Radio România Internațional

Tag: NATO meeting

February 13, 2025 UPDATE 3

GOVERNMENT – The Cabinet led by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Thursday approved two decisions regarding the prioritization of projects included in the ‘Anghel Saligny’ National Investment Program and in the program carried out by the National Investment Company (CNI). At the same time, the extension of the free zone in the Port of Constanta (southeast), on the Black Sea, was on the agenda of the Government meeting. The government thus seeks to stimulate the economic development of the region and improve trade flows in this area. Also on Thursday, new measures were adopted that support the reorganization of the National Anti-Drug Agency. On the other hand, Marcel Ciolacu announced that the ruling coalition has decided to provide financial support worth €160 to pensioners with low incomes. This aid will benefit approximately 2.5 million pensioners with incomes of up to €515, tantamount to the national minimum wage. The aid will be granted in two installments, in April and in the second half of the year. In the context of the latest price hikes, this measure will help maintain a minimum level of social protection for the elderly. The aid is intended to compensate for the increase in living costs and to provide essential financial support for pensioners. We recall that, earlier this year, the government decided not to raise pensions in line with the inflation rate, as planned, a move that generated society-wide dissatisfaction.

REPORT – Romania, along with other European states, was last year targeted by “sabotage” actions specific to the hybrid techniques used by the Russian Federation, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism warns in its annual report. The attacks were designed to test the defense readiness of NATO countries and find weaknesses in their infrastructure. In turn, drug consumption has reported a steady increase in recent years. Cannabis remains the most sought-after drug in Romania, also accounting for the highest volumes seized by the authorities.

DRONE – The surveillance and monitoring systems of the Defense Ministry on Wednesday night picked up an air target flying into Romania’s airspace for nearly one kilometer on its way to Ukraine. Authorities immediately conveyed an emergency service alert to notify the population in the area and scrambled two F-16s belonging to Romania’s Air Force and two Eurofighter jets operated by the Spanish Air Forces. The same sources have also reported a possible impact on the national soil close to the Ukrainian border, without any material damages. In turn, the president of the neighboring Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said that two Russian drones illegally entered the air space of Moldova and exploded on the ground. No citizens were put at risk. Sources close to the Ukrainian army announced that Russia attacked Ukraine with 140 drones on Wednesday night.

NATO – The meeting of NATO defense ministers continued on Thursday in Brussels, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had started talking with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about peace in Ukraine. In turn, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said that Kyiv’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance is an unrealistic option. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, European allies were taken by surprise by the news of the Trump-Putin telephone conversation, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte insisted on the idea of lasting peace. He said that the leaders of NATO member states never promised Ukraine it would become a NATO member if it concluded a peace agreement with Russia. On the other hand, Mark Rutte is asking allies who have not increased their defense budgets above 2% to do so by this summer. The NATO Secretary General suggested he might ask for an increase in defense contributions to 3% of GDP at the upcoming NATO summit. Increasing military spending, expanding the capabilities of the defense industry and the war in Ukraine were the main topics of discussion on the agenda of the NATO Defense Ministers meeting.

MSC 2025 – Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu will take part in the 61^st edition of the Munich Security Conference (MSC 2025), held over Friday-Sunday. According to the Romanian MFA, the meeting will address current security threats and challenges in the political, economic, commercial and technological fields. In the panels, Emil Hurezeanu will present Romania’s assessments of current challenges, with a focus on the deterioration of the security climate in the Black Sea region and the implications of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine for the security of Euro-Atlantic space. At the same time, Minister Hurezeanu will emphasize the threat of Russia’s hybrid actions and the importance of countering them. On the other hand, the Romanian official will highlight the importance of a more robust transatlantic relationship in managing these challenges and combating the threats facing the Euro-Atlantic community, and will underline the importance of continuing to provide robust support for increasing the resilience of the Republic of Moldova. On the sidelines of the Conference, Emil Hurezeanu will hold bilateral talks with counterparts and political figures from Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa.

PEACE PLAN – The peace process in Ukraine has been launched, U.S. President Donald Trump said, without giving further details, after telephone conversations with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was the first discussion between an American president and Vladimir Putin in almost three years, given that, after the invasion of Ukraine and the emergence of information regarding war crimes committed by Russian troops, former President Joe Biden refused to talk to the Kremlin leader. In turn, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said that Ukraine cannot return to previous its borders or join NATO. To Kyiv, the liberation of all Russian-held territories and NATO accession are key priorities. At the same time, the European Union has demanded firm security guarantees for Ukraine.

EURONEXT – Euronext, the number one pan-European grain stock market, is due to open a branch in Romania, in Constanța. The port on the Romanian Black Sea coast is expected to become a reference point for grain prices in the Black Sea basin, and Romanian farmers and those from neighboring countries will be able to deliver their goods under optimal conditions. Euronext trade flows for corn might open by the end of the year, while those for wheat starting next year. (DB & VP)

13 February 2025
September 16, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 – 4,441 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported in
the last 24 hours in Romania, the Group for Strategic Communication announced
on Thursday. During the same interval, 71 related fatalities were also
reported. 741 patients are being treated in intensive care. In other news, the
so-called Green Covid certificate, attesting vaccination, negative testing or
recovery from COVID-19 will become compulsory for attending a number of
activities in towns and villages where the infection rate is over 3 per
thousand inhabitants. The decision was passed on Thursday by the National
Committee for Emergency Situations. People will require to present the
certificate to enter pubs and restaurants, pools and gyms or attend public or
private events. The decision needs to be transposed into a Government decree to
take effect.

LAW – President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday ratified the law on
vulnerable consumers. The new piece of legislation introduces social protection
measures for low-income people and families struggling to cover energy bills.
The law will take effect on November 1, 2021, and will address people living
alone with a monthly net income below 414 Euro and families where each member
earns a monthly income of 370 Euro. Labor Minister Raluca Turcan estimates the
new law will benefit some 500 thousand households, given that electricity and
gas prices have gone up all over Europe in recent months. The Government is
also considering subsidizing electricity and natural gas bills, and discussed a
draft emergency decree in this respect in Wednesday’s meeting. According to the
Prime Minister, the Cabinet is also considering a cap on energy and gas prices.

MOTION – In Bucharest, the Alliance
for the Union of Romanians (AUR) an ultranationalist party in opposition,
announced a parliamentary strike starting Thursday. AUR MPs say they will
attend Parliament’s sessions, but they will not vote any of the draft laws. The
party leader accused the fact that the no-confidence motion filed jointly with
USR-PLUS was not submitted to vote and debate. The motion was filed on
September 3 and read out in a plenary sitting on September 9. On the other
hand, the Constitutional Court of Romania is expected to discuss on September
28 a Government notification over an alleged institutional conflict linked to
the filing of the no-confidence motion. In his notification, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu claims the motion was an unconstitutional,
disloyal and abusive action against the executive power, since it was filed,
submitted and transmitted with the violation of constitutional provisions. A
vote on the motion is expected once the Court has issued a ruling.

NATO – Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General Daniel Petrescu
will take part over September 17-19 in the conference of the NATO Military
Committee, which will bring together heads of military from allied countries in
Athens, Greece. Talks will also tackle NATO operations, missions and
activities. Additionally, the conference will also address means of
implementing the Deterrence
and Defense of the Euro-Atlantic Area, and NATO’s Warfighting Capstone Concept.
According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, the Military Committee will analyze
the NATO 2030 initiative and all its military implications and opportunities.

CONNECTING EUROPE – EU Commissioner for
Transport, Adina Vălean, on Friday will travel to Romania to greet the arrival
in Romania of Connecting Europe Express, a special train designed in the
European Year of Rail, the European Commission’s office in Romania reports. The
train will stop in over 100 towns and cities during its five-week journey,
before arriving in Paris on October 7. The train will travel 20,000 km across
33 border crossing points. It will depart from Lisbon and, before reaching
Paris, it will stop in Ljubljana, connecting the Portuguese, Slovenian and
French presidencies of the Council of the EU. (VP)

16 September 2021
June 18, 2020

EASTERN PARTNERSHIP – Romania’s
President Klaus Iohannis is today taking part in an Eastern Partnership
videoconference. The meeting is chaired by European Council President Charles
Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU’s High
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. Attending
are heads of state and government from the EU27 in addition to the six partner
states in the region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of
Moldova and Ukraine. The agenda will focus on three main topics: cooperation
and solidarity in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, reasserting the
strategic importance of the Eastern Partnership and its core values as well as the
Partnership’s achievements and long-term goals. President Iohannis will be
calling for a firm and continued commitment from the EU in its Eastern
Neighborhood, which based on the partner states’ visible progress in the field
of reforms, can become a stable, predictable and prosperous space, compatible
with European values and principles, the Presidency informs. In another move,
the President on Friday is attending the European Council meeting, also held in
videoconference format. The agenda will include the Economic Recovery Plan and
the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework recently proposed by the European
Commission, the negotiation process for the future relations between the
European Union and Great Britain, as well as foreign policy topics.

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The number of
confirmed infections continues to rise in Romania. Another 320 cases have been
reported since the last update, taking the total number of infected to 23.080.
Over 16.300 people have recovered and 1.473 have died. 178 patients are now in
intensive care. According to Health Minister Nelu Tataru, the rise in the
number of cases is the result of several measures aimed at easing lockdown
restrictions. On the other hand, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said theatres and
restaurants in Romania, will be reopened whenever the epidemiological context
allows it. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said that, for the time being, the
authorities don’t know how the situation will evolve, and has called on
everyone to remain vigilant and strictly observe the regulations.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Some 8.4
million people around the world have been infected with COVID-19, with the
global death toll standing at some 451 thousand, considering over 4.4 million
people infected with SARS CoV2 have recovered, worldometers.info reports.
America totals some 4 million cases, followed by Europe with 2.5 million, the
Middle East with over 800 thousand and Southeastern Asia with over half a
million infections. According to BBC surveys, over 130.000 people worldwide
have died to the virus on top of officially reported fatalities. The World
Health Organization has announced its plans to restrict the clinical treatment
of COVID patients using hydroxychloroquine. WHO experts have concluded that
this medicine, commonly used to prevent malaria, has no impact in reducing mortality
rates.

PENSIONS – Parliament is
today debating and voting a draft law on taxing the so-called special pensions,
which was yesterday approved in the Chamber of Deputies. The vote is necessary
as the document also refers to the special pensions of MPs. Romanian deputies
decided to levy a tax on the difference between the special pension and the
regular contribution-based pension. Therefore a 10% tax will be levied on
pensions ranging between €400 and €1.450, while any pension above this mark
will be subject to an 85% tax.

NATO – Romanian Defense
Minister Nicolae Ciuca attended a NATO ministerial videoconference, on which occasion
he reiterated his call on NATO to increase its contribution to projects in the
Black Sea, a region of strategic importance to NATO. According to a Defense
Ministry release, NATO Defense Ministers reviewed progress in implementing NATO’s
deterrence and defense actions, with a focus on the ramifications generated by Russia’s
development of dual-capable missile systems. In this respect, NATO sanctioned a
package of political and military adjustment measures, reiterating its firm commitment
towards arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament efforts.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

18 June 2020
April 3, 2020

CORONAVIRUS IN
ROMANIA – The death toll of the COVID-19 virus in Romania has reached 116, the
Group for Strategic Communication has announced today. The latest victim is a
70-year-old man from Mures County with a history of cardio-vascular disease and
high blood pressure. There are 2,738 confirmed cases in Romania, of whom 267
have recovered, while over 15,400 people are in quarantine and some 115,000 in
isolation. The number of Romanians living or working abroad who have tested
positive for COVID-19 has reached 217, 126 in Spain, 57 in Italy, 14 in France,
7 in Germany and 4 in the UK. Since the onset of the outbreak 25 Romanians have
lost their lives abroad, of whom 9 in Italy alone.

FINES – Starting today
an emergency decree takes effect in Romania, introducing higher fines for
people that don’t observe emergency security measures. Minimum fines for
natural persons have increased from 20 to 415 euros while maximum fines from 1,035
to 4,150 euros. Fines for legal entities
that don’t comply with military decrees have increased from 205 to 2,050 euros,
up to a maximum of 14,500 euros. Moreover, additional sanctions have been
introduced for people who don’t abide by legal provisions, such as the seizure
of any goods that make the object of an offence, access denial to the said
goods by putting them under seal, temporary suspension of activity, the
shutdown of construction works and the re-establishment of certain design
works. The additional sanctions can be taken depending on the nature and
seriousness of the offence.

CORONAVIRUS IN THE
WORLD – Over a million people have tested positive for coronavirus in the
world, the global death toll standing at 54,000 people, a recent report shows.
A quarter of cases have been reported in the US, where the pandemic is
spreading swiftly. Italy is the country where most people have died, 14,000,
followed by Spain with 10,000 deaths, the US with some 6,000, France with over
5,000 and China with 3,300 dead. The World Bank has announced it would allocate
160 billion dollars over the next 15 months to help countries fight the
pandemic. The money will be used to protect the poor and the vulnerable and
will support the business sector and the economic recovery process.

NATO -
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today attending an informal video-conference
of NATO foreign ministers. The meeting will focus on the crisis caused by the
coronavirus pandemic, in the context of the latest developments at European and
global level. NATO ministers will discuss the possibility of coordinating at
consular level in order to continue to repatriate non-resident EU citizens, as
well as the strengthening of EU’s role in the field of international
cooperation and the provision of humanitarian aid, combating disinformation and
the importance of European solidarity. Yesterday, during a similar
video-conference, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu underlined the important role
of emergency air missions aimed at ensuring the transport of medical equipment,
stating that Romania was the first allied state to make use of NATO strategic
air transport capabilities in order to bring the necessary equipment and
materials from South Korea.

COMMISSION
– The European Commission is intensifying its response capacity against
COVID-19, proposing the creation of a solidarity instrument worth 100 billion
euros called SURE, which will help workers maintain their incomes and will
support businesses. Loans will be handed out based on guarantees provided by
Member States and will be directed to the areas facing most difficulties.
Available to all Member States, SURE will support partial unemployment schemes
and similar measures in order to help Member States protect their jobs,
employees and people carrying out independent activities. The Commission is
also proposing the redistribution of all available structural funds for this
year in order to help meet the needs of European healthcare systems.

ELECTION
– The Liberal Government will most likely postponed the early elections slated
for June, as the coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible for such a
democratic process to be held in the best possible circumstances, Liberal Prime
Minister Ludovic Orban has said. A state of emergency was declared in Romania
on March 16 and quarantine measures have been in place since last week. The
early elections were scheduled for late June, while legislative elections were
due this November. The epidemic is expected to peak over April 20 – May 1, the
risk of spreading getting lower after this period, Orban went on to say. The
Romanian official will consult with the other parties regarding a date for the
early elections, based on the evolution of the pandemic. In another
development, Health Minister Nelu Tataru said movement restrictions could be
lifted in stages, starting mid-May.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

3 April 2020
April 2, 2020

EMERGENCY DECREE – At
midnight, local time, a new Government emergency decree takes effect,
increasing fines for anyone who doesn’t observe the special measures taken to
limit the spread of the coronavirus. According to the latest toll, 94 people
have died to the virus nationwide. Moreover, according the Group for Strategic
Communication, a total number of 196 Romanian citizens abroad have tested
positive for the virus: 105 in Spain, 57 in Italy, 14 in France, 7 in Germany,
4 in the UK, 2 in Namibia, 2 in Indonesia, and 1 each in Tunisia, Ireland,
Luxemburg, Belgium and the US. As many as 24 Romanian citizens died from the coronavirus
abroad: 9 in Italy, 6 in France, 4 in the UK, 4 in Spain and 1 in Germany. On
Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis chaired a meeting which assessed and
presented public safety and order measures aimed at preventing the spread of
the coronavirus. The President warned that anyone who doesn’t abide by the
legislation, emergency decrees and regulations will be fined. Since the onset
of the state of emergency the authorities have carried out 870,000 checks and
handed out over 78,000 fines.

ECONOMY – The automobile industry wants to help the national
economy and contribute to the production of medical equipment, such as masks,
protection gear and biocides, Economy Minister Virgil Popescu has said. The
Romanian official went on to say that representatives of the automobile
industry will take part in a national project aimed at building ventilators
needed to trick the COVID-19 sick. On the other hand, Minister Popescu said
representatives of the Dacia carmaker are working on a scenario to resume
production towards the second half of April. Due to the pandemic Dacia has
suspended its activity at the power plant in Mioveni until April 5, with over
13,500 workers becoming technically unemployed.

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS – Over
950,000 employment contracts at national level have been suspended starting
April 1, the Labor Ministry has announced. Some 207,000 employees in the
manufacturing industry, 156,000 people working in retail and car services and
over 110,000 workers in the hospitability sector are now technically
unemployed. Over 155,000 individual employment agreements have been terminated,
most of which in trade and services, the manufacturing industry and
constructions. The authorities recall that as of Wednesday people can apply for
technical unemployment benefits.

WARNINGS – The number of confirmed
infections with the COVID-19 virus might reach 1 million, with the death toll
possibly exceeding the 50,000 mark, the World Health Organization president
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said. The WHO official expressed concern with
the swift growth of the number of coronavirus infections. Over the past
five weeks, we have witnessed a near exponential growth in the number of new
cases, reaching almost every country.The
number of deaths has more than doubled in the past week, the WHO president
went on to say. In another development, experts with the World Health
Organization and the World Trade Organization (WTC) have warned against food
shortage risks on global markets due to disruptions in the supply and
production chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. International bodies express
concern over the slowdown in the circulation of workers in the agricultural and
food industries, which is blocking agricultural works in numerous Western
countries and causing border crossing delays in the transport of merchandise,
which in turn leads to a waste of perishable foodstuffs. Experts have also
highlighted the need to protect workers from the agri-food sector and those in
the distribution chain, so as to minimize the spread of the virus and maintain
supply chains open.

NATO – Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today attending a
video-conference of NATO foreign ministers. The meeting will look into ways of
dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on NATO’s actions.
The agenda for talks will also focus on threats coming the southern vicinity,
the process of strategic reflection on consolidating NATO politics as well as
security developments in the Euro-Atlantic area. The meeting bears special
significance for Northern Macedonia, being the first time this country takes
part as an Ally state, the number of NATO members thus reaching 30. NATO should
make sure that the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t endanger the security of its
allies, as threats haven’t miraculously disappeared, NATO Secretary General
Jens Stoltenberg has warned.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

2 April 2020
January 14, 2019 UPDATE

ROMANIA AND THE EU – Romanian PM Viorica Dancila
will be presenting the priorities of Romania’s presidency of the Council of the
European Union during Parliament’s plenary session scheduled for Tuesday in
Strasbourg. Brexit is one of top issues to be handled by Romania, with Viorica
Dancila repeatedly saying that Bucharest is interested in protecting the rights
of Romanians working in the UK. The upcoming EU budget is another delicate
issue on Romania’s agenda. Viorica Dancila wants to build towards drafting the
budget, so as to give more funding to common European policies, such as the
Common Agricultural Policy and the Cohesion Policy.

PRESIDENCY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is
receiving on Tuesday in Bucharest his Slovenian counterpart, Borut Pahor, who
pays a two-day official visit to Romania. The visit takes place in the context
of the celebration, last year, of 25 years of diplomatic ties between Romania
and Slovenia and of Romania’s taking over the EU Council presidency. In terms
of regional cooperation, special emphasis will be laid on perspectives for
developing the Three Seas Initiative, with Slovenia due to organize the new
summit in 2019.

INFLATION – The annual inflation rate was 3.27% in
December 2018, the National Statistics Institute reports. Last year potatoes
reported the largest price hike, by nearly 40%, in addition to air transport,
post services and other categories of vegetables and canned vegetables, with
20% price hikes and natural gas, with a 16% increase. Prices for eggs, sugar
and fresh fruit went down by as much as 20%. The inflation rate is estimated to
drop to 2.9% this year, the National Bank has announced.

STRIKE
– Trade unions and
the board of the Oltenia Energy Complex in southern Romania on Monday had talks
at the Energy Ministry over the demands of the miners, who have been on strike
since Friday night. Employees want the minimum salary to be 850 euros, holiday
vouchers, the payment of extra hours for weekend days and improved working
conditions. In turn, the Energy Minister announced holiday vouchers can be
awarded starting May 1, while a 12% increase in salaries of employees in the
production line is possible, with an analysis of spending to allow further
salary increases. The measures could be implemented once trade unions start
negotiations officially and resume work. Officials say the situation in the
energy sector is normal, with the coal-based energy share standing at over
23%

BREXIT – British PM Theresa May on
Monday called on MPs to vote in favor of the Brexit agreement with the European
Union. Moreover, PM May warned that voting against the deal could eventually
lead to having Brexit cancelled. Also on Monday, European Council President
Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker sent a letter
to Theresa May saying that the withdrawal agreement is the right compromise and
is not open to renegotiation. The letter also points out the EU wants close
relations with Great Britain in the future, saying the contingency solution for
the Irish border is merely temporary. A final vote on Brexit is scheduled on
Tuesday.

NATO – Romanian Chief of General Staff General Nicolae Ciuca on
Tuesday and Wednesday is attending the NATO Military Committee session taking
place in Brussels. The agenda includes hot topics on the military agenda regarding
strategic challenges of NATO, the NATO military strategy, the Resolute Support
mission in Afghanistan as well as the regional security context. Talks will
also focus on topics related to the development of military capability using
own funds, NATO-Georgia partnership and the security context in the Western
Balkans and the Kosovo Force mission.

(Translated by E. Enache & V. Palcu)

14 January 2019
October 4, 2018

CORRUPTION – The Romanian police have today confirmed
that the former tourism minister Elena Udrea and the
former head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism
(DIICOT), Alina Bica, have been detained in Costa Rica, following intelligence
sent from Bucharest. According to judicial sources, the two are to be heard in
court. They have applied for asylum in Costa Rica, and that is why judges might
postpone a decision regarding their extradition. Udrea and Bica were under
investigation, surveillance and monitoring by the Costa Rican authorities, as
they were wanted internationally by Interpol, following the sentences they had
received in Romania for corruption. For a long time seen as the most
influential character in the former president Traian Basescu’s entourage, Udrea
received from the High Court of Cassation and Justice a final 6-year prison sentence for bribe taking
and abuse of office. The same court sentenced Bica to 4 years in prison, in a
case in which she was accused of aiding and abetting a criminal.

REFERENDUM – The campaign for the
referendum on redefining family in the Romanian constitution, due on October
6-7 ends on Friday, 7 a.m. local time. Romanian citizens are called to the
polls to say whether they agree to see the definition in the Constitution,
which currently reads ‘the consented marriage between spouses’, changed into
‘the consented marriage between a man and a woman’, the definition proposed by
Parliament. The initiative to change the phrasing in the Constitution came from
the Coalition for Family, which comprises
several Christian organizations. The coalition gathered 3 million signatures to
support their initiative. The referendum has been criticized by associations
that protect the rights of sexual minorities. For the referendum to be valid,
at least 30% of the voters registered on electoral lists must take part, and
25% of the votes must be valid.

MONETARY POLICY – The Romanian Central Bank has
decided to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 2.5% per year, and the
one for bank deposits at 1.5%. The interest rate for loans will stand at 3.5%.
These interest rates are used in the relations between commercial banks and the
Central Bank. The values of the current rates for minimum reserve requirements
applicable to liabilities in RON and in hard currencies have also been
maintained.

EU BUDGET – The EU has inadequately spent
some 3.3 billion Euros, which accounts for 2.4% of its 2017 budget, the
European Court of Auditors has announced today, quoted by news agencies. The
money has not been spent in keeping with the EU regulations, either because of
improper allocation or accounting errors. However, the ECA has stated that the
rate of improperly spent money follows a downward trend, after values such as
3.1% in 2016 and 3.8% in 2015. According to analysts, the report issued by the
Court of Auditors comes at a critical time for the EU, against worries in
Brussels that growing Euroscepticism might strengthen populist parties in next
year’s European elections.

NATO – The NATO defense minister’s meeting
continues in Brussels. On Wednesday, the participants analyzed the stage of
implementation of the decisions made by the allies at the July summit in Poland
and analyzed the progress made by Tbilisi in implementing the Substantial
NATO-Georgia Package. Also, the agenda includes talks with EU, Finish and
Swedish officials on issues of common
interest, such as military mobility or fighting hybrid and cyber attacks.
Romania is represented at the meeting by the Defense Minister Mihai Fifor, who
will also hold talks with his counterparts from Canada, Great Britain, Italy,
Spain and Turkey, as well as with the US General Curtis Scaparrotti, the
Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations.

CYBERCRIME – The Romanian Foreign Ministry expresses
its solidarity with Great Britain, following London’s denouncement of hostile
cyber actions. ‘Romania, in its capacity as EU and NATO member state, situated
in the proximity of regions marked by instability, is facing such challenges
too’ reads a communiqué issued this morning by the ministry. Bucharest has
reconfirmed its commitment to supporting the fight against cyber attacks and
has voiced interest in cooperating with Great Britain and the other allies in
implementing firm and concrete measures aimed at preventing and curbing such
phenomena. Previously, the British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt had accused
the Russian military intelligence services (GRU) of perpetrating cyber attacks
against companies and institutions across the world. Together with our allies,
we will expose and respond to the GRU’s attempts to undermine international
stability, Hunt said.

HANDBALL – Romania’s
men’s handball champions Dinamo Bucharest have scored their first victory away
from home in the current season of Champions League, by defeating 32-31 the
Finish of Riihimaen Cocks, in Group D. Dinamo now ranks second in the group
with 6 points, just like the Polish of Orlen Wisla Plock who rank first, with one
game less on their record sheet. The two teams are to meet in Bucharest on
October 14th. In another development, in women’s handball, Romania’s
champion CSM Bucharest plays on Friday against the Hungarians of FTC Rail Cargo
Budapest, in a match part of Group D of the Champions League, the first this
season.

4 October 2018
November 8, 2017

AMENDMENTS – The Romanian Government is today expected to adopt a series of amendments to the Fiscal Code, providing, among other things, for the full transfer of social contributions from employers to employees, a cut from 16 to 10% in the tax on income, pensions, farming-related revenues, interest rates and rent. The Governments economic session has been so far postponed twice. The ruling coalition pointed out the new measures are bound to produce positive effects, amidst fears voiced by employers, trade unions and part of civil society. The biggest trade union confederations have announced protests would continue at national level. On Sunday some 20,000 people protested the Governments measures, while yesterday saw a big protest at Dacias manufacturing plant in Mioveni, southern Romania. The new fiscal measures have been harshly criticized by the president and the right-wing opposition.

NATO – Romanias Defense Minister Mihai Fifor is starting today taking part in a two-day meeting of NATO Defense Ministers. According to Mihai Fifor, the meeting represents a new opportunity for Romania to foster its security interests in the Black Sea region and consolidate the Alliances contribution to securing its eastern flank. The main topics on the agenda for talks are the reform of NATOs command structure, the mobility of NATO troops deployed in Europe, the developments in Afghanistan, as well as North Koreas missile and nuclear programmes. Mihai Fifor will also attend the Anti-DAESH Global Coalition meeting, held on the sidelines of the NATO meeting. He will meet with US Defense Secretary James Mattis and counterparts from Great Britain, France, Portugal, Turkey and Italy, as well as with General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

EBRD – Romanias economy could report a 5.3% economic growth, which is estimated to go down to 4.2% in 2018, reads the latest forecast issued by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Previous estimates pointed to a 4% growth for 2017 and 3.5% for 2018. The National Forecast Committee last week also revised its economic growth forecast to 6.1% in 2017 as compared to the previous estimate of 5.6%. In October the IMF upgraded its economic growth forecast for Romania from 4.2% to 5.5%.

THE KING – King Mihai I of Romania is in grave condition at his house in Switzerland, which is why no event will be held to mark his name day on the feast day of Saint Archangels Michael and Gabriel. On Tuesday Mihai was administered the Holy Eucharist, after on Monday the Royal House announced his condition had taken a turn for the worse. Aged 96, the King is suffering from two forms of cancer. Ascended to the throne in 1940, Mihai I was forced to step down and go into exile in 1947 by the new communist authorities. Mihai I returned to Romania only after the anti-communist revolution of 1989, when he regained Romanian citizenship and part of the estates seized by communist authorities.

ENERGY – Romania has stepped up its negotiations with China with a view to building reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and a new black coal unit at the Rovinari thermal power plant, Energy Minister Toma Petcu said on the sidelines of a ministerial conference held in Bucharest, attended by a Chinese delegation. In turn, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu expressed Romanias interest to taking part in projects fostered as part of the new “Silk Road project in China. Melescanu highlighted Romanias strengths in this respect, its geographic position and its transport facilities, the port of Constanta, the Danube and the Danube-Black Sea canal.

THE POPE – Pope Francis today accepted an invitation to become honorary member of the Romanian Academy, extended by an official delegation of the Academy at the Vatican today. The Pope accepted the distinction, underlying his “friendly relations with Romania. The award will be sent to the Holy See by the Apostolic Nunciature in Bucharest. Pope Francis is the second pope to be named honorary member of the Romanian Academy after John Paul II, who became a member in 2001.

EUROSTAT – 25.8% of Romanias population was employed in agriculture in 2015, placing the country on the top position at EU level, against a community average of 4.4%, reads the latest report made public by Eurostat. In 2015 some 10 million EU citizens worked in agriculture, of which 7.5 in Romania, Poland, Italy, France, Spain, Bulgaria and Germany. According to Eurostat, the rate of completing higher education studies varies between 1.6% in Romania and 25% in the UK amongst agriculture workers. Finally, Romania has the lowest rate at EU level, 1.5%, in terms of full-time agriculture workers, as compared to the EU average of 16.4%.

MOLDOVA – EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom spoke about the unused potential of Moldovas free trade agreement with the EU, despite offering many benefits to the Republic of Moldova. The EU official is on a visit to Chisinau to mark three years since the agreement was ratified. Cecilia Malmstrom said Moldovan authorities must carry out additional reforms to step up trade relations with the Union. The EU official went on to say that Moldovas implementation of the memorandum signed with the IMF is a prerequisite to the EUs € 100 million financial package to this country. According to statistics, Moldovas exports to the EU exceeded $ 1 billion in the first nine months of the year, up by 16% as compared to the same period last year.

TOUR – As of today US president Donald Trump is on a three-day visit to China, an important stop part of his tour of Asia. According to international news agencies, the White House leader will meet his counterpart Xi Jinping against the backdrop of US efforts to reconstruct a single frontline against North Koreas nuclear programme. Trump will call on China to break all trade relations with North Korea and get in line with UN sanctions against Pyongyang. During his tour of Asia, President Trump has visited Japan and South Korea, and will next travel to Vietnam and the Philippines.

FOOTBALL – On Thursday Romanias national football team is playing Turkey at home in Cluj Napoca, central Romania, and will next play the Netherlands on November 14. Both games are friendly. Coach Cosmin Contra has called up 30 players, of whom 17 play for clubs abroad. The two games are bound to prepare preparations for the 2020 European Cup preliminaries. Romania failed to qualify to the 2018 World Cup to be hosted by Russia, after a subpar campaign with German Christoph Daum at its helm. We recall Romanian Mircea Lucescu is currently Turkeys headcoach. (Translated by V. Palcu)

8 November 2017
May 19, 2016

NATO – Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu on Thursday and Friday is attending the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers held in Brussels. On this occasion, the Minister and his NATO counterparts will be signing Montenegros NATO Accession Protocol. The meeting is an important step ahead of the NATO Summit to be hosted by Warsaw on July 8-9, 2016. The Protocol represents a moment aimed at reasserting NATOs ‘open doors policy. Talks will also focus on consolidating collective defense and responding to the security developments on the Alliances eastern and southern flanks, its role in projecting stability as well as support for partner states. At the same time NATO officials will also refer to strengthening the NATO-EU Strategic Partnership.

PLANE CRASH – An EgyptAir airliner carrying 66 people onboard flying from Paris to Cairo went off the grid off Karpathos Island in Greece while transiting Egyptian airspace, the Greek Airport authority reports. Most passengers were Egyptian and French. One theory still standing is that the plane could have been hijacked, given that the aircraft was relatively new, the pilot had over 6,000 hours of fly time and the weather was good when the plane disappeared from the radar. France has already set up a task force to further investigate this case.

EXERCISE – Romanian Naval Forces are as of today taking part in a series of military exercises in the Black Sea, jointly with the French frigate Jean Bart. The F 70-A frigate is part of an anti-air battleship squadron engaging in air and maritime operations and crisis response missions. The frigate can intervene in any conflict area across the globe together with other allied or international military platforms. On Friday, the frigate will host a ceremony on board marking 20 years since a partnership was struck between the “Jean Bart primary school in Constanta and the Marasesti frigate.

EU REPORT – The European Commission on Wednesday made public a package on the 2016 European Semester, including country-specific recommendations to EU Member States. For Romania, the recommendations reflect the country report the Commission published in February 2016, referring to the fiscal and budgetary policy, financial stability, social policy, employment, education, healthcare, public administration and infrastructure. The Romanian Government says that the national reform program and the convergence program include measures responding to these recommendations, aligned to the governing program and to the assumed strategic priorities. The Commissions recommendations will be discussed as part of the European Council meeting in June and formally adopted in July.

CANNES – Cristian Mungius latest feature Graduation, competing for the Palme dOr at the International Film Festival in Cannes, is being premiered today. This is Mungius third participation in the official selection. In 2007 Mungius 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days won the grand prize. In 2012, Beyond the Hills scooped the awards the best screenplay and best leading actress. Graduation is also being premiered today in Bucharest, with 4,000 people being able to watch the film concurrently with the jury and audience in Cannes. The film will be screened in other cities across Romania. This year, competing in the main section at Cannes is also Cristi Puius Sieranevada, screened last week and well-received by the critics, and Dogs by Bogdan Mirica, competing in the Un Certain Regard section.

TENNIS – Two Romanians have reached the final preliminary phase of the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, totalling 32 million dollars in prize money. Marius Copil, 190th ranked in ATP rankings, will play Roberto Carballes Baena (115 ATP), while Adrian Ungur, 204th ranked in ATP standings, will play Frances Tiafoe of the United States, 188 ATP. In the womens competition, Sorana Cirstea (99 WTA) and Andreea Mitu (114 WTA) are competing to qualify to the main draw. Simona Halep, Irina Begu, Monica Niculescu and Alexandra Dulgheru have already secured qualification.

FOOTBALL – Spanish football club FC Seville on Wednesday won the Europa League trophy in the final match hosted by Basel in Switzerland. Seville defeated FC Liverpool of England 3-1. This is the third consecutive Europa League title for Seville. The club has won the trophy five times in the last 10 years in the 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons, a record in the history of European football.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

19 May 2016
June 25, 2014 UPDATE

BUCHAREST– Romania’s Parliament on Wednesday passed a declaration calling on President Traian Basescu to resign, following his brother’s involvement in a file of influence peddling and corruption. The document, passed with 344 yeas, in the absence of the MPs of the Liberal Democratic Party (in opposition) and of the pro-presidential People’s Movement Party (also in opposition), says that Traian Basescu is no longer entitled to ensure the presidency’s prestige, moral integrity and legitimacy. The MPs of the left majority made up of the Social-Democratic Party, the Conservative Party and the National Union for the Progress of Romania, as well as those of the populist Dan Diaconescu Party of the People and of the National Liberal Party, in opposition, stood for the president’s resignation. The declaration passed by Parliament has no legal value. Prior to the parliamentary session, President Basescu said he would not resign since he had not intervened in his brother’s file and was not responsible for his deeds. The initiators have sent the declaration to the EU heads of state and government, who will meet Basescu at the community summit in Brussels on Thursday.

SEECP– Bucharest on Wednesday hosted the Summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process states, whose rotating presidency is currently held by Romania. European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule attended the summit alongside representatives of the 12 member countries in the region. Romania aims to synchronize the actions carried out within that structure with the efforts of South-East European states for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

BUCHAREST- The vice-president of the Social Democratic Party, Ioan Rus, on Wednesday evening became the new transport minister in the Ponta cabinet. Former interior minister 10 years ago, Rus is replacing Dan Sova, who stepped down on Tuesday, to lead the Social Democrats’ campaign for the presidential election due in autumn. Opinion polls credit Prime Minister Victor Ponta with the highest chances of success, although he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy.

MOLDOVA-The pro-western government in Chishinau on Wednesday decided to set up a company with responsibilities in administering the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline which will convey natural gas from Romania to the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca has announced the pipeline will become operational on August 27th, one year since the start of the construction works and on the day when Chishinau celebrates 23 years since it proclaimed its independence from Moscow. The pipeline is meant to reduce Moldova’s dependence on Russian gas. We recall that on Friday in Brussels, the Republic of Moldova will sign the EU Association and Free Trade Agreements.

NATO MEETING– NATO has decided not to resume military cooperation with Russia, which it interrupted in April, following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced in Brussels on Wednesday. He went on to say that Moscow had broken rules and shattered the allies’ confidence, but he underlined that NATO leaves the doors open for a diplomatic dialogue with Moscow. Rasmussen made these statements at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, the last of its kind before the NATO Summit due in Great Britain in September. Romania was represented by the line minister, Titus Corlatean, who reiterated the Romanian government’s commitment to gradually increase budget allocations for defence, so as to reach the envisaged level of 2% of the GDP in 2017.

UKRAINE– Ukrainian defence minister, Mihail Koval, on Wednesday announced that 142 Ukrainian military have been killed since the spring of 2014, when uprisings broke out in the pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. Koval said the death toll includes only members of the armed forces which have been killed since March, when Russia annexed Crimea, until now, when the Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine are ravaged by a separatist uprising. In Moscow, the Federation Council on Wednesday cancelled its resolution of March 1st 2014 allowing President Vladimir Putin to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory. The voting took place after President Putin had called on the Federation Council to do that so as to contribute to settling the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The Russian leader has also called for the ceasefire enacted by Ukraine expiring on Friday morning to be extended and to be used for negotiations on the matter between the rulers in Kiev and pro-Russian leaders in Eastern Ukraine.

IRAQ-The first American military advisers of the 300 meant to aid the Iraqi government troops fight against Sunni insurgents have started their mission in Baghdad, the Pentagon has announced. Their main task is to assess the Iraqi troops, without however fighting with the rebels, who have mounted a quick offensive in the North in the last couple of weeks. According to the UN, over 1,000 people were killed in Iraq over June 5th-22nd. Sunni insurgents led by the radical “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” have mounted a vast offensive seizing several cities, including the second largest city of Mosul.

TENNIS- The pair made up of Romanian Monica Niculescu and Czech Klara Koukalova has qualified for the second round of the Wimbledon Ladies’ Doubles, after defeating Romanian Raluca Olaru- Austrian Sandra Klemenschits 6-1, 6-4. In the Wimbledon’s Gentlemen’s Doubles, the pair made up of Romanian Horia Tecau and Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer has qualified for the next stage, after defeating the Finnish pair Henri Kontinen-Jarkko Nieminen in three sets 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (4). In the next round, Tecau and Rojer will meet the pair made up of Spaniard Feliciano Lopez and Austrian Jurgen Melzer. In exchange, the pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Croat Marin Draganja got eliminated from the first round of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, after being defeated in 5 sets, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, by Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez. In the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles, 3rd seeded Simona Halep has qualified for the second round, after defeating Brazilian Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-2. She will meet in the second round Ukrainian Lesia Turenko. Romanian Irina Begu has also qualified for the second round, after defeating French Virginie Razzano 1-6, 6-4, 7-5. She will meet German Andrea Petkovic in the next round.

25 June 2014