Radio România Internațional

Tag: PNL

  • February 25, 2025 UPDATE

    February 25, 2025 UPDATE

    WB Representatives of Romania’s Environment Ministry on Tuesday met World Bank officials for talks that focused on increasing the capability of creating and improving the programmes aimed at monitoring the quality of air at national level, ways of preventing wildfires and solutions regarding Romania’s vulnerability to drought and flooding. “Romania is on an ambitious course of sustainability and environmental reforms need solid investment and strong partnerships”, Environment Minister Mircea Fechet says, according to a communiqué released by the institution. Talks also focused on finding the most effective mechanisms of funding and implementing green projects be they about curbing CO2 emissions, waste management, reforestation, the protection of biodiversity or the transition towards circular economy. “We need innovative and sustainable solutions and the WB expertise provides valuable support in this sense” – the minister went on to say.

     

    TALKS Romania’s interim President, Ilie Bolojan, will be holding talks with all parliamentary parties on Wednesday to prepare Romania’s position at the special European Council meeting on March 6. The main topics of discussion are related to support for Ukraine and the preparation of the European Union’s common defense strategy, after the American administration announced that it wants to reduce its military presence in Europe. Each of the seven parties represented in Parliament and the parliamentary group of national minorities has been allocated an hour for discussions. In a message conveyed on Tuesday, Ilie Bolojan says that a series of decisions will be made at the upcoming summit, which is going to have a direct effect on Romania. “Against this complicated and dynamic background, when we are witnessing a series of changes at international level, it would be necessary for us to adjust our foreign policy to be able to handle these challenges. However there are things that aren’t going to change, namely Romania’s national interests, a safe and prosperous country, a trustworthy country at peace with its neighbours. We are a safe country because we are benefitting from solid defence guarantees” Ilie Bolojan said.

     

    MOTION A censure motion against the PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition government in Bucharest was submitted to Parliament on Tuesday. The document was signed by 154 parliamentarians from what is known as ‘the sovereignist bloc’ made up of SOS Romania, AUR and POT. However USR, also in opposition, has announced that it does not back the motion, as there are not enough votes to endorse it and that the process should have been initiated after the presidential elections in May. The signatories are accusing the Executive of illegitimacy, corruption and incompetence in managing the economy and European funds. PSD, PNL and UDMR believe the initiative will not be successful. The motion will be debated and voted upon on Friday.

     

    SALES The Romanian carmaker Dacia’s sales in Europe registered an annual decline of 5.2% in January, and the car manufacturer’s market share fell to 4.9% from 5.1%, data released on Tuesday by the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers say. The statistical data is valid for the European Union, the United Kingdom and the countries of the European Free Trade Association, namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Large car manufacturers reported mixed sale developments in January: increases of 5.4% at Renault and 16.6% at Volkswagen, but a decrease of 12.2% at Ford. The European Commission is hosting talks between car manufacturers, suppliers and unions in the field, with a view to implementing plans at EU level to protect the automotive sector, vital for the prosperity of the community bloc. In recent weeks, European carmakers have announced plant closures and layoffs, amid competition from rivals in China and the prospect of additional tariffs from the US. The European car sector employs 13.2 million people and accounts for 10.3% of all jobs in the EU industry.

     

    RATE After ten months in which Romania had the highest average annual inflation in the EU, in January 2025 Hungary climbed to first position, with 5.7%, followed by Romania, with 5.3%, and Croatia, with 5 percent, according to data published by the European Statistical Office. At the opposite end, last month, the lowest average annual inflation rates in the EU were recorded in Denmark (1.4%), Ireland, Italy and Finland (1.7%). Compared to December 2024, Eurostat shows that the average annual inflation rate decreased in eight EU member states, including Romania, from 5.5% to 5.3%, remained stable in four and increased in 15 countries. The National Bank has revised upwards the inflation forecast in Romania for the end of 2025, from 3.5% to 3.8%. The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, anticipates that this indicator will reach 3.1% at the end of 2026.

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  • February 11, 2025 UPDATE

    February 11, 2025 UPDATE

    RESIGNATION Romania’s outgoing president Klaus Iohannis is ending his mandate and Senate Speaker Ilie Bolojan will be taking over as interim president. Klaus Iohannis stepped down on Monday after a suspension procedure had been initiated against him in Parliament. On Tuesday the Constitutional Court took note of President Klaus Iohannis’ resignation and ruled that Senate Speaker Ilie Bolojan take over as interim president starting February 12. Bolojan had stepped down as president of the National Liberal Party (PNL). Klaus Iohannis served as president in two mandates and his last one was supposed to end in December 2024. However, the Constitutional Court ruled to cancel the first round of election in December due to interferences in the election process. Romania will have presidential election in two rounds, on May 4 and 18.

    TRADE The EU Polish presidency summoned the member states on Wednesday for talks over the effects and the response of the community bloc to the US decision to levy higher import taxes on all steel and aluminum entering the USA. According to our correspondent in Brussels, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen says the US decision will trigger a similar response from the EU. To similar decisions by president Trump in his first mandate, the EU responded by imposing taxes on a series of US products. The US taxes could trigger an inflow of steel and aluminum imports from the global market, and the oversupply could seriously affect the local producers, including from Romania.

    REAL ESTATE As of Tuesday ruling coalition MPs are holding public consultations in order to regulate protection measures addressing people who conclude sale-purchase deeds with real estate developers. Representatives of real estate developers, public notaries and the National Agency for Land Registry and Real Estate Advertising are also expected to take part. The goal is to complete the legal framework with regulations that will offer the end beneficiaries robust guarantees for the advances paid in real estate transactions and that will also ensure the development and proper functioning of the relevant market in Romania. The initiative comes after hundreds of people who got scammed in the Nordis case called for amending the relevant legislation. Former PSD deputy Laura Vicol, her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă, the main shareholder of the Nordis group, and three other people were put on pre-trial arrest as part of this investigation. The inquiry targets individuals and companies accused of having collected over 195 million EUROS from clients without handing over the apartments.

    112 The buildings of over 100 public and private institutions in Romania were lit in red on Tuesday, marking the European 112 Day. By means of a symbolic visual approach, the Special Telecommunications Service wants to draw attention to the instrumental role of the single emergency number and to encourage citizens to use it responsibly. Abusive emergency calls can jeopardize the swift intervention of specialized teams where it is needed the most, Service officials say. In 2024, as a result of the efforts of the relevant authorities and emergency response services, as well as other government partners and private telecommunications operators, the number of non-emergency calls decreased by nearly one million compared to previous years. 112 Emergency Service operators took over 9.7 million calls, of which 60.45% were actual emergencies, the Special Telecommunications Service also reports.

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  • Crin Antonescu endorsed by the ruling coalition

    Crin Antonescu endorsed by the ruling coalition

    The former Liberal leader, Crin Antonescu, has been endorsed by the parties that form the ruling coalition in Bucharest to run in the upcoming presidential election as their candidate.

    After first getting the support of the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, on Sunday, Antonescu, was endorsed by the representatives of the Social Democrats. His validation was expressed during a special congress held in Bucharest on Sunday, which was attended by thousands of delegates. Parties that are part of the incumbent ruling coalition in Romania must provide the correct alternative: Crin Antonescu, a person with a presidential profile, a man competent and experienced, the PSD president, Marcel Ciolacu says. According to him, at the previous election round in December last year, a round that was invalidated by the Constitutional Court due to interferences, Romania suffered a real social trauma, and the accumulated social frustration in time turned into an anti-system fury that eventually erupted. And for this reason, this moment is of major importance.

    Marcel Ciolacu: “Here at the PSD, we never gave up when the going was tough and we must assume this moment as well, with the same amount of courage. To leave the country now prey to the mystic nationalism would be an act of cowardice towards the people and an unpardonable betrayal to Romania’s future. To repeat the same mistakes in the presidential election in May, would mean to set Romania’s clock 35 years back.”    

    Crin Antonescu says that against the tense international background, Romania has to defend and observe its condition of an EU member country, a member of NATO and the strategic partnership with the United States of America.

    The former Liberal leader pledged to be a strong president through commitment, attitude, dedication and partnership

    Crin Antonescu: “I will be a strong president, not through the violation of the Constitution, not through its abusive interpretation, or by betraying its spirit, nor through machinations involving the secret services, or by interfering with or influencing the justice, which has been one of the biggest misfortunes of the past two decades in Romania.”

    Referring to the statement of the extremist-sovereignist candidate, Călin Georgescu, who ended up on the first position in the previous round of voting and who said that he would dismantle the political parties, if elected, Antonescu argued that the disappearance of the political parties is tantamount to the disappearance of democracy, pluralism and freedom.

    Before granting their support, the PSD, PNL and UDMR had ordered sociological surveys according to which, Crin Antonescu ranks among the firsts and stands good chances of making it to the second round. The first round has been slated for May 4 and the second for May 18.

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  • January 26, 2025 UPDATE 3

    January 26, 2025 UPDATE 3

    PNL The former PNL president, Crin Antonescu, has been unanimously confirmed as the joint candidate of the PSD-PNL-UDMR ruling coalition for the upcoming presidential election. ‘The presidential election campaign is the most important political battle for Romania after the fall of communism’, says the PNL interim president, Ilie Bolojan. He pointed out that firm actions, good ruling practices and transparency are needed to regain the trust of the Romanians. Antonescu says he is not running in the presidential race for himself or for the National Liberal Party, but for the country’s citizens and for Romania. The Liberals are the first to have officially validated Antonescu’s candidacy. UDMR is to announce its preference next week, while on February 2, the Social-Democrats are going to convene for a special congress. The first and second round of the presidential election have been slated for May 4 and 18. We recall that in December last year, Romania’s Constitutional Court invalidated the presidential election on grounds of foreign interferences in the election process. That cancelled first round had been won by the pro-Russia extremist candidate, Calin Georgescu.

     

    REACTION Romania’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, on Sunday announced the setting up at the government level of a crisis cell for the effective coordination of the activities of recovering the four Romanian ancient artefacts stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands. The aforementioned cell includes representatives of the Romanian police as well as from the Foreign, Interior and Culture Ministries. The Prime Minister says he held talks with Interior Minister, Catalin Predoiu, on the urgent dispatching of a forensic team, who will work together with the Dutch authorities on the case. The General Prosecutor’s Office says that a criminal file has been made ex officio on the burglary in Assen. All the stolen artefacts have been insured under the Romanian and international legislation according to exhibition staging procedures. In a news conference at the National History Museum in Bucharest, director Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu says the artefacts stolen from the Dutch museum are being covered by a-35 million Euros insurance with a Dutch insurance company.

     

    VISIT Romania’s Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, will be attending the proceedings of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council, which is getting underway in Brussels on Monday. The meeting’s agenda includes Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the EU-US relations. The energy crisis in the Republic of Moldova and the latest developments in Georgia are also high on the agenda. On Tuesday, Minister Hurezeanu is expected to hold talks with NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, with the Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, Roxana Mînzatu, and with the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos.

     

    WIN The Romanian women’s handball champions, CSM Bucharest, on Sunday won their away game against Danish side Nykobing, 29-27 and advanced to the third place in the Champions League’s Group A. The Hungarian side Ferencvaros ranks first in the group followed by the French from Metz. Another Romanian side, Gloria Bistrita, is ranking 7th in the group, while the third Romanian team in the competition, Rapid Bucharest, lost to Danish side Esbjerg in group B 26-28 on Sunday. Rapid is presently ranking 7th in the group.

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  • January 26, Newsflash UPDATE 2

    January 26, Newsflash UPDATE 2

    PNL The former PNL president, Crin Antonescu, has been unanimously confirmed as the joint candidate of the PSD-PNL-UDMR ruling coalition for the upcoming presidential election. The presidential election campaign is the most important political battle for Romania after the fall of communism, says the PNL interim president, Ilie Bolojan. He pointed out that firm actions, good ruling practices and transparency are needed to regain the trust of the Romanians. Antonescu says he is not running in the presidential race for himself or for the National Liberal Party, but for the country’s citizens and for Romania. The Liberals are the first to have officially validated Antonescu’s candidacy. UDMR is to announce its preference next week, while on February 2, the Social-Democrats are going to convene for a special congress. The first and second round of the presidential election have been slated for May 4 and 18. We recall that in December last year, Romania’s Constitutional Court invalidated the presidential election on grounds of foreign interferences in the election process. That cancelled first round had been won by the pro-Russia extremist candidate, Calin Georgescu.

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  • January 26, 2025

    January 26, 2025

    BUDGET Romania’s 2025 draft budget will be presented to the government and submitted to Parliament for approval in the following days. The Executive intends to submit it for voting by senators and deputies right in the first week of the future Legislature, which gets underway on February 3. The present budget construction targets a 7% GDP deficit as compared to 8.6% last year and in order to achieve that goal, the government has already decided to freeze any pay rise and indexation for state budget employees as well as any pension indexation aimed at adjusting to the inflation rate. Central public institutions and state companies are also to be reorganized and streamlined. The aforementioned austerity measures have caused discontent and a series of protests.

     

    PNL Liberals have today validated the former PNL president Crin Antonescu, as the ruling coalition’s joint candidate for the presidential election slated for May. Antonescu must also get validation from the ruling partners – PSD and UDMR, which is to be followed by a joint event aimed at launching Antonescu in the presidential race. The first and the second rounds of the presidential election have been slated for May 4 and 18, after the Constitutional Court’s cancellation of a first round in December. The Court based its ruling on a report issued by the country’s Higher Defence Council, which referred to foreign interference in the election process. The aforementioned allegations have not been confirmed by legal investigators yet. Tens of thousands Romanians have taken to the streets calling for the resumption of the December election, whose cancellation they believe was unjustified.

     

    HEIST The Dutch police have published the first images with the initial moments of the burglary at the Drents Museum in Assen, from where thieves stole priceless Romanian jewelry in the early hours of Saturday morning. The footage shows that the thieves used explosive to blast their way into the museum. Investigators, who have called on the Interpol to help with the investigation, have announced the discovery of a suspect burnt vehicle, which could be related to the robbery. The thieves have left with three Dacian spiral bracelets and the exhibition’s central piece – the decorated Helmet of Coţofeneşti, which are dating back almost 25 hundred years ago. All these artefacts belonged to Romania’s National History Museum, being the most valuable in an exhibition entitled ”Dacia! The Kingdom of Gold and Silver” opened at the Drents Museum in July last year, and which was supposed to have its last day today. During a phone call with president Klaus Iohannis, the Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, has given assurances that the police are doing everything possible to identify the thieves and recuperate the treasure.

     

    REACTION The General Prosecutor’s Office in Bucharest has announced the opening of a criminal file in the case of the Assen heist. The investigation is being carried out by prosecutors with the Higher Court Prosecutor’s Office and Romanian police experts. The ancient artefacts stolen from Drents must be quickly recovered and safely returned to Romania – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says. The chair of the Culture Committee with the Chamber of Deputies, Mihail Neamtu, has also called for an ample investigation into the way in which the Dacian treasure was exposed and jeopardized. The stolen artefacts are an incommensurable loss for Romania and the Romanian authorities jointly with their Dutch counterparts have the obligation to make all possible efforts to recover and bring them to Romania right away, says the opposition USR.

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  • December 23, 2024 UPDATE

    December 23, 2024 UPDATE

     

     

    GOVERNMENT The new government in Bucharest, headed by the social-democrat Marcel Ciolacu and made up of the pro-European parties PSD, PNL, UDMR and the group of the national minorities has got the investiture vote in Parliament. All the 16 members proposed to become part of the new Executive on Monday got the greenlight following the hearing in the Legislative’s specialized committees. The Prime Minister had said the new government would not resort to austerity measures, but public spending must be decent. The PNL interim leader Ilie Bolojan said that his party signed the agreement to form a stable government, which will carry out reforms during a difficult period. He announced that former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu is the coalition’s joint candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The UDMR president Kelemen Hunor says the current coalition seeks to gain people’s trust in order to overcome the political deadlock. However, the AUR MPs believe the programme presented by the PSD leader is unrealistic and the USR representatives say the new government does not meet the citizens’ expectations. Previously, the leaders of PSD, PNL, UDMR and the leader of the group of national minorities signed a political agreement to form a Parliament majority and a government.  According to Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, the new pro-European coalition stands good chances of continuing Romania’s good track record, following the undeniably good economic results obtained and the Schengen accession.

     

    DAY In a message conveyed on Revolution Victory Day, President Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is “at a turning point” and must firmly reject attempts to revise history, which aim to “defame the memory of the heroes of democratic Romania and mystify the truth about the dictatorial regime”. The head of state pointed out that the freedom for which the heroes of the Revolution sacrificed themselves is “more alive and present than ever” today, 35 years on. A number of events were held throughout the country to mark the anti-communist revolution of 1989, with participants recalling protesters’ aspirations back then for democracy and a European path for Romania.

     

    PARLIAMENT PSD MP Ciprian Șerban was on Monday elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies in the new Parliament. The interim leader of PNL, Ilie Bolojan, was elected Senate Speaker. We recall that four pro-European parties entered Parliament – ​​PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR – and three self-proclaimed sovereignist parties, AUR, SOS Romania and POT.

     

    FORECAST The National Strategy and Forecast Commission has significantly downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2024 from 2.8% previously to 1%, amid an accelerated decline in activity, especially in industry and agriculture. The only sector with a positive estimated impact was services. In its autumn forecast, published in November, the European Commission estimates that the Romanian economy will report an economic slowdown this year, up to 1.4%, but the gradual recovery of external demand, the easing of financial conditions, resilient private consumption and an acceleration of investments will support economic growth up to 2.5% in 2025 and 2.9% in 2026.

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  • December 5, 2024 UPDATE

    December 5, 2024 UPDATE

    VOTE The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest on Thursday announced that it briefed the allied states on the attempted foreign interferences in the election campaign in Romania. ‘The Romanian Authorities are investigating this attempted initiative underway. ‘We are going to take all the measures needed to protect democracy, national security and sovereignty’, says a communiqué by the Foreign Ministry. In the meantime, the General Prosecutor’s Office was notified ex officio after checking the documents presented by the country’s Higher Defence Council regarding the campaign of independent candidate Calin Georgescu, which were declassified. An investigation is underway on various charges such as election fraud and money laundering. In another development the Constitutional Court on Thursday got four notifications calling for the cancellation of the results in the first round of the presidential election. The head of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Grebla says the election cannot be cancelled because the terms stipulated by the law have been exceeded and the Constitutional Court has validated the results. The independent candidate Calin Georgescu will be facing the pro-European Elena Lasconi in the presidential runoff due on 8 December. Romanians abroad will have three days to cast their ballot starting this Friday.

     

    EU The European Commission has called on the TikTok platform to preserve all the information in its system linked to the EU election for thorough examination. The Commission has summoned representatives from the member states, European institutions and digital platforms to asses the risks posed by the information systems at the level of the entire bloc starting from Romania’s case. After the outcome of the first round of its presidential election, Romania had called on the European Commission to launch a formal investigation into the platform under the community rules on social media. On Tuesday in the European Parliament, the platform defended the measures it had implemented to fight misinformation in the first round of the presidential election in Romania and denied the allegation that it would have favoured the independent candidate Calin Georgescu. In another development the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken on Thursday said the Romanian authorities had revealed a large-scale and well-funded Russian effort to influence the presidential election.” Earlier, the US Department of State said in a communique that ”Romania’s hard-earned progress anchoring itself in the Transatlantic community cannot be turned back by foreign actors seeking to shift Romania’s foreign policy away from its Western alliances.”

     

    ECONOMY The analysts’ trust in the Romanian economy dropped last month amid the latest political developments. A survey among the experts forecasts a higher inflation rate in the coming year, a depreciated national currency and an economic growth lower than initially expected. The Macroeconomic Trust Indicator of CFA Romania dropped by 13.5 points down to 31.4 points, the lowest level since 2020. 77% of the pundits questioned have forecast a depreciated local currency in the following 12 months, while the rest believes it is going to stagnate. The budget deficit envisaged for the year 2025 would stay at 7.2% of the GDP, the economic growth at 1.3% and the public debt at 58%.

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  • Politicians and corruption scandals

    Politicians and corruption scandals

    Press reports and prosecutor investigations are brushing the lists of politicians with whom the Romanian political parties want to attend the upcoming Parliamentary elections, due on December 1 in Romania.

     

    Last week, Social-Democrat Laura Vicol stepped down from her position of chair of the Legal Committee of the Chambers of Deputies. Her resignation comes amid an investigation released by media platform Recorder over the real estate scandal Nordis, which wouldn’t be anything but a scam of gigantic proportions.

    The report delves into the “business of a political-real-estate clan with connections at the highest level”, whose main associate is Laura Vicol’s husband, Vladimir Ciorbă.

    The woman eventually stepped down from the ruling Social Democratic Party as well but only after lashing out at the media and its ways of destroying innocent people.

    Next it was the turn of the National Liberal Party, part of the same ruling coalition in Romania, to face a corruption scandal after the Chamber of Deputies had green-lighted an investigation by the anti-corruption prosecutors into the bribery allegations concerning the former Health Minister, Nelu Tătaru.

    The man has protested his innocence, saying that he never accepted money from patients and that he wants justice to be made. That, however, failed to impress the prosecutors who have presented evidence for continued bribery.

    The press is being entertained by this case, in which a reputed surgeon and respected minister used to accept not only money from patients but also living poultry.

    Tataru held the seat of the Health Ministry during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The National Liberal Party has decided to strip Tataru of all his political prerogatives writing him off as a potential candidate in the upcoming election.

    Also last week, senator Eugen Pîrvulescu was placed under criminal investigation for influence peddling, which also involved the former director of the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (OSIM), Marian-Cătălin Burcescu.

    Unlike Tătaru, Pîrvulescu is not a hot potato for the Liberals. Elected four years ago on a PNL ticket he remained unknown until the aforementioned corruption scandal. He had left the party to join the campaign team of the allegedly independent candidate Mircea Geoană – formerly known as a long-lasting PSD leader.  

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  • August 26, 2024 UPDATE

    August 26, 2024 UPDATE

    TAXES – The government does not plan to increase taxes, but will focus on accelerating the digitalization of National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF), increasing budget collection and reforming public expenditure. The announcement was made by Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, after Monday’s meeting with the Concordia Employers’ Confederation. He promised that, starting next year, there would be consultations with the business environment regarding the tax reform and that no decision would be made in this respect without discussions with the entrepreneurs. The representatives of the executive and those of the business environment also discussed the implementation of the e-Invoice, e-VAT, e-Transport systems, the RetuRO guarantee-return system, the preparation for the implementation of the European minimum wage, as well as the problems in the Romanian tourism.

     

    SURVEY – The candidates of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL), Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciucă, respectively, would enter the second round of the presidential election in Romania, if elections were held next Sunday, according to the results of a CURS survey published on Sunday. Regarding the parliamentary elections, the PSD leads in the preferences of the electorate, followed by its ruling partner, the PNL. The survey, about which we talk in detail after the news, was conducted between August 6-22, on a sample of 1,067 respondents, with an error margin of plus/minus 3%.

     

    POLITICS – The PSD – PNL ruling coalition in Romania can work in the future as well, according to the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democrats. He believes the future government could be sworn in before Christmas, on December 23rd. In his opinion, despite the acid statements coming from both sides amid the launch of candidacies for the presidential election this fall, the current government in Bucharest will function until the general elections, scheduled for December 1st, Romania’s National Day. In this context, the prime minister said that he would like Romania’s budget for 2025 to be approved soon after that date, by the current Government and Parliament makeup. Ciolacu also said that, given the context, PSD sees no other ruling coalition in the future than the one with the National Liberal Party.

     

    DROUGHT – The Romanian government will discuss, this week, the first set of measures for the farmers affected by the drought. The agriculture minister Florin Barbu and the farmers’ representatives have recently discussed granting compensations for the damage caused by the drought and for a new package of measures to combat the effects of the drought, a package that the minister is going to present to the government members. The authorities are also considering the creation of a mechanism agreed with the Financial Supervisory Authority for state insurance of an area of ​​about 7 million hectares, with an insurance premium of 3,000 lei (600 Euros) for each hectare. Installing local irrigation systems and forest curtains is also considered.

     

    WEATHER – Almost all of Romania is in the grip of a heat wave and severe thermal discomfort, with weather alerts in place as temperatures rose to 38 degrees Celsius. In the northwest, center-west, partially in the east and south, there is a code yellow alert for heatwave and high thermal discomfort. The temperature-humidity index will exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. In the coming days, the heat wave will subside and the atmospheric instability will increase.

     

    VISAS – The US administration is to announce, on October 15, a decision regarding the visa waiver for Romanians, which would apply starting from 2025, Romanian government sources stated. During this period, the Romanian executive is carrying out the “We qualify Romania” campaign, which aims at including the country in the American Visa Waiver program and at exempting it from obtaining travel visas to the US. As part of the campaign, launched on July 18, Bucharest undertook to meet the technical criteria for joining the Visa Waiver by September 30, 2024, the date on which the American fiscal year ends. Among them is a refusal rate below 3% of US B1 and B2 visas for business and tourism granted to Romanian citizens during the fiscal year 2024. In this sense, the government, through the Foreign Ministry, urges as many Romanian citizens as possible to renew their US visa by September 30.

     

    GRADUATES – More than 260 young Romanians graduated, on Monday, from the National Training School for Penitentiary Officers in Târgu Ocna (east). Attending the event, the Minister of Justice Alina Gorghiu has said that the graduates will work in various prisons in the country. She had previously announced that the penitentiary system in Romania has a deficit of about 3,000 jobs and that, in this sense, she will submit a memorandum to the Government. Also, the minister encouraged young people to enroll in the school in Târgu Ocna, which soon starts a new series of prison ward courses. She also said that salaries in the penitentiary system are good, having been increased this year. (EE)

  • The registration of candidates for a new local administration has begun

    The registration of candidates for a new local administration has begun

    The super-election year in Romania, as newspapers have dubbed it, with presidential election in September and Parliamentary election in December, comes with a first on June 9th: the ballot for the European Parliament will be taking place concurrently with the election for the local administration.

    15 political formations have already submitted their lists of virtual MEPs adding to the already known seven independent candidates. Tuesday will also see the registration of those running for the seats of mayors, presidents of local and county councils, and for local and county councilors.

    Political parties, alliances, the citizens’ organizations belonging to national minorities and independent candidates can submit their candidacies at the election bureaus until April 30th.

    The documents, according to a decision of the Central Election Bureau must include a list of candidates, a list of supporters for each candidate, a copy of their ID documents, income and interest declarations, a declaration of accepting the candidacy, an affidavit that they didn’t work for or collaborate with the former political police of the communist regime, known as the Securitate.

    The election campaign for the European Parliament on the public and private radio and TV channels, starts on May 10, zero hour and ends on June 8, at 7 hours. The press expects a noisy and intricate campaign due to the unexpected overlapping elections. Analysts say that this risks to contaminate debates over Brussels’ policies, such as the famous and unpopular Green Deal, which stirred heated debates among the candidates over potholes on certain village roads. According to mass-media, the most bizarre is the situation of the PSD-PNL government coalition.

    When they decided to stage the two elections on the same day, the rulers invoked the idea of cutting expenses and the turnout, which is supposed to be higher when people must vote for their mayors then for MEPs.

    Furthermore, in another absolute first, the two ruling parties have drawn a joint list for the EU election, although they are part of different political families at European level, PSD belongs to the Socialists whereas the PNL to the People’s Party. In Romania, however, the Social-Democrats and the Liberals will have their own candidates in city halls and county councils and that promises a cut-throat election race. And although the election campaign hasn’t started yet, political debates on various TV channels are already fraught with mutual attacks between the representatives of the two ruling parties.

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  • A complicated electoral timetable in Romania

    A complicated electoral timetable in Romania

    Debated for a long time in the public space in Romania, the idea of ​​merging some of the elections marking the super-election year 2024 seems to have materialized. The local and European Parliament elections will take place at the same time, respectively on June 9, the two parties forming the government coalition, PSD (Social Democratic Party) and PNL (National Liberal Party) decided. The Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democrats, also announced that the presidential election will be held in September, most likely in two rounds, and the parliamentary elections in December. Ciolacu claims that the decision to merge the elections was made so as to guarantee a large voter turnout and to block the rise of what he calls extremist parties, which are gaining momentum throughout Europe. Moreover, although they belong to different European political families – PSD is a member of the Socialists group, and PNL of the European People’s Party, and will have their own candidates for mayoral, local and county council elections, the two big parties will go, for the first time, on a joint list at the European Parliament elections.

     

    Marcel Ciolacu: “We decided to have an electoral alliance for the European Parliament elections list. It is obvious that only the two big parties can unite and face an extremist wave. Neither of the two political forces can engage in this struggle alone.”

     

    In turn, the Speaker of the Romanian Senate, the leader of PNL, Nicolae Ciucă, says that the ruling coalition’s decision is meant to guarantee internal stability, while also taking into account the current international security context, making reference to the situation in neighboring Ukraine, invaded by the Russian army.

     

    Nicolae Ciucă: “From all the discussions we’ve had, Romanians want stability, they want peace, they want to see about their everyday life and, in this way, I think it is absolutely necessary that, at certain moments, the political parties should show a minimum sacrifice and give up pride, for everything that means the interest of the Romanians and the stability of the country.”

     

    The opposition, on the other hand, vehemently contests the merging of local elections with the European Parliament elections. The United Right Alliance, made up of the USR – Save Romania Union (in Parliament), The Force of the Right (a liberal dissidence) and PMP – People’s Movement Party (founded by the former president Traian Băsescu), announced that they would challenge in court all the laws issued by the government on the issue of combined elections.

     

    The president of the Force of the Right party, the former liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban: “If they come up with a bill, we will attack it at the Constitutional Court. If they issue an emergency ordinance, obviously, we will notify the Ombudsman, which is the only institution able to trigger constitutional control within the framework of emergency ordinances. We will also challenge in court both the ordinance and the government decision that will be issued.”

     

    Also from the opposition, the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR considers the merging of elections illegal and unconstitutional but claims that it can adapt to any type of elections, whether they are held on time or combined.

     

    The AUR leader, George Simion: “Considering the government’s haste to hold combined elections, we will also change our strategy, if we also have local elections on June 9, in total contempt of the Constitution, and the state institutions fail to intervene through its representatives, we will accept common candidates from all rightist parties to fight with the PSD-PNL representative, no matter what his or her name is.”

     

    In their turn, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR says that it is not affected by this decision of the governing coalition, with which it governed until last year. (LS)

  • Zusammenlegung von Wahlgängen: Erste Sondierungsgespräche in der Koalition ergebnislos ausgegangen

    Zusammenlegung von Wahlgängen: Erste Sondierungsgespräche in der Koalition ergebnislos ausgegangen





    In Rumänien finden in diesem Jahr gleich vier Wahlgänge statt — Europawahlen, Kommunalwahlen, Parlamentswahlen und Präsidentschaftswahlen. Ein noch nie dagewesenes Superwahljahr 2024, und die politischen Parteien fiebern schon jetzt dem Wettbewerb um die Gunst der Wähler entgegen. Allen voran die Sozialdemokraten und Liberalen, die trotz der regierenden Koalition auch Kontrahenten bei den Wahlen bleiben. Vor diesem Hintergrund gibt es seit vergangener Woche Überlegungen, einige Wahlgänge zusammenzulegen. Doch geht es dabei nicht nur ums Ansinnen, Geld zu sparen oder den Wählern den Urnengang zu erleichtern — für die PSD wie für die PNL steht auch politisches Kalkül dahinter, daher wird vorerst noch taktiert.



    Die am gestrigen Montag stattgefundenen Beratungen der Koalitionspartner sind ergebnislos ausgegangen — konkret wurde kein Einvernehmen über eine mögliche Zusammenlegung verschiedener Wahlgänge erzielt. Im Raum steht die Zusammenlegung der Wahlen für das Europäische Parlament mit den Kommunalwahlen am 9. Juni, und später im Herbst könnten die Parlamentswahlen zeitgleich mit dem ersten oder zweiten Urnengang für die Präsidentschaftswahlen stattfinden, so die Überlegungen. Den Liberalen würde eher die zweite Variante passen, wie PNL-Chef Nicolae Ciucă noch vor den Unterredungen mit dem Koalitionspartner eröffnete:



    Die Rede ist von einer Zusammenlegung mehrerer Wahlgänge, damit die Wähler nicht gleich fünfmal innerhalb von sechs Monaten zu den Urnen müssen. Die Parlamentswahlen gleichzeitig mit der Stichwahl für das Präsidentenamt stattfinden zu lassen, könnte daher eine Lösung sein. Nach unserer Auffassung wäre allerdings der erste Urnengang für die Präsidentenwahl auch im Sinne der Wahlgesetzgebung besser geeignet gewesen für eine Zusammenlegung mit den Parlamentswahlen. Deshalb haben wir noch vor diesen Unterredungen grünes Licht vom Ständigen Büro der Partei für Verhandlungen zu diesem Vorsto‎ß eingeholt.“




    Doch dem Koalitionspartner PSD schwebt eher eine Zusammenlegung der Kommunalwahlen mit den Europawahlen vor — als grö‎ßte Partei mit einer disziplinierten Wählerschaft würde sie davon profitieren. Zudem hat sich aus dem bisherigen Verlauf der Wahlgänge im postkommunistischen Rumänien gezeigt, dass regierende Parteien mit dem grö‎ßeren Gewicht in der Regel besser bei Kommunalwahlen abschneiden. Ein weiteres Treffen der Spitzenpolitiker der Sozialdemokraten und Liberalen ist auf kommenden Freitag anberaumt, und es ist fraglich, ob bis dahin ein für alle tragbarer Kompromiss ausgehandelt werden kann. Dennoch stehen beide Gro‎ßparteien unter Druck — bis Anfang März muss die Exekutive die entsprechenden gesetzlichen Bestimmungen für die Europawahlen erlassen. Marcel Ciolacu, Chef der Sozialdemokraten und amtierender Premierminister, drängt auf die Festlegung eines klaren Zeitplans für die Wahlen, an dem nicht mehr gerüttelt werden sollte:



    Für mich als Premierminister, aber auch als Parteivorsitzender, ist es wichtig, dass wir vor den Wählern als Koalition auftreten, die den Bürgern Respekt entgegenbringt — daher müssen klare Termine für alle Wahlen festgelegt werden, um endlose Diskussionen über Zusammenlegungen oder Terminverschiebungen zu vermeiden. Deshalb brauchen wir einen klaren Kalender, alle demokratischen Parteien sollten sich dazu bekennen, und damit treten wir dann auch an. Wir haben alle möglichen Wahlen in einem Jahr — das ist eine Premiere in Rumänien.“




    Die Opposition läuft Sturm gegen eine mögliche Zusammenlegung unterschiedlicher Wahlgänge. Die querbeet von linksliberal bis rechtsnationalistisch zu verortenden Oppositionsparteien sind der Auffassung, dass eine Überschneidung der Wahlen nur für die Regierungsparteien von Vorteil wäre. Allesamt erachten sie die Zusammenlegung unterschiedlicher Wahlgänge als undemokratisch und verfassungswidrig und wollen im Falle einer derartigen Entscheidung vor das Verfassungsgericht klagen.

  • 08.02.2024 (mise à jour)

    08.02.2024 (mise à jour)

    USA
    – Le gouvernement de Bucarest a approuvé ce jeudi un projet législatif portant
    sur le renforcement de la coopération avec les États-Unis, afin de prévenir et
    de lutter contre les violations graves de la loi. Le projet vise entre autres
    la mise en place au niveau national des mécanismes censés permettre un échange
    d’informations avec le département américain de la Sécurité intérieure, par le
    biais d’une plate-forme informatique, développée et gérée par le ministère
    roumain de l’intérieur. L’inspection générale de la police roumaine,
    l’inspection générale de la police aux frontières et l’inspection générale de
    l’Immigration seront chargés de procéder aux contrôles automatisés afin de
    prévenir, dépister et lutter contre les infractions graves dans le cadre de
    cette collaboration roumano- américaine.












    Congo
    – Deux Roumains sont morts et plusieurs autres blessés dans les récents combats
    qui ont lieu dans la République
    démocratique du Congo, a fait savoir jeudi le Ministère roumain des Affaires
    étrangères. Les autorités roumaines recommandent aux Roumains d’éviter tout
    déplacement dans ce pays où la situation de sécurité reste problématique,
    notamment à la frontière avec le Burundi, le Rwanda et l’Ouganda.




    Parlement
    – Les bureaux permanents du Sénat et de la Chambre des Députés de Bucarest ont
    pris acte mercredi d’une lettre du président roumain, Klaus Iohannis dans
    laquelle il informait le Parlement du fait que la Force de réaction de l’OTAN
    pouvait entrer, stationner et transiter la Roumanie dans le cadre des
    potentiels exercices militaires ou opérations militaires, en 2024. Le chef de
    l’Etat précise avoir adopté cette décision dans l’actuel contexte de crise,
    quand l’instabilité reste la principale caractéristique de la nouvelle
    dynamique de sécurité. Par ailleurs, le premier ministre Marcel Ciolacu a
    déclaré qu’il était tout à fait normal que la législation nationale mette en
    place un service militaire volontaire rémunéré, selon une proposition du
    ministère de la Défense. Il a précisé que même si aucun danger ne menace actuellement
    la Roumanie, « les pays devraient se préparer aussi pour le pire ».






















    Elections
    – Après l’échec des consultations de jeudi, la coalition PSD-PNL au
    pouvoir en Roumanie reprendra lundi les discussions au sujet d’un potentiel regroupement
    des élections parlementaires européennes et des élections municipales. Le président du PSD et Premier ministre
    Marcel Ciolacu a déjà rejeté l’idée selon laquelle cette approche ne serait pas
    démocratique et a déclaré que d’autres pays européens avaient déjà pris de
    telles décisions. Le PNL affirme quant à lui que l’organisation simultanée des
    deux scrutins assurera une plus grande participation aux urnes et,
    implicitement, une plus grande légitimité à ceux qui seront élus. L’opposition critique cependant avec
    véhémence une telle possibilité, qu’elle juge antidémocratique et anticonstitutionnelle.
    L’alliance récemment formée par l’USR, Force de droite et le
    PMP a annoncé qu’elle contesterait toute initiative législative de regroupement auprès de la Cour constitutionnelle, et le
    parti AUR a de son coté organisé des manifestations devant les sièges des
    partis de la coalition gouvernementale. Rappelons que cette année ont lieu en
    Roumanie quatre scrutins : les élections parlementaires, les élections
    européennes, municipales et présidentielles.


    Chișinău
    – Le gouvernement de Chisinau a approuvé un mémorandum d’entente avec
    l’exécutif de Bucarest pour la mise en place des projets d’interconnexion gazière
    et d’électricité de Roumanie et de République de Moldova. Conclu à la fin de
    l’année dernière, le document vise à augmenter les capacités de transport du
    gaz naturel, parallèlement à un élargissement d’ici 2031, du gazoduc
    Iaşi-Ungheni-Chişinău. Le document vise à réaliser des projets stratégiques,
    dont une ligne électrique aérienne reliant la ville roumaine de Suceava à celle
    moldave de Bălţi.
















    Grippe
    – Le nombre de cas d’infections respiratoires recensés cette semaine, en
    Roumanie, a dépassé le niveau moyen enregistré en hiver, ces dernières années.
    L’Institut national de la Santé publique a annoncé 14 nouveaux décès dus à la
    grippe et plus de 135.000 infections respiratoires dont la plupart ont été
    rapportés à Bucarest, Cluj, Brasov, Constanta et Iasi.


    Tennis
    – La joueuse de tennis roumaine Jacqueline Cristian, a battu jeudi dans les
    huitièmes de finale du tournoi WTA 250 Transylvania Open la Danoise Clara
    Tauso. Une autre Roumaine, Ana Bogdan s’est qualifiée dans les quarts de finale
    du même tournoi après avoir battu la Russe Erika Andreeva en deux sets,
    mercredi soir, à Cluj-Napoca (Nord Ouest). La Roumaine affrontera par la suite Arantxa
    Rus, la grande favorite, en quarts de finale. Une autre Roumaine, Dans le cadre
    des quarts de finale du tournoi WTA 500 d’Abu Dhabi (Emirats Arabes Unis), la
    Roumaine Sorana Cîrstea rencontrera de sont côté la Russe Daria Kasatkina.

    Météo
    – En Roumanie, le temps continue à être particulièrement doux pour cette
    période de l’année. Le ciel est plutôt nuageux dans le nord et le nord-ouest où
    des pluies sont attendues. Le vent souffle légèrement sur l’ensemble du
    territoire et plus fort en altitude. Les températures maximales iront vendredi
    de 10 à 20 degrés.

  • Interviu cu eurodeputatul Daniel Buda

    Interviu cu eurodeputatul Daniel Buda

    Am discutat recent, la Strasbourg, cu eurodeputatul Daniel Buda, PNL, Grupul Partidului Popular European (Creștin Democrat), despre bilanţul Parlamentului European în legislatura 2019-2024, despre bilanţul său, ca eurodeputat din România, despre ce aşteaptă de la alegerile europene din iunie 2024 şi cum ar putea fi determinaţi tinerii să vină la vot.



    Domnul Buda este Vicepreședinte al Comisiei pentru agricultură și dezvoltare rurală şi membru supleant în Comisia pentru dezvoltare regională şi în Comisia pentru afaceri juridice din Parlamentul European.