Radio România Internațional

Tag: oil

May 19, 2024

OIL Romania’s crude oil output dropped 3.4% in the first quarter of 2024, while imports went down 15.1% compared to the corresponding period in 2023. According to the National Statistics Institute, in Q1 2024 Romania produced over 682,000 tonnes of equivalent oil less than in the corresponding period of 2023, while crude imports exceeded 1.7 mln toe. According to the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, Romania’s crude output will be on a downward trend until 2026, with an average annual drop of 2.2%, as a result of the natural decline in deposits. On the other hand, the Commission predicts an increase in crude imports by an annual 4.1%.

MUSEUMS Around 250 cultural institutions in Romania were opened last night as part of the White Night of Museums, organized concurrently in several European countries. Taking part in the anniversary 20^th edition of the event were museums, historic house museums, art galleries, creative studios, theatres, opera houses and philharmonic orchestras in over 70 towns and cities in Romania and several in neighbouring Moldova. Most participating venues were in the capital city Bucharest, and in Sibiu, a former European Capital of Culture in 2007, several museums and other institutions could also be visited free of charge. Exhibitions, interactive tours, performances, street events and concerts were organized on this occasion. The number of participating institutions was nonetheless smaller than usual, because of personnel protests over salary levels. On Saturday, hundreds of museum staff picketed the Ministry of Culture and the Government building. They say they feel abandoned by the government and demand a fair salary structure. PM Marcel Ciolacu has recently announced the culture ministry submitted proposals concerning museum staff pay raises. The finance ministry will analyse the proposals, the PM promised, and next week salary increases may be granted.

NUCLEAR The Cernavodă nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 has been shut down for regular maintenance works today, Nuclearelectrica announced. The company promised the works will be safe for the power plant personnel, for citizens and for the environment. The Cernavodă nuclear power plant, the only one in Romania, has 2 operational units with an installed production capacity of 700 MW. The 2 reactors in Cernavoda cover around 20% of Romania’s energy consumption. The plant uses the Canadian technology CANDU 6 (Canadian Deuterium Uranium), using natural uranium as a fuel.

REFUGEES The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimated on Saturday that 800,000 people have fled the clashes in Rafah since May 6, when the Israeli army launched land operations in this town in the south of Gaza, France Presse and Reuters report. According to the Agency director, Philippe Lazzarini, all these people were forced to leave their town without benefiting from safe passage or protection, and are heading for areas where water resources and hygiene conditions are poor. On the other hand, Austria announced it would resume financing for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, suspended following Israeli claims that Agency staff were involved in the Hamas attack on October 7, AFP writes. As a result of Israel’s accusations, around 15 states suspended their contributions to this UN agency. Many of them, including Germany, Sweden, Canada and Japan, have since resumed donations.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse (aged 26, no. 148 WTA) failed to qualify for the Trophee Clarins tournament final in Paris. On Saturday she was defeated by Emma Navarro of the US (aged 22, no. 22 WTA), 6-0, 6-2. In the doubles competition, Monica Niculescu/Lin Zhu (Romania / China) were outperformed in the final by Asia Muhammad (USA)/Aldila Sutjiadi (Indonesia), 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 11-9. Other Romanian players taking part in the Paris tournament were Simona Halep (who retired in the second set of the match against McCartney Kessler of the US) and Ana Bogdan (who also retired in the match against the French Varvara Gracheva). (AMP)

19 May 2024
Romania has higher inflation rate

In November 2022, Romania’s inflation rate stood at
16.8% exceeding the forecast announced by the Central Bank governor, Mugur
Isarescu, of 16.3%. That has been the highest inflation rate in the past two
decades. In 2002, Romania reported an annual inflation rate of 22.5% and from
2005 until last year the country had only single-digit inflation rates.

This alarming pace seemed to be
slightly going down at the beginning of the year, but went up again last month
as compared to January from 15.07 to 15.52% against the latest price hikes in food
products and services. Figures released on Monday by the National Institute for
Statistics prove that the prices of these products and services saw the highest
increase in the first months of the year, but experts say this shouldn’t alter
the forecast by the Central Bank (BNR) according to which the inflation rate will
again return to single digits towards the end of the year.

Food prices saw the most significant
increase in February by roughly 3.4%, while services rose by 2.5%. At the same
time, prices in non-food products slightly dropped by 0.5% on an average.

Significant price hikes were registered last month in
the category of fresh and canned vegetables, up by 6.35% followed by the fresh
fruits with roughly 4.9% and services for making and mending clothes and
footwear over 3.5%.

Prices in fresh fish, cheese, personal hygiene and
care products as well as other non-food products have grown between 2% and 3%.

Prices in air transport services went down by more
than 12%, whereas prices for cooking oil, electricity and heat by 1% on an
average. According to the latest forecasts, prices were supposed to continue
their downward trend, but experts said this process isn’t a linear one. The
same tendency has been noticed in other EU countries as well where the
inflation rate in February proved to be higher than a month before.

According to experts, this process of keeping
inflation at bay is likely to continue but will have its monthly ups and downs.
In a Radio Romania interview, the financial expert and Central Bank advisor,
Adrian Vasilescu, has confirmed this theory.

In the meantime, the INS data show that Romania’s
trade deficit in January stood at 2.338 billion euros, 203.6 million higher
than in January 2022. The rise was partly caused by the growing inflation,
which raised the imports value, but the main cause is the fact that the
domestic output cannot cover the demand, not even in sectors with tradition,
such as the agro-food industry, the chemical or the car-making sectors. Experts
say that the authorities should step in and take action in order to prevent the
situation from worsening.

(bill)

14 March 2023
February 6, 2023

TEAM Romanian president Klaus Iohannis
has conveyed condolences on Romania’s behalf to Turkey, after the earthquake,
which has recently hit that country and Syria. Romania is solidary with those
affected by the tragedy, the Romanian president wrote on Twitter. The government
of Romania decided to dispatch a specialized intervention team to Turkey, a
country seriously affected by the powerful earthquake last night. The support
comes after the international assistance request Turkey launched via the EU
Civil Protection Mechanism. In another development, the Foreign Ministry
informs that Romania’s embassy in Ankara has been contacted by a group of 10
Romanian citizens – a professor and 9 Erasmus students – who were in a town
affected by the earthquake. The 10 announced they are all right and requested
consular assistance for repatriation. A 7.8 earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria last
night killing hundreds and wounding thousands. The earthquake had the epicenter
close to the Turkish city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border wreaking
havoc on an infrastructure already affected by the war.

ENERGY
The Minister of Energy in
Romania, Virgil Popescu, says the country has no problems regarding its natural
gas supplies during the present winter season as it has enough quantities in
store. At present we have 780 million cubic meters more than last winter -
Popescu said. The Minister held talks with all the big importers of oil
products in Romania who had diversified their sources in an attempt to avoid any
shortages. Minister Popescu recalled that next winter, Romania is going to rely
on no less than a billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan, under a
contract signed a couple of days ago.

DEBATES Romanian MPs are today debating
upon the simple motion tabled by the opposition USR and the Force of the Right
against the Liberal Interior Minister, Lucian Bode amid the forgery allegations
he is presently facing. The signatories of a document entitled ‘Romania
deserves better than thieves in public positions’, say the purpose of their
move is to draw attention to the unacceptable long period of time spent in a
public position by a man who deserves neither his academic title nor the
respect of the Romania’s honest workers. The USR and the Force of the Right are
blaming the minister for the humiliating failure Romania experienced in its
attempt to join Europe’s border-free area, Schengen, as well as for the rigged public
tenders for the purchase of cars by the clients of government structures. The
motion will be voted upon on Wednesday.

PROTESTS The Sanitas Trade
Federation in Romania on Monday announced fresh protest rallies in Bucharest, aimed
at denouncing the low salaries in this field of activity. Trade unionists are
calling for a 15% pay rise and for a series of debates on the salary law and the
proper funding of medical institutions. The protesters are going to gather in
front of the government and start a march through the capital city, which will
symbolically include several big hospitals in Bucharest.

(bill)

6 February 2023
December 7, 2022

BUDGET
The finance ministry has made public the draft state budget of Romania for next
year. The document is based on an estimated GDP growth of 2.8%, an 8% inflation
rate, a growing number of employees and a declining 2.7% unemployment rate. The
ministries set to receive less money include the energy, justice and public
healthcare, whereas the defence, development, transport and education
ministries will receive substantially higher budget appropriations. The ruling
coalition made up of the Social Democrats, and Liberals and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania intends to endorse the draft budget tomorrow
and send it to Parliament the next day, for discussion next week.

SECURITY Romania has constantly worked to
identify solutions to enhance security at the Black Sea, the Romanian foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu said in Ankara on Tuesday, when he had
a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mervlut Cavusoglu. The two officials
discussed the best avenues for cooperation, both at bilateral level and within
the NATO framework. They finalised and agreed on the text of the political
declaration setting up the Romania – Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation
Council, organised as a regular meeting of the two countries’ governments and
focusing on strategic areas of mutual interest, which will be launched in 2023.
Another topic approached in the meeting was cooperation in the energy sector,
recognised by both officials as a priority, particularly in light of the recent
challenges. An agreement was reached to strengthen joint efforts to ensure the
security of Romania’s energy supplies by transiting Turkish territory. Also,
the multidimensional effects of the war in Ukraine have been analysed, with
special attention paid to the refugee crisis and food security.

JUSTICE The Romanian justice minister Cătălin Predoiu will
take part in the meetings of the Justice and Home Affair Council and General
Affairs Council of the European Union, between December 7th and 14th.
According to a JHA Council news release, on the sidelines of the two meetings the
justice minister will also have meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg with
counterparts from other member countries and EU officials. At the JHA Council
Mr. Predoiu will present Romania’s position with respect to the EU judicial
instruments and policies in the judiciary currently on the Council’s agenda. The
home affairs section of the Council is scheduled to make a decision regarding
the accession of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia to the Schengen area.

ECONOMY The GDP of the European Union saw a 0.4% growth and
that of the Euro-zone a 0.3% increase in the 3rd quarter of this
year compared to the previous quarter, with the most substantial growth rates
reported for Ireland, Cyprus, Malta and Romania, according to data released on
Wednesday by Eurostat. The economic growth rate in Ireland was 2.3%, and in
Cyprus, Malta and Romania 1.3%. The most substantial decline is reported for Estonia
(negative 1.8%), Latvia (negative 1.7%) and Slovenia (negative 1.4%). Among EU
member countries, the most significant annual growth rate is reported for
Ireland (10.6%), Croatia (5.5%), Cyprus (5.4%), Malta (5.2%), Portugal (4.9%) and
Romania (4.7%), the only negative rates being reported for Estonia (negative 2.3%)
and Latvia (negative 0.4%).

OIL Global oil
prices dropped to the lowest level this year, in spite of the estimates of some
international experts that expected the EU and G7 ban on Russian crude and the
cap on crude prices to trigger market turbulence. In Romania, the lowest petrol
price is EUR 1.3, and diesel is sold for EUR 1.54. On the other hand,
neighbouring Hungary is facing a fuel crisis caused, according to AFP, by the
price cap introduced by Viktor Orbán’s government a year ago. The fuel shortage
comes in the context of a 30% decrease in imports as foreign companies cut down
their sales to Hungary as a result of the price cap, the country’s association
of independent petrol stations said.

GAUDEAMUS The 29th
edition of the ‘Gaudeamus’ Book Fair, organised by Radio Romania, kicked off in
Bucharest today. Until Sunday, 200 participants will be exhibiting releases in
various formats, addressing all age brackets and fields of interests, as well as music and educational games. 600 events have been announced in addition to
various related projects. As a novelty, 2 areas have been arranged within the
Fair, for interactive activities targeting the youngest visitors. Pavilions are
also available online on gaudeamus.ro. The honorary president of this year’s
edition is the writer Ana Blandiana.

FOOTBALL In the FIFA
World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday, in the round of 16, Portugal smashed Switzerland
6-1, while Morocco scored a surprising win against Spain 3-0 on penalties. In the
quarter-finals on Friday, the Netherlands will be up against Argentina, and
Croatia takes on Brazil, while on Saturday England will be facing defending
champions France and Morocco will take on Portugal. The semis are scheduled for
December 13 and 14, and the final on December 18. (AMP)

7 December 2022
Romania’s independence from Russian oil

Romania no longer relies on Russia’s oil, and the ban
on imports from that country, which took effect on Monday, will not affect us
because oil companies have identified alternative resources and are no longer
buying crude from Moscow. The announcement was made by the energy minister
Virgil Popescu at a press conference, in which he reiterated that Bucharest has
enough oil and natural gas reserves to see this winter through. Moreover, the
minister said, ever since last week oil companies and refineries in Romania
have only processed non-Russian oil.

Virgil Popescu: Romania has no natural gas supply problems,
and you may have noticed that it is gradually becoming a regional natural gas
hub. Gas is being taken via Romania to Moldova, to Ukraine and to Hungary. In
other words, Romania is on its own path, on the European path, it is a natural
gas producer and a future natural gas exporter and will ensure both Romania’s
and the entire region’s energy security. We have no gas supply problems this
winter as well. And Romanians must know that we have no problems in terms of
the oil reserves, of fuels, of natural gas and of electricity.

In turn, the general manager of the Transgaz
Natural Gas Transport Corporation, Ioan Sterian, vowed that there is
substantial domestic gas output and that Romanians have no reasons to fear they
will be left without resources this winter.

On the other hand, the shortage of firewood for
household heating was discussed on Monday in the Chamber of Deputies. The
environment minister, Tánczos Barna, was invited to Question Time by the AUR
party in opposition, to speak about the problems caused by the cap on firewood
prices, and to explain why the legal framework is unchanged although the ruling
coalition promised they would amend a previous government order. Tánczos Barna said
the government’s priority was to protect citizens, but admitted that the
effects of the emergency order were not as desired. According to Tánczos Barna,
the Romsilva National Forestry Corporation and private owners made available
this year over one million cubic metres of firewood more than in 2021. He also
added that the price of firewood varies from one region to another, which is
why it was capped at EUR 80 per cubic metre, and Romsilva also took measures
to ensure firewood for next year as well.

Tánczos Barna: We have put together an investment plan under
which we will create 178 new firewood storage facilities and will upgrade the 240
existing centres, operated by Romsilva. In the next 2-3 years we will have an
investment budget of over EUR 60 million.

The
AUR leader George Simion said the
minister failed to meet the requests for the emergency order to be amended so
that all citizens may benefit from firewood irrespective of where they live.

And USR party, also in opposition, accused the
environment minister of lacking the courage to take the right measures for
citizens, although the country has all the necessary experts and resources. (AMP)

6 December 2022
Forecasts on energy prices

After a 60% surge this year, prompted by the war
started by the Russian Federation in neighbouring Ukraine, energy prices are
forecast to drop 11% next year. According to a World Bank report, a slower
global economic growth and the Covid-related restrictions introduced in China
may lead to an even more substantial decrease.

In spite of this slow-down, energy prices will still
be 75% above the past five years’ average. The WB’s latest Commodity Markets
Outlook, made public on Wednesday, indicates that the average price of Brent
crude oil is likely to be 92 US dollars per barrel in 2023, and expected to
drop to 80 US dollars per barrel in 2024, but it will be nevertheless
substantially above the USD 60 multiannual average.

World Bank forecasts also indicate that Russia’s oil
exports might decrease to 2 million barrels a day, as a result of the ban
considered by the EU with respect to Russia’s oil and natural gas, adding to
which will be restrictions related to the insurance and shipping of Russian oil
and gas. The ban is scheduled to take effect next month.

Moreover, the report reads, G7 is looking at a yet
untested price-capping mechanism, which may also affect Russia’s oil exports.

The WB analysis also takes into account the effects of
the US dollar appreciating against the currencies of most developing economies,
a situation that has led to rising foodstuff and fuel prices. And this, the
financial institution warns, may deepen food insecurity which is already
impacting 200 million people around the world. As the authors of the document
explain, the mix of high prices for raw materials and the persistent currency
depreciation translates into higher inflation in many countries.

In this context, emerging and developing economies
should prepare for higher volatility in the global financial and commodity
markets. WB experts say that currency depreciation forced nearly 60% of the
emerging and developing economies to face increases in oil prices in their
local currencies, following the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

The WB forecast also indicates that both natural gas
and coal prices are expected to decrease in 2023 from the record-high levels
reported this year, but natural gas prices in Europe may remain almost 4 times
higher than the average for the past 5 years. (AMP)

27 October 2022
Disputes over fuel prices

Fuel
prices have risen substantially over the past few months across Europe, and the
trend is likely to continue.

Romania
covers 70% of its oil demand from imports, and supplies are received
exclusively via the Black Sea, with transport and insurance costs skyrocketing
because of the war in Ukraine.

The parties
in the ruling coalition are looking for solutions to cut fuel prices, but they disagree
on what the best option would be. Although they agree that price rises have
reached a critical point, the Liberals and the Social Democrats have different
views on how to reduce prices, and pass the responsibility between the Liberal
energy minister and the Social-Democrat finance minister, with the Social
Democrats favouring a price ceiling and the Liberals-a new fiscal intervention.

USR
party in opposition Tuesday tabled a simple motion against the energy minister Virgil
Popescu, whom they accuse on incompetence. On top of this, carriers demand a
solution as soon as possible.

The Smart
Energy Association, on the other hand, believes a solution would be to reduce
excises and VAT. According to a report made public by the association, the
government is the main beneficiary of the rise in fuel prices, having gained an
additional EUR 600 million this year compared to the corresponding period of
2021. The organization also argues that a ceiling on retail prices would be
more harmful to the economy.

Meanwhile,
energy experts claim petrol and diesel prices will continue to go up as long as
the demand remains high, and a governmental intervention might have undesired
effects. Another reason for the price increase is the depreciation of the
Romanian currency. Gabriel Avăcăriţei, editor-in-chief of Energynomics, shared
his views on the topic to Radio Romania:

Gabriel
Avăcăriţei: The upward trend is most likely to keep as long as the demand
remains high. As long as we continue to see lots of vehicles in the street,
this means people can afford this high fuel price. And there is something else I
would like to add. Over the past 10 years, Romanians’ average incomes have
grown by 100%, to roughly EUR 1,000. So when average revenues go up more than
fuel prices do, then people’s spending power is higher.

Gabriel
Avăcăriței also argues that, although various measures have been taken in
several European countries, their impact on consumer prices has not been
substantial.

Nonetheless,
tentative protests are beginning to be reported in the country with respect to the
recent price rises. (AMP)

22 June 2022
Partial embargo on Russian oil

Since the start of the Russian military invasion in Ukraine on
February 24, Western countries have responded by a number of economic and
diplomatic sanctions against Russia. The sanctions are designed to effectively
counter Russia’s continued aggression on the neighbouring country.

Convening
in a summit in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, the EU leaders agreed, after
several hours of talks, to gradually ban Russian oil imports. The compromise
negotiated with difficulty in Brussels bans only seaborne oil purchases for the
time being, exempting pipeline deliveries following the opposition of Hungary.

The measure
is part of the 6th package of sanctions enacted by the EU since the
start of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

The president
of the European Council, Charles Michel, said the measure, which will be
enforced by the end of the year, immediately covers more than two-thirds of the
Russian oil imports, cutting a huge source of financing for [Russia’s] war
machine and delivering maximum pressure on Russia to end the war.

Imports via the Druzhba pipeline,
which also supplies Hungary, will be exempt from the ban in a first stage, after
Budapest used its veto rights to hinder the adoption of the 6th
package of EU sanctions for several weeks. Hungary’s domestic consumption is
65% reliant on the Druzhba pipeline.

Negotiations
are scheduled as soon as possible to move towards banning the remaining of the
Russian oil imports.

Attending
the summit in Brussels, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said Bucharest
supported the new sanctions against Moscow.

Meanwhile,
the EU leaders also agreed to remove 3 Russian banks, including Sberbank, from the Swift
global payments system and to ban 3 other state-owned Russian broadcasters. So
far, 7 Russian banks have been denied access to the Swift platform which enables
major banking operations such as interbank transfers.

Also, a
macro-financial aid package worth EUR 9 billion has been approved. The funds
will allow Kyiv to cover its immediate cash demand and to keep its economy
running. According to the Ukrainian authorities, the country needs EUR 5
billion per month. The EU funding will take the form of long-term loans with subsidised
interests. (AMP)

31 May 2022
March 13, 2022

VISIT The Romanian foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu is having talks in Bucharest today with his Israeli counterpart
Yair Lapid, focusing on the management of the effects of the Russian military
aggression in Russia. According to a news release issued by the foreign
ministry, Mr. Yair Lapid’s visit to Romania takes place at the invitation of
the Romanian minister, prompted by the deepening crisis in Ukraine and in the
context of the excellent cooperation with the Romanian authorities in the
evacuation of Israeli citizens from Ukraine. Israel is one of Romania’s main
partners in the Middle East, and strategic bilateral relations have developed
steadily over the past few years. According to the foreign ministry, talks will
also touch on the development of bilateral relations between the 2 countries,
with a focus on the political, economic and security areas. The 2 officials
will also assess preparations for the 3rd Romania-Israel joint government
meeting (G2G) scheduled to take place this year. During his visit to Romania,
the Israeli foreign minister will also have talks with PM Nicolae Ciucǎ.

UKRAINE The Romanian transport ministry launched an app for the Ukrainian
refugees. The app includes information in Ukrainian, English and Romanian on
the green transport corridors in Romania, covering areas like the road, railway
and air network, customs offices, train stations, petrol stations and airports. Ukrainian
refugees may travel free of charge in Romania, based on a government resolution
in this respect. Moreover, the emergency number 112 and the special children
emergency number, 119, are available for calls in Ukrainian as well. Additional
measures were taken in border checkpoints to prevent human trafficking. As of
Friday, another online platform has also been available, centralising
assistance offers for displaced Ukrainians. On Saturday, several cities in
Romania saw various solidarity actions with Ukraine. In Bucharest, the National
Arena hosted a charity concert for refugees, with over 35 Romanian and foreign
artists taking part, which raised some EUR 800,000. Solidarity events were also
organised in Constanţa, Iaşi, Cluj-Napoca, Piatra Neamţ and Roman. Around 400,000
Ukrainian nationals have entered Romania since the start of the Russian
invasion. Many of them have already left for western Europe.

FOODSTUFF The agriculture minister Adrian Chesnoiu has a meeting today with
representatives of retail chains and Romanian sunflower oil producers, to
assess stocks and reserves. The meeting comes amid substantial amounts of
sunflower oil were purchased in recent days for fear that shops would run out
of this product. Speculations on the topic are fuelled by the fact that
war-affected Ukraine is the world’s biggest sunflower seed exporter. Romanian
authorities promised that Romania has sufficient foodstuff stocks, including
sunflower oil. They also recommend that people refrain from buying more than
they need, so that everybody may have access to basic food stuffs. Just days
before, for fear of skyrocketing fuel prices, unprecedented queuing was
reported in petrol stations. The previous weekend, foreign currency was heavily
purchased in Romania, amid rumours that the national currency would plummet. Romanian
authorities warned once again that such fake news is designed to create panic
among people.

CENSUS Beginning on March 14, for 4 months, data will be collected for a
population and household census in Romania. The operation is conducted every 10
years and is necessary for the production of official national and European
statistics. The census was originally scheduled to take place last year, but
was postponed over the COVID-19 pandemic. This year brings a novelty, in that
self-census options are available. Self-census is done online, based on a
simple procedure, according to the authorities. Citizens are to fill in an
online pre-registration form at www.recensamantromania.ro, followed by the
questionnaires for each member of the household. Those who do not want or
cannot fill in those forms will be assisted by census operators in door-to-door
visits. (A.M.P.)

13 March 2022
March 8, 2022

COVID-19 Today is the last day
of the COVID-19 state of alert in Romania. The epidemic sees a declining trend
across the country, with the 5th wave of the pandemic close to the
end, president Klaus Iohannis said last week. Romania was on alert for nearly 2
years, beginning on May 15, 2020. Five pandemic waves hit the country during
this period, triggering protection measures, some of which will be lifted once
the state of alert has come to an end. Over these 2 years, says the Strategic
Communication Group, some 64,000 SARS-CoV-2 patients died in Romania. By
Monday, the country had seen roughly 2.78 million infection cases. The number
of new cases reported on Tuesday for the past 24 hours is around 5,500, with 101 related fatalities also
registered, 4 of them from a previous date.

UKRAINE Russia
has sent to Ukraine most of the forces it had deployed along the borders, with
a majority of the 150,000 Russian troops currently on Ukrainian territory, the
Pentagon says. On Tuesday, the 13th day of war, the Russian
offensive focuses on the capital Kyiv in the north and in the south, where
Moscow seeks control over the Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts. Russian ships
have changed position and are preparing a rocket attack on Odessa, Radio
Romania’s correspondent in the region reports, and mentions that local
authorities continue to urge citizens to leave the city, which is believed to
be a strategic target for the Russian invasion. Meanwhile, a new ceasefire
attempt has been announced for this morning, to enable civilians to leave
several cities that are under attack, including the capital Kyiv, where a
Russian attack is expected in the coming days. President Zelensky accused the
Russian army of preventing the evacuation of civilians, while the West
described Russia’s offer to secure humanitarian corridors only to Belarus and
Russia as cynical. Adjusting the corridors and their logistics was announced
last night, after the 3rd round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in
Belarus. Fresh talks are planned for the coming days, without an exact date
announced as yet. On Thursday, a meeting is scheduled in Antalya, Turkey, between
the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, also attended by Turkey’s
diplomacy chief and mediated by the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The
UN has also called for corridors in the Ukrainian battle zones, to deliver aid
to the civilians struggling with substantial shortages.

REFUGEES Nearly 30,000 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania in
the past 24 hours, according to the Romanian border police. Since the start of
the crisis a total of around 300,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.
Bucharest approved on Monday a new set of measures to support the refugees
coming from the neighbouring country, both children and adults, whose rights
the Romanian government will fully observe. The Ukrainian children in Romania
will have access to education at the same standards as Romanian children, the
elderly and the disabled will be able to request social services, and people
seeking a job here will be able to get employed.

RESOURCES The price of all raw materials has soared
around the world since the start of the war in Ukraine and in the context of
the sanctions against Russia. The most substantial price rises were reported
for natural gas, wheat, oil and uranium. Romania will have no natural gas
shortages if Russian imports are cut, and stocks will be restored this spring,
the authorities say. The energy minister Virgil Popescu says Romania has
alternative sources. According to analysts, Romania should begin storing
natural gas as soon as possible, and it should also move to increase the local
output.

STEEL The Târgovişte Special Steel Works in southern Romania
has been taken over by the Italian group Beltrame, one of the world’s leaders
in steel flat bars, local authorities have announced. According to the
investor, apart from revamping the plant, this year 200 new jobs will be
created, followed by another 1,000 in the next 5 years. The steel works,
privatised in 2002, was held by the Russian group Mechel, but was declared
bankrupt last year.

WOMEN
The rights of women and girls have been subject to alarming pressures over the
past year, Amnesty International warns. Events in 2021 and in the early months
of 2022 have conspired to crush the rights and dignity of millions of women and
girls, said Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard. In a
statement posted on International Women’s Day, Callamard pointed out that the
COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback on women’s rights in Afghanistan were among
the developments that had a disproportionate impact on the rights of women and
girls. She also listed in this respect the widespread sexual violence
characterizing the conflict in Ethiopia, attacks on abortion access in the US
and Turkey’s withdrawal from the landmark Istanbul Convention on Gender Based
Violence,” and called on governments to revoke the decisions that have
worsened the situation of women and girls. (A.M.P.)

8 March 2022
Measures to lower fuel and energy prices

The leaders of the ruling coalition have agreed on new measures to lower natural gas and electricity bills and to help slow down the rise in inflation seen early this year.

A temporary 50% cut in the fuel excise is one of the measures prompted by the energy crunch. Data shows that in Romania, fuel costs account for 8% of the market basket, but for households with small and medium incomes the share may reach as much as 12%.

With this measure validated on Tuesday by the ruling coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, the retail price of petrol and diesel is set to drop by more than RON 1 from around RON 7 per litre at present.

The measure was backed by the Social Democrats, whose leader Marcel Ciolacu says the move is designed to put a stop to price rises.

Marcel Ciolacu: “Weve seen the rise in oil prices but we are hoping to balance this by cutting the excise. We are thinking about the problems Romanians struggle with and about ways to stop this surge in prices.”

The Liberals agree in principle with lowering taxes, excises, contributions and anything that would help ease the fiscal burden, the Liberal leader Florin Cîţu said. He warned however that if retail prices fail to drop, someone must take responsibility.

Florin Cîţu: “Well see the figures from the finance ministry. I feel these scenarios are optimistic. I hope these measures are not just for the sake of the governments image, because they would cost RON 3-4 billion.”

By giving up half the petrol and diesel excise for the next 6 months, the government is giving up a share of budgetary revenues, while citizens and companies see their current costs reduced.

Talks will be held in the forthcoming period with the European Commission and major fuel suppliers to keep fuel prices at a manageable level for all household and corporate consumers, the finance minister Adrian Câciu said.

The ruling coalition also decided to introduce an emergency order in April, to offset and put a cap on electricity and natural gas bills. (A.M.P.)

23 February 2022
September 23, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 The COVID-19 epidemic stays on an upward
trend in Romania. Thursday was the second consecutive day with more than 7,000 new
cases in 24 hours (7,095 new cases out of nearly 54,000 tests). The largest
number of infections is reported in the capital Bucharest. The number of Covid
patients in intensive care is now over 1,000, a situation last seen in early
May in Romania, and the number of coronavirus-related deaths was 113. Over
300 towns and villages in the country are now on the red list of places where
the infection rate is over 3 per thousand. Meanwhile, the total number of vaccine doses
administered to Romanians went over 10 million on Thursday.

MEASURES The COVID digital certificate remains a requirement for
access to indoor events in places with infection rates of over 3 per thousand, and
it will be compulsory for children over 12, instead of over 6 as originally
stipulated. Another measure allows businesses to stay open after 6pm, in places
with infection rates between 3 and 6 per thousand. A night curfew will be in
place over weekends wherever the infection rate is over 6 per thousand, and
throughout the week in places with infection rates above 7.5 per thousand. PM
Florin Cîţu also announced today that vaccinated people will be allowed to
leave their homes without a sworn statement in places under curfew or lockdown.
Meanwhile, an emergency order on the COVID
digital certificate has been endorsed by the Senate and is next to be discussed
in the Chamber of Deputies. The digital certificate was created at EU level to
facilitate free travel during the pandemic. The document, which includes a QR
code, certifies that the holder has been vaccinated, recovered from the disease
or tested negative for COVID.

AMBASSADOR
Romania has been a candidate for accession to the Visa Waiver programme for
almost 15 years, said the new Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru,
who mentioned that there are only three EU member states whose citizens need a
short-stay visa on US territory. According to Andrei Muraru, the visa rejection
rate is currently at a fairly high level, around 10%, but he pointed out that
Romanian and US authorities are working to bring it down to the maximum 3% allowed
for the Visa Waiver. The Romanian ambassador to the US also said that an
information campaign will be organized in Bucharest for citizens to find out
how they can apply for a visa, why their applications are turned down and why
they should not apply if they do not meet the criteria set by the American
side.

NAVY The
Romanian Navy’s Vice-admiral Constantin Bălescu Minelayer will take part in
the EUNAVFOR MED operation Irini, in the Mediterranean Sea, between
the 1st of October and the end of this year. Romanian marines will
ensure compliance with the arms embargo enforced by the UN on Libya. The
mission also targets illegal trafficking in oil products, drugs and people, by
monitoring sea traffic and inspections of suspicious vessels in the
Mediterranean. A combat diver unit is on board, and the 85 crew members have
been tested, vaccinated against COVID-19 and isolated in Romanian Navy
facilities prior to the operation.

INSURANCE The government passed an emergency order enabling drivers who need to
have their cars repaired under an insurance policy issued by City Insurance to
receive their claims more quickly under the Insurance Guarantee Fund. They will
no longer have to wait for a court to declare the company bankrupt. When its
license was cancelled, City Insurance had 3 million civil liability policies
issued to car owners. The Prosecutor General’s Office Thursday had documents
seized from the company headquarters, as part of a criminal investigation
following a complaint filed by the Financial Supervising Authority.

INFRINGEMENT The European Commission Thursday sent Romania and Poland letters of
formal notice for not correctly incorporating certain aspects of the Offshore
Safety Directive into their legal systems. These letters of formal notice are
actually the official start of the infringement procedure. Romania and Poland
have two months to address the shortcomings, otherwise the Commission may decide to
send a reasoned opinion. Also on Thursday, the
Commission took measures against 19 member states, Romania included, for
failing to take the necessary steps to ensure their citizens benefit from the
EU audio-visual mass media and telecoms legislation. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

23 September 2021
April 20, 2020 UPDATE

EASTER In Romania, Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians are marking Easter Week or Bright Week, with believers greeting each other with “Christ Is Risen! on Monday, the second day of Easter, the same religious service was performed in churches as the one on Easter night. Believers can only attend Mass online, as their presence in churches is restricted over the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Facebook post, the Interior Minister Marcel Vela thanked all those who complied with the restrictions, writing that “Your proof of respect and patriotism for our work these days has been truly impressive! Minister Vela said on Tuesday he will announce a special action aimed at preserving a constant dialogue with citizens. On the other hand, hundreds of people have been fined by police over the past 2 days, for breaking the measures introduced by authorities to contain the virus. In some cases, violent clashes were reported, with police resorting to their weapons in order to end the scuffles.

COVID-19 TIn Romania, authorities are not yet considering a lifting of coronavirus containment measures, given that these measures are still necessary at this point. The Strategic Communication Group says discussions about a gradual lifting of restrictions will take into account actual epidemiologic data, the need to prevent the risk of a second wave of infections, the recommendations of the European Commission and coordination with other EU member states. The coronavirus pandemic has killed around 470 people in Romania so far, out of a total of nearly 9,000 cases, 190 of them confirmed in the last 24 hours. Over 2,000 people have recovered. As many as 60 Romanian nationals living abroad died since the pandemic started, out of 730 that tested positive for the COVID-19, most of them in Italy and Spain.

AID Romania will receive 800,000 USD in medical assistance from the US, in addition to the US-financed transport operation that brought protection equipment to the country, the US Embassy to Bucharest announced in a news release. Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman emphasised the close relations between the 2 countries and voiced confidence that, thanks to the cooperation between the 2 partner countries, the challenges of this period will be successfully overcome. The announcement comes shortly after an Easter message sent by the American Ambassador in Romanian on the occasion of the Orthodox Easter.

PANDEMIC There are over 2.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world, according to data centralised by the Johns Hopkins University in the US. More than 165,000 people died, and nearly 630,000 recovered. The US continues to report the highest numbers of cases and deaths, and in Europe the worst hit countries are Italy, Spain, France and the UK. Italy already sees a 6th week of lockdown. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Rome, people will only be allowed to leave their homes in 14 days, if the daily number of new cases drops. In Spain, the number of COVID-19 deaths dropped on Monday below 400 in 24 hours, for the first time since the WHO declared the pandemic, on March 11. Madrid intends to extend the existing restrictions until May 15, but in light of the recent positive signals some measures may be lifted sooner. In Belgium, the corona crisis seems to be over, authorities announced on Monday, saying that the number of new cases is the lowest of the past month. Belgiums Security Council convenes on Friday to discuss the easing of restrictions as of May 4. On Monday Germany reopened a number of small-sized shops, but Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that it is much too soon to discuss further lifting of restrictions. Last week Germany announced that the number of new cases is falling and that the epidemic is under control.

OIL US oil prices dropped by around 20% on Monday, to less than 15 USD, the lowest level since March 1999, as the Covid-19 pandemic deepened uncertainties in the global market and cut the demand for fuel, while onshore storage capacities in Europe are maxing out. In its report for April, the International Energy Agency estimated that the global oil demand might fall in 2020 by a record 9.3 million barrels a day, as the pandemic paralyses the worlds economy.

STATISTICS The EU reported a 22.4 billion euro surplus in trade, as against 16.4 billion euros in the corresponding period of 2019, according to preliminary data made public on Monday by the European Statistics Institute, Eurostat. As for Romania, data shows that in January – February 2020, exports rose by 2%, to 11.6 billion euro, while imports went up 3%, to 14.2 billion euro, resulting in a 2.6 billion euro deficit in the first 2 months of the year compared to 2.5 billion euro in the corresponding period of 2019.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

20 April 2020
April 20, 2020

EASTER In Romania, Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians are celebrating the second day of Easter, Bright Monday. On this day, the same religious service is performed in churches as the one on Easter night. Believers can only attend Mass online, as their presence in churches is restricted over the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, hundreds of people have been fined by police over the past 2 days, for breaking the measures introduced by authorities to contain the virus. In some cases, violent clashes were reported, with police resorting to their weapons in order to end the scuffles.

COVID-19 The coronavirus pandemic has killed 451 people in Romania so far, out of a total of nearly 9,000 cases, 190 of them confirmed in the last 24 hours. Over 2,000 people have recovered. Over 1,000 healthcare personnel have so far tested positive for Covid-19, most of them in Suceava (north-east), the main outbreak in the country, and in Bucharest. According to the Healthcare Minister Nelu Tătaru, Romania is seeing an upward trend in terms of new infections, but the increase is slow. As many as 60 Romanian nationals living abroad died since the pandemic started, out of 730 that tested positive for the COVID-19, most of them in Italy and Spain.

AID Romania will receive 800,000 USD in medical assistance from the US, in addition to the US-financed transport operation that brought protection equipment to the country, the US Embassy to Bucharest announced in a news release. Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman emphasised the close relations between the 2 countries and voiced confidence that, thanks to the cooperation between the 2 partner countries, the challenges of this period will be successfully overcome. The announcement comes shortly after an Easter message sent by the American Ambassador in Romanian on the occasion of the Orthodox Easter.

PANDEMIC There are over 2.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world, according to data centralised by the Johns Hopkins University in the US. More than 165,000 people died, and nearly 630,000 recovered. The US continues to report the highest numbers of cases and deaths, and in Europe the worst hit countries are Italy, Spain, France and the UK. Italy already sees the 6th week of lockdown. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Rome, people will only be allowed to leave their homes in 14 days, if the daily number of new cases drops. At present Italy reports around 3,000 new cases and some 400 deaths every day. As of May 4, construction sites, shops, bars and restaurants will gradually open. Spain and France decided to postpone the lifting of containment measures for a few weeks, but in other EU countries measures are already being eased, the BBC reports. On Monday Poland reopens parks and forests and Norway opens kindergartens. The Czech Republic allows outdoor food markets to resume operation and in Albania the mining and oil industry are back to work. Also on Monday Germany reopens a number of small-sized shops, and the students due to take final exams this year go back to school. Last week Germany announced that the number of new cases is falling and that the epidemic is under control.

OIL US oil prices dropped by around 20% on Monday, to less than 15 USD, the lowest level since March 1999, as the Covid-19 pandemic deepened uncertainties in the global market and cut the demand for fuel, while onshore storage capacities in Europe are maxing out. In its report for April, the International Energy Agency estimated that the global oil demand might fall in 2020 by a record 9.3 million barrels a day, as the pandemic paralyses the worlds economy.

STATISTICS The EU reported a 22.4 billion euro surplus in trade, as against 16.4 billion euros in the corresponding period of 2019, according to preliminary data made public on Monday by the European Statistics Institute, Eurostat. As for Romania, data shows that in January – February 2020, exports rose by 2%, to 11.6 billion euro, while imports went up 3%, to 14.2 billion euro, resulting in a 2.6 billion euro deficit in the first 2 months of the year compared to 2.5 billion euro in the corresponding period of 2019.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

20 April 2020
April 15, 2020 UPDATE

TALKS Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis had talks on Wednesday with Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and members of the Bucharest government over the measures to be imposed after the state of emergency was extended for another month. The president called on the Romanians to stay at home, because otherwise the number of fatalities will increase after Easter. Another 5 people have been killed by the Covid-19 in Romania, bringing the death toll to 362. The total number of people infected has exceeded 7.200 out of which 1.217 have recovered and were released from hospitals. 245 patients are in intensive care units at present. 709 Romanians are infected by the coronavirus abroad, 420 of them in Italy. 52 Romanian nationals from the diaspora have died since the outbreak.

MEASURES Romanias economy will by shrink nearly 2% this year, the finance minister Florin Cîţu announced. He added that a substantial set of measures is being prepared, aimed at revitalizing the economy at the end of the state of emergency. He explained that the measures to support the economy taken so far account for 3% of the GDP and that he expected the budget deficit to reach 6.7% after this years first budget adjustment. The finance minister said on Wednesday that funding for investments will not be cut, in any field, but that on the contrary, the budget of the Development Ministry is being increased. Investments continue, construction sites are open in Romania. the only way to recover from this is by investing, Florin Cîţu emphasised. He also promised that there will be no tax raises this year, and that cash will be injected in the system, as it was the case so far.

POLL The level of concern over the present medical situation tends to intensify both in countries with little restrictions, such as Poland or the Netherlands, and in countries with severe restrictions such as Italy, Spain or France – a poll released on Wednesday by Kantar shows. According to the survey, two rather optimistic countries like Britain and the United States are seeing increased public concern only two weeks after the previous poll was published. The concern of Germans over the present medical situation remains moderate, as before. Romania has 5% more people concerned since the previous report, with the total figure standing at a rather high 80%. Most of people’s concerns in this country have to do with financial uncertainties. The poll was conducted on more than 45,000 people in 50 countries, of whom 1,800 in Romania.

OIL Tens of ships carrying petrol and airplane fuel are stuck near major storage facilities in Europe, unable to unload as many onshore tank farms are maxing out as a result of demand plummeting over the coronavirus crisis. “There is excessive supply of oil products in the region, a trader told Reuters. Oil fields and refineries across the world have reduced their operations, and some even shut down as the demand for fuel dived. According to the International Energy Agency, in April the global demand for oil is expected to drop to around 70.4 million barrels a day, a level last reported in 1995.

PANDEMIC The restrictions imposed in the EU to contain the spread of the coronavirus are necessary, but they come at a huge economic cost and cannot last forever, the European Commission says in a roadmap for the gradual lifting of isolation measures, made public on Wednesday. Prior to lifting these restrictions, epidemiologic criteria must be met, and the capacity of healthcare systems to receive patients and test citizens must be ensured, Brussels adds. “The Commissions immediate priority is fighting the virus and mitigating the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. At the same time, we must start looking ahead so that Member States can gradually lift their containment measures, with a view to entering the recovery phase and revitalising our societies and economy, the Commission explained. The total number of cases exceeds 2 million across the globe, with the death toll standing at over 128,000. In the US, the new centre of the pandemic, more than 26,000 deaths have been reported so far. In Europe, the most affected countries remain Spain, Italy, France and the UK. Meanwhile, the US president Donald Trump suspended his countrys contribution to the World Health Organisation, on grounds of “poor management of the pandemic. In response, the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, says now is not the time to cut the resources and operations of the WHO or any other humanitarian organization in fighting the virus.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

15 April 2020