Radio România Internațional

Tag: Poland

  • The benefits of Romania’s belonging in the EU

    The benefits of Romania’s belonging in the EU

    In January Romania marked 17 years of EU membership. In the same month an INSCOP poll showed that 9 out of 10 Romanians are against the idea that their country should get out of the community bloc, as compared to 72% in January 2022. Entitled “Romania between national and European in the misinformation era. Economic Patriotism, values and conspiracy”, the survey, ordered by Funky Citizens organization, has revealed a 67% trust rate in the European Union as compared to 56% in January 2022. The aforementioned survey was the first conducted after the shock caused by the cancellation of the presidential election in December last year.

    As if to respond to those who denigrate community institutions, who aren’t few nowadays, the Romanian Minister of Investment and European Projects, Marcel Bolos, writes on Facebook: “In a time when extremist voices are trying to downplay the benefits of Romania’s belonging in the European Union, let’s not forget that development is not an issue of naïve pride, but of pragmatism. Romania didn’t grow out of nothing; it didn’t change overnight and certainly didn’t develop by denying opportunities.”

    Since its accession, Bolos says, Romania has got over 100 billion Euros in European funds, gross value. And this is the engine that has fundamentally changed the structure of our economy, the minister says. According to him, Romania no longer relies on a peripheral economy, being a country that is rapidly bridging gaps and which has overcome Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Greece in terms of the GDP per capita, which is an essential indicator for the standard of living.

    “Figures are extremely relevant; the value of the investment made is nearly equal to the GDP at the time of accession. If we are unaware of this we tend to blame the European bloc, but the fact that we are presently at the highest level of our development, is something that we owe to our EU and NATO membership”, Minister Bolos also says.

    According to him, the European funds Romania received are reflected in the country’s infrastructure, with nearly 900 kilometers of motorways and roads built in the past two decades. Over two million Romanians have been connected to the water & sewerage networks and according to Minister Bolos, over 100 thousand companies have benefitted from development grants, thousands of schools and hospitals have been refurbished, fitted with proper equipment and enlarged. Stable jobs have been created and fresh investment made.

    All these have given an impetus to the economy and the annual pace of the private investment in the economy tripled in 2024 as compared to the time of accession from 20 billion Euros to 70 billion, Bolos says.

    He believes that without European money, Romania would have remained stuck into an endless cycle of underdevelopment, being dependent on a national budget, which is insufficient for strategic development. “There is one reality only: the EU has been our partner in development. And by belonging in the European bloc, Romania has opted for progress”, Minister Boloş’ post says.

    (bill)

  • Investments in locomotives and trains

    Investments in locomotives and trains

    The Romanian Railways will receive new trains and locomotives, after the Railway Reform Authority signed a contract with the Polish manufacturer PESA for 62 Regio electric short-distance commuter trains, as well as a contract with the French manufacturer Alstom for 16 new locomotives. The first contract is worth 3.2 billion lei, i.e. 640 million euros, and the second one is worth 760 million lei, about 150 million euros. Also, last December, Bucharest signed a contract with the Polish manufacturer for the delivery, starting in 2026, of 20 long-haul InterRegio trains. However, Romania still needs 150-200 new locomotives, as well as short-distance and long-distance trains, said the president of the Railway Reform Authority, Ştefan Roşeanu. He spoke on Radio Romania about the rolling stock situation.



    Ştefan Roşeanu: “Unfortunately, we know that most of the trains we have in circulation are obsolete, the lack of investment from the last 20 or so years speaks for itself. Basically, since the larger series of Blue Arrow trains, purchased in the early 2000s, there has been no major investment made until the new wave, which started in 2022. We have some new trains bought by a private operator, but in general, we are talking about second-hand vehicles, which are repaired, modernized and put back into circulation also on the Romanian railways.



    According to him, the investments carried out by the Authority are essential to reduce the age of the railway fleet as a whole, as well as to improve the working conditions for the railway staff. Thus, they intend to start bringing the new trains and locomotives to Romania and put them into circulation in the latter half of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. Ştefan Roşeanu says that in this way competition between the railway companies present in the country will be stimulated.



    Ştefan Roşeanu: “We will be able to see for the first time in Romania that on a route like Braşov-Bucureşti, which is the busiest route in Romania, we have public services operated by three different operators, with the same type of trains. So, we will be able to make a much clearer comparison than today, between the quality and the respect that the operators have towards the rolling stock and towards travelers in general.



    Previously, Romania bought 37 new electric trains from the French manufacturer Alstom, the first train being already in static and dynamic tests. Once these trains go into circulation, there remains the problem of railways that have been waiting for years to be rehabilitated. According to statistics, out of the approximately 12,000 kilometers of railway network, in Romania there is decent traffic on approximately 500 km, i.e. at a speed between 140 and 160 km per hour. (LS)

  • January 27, 2024 UPDATE

    January 27, 2024 UPDATE

    FINES The equivalent of 3.8 million Euros in fines was applied
    last year to major supermarket chains in Romania, by the National Authority for
    Consumer Protection (ANPC). According to the ANPC president, Horia
    Constantinescu, the biggest fines went to Lidl, Profi, Penny and Kaufland,
    while Selgros and Metro got the lowest. The Auchan supermarket chain ranks
    first in terms of the products banned. In another development, in 2023, the
    aforementioned institution registered over 200 thousand complaints. Most of
    them were solved but almost 16 thousand proved to be ungrounded.






    POLICE The Romanian police on Saturday announced that last year
    they staged 187 operative actions, which led to the dismantling of 35 networks
    involved in human trafficking and brought to court 465 people facing sexual
    exploitation charges. According to the sources, human trafficking is a complex
    crime with a significant cross-border impact but half of the investigations
    carried out last year were focused on domestic human trafficking. The same
    methods of recruiting the victims and forcing them into sex slavery were
    noticed, such as promises of well-paid jobs, the well-known lover boy technique
    to win the victim’s trust and force them into prostitution, sharing the profit,
    abuse and emotional blackmail, seizing documents, threatening with reprisals
    against the victims and family members and others. The trafficker’s profile has
    also remained unchanged from the previous years. These are mostly Romanian
    citizens of both sexes with various ages, and some of them have criminal
    records.






    RUGBY The new headcoach of the Romanian national fifteen, French
    David Gerard, has announced a lineup of 32 players for the team’s debut game in
    Rugby Europe Championship 2024. According to the Romanian Rugby Federation,
    only 26 players will be going to Poland. Romania has been included in Group B
    together with Portugal, Belgium and Poland. The Romanians will be up against
    Poland in an away game on February 4; then they will have two game on their own
    turf against Belgium on February 10 and Portugal on February 17.






    HOLOCAUST January 27 is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day or
    the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. On this day in
    1945, the largest Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by
    the Soviet Army. The day was decided through a UN resolution in 2005 in order
    to commemorate the 6 million European Jews as well as the other millions of
    victims of other nationalities killed by the Nazi regime. In a message conveyed
    on Saturday, Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said the Holocaust wound
    in the Romanian collective mentality can be healed only through the honest
    assuming and promotion of the historic truth, needed remedies in a democratic
    and European country. The Prime Minister underlined the importance of combating
    any form of holocaust denial adding that education is an essential way of
    progress and cultivation of tolerance.






    SILVER Romanian athlete Dmitrii Shamaev on Saturday won the silver
    medal in the 12.5 km men’s pursuit competition of the European Biathlon
    Championship in Brezno Osrbile, Slovakia, the Romanian Biathlon-Ski Federation
    has announced. The Romanian has ended the race after Isak Frey of Norway with
    French Antonin Guigonnat in the third position. Romania still has nine athletes
    in the aforementioned competition, five in the men’s and four in the women’s contest.


    (bill)

  • October 15, 2023

    October 15, 2023

    Israel — The Israeli army announced this morning that residents of the northern part of the Gaza Strip can leave for the south until 13:00 hours local time (10:00 GMT) using a specially designated route, DPA reports. Israel has said that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have already moved to southern Gaza. On the other hand, there have been reports that the terrorist group Hamas is preventing Palestinian civilians from leaving. The large-scale Israeli military operation against the north of the Gaza Strip is imminent, press agencies report. The American publication The New York Times reported that the Israeli ground offensive had to be postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions. On October 7, Hamas launched a brutal and large-scale terrorist attack against cities in southern Israel, which triggered a harsh response from the Israeli army, Reuters recalls. The violence has so far resulted in the death of over 1,300 Israelis, most of them civilians, and approximately 2,300 Palestinians. On the other hand, since the beginning of the war, the area of ​​the Israeli-Lebanese border has been the scene of rocket fire between Hezbollah (a Shia organization massively supported by Iran and allied with Hamas) and the Israeli army. Also, there are almost daily attempts to infiltrate some Hamas members into Israel, from Lebanon. On a diplomatic level, the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a regional tour, had a meeting in Riyadh on Sunday with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose country has suspended talks, regarding a possible normalization of relations with Israel.



    MAE — The Romanian Foreign Ministry — MAE announced that, against the backdrop of the deterioration of the security situation in the State of Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Crisis Cell is continuing its ongoing efforts to evacuate, under safe conditions, the Romanian citizens from the Gaza Strip who requested this. There are approximately 200 Romanian citizens in the Gaza Strip who would like to leave the area and have requested the support of the Romanian authorities. The MAE, through the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Romanian Representative Office in Ramallah and the Romanian diplomatic missions in the region, maintains coordination with other states and international organizations that undertake similar measures for their own citizens or officials. On Saturday, 58 Romanian citizens returned from Israel with a private flight. All in all, so far, 2,220 Romanians have been repatriated from Israel. On the other hand, the MAE confirmed the death of two other Romanian-Israeli citizens. The death toll thus rises to four.



    Handball — Romania’s womens national handball team defeated the Greek team, away from home, score 32-20, on Saturday, in Group 1 of the 2024 European Championship preliminaries. The Romanian players have scored the 2nd outright victory in this stage of the championship, after a score of 49-17 with Bosnia-Herzegovina, at home. In another match, Croatia outperformed Bosnia-Herzegovina, in an away match. Romania takes first place, with 4 points, followed by Croatia, 4 points, Greece, 0 points, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 0 points. The national team will play the next match on February 28, at home, against Croatia.



    Football — Today, the Romanian national football team meets Andorra, in the Euro 2024 Qualifying Group I. The match takes place in Bucharest, and access is only allowed to children under 14, according to a UEFA decision. In the same group, the match Switzerland – Belarus is played. On Thursday, Romania drew 0-0 in Budapest with Belarus and remains on second position in the group, after Switzerland. Israel, whose games were postponed, and Kosovo also belong to the Euro 2024 Qualifying Group I.



    Elections — Poland sees today parliamentary elections, after a campaign of intense disputes, dominated by issues of sovereignty and security, Reuters reports. Participatin in the elections are the right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS), in power since 2015, and a centrist coalition led by the former president of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The Law and Justice Party is trying to get a third mandate, which would be a record in the Polish political environment. Reuters recalls that, since coming to power, this group has repeatedly come into conflict with the EU due to legislative changes that, according to critics, have politicized the judicial system and turned the state media into a propaganda body. The opposition says that the vote could be the last chance to stop what it considers to be Polands departure from the European mainstream and the transition to a semi-authoritarian system. (LS)


  • July 2, 2023

    July 2, 2023

    Justice Day — The Justice Minister, Alina Gorghiu, pleaded, in her message on Justice Day, for collaboration and dialogue in finding good and balanced solutions to ensure both the functionality and efficiency of the judicial system, as well as the quality of the justice act. The legal system needs now, more than ever, unity, balance, mutual trust and openness. This is the message sent on Sunday, on Justice Day, by the president of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, Corina-Alina Corbu. She says that this anniversary takes place, this year, in a complicated context marked by tension, which should not have an impact on the citizens. The statements come in the context in which the representatives of the High Court challenged at the Constitutional Court the changes made to the special pension system which benefits the magistrates. Prosecutor General Alex Florența stated, in his message, that the legislative changes related to the magistrates pensions were made by simulating a dialogue, ignoring the principles of loyal cooperation and mutual respect that the powers of the state owe to each other. The chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Marius Voineag, said, on Justice Day, that the role of the Directorate in the entire judicial system contributes to the development of Romanian society and to reaching the countrys real potential as a member of the EU and NATO. According to him, the issue of fighting corruption remains as topical as before because Romanians are perfectly aware of the fact that each act of corruption means the waste of public resources, missed opportunities for the country and a more uncertain future for the future generations.



    Festival — The Sibiu International Theater Festival ends on Sunday with a performance of the show “Faust”, directed by Silviu Purcarete, followed, at midnight, by a demonstration with drones. The Walk of Fame was enriched, on Saturday, with seven more stars, attributed to important names in the world of Performing Arts. One of the stars was awarded to the president of the Festival, Constantin Chiriac, director of the Radu Stanca theater in Sibiu. He was also decorated by the Presidency of Romania with the National Order of Merit in the rank of Officer. The distinction was granted in sign of appreciation and gratitude for the professionalism and dedication put at the service of art and the public, for the important contribution brought to the domestic and international affirmation of the values ​​of Romanian theatre. Thanks to the tireless involvement of maestro Constantin Chiriac, Sibiu International Theater Festival – FITS is today a landmark for Sibiu and for Romania, as well as an example of the multiple benefits that the promotion of culture can bring to local communities, the Culture Minister Raluca Turcan wrote on Facebook.



    Tennis — The Romanian womens table tennis team won the gold medals at the European Games in Krakow – Malopolska (Poland), on Saturday evening, after defeating the German team in the final with the score 3-2. Romania led 2-0, but the Polish players had a come back and equalized the score, and later Bernadette Szocs scored the winning point. The Romanian athlete also won the individual competition. Romania won four medals in table tennis at the European Games in Poland, two gold and two bronze. Romania now has a total of 16 medals, six gold, five silver and five bronze, at the European Games in Poland. On the other hand, the pair Monica Niculescu (Romania)/Eri Hozumi (Japan) lost 2-0 to the pair Lidia Morozova (Belarus)/Ingrid Gamarra Martins (Brazil) in the doubles final of the WTA 250 tennis tournament from Bad Homburg (Germany). The match was interrupted on Saturday in the first set due to the rain.



    Weather – Meteorologists have issued a warning for severe atmospheric instability, valid throughout Sunday, in three-quarters of Romanias territory. Thus, in the mountainous area, in the north-west, center, north-east, south-west and partially in the south and south-east, there will be periods of showers, including torrential ones, electrical discharges, short-term wind gusts of 55…70 km/h, isolated gales and hail. The maximum temperatures, decreasing compared to the previous day, will generally fall between 25 and 34 degrees C, except for the eastern and south-eastern regions which will enjoy warm weather. Unstable weather has been announced for Bucharest as well, where the maximum temperature will be around 30 degrees. (LS)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week


    Poland is these days playing venue for the European Games underway in Krakow and the Malopolska region. Sunday saw the last athletics events and the Romanian team failed to qualify for the Division One, the competitions elite echelon. In the second division, athletes from Romania ranked only fifth, after Hungary, Ukraine, Lithuania and Slovenia. Only the first three teams have advanced to the competitions first echelon. On Thursday, Claudia Mihaela Bobocea obtained the only Romanian win in the 15 hundred meter race, which she ended in 4 minutes, 8 seconds and 69 hundredths.


    In Division One, where the 15 hundred meter finals took place on Sunday, the second best time was obtained by Spanish athlete Esther Guerrero: 4 minutes, 11 seconds and 77 hundredths, three seconds after Bobocea. The Romanian walked away with gold from the aforementioned race and Radio Romania International has designated her athlete of the week, a title weekly awarded to the best Romanian performance.


    Claudia Bobocea was born in Bucharest on 11 June 1992 and took up athletics in 2007. She has always been among the worlds fastest middle distance runners, although she failed to win medals in major competitions. In 2016 she qualified for the Olympics in Rio but unfortunately came only 51st in the 800 meter race. She became silver medalist in 15 hundred meter race of the European Indoor Championship held in Istanbul this year, after ending the race in 4 minutes, 3 seconds and 76 hundredths, the best time in her entire career so far. Under these circumstances, the show she managed last week in Poland, is part of a headway that will hopefully continue towards the upcoming Olympic Games next year.


    (bill)


  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week


    Poland is these days playing venue for the European Games underway in Krakow and the Malopolska region. Sunday saw the last athletics events and the Romanian team failed to qualify for the Division One, the competitions elite echelon. In the second division, athletes from Romania ranked only fifth, after Hungary, Ukraine, Lithuania and Slovenia. Only the first three teams have advanced to the competitions first echelon. On Thursday, Claudia Mihaela Bobocea obtained the only Romanian win in the 15 hundred meter race, which she ended in 4 minutes, 8 seconds and 69 hundredths.


    In Division One, where the 15 hundred meter finals took place on Sunday, the second best time was obtained by Spanish athlete Esther Guerrero: 4 minutes, 11 seconds and 77 hundredths, three seconds after Bobocea. The Romanian walked away with gold from the aforementioned race and Radio Romania International has designated her athlete of the week, a title weekly awarded to the best Romanian performance.


    Claudia Bobocea was born in Bucharest on 11 June 1992 and took up athletics in 2007. She has always been among the worlds fastest middle distance runners, although she failed to win medals in major competitions. In 2016 she qualified for the Olympics in Rio but unfortunately came only 51st in the 800 meter race. She became silver medalist in 15 hundred meter race of the European Indoor Championship held in Istanbul this year, after ending the race in 4 minutes, 3 seconds and 76 hundredths, the best time in her entire career so far. Under these circumstances, the show she managed last week in Poland, is part of a headway that will hopefully continue towards the upcoming Olympic Games next year.


    (bill)


  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    In Poland, the European Games hosted by Crakow and Malopolska region carry on. After 5 days of competitions, Romania is placed 18th in the nations ranking. Romanian athletes have won 8 medals so far, including 2 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze ones. Gold medals went to cyclist Vlad Dascălu, in the mountain bike race, and to athlete Claudia Bobocea, in the womens 1,500m race. Athletes Bianca Ghelber in the hammer throw event, and Daniela Stanciu in the high jump event won silver medals, and so did Cătălin Chirilă in the mens canoe single 500m final. Taking home bronze medals were Ştefan Comănescu, in the mens kumite 67 kg, athlete Andrea Miklos in the womens 400m race, and Mălina Călugăreanu in the womens foil individual final.



    This weekend the Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the 100m and 200m freestyle finals of the “Sette Colli Trophy” international competition in Rome, both with new competition records. In the 200m event, he defeated the Olympic champion Tom Dean. This was the last test for Popovici ahead of the world swimming championships in Fukuoka, Japan, scheduled between 13 and 30 July.



    Romanias womens water polo team won all matches in Group B of the 2024 European Championships qualifiers, held in Otopeni. The Romanians defeated Sweden 14-9, Switzerland 7-5, and Turkey 16-5, respectively, and qualified to the final tournament due in Netanya, Israel in January. Romanias mens team is also taking part in the final tournament in Israel, after finishing top of Group D in the qualifiers. In Kranj, Slovenia, the team coached by Bogdan Rath and George Deacu outplayed Switzerland 19-9 and Finland 19-6, and drew 10-all against the host nation.



    At the European Under-21 Football Championship hosted jointly by Romania and Georgia, the national team takes on Croatia on Tuesday in Group B. In the first 2 group matches, Romania lost 0-3 to Spain on Wednesday, and 0-1 to Ukraine on Saturday.



    Also in football, one of the most popular football clubs in Romania, Rapid Bucharest, this weekend celebrated 100 years of history. Originally a football club of railway workers, Rapid is known for outstanding performances prior to WWI. In 1940, the team qualified for the final of the Central European Cup, which was never played however. The club then grew to cover multiple sports, and achieved top level performances in several fields, including handball and volleyball. (AMP)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    In Poland, the European Games hosted by Crakow and Malopolska region carry on. After 5 days of competitions, Romania is placed 18th in the nations ranking. Romanian athletes have won 8 medals so far, including 2 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze ones. Gold medals went to cyclist Vlad Dascălu, in the mountain bike race, and to athlete Claudia Bobocea, in the womens 1,500m race. Athletes Bianca Ghelber in the hammer throw event, and Daniela Stanciu in the high jump event won silver medals, and so did Cătălin Chirilă in the mens canoe single 500m final. Taking home bronze medals were Ştefan Comănescu, in the mens kumite 67 kg, athlete Andrea Miklos in the womens 400m race, and Mălina Călugăreanu in the womens foil individual final.



    This weekend the Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the 100m and 200m freestyle finals of the “Sette Colli Trophy” international competition in Rome, both with new competition records. In the 200m event, he defeated the Olympic champion Tom Dean. This was the last test for Popovici ahead of the world swimming championships in Fukuoka, Japan, scheduled between 13 and 30 July.



    Romanias womens water polo team won all matches in Group B of the 2024 European Championships qualifiers, held in Otopeni. The Romanians defeated Sweden 14-9, Switzerland 7-5, and Turkey 16-5, respectively, and qualified to the final tournament due in Netanya, Israel in January. Romanias mens team is also taking part in the final tournament in Israel, after finishing top of Group D in the qualifiers. In Kranj, Slovenia, the team coached by Bogdan Rath and George Deacu outplayed Switzerland 19-9 and Finland 19-6, and drew 10-all against the host nation.



    At the European Under-21 Football Championship hosted jointly by Romania and Georgia, the national team takes on Croatia on Tuesday in Group B. In the first 2 group matches, Romania lost 0-3 to Spain on Wednesday, and 0-1 to Ukraine on Saturday.



    Also in football, one of the most popular football clubs in Romania, Rapid Bucharest, this weekend celebrated 100 years of history. Originally a football club of railway workers, Rapid is known for outstanding performances prior to WWI. In 1940, the team qualified for the final of the Central European Cup, which was never played however. The club then grew to cover multiple sports, and achieved top level performances in several fields, including handball and volleyball. (AMP)

  • April 17, 2023 UPDATE

    April 17, 2023 UPDATE

    Easter — The majority Orthodox Christians along the Greek-Catholics in Romania started the Bright Week on Monday, following Sunday’s Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The Monday of the Bright Week is also called White Monday and is said to be the day when the Gates of Heaven and forgiveness open. This week everything is under the sign of light, the symbol of Christs Resurrection. The usual greeting has been replaced since Sunday with a greeting-confession “Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!” which expresses faith in the Resurrection. The Resurrection of Christ is the greatest celebration in the Christian world, being celebrated for three days.



    Cereals — Poland’s and Hungary’s decision to temporarily ban Ukrainian grain imports, accused of destabilizing agricultural markets, is “unacceptable”, the European Commission said, while adding that it is “considering” a second aid package for farmers in the affected countries. Meanwhile, the Slovakian government also approved the establishment of a ban on imports of some agricultural products from Ukraine. In May 2022 the EU suspended for a year the customs duties on all imports from Ukraine and allowed it to export its grain stocks after the closure of maritime routes as a result of the war launched by Russia. The neighboring European states have seen increased arrivals of corn, wheat or sunflowers from Ukraine, which led to the filling of granaries due to logistical problems and to the fall of local prices. The situation has generated protests by farmers and led to the resignation of the Polish Agriculture Minister. On March 20, Brussels offered to draw 56.3 million Euros from the EUs agricultural crisis reserve to support affected farmers in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. But at the end of March, five countries (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria) requested additional aid to support farmers who have suffered losses.



    Speed – The traffic police from all over Europe are carrying out, by the end of the week, a large-scale operation to verify compliance with the legal speed and to prevent accidents caused by excessive speed. As part of the European action called “Speed”, the Romanian traffic policemen will carry out, on Friday, a control operation in which they will focus on detecting those who exceed the legal speed. All the traffic surveillance and speed measurement equipment of the police will be used. The General Police Inspectorate in Bucharest announces that in Romania, since the beginning of the year, exceeding the legal speed has caused almost 200 serious road accidents, resulting in over 80 deaths and approximately 150 seriously injured people. Moreover, speeding caused almost 20% of all serious accidents at the national level, according to the data presented by the General Police Inspectorate.



    Education – The Romanian Parliament will resume these days the debates on the new education laws, which bring changes to the higher and pre-university education systems. Some of the changes refer to establishing a high school entrance examination, separate from the National Assessment, and to the introduction of an additional test, different from the subjects studied for the Baccalaureate exam. At the debates held so far in the specialized committees, the representatives of students, parents and teachers have criticized these changes, as well as the absence of clear provisions for combating violence in schools. The law package should be adopted by the beginning of next month at the latest by the Chamber of Deputies, as a first body notified.



    Motion – On Tuesday, the Romanian Chamber of Deputies debates the simple motion initiated by opposition MPs against the Agriculture Minister, considered responsible for the fact that Romania did not obtain sufficient European funds to support the farmers affected by the imports from Ukraine. The Agriculture Minister Petre Daea was convinced that the European funds for compensating the losses suffered by farmers would be supplemented. The 10 million Euros initially allocated were doubled by a contribution from the state budget. The money will be given strictly to those farmers who had grains in stock on February 1, and not to merchants, the minister said. (LS)

  • March 28, 2023 UPDATE

    March 28, 2023 UPDATE

    VISIT The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, received the
    PM of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki in Bucharest on Tuesday. Klaus Iohannis said
    Poland was a close and long-standing friend, a key strategic partner and a
    reliable ally for Romania. We are connected by sound shared strategic and
    security interests, which are further consolidated by today’s rather tense
    regional security context, the Romanian official said. Mr. Iohannis added that
    the 2 countries will maintain their unequivocal support for Ukraine for as long
    as necessary, and will boost their support for the most vulnerable and most
    severely affected partners in the region, especially the Republic of Moldova.
    In turn, PM Morawiecki said Romania and Poland were the pillars of the
    North-Atlantic Alliance in this part of Europe and highlighted the Allies’
    willingness to reinforce it through improved military cooperation. Previously,
    the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciuca had a meeting with his Polish counterpart, and
    together they attended the Romania-Poland Economic Forum organised by the
    Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr. Ciuca said bilateral trade had
    increased by 20% in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching EUR 11bln.


    MOLDOVA The EU will
    prepare a support package for the Rep. Moldova before summer, the president of
    the European Council Charles Michel said in Chişinău on Tuesday, at a joint
    press conference together with Moldova’s president Maia Sandu. Chişinău has a
    lot of strong friends in Brussels, who want the Republic of Moldova to become a
    part of the EU family as soon as possible, Charles Michel also said, and added
    that this is a historic opportunity for Moldova and for its people. In turn, president
    Maia Sandu emphasised the importance of Moldova’s EU integration. European
    integration is the only path that ensures the survival of Moldova, its becoming
    a free and prosperous country. It is the only chance for its citizens to live
    in peace at home. We must withstand the hybrid attacks targeting our determination
    to be part of the free world, Maia Sandu said.


    DEFENCE The Romanian
    state secretary for defence policy, planning and international relations,
    Simona Cojocaru, is on an official visit to India until March 31, at the
    invitation of defence secretary Giridhar Aramane. According to the Romanian
    defence ministry, the two parties Tuesday signed an inter-governmental defence
    cooperation agreement. The document creates the framework for the development
    and consolidation of bilateral relations, through enhanced cooperation. The
    Romanian defence ministry also notes that it is for the first time in the
    history of the 2 countries’ bilateral relations that a cooperation agreement in
    this sector has been signed.


    PENSIONS The Senate’s
    specialist committees Tuesday issued a positive report on the bill on special
    pensions. The amendments tabled by the ruling coalition made up of the Social
    Democratic Party, National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic
    Hungarians in Romania were passed, although USR in opposition voted against and
    AUR party’s MPs abstained from voting. One of the changes accepted by the
    committees was that beneficiaries of multiple special pensions must choose only
    one of them within 30 days after the law takes effect. Other provisions in the
    bill are that pension benefits will be adjusted to inflation on a yearly basis,
    and that special pensions cannot be higher than the salary received while in
    office. As of Wednesday the bill will be discussed in plenary session by the
    Senate, the first parliamentary chamber to vote on it. (AMP)

  • Bucharest responds to Moscow’s assertions

    Bucharest responds to Moscow’s assertions


    The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) last week rejected the assertions of Russian president Vladimir Putin, which according to an MAE communiqué, “falsely induce the idea that Romania would have territorial claims in Ukraine”.


    The Kremlin leader took advantage of the Unity Day to again lash out at the West and Ukraine but to also justify the war he is waging in a country that is neighbouring Romania. In Putins opinion, the West would have intentionally distorted the truth about WWII and the role of the Soviet Union in the victory against the Nazi Germany.


    Putin has allegedly said that they know about the ideas of Polish politicians to make a country from sea to sea…even before World War Two. And there was a lot of talk about this at that time, a fixed idea; a country from the Baltic to the Black Sea. According to Putin, officials in the two countries are now friends, but this idea is very much alive and so is the idea of taking Ukraine back. They are also talking about the return of these territories which were taken from Poland. Putin admitted that it was Stalin who took large territories from Romania and Hungary in the wake of WWII.


    But not only has Bucharest rejected all these assertions over its alleged territorial claims in Ukraine but through its Foreign Ministry, it has reiterated the fact that the aggression Russia commenced on February 24 represents a severe and brutal violation of the international law, including of Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty. In the same communiqué, Bucharest, like in all previous occasions, has reiterated its staunch support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its present internationally-recognized borders. In Bucharests view, constantly repeated since the beginning of the conflict, Russias invasion of Ukraine is illegal and has multiple regional and global consequences. We recall that since the very onset of the conflict Bucharest has constantly been an active part of the multilateral initiative of condemning the Russian aggression and has been pleading for bringing the culprits to justice. Furthermore, Bucharest has provided humanitarian support for the millions of Ukrainian refugees who crossed Romanias borders.


    The Romanian government has constantly answered Ukraines requests and provided among other things fuel, medicine, food and ambulances. Through the international humanitarian hub set up in Suceava, in the countrys north-east, Romania has facilitated the access of scores of humanitarian convoys from other countries. And last but not least, Romania has got extensively involved in easing the transport and transit of Ukrainian grain to international markets


    (bill)


  • May 11, 2022

    May 11, 2022

    INFLATION The year-on-year inflation rate in Romania went up to
    13.76% in April this year, as against 10.15% in March, according to data made
    public today by the National Statistics Institute. Non-food prices rose by
    16.35%, foodstuff prices by 13.54%, and services are 7.11% more expensive.
    Yesterday, in order to curb the inflation rise, the central bank announced a
    new increase in the key interest rate, which will trigger a rise in consumer
    and inter-bank loan interests. The National Bank of Romania expects the
    inflation rate to surge this summer more than previously forecast, and says the
    rate is not likely to return to under 10% until the second half of next year.


    VISIT The Speaker of the Senate of Romania, Florin Cîţu, is on an
    official visit to Poland today, at the invitation of his counterpart, Tomasz
    Grodzki. The main topics on the agenda are opportunities to consolidate
    bilateral relations between the 2 countries, the war in Ukraine and the
    economic fallout of the Russian aggression. Florin Citu announced that after
    his visit to Poland he will travel to the Republic of Moldova.


    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister
    Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in a ministerial meeting of     the Global
    Coalition against Daesh, held in Marrakesh, Morocco. According to the ministry,
    the meeting will be co-chaired by the USA and Morocco, with over 75
    representatives of the member states and international organisations expected
    to attend. Most member states are NATO and EU members, partner states in the
    Western Balkans, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, as well as the EU, NATO, and
    INTERPOL. The main topics will include the security
    situation in Iraq and Syria, as well as terrorism-related developments in
    Africa and Afghanistan.     Bogdan
    Aurescu will highlight Romania’s contribution as a Coalition member, including
    its participation since 2016 both in the Coalition Forces (as part of Operation
    Inherent Resolve and of the NATO mission in Iraq), and in the stabilisation and
    reconstruction efforts in the countries affected by ISIS activities.


    GOVERNMENT A draft emergency order to prevent
    speculation is being discussed today by the government of Romania. The decision
    comes after fuel, sunflower oil or masks and disinfectant prices skyrocketed
    overnight, in the context of the war in Ukraine or before that, during the
    pandemic. Speculation was criminalised before in Romania, shortly after WWII
    and after the fall of the communist regime in 1990.


    NATURAL
    GAS A bill to amend
    the Offshore Act, which will green light the development of natural gas
    reserves in the Black Sea, is discussed as of today by the Senate of Romania.
    According to the ruling coalition, which has tabled the bill, this is a much
    more balanced text than the one drafted 4 years ago. Tax facilities have been
    introduced for the companies interested in taking part in the development
    project, and in a few years’ time Romania’s reliance on Russian gas is expected
    to become significantly lower. The energy minister Virgil Popescu emphasised
    that by amending the current legislation onshore investments will also be
    encouraged, supply security will be ensured in case of an energy crisis and
    Romania may become a provider of regional energy security. Under the bill, the
    Romanian government will have pre-emptive rights in purchasing the natural gas.
    Romania’s biggest public natural gas producer, Romgaz, and the Austrian
    company OMV will extract the natural gas in the Black Sea in the coming years.

    COVID-19 The 4th COVID-19 vaccine dose will be available on
    request in Romania, in vaccination centres and family physician practices, as
    of May 16. According to the health ministry, only Pfiser vaccines can be
    administered, to people over 18 who have received 3 doses of mRNA vaccines, and
    at least 4 months after they have received the 3rd dose. Meanwhile, the
    health ministry announced 705 new COVID-19 cases and 7 related deaths in 24
    hours. 144 COVID patients are currently in intensive care.

    UKRAINE The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
    commented on the situation in Kharkiv, emphasising that the Ukrainian forces
    are repelling the invaders and freeing the region. Clashes continue on the
    Serpent Island as well, 45 km from Romania, with Russia trying to strengthen
    its vulnerable garrison on the island. Meanwhile, Ukraine has shut off the
    transit of Russian gas to Western Europe in Lugansk region, and says the
    occupation of its eastern part by Russian forces makes it impossible to control
    the flows. Over 32 million cubic metres of natural gas are halted, accounting
    for around one-third of Russia’s daily exports transiting Ukraine. In the US,
    the House of Representatives approved an additional 40 billion US dollars in
    aid for Ukraine. The act is to be rushed through the Senate and signed by
    president Joe Biden. The funds will be used for military support and humanitarian
    assistance for the civilians affected by the Russian invasion. (AMP)

  • November 17, 2021 UPDATE

    November 17, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid-19. Over 3,500 new Covid cases were recorded in the last 24
    hours in Romania, as well as 350 related fatalities, including 51 from an
    earlier date. The incidence rate over the last fortnight is on the decrease,
    with the infection rate dropping to 5.03 cases per 1,000 inhabitants in
    Bucharest, as against 5.34 the previous day. The highest figure was reported on
    22 October (16.54 per thousand). The indicator is still over 6 per thousand in
    44 cities in the country. As of Wednesday Romania has over 7 million fully
    vaccinated citizens.


    Inflation. The EU year-on-year inflation rose to 4.4% in October, as
    against 3.6% in September. The highest rates were reported in Lithuania (8.2%),
    Estonia (6.8%), Hungary (6.6%) and Romania (6.5%), Eurostat announced on
    Wednesday. Disruptions in energy supply and the growing costs in the sector slow
    down the growth of the Eurozone economy and will keep inflation up for longer
    than predicted, the head of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde warned
    on Monday.


    Corruption. Two nurses, 2 clerks and another person in no official capacity were detained under suspicion of
    bribe-taking, computer fraud and forgery in an investigation involving forged
    COVID-19 vaccination certificates. Some 3,000 false certificates have been
    issued in recent months in Vama Petea, north-western Romania, in exchange for 250
    to 300 euros each. Early this month the Interior Ministry announced over 360 criminal
    cases are pending, with nearly 900 individuals facing fraud charges in similar
    circumstances. In related news, the ex-Senator and transport minister Dan Şova
    was sentenced on Wednesday to 4 years behind bars for influence peddling. The
    sentence can be appealed.





    Migrants.
    Poland’s defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak warned on Wednesday that the
    ongoing crisis on the Belarus border ‘may last for months or even years’, and added
    that migrants once again tried to push across the border on Tuesday night.
    Several police workers were injured in the clashes with the migrants crowding
    at the border between the 2 countries in the past few weeks. Poland, which
    strengthened border security, is blaming the crisis on Belarus, but Minsk
    dismisses the accusations. Against this background, the EU announced it is
    considering a joint military force of up to 5,000 troops, to intervene in a
    number of crises without needing to rely on the US. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • November 15, 2021

    November 15, 2021

    COVID-19 The latest updates released by Romanian
    authorities point to a decrease in the number of new cases in the
    country-little over 2,100. The authorities also reported 195 fatalities,
    and more than 15,000 COVID patients are hospitalised, 1,720 of them in
    intensive care. In the capital Bucharest the infection rate dropped below 6 per
    thousand. On the other hand, as compared to a peak of over 110,000 people
    vaccinated on 27th October, the vaccination rate in Romania has also
    been dropping steadily. So far 6.8 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated.




    CERTIFICATE The draft law that makes the digital COVID
    certificate compulsory at the workplace may be discussed as of today in the
    Chamber of Deputies. In a first stage, the document was rejected by the Senate.
    The interim PM Florin Cîțu called for exemplary mobilisation in the Chamber of
    Deputies, so as to ensure the bill gets enough votes to pass. Florin Cîţu also
    said he disagreed with the proposed free-of-charge testing of unvaccinated
    workers, because this would put pressure on the public budget, whereas the
    vaccine comes at no cost to citizens. In several cities, including Bucharest, rallies
    were held to protest the possible introduction of the digital certificate and
    other restrictions.




    GOVERNMENT Negotiations continue in Bucharest, with
    the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic
    Union of Ethnic Hungarians trying to reach an agreement on a governing
    programme. After Save Romania Union left the ruling coalition in September, the
    Social Democrats introduced a no-confidence motion and dismissed the Liberal
    cabinet. Today the talks will focus on the public
    finances and justice fields. The
    Liberal Party leader and interim PM Florin Cîţu announced that as far as the
    labour area goes, a 7% pension rise has been discussed, but that a final
    decision is to be made after the impact on the public budget has been analysed.
    He also said child allowances are also to be raised. In turn, the Social
    Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu mentioned the pension and child allowance
    increases, but said several scenarios are being analysed and a complete set of
    measures in this respect will be announced this week. So far the 3 parties have
    not reached an agreement on a new prime minister designate.


    MIGRANTS Brussels is hosting today a meeting of EU
    foreign ministers focusing on the situations in Belarus, Ethiopia, Western
    Balkans and the Sahel. Romania is represented by foreign minister
    Bogdan Aurescu. According to a news release, the Romanian official is
    taking part, alongside his EU counterparts, in an informal working brunch with
    the Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba. Bogdan Aurescu will
    also attend the ministerial meeting of the Eastern Partnership. As regards the
    situation in Belarus, Romania’s foreign affairs chief will express the
    country’s solidarity with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which are facing a
    growing number of migrants at their borders with Belarus, and will promise to
    support swift additional sanctions against Minsk.




    CLIMATE The agreement to reduce coal use, reached
    at the UN Climate talks in Glasgow, is a game-changing agreement which sounds the death knell
    for coal power, said the British PM Boris Johnson, the host of the
    COP26. According to analysts, the document, although imperfect, is nonetheless
    an achievement, insofar that for the first time in the 25 climate conferences
    held so far, it explicitly mentions fossil fuels as elements contributing to
    climate change. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in the UK, one of
    the critics of the deal was India, who said the plan to phase out coal use was
    unfair for poorer countries.




    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team Sunday defeated
    Liechtenstein 2-0 in Vaduz, but still failed to qualify into the playoffs for
    the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as it finished the preliminary phase 3rd
    in its group. Second in the group came North Macedonia, which has reached the
    playoffs after defeating Iceland 3-1. The top-ranking team in the group,
    Germany, goes straight into the World Cup final tournament. Romania’s coach Mirel
    Radoi announced he would leave the national team. Romania last took part in a
    World Cup final tournament in 1998. (tr. A.M. Popescu)