Radio România Internațional

Tag: OECD

  • February 9, 2023

    February 9, 2023

    Brussels – President Klaus Iohannis represents Romania, in Brussels, in the extraordinary meeting of the European Council. Russias war against Ukraine, the economic situation in the European Union and migration are the three important topics to be discussed, this weekend, by the leaders of the 27 member states. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, during the Council meeting, the commitment of the European Union and its member countries to support Ukraine at all levels will be reiterated as well as the commitment to continue to hold the Russian Federation responsible for the invasion of the neighboring country. At the same time, the European leaders will analyze the best solutions at European level to ensure the competitiveness of the Unions economy in the short and long term.



    Earthquake — The death toll of the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday continues to rise, exceeding 16,000 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 Turkeys 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.



    Rescue — Romania has sent a second search and rescue team to those areas from Turkey devastated by strong earthquakes at the beginning of the week. Currently, there are almost 120 Romanian rescuers on the ground, accompanied by specially trained dogs, equipment and transport vehicles. Bucharest decided to send humanitarian aid also to Syria, which was seriously affected by earthquakes as well. On the other hand, 26 Romanian citizens who requested support to return home were repatriated. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, there are no Romanian citizens among the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey.



    OECD – Romanias accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is the next step on the countrys 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 Romanias accession process to the OECD. “Romanias 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.



    EU summit — The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, in Brussels, in the plenum of the European Parliament, that the defense of the Ukrainian territory against the Russian invasion also represented the defense of Europe. “We are defending ourselves against the most anti-European force of the modern world,” he said. Zelensky also expressed his belief that his country would join the EU after winning the war against Russia. At the same time, he thanked the European Parliament for the help Ukraine receives from the EU to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Today, Zelensky is participating, in Brussels, in a summit of the EU heads of state and government. He is on a surprise tour of Europe and left his country for the second time since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, after a first trip to Washington in December. The Ukrainian president on Monday first visited Great Britain, the biggest contributor, after the United States, in terms of military aid to Ukraine, then he went to France, where he met with president Macron and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. In London and Paris, Zelensky called for fighter jets “as soon as possible” to reject the Russian offensive. (LS)

  • January 1, 2023

    January 1, 2023

    WELFARE As of today,
    the pension point in Romania has increased by 12.5% up to 360 euros. The
    minimum wages are also expected to increase up to 375 euros and the lowest
    wages in the construction sector will go up to about 800 euros. Starting
    January 1st, state employees will get a 10% pay rise and the benefits for
    children are to be adjusted to the inflation rate. At the same time the 10
    eurocent fuel subsidy has been eliminated although the government
    pledges to reintroduce it if price hikes are going to exceed the purchasing
    power. Authorities in Bucharest have maintained the measures of capping and
    subsidizing electricity and natural gas.










    MAE Carrying on the moves for
    Romania’s accession to Schengen and the OECD as well as supporting the Republic
    of Moldova’s EU accession are some of the priorities of the Romanian diplomacy
    in 2023, says the yearly report of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
    Romania will continue to support the creation of a mechanism for holding
    responsible those who committed the aggression in the illegal war Russia is
    presently waging on Ukraine. As for the country’s NATO membership, the Ministry
    says it will promote Romania’s strategic priorities inside the alliance
    including at the upcoming NATO summit in July in Vilnius where the Romanian
    ministry is expected to be pleading for the consolidation of the NATO
    deterrence and defence posture on its eastern flank in view of defending
    national security and in the Black Sea area, as an area of strategic importance
    for the Euro-Atlantic security. The report also mentions the moves to get
    Romania into the Visa Waiver programme. As for the states in the region, the
    ministry says that Romania will continue to actively provide multidimensional
    assistance and support to the neighboring Ukraine and support the European and
    Euro-Atlantic orientation of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.






    EU On January 1st
    Sweden took over from the Czech Republic the presidency of the EU Council and
    for six months will be playing a key-role of leader and mediator inside the
    bloc. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has reviewed some of the main
    issues, which are to be addressed such as the war in Ukraine, the fight against
    climate change and Europe’s competitiveness. Sweden’s priorities are focusing
    on a ‘greener, safer and more free Europe’, Kristersson says. Ulf Kristersson
    and his cabinet are quite unknown on the European stage as his conservative
    government came to power more than nine months ago after it had replaced the
    Social-Democrats led by Magdalena Andersson.

    DAY Orthodox
    believers, who are a majority in Romania, on January 1 celebrate St. Basil the
    Great, whose name is born by 600 thousand Romanians. St. Basil lived in the 4th
    century and used to be a bishop in Caesarea, a city in modern-day Turkey. During
    the 9 years of his mandate as a bishop, St. Basil proved to be a great
    theologian, a defender of the Orthodox faith, a good organizer of the monastic
    life and the social activity inside the church. It was the first bishop who built
    hospitals and asylums for the poor and the underprivileged.

    (bill)

  • December 15, 2022 UPDATE

    December 15, 2022 UPDATE

    JHA – The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, expressed, on Thursday, her disappointment with last week’s vote in the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the EU, following which Romania and Bulgaria were not admitted to the Schengen Area. The European Union has proven, in time, that it can remove any barriers and bring people together – said Roberta Metsola in her speech at the beginning of the Brussels meeting of the European Council. She also stated that the Union could do this even now, if it had the courage to take political decisions to maintain the European construction. According to official sources, quoted by Radio Romania, President Klaus Iohannis thanked for the strong support of the European Parliament and the overwhelming majority of member states. On the sidelines of the Council, President Iohannis discussed with community leaders, to explain them the unfair situation in which Romania finds itself and the need to find a solution for admission to the Schengen Area.



    OECD – Romania submitted, on Thursday, at the Paris-based headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the initial memorandum regarding its accession to this structure. The document was handed to the Secretary General of the OECD, Mathias Cormann, by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, who is on a working visit to the French capital. Currently, the OECD has 38 member states, representing established democracies and consolidated economies. Together, the OECD member states provide about 70% of the global production and trade and 90% of the worlds foreign direct investments. The OECD facilitates the exchange of experience and good practices between countries and makes available to them its own data, analyzes and expertise regarding the establishment of public policies.



    Protests – The Federation of Free Trade Unions in Romanian Education continues its protest actions started last week. The employees are dissatisfied with the authorities failure to grant the pay increase for working conditions and overtime. At the same time, they are asking for the index-linking of salaries to cover the inflation rate. On Thursday, the education trade unionists protested in front of the prefects offices in several cities of the country, including Galati (southeast) and Vaslui (east). On the other hand, in Bucharest, policemen and penitentiary workers took to the streets in front of the Finance Ministry. They request the full payment of outstanding salary differences, the updating of food and equipment standards, as well as the indexation of military pensions and salaries.



    Swimming – The Romanian swimmer David Popovici ranked fourth, on Thursday, with a time of 45 sec and 64/100, in the 100 m freestyle final of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Melbourne. Popovici, the world champion in the Olympic pool event, was only seven hundredths of a second away from the bronze medal, but he set a new junior world record, breaking the one set on Wednesday, in the semi-finals (45 sec and 91/100). He will also participate, in Melbourne, in the 200m freestyle, after failing to pass the heats in the 400m freestyle. Also on Thursday and also in Melbourne, another Romanian, Andrei Anghel, qualified for the semifinals of the 50m backstroke event, after being recorded with the seventh time of the series, 23 sec and 12/100. Romania is represented by three swimmers at the World Championships in Australia.



    Energy – The leadership of the National Energy Regulatory Authority met, on Thursday, with the representatives of the electricity suppliers in Romania, to explain them how the new price cap law is applied. The law will enter into force on January 1 next year. The suppliers claim that almost 9 million Romanians should submit applications to benefit from capped tariffs, while the Authority says that the number is much lower. The institution points out that each customer can automatically benefit, without any other formalities, from the capping of bills for one single household, if they do not exceed the consumption levels provided by law. (LS)

  • Talks on the Eastern Flank

    Talks on the Eastern Flank

    The
    consequences of the war in Ukraine on global economy, the construction of a
    better future for young people, with responsible, eco-friendly trade, were
    among the topics on the agenda of the annual meeting of the Ministerial Council
    of the Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development (OECD). Foreign
    Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, who for the first time represented Romania as an OECD
    candidate country, received the roadmap with all the reforms, some of them
    extremely important, that Romania must implement in order to join the select
    club of 38 states with developed economies. On the sidelines of the event, Minister
    Aurescu met with France’s new Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs,
    Catherine Colonna. Talks focused on hot topics on the European and global
    agenda, with a focus on the security developments in Ukraine and the multiple
    consequences of the war in this country. Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the
    excellent relations between Romania and France, defined under the Strategic
    Partnership renewed in 2018 with the signing of the Political Declaration by presidents
    Klaus Iohannis and Emmanuel Macron, and whose development guidelines were
    detailed in the Roadmap signed in 2020.

    At the same time, Bogdan Aurescu
    reiterated Romania’s gratitude for France’s contribution to strengthening
    NATO’s deterrence and defense postures on the Alliance’s eastern flank by
    deploying French military to Romania, arguing this effort represents a clear
    confirmation of Allied solidarity and France’s constant commitment to ensuring
    the security of Allied states, including Romania, thus consolidating the
    Strategic Partnership between the two countries. In this context, the two
    ministers argued in favor of rendering operational the NATO battlegroup in
    Romania under French command. As regards the NATO summit in Madrid at the end
    of the month, the two ministers expressed support for the NATO accession of
    Sweden and Finland, which will help consolidate Allied security. In terms of
    security cooperation at bilateral level, the two officials also discussed the
    importance of organizing a 2+2 meeting at the level of the two countries’
    foreign and defense ministries, especially in terms of consolidating efforts in
    the new security context.

    On the other hand, the French official expressed
    appreciation for the way in which Romania provided support to Ukraine at
    various levels, while the Romanian Minister underscored the need to support the
    Republic of Moldova in its efforts to cope with a number of effects of the
    Russian aggression in Ukraine. At the same time, Minister Aurescu reiterated
    the EU’s support for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, as well as the start of
    negotiations talks with Albania and North Macedonia. (VP)

  • OECD: Krieg in der Ukraine setzt Weltwirtschaft schwer zu

    OECD: Krieg in der Ukraine setzt Weltwirtschaft schwer zu





    In ihrem letzten Bericht zur Lage der Weltwirtschaft schlie‎ßt die OECD eine Verschlimmerung der Situation und weitere Rückschläge nicht aus. Die Organisation, die 38 entwickelte Länder und Staaten mit emergierenden Volkswirtschaften vereint, hatte die Veröffentlichung ihres Jahresberichts aufgrund des Kriegs in der Ukraine aufgeschoben. Die am 24. Februar begonnene russische Invasion hatte die Herausgabe des Berichts im März ins Stocken gebracht — die wirtschaftlichen Folgen des Konflikts waren damals nicht abzusehen.



    Nun prognostiziert die OECD für die Weltwirtschaft ein Wachstum von nur noch 3% — vor dem Krieg in der Ukraine war noch die Rede von 4,5%. Kommendes Jahr soll sich das Wachstum noch stärker verlangsamen — von ursprünglich 3,2% hat die OECD ihre Wachstumsprognose auf 2,8% nach unten korrigiert. Die Inflation werde den Volkswirtschaften und der Kaufkraft der Bevölkerung schwer zusetzen — mit weltweit rund 8,5% wird die Inflation doppelt so hoch sein, wie ursprünglich angenommen.



    Die humanitäre Krise in der Ukraine — mit Tausenden von Toten und Millionen Flüchtlingen — bedroht den wirtschaftlichen Wiederaufschwung, auf den viele nach zwei Jahren der lähmenden Pandemie Hoffnung gesetzt hatten. Russland und die Ukraine haben als wichtige Lieferanten von Rohstoffen einen gro‎ßen Einfluss in der Weltwirtschaft. Zusammen stellen die beiden Länder nahezu 30% der weltweiten Getreide-Exporte auf, 20% der Ausfuhr von Dünger für die Landwirtschaft, von Mineralgemenge und Erdgas stammen aus diesen beiden Ländern und 11% der weltweiten Rohöl-Lieferungen kommen ebenfalls aus dieser Weltecke.



    Auch die internationalen Lieferketten sind auf seltene Metalle und Gase aus Russland und der Ukraine angewiesen. Nach Ausbruch des Invasionskriegs in der Ukraine sind die Preise für diese Rohstoffe in die Höhe geschnellt — mit schwerwiegenden Konsequenzen für die Volkswirtschaften vieler Länder. Ein kompletter Stopp der Weizenausfuhr würde in mehreren Entwicklungsländern zu einer Lebensmittelkrise und zu Hungersnöten führen, was in eine humanitäre Katastrophe ungeahnten Ausma‎ßes münden könnte.



    Mit ihrer massiven Energie-Abhängigkeit gegenüber Russland ist auch die EU vom Krieg vor der eigenen Haustür betroffen. Dem OECD-Bericht zufolge werde die Euro-Zone dieses Jahr ein Wachstum von 2,6% und kommendes Jahr in Höhe von 1,6% verzeichnen. Vor Ausbruch des Kriegs waren die Prognosen von doppelt so hohen Zahlen ausgegangen. Eine vollständige Einstellung der Gaslieferungen aus Russland in die EU würde die Energiepreise weiter in die Höhe treiben und zu schwerwiegenden Störungen in den Lieferketten führen. Und schlie‎ßlich würde eine explodierende Inflation die plötzliche Anhebung der von den Notenbanken praktizierten Zinssätze bewirken, was die ohnehin instabile Wiederankurbelung der Volkswirtschaften in der EU langfristig hemmen könnte, hei‎ßt es zum Schluss im Jahresbericht der OECD zur Lage der Weltwirtschaft.

  • January 26, 2022 UPDATE

    January 26, 2022 UPDATE

    Covid-19 — More than 34,000 new Covid-19 cases have been registered in Romania in the last 24 hours, along with 94 deaths – the Strategic Communication Group informed on Wednesday. This is an absolute record of infections since the beginning of the pandemic in Romania. Compared to the previous day, the number of Covid-19 cases nationwide almost doubled on Wednesday. About 700 patients are in ICUs. Vaccination for children between 5 and 11 started in Romania on Wednesday, but the interest is quite low, just as for the rest of the eligible population. The first amounts of Molnupiravir – an antiviral drug that is given to ‘high risk’ patients infected with the novel coronavirus, in assessment centers or hospitals – could reach the country by the end of the week, the health minister Alexandru Rafila said. He estimated that its use would have a favorable impact on reducing the pressure on intensive care units and reducing the number of deaths.



    Ukraine — Romania has more than 600 km of common border with Ukraine and we must make sure that we are prepared for any possible scenario, said Wednesday Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis fresh from a Supreme Defense Council meeting convened in the context of the tense security situation in the region. He underlined that the current crisis created by Russia is not just about Ukraine, but about the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic area. That is why, Klaus Iohannis went on to say, at this moment it is important that at NATO and EU level we should show unity and solidarity. A complete analysis of the security situation in the area was made, including from the point of view of the military, economic and energy impact, and also from the perspective of uncontrolled migration. “Russia’s recent actions, through the proposals made in December, are trying to unacceptably change the parameters of the European security architecture,” the Romanian president pointed out. He also said that diplomatic dialogue must play a key role in deescalating the current situation and that it should continue.



    Visit – The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, pays a visit to Bucharest to meet with President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and her Romanian counterpart Vasile Dîncu. The talks will focus on deepening defense relations between the two countries within the Strategic Partnership, including on arms cooperation. The French Minister will also discuss the Sahel missions, the priorities of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the regional situation in Eastern Europe. We remind you that France has expressed its readiness to consolidate its presence in Romania within the NATO missions.



    OECD – The decision of the OECD Council to open accession negotiations with Romania is a chance for a new stage of reforms in favor of the citizen and for aligning the society with the consolidated democracies model, the PM Nicolae Ciuca said at the OECD Inter-ministerial Committee meeting on Wednesday. Its role is to coordinate the negotiations for Romanias admission into the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Todays meeting is a signal that we are serious in relation with the preparation for Romania’s OECD accession, so that we can be together with the developed countries, which hold more than 70% of the global production and trade and 90% of the worlds foreign direct investment, PM Ciuca underlined. The OECD has decided to launch accession negotiations with six candidate countries, including Romania. The OECD Council communiqué mentions the progress that Romania, alongside Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia and Peru, has made since launching the applications for membership. The organization will prepare individual roadmaps for all these countries, provided that the six states confirm their adherence to the values, vision and priorities of the organization.



    Rome — Italian MPs have failed to designate a new president of the Republic even after a third round of voting on Wednesday. In the first three rounds a candidate must obtain two-thirds of the votes to be elected. Starting with the fourth round, which will be held on Thursday, a simple majority is enough. Many MPs submitted blank ballots on Wednesday. However, many have indicated the current head of state, Sergio Mattarella, although he had announced that he would not accept a second term, writes Reuters agency. The current prime minister, Mario Draghi, has great chances to be designated president. (LS)

  • June 19, 2021 UPDATE

    June 19, 2021 UPDATE

    RAINFALLS New code orange and code yellow alerts for heavy rainfalls, storms and flash floods have been issued in Romania for most of the Romanian territory, except for the north-west. Hydrologists have also warned against possible flooding along 11 rivers until Monday night. Thousands of households were flooded or left without electricity following recent heavy rainfalls in Romania. According to the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations, 49 towns and villages and the capital city were affected, with firefighters moving in to pump out the water in several households, over 100 yards and scores of streets in Bucharest alone. The wind caused several trees to fall over parked vehicles, and road traffic was also disrupted.



    COVID-19 The number of new Covid-19 cases
    in Romania
    continues to drop, with 63 new infection cases reported on Saturday, and 164 patients
    in intensive care. Hospitals are gradually resuming their regular activity and,
    according to some managers, they are better prepared for a possible surge in
    cases. Meanwhile, experts warn against the risk of a 4th wave of the
    coronavirus pandemic in Romania. The health minister Ioana Mihăilă said the Indian
    strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus may come to prevail in Romania as well, which is
    why it is all the more important that as many people be immunised. According to Romania’s representative in the World Health
    Organisation Alexandru Rafila, with the current vaccination trend, only 7
    million people at most will have been immunized by autumn, which is below the
    authorities’ target. Some 25,500 people received the vaccine in the past 24
    hours. So far over 8.7 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in
    Romania, with nearly 4.35 million people having received both doses of vaccine.



    DEFICIT The EUs Economic and Financial Council extended to 2024 the deadline for Romania to put an end to the excessive deficit situation. The Council said that an extension to the original deadline for Romania to correct its public deficit would be important in order not to compromise the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendation also says that, in order to meet the new deadline, Romania would need to achieve a general government deficit target of 6.2% of GDP next year, 4.4% of GDP in 2023, and 2.9% of GDP in 2024. Romania is expected to present the European Council with a report on its strategy regarding these targets by 15 October, the Romanian Finance Ministry announced.



    ACCIDENT At least 3 workers, one of them from Romania, died when a school under construction partly collapsed in Antwerp, Belgium, AFP reports. Nine others were injured in the incident on Friday afternoon. The school was still under construction, so no students were present.



    OECD The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu reconfirmed Romanias commitment to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development as soon as possible. Aurescu had a meeting on Saturday with the organisations new secretary general, Mathias Cormann, on the sidelines of the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya (Turkey). On the same occasion, the Romanian diplomat discussed the Black Sea security situation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.



    IRAN Hardliner Seyyed Ebrahim Rais al-Sadati won Fridays presidential election in Iran from the first round, with over 62% of the votes, according to preliminary results made public on Saturday. A former magistrate, the Conservative al-Sadati is close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters comments. The new president will have to resume the negotiations started in Vienna for the restart of the 2015 deal regulating the countrys nuclear activities.



    TENNIS Horia Tecău (Romania) / Kevin Krawietz (Germany) qualified into the doubles final of the tennis tournament in Halle (Germany), ATP 500, after defeating the Belgians Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen, 7-6, 7-5. Tecău and Krawietz are playing their 3rd final this season, after having lost the ones in Rotterdam and Barcelona. Also in tennis, the Romanians Monica Niculescu and Elena Gabriela Ruse Friday qualified into the doubles final of the ITF tournament in Nottingham (UK). They will play against the Australians Priscilla Hon and Storm Sanders. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • June 19, 2021

    June 19, 2021

    RAINFALLS A person died and another one went missing, thousands of households were flooded or left without electricity following recent heavy rainfall in Romania. According to the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations, 49 towns and villages and the capital city Bucharest were affected by last nights rainfalls. An orange-code alert for further precipitation remains in place in most of the country until Sunday night, and flood warnings have also been issued in some regions.



    COVID-19 The number of new Covid-19 cases
    in Romania
    continues to drop, with 63 new infection cases reported on Saturday, and 164 patients
    in intensive care. Hospitals are gradually resuming their regular activity and,
    according to some managers, they are better prepared for a possible surge in
    cases. Meanwhile, experts warn against the risk of a 4th wave of the
    coronavisur pandemic in Romania. These experts include Romania’s representative
    in the World Health Organisation Alexandru Rafila, who says that with the
    current vaccination trend, only 7 million people at most will have been
    immunized by autumn, which is below the authorities’ target. So far some 4.6
    million people have received at least one dose of anti-Covid vaccine.



    DEFICIT The EUs Economic and Financial Council extended to 2024 the deadline for Romania to put an end to the excessive deficit situation. The Council said that an extension to the original deadline for Romania to correct its public deficit would be important in order not to compromise the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendation also says that, in order to meet the new deadline, Romania would need to achieve a general government deficit target of 6.2% of GDP next year, 4.4% of GDP in 2023, and 2.9% of GDP in 2024. Romania is expected to present the European Council with a report on its strategy regarding these targets by 15 October, the Romanian Finance Ministry announced.



    OECD The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu reconfirmed Romanias commitment to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development as soon as possible. Aurescu had a meeting on Saturday with the organisations new secretary general, Mathias Cormann, on the sidelines of the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya (Turkey). On the same occasion, the Romanian diplomat discussed the Black Sea security situation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.



    IRAN Hardliner Seyyed Ebrahim Rais al-Sadati won Fridays presidential election in Iran from the first round, with over 62% of the votes, according to preliminary results made public today. A former magistrate, the Conservative al-Sadati is close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters comments. The new president will have to resume the negotiations started in Vienna for the restart of the 2015 deal regulating the countrys nuclear activities.



    TENNIS Horia Tecău (Romania) / Kevin Krawietz (Germany) qualified into the doubles final of the tennis tournament in Halle (Germany), ATP 500, after defeating the Belgians Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen, 7-6, 7-5. Tecău and Krawietz are playing their 3rd final this season, after having lost the ones in Rotterdam and Barcelona. Also in tennis, the Romanians Monica Niculescu and Elena Gabriela Ruse Friday qualified into the doubles final of the ITF tournament in Nottingham (UK). They will play against the Australians Priscilla Hon and Storm Sanders.



    FOOTBALL The European Football Championship continues. Today, Hungary is scheduled to play against France in Budapest, in Group F, Portugal takes on Germany in Munich, in the same group, and Spain plays against Poland in Seville, in Group E. on Friday, Sweden defeated Slovakia 1-0, in Sankt Petersburg, in Group E; Croatia and the Czech Republic drew 1-1, in Glasgow, in Group D, while in London, also in Group D, the match between England and Scotland ended in a blank draw. The Czech Patrik Schick is currently the championships top scorer. The Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen was discharged from hospital, after successful surgery, 6 days after collapsing on the pitch 43 minutes into the match against Finland. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Jurnal românesc – 16.04.2021

    Jurnal românesc – 16.04.2021

    Ministrul de Externe, Bogdan Aurescu, a avut o convorbire telefonică cu secretarul general ales al Organizaţiei pentru Cooperare şi Dezvoltare Economică, Mathias Cormann, cu privire la aderarea României la organizaţie. Şeful diplomaţiei române a reconfirmat angajamentul politic al Guvernului României şi larga susţinere a forţelor politice şi a societăţii româneşti faţă de obiectivul strategic al aderării la OECD cât mai curând posibil. El şi-a exprimat speranţa că extinderea organizaţiei va fi una dintre priorităţile noului secretar general şi a prezentat argumentele care susţin soliditatea candidaturii României, precum şi eforturile constante ale Bucureştiului, care a aderat, până în prezent, la aproximativ 50 de instrumente juridice ale OECD şi participă la peste 20 de organisme ale acesteia. Aurescu a arătat că România împărtăşeşte acelaşi sistem de valori cu organizaţia, iar factorul politic depune eforturi constante pentru îndeplinirea standardelor OECD şi a dat asigurări că ţara noastră este pregătită să coopereze activ şi să sprijine eforturile în dosarele de actualitate de pe agendă. Australianul Mathias Cormann a fost ales la conducerea OECD la 15 martie pentru un mandat de 5 ani şi îşi va prelua oficial responsabilităţile la 1 iunie.

    Preşedintele Comisiei de politică externă din Camera Deputaţilor, Rozalia Biro, a discutat cu ambasadorul Austriei la Bucureşti, Isabel Rauscher, despre lucrătorii români şi despre problema alocaţiilor pentru copii nerezidenţi. Aceasta a menţionat că statul austriac a luat în ultima perioadă măsuri care generează un impact negativ asupra mobilităţii cetăţenilor şi a forţei de muncă din interiorul UE. Ea a amintit de legea privind ajustarea alocaţiilor pentru copii nerezidenţi, în vigoare din 2019, şi care a dus la înjumătăţirea acesteia. Considerăm că este nevoie ca acele persoane care îngrijesc non-stop vârstnici din Austria să primească toate drepturile şi asigurările necesare ca să îşi desfăşoare munca în condiţii corespunzătoare, mai ales în contextul pandemiei, a mai spus deputatul. Biro a menţionat şi numărul mare de accidente de muncă din Austria în care au fost implicaţi cetăţeni români: 213 cazuri, din care 10 s-au soldat cu deces, din ianuarie 2018 până în decembrie 2019. Ea a anunţat că, până la sfârşitul lunii mai, vor fi operaţionalizate un grup de lucru comun între Comisia de politică externă din Parlamentul român şi cel austriac şi un grup de experţi din ministerele Muncii din cele două ţări a căror menire este asigurarea respectării drepturilor muncitorilor români din Austria. Românii care se află în Austria reprezintă a doua comunitate de cetăţeni UE, după germani. (…) Oficial, avem 131.788 de cetăţeni români la 1 ianuarie 2021 în Austria, cu o creştere anuală de 6%, a punctat deputatul UDMR.

    Cartea de identitatea electronică nu este obligatorie, însă fără acest document cetăţenii nu mai pot călători în afara graniţelor ţării, a declarat preşedintele Autorităţii pentru Digitalizarea României, Octavian Oprea. Cartea de identitate electronică vine la pachet cu multe alte beneficii. Ea nu va fi obligatorie, pentru că există, din păcate, şi cetăţeni care pun la îndoială modul în care datele sunt stocate (…) Lor le vom putea oferi posibilitatea de a fi beneficiarii, în continuare, ai unei simple bucăţi de plastic cu care se vor putea identifica în faţa instituţiilor publice din România, dar nu vor mai putea călători în afara graniţelor ţării, a spus Oprea. El a explicat că această carte electronică de identitate îi va oferi cetăţeanului român posibilitatea de a interacţiona în format digital cu instituţiile publice şi va înlesni comunicarea datelor între instituţiile guvernamentale din România şi cele de la nivel european. Practic, identitatea noastră va putea circula în toată Uniunea Europeană şi identitatea celorlalţi cetăţeni europeni va putea fi recunoscută de instituţiile publice din România, a arătat şeful ADR. Acesta a adăugat că procesul de identificare electronică va fi completat de o platformă software centralizată, prin care, cu o logare unică, fiecare cetăţean din România poate naviga în orice platformă electronică. Proiectul de realizare a Platformei Software Centralizată pentru Identificare Digitală are o valoare de aproape 100 de milioane de lei şi o perioadă de implementare cuprinsă între 1 septembrie 2020 şi 31 august 2023.

    Ambasadorul Israelului la Bucureşti, David Saranga, a transmis un mesaj cu ocazia Zilei Naţionale a ţării sale, prin care le-a mulţumit evreilor din România care au contribuit la succesul statului israelian. Suntem o ţară cu gene multiculturale, printre care şi româneşti. Mulţi evrei din România au contribuit la succesul Statului Israel. Aceştia – artişti, oameni de ştiinţă, politicieni sau scriitori – reprezintă o punte vie între ţările noastre. Lor şi celor 9,5 milioane de israelieni le urez La Mulţi Ani!, a afirmat diplomatul într-o înregistrare video publicată pe pagina de Facebook a Ambasadei. În prezent, în România trăiesc aproximativ 6.000 de evrei. De partea cealaltă, potrivit statisticilor oficiale, publicate de reprezentanţa diplomatică a Israelului la Bucureşti, în Israel trăiesc 86.200 de cetăţeni născuţi în România. Acestora li se adăugă cei 125.800 de urmaşi ai familiilor originare din Romania născuţi în Israel.


  • March 31, 2021

    March 31, 2021

    WB Romania’s economy is supposed to
    witness a 4.3% growth this year after last year’s contraction of 3.9% says the
    latest World Bank report published on Wednesday. According to the same report,
    the economic growth would be supported by the improved economic activity in the
    second half of 2021. This economic growth will also depend on the success of
    the vaccination rollout, the political response to the medical crisis as well
    as by the EU performances. World Bank also expects a 4.1% economic growth for
    the next year with an inflation rate around 3% in 2021 and of 3.2% in 2022.
    Inflation is expected to go down to 2.9% in 2023.








    COVID-19 Authorities in Bucharest have
    again pointed out that only through vaccination and observance of the
    prevention rules will Romania be able to get rid of the pandemic. According to
    physician Andreea Moldovan, state secretary with the Health Ministry, the third
    wave is different than the others, with a higher number of cases and increased gravity.
    In her opinion, if the prevention measures are relaxed and ignored by the
    people, they should remain in force for a longer period of time. Over 62
    hundred fresh Covid-19 infections were reported in Romania on Tuesday out of
    the roughly 30 thousand tests conducted. The total number of infections since
    the outbreak in Romania exceeds 946 thousand with a death toll of 23,400. 175
    new fatalities were reported on Tuesday and a record number of 1,405 people
    were in intensive care. In another development, the national vaccination
    rollout is in full swing in Romania with over 2 million vaccinated; half of
    them with the booster dose. The coordinator of the national vaccination rollout
    programme, physician Valeriu Gheorghita on Tuesday announced that over 3.3
    million doses are expected in Romania in April, including the first batch of
    160 thousand Johnson & Johnson single-shot jabs. The vaccination
    capabilities are also to increase in the next month with another 156 centers
    and mobile units. Family physicians are also expected to join the vaccination
    efforts.








    PROTESTS For the third time in a row, Bucharest
    and several big cities across Romania on Tuesday saw large-scale protests
    against the anti-Covid measures imposed by the authorities. Chanting
    anti-government slogans, the protesters called on the authorities to cancel the
    compulsory wear of masks and reopen gyms and fitness facilities. Romanian
    president Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday said that he understands the discontent of
    the Romanians after a year of restrictions, adding these measures are the only
    means that can help Romania to contain the pandemic. The Romanian president
    also said that protests are normal in a functional democracy but violence,
    extremism and xenophobia are intolerable and completely unacceptable. The
    president’s statement came after some violent protests in some of Romania’s
    cities. Opposition leader Marcel Ciolacu said that people took to the streets out
    of poverty and despair caused by the ongoing medical crisis.








    TALKS The Foreign Ministers of the USA
    and Romania, Antony Blinken and Bogdan Aurescu respectively on Tuesday talked
    on the phone over Romania’s contribution to NATO, energy security and the rule
    of law. Washington praised Romania for being a staunch NATO ally and for its
    commitment to strengthening security at the Black Sea, while Bucharest gave
    assurances these approaches would continue. The two officials also tackled the
    developing bilateral cooperation in the field of nuclear energy and the efforts
    of diversifying gas supplies in Europe. Minister Aurescu mentioned the priority
    of Romania’s government concerning the country’s OECD accession and voiced his
    conviction that the US would support Romania’s intention. He also highlighted
    the interest for the rapid advance in the Visa Waiver programme and an
    increased US military presence in Romania.






    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side will be up against Armenia in Yerevan
    today in a game counting towards Group J of the World Cup 2022 preliminaries.
    The Romanians so far lost to Germany 1-0 but secured a 3-2 win against North
    Macedonia. Romania’s group also includes Lichtenstein and Iceland. The first
    sides in every group are to qualify for the final tournament, while the sides
    on the second position will be playing tie matches. Romania’s latest
    participation in a World Cup was in France in 1998. Unfortunately last night in
    Budapest, Romania’s Under 21 side failed to qualify for the quarter finals of
    the European Under-21 Championship after a nil-all with Germany in Group A. The
    Romanians left the competition with their heads held high and no defeat in a
    group with Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary.






    (bill)



  • October 27, 2020 UPDATE

    October 27, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Another 4,724 new COVID-19 cases were announced in Romania on Tuesday, and a record-high number of deaths, 104—which takes the death toll so far to over 6,500. Over 820 people are in intensive care. On Tuesday, president Klaus Iohannis held a meeting with the health minister, Nelu Tătaru and ICU experts, to assess the crisis. According to the president, the situation is worsening steadily both at European and at national level. He cautioned that sustained effort is needed in order to contain the pandemic. Iohannis added that the authorities strategic plan for the forthcoming period includes, among other things, opening new intensive care units in the country, and increasing the ICU capacity in 7 hospitals in Bucharest. He also said that accessing EU funding would help improve Romanias capacity to handle the crisis by purchasing new hospital equipment. Iohannis explained that at present Romania has over 3,000 beds in ICUs, for both Covid and non-Covid patients, and over 2,200 ventilators, plus 5 mobile ICUs, 2 modular field hospitals and an ICU module. Interior minister Marcel Vela also announced that a new centre will be set up within the Dimitrie Gerota Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, for recovered COVID-19 patients to donate plasma for severe cases.



    VISIT On the last day of his visit to France, the Romanian PM Ludovic Orban Tuesday had a meeting with the secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development José Ángel Gurría, and gave an address in the OECD Council meeting. In his speech, Ludovic Orban reiterated Romanias firm commitment to becoming a member of this structure, and emphasised Bucharests determination to invest in key areas like transport infrastructure, digital connectivity, energy and environmental transition, urban development, healthcare, agriculture, education, social protection and research-innovation. Also on Tuesday the Romanian PM met separately with the speakers of the French Parliaments two chambers, and had a meeting with members of the Romanian community in France. Ludovic Orban also talked to representatives of the
    French business environment, members of France’s largest employers’ union -
    MEDEF, about investment opportunities in Romania. On Monday, following talks with the French PM Jean Castex, important agreements were signed for strengthening political, economic and military ties between Romania and France.



    DEFICIT Romanias budget deficit reached 6.36% of GDP in the first 9 months of this year, as against 2.6% of GDP in the corresponding period of last year, according to the Finance Ministry. More than half of the deficit registered in January – September 2020 is accounted for by amounts channelled into the economy through tax facilities, investments and exceptional expenditure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Official estimates point to an 8.6% deficit this year.



    AMBASSADORS Six nominees for Romanian ambassadors will be interviewed on Wednesday by Parliaments committees on foreign policy and the Romanian diaspora. The new ambassadors will serve in Morocco and Mauritania, North Macedonia, Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Uzbekistan and Albania. On October 7 and 19, the relevant committees heard 16 other candidates, all of whom received Parliaments green light for their posts.



    DIPLOMACY In Chişinău, the Russian Embassy and the ruling Socialist Party are accusing the Romanian ambassador of attempting to re-write the history of WW2. The response came after Ambassador Daniel Ioniţă paid tribute to the Romanian soldiers fighting to reunite Romanian regions, during a ceremony on the Romanian Army Day. The Embassy of Romania to Moldova replied it did not want to be dragged into the disputes triggered by the election campaign in that country. The unprecedented attack stirred harsh criticism among historians, academics and civil society. Analyst Nicolae Negru told Radio Chişinău that Russia has no moral right to give humanity lessons, given the persecution suffered by Bessarabian people under the Soviet regime. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • May 22, 2019 UPDATE

    May 22, 2019 UPDATE

    EP ELECTIONS – In Romania, the campaign for the European elections due on May 26 continues. As many as 13 political parties are part of it. The candidates running in the elections are former ministers or experienced MEPs, former prime ministers or mayors, popular journalists and even an ex-president. The Romanians living abroad can cast their votes at 114 polling stations, most of them in Italy, Spain and the Republic of Moldova. A referendum on justice called by President Klaus Iohannis takes place at the same time with the European elections. The head of state pointed out on Wednesday that Romanians must not be afraid to vote for their European Parliament representatives and in the referendum, and once again urged them to come to polling stations on May 26.




    BLACK SEA Funds and financing systems for the “blue economy, investments in ecoports and smart connectivity for transport systems were among the topics approached on the first day of the Black Sea Investment Forum, hosted on May 22 and 23 by the Black Sea coast city of Constanta and organized by the Romanian Transport Ministry and the European Commission. Over 200 participants are looking at the future of regional transport businesses. The event is designed to support and encourage investments and the improvement of the EU business environment by removing barriers to investment and promoting sustainable funding. The Forum aims at facilitating connections between entrepreneurs and top-level authorities in the region, as well as between institutions or companies from EU member states and European and international financial institutions.




    OECD 42 members and partners of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) adopted in Paris on May 22 the Principles on Artificial Intelligence. The 36 OECD members and 6 partner countries, including Romania and 5 south-American countries, committed to comply with international standards promoting artificial intelligence (AI) that is innovative and trustworthy and that respects human rights and democratic values. The topic of the OECD Council Meeting held this week in Paris is “The digital revolution in service of sustainable development: opportunities and challenges. Taking part are the foreign, finance and economy ministers of the 36 member countries. Romania, which is not a member, takes part as a guest country and is represented by the Communications Minister Alexandru Petrescu. He said in Paris that Romania is currently drawing up its first national AI strategy, which will be posted for public debate by the end of the year.




    POPE – Online applications for attendance at the religious services held by Pope Francis in Romania will continue until May 31. Hundreds of thousands of people have already registered. Besides Romanians, Christians from neighboring countries such as Hungary, Serbia and Ukraine, but also from far away countries like Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa, Australia and Israel, will come to Romania for the Popes visit. Pope Francis makes a three-day apostolic visit to Romania from the 31st of May to the 2nd of June following an invitation from President Klaus Iohannis and the Catholic Church in Romania. The motto of the visit is “Lets walk together. The Pontiff will travel to the capital Bucharest, Iasi, the biggest city in the east of the country and home to a sizeable Roman-Catholic community, Blaj, in the centre, the spiritual capital of the Romanian Greek-Catholics and the Marian shrine in Sumuleu Ciuc, in the centre, in an area with a majority ethnic Hungarian population.




    CULTURE The Romanian Culture Minister, Valer-Daniel Breaz, will chair on Thursday in Brussels the Culture and Audio-Visual section of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, which is scheduled to adopt 2 sets of political guidelines on supporting youth creativity and European co-productions. The Council will also discuss new prospective measures to fight disinformation and to regain the confidence of European citizens in the mass media. On Wednesday night, the Romanian official and the European Commissioner Tibor Navracsics announced the winners of the EU Prize for Literature.




    BREXIT – The British government approved PM Theresa Mays plan on Brexit, including the compromise measures that are to be included in the law that is to be voted on early next month. The draft law includes the idea of a temporary customs union until future general elections are held as well as measures to guarantee EU workers rights and to protect the environment. The passing of the Brexit law by the House of Commons is an almost impossible mission for the government, even though the measures proposed might persuade some of the Labour MPs to vote for it, newspapers write.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Cât ne costă poluarea mediului

    Cât ne costă poluarea mediului

    Costurile pentru sănătate cauzate de poluarea mediului reprezintă o preocupare actuală și tema unui amplu studiu de sinteză, publicat în luna decembrie 2018 de Direcția Generală Mediu (Comisia Europeană) în colaborare cu University of the West of England: What are the health costs of environmental pollution?

    Autorii citează o bibliografie care ocupă 10 pagini din
    totalul de 60, în care sunt incluse studii recente precum Brazier, J.,
    Ratcliffe, J., Salomon, J.A. & Tsuchiya, A. (2017). Measuring and Valuing Health Benefits
    for Economic Evaluation. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press.


    Problema costurilor pentru sănătate este cercetată începând
    din anii 2000 în strânsă relație cu eficiența economică adusă, de exemplu, de
    reducerea nivelului de zgomot pe aeroporturi, dar și cu efectele economice
    negative pe termen lung ale intoxicării cu plumb a copiilor, ale poluării
    aerului, ale expunerii la produse chimice care afectează sistemul endocrin, ale
    emisiilor de metale toxice în atmosferă etc.


    Poluarea atmosferei reprezintă preocuparea cea mai
    importantă. De altfel, OECD avertiza în 2016: Unless
    we clean up the air, by the middle of the century one person will die
    prematurely every 5 seconds from outdoor air pollution.


    Lucrarea integrală poate fi accesată pe
    site-ul Oficiului pentru
    Publicații al UE    .




    (Dr. Mariana Bara, Terminolog, Institutul European din
    România)

  • March 4, 2019 UPDATE

    March 4, 2019 UPDATE

    Emergency decree – The emergency decree no. 114 includes a set of measures meant to boost economic development by raising the level of investments and by supporting projects directly benefiting the citizens — said Monday the PM Viorica Dancila in the plenum meeting of the Chamber of Deputies. She added that the decree would not be abrogated but it would be amended by the government. According to the PM, repealing the emergency decree would be tantamount to canceling the increase of incomes, investments and facilities. The PM was invited in Parliament by the Liberal opposition that contested the decree alongside the other opposition parties, the business environment and banks representatives. The controversial decree imposes new taxes in the banking, telecommunications and energy fields. Meanwhile, the Senate tacitly adopted during Monday’s plenum meeting, the draft law on the approval of emergency decree no. 114. In another development, the National Liberal Party announced they would file a simple motion against the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, because emergency decree no. 114 will impact the Romanian economy and its consequences will be felt by all citizens.



    EU Council — One of the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU is to develop the Union’s social dimension, by implementing the European pillar of social rights — said Monday the Romanian minister of Labor and Social Justice, Marius Budai, at the informal meeting of the Social Protection Committee. The event under way in Bucharest is being attended by as many as 90 EU experts. On the first day of the meeting, the European officials discussed ways to grant appropriate assistance to the most vulnerable people, minimum revenues to ensure a decent life that should allow access to social services and integration on the labor market. They also tackled ways to combat inequities and to promote active inclusion. On the second day of the meeting, the officials will debate, among other things, the results of implementing Europe 2020 Strategy and the OECD Report on financial incentives and savings schemes for retirement.



    BRUA — The BRUA natural gas conveyance project is very important for southeastern Europe, and Romania is totally devoted to achieving this project, as works on its territory are going according to the plan, said Monday in Brussels the Romanian energy minister Anton Anton. According to him, this gas pipeline will allow interconnection with the gas networks of the neighboring countries and will thus ensure enhanced energy security in the region. Minister Anton said that by means of BRUA the authorities hoped to create a genuine regional energy market that will contribute to the strengthening of the European single market. The Romanian official on Monday participated in Brussels in a meeting with representatives from Austria, Bulgaria and Hungary on the development construction works of the BRUA gas pipeline that will connect Bulgaria to Romania to Hungary and to Austria.



    OECD — Romania has received France’s support for accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — OECD, the Romanian finance ministry officials announced on Monday. Finance minister Eugen Teodorovici thanked his French counterpart for the letter he addressed to the secretary general of the OECD and underlined that the gesture proved that the European partners appreciated the activity of the Romanian government within the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU and recognized Romania as an equal partner within the European community. According to finance minister Teodorovici Romania’s possible accession to the OECD would entail a number of advantages among which increased confidence in the country’s economy, access to instruments and centers of economic decision-making as well as the opportunity to contribute to the global economic governance. (news updated by L. Simion)

  • December 13, 2018 UPDATE

    December 13, 2018 UPDATE

    BRUSSELS – Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis is attending in Brussels
    the European Council meeting and the Euro Summit. The Council’s agenda includes
    negotiations on the future EU budget after 2020, the Union’s Single Market,
    migration, climate change and the fight against racism and xenophobia. As
    regards the future budget of the EU, Romania’s president pleads for its rapid
    adoption, specifying that Romania, while holding the presidency of the Council
    of the EU, will act towards ensuring significant progress in the negotiations. Also,
    he supports the efforts made by the members states with regard to the external dimension
    of migration and an active involvement in the dialogue with the external
    partners, the countries of origin and transit. On the sidelines of the summit,
    president Iohannis has had a meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
    They have discussed the informal summit on the future of Europe to be hosted by
    the Romanian city of Sibiu on May 9th, 2019, which will play a major
    role in outlining the strategic agenda of the EU for 2020-2024.




    COOPERATION – Romania benefits from
    the US’s unequivocal support for a quick accession to the Organization for
    Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the conclusions drawn
    at the meeting in Washington between the Romanian Minister for the Business Environment,
    Stefan-Radu Oprea, and the US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The two
    officials discussed Romania’s priorities during its term at the helm of the Council
    of the EU and boosting investment under the strategic partnership between the
    two countries. According to statistics, bilateral trade exchanges stood at a
    total 2 billion dollars in the first nine months of the year, 6.8% more than in the same period last year.
    Romanian exports to the US grew by 29%, up to 1.15 billion dollars, and imports
    from that country dropped by 15%, to 800 million dollars.






    NO-CONFIDENCE -
    A no-confidence motion against the Government formed by the Social Democratic
    Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and headed by the Social
    Democrat Viorica Dancila will be filed in the Romanian Parliament on Friday.
    The document has been signed by 163 Senators and Deputies members of the opposition National Liberal Party,
    Save Romania Union and People’s Movement Party, as well as by non-affiliated
    MPs. The initiators of the motion say that this is not a just request from the
    opposition, it’s a national emergency, and those who will try and reject it
    will carry a historic responsibility on their shoulders. The motion will be
    debated and voted on next week.






    MOLDOVA – The local and parliamentary elections that are
    due in the Republic of Moldova next year pose risks to the economic development
    of the former Soviet state, with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population,
    according to analysts with the Expert-Grup Center in Chisinau, quoted by Radio
    Romania correspondents. In their opinion, a drop in foreign assistance and
    budget revenues could increase the internal debt and also fees and taxes. For
    2019, experts forecast an economic growth within the 3.5 – 5.2% range. However,
    they also warn that decreasing taxes only a few months before the elections
    will diminish budget revenues and therefore, after the election, the future
    Government might increase other taxes and resort to loans from the internal
    market, especially given that foreign financing has been dropping. Business
    people are reluctant to investing, waiting for the result of the elections.
    Parliamentary elections are scheduled for February, and the local ones are due
    in June. Opinion polls indicate the pro-Russia Socialists as the favourites,
    followed by the pro-European opposition and the ruling Democratic Party.






    HANDBALL – On Friday night in Paris, Romania’s national women’s handball
    team will face the Russian team, in the semi-finals of the European
    Championship hosted by France. In the same stage of the competition, the host
    country plays against the Netherlands. The Romanian handballers have also
    secured their participation in the World Championship in Japan, next year. The
    star and leader of the Romanian team, Cristina Neagu, dubbed the best scorer in
    the history of European competitions, has unfortunately sustained an injury and
    she will not be able to play.