Radio România Internațional

Tag: national day parade

November 28, 2024 UPDATE

CSAT – The Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT), meeting on Thursday in Bucharest, found that there were cyber attacks with the aim of influencing the correctness of the electoral process in the first round of the presidential election in Romania, the Presidential Administration reports. The members of the Council confirmed that, in the current regional security and especially electoral context, Romania, along with other states on the Eastern Flank of NATO, has become a priority for the hostile actions of some state and non-state actors, especially the Russian Federation which shows a growing interest in influencing the public agenda in Romanian society and social cohesion. The Presidency of Romania shows that the analysis of the documents revealed the fact that, by violating the electoral legislation, a candidate in the presidential election, in this case the independent Călin Georgescu, benefited from a massive exposure due to the preferential treatment that the TikTok platform gave him with an impact on the final result of the election. In this sense, the CSAT members asked the authorities with responsibilities in the field of national security, those with responsibilities in the smooth running of the electoral process, as well as the criminal investigation bodies to urgently take the necessary steps to clarify these aspects.

STS – The Special Telecommunications Service (STS) reported that no vulnerabilities were identified regarding the provision, under security conditions, of communications services and information technology made available to the Permanent Electoral Authority, the organizer of the November 24 presidential election. STS also states that, neither before nor during the electoral process, did it receive information from other entities with responsibilities in the field of cyber security regarding the development of cyber attacks.

Constitutional Court – The Central Electoral Bureau approved the recount of all ballots in the first round of the presidential election, after the Constitutional Court of Romania has asked for it. With unanimity of votes, the CCR judges decided to request the re-verification and recount of all valid and invalid ballots from the November 24 election. The deadline by which the Central Electoral Bureau has to convey the results to the Constitutional Court is Friday, at 2:00 p.m., when a new meeting of the CCR is scheduled. The judges’ decision comes after the request of the presidential candidate Cristian Terheş, who argued that the votes received by Ludovic Orban would have been counted for Elena Lasconi, who ranked second with a difference of only 2,742 votes from the 3^rd placed candidate, the current prime minister Marcel Ciolacu. At the same time, the judges of the Constitutional Court rejected, also unanimously, as late, the request to cancel the first round of voting made by Sebastian Popescu, a candidate from the New Romania Party. We remind you that on December 1 parliamentary elections will take place in Romania and the second round of the presidential election is scheduled for December 8.

Reactions – The decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) to request the Central Electoral Bureau to recount all the votes cast in the first round of the presidential election is criticized by several political parties. CCR is playing with national security, wrote on Facebook Save Romania Union’s (USR) candidate for the presidential seat, Elena Lasconi, qualified in the second round of the presidential election. She says that extremism is fought by voting and not by behind-the-scenes plotting. The leader of the Forţa Dreptei (Force of the Right) party, Ludovic Orban, who gave up running in the first round in favor of Elena Lasconi, believes that CCR is playing along the Social Democratic Party (in the governing coalition) to remove the USR candidate from the decisive round of the election. He believes that the result of the vote is clear, unambiguous and without any question mark. In turn, the president of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, George Simion, criticized the Constitutional Court and accused it of turning into a pawn on the political stage. According to the law, the CCR cancels the elections if the voting and the results took place through fraud in such a way as to change the assignment of the mandate or the order of the candidates who can participate in the second round of voting. In this situation, the CCR will order the repeat of the first round of the presidential election on the second Sunday from the date when the election was cancelled.

December 1 – Approximately 2,500 specialists and military personnel, 190 technical equipment and 45 aircraft will participate in the traditional military parade in Bucharest, on December 1, on the National Day of Romania. Along with the Romanian soldiers, approximately 240 foreign soldiers from Albania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia and France will march in the parade. They will be joined by colleagues from Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Great Britain, Spain, the USA and Turkey. At the same time, an exhibition of military equipment will be organized which can be visited after the end of the official ceremony. Romania’s National Day will be marked by military ceremonies in other large cities of the country, as well as in the theaters of operations where Romanian soldiers are deployed.

BOR – The Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has reminded its clergy that they are not allowed to support candidates or participate in electoral campaigns as supporters. They are required to maintain their neutrality both in public statements and in practical activity. The political option of the priest will be expressed only by secret personal vote, the heads of the Orthodox Church have stressed, ahead of the parliamentary elections due on December 1, on the National Day, and the second round of the presidential election, on December 8. At the same time, the Synod reiterates its appeal to the leaders of the political parties not to allow the recruitment of members from the clergy, nor the use for political purposes of church personnel, locations, services and symbols. BOR does not recommend supporting any political party or any political ideology, but urges all citizens to make choices aimed at achieving the good of the country and at promoting Christian values in society. At the last population census in Romania, in 2021, 85.3% of the total resident population declared themselves Christian Orthodox. (LS)

28 November 2024
December 1, 2016

NATIONAL DAY – Romania’s National Day is marked each year on December 1 by all Romanian citizens in the country and abroad as well as in the theaters of operations where Romanian military are participating in international missions. Military parades have been organized in several cities of Romania and the authorities have prepared concerts, traditional public meals and fireworks shows. The most important parade was held in Bucharest with the participation of more than 3 thousand military and experts with the National Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Intelligence Service. Also parading were military technology and tens of aircrafts among which the multirole F-16Fighiting Falcon, the latest acquisition of the Romanian Air Forces. This year the parade held in Bucharest paid homage to the heroes killed in WWI in the context in which Romania marked in 2016 100 years since it entered the War. Military detachments from Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Slovakia, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Spain and the US have participated, for the first time, in the National Day parade. The National Day is also being celebrated abroad through various cultural events organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute Representations in cooperation with Romania’s diplomatic missions.

MESSAGES ON DECEMBER 1 – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has congratulated all Romanians on the occasion of the National Day. According to him the significance of this day should inspire all Romanians to be united in order to be able to fulfill their ideals. In turn, the PM Dacian Cioloş conveyed a message in which he referred to the Great Union of 1918, which he considered a miracle of history. Romanians also received messages of congratulation on the National Day from the US authorities and the President Barack Obama, through the agency of the American Secretary of State John Kerry. The message highlights the importance of the bilateral Strategic Partnership, the fact that Romania remains a trustworthy ally within NATO, which contributes significantly to international peace and security. Also the US State Department hails Romania’s commitment to the values of democracy and hopes the December 11 parliamentary elections will be free and fair.

OPEC — The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced Wednesday in Vienna the first cut in production since the financial crises of 2008, with the price of the oil barrel skyrocketing by 8%, to reach 50 dollars, writes the Financial Times. The 13 member states of the cartel will reduce production by almost 4.5% or 1.2 million barrels per day to reach 32.5 million barrels per day. Production targets are to be set for each of the member states. Analysts expect Saudi Arabia to operate the most significant cut in production alongside its allies in the Gulf area. In exchange Iran is to freeze production to almost 3.8 million barrels per day. As of mid 2014 the oil barrel price has been halved due to overproduction.

RETURN GUIDE – The Department of Policies for the Relation with the Romanians in the Diaspora within the Romanian Foreign Ministry has drafted and published a “Return Guide” for the Romanians living outside Romania. The document was drawn up based on the questions asked by those Romanians who intend to return home and includes basic information and useful contacts that could make their reintegration in Romania easier. According to estimates made by the Foreign Ministry, between 3.5 and 4 million Romanians are now living abroad.

EUROSTAT – In 2015 households in Romania allotted almost 22% of their total consumption expenses for their homes, water supply, electricity, gas and other fuels as compared to 21% in 2005, show the latest data made public by the European Statistical Office. At the level of the EU, families allotted a quarter of the money for consumption to these expenses, the total sum of 2 thousand billion euros accounting for the largest category of household expenses in the member states. (translation by L. Simion)

1 December 2016
27 November 2016, UPDATE

National Day parade. Bucharest hosted on Sunday
a final rehearsal for the National Day military parade on the 1st of
December. More than 3,000 military and experts from the defence and interior
ministries and the Romanian Intelligence Service, as well as 300 pieces of
technical equipment, will take part in Thursday’s parade in Bucharest. This
year’s parade is special, as it comes amidst the 100th anniversary
of Romania’s joining the First World War. Defence minister Mihnea Motoc
mentioned some of the novelties this year, including the presentation of the
F-16 Fighting Flacon multirole aircraft, the new combat uniform of the Romanian
Army, the protective gear of the special operations forces, and the MEDEVAC
medical evacuation vehicles. The Romanian troops will be joined at the parade
by their counterparts from a number of allied and partners states such as the
UK, Italy, Germany, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the
US. National Day events will take place throughout the country and abroad,
including in theatres of operation. Military and religious ceremonies will be
held, as well as meetings with army veterans and war veterans and exhibitions
of combat equipment and weapons.

Francophone Summit. The state secretary for
global affairs in the Romanian foreign ministry Daniela Gitman has attended the
Francophone Summit in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo. In her address,
the Romanian official emphasised the need to consolidate the position of the
International Organisation of La Francophonie in the political and economic
global governance and expanding its partnerships with other international
bodies, such as the United Nations. She also announced that in 2018 Bucharest
would host the Francophone economic forum for Central and Eastern Europe given
the 25th anniversary of Romania’s joining the International
Organisation of La Francophonie as a full-fledged member.

Supreme Defence Council meeting. The country’s
Supreme Defence Council will meet next Tuesday in Bucharest, the president’s
spokeswoman Madalina Dobrovolschi has announced. Talks will focus on the
measures taken by Romania to apply the sanctions adopted internationally for
the period October 2015 and September 2016. The Council will also discuss the
long and medium term strategy with respect to Romania’s relationship with the
Republic of Moldova, a neighbouring country with a majority Romanian-speaking
population. Other issues to be tackled include the plan for the deployment of
Romanian troops to foreign missions and operations in 2017 and the
implementation of the country’s national defence strategy for the 2015-2019
period.

Fidel Castro death. Cuba will observe 9 days
of national mourning in memory of Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who
died on Friday at the age of 90. His funerals will take place on Sunday, 4th
of December in Santiago de Cuba, in the south. The death of Fidel Castro, who
led Cuba for almost five decades, sparked mixed international reactions. US
president Barack Obama said history will record and judge his enormous impact
on Cuba, while president elect Donald Trump described Castro as a brutal
dictator. The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said
that with Castro’s death, the world has lost a
man who was a hero for many and that his legacy will be judged by history.
The head of the European Parliament Martin Schulz wrote that the former Cuban
leader left a mark in the history of Cuba, Latin America and in
world politics. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Fidel Castro will
be remembered for advances in Cuba in the fields of education, literacy and
health. The Russian and Chinese presidents said their countries have lost a
good friend.

Swiss referendum.
According to the preliminary results of a referendum held on Sunday in
Switzerland, voters rejected a proposal to make a strict timetable for phasing
out nuclear power, turning down a government plan to close down five nuclear
power plants. According to the BBC, despite the fact that many voters are
worried about the safety of the old nuclear facilities, the fears that their
swift closure may cause blackouts and electricity shortages were stronger. More
than a third of Switzerland’s electricity is supplied by nuclear power plants. (Transl. by C. Mateescu)

27 November 2016
27 November 2016

National Day parade. Bucharest hosted on Sunday
a final rehearsal for the National Day military parade on the 1st of
December. More than 3,000 military and experts from the defence and interior
ministries and the Romanian Intelligence Service, as well as 300 pieces of
technical equipment, will take part in Thursday’s parade in Bucharest. This
year’s parade is special, as it comes amidst the 100th anniversary
of Romania’s joining the First World War. Defence minister Mihnea Motoc
mentioned some of the novelties this year, including the presentation of the
F-16 Fighting Flacon multirole aircraft, the new combat uniform of the Romanian
Army, the protective gear of the special operations forces, and the MEDEVAC
medical evacuation vehicles. The Romanian troops will be joined at the parade
by their counterparts from a number of allied and partners states such as the
UK, Italy, Germany, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the
US. National Day events will take place throughout the country and abroad,
including in theatres of operation. Military and religious ceremonies will be
held, as well as meetings with army veterans and war veterans and exhibitions
of combat equipment and weapons.

Supreme Defence Council meeting. The country’s
Supreme Defence Council will meet next Tuesday in Bucharest, the president’s
spokeswoman Madalina Dobrovolschi has announced. Talks will focus on the
measures taken by Romania to apply the sanctions adopted internationally for
the period October 2015 and September 2016. The Council will also discuss the
long and medium term strategy with respect to Romania’s relationship with the
Republic of Moldova, a neighbouring country with a majority Romanian-speaking
population. Other issues to be tackled include the plan for the deployment of
Romanian troops to foreign missions and operations in 2017 and the
implementation of the country’s national defence strategy for the 2015-2019
period.

Fidel Castro death. Cuba will observe 9 days of national
mourning in memory of Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who died on
Friday at the age of 90. His funerals will take place on Sunday, 4th
of December, in Santiago de Cuba, in the south. The death of Fidel Castro, who
led Cuba for almost five decades, sparked mixed international reactions. US
president Barack Obama said history will record and judge his enormous impact
on Cuba, while president elect Donald Trump described Castro as a brutal
dictator. The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said
that with Castro’s death, the world has lost a
man who was a hero for many and that his legacy will be judged by history.
The head of the European Parliament Martin Schulz wrote that the former Cuban
leader left a mark in the history of Cuba, Latin America and in
world politics. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Fidel Castro will
be remembered for advances in Cuba in the fields of education, literacy and
health. The Russian and Chinese presidents said their countries have lost a
good friend.

Accident. Eight Romanian nationals were injured in a road
accident on Saturday night near the Italian town of Porpetto in which a bus
carrying 36 people was involved. The injured were taken to three hospitals in
the region and are now recovering well. According to preliminary information,
the bus carrying the Romanians flipped over on a motorway near the border with
Slovenia. According to the foreign ministry in Bucharest, a team from the
Romanian General Consulate in Trieste travelled to the site of the accident to provide
assistance to the people involved in the crash. The Italian authorities have
begun an inquiry into the cause of the accident.

Award. The Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude has won the best director award
at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina for his
production Scarred Hearts. In Jude’s words, the film is a personal
interpretation, rather than a conventional adaptation, of a novel of the same
title by the Romanian early 20th century writer Max Blecher. Scarred
Hearts is Radu Jude’s fourth feature film and has also earned him two special
prizes at the Locarno Film festival in Switzerland and a distinction at the
Haifa International Festival in Israel.

Handball. The
Romanian women’s handball side are today taking on Hungary in the finals of the
Carpati Trophy hosted by the north-western city of Cluj Napoca. This tournament
is the final test ahead of the European Championship to be hosted by Sweden
between the 4th and the 18th of December. Romania are in
Group D, together with Norway, Russia and Croatia. (Transl. by C. Mateescu)

27 November 2016
Newsflash November 26, 2016 UPDATE

Here are the main news of the day:

FIDEL CASTRO DIES

— The authorities in Havana on Saturday decreed 9 days of national mourning following the death of Cuba’s leader of revolution, Fidel Castro, at the age of 90. His brother, Raul Castro, the incumbent president of Cuba, announced Fidel Castro’s death on state television and that he would be cremated later on Saturday. “El lider maximo” has ruled Cuba for 49 years with an iron will and handed over power to his brother Raul in 2008. Famous for his very long speeches, his olive green uniform, cigar and legendary beard, Fidel Castro was a symbol of the fight against “American imperialism”. He defied 11 American presidents and survived more than 600 assassination attempts. His supporters considered him the man who rendered Cuba to its citizens, but critics accused him of brutal practices meant to suppress the opposition.

HEALTHCARE ROMANIA

— The Health Ministry officials have discovered serious irregularities and subjective criteria used for the approval and prioritization of transplant surgery in Romania said Saturday the health minister, Vlad Voiculescu, after an investigation of the government’s Control Body. According to experts in Romania there are no clear criteria and procedures for organs allocation, there are no waiting lists correlated at national level for each organ, the patients already on the lists do not always benefit from equal chances, and laws, if they do exist, are not respected. In another development, on Friday the prime minister’s Control Body officials announced they would make verifications of the functioning of the IT system at the National Health Insurance House headquarters. The control operation comes as a result of the many instances of system breakdown. The implementation of the national health insurance card system cost more than 180 million euros and became operational on May 1, 2015. The failure of the system has frequently prevented family doctors and pharmacists to carry out their activity in normal conditions.

PREPARATIONS FOR ELECTIONS

— The Romanian Foreign Ministry has started to distribute the voting materials to Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad which will be made available to the polling stations set up abroad for the parliamentary elections to be held on December 11. For the 417 polling stations set up for the Romanian citizens abroad, the ministry sent 1.9 million ballots. Besides ballots the ministry will also distribute self-adhesive stamps, rubber stamps saying “Voted” on them, control stamps, inkpads, ink and standardized forms.

NATIONAL DAY PARADE

— The final rehearsal for the military parade to be organized on December 1, on Romania’s National Day, will take place on Sunday. Over 3 thousand soldiers and experts with the Defense and Interior Ministries and with the Romanian Intelligence Service, military equipment of which 50 aircraft will participate on December 1, in Bucharest, in the traditional National Day parade. The Romanian soldiers will be joined by their colleagues from several allied or partner states: Great Britain, Italy, Germany, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the US. The manifestations will take place both in Bucharest and other cities of Romania and also abroad, including on the theatres of operations. The manifestations include military and religious ceremonies, meetings with military and war veterans and exhibitions displaying military combat technology and weapons.

LUFTHANSA STRIKE

— Germany’s Lufthansa, the biggest airline in Europe, canceled hundreds of short and medium-haul flights on Saturday as well. This is the 4th day of strike, with pilots asking for pay rises by an average 3.7%. On Friday they refused the last offer made by the company management that came up with an average increase of 4.4% in two stages and with the proposal to create one thousand jobs for young pilots. As of Wednesday a total of more than 2,600 flights have been cancelled, affecting over 315 thousand passengers. (translation by L. Simion)

26 November 2016
24 November, 2016 UPDATE

EU-Ukraine summit.
The European Union will provide Ukraine with 15 million euros to support its
anticorruption programme and more than 100 million euros for the reform of its
public administration. This is one of the decisions taken on Thursday at the
EU-Ukraine summit held in Brussels. Another subject discussed was Ukraine’s
association agreement which is yet to be ratified following its rejection by
the Dutch voters in a referendum in April. The president of the European
Council Donald Tusk said his main goal is to find a solution for the
ratification process to be finalised at the European Council meeting in
December. Also on Thursday, Ukraine called on the European Union to maintain
sanctions against Russia until the latter fully implements the Minsk agreement.

Appointment. The budget committee of the
European Parliament on Thursday appointed the MEP Siegfried Muresan a repporteur
for the European Union’s 2018 draft budget. Muresan is the first Romanian MEP
to occupy this position. It is a very important and difficult task to
negotiate a budget of 155-160 billion euros, but I will carry it out with great
responsibility, he said. Muresan explained that it is important to have
continuity and provide funding for the European Union’s economic growth
priorities, with emphasis on infrastructure, research, innovation, youth
employment and the consolidation of the European citizens’ security. The
European Parliament’s rapporteur for the Union’s annual budget lays down
Parliament’s political priorities for the European budget and negotiates the
final version of the annual budget, on Parliament’s behalf, with the presidency
of the European Council and the European Commission.

National Day
parade. More than 3,000 military and experts from the defence and interior
ministries and the Romanian Intelligence Service, as well as 300 pieces of
technical equipment, including 50 planes, will take part in a military parade
held in Bucharest to celebrate Romania’s National Day on the 1st of
December. The Romanian military will be joined by troops from a number of
allied and partner states: the UK, Italy, Germany, the Republic of Moldova,
Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the US. Celebrations will be held across the
country and abroad, including in theatres of operation.

Romania Defence Council meeting. The country’s
Supreme Defence Council will meet next Tuesday in Bucharest, the president’s
spokeswoman Madalina Dobrovolschi has announced. Talks will focus on the
measures taken by Romania to apply the sanctions adopted internationally for
the period October 2015 and September 2016. The Council will also discuss the
long and medium term strategy with respect to Romania’s relationship with the
Republic of Moldova, a country with a majority Romanian-speaking population.
Other issues to be tackled include the plan for the deployment of Romanian
troops to foreign missions and operations in 2017 and the implementation of the
country’s national defence strategy for the 2015-2019 period.

Turkey-EU. The European Parliament
on Thursday requested the freezing of Turkey’s membership talks over what it
described as disproportionate repressive measures after a failed military
coup in July. In a resolution voted by a large majority, MEPs urge for the
temporary halt to Turkey’s accession process, which began in 2005. According to
France Presse news agency, the vote, while non-binding, risks adding even more strain
on the Union’s relationship with the authorities in Ankara. Recently, Turkish
president Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said the vote has no value at all, no matter its result. (Trans. by: C. Mateescu)

24 November 2016