Radio România Internațional

Tag: Nomination

  • August 23, 2024 UPDATE

    August 23, 2024 UPDATE

     

    EU The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu discussed, on Thursday, in Brussels, with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the future European commissioner from Romania, about the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as about a new agreement on Romania’s budget deficit, which should extend over 7 years. Regarding the position of European commissioner, Marcel Ciolacu announced that he nominated Victor Negrescu, the current vice-president of the European Parliament. During the meeting, they tackled Romania’s accession to Schengen with its land borders, with the Prime Minister stressing that Ursula von der Leyen is the “biggest” supporter of this cause.

     

    DEFENCE The Chief of the defence staff, General Gheorghiţă Vlad, met on Thursday, in Bucharest, with his counterpart from the French Republic, General Thierry Burkhard, who is on an official visit to Romania. The talks between the two focused on the regional security situation, the progress in achieving full operational capacity of the NATO Battle Group in 2025, and the responsibilities of the French structures deployed to Romania in strengthening the Allied deterrence and defence posture. General Gheorghiţă Vlad emphasised that, in the last two years, the excellent cooperation between the two armies to ensure collective defence were also reflected in the increased interoperability between structures and in the development of training and quartering infrastructure. The visit also included a meeting of the two heads of defence with troops from the NATO Battle Group, at the Getica National Joint Training Center in Cincu. France is the lead nation of the NATO Battle Group.

     

    US ELECTION The Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party’s nomination as a candidate for the US presidency, at the Democratic National Convention. She told her supporters that the country has a chance to overcome resentment, cynicism and division. Harris promised tax cuts for the middle class. As regards abortions, she accused her opponent, the former Republican President Donald Trump, of wanting to introduce a national ban. In terms of foreign policy, Harris said that dictators around the world support Trump, the BBC reports.

     

    COMMEMORATION The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, in his message on the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Fascism and Communism, says that populism and hate speech are once again present, under various forms. He argues that this is precisely why society as a whole must stay alert to the risk of all the values embraced by Romania being pushed into irrelevance. Iohannis also mentioned the crucial decision made by King Michael I, who acted with responsibility and dignity and changed the fateful course of WWII, saving the country from imminent disaster. In turn, PM Marcel Ciolacu reiterated the government’s firm commitment to fight all forms of extremism, and to strengthen civic engagement, by educating the youth with respect to all the landmarks in recent history.

     

    SCHOOLS Students in secondary schools and high schools in Romania will have more rules to observe in the new academic year. School rules stipulate, among other things, that students cannot hold mobile phones during classes and provide for penalties in case of violations. School operation rules have also been amended. Novelties include conduct grades for each module, separate tests for 9th grade admission, and a teacher in charge of EU-funded projects in each school, as well as online or hybrid classes for students in exceptional situations. On the other hand, secondary school and high school students with final grades above 9.50 will receive merits scholarships. For this academic year, the merit scholarship minimum amount is nearly EUR 90. This amount may be increased by school boards, depending on the budget earmarked by the local authorities.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse managed to reach the singles main draw of the US Open Grand Slam tournament, which starts on Monday in New York, after defeating Alexandra Eala from the Philippines in 3 sets. Ruse will face Julia Grabher from Austria in the inaugural round. She is the third Romanian to reach the singles main draw at the US Open, after Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian entered the singles draw thanks to ranking. Cristian will play against Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, seeded 12, while Ana Bogdan will meet the Dutch Arantxa Rus in the first round. (AMP)

  • August 23, 2024

    August 23, 2024

    Brussels – The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu discussed, on Thursday, in Brussels, with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the future European Commissioner from Romania, about the state of fulfillment of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR, as well as about a new agreement on Romania’s deficit, which should extend over 7 years. Regarding the position of European commissioner, Marcel Ciolacu announced that he proposed Victor Negrescu, the current vice-president of the European Parliament. During the meeting, they tackled Romania’s accession to Schengen also with land borders, with the Prime Minister stressing that Ursula von der Leyen is the “biggest” supporter of this cause.

     

    Defense – The Chief of the Defense Staff, General Gheorghiţă Vlad, met on Thursday, in Bucharest, with his counterpart from the French Republic, General Thierry Burkhard, who is on an official visit to Romania. The talks between the two focused on the regional security situation, the fulfillment of the conditions for achieving, in 2025, the final operational capacity of the NATO Battle Group, and the responsibilities of the Hexagon structures deployed in Romania in order to strengthen the allied deterrence and defense posture respectively. General Gheorghiţă Vlad emphasized that, in the last two years, the excellent cooperation relations between the two armies to ensure collective defense were also reflected in the increased interoperability between structures and in terms of infrastructure development for training and quartering. The visit schedule included the meeting, in the facilities of the Getica National Joint Training Center in Cincu (centre), of the two heads of Defense with soldiers from the NATO Battle Group. The role of the framework nation of the NATO Battle Group was assumed by France.

     

    Washington – The Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party’s nomination as a candidate for the US presidency, within the Democratic National Convention. She told supporters that the country has a chance to overcome resentment, cynicism and division. Harris promised tax cuts for the middle class. As regards abortions, she accused her opponent, the former Republican President Donald Trump, of wanting to introduce a national ban. About foreign policy, Harris said that dictators around the world support Trump, the BBC reports.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse managed to reach the main singles draw of the US Open Grand Slam tournament, which starts on Monday, at the Flushing Meadows arenas in New York, after defeating Alexandra Eala from the Philippines in 3 sets. Ruse will face Julia Grabher from Austria in the inaugural round. She is the third Romanian to reach the main singles draw at the US Open, after Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian entered directly the singles draw, thanks to the ranking. Cristian will play against the Russian Daria Kasatkina, the 12th seed, while Ana Bogdan will meet the Dutch Arantxa Rus in the first round.

     

    Football – The Romanian football champions, FCSB, ended in a draw 1-all the away match with the Austrian team LASK Linz, on Thursday evening, in the first leg of the Europa League play-off. The second leg will be played on August 29, in Bucharest. The vice-champion CFR Cluj (north-west) defeated the Cypriot team FC Pafos 1-0 on home ground, in the first leg of the Conference League football play-off. The decisive second leg will take place in Limassol, on August 29. (LS)

     

  • Romanian candidate for NATO secretary general

    Romanian candidate for NATO secretary general

     

    A former ambassador to Washington and a former foreign minister in the early 2000s, when Romania was admitted into NATO, Mircea Geană has been the deputy secretary general of the Alliance since October 2019. This is the highest international position held by a Romanian official. And as of recently, as the media in Bucharest noticed, Geoană has been more often in Romania than in Brussels, which suggests his intention to run for president of Romania once again, after losing the election in 2009.

     

    In Bucharest, a resolute Atlanticist and pro-EU Klaus Iohannis concludes this year his second term in office as president of the country. As many observers had expected, on Tuesday he announced his candidacy for the top NATO post. The position will be vacated this year by the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, after a decade in office.

     

    According to Iohannis, his strengths at the helm of the strongest political and military alliance in history would be a deep understanding of the challenges facing NATO, as well as the performances of his country, a NATO member state neighbouring the Russia-invaded Ukraine.

     

    “In a complicated security context, our country has proved to be a pillar of stability in the region,” the Romanian official said, and added that it was time for Romania to take even more responsibility within the Euro-Atlantic leadership structures.

     

    Analysts say the candidacy comes against the background of East European states requesting not to be overlooked in the distribution of top posts in NATO and the European Union. Romania and other eastern partners explicitly called for better representation in NATO structures, especially at a time when the regional security is threatened by the war in Ukraine.

     

    But critics in the country claim NATO deserves better than Iohannis. According to them, during his decade-long presidency Iohannis achieved nothing of note; instead, he has been criticised for his arrogance, apathy, penchant for opulence and lack of communication skills.

     

    What we know so far is that the Romanian president’s challenger for the NATO position is the Dutch PM Mark Rutte, who also takes a step back from national politics. Rutte is backed by major NATO Allies such as the US, Britain, France and Germany.

     

    But the appointment is made following diplomatic consultations between all member states, and a decision is announced only when a consensus has been reached on one candidate. And Rutte, seen with unfriendly eyes in Turkey, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria, is now far from unanimity. (AMP)

  • March 7, 2024

    March 7, 2024

     

     

    CONGRESS The congress of the European People’s Party continues in Bucharest today, when the party’s nominee for president of the European Commission is to be chosen. On Tuesday the party’s Political Assembly validated Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for a new term in office. On Thursday, president Klaus Iohannis and other EU heads of state and government are scheduled to address the Congress. Over 2,000 delegates from more than 40 countries, including the president of the European Commission, the president of the European Parliament, presidents and prime ministers, party presidents and European commissioners in the EPP have convened in Bucharest for the congress. The main goals of the event are the selection of the EPP president and decisions on the party’s main policy documents and election platforms. The meeting is hosted by the National Liberal Party, a member of the ruling coalition in Romania, jointly with the EPP. Bucharest last hosted an EPP congress in October 2012.

     

    MEETING The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis has a meeting scheduled today with Austria’s federal chancellor, Karl Nehammer, the Romanian Presidency announced. According to Agerpres, the two officials are expected to discuss Romania’s full Schengen accession. The European People’s Party unanimously adopted, during its congress in Bucharest on Wednesday, a manifesto demanding Romania’s accession to the Schengen area as soon as possible, after the Austrian delegation of the People’s Party, in power, renounced voting against. According to the manifesto, “we need full accession to Schengen for Bulgaria and Romania, by lifting as soon as possible not only the air and maritime checks, but also the checks at the land borders”.

     

    ELECTIONS The government of Romania is to analyse today a draft emergency order on merging the local elections and the elections for the European Parliament on June 9. According to an INSCOP poll commissioned by News.ro, the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, in power in Romania and running on joint lists of candidates, would get 43.7% of the votes. Next in the poll come the nationalist party AUR with little over 20%, and the United Right Alliance, also in Opposition, with 13.7%. As for the local elections, the poll indicates the Social Democrats would get 30.6% of the county and local council seats, the Liberals 25.6%, AUR 17.4%, and the United Right Alliance 9.8%. With respect to merging the two elections, the poll suggests over 57% of citizens are in favour of the idea. More than one-third of the interviewees are in favour of joint candidate lists for the Social Democrats and the Liberals in the European elections and separate lists for the local elections, while 51.3% disagree with the decision. Romania’s presidential elections are scheduled in September, and the general elections are due in December.

     

    MOLDOVA France and the Republic of Moldova are set to sign economic and defence cooperation agreements today.  The documents will be signed in Paris by president Emmanuel Macron and president Maia Sandu. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, Macron and the French foreign ministry have repeatedly voiced concern with Russia’s threats against Ukraine’s neighbour, Moldova. A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry, Christophe Lemoine, said Moldova was facing “increasingly aggressive attempts at destabilization” by Russia. This agreement is aimed at supporting the modernization of Moldova’s armed forces, and our support will not be limited to defence. We have mobilized the international community by creating the support platform co-chaired by France, Germany and Romania, launched shortly after the start of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, when Moldova was highly vulnerable to the aftermath of the war, the French official also said.

     

    MINES A sea dredger, a PUMA Naval helicopter and a team of combat divers with the Romanian Naval Forces specialising in the clearing and disposal of explosives are today inspecting the southern part of the Romanian sea coast, to detect a suspected naval mine, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. A floating item was spotted in the region by the Coast Guard, which requested the intervention of the Naval Forces, in line with relevant national procedures. According to the defence ministry, since the start of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, 95 naval mines have been destroyed in the Black Sea, and this one is the 6th mine disposal mission during this period. (AMP)

  • 04.11.2020

    04.11.2020

    Coronavirus – En Roumanie, le nombre de cas d’infection par le nouveau coronavirus a augmenté, mercredi, de 8.651, ce qui représente un nouveau record négatif. Plus de 267.000 cas d’infection ont été confirmés jusquici. 146 décès ont également été rapportés mercredi et le bilan des décès des suites de la Covid-19 est monté à 7.419. Par ailleurs, 1.001 patients sont admis en soins intensifs, soit le nombre le plus élevé jamais enregistré jusquà présent. Les autorités évaluent en permanence les mesures de gestion de l’épidémie de coronavirus et les adaptent aux évolutions. Le président Klaus Iohannis a annoncé que la première tranche du vaccin anti – Covid-19 pourrait arriver en Roumanie au premier trimestre de l’année prochaine. Le chef de l’Etat a précisé que la priorité serait donnée à limmunisation des soignants et des personnes des groupes à risque. D’autre part, Klaus Iohannis a déclaré que, pour le moment, il n’y avait aucune raison d’imposer un état d’urgence, mais que certaines restrictions étaient nécessaires pour ralentir la propagation de lépidémie.



    Visite – Le premier ministre roumain, Ludovic, Orban, se trouve aujourd’hui à Ramallah, en Cisjordanie, où il discutera avec son homologue palestinien, Mohammad Shtayyeh, du renforcement de la collaboration bilatérale. Le chef du cabinet de Bucarest sest entretenu, mardi, à Jérusalem, avec les plus hauts responsables israéliens. Ludovic Orban et son homologue israélien, Benjamin Netanyhu, ont reconfirmé les relations privilégiées entre les deux pays et se sont félicités du récent lancement du Groupe de travail Roumanie-Israël dans le domaine économique.



    Nomination – A Bucarest, la Cour constitutionnelle examine les saisines formulées par le PNL (au pouvoir) et par l’Union Sauvez la Roumanie concernant la nomination du député social-démocrate (d’opposition), Florin Iordache au poste de président du Conseil législatif. Les signataires du document affirment que le nombre de voix requis pour que Florin Iordache soit nommé président n’a pas été atteint. Ils soutiennent également que Florin Iordache ne remplit pas la condition de bonne réputation professionnelle et morale prévue par la loi. Cest lui qui avait promu, en tant que ministre de la Justice, le décret d’urgence n°13 et le projet d’amnistie et de grâce. A l’hiver 2017, le décret en question avait suscité de nombreuses protestations à Bucarest, dans d’autres villes à travers le pays et au sein de la diaspora. Le gouvernement de l’époque, formé du Parti social-démocrate et de lAlliance des démocrates et des libéraux, était accusé d’avoir adopté un décret modifiant les codes pénaux en faveur des hommes politiques ayant des démêlés avec la justice. Sous la pression de la rue, l’Exécutif avait fait savoir alors qu’il renonçait à la modification du Code pénal et du Code de procédure pénale.



    Justice – Cristian Rizea, ancien député social-démocrate de Roumanie, qui avait fui en République de Moldova après avoir été condamné, a été interpellé à Chisinau. Les autorités moldaves ont entamé une procédure d’extradition, conformément aux accords bilatéraux. Depuis mars 2019, Rizea faisait lobjet dun mandat de recherche international. Il doit purger en Roumanie sa peine de 4 ans et 8 mois de prison ferme, pour trafic d’influence et blanchiment d’argent, sentence définitive prononcée par la Haute Cour de Cassation et de Jutice. Mardi, le président sortant de la République de Moldova, le socialiste Igor Dodon, a annoncé qu’il retirait à l’ancien député roumain la citoyenneté obtenue frauduleusement il y a deux ans.



    Vienne- Le gouvernement autrichien a institué trois jours de deuil national pour les victimes de l’attaque terroriste perpétrée lundi à Vienne, qui a fait quatre morts et 22 blessés. Les autorités poursuivent l’enquête après que l’assaillant autrichien d’origine nord-macédonienne a été abattu par la police. 14 arrestations ont été effectuées après la perquisition de 18 maisons. Le chancelier Sebastian Kurz a transmis à la population un message d’unité, promettant que l’Autriche défendrait sa démocratie, ses droits fondamentaux et son style de vie libéral .



    Football – Le club champion de Roumanie de football, CFR Cluj (nord-ouest), affrontera jeudi soir, en déplacement, l’équipe italienne AS Rome, pour son troisième match dans le groupe A de la Ligue Europa. Le CFR est leader du groupe, après avoir remporté, 2-0, en déplacement, le match contre les Bulgares de TSKA Sofia et fait match nul, à domicile, 1 partout, avec Young Boys Berne de Suisse. Eliminée des préliminaires de la Ligue des champions et arrivée en Ligue Europa, l’équipe de Cluj est la dernière représentante de la Roumanie à l’édition de cette année des coupes européennes de football.



    Handball – L’équipe masculine de Roumanie de handball disputera jeudi son premier match, en déplacement, contre la Suède, dans le groupe 8 des préliminaires du Championnat d’Europe 2022, accueilli par la Hongrie et la Slovaquie. Dimanche est prévue la rencontre à domicile avec les sportifs monténégrins. L’équipe masculine de Roumanie, quadruple championne du monde des années ‘60 -‘70, ne s’est plus qualifiée depuis 1996 pour un tournoi final continental. Par ailleurs, les handballeuses roumaines sont qualifiées pour l’Euro 2020, qui se disputera le mois prochain, dans le groupe dont font partie aussi la Norvège, l’Allemagne et la Pologne.



    Météo – Le ciel est plutôt couvert et des pluies faibles sont signalés localement dans le sud-ouest du pays. Sur le reste du pays, le ciel est variable. Les températures maximales de la journée seront comprises entre 11° et 18°. 13° à midi dans la capitale, Bucarest.

  • February 6, 2020 UPDATE

    February 6, 2020 UPDATE

    NOMINATION – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on
    Thursday designated Liberal Ludovic Orban as Prime Minister following
    consultations with parliamentary parties. The previous Orban Cabinet was
    removed from office on Wednesday after it did not survive a censure motion
    filed by the Social-Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic
    Hungarians. The motion was triggered by the Government’s choice to take
    responsibility over the return to the two-round local election system.
    President Iohannis says his main option is to let voters decide by organizing
    early legislative elections. After consultations with the President, the
    National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union also shared the president’s
    option. The Social-Democratic Party and Pro Romania Party nominated Remus
    Pricopie, a former minister. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians did not
    nominate a candidate and said they would not support the Social-Democrats’
    candidate. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats didn’t nominate a candidate
    either, although they agreed to holding early elections. The People’s Movement
    Party on Sunday will decide whether it supports early legislative elections.




    EPPO -
    European Chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi on Thursday addressed the
    European Parliament, calling for an increase in the budget of the European
    Public Prosecutor’s Office. It is estimated some 2,000 new cases will be
    investigated in the first year of activity. Kovesi said the main two parameters
    to be defined are the number of European delegate prosecutors in each Member
    State and the number of employees at the EPPO central in Luxembourg. The
    decision on the budget is not just for financial experts, but equally important
    to policians. Kovesi refered to a recent report estimating VAT fraud at EU
    level at around 60 billion euros every year. I think it is worth investing in
    the EPPO, Kovesi concluded.




    FED CUP -
    Romania will take on Russia in the Fed Cup on Friday and Saturday in Cluj.
    Elena Gabriela Ruse (166 WTA) will play Ekaterina Alexandrova (28 WTA) in the
    first singles match. In the second match on Friday, Ana Bogdan (90 WTA) will
    play Veronika Kudermetova (38 WTA). On Saturday, Ana Bogdan will play Ekaterina
    Alexandrova, while in the last singles match Elena Gabriela Ruse will take on
    Veronika Kudermetova. The doubles match will pit the pair made up of Irina Bara
    (98 WTA) and Raluca Olaru (47 WTA) against Ana Blinkova (63 WTA) and Ana Kalinskaya
    (95 WTA). The match will decide which team qualifies to the final tournament in
    Budapest, to be held over Aril 14-19. Simona Halep, world no. 2, will not
    represent Romania in the Fed Cup this year, as she has begun preparing for the
    Olympic Games in Tokyo this year. Romania has never played Russia in the Fed
    Cup before, although it played the USSR twice, losing both games.




    FLU VIRUS -
    Romania has reported a 99% increase in the number of flu virus infections in
    the past week, and the authorities have declared a flu epidemic, for the second
    year in a row. The number of flu infections has exceeded 7,000, and a total of
    18 people have been killed by the virus, the National Center for Surveillance
    and Control of Communicable Diseases reports. The latest victims are a 1 and a
    half year-old child and a 49-year-old woman. Both had a medical history and had
    not taken the anti-flu shot.




    CORONAVIRUS
    – A ship with 17 Romanians on board has been quarantined in the Japanese port
    of Yokohama, after several cases of cornoavirus infections were reported, the
    Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced. According to the same sources, the
    Romanian embassy in Tokyo has been notified by the Foreign Ministry in Japan.
    Out of the Romanians on board, two are tourists and 15 crew members. Romania’s
    consulate in Hong Kong has asked for information from the local authorities on
    the situation of the Romanians on board of a ship moored in that port. No case
    of coronoavirus infection has been reported in Romania so far.




    WEATHER – A
    code yellow alert is in place until Saturday morning against heavy snowfalls
    and blizzards targeting the north, center and east, with strong wind expected
    in the mountains. The recent snowfalls and blizzards affected most of Romania’s
    territory, disrupting road, rail and air traffic and causing blackouts, with
    several school having been shut down.


    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)

  • Nominations for chief prosecutors

    Nominations for chief prosecutors

    Romanias main prosecutors offices, the General Prosecutors Office, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, have too long been headed by interim chiefs. This happens at a time when the administrative and legislative problems in the judiciary have piled up and threaten to disrupt the activity of the judicial system. But these provisional terms are about to come to an end. The new Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu announced on Tuesday the proposals for the new prosecutors office chiefs.



    Gabriela Scutea is nominated for chief prosecutor of the Prosecutors Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. According to Minister Predoiu, she had the most substantial professional record and the best performance of all candidates. She has proved to be knowledgeable, farsighted, strong and a good professional, and her plan for the organisation of the office was the best of those presented so far, covering both the administrative side and internal organisation of the Public Ministry, and the representation side, Predoiu emphasised. The length of investigations into economic and financial cases and the deadlock in the Directorate for Criminal Investigations within the Romanian Police are the main weaknesses identified by Gabriela Scutea.



    Nominated for chief of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate is Crin Bologa, a prosecutor that the Justice Minister has described as a guarantor that the fight against corruption will be carried on vigorously, while also in full compliance with civil and judicial rights and guarantees. Crin Bologa must honour the legacy of the most successful of the former chiefs of prosecutors offices, Laura Codruta Kovesi, whose outstanding performance has secured her the European Public Prosecutor post, in spite of the sabotage of the Social Democratic Party in power at that time.



    Last but not least, Catalin Predoiu announced that Giorgiana Hosu is the nomination for chief of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, DIICOT. Predoiu highlighted that the work of DIICOT mainly consists in cross-border investigations and inter-institutional and international cooperation, and Giorgiana Hosu is in the best position to handle this aspect. She came up with a comprehensive organisation plan and a balanced performance, supported by all-encompassing knowledge of the problems and activities of DIICOT, Predoiu argued.



    The Ministers nominations require the advisory opinion of the Higher Council of Magistrates, and President Klaus Iohannis will sign the appointments. Like many other competent and honest prosecutors, the ones nominated for these top positions see the division investigating crimes in the judiciary, established by the Social Democratic Party while in power, as an offence to all magistrates, or, even worse, as an instrument to intimidate them. This is precisely why the Liberal Government is considering the option of dismantling this division.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Week in Review, 10-15 November 2019

    The Week in Review, 10-15 November 2019

    The right and left face each other in presidential runoff


    On Sunday, November 10, Romanians went to polls in the first round of the presidential election. Out of the 18.2 million voters, 51.19% showed up in polling stations and decided that facing each other in the second round, due on November 24, would be the Liberal candidate, the incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, who got 37.82% of the votes, and the ex-PM and Social Democrat leader Viorica Dancila, who got 22.26%. An outspoken opponent of the Social Democratic Party, which he blames for damaging reforms in the judiciary and economy, Klaus Iohannis warned that a victory is not yet certain, and urged people to come to polls in the runoff as well:



    Klaus Iohannis: “As for the runoff, I call all those who were with me in the street to defend the rule of law to come to polling stations so that your efforts may not be in vain! To those who want hospitals, schools, motorways, I tell you, come to polling stations to remove the Social Democrats from power completely, and to build all these things together! To those who no longer want to see their children and grandchildren leave the country, I tell you, come to polls, because now is the time to change things! And to the many people who are already away, I tell you, come to polls, because now you can make a difference!



    In turn, the Social Democrats chief voiced confidence in her victory:



    Viorica Dancila: “The votes cast today help us to carry on our campaign, a campaign in which we will tell Romanians both what we have achieved so far, and, more importantly, what we intend to do for them once we win the presidential election. Our fight is not against a political party, we dont try to dismantle a political party because democracy means that any party must be allowed to present its view. Our fight will be, as it has been so far, a fight for Romanians, for Romania, for balance and consensus, for unity, for a dignified representation of Romania both in the country and abroad.



    Whereas the turnout in the country in the first round was rather modest, the Romanians living abroad mobilized and went to polls in record numbers, reaching 675,000 people.




    Strategies for the second round of the presidential election


    Although the first day of the campaign for the presidential runoff is November 15, the competition between the 2 candidates started shortly after the first round and is already tougher than ever. The decision taken by President Klaus Iohannis and his campaign staff not to participate in any direct debate with Viorica Dancila is surprising for many people. On Tuesday, the President, who made no secret out of his goal to remove the Social Democrats from power, has written in a post that there can be no debate with a candidate of a party that ruled against the Romanians and which only goes through the motions of democracy. Dancila, who repeatedly asked for a debate ahead of the first election round, has reacted by saying that a debate would help her dismiss all “dirty accusations levelled against her and her party in the past few years. In a press conference on Wednesday, Klaus Iohannis pointed out:



    Klaus Iohannis: “Mrs. Dancila is the representative of an anti-democratic, unreformed party, which has governed against Romanians’ best interests. In the current election campaign, she pretends to be a democratic candidate, expecting due respect from everyone, as if she had been defending Romanian democracy and Romanians all along.



    Viorica Dancila was quick to retort:


    Viorica Dancila: “Mr. Iohannis speaks of a disastrous government. If disastrous government means increasing salaries and pensions, investing in local communities, making Romanian economy second at EU level in terms of growth, then the President is either dishonest or misinformed. Moreover, disastrous governing wouldn’t have been praised by Member States and third-party states for the good handling of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.



    The campaign is due to conclude on Saturday, November 23, at 7.00 AM.




    Romanias nominee for Transport Commissioner, approved by the EP


    Adina Valean, designated by Romania for the post of European Commissioner for Transport, Thursday got the green light from the specialist committee in the European Parliament. Her priorities include an environment-friendly, fair and transparent transport network and fewer road accidents, in which respect Romania has the poorest figures in the EU. The president elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will present the full commission and its programme to the European Parliament on November 27.



    A new political crisis in the Republic of Moldova


    The Republic of Moldovas pro-Russian president Igor Dodon Wednesday entrusted one of his advisers, Ion Chicu, with the formation of a new government. The nomination comes after the Cabinet headed by the pro-European PM Maia Sandu was dismissed in a no-confidence vote initiated by Dodons Socialists, although they were part of the ruling coalition. On Thursday the new Cabinet was endorsed by the Moldovan Parliament and shortly after that they were sworn in.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The week in review, 27 October – 2 November 2019

    The week in review, 27 October – 2 November 2019

    Romanias nominee for EU commissioner, still uncertain


    There are “serious doubts that Romanias new nomination for European Commissioner has been made by Bucharest “in a legitimate manner, given that the Government failed to coordinate with President Klaus Iohannis, the European Commission spokesperson Mina Andreeva said. She added that this does not mean a rejection from the Commission, but that the issue must be clarified in Romania. Given the forthcoming challenges and opportunities, it is to everybodys best interest for Europe to move on without delay and, whoever the Romanian candidate may be, they must be acceptable for the President-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and get the required support in the European Parliament, Mrs. Andreeva emphasized. The outgoing PM Viorica Dancila had nominated the former minister delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu for the post, but President Iohannis said that after being dismissed on October 10 in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, Dancila no longer has the legitimacy to nominate a new candidate. Previously, 2 other nominations made by the Social Democratic Party had fallen through: the former minister Rovana Plumb, rejected by the European Parliaments committee on legal affairs over integrity questions, and Dan Nica, for whom official procedures did not even get to start.



    Orban cabinet seeks Parliaments approval


    Thirteen of the 16 candidates for minister seats in PM designate Ludovic Orbans new Liberal government were green-lighted in the hearings held by the relevant parliamentary committees. The exceptions were Ion Stefan, the candidate for the Ministry for Public Works, Development and Administration, Violeta Alexandru, for the Labour Ministry, and Florin Citu, for the Public Finances Ministry. At the end of the interviews, the PM designate said the negative opinions had been political in nature, and appreciated the performance of all candidates. He added he would keep the same candidates for Mondays vote in Parliament. The specialized committees only have consultative power on the matter. In response, the Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Marcel Ciolacu (Social Democrat) said the practice so far has been for the candidates rejected by the committees to be replaced by the PM designate. Orban needs 233 votes to become PM, and to this end he has signed political agreements with Save Romania Union, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, the Peoples Movement Party, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and MPs representing ethnic minorities.



    14 presidential candidates


    By no means spirited or in any way exciting, the campaign for the presidential election continues, with 14 candidates in the race. All parliamentary parties have representatives in the campaign: the incumbent President Klaus Iohannis backed by the National Liberal Party, the incumbent PM Viorica Dancila backed by the Social Democrats, Dan Barna (USR-PLUS), Theodor Paleologu (Peoples Movement Party), Mircea Diaconu backed by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and by Pro Romania, and Kelemen Hunor (Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians). The candidates Catalin Ivan, Ninel Peia, Sebastian-Constantin Popescu, John-Ion Banu, Ramona-Ioana Bruynseels and Viorel Catarama are supported by parties from outside Parliament. Bogdan Stanoevici and Alexandru Cumpanasu are independent candidates. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for November 10, and the second for November 24. Under a Government resolution, the Romanians living abroad will be able to vote between November 8 and 10 for the first round of the election, and between November 22 and 24 for the second. The countries hosting the largest numbers of polling stations will be Spain (148), Italy (142), Germany (84), Britain (73), France (48), the USA (38) and the Republic of Moldova (36). The voters registered on a dedicated online platform may already vote by mail.




    Colectiv fire, commemorated


    On Wednesday in Bucharest religious ceremonies and a protest rally marked 4 years since Romanias largest civilian disaster since the fall of communism. On October 30, 2015, during a concert held in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, fireworks candles ignited the insulating material covering the walls of the overcrowded hall. Sixty-four people died on the spot because of the smoke or burns, and around 200 others were injured. Two years after the fire, a survivor committed suicide, bringing the toll to 65. The trial against the nightclub owners is still lingering. The then Health Minister Nicolae Banicioiu has failed to appear before the prosecutors, who had subpoenaed him as a witness in a criminal investigation into the response of the authorities after the fire. Meanwhile, a civic group based in Iasi (north-east) filed a criminal complaint against the chiefs of the Department for Emergency Response, headed by state secretary Raed Arafat. They are accused of having concealed evidence, more specifically video recordings, after the media released previously unseen footage of the emergency unit intervention the night of the tragedy. “Now we know how chaotically they acted. We had always suspected the ‘rescuers of unprofessionalism and lack of empathy, but the footage confirms our suspicions, the militants said. In turn, Arafat says he has known nothing about the recording and that he will not resign, but will leave if asked by the Prime Minister.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • 31.10.2019 (mise à jour)

    31.10.2019 (mise à jour)

    Commission – La porte-parole de la Commission européenne, Mina
    Andreeva, a réaffirmé les doutes de Bruxelles par rapport à la légitimité de la
    nomination de la Roumanie pour le poste de commissaire européen. C’est le
    manque de soutien du président de la Roumanie, Klaus Iohannis, pour la
    nomination faite par la première ministre roumaine en exercice, Viorica
    Dăncilă, qui a soulevé les doutes de la Commission. Mina Andreeva a jouté que,
    pour l’Exécutif européen, il ne s’agissait pas d’accepter ou de rejeter cette candidature,
    mais que c’était un problème à résoudre en interne par la Roumanie. Le gouvernement
    destitué par motion de censure de la social-démocrate Viorica Dăncilă avait
    proposé Victor Negrescu, ancien ministre délégué aux Affaires européennes, pour
    cette fonction. C’était la troisième proposition faite par la Roumanie, après Rovana
    Plumb et Dan Nica.












    Chômage – En Roumanie, le taux de chômage a atteint 3,9% en
    septembre, en hausse de 0,1% par rapport au mois d’août. Les données rendues
    publiques aujourd’hui par l’Institut national de la statistique montrent aussi
    une différence d’un point de pourcentage entre les hommes et les femmes :
    4,3% des hommes étaient sans emploi le mois dernier contre 3,3% des femmes.
    Pour finir, le nombre total estimé de chômeurs âgés de 15 à 74 ans pour
    septembre 2019 a été de 347.000 personnes.


    Anniversaire – La
    station publique de radio de Roumanie fête, le 1-er novembre, son 91-e
    anniversaire. Le 1-er novembre 1928 la Société de diffusion radiotéléphonique de
    Roumanie émettait pour la première fois. « Alo, aici Radio
    Bucureşti » / « Allo, ici Radio Bucarest » ont été les premiers
    mots prononcés à l’antenne par le premier président de l’institution, le
    physicien Dragomir Hurmuzescu. Une des peu nombreuses compagnies roumaines à
    avoir une histoire de plusieurs décennies, Radio Roumanie comprend plusieurs
    stations nationales, mais aussi des antennes régionales et à Chişinău, en République
    de Moldova. Radio Roumanie Internationale, la station internationale de Radio
    Roumanie, diffuse des émissions en 11 langues étrangères (allemand, anglais, arabe,
    chinois, espagnol, français, hébreux, italien, russe, serbe, ukrainien), ainsi
    qu’en roumain et en dialecte aroumain. Ce jeudi, c’était une journée « portes
    ouvertes » au siège central de Radio Roumanie, à Bucarest, au 60-64 rue Général
    Berthelot. Par ailleurs, restez à l’écoute ce dimanche, 3 novembre, quand RRI
    vous a préparé une émission spéciale pour la Journée de l’auditeur.

    Assistance – La Commission européenne a
    approuvé le paiement de près de 25 millions d’euros sous forme d’assistance
    budgétaire à la République de Moldova, pour aider le gouvernement de Chişinău à
    mettre en œuvre des réformes essentielles en matière de police, de lutte contre
    la corruption et le blanchiment d’argent, ainsi que d’agriculture et de
    développement rural. « Le paquet d’assistance approuvé ce jeudi, qui est
    le quatrième depuis juillet dernier, est la preuve de l’engagement ferme de
    l’Union européenne de soutenir les réformes décidées par la République de
    Moldova », a déclaré Johannes Hahn,
    commissaire européen en charge de la politique de voisinage et de
    l’élargissement. La Commission européenne avait suspendu les paiements pendant
    environ deux ans, à cause de la dégradation de la situation de l’Etat de droit
    dans la République de Moldova. Après le changement de gouvernement, en juin
    dernier, les autorités de Chişinău ont lancé un processus de réformes
    structurelles, l’UE ayant repris le soutien financier et l’assistance
    macro-financière.




    Tennis – En tennis, au Tournoi des Championnes de
    Shenzen (Chine), l’Australienne Ashleigh Barty et la Suissesse Belinda Bencic, du Groupe Rouge, se sont qualifiées ce jeudi pour les
    demi-finales. Mercredi, dans le Groupe Violet, l’Ukrainienne Elina
    Svitolina, tenante du trophée, s’était qualifiée elle aussi pour les
    demi-finales, suite à sa victoire devant la Roumaine Simona Halep. La seconde joueuse du Groupe
    Violet, qualifiée pour cette phase de la compétition, sera décidée par la
    rencontre Simona Halep (Roumanie)-Karolina Pliskova (République tchèque).



    Météo – En Roumanie une alerte de mauvais temps est en
    vigueur jusqu’à vendredi matin. La pluie est présente dans la plupart des
    régions, il neige en montagne. Les températures, en légère hausse, restent
    inférieures aux normales de saison. Les maximales de vendredi se situeront entre 6° et
    13°.

  • Laura Codruţa Kövesi, premier chef du Parquet européen

    Laura Codruţa Kövesi, premier chef du Parquet européen

    La Conférence des présidents du Parlement européen, dont font partie les leaders des groupes politiques, a fait, mercredi, le dernier pas vers la nomination de la Roumaine Laura Codruţa Kövesi en tant que premier chef du Parquet européen. Lundi, le Conseil de l’Union européenne avait également validé l’installation de Mme Kövesi au Bureau du Procureur général européen. Cette idée avait été lancée et promue avec esprit de suite par une autre Roumaine, l’eurodéputée et ancienne ministre Monica Macovei. Le Bureau sera opérationnel fin 2020 et sera une institution indépendante, chargée de l’investigation, des poursuites pénales et de porter devant la justice les infractions contre le budget de l’Union, telles que la fraude, la corruption ou la fraude transfrontalière à la TVA, d’une valeur excédant les 10 millions d’euros. La liste des infractions pourra être élargie à l’avenir, pour inclure les faits de terrorisme, par exemple.



    Jusqu’à présent, 22 Etats membres ont rejoint le Parquet général européen. Les cinq Etats qui n’y participent pas encore — la Suède, la Hongrie, la Pologne, l’Irlande et le Danemark — pourront le rejoindre à tout moment. Le Bureau du Procureur général européen aura son siège central au Luxembourg et sera composé d’un procureur en chef et d’un collège de procureurs de tous les Etats participants. Ils coordonneront les enquêtes courantes menées par les procureurs délégués dans chaque Etat participant. Laura Codruţa Kövesi aura un mandat de sept ans, qui consistera notamment à construire la structure opérationnelle et administrative du Bureau et à établir de bons rapports de travail avec les autorités judiciaires nationales.



    Fer de lance de la lutte anticorruption pour les uns, cheffe d’un système policier abusif selon d’autres, Mme Kövesi a été souvent qualifiée de la femme la plus puissante de Roumanie. Les cinq dernières années sous sa direction, la DNA a renvoyé devant la justice 14 ministres et anciens ministres et 53 parlementaires. 27 d’entre eux ont été déjà condamnés par des décisions définitives. Durant la même période, la DNA a ordonné des mesures conservatoires de plus de 2,3 milliards de dollars. Peu de temps avant d’être destituée, en juin 2018, par le président Klaus Iohannis, suite à une décision de la Cour constitutionnelle, il reconnaissait à New York, lors d’un débat organisé au siège des NU, que le plus grand défi pour la Roumanie a été de préserver l’indépendance des magistrats. « Il y a eu des tentatives répétées de modifier la législation anticorruption afin de limiter les instruments législatifs utilisés par les procureurs anticorruption ou pour décriminaliser certains faits. Il y a eu des cas où la levée de l’immunité de politiciens accusés d’infractions de corruption a été refusée » ; c’est ainsi que la cheffe de la DNA a résumé l’histoire des dernières années, lorsque les gouvernants de gauche ont été accusés d’essayer de stopper la lutte contre la corruption et de se subordonner les magistrats. Selon Mme Kövesi, sa nomination est aussi la victoire de ses compatriotes qui, par leur implication civique et par des protestations de rue, ont été en permanence à ses côtés et ont suivi son exhortation le jour de sa destitution : « la corruption peut être vaincue, ne baissez pas les bras ! »


    (Trad. : Ligia)

  • 14.10.2019 (mise à jour)

    14.10.2019 (mise à jour)

    Consultations — Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, poursuit la série de consultations des partis parlementaires en vue de la désignation d’un nouveau premier ministre et de la formation du futur Exécutif. Vendredi, à l’issue d’un premier round de consultations, le chef de l’Etat roumain a précisé qu’il était urgent d’installer un gouvernement politique de transition, issu des rangs ou créé autour du Parti national libéral, l’initiateur de la motion de censure qui a renversé jeudi le gouvernement de la sociale-démocrate Viorica Dancila. Le futur cabinet devra préparer le budget pour lannée prochaine et assurer lorganisation dans de bonnes conditions des élections présidentielle de novembre, a insisté le président. Le leader libéral, Ludovic Orban, pourrait être le nouveau premier ministre roumain. L’Alliance des libéraux et des démocrates, ancien partenaire du Parti social – démocrate au sein de la coalition au pouvoir, soutient un éventuel gouvernement libéral, sous certaines conditions. L’Union « Sauvez la Roumanie » se déclare favorable à l’organisation d’élections anticipées au début de l’année prochaine, option rejetée par le Parti du mouvement populaire et par l’Union démocrate magyare de Roumanie. Le parti de la minorité hongroise proposera au président le nom d’un premier ministre, tandis que le Parti du mouvement populaire souhaite que le prochain cabinet adopte un décret d’urgence introduisant un second tour de scrutin aux élections municipales. Pro Romania n’a pas exclu son éventuelle participation à une alliance gouvernementale. L’unique parti à ne pas participer aux consultations avec le chef de l’Etat a été le Parti social-démocrate. Selon Viorica Dancila, les sociaux-démocrates appuieront un gouvernement libéral uniquement si ce parti signe un Pacte pour le bien-être des Roumains.



    Nomination — Le Conseil de l’UE a confirmé lundi la nomination de la procureure roumaine Laura Codruţa Kovesi au poste de chef du Parquet européen. Cette nomination devra être validée par le Parlement européen aussi, est-il dit dans un communiqué de presse du Conseil de l’UE. Laura Codruţa Kovesi occupe actuellement les fonctions de procureur au Parquet général près la haute Cour de cassation et de justice de Roumanie. Parmi les postes détenus antérieurement, figure celui de cheffe de la Direction nationale anticorruption.



    Réunion — Bucarest va accueillir mercredi la réunion des Ministres de la Défense des Etats d’Europe du sud-est (SEDM). Selon le communiqué du ministère roumain de la Défense, ce sera une bonne occasion pour Bucarest de réaffirmer son engagement à l’égard des projets menés au sein de cette initiative et de soutenir certaines propositions visant à renforcer le SEDM en tant que principal format de coopération en Europe du sud-est, dans le contexte des évolutions de l’environnement sécuritaire dans la région. Le SEDM est une initiative régionale qui contribue au maintien de la paix et à la consolidation des relations de bon voisinage et d’étroite coopération entre les Etats d’Europe du sud-est, par le biais de d’une plateforme de dialogue politique et militaire et par la mise en place de projets viables en matière de sécurité et de stabilité régionales.



    Accord – Le Sénat de Bucarest a adopté lundi, en sa qualité d’assemblée décisionnelle, le projet législatif portant ratification de l’accord de partenariat stratégique entre l’UE et le Japon, le premier jamais conclu entre les deux parties. Signé en juillet 2018, à Tokyo, cet accord offrira la base juridique permettant d’améliorer la coopération bilatérale et la collaboration au sein des différentes organisations et forums internationaux et régionaux. L’accord comporte deux volets: le dialogue politique, la coopération en matière de politique étrangère et de sécurité et respectivement la coopération technique pour le développement. Le projet législatif mentionné a déjà été adopté par la Chambre des députés de Bucarest.



    CAE — L’UE a condamné, lundi, l’opération militaire que la Turquie a lancée le 9 octobre dans le nord-est de la Syrie et qui compromet gravement la stabilité et la sécurité de l’ensemble de la région. Réunis à Luxembourg, au Conseil “Affaires étrangères” de lUnion européenne, les ministres de tutelle ont convenu de limiter les exportations d’armement vers la Turquie. La Roumanie a été représentée à cette réunion par Dan Neculăescu, secrétaire d’Etat au ministère des Affaires étrangères.



    Météo — Il fera beau et beaucoup plus chaud pour cette période de l’année, les températures maximales devant se situer entre 17° et 28°.

  • The Week in Review 29 September – 5 October

    The Week in Review 29 September – 5 October

    No-confidence motion against the Cabinet


    The Cabinet headed by Viorica Dancila is facing a new motion of no-confidence, the first since the ruling coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats fell apart in August. The text of the motion against the Social Democrats minority government was read in Parliament on Thursday. The document, entitled “In order to rebuild Romania, the Dancila Cabinet must be dismissed immediately! will be discussed next Thursday, on October 10. The motion signatories argue that although the country has seen a favourable economic period, with significant economic growth, the Government has failed to start even one major infrastructure project. Confidence in the Romanian economy is dwindling, first of all because the business legislation changes almost on a weekly basis, the Opposition also says. The Social Democratic PM Viorica Dancila says on the other hand that the Government will not fall. The motion was signed by 237 MPs, from across the political spectrum, 4 more than the number of votes required for the document to pass.




    Romanias new nominations for European Commissioner


    The Romanian Government had to come up this week with new nominations for European Commissioner for Transport, after the European Parliaments legal affairs committee rejected Rovana Plumb on grounds of a conflict of interests. Convening in Bucharest on Tuesday night, the National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party decided that MEP Dan Nica, a former telecoms minister, was the Governments new nomination for the post. They also chose Gabriela Ciot, a state secretary with the Foreign Ministry, as a back-up candidate, in case the European Commission wanted a woman for this position. Disgruntled with both Rovana Plumbs candidacy, and with the 2 subsequent alternatives, the Opposition called on PM Viorica Dancila to no longer make any nominations without consultations with the President and without a vote in Parliaments specialised committees. The president of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, warned that otherwise more candidates will be rejected, damaging Romanias international reputation.




    EIB triples funding for Romanian SMEs


    The European Investment Bank triples the funds granted to Romanian small and medium sized enterprises. The announcement was made on Thursday by the EIB vice-president Andrew McDowell. The funding, increased from 500 million to 1.38 billion euros, can support 5,000 small and medium companies. McDowell added that the EIB Group provides not only financial resources, but also consulting services for preparing and implementing complex projects. He signed new contracts and changes in the existing agreements with the Romanian banking institutions interested in facilitating the access of Romanian companies to funding. According to the Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, over 2,000 Romanian SMEs have benefited from such funding so far.




    Anti-mafia chief prosecutor resigns


    The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis Wednesday signed a decree dismissing Felix Banila as chief prosecutor of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism. The latter had previously announced he would step down, although he claimed that he had not failed to do his duty. On Monday the President called for Banilas resignation, criticising him for the way in which the institution handled the investigations in the Caracal killings, a case with a heavy emotional impact on the public. Prosecutors are trying to determine whether 2 under-aged girls were killed by a presumed people trafficker, Gheorghe Dinca. The President argued that in both cases he saw delayed and outrageous responses from certain authorities, proving their disregard for both the victims and their families.



    Romania, guest of honour in Europalia International Art Festival


    The 50th edition of the Europalia International Art Festival, with Romania as a guest of honour, continues in Brussels, after it opened to the public on Wednesday. The official opening was on Tuesday, when King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Mathilde and the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis visited a Brancusi exhibition organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute at the Bozar Centre. This is the most important exhibition devoted to the Romanian sculptor in decades, and the highlight of the Festival. For the coming 4 months, events will be organised as part of Europalia in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and Britain, including over 250 visual art, music, theatre, literature and performing arts projects.




    Media 2020 Conference in Bucharest


    Radio Romania organised the 5th edition of the Media 2020 Conference, jointly with Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. The event in Bucharest brought together more than 40 representatives of the most important public media organisations in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Attending the event, the ABU president Javad Mottaghi emphasised that public media services need independent, unbiased and reliable news produced by professionals. The debates focused on the future of public media in the digital era, on strategies to protect copyright and on fighting fake news. Radio Romania and BBC Radio signed a bilateral partnership agreement. Similar agreements have been signed by Radio Romania with Radio France and RAI, as part of the Romanian public broadcasters strategy to collaborate with Europes most prestigious media institutions.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 29, 2019 UPDATE

    September 29, 2019 UPDATE

    EU – The Romanian PM said the Social Democrat Rovana Plumb, whom she proposed for the post of European Commissioner representing Romania, continued to enjoy her unconditional support. According to Mrs. Dancila, Rovana Plumb, whom the legal commission prevented from advancing to the next hearing stage, alongside the Hungarian candidate, on Thursday, would be able to meet the requirement of the European Commissioner post. She added that Mrs. Plumb would always put European interests and policies first, as they contribute to the consolidation of the European project. President Klaus Iohannis asked the PM to urgently withdraw the nomination of Rovana Plumb for the position of European Commissioner.



    Washington — The Romanian foreign minister Ramona-Nicole Mănescu has had a series of meetings, at the head office of the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations, with the main American-Jewish organizations among which American Jewish Committee (AJC), Bnai Brith, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The representatives of the respective organizations expressed their appreciation for the partnership between Romania and Israel and especially for the role of leader in fighting anti-Semitism which Romania has assumed and is playing successfully. High on the agenda of talks were also political issues such as the situation in the Middle East, including the latest developments related to Iran, the designation of the entire Hezbollah organization as a terrorist organization, issues related to fighting anti-Semitism as well as measures to compensate the survivors of the Holocaust and to return property. (update by L. Simion)

  • September 26, 2019

    September 26, 2019

    TALKS The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis had a short meeting in New York on Wednesday with his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. President Klaus Iohannis emphasised during the talks that in Romanias view, the Republic of Moldovas European accession efforts, firmly supported by Bucharest, are the only way to ensure the prosperity of the Moldovan citizens. In turn, Igor Dodon emphasised that he supports the strategic partnership between Romania and Moldova, and added that Moldovas European accession remains a priority. The Romanian President also had a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter thanked Romania for supporting his countrys European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state. Volodymyr Zelensky and Klaus Iohannis also discussed cooperation opportunities in the economic and energy fields, as well as bilateral business relations.




    CoD Romania is taking over the 2-year presidency of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies, the Foreign Ministry announced. On this occasion, Foreign Minister Ramona Mănescu is taking part in New York today in an extraordinary meeting of this body. The Community of Democracies is a global inter-governmental structure aimed at promoting sustainable development, universal access to justice and efficient, responsible and inclusive institutions at all levels. Romania is one of the 106 UN member states that have signed the Warsaw Declaration, on whose principles the Community of Democracies has been founded.




    HEARING The candidacy of the Romanian Social Democrat Rovana Plumb for the post of European Commissioner for Transport was rejected on Thursday by the European Parliaments judicial committee, political sources in Brussels announced. Only 6 MEPs voted in her favour, 15 voted against and 2 abstained from voting. Without the approval of the judicial committee, the hearing in the Transport Committee cannot be held. The European Parliaments judicial committee had invited Rovana Plumb and Lazslo Trocsanyi, the European Commissioner nominated by Hungary, to a special hearing. Plumb was asked to clarify controversial aspects in her declaration of assets, related to a loan taken out in order to fund an election campaign.




    AMBASSADOR Lawyer Adrian Zuckermans nomination as US ambassador to Romania has been approved by the Foreign Relations Committee in the US Senate. According to the White House, Zuckerman immigrated to the US from Romania at the age of 10, and is fluent in Romanian. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1984, and was a partner in an international law firm. He was previously an arbitrator for the Real Estate Board of New York. He received his undergraduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his law degree from New York Law School.




    UNEMPLOYMENT In Romania, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.8% in the second quarter of the year, with the highest rate (15%) reported among youth 15 to 24 years of age, the National Statistics Institute reports. The data also indicates that unemployed men outnumber the women, and that unemployment is higher in rural communities. During the same period, the employment rate in the 15-66 age bracket was slightly over 66%, up since the previous quarter. Moreover, the employment rate for citizens aged between 20 and 64 was 71.6%, higher than the 70% national target set in the Europa 2020 Strategy. Romanias active population was 9.1 million people, of whom 8.8 million were employed in the second quarter of this year.




    HANDBALL Romanias womens handball team Wednesday night defeated Ukraine, at home, 27-24, in the first match in Group 7 of the 2020 European Championships qualifiers. On Sunday the Romanians will play against Faroe Islands away from home. Group 7 also includes Poland, and the 2 top-ranking teams will qualify in the final tournament. Romanias national team came in 4th in the previous European Championships, losing the bronze medal to the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Romanias champions Dinamo Bucharest won 35-28 against Danish vice-champions GOG Gudme, in Group D of the Champions League. Romania tops the group ranking, having outplayed the Swedish team IFK Kristianstad in Bucharest and drawn against the Swiss side Kadetten Schaffhausen, away from home. Dinamo will play next against Cehovskye Medvedy on October 12, in Russia.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)