Radio România Internațional

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  • Seven million Romanians fully vaccinated

    Seven million Romanians fully vaccinated

    Romania has exceeded the threshold of seven million people fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, which represents about 37% of the countrys population. The announcement was made by the National Committee for COVID 19 Vaccination Coordination, in the context in which doctors keep saying that vaccination must remain the most important method of preventing infection. Health experts say that physical distancing and preventive measures should continue, given that the Western countries, where the immunization rate is much higher, are once again facing an increase in the number of infections.



    Although, in Romania, the incidence of new COVID-19 infections is decreasing, the number of COVID-19- associated deaths and that of patients in serious condition remains high. The manager of the University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, Professor Cătălin Cârstoiu, PhD, says that, although the number of new cases of infection has apparently decreased, there is still pressure on the big hospitals.



    Professor Cătălin Cârstoiu: “In the big, emergency hospitals, such as the University Hospital, a tense situation will persist, so to speak, for the next few weeks, because you understand and we all understand that, generally, patients with moderate forms of the diseases reach the intensive care units or the big hospitals, so even if the number of cases in emergency units seems to be on a downward trend, things remain complicated: there are 30-40 inpatients, every day, from one day to another, in the ER. There are 350 hospitalized patients, not 450. This is the first time that the number of hospitalized patients testing negative for COVID-19 is higher than the number of patients testing positive for the virus, after almost two and a half months.”



    The National Committee for Vaccination Coordination estimates that, by the end of the month, the logistical preparations for the COVID vaccination of children aged between 5 and 11 will be completed. Vaccination for this age group might start in December or, in a less likely scenario, in January next year. Children up to the age of 11 can be vaccinated in centers where the Pfizer BioNTtech vaccine is available as well as in the family doctors offices. The dedicated platform will be modified so that one adult can schedule one child.



    On the other hand, the problem of fictitious vaccinations makes the situation more difficult. Two nurses accused of taking money for issuing false COVID vaccination certificates at a center in Petea Border-Crossing Point were taken into temporary custody for 30 days. The same decision was made for two registrars at the vaccination center. According to prosecutors, one of the nurses and the two registrars allegedly asked and received repeatedly between 250 and 300 Euros from those who wanted to obtain vaccination certificates and the European digital COVID certificate without being vaccinated. The other nurse allegedly acted as a go-between. (LS)

  • Romanian society tends to look more and more like a dystopia

    Romanian society tends to look more and more like a dystopia

    The Romanian society tends to look more and more like
    the dystopia imagined by Huxley, who envisaged a world of stability and peace
    where completely despiritualized people used to live in false freedom and
    harmony. The restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the dreadful
    coronavirus are changing the human nature in a very subtle way, which was quite
    unpredictable in the early days of the pandemic. However, all these strange
    things like the lockdown, the limited freedom of movement, the closed theatres,
    cinemas and restaurants is the new normalcy. And so is the remote working. In
    the following minutes, sociologist Vladimir Ionas is going to tell us more on how
    the working conditions changed during the pandemic and how they are influencing
    the psychological exhaustion phenomenon.


    Vladimir Ionas: The pandemic has altered both the behaviour of
    the employee and the employer. The idea of people working from home at first
    raised a lot of questions related to productivity. However, productivity didn’t
    drop during the pandemic as expected, on the contrary. And employers started to
    like the idea of letting employees to work from home as much as they can.
    Besides a lot of advantages related to rented offices and other costs,
    employers realized that productivity is on the rise and that’s a good thing.


    No one would have believed at
    that time that one could raise productivity by working in pajamas and attending
    ZOOM sessions. However, there are side effects, like increased psychological
    and physical exhaustion adding to the burnout phenomenon, as working from home
    implies a larger amount of work. Here is
    again Vladimir Ionaș:


    Vladimir Ionas: Employees are motivated by the uncertainties
    related to keeping their jobs, and they want to prove that they can perform
    well from home too or even better. So they have doubled their efforts, trying
    to finish the work faster and they start being affected by the burnout effect,
    which has been reported in an increasingly higher number of categories not only
    in the medical personnel who have lately been subjected to an increased amount
    of stress. There were employees who worked without breaks in a bid to finish
    their work earlier and they even worked at night. There are also children who
    are at home now because schools have been closed down and they need attention
    too. So, there are many factors as you can see, which may lead to this burnout
    effect.


    Old vulnerabilities that we all feel at certain times
    in our careers, have deepened during the pandemic mainly as the job market
    doesn’t look very good nowadays. This has also exerted more pressure on
    employees. Here is Vladimir Ionaș with more on the issue.


    Vladimir Ionaș: The concern that we all feel these days about
    our jobs has triggered in those working from home the need to prove that can
    perform as good as if they were in the office. There were people even before
    the pandemic who said they can do their jobs from home, they don’t need an
    office, and the pandemic gave them the opportunity to prove they can be even
    better at their jobs by working from home. Unfortunately, this situation has
    prolonged and it proved that for some employees the amount of work they had to
    deal with proved to be higher than before the pandemic. Even now, there are big
    percentages, around 60-65 % of the active population, who prefer to do their
    work from home because besides all the shortcomings there are also positive
    aspects, like more time to spend with the family and the loved ones and that’s
    a good thing.


    School from home was also believed to be absurd until
    the pandemic but now it’s reality, significantly impacting the development of
    the young people’s social abilities. Let’s listen to Vladimir Ionaș again:


    Vladimir Ionaș: Young people are bearing the brunt of the new
    situation as they were at the beginning of a new life, a student life when one
    has to go from hostel to classes and meet with friends and colleagues. They can
    no longer enjoy the student life as we know it because most of the faculties
    and universities shifted to online courses. And I believe these young people need
    more attention from the psychological point of view. The fact that 65% of the
    employees have voted in favour of home working even after the pandemic proves
    they are pleased with how things are going on right now.


    A question remains though: are we already seeing the
    dawns of the society depicted in Huxley’s book or is this just an impression?

    (bill)

  • The Romanian Revolution – 31 years on

    The Romanian Revolution – 31 years on

    31 years ago, on December 16, thousands of Romanians, who had been deprived of some of their fundamental rights, and who had had enough of suffering and deprivation, had the courage to take to the streets in the western city of Timisoara to ask for their right to freedom and justice and to try to relinquish the Communist dictatorship that ruled the country for more than 40 years. On December 17, Timisoara became the first city free of Communism following the repression of the protesters by the authorities that opened fire on them. The uprising extended, as of December 21, to the entire country, to the capital Bucharest and other cities. The protests that led to the fall of the Communist regime culminated with the trial and execution of the Ceausescus. Actually what happened in Romania was in line with a larger-scale transformation that had already started in Eastern Europe.



    Every year Romania commemorates its heroes, those people who died for an ideal which they believed in. In Bucharest as well as in other cities, the anti-Communist revolution heroes were commemorated in the special conditions imposed by the new coronavirus pandemic. In the Revolution Square in Bucharest the participants in the commemoration ceremony recalled the sacrifice of the December 1989 heroes with emotion:



    “We had other ideals, other expectations and today we realize that the people in power tend to forget about those heroes and the people’s ideals at the moment of the revolution. Romanians wanted freedom and also normal education and healthcare systems.”



    “I am literally devastated, remembering those moments, I guess I was the first person to speak with my kids on Ceausescu’s phone.”



    In a message which President Klaus Iohannis conveyed on Tuesday, on the occasion of the Romanian Revolution and Freedom Victory Day, he underlined that 31 years ago Romanians set the foundation of today’s democratic Romania, turning their revolt, the pain and terror, accumulated during decades of tyranny, into the driving force of the anti-Communist Revolution. President Iohannis also recalled that through their sacrifice in December 1989, Romania’s heroes put an end to an illegitimate and criminal regime, and their courage and determination rendered our freedom and dignity.



    Klaus Iohannis highlighted that for freedom and democracy Romania’s heroes paid a big price in December 1989, after 45 years of crimes and cruelty that broke Romania’s normal relation with the family of European democracies. At the same time, Klaus Iohannis underlined that the justice system should do its duty and condemn those guilty of the bloody repression of December 1989, showing that the pain of those who lost their loved ones in the revolution was increased by the state’s incapacity to do them justice. (tr. L. Simion)

  • April 23, 2020

    April 23, 2020

    Covid-19 Romania — Romania is still on a rising trend in terms of the number of new coronavirus infections reported — experts have warned. So far about 10,100 cases of infection have been reported, with the death toll reaching 527. Abroad, as many as 1,000 Romanian citizens have been confirmed with the new coronavirus, most of them in Italy, with 64 Romanians from abroad having been killed by the Covid-19 virus. On Wednesday the Romanian President Klaus Iohanis announced that after May 15, when the state of emergency comes to an end, the restrictions on the individuals’ freedom of movement would not be extended. However, people will be obliged to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces and in the public transportation means, with public gatherings remaining strictly banned.



    Videoconference — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is today participating in a European Council videoconference dealing with measures aimed at managing the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the 4th conference held on the topic which gathers the heads of state and government from the EU. On March 26, the European Council members agreed on the need of a coordinated strategy for relaxing the restrictions imposed in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, on a comprehensive recovery plan and on unprecedented investments. Subsequently, the presidents of the European Council and of the European Commission drafted a roadmap for lifting restrictions across the bloc, which should be based on several criteria such as a significant drop of new coronavirus cases, control of the spread of the virus for a longer period of time, sufficient health system capacity, and testing a bigger number of people. The Committee and the Council added that a common European approach is needed in this regard, although the guidelines for and ways of lifting restrictions may differ from one state to another.



    UN — The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has today announced that the new coronavirus crisis could provide certain countries with an excuse for adopting repressive measures on grounds that are not related to the pandemic. He warned that these countries risk turning the pandemic into a human rights crisis, which would be unacceptable. Mr. Gutteres has made public a UN Report which highlights how human rights can and must guide COVID-19 response and recovery from the health, social and economic crisis facing the world. Antonio Guterres added that the world could see how the virus does not discriminate, but its impacts do. According to the UN report, migrants, refugees and displaced people are the most vulnerable categories. 131 countries have closed their borders, with only 30 of them making an exception for asylum seekers. The new coronavirus has so far infected more than 2.5 million people worldwide, of whom almost 180 thousand have died, shows a Reuters death toll.



    World Book Day — Starting in 1996, the Word Book and Copyright Day has been celebrated on April 23 upon a UNESCO’s initiative. The day marks the death in 1616 of three great writers of the world: the English William Shakespeare, the Spanish Miguel de Cervantes and the Spanish-born Peruvian Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Also April 23 is the birthday of such writers as Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. UNESCO declared April 23 the World Book and Copyright Day in an attempt to encourage reading, given the sharp decline in reading habits across the world. All countries of the world mark the day by holding events to pay homage to books, writers, editors, book sellers, librarians and of course to readers. The events include book exhibitions and public readings. This year, in the context of the coronaviurs pandemic, the World Book and Copyright Day is marked in a special way. In Romania, the 8th edition of the Open Books Night will be held under the motto ‘celebrate books from #home’. All readers, grownups and children, are invited to share the joy of reading online.



    Paris — The French group Renault has today reported a drop of more than 19% in its revenues registered in the first quarter of 2020, against the backdrop of the coronaviurs pandemic. Renault global sales have dropped by almost 26%, and in Europe by 36%. The Dacia brand has been especially affected, reporting in Europe a car registration decline of 44.5%. Production at the Dacia Mioveni Factory, in southern Romania, was resumed partially on Tuesday, based on a volunteering principle. Dacia Company was taken over by the Renault Group in 1999. Re-launched in 2004 with the new Logan model, Dacia has become an important player on the European car market. (tr. L. Simion)

  • April 22, 2020 UPDATE

    April 22, 2020 UPDATE

    Covid-19 Romania — Another 3 people infected with Covid-19 have died, taking the total death toll in Romania to 519, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Wednesday evening. Romania now has more than 9,700 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 and over 2,400 patients have recovered from the infection. The number of Romanian citizens outside Romania killed by Covid-19 reached 64. Over 950 Romanian citizens abroad have been infected, most of them in Italy and Spain. Also on Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis announced that after May 15, when the state of emergency comes to an end, the restrictions on the individuals’ freedom of movement would not be extended. However, people will be obliged to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces and in the public transportation means, with public gatherings remaining strictly forbidden. According to President Iohannis, the authorities are working on a detailed plan on resuming economic activities, especially in the highly restricted areas.



    Economy — The Romanian finance minister Florin Citu says that, according to his estimates, Romania’s economic situation is not as bad as initially expected. He added that next week he would receive the situation of the revenues collected by the state in the past month. He underlined that many SMEs managed to adapt to the current situation, starting to produce what is requested on the market and that they are paying their taxes. The finance minister went on to say that the state’s main objective was to ensure the population’s health, but once the peak of the epidemic is overcome, and the social distancing measures are relaxed, all necessary instruments will be used to re-launch the economy. Minister Citu also said that Romania is getting funds only from the domestic market at present but that it is also looking for financing on the international market. He added that he is also working on a government-bond issuance program.



    Media — In this period of crisis, the public mass media institutions from Europe have proved their unique importance, by providing the audience with credible, carefully verified information while avoiding fake news — said the Director General of the European Broadcasting Union, Noel Curran. He also underlined the European public radio and television broadcasters’ concern with broadcasting cultural programs and also gave the example of Radio Romania in this regard. The public mass media services provide credible news, introduce educational programs and programs for children, being very creative in their work. Against the backdrop of this unprecedented crisis, this is a very strong response, to which the public reacted in its turn — the EBU Director General added.



    Washington — The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that Washington had serious reasons to believe that the Chinese authorities delayed reporting the new coronavirus outbreak in a timely manner to the WHO. He also accused China of failing to report human to human transmission of the virus ‘for a month, until it was in every province inside of China.’ President Donald Trump said Saturday that there should be consequences for China, if it was ‘knowingly responsible’ for the coronavirus pandemic. He also added that the WHO failed to fulfill its main mission and should be held responsible for having promoted China’s disinformation. (tr. L. Simion)

  • March 27, 2020 UPDATE

    March 27, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Romania – In Romania, the National Public Health Institute has updated the COVID-19 testing algorithm. Therefore, tests will be made on the people who travelled abroad, close contacts of the confirmed cases who show symptoms, the medical and sanitary staff showing symptoms and the cases of pneumonia, from all age categories and from all hospitals. The latest figures issued by the authorities point to 1292 cases of infection and 25 deaths. 115 people have recovered. In the Diaspora, 11 Romanian citizens have died following infection with COVID-19, mostly in Italy. According to the PM Ludovic Orban the main objective is to protect the health and life of the citizens and to contain the spread of the virus and increase diagnostic capabilities.



    Funds – Romania believes that the EU needs to show increased flexibility and provide adapted solutions to respond more efficiently to the increasing needs in the healthcare system and to combat the economic effects of the progressive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a communiqué of the Ministry for European Funds, Romania participated on Friday in the summit of the EU members and of the EC regarding the newly created Investment Initiative for combating the coronavirus, held as a video conference and chaired by the Croat presidency of the Council of the EU. The initiative provides for specific measures. Romania intends to use European funds to support, among others, the people who are in technical unemployment, the employees of companies whose activity was affected, the essential health programs and services, temporary employment of medial staff, and to purchase medical devices.



    COVID – 19 Europe – The President of the EP David Sassoli said Friday that he expected EU leaders to show increased responsibility during Thursday’s teleconference summit, adding that the EU was more than the sum of national governments. At the summit of the 27 EU countries, it was decided to postpone looking into ampler measures against the economic consequences of the pandemic. The Italian PM Giuseppe Conte threatened not to sign a joint declaration if the EU did not adopt special measures. The officials of the 27 members have agreed to come up with proposals in 2 weeks’ time. At global level the number of COVID-19 infections has exceeded 550 thousand and the number of deaths is beyond 25 thousand. In Italy, in the past 24 hours, a record number of deaths, almost 1,000, has been reported. (update by L. Simion)

  • February 8, 2020

    February 8, 2020

    Government – The PM designate of Romania, Ludovic Orban, announced he would submit, on Monday, in Parliament the list of ministers and an updated governing program with a view to starting procedures for the investment of a new government. The announcement came after President Klaus Iohannis designated the Liberal leader to from a new cabinet. The decision was made after the first Orban government was dismissed on Wednesday through a no confidence motion initiated by the main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, following the government’s decision to assume responsibility for a bill on returning to the election of mayors in two rounds of voting, only a few months ahead of the elections. The Romanian president also reiterated his opinion that holding early elections was the best option for Romania at the moment. The interim leader of the PSD Marcel Ciolacu said he was considering notifying the Constitutional Court over the re-designation of the outgoing PM Ludovic Orban as the new PM. To call early elections the Parliament should reject two proposals of PM designate.



    USR — The political committee of the Save Romania Union party (USR) represented in the Romanian Parliament and the National Council of PLUS, led by the former PM and European Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, are meeting today in separate meetings to decide on a merger. The USR deputy Ionut Mosteanu pointed out that the national bureaus proposed that a merger congress should take place in July, but the decision lies with the leaderships of the two parties. In another development, following internal elections, 91% of the USR members voted for their party to be positioned on the center-right side of the political spectrum. The referendum called at the initiative of the USR president Dan Barna unfolded for 7 days starting on February 1.



    Flu — 23 Romanians have so far died of the flu since the beginning of the flu season. The latest flu victims are two women and three men aged between 26 and 67. They all suffered from other diseases and had not been allegedly vaccinated. On Thursday the Romanian healthcare authorities officially declared a flu epidemic. More than 16 thousand pupils from across Romania are affected by the partial or full suspension of classes due to the flu. Experts say that the upward trend of flu cases will be maintained in the coming weeks, since lots of Romanians have not got a flu shot.



    Tennis – The matches pitting the Romanian and Russian teams in the playoff of the Fed Cup World Group continue Saturday in the northwestern Romanian town of Cluj Napoca. In the singles competition Ana Bogdan will play against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Elena Gabriela Ruse against Veronika Kudermetova while in the doubles the pair Irina Bara/Raluca Olaru will be up against Ana Blinkova/Ana Kalinskaia. On Friday evening, after the first day of competition, the two teams were on a par with the same number of points 1-1. The Romanian Elena Gabriela Ruse (166 WTA) was defeated in 2 sets by Ekaterina Alexandrova (28 WTA), and Ana Bogdan (90 WTA) won against the Russian Veronika Kudermetova (38 WTA) in 3 sets. The winning nations will advance to the inaugural Fed Cup Finals in Budapest scheduled for April 14 to 19.



    Rugby — Romania’s national rugby team is playing today against Portugal, away from home, in the 2nd round of the Rugby Europe Championship, after having been defeated in the first round by Georgia. This is the 25th match between Romania and Portugal, with the Romanians winning 21 of the 24 matches played since 1967. In the 3rd round of the Rugby Europe Championship, Romania will take on Spain on February 22 in Botosani, northeastern Romania.(translation by L. Simion)

  • December 31, 2019

    December 31, 2019

    MESSAGE “2019 brought the victory of democracy and civil participation, when we proved that we are a nation that stands by shared values and ideals, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, says in his New Years message. The head of state voices confidence that in 2020 Romanians will stay motivated by their dream of a better country. He called for the building of a normal Romania, a country that is truly the home of Romanians, wherever they may be. “We are entering a new year and a new decade, which I would also like to be the beginning of a period of normality and true democracy for Romania, PM Ludovic Orban said in his own New Years message. He urges Romanians to view what they have left behind as a lesson about what needs to be done in order to make true the dream of freedom, democracy and prosperity that mobilised people 30 years ago to fight against totalitarianism.




    INVESTIGATION Romanian authorities carry on inquiries and checks regarding the incident at the Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest, the largest emergency unit in the country. The National Healthcare Quality Management Authority Monday suspended the accreditation of the hospital, which failed to report within 24 hours an incident in which a 66-year old patient was burnt on the operating room table. The woman died, and the Bucharest Police is currently investigating suspicions of manslaughter. The Board of Physicians and the Healthcare Ministry are running separate investigations, with the conclusions due to be presented early next week. Meanwhile, the hospital has to address the deficiencies that have led to the unfortunate event. Although the accreditation has been suspended, Floreasca Emergency Hospital in Bucharest operates as usual.




    NEW YEARS EVE In Romania, New Year traditions are still preserved in many regions. Children go carolling in the first part of the day, with songs and dances that usually describe the successive stages of farm work. The custom also includes folk performances by groups of youth or adults, where each member has a part, a role and various stage props. On the other hand, the hits of the 1980s and 1990s will be played live at the biggest outdoor New Years party in Bucharest, ‘Disco Night. This years concert has been inspired by the energy and exuberance of the disco movement. During the 6-hour party, songs that have defined entire generations will be played by international and Romanian musicians, including O-Zone, Haddaway, and the American rapper Turbo B., and Milli Vanilli Experience. The night will end with a spectacular fireworks show.




    SAFETY Over 21,000 Interior Ministry employees are on duty every day in Romania to ensure citizen safety during the winter holidays. Special attention is paid to preventing serious accidents and to streamlining road traffic to the most popular tourist resorts. Up to 1,400 road police are on duty on the most circulated thoroughfares, with around 300 radar speed guns, to safeguard the lives of drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Nearly 9,600 police and gendarmes are also patrolling the busiest areas, especially fairs and shopping centres, and the sites of large outdoor public events.




    TOURISM Over 1.7 million tourist arrivals were reported in Bucharest in the first 10 months of the year, according to the National Statistics Institute. The largest number, 196,410, was reported in September. Most tourists (94.7% of the total, accounting for 1.63 million people), checked in in hotels. The number of overnight stays in Bucharest was 2.99 million, with the biggest number reported for October. According to the National Statistics Institute, arrivals in accommodation facilities at national level totalled 11.531 million in the first 10 months of this year, up 4.1% compared to the corresponding period of last year.




    AVALANCHE A record 200 mountain accidents have been reported over the past 10 days in Romania, with avalanche risks still high in many parts of the country, particularly in the southern massifs of Făgăraş and Bucegi. Last month 2 people were caught under an avalanche in Făgăraş. Mountain rescue teams urge tourists not to attempt routes that have been closed for safety, and to be very careful in planning their hikes so as to be indoors by nightfall.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 25, 2019 UPDATE

    November 25, 2019 UPDATE

    Congratulations — President Klaus Iohannis received messages of congratulation from the European leaders for obtaining a new term in office. The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said he was happy that Romania would continue to benefit from Klaus Iohannis’ responsible and trustworthy leadership while the president of the EC Jean-Claude Juncker expressed conviction that he could count on Romania’s active role in carrying on with the European project, adding that the Romanians’ powerful support for his unequivocal pro-European views came at an important time for Europe. Chisinau counts on a close cooperation with Bucharest after the reelection of Klaus Iohannis, said the president of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon. The Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelenski congratulated Klaus Iohannis underlining that the trust of an overwhelming majority of voters was very important for a new mandate. The Serbian president said Serbia was a sincere friend and a trustworthy partner of Romania, expressing persuasion that the good political relations will be accompanied by a better economic cooperation.



    Colectiv — The prosecutors of the National Anti-corruption Directorate on Monday called on the Bucharest tribunal to sentence the former mayor of Bucharest’s sector 4 Cristian Popescu to 15 years in prison for such crimes as abuse of office in relation to the issuance of operation authorization for the Colectiv nightclub. The Bucharest tribunal started hearing the closing arguments in the Colectiv trial. On trial among others are the mayor of the Bucharest sector in which the club was located, Cristian Popescu, the clubs owners and the pyrotechnic workers. The trial into the tragedy at Colectiv nightclub began in April 2016. After two years of delays based on procedural issues, the magistrate in charge of the case retired. The new judge sped up the hearings, setting weekly hearing dates. 64 people were killed in the fire, one committed suicide because of the trauma, and almost 200 suffered injuries.



    CSAT — The Supreme Council of National Defense of Romania convenes on Wednesday in Bucharest under the chairmanship of president Klaus Iohannis. High on the agenda of the meeting are issues related to proposals for the budget adjustment for institutions with responsibilities in national security in 2019, to the approval of the new chief of the defense staff as well as to Romania’s objectives at the NATO summit to take place in December in London. The meeting will also tackle the plan for use of the Romanian Defense forces which will be sent to missions and operations outside Romania’s borders in 2020. This is the first meeting of the country’s Supreme Defense Council which will be attended by members of the government led by the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban. The previous meeting of the Supreme Defense Council was held on July 30.



    Strasbourg — The Council of the EU adopted the list of persons who will occupy the position of European Commissioner in the future European Commission. Monday’s decision is the last stage ahead of Wednesday’s vote in the EP on the program and membership of the EC headed by Ursula von der Leyen. Adina Valean with the European People’s Party Group is the Romanian Commissioner who will manage the Committee on Transport. Member states decided that the new EC would start its activity on December 1 with 27 commissioners, without Great Britain, which refused to make a proposal for commissioner in the context of Brexit. (translation by L. Simion)

  • November 16, 2019

    November 16, 2019

    Election campaign – The election campaign continues in Romania in the run up to the second round of the presidential election due on November 24. Left in the presidential race after the first round of voting are Romania’s incumbent president Klaus Iohannis who is backed by the National Liberal Party and the former Social Democratic PM Viorica Dancila. According to data provided by the Central Electoral Bureau that were validated on Friday by the Constitutional Court in the first round of voting, when 14 candidates faced off, Klaus Iohannis obtained 37.82% of the votes and Viorica Dancila 22.26%. The vote turnout at national level was 51.19%. In the diaspora, where the Romanian citizens could vote for 3 days, a record vote turnout was reported, more than 675 thousand people. For the final round of the voting, the vote for the Romanian citizens living abroad will also last 3 days, starting on Friday at 12 a.m. local hours until 9 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The voting program may be extended until midnight.



    Tourism — 230 travel agencies from 16 countries are attending, until Sunday, Romania’s largest tourism fair held in Bucharest. The event gathers travel agencies, tour-operators as well as travel associations and county councils representing certain tourist areas. Visitors can choose holidays for the winter of 2019 as well as for the summer of 2020. Travel agencies provide discounts of up to 45% for travel packages.



    Police – Over the past week Romanian police have undertaken missions to bring back to Romania 13 people who are wanted suspects- officials with the Romanian Police General Inspectorate announced on Saturday. 5 suspects under an international arrest warrant were extradited and handed over by the British authorities, 2 suspects from Germany and 2 from Belgium and 1 suspect from each of following countries: France, Italy, Austria and Slovenia. 7 people convicted in Slovakia were moved to prisons from Romania to finish their time in prison, 1 from Belgium, 2 from Germany and 2 from Austria. Also 11 suspects were handed over by the Romanian authorities to their counterparts from Austria, Belgium, the Republic of Moldova, France, Germany, Hungary and Great Britain, the officials with the Romanian Police General Inspectorate also said.



    Football — Romania’s football team on Friday evening lost 0-2 against Sweden in Bucharest in their last but one match in Group F of the 2020 European Football Championship preliminaries. The Romanian eleven will end the preliminaries on Monday in Spain. The teams of Spain with 23 points and of Sweden with 18 points have already qualified to the next stage. Romania’s team is 3rd in the group with 14 points and it still has chances to qualify at the playoffs of the Champions League due in March. The drawing of lots for Euro 2020 will be held in Bucharest on November 30. Bucharest will also host 4 matches of the final tournament, 3 matches in the group phase and one match in the eight finals. On Thursday evening Romania’s Under 21 team defeated on home turf 4-1 the team of Finland, in group 8 of the 2021 European Championship preliminaries.



    USR — The members of the Save Romania Union, the 3rd largest party in Romania’s Parliament, are voting online if Dan Barna, the party leader, should resign his position. Barna said he was expecting the result of the vote and was ready to resign, after dissatisfaction within the party with the result obtained in the first round of the presidential election, when he got only 15%, given that on May 26, the Save Romania Union party got 22% of the votes in the elections for the EP. (translation by L. Simion)

  • Priorities for the new ministers

    Priorities for the new ministers

    The members of the new Government headed by Ludovic Orban Tuesday took over their posts, after the new Cabinet was endorsed by Parliament. The Liberal Government follows Viorica Dancilas Social Democratic Cabinet, removed through a no-confidence vote on October 10. The new ministers announced their intentions right from the start of their term in office.



    A trained diplomat, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said the ministry needed reforms and a more professional diplomatic corps. He also requested a report on the preparations for the presidential election in the Romanian communities abroad.



    Bogdan Aurescu: “I will ask the heads of consular and diplomatic missions to immediately submit a report on the status of preparations and on possible risks and vulnerabilities. We will see if there is anything we can do and exactly what, within the powers of the foreign minister and the Government.



    Bogdan Aurescu made these statements ahead of Fridays start of the voting in polling stations abroad for the election of the president of Romania. The Romanians living abroad will be able to vote on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in each of the 2 election rounds.



    Meanwhile, the Ministry for Romanians Abroad has been turned into a governmental department subordinated directly to the Prime Minister. The post of Minister delegate for European Affairs has also been discarded, and this department will be coordinated jointly by the Foreign Ministry and the PMs office.



    In turn, the new Defence Minister, gen. Nicolae Ciuca, former Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, announced he would focus on fulfilling Romanias obligations as a NATO and EU member state. He mentioned the importance of the budgetary allocations for the Army:



    Nicolae Ciuca: “What we have undertaken to do with the 2% of the GDP is to ensure the capabilities with which Romania may consolidate its status as a reliable partner in the North-Atlantic Alliance, in the European Union and in the Armys strategic partnerships.



    As for the field of public finances, Minister Florin Citu wants the draft budget for 2020 to be finalised by December 15. He added that the state budget will be based on the current legislation, but that the draft prepared by the Dancila Government cannot be used because the structure of the government has been changed:



    Florin Citu: “Everything will be different from what has been done so far, including the budget. We have fewer ministries and this is where the budget drafting will begin, from the new structure of the government. The target is unchanged, namely a 3% deficit ceiling, which is quite ambitious because as you know the deficit for the first 9 months of the year is 2.6%. Well see what we find there, this is precisely why we wanted to take over this portfolio without delay.



    At the Justice Ministry, Catalin Predoiu pointed out that he wants a discussion about the need for a separate department investigating offences committed by magistrates. He urged prosecutors to take part in the procedures for the appointment of chief prosecutors, and said political criteria or personal friendships will play no part in these appointments:



    Catalin Predoiu: “I call on prosecutors to take this selection process very seriously and to act responsibly, and I believe that every prosecutor who feels they are capable of bringing progress, professionalism and a better organisation in the Public Ministry should enrol in the race.



    Last but not least, the new Labour Minister Violeta Alexandru announced thorough checks into the budget for public pensions, amid allegations that the Social Democratic Government left behind a worrying deficit. She also promised transparency and accurate information delivered to citizens.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 22, 2019

    August 22, 2019

    Coalition — The representatives of the governing coalition in Romania (made up of the Social Democratic Party-PSD and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats-ALDE) met on Wednesday to discuss the situation of the coalition. A PSD communiqué shows that the talks tackled the issue of vacancies in the government as well as the extraordinary parliamentary session. They decided on rejecting the draft law on amnesty and pardon during the extraordinary session. The coalition will meet again next week, to look into an ample set of measures related to governing, the PSD release also shows. An ALDE communiqué writes that the party considers necessary the working out of a package of measures aimed at largely restructuring the executive. They say early next month the party leadership will analyze the results of the coalition governing, the prospects and future options. Last week the Romanian PM and leader of the PSD Viorica Dancila announced a government reshuffle and the adjustment of the governing program.



    Corruption — The former chief of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration – ANAF Sorin Blejnar was arraigned by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in a case in which he is accused of bribe taking together with the former vice-president of ANAF, Viorel Comăniță, the former deputy general inspector of the Fraud Squad, Sorin Florea, and his wife Andreea Blejnar. According to a DNA communiqué Blejnar, Comăniță and Florea allegedly received money from a businessman through intermediaries in order to protect the illegal activity of his company. The money destined for Sorin Blejnar was received by his wife through two intermediaries of the businessman. Anticorruption prosecutors claim that, between May 2011 and April 2012, Blejnar received 1.2 million Euros, Comanita 960,000 Euros and Florea 300,000 Euros. The money was a sort of ‘protection fee’ cashed by the 3 public servant with decision-making power who thus pretended not to see the illegal activity of that businessman’s company.



    GfK – The annual net revenue per capita in Romania grew by 18% last year up to 5,083 Euros — shows a recent study made by GfK Romania. Bucharest and the counties of Cluj (northwest), Timis (west) and Ilfov (south) are the most developed areas. At the other end of annual net revenue scale are the counties with the lowest purchasing power, namely Botosani (northeast), Vaslui (east), Calarasi (southeast) and Giurgiu (south). The study also shows a rise in living standards in the counties of Brasov and Sibiu, regions where a new industrial zone of Romania is being set up, which attracts massive investments. The purchasing power index measured by GfK represents the annual net revenue available per capita from salaries, pensions, unemployment benefit and child allowances after deducting taxes and social contributions.



    Golden Stag – The Golden Stag International Festival kicks off in the central Romanian city of Brasov today. The 19th edition of the festival is going to be very attractive featuring such artists as Ştefan Bănică, Irina Rimes and the Irish Ronan Keating. The first two evenings will be devoted to the singing contest in which 12 artists from 10 countries, two of them from Romania, will be competing for the Big Trophy. Continuing a tradition of more than 50 years, the competitors will also sing a Romanian song besides the song from their repertoire. Saturday will see the Awards Gala when the winners will be announced and the prizes granted. Sunday is devoted to traditional music and also to fiddlers’ music. The festival will also include recitals by Romanian and international artists. The Golden Stag International Festival started in 1968 and had 18 editions, the latest one being held in 2018, when 50 years were marked since its launch.



    5G — The memorandum signed by Romania and the US in Washington on August 20 on the occasion of the Romanian president’s official visit to the US recommends a rigorous assessment of 5G technology providers in order to ensure full security in implementing this technology, shows a release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry. The document highlights the importance of protecting electronic communications networks against unauthorized access or interference, the quoted source also shows. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on Tuesday, fresh from the meeting with US President Donald Trump, that a bilateral memorandum on 5G technologies was signed. He pointed out that the document did not refer to one single company, but that it clarified the criteria of transparency and compatibility with the rule of law. Romania is preparing for a public procedure for implementing the 5G technology.



    Football — Romania’s football vice-champions FCSB are playing today at home against the Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes in the first leg of the Europa League playoffs. The Portuguese side has not met any Romanian team so far in an official match. The return match is scheduled in one week’s time. Romania’s champions CFR Cluj were defeated by the Czech side Slavia Prague 1-0, on Tuesday, on home turf, in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. The return match between Slavia and CFR is scheduled for August 28 in Prague. The winner will play in the Champions League groups and the loser in the Europa League groups. (translation by L. Simion)

  • April 8, 2019 UPDATE

    April 8, 2019 UPDATE

    Reactions — The completion of the Revolution file and the submission of the indictment to court have generated various reactions from Romanian politicians. President Klaus Iohannis hailed the completion of the investigation in this file and its submission to court, considering it a very important step towards establishing the truth in this case. The opposition National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union party also hailed the prosecutor general’s announcement. The Liberal leader Ludovic Orban said that the completion and submission to court of the revolution file after 30 years could be a good thing if the result is the punishment of culprits. On the other side of the political spectrum, the Social Democratic Party in the ruling coalition showed indignation at the fact that prosecutor Augustin Lazar, whom they suspect of collaboration with the former political police, is the one to send to court this controversial file. The president of the juridical committee in the Chamber of Deputies, Social Democrat Nicusor Halici, believes the truth about the events of December 1989 should have been found out earlier.



    Luxembourg — The Eastern Partnership is, according to Romania, one of the most important policies at EU level, said Monday the Romanian foreign minister Teodor Melescanu at the end of the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. One of the topics tackled by the participants was the situation in Afghanistan, since the EU wants to get more involved in finding a political solution to it. The Eastern Partnership was launched in 2009 with the purpose of consolidating political association and economic integration of 6 partner states from Eastern Europe and South Caucasus — Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus – that have partnership agreements with the EU and Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine that have already concluded association agreements.



    Motion — The Romanian Senate postponed for Wednesday the debate and vote on a simple motion filed by the opposition Liberal Party and Save Romania Union party against justice minister Tudorel Toader. The vote had been scheduled for Monday but, due to the absence of several senators, the quorum could not be reached. The document signatories say the tensions that emerged within the justice system could be defused if the current justice minister stepped down. They also say that the coming into force of the modifications to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes through an emergency ordinance is impacting Romanias legal system, running against the recommendations of the European institutions. On March 20th, the Chamber of Deputies rejected another simple motion against the justice minister.



    Vandalism — The Romanian government has condemned the recent acts of vandalism perpetrated in the Jewish cemetery in Husi (eastern Romania), following which many funerary monuments were destroyed, and reiterated its firm commitment to fighting anti-Semitism and the incitement to anti-Semitism. In the context of Romania’s holding the presidency of the Council of the EU, promoting the efficient fight against racism, intolerance, Xenophobia, populism and anti-Semitism and discouraging the hate speech is one of the central topics on Romania’s agenda for consolidating cohesion across the EU. Last week President Iohannis condemned the anti-Semitic gestures and actions of the past days and called on the competent authorities to take appropriate action to combat such actions. (update and translation by L. Simion)

  • March 22, 2019 UPDATE

    March 22, 2019 UPDATE

    Brussels — The Romanian President Klaus Iohnnis on Thursday and Friday participated in Brussels in a European Council meeting. On the occasion, he highlighted the very important results obtained so far by the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, one of the outcomes being the considerable number of files finalized. As regards Brexit, the Romanian head of state has stated that there is a real chance for an orderly exit of Great Britain from the EU. Klaus Iohannis has reiterated that a main concern of the Romanian authorities was the Romanian citizens living in the UK. At the Brussels summit, the EU leaders agreed with the postponement of Brexit and offered Great Britain two scenarios for leaving the EU.



    EU — Romania’s sustainable economic growth reported in the past years has not been felt by large categories of Romanians, and poverty most often affects children said Friday in Bucharest the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu. She talked about the need for massive investments in the healthcare services, the transport infrastructure, the energy and environmental fields, upon the presentation of the 2019 Country Report for Romania, an event organized by the EC’s Representation in Romania. The report draws attention that the model of economic growth based on consumption affects the capacity to sustainably bridge the gaps separating Romania from the developed states. The document also shows that Romania’s foreign debt on medium and long term risks exceeding 60% of the GDP an that the economy has been affected by pay rises that were not correlated with productivity. The document drafted by the EC was criticized by finance minister Eugen Teodorovici who labeled it as being too pessimistic.



    NATO — Romania is better prepared, from a military point of view, than 15 years ago when it joined NATO, said Friday the Romanian defense minister Gabriel Les. He participated in an event devoted to the launch of a public campaign entitled ‘Romania — 15 years within NATO. 70 years since the setting up of the North Atlantic Alliance’ and to the re-launch, in Romania, of a public information campaign called ‘#WeAreNATO’. Minister Les talked about Romania’s contribution within NATO both during the pre-accession period and after accession to NATO on March 27, 2004. According to the Romanian official at present as many as 1,000 military are on foreign missions. More than 2,500 military were involved in past missions. 29 Romanian soldiers lost their lives and 180 were wounded in external theaters of operations, minister Les recalled.



    Protests — As many as 1,500 court clerks protested on Friday in front of the government headquarters in Bucharest, expressing discontent with their pay and work conditions. This week they have worn a white armband during work hours at the courts and prosecutor’s offices where they are employed. Court clerks threaten to start a grievance procedure if employers do not meet their demands. (translation by L. Simion)

  • March 17, 2019

    March 17, 2019

    Meeting – Bucharest is hosting, on Sunday and Monday, a ministerial meeting dwelling on Diaspora policies. The meeting is organized by the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU and is taking place in the context of the free movement of labor force and of debates on migration and integration. The Romanian authorities believe that the exchange of good practices, the presentation of and consultation on the national strategies regarding the Diaspora could be useful instruments at both European and national level. The talks will focus on ways through which the European countries could establish relations of economic and cultural cooperation with the Diaspora, the initiatives for supporting its linguistic and cultural development, the policies that contributed to the rapid integration of the Diaspora community members as well as the policies meant to support the return of the members of the Diaspora to the countries of origin.



    Baku — The Vice Prime Minister for Romanias Strategic Partnerships Implementation Ana Birchall represented Romania at the 7th edition of the Global Forum hosted by Baku, Azerbaijan. On the sidelines of the forum the Romanian official met with Azeri high officials among whom President Ilham Aliyev. In the message delivered on behalf of the PM Viorica Dancila, the Vice Prime Minister Ana Birchall underlined the importance of the Baku Forum that has become an extremely useful platform of debates from the point of view of existing challenges at European and international levels. Ana Birchall has pointed out that the Republic of Azerbaijan is a valuable strategic partner of Romania and one of the most important economic partners in the region. During the talks with President Ilham Aliyev the Romanian official highlighted the importance of boosting economic cooperation, focusing on the existing opportunities at regional level in the field of transports, including from the perspective of implementing the project of the Black Sea — Caspian Sea goods transport corridor. The working visit to Baku was also an occasion to mark 10 years of Strategic Partnership between Romania and Azerbaijan. A Romanian language center was also inaugurated on the occasion at the Linguistics University in Baku.



    Tennis — The Romanian-born Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu, 18, is taking on today the German Angelique Kerber in the finals of the WTA Indian Wells tournament, in California, USA. The tournament has prizes up for grabs worth 9 million dollars. Bianca Andreescu, the revelation of the season debut, defeated, in the semifinals, the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, world’s no.6 player. Bianca Andreescu, 60th in the WTA ranking, might win the first title of her career at one of the most important WTA tournaments. She started the year 2019 on 152nd position in the world rankings, and in the Indian Wells semifinals she obtained the 27th win in this season, more than any other player.



    Bratislava — Liberal Zuzana Caputova, the candidate of the Progressive Slovakia party won the first round of the presidential election in Slovakia, held on Saturday. She got almost 40% of the votes cast, as shown by the partial results announced on Sunday by the statistical office after the counting of 50% of the votes. Coming second is Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission, who is supported by the populist, leftist governing party Smer-SD. Sefcovic obtained almost 19% of the votes. A lawyer, Caputova stood out thanks to her criticism leveled against the Slovak government and for supporting the environmental issues. The second round of the presidential election is scheduled for March 30. If she wins, Caputova will become the first woman president of Slovakia.



    Marathon — Romanian Avram Iancu, a librarian, ended on 3rd place the ‘6633 Arctic Ultra’ North Pole marathon, which is considered one of the toughest competitions of the world, as temperatures are very low and the route measures 617 kms. Avram Inacu participated in the marathon for the 2nd time after, last year, he had to abandon the race after only one day due to strong pain in his right leg. (translation by L. Simion)