Radio România Internațional

Tag: munich

February 17, 2025

Energy – The Romanian government is to make a decision this week regarding the continuation of the current compensation-capping scheme for electricity and natural gas prices for domestic consumers. The energy minister, Sebastian Burduja, said however that he supported a better targeting of this support to those vulnerable consumers for whom the payment of utilities represents too big a burden. A government decision is to be implemented through an emergency ordinance.

Inflation – The National Bank of Romania (BNR) Governor, Mugur Isărescu, presents, today, the Quarterly Report on Inflation. According to a National Bank statement sent to AGERPRES on Friday, the annual inflation rate will record a pronounced fluctuation in the first semester of 2025, and in the second semester it will decrease on a higher trajectory than the one in the previous projection. Based on the evaluations and available data, as well as in the context of high uncertainties, the BNR Board of Directors decided to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at the level of 6.50% per year. Also, the BNR decided to maintain the current levels of the mandatory minimum reserve ratio for liabilities in lei and in foreign currency of credit institutions.

Paris – The leaders of the main European powers are having an emergency meeting, today, in Paris, to discuss European security and the war in Ukraine. Participating are the prime ministers of Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, the president of the European Council, the president of the European Commission and the NATO secretary general, the French presidency announced. Today’s talks could later be expanded into other formats, with the aim of bringing together all partners interested in peace and security in Europe. The meeting in Paris takes place at a particularly delicate moment in the relationship between the European Union and the United States, after the initiatives taken in recent days by American President Donald Trump and his team to negotiate peace in Europe directly with Vladimir Putin, the European countries and Ukraine being excluded from decision-making, Radio Romania’s correspondent reports. On the other hand, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated that Ukraine and Europe would be involved in ‘real negotiations’ for peace. According to Reuters, Rubio’s statement suggests that the meeting between the U.S. and Russian representatives, which will take place in the next few days in Saudi Arabia, is just a move for Washington to feel the pulse and see if Moscow is really willing to negotiate. The Russian-American talks will begin on Tuesday in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, the BBC reports.

Germany – Germany is getting ready for Sunday’s parliamentary elections, in a more polarized climate than ever over immigration, further inflamed by the Trump administration’s open support for the far right, AFP reports. According to surveys, the nationalist anti-immigration movement AfD will take second place in the legislative elections, with at least 20% of the votes, behind the conservatives, who are rated at 30-32%. In a speech delivered at the Munich Security Conference, the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance urged the traditional parties in Germany, and the classical right in particular, to give up the ‘protective wall’ or ‘sanitary cordon’ that they established after the Second World War to refuse to govern with the extreme right. I refuse such interference in the German parliamentary elections and in the formation of the government that will follow in Germany. I will not let an American vice-president tell me who I should talk to here in Germany’, said the leader of the Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz, a favorite in the polls to become the next chancellor. In turn, the social-democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz, described the intervention of the American vice-president as unacceptable. Instead, AfD leader Alice Weidel welcomed J.D. Vance’s statements and emphasized the similarities between her program and that of the Trump administration.

Motion – The motion of censure aimed at Romania’s coalition government led by the social democrat Marcel Ciolacu will no longer be submitted to Parliament today, the president of the opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), George Simion announced. In a Facebook post, he said that he expected all the opposition MPs, including those from the Save Romania Union (USR) and the Young People’s Party (POT), to join the initiative. The AUR leader added that he expected a reaction from them by Friday. The motion of censure, signed by 125 elected representatives from S.O.S. Romania and AUR, had to be submitted in Parliament today. At the moment of gathering the signatures, the USR president, Elena Lasconi, advised her colleagues not to support the initiative, on the grounds that Romania needs calm and stability. (LS)

17 February 2025
February 16, 2025 UPDATE 2

Conference – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, met, at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, with three American senators, both from the Republican and Democratic parties. He discussed with Jane Shaheen, James Risch and Christopher A. Coons about foreign interference in last year’s presidential election in Romania and about the preparation of measures to prevent the repetition of such a situation, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. According to a statement made public on Sunday, the main themes of the discussions were the security situation in the Black Sea region as well as the ways to capitalize on the Romania-US Strategic Partnership, the continuation of support for Ukraine invaded by the Russian troops and the involvement in its reconstruction process. Minister Hurezeanu emphasized, in the context, the importance of continuing the robust presence of the United States in Romania.

Cooperation – Attending the conference in Munich, the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, met, on the sidelines of the Security Conference, with his counterparts from Albania, Pirro Vengu, and Bulgaria, Atanas Zaprianov. The discussions focused on strengthening regional cooperation in the field of defense and military mobility. One of the essential topics addressed during the talks was the Pan-European Military Mobility Corridor VIII, a strategic project in which Romania participates together with Albania, Bulgaria, Italy and North Macedonia. Angel Tîlvăr reiterated Romania’s commitment to facilitating the rapid transit of forces and military equipment in South-Eastern Europe, emphasizing the importance of reducing bureaucratic barriers and harmonizing critical infrastructure, the Romanian Defense Ministry (MApN) informed. The ministers also discussed the importance of strengthening NATO’s defense and deterrence posture in the Black Sea region.

Air transport – The Romanian airport administrators will be able to ground the planes of those companies that do not comply with European legislation regarding the compensation owed to passengers, if the draft emergency ordinance put up for public debate by the Economy Ministry is adopted. According to the initiators, the new regulation completes the Air Code and ensures the respect of the passengers’ rights. The National Authority for Consumer Protection will compel air transport operators to comply with passenger compensation obligations, by granting money or vouchers, according to their agreement with them. Passengers entitled to damages must submit a written request to ask for compensation, which is set between 250 and 600 Euros per person, depending on the distance of the flight routes.

Handball – Romanian’s handball champions, CSM Bucharest, defeated, on Sunday, away from home, score 32-21, the Norwegian team Storhamar Handbal Elite, in Group A of the Women’s Champions League. CSM achieved its fourth consecutive victory in the competition and cannot miss the third place in the group of eight teams. The top two teams qualify directly for the quarter-finals, and the teams ranked on the 3^rd to the 6^th places compete in a play-off for access to the quarter-finals.

Commemoration – At least 1,500 people gathered, on Sunday, at the tomb in Moscow of Alexei Navalny, long considered the main opponent of the Kremlin, one year after his death, in an Arctic prison colony, the international media report. Dozens of families with children went, in the cold, to the cemetery, where the security system was rather discreet, consisting of plainclothesmen. Joining the commemoration were also Western diplomats, representatives of the American, French, Spanish, Norwegian and European Union embassies. Arrested in January 2021, upon his return to the country, after he had been treated in Germany following his poisoning, Navalnyi was sentenced to heavy penalties in several cases. The last sentence, in August 2023, was 19 years in prison, for “extremism”. Navalny had communicated mainly through messages sent to his lawyers and then posted on social media, in which he denounced the invasion of Ukraine and called on Russians to ‘resist’ the Kremlin. The circumstances of his death remain unclear. (LS)

16 February 2025
February 16, 2025 UPDATE 1

Conference – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, met, at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, with three American senators, both from the Republican and Democratic parties. He discussed with Jane Shaheen, James Risch and Christopher A. Coons about foreign interference in last year’s presidential election in Romania and about the preparation of measures to prevent the repetition of such a situation, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. According to a statement made public on Sunday, the main themes of the discussions were the security situation in the Black Sea region as well as the ways to capitalize on the Romania-US Strategic Partnership, the continuation of support for Ukraine invaded by the Russian troops and the involvement in its reconstruction process. Minister Hurezeanu emphasized, in the context, the importance of continuing the robust presence of the United States in Romania.

Handball – Romanian’s champions, CSM Bucharest, defeated, on Sunday, away from home, with a score of 32-21, the Norwegian team Storhamar Handbal Elite, in Group A of the Champions League for women’s handball. CSM achieved its fourth consecutive victory in the competition and cannot miss the third place in the group of eight teams. The top two teams qualify directly for the quarter-finals, and the teams ranked on the 3^rd to the 6^th places compete in a play-off for access to the quarter-finals.

Air transport – The Romanian airport administrators will be able to ground the planes of those companies that do not comply with European legislation regarding the compensation owed to passengers, if the draft emergency ordinance put up for public debate by the Economy Ministry is adopted. According to the initiators, the new regulation completes the Air Code and ensures the respect of the passengers’ rights. The National Authority for Consumer Protection will compel air transport operators to comply with passenger compensation obligations, by granting money or vouchers, according to their agreement with them. Passengers entitled to damages must submit a written request to ask for compensation, which is set between 250 and 600 Euros per person, depending on the distance of the flight routes. (LS)

16 February 2025
February 16, 2025

Conference – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, on Saturday had meetings with his Dutch and Ukrainian counterparts on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference which ends on Sunday. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), the Romanian FM and the Dutch official, Caspar Veldkamp, addressed aspects of the bilateral agenda, given that this year Romania and the Netherlands are celebrating 145 years of diplomatic relations. A priority of the discussion was the investigation into the theft of the Dacian treasure pieces, which took place last month at the Drents Museum in Assen. The Dutch side gave assurances, once again, that all efforts are being made to recover the pieces, in close collaboration with the Romanian side. Also, Emil Hurezeanu had a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha. The two had an extensive review of the main themes concerning the Romanian-Ukrainian political and diplomatic dialogue, including the rights of persons belonging to national minorities. The Romanian minister reiterated Romania’s support for the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, insisting on the legitimate right of the Ukrainian people to obtain a just and lasting peace with the direct involvement of Ukraine, as well as of the neighboring states with which it shares the same vision. Also on the sidelines of the Munich Conference, Emil Hurezeanu had meetings with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, with the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and expatriates from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, with the foreign minister of India, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, with his Filipino counterpart, Enrique Manalo, as well as with his Serbian counterpart, Marko Djuric.

Cooperation – Attending the conference in Munich, the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, met, on the sidelines of the Security Conference, with his counterparts from Albania, Pirro Vengu, and Bulgaria, Atanas Zaprianov. The discussions focused on strengthening regional cooperation in the field of defense and military mobility. One of the essential topics addressed during the talks was the Pan-European Military Mobility Corridor VIII, a strategic project in which Romania participates together with Albania, Bulgaria, Italy and North Macedonia. Angel Tîlvăr reiterated Romania’s commitment to facilitating the rapid transit of forces and military equipment in South-Eastern Europe, emphasizing the importance of reducing bureaucratic barriers and harmonizing critical infrastructure, the Romanian Defense Ministry (MApN) informed. The ministers also discussed the importance of strengthening NATO’s defense and deterrence posture in the Black Sea region. Angel Tîlvăr thanked his counterparts for the contribution to the multinational NATO structures deployed on the territory of Romania, highlighting that this cooperation demonstrates the solidarity and unity of the Alliance, MApN also said. Another critical issue of the discussions was the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague, scheduled for the summer of this year.

Corruption – The head of the Joint Logistics Command of the Romanian Army, three-star general Cătălin Ştefăniţă Zisu, was placed by prosecutors under judicial control on bail worth one million lei (approx. 200 thousand Euros), for abuse of office with particularly serious consequences, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) reports. The defendant must make the amount available for the DNA within seven days. The Defense Ministry proposed his urgent transfer to the reserve status. The prosecutors also indicted the reserve colonel Lucian Amorăriţei, for several crimes of forgery, use of forgery and abuse of office, and the businessman Ionel Olteanu. The investigators show that, between 2022-2023, the two military approved the settlement of the issued invoices, although they knew that part of the works at the Ghencea Military Cemetery, in Bucharest, had not actually been carried out. The damage is estimated at almost 12 million lei (approx. 2.4 million Euros).

Motion – The opposition S.O.S. Romania party announced that it would submit to Parliament, on Monday, a censure motion against the Government led by the social democrat Marcel Ciolacu, a document also assumed by the opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and signed by 125 parliamentarians. The Save Romania Union (USR) also in opposition said that they would decide whether or not to support the initiative when the document is submitted to the vote. Instead, the governing coalition assures that the motion has no chance to pass. No Social Democratic MP will vote for the censure motion against the Ciolacu Government, says the vice president of the Chamber of Deputies, the social democrat Daniel Suciu. He added that this approach, initiated by the opposition, would endanger the stability of the country. The interim president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Cătălin Predoiu, says that the liberals will defend the Government by vote. Also on Monday, the Education Minister, Daniel David, is expected at the Chamber of Deputies, at the Government Hour, at the request of the AUR. The AUR MPs criticize the measures proposed by the minister regarding the elimination of the mandatory character of the study of geography and history by high school students and demand that these subjects remain in the school curriculum as a basis for educating the new generations.

Handball – SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea from Romania qualified for the quarter-finals of the EHF European League women’s handball competition, after defeating the German team BV Borussia Dortmund, score 32-27, on Saturday evening, at home, in Group B. After five stages, the team from Vâlcea remains the undefeated leader, with 9 points, followed in the ranking by Ikast Handbold from Denmark (6 p.), Borrusia (3p.) and Sola HK from Norway (2p.). In the last stage, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea will play away from home with Ikast Handbold, on February 22. The group matches are played until February 23, and the top two teams qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition, scheduled for March 22^nd and 23^rd and March 29^th and 30^th followed by the F4 Tournament, on May 3^rd and 4^th.

Elections – Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, has given assurances that he will take all the necessary steps, within the limits of his powers, to organize free, fair and transparent elections. On Saturday, the interim president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), the interior minister Cătălin Predoiu, said that the Romanian state must do more to explain what happened in the presidential election last year and the reaction of the institutions to how the integrity and legality of the election were affected. The statement came after the US Vice President J.D. Vance said at the security conference in Munich that the decision to cancel the election in Romania was made based on “flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors.” Ilie Bolojan stated, on Saturday, at a meeting held in Bucharest with a delegation of the business environment from Romania, that he would make efforts to make Romanians regain trust in state institutions. (LS)

16 February 2025
February 14, 2025 UPDATE 2

Munich – The US Vice President, J.D. Vance criticized the cancellation of the presidential election organized in November 2024 in Romania. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, J.D. Vance harshly criticized the European leaders, comparing them to the autocrats who led the continent’s repressive regimes during the Cold War. He expressed concern about what he called Europe’s departure from its fundamental values and gave several examples of repressive measures against freedom of expression on the European continent, including the annulment of the recent presidential election in Romania. J. D. Vance said that the biggest danger to Europe comes from within, and this is more worrying than threats from Russia or China. He also asked Europe to invest more in its own defense, given that the US must ‘focus on the regions of the world that are in great danger’. In response, the interim president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, reassured all Romania’s partners that the country remains a reliable ally, firmly committed to a united European Union, a strong North Atlantic Alliance and a solid transatlantic partnership. At the Security Conference in Munich, heads of state and government and hundreds of defense experts discuss, until Sunday, about the big global files, especially about a possible peace in Ukraine. Romania is represented by the Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu.

Drones – The Romanian diplomacy firmly condemns the irresponsible attack of the Russian forces against Ukraine on February 13, when two drones carrying explosive material violated Romania’s airspace and fell on its territory, near the border with Ukraine, invaded by Moscow’s troops. By order of the Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, the ad interim charge d’affaires of the Russian Federation in Bucharest was urgently summoned to the headquarters of the ministry, to be informed of the firm condemnation of the repeated violation of Romania’s airspace. These illegal and irresponsible attacks must end, Romania having the right to take the necessary response measures, the Foreign Ministry said.

Bank – The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) decided on Friday to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at the level of 6.5% per year. Also, the BNR decided to maintain the interest rate for the credit facility at 7.50% per year and the interest rate for the deposit facility at 5.50% per year and to maintain the current levels of the minimum statutory reserve ratio for the liabilities in lei and in foreign currency of credit institutions. The central bank in Bucharest decided last year, twice, to lower the key interest rate, in July, from 7% per year to 6.75% per year, and in August to 6.5% per year. The key rate had been unchanged since January 2023.

Appointment – The interim president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, appointed Cristian Diaconescu, a former foreign minister, to the position of presidential advisor for defense and security, who will also take over the coordination of the presidential chancellery. Also, Bogdan Mazuru will hold the position of presidential adviser for foreign policy, and Simona-Livia Maftei and Bianca-Teodora Firezar were appointed advisers to the interim president’s office. Bolojan declared that ensuring the economic, social and political stability of Romania is the top priority on his agenda during the three months of his mandate. In his first message after replacing the outgoing president Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni Palace, Bolojan promised that the presidential election in May will be fair and transparent.

Corruption – The Head of Logistics of the Romanian Army, three-star general Cătălin Zisu, is targeted by an investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors in a case with an estimated damage of 2.4 million Euros. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) is investigating a potential abuse of office in connection with the conclusion of a contract regarding the expansion of the Ghencea Military Cemetery in Bucharest. The contract in question would have been awarded by the general to the company Garden Center Group, owned by the businessman Ionel Olteanu. During the searches carried out on Friday on people close to the general, the prosecutors found luxury watches, designer bags and over 2,000 paintings. 10 people from those targeted by the searches will be heard at the DNA.

IAEA – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that during the night an explosion was heard followed by a fire at the new sarcophagus that protects the remains of reactor four of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Fire security personnel responded in a few minutes and no casualties were reported. The radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable, the IAEA also reports. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, in turn, that Russian drones hit the radiation protection shield at Chernobyl. According to the Ukrainian president, after a first assessment, it was found that the attack substantially damaged the shield. On the other hand, in Bucharest, the National Agency for Environmental Protection announced that the Chernobyl incident does not represent a danger for Romania. They have given assurances that they constantly monitor the evolution of environmental radioactivity at national level, and the values recorded after this event are within the usual limits, specific to this period. (LS)

14 February 2025
Sports Weekend

Romania’s handball sides have learnt their opponents in the following Champions League season after the lots drawing ceremony in Vienna on Thursday.

So, in women’s competitions, where Romania is being represented by three sides, two of these, namely CSM Bucharest and Gloria Bistrita will be playing in Group A. Their opponents are Hungarian side Ferencvaros, Metz of France, Krim Ljublijana of Slovenia, Storhamar of Norway, Nykøbing Falster of Denmark and the Croatian side Podravka Koprivnica.

Rapid Bucharest will be playing in Group B, together with Hungarian side Győr, the Norwegians from Vipers Kristiansand, Danish sides Esbjerg and Odense, with Buducnost Podgorica of Montenegro and the German side Ludwigsburg, formerly known as Bietigheim. The group also includes the French side Brest Bretagne.

In men’s contests Dinamo Bucharest will be playing in Group A together with

Wisla Plock of Poland, Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting Lisabona, with the Danish side Fredericia, Veszprem of Hungary, Fuchse Berlin and Bitola of North-Macedonia. The group’s matches are to kick off in September.

However, the most important sporting event of these days is still the European Football Championships with the round of 16 scheduled to kick off on Saturday.

We remind you that Romania will be up against the Netherlands in Munich on Tuesday. Seven thousand tickets have been reserved for the Romanian football fans, although the Romanian Football Federation is holding talks with UEFA to double the number.

According to the UEFA procedures, in the following period all those who bought at least one ticket for the matches in the group, are to receive a notification mail from UEFA allowing their purchase of four more tickets.

They will have 24 hours to purchase their tickets and the remaining ones will be made available on the UEFA ticket web page. Until the match against the Netherlands, the Romanian side is training in Würzburg, Bavaria.

(bill)

28 June 2024
Cooperation Romania – Bavaria

‘We are supporting Romania’s fully-fledged accession to Schengen’ – Markus Soder, the Prime Minister of the state of Bavaria assured his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu during the official visit he paid as head of a ministerial delegation that went to Munich on Monday and Tuesday.

The Bavarian official mentioned the real headway made by Bucharest.

Markus Soder: “We are seeing the progress Romania made, the security aspects. And we are a support to Romania for its fully-fledged accession to the Schengen zone. The cooperation with Europol, the process of fighting corruption have registered great progress and the authorities are cooperating very well. We have got very important and good information from the Bavarian Interior Ministry. And for this reason it is important for Romania to join Schengen as a fully-fledged member.”

Munich also saw the first joint session of the Romanian and Bavarian governments, where they tackled ways of consolidating the bilateral, economic, social and security cooperation. The two sides have signed a memorandum on entrepreneurship, SMEs and start-ups. Out of all German states, Bavaria is Romania’s most important investor and trade partner with a volume of trade exchanges of 8.3 billion Euros at the end of last year. Marcel Ciolacu says that he wants that all major Bavarian companies invest in Romania.

Marcel Ciolacu: “We want the big Bavaria-based companies in the field of car-making, engineering and aero-spatial industry, invest in Romania. We have one of the best growth-rates in Europe.”

The Bavarian Prime Minister also stood for stepping up the bilateral economic relations adding that one domain that should be given increased attention is that of the defence industry. In fact, the talks between the two high officials also focused on the security situation at the Black Sea against the background of the conflict in Ukraine.

Marcel Ciolacu reiterated Romania’s support for the neighbouring Ukraine and the intention of Bucharest to actively contribute to its reconstruction process. The officials also tackled the EU’s enlargement process.

Marcel Ciolacu: “We have reiterated our staunch support for the European future of the partners in the Western Balkans, as well as the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on the candidates’ own merits in the reform process. We have also mentioned Romania’s appreciation for the sustained efforts of the authorities in Chisinau to implement the needed reforms and have emphasized the fact that we will continue to staunchly support the Republic of Moldova on its way to European integration.”

The officials also had a meeting with the representatives of the Romanian community in the region. “Romania is also important because more than 213 thousand Romanian nationals are living in Bavaria, the largest foreign community. They have their own contribution and we are happy to have them here – Markus Soder said.

(bill)

19 June 2024
February 18, 2023 UPDATE

TIMIŞOARA The
city of Timişoara in western Romania is officially, as of Friday, a European
Capital of Culture for a year. Over 15,000 people are expected to attend the
opening weekend events. On Saturday, locals and visitors were invited
to a digital culture festival, scientific experiments, exhibitions, dance and
theatre performances, concerts, workshops and giant puppet parades around the
city. On Friday, the first day of the weekend, tens of thousands of people
enjoyed the over 120 events prepared by the organisers as a journey into the
city’s multi-cultural tradition, its open, brave and innovating spirit. Performances,
concerts, exhibitions, roundtables, tourist tours were organised, as well as a
gala show attended by hundreds of guests, including scores of ambassadors and
Romanian and foreign officials. The European Commissioner Adina Vălean awarded the
Melina Mercouri prize to the city of Timişoara, for meeting the commitments in its
cultural programme. She also emphasised that the cities having received the
European Capital of Culture title have seen significant long-term benefits in
terms of urban regeneration, of improving their public image and capitalising
on their potential for innovation.

SECURITY The
Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, attending the Munich Security
Conference, highlighted the serious security threats at the Black Sea entailed
by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the pressure on
neighbouring countries, particularly the Republic of Moldova, by various means,
including hybrid threats. Aurescu was a special guest on Friday at an event
devoted to multi-dimensional security challenges at the Black Sea and on NATO’s
eastern flank, organised on the sidelines of the conference. The Romanian
official pointed out that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a war against the
values of the democratic Western community and against the core parameters of
the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, as well as an attempt at recreating
the Russian sphere of influence. Efficiently deterring Russia relies on strong
defence, the Romanian foreign minister also said, and added that the
trans-Atlantic partnership must be consolidated and the US Strategy on security
at the Black Sea must be finalised. Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the
importance of carrying on support for Ukraine, and suggested stepping up
European and NATO support for Moldova and Georgia.

VISIT The new PM of the Republic of Moldova, Dorin Recean, will be
in Bucharest next week, for his first visit abroad since taking over the
office, Radio Chişinău announced. In an interview on Moldova’s public
television, Dorin Recean insisted on the privileged relationship between the 2
countries and emphasised that Romania helped Moldova considerably in handling
the energy crisis and in its EU accession efforts. Dorin Recean’s Cabinet was
sworn in on Thursday, and on the same day the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă
congratulated him and invited him to Bucharest.

MOLDOVA The
president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, had a meeting with the US
State Secretary Antony Blinken at the Munich Security Conference, Chişinău announced. According to Reuters, the
latter said the US was deeply concerned with some of Russia’s plans to
destabilise the government of Moldova. Maia
Sandu had previously accused Russia of planning to change the legitimate power
in Chişinău, using men trained in Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro, who are
apparently instructed to conduct violent actions under the guise of protests. President
Sandu also attended a roundtable focusing on the experience of various
countries and international organisations in fighting corruption, and she spoke
about Moldova’s commitment to fight corruption and to punish all those who
embezzled public money.

TURKEY Three
survivors were found under the rubble on Saturday, 13 days after the
devastating earthquake in Turkey, which killed more than 45,000 people in that
country and in Syria, France Presse reports, quoting Turkish media. One of the
3 people rescued in southern Turkey is a child. Nearly 264,000 flats in Turkey
were destroyed and many people are still missing after the most severe disaster
in the country’s modern history. Romania has sent rescue teams to Turkey and
humanitarian aid to Syria.

RUGBY Romania’s
rugby team Sunday plays against Portugal, away from home, in the last match in Group
B of Rugby Europe Championship 2023 (REC). Both teams have 2 wins and are
already qualified into the competition’s semi-finals. Romania played in Group
B, alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland, while Group A included Georgia, the
Netherlands, Spain and Germany. (AMP)

18 February 2023
February 18, 2023

TIMIŞOARA The
city of Timişoara in western Romania is officially, as of Friday, a European
Capital of Culture for a year. Over 15,000 people are expected to attend the
opening weekend events. On Friday, the first day of the weekend, tens of
thousands of people enjoyed the over 120 events prepared by the organisers as a
journey into the city’s multi-cultural tradition, its open, brave and
innovating spirit. Performances, concerts, exhibitions, roundtables, tourist
tours were organised, as well as a gala show attended by hundreds of guests,
including scores of ambassadors and Romanian and foreign officials. The
European Commissioner Adina Vălean awarded the Melina Mercouri prize to the
city of Timişoara, for meeting the commitments in its cultural programme. She
also emphasised that the cities having received the European Capital of Culture
title have seen significant long-term benefits in terms of urban regeneration, of
improving their public image and capitalising on their potential for
innovation.

SECURITY The
Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, attending the Munich Security
Conference, highlighted the serious security threats at the Black Sea entailed
by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the pressure on
neighbouring countries, particularly the Republic of Moldova, by various means,
including hybrid threats. Aurescu was a special guest on Friday at an event
devoted to multi-dimensional security challenges at the Black Sea and on NATO’s
eastern flank, organised on the sidelines of the conference. The Romanian
official pointed out that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a war against the
values of the democratic Western community and against the core parameters of
the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, as well as an attempt at recreating
the Russian sphere of influence. Efficiently deterring Russia relies on strong
defence, the Romanian foreign minister also said, and added that the
trans-Atlantic partnership must be consolidated and the US Strategy on security
at the Black Sea must be finalised. Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the
importance of carrying on support for Ukraine, and suggested stepping up
European and NATO support for Moldova and Georgia.

MOLDOVA The
president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, had a meeting with the US
State Secretary Antony Blinken at the Munich Security Conference, Chişinău announced. According to Reuters, the
latter said the US was deeply concerned with some of Russia’s plans to
destabilise the government of Moldova. Maia
Sandu had previously accused Russia of planning to change the legitimate power
in Chişinău, using men trained in Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro, who are
apparently instructed to conduct violent actions under the guise of protests. President
Sandu also attended a roundtable focusing on the experience of various
countries and international organisations in fighting corruption, and she spoke
about Moldova’s commitment to fight corruption and to punish all those who
embezzled public money.

TURKEY Three
survivors were found under the rubble on Saturday, 13 days after the
devastating earthquake in Turkey, which killed more than 45,000 people in that
country and in Syria, France Presse reports, quoting Turkish media. One of the
3 people rescued in southern Turkey is a child. Nearly 264,000 flats in Turkey
were destroyed and many people are still missing after the most severe disaster
in the country’s modern history. Romania has sent rescue teams to Turkey and
humanitarian aid to Syria.

RUGBY Romania’s
rugby team Sunday plays against Portugal, away from home, in the last match in Group
B of Rugby Europe Championship 2023 (REC). Both teams have 2 wins and are
already qualified into the competition’s semi-finals. Romania played in Group
B, alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland, while Group A included Georgia, the
Netherlands, Spain and Germany. (AMP)

18 February 2023
February 17, 2023

Timişoara – The city of Timişoara, in western Romania, officially becomes, as of today, for one year, a European Capital of Culture. Approximately 16,000 people are expected to participate in the 130 events taking place this weekend, on the occasion of the official opening of the program. The entire city will be animated by concerts, exhibitions, street performances, theater plays, film screenings and workshops, all under the slogan “Shine your light — Light up your city!” More than 100 Romanian and foreign officials, including about 40 ambassadors, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the European Commissioner Adina Vălean have confirmed their participation in the opening gala at the Palace of Culture in Timișoara. Moreover, Adina Vălean will hand the local authorities the “Melina Mercouri” award, worth 1.5 million Euros, which is awarded to cities that have fulfilled their commitments in the “European Capitals of Culture” program.

Chişinău – The new government of the Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian-speaking population) was inaugurated and sworn in before the pro-Western president Maia Sandu. Prime Minister Dorin Recean warned that in the coming period the intensity of hybrid attacks by the Russian Federation was likely to increase and that, in the event of an aggression, the neutrality status of the Republic of Moldova did not provide any guarantees. Radio Romania’s correspondents in Chişinău note that the government led by Recean will have to face not only a security situation complicated by the war in neighboring Ukraine, but also the economic and energy crises. The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, congratulated Recean for the vote obtained and for assuming the responsibility of leading the Government of the Republic of Moldova, and gave assurances regarding the continuation of the dialogue and the identification of support solutions for the European path.

Rome – The Speaker of Romania’s Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, continues his visit to Italy today. He is to meet with the Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, and then he will meet with representatives of the diocesan communities in the Lazio Region. On Thursday, the Romanian official talked with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, about the organization of a bilateral economic forum in Rome. Marcel Ciolacu has said that Italy is Romanias second important commercial partner, and Rome is ‘home to over 200,000 Romanian citizens’. Also on Thursday, the president of the Chamber of Deputies met in Rome with his Italian counterpart, Lorenzo Fontana.

Conference – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, and the Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, are participating, from Friday until Sunday, in the Munich Security Conference (MSC), a representative forum for discussions on the current dynamics of international security. Bogdan Aurescu participates, as the main speaker, in the round table Security in the Black Sea Region: From Cyberstorm and Brinkmanship to Border Confrontation?, organized by the think tanks New Strategy Center (NSC) and Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Minister Angel Tîlvăr participates in the conference sessions focused on regional security developments, the implications of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as regional stability and security. He will also attend the debates on the conference report (Munich Security Report), a document that highlights the profound changes in the security environment and the consequences of the unprovoked and unjustified war waged by Russia in Ukraine. Among the guests are prominent personalities from NATO, the EU, the UN and other international organizations, as well as important global decision-makers.

Earthquake – A moderate earthquake, with a magnitude of 4.3, occurred on Friday in Gorj county (southwest Romania), at a depth of 15 kilometers, according to the data of the National Institute for Earth Physics. The intensity of the earthquake was revised from 4.4 to 4.3 degrees, following the operators calculations. On Tuesday, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Gorj county, the largest ever produced in that area. The day before, the area was shaken by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake. On March 4, 1977, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2, the worst to hit Romania, resulted in the death of 1,570 people, most of them in Bucharest, and caused property damage estimated at over two billion dollars at the time. The earthquake generated an economic and social crisis that, according to historians, the communist dictatorship of the time could not overcome until its collapse in 1989. (LS)

17 February 2023
November 29, 2022

NATO The foreign ministers of NATO member countries, partner countries
and of the 2 candidate countries are in Bucharest for a 2-day meeting. It is
the first meeting of this kind hosted by Romania since it joined the Alliance and the
first event held in a NATO eastern flank country since the start of the war in
Ukraine, Romania’s foreign ministry highlighted. The meeting comprises 3
working sessions, 2 of which will be attended by the Allies together with
Sweden and Finland. Taking part in the third session will also be the foreign
ministers of Bosnia – Herzegovina, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. The
first day of the meeting will conclude with a working dinner attended by the
foreign minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, and the EU foreign policy chief,
Josep Borrell. The agenda of the meeting in Bucharest includes the
implementation of the decisions taken at the NATO summit in Madrid. The war in
Ukraine and the provision of long-term political and practical support from the
Allies will be the main topic of discussion. Other topics include energy security,
China, the strategic importance of the Black Sea region. NATO’s secretary
general Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Bucharest on Monday, and had meetings with
president Klaus Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign minister Bogdan
Aurescu.

MEETING Bucharest is the capital of European and Euro-Atlantic diplomacy
and even beyond these regions, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu
said. Apart from the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Romania is hosting
these days, for the first time ever, a Munich Leaders Meeting. 75 top-level
governmental officials and foreign policy and security experts are discussing
the consequences of the war in Ukraine as well as other security issues in the
region. The 11th Aspen Forum also begins in Bucharest today, with
participants including the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. The 2022 edition
of the Forum takes place in the context of the war in Ukraine, which has
affected the entire world both in economic and security terms, and which is not
expected to come to an end soon, therefore it will only deepen multiple crisis,
the Aspen Institute says in a news release posted ahead of the meeting. Also in
Bucharest, a new energy coordination task force is scheduled to convene. The
group comprises officials of G7 and other Allied countries, and is working to
mobilise or plan the supply of equipment to Ukraine as soon as possible.

PARTNERSHIP Ahead of the US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s visit to
Bucharest to take part in the NATO Council, the US Department of State hailed
the celebration of 25 years since the Strategic Partnership with Romania was
signed. A US Department of State news release mentions Bucharest’s contribution
to NATO and multinational operations, the fact that the country hosts several
NATO and American military structures, including the missile defence system in Deveselu.
I am very happy and proud to say that our strategic partnership has reached the
highest level in its quarter-century history, the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă
said in his turn, after the meeting with the US official in Bucharest. Twenty-five
years is a very important benchmark, which makes us aware that in 1997 a
generation was born which grew up and reached maturity concurrently with the
strategic partnership. I am confident that this generation will do everything
in their power to safeguard the freedom and rights we have secured and
democratic values, Mr. Ciuca also said. We have an unshakeable alliance, built
on shared values, and strong relations in the economic sector, including the
energy sector, Antony Blinken said, and also mentioned the academic and
cultural exchanges between the 2 countries.

NATIONAL DAY The Romanian Cultural Institute organises 50 events until December
10, to celebrate the National Day of Romania in 31 cities abroad. According to
the president of the Institute, Liviu Jicman, the events held in emblematic
locations in the respective countries place the works of Romanian artists among
the most important cultural landmarks of today and contribute to raising
awareness among foreign cultural and arts communities and the general public
with respect to the Romanian culture. On December 1, the National Day of Romania, a parade will be
organised in Bucharest and another one in Alba Iulia. On Monday the Parliament
celebrated 104 years since the Great Union in a special meeting. (AMP)

29 November 2022
November 27, 2022 UPDATE

NATO The president of
Romania Klaus Iohannis will receive the
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, in Bucharest on Monday. Stoltenberg
will chair the meeting of NATO foreign ministers hosted by the Romanian capital city as of Tuesday. Also on this
occasion, the US state secretary Antony Blinken will travel to Bucharest, and
will have meetings with president Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu. The NATO meeting, the
first of this kind organised in Romania, focuses on
supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion, energy security and
implementing the Alliance’s new strategic concept.

MLM A Munich Leaders
Meeting (MLM) takes place in Bucharest on Monday and Tuesday. The Romanian
foreign ministry is co-hosting this prestigious event, which is part of the Munich
Security Conference (MSC). Attending will be over 75 senior officials from over
25 countries, including current and former officials, experts, analysts and
opinion leaders. The agenda includes relevant topics for international
security, with an emphasis on developments in the Black Sea and Western Balkans
regions. Other topics will be the European security architecture, implementing
the new NATO Strategic Concept, hybrid threats, food security, and the energy
crisis. The conclusions of the meeting in Bucharest will contribute to shaping
the agenda of next year’s Munich Security Conference.

NATIONAL DAY Events
devoted to Romania’s National Day on December 1 begin in Alba Iulia on November
30, with military and wreath laying ceremonies. On December 1, more than 850 troops
will parade in Alba Iulia, including a French unit part of the NATO battlegroup
deployed in Cincu, Braşov County. In Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and staff of the defence
ministry, interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special
Telecommunications Service and the Penitentiary Agency as well as vehicles and
40 aircraft will take part in a military parade on December 1. According to a
defence ministry news release, around 150 troops from Belgium, France, North
Macedonia, R. Of Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal and the US, will also take
part. Romanian military personnel on missions abroad will also organise special
ceremonies.

ENVIRONMENT The
Romanian environment ministry launched a national forestation programme
financed from EU funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The
decision was made because forests cover less than 30% of the country’s surface,
as against the European average of 40%. In some counties in the south and
south-east of the country, the ratio is even have less than 5%. Farmers who no
longer want to keep their farmland under crops may turn it into forests or
shelterbelts. The government provides up to EUR 20,000 for a hectare of oak
forest in plains areas and up to EUR 17,000 per hectare of shelterbelts, with
an additional EUR 456 per year for each hectare of forest for 20 years.

UKRAINE Heavy rainfall is expected in
Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv as of Sunday, with sub-zero temperatures both
during the day and at night. Millions of people in the city and the region
around it are still without electricity and heat, after Russian shelling
damaged the country’s energy infrastructure. The region of Dnipropetrovsk, in
central Ukraine, was once again hit by 5 Russian missile strikes and heavy
artillery attacks, the regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. Homes and
other buildings were destroyed, but no victims were reported. However, in the
southern region of Kherson, where the Russian troops pulled out 2 weeks ago, at
least 32 people were killed in the bombings, the Ukrainian police reported.

ENESCU The George
Enescu International Music Festival was shortlisted for the prestigious International
Opera Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of the opera world, the festival organisers have
announced. The awards ceremony takes place on Monday at Teatro Real (Madrid,
Spain). The 2021 edition was shortlisted in the Festivals section, alongside
other top-level events in the world of international classical music, such as
the Donizetti Festival and Garsington Opera.

HANDBALL The men’s
handball teams of Romania, Egypt, Algeria and Slovakia take part in this year’s
Carpaţi Trophy, on December 28th and 29th in Oradea,
north-western Romania, the Romanian Handball Federation announced. Egypt and
Algeria are qualified to the forthcoming World Championships scheduled for January
2023. Romania’s manager Xavi Pascual invited 24 players to convene for the
competition on December 26th. (AMP)

27 November 2022
November 27, 2022

NATO Bucharest will host on Tuesday and Wednesday a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. Attending will also be the foreign ministers of Georgia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine and, for the first time, the Republic of Moldova. The war in Ukraine will be one of the main topics of the meeting. The conference will be co-chaired by the Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, and NATOs secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. This is the first event of this kind organised in Romania since the country joined the Alliance in 2004 and the second NATO formal meeting in Romania since the 2008 summit. NATOs deputy secretary general, Mircea Geoană, says the event is a bridge between this summers summit in Madrid and the forthcoming summit in Vilnius, and a contribution made by Romania to the Alliances strategic thinking and response to the complex situation on the continent.

MLM A Munich Leaders Meeting (MLM) takes place in Bucharest on Monday and Tuesday. The Romanian foreign ministry is co-hosting this prestigious event, which is part of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). Attending will be over 75 senior officials from over 25 countries, including current and former officials, experts, analysts and opinion leaders. The agenda includes relevant topics for international security, with an emphasis on developments in the Black Sea and Western Balkans regions. Other topics will be the European security architecture, implementing the new NATO Strategic Concept, hybrid threats, food security, and the energy crisis. The conclusions of the meeting in Bucharest will contribute to shaping the agenda of next years Munich Security Conference.

NATIONAL DAY Events devoted to Romanias National Day on December 1 begin in Alba Iulia on November 30, with military and wreath laying ceremonies. On December 1, more than 850 troops will parade in Alba Iulia, including a French unit part of the NATO battlegroup deployed in Cincu, Braşov County. In Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and staff of the defence ministry, interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service and the Penitentiary Agency as well as vehicles and 40 aircraft will take part in a military parade on December 1. According to a defence ministry news release, around 150 troops from Belgium, France, North Macedonia, R. of Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal and the US, will also take part. Romanian military personnel on missions abroad will also organise special ceremonies.

ENVIRONMENT The Romanian environment ministry launched a national forestation programme financed from EU funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The decision was made because forests cover less than 30% of the countrys surface, as against the European average of 40%. In some counties in the south and south-east of the country, the ratio is even have less than 5%. Farmers who no longer want to keep their farmland under crops may turn it into forests or shelterbelts. The government provides up to EUR 20,000 for a hectare of oak forest in plains areas and up to EUR 17,000 per hectare of shelterbelts, with an additional EUR 456 per year for each hectare of forest for 20 years.

ENESCU The George Enescu International Music Festival was shortlisted for the prestigious International Opera Awards, the Oscars of the opera world, the festival organisers have announced. The awards ceremony takes place on Monday at Teatro Real (Madrid, Spain). The 2021 edition was shortlisted in the Festivals section, alongside other top-level events in the world of international classical music, such as the Donizetti Festival and Garsington Opera. (AMP)

27 November 2022
05.09.2022

Rentrée – Jour de rentrée, ce lundi 5 septembre, pour plus de 3 millions d’élèves du premier et du second degré, de Roumanie. L’année scolaire comportera 36 semaines, divisées en cinq modules séparés par des vacances. Les évaluations semestrielles ne seront plus obligatoires et les élèves se verront accorder une seule moyenne annuelle, par matière, à la place des deux, semestrielles, comme c’était le cas jusqu’à présent. Sur les 17800 établissements scolaires ouverts à travers la Roumanie, une partie est toujours en travaux.

Réfugiés – Presque 125.000 personnes ont franchi dimanche, les frontières roumaines, dans les deux sens, précise l’Inspection générale de la Police des frontières dans son rapport. Sur ce total, 11500 étaient des réfugiés ukrainiens soit de 4,73% de moins que la veille. Depuis le 10 février 2022, soit deux semaines avant le début de l’invasion russe dans leur pays et jusqu’à présent, plus de 2,2 millions d’Ukrainiens sont arrivés en Roumanie, la plupart juste pour la transiter.

EURO – L’euro a chuté aujourd’hui sous la barre des 0,99 dollar, soit son niveau le plus bas depuis 20 ans. Cette baisse historique intervient après l’annonce, la semaine dernière, que la Russie couperait les livraisons de gaz à l’Allemagne via le gazoduc Nord Stream. Sur les marchés asiatiques, l’euro valait 0,9880, soit son niveau le plus bas depuis 2002, tandis que le livre sterling a chuté à 1,445 dollars, son niveau le plus faible de ces deux dernières années. La dernière fois quand la monnaie européenne s’est trouvée en dessous du dollar remonte à octobre 2000 quand l’euro est tombé sous la barre des 0,82 dollars.

Commémoration – Le président allemand, Frank-Walter Steinmeier et israélien, Itzhak Herzog, participent ce lundi, à Berlin, aux cérémonies de commémoration de la sanglante prise d’otages lors des Jeux olympiques de Munich en 1972. Il y a 50 ans, un commando palestinien avait attaqué la délégation israélienne qui participait aux jeux, a tué deux de ses membres et a pris neuf autres, en ôtages, en réclamant la remise en liberté des prisonniers palestiniens. Ce drame prendra une grande envergure dans la mesure où la gestion par l’Allemagne de l’opération policière de sauvetage des athlètes, a été mal organisée et s’est terminée par la mort de tous les ôtages. Cinq terroristes palestiniens ont été également tués et trois autres ont été arrêtés. Le gouvernement Scholz a décidé de verser 28 millions d’euros de réparations aux victimes. Les responsables allemands ont reconnu que ce n’était là que le début d’un long chemin pour réparer les torts des dernières décennies. A la veille des commémorations, le chef de l’Etat allemand, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a reconnu qu’il était honteux que l’Allemagne ait mis 50 ans à conclure un accord d’indemnisation des proches des victimes israéliennes.

Natation – Les nageurs roumains, David Popovici et Bianca Costea ont remporté la médaille d’or dimanche, au dernier jour des Championnats du monde de natation juniors de Lima. Un autre Roumain, Vlad Stancu, a quant à lui décroché le bronze. David Popovici a gagné l’or en 100 mètre nage libre, Bianca Costea celui en 50 mètres nage libre et Vlad Stancu, le bronze en 1500 mètres nage libre. Au tableau des médailles par pays participant, la Roumanie s’est classée en quatrième position avec 4 médailles d’or, deux d’argent et deux de bronze. Les médailles d’or ont été remportées par les relayeurs roumains du 4×100 m nage libre (David Popovici, Alexandru Constantinescu, Ştefan Cozma, Patrick Sebastian Dinu), par David Popovici en 100 et 200 mètres nage libre et par Bianca Costea, en 50 mètres nage libre. Ces résultats ne vont que confirmer, une fois de plus, à quel point l’été 2022 fut riche en succès pour la natation roumaine et notamment pour le prodige David Popovici.

Météo – Les températures sont en légère hausse ce lundi par rapport aux jours précédents, tout en restant inférieures aux normales saisonnières dans la plupart des régions. Le ciel est variable, partiellement couvert et des pluie éparses tomberont par-ci, par-là, sur le centre du territoire, notamment sur les régions collinaires. Le vent souffle légèrement, plus fort sur la côte roumaine à la Mer Noire. Les températures maximales iront de 19 à 26. 23 degré à midi, à Bucarest.

5 September 2022
Athlete of the Week

Romania ranked 9th at the multisport European
Championships hosted several days ago by Munich. Athletes from our country
walked away with eight gold medals, two silver and five bronze from the aforementioned
competition. Most of the medals were won by Romania’s rowers in the
competition’s first week. In the second week, hammer thrower Bianca Ghelber,
canoeist Catalin Chirila and table tennis player Bernadette Szocs reaped gold
for Romania.

Table tennis player Bernadette Szőcs, silver medalist in the
mixed doubles contest together with Ovidiu Ionescu has been designated Athlete
of the week by Radio Romania International.

Bernadette Szőcs was born on March 5th 1995 in Târgu
Mureş central Romania and took up table tennis at the age of 8. She managed to
obtain good results in European and world competitions and these results pushed
her ahead in world rankings. Because she was refused the support she needed
from the sport authorities in Romania, in 2010 Szocs considered the idea of
moving to Norway and competing under the Norwegian flag. Eventually she decided
to give up her emigration plan and in 2016 at the European Championships in
Budapest the athlete came third in the mixed doubles together with Ovidiu
Ionescu and a year later at the championships in Luxembourg she obtained her
first European title with the Romanian team.

In 2018 in Montreux, Switzerland she compelled recognition
in the European Top‑16 tournament, a competition, which brings together the
best athletes on the continent. A year later in Nantes, France, she became
European champion again with the Romanian team. She is presently ranking 32nd
in the world ranking, where in 2019 she occupied the 14th position.

(bill)

23 August 2022