Tag: Nicolae Ciuca

  • 29.03.2019 (mise à jour)

    29.03.2019 (mise à jour)

    Gouvernement – Le gouvernement de Bucarest a approuvé ce vendredi la modification de plusieurs ordonnances d’urgence, dont la controversée ordonnances n° 114 qui propose des mesures fiscales vivement critiquées par le milieu des affaires. Selon l’Exécutif, les nouvelles dispositions tiennent compte de l’avis des acteurs concernés, que la coalition au pouvoir a consultés ces derniers mois, et elles sont en accord aussi avec la réalité du marché. Le gouvernement roumain a également adopté des modifications au budget de l’Administration du Fonds pour l’Environnement, ce qui assure la continuation de plusieurs programmes gouvernementaux tels « Le Tacot », programme qui offre un remboursement pour une auto vieille de plus de 8 ans, l’argent allant servir à l’achat d’une voiture neuve, moins polluante, électrique ou hybride. Par ailleurs, un programme d’installation d’équipements photovoltaïques sera bientôt lancé ; il permettra aux Roumains de produire leurs propres électricité et chauffage ou de devenir des producteurs individuels d’énergie renouvelable.



    Réunion — Une nouvelle réunion du quartet Roumanie-Bulgarie-Grèce-Serbie a eu lieu, ce vendredi, au Palais Snagov, dans la proche banlieue de Bucarest. Les premiers ministres-roumain Viorica Dăncilă, bulgare Boiko Borisov, grec Alexis Tsipras et le président serbe, Aleksandar Vucic, ont analysé l’évolution de la mise en œuvre des projets communs dans la région, dans les secteurs des transports, de l’infrastructure et de l’énergie. La réunion a été précédée par la cinquième séance du Conseil de coopération de haut niveau entre la Bulgarie et la Roumanie, axée sur une analyse du partenariat soutenu visant la consolidation de la sécurité, du développement économique et de la connectivité de la région. Les gouvernements roumain et bulgare ont signé par la suite des documents de coopération dans plusieurs domaines, évoqués par la première ministre roumaine Viorica Dăncilă : la coopération des forces de police en charge des situations d’urgence, le soutien aux PME, l’amélioration des conditions de navigation sur le secteur commun roumain et bulgare du Danube et la connectivité des infrastructures de transport des deux pays.



    Kovesi — La Haute Cour va statuer mercredi prochain sur le sort réservé à la contestation déposée vendredi par l’ancienne patronne du parquet anticorruption roumain, Laura Codruţa Kovesi, contre les mesures de contrôle judiciaire disposées à son encontre par la Section spéciale pour l’investigation des infractions commises par les magistrats. Jeudi, les procureurs de cette Section ont disposé des mesures de contrôle judiciaire à l’encontre de Mme. Kovesi, accusée d’avoir reçu des pots-de-vin, d’abus de service et de faux témoignage. A l’issue des 6 heures d’audition, l’ancienne patronne du parquet anticorruption a précisé qu’on lui avait défendu de s’exprimer devant la presse, tout ceci pour, je cite « lui clouer le bec, et pour ne plus pouvoir dénoncer ce qui arrive au système judiciaire en Roumanie », fin de citation. Kövesi a rappelé dans le contexte se trouver en plein procédure de candidature, à l’issue de laquelle sera désigné le nom du procureur européen, et où, au grand dam de certains, elle a des chances réelles. La Commission européenne a critiqué la Roumanie pour son attitude déloyale lors du processus de désignation du nom du procureur européen. Kövesi est la candidate désignée pour ce poste par le Parlement européen. Le Parlement européen et le Conseil vont négocier pour établir leur choix commun final. Deux rounds de négociations se sont achevés jusqu’ici sans résultat. Le prochain round est prévu pour les 4 et 10 avril. Le parquet européen deviendra opérationnel fin 2020.



    Décision — La Cour d’appel de Bucarest a rejeté comme irrecevable la requête formulée par le ministère roumain de la défense, qui demandait l’annulation du décret par lequel le président de la Roumanie Klaus Iohannis avait prorogé le mandat du chef de l’Etat-Major de la Défense, le général Nicolae Ciucă. La décision de la Cour d’appel n’est pas définitive mais elle est exécutoire, ce qui se traduit par le retour du général Ciucă à ses fonctions. Le ministère de la Défense a fait savoir qu’il allait se pourvoir en cassation. Pour rappel, le président Iohannis avait signé, le 28 décembre dernier, le décret de prorogation d’un an du mandat du général Nicolae Ciuca en tant que chef de l’Etat-Major. La première ministre Viorica Dancila et le ministre de tutelle, Gabriel Leş, avaient accusé le chef de l’Etat d’avoir agi sans base légale, car la proposition de prorogation aurait dû appartenir au ministère de la défense.



    Climat – Le ministre roumain des Affaires étrangères, Teodor Meleşcanu, a pris part à la réunion de haut niveau sur le climat et le développement durable pour tous, organisée les 28 et 29 mars par l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU. Selon un communiqué des Affaires étrangères issu vendredi, le chef de la diplomatie de Bucarest a souligné dans son discours la grande importance de la lutte onusienne contre les changements climatiques et pour promouvoir la protection du climat au niveau global, au bénéfice des générations actuelles et futures. Saluant le Sommet de l’ONU 2019 sur le climat, qui aura lieu à New York au mois de septembre, M. Meleşcanu a souligné l’engagement ferme de la Roumanie en faveur de l’Agenda 2030 pour le Développement durable, qui représente le cadre international développé par les Nations-Unis, en faveur de l’Accord de Paris et la Convention cadre de l’ONU sur les changements climatiques. Dans le contexte, Teodor Meleşcanu a mentionné la conférence « Building Resilience to Natural Disasters », organisé par la présidence roumaine du Conseil de l’UE, le 12 mars prochain, à Bucarest.



    Brexit — La parlement britannique a rejeté a nouveau vendredi, pour la 3e fois, l’accord sur le Brexit, à 344 voix contre pour 286 voix pour. Suite au vote, Theresa May a exprimé son regret profond pour l’échec de l’accord négocié avec l’UE. Antérieurement, le gouvernement britannique avait sollicité un délai supplémentaire, au Brexit qui aurait dû avoir lieu le 29 mars. La semaine précédente, les leaders européens ont mis en garde Londres sur un éventuel rejet cette semaine de l’accord, auquel cas le Brexit aura lieu le 12 avril. Au cas où le parlement britannique aurait avalé l’accord négocié avec la Commission européenne, le départ du Royaume-Uni de l’Union aurait attendu le 22 mai.



    Météo — Un ciel bleu, avec des températures à la hausse, est attendu pour cette fin de semaine en Roumanie. Les températures matinales seront encore négatives dans certaines régions, variant entre – 4 et + 5°, alors que celles de l’après-midi atteindront 19°C



  • 31.01.2019 (mise à jour)

    31.01.2019 (mise à jour)

    OTAN — Le président roumain Klaus Iohannis a réitéré jeudi la décision de la Roumanie de rester un membre puissant et de confiance de l’OTAN. A l’issue des discussions de Bucarest, avec le secrétaire général de l’Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, le chef de l’Etat roumain a souligné que Bucarest, qui alloue déjà 2% de son PIB à la Défense, était un fournisseur de sécurité et de stabilité dans la région. Il a aussi plaidé pour une relation transatlantique solide, indispensable pour la sécurité de l’espace euro-atlantique. La visite à Bucarest du secrétaire général de l’OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, a lieu dans le contexte où cette année, l’Alliance fête les 7 décennies de son existence, alors que la Roumanie marque ses 15 années d’appartenance à l’OTAN.



    Emplois — Les sociétés roumaines pourront embaucher cette année jusqu’à 20.000 travailleurs étrangers pour combler la crise de la main d’œuvre à travers le pays. C’est ce qu’a décidé le gouvernement de Bucarest. Selon le ministère du Travail, le nombre de travailleurs étrangers avait connu une hausse de plus de 50% en Roumanie, après que le gouvernement ait approuvé l’année dernière 8000 permis de travail supplémentaires. Cette mesure a été prise vu le potentiel de développement économique de la Roumanie, l’urgence d’assurer la main d’œuvre nécessaire dans plusieurs secteurs d’activité, mais aussi pour prévenir les situations où les étrangers travaillent illégalement en Roumanie.



    Défense – La Cour d’appel de Bucarest a admis ce jeudi la demande du ministère de la Défense de suspendre le décret signé par le président Klaus Iohannis portant prorogation du mandat du général Nicolae Ciucă à la tête de l‘Etat – Major de l’Armée. La décision peut être attaquée par la voie de l’appel. En décembre dernier, le président Iohannis avait prolongé le mandat du général Nicolae Ciucă, déclarant que celui-ci était « une personne très respectée y compris au sein des structures militaires européennes et de l’OTAN ». Le ministère de la Défense, qui souhaitait le remplacer par le général Dumitru Scarlat, avait déjà affirmé que pour la prorogation du mandat il aurait fallu suivre la même procédure que dans le cas de la nomination, ce qui suppose une proposition de la part du ministre Gabriel Leş et l’aval de la première ministre Viorica Dăncilă.



    Brexit — La ministre roumaine de l’Intérieur, Carmen Dan, a discuté, jeudi, avec l’ambassadeur britannique Andrew Noble des dernières évolutions concernant le Brexit. Selon la ministre, la priorité des autorités de Bucarest reste la protection des droits des ressortissants roumains vivant au Royaume-Uni. Carmen Dans a par ailleurs assuré que les droits des citoyens britanniques se trouvant en Roumanie seraient respectés, quel que puisse être le scénario autour du Brexit, et ce en vertu du principe de la réciprocité. A son tour, l’ambassadeur britannique a affirmé que ces discussions étaient les bienvenues et qu’elles se poursuivraient, y compris au niveau technique, en fonction des évolutions de la situation.



    Grippe — L’épidémie de grippe a été officiellement déclarée, mercredi, en Roumanie. Le bilan des victimes de cette maladie s’est alourdi à 63. Aucune des victimes n’avait été vaccinée contre la grippe. Par ailleurs, les établissements scolaires restent ouverts au niveau national, les cours étant suspendus uniquement dans les écoles où plus de 20% des enfants s’absentent.



    Météo — Une légère hausse des températures est annoncée pour les 24 prochaines heures dans la plupart des régions de Roumanie. Un risque de pluie subsiste localement dans l’extrême sud-est, et des chutes de neige passagères sont possibles dans le nord-ouest. Le vent soufflera modérément. Localement, le matin et le soir, la brume pourrait couvrir les parties basses du relief. Les températures maximales seront positives et varieront entre 4° et 10°.





  • January 15, 2019

    January 15, 2019

    EUROPEAN AGENDA – PM Viorica Dancila is today presenting the priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in a plenary session of the Romanian Parliament. Of the files to be managed by Romania, Brexit is a very important one, and the Romanian PM has repeatedly said that Bucharest is interested in protecting the rights of the Romanian citizens working in Great Britain after the UK leaves the community bloc. The future budget of the EU is another delicate file, and PM Viorica Dăncilă is intent on taking huge steps forward towards building this budget, the more so as in the future, too, it will have to finance importance common European policies, such as the agricultural and cohesion ones. According to a press release issued by the Romanian Government, the PM and the members of her cabinet on Monday attended an official dinner in Strasbourg, offered by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. Also on Monday, the minister delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, had a meeting in Strasbourg with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Sylvie Guillaume. The minister delegate has reiterated Romanias commitment to work closely with the EP, during its 6-month tenure, in an effort to get positive and concrete results for the European citizens.



    SCHENGEN ACCESSION – “If Romania wants to be part of the Schengen area, it should meet some criteria, but Slovenia considers that all states should meet the same criteria. I really want Romania to be part of this area, the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, has today said in a meeting with the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. President Iohannis has said Romanias Schengen accession is impossible without consensus. He has underlined that his country should make some progress to convince some states that it is ready to join the free movement area. Romanias Schengen accession was scheduled for March 2011, but it has been repeated postponed, on grounds related to the field of justice.



    NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE – The Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, general Nicolae Ciucă, is attending today and tomorrow the 180th NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defense Session, held in Brussels. The agenda of the meeting includes military issues of topical interest regarding NATOs present and future strategic challenges, NATOs military strategy, the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan, seeking reconciliation and peace for Afghanistan, and involving assistance, conciliation and the training of Afghan national defence and security forces, and of Afghan institutions, as well as the regional security situation. Talks will also include issues related to the development of capabilities funded by common funds, the NATO – Georgia partnership, as well as the security situation in the Western Balkans and the Kosovo Force mission.




    NATIONAL CULTURE DAY – The National Culture Day is celebrated today, on the birthday of the national poet of the Romanians, Mihai Eminescu, for the ninth year in a row. A host of events are organised on this occasion both in Romania and in the European capital cities. A festive session is held at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. On this occasion, the Romanian Academy launches the app “Mihai Eminescu, complete works, which is available free of charge on smart-phones. The National Culture Day is also celebrated in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population as well as in the Romanian communities abroad.



    MARCH – Thousands of Poles marched in the streets of Warsaw on Monday evening, protesting against hatred and violence, after the death of mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz, who was stabbed on Sunday evening. Similar events were held in several cities and towns across Poland. The authorities in Warsaw have decreed three days of mourning in memory of the mayor of Gdańsk. Paweł Adamowicz, 53, died on Monday in hospital, after having been stabbed by a former convict, during a charity concert. The attacker, arrested on the spot by policemen is a former convict released from prison in late 2018.



    TENNIS– No.1 WTA Romanian Simona Halep
    has defeated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in three sets,
    6-7, 6-4, 6-2, today in Melbourne, in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam
    tournament of the year. Also today, Mihaela Buzărnescu, 25th seed, has
    been defeated by the US player Venus Williams in three sets, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2. Another Romanian,
    Ana Bogdan has lost to Poland’s Iga Swiatek, also in three sets,
    3-6, 6-3, 4-6. In the men’s competition, Romanian
    tennis player Marius Copil has qualified for the second round of the Australian
    Open, after having defeated Spaniard Marcel Granollers in three sets,6-3, 6-4, 6-4. He will meet in the second round Belgian David
    Goffin.


    CURRENCY – The Romanian national
    currency, the leu, has today reached a record low as against the European
    single currency, the Euro. According to the exchange rate set by the National Bank
    of Romania, 1 Euro stands at 4.6822. The
    leu has also lost ground against the USD, 1 dollar being traded for 4.0973 lei.

  • December 28, 2018

    December 28, 2018

    SUPREME DEFENCE COUNCIL – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis announced on Friday, fresh from the Supreme Defense Council meeting, that he has extended the mandate of general Nicolae Ciucă as chief of staff. The mandate of general Ciucă expires on December 31, and Romania cant be left without an Army chief, president Iohannis has also said. He said he rejected the proposals made by the defense minister Gabriel Leş, on generals Ciucas successor, because they do not abide by the law. Earlier the line minister announced he will not extend general Ciucas mandate. The previous session of Romanias Supreme Defence Council was held on December 19, when the Council approved, among others, the army endowment plan for the 2019 – 2028 timeframe, as well as the forces and means that Romania will contribute to missions and operations on theatres of operations abroad next year. 1,902 Romanian troops will take action on international theatres of operations, that is 127 more troops than in 2018, and some 759 military and policemen from the Romanian Interior Ministry will be sent on EU, OSCE, NATO and UN missions. Romania will further contribute troops to the NATO-led Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan and will maintain the level of troops deployed as part of allied operations in the Western Balkans. As a first, a detachment of cargo and rescue helicopters will take part in the UN mission in Mali.



    GOVERNMENT – Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă is today chairing the last government session of the year 2018. The agenda of the meeting covers such issues as a draft law on accepting the changes made by the European Council to the electoral procedure for the EP elections. The novelty is that “Member States may provide for the possibilities of advance voting, postal voting and electronic and internet voting. Where they do so, they must adopt measures sufficient to ensure in particular the reliability of the result, the secrecy of the vote and the protection of personal data. Referring to Romanias 2019 budget, Viorica Dăncilă has said it might be adopted in the first government session in January 2019 and submitted to Parliament for approval, so that it could be adopted by the end of January.



    ANTI-CORRUPTION – The prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Bucharest, DNA, in early November closed the file on the EADS contract, which provided for securing Romanias frontiers for 750 million Euros, the aforementioned institution has announced earlier today. DNA has announced this solution has been embraced because the deed is not included in the criminal law and there is no evidence indicating that a person has committed crime. In May 2004, the French group EADS signed with the Romanian Interior Ministry a contract to secure the countrys borders, because Romania wanted to join the EU and tightening border control was a prerequisite condition. The first investigation was started in 2005, against some persons who were employed by the Interior Ministry back then. The verification started following a notification sent by the leadership of the Interior Ministry, according to whom public funds had allegedly been used inappropriately, and those taking part in the negotiations did not observe some legal terms, and the value of the contract to tighten border control had been overestimated. Some of the names involved in the case include former ministers Marian Săniuță, Vasile Blaga and Dan Nica.



    BORDER TRAFFIC – The Romanian border was crossed by over one million people between December 21 and 26, during the Christmas mini-holiday, registering a 10% increase as compared to the same period of 2017, the Border Police has announced. The most transited border was that in the west of the country, where some 450,000 border crossings were reported. 260,000 other people chose to fly to and from Romania during this time span. Also, 159,000 people crossed the border from and into the Republic of Moldova, and 68,000 others from and into Bulgaria.



    HANDBALL – Romanias mens handball team tonight take on the similar team of the Czech Republic, in a fixture counting towards the 4 Nations Cup semifinals trophy staged in Poland. In the other semifinal, host country team faces Japan. On Saturday, the defeated teams are pitted against each other, while the winners will be pitched against each other as well. In early 2019, the national squad coached by Spaniard Manuel Montoya and the former international handballer Eliodor Voica will have a training session in Slovakia. A tournament will follow suit, with host country Slovakia and the Netherlands taking part. We recall Romanias mens national handball team failed to qualify for the World Championship due in January 2019 and jointly hosted by Germany and Denmark. However, Romanias womens national handball team has already secured their participation in the 2019 edition of the World Championships, to be hosted by Japan. We recall Romania came in 4th at the recently-held European championships in France.

  • 05.11.2018 (mise à jour)

    05.11.2018 (mise à jour)

    Réunion — Le Comité exécutif national du Parti social-démocrate, principale composante de la coalition gouvernementale en place à Bucarest, qui s’est réuni ce lundi, a décidé d’exclure le secrétaire général Marian Neacșu et le vice-président du parti Adrian Țuțuianu. Ces derniers ont fait savoir qu’ils contesteraient cette décision qui montre que le PSD sanctionne le délit d’opinion. Le chef de file des sociaux-démocrates, Liviu Dragnea, a affirmé que cette décision ne faisait pas suite à la lettre signées par plusieurs membres importants contestant la direction du parti, mais à des actions ultérieures, telles des discussions avec l’opposition pour le vote de la motion de censure contre la coalition au pouvoir, formée par le Parti social-démocrate et l’Alliance des démocrates et des libéraux. Tutuianu et Neacsu ont démenti les accusations. Aux termes du statut du PSD, c’est le Comité exécutif national du parti qui propose l’exclusion d’un membre, mais c’est au Congrès du parti de la valider. Parmi les sujets à l’agenda du jour de cette réunion ont également figuré les propositions pour les postes de direction de l’Autorité de surveillance financière et du Conseil national de l’audiovisuel, lesquelles devraient être soumises mercredi au débat et au vote du plénum du Parlement. Les sociaux-démocrates ont décidé de soutenir la reconduction de Leonard Badea à la tête de l’Autorité de surveillance financière.



    Visite – A l’occasion de la visite officielle dans le Sultanat d’Oman, la cheffe de l’Exécutif de Bucarest, Viorica Dăncilă, a participé, lundi, à Muscat, à un forum d’affaires. La première ministre roumaine a mis en évidence l’intérêt de la partie roumaine de constituer des ponts commerciaux solides entre l’Union européenne et les Etats du Golfe. Par ailleurs, Viorica Dăncilă a pris part, lundi, à la cérémonie d’inauguration de l’Ambassade de Roumanie de Muscat. Antérieurement, la cheffe du Cabinet de Bucarest a rencontré son Altesse royale Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said, premier vice-premier ministre au Conseil des ministres du sultanat. Les deux dignitaires ont passé en revue les opportunités de collaboration dans des domaines variés, tels que l’agriculture, le tourisme, l’infrastructure, la santé et l’éducation. Viorica Dancila a plaidé en faveur des investissements étrangers dans son pays, soulignant les points d’attractivité du marché roumain, ainsi que les modifications législatives censées favoriser le développement des partenariats public – privé. La délégation roumaine se rendra mardi au Qatar.



    Défense — Le chef de l’Etat major roumain, le général Nicolae Ciucă, effectuera une visite de travail, mardi et mercredi, en Grèce, à l’invitation de son homologue hellène. A l’agenda des discussions figurent des sujets tels le renforcement du flanc oriental de l’OTAN et le rôle de la Roumanie et de la Grèce en l’occurrence, ainsi que les modalités concrètes de coopération militaire, au niveau bilatéral, régional et interalliés.



    Condamnation — L’ex tortionnaire communiste Alexandru Vişinescu, âgé de 93 ans, est décédé dans l’hôpital pénitentiaire Rahova. Il y purgeait une peine de 20 ans de prison ferme pour les crimes contre l’humanité commis entre 1956 et 1963, lorsqu’il a été commandant de la prison de Râmnicu Sărat, dans l’est de la Roumanie. Ce verdict, prononcé en février 2016, a représenté une première pour la Roumanie. La demande d’Alexandru Vişinescu d’interruption de l’exécution pour raisons médicales a été rejetée par les juges. Un autre tortionnaire communiste, Ion Ficior, qui s’est trouvé à la direction du camp de travaux forcés de Periprava entre 1958 et 1963, lui aussi condamné à 20 ans de prison ferme pour crimes contre l’humanité, est mort en prison, en septembre dernier.



    Haltérophilie — La Roumaine Loredana Toma a gagné lundi la médaille d’argent à l’épreuve de l’arraché, dans la catégorie des 64 kilos, aux Championnats du monde de haltérophilie, qui se déroulent à Achgabat, au Turkménistan. Samedi, une autre Roumaine, Cristina Iovu, a obtenu le bronze à l’épaulé-jeté, dans la catégorie des 55 kilos. Lors de l’édition 2018 des Championnats du Monde, qui compte pour les qualifications aux Jeux olympiques de Tokyo en 2020, la Roumanie a aligné quatre sportifs : Nicolae Onica – catégorie 96 kg, Elena Ramona Andrieş – catégorie 49 kg, Cristina Iovu – catégorie 55 kg et Loredana Elena Toma — catégorie 64 kg.



    Météo — Dans le prochain intervalle de 24 heures, les températures seront proches de la normale de saison, les maxima devant s’étaler entre 13° et 23°.


  • January 17, 2018

    January 17, 2018

    CONSULTATIONS – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, is today having consultations with the parliamentary parties for the designation of a new prime minister, after the resignation of Mihai Tudose, to whom the main ruling party, PSD, has withdrawn its political support. The coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party-the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania has proposed the Romanian MEP Viorica Dăncilă for the position of PM. In the case of the right-wing opposition parties, the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union have announced they will not endorse this nomination and take into consideration the idea of holding snap elections, whereas the Peoples Movement Party says it will make its own nomination for the position of prime minister. After the news, well bring you further details on Tudoses resignation and its consequences.



    GOVERNMENT – The weekly government session is today led by the interim prime minister, Mihai Fifor. He has announced earlier today that he will analyse the situation concerning the Romanian Police leadership, following the scandal generated by last weeks arrest of a policeman accused of repeated sexual abuse and paedophilia. Against the backdrop of suspicions that he had allegedly been protected by his superiors and colleagues, a row broke out between interior minister, Carmen Dan, and former prime minister, Mihai Tudose, which ended with the resignation of the prime minister.



    BRUSSELS – The Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, general Nicolae Ciucă, is today attending in Brussels, for the second day in a row, the NATO Military Committee Conference, in chiefs of defence session. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry, the agenda of talks covers such issues as security challenges on the southern flank and the Alliances contribution to the efforts of stabilising it, the mission in Afghan, NATOs role in reforming the security sector in Iraq. The allied military committee convenes twice a year, at the Brussels headquarters, for talks on NATO operations and missions.



    CAR SALES – New car sales in the European Union last year exceeded the threshold of 15 million units for the first time since 2007, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association has today announced. Considered to be a relevant indicator of the economic situation, new car sales have plummeted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, but they have followed an upward trend, as of the end of 2013. Over 469 thousand Dacia cars were licensed last year, registering a 12% increase as compared to 2016, and the market share of the Romanian make in the European Union reached 3.1% in 2017. The Dacia company was taken over by Renault in 1999. Re-launched in 2005, with the Logan model, Dacia became an important player on the European car market.



    TENNIS – Romanian woman tennis player Irina Begu (no. 40 WTA) has today been defeated by Croatias Petra Martici, no. 81, 6-4, 7-6, in the second round of the Australian Open, the first grand slam tennis tournament of the year. Three other Romanian tennis players will be playing in the second round of the singles, on Thursday. The world number one tennis player and first seeded Simona Halep faces Canadian Eugenie Bouchard (no.112 WTA), Sorana Cîrstea (no.36) will meet Czech Lucie Safarova (no.29), and Ana Bogdan (no.104) plays against Yulia Putintseva of Kazahstan, (no. 54). In the womens doubles, Irina Begu, Monica Niculescu, Raluca Olaru and Sorana Cîrstea have qualified into the second round of the Australian tournament.

  • Mihai Fifor, Ministrul Apărării Naţionale, vizită în Kandahar

    Mihai Fifor, Ministrul Apărării Naţionale, vizită în Kandahar

    Mihai Fifor, Ministrul Apărării Naţionale, a vizitat, între 27-29 decembrie, Baza Militară Aeriană Kandahar, Afganistan. El a fost însoţit de şeful Statului Major al Apărării, generalul Nicolae Ciucă.

    Cu acest prilej, oficialul român a mulţumit ofiţerilor şi subofiţerilor român dislocaţi în Kandahar pentru participarea la misiunile din teatrele de operaţii.

    Am dorit să mă aflu zilele acestea în Kandahar, alături de militarii noştri aflaţi în misiune în teatrul de operaţii din Afganistan… Mai mult ca niciodată, în aceste zile încărcate de emoţii, gândurile ne duc la cei dragi nouă, la cei de acasă. Am povestit mult despre nevoile lor şi despre planurile Armatei pentru anul 2018, care sunt foarte ambiţioase din punctul nostru de vedere. Sper să fi reuşit să le fi alinat dorul de copii, de familie şi să îi fi motivat pentru misiunile ce vor veni în noul an. Vă sunt recunoscător pentru tot ceea ce faceţi. Cuvintele sunt mult prea sărace pentru a vă mulţumi, dumneavoastră şi tuturor celor cei dragi, care vă sunt mereu aproape în dificila misiune pe care o desfaşuraţi, a scris Mihai Fifor pe pagina sa de facebook.

    Cu această ocazie, a avut loc şi un briefing de informare privind misiunile, activităţile desfăşurate de către forţele române mobilizate în bazele militare din Afganistan.

  • Mihai Fifor, videoconferinţă cu militarii români

    Mihai Fifor, videoconferinţă cu militarii români

    Ministrul Apărării Naţionale, Mihai Fifor, a participat miercuri, la o videoconferinţă cu militarii români aflaţi în teatrele de operaţii şi în Polonia. Alături de minitrsul Apărării s-a aflat şeful Statului Major al Apărării, generalul Nicolae Ciucă. Fifor le-a mulţumit militarilor români pentru felul exemplar de acţiune în misiunile internaţionale: România nu are ambasadori mai buni decât dumneavoastră, cei care şi de sărbători apăraţi interesele României în teatrele de operaţii, alături de aliaţii şi partenerii noştri. Reprezentaţi tot ce are mai bun poporul român şi mă înclin în faţa sacrificiului dumneavoastră de a petrece aceste momente festive şi importante departe de familie, într-un mediu ostil şi periculos.”



    Generalul Nicolae Ciucă a transmis, cu această ocazie, urările le şi ale conducerii Statului Major al Apărării: ”Doar noi, militarii, cunoaştem trăirile şi emoţiile pe care le simţim în preajma Sărbătorilor, atunci când suntem în misiuni, departe de casă, de familie şi de cei dragi. Este al 16-lea Crăciun, începând cu anul 2002, pe care Armata României îl petrece în operaţiuni şi misiuni NATO şi nu este uşor. Acum, în pragul Crăciunului, vă transmit cele mai frumoase gânduri, să aveţi Sărbători Fericite, un An Nou plin de bucurie şi să vă întoarceţi, cu toţii, sănătoşi acasă.”



    Sursa: Agerpres

  • Romania considers purchase of Patriot missiles

    Romania considers purchase of Patriot missiles

    The Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu have recently had talks with a delegation of the American Romanian Business Council on the subject of future American investment in Romania and ways to consolidate cooperation in the defence industry. Bucharest is currently considering the possibility to purchase Patriot missiles.



    The US ambassador Hans Klemm said he hoped the parties would reach an agreement on this matter by the end of the year. He underlined that the United States is grateful to Romania for the latter’s decision to increase defence spending to 2% of the GDP in 2017, in keeping with its NATO commitments. This also provides American companies with the opportunity to collaborate with Romanian companies in the field of defence in order to develop new, modern equipment that would benefit Romania, NATO and the United States and would provide better defence, said ambassador Klemm.



    Last month, the chief of the Romanian General Staff, general Nicolae Ciuca, said Romania was planning to purchase Patriot missiles, a type of equipment that fits with the country’s integrated multi-level air defence system. The Patriot is a surface-to-air advanced missile that can be used in the event of an attack by aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. The defence minister Gabriel Les told the public television station on Sunday that the Patriot missile system is one of the possible solutions under consideration for air defence because it is a very good system that has been tested in action and has a reasonable price.



    According to the minister, however, no clear decision has been taken yet. Earlier, the minister said a concept on the equipping of the Romanian Army was to be finalised soon. This year, Romania increased its defence spending to 2% of the GDP for the first time. Half of the money will go to the army to be used on equipment. Minister Les told Radio Romania that the army would be equipped with attack helicopters and troop-carrying helicopters, as well as new armoured carriers, given that the ones used at the moment are around 30 years old.


    (Translated by Cristina Mateescu)

  • NATO şi provocările actuale

    NATO şi provocările actuale

    Creată,
    imediat după al doilea război mondial, cu ţelul, rezumat într-o butadă, de a-i
    păstra pe americani în Europa, pe sovietici în afară şi pe germani la podea,
    NATO se confruntă, 70 de ani mai târziu, cu un peisaj geopolitic fundamental
    diferit.

    Este pentru prima dată în istoria sa, constată experţii, când Alianţa
    Nord-Atlantică trebuie să gestioneze simultan ameninţări majore pe două
    direcţii strategice diferite. Pe de o parte, Rusia post-sovietică a dovedit din
    plin, după anexarea peninsulei Crimeea şi alimentarea rebeliunii secesioniste
    din estul rusofon al Ucrainei, că şi-a regăsit agresivitatea şi apetitul
    teritorial. Pe de alta, aşa-numita primăvară arabă din anii trecuţi a înlocuit
    regimuri corupte şi abuzive, dar laice şi relativ stabile, cu o nebuloasă
    jihadistă în jurul Mediteranei, ale cărei tentacule ajung acum să ucidă în
    inima Europei, la Paris şi Bruxelles. Sunt cele mai complexe provocări şi
    riscuri de la încheierea Războiului Rece încoace, afirmă asistentul secretarului
    general al NATO, românul Sorin Ducaru:
    Principala ameninţare acum este cea venită din partea Rusiei, care continuă să
    încalce unele reglementări din legislaţia internaţională. Ea este potenţată de
    instabilitatea din Orientul Mijlociu şi din Nordul Africii, zone situate foarte
    aproape de frontierele NATO. O altă ameninţare o reprezintă organizaţia Statul
    Islamic, care a început să recruteze din regiune din ce în ce mai mulţi
    luptători, să creeze celule teroriste şi să obţină arme, pe care apoi să le
    folosească în atentatele organizate în Europa.

    Prezent, la Bucureşti,
    la o conferinţă pe probleme de securitate, Ducaru apreciază că, prin
    consfinţirea, la începutul lunii iulie, a aderării Muntenegrului la NATO, se
    pot crea premisele pentru refacerea stabilităţii în Balcani, regiune aflată
    foarte aproape atât de spaţiul ex-sovietic, cât şi de Orientul Mijlociu.
    Imediat după inaugurarea, luna aceasta, la Deveselu, a componentelor
    sistemului american antibalistic, România a fost suspusă unui bombardament
    retoric de la Moscova, asezonat cu reproşuri şi avertismente, deşi toţi
    responsabilii politici de la Bucureşti au subliniat că scutul nu e îndreptat
    contra ruşilor.

    Secretarul de stat în ministerul român al Apărării, Ştefan
    Tinca, repetă că terorismul şi fenomenul migraţiei sunt, la rându-le, pericole
    majore: Ceea ce vine din sud este la fel de
    riscant şi pentru noi: problema migraţiei, ca să nu mai vorbim de terorism. Au
    fost români care au murit în atentatele din Vestul Europei. Deci părerea mea e
    că nu putem spune că este doar estul, pentru că şi din sud suntem expuşi, poate
    nu în aceeaşi măsură, dar trebuie să vedem vecinătatea în totalitate, de la
    nord la sud-est şi la vest apoi.

    Şeful Statului Major General al
    Armatei Române, generalul Nicolae Ciucă, spune, la rândul său, că agresiunile
    pot să exceadă confruntarea strict militară, dar se declară convins că România
    şi NATO, în ansamblu, pot face faţă tuturor provocărilor.