Radio România Internațional

Tag: Paris Olympics

  • Olympic Profiles 2024

    Olympic Profiles 2024

    At the Olympics in Paris Romania’s rowers claimed the first gold medals after a break of 32 years. The last rowers to step onto the first step of the Olympic podium were part of the Romanian four who ran in Barcelona in 1992. The gold medal tradition was carried on in Paris by Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache, the new Olympic champions of the double scull race.

    The two rowers managed to put on a thrilling performance in the qualifiers. They qualified in the third position, the last to ensure participation in the A finals and that proved to be a lesson for them, a lesson that they learned pretty well. The Romanians got the upper hand in the final race, which they dominated almost entirely ending it in 6 minutes, 12 seconds and 58 hundredths, almost a second and a half before the runner-up Dutch team.

    Andrei Cornea: “We didn’t look back until the last hundreds of meters as we trusted the boat from the very beginning. I was knackered in the last part of the race, but I looked right and I realized the others were more tired than I was and that somehow gave me strength. I knew I could endure for another 10 strokes and they would not be able to overtake us.” 

    That was Romania’s first gold in the men’s double scull race.

    Marian Florian Enache:  “We knew that nothing was impossible because we worked very hard and we eventually made it to the finals. And if you make it to such a great sporting event you cannot think that the others are stronger or that you cannot succeed. We knew that any failure was impossible, out of the question and all. And if you really want to and you work day in and day out with great goals in mind, you’ll always succeed.”

    Andrei Sebastian Cornea was born in Vatra Dornei, northern Romania on 10 November 1999. He represented Romania in a major competition at the European Championships in Poznan in 2020, when he ran with Romania’s four.

    At the European championships in Szeged this year he joined Marian Enache in Romania’s double scull and the two walked away with gold.

    Marian Florian Enache was born in Târgu Cărbuneşti, south-western Romania on 5 August 1995. Together with Ioan Prundeanu ranked ninth at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.

  • Paris Olympics profiles– Rowers Ioana Vrânceanu and Roxana Anghel

    Paris Olympics profiles– Rowers Ioana Vrânceanu and Roxana Anghel

    At the Olympic Games in Paris, rowing was a sport where Romania grabbed excellent results. Of the 9 medals brought home by our athletes, 5 were scooped in rowing. Of the 13 athletes who climbed the podium in the rowing events, four won two medals each, one gold and one silver. We’re referring to Ioana Vrânceanu and Roxana Anghel, ranked second in the women’s pair, and Simona Radiş and Ancuța Bodnar, silver medalists in the double-scull race, all four members of the 8+1 crew that won the Olympic title. Today’s edition introduces you to Ioana Vrânceanu and Roxana Anghel.

     

    The two athletes went to Paris as the reigning European champions in the women’s pair, a title won in Szeged, in Hungary, this year. At the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, they were awarded bronze medals. In Paris, they easily passed the qualifying heats and had no trouble qualifying to the semi-finals. They then finished second in the first semi-final and reached the final. The fight for medals was tough. The Romanians started slow and were in 5th place after the first 500 meters. They then advanced one place at each intermediate checkpoint. In the middle of the race, they were in 4th place, and at the 1500-meter mark they climbed to third position. They finished the race in second place, after beating Lithuania and Australia. The gold was grabbed by the reigning world champions, the Dutch Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester. Australia grabbed bronze.

     

    The 8+1 victory followed. The Romanian crew won outright, crossing the finish line five seconds ahead of Great Britain, which ranked second. Apart from Vrânceanu, Anghel, Bodnar and Radiş, whom we have already mentioned, Maria Magdalena Rusu, Maria Lehaci, Adriana Adam, Amalia Bereş and Victoria Ştefania Petreanu were also in the lineup.

     

    Ioana Vrânceanu was born March 7, 1994, in Târgu Mureş (center). She grabbed her first notable performance in 2017, when she was part of the Romanian crew that won the gold medal in the 8+1 race at the World Rowing Championships hosted by the United States, in Sarasota, Florida.

     

    Roxana Anghel is from Câmpulung Moldovenesc (north) and was born January 1, 1998. She got a taste of great victories in 2019, being part of the 8+1 crew that won the European title in Lucerne. (VP)

     

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

    After an absence of 12 years, Romania has made its comeback among the medalist countries at the Olympic Games in women’s gymnastics. Ana Maria Barbosu came third in the floor finals but had to resort to a high-level legal battle to recuperate a well-earned bronze medal.

    Last Friday in a ceremony in Bucharest, she was eventually awarded bronze  by the International Olympic Committee. Upon the long-awaited recognition of her performance in Paris, Radio Romania International has designated Ana Maria Barbosu Athlete of the Week.

    After the conclusion of the floor contest, the last women’s gymnastics competition in Paris, the gold medal went to Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, who got a score of 14.166, while the US gymnast Simone Biles ended in the second position. Romanians Ana Maria Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca Voinea came third and fourth respectively, with a score of 13.700, but Ana’s performance was appreciated better by the judges.

    The US gymnast Jordan Chiles initially came fifth with a score of 13.666 but her coach filed an inquiry and the judges revised her score by 0.1 placing her in the third position.

    Sabrina also filed an inquiry but it wasn’t accepted. Subsequently Ana and Sabrina filed an official challenge with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Laussane, which eventually upheld Ana’s challenge. The ruling sent Chiles back to the fifth position and Barbosu got the medal.

    Ana Maria Bărbosu was born on July 27th 2006 in Focşani, eastern Romania. She first compelled international recognition at the 2020 European Championships in Mersin, Turkey, where she won gold medals in all the juniors contests and also with Team Romania.

    Two years later, in the senior competitions of the European Championships in Munich she obtained the best result of the Romanian delegation, a fourth position in the floor event. In 2023 at the European championships in Antalya, Turkey, she was part of Team Romania who ranked fifth and that ensured her qualification for the World Championships in Anvers, that same year. At that competition Team Romania, which also included Ana, managed to occupy the tenth position and qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time in the past 12 years.

    In the end we remind you that you can revisit this report on the Internet at rri.ro, as well as on Radio Romania International’s Facebook profile.

     

    (bill)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

    The Olympic Games have come to an end in Paris with Romania ranking 23rd in the medal standings. Our athletes walked away from Paris with nine medals, three gold, four silver and two bronze. Most of these medals, seven, were obtained in the first week of contests. In the second week, athletes from Romania reaped two medals. Gymnast Ana Barbosu won bronze in the floor event and weightlifter Mihaela Cambei stepped onto the podium’s second step after coming second in the 49-kilogram category. In order to designate the athlete of the week, Radio Romania International had to choose between the two athletes. We eventually chose Cambei for the sensational way in which she competed.

    Mihaela’s performance has been described by experts as perfect. In the snatch event she lifted 89, 91 and 93 kilograms, while in the jerk event she first lifted 106, then 110 and eventually 112 kilograms. According to Agerpres news agency, the athlete got injured in the second attempt of the jerk event. She eventually totaled 205 kilograms, but lost to Zhihui Hou of China who managed to lift 117 kilograms, set a record in the jerk event of the aforementioned category, and eventually scored a total of 206 kilograms. Surodchana Khambao of Thailand came third with a total of 200 kilograms.

    Mihaela Valentina Cambei was born in Bacau county, eastern Romania on November 18, 2002. At the age of only 16 she became bronze medalist in the 48-kilogram category in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    She compelled international recognition in competitions when she walked away with silver from the jerk event of the World Championships held in Bogota in 2022. She dominated the European Championships in 2023 and 2024 by repeatedly breaking the continental record in the jerk event. At the European Championships held in Sofia this spring, Cambei was designated the Best European Weightlifter of the year 2023.

    (bill)

  • August 11, 2024 UPDATE

    August 11, 2024 UPDATE

    Olympics – It is the first time after Sydney 2000 that Romania has a significant increase in the number of medals, the president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, Mihai Covaliu, said in Paris. In the final Paris 2024  Medal Table, dominated by the US, Romania ranked 23rd with 9 medals – 3 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze. The Gold went to the swimmer David Popovici in the 200 meter freestyle, to the rowers Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache in the men’s double sculls and, also in rowing, to the women’s eight plus one crew. The silver went to Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiş in the women’s double sculls, to Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel in the women’s pair, to Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc in the lightweight women’s double sculls, as well as to the weightlifter Mihaela Cambei in the 49 kg category. Finally, the bronze went to David Popovici in the 100 meters freestyle event and to the gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu in the floor event. On Saturday evening, before the end of the Olympic Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport decided that Ana Maria Bărbosu won the bronze medal and that Sabrina Voinea, her compatriot, finished the competition in 4th place. This decision overturned the ranking decided by the referees at the end of the floor event from August 5. The International Olympic Committee said that the American Jordan Chiles, who had been initially ranked on the third place, must return the medal. We remind you that the Romanian team at the Olympic Games in Paris (July 26 – August 11) consisted of 106 athletes who competed in 18 sports disciplines.

     

     

    Enescu – The 19th edition of the George Enescu International Competition starts on August 31, in Bucharest. This year, there was a historic record of entries to the Enescu Competition: 555 young people from 27 countries applied for the three sections of the competition – violin, cello and piano. Out of them, only 149 were selected to participate in the first stage of the competition. Each section will have two elimination stages, the semi-final and the final. The George Enescu International Competition is an event held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania and financed by the Government of Romania through the Ministry of Culture.

     

    Inflation – In Romania, the inflation rate is to decrease towards the end of the year to 4%, a value lower than the one forecasted by the National Bank, namely 4.9%. The downward trend of this indicator will continue in 2025, reaching 3.4% at the end of the year, according to data presented by Governor Mugur Isărescu. He stated that the inflation forecast also took into account possible risks or uncertainties, including the conduct of fiscal and revenue policies, as well as the evolution of energy and food prices. The national bank governor also said that the inflation forecast was also the basis for the recent drop in the reference interest rate. The National Bank has recently reduced, for the second consecutive time, the monetary policy interest rate to the level of 6.5%/year from 6.75% per year.

     

    Ukraine – The Russian army admitted, on Sunday, that the Ukrainian troops penetrated deep into the Kursk region, while assuring, at the same time, that it stopped their advance near several towns located approximately thirty kilometers from the border with Ukraine. After months of retreating under the Russian army’s pressure on the eastern front, Ukraine launched a major operation in the Russian border region of Kursk on Tuesday, getting inside the territory, according to analysts, tens of kilometers and taking control of several towns. In response to this surprise attack, Russia sent reinforcements and established an ‘anti-terrorist’ regime in three regions bordering Ukraine, including Kursk. According to a senior Ukrainian official interviewed by France Press, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are taking part in this offensive.

     

    Israel – On Thursday, August 15, new negotiations are to take place between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas, considered by some analysts as the last opportunity to reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of the hostages in Gaza. The mediator states, the US, Egypt and Qatar, asked the two sides, in a joint statement, to resume negotiations in Doha or Cairo. The venue is to be established by Thursday. The statement also shows that the mediator countries are also willing to present a final proposal to overcome the differences between the two parties, which should suit each of them. Israel has agreed to sending negotiators to these new talks. Hamas, on the other hand, has not yet responded to the call, seen as an attempt to stop an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East after the recent assassination of the group’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. (LS)

  • August 7, 2024

    August 7, 2024

    INTEREST RATE – The Central Bank board is today analyzing the possibility of further reducing the monetary policy interest rate, currently standing at 6.75%. According to an internal analysis, consumer loans continue to go up amidst the reduction of interest rates for new loans and the relaxation of loaning terms due to growing competitiveness among banks. According to Eurostat, Romania reported the biggest increase of retail sales at EU level in June 2024 compared to the same period of last year.

     

    NATO – A detachment of the Spanish Air Forces will conduct enhanced air policing missions under NATO command, in partnership with the Romanian Air Forces. Spanish pilots are thus taking over command of the operation from their British and Finnish counterparts at the Air Base in Mihail Kogălniceanu (southeast). For four months, they will be overflying the Black Sea region to ensure the security of Romanian and NATO air space. This is the third rotation for the Spanish Air Forces in Romania, where NATO deployed allied troops in 2014 following the illegal annexation of Crimea, to ensure the security of the Black Sea region, an area facing complex threats in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

     

    MIDDLE EAST – The world’s diplomats are working around the clock to prevent an attack from Iran and its allies on Israel. The United States have called on countries in the region to convince Teheran an attack would not serve its best interests. Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are today convening in Teheran to discuss the matter. The situation remains tense, with Israeli authorities on high alert after Iran promised a swift retaliation in response to the recent assassination of Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

     

    AID FOR UKRAINE – The EU Council has disbursed the first installment worth 4.2 bln EUR as part of the Ukraine Facility financial assistance plan. Kyiv is bound to receive 50 bln EUR in grants and loans to finance the state budget and stimulate investment. According to Radio Romania’s Brussels correspondent, Ukraine must implement reforms in public finance management, the functioning of state-owned enterprises, the business sector and energy, as part of the Ukraine Facility Plan agreed with the European Commission. Economic recovery, reconstruction and modernization in the wake of the Russian aggression are also key points in the Plan.

     

    UNTOLD – The 9th edition of the Untold Music Festival kicks off on Thursday in Cluj-Napoca (west). Some 250 Romanian and international artists will be holding concerts during the four days, including renowned artists and DJs such as Lenny Kravitz, Salvatore Ganacci, Sam Smith and Burna Boy. The latter is the only African artist with two consecutive sold-out events on London Stadium. Burna Boy will perform on the last day of the festival. Untold is the biggest and most popular music festival in Romania, attracting fans from all over the world every year.

     

    OLYMPICS – Romanian athletes are today competing in athletics, weightlifting, canoeing and wrestling at the Paris Olympics. So far, Romania ranks 16th in the medal standings, with 3 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze. On Tuesday, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation announced it has submitted a notification to the International Gymnastics Federation, calling for an investigation into the faulty examination of Sabrina Voinea’s floor routine in the Olympic gymnastics event. Federation officials have also submitted notifications to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) to restore Sabrina Voinea’s bronze medal, who went to Jordan Chiles of the USA following an inquiry at the end of her routine. Voinea’s routine was rated with a penalty deduction due to the gymnast allegedly stepping out of bounds, something video footage fail to confirm, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee wrote. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu expressed outrage at the whole affair, announcing he would not attend the closing ceremony as a sign of protest.

     

    FOOTBALL – FCSB and Sparta Prague were tied 1-1 on Tuesday evening in the first leg of the Champions League third preliminary round, played in Prague. The return leg is slated for August 13 in Bucharest. In case of a win, FCSB will play the winner of the match pitting Malmö FF of Sweden against PAOK Thessaloniki of Greece. In case of a loss, FCSB will continue in Europa League, playing against LASK Linz of Austria. (VP)

  • August 5, 2024

    August 5, 2024

    LEGISLATION – The Government is this week expected to amend the legislation on sexual abuse, which currently disallows anonymous complaints. Authorities will adopt measures to protect the victims, regardless of the aggressor’s identity. The measures come in response to several reports of sexual harassment in universities. Education Minister Ligia Deca explained the police will quickly register reports of sexual abuse, and the new measures will apply to the entire public sector, including regulations regarding internal inquiries. We recall that, in the last week, a number of former female students presented allegations of sexual harassment against three university professors. The Police have launched a number of investigations. Professor Alfred Bulai of the National School of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA) was sacked from the position of chair of the Sociology Department, while Dorin Ștefan Adam from the University of Architecture in Bucharest and Marius Pieleanu of SNSPA have resigned.

     

     

    MIDDLE EAST – The situation remains tense in the Middle East amidst fears regarding a possible attack on Israel from Iran and its associated militias, in particular Hezbollah. Teheran and its allies might thus retaliate after the killing of Hamas leader, Ismail Hanniah, and of Hezbollah’s military commander, Fuad Shukr. To prevent the situation from escalating, the United States is building up its armed forces in the region, while president Joe Biden today has called a security meeting to assess the developments. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has reiterated US support for Israel’s security and “right to defend itself against threats from Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups”. In turn, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday had talks with Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, underlining “the importance that all parties should take “steps to calm regional tensions, avoid further escalation and advance stability”. Military experts have warned that Iran and its forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen might also attack US military bases in the Middle East, in addition to objectives on Israel’s territory.

     

     

    WARNING – The Romanian Foreign Ministry advises Romanian citizens to immediately leave Lebanon while flights are still available amidst the growing risk of a security escalation in the Middle East. Romanians might find it impossible to leave as the security climate is rapidly deteriorating, impacting commercial flights and transport routes. The Ministry also advises Romanian citizens in Lebanon to register with the Romanian Embassy in Beirut.

     

     

    US ELECTION – Vice-president Kamala Harris has cut into Donald Trump’s lead in the US presidential race. According to a poll published on Sunday, the two candidates are now tied in what now looks like a very close race for the White House. 50% of voters would now vote for Harris, compared to 49% who would favor Trump, a slight lead Joe Biden didn’t have before withdrawing from the race. The former prosecutor and California Senator now enjoys the Democrats’ support after securing the endorsement of over half of her party’s delegates. Harris has also been able to raise over 310 mln USD for her election campaign, which is double the amount raised by her Republican contender. The US presidential election is slated for November 5.

     

     

    OLYMPICS – Romanian athletes on Monday are competing in athletics, artistic gymnastics, wrestling, water polo, table tennis and sailing.  Romania currently ranks 12th in the medal standings, with seven gold, three silver and one bronze. The gold medals were grabbed by David Popovici in the 200m freestyle race, Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache in the men’s pair and the women’s eight crew in rowing. The silver medals were won by Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiș in the women’s pair, Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel in the women’s double sculls, Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc in the women’s lightweight double sculls, while the bronze medal was scooped by David Popovici in the 100m freestyle race. The authorities are rewarding gold medals with 140 thousand EUR, silver with 100 thousand EUR and bronze with 60 thousand EUR each. (VP)

  • July 26, 2024

    July 26, 2024

    ATTACKS – Upon the request of the Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu,  the Romanian Foreign Ministry has summoned the  Chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Russian Federation  to Bucharest, after debris and fragments of drones used by the Russian army to attack Ukrainian ports were discovered in Tulcea County (southeast). The Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, recalling that targeting civilian objectives is a war crime. The representative of the Romanian Foreign Ministry also criticized the reckless military strikes close to Romania’s border, saying they endanger national security. Russia’s acts of aggression against Ukraine caused a severe deterioration of the security climate in the Black Sea region, the Romanian Foreign Ministry further noted.

     

     

    MEETING – Romania hails Hungary’s unequivocal support for our country’s full Schengen accession, Romania’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, said on the sidelines of his meeting in Bucharest with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orbán. Talks were held in the context of Hungary holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council. Two-way trade currently stands at 13 bln EUR, although there is a lot of untapped potential, the two officials say. Marcel Ciolacu and Viktor Orbán also agreed to start feasibility studies for a high-speed rail connection linking Budapest to Bucharest, a project of strategic importance with an impact on the entire rail infrastructure of Central Europe.  Viktor Orbán is expected to attend the Summer University in Băile Tușnad (center), where he will give a speech on Saturday. 500 events will be held on this occasion in 34 tents, focusing on a wide array of topics, from economy and politics, to culture, gastronomy and sports. A total of 300 organizers are involved in preparing the event.

     

     

    SEASON – The 2024-2025 Romania-Poland Culture Season will officially open in Poland with the exhibition titled “Nicolae Grigorescu, a painter of Romanian ethos”, hosted by the National Museum in Gdansk over July 27-October 28. Two special representations of Hamlet, a production of the “Marin Sorescu” National Theatre in Craiova, will also be performed on this occasion on the sidelines of the Shakespeare Theatre Festival hosted by Gdansk. The exhibition is organized by the National Art Museum of Romania (MNAR) and includes 44 works from the collection of Nicolae Grigorescu as well as 49 items of folk art from the collections of the “Dimitrie Gusti” Village Museum. Exhibited for the first time in Poland, Nicolae Grigorescu’s works of art facilitate access to an important part of Romania’s cultural history. The opening of the exhibition will be accompanied by an accordion and clarinet concert performed by musicians of the Gdansk Opera. Attending the events will be several officials from Romania and Poland.

     

     

    CONCERT – The Orchestra and Choir of the Bucharest National Opera on Friday will perform a sacred music concert at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, marking the inauguration of the Romanian House at the Olympic Games. This is the final concert in a tour that also included a concert at the Versailles Palace, and a sacred music concert at the “Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael” Orthodox Cathedral in Paris. According to Radio Romania’s Paris correspondent, the extraordinary concert entitled “Éthos Roumain” is a project financed by the Government of Romania, through the Department for Romanians Worldwide, in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris. The event aims to boost the visibility of Romanian culture and its promotion abroad, as well as to strengthen cultural ties between Romania and France.

     

     

    PARIS OLYMPICS – The Summer Olympics kick off tonight in Paris. For the first time in history, the opening ceremony will be held on the Seine River, crossing the center of the French capital-city over a distance of six kilometers. According to Radio Romania’s Paris correspondent, the river parade will tell the story of a city, a nation, a culture over the course of nearly 3 hours. Some 200 boats and watercraft will carry the 206 delegations comprising 10,500 athletes, in addition to security forces. The show will also comprise music, dance and acrobatics performed by art professionals accompanied by some of the athletes themselves. A number of celebrities are rumored to take part in the event, including Céline Dion and Lady Gaga.

     

     

    FOOTBALL – On Thursday, Romanian Cup holders Corvinul Hunedoara, currently playing in the second-tier division of the Romanian championship, drew 0-0 at home against Croatia’s vice-champions, HNK Rijeka in the first leg of the second preliminary round of Europa League. Also on Thursday, another two Romanian football clubs played matches in the first leg of the second preliminary round of Conference League. CFR Cluj drew 0-0 against Neman Grodno of Belarus on home turf, while Universitatea Craiova lost 0-2 against NK Maribor of Slovenia away from home. Return leg matches will be played next week. We recall Romania’s football champions, FCSB, on Tuesday drew 1-1 against Maccabi Tel-Aviv of Israel at home in the first leg of the second preliminary round of Champions League. The return leg is scheduled for July 31 in Budapest, Hungary, due to security developments in Israel, preventing home clubs from hosting international matches on home turf. (VP)

  • July 23, 2024 UPDATE

    July 23, 2024 UPDATE

    DROUGHT – Against the background of the severe drought affecting Romania, water supply is restricted in about 450 cities, towns and villages, most of them in the eastern part of the country. Many farmers say that they have lost their crops, especially where irrigation is not possible. In trying to support those affected, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, had a first meeting on Monday with commercial banks representatives, whom he asked for solutions to cover rates and interests on loans for farmers facing drought. The affected area so far is almost 2 million hectares for corn and sunflower and 100,000 hectares for wheat and rapeseed. Water levels continue to drop.

     

     

    MEETING – Romania is committed to implementing green transition in a pragmatic and viable way, an example for the region and the world, and that means using natural gas in the short- and medium-term, but also nuclear energy, Romania’s Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on the sidelines of the Business Forum of the Partnership for Energy and Climate Trans-Atlantic Cooperation hosted by Bucharest. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu pointed out that only through energy security and competitiveness and by making energy available to the economy and the population can Romania take the next step towards fulfilling a key objective – obtaining clean, green energy. Romania will negotiate with the new European Commission a seven-year deal for meeting the 3% budget deficit target, the Romanian Prime Minister said, adding that Romania is currently in a “fast-track” development phase, highlighting the need for more investments.

     

     

    SUPPORT – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, reiterated Romania’s support for neighboring Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops, and emphasized the need to speed up the European Union’s assistance to Kyiv, including military aid. On the sidelines of Monday’s meeting in Brussels with European counterparts, Minister Odobescu reaffirmed Romania’s support for the peace plan proposed by Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which she believes is capable of guaranteeing sustainable peace, the observance of territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter.

     

     

    REPRESENTATION – Only 6.5% of mayors are women and just 9% local councilwomen, according to data conducted by a local NGO, analyzing the results of the June 9 local election in Romania. The data, which has so far prompted no reactions from political parties, shows that politics remains an exclusive playground of men. At Parliament level, the situation is slightly better, although women representation stands at merely 18%. The NGO calls on parliamentary parties to unlock legislative initiatives to boost women representation to at least 30% and to block access to public funds for all parties that fail to meet this requirement.

     

     

    CONCERT – The Orchestra and Choir of the Bucharest National Opera on Wednesday will perform a sacred music concert at the “Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael” Orthodox Cathedral in Paris. The Romanian Opera tour ends on July 25, at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, with another concert, marking the inauguration of the Romanian House at the Olympic Games. On Monday, Romanian artists performed in the gardens of the Versailles Palace, an event also held in the context of the Summer Olympics. According to Radio Romania’s Paris correspondent, the extraordinary concert entitled “Éthos Roumain” is a project financed by the Government of Romania, through the Department for Romanians Worldwide, in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris. The event aims to boost the visibility of Romanian culture and its promotion abroad, as well as to strengthen cultural ties between Romania and France. (EE & VP)

  • June 3, 2024

    June 3, 2024

    ELECTIONS – It’s the last week of campaign ahead of the European Parliament and local elections slated for this Sunday. Some 19 million Romanians expected to hit the nearly 19,000 polling stations in the country. 915 stations have been set up abroad, twice compared to the European Parliament elections five years ago. Polling stations will open at 7 AM and close at 10 PM, one hour later compared to previous rounds of election. The presidents of the polling stations can opt to extend the voting process until midnight, if there are still people standing in line or inside the station. According to the Permanent Election Authority, the total number of candidates for the local and European Parliament elections is close to 208,000. For the first time, voter turnout updates will be provided in real time on election day, for each separate ballot, on the website of the Permanent Election Authority. We recall Romania will also host presidential elections in September and legislative elections in December.

     

     

    DISCOVERY – The bodies of the two Romanians reported missing at the end of last week following flash floods and rising river levels have been found in Italy. The bodies of two of the three missing Romanian young people who drowned on Friday in Natisone River, were found in the Udine province (northeast). Search operations to retrieve the third missing person continue. Young people were bathing in Natisone despite the ban, when water levels suddenly rose. Following information sent by Italian authorities, the Romanian Foreign Ministry confirmed two of the deceased were Romanian nationals, conveying its condolences to the bereaved families. Consular office representatives constantly maintain dialogue with the local authorities in order to obtain information regarding search operations for the third missing person, as well as with the families of the deceased citizens, ready to provide consular assistance depending on requests and in line with their attributes. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced Romanian citizens can request consular assistance by calling the numbers of Romania’s Consular Office in Trieste.

     

     

    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – The Constitutional Court of Romania is today discussing a referral of the High Court of Cassation and Justice regarding the Law approving the Government’s emergency decree on extending the terms provided for insolvency prevention and insolvency procedures. The law stipulates that, in the case of economic operators in strategic branches of the national economy, who have reached an arrangement with creditors upon the entry into force of this law, the length of the agreement or the restructuring plan can be extended, at the debtor’s request and based on sound reasons, for a maximum of 5 years.

     

     

    MINIMUM WAGE – The Government this week is expected to pass a bill on increasing the national minimum wage from approximately 660 EUR to 745 EUR. The draft law has already been submitted for public debate. Stakeholders can submit their proposals, suggestions and opinions regarding this bill on the website of the Labor Ministry. Currently, some 760,000 people from the total number of employees active on the labor market earn minimum wages in Romania, and that number is expected to exceed 1.8 million after the increase. In addition, the 40 EUR tax deduction is maintained until the end of the year. Talks are underway with Finance Minister, Marcel Boloș, to increase this amount to approximately 60 EUR, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said. At the same time, the Government is ready to help employers by supplementing the budget for SME Plus, a national support scheme addressing small- and medium-sized enterprises. Also, the government continues to restructure its institutions, with the head of government calling on the relevant ministers to step up the pace in order to complete the process across all ministries by the end of the month.

     

     

    GYMNASTICS –Romanian athlete Andrei Muntean won bronze in the parallel bars final on Sunday at the Artistic Gymnastics Challenge World Cup in Koper, Slovenia. He was outranked in the final by Ukrainian Ilya Kovtun and Hsi Hung Yuan of Taiwan. Andrei Muntean is the only representative of Romania qualified in the men’s artistic gymnastics competition at the Paris Olympics.

     

     

    FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football team is playing Bulgaria tomorrow and Liechtenstein on Friday, June 7 in two friendly matches ahead of the European Championship expected to kick off on June 14 in Germany. Bucharest will host both matches. Romania was drawn in Group E alongside Ukraine, Belgium and Slovakia. The national team will play Ukraine on June 17 in Munich, Belgium on June 22 in Köln, and finally Slovakia on June 26, in Frankfurt. Romania last took part in a European Championship in 2016 in France. (VP)

  • May 10, 2024

    May 10, 2024

    ELECTION CAMPAIGN – The campaign for the European Parliament and local election, both slated for June 9, has started on Friday across the country. The Central Election Bureau has urged candidates to observe the relevant legislation, to preserve a balanced, honest and constructive approach to all communications and to refrain from misrepresenting and manipulating information. Throughout the campaign, all messages and slogans with discriminatory overtones, inciting to hate and intolerance are prohibited, in addition to the use of any means and actions designed to slander or stir religious or ethnic hatred. The head of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Toni Greblă, has in turn recommended candidates to promote their political programs with the observance of regulations in force, urging citizens to trust their vote will be taken into account. Some 900 polling stations will open abroad. People can consult the “Code of best practices on disinformation” and “Guidelines on preventing and combating voter disinformation”, both documents being available online. A similar effort to prevent disinformation and manipulation was launched by the European Commission, which published a video designed to encourage critical thinking and provide practical advice on how to identify and combat such actions.

     

    MAY 10 – Romania is a respected member of NATO and the EU, a status that provides top-level security guarantees and a robust platform for cooperation with international partners that share the same values, with a view to developing and consolidating stability and resilience against contemporary threats, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said earlier today in a message marking National Independence Day. Three major events in the history of Romania are observed on May 10. In 1866, King Charles I was crowned the first monarch of the freshly created Kingdom of Romania. 11 years later, on May 10, 1877, Romania proclaimed its independence from the Ottoman Empire. On May 10, 1881, Romania officially became a monarchy. Over the course of 1866-1947, May 10 marked Monarchy Day, Independence Day as well as the National Day of Romania. May 10 was declared a national holiday in 2015. Special military ceremonies are today being held in Bucharest and other cities.

     

    MISSILES – The USA have greenlit the sale of Sidewinder Block advanced missile technology to Romania, in a deal worth 70 mln USD. The missile systems will provide advanced air-air capabilities for F-16s owned by the Romanian Air Forces. The procurement is part of a broader and long-term effort to modernize the Romanian Air Forces, a US Embassy press release reads. US Chargé d’Affairs, Michael Dickerson, said the deal is an excellent example of robust security and defense cooperation between Romania and the USA. In turn, Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said the access of Romanian Air Forces to state-of-the-art air-air military technology will give a significant boost to the security of Romanian and allied airspace, also increasing interoperability with similar structures of the US Army.

     

    EXERCISE – Some 2,300 paratroopers from France, Germany, Romania, Spain, the USA and the Netherlands are taking part in the Swift Response 24 multinational exercise, hosted by Romania over May 5-24. According to the Defense Ministry, the exercise will comprise one of the biggest airdrops ever held in Europe after WWII and will take place over the course of several days. The main activity in Romania is scheduled to take place on Sunday in Câmpia Turzii. Similar operations will unfold in another five Allied and partner states – Estonia, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Poland and Sweden. The exercise will test the troops’ response capacity as well as the degree of interoperability of participating structures and their commitment to ensuring collective defense, the Romania Defense Ministry reports.

     

    WRESTLING – Romanian wrestler Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu has qualified to the Paris Olympics after grabbing a series of wins at the pre-Olympic World Wrestling Championship hosted by Istanbul. The Romanian competed in the 130-kg Greek-Roman category. This will be the fourth edition of the Olympic Games for Alexuc-Ciurariu, after the London Olympics of 2012 (16th), Rio Olympics of 2015 (5th) and the Tokyo Olympics of 2020 (12th). Another two Romanian wrestlers are still trying to secure qualification to the Olympic Games – Răzvan Arnăutu and Nicu Ojog. Romania’s delegation includes 13 wrestlers, and its objective is to qualify at least 2 athletes to the Olympic Games. Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu is the second Romania athlete to secure qualification after Andreea Beatrice Ana, who booked her tickets to the Paris Olympics in the 53-kg category at the pre-Olympic tournament hosted by Baku in April. So far, 83 athletes have secured qualification to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in 12 Olympic events.

     

    TENNIS – Irina Begu (161 WTA) is today playing Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan (4 WTA) in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, offering 4.8 mln USD in total prizes. On Thursday, another two Romanian players, Sorana Cîrstea and Jaqueline Cristian, advanced to the third round of the women’s singles. Cîrstea (32 WTA) won 7-5, 6-0 against Brenda Fruhvirtová of Czechia (102 WTA), and will go up against another Czech player, Markéta Vondroušová (7 WTA), who in the second round ousted Ana Bogdan (63 WTA), 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. In turn, Jaqueline Cristian (68 WTA), who reached the main draw as “lucky loser”, knocked out Elina Avanesyan of Russia (72 WTA), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. In the third round, Cristian will play Coco Gauff (3 WTA) of the USA in their first head-to-head match. (VP)

  • Romania’s polo team books Paris Olympics tickets

    Romania’s polo team books Paris Olympics tickets

    The Romanian men’s polo team has qualified to the Paris Olympics, World Aquatics announced on Saturday. Romania was drawn in Group A alongside Croatia, Italy, Greece, the United States and Montenegro. According to Bucharest media, the qualification was unexpected. Romania ended the polo event at the World Aquatics Championships held this year in Qatar in 10th place, while only the top 8th ranked teams would have normally qualified to the Olympic Games.

    South Africa, however, had to withdraw from the competition, which meant Romania took its place, as the best-ranking of all the teams that had not obtained qualification. Polo is the only Olympic event where Romania has not been represented in the last 12 years, the last participation dating back to the 2012 London Olympics. At the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Romania lost to Hungary 15-8 and to Italy 16-10, but won against Kazakhstan 25-3 in the group phase. Our team then lost the quarterfinals playoff match to Montenegro, 9-12, and in the ranking matches Romania defeated China 9-7 and lost to the United States, 13-9.

    Headcoach Bogdan Rath said qualifying to the Olympics was not entirely owed to luck. “It’s a big qualification for Romanian sports overall. As I’ve said before the championship, Romania had a chance and we’ve taken advantage of it”. Romania has been drawn in a very difficult group, Bogdan Rath also argues, adding that it’s impossible to avoid tough adversaries in high-profile events. National team captain Marius Țic in turn says “the Olympic group is indeed very tough, but we need to enjoy being there, regardless of results”. The polo team’s qualification is the best moment in the career of many team players, who actually shed tears of joy at the news, locker room sources say.

    Last month Romania ranked 8th at the European Polo Championships in Croatia after losing the final ranking match to Serbia, 18-7. Romania had won Group D with straight wins, 12-8 against the Netherlands, 13-5 against Slovenia and 8-6 against Slovakia. In the playoff match Romania defeated Georgia 18-11. In the round of 16, Romania lost 7-24 to Spain, and in the first ranking match it lost to Montenegro, 11-18. “Romania can definitely beat Montenegro, although we are the underdog. I believe we can produce a nice surprise”, player Tudor Fulea believes.