déclenchée par la Fédération de Russie en Ukraine, ainsi que les risques et les menaces en entrainées. Selon les autorités, le pays est exposé à des menaces asymétriques et à un large éventail de manifestations de guerre hybride. Le risque de nouvelles cyberattaques contre les institutions publiques et les infrastructures nationales critiques a également été évoqué. La République de Moldova a donc encore besoin des mécanismes juridiques complémentaires à l’état d’urgence, afin de gérer d’éventuelles évolutions imprévisibles.

    Dans ce contexte d’angoisse, mardi, le Conseil de l’Union européenne a décidé de doubler effectivement l’aide macro-financière destinée à la République de Moldova, de 150 à 295 millions d’euros. D’ailleurs, déjà le mois dernier, le député européen roumain Siegfried Mureșan (PPE-PNL Parti des Populaires Européens – Parti Nationale Libérale), chef de la délégation du Parlement communautaire pour les relations avec Chișinău, avait déclaré : « nous offrons à la République de Moldova le soutien financier dont elle a besoin pour garantir que, tout au long de cette année, le gouvernement a à sa disposition des fonds suffisants pour soutenir la population et assurer la stabilité économique ». Il a ajouté que « la République de Moldova est un État candidat à l’adhésion à l’Union européenne et nous devons l’aider à surmonter les défis auxquels elle est confrontée et à poursuivre son intégration européenne ». Mardi également, les Etats membres de l’Union européenne ont adopté des sanctions à l’encontre de sept personnes, accusées notamment d’avoir des liens avec « les efforts de la Russie pour déstabiliser » la République de Moldova. Leurs actifs seront gelés à l’intérieur de l’Union, où ceux-ci seront interdits de séjour. Bruxelles précise que les personnes visées sont « des hommes politiques et hommes d’affaires de nationalité moldave ou russe qui ont poursuivi des activités déstabilisatrices », en planifiant des manifestations violentes ou en soutenant les services de sécurité russes (FSB).

    Les décisions adoptées par les dirigeants communautaires préfigurent la réunion de ce jeudi en République de Moldova des dirigeants d’une cinquantaine de pays, pour le deuxième sommet de la Communauté politique européenne (CPE), dont les valeurs assumées sont la démocratie, le respect des droits de l’homme et la primauté du droit.

  • May 25, 2023 UPDATE

    May 25, 2023 UPDATE

    Strike — The strike in the education system in Romania continues, after the unions rejected the latest offer made by the government, which they consider offensive. The teachers were to receive 2,500 lei this year, in two installments, and the non-teaching staff 1,000 lei. The money would have been granted on a “professional career card”. The trade unions are asking for a rise in incomes of 25% and a law under which the salary of a beginner teacher should be the equivalent of the average gross salary. A new round of negotiations took place on Thursday in Bucharest. Employees in the pre-university education system started an all-out strike on May 22, dissatisfied with the level of salaries and working conditions. The union leaders have stated that they will not give up the protest until their demands are resolved.



    Deficit – The European Commission Executive Vice-President, Valdis Dombrovskis on Wednesday called on the member states to more effectively apply their plans of recovery and resilience, to make investments and cut on spending. The European Commission has again drawn attention to the economic situation in Romania, the only EU country for which the excessive deficit procedure has been activated. According to Brussels, Romania spends more money than it has and must cut its deficit under 3% by the next year. According to the Romanian government, the budget deficit is expected to go down under 4.4% of the GDP this year and 2.9% next year.



    Visit — Currently, “a real war is going on in Europe” said, on Thursday, in Sibiu (center), the president of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who reiterated the call for unity in this context. ‘Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have considerably strengthened NATOs Eastern Flank and have considerably expanded our cooperation in the field of security policy. Both within the European Union and within NATO, our countries collaborate closely, based on trust’, the German official emphasized. Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, stated, in turn, that the Romanian-German friendship, with an old tradition, has now reached an unprecedented point of development. The two met with the representatives of the German community in Romania and visited the “Samuel von Brukenthal” National College, with tuition in German, a school attested in documents almost 650 years ago. The German president is on a state visit to Romania until Friday.



    Football – Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe won Romanias football cup after a 5-4 win against Universitatea Cluj in the shootouts on Wednesday evening. 120 minutes into the game, the score was nil-all. The hero of Sepsi was its goalkeeper, Roland Niczuly, a former player of Universitatea Cluj. Niczuly managed to save three shots, after Universitatea had got the upper hand but wasted two chances. Sepsi has won the trophy for the second time in a row. We recall that this ambitious football side from central Romania, lost the finals of the aforementioned competition in 2020. Universitatea Cluj was left with the trophy they won in 1965, losing the Romanian Cup finals for the fifth time.



    Moldova – Less than 0.5% of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who spent their holiday abroad last year chose the Commonwealth of Independent States – CIS as their destination – reveals a study published in Chişinău. The research appeared in the context in which the Moldovan government made the decision to withdraw from the CIS, given the fact that one of its founding members, Russia, attacked another founding member, Ukraine. 40% of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova would, however, like the country to remain in the CIS, and Moscow claims that, by leaving the organization, the Republic of Moldova risks losing economic advantages. Official statistics show, however, that the commercial relations of the Republic of Moldova are currently mainly oriented towards the European Union. The Republic of Moldova wants to join the European Union “as soon as possible” in order to protect itself from the Russian threat and hopes for a decision “in the next few months” regarding the opening of negotiations, President Maia Sandu had previously said.



    Banks – The banks in Romania will have to issue new repayment schedules, where the amount of the principal on the loan will be paid by consumers in equal installments over the entire loan term, said the general director of the National Authority for Consumer Protection, Paul Anghel. Also, the president of the institution, Horia Constantinescu, pointed out that he had already signed the orders to stop these deceptive practices for 11 banks that were previously fined because the installments was mainly composed of interests in the first years of repayment. The Authority for Consumer Protection announced on Thursday that eight other banks were sanctioned for the way in which they calculate loan rates. Moreover, the Authority notified the Competition Council over what it called the cartel attitude of some banking institutions. However, the Romanian Association of Banks contradicted the Authority and showed that this calculation method was included in the Romanian legislation since the setting-up of regulations on lending activity. (LS)

  • Pro-European assembly in Chişinău

    Pro-European assembly in Chişinău

    Faced with an unprecedented energy crisis, which it is coping with thanks to the help offered by Romania and the European Union, and subjected to hybrid threats from Russia, the Republic of Moldova understood, after three decades of swinging between the East and the West, who its true political friends are. And the European Union is among those that the small Eastern European state, with a majority Romanian-speaking population, can really rely on.



    The confirmation came directly from the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who was invited, on Sunday, to the great pro-European assembly convened by President Maia Sandu in Chişinău. Moldova is not alone, Europe is Moldova, Moldova is Europe – said, in Romanian, the European official. She has given assurances to Moldova that the European Union will support it in the integration process. Roberta Metsola said that they gathered there at a special moment, to send a pro-European message to the international community, adding that she gave them, in the month of May, the answer of the European Parliament: go ahead, keep it up, Moldova is not alone!



    Roberta Metsola praised the Moldovan citizens for the solidarity they showed toward the aggressed Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees, and on the other hand she condemned the Russian policies of threats and blackmail towards Moldova.



    The best way to get rid of Russian blackmail is integration into the European Union, Maia Sandu told her fellow citizens: European Moldova means a Moldova with strong and reliable friends, who will not leave us alone in front of the aggressors who bring wars and kill people. We can only be safe together with the European family. This war clearly shows us that we no longer want to be blackmailed by Moscow.



    The Republic of Moldova became an EU candidate country in June last year, a few months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. President Maia Sandu is now pleading for accession until the end of this decade.



    Maia Sandu: Moldova’s place is in the European Union. Our country project and our goal is for Moldova to be, by 2030, a full member of the European family. This is not just my commitment. We have the support of the European Union on this path and that is what the people of the Republic of Moldova demand. They asked for it every time they went out in the street to defend their rights. They asked for it in the elections. They are asking for it now, when we have once again got together to decide the fate of Moldova. Europe is more than a political slogan. Europe is a way of life, a dream that must come true and it is the chance for our people to live in peace, tranquility and plenty.



    More than 75,000 people participated in the demonstration in Chişinău, where a resolution was adopted confirming the citizens’ support for the country’s European path. (LS)

  • Manifestation pro-européenne en République de Moldova

    Manifestation pro-européenne en République de Moldova

    Confrontée à une
    crise énergétique sans précédent, la République de Moldova tient bon grâce à
    l’aide offerte par la Roumanie et par l’Union européenne. Soumise aux menaces
    hybrides de la Russie, ce pays a enfin compris, après trois décennies passées
    entre l’Est et l’Ouest, qui sont ses vrais amis politiques. L’Union européenne fait
    donc partie des ceux sur lesquels ce petit État est-Européen, majoritairement
    roumanophone, peut vraiment compter.


    Une confirmation
    en ce sens est venue directement de la part de la présidente du Parlement
    européen, Roberta Metsola, invitée, dimanche dernier, au grand rassemblement
    pro-européen convoqué par la présidente Maia Sandu à Chișinău. La République de
    Moldova n’est pas seule, l’Europe c’est la République de Moldova, la République
    de Moldova c’est l’Europe – a déclaré, en roumain, la présidente du pouvoir
    législatif communautaire. Elle a assuré les Moldaves que l’Union européenne
    soutiendrait leur pays dans le processus d’intégration.


    Roberta Metsola a
    déclaré : « Nous nous sommes réunis pour envoyer un
    message pro-européen à la communauté internationale. Je vous laisse avec la
    réponse du Parlement européen : allez-y, continuez de la même manière, la République
    de Moldova n’est pas seule.
    ».


    Roberta Metsola
    a félicité les citoyens de la République de Moldova pour leur solidarité envers
    l’Ukraine agressée et les réfugiés ukrainiens. D’autre part, elle a condamné la
    Russie pour sa politique, ses menaces et ses chantages envers la République de
    Moldova.


    La présidente
    Maia Sandu, quant à elle, a déclaré à ses concitoyens que la meilleure façon de
    se débarrasser du chantage russe est de rejoindre l’Union européenne : « La
    République de Moldova européenne signifie une République de Moldova avec des
    amis forts et fiables, qui ne nous laisseront pas seuls face aux agresseurs qui
    font la guerre et tuent de personnes Nous ne pouvons vivre en sécurité qu’au
    sein de la famille européenne. Cette guerre nous montre clairement que nous ne
    voulons plus subir le chantage du Kremlin
    » a déclaré Maia Sandu.


    La République de
    Moldova est devenue un pays candidat à l’adhésion à l’Union européenne en juin
    2022, quelques mois après l’invasion russe de l’Ukraine. La présidente Maia
    Sandu plaide désormais en faveur de l’adhésion jusqu’à la fin de cette
    décennie.


    Maia Sandu a
    déclaré encore « La place de la République de Moldova est
    dans l’Union européenne. Notre projet national et notre objectif est de devenir
    d’ici 2030, membre de la famille
    européenne. Ce n’est pas seulement mon engagement. C’est ce que le peuple souhaite
    aussi. Les Moldaves le réclament à chaque fois qu’ils sortent dans la rue pour
    défendre leurs droits. Ils le réclament lors des élections. Ils le réclament maintenant,
    alors que nous sommes à nouveau réunis pour décider de l’avenir de la
    République de Moldova. L’Europe est plus qu’un slogan politique. L’Europe est
    un mode de vie, un rêve qui doit devenir réalité et c’est notre chance de vivre
    en paix et en prospérité
    » a dit Maia Sandu.


    Disons pour
    finir que plus de 75 000 personnes ont participé à la manifestation de Chișinău,
    où une résolution a été adoptée confirmant le soutien des citoyens au parcours
    européen du pays.



  • May 21, 2023 UPDATE

    May 21, 2023 UPDATE

    EDUCATION On Monday the staff in Romania’s public undergraduate
    education will go on strike, the trade unions in the sector announced after
    Sunday’s talks with government officials. The protest will continue until
    unions have received a credible solution from the government, the leader of
    the Spiru Haret Trade Union Federation, Marius Nistor, said. The government put
    forth a clear roadmap for the endorsement of the new salary law and promised pay
    raises for non-teaching staff, which according to unionists would only amount
    to EUR 20 a month. Financial incentives for entry-level teachers and experienced
    staff teaching in underprivileged areas have also been proposed. The higher
    education staff will also go on token strikes as of Monday, the head of the Alma
    Mater National Trade Union Federation Anton Hadăr announced. Trade unions said
    negotiations would continue in the coming days.


    MOLDOVA
    A large-scale rally was held in Chişinău on Sunday, at the initiative of
    president Maia Sandu, in order to prove Moldovans’ support for the country’s EU
    accession. Europe is the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova is
    Europe. Moldova is not alone, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta
    Metsola said in Romanian at the European Moldova National Assembly. Participants
    adopted a resolution confirming the support of Moldovan citizens for the
    country’s EU accession efforts. The rally takes place as the Republic of
    Moldova, an EU accession candidate country, would like to begin accession
    negotiations by the end of this year. For this stage to begin, Moldova must
    complete 9 recommendations, which will be assessed by this autumn in a European
    Commission report. In Bucharest, the Organisation of Moldovan Students
    organised a similar rally in front of Moldova’s Embassy. Scores of people
    watched the speeches in Chisinau jointly with the Moldovan Ambassador to
    Bucharest, Victor Chirila.


    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part on
    Monday in the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The EU
    foreign ministers will discuss measures to mitigate the effects of Russia’s
    aggression in Ukraine and the situation in the Horn of Africa. The EU officials
    will also touch on the bloc’s commitment in Central Asia, developments in Tunisia,
    the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the context of high-level EU
    diplomatic contacts with both countries. According to the Romanian foreign
    ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s firm, multidimensional and
    continuing support for Ukraine and will express hopes that an agreement will be
    reached as soon as possible on the 8th support package for the
    Ukrainian air forces under the EU Peace Facility. Minister Aurescu will also
    highlight the importance of keeping pressure on Russia by consolidating
    sanctions, and will reiterate the idea of setting up a special international tribunal
    for the crime of aggression to prosecute Russian crimes of aggression during
    the war in Ukraine.


    RAILWAYS The president of Romania’s Competition Council, Bogdan
    Chiriţoiu, made statements concerning Carpatica Feroviar, a new company that
    will take over the operations of the state-owned railway freight corporation CFR
    Marfă. The new company will take over the profitable contracts and the
    equipment needed for completing them, while the other assets will be sold in order
    to cover as much as possible of the old company’s debts to the state budget
    Chiriţoiu explained. He emphasised that current operations will not be
    discontinued. The financial performance of CFR Marfă improved slightly in 2022,
    but the company still owes some EUR 400 mln to the state budget and social
    security budget.


    BEEKEEPERS Romanian beekeepers say they are left with large amounts
    of unsold honey because of imports of cheaper and poorer-quality honey. The
    head of the Romanian Beekeepers Association, Ioan Fetea, says the situation is
    particularly serious as last year’s yield was a lot smaller than in previous
    years. Last year beekeepers saw modest yields, but they could not even sell those,
    precisely because of these dumping practices, obviously explained by the fact
    that that honey is not in line with EU regulations. Almost half of the honey
    imported into Europe is adulterated, counterfeit, and obviously sold very
    cheaply, which puts tremendous pressure on local producers, Fetea explained. Beekeepers
    are also struggling with a fall in the number of bee families, because of the
    use of insecticides in agriculture.


    UKRAINE The US president Joe Biden Sunday announced new military aid
    measures for Ukraine, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
    on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. The new aid package will
    consist of ammunitions, artillery and armoured vehicles, Joe Biden explained, just
    days after approving the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According
    to Reuters, this new package is worth up to USD 375 mln and is designed to
    strengthen Ukraine’s defence in the war against Russia. The British PM Rishi
    Sunak also announced in Hiroshima that his country would start training
    Ukrainian pilots this summer, to support Ukraine’s air forces in the conflict.
    Rishi Sunak added that no one wants peace more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but
    the terms for peace, he added, should be based on Ukraine’s principles. In the
    3-day summit in Japan, the G7 nations voiced their willingness to stand by
    Ukraine in the long run.



    ROWING Romania won 2 gold and 3 silver medals at
    the 2023 European Rowing Under 19 Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France,
    in which it took part with 11 boats. Romania came out second in the overall nations
    tables, behind Italy and ahead of Turkey. In last year’s competition, Romania
    had won 5 medals (3 gold, one silver and one bronze), and finished top of the
    ranking by nations. (AMP)

  • May 21, 2023

    May 21, 2023

    EDUCATION
    In Bucharest, the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă, the Social Democratic leader Marcel
    Ciolacu and the labour minister Marius Budăi invited trade unions in public
    education to talks in order to avoid an all-out strike announced for tomorrow. Unionists
    said protests could only end when the solutions to their demands, particularly
    concerning salaries, were introduced in officially endorsed legislation. The
    finance minister Adrian Câciu said the teaching staff’s demands could have been
    solved, if Romania had received the money in the second disbursement round
    under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is currently suspended
    because of targets that have not been met in the field of energy, for which the
    National Liberal Party is responsible. On the other hand, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
    the solution to the unions’ demands has to do with the unified salary law that
    the labour ministry headed by the Social Democrats has failed to finalise in
    spite of the support of the entire ruling coalition. Amid these disagreements, the
    president of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu, demanded that
    negotiations on the new cabinet make-up following the PM rotation should be
    suspended until the issue in the education sector has been solved, and the Democratic
    Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, a junior partner in the ruling
    coalition, agreed. The Liberals on the other hand argue that the government
    transition should be completed quickly in order to maintain stability and
    balance. Under a protocol signed by the 2 parties, on 26 May the Social
    Democrats should take over the prime minister post from the Liberals, for the
    next 1,5 years, until the next general elections.


    MOLDOVA
    A large-scale rally is held in Chişinău today, at the
    initiative of president Maia Sandu, in order to prove Moldovans’ support for
    the country’s EU accession. Europe is the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of
    Moldova is Europe. Moldova is not alone, the president of the European
    Parliament, Roberta Metsola said in Romanian at the European Moldova National
    Assembly. Participants adopted a resolution confirming the support of Moldovan
    citizens for the country’s EU accession efforts. The rally takes place as the Republic
    of Moldova, an EU accession candidate country, would like to begin accession
    negotiations by the end of this year. For this stage to begin, Moldova must
    complete 9 recommendations, which will be assessed by this autumn in a European
    Commission report. In Bucharest, the Organisation of Moldovan Students
    organised a similar rally in front of Moldova’s Embassy. Scores of people
    watched the speeches in Chisinau jointly with the Moldovan Ambassador to
    Bucharest, Victor Chirila.


    UKRAINE The US president Joe Biden Sunday announced new military aid
    measures for Ukraine, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
    on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. The new aid package will
    consist of ammunitions, artillery and armoured vehicles, Joe Biden explained, just
    days after approving the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According
    to Reuters, this new package is worth up to USD 375 mln and is designed to
    strengthen Ukraine’s defence in the war against Russia. The British PM Rishi
    Sunak also announced in Hiroshima that his country would start training
    Ukrainian pilots this summer, to support Ukraine’s air forces in the conflict.
    Rishi Sunak added that no one wants peace more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but
    the terms for peace, he added, should be based on Ukraine’s principles. In the
    3-day summit in Japan, the G7 nations voiced their willingness to stand by
    Ukraine in the long run.


    FLOODING
    In Italy, code red alerts for heavy rainfalls with landslide risks are valid
    today as well, in the Emilia Romagna region in the north of the country, already
    affected by unprecedented flash floods. Fourteen people died and 36,000 others
    were evacuated by the authorities. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent
    in Italy, in Ravenna province alone, the most severely hit by the floods, over 16%
    of the territory has been evacuated. A preliminary estimate by Confagricoltura,
    the association of Italian farmers, indicates that the flooding in Emilia
    Romagna caused crop damages of over EUR 1.5 bln.


    GREECE
    Greece is holding elections today for its single-chamber 300-seat parliament, with
    around 9.5 million people expected to take part in the vote. As many as 36 parties
    and political associations are running for parliamentary seats, for which they
    need at least 3% of the votes. The most likely to win is incumbent PM Kyriakos
    Mitsotakis’s party, New Democracy, with 33% of the voting intentions in polls. The
    left-of-centre Syriza party, headed by Alexis Tsipras, is predicted to carry
    26% of the votes. A novelty in this election is the scrapping of the 50-seat
    bonus for the winning party. Unless the parties manage to form a new
    government, early elections will be held in July, with a return to the previous
    bonus system. (AMP)