Tag: News

Drone. A Russian drone entered Romanian air space on Saturday night, before heading for Ukraine, said the Romanian defence ministry. In response, two F-16 warplanes took off from a military base in south-eastern Romania to monitor the aerial situation. The ministry also said that it has deployed ground troops and air support to the Periprava area, in Tulcea county, where parts of the drones used by Russia to strike port targets in Ukraine may have fallen. The Romanian authorities have protested against the new violation of Romania’s airspace and the repeated attacks against Ukraine’s population and civilian infrastructure. Bucharest has condemned the irresponsible escalation of the security situation by the Russian Federation and said attacks against civilian targets are in breach of international law.

Schools. Around 3 million pre-school and school children today began a new school year. The government has promised that the 2024-2025 school year will be the last with the triple-shift system. Currently, there are only 19 schools in Bucharest and the neighbouring Ilfov county where children still attend classes in three shifts. According to the education ministry, classes from 800 schools out of Romania’s over 6,000 are taught in different venues on account of renovation, modernisation and building works. Sanitary facilities in 70 schools are not up to standards, and 50 of them will receive funding for rehabilitation works. The government also approved an additional 7,800 jobs in the pre-university education system and increased the number of carers in crèches and kindergartens.

Film. The New Year That Never Came, directed, written and produced by Bogdan Mureşanu, won awards at the Venice International Film Festival, including the jury award of the International Federation of Film Critics and the award for best script from the independent critics. The film’s cinematographer Boróka Biró won a special mention. This is Bogdan Mureşanu’s first feature film and the story takes place in one day, on the day before the anticommunist Revolution of 1989.

Football. Romania’s national football side on Monday face Lithuania in their second Nations League Group C2 match. Cyprus are playing Kosovo in the same group. On Friday evening, Romania defeated Kosovo 3-nil away, while Lithuania lost to Cyprus at home, nil-1. These are Romania’s first matches with a new manager, Mircea Lucescu, who is again coaching the national side after 38 years. He previously managed Romania between 1981 and 1986, when the team reached the 1984 European Championship hosted by France, which back then only consisted of 8 sides. Later, Lucescu won many local championships and title cups in Romania, Turkey and Ukraine, as well as the UEFA Cup, with Galatasaray Istanbul, in 2000. At 79 years of age, Lucescu is the oldest manager in the world to coach a football side.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu won the WTA 125 tournament in Montreux, in Switzerland, worth a total of 115,000 dollars, after defeating Croatia’s Petra Marcinko in three sets, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0. 34-year-old Irina Begu, who is ranked 130 in the world, won in 1 hour and 33 minutes. This is her third WTA 125 title, after Indian Wells in 2020 and Bucharest in 2022. Begu also won 5 WTA titles in the singles and played 4 finals, and won 9 WTA doubles finals and played 7 finals.

Bills. The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest on Tuesday passed a bill on raising the ceiling for the pension tax relief to the equivalent of 600 euros, so pensioners who received higher sums after recalculation are not to lose any money by exceeding the previous threshold of 400 euros. Another bill passed by deputies as part of an emergency procedure related to the donation by Romania of a Patriot ground-to-air missile system to neighbouring Ukraine. The only party to oppose this latter bill was the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians, in opposition.

Energy. The energy ministers of Romania, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Hungary on Tuesday attended the 8^th meeting to discuss the Green Corridor, an offshore cable to transport electricity with a length of 1,200 km and connecting these states. The Romanian energy minister Sebastian Burduja said the project is a matter of national security. He added that it was about the need to diversify, as the European market is not working sufficiently well and cheaper energy sources from Western Europe don’t always reach the East. Azerbaijan’s energy minister Parviz Shahbazov thanked the European Union for the help granted as early as 2022, when the foundations for this project were laid. He said his country wished to connect this corridor with another, which involves states from Central Asia, such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The meeting in Bucharest tackled the establishment of the company that will manage the project and launch of the feasibility study prior to the project’s implementation.

Schengen. Romania’s full entry into Schengen is of utmost interest for Hungary, as well, because it would do away with the long border queues and the trade between the two countries would be simpler, said the Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó. He explained that if Romania joins Schengen, Hungary can open ten new border crossings. The Hungarian official was in Bucharest to attend the 8^th meeting of the states involved in the Green Corridor project.

Grants. The Romanian foreign ministry announced the results of the selection of non-EU students to receive grants from the Romanian government this academic year. A record-high number of applications have been received (81,914, from 160 countries on 5 continents), which according to a news release reflects the growing interest of students in the educational opportunities provided by Romanian universities. The applications were submitted online, at www.studyinromania.gov.ro, between January 16 and March 16, this year. Selection criteria included academic excellence, geographic diversity and gender equality, as well as Romania’s foreign policy interests in relation to the applicants’ home countries. The 500 beneficiaries will go to prestigious university centres around the country (such as Braşov, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanţa, Craiova, Iaşi, Sibiu, Timişoara and others) and will study a variety of fields, such as international relations, engineering, law, computer sciences, performing arts, economy, business and education sciences.

Cyber attack. Personal data stolen in a cyber-attack targeting the Timişoara City Hall, the local police and the tax agency have been put up for sale by hackers on a Telegram channel. The discovery was made by the founder of a consulting platform for corporate victims of cyber-attacks. The Mayor of Timişoara, Dominic Fritz, has neither confirmed nor denied the personal data theft, and said he was waiting for the relevant authorities to investigate the matter. After the attack that took place 10 days ago, the City Hall announced that the institution took counter-measures and managed to prevent the entire system from being compromised. The institution also said at that point that there were no indications that personal data had been extracted. Online tax payments were subsequently discontinued.

Tax. The Romanian government would collect nearly 2 billion euros if at least 15% of the taxpayers with debts to the authorities accessed a facility that extinguishes penalties, under a draft emergency order posted by the finance ministry. The bill exempts debtors from the payment of interest and penalties provided that they pay their back taxes by November 25. For individuals with debts up to 1,000 euros, half of the overdue amount may be written off, if the remaining 50% is paid. According to the ministry, the total debts to the state budget at the end of June reached around 10% of the country’s GDP.

Parliament. The final session of the current Parliament began today, with parliamentary elections due to take place on 1st December. The agenda features, among others, a bill on tax exemptions for pensions below 600 euros, which will be debated as part of an emergency procedure by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case. The bill allow persons who have benefited from pension increases as a result of recalculations not to lose money following the raising of the current tax ceiling of 400 euros. The ruling coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party agreed to fast-track the bill through Parliament, for it to be able to go into effect in October.

Government. In its Monday meeting, the government issued an emergency order to raise the ceiling for the social benefits granted to low-income pensioners whose pensions went up as a result of recent recalculations. The ceiling by which food allowances will be granted is to go up from 2,000 to 2,210 lei, that is some 440 euros. An allowance of 1,400 lei to help with utility bills during winter will continue to be granted, regardless of the pension rises. The ceiling was also raised by which pensioners can benefit from 90% subsidies on medicines. In another move, the government is to start consultations with the representatives of people with disabilities to draft a special pensions law for this category that takes into account the low contribution levels recognised previously.

Drills. Romanian military are taking part in the Ample Strike international exercise under way in Czechia until the 20^th of September. They will carry out air support and air surveillance missions alongside other NATO troops. According to the Romanian defence ministry, 25 military and two helicopters are taking part in the exercise.

Ukraine. Russia on Monday morning struck Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, with parts of the downed weapons wounding at least two persons, causing fires and damaging homes and infrastructure, Ukrainian officials announced, quoted by Reuters. Ukraine’s air defence destroyed over 10 cruise missiles and almost 10 ballistic missiles, said the city’s military administration. Neighbouring Poland, which is a NATO member country, activated its own and allied aircraft to secure its airspace. The attack took place exactly one week after Moscow launched over 200 missiles and drones against Ukraine, killing seven people and striking energy facilities across the country.

Pope. Pope Francis today embarks on his 45^th apostolic trip abroad. He is to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, states marked by strong religious, economic and social contrasts. Immigration, inter-faith dialogue, the environment and the role of the Church with regard to access to healthcare and education are the main themes the pontiff will tackle in his talks and speeches. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Rome, in Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim country, the pontiff will speak about the dialogue between Islam and Christianity. An inter-faith meeting will take place on 5^th September in the biggest mosque in South-East Asia, in the presence of representatives of six official religions, with the Pope to sign on this occasion a joint declaration together with the Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar. Pope Francis is the third pope to visit this archipelago, after Paul the 6^th and John Paul 2^nd.

Weather. A yellow code warning is in place today warning of heat and high thermal discomfort in the western part of the country, where the highs of the day are between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius. An orange code is also in place in four counties in the western part, where temperatures are expected to reach 35 to 37 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, the heat wave will spread to the entire country. In the capital Bucharest, the noon reading today was 32 degrees Celsius.

Finance. The National Bank of Romania on Wednesday decided to again cut the monetary policy interest rate, as of 8^th August, to 6.5% a year from 6.75% previously. The Bank has also moved to reduce the lending facility rates to 7.50% a year, from 7.75% a year, and the deposit facility rate to 5.50% a year from 5.75% a year. It also maintained the current levels of minimum reserve rates on the liabilities of credit institutions in the Romanian currency and foreign currency. According to the National Bank, the annual inflation rate has continued to drop in June this year, to reach 4.94%, below the expected level, from 5.12% in May. In another news, according to a study by the Romanian Commercial Bank, consumer credits continue to go up, as a result of lower interest rates on new loans and more relaxed lending conditions, amid the competition between banks. According to a Eurostat report, Romania saw the biggest growth in retail sale in the European Union in June 2024 compared to June 2023.

NATO. A detachment of the Spanish Air Force will conduct enhanced air policing missions under NATO command, in partnership with the Romanian Air Forces. The Spanish pilots are thus replacing their British and Finnish counterparts at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in (southeastern Romania). For four months, they will be patrolling the Black Sea region to ensure the security of Romanian and NATO air space. This is the third rotation for the Spanish Air Force at the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base, where NATO first deployed allied troops in 2014, following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, in order to ensure the security of the Black Sea region, an area facing even more complex threats in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine. The EU Council gave the green light for the payment of the first installment worth 4.2 billion euros as part of the Ukraine Facility. Kyiv is to receive 50 billion euros over the next few years in the form of grants and loans for the purpose of macroeconomic support. According to Radio Romania’s Brussels correspondent, Ukraine must implement reforms in public finance management, the management of state-owned enterprises, the business sector and energy. The facility for Ukraine, a EU candidate country, also aims at the  recovery, reconstruction and modernisation of this country in the wake of the war with Russia.

Ship. The Mircea training ship will return on Thursday to the Constanţa military port, in the south-east, after a 6-week training course in the Black Sea and the Mediterrranean, the defence ministry said in a statement. On board the vessel are 86 students from the Romanian Navy Academy and 8 foreign students from partner navy academies from Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland, Spain and Turkey. The ship left the port on 26^th June and has since made stopovers in the ports of Piraeus, in Greece, Livorno, in Italy, Toulon, in France, Palermo, again in Italy and Bodrum in Turkey.

Festival. The 9^th edition of the Untold Music Festival is getting under way on Thursday in Cluj-Napoca (in the north-west). The four-day event will bring together some 250 Romanian and international acts, who will be performing on eight different stages. The line-up features the likes of Lenny Kravitz and Salvatore Ganacci, who have performed in Romania before, as well as others who will be here for the first time, like Sam Smith and Burna Boy. The latter is the only African musician whose concerts on the London Stadium were sold-out for two years in a row. He will perform on the  main stage on the festival’s final day. Untold is the biggest and most popular music festival in Romania, attracting fans from all over the world every year.

Coal. Romania is looking for technical arguments to delay the deadline agreed with the European Commission to close its coal-fired power stations. Minister Sebastian Burduja explained on Monday that more time is needed to make the transition to gas-fuelled energy sources, given that 15% of the country’s energy production is still dependent on coal. Before closing its coal plants, the latter must be replaced by gas sources, said the minister, adding that investments in this respect are delayed. He made these statements during the signing in Belgrade of a memorandum on the construction of a gas interconnector between Romania and Serbia. This will lead to lower prices for natural gas for users and more diverse supply sources.

Middle East. The White House administration reiterated calls on Iran and Israel to avoid war, warning that a possible Iranian response to the killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran may generate a conflict that could get out of control and saying escalation benefits no one. The White House meeting took place amid rising fears of a possible extended conflict in the Middle East, with Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah last week vowing to retaliate for the killing of Islamist leaders. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also called for urgent action to prevent wider war in the Middle East, press agencies report. In another move, the foreign ministers of the 57 countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are to meet in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss “the continued crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people,” including the killing in Tehran of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. They will also discuss Israel’s “aggressions against the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to a statement issued by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, quoted by EFE news agency.

Recycling. In fewer than 8 months since the introduction of the guarantee-return system in Romania, one billion packages have been collected, said environment minister Mircea Fechet. “This includes PET bottles, glass bottles and cans. PET bottles account for the largest share, and if we place them one next to each other they would form a line that goes around the world five times. At the moment, the big PET processors are no longer importing this type of material, because the guarantee-return system supplies enough raw material. The target this year is 3.2 billion packages and I’m optimistic because people’s response has been amazing”, the minister posted on his Facebook page.

Olympics. Romania’s Alina Rotaru-Kottmann, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Championship in Budapest, today reached women’s long jump final at the Olympic Games in Paris. Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă qualified for the semifinals of the men’s canoe double 500 m. So far, Romania won seven medals, three gold, three silver and one bronze. Swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200 m freestyle event and the bronze in 100 m freestyle; two more gold medals came from Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache in Men’s Double Sculls and from Maria Magdalena Rusu, Roxana Anghel, Ancuţa Bodnar, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Bereş, Ioana Vrînceanu, Simona Radiş and Victoria Ştefania Petreanu in women’s eight. The silver medals came from Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş in Women’s Double Sculls; Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel in Women’s Pair; and Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc in Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls. The Romanian athletes who win medals in Paris will be rewarded with 140,000 euros for the gold medal, 100,000 euros for the silver and 60,000 euros for the bronze.

Football. 79-year-old Mircea Lucescu, Romania’s most successful football manager, has been named the manager of the national side, a post he previously also held 38 years ago. Lucescu has also managed Corvinul Hunedoara, Dinamo Bucharest, Pisa, Brescia, Reggiana, FC Rapid Bucharest, Inter Milano, Galatasaray Istanbul, Beşiktaş Istanbul, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit Saint Petersburg, the Turkish national side and Dinamo Kyiv. As the new manager of the Romanian national side, Lucescu signed a two-year contract whose objective is to qualify the team for the 2026 World Cup hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Olympic Games. Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel today won the silver medal in the women’s coxless pair at the Paris Olympic Games, while Ionela Cozmiuc and Gianina van Groningen won the silver in the lightweight women’s double sculls. Other Romanian athletes are also in action today in athletics and yachting. Romanian has four other medals to its record, namely two gold, one silver and one bronze. The swimmer David Popovici won the gold in 200 metre freestyle, and Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache in men’s double sculls. Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş won the silver in women’s double sculls and David Popovici a bronze in the 100 m freestyle.

Food industry. The government has finalised the selection process for the projects benefitting from financial support as part of a multiannual national programme for the development and modernisation of the food industry, INVESTALIM. New plants for processing meat, sugar, oil and fruit, as well as milling and bakery factories are to be built in Romania. 41 projects were considered eligible for funding, with the total amount of investment worth some 4.5 billion lei, of which state aid accounts for around 2.7 billion lei, said agriculture minister Florin Barbu. According to prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, the strategic objective is to develop the ability to produce raw materials for the food industry originating from Romanian farmers.

Release. The European Union welcomed Moscow’s decision to free a number of detainees considered to be unfairly persecuted as part of an extensive prisoner swap between Russia and a number of western countries. Turkey was involved in coordinating the exchange of 26 prisoners, including the American journalist Evan Gershkovich. The exchange involved persons detained in seven different countries: the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus. The move was hailed by the European Union, which firmly called for the release of all political detainees, France Presse reports. Russian president Vladimir Putin greeted the 8 Russian citizens freed on the Vnukovo airport in Moscow.

The Artificial Intelligence Act, the first such regulation in the world, has come into force in the European Union. It seeks to ensure that AI programs used or developed in the Union are trustworthy and compliant with people’s fundamental rights. At the same time, the regulation aims to create a harmonised internal market across all member states, and the European Commission says it provides a favourable environment for innovation and investment. AI systems are to comply with strict requirements, including high quality of data sets, logging of activity, clear user information and a high level of accuracy and cyber security. The systems considered a clear risk to people’s fundamental rights will be banned, including systems or applications that manipulate human behaviour and which allow social scoring by governments or companies.

Football. CFR Cluj qualified for the third preliminary round of the Conference League in football, as they defeated Neman Grodno of Belarus 5-nil on Thursday evening in a match held in Hungary, in the second leg of the second preliminary round. CFR will next play the Israeli side Maccabi Petah Tikva, on the 8^th August away and the 15^th of August at home. Also on Thursday evening, Universitatea Craiova were eliminated from the Conference League by the Slovenian side NK Maribor in a home match, despite winning 3-2, also in the second leg of the second preliminary round. In Europa League, Corvinul Hunedoara lost to HNK Rijeka 1-nil, and will next play in the Conference League, where they will face FC Astana of Kazakhstan in the third preliminary round.

ANTHEM DAY. President Klaus Iohannis on Monday issued a statement on National Anthem Day, saying that this is “a good opportunity to reaffirm our generation’s collective commitment to further developing Romania”. Iohannis also said that the national anthem “expresses the unity of our nation and defines not only the important moments in history, but especially the fulfilment of the ideals that we have embraced over time – ensuring freedom and sovereignty, establishing democracy and the state of law, Romania’s EU and NATO membership”. National Anthem Day was marked on Monday with military ceremonies in all garrisons in Romania. In Bucharest, the programme included a religious service and a concert performed by the Representative Music of the Ministry of National Defence. Romania’s National Anthem Day was proclaimed in 1998 and is celebrated every year on July 29. “Awaken thee, Romanian!” was composed by Anton Pann and the lyrics were written by the poet Andrei Mureșanu.

MOLDOVA CONSTITUTION. The majority Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova on Monday celebrated 30 years since the adoption of its Constitution, by holding a solemn Parliament meeting and a conference jointly with the Romanian Senate. President Maia Sandu said in a statement that for the last 30 years, the Moldovan people have been building a country where people live freely. Radio Chişinău recalls that some of the articles of the Constitutions have over the years caused protests, controversies and even political crises: for example, the name of the state language imposed by the Soviets as Moldovan instead of Romanian, and the neutrality status that is not even respected as Russian troops have been stationed by force on the country’s territory, in the break-away region of Transnistria.

SECURITY. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends Romanian citizens to avoid any trip to Lebanon, given the recent armed confrontations on the Lebanese-Israeli border. Romanian citizens already in this state are urged to responsibly assess the need to stay in Lebanon, and those in the southern part of the country are strongly advised by the ministry to leave the region immediately. At the same time, the ministry strongly recommends Romanian citizens who are in Lebanon to register their presence at the Romanian Embassy in Beirut. Israeli warplanes struck several Hezbollah targets in northern Lebanon on Saturday night, following a rocket attack that killed 12 people, including children, on a football pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

UNESCO. The Heroes’ Path monumental ensemble sculpted by Constantin Brâncuşi in Romania and the Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Created by the Romanian sculptor almost 90 years ago, the ensemble is considered by experts as an exceptional work. The Romanian authorities submitted the application as early as January 2018, and a technical evaluation mission took place in Romania last year. The second application accepted by UNESCO concerns Roman fortifications (the so-called Danube Limes) erected along the northern border of the province of Dacia, totalling 277 sites from 16 counties, part of the general defence system of the Roman Empire, the Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia.

OLYMPICS. The 19-year-old Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the gold medal in the men’s 200 m freestyle final at the Paris Olympics on Monday evening. This is Romania’s first gold medal at the Games.

Talks. President Klaus Iohannis will attend on Thursday the fourth meeting of the European Political Community hosted by Blenheim palace in Oxfordshire, the UK, the president’s office said on Wednesday. Talks will focus on issues such as security in Europe, support for Ukraine, the challenges related to migration, protecting democracy and promoting energy security. The president is expected to raise topical issues relating to the continued support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the context of Russia’s war of aggression. Iohannis will also attend a working group on energy and connectivity, where he will emphasise the need for a “balanced approach between the green transition and ensuring energy security at European level and the important role played by the Black Sea in ensuring regional energy interconnection”, the statement from the president’s office also reads. Over 40 heads of state and government, as well as senior EU and NATO officials are also attending the meeting.

Inflation. The annual inflation rate in the European Union stood at 2.6% in June, down from 2.7% in May, and Romania, which for five months was the country with the highest inflation in the EU, was overtaken by Belgium last month, according to the data published today by Eurostat. In June, the EU member states with the lowest annual inflation rates were Finland (0.5%), Italy (0.9%) and Lithuania (1%). At the opposite end, the EU member countries with the highest inflation rates were Belgium (5.4%), Romania (5.3%), Spain and Hungary (both with 3.6%). In the case of Romania, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) has previously informed that the annual inflation rate dropped, in June 2024, to 4.94%, from 5.12% in May. The National Bank of Romania (BNR) has revised upwards, to 4.9%, from 4.7% previously, the inflation forecast for the end of this year.

Funding. Romania received funding for three infrastructure projects worth almost 260 million euros under the Connecting Europe Facility, said MEP and former transport commissioner Adina Vălean in a statement. Fast Danube 2 is one of these projects, and will be earmarked over 195 million euros to improve navigation conditions on the common Romanian-Bulgarian section of the river. A further 45 million euros will fund the rehabilitation of the Valea Călugărească-Buzău railway. According to Vălean, Romania, alongside the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, will receive almost 14 million euros to improve the infrastructure at the Galaţi, Giurgiuleşti and Reni border crossings. The European Commission has selected 134 transport projects from 408 applications, most of which are railway and navigable water projects, the statement also reads.

Weather. Yellow, orange and red code warnings for heat and intense thermal discomfort have been issued for the southern half of the country on Thursday. Temperatures will hit 41 degrees Celsius and the temperature-humidity index will exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. In the afternoon, the weather will become unstable, and rain showers are expected, accompanied by thunderstorms and gust of wind in the mountains, mainly in the centre, north-east. The amount of precipitation may exceed 20-40 litres per sq and hailstorms are also expected. The highs of the day will be between 27 and 41 degrees Celsius and the lows between 17 and 27 degrees.

Weather. The extreme heat wave continues in Romania. A red code alert is in place until Wednesday for most of the country, with the exception of four counties in the northern half, which is under an orange code alert. Thermal discomfort is particularly high, with the temperature-humidity index exceeding the critical threshold of 80 units. Highs of 37 to 42 degrees Celsius are expected, with 36 degrees on the sea coast. The authorities have taken measures to protect the population and road travel has been disrupted. Travel restrictions have been imposed for heavy vehicles, and the Romanian Railways Company says trains will travel at a lower speed. Doctors advise the population to avoid sun exposure and going out at midday. A taskforce to monitor the effects of extreme temperatures was set up at the Bucharest-Ilfov Intervention Management and Coordination Centre from Saturday until the end of the red alert period.

Energy. Energy minister Sebastian Burduja has called for a meeting of the ministerial committee for the energy sector to assess the situation in the national energy system, the impact of weather conditions and the necessary measures, as well as the evolution of short and long term energy consumption and production. Burduja said the national energy system is safe and he is not expecting large-scale interruptions  in the electricity supply. He said some problems may appear during the hottest days, but supply operators are ready to step in. In another development, Romania’s primary energy resources dropped by 5% and those of electric power by 2.4% in the first five months of the year compared with the same period last year, according to data published today by the National Institute for Statistics.

Bears. The Chamber of Deputies was summoned to meet in an extraordinary session today to amend the legislation on immediate intervention methods to prevent bear attacks on humans. The meeting was called by prime minister Marcel Ciolacu in the wake of last week’s tragedy, when a 19-year-old young woman died after being attacked while hiking on a mountain route in the Southern Carpathians. Ciolacu said the amendments to the legislation would not give free reign to bear hunting, as some animal rights groups are fearing. Instead, they are aimed at preventing bear attacks on humans and the damages caused by bear attacks and approving the culling of over 400 brown bears for the 2024-2025 period, accounting for the prevention level at national level, and of 65 brown bears accounting for the intervention level at national level.

EU. The Romanian under-secretary in the ministry of agriculture and rural development Adrian Pintea is today attending the agriculture and fisheries council in Brussels. According to a ministry statement, the Hungarian presidency is expected to present its agenda and main priorities in the agriculture and fisheries sector in the next six months. Based on the information provided by the European Commission, agriculture ministers will discuss aspects related to trade in the area. Also, the Council will hold specific talks on ways to improve the long-term viability of rural areas, with a focus on generation renewal and demographic aspects.

Euro 2024. Spain defeated England 2-1 on Sunday night in Berlin in the final of the European Football Championship hosted by Germany. Spain thus become the first team to hold four European titles, having won in 1964, 2008 and 2012. England lost two finals in a row, after being defeated three years ago by Italy at penalty kicks. Romania reached the round of last 16, when it was knocked out of the competition by The Netherlands, who went on to reach the semifinals.

Agreement. The presidents of Romania and Ukraine, Klaus Iohannis and Volodymr Zelensky, on Thursday signed a bilateral security agreement, on the sidelines of the NATO summit marking the alliance’s 75 anniversary. This is Ukraine’s 23^rd bilateral agreement with its partners and provides for Romania’s transfer of its Patriot system to neighbouring Ukraine and its continued support for this state. Romania pledges to facilitate the quick transit of the needed equipment through its territory. The agreement also provides for cooperation in the area of intelligence, counterintelligence, cyber security and information security. Also, Romania will support Ukraine’s defence industry and will help with the reconstruction of the country. The agreement forms part of the implementation of the G7 joint declaration of support for Ukraine from July last year.

Defence. On the sidelines of the Washington summit, Romania’s defence minister Angel Tîlvăr on Wednesday signed a letter of intent for the creation of a military mobility corridor between Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, the defence ministry said in a statement on Thursday. According to the statement, “this initiative marks significant progress in strengthening NATO’s defence and deterrence capabilities in the region”. The project aims to optimise transport corridors to meet military mobility needs by creating road and railroad supply routes between the participating countries, cutting bureaucracy in peacetime and maximising efficiency in emergency and crisis situations.

Friendship. The foreign ministry in Bucharest hailed the celebration of Romania-US Friendship Day on 11^th July. The recent top level meetings, including the visits by president Klaus Iohannis to Washington in May and July this year, confirmed the determination of both states to develop the partnership built on common democratic values, close cooperation in the field of security and defence and diversified economic and commercial relations. 11^th July 1997 saw an important event in the relationship between the two countries, namely the visit by president Bill Clinton to Bucharest and his speech  given on that occasion, which paved the way for a strategic partnership between Romania and the US.

Inflation. The annual inflation rate dropped in Romania to 4.9% in June from 5.1% in May, according to data published on Thursday by the National Institute for Statistics. Over the period studied, the price of food products rose by 1%, that of non-food products by a little over 6% and that of services by over 9%. Compared with June 2023, the annual inflation rate in June 2024, calculated based on the harmonised index of consumer prices, stood at 5.3%. The National Bank of Romania revised its inflation forecast for the end of this year up to 4.9% from 4.7% and expects it to reach 3.5% at the end of 2025.

Weather. A yellow code warning was issued in Romania for Friday, with temperatures expected to reach 36 degrees in counties in the centre, north and south-eastern Romania. An orange code warning is also in place on Friday in the rest of the country, where temperatures are expected to range from 36 to 40 degrees Celsius. On Saturday and Sunday, an orange code will be in place in the centre, north and south-east, while the rest of the country will be under a red code alert. This is the most extensive warning of its kind ever issued in Romania, where highs of 37 to 41 degrees Celsius are expected over the coming days. National and local authorities are preparing to manage the effects of the extreme heat wave that will be intensifying across the country.

NOTA. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, who is attending the NATO anniversary summit in Washington, said on Tuesday evening in a social media post that the allied leaders are prepared for a substantial debate and firm decisions to boost collective security and resilience. President Iohannis is attending on Wednesday and Thursday a NATO meeting in Washington, with talks focusing on important subjects for the future of the Alliance, including a more substantial support package for Ukraine. He is met today at the summit by NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg and US president Joe Biden. Alongside the leaders of the other member states, he will attend a White House dinner given by Joe Biden. Iohannis signed a joint declaration on consolidating Ukraine’s air defence together with the presidents of the US Joe Biden and of Ukraine Volodymir Zelensky and the prime ministers of The Netherlands Dick Schoof, Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and Germany, Olaf Scholz. The signatories pledge to supply Ukraine with five Patriot and Aster 30 air defence systems.

OECD. Romania received the formal approval of the OECD for regional development, said the ministry for development, public works and administration. The statement also says that this confirms both the will and capacity of Romania to implement the legal instruments of the OECD and the alignment of Romania’s policies and practices to those of the OECD in matters of regional development. Romania’s efforts are thus recognised in terms of the consolidation of the regional development policy, especially with respect to the drafting of a solid system of territorial statistics, the adoption of a localised approach in the field of regional development and of strategic documents at regional, county and local level, by means of consolidating governance at a number of levels and improving institutional and fiscal capacity of subnational governments. The formal approval also contains a series of recommendations for improving the policy, governance and financing framework in the field of regional development.

Transport. Romania’s representative to the European Commission, the transport commissioner Adina Vălean has presented a report for her time in office. She said Romania was allocated 12 billion euros from the European Commission in the last five years for transport infrastructure projects and the country has the 6^th biggest fund allocation in the EU. She said Romania was included in the North-South transport corridor linking the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea, that the Black Sea port of Constanţa benefitted from investments to remain a gateway into the EU for goods coming from Asia, and that the Fast Danube II project to improve navigation conditions on the Romanian-Bulgarian section of the river is about to receive European funding. Referring to the situation created by some TAROM pilots who declared themselves unfit to fly, Vălean said this generated disruptions for passengers and that it was an unfortunate move, given that the national airliner TAROM benefits from state aid approved by the European Commission.

Trade. Romania’s trade balance deficit between 1^st January and 31^st May 2024 stood at 12.288 billion euros, 1.230 billion euros more than during the same period last year, according to the National Institute for Statistics. In the first five months of the year, exports dropped by 2.9%, while imports rose by 0.2%. According to the National Institute for Statistics, the areas accounting for the largest shares of exports and imports are held by cars and transport equipment and other manufacture products.

Bridge. The Giurgiu-Ruse bridge over the Danube today went into repair works on the Bulgarian section, for the next two years. According to the motorway company in neighbouring Bulgaria, the works are divided into six stages, without closing traffic, with vehicles travelling on one lane. Romanian citizens were advised to also use the other border crossings into Bulgaria.

Football. The Romanian football champions FCSB defeated the San Marino champions Virtus AC 7-1 in an away match on Tuesday evening, in the first leg of the Champions League first qualifying round. The second leg is scheduled for the 16^th of July in Bucharest. If they advance into the second preliminary round, FCSB will play Maccabi of Tel Aviv. The other Romanian sides playing in European competitions are Romanian Cup holders Corvinul Hunedoara, CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova.

Citizenship. Romanian nationals living in Spain will be able to obtain dual citizenship by the end of the year, said the Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu after talks with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez in Bucharest on Saturday. Ciolacu said the document was at the ministry of justice in Madrid and gave assurances that the over 1 million Romanians living in Spain will be able to benefit from this facility by the end of the year. If the dual citizenship agreement is adopted, Romania will become the third state in Europe, after France and Portugal, to close such an agreement with the Spanish state. Ciolacu said that, also by the end of the year, Romanian citizens will no longer need visas to travel to the US and voiced hope that Romania would fully join Schengen. Ciolacu conveyed to the Spanish prime minister the intention of the Romanian side to host a joint meeting of the two governments to discuss the agreement on the creation of bilingual Romanian-Spanish sections, the holding of a bilingual baccalaureate exam in Romanian high schools, cooperation in the area of defence and combating human trafficking. Last but not least, the Spanish side said it supported Romania in its endeavours to obtain a representative portfolio in the future European Commission.

Culture. Romanian and foreign tourists visiting Romania are increasingly interested in culture, says the relevant minister Raluca Turcan. She said the number of visitors to museums, public collections, botanical gardens, zoos and nature reserves grew by 3.1 million in 2023 compared with 2022. Turcan cited figures published by the National Institute for Statistics, according to which the number of visitors to the Long Night of Museums grew from 481,000 in 2022 to 596,000 in 2023. She said the network of private and public museums and public collections grew last year to 464. Also, over 33.5 million cultural and natural assets were made available to the public, 713,000 more than in 2022. The number of performances and concerts grew to 24,000, and that of spectators passed 6.1 million. The culture minister emphasised that the number of active library users increased by 57,000 and that Romanians borrowed 600,000 more books in 2023 compared with 2022.

Drugs. The prosecutors of the body fighting organised crime and terrorism in Romania have detained a Romanian citizen residing in the US on suspicion of drug trafficking. According to investigations, he offered banned substances in the form of jellies containing THC at an event held on 29^th June that was also attended by minors. A 3-year-old girl who ate a jelly was later taken to hospital for complex medical tests. A large amount of cannabis was found when the suspect’s home was searched and inquiries indicate that the drugs were about to be sold at the Neversea music festival in Constanţa.

Travel. From Monday until 9^th August, traffic on the Valea Oltului national road, a very busy road that connects the south to the centre of the country, will be closed during the day between 6 am and 8 pm. The measure is necessary to allow for the felling of 20,000 trees on the mountain sides bordering the road in order to build the Sibiu-Pitesti motorway. In another move, travel restrictions will be imposed from Wednesday on the Bulgarian section of the Giurgiu-Ruse bridge between Romania and Bulgaria, on account of infrastructure rehabilitation works. The Romanian foreign ministry issued a press statement recommending Romanian citizens to drive cautiously and respect the temporary traffic signs. The works will last two years, with traffic only conducted on one lane.

Citizenship. Romanian nationals living in Spain will be able to obtain dual citizenship by the end of the year, said the Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu after talks with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez in Bucharest on Saturday. Ciolacu said the document was at the ministry of justice in Madrid and gave assurances that the over 1 million Romanians living in Spain will be able to benefit from this facility by the end of the year. If the dual citizenship agreement is adopted, Romania will become the third state in Europe, after France and Portugal, to close such an agreement with the Spanish state. Ciolacu said that, also by the end of the year, Romanian citizens will no longer need visas to travel to the US and voiced hope that Romania would fully join Schengen. Ciolacu conveyed to the Spanish prime minister the intention of the Romanian side to host a joint meeting of the two governments to discuss the agreement on the creation of bilingual Romanian-Spanish sections, the holding of a bilingual baccalaureate exam in Romanian high schools, cooperation in the area of defence and combating human trafficking. Last but not least, the Spanish side said it supported Romania in its endeavours to obtain a representative portfolio in the future European Commission.

Festivals. The Neversea and Saga music festivals are coming to an end today, having attracted thousands of young people to the Black Sea coast and the capital Bucharest. Drug-fighting agents carried out a number of prevention activities, both ahead and during the events. On the first day of the Neversea festival, two persons were detained on drug-related charges and 37 fines were levied, worth 2,500 euros. The Saga festival is today featuring acts like Nicki Minaj and Armin Van Buuren. The Neversea electronic music festival is Europe’s biggest music event to take place on a beach, and according to organisers, the British publication DJ Magazine ranked it 23^rd in the world. Almost 280,000 people attended last year’s edition, which took place between 6^th and 9^th July.

Drugs. The prosecutors of the body fighting organised crime and terrorism in Romania have detained a Romanian citizen residing in the US on suspicion of trafficking in high risk drugs. According to investigations, he offered banned substances in the form of jellies containing THC at an event held on 29^th June that was also attended by minors. A 3-year-old girl who ate a jelly was later taken to hospital for complex medical tests. A large amount of cannabis was found when the suspect’s home was searched and inquiries indicate that the drugs were about to be sold at the Neversea music festival in Constanţa. According to prosecutors, the person has been detained and will appear in front of a judge to decide whether it can be held under arrest for a period of 30 days.

Stock exchange. The Bucharest Stock Exchange earned over 1.44 billion euros worth of capitalisation this week. The total capitalisation exceeded almost 70 billion euros, with the Bucharest Stock Exchange enjoying a very good year. In the first 6 months of the year, the BET index, which shows the dynamics of the 20 most traded stocks, saw a growth of 18.7%. Also, the BET-TR index, which reflects both the evolution of the price of listed companies and their dividends, saw an increase of 25.2%. The Bucharest Stock Exchange says that since the start of the year, its main indicators reached all-time highs amid a growth trend on international markets. Last year, the capitalisation of the Bucharest Stock Exchange grew by almost 50% compared with 2022.

Elections. The 28,000 voters in Costineşti, a resort on the Black Sea coast, are again expected at the ballots today to elect their mayor. The Central Electoral Bureau cancelled the elections held on 9^th June and decided they should be rerun as it noted contradictory results after several recounts, as well as flaws in the voting process. The incumbent Social Democrat mayor was initially the winner by one vote compared with his Liberal rival. After a recount, the Liberal candidate was ahead, but the decision was challenged by the Social Democrat candidate. Another recount showed the two tied. The Social Democrats and the Liberals are partners in the ruling coalition, but they had different candidates in the local elections in most cities and localities.

Romania-Spain. The timetable for the implementation of the agreement on granting dual citizenship for Romanian nationals residing in Spain was the main subject of talks between the Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez. Ciolacu said the document was at the ministry of justice in Madrid and gave assurances that the measure would come into force by the end of the year. He said that also by the end of the year, Romanians will no longer need visas to travel to the US and voiced hope that Romania would fully join Schengen. If the dual citizenship agreement is adopted, Romania will become the third state in Europe, after France and Portugal, to close such an agreement with the Spanish state.

Alert. Romanian military forces are investigating an area in the Danube Delta to check whether there are any objects fallen on the national territory after Saturday morning’s Russian strike against targets in Ukraine, near the border with Romania. On Saturday morning, as Russian drones were detected heading for Ukrainian territory near the Romanian border, the decision was taken that two Romanian F-16 planes would immediately take off and monitor the aerial situation. The population in the region was alerted about the possibility of drone parts falling in the area, but no such incidents have been reported so far, according to the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. The authorities began sending such alerts last autumn, when parts of drones used in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s Danube ports fell in Tulcea county. The Romanian defence ministry gave assurances that the country’s defence structures are constantly monitoring the situation in the border area.

Meeting. The foreign ministers of Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine signed a joined declaration on the security environment at the end of a three-party meeting held on Friday in the Moldovan capital Chişinău. The document highlights the determination of the three states to build a common democratic, peaceful and prosperous European future. The objective remains that of ensuring international support for comprehensive, just and durable peace, said the Moldovan foreign minister Mihai Popşoi. For her part, Romania’s foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu said the meeting was yet another proof of the support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty in the context of the war of aggression waged by Russia.  She pointed out that Romania supports the European aspirations of both the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine and that the start of EU accession talks paves the way for a complex reform period that requires political commitment and perseverance. The three ministers also signed a memorandum on combating the information manipulation and foreign interference.

Travel. Travel restrictions will be imposed from next Wednesday on the Bulgarian section of the Giurgiu-Ruse bridge between Romania and Bulgaria, on account of infrastructure rehabilitation works. The Romanian foreign ministry issued a statement advising Romanian citizens to drive cautiously and respect traffic signs. The works will last two years, with traffic to be conducted only on one lane. Another decision that will affect road travel is the closure of traffic on the Valea Oltului national road, a very busy road that connects the south to the centre of the country. Travel will be closed during the day between 6 am and 8 pm from 8^th July to 9^th August. 20,000 trees will be cut on the mountain sides bordering the road in order to build the Sibiu-Pitesti motorway.

Rugby. The Romanian rugby side won the Pershing Cup after defeating the United States in a match that formed part of the America Series and marked the relaunch of the Pershing Cup. The match took place on Friday evening in Chicago and was attended by many Romanians living in the US. The Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, who handed the trophy to the Romanian captain, described the team’s victory as “a dream come true”. The match took place one day after the 4^th July celebrations. Last year, the US defeated Romania in Bucharest in an international match held on 5^th August. The two sides first played each other at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, when the US won the gold medal and Romania won the bronze. Romania will next play Canada on 12^th July as part of their North American tour.

Meeting. Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said that by the end of the year, Romanians will no longer need visas to travel to the US, can hold dual citizenship if they live in Spain and will fully join Schengen. “This is the timetable”, said Ciolacu. He previously had talks with the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, having also attended together a meeting of the Socialist International – Europe. Prime minister Sanchez is the president of the Socialist International. In April, the Social Democratic Party hosted in Bucharest the leaders conference of the Party of European Socialists and a month earlier, its coalition partner, the National Liberal Party, hosted the congress of the European People’s Party.

Alert. Alerts were issued this morning in 16 localities in Tulcea county, in south-eastern Romania, warning of potential objects falling from the sky, especially drone parts, in the context of the war in the neighbouring Ukraine. The alerts are informing the population that Romania is not targeted by the attacks and that people should not panic, but follow the advice of the authorities, call the emergency number 112 and report falling objects if they see them. The authorities began sending such alerts last autumn, when parts of drones used in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s Danube ports fell in Tulcea county. Romania’s defence structures are keeping a close eye on the situation in the border area.

Travel. Travel restrictions will be imposed from next Wednesday on the Bulgarian section of the Giurgiu-Ruse bridge between Romania and Bulgaria, on account of infrastructure rehabilitation works. The Romanian foreign ministry issued a statement advising Romanian citizens to drive cautiously and respect traffic signs. The works will last two years, with traffic to be conducted only on one lane. Another decision that will affect road travel is the closure of traffic on the Valea Oltului national road, a very busy road that connects the south to the centre of the country. Travel will be closed during the day between 6 am and 8 pm from 8^th July to 9^th August. 20,000 trees will be cut on the mountain sides bordering the road in order to build the Sibiu-Pitesti motorway.

Festival. Today is the third day of the NEVERSEA music festival taking place in Constanţa, on the Black Sea coast. The line-up today features such acts as Salvatore Ganacci and Dimitri Vegas. 62,000 people attended the first day of the festival, while Friday saw a record 75,000, said the organisers.NEVERSEA, which is Europe’s biggest music festival held on a beach, began on Thursday and comes to an end on Sunday. 100 acts are taking part, both local and international stars, including the likes of Inna, Maluma, Nick Carter, G-Eazy, Bebe Rexha, DJ Snake, Steve Aoki and Mahmut Orhan. Meanwhile, the SAGA electronic music festival is taking place near Bucharest, with the line-up featuring acts like Armin Van Buuren, Nicki Minaj, Rita Ora and Dennis Lloyd.