Radio România Internațional

Tag: pipeline

Romania will have a brand new gas pipeline

The National Company for the Transport of Natural Gas, Transgaz has signed a contract with Turkish company Kalyon Insaat for the construction of Tuzla-Podişor gas pipeline. According to a communiqué released for the Bucharest Stock exchange, the 500 million euro project consists in the construction of a 308.3 kilometer gas pipeline, linking the resources exploited in the Neptun Deep area in the Black Sea and the so-called BRUA corridor, which connects four EU members: Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria.

According to Transgaz general director, Ion Sterian, after the Ungheni-Chişinău pipelines between Romania and the Republica Moldova, Tuzla-Podişor is the most important gas infrastructure project, a strategic one, essential in the energy security efforts and also included among the EU common interest projects. The new pipeline will be crossing the counties of Constanta, Calarasi and Giurgiu and will contribute to ensuring the necessary consumption of gas for the economy and population to creating the prerequisites for boosting private investment in the area, to supplying gas to the localities around it, to almost 185 thousand inhabitants, and over 500 public institutions (schools, mayor offices, clinics, cultural centers, etcetera).

The new Deputy Prime Minister of the government in Bucharest, Marian Neacşu, says the future gas pipeline will also be able to carry the 15 billion cubic meters of gas from the Caspian Sea, reaching Romania through the terminals in Turkey and Greece. These connections, director Sterian says, will allow Romania to become a major regional hub around the year 2027.

România, says its new Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, is a country with significant gas resources, a strategic transit point and a major regional player, which could contribute, thanks to its operational transport infrastructure, to the consolidated regional security. The political leaders statements have also been confirmed by statistics. Romanias gas imports in the first four months of the year went down by 45.6% as compared to the same period in 2022, shows data released by the National Institute for Statistics. The domestic output has increased by roughly 7 percent against the same period last year. The National Commission of Strategy and Prognosis has forecast a 2% increase in the local gas production and a 6.2% decrease in the imports this year.

(bill)

19 June 2023
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
Geo-politics in today’s Romania

Neighbouring Republic of
Moldova is a former Soviet republic, with a predominantly-Romanian-speaking
population. The Republic of Moldova gained its independence 30 years ago.
Notwithstanding, Moldova is still searching for a better future for its
citizens. The number of its citizens is dwindling by the year; Moldovans have
been opting for leaving the country to relocate to Western Europe, in the hopes
they will find a better live there. It is the dismal aftermath of the policy decision-makers
in Chisinau have been implementing for a number of years. Such a policy caused
a great number of problems, mostly economic. However, a fresh breath of hope
for the better has been recently provided by Maia Sandu’s gaining accession to power.
She is a reformist, pro-European president, dead set on implementing a
thoroughgoing series of modern reforms for the state and its institutions. And
the chances to achieve that are all the greater as the recently-instated
government in Chisinau is literally fine-tuned in its bid to work with the president.
The parliament, for its part, is also dominated by a majority that also offers
its backing for Maia Sandu’s reformist endeavour. And at that, the high-ranking
authorities in Bucharest have been quick to offer their unconditional support to
the Republic of Moldova. Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu has recently
been a guest on a Romanian state-run TV program. While on the show, Minister Aurescu
recalled that on July 23rd this year, he was the first EU high-ranking
official to have been on a visit to Chisinau, on the sidelines of Maia Sandu’s
winning the early parliamentary election. Aurescu also stated he held talks
with officials on the Republic of Moldova for the bi-lateral cooperation to be
relaunched. Foreign Affairs Minister Aurescu also stated, QUOTE, All we have done
this year, and let me remind you that last year, the first head of state to
have visited the Republic of Moldova when Maia Sandu won the election was Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis, all that we did this year was to try, immediately after
the snap election that brought to power the new pro-reform, pro-European
majority, to support the reformist efforts, UNQUOTE.

We can say we have reached a point
where the priorities of the bi-lateral agenda can no longer be overlooked and
we have noticed there already has been a mutual interest on the part of the
elites, and not only on the part of citizens, as in effect, for a long time citizens
somehow had been ahead of the authorities, as for various reasons the latter failed
to cooperate and were unable to materialize all those tendencies populations living
on both banks of Prut river have always had. It is the assessment provided by former
presidential adviser in Chisinau, Vlad Turcanu, in a Radio Romania program.

Vlad Turcanu:

The authorities
in Chisinau have initiated, as of this autumn, once with the snap election on July
11 and once a new government was instated, sweeping reforms in all the fields of
activity, practically, and they are aware that, without the contribution of such
friend states as Romania, that is not going to be easy at all. Take, for
instance, the gas crisis, about which we can say it has already ended, even
though we can still speak about lingering setback issues. But in those days of uncertainty,
a great many things mattered, for the atmosphere in Chisinau and for the safety
of the political endeavour in Chisinau, like the support signals sent from
Bucharest and other European capital cities. And, from my point of view, it is
no mean feat to be aware of the fact that, in the event of a force majeure circumstance,
you can receive natural gas from Romania through a gas line, built with the
help of Romania, whose contribution to that was significant. In the Republic of
Moldova, there are many vulnerabilities, in the energy system, in the IT or the security systems, which Republic of Moldova’s foes will never
cease to capitalize on. Such categories of risk, which for long have been ignored,
will resurface, and the expertise Romania holds in those as well as in other
fields will be extremely useful for the transformations we have initiated here,
in the Republic of Moldova.

Republic of Moldova’s pro-European
government has been instated with a wide majority of parliamentary votes in favour,
63 in 101. The government will have to prove it is capable of
implementing the reforms it pledged it would carry through, Vlad Turcanu also
said. The former presidential adviser went on to say that, as Republic of Moldova
emerges out of the isolation that has been introduced in recent years, several projects
are beginning to take shape, a clear example for the Republic of Moldova moving
in the European direction and being also set to solve all those problems that
have accrued. And at that, Romania’s help is very important.

Vlad Turcanu:

The lines
of cooperation are quite a few. Romania’s and Republic of Moldova’s Foreign
Affairs Ministers have signed a roadmap on the priority cooperation areas, the
education ministers in turn signed an agreement on the mutual recognition of diplomas,
certificates and scientific titles. But the most important element on the infrastructure
agenda is Republic of Moldova’ s being reconnected to the EU electricity
system. Because it is here that one of the vulnerabilities lies, that I was speaking
about. The Republic of Moldova has been contracting electric energy from the
Cuciurgan Power Plant, built on the left bank of River Dniester on the territory
of the unrecognized Dniester Republic. And that, for Republic of Moldova, has
been a major setback all the time, because it had to be extremely careful with
its relationship with the Russian federation, lest they find themselves cut off
from the power grid, completely.

Republic
of Moldova’s roadmap is extremely specific. It focuses on each and every field
of interest for the bilateral relation. The document was signed as part of Maia
Sandu’s recent visit to Bucharest this year, against the backdrop of the
three-decade anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. The document seeks
to implement everything required for meeting a series of major set targets for
the following period. Such targets pertain to the stimulation of Republic of Moldova’s
European Integration and to a deeper interconnection of Republic of Moldova’s with
European Union area. Also, the economic and social development will be
stimulated, so that Moldovan citizens can benefit from truly European standards
with respect to everything related to life, society, administration and the
justice system. And, last but not the least, the document stipulates the mutual
desire to strengthen the two states’ common provinces of language, culture and
history.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

3 December 2021
September 17, 2020 UPDATE

Covid-19 1,679 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were reported in Romania, following tests performed at national level, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Thursday. The total number of infections has thus reached 108,690. Another 27 coronavirus-related deaths were also reported, taking the death toll so far to 4,312. 460 patients are in intensive care, the Group has also reported. In Romania, 11,540 people confirmed with the new coronavirus are in isolation at home, and 5,807 are in institutional isolation. Also, 38,167 people are in quarantine at home, and 7 in institutionalized quarantine. Of the Romanians living abroad, 6,599 have so far tested positive for COVID-19, and the number of deaths stays at 126.

Pandemic 30 million infections and 945,000 deaths have been reported worldwide, according to worldometers.info. The United States is the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 6,800,000 infections and more than 200,000 deaths. In the United Kingdom, the European country with the highest number of deaths, over 41,000, the health system can no longer cope with the demand for tests, and the government has announced that it will rationalize them for the time being. Spain has exceeded 600,000 cases and 30,000 deaths. As of Friday, Israel becomes the first country in the world to apply the lockdown measure for the second time, due to the very large number of new cases of COVID-19.

Elections. In Romania, the electoral campaign for the local elections due on September 27 continues, in conditions meant to prevent infections with the new coronavirus. According to the Ministry of Interior, wearing a protective mask is mandatory, and for all persons participating in electoral events or meetings, observational triage and mandatory hand disinfection will be performed. The rules of access and personal protection will be displayed in visible places. A physical distance of at least one meter between participants will be ensured, including for actions carried out on the street or from door to door. A maximum of 50 people will attend the events and meetings held indoors, and the duration will be limited to a maximum of two hours. In the case of events and meetings held outdoors, the organizers must ensure that the number of participants is limited to a maximum of one hundred. 41 county council presidents, about 3,200 mayors, over 1,300 county councillors and 40,000 local councillors will be elected. Election had been scheduled for June, but was postponed due to the pandemic, and local elected officials have extended their terms by half a year.

Constructions Construction works in Romania saw a 12.2% increase in July 2020 compared to July 2019, which is the biggest increase for this industry in the EU, the European Statistics Office (Eurostat) announced on Thursday. July is the 3rd consecutive month with Romania as an EU leader in terms of the growth of the constructions industry. In the Eurozone, this sector reported a 3.8% year-on-year decline this July, whereas in the EU the drop rate was 3.9%. According to Eurostat, the only EU member states where the constructions industry grew in July were Romania and Finland (2.5%), with the most dramatic falls reported in Hungary (-21%), Slovakia (-15.4%) and Poland (-11%).

Missiles The first Patriot missile air defence system was received today by the Romanian Army, in a ceremony held in Capul Midia (south-east), in the presence of PM Ludovic Orban, the defence minister Nicolae Ciucă, and officials of the American producer. The main components of the Patriot system arrived in Romania last month. Two years ago, Romania signed an agreement on the purchase of 7 Patriot batteries for 3.9 billion USD, from 2 American companies. Four of them will be used by the Romanian Air Forces, and the other 3 by the Land Forces.

Natural gas With the start of works on the submarine pipeline of the Midia Natural Gas Development Project (MGD), Romania has taken a major step in making sure it will probably be the first country to extract natural gas from the Black Sea, the minister of economy, energy and business environment Virgil Popescu said on Thursday. He attended the official start of works on the pipeline, an event in which PM Ludovic Orban and the US Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman also took part. Popescu pointed out that for the Romanian Government, developing the Black Sea natural gas has been and will remain a priority. “Today we see an important step taken in this project, an American investment of over 500 million euros, he added. MGD is the first project tapping Romanias offshore gas reserves in the Black Sea to be launched since 1989. In a first stage, it will be able to cover 10% of Romanias gas needs.

Tennis The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 2 in the world, plays
on Friday against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine (29 WTA) in the 8th-finals
of the WTA tournament in Rome. Another Romanian, Irina Begu (77 WTA) was
kicked out of the competition on Thursday by Britain’s Johanna Konta (13 WTA). Also on Thursday, in the doubles, Romanians
Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu lost the 8th-finals to the
Japanese Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara. Raluca Olaru (Romania) and
Anna-Lena Friedsam (Germany), are playing on Friday against Magda Linette (Poland)
andBernarda Pera (USA), in the quarter-finals of the Premier 5
tournament in Rome. (translated by: A.M. Popescu, M. Ignatescu)

17 September 2020
Nachrichten 17.08.2019

Alle rumänischen Touristen, die Unterstützung der diplomatischen Vertretungen in Greichenland beantragt haben, sind sicher und gesund von der Insel Samothraki auf das griechische Festland gebracht worden. Nach einer Pressemeldung seien bei der rumänischen Botschaft in Athen oder beim rumänischen Generalkonsulat in Thessaloniki keine weiteren Anträge eingegangen. Die griechischen Behörden haben ihrerseits angekündigt, dass sich die Situation auf der Insel wieder normalisiert hat. Bis zu 1.500 Touristen, von denen viele Rumänen, hatten eine Woche lang auf der Insel Samothraki in Nordgriechenland verharren müssen, da die Schiffsverbindungen aufgrund des schlechten Wetters ausgefallen waren.

Die BRUA-Pipeline, die für den Transport von Erdgas aus dem Kaspischen Meer und dem Schwarzen Meer nach Bulgarien, Rumänien, Ungarn und Österreich gedacht ist, wird erst im Dezember 2020 und damit ein Jahr später als geplant fertiggestellt, so der vom rumänischen Unternehmen Transgaz veröffentlichte Finanzbericht für das erste Halbjahr. Zu den Gründen für die Verzögerung gehören Probleme im Ausschreibungsverfahren, der Bedarf nach einem neuen Rechtsrahmen, die archäologische Fundorte, Wetterprobleme über einen längeren Zeitraum sowie Verzögerungen bei den Verhandlungen mit einigen der Eigentümer oder Nutzer betroffener Grundstücke, erklärt das Unternehmen. Im vergangenen Monat gab das rumänische Wirtschaftsministerium bekannt, dass es fast die Hälfte der Pipeline und rund 80-90% der drei Verdichterstationen fertig gebaut habe. Die Stufe I des BRUA-Projekts erfordert Gesamtinvestitionen von fast 500 Millionen Euro, von denen die EU einen Zuschuss von 179 Millionen Euro gewährt hat. Die rumänische Regierung hält etwa 60% der Aktien von Transgaz, während die restlichen Aktien an der Börse gehandelt werden.

Der rumänische Staatspräsident Klaus Iohannis wird sich am 19. und 20. August auf Einladung des US-Präsidenten Donald Trump zu einem offiziellen Besuch in Washington aufhalten. Trump und Iohannis besprechen am Dienstag Wege zur Stärkung und Weiterentwicklung der starken und dynamischen strategischen Partnerschaft zwischen Rumänien und den USA. Der rumänische Präsident wird bei dieser Gelegenheit betonen, dass sein Land ein zuverlässiger Verbündeter und strategischer Partner der USA bleibt, wobei eine der Prioritäten der rumänischen Au‎ßenpolitik darin besteht, die transatlantischen Beziehungen und die euroatlantische Sicherheit zu konsolidieren. Ein weiteres Thema sind die amerikanischen Truppen in Rumänien und die Fähigkeit des Landes, mehr US-Truppen aufzunehmen. Auch die Frage der US-Visumspflicht für rumänische Staatsbürger gehört zu den Prioritäten. Iohannis und Trump trafen sich auch 2017 im Wei‎ßen Haus, als sie über die Perspektiven für die Vertiefung und Erweiterung der Strategischen Partnerschaft zwischen Rumänien und den USA diskutierten.

17 August 2019
August 17, 2019

VISIT The head of the Romanian state, Klaus Iohannis, will be on an official visit to Washington D.C. on August 19 and 20, at the invitation of the US president, Donald J. Trump. The 2 leaders will have a meeting on August 20, to discuss ways to strengthen and further develop the strong and dynamic strategic partnership between Romania and the US, in all its components. The Romanian president will emphasise on this occasion that his country will remain a reliable ally and strategic partner of the USA, one of the priorities of Romanias foreign policy being to consolidate the trans-Atlantic relation and Euro-Atlantic security. Klaus Iohannis said he also intended to talk to Donald J. Trump about the American troops in Romania and about the countrys capacity to host more US troops. The issue of US visa requirements for Romanian citizens will also be approached. Meanwhile, according to the White House, the US president looks forward to celebrating the 30th year since the fall of communism and the 15th year of Romanias NATO membership with president Iohannis. Klaus Iohannis and Donald Trump previously met at the White House in 2017, when they discussed the prospects for deepening and broadening the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US.

UNIVERSITY The 17th edition of the Izvoru Mureşului Summer University comes to a close today in Harghita County, central Romania. This years theme was “Romania and the Romanians abroad, one year since the Great Union Centennial. The topics approached include means to preserve the identity of Romanian communities in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova in the context of regional geopolitical developments and the Romanian national interest, the policies of parliamentary parties and public institutions with respect to the Romanians abroad and the Romanians in multi-ethnic communities in the country. Attending the works were students from Romania and from the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and the diaspora, academics from the main universities in Romania and abroad, civil society and mass media representatives.

VOTE Nearly 9,000 Romanians living abroad had registered to vote by mail on the www.votstrainatate.ro portal 20 days since its release. According to the Permananet Electoral Authority, this is more than the total number of registrations for mail voting for the 2016 parliamentary elections. The website www.votstrainatate.ro has been created to ensure better records on the Romanians living abroad and to help keep them better informed on the voting process ahead of this Novembers presidential election. The Ministry for the Romanians Abroad also launched an information campaign in this respect and announced that over 5.5 million Romanians have left the country. In the recent elections for the EP, tens of thousands of Romanians queued for hours in polling stations abroad, and many of them eventually failed to cast their ballots.

PIPELINE The BRUA pipeline, designed to carry natural gas from the Caspian and the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria, will only be completed in December 2020, one year behind schedule, according to the financial report for the first half of this year made public by the Romanian company Transgaz. The reasons for the delay include problems in the bidding process, the need to amend the legislative framework, the discovery of archaeological sites, adverse weather conditions for extensive periods of time as well as delays in the negotiations with some of the land owners or users, the company explains. Last month, the Romanian Economy Ministry announced having finalised almost half of the pipeline, and around 80-90% of the 3 compressor stations. Stage I of the BRUA project requires total investments of nearly 500 million euro, of which the EU has offered a 179-million grant. The Government of Romania holds about 60% of the stock of Transgaz, with the remaining shares traded in the stock market.

MILITARY The National Defence Ministry will organise at the Mihail Kogălniceanu 57 Air Base, in the south east, a ceremony to mark the dispatch of the ‘Carpathian Pumas’ unit on a mission in Mali. The Romanian troops will take part in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. The around 120 members of the Romanian unit, accompanied by 4 IAR-330 Puma L-RM helicopters, will be in charge of medical evacuation, transportation of troops and materials, passenger transport, air patrol and monitoring activities beginning mid-October. At present Romania has 1,033 troops involved in missions abroad.

SONGS All Romanians are invited to vote for one month to choose the 6 songs representing Romania in the first EU Songbook. So far 65,000 people in 26 countries have voted for their favourites, says the organiser of the event, the European Union Songbook organisation, on its website. The EU Songbook is a non-profit organisation without political or financial connections with Brussels. The first edition of the Songbook will be published on Europe Day, May 9, 2020.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

17 August 2019
February 24, 2018 UPDATE

EU BUDGET – EU funding, particularly the cohesion and the agriculture funds, might be lowered by up to 15% in the next EU multi-annual budget, beginning 2020 when the UK will no longer be a member. The announcement was made by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, at the end of an informal meeting of EU leaders. He added that 15 out of 27 member states were willing to raise their national contributions to the common budget. President Klaus Iohannis said at the meeting that Romania was open to the idea of contributing more than 1.1% of the GDP instead of 1%, so that the current levels of the cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy funding be maintained, which countries like Romania need in order to bridge the gaps in social and economic development compared to Western Europe. EU leaders have agreed that the Union must spend more on defence and security, for the Erasmus education programme and for curbing illegal migration. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has announced that EU leaders are willing to step up negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework, but that an agreement is unlikely to be reached this year.

GRECO – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, this week had a meeting in Bucharest with a delegation of the Group of States against Corruption – GRECO, which traveled to Romania for an emergency assessment of the new justice laws in respect of the fight against corruption. The talks focused on the amendments to the justice laws and the practical consequences that they may have on the judiciary. The GRECO team also had meetings with representatives of other governmental agencies, the legislative power and the judiciary, as well as of relevant NGOs. GRECO said, at the end of the talks in Bucharest, that those in charge of investigating, prosecuting and trying corruption offences should benefit from adequate independence and autonomy, including in terms of disciplinary mechanisms. The delegation recommended that Bucharest requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the planned judicial reform.

EDUCATION – Over 70 foreign education institutions are attending this weekend the 28th World Education Fair in Bucharest. Last year over 6,000 young Romanians chose to further their education abroad. Most of them went to Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain.

THE FLU – In Romania, 53 people have died from the flu this season, according to the latest report issued by the National Infectious Disease Monitoring Centre. The number of cases exceeds 800, with most of the flu patients reported in the capital city Bucharest, followed by the counties Constanta (south-east), Olt (south), Braşov (centre) and Iaşi (noth-east). The Healthcare Minister, Sorina Pintea, says we cannot speak about flu epidemic in Romania at the moment.

LOAN – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is giving out a loan of 60 million euro for the construction of a new gas pipeline crossing Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria (the BRUA pipeline), to support the regional European energy markets, the international financial institution announced in a news release. The funds will be given to Transgaz, the company building the Romanian segment of the gas pipeline. Totalling 1,318 km in length, the new European gas corridor will ensure better interconnection of the countries on its route, and will support the energy market enabling new connections with major infrastructure projects. The deputy PM Viorel Ştefan says the signing of the loan agreement between the EBRD and Transgaz on Friday in London is a confidence signal sent to investors with respect to business opportunities in Romania.

MILITARY – The Kandahar military base in southern Afghanistan Saturday hosted a ceremony to transfer authority from the Romanian Battalion 280 Infantry, Fearless Hearts, to Battalion 30 Mountain Troops, the Carpathian Eagles. For one month, the members of the two task forces conducted joint missions to enable the Mountain Troops to take over each segment of the theatre of operations. Among other things, the Romanian military are conducting land patrol missions on an area of 1,200 sq km, assisted by drones operated by the American partners and working together with the Afghan forces. Kandahar is Afghanistans second-largest town after the capital city Kabul. The area managed by the Romanian troops is densely populated, and threats are significant, the Radio Romania envoy reports. Analysts expect this summers parliamentary election to strengthen the Taliban presence in the region. A suicide attack by the Islamic State group in Kabul has killed 3 and wounded 5 people on Saturday.

EUROVISION – Romanias representative in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest held in Portugal will be chosen by the public on Sunday, by televoting. Fifteen songs will be competing in the final in Bucharest. The motto of this years edition was ‘Eurovision unites Romania!’. The Eurovision is an international music competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union, the largest association of public television broadcasters in Europe, and has been aired for 60 consecutive years. Romanias best performances so far have been the 2 third places (in Kiev, 2005, with Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem and in Oslo, 2010 with Paula Seling and Ovi) and a 4th place won by Mihai Trăistariu in 2006, in Athens.

COLD WAVE – Weather experts warn that Romania will be facing a cold wave for several days. Temperatures are expected to go down to lows of 20 degrees below 0, and stay at levels 10-15 degrees Celsius below multi-annual average figures. Strong winds will be adding to the low temperatures, while snowfalls will be reported mostly in the south, centre and south-west of the country. The cold front will be in place until around March 1st.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

24 February 2018
Nachrichten 06.02.2018

Rumänien hat in der Beziehung zur Moldau nach wie vor dasselbe strategische Ziel – die europäische Integration des Nachbarlandes. Das erklärte der rumänische Außenminister Teodor Meleşcanu am Dienstag in Bukarest, nach dem Gespräch mit seinem moldauischen Gegenüber Tudor Ulianovschi. Angegangen wurde die Konsolidierung der rumänischen Investitionen in der Moldau und die Perspektiven der energetischen Vernetzung. Meleşcanu sprach über die Initiative der Behörden einiger moldauischer Ortschaften, Unterschriften für die Vereinigung mit Rumänien zu sammeln. Der Staatspräsident der Moldau, Igor Dodon, antwortete darauf, die Initiative könnte zu einem Bürgerkrieg führen. Bukarest behauptet, die Erklärungen auf lokaler Ebene betreffend die Vereinigung mit Rumänien stellten nur eine Wunschäußerung ohne jedwelche juristische Folgen dar. Im Gegenzug würdigte Tudor Ulianovschi die Anstrengungen Rumäniens für die Stärkung der Souveranität der Moldau und hob ferner hervor, Rumänien sei der bedeutendste Handelspartner der Moldau. Ulianovschi fügte hinzu, die europäische Orientierung der Moldau bleibe eine Priorität der Innen- und Außenpolitik des Landes.

Der ungarische Außenminister Péter Szijjártó ist am Montag in Bukarest mit den Vorsitzenden der beiden Parlamentskammern, Calin Popescu Tariceanu bzw. Liviu Dragnea, sowie mit seinem rumänischen Kollegen Teodor Meleşcanu zusammengekommen. Besprochen wurde die bilaterale Kooperation besonders in den Bereichen Energie und Infrastruktur. Péter Szijjártó erklärte, Rumänien sei ein bedeutender strategischer Partner für Ungarn und erwähnte das hohe Niveau des Handelsaustausches. Hervorgehoben wurde sowohl der bedeutende Beitrag der rumänischen Gemeinschaft in Ungarn als auch der Beitrag der ungarischen Gemeinschaft in Rumänien bei der Fortsetzung des bilateralen Dialogs. Laut dem Radio Rumänien-Korrespondenten in Budapest, gab Szijjártó bekannt, Rumänien werde bis 2020 die technischen Bedingungen für den Erdgasexport nach Ungarn erfüllen. Die zwei Außenminister sprachen auch über das ukrainische Bildungsgesetz, das vorsieht, dass nur im Kindergarten und in der Grundschule in der Muttersprache der Minderheit unterrichtet wird. Rumänien und Ungarn sollten zusammenarbeiten, so dass die Ukraine die Rechte der ethnischen Minderheiten nicht verletzt, hieß es.

Justizminister Tudorel Toader hat am Dienstag im Europäischen Parlament in Strassburg den Ersten Vizepräsidenten der Europäischen Kommission, Frans Timmermans, zu Gesprächen getroffen. Zu den Themen auf der Gesprächsagenda gehörte der aktuelle Stand der Justizgesetze sowie die Änderung des Strafgesetzbuches und der Strafprozessordnung. Außerdem kam der jüngste Beschluss des rumänischen Verfassungsgerichts über die Integrität bei der Ausübung öffentlicher Ämter und Würden zur Sprache. Das Europäische Parlament debattiert am Mittwoch über den Rechtsstaat und die Justizreform in Rumänien. Die Europäische Kommission hatte am 24. Januar ihre Besorgnis über die Entwicklungen in Rumänien zum Ausdruck gebracht. Dabei forderte sie das Parlament in Bukarest auf, die Änderungen im Justizwesen zu überdenken. Die Unabhängigkeit des juristischen Systems und seine Fähigkeit, die Korruption effizient zu bekämpfen, stellten die Grundpfeiler eines starken Rumänien in der EU dar, so eine gemeinsame Erklärung des EU-Kommissionspräsidenten Jean-Claude Juncker und des Ersten Vizepräsidenten Frans Timmermans.

6 February 2018
Nachrichten 05.02.2018

Rumänien steht nach Ansicht von Europaminister Victor Negrescu vor einem passenden Hintergrund für einen Beitritt zum Schengener Raum. Dazu gehöre ihm zufolge die Vorbereitung für die rumänische EU-Ratspräsidentschaft im ersten Semester von 2019. Negrescu sagte, dass Rumänien im Moment sämtliche Beitrittsvoraussetzungen erfülle – das einzige Problem sei der Mangel an einstimmigem politischen Willen der EU-Partner. Einflussreiche Mitglieder lehnen einen Schengenbeitritt Rumäniens ab und berufen sich auf die grassierende Korruption in der rumänischen Verwaltung.

Rumäniens Verteidigungsminister Mihai Fifor hat bei seinem Besuch in Chisinau die weitere Unterstützung Rumäniens für den EU- und NATO-Beitritt der benachbarten Moldau zugesichert. Nach einem Treffen mit dem moldauischen Amtskollegen Eugen Sturza kündigte Fifor an, dass 41 moldauische Soldaten in diesem Jahr in rumänischen Einrichtungen geschult werden. Zudem sollen weitere 200 Moldauer im System der rumänischen Militärmedizin ausgebildet werden. Bei den Gesprächen wurde außerdem über die Sicherheitslage in der Region gesprochen.

Rumänien wird bis 2020 die technischen Voraussetzungen für einen Erdgas-Export in das benachbarte Ungarn erfüllen. Das sieht ein am Montag von den Außenministern beider Länder, Teodor Melescanu und Peter Szijjarto, unterzeichnetes Abkommen vor. Ungarische Unternehmen hätten bereits die gesamte Kapazität der Pipeline zwischen Rumänien und Ungarn reserviert, sagte der ungarische Chefdiplomat. Das seien insgesamt 4,4 Milliarden Kubikmeter im Jahr. Szijjarto sprach ferner von der ersten Möglichkeit für Ungarn seit Jahrzehnten, größere Mengen Erdgas aus einem anderen Land als Russland einzukaufen“. Zuvor hatte Rumäniens Energieminister Anton Anton die Nutzung der Ergdas-Vorkommen im Schwarzen Meer zu größtmöglichen Gewinnmargen für Rumänien unterstützt.

In Rumänien will das Arbeitsministerium in Gespräche mit den Rechtspflegern an den Gerichten einsteigen, um ihre Unzufrieden in Gehaltsfragen zu klären. Es sei bereits bekannt gewesen, dass besonders hohe Beamtengehälter gekürzt werden, so die Behörde. Die Rechtspfleger hatten letzte Woche protestiert, da bei Kollegen mit hohem Dienstalter die Nettogehälter um umgerechnet etwa 120 Euro geringer ausfallen würden, nachdem die Beitragspflicht zu den Sozialversicherungen allein auf die Arbeitnehmer übertragen wurde. Die Rechtspfleger klagen auch über eine zu starke Belastung – einige von ihnen müssten sogar mehr als 12 Stunden am Tag arbeiten, sagten sie.

Die Nationale Prognosekommission hat das Wirtschaftswachstum für 2018 von 5,5% auf 6,1% nach oben revidiert. Der Konsum soll um 6,3% steigen. In den nächsten drei Jahren erwartet man, dass der Konsum der Haushalte langsamer wachsen wird, für 2021 rechnet man mit 4,9 %. Die Europäische Kommission geht für das Jahr 2018 von 4,4% Wachstum aus.

Tennisprofi Simona Halep wird am Wochenende doch nicht für die rumänische Fedcup-Mannschaft antreten: Die Weltranglistenzweite wird durch Ana Bogdan ersetzt, die Nummer 86. der Rankings, hieß es in einer Mitteilung des Rumänischen Tennis-Verbandes. Rumänien spielt am Wochenende in Klausenburg gegen Kanada. Halep plagten in den vergangenen Wochen Schmerzen, vor allem nach der Knöchelverletzung bei den Australian Open. Bei der Rückkehr in die Heimat hatte die 26-Jährige erklärt, sie sei physisch am Ende und wolle sich vor den nächsten Traininingseinheiten einer ärztlichen Kontrolle unterziehen lassen.

5 February 2018
September 28, 2017 UPDATE

PRESIDENCY– The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Thursday received the Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova, Andrian Candu, in Bucharest. The agenda of the meeting included topics like bilateral cooperation, with a focus on projects in the energy sector, the Republic of Moldovas relations with the EU and recent developments in that ex-Soviet state. Among other things, President Iohannis reiterated Romanias unconditional support for strengthening Moldovas ties with the European Union. In turn, the Speaker of the Parliament in Chisinau thanked Romania for its support.

JUSTICE – The Higher Council of Magistrates in Bucharest Thursday issued a negative opinion on the bill amending the laws on the judiciary. The document was criticised by magistrates and European Commission experts. In turn, the US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm said the US was worried that Justice Minister Tudorel Toaders proposals to reform the judicial system might reverse the progress made by Romania so far as a model in terms of fighting corruption. On August 30, the Justice Ministry posted a bill designed to bring changes to the laws regulating the justice system. The provisions that sparked criticism included the bypassing of the countrys president in the appointment of prosecutor office chiefs and the subordination of the judicial inspection corps to the Justice Ministry. The official opinion of the Higher Council of Magistrates is non-binding.

NATURAL GAS – The European Commissioner for Energy and Climate Change, Miguel Arias Cañete, said on Thursday in Bucharest that the BRUA project, a planned natural gas pipeline in which Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria are taking part, is important for the European Commission. According to the EU official, the Commission gave Romania a loan of nearly 180 million euros for the first stage of the project. In turn, the Romanian Minister for Energy, Toma Petcu, said BRUA would be finalised in all the 4 member States involved, under a memorandum of agreement signed in Bucharest on Thursday. Petcu also said works would begin next spring. The statements were made during a meeting of the Central and South Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity group.

EPPO – The European Parliaments Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Thursday approved the setting up of a European Public Prosecutors Office, to investigate cross-border corruption and tax evasion. Under certain conditions, the EPPO will have the power to investigate, prosecute and bring to justice those who commit offences against the EU budget, such as fraud against structural funds or VAT fraud. The institution will be based in Luxemburg, and will start working 3 years after the European Parliament resolution in this respect comes into force. So far 18 member states, including Romania, have joined this enhanced cooperation structure.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

28 September 2017
Nachrichten 03.03.2017

Das rumänische Energieministerium hat die Baugenehmigung für die so genannte BRUA – Pipeline ausgestellt, die Bulgarien, Rumänien, Ungarn und Österreich verbinden soll. Energieminister Toma Petcu zufolge sollen die Bauarbeiten Ende des Jahres beginnen und bis 2020 dauern. Der rumänische Abschnitt wird 550 km lang. Das Projekt kostet 600 Millionen Euro, ein Drittel stammt aus EU-Mitteln.

10 Jahre nach dem EU-Beitritt ihres Landes, liegt das Vertrauen rumänischer Bürger in die Europäische Union bei 52% und somit über dem europäischen Durchschnitt. Europaweit findet die Politik der Europäischen Kommission die Zustimmung von 36% der Bürger. Das europäische Projekt fand vor zehn Jahren mit 65% jedoch einen stärkeren Rückhalt bei den Rumänen, geht aus einer am Freitag veröffentlichten Eurobarometer-Umfrage hervor. 67% der Rumänen seien demzufolge optimistisch, was die Zukunft der EU angeht, 17% mehr als im europäischen Vergleich -doch der Anteil ist im Vergleich zu 2007 deutlich zurückgegangen. Damals teilten 75% rumänischer Bürger diese Stimmung. Die Prioritäten, die die Europäische Kommission gesetzt hat, finden ebenfalls bei den meisten Rumänen starken Rückhalt: 55% der Befragten unterstützen die europäische Geld-und Währungspolitik und 77% die Freizügigkeit. Zwei Drittel der Rumänen bezeichnen sich selbst als europäische Bürger und sprechen sich für eine gemeisame Außenpolitik aus. Die Werte, die laut den rumänischen Bürgern den Geist der Europäischen Union verkörpern, seien die Demokratie und der Frieden, zeigt ferner die Eurobarometer-Umfrage.

Rumänien gedenkt der Opfer des schweren Erdbebens vom 4. März 1977. Beim Beben der Stärke 7,2 auf der Richterskala, das sein Epizentrum im ostrumänischen Landkreis Vrancea hatte, sind vor 40 Jahren 1.570 Menschen, die meisten in der Hauptstadt Bukarest, ums Leben gekommen. In Bukarest traten auch die größten Zerstörungen auf. Der Schaden wurde damals auf über 2 Milliarden Dollar geschätzt. Rund 230.000 Immobilien sind eingestürzt oder wurden stark beschädigt. Das Beben löste eine ausgeprägte wirtschaftliche und soziale Krise aus, die das kommunistische Regime laut Historikern bis zu seinem Sturz im Jahr 1989 nicht überwinden konnte. In Bukarest werden derzeit hunderte Gebäude als einsturzgefährdet eingestuft.

Die Regierungskoalition PSD – ALDE hat am Freitag beschlossen, nächste Woche die Verfahren zur Besetzung von offenen Spitzenpositionen in einigen Schlüsselbehörden einzuleiten. Zu besetzen sind Stellen wie jene des Chefs des Rumänischen Kulturinstituts und der ständigen Wahlbehörde ICR sowie der stellvertretenden Leiter der Zentralbank und der Finanzaufsichtsbehörde. Zudem solle es auch Diskussionen über die rumänische Rundfunkgesellschaft geben. In erster Linie solle bei der Wahl der Kandidaten die Erfahrung und erst zweitens die Parteizugehörigkeit zählen, so ALDE-Vizepräsident Daniel Constantin. Die Stelle bei der ständigen Wahbehörde ist unbesetzt, seitdem gegen Ex-Chefin Ana Maria Pătru ein Strafverfahren läuft. Auch der Vizegouverneur der Zentralbank Bogdan Olteanu hatte 2016 gekündigt, nachdem er wegen Verdachts auf vergangene Straftaten verhaftet wurde.

3 March 2017
Nachrichten 11.11.2016

BUKAREST: In Rumänien hat am Freitag, den 11. November die Wahlkampagne für die Parlamentswahlen am 11. Dezember angefangen. Etwa 6.500 Kandidaten, sowohl von den politischen Parteien als auch unabhängige, beteiligen sich am Rennen um die 466 Plätze im Senat und in der Abgeordnetenkammer. Zum erstenmal nach 2004 wird wieder als Wahlverfahren die Listenwahl verwendet, und es gelten neue Wahlquotienten für Senatoren und Abgeordneten. Mehr dazu nach den Nachrichten.

CHIŞINĂU: Bei der Stichwahl um das Präsidentenamt in der ex-sowietischen, mehrheitlich rumänischsprachigen Republik Moldau treffen am Sonntag der prorussische Sozialist Igor Dodon und die proeuropäische Reformerin Maia Sandu gegeneinander. Etwa 3 Millionen wahlberechtigte Moldauer werden zum zweiten Mal an die Urnen gerufen, um nach 16 Jahren ihren Staatspräsidenten direkt zu wählen, Das Verfassungsgericht in Chişinău hatte im März 2016 mehrere Veränderungen der Verfassung aus dem Jahr 2000 als verfassungswidrig erklärt. Darunter auch jene, die vorsahen, dass der Staatspräsident vom Parlament gewählt wird. Laut Politkommentatoren sei die Stichwahl am Sonntag nicht nur politisch sondern auch geopolitisch sehr wichtig. Igor Dodon will die Freihandelsabkommen mit der EU aufkündigen und das Land in die Union Russland-Belarus-Kasachstan führen, während Maia Sandu für Reform und Annäherung zu Europa einsteht.

XXX- Am Freitag ist die Erdgas- Pipeline zwischen Rumänien und Bulgarien, die grö‎ßte Pipeline dieser Art in Europa, offiziell eröffnet worden, meldet das Energieministerium in Sofia. Die Erdgas-Pipeline hat eine Gesamtlänge von 25 Km; davon sind 15,4 Km auf bulgarischem Territorium, 7,5 Km aud rumänischen Territorium und 2,1 Km unter der Donau. Die Erdgas-Pipeline sichert die permanente, sichere Erdgaslieferung für Haushalte und Industrieanlagen in Bulgarien und Rumänien, und erfüllt eine Bedingung der Europäischen Union, betreffend die Einrichtung der fehlenden Konnexion zwischen den Erdgastransportnetzen zwischen den EU-Staaten. Die neueröffnete Erdgas-Pipeline ist Teil eines gro‎ßangelegten Plans, der die Erdgasnetze in Bulgarien, Rumänien, Ungarn und Österreich bis Ende 2019 verbinden soll.

BUKAREST: In Rumänien ist am Freitag der Tag der Verteranen gefeiert. Es wurden Militär- und religiöse Zeremonien in den Garnisonen, an den Grabmälern und Denkmälern der Helden gehalten. Auch der 28 rumänischen Militärs wurde gedacht, die in den internationalen Missionen in Afghanistan, dem Irak und Bosnien-Herzegovina gefallen sind. Zu diesem Anlass sagte Präsident Klaus Iohannis, dass die soliden Sicherheitsgarantien, derer sich Rumänien derzeit erfreut, in gro‎ßem Ma‎ße diesem Aufopferungsgeist zu verdanken ist, der das Rückgrat der Treue und des Patriotismus darstellt. Seit 2014 feiern die Rumänen den Tag der Veteranen am 11. November, am selben Tag wie andere europäsiche Länder und die Vereinigtens Staaten, Kanada und Australien. Die geschichtliche Bedeutung des 11. Novembers ist die Waffenruhe von 1918 zwischen den Mächten der Entente udn Deutschland, die dem 1. WK ein Ende gesetzt hat.

11 November 2016
Newsflash 11, 2016 UPDATE

CAMPAIGN — Romania on Friday kicked off its parliamentary election campaign, scheduled for December 11. Almost 6,500 people have registered as candidates for the 466 seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, on behalf of political parties or as independents. This election, the list system has been reinstated; the last time it was used was in the 2004 elections, with new norms of representation introduced for senators and deputies.

REP. OF MOLDOVA — Pro-Russian Socialist candidate Igor Dodon and pro-European reformer Maia Sandu face off on Sunday in the presidential run-off in the Republic of Moldova. About three million citizens are called to the polls to vote directly for the president, for the first time in 16 years, time in which the head of state was appointed by Parliament. Pundits say that this election has not only a political stake, but also geopolitical implications. Dodon wants to join the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Union, while Sandu pleads for reforming the state and joining the EU.

PIPELINE — A gas pipeline between Romania and Bulgaria was inaugurated on Friday by the relevant authorities, the Bulgarian Energy Ministry has announced. Running over 25 km, the pipeline is the longest such installation in Europe so far. The Bulgarian portion runs over 15.4 km, the one in Romania is 7.5 km long, with 2.1 km running under the river Danube, separating the two countries. The pipeline provides a secure and permanent supply of natural gas for home and industry consumers in the two countries. Its inauguration meets the requirement of the European Energy Union requiring the creation of gas transportation systems between member states. The gas pipeline is part of a wider plan to link natural gas networks in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria by the end of 2019.

VETERANS DAY — Veterans Day was observed on Friday in Romania, too. Military and religious ceremonies were held in garrisons and at the heroes’ memorials across the country. Tribute was also paid to the 28 Romanian military who died in international missions, in Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia-Hertzegovina. On this occasion, the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, said the solid security guarantees that Romania enjoys at present are due, to a large extent, to the spirit of sacrifice, loyalty and patriotism. As of 2014, Romanians annually observe Veterans’ Day on November 11, concurrently with other European countries, the US, Canada and Australia. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended on November 11, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.

DIPLOMACY — German chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Thursday had a phone conversation with the US President elect, Donald Trump, about maintaining relations between Germany and the US. The statement was made on Friday by the spokesman for the German Government, Georg Streiter. He said Angela Merkel is also due to have a meeting in Berlin on Thursday with the acting US president, Barack Obama, for talks on the free trade agreement between the US and EU.

HANDBALL — The Romanian womens handball champions, CSM Bucharest, on Friday qualified for the next stage of the Champions League, after defeating the Russian team Rostov Don, 22-20, away from home. This is the first win grabbed by the Romanian team after having sustained three consecutive defeats. In the next stage, the Romanian team will face the Danish team Midtjylland. After having played five matches, CSM ranks second in the group, with 4 points, just like Midtjylland. (Translated by C. Cotoiu and D. Vijeu)

11 November 2016
11 November, 2016

CAMPAIGN — Romania kicks off today its parliamentary election campaign, scheduled for December 11. Almost 6,500 people have registered as candidates for the 466 seats in the Senate and the lower chamber, on behalf of political parties or as independents. This election, the list system has been reinstated; the last time it was used was in the 2004 elections, with new norms of representation introduced for senators and deputies.

CHISINAU — Pro-Russian Socialist candidate Igor Dodon and pro-European reformer Maia Sandu face off on Sunday in the second round of elections in the Republic of Moldova. About three million citizens are called to the polls to vote directly for the president for the first time in 16 years, time in which the head of state was appointed by Parliament. Analysts say that this election has geopolitical implications. Dodon wants to join the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Union, while Sandu pleads for reforming the state and joining the EU.

TRUMP — Protests against Donald Trumps victory in the US presidential elections continued yesterday for a second day in several cities across the country, according to the Associated Press. Protesters fear that the future president will put a dent in civil rights and freedoms, given his campaign rhetoric regarding immigrants, Muslims and other groups. Trump tweeted in reaction to protests, saying that the protesters were hired by the media. In the meantime, the president elect had his first meeting with President Barack Obama to arrange a smooth transition of power. President Obama described the discussion as being encouraging. In turn, Trump thanked the president for his advice, and said that he would continue working with him in the future.

FOOTBALL — Romanias national football team plays today in Bucharest against Poland, in a game counting towards the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In the first three games in Group E, Romanians scored a devastating victory against Armenia in Yerevan, 5-0. They tied at home 1-all against Montenegro, and tied away from home in Kazakhstan with no goals scored. Montenegro and Poland lead the group with 7 points, and Romania follows, with 5 points. We recall that the national team is trained for the first time in its history by a foreign coach, German Cristoph Daum.

VETERANS DAY — Romania celebrates today Veterans Day, in military units and at heroes tombs across the country. In Bucharest, ceremonies and laying of wreaths were held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at the Monument of Heroes Fallen in Theaters of Operations and on Romanias Territory. Romanians have been celebrating Veterans Day on November 11, alongside the other European countries, the United States, Canada and Australia. This date marks the 1918 armistice between the Allies and the Central Powers which put an end to WWI.

PIPELINE — The gas pipeline between Romania and Bulgaria was inaugurated today, according to the Ministry of Energy in Sofia. It runs over 25 km, the longest such installation in Europe so far. The Bulgarian portion runs over 15.4 km, the one in Romania is 7.5 km long, with 2.1 km running under the river Danube, separating the two countries. The pipeline provides a secure and permanent supply of natural gas for home and industry consumers in the two countries. Its inauguration meets the requirement of the European Energy Union requiring the creation of gas transportation systems between member states. The gas pipeline is part of a wider plan to link natural gas networks in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria by the end of 2019.

HANDBALL — Romanian womens handball champions, CSM Bucharest, play today in an away game against the Russian team Rostov Don in the preliminaries of the Champions League. After three consecutive defeats, CSM is last in its group, with only two points, same as their Russian opponents, who are in third place. The group is led by Hungarian team Gyor, who hold eight points, followed by the Danish team FC Midtjylland, who are in second place with four points. CSM must secure a win in Russia in order to qualify. The first three teams in groups qualify for the main groups.

11 November 2016
Nachrichten 10.09.2016

Frankreichs Präsident François Hollande wird am Montag zu einem zweitägigen Besuch in Rumänien erwartet. Der Staatschef wird eine Delegation von Ministern, Unternehmern und Parlamentsabgeordneten leiten. Auf dem Programm steht allen voran eine Unterredung mit dem rumänischen Kollegen, Klaus Iohannis. Dabei soll es unter anderem um die Zukunft der EU gehen, ein vorbereitendes Gespräch vor dem informellen EU-Gipfel in Bratislava kommenden Freitag. Anschließend soll Hollande gemeinsam mit dem rumänischen Ministerpräsidenten Dacian Cioloş die Hubschrauber-Fabrik von Airbus in Ghimbav bei Kronstadt einweihen. Die Gesamtinvestition in den Standort beläuft sich auf etwa 40 Millionen Euro, das erste zivile Hubschraubermodell soll 2017 geliefert werden. Im Jahr 2018 sollen auch die ersten Militärhubschrauber gefertigt werden. Rumäniens Präsident Iohannis hatte nach dem Gewinn der Wahlen 2014 seinen ersten Auslandsbesuch im Februar 2015 in Frankreich absolviert.

Das Außenministerium in Bukarest hat die im Ausland lebenden Rumänen aufgerufen, sich in das Wahlregister einzutragen. Die Frist für die Anmeldung läuft kommenden Mittwoch ab. Davon betroffen sind rumänische Staatsbürger mit festem oder vorübergehenden Wohnsitz im Ausland. Bei der Anmeldung für das Wahlregister müssen sich die Wahlberechtigten für die Briefwahl oder die Stimmabgabe in einem Wahllokal entscheiden. Die Parlamentswahl findet in Rumänien dieses Jahr am 11. Dezember statt. Der Wahlkampf läuft im Zeitraum 11.November-10.Dezember.

Die Europäische Kommission und die Energieminister aus 12 EU-Ländern haben in Budapest ein regionales Kooperationsabkommen für den Βau eines Pipelinenetzes in Südosteuropa unterzeichnet. Das sogenannte BRUA-Projekt soll Südosteuropas Gasversorgung diversifizieren. BRUA steht für Bulgarien, Rumänien, Ungarn und Österreich – das Projekt soll Mitteleuropa künftig mit Erdgas aus dem kaspischen Raum und dem Schwarzen Meer beliefern, berichtete Euronews. Laut der Vereinbarung in Budapest sollen 180 Millionen Euro von der Europäischen Kommission in den rumänischen Teil des Netzes investiert werden. Der rumänische Netzbetreiber Tranzgaz wird 220 Millionen beisteuern.

10 September 2016