Radio România Internațional

Tag: OECD

  • October 17, 2024 UPDATE

    October 17, 2024 UPDATE

    COUNCIL – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is attending the two-day European Council meeting in Brussels. The agenda includes such topics as the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, EU competitiveness, migration, foreign affairs, as well as developments in the Republic of Moldova. European leaders will discuss the latest developments in Russia’s war of aggression, as well as multidimensional support for Ukraine. Regarding the Middle East, participants will also address the ‘alarming’ situation and the ‘risks of escalation of violence in the region’. At Romania’s proposal, the agenda of the meeting will also include talks about the situation in the Republic of Moldova, as well as support for its accession to the European Union, especially for supporting internal reforms and for strengthening resilience and stability. Ahead of the upcoming election and the referendum on the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, the issue of Russian interference in the election process will also be discussed.

     

    WAGES – The minimum wage in Romania will be 810 EUR starting January 2025, the government announced after talks with civil society. Minimum wage in Romania is thus approach EU levels, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said, adding that Romania complies with the directive according to which the minimum level must be somewhere between 47% and 52% of the European minimum wage.

     

    ELECTION – Thursday is the deadline for submitting candidacies for the parliamentary election in Romania. 21 parties have enrolled in the race. PSD’s lists for the Senate opens with Adrian Streinu-Cercel and starts with Mihai Ghigiu for the Chamber of Deputies.  The Liberals field Sorin Cîmpeanu in top position for the Senate and Sebastian Burduja for the Chamber of Deputies. USR has picked Clotilde Armand at the top of its list for the Senate and Claudiu Năsui for the Chamber of Deputies. The Right Force has chosen Ludovic Orban in top position for the Chamber of Deputies and Eugen Tomac for the Senate. Eduard Novak is running for a position of deputy in Bucharest on behalf of UDMR. AUR has designated its president, George Simion, as its top candidate for the Chamber of Deputies, and Petrișor Peiu at the top of its list for the Senate. According to the Central Election Bureau, USR, the Right Force and UDMR will be the first to appear on the ballots.

     

    DEFENSE – The Romanian Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, is participating, on October 17 and 18, in the meeting of the NATO defense ministers, taking place in Brussels. The meeting’s agenda includes topics of importance for the Alliance, in order to implement the decisions adopted by the heads of state and government at the NATO Summit of July in Washington DC.

     

    CAR INDUSTRY – The Association of Car Manufacturers and Importers today hosted a new edition of the Sustainable and Accessible Mobility Forum in Bucharest. Representatives of car manufacturers, political leaders, decision-makers and other stakeholders from 35 countries attended the event. The car industry must be supported more by the government and the European Commission, as the next couple of years will be difficult for this sector, which is shaping up as an engine of economic growth, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said. Bucharest is preparing support programmes, considering the entire car industry is shrinking. Without state intervention, the industry could see massive layoffs in a few years. The Prime Minister also recalled that Romania’s reindustrialization plans includes facilities for the national car industry, designed to turn Romania into a hub of technology and innovation in Southeastern Europe in the next 10 years.

     

    MOLDOVA – 3.3 million voters are expected to hit the polls on October 20 in the Republic of Moldova for a historic ballot: a presidential election and a referendum on Moldova’s EU accession. According to the Central Election Commission, some 2,219 polls have been set up, and for the first time the ballots are printed in Romanian and 5 minority languages: Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Găgăuz, Russian and Romani. 231 stations are open in 37 countries, 60 in Italy, 26 in Germany, 20 in France and 17 in Great Britain. Moldovans can also vote in one of the 16 stations open in Romania, the same as in the United States. For security reasons, only two stations will be available in Russia, both in Moscow. 2 stations will be made available in Ukraine, in Kyiv and Odesa. The incumbent president, Maia Sandu, urged Moldovans to take part in the referendum, arguing the process will only take 3 minutes, compared to the decades Moldova had to wait to join the free and developed world.

     

    OECD – Romania’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will spell benefits in terms of investment, and the Republic of Moldova might also take advantage of this position, Moldova’s Central Bank governor Anca Dragu said. Investment are safer, clearer and more dynamic at OECD level, while the best practices Romania is currently learning will also transfer to the Republic of Moldova. 65% of Moldova’s external trade is EU-bound, while half of it goes through Romania. (VP)

  • August 28, 2024

    August 28, 2024

     

    ELECTIONS In its meeting today, the government of Romania is to set the calendar for the presidential election scheduled this autumn, on November 24 and December 8. The ballot will be held in parallel with the parliamentary election, which will be organized on December 1. The campaign for the parliamentary election begins on November 1 and ends on November 30, in the morning. In the country, polling stations will be open between 7 am and 9 pm, while Romanians living abroad will be able to vote between 7 am on November 30 and 9 pm on December 1. This is the first time that all the 4 types of elections (local, parliamentary, presidential, and the election for the European Parliament) are held in Romania in the same year.

     

    OECD Romania has today received a positive review in the competition sector as part of its OECD accession process. According to Romania’s Competition Council, the review was issued after an assessment that took place between 2018 and 2022. During the review, the Council had to demonstrate that its work meets the requirements of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Recommendations have also been made, and the stage of their implementation will be presented next year. Accession to the OECD is a priority for Romania, and is the country’s 3rd strategic goal after the NATO and EU accession.

     

    DEFICIT Romania’s budget deficit exceeds 4% of GDP after the first 7 months of the year, according to finance ministry data. In January – July, the government had total revenues of over EUR 66 bln, up 15% compared to the first 7 months of 2023. Budget expenditure however increased by over 23%, to more than EUR 80 bln. This year’s budget law is based on a 5% deficit level. Meanwhile, the minister for EU investments and projects Adrian Câciu announced that Romania has so far received EUR 23.84 bln under the cohesion policy in 2014-2020, reaching a 99.1% absorption rate.

     

    INDEPENDENCE The Republic of Moldova Tuesday celebrated 33 years since the proclamation of its independence from the former Soviet Union. Attending the ceremonies, the presidents of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia signed a joint statement of support for the country’s EU accession. In his message on this occasion, president Klaus Iohannis promised Romania will continue to provide strategic support to Moldova in all areas. In turn, PM Marcel Ciolacu reassured his Moldovan counterpart, Dorin Recean, that Romania will remain in the front line of the efforts to consolidate Moldova’s EU accession efforts, its stability and democratic development.

     

    WEATHER Thunderstorms were reported last night in several parts of the country. Weather experts have issued scores of extreme weather warnings. In Iaşi, in the north-east, the wind brought several trees down and damaged vehicles, while entire streets in the city were flooded. Also in the north-east, in Botoşani County, firefighters were called to put out a fire after lightning struck a tree. Tens of streets and basements were also flooded in Cluj-Napoca (north-west).

     

    PARALYMPICS Paris is hosting tonight the opening ceremony for the Summer Paralympic Games, which will end on September 8. From Champs-Elysées to the world-famed Place de la Concorde, hundreds of dancers and performers will stage a show called “Paradox”, which according to the organisers is designed to make people think about their uniqueness. Romania is represented by 6 athletes at this year’s Paralympic Games, in 3 events: para judo (Alexandru Bologa and Daniel Vargoczki), para cycling (Eduard Novak and Theodor Matican) şi para table tennis (Camelia Ciripan and Bobi Simion). The first to compete are Camelia Ciripan and Bobi Simion, on Thursday afternoon, in the mixed doubles event, against the Japanese pair Yuri Tomono and Koyo Iwabuchi. (AMP)

  • July 10, 2024 UPDATE

    July 10, 2024 UPDATE

    NATO – On the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington, Allies have reached consensus on the final resolution of the summit. NATO will reassert its commitment to support Ukraine’s irreversible Euro-Atlantic trajectory, once all accession criteria have been met. The war in Ukraine ranked high at the NATO summit, marking 75 years since the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Five Allied presidents and Prime Ministers, including the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, signed a joint statement to donate Patriot missile systems and parts to Ukraine. Italy pledged to deliver an additional system. Denmark and the Netherlands will send F-16 jets to overfly Ukrainian airspace over the summer, Reuters reports. The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, called for increasing assistance for Ukraine, arguing that if Ukraine loses the war, “we all lose”. “Russia remains the biggest threat to European and Euro-Atlantic security. Facing the Kremlin’s hybrid attacks, NATO states need to be ready to defend themselves. Therefore, the decision we will take over the next days will lead to more efficient actions to consolidate our security”, Iohannis pointed out. The summit will spell critical progress for strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture, particularly in the Eastern Flank and the Black Sea region, the Romanian official added.

     

     

    FUNDS – Minister of European Funds, Adrian Câciu, said Romania has managed to absorb an additional 4 bln EUR from corresponding Cohesion Policy mechanisms as part of the 2021-2027 financial framework, taking the total value of contracts signed by Romania to 14 bln EUR. Another 6-bln-EUR worth of projects are still pending approval, the Romanian official wrote on social media. This rhythm of absorption will continue, making it the right approach for ensuring Romania’s sustainable development, Adrian Câciu added.

     

     

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

     

     

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

     

     

    REPAIRS – Starting July 10 the Giurgiu-Ruse bridge over the Danube will undergo repair works on the Bulgarian section. Repairs are expected to complete in two years. According to the motorway company in neighboring Bulgaria, the works are divided into six stages, without closing traffic, with vehicles travelling on one lane only. Romanian citizens are advised to use alternative border crossings during the interval.

     

     

    FOOTBALL – Romania’s football champions FCSB defeated the San Marino champions Virtus AC 7-1 in an away match on Tuesday evening, in the first leg of the Champions League first preliminary round. The second leg is scheduled for July 16 in Bucharest. If they advance to the second preliminary round, FCSB will play Maccabi Tel Aviv. The other Romanian clubs playing in European competitions are Romanian Cup winners Corvinul Hunedoara, CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova. (CM & VP)

  • March 13, 2024

    March 13, 2024

    VISIT Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, is today having talks with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis. Currently on a visit to Romania, the OECD official is also going to meet the Senate president, Nicolae Ciuca, as well as members of the joint Special Committee with the Chamber of Deputies and Senate with a view to supporting the process of Romania’s access to the organization. “Romania’s reforms have a good pace. You are a beautiful country on the right way to comply with the living standards of the OECD countries”, the official said on Tuesday at the launch of the organisation’s 2024 Economic Survey for Romania.

     

    NATO Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, has formally announced his intention to run for the position of NATO Secretary General. His intention is based upon a profound understanding of the challenges the Alliance is currently facing as well as Romania’s performances within NATO. The Romanian president’s candidature comes in the last year of his second term in office and because the incumbent NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, is going to step down from this position he has occupied since 2014.

     

    RATE According to data released today by the National Institute for Statistics, INS, the annual inflation rate in Romania went down to 7.23% in February from 7.41% in the previous month against the latest price hikes in food, non-food stuff and services, which went up by 4.48%, 7.82% and 11% respectively. Romania’s Central Bank has revised down to 4.7% its inflation forecast for the end of this year, from 4.8% in November. According to data made public in February, inflation is expected to reach 3.5% in late 2025. The forecast has seen a downward trend this year against the indicator’s more favourable developments of late, especially in the food production segment.

     

    PROTEST Taxi drivers have today taken to the streets of Bucharest with over 4 thousand vehicles to call for rights similar to the alternative-transport companies operating in Romania. They have repeatedly sounded the alarm regarding the unfair competition in this field in dire need of regulations because of the faulty legislation and the emergence of a parallel alternative transport structure. The Transport Ministry has published a bill of amendments regulating the alternative-transport services, amendments asked by the protesters’ representatives. However, according to the taxi drivers, the bill lacks the limitation of compliant copies for cars owned by operators on loan or rental contracts on similar criteria with those applied for taxi services, with a view to protecting the quality of life and air to avoid traffic jams and pollution in the big cities.

     

    WEATHER And now a couple of things about the weather in Romania, where the sky is overcast and rain showers have been reported in most of the territory. Mixed precipitations have been reported in the mountains and the highs of the day are ranging between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius with a noon reading in Bucharest of 10 degrees.

    (bill)

  • March 12, 2024 UPDATE

    March 12, 2024 UPDATE

    CANDIDACY The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis Tuesday announced he would run for the NATO secretary general post. He says Eastern Europe has a valuable contribution to the Alliance, and believes NATO needs to renew its outlook on its mission, with strong representation in this region. Iohannis concludes his second presidential term in December. This February, Romania notified NATO of its intention to nominate Klaus Iohannis for the position for whichthe US, Britain and France announced they would back the Dutch PM Mark Rutte. As a rule, Romania’s nominations for top international posts are decided by the presidency, government and the foreign ministry. The term of NATO’s current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has been extended by one year, until October. He has been leading the Alliance since 2014. NATO’s deputy secretary general, the Romanian Mircea Geoană, appointed in 2019, also completes his term in October. Romania joined NATO in 2004.

     

    OECD The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Tuesday released its 2024 Economic Survey of Romania in Bucharest, in the presence of PM Marcel Ciolacu and of the OECD secretary general, Mathias Cormann. PM Ciolacu said the OECD membership remains Romania’s most important strategic goal after the NATO and EU accession, and the government is fully committed to further the required reforms. The survey examines Romania’s recent economic performance and assesses policy options to strengthen recovery and sustain the green transition. The OECD Council decided to launch accession negotiations with Romania on 25 January 2022.

     

    LANGUAGE The Constitutional Court in Chișinău ruled that the phrase “Romanian language” is maintained in all the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, including in the Constitution. The Court thus rejected a move submitted last year by a group of socialist and communist MPs following Parliament’s implementation of a 2013 court ruling on the name of the country’s official language.

     

    COUNCIL The Romanian Finance Minister Marcel Bolos Tuesday took part in the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Brussels. The agenda included the recovery and resilience mechanism, and the economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Presidency and the Commission informed the participants of the main results of the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors held on 26-29 February 2024. The ministers of economic and financial affairs also discussed investments and social reforms for resilient economies with the ministers of employment and of social affairs.

     

    PROTESTS Hundreds of local police are picketing the headquarters of the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration for the second day in a row on Wednesday, the National Trade Union Bloc announced. The main demands are full compliance with the law regulating weekly rest days and public holidays and the provision of mandatory food allowances. The unionists also want Parliament to review the draft POCA (Administrative Capacity Operational Program) drawn up by the Ministry of Development, as well as the status of the local police. According to the National Trade Union Bloc, in December 2023, the National Federation of United Local Police Unions started a public campaign to raise awareness on the importance of local police officers in society.

     

    TRIAL The Bucharest Court of Appeals Tuesday postponed the extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate to the UK, until the case in Romania has been tried. The British-American citizens were detained on Monday night, under European arrest warrants issued by the British authorities for sexual exploitation offences in UK. Last June, the two brothers and two Romanian nationals were charged with forming an organised crime group and continuous human trafficking and rape offences, in a case that made the headlines in Romania. In early 2021, the defendants formed an organised crime group trafficking people in Romania, the US and UK. (AMP)

  • March 5, 2024

    March 5, 2024

    MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies today dismissed the simple motion against Finance Minister Marcel Boloș, filed by USR and Forța Dreptei opposition parties. The motion was debated yesterday, opposition members criticising the Minister for introducing a 10% tax on medical leave to cover the holes in the state budget. Minister Boloș is also accused of violating the law that stipulates that any tax must be enacted six months after its introduction. Marcel Boloș denied all accusations, slamming the opposition’s motion as a politicized initiative. The healthcare system is underfunded, and the government sought to discourage medical leave, which would bring less benefits to working employees, the Finance Minister said in response.

     

     

    TALKS – The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, today met his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu. The head of state reiterated Romania’s firm support for Moldova’s EU integration efforts. President Iohannis is also expected to receive the president of Spain’s People’s Party, Alberto Núnez Feijóo, as well as the president of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber. Talks follow one day ahead of the EPP Congress scheduled to take place in Bucharest on Wednesday and Thursday.

     

     

    SCHENGEN – Romania is ready to join the Schengen area, not just with its air and maritime borders, which is expected to happen at the end of March, Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu said on the sidelines of the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. Romania could strengthen Schengen, which is why it is unfair our country should only be partly integrated in this area, Minister Predoiu went on to say. Romania reduced migration by nearly 60% last year, while only 40 people illegally crossed the Serbian border thanks to a pilot program, the Romanian official said. His Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, said Vienna is in no hurry to make a decision regarding Romania’s full accession to the Schengen area.

     

     

    OECD – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that in 2026, Romania will manage to achieve one of its key objectives, namely to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). To that end, we need to implement reforms stipulated in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the head of government added. The OECD comprises the world’s most developed states, which together account for 70% of global production and trade and 90% of foreign direct investment.

     

     

    BACCALAUREATE MOCK EXAMS– The mock Baccalaureate exam series continues today with the mandatory written exam for each profile, according to the timetable published by the Education Ministry. On Monday, high-school pupils took the Romanian language and literature written test. On Wednesday, they will sit an optional written test for each profile. Representatives of national minorities will sit the Romanian language and literature exam on March 7. Preliminary results will be announced on March 15. The Baccalaureate mock exams are held in over 1,320 schooling units, and will be taken by some 146,000 pupils, the Education Ministry reports.

     

     

    POLLUTION – Bucharest was ranked 35 in a list of the most polluted world capitals, according to a platform providing independent data on air quality. Other cities such as Berlin, Istanbul, Brussels or Warsaw rank above Romania, with in top position. The capital of Vietnam on Monday was blanketed by a thick haze of heavy pollution, caused by high levels of particulates from vehicle emissions and construction-linked fine dust. Air pollution is known to cause respiratory diseases and other chronic illnesses.

     

     

    HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team, Dinamo Bucharest, is today playing Sporting Lisbon of Portugal at home in its first fixture in the EHF European League main group 4. In the same group, CSM Constanța is taking on Fucshe Berlin, the defending champions. Having secured 3rd place in the group tables, Dinamo will play the playoff match against the team in second place in group 3, possibly Bjerringbro-Silkeborg of Denmark. The first leg will be played in Bucharest on March 26, while the return leg will take place on April 2 away from home. CSM Constanța, on the other hand, is bottom of the group tables and is thus eliminated. (VP)

     

  • Romania, one step closer to joining OECD

    Romania, one step closer to joining OECD

    The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has this week endorsed its first Formal Opinion in Romania’s OECD accession process, following a technical review by the Committee of Senior Budget Officials, Romania’s finance ministry has announced.

     

    The review took place last December, when the finance ministry presented the reforms implemented by Romania with a view to adjusting its budgetary governance to the Organisation’s policies and practices.

     

    Such reforms mainly concern improving the efficiency of government spending, the capacity to handle budget challenges and an efficient management of the budget process.

     

    Specifically, Romania’s progress has been assessed in relation to four key principles that guide the monitoring of candidate countries: efficient public expenditure, by means of efficient allocation of public resources based on concrete evidence; the capacity to handle current and future budgetary challenges and to approach high-level political priorities in a sustainable manner; accurate and accessible public expenditure through clear transparency and accountability mechanisms; efficient monitoring of the budgeting process by parliament and the existence of citizen participation mechanisms.

     

    According to the finance ministry, accession to the OECD is a vital step for Romania in its efforts to ensure economic development and stability. This accession, Bucharest argues, is not a goal in itself, but rather a necessity for the progress and wellbeing of its citizens.

     

    “The OECD membership means not only access to top-level expertise in a wide variety of fields, but it would also entail huge opportunities: attracting foreign investment, encouraging innovation and improving competitiveness are just some of the advantages,” the finance minister Marcel Boloş posted on his social media account. “We are fully involved in the accession process, we approach every step with utmost responsibility and we are willing to work together with OECD experts to align to OECD’s best policies and practices,” the finance minister also pointed out at the start of the review.

     

    The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is an inter-governmental body that aims to identify, disseminate and assess the application of the best public policies to ensure economic growth, wellbeing and sustainable development among member states and worldwide. The forerunner of the OECD was the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC), which was formed in 1948 to administer American and Canadian aid under the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe after World War II.

     

    The 38 OECD member states are developed countries, accounting for close to 70% of the world’s trade and production and for 90% of global foreign direct investment. (AMP)

  • March 1, 2024

    March 1, 2024

    VISIT – Romanian Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă is today paying an official visit to Moldova for talks with the pro-European administration. Nicolae Ciucă will meet Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, as well as Moldovan president Maia Sandu. Ciucă and Grosu will plant saplings in the Botanical Gardens in Chișinău. Yesterday, Nicolae Ciucă congratulated the Moldovan leadership for their “responsible and balanced approach to security issues, particularly at a time ridden with regional challenges”, a reference to the war in neighboring Ukraine.

     

    STATISTICS – Romania has a record-high number of 5.75 million employees, former Labor Minister Marius Budăi has said, claiming that “public investment and state subsidies have helped create new jobs and ensure decent wages”. The net average salary in Romania has exceeded 1,000 EUR, the Social-Democrat politician says.

     

    ELECTION – Candidates in the European Parliament election can also enroll in the local election, according to a draft emergency decree on the joint organization of the two ballots, recently launched for debate by the Interior Ministry. The elections will be held on June 9. To prevent two officials from holding office at the same time, the mandates of newly elected mayors will be validated on September 27, when the mandate of the current local officials is set to expire. At the same time, acting mayors and county council presidents will be allowed to run on behalf of a political party other than the one they represented in the previous round of election. The PSD-PNL government says the joint organization of local and European Parliament elections will ensure greater participation in the European ballot and help curb public spending. We recall the presidential election will be held in September whereas the parliamentary election has been slated for December.

     

    MEETINGS – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu will attend the Party of European Socialists Congress, hosted by Rome on Friday and Saturday. The Congress is expected to adopt the joint Socialist platform ahead of the European Parliament election and designate the candidate for the European Commission presidency. A meeting of the European S&D Group will be held in Bucharest in April. Next week, the Romanian Liberal Party is also expected to host the European People’s Party Congress, to be attended by some 2,000 participants.

     

    OECD – The OECD has this week given its first formal approval regarding Romania’s bid to join the OECD, the Romanian Finance Ministry reports. The Working Party of Senior Budget Officials conducted a review of Romania’s progress on December 19, 2023. At the time, the Finance Ministry presented the reforms Romania has undertaken to align its economic policies to OECD standards and practices in the field of budget governance. Being part of the OECD is not just about having access to top-quality expertise in a large array of fields, but also comes with opportunities, such as attracting foreign investment, boosting innovation and competitiveness, Finance Minister Marcel Boloș said.

     

    NAVALNY – The Russian police are patrolling the Moscow cemetery where the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, is expected to be entombed later today. The funeral is held two weeks since Navalny died in a Siberian prison. His death generated suspicion and allegations from his supporters and some Western leaders, who accuse Vladimir Putin of being responsible for the death of Alexei Navalny, commonly seen as the Kremlin’s public enemy no. 1. The Kremlin denied all accusations. A climate of fear now reins in Russia, with Moscow harshly punishing opponents and critics, although it is unclear how many Russians will come to pay their respects, whether they will be allowed inside the church and how security forces will ensure crowd control, international media writes.

     

    MĂRȚIȘOR – Romanians celebrate the coming of spring on March 1, also known as Mărțișor. The symbol of this popular holiday is the March trinket, usually an item of jewelry accompanied by a red and white string. Traditions associated with Mărțișor were inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. (VP)

  • Întâlnirea premierului cu românii din SUA

    Întâlnirea premierului cu românii din SUA

    Premierul
    român Marcel Ciolacu şi-a început vizita oficială în Statele Unite
    ale Americii la Muzeul Memorial al Holocaustului din Washington, unde a
    comemorat victimele genocidului din cel de-Al Doilea Război Mondial. Ulterior,
    el s-a întâlnit cu reprezentanţi ai comunităţii româneşti din zona Washington -
    Virginia – Maryland.


    România are nevoie să dezvolte parteneriate cu companii
    din ţări democratice dezvoltate,     le-a transmis premierul românilor din zonă,
    mai ales într-un context de securitate excepţional, precizând că România are
    cea mai lungă frontieră cu Ucraina.


    Marcel Ciolacu: Fără marile
    realizări ale noastre după Revoluţie – apartenenţa la UE, la NATO şi
    parteneriatul strategic cu Statele Unite – astăzi n-am fi vorbit de o
    democraţie consolidată în România, n-am fi vorbit de o stabilitate şi n-am fi
    dormit liniştiţi în România dacă n-ar fi existat acest parteneriat.


    Românii nu pot fi ţinuţi în ţară decât dezvoltând serviciile publice şi
    infrastructura, a mai spus el, iar România se află pe
    direcţia corectă. Există investiţii majore în infrastructură, iar anul viitor,
    deşi este unul electoral, vor fi realizate reforme în sistemul bugetar.


    Marcel Ciolacu: Dacă nu facem acest lucru, începând de anul viitor România riscă să
    piardă sume importante din PNRR şi din fondurile europene. Din punctul meu de
    vedere, este ultimul tren al României. Dacă vom pierde proiectele şi reformele
    din PNRR şi aderarea la OECD în perioada următoare, România nu va mai prinde un
    tren atât de favorabil.


    Marcel Ciolacu a afirmat că speră
    ca SUA să devină cel mai important investitor direct în România în toate
    domeniile şi cel mai important partener comercial non-UE al României.     În acest fel, a apreciat el, diaspora va găsi calea de a comunica mai
    bine cu ţara.     În cadrul discuțiilor cu
    reprezentanţii comunităţii româneşti, Marcel Ciolacu s-a referit şi
    la eforturile de a include România în programul Visa Waiver. El a
    apreciat că renunţarea la vize va deveni realitate din 2025.


    Ambasadoarea SUA în România, Kathleen Kavalec, prezentă la
    recepţia de la Washington D.C, a confirmat că există progrese în ceea ce
    priveşte includerea României în program, care     ar permite românilor să
    intre în SUA fără viză timp de cel mult 90 de zile.     Conform legilor
    americane, cetățenii unei țări pot beneficia de Visa Waiver dacă rata de respingere a vizelor este sub 3%. Aceasta
    a fost în 2020-2021, pentru România, de 17%. Scutirea de viză ar însemna că mii
    de români nu vor mai aștepta săptămâni sau chiar luni pentru procesarea vizei,
    nu vor mai risca ca aceasta să fie respinsă și nu vor mai plăti taxa de 185 de
    dolari. În
    prezent, singurele țări UE care nu fac parte din programul Visa Waiver
    sunt România, Bulgaria și Cipru.


  • Education at a Glance 2023 report on Romania

    Education at a Glance 2023 report on Romania

    In an event hosted by
    the Carol I Central University Library in Bucharest, government officials and
    representatives of the OECD attended the official launch of the Education at a
    Glance 2023 report. Attending were a large number of education experts,
    university rectors, department chairs and other academia. The report was
    published as a novelty this year after Romania joined the Indicators on
    National Education System programme in 2023, and as a result will be included
    in each EAG report, alongside other OECD members and candidates.

    Further information:

    https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/

  • Romania – one step closer to joining the OECD

    Romania – one step closer to joining the OECD

    At the start of May a
    delegation of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
    visited Romania. The purpose of the visit was to finalize the process of
    accession to this economic organization. This process entails the participation
    of both European institutions, as well as financial and economic institutions
    from Romania.

    Government officials, representatives of the relevant institutions and other stakeholders attended a conference in Bucharest titled Romania in the OECD – Towards the club of good international economic practices, On this occassion, OCDE officials conveyed messages of support for Romania’s efforts to join the organization and laid out the next steps regarding the integration process.

  • March 30, 2023 UPDATE

    March 30, 2023 UPDATE

    INTERVIEW ‘Moscow does not give up the
    idea of taking over power in the Republic of Moldova and resorts to various
    actions in an attempt to instate a Russia-friendly government in Chisinau’, the
    country’s president Maia Sandu said in an interview to the Voice of Bessarabia.
    According to her, it is only the heroism of the Ukrainian army, which is
    keeping the frontline far from the Moldavian-Ukrainian border, but the country
    is facing the elements of a hybrid war. Sandu has given assurances that the
    people serving Russia’s interests are going to be identified but in order to
    achieve that, the country needs to strengthen the capabilities of its
    Intelligence and Security Service SIS.








    SUPPORT In Bucharest on Thursday Spain reiterated its full support for
    Romania’s accession to Europe’s border-free area Schengen, through the voice of
    its Interior Minister, Fernando Grande Marlaska Gomez. Romania has worked
    extraordinarily hard to achieve this goal and for a long period of time, the
    Spanish official has pointed out. Minister Gomez held talks with his Romanian
    counterpart, Lucian Bode, with bilateral cooperation against human and drug
    trafficking high on the agenda. According to Bode, Romania is fully ready to
    join the Schengen zone, and the decision last year was totally unfair. We
    recall that the only country, which opposed Romania’s entry into Schengen was
    Austria, on migration-related grounds.






    BILL The
    leaders of the ruling National Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party in
    Romania, Nicolae Ciucă and Marcel Ciolacu, have announced that they
    decided to support the proposal made by the Ministry of Justice regarding the
    establishment of a threshold of 9,000 lei (about 1,800 euros) up to which abuse
    of office is decriminalized. The announcements of the two come after the Senate
    approved a draft law that provides for a value threshold for abuse and neglect
    in the service in the amount of 250,000 lei. The change caused criticism and a
    street protest in Bucharest. The opposition Save Romania Union has warned that
    the value threshold of 50,000 euros for damage to the public budget to be
    considered a criminal offense was also provided for by the well-known Ordinance
    13 of 2017, which the government at the time abandoned after massive street
    protests.




    OECD The
    Secretary of State for Romania’s Accession to the Organization for Economic
    Cooperation and Development, Luca Niculescu, was appointed to the Steering
    Committee of the new OECD Regional Center in Istanbul. He welcomed the
    initiative to establish the Center, aimed at encouraging inter-regional
    cooperation, providing a platform for dialogue on public policies and
    supporting the states in the region to face the main economic and social
    challenges. According to a release by the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, Luca
    Niculescu expressed, at the same time, the availability of the Romanian
    authorities to contribute with sectoral expertise to the activity of the OECD
    Regional Center in Istanbul, recalling that Romania provides financial support
    for the main regional programs of the organization.


    (bill)

  • March 30, 2023

    March 30, 2023

    Bill. The leaders of the ruling National Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party in Romania, Nicolae Ciucă and Marcel Ciolacu, have announced that they decided to support the proposal made by the Ministry of Justice regarding the establishment of a threshold of 9,000 lei (about 1,800 euros) up to which abuse of office is decriminalized. The announcements of the two come after the Senate approved a draft law that provides for a value threshold for abuse and neglect in the service in the amount of 250,000 lei. The change caused criticism and a street protest in Bucharest. The opposition Save Romania Union has warned that the value threshold of 50,000 euros for damage to the public budget to be considered a criminal offense was also provided for by the well-known Ordinance 13 of 2017, which the government at the time abandoned after massive street protests.



    OECD. The Secretary of State for Romanias Accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Luca Niculescu, was appointed to the Steering Committee of the new OECD Regional Center in Istanbul. He welcomed the initiative to establish the Center, aimed at encouraging inter-regional cooperation, providing a platform for dialogue on public policies and supporting the states in the region to face the main economic and social challenges. According to a release by the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, Luca Niculescu expressed, at the same time, the availability of the Romanian authorities to contribute with sectoral expertise to the activity of the OECD Regional Center in Istanbul, recalling that Romania provides financial support for the main regional programs of the organization.



    Visit. The Romanian Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, starts a visit to the USA, today, together with the Chief of Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, and other officials. According to the Romanian Embassy in the USA, the delegation will have meetings in Washington with the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, with General Mark Milley, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, as well as at the White House – the National Security Council. Also, meetings are scheduled with the presidents of the Committees on Armed Services of the US Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as with representatives of the American defense industry and of the strategic reflection and expertise environment. On the occasion of the visit, the Romanian delegation will mark 30 years of partnership between the Romanian Armed Forces and the Alabama National Guard. The Romanian officials will travel to the state of Alabama, where, between April 2 and 4, they will have meetings with the governor of the state, the leadership of the Alabama National Guard, as well as with representatives of the local authorities.



    Pensions. The special pension reform project was endorsed by the Bucharest Senate on Wednesday and is now going to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this matter. In the Senate, the document was adopted in the form approved by the specialized commissions, including the amendments initiated by the representatives of the governing coalition. There are changes aimed at the overtaxation of very large special pensions, which the beneficiaries cannot accumulate. The opposition says, however, that it is not enough, that the system of special pensions should be eliminated entirely, and the principle of contribution applied to all pensions. Reforming the law on special pensions is a milestone in the National Recovery and Resilience plan, on which the disbursement of European money depends. Almost 200,000 Romanians currently benefit from special pensions, the majority – over 170,000 – from the defense and public order system. But the highest special pensions benefit former magistrates – judges and prosecutors, who can end up receiving a pension even 10 times higher than the average one granted by the State.



    Education. In Romania, the new education laws have been approved by the Government and will be submitted to Parliament for debate and adoption. The bill has maintained the provision according to which, in addition to the National Assessment, high schools will be able to organize their own admission competition, with specialized tests, for 60% of the places. Also, the Baccalaureate will include an additional test, from the opposite profile to the one studied by the students. The new education laws are based on the “Educated Romania” project, initiated by President Klaus Iohannis, and for the implementation of the reforms stipulated in these laws, more than 3 billion euros will be allocated from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.



    Tennis. Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea (74 WTA) has qualified for the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami Florida, with some 8.8 million dollars in prize money. She defeated the worlds number two, the Belarusian Arina Sabalenka, 6-4, 6-4. This is the second semifinal for the Romanian player, since 10 years ago, in Toronto. At the Miami Open, Cirstea has lost no match, defeating Fernanda Contreras Gomez of Mexico, number four Caroline Garcia of France, the Check Karolina Muchova and Marketa Vondrousova and now Arina Sabalenka. (MI)


  • יעד חשוב – הצתרפותה של רומניה לארגון לשיתוף פעולה ופיתוח כלכלי

    יעד חשוב – הצתרפותה של רומניה לארגון לשיתוף פעולה ופיתוח כלכלי

    שגריר ישראל בבוקרשט, ראובן אזר, הצהיר כי הצטרפות רומניה לארגון לשיתוף פעולה ופיתוח כלכלי (OECD) מייצגת מטרה חשובה ביותר, והדגיש כי עבור ישראל הצטרפותה לארגון הביאה לא רק שגשוג, אלא גם סטנדרטים רגולטוריים חדשים בתחומים שונים. , מה שעודד את רוח היזמות ואת המשיכה של השקעות זרות.



    ראובן אזר, אמר את דבריו באירוע “הצטרפות ל-OECD – הזדמנויות לסביבה העסקית הרומנית”, שאורגן על ידי ממשלת רומניה בשיתוף עם ה-OECD לציון שנה לתחילת תהליך ההצטרפות.



    הוא הדגיש שהחברות ב-OECD מביאה מרכיבים חשובים, לא רק שגשוג. אזר הדגיש כי עבור ישראל, כניסה ל-OECD פירושה גם יצירת הזדמנות לקבלת אשראי זול יותר, היבט חשוב לכל מדינה, במיוחד בזמני משבר.



    בנוסף לכך במקום להתרכז רק במה שאנחנו טובים, אנחנו צריכים להפוך למומחים בדברים שאנחנו לא מאוד טובים בהם, כי אנחנו צריכים לתת את התשובות הנכונות לדרישות ה-OECDהוסיף אזאר.



    הוא הדגיש כי היבט חשוב הוא, לאחר ההצטרפות לארגון, הגישה למידע ולניתוחים האובייקטיבים של ה-OECD שאינם לוקחים בחשבון את הדעות השונות של המעמד הפוליטי. במקרה של ישראל אזכיר את נושא ההשתלבות האפקטיבית ביותר של נשים ישראליות בשוק העבודה.

  • February 9, 2023 UPDATE

    February 9, 2023 UPDATE

    SUPPORT
    Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on the EU leaders,
    who had convened in Brussels, to step up arms deliveries for his country to be
    able to move faster than Russia, which invaded Ukraine a year ago. We need
    artillery guns, ammunitions, modern tanks long-range missiles and modern jet-fighters,
    Zelensky told the European leaders adding that a free Europe is not possible
    without a free Ukraine. He has also called on the EU leaders to support Kyiv’s
    peace plan and hold the Kremlin accountable. Zelensky has also asked for new
    sanctions against Moscow, which should focus, among other things, on the
    Russian defence industry. Earlier he had told the European MPs that the defence
    of the Ukrainian territory against the Russian invasion was the defence of
    Europe. The Ukrainian president is on a European tour, which also took him to London
    and Paris.






    MEETING According to the president of the European Council, Charles Michel,
    the next weeks would be decisive for the war in Ukraine. Michel has called on
    the EU leaders to respond to the requests made by Kyiv for weapons and
    ammunition. During the special meeting of the European council, Ukraine called
    for ammunitions, artillery guns, missiles, vehicles and defence systems. In
    turn, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said that
    Ukraine can count on the EU support now and in the future. She announced that
    the future set of sanctions would be targeting a series of Russian military and
    political leaders and includes over 10 billion euros restrictions for exports.
    On the sidelines of the aforementioned meeting, European leaders, including Romanian
    president Klaus Iohannis have voiced their commitment and support for Ukraine
    and its people. Besides the war in Ukraine, high on the talks agenda there are also
    the economic situation in the EU and migration. Iohannis said before the
    meeting that Romania is neither a source of migration nor a transit country.
    The Romanian official also said that the problem is European and Bucharest
    wants to participate in the process of finding some of the best solutions to
    this situation. Iohannis has also underlined that the issue of migration must
    not be mistaken for Schengen.




    TOLL The death toll of the earthquakes that hit
    Turkey and Syria on Monday continues to rise, exceeding 20,000 dead on
    Thursday, and the chances of survival for the people trapped under the rubble
    are diminishing. The bad weather and cold are complicating the rescuers’ task,
    given that the first 72 hours are crucial to find survivors, according to the
    head of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik. Twitter has become inaccessible
    to Turkey’s main mobile telephony providers amid growing online criticism of
    the authorities’ handling of the tragedy. We had difficulties at the
    beginning with the airports and on the roads, but we are better today and
    tomorrow we will be even better – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on
    the eve, apparently to defuse the population’s anger over the slow reaction of
    his regime. In power since 2003 and a candidate for a new mandate in the May
    presidential election, Erdogan also announced the distribution of 10,000
    Turkish liras (the equivalent of about 494 Euros) to each family affected by
    the earthquake.






    OECD Romania’s accession to the Organization for
    Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is the next step on the country’s
    way to modernization, development and prosperity – the Prime Minister Nicolae
    Ciucă said Thursday, in Bucharest, at a conference organized by the Government
    on the benefits that member countries of this Organization have. This event
    marked one year since the start of Romania’s accession process to the OECD.
    Romania’s accession to the OECD has become a major foreign policy
    objective and a strategic objective of the country, after accession to the
    European Union and NATO – Nicolae Ciucă stated, recalling that the Organization
    has under its umbrella states that represent over 70% of world trade and
    approximately 90% of the capital investments value. Regarding the current
    economic situation in Romania, the prime minister recalled that, in 2022, the
    Gross Domestic Product increased by almost 50 billion Euros as compared to the
    previous year, i.e. 4.9%, which is a significant increase.




    (bill&LS)