Radio România Internațional

Tag: NATO command

  • June 19, 2020 UPDATE

    June 19, 2020 UPDATE

    EUROPEAN COUNCIL – Romanian president
    Klaus Iohannis on Friday attended the European Council meeting, held in
    videoconference format. The main points on the agenda were the 2021-2027
    multiannual financial framework and the economic recovery plan. The President
    said, after the meeting, that European leaders have agreed to continue talks on
    the two topics, although additional points in the two packages have to be
    discussed and settled. Romania was earmarked €44 billion in the current
    financial framework. We’re trying to get a considerably higher amount over the
    next financial framework, and we are equally fighting to obtain more favorable
    conditions for their implementation, the President went on to say. The money is expected to go to economic
    development, healthcare, road and rail infrastructure, water and sewage,
    education and sustainable energy. President Iohannis said the next European
    Council meeting is scheduled for mid-July. According to France Press, EU
    leaders have called on the EU27 to swiftly reach an agreement on the post-COVID
    economic recovery plan, with the aim of pulling the European continent out of a
    historic recession. A bailout plan worth €750 billion is on the table, and
    could represent a major step for Europe, as for the first time the sum will be
    borrowed on the financial markets.




    ONLINE FORM – Air passengers
    entering the country via Henri Coanda airport must file an online form stating
    their epidemiological status. Available as of Friday, the form is aimed at
    reducing waiting times and boosting the flow of arrivals, with the overall
    purpose of preventing the SARS CoV2 virus from spreading. The form can be
    accessed on bucharestairports.ro.




    PENSIONS – The High Court of
    Cassation and Justice in Bucharest and the Ombudsman have referred a law on the
    progressive taxation up to 85% of all special pensions in Romania, endorsed by
    Parliament, to the Constitutional Court. The Court has criticized several
    aspects, such as the fact that its rulings in this matter have been repeatedly
    ignored, the Supreme Council of Magistrates has not been consulted and several
    principles haven’t been observed, such as the proper and equitable taxation and
    the independence of judges. There are multiple reasons of unconstitutionality,
    the Ombudsman has also pointed out, adding that, under the law, the
    beneficiaries of these special pensions are being discriminated against. We
    recall that on May 6 Romania’s Constitutional Court turned down a law on
    cancelling special pensions upon two notifications by the High Court and the Ombudsman.




    NATO – The Multinational
    Division South-East Command will contribute to the deterring and defence
    capabilities of NATO’s eastern flank, Romania’s Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca
    has said. His statement came after Parliament in Bucharest on Thursday endorsed
    the setting up of this command in Sibiu, central Romania. According to Ciuca,
    Romania’s initiative has been appreciated by NATO partners and accepted by the
    allies thus highlighting the strategic importance of the Black Sea for the
    security of the Euro-Atlantic area and the need for increasing allied military
    presence in the region. The new military body will have the statute of
    international military command subordinated to an allied command outside the
    national structure of command and control.




    SANCTIONS – EU leaders have
    agreed to extend economic sanctions on Russia by another six months, reason
    being Russia’s unresolved conflict in Eastern Ukraine and its refusal to
    implement the Minsk peace agreements, European Council President Charles Michel
    has said. Introduced back in July, 2014, the sanctions target the finance,
    energy and defense sectors in Russia, preventing certain Russian banks and
    businesses from accessing EU markets, as well as restricting certain European
    imports. The sanctions also restrict Russia’s access to certain sensitive
    technologies and services that can be used to explore and produce oil. Romania’s
    Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said Romania does not consider Russia to be an enemy
    state, but condemns the country’s previous aggressive behavior. It’s not just
    Romania’s viewpoint, but a common analysis inside NATO and the EU. The allies are
    viewing Russia’s actions in the Black Sea region as generating risks, Minister
    Aurescu explained. The Romanian official took part in an online debate
    organized by the American Center for European Political Analysis, where he
    discussed the possibility of introducing the Russian Federation into the country’s
    new National Defense Strategy.


    (translated by D. Bilt
    & V. Palcu)

  • January 16, 2020

    January 16, 2020

    DIPLOMACY -President Klaus Iohannis today met
    with ambassadors accredited to Bucharest. On this occasion the President
    ensured ambassadors he would continue to make efforts in 2020 as well in order
    for Romania to remain a vector of stability and a promoter of democracy. As
    regards relations with Chisinau, Romania will resume full cooperation with its
    neighbor when it sees the Government taking concrete actions to consolidate the
    country’s European track. Klaus Iohannis said Romania will preserve only those
    projects directly supporting Moldovan citizens, with an impact at local level,
    as well as projects of strategic inter-connection. The President presented the
    main foreign policy guidelines for 2020, with a focus on consolidating and
    expanding the Strategic Partnership with the United States and increasing the
    role and effectiveness of Romania in the European Union and NATO.




    GOVERNMENT -
    The Liberal Government today will adopt an emergency decree postponing the
    implementation of the law doubling children’s allowances for July 1, when the
    first budget adjustment will be operated. The announcement was made on Wednesday
    by Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, who explained that although the law
    was ratified by the President, his Cabinet wants to apply it, although no funds
    were made available for this increase, considering the bill was voted after the
    budget for 2020 was adopted. Ludovic Orban said children’s allowances will be
    increased with the first budget adjustment depending on the evolution of the
    economy. Also today the Government will decide the way in which it will promote
    the change in the election law, switching to the two-round system for local
    elections. The Government can choose whether to take responsibility before Parliament
    or adopt the new law by emergency decree. The Social-Democratic Party in
    opposition said it would file a no-confidence motion if the Cabinet changes the
    election law months before the local elections are due, which goes against
    European recommendations. The Liberals claim, however, that the modification
    will improve the legislation, boosting mayors legitimacy and representation.






    COMMAND -
    Romania has today taken over the command of a NATO naval warfare unit and will
    coordinate battleships from five countries. Missions will be staged in the
    Black and Mediterranean seas. The Standing NATO Mine Counter Major Group 2
    command will bring together battleships from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Spain
    and Turkey. The group will act to ensure immediate response capacity at NATO
    level, as well as increasing inter-operability between NATO ships and promoting
    the image of NATO.






    ACEA – The European
    Automobiles Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has today announced that new car registrations
    increased by 1.2% in 2019 compared to 2018. The biggest increase was reported
    in Lithuania, where new car registrations reported a growth of over 43%,
    followed by Romania, with 23%. According to ACEA, some 161 thousand cars were
    registered in 2019 in Romania. Dacia accounted for nearly 4% of the European
    car market in 2019.






    IRAN – Three
    countries that signed the nuclear agreement with Iran, France, Germany and
    Great Britain, have triggered a formal dispute mechanism over Iran’s breaches
    of the 2015 deal that stipulated its commitment to limit its production of enriched
    uranium. Iran has 60 days to come back into full compliance, after which date
    additional sanctions on this country could be taken. In turn, Teheran warned it
    could launch missiles stored in underground facilities, targeting military
    bases of the United States and its allies in the region.






    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, seeded 2nd in the
    Adelaide tournament in Australia, was knocked out earlier today in the
    quarterfinals of the competition by Belarus’s Arina Sabalenka, 6-4, 6-2. The
    first edition of this tournament totals some 848 thousand dollars in prize
    money. This was Halep’s last game ahead of the Australian Open, the first Grand
    Slam tournament of the year, due to kick off on January 20. Another two
    Romanians will feature in the main draw, Sorana Cirstea (74 WTA) and Irina Begu
    (105 WTA). Ana Bogdan (96 WTA) will play Ann Li of the US in the final
    preliminary round to accede to the Australian Open’s main draw. Bogdan is
    seeded first in the preliminary phase.


    (Translated
    by V. Palcu)