Radio România Internațional

Tag: natural gas reserves

  • September 14, 2023 UPDATE

    September 14, 2023 UPDATE

    PLAN – In Thursday’s session, the government updated the national emergency
    plan on the security of natural gas supplies in Romania. The adopted measures
    stipulate the provision of energy resources and support designed to help the
    population safely get through the upcoming winter. On the other hand, all
    farmers growing produce, irrespective of their form of association, who
    encountered great difficulty in selling their products in 2022, will receive an
    additional financial support of 2 lei per liter of fuel used last year in farming.
    Also on Thursday, the government adopted the procedure for implementing the
    Investalim program, designed to boost Romania’s capacity of processing
    foodstuffs. Government officials also greenlit the agreements with the Republic
    of Moldova on the construction and modernization of three bridges over Prut
    River, one linking Albița to Leușeni and modernizing the two bridges in Sculeni
    and Oancea-Cahul. Finally, the Government also decided Romania will also send
    some 700 thousand EUR worth of aid to Libya, consisting in food and shelter
    supplies.




    DRONE
    ATTACKS – The Russian Federation’s attacks on the Ukrainian Danube ports of
    Reni, Izmail and Chilia are unacceptable, State Secretary with the Romanian
    Defense Ministry, Simona Cojocaru, said. In recent weeks, we have
    witnessed an unprecedented escalation of this war of aggression, very close to
    Romania’s border the minister said, after new drone fragments, most
    likely Russian, were discovered in the Danube Delta, bordering Ukraine.




    STRIKE -
    Romanian Railways trade unions have announced a strike for Friday morning, with
    both passenger and freight trains expected to be suspended. Unlike the all-out
    strike, when organizers must ensure the operation of a third of all trains,
    Friday’s strike falls under no such obligation. Trade unions have launched the
    strike after negotiations for a new collective employment agreement failed and
    rail companies are not operating with official budgets. Transport Minister
    Sorin Grindeanu said the said budgets can be approved only at the end of the
    month, when the government is expected to operate a new budget adjustment.




    MOLDOVA
    – The Republic of Moldova wants to build a NATO-standard army, Moldova’s Prime
    Minister Dorin Recean said after meeting NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea
    Geoană in Chișinău. Moldova’s
    neutrality is not tantamount to indifference, it doesn’t mean we don’t need to
    do anything. We need to build our defense capabilities, and that requires
    investments in our national army, the head of government pointed out. In turn, Deputy Secretary Goeană explained
    that, although Moldova doesn’t face major military risks from the Russian
    Federation, this country is still fighting a hybrid war triggered by Russia,
    which involved energy blackmail, cyber-attacks, disinformation, influencing
    democratic processes and fuelling social turmoil. (VP)





  • November 1, 2022 UPDATE

    November 1, 2022 UPDATE

    TALKS – The presidents of Romania
    and the Republic of Moldova, Klaus Iohannis and Maia Sandu, respectively, on
    Tuesday held talks in Bucharest about Romania’s support for Moldova
    with a view to helping this country overcome the energy crisis. Talks also
    focused on consolidating the excellent and substantial bilateral relation at
    political, economic and sectorial levels and furthering projects of joint
    strategic interest in the fields of energy, transport, healthcare, education or
    information society. President Sandu thanked Romania for its swift action in
    order to provide electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and firewood to Moldovan
    citizens. In turn, president Iohannis hailed the 41% increase in bilateral
    trade in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the similar period of 2021. The
    Moldovan president also met with Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă. Talks focused on regional
    security and energy developments caused by Russia destroying electricity
    infrastructure objectives in Ukraine. The two officials underlined the need to
    boost border traffic by expanding existing bridges and transport routes and by
    building new bridges over the Prut River that would improve interconnection
    between the two states and further develop economic and business ties. Also on
    Tuesday, Maia Sandu attended the international conference entitled Women MPs
    in Romania and promoting gender equality as a national top priority held in
    Bucharest.




    REFUGEES – The
    National Border Police announced that some 76 thousand people entered Romania
    on Monday, of whom some 7,500 were Ukrainian nationals, a 15% drop compared to
    the previous day. According to a press release, some 2.7 million Ukrainians have
    entered Romania since February 10, most of whom were in route to Western
    countries. 86,500 Ukrainian citizens have chosen to stay.




    ENERGY – Romania
    has one of the five highest increases in the price of electricity and natural
    gas in the European Union in the first half of the year – 55%. According to
    Eurostat, some EU states even saw prices drop, like The Netherlands, Slovenia,
    Poland and Hungary, where the price is regulated by the state. In the first
    half of the year, Europeans paid on average over 25 euros per 100 KWh from 22
    euros in the first half of 2021. Natural gas was also more expensive across the
    EU, from 6.5 to 8.6 euros for 100 KWh. The increasingly high energy bills have
    pushed the inflation upwards in the eurozone to a record level of 10.7%,
    according to provisional estimates published by Eurostat. This is the first
    time that the increase in prices reaches double-digits in the eurozone. The
    previous record of 9.9% was reached last month. In its attempts to keep the
    inflation rate in check, the European Central Bank last week decided to raise
    its monetary policy interest rates by a further 0.75%, with yet more increases
    expected in the coming months.




    NATURAL GAS – Romania’s
    gas storage level nears 97%, said energy minister Virgil Popescu. He again
    promised there won’t be problems with the gas supply this winter. The minimum
    mandatory storage filling level in the European Union is 80%, and was reached
    as early as mid September. Gas storage facilities across the Union are almost
    full.




    INVESTMENT – The
    Finnish company Nokian Tyres will invest 650 million EUR in a tire factory in
    Oradea, northwestern Romania, with zero-carbon emissions. Construction will
    start next year while production is expected to start in two years. Some 500
    workers will be employed to ensure an annual production capacity of 600 million
    tires per year. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has hailed the announcement,
    stating that foreign investment in Romania has increased by over 46% in the
    first months of 2022, standing at over 6.4 billion EUR.




    PUBLIC RADIO
    DAY
    – Radio Romania turned 94 on Tuesday. November 1, 1928 saw the first broadcast
    of the Society of Radiotelephonic Broadcasting, as the public radio service was
    named in official documents when it was first established. Later becoming a
    public autonomous service of national interest and with regional independence,
    the station hosted, from as early as the 1920s, the first radio play, the first
    children’s programme, the first live broadcast from the Romanian Opera House
    and the first sports broadcast. In recognition of its role in the history of
    Romania, Parliament in 2019 established 1st of November as National Radio Day
    in Romania. (CM & VP)