Radio România Internațional

Tag: poll

  • January 22, 2025

    January 22, 2025

    ECONOMY The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) Tuesday approved Romania’s 7-year fiscal structural plan to reduce the country’s budget deficit. The plan is designed to stabilise public debt as Romania remains among the top EU member states in terms of public investment – over 7% of GDP, bringing the budget deficit below 3% in 2025-2031, the finance minister Tánczos Barna explained. The decision comes as several countries, including France, Spain, Italy and Finland, are facing similar challenges and have requested an extension of the fiscal adjustment period from 4 to 7 years, until 2031. Other topics on the ECOFIN meeting agenda include the current impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the priorities of the Polish presidency of the EU Council, the 2025 European Semester and the endorsement of the revised recovery and resilience plans for Greece, Cyprus and Spain.

     

    POLL  90% of Romanians reject the idea of ​​leaving NATO, a record level of approval for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, an INSCOP survey made public on Tuesday indicates. According to the poll, based on data collected at the end of last year, Romanians’ support for the West in terms of political and military alliances has increased by 10% over the past 3 years. The poll also shows that Romania’s European Union membership is seen by almost three-quarters of respondents as an advantage in terms of its effects on economic and social life, on family and personal life. Only 55% of Romanians believed this 3 years ago.

     

    PROTEST The Bucharest metro trade unionists today carry on their protest in front of the Government headquarters, demanding respect for the employees and the collective bargaining agreement. On Tuesday, they picketed the finance ministry, demanding pay raises and proper financing for the company. Metro employees also announced work-to-rule and token strikes, against the ordinance passed by the new government at the end of last year, which no longer allows hiring, promotions and the rights negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement registered in early December 2024.

     

    EARTHQUAKES Romania will have a seismic risk map for each locality, and the authorities in high-risk areas will have access to a governmental programme to consolidate public buildings, the development minister Cseke Attila announced. He added that the programme is fully funded from the state budget and that the priority is to consolidate healthcare units. According to the latest statistics, over 2,500 buildings in Bucharest alone are in danger of collapsing in intensity 7+ earthquakes similar to the one in 1977.

     

    POLLUTION Romanian authorities are closely monitoring the situation in the Black Sea, after 2 Russian oil tankers were badly damaged in the Kerch Strait at the end of last year, causing an environmental disaster in the area. The environment minister Mircea Fechet warned that everyone must be prepared, but stressed that the risks of the pollution wave reaching the Romanian coastline are minimal. Authorities are assessing the situation, after over 2,000 tons of highly toxic oil product spilled in the sea, causing the death of thousands of birds and leaving hundreds of dolphins stranded tens of kilometres from the shore.

     

    TRUMP The US president Donald Trump said new sanctions against Russia are “possible” if Moscow does not negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, AFP reports. He added the United States would consider continuing military aid to Kyiv, which has amounted to tens of billions of dollars since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Trump had previously said that Russia was heading for disaster if it refused to negotiate and sign a ceasefire or peace agreement with Ukraine. As for the Ukrainian president, Trump expects Zelenskyy to be willing to sign an agreement. (AMP)

  • September 19, 2024

    September 19, 2024

    B9 NATO has to react to Russia’s incursions into the airspace of the member countries, in the context of the war in Ukraine – Romania’s Defence Minister, Angel Tilvar said at the B9 meeting of the defence ministers of the allied countries in NATO’s Eastern Flank, held in Bucharest on Wednesday. In turn, the Polish representative said that next month, the allied defence ministers would be tackling the destruction of the drones violating the airspace of NATO. Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia are part of the B9 initiative. Talks on security in the area but also assistance in defending the independence of Ukraine through Romania’s decision to donate a Patriot system to the neighboring Ukraine were also hold by Romania’s Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu, who received in Bucharest her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha.

     

    POLL Most of the Romanians believe the immigrants who come to work in Romania are rather an opportunity than a threat to employment in that country, a recent poll says. Roughly 68%  of the interviewees says the immigrants are actually helping the economy by taking over the vacant jobs whereas 25% believes they are taking the jobs of the Romanians, who have thus to leave the country for a better job. The most tolerant seem to be the young people up to 20 years old, people with higher education and Bucharesters. The poll says that 67% of the interviewees have agreed with the financial incentives aimed at bringing back the Romanians in the Diaspora whereas 31% is against the idea.

     

    HANDBALL On Wednesday night Romanian handball side Dinamo Bucharest clinched a 28-26 away win against Polish side Orlen Wisla Plock in Group A of the Champions League. The Romanian champions have obtained two wins out of the competition’s two legs. Dinamo will be taking on Macedonian side Eurofarm Pelister Bitola in a home match on September 26.

     

    CSAT Romania’s Higher Defence Council (CSAT) has been summoned by the country’s president Klaus Iohannis for talks in Bucharest on the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine and its implications for Romania. The CSAT members are also tackling the opportunities offered by the new geopolitical context for the consolidation of the strategic partnership with the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova in order to ensure the irreversibility of its European roadmap. Last, but not least, the CSAT is expected to tackle the national plan of fitting the Romanian armed forces with proper equipment.

     

    TALKS The government in Bucharest is focusing on the country’s reindustrialization and is working on the national Plan aimed at streamlining the country’s main industry. The plan, which is worth 2 billion Euros, will be centred on three main pillars; support for the strategic investment in the processing industry, state aid for the big companies, with investments aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption and support for the companies producing raw materials. According to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu the Executive wants to strengthen the model of investment-based economic development.

     

    RISK According to the Romanian Institute of Hydrology the Danube’s level on its entry into Romania is expected to rise significantly until September 24thmore than double than the multiannual average of the month of September. However, authorities have given assurances the Iron Gates dam is ready to take over and transit the waters resulted from the heavy rainfalls in central Europe. The risk of flooding in eastern Romania, heavily affected by Cyclone Boris, remains high with orange and yellow alerts in place.

    (bill)

     

  • December 30, 2023

    December 30, 2023


    AUTONOMY Romanias Senate Friday dismissed 3 bills tabled by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romaniaregarding the autonomy of the Szeklers Land, a region in the centre of the country. At the plenary talks, the MPs from all the other parties stressed that the bills came against several articles in the Constitution and harmed the rule of law, while the initiators argued the opposite, saying that territorial autonomy did not entail changes in the national borders, but was a right which worked in a number European states. The bills provided for the “Covasna and Harghita counties and a part of Mureş county becoming autonomous, as part of a region with legal personality.” In that presumed autonomous entity, the Hungarian language would have had the same status as the official language of the Romanian state. The land would also have its own president. The so-called Szeklers Land, the only area in Romania where the Hungarian population is the majority, was autonomous between 1952 and 1968. According to historians, this was an experiment imposed in Soviet-occupied Romania by the dictator Joseph Stalin, at the insistence of the communist leaders in Budapest. The ethnic Hungarian population in Romania has been represented, without interruption, in the Parliament of post-communist Romania, by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. Since 1996, the UDMR has been part of numerous coalition governments in Bucharest, whether right-wing or left-wing.



    INSURANCE The government extended a cap on the price of compulsory motor insurance policies, which will stay at the level in February 2023 until March next year. The cap will stay in place for as long as it is necessary for market regulation, but in 3-month stages, the government spokesman Mihai Constantin announced. The Cabinet also passed a bill making insurance compulsory for electric bikes and scooters, but exempting electrically powered wheelchairs used by people with disabilities from compulsory insurance.



    POLICE Close to 24,000 interior ministry staff will be on duty during the 4-day New Years holiday, while road traffic will be monitored by 360 radar speed guns and DUI check teams. Also, around 5,000 fire-fighters are on duty every day around the country, to provide emergency assistance if necessary. The border police also took steps to enhance border monitoring and to streamline vehicle and person transit at checkpoints. Meanwhile, the authorities announced having seized over 100 tonnes of fireworks kits and opening more than 500 criminal investigations in this respect, and have once again called on parents not to buy firecrackers for their children as such materials may be extremely dangerous.



    POLL The activities carried out part of the Timişoara – European Capital of Culture 2023 programme, including the Constantin Brâncuşi exhibition, received the most votes (29%) to be designated the event of the year 2023 in Romania, in a survey carried out by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy (IRES). According to the poll, the second event that marked Romania in 2023 was the qualification of the national football team to the final tournament of the European Championship – UEFA EURO 2024, which will take place next summer in Germany (24% of responses). Regarding culture and free time, 58% of the survey respondents said that they read at least one book in 2023, and 41% that they also bought books, 36% went to a show, and 20% went to a stadium or attended a sports competition. More than three quarters of the survey participants (76%) stated that they went to church this year.



    UKRAINE Fridays massive Russian strikes on Ukraine, which killed at least 30 people and wounded over 160 others, are “appalling assaults” the UN deputy secretary general Mohamed Khiari said in a Security Council meeting in New York. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation as the largest Russian air attack since the start of the war, with close to 160 missiles and drones hitting a maternity ward, educational facilities, and other industrial, military and civilian targets. NATO member Poland also reported the violation of the Polish airspace by a Russian missile. The strikes triggered large-scale international condemnation, with the US president Joe Biden calling on Congress to take immediate steps to send fresh aid to Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russias ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya blamed the toll on the misuse of Ukraines air defence systems, “the use of which has led to the deaths of civilians.” (AMP)


  • September 25, 2023

    September 25, 2023

    POLL According
    to a poll conducted by the Center of Urban and Regional Sociology, (CURS) most
    of the Romanians believe that things are rather going wrong in Romania. 69% of
    the respondents share this opinion, whereas only 22% of them believe the
    country goes in the right direction. 41% of those questioned believe their
    situation will be more difficult next year, 38% that it will remain the same whereas
    18% says that things will improve. According to the CURS poll, the main issues
    the Romanians are presently facing are the inflation, the higher prices and their
    low incomes, the dropping standard of living, corruption and theft. The most
    trusted institutions remain the firefighters (73%) followed by the army (68%)
    and the church (63%). If elections were to take place next Sunday, 50% of the
    interviewees would be voting for the parties presently ruling Romania, the PSD
    and PNL.




    FESTIVAL The concert of the Concertgebouw Royal
    Orchestra of Amsterdam on Sunday night ended the 26th edition of the
    George Enescu International Music Festival. The Academic Radio Choir and the
    Children Radio Choir have also participated in the aforementioned event, which
    brought together over 40 orchestras from 16 countries and over 35 hundred of
    the world’s most renowned musicians. This festival, one of the world’s most
    important, will be followed by Remember Enescu, a contest devoted to the young
    musicians. This year’s edition kicks of on Monday in Timisoara, western
    Romania.




    IMF A team of the International Monetary Fund comes to
    Bucharest today for the annual round of talks over the Romanian economy. Until
    October 4th, international experts will be holding talks on the
    economic policies and the latest developments in the field with representatives
    of the Finance Ministry, the Central Bank and various NGOs. The IMF team will
    also be meeting representatives of the private sector for talks, which are
    taking place periodically in all member states with a view to presenting
    recommendations for ensuring stability and a positive development at the level
    of the economy.




    LAWS The completion of the measure package aimed
    at balancing the state budget will be preceded today by a new round of talks in
    Bucharest between Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Finance Minister Marcel
    Bolos followed by another round of consultation with employers associations and
    trade unions on the matter. Also today, the Executive is to endorse a draft law
    for which it will assume responsibility in Parliament. The government’s
    intention is to effectively combat tax evasion, ensure fiscal equity and curb
    red tape. The VAT will remain low for a series of products and goods – 5% for
    firewood, thermal energy, natural gas and other things related to household
    consumption. The VAT will stay at 9% for food stuff and medicine, whereas
    products destined for people with abilities will remain exempted from the VAT.
    Holiday vouchers will be given only to state employees with incomes up to 16
    hundred euros.


    (bill)

  • What are Romanians worried about?

    Most Romanians believe the country is heading in
    the wrong direction, reveals a survey conducted by the Centre for Urban and
    Regional Sociology – CURS, whose findings were made public on Sunday.




    According to the survey, this is the opinion
    shared by 69% of the people, as against 22% of respondents who said things are
    going in the right direction and 9% who could not or would not answer the
    question. Also, 41% of the interviewees said things would be worse in a year’s
    time, 38% said things would stay the same and 18% said the situation would
    improve.




    The poll indicates that the main problems facing
    Romanians are inflation (19%), the low incomes and
    implicitly lower living standards (17%) and corruption (16%). Cross-border
    issues such as migration and the war in Ukraine are a concern for only 3% of
    the respondents, on a par with those that identify Romania’s political class
    and its infrastructure as major problems.




    In terms of confidence in national institutions, firefighters rank
    first with 73%, followed by the Army (68%) and the Church (63%). NATO is seen
    as trustworthy by 42% of the Romanians, while 52% of them have little or no
    confidence in the North Atlantic Alliance. Also, only 35% of the respondents
    trust the EU, as opposed to 59% who don’t. Politicians and the government are
    at the bottom of the confidence ranking. A mere 13% have confidence in the
    Presidency and Parliament, and only 10% trust political parties.




    The obstacles faced by Romania in its efforts to join the Schengen
    area have eaten into its citizens’ optimism. As a result, 60% of the
    respondents believe the country will not be admitted this year either in the
    visa-free travel area, with only 27% of the people confident that Romania would
    join the club in 2023. Austria is blamed by 41% of Romanians for the country’s
    failure to join Schengen, while 21% of the citizens blame their own government
    and 12% say the responsibility lies with the EU Council.




    According to the poll, should parliamentary elections be held next
    weekend, half of the Romanians would vote for the 2 parties in today’s ruling
    coalition, with 31% of the respondents voting for the Social Democratic Party
    and 19% for the National Liberal Party. AUR and USR parties in opposition would
    get 18% and 11% of the votes, respectively, while the Democratic Union of
    Ethnic Hungarians in Romania would get 5%.




    The CURS poll was conducted face to face between September 12 and
    22, on a sample of 1,008 respondents and with a 3.1% margin of error. (AMP)

  • 16 years since Romania joined the EU

    16 years since Romania joined the EU

    Romanias transition from one of the toughest communist dictatorships in Europe, that of Nicolae Ceauşescu, to the status of European Union member the lasted from December 22, 1989 until January 1, 2007. Preceded by the country’s admission to NATO, in 2004, Romania’s accession to the community structures was considered one of the major successes of the political class in Bucharest, dominated, at the time, by the President Traian Băsescu and the Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu. But all the important parties in Romania supported this target, thus resonating with the expectations of the Romanian society. The archives attest that, in the autumn of 2005, for instance, Romanians trust in the European Union was the highest among all EU member states or the countries in the process of EU accession.



    After EU accession, Romania became the seventh country in the Union in terms of the number of inhabitants, and the sixth after Brexit. The Romanian language became one of the official languages ​​of the EU and any Romanian citizen can address the community institutions in Romanian. The very name of the European Union, in Romanian, received official status. The Romanian MEPs took their seats in the European Parliament. Just as the other member states, Romania has a post of European Commissioner in the European Commission. Besides the political gains, the advantages of accession were also felt by Romanians in their daily lives, who became European citizens.



    They can travel and settle anywhere in the community space and can compete on the labor market in countries where the wages are much higher than at home. Romanias foreign trade is clearly dominated by exchanges with the EU partners, and the Gross Domestic Product grew constantly in the years after accession. Opinion polls show that most Romanians believe that the direction in which Romania should be going, in terms of political and military alliances, is the West, that is, the European Union, the United States of America and NATO. They think that joining the European Union brought more advantages.



    However, about two-thirds answered that their country must defend its national interests when they are not in line with the EU rules, even if it risks losing its position as a EU member state. Fewer respondents said that Romania, as a member state, must respect the community rules, even when its national interests are affected. Anyway, most respondents believe that the European Union should not fall apart in the coming years. However, the polls also show the frustration of most Romanians that their country has not yet been admitted to the free travel Schengen Area, which makes them feel like second-class European citizens. (LS)

  • Romanians’ Trust in Public Institutions

    Romanians’ Trust in Public Institutions

    A national-scale representative poll conducted over the telephone between September 29 and October 10, 2022, and involving some 1,000 citizens aged between 18 and 65, Romanias Security Barometer reflects the current trust that people have in the national and international institutional environment.



    The hierarchy has not changed much, but even the national institutions that regularly enjoyed high levels of public confidence, such as the Church and the Army, are now seeing their image tainted by recent difficulties.



    According to the Lab for Information War Analysis and Strategic Communication (LARICS), in a partnership with the Romanian Academys Institute for Political Sciences and International Relations, the year 2022 has been marked by the war in the region and the quite significant energy price surges. This set of crises has eroded even the publics confidence in NATO and the EU.



    Even so, Romania remains a mostly pro-Western and pro-European nation: 68% of Romanians are optimistic with respect to the EUs short-term future, 78% of them are optimistic as regards the US support for Eastern Europe, and only 10% of them believe the EU ought to disappear in the future.



    In spite of serious criticism against the Union, 74% of Romanians argue that it is better to be an EU member state than to be outside it. Romanians criticism with respect to the EU has to do with the current economic and energy-related situation: some member states are perceived to take economic advantage of Romania, the EU policies are not always seen as matching Romanias interests, and the bloc is sometimes believed to impose too many rules.



    But an equally disapproving attitude is reported as far as national and local authorities are concerned. Some 48% of the public blames the skyrocketing energy prices on Romanias leaders, 28% on EU policies and only 24% on the war in Ukraine.



    Should Romania come under attack, 36% of citizens say they would take part in the defence efforts, 33% are undecided and 29% would try to leave the country together with their families.



    Most Romanians believe Russia is to blame for the war in Ukraine and that the main obstacle to peace is Russia. Although Moscows responsibility is clear for most Romanians, 70% of them want the war stopped, and only 28% believe it should continue until Russia has been defeated. The reasons include fears that the conflict may spill over and that the economic crisis may deepen.



    According to Romanias Security Barometer, although a strategic shift in Romanians orientation is out of the question, a growing number of citizens argue that the country should be more pragmatic and focus on its own interests. Still, this should be done within the Euro-Atlantic framework, rather than outside it. (AMP)

  • October 21, 2022 UPDATE

    October 21, 2022 UPDATE

    PROTESTS On Friday, trade unions in Romania carried on their protests
    against the dropping standard of living. Representatives of the police, the
    administration of the penitentiaries, of education and public administration have
    voiced discontent towards the authorities’ lack of reaction regarding major
    issues affecting the population’s standards of living. The Friday’s protest is
    part of a series of meetings staged this week in several cities across Romania.
    Representatives of Cartel Alfa trade union confederation have said they are
    going to put protests on hold for a couple of weeks in order to see how the
    dialogue with the authorities is going on.










    POLL Almost
    60% of Romanians say their financial situation has worsened compared with last
    year, according to a quarterly financial barometer. This level has increased by
    10% from previous quarters. The prospects for the future are darker than in the
    first half of the year, with 55% of respondents expecting their situation to
    further deteriorate in the future, compared with 40% who held this view in the
    first half of the year. The main reasons mentioned for the deterioration of the
    financial situation are the prices of utilities like gas and electricity and
    higher cost of food and fuel.










    TENNIS Romania’s best tennis player,
    Simona Halep on Friday posted on Instagram an announcement that she tested
    positive for banned substance roxadustat in a tiny concentration. Halep said
    she was shocked by the results and will fight to the bitter end to prove that
    she hadn’t used the banned substance on purpose. In my entire career it has
    never crossed my mind to cheat and it’s completely against the values I grew up
    with. It’s not about medals and money, it’s about honour and the love I gained
    for tennis over the past 25 years, the Romanian athlete said.








    UKRAINE
    Ukrainian president Volodymyr
    Zelensky accused invading Russian troops of planting mines at a hydroelectric
    dam in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine which is under Russia’s control.
    Four people were killed in Kherson after a Ukrainian rocket artillery hit a
    ferry crossing. The pro-Moscow authorities in the region installed by the
    Russian army this week said they are planning to evacuate 50,000-60,000 people
    in the coming days following an intensification in the Ukrainian
    counteroffensive.






    (bill)

  • Current concerns for Romanians

    Current concerns for Romanians

    Three-quarters of Romanians,
    more precisely 76% of them, are concerned that a prospective economic crisis
    might affect their finances, according to a poll on Risk perceptions and insurance
    culture in Romania, performed last month on a sample of 1,000 respondents aged between 18 and 50.


    The poll was conducted by the National Union of
    Romanian Insurers and Reinsurers (UNSAR) and the Romanian Evaluation and
    Strategy Institute (IRES).


    According to the poll, the
    steep inflation rate is a concern for 68% of the interviewees, followed by war (64%), fires and
    automobile accidents (61%). The pandemic and/or other diseases is a source of
    concern for 57% of Romanians.


    As the age increases, the proportion of people
    worried about possible undesired events also rises, the poll indicates. City dwellers
    and average-income categories are also more concerned with these aspects.


    The growing inflation has affected one in two
    Romanians, with little over half of the respondents saying their revenues
    remained steady over the past year.


    In fact, inflation has been steadily on the
    rise in Romania recently. The increase was prompted by the spike in fuel and
    electricity prices, which entailed chain reactions throughout the economy.


    According to data made public recently by the
    National Statistics Institute, the most severe price rises have been reported
    in the past year for natural gas, foodstuffs such as sunflower oil, flour and
    potatoes, and sewage services.


    Experts estimate that inflation will continue
    to go up for a while, and the conflict in Ukraine, which affects exports, will
    keep grain prices up.


    The poll also indicates that in spite of the
    economic growth, nearly 4 in 10 respondents believe they will save more money
    in the coming year, as opposed to 2 in 10 interviewees who provided this answer
    in last year’s poll.


    Just like in 2021, bank deposits are the main
    savings options for Romanians, with 4 in 10 people saying this is the method of
    choice for them. Another one-quarter of the respondents said they would invest
    in real estate.


    Now more than ever, it is important for people
    to know that there are safe savings options, available to everybody, such as
    the financial protection plans provided by life insurance policies. Insurance may
    be an efficient solution to ensure sustainability to the finances of a family,
    said Alexandru Ciuncan, head of the National Union of Romanian Insurers and
    Reinsurers. (AMP)

  • June 2, 2022 UPDATE

    June 2, 2022 UPDATE

    GOVERNMENT On Thursday the
    Government of Romania passed an emergency order under which pensioners with
    pension benefits below roughly EUR 400 will benefit in July from financial aid
    amounting to EUR 140. The measure is intended to offset the drop in spending
    power for vulnerable people, generated by the recent increase in fuel, food and
    utility prices. Around 3.3 million people will benefit from the aid. Wednesday
    also saw the start of a social voucher distribution programme called ‘Support
    for Romania’. The EUR 50 vouchers are intended for over 2.5 million vulnerable
    Romanians, and can be used for food purchases.


    HOLIDAY Romania, a country
    with an Orthodox majority, Thursday celebrated the Ascension of Lord Jesus
    Christ, 40 days after his resurrection. Orthodox believers celebrated the event
    with painted eggs and traditional Easter meals. Since 1920 Romanians have also
    paid homage to their war heroes on Ascension Day. A series of events have been
    staged to the memory of Romania’s heroes like religious services as well as
    moments of silence in all major institutions across the country. In a message on Heroes Day, the country’s
    Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said ‘our thoughts of gratitude are today directed
    towards those who made the supreme sacrifice for the better destiny of the
    generations to come.’


    POLL Over 70% of Romanians
    blame the war in Ukraine on Russia, according to a poll conducted by INSCOP
    Research over May 16th and 21st. Over 87% of the Romanians believe that Russian
    leaders must be convicted for war crimes and 65% believe the presence of NATO
    and US troops in Romania is a good thing. 50% of the respondents believe
    Ukraine will win the war, whereas 26% believe Russia will be the victor.
    According to the poll, only 25% of Romanians believe Russia is defending
    traditional values against the decadence of the West, as compared to 41% in
    February. 67% of the respondents believe that extraction of natural gas from
    the Black Sea will significantly reduce the country’s dependence on Russian
    gas.


    LETTER Romania’s president
    Klaus Iohannis has sent a congratulation letter to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
    II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on her
    anniversary and the platinum jubilee, the presidential administration in
    Bucharest has announced. The Romanian president voiced his belief that the
    Strategic Partnership between Romania and the UK will continue to be
    consolidated in the future, for the mutual benefit of both nations. Starting on
    Thursday, Britain is celebrating for 4 days the Queen’s 70 years of rule, the
    longest in the kingdom’s history. The government has exceptionally approved a
    four-day bank holiday allowing millions to participate in various events staged
    on this occasion, such as street parties, concerts and military parades.
    According to the BBC, the 96-year-old monarch, who has mobility issues and has
    recently cancelled several public appearances, is likely to join members of the
    Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch the display.


    REFUGEES The government of
    Romania Thursday approved the provision of new emergency humanitarian aid
    amounting to EUR 185,000 for the management of the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Also
    as of Thursday, a governmental information platform is available to Ukrainian
    nationals benefiting from temporary protection in Romania. At
    protecţieucraina.gov.ro, refugees can find all the necessary information on the
    rights and services they can receive, how they can enter Romania or answers to
    frequently asked questions in the legal field. The Romanian Border Police
    announced that on Wednesday little over 10,000 Ukrainian citizens entered
    Romania, down 13% since the previous day. Since the start of the crisis in
    Ukraine on February 24, nearly 1.1 million refugees have entered Romania. Most
    of them transited the country towards Western Europe, but several tens of
    thousands applied for asylum or temporary protection from the Romanian
    government. (AMP)

  • April 17, 2022 UPDATE

    April 17, 2022 UPDATE

    EASTER Catholic and
    Protestant Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. At the Vatican,
    Pope Francis once again called for peace, describing Easter as the gift of hope
    during the Mass held in a basilica with thousands of believers. On Sunday, the
    service took place in San Pietro Square after 2 years of Covid-related
    restrictions. For Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers, who celebrate Easter
    next weekend, it was Palm Sunday, commemorating the moment when Jesus Christ
    entered Jerusalem. In Romania, a mostly Orthodox country, nearly one and a half
    million people celebrated their name day on Sunday. President Klaus Iohannis
    wished happy and peaceful holidays to all those who celebrate Easter or Palm
    Sunday.


    UKRAINE As of midnight
    Russian vessels are no longer allowed to enter EU ports, Romanian ports
    included. The ban also covers ships that replaced the Russian flag with the
    colours of another state after February 24 when the war in Ukraine started, but
    not those which need assistance or shelter for safety reasons or those which
    have saved lives at the sea. In an interview to Sunday’s issue of the German
    magazine Bild am Sonntag, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der
    Leyen said the next stage of EU sanctions will target Russia’s oil and banking
    sectors, particularly the country’s largest bank, Sberbank. She added that
    Brussels was working on smart mechanisms to include Russian oil in the new list
    of sanctions, so as to reduce the financing for Vladimir Putin’s invasion army.
    EU member states are currently paying for Russian gas and oil via Sberbank and
    Gazprombank, which have so far been exempt from Europe’s sanctions, Reuters
    explains. The EU announced on Sunday that EUR 50 million would be earmarked for
    humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Some EUR 45
    million will go into humanitarian programmes in Ukraine, while the Republic of
    Moldova, where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have taken refuge since the
    start of the war, is set to receive EUR 5 million.


    REFUGEES The number of Ukrainian nationals who reached
    Romania on Saturday was 12.4% higher than on the previous days, the Romanian
    border police announced. Since the start of the crisis, over 730,000 Ukrainian
    citizens have entered the country, most of them leaving Romania for other
    destinations.


    POLL The Church ranks first in a public confidence
    poll in Romania. The survey conducted by CURS at the end of March indicates
    that 67% of the respondents trust the Church, up 4% since January. The Army, on
    the other hand, has lost 8% in the same survey. The most significant increase
    in public confidence was reported for the National Bank of Romania, with 42% of
    the respondents saying they trust the central bank, as opposed to half this
    figure in January. The poll was commissioned by the National Liberal Party and
    has a +/- 1.9% margin of error.


    DIPLOMACY The Romanian Foreign Ministry celebrates 25 years
    since the Joint Statement on the Romania-Italy Strategic Partnership was
    signed. The genuine friendship between the 2 countries is facilitated by the
    presence of over 1 million Romanians in Italy, making up the largest foreign
    community in that country and also the largest Romanian community abroad, reads
    a news release issued by the institution.


    NORTH KOREA North Korea announced
    the successful test firing of a new type of tactical guided weapon aimed at boosting
    the country’s nuclear capabilities, which may indicate that Pyongyang is ready
    to resume nuclear testing. North Korea suspended nuclear testing in 2017, and
    the following year it blew up the tunnels in its underground nuclear test site,
    but recent satellite imagery indicates digging and construction activities have
    been resumed.



    INVICTUS A
    group of 20 Romanian military wounded in battle fields are taking part in the
    one-week long Invictus Games, hosted his year by The Hague in the Netherlands.
    They will compete in 7 sports, 6 of them individual competitions (hand archery,
    athletics, rowing, powerlifting, cycling
    and swimming) and a team sport (sitting volleyball). The
    Invictus Games promote respect and empathy for the sacrifice and traumas of
    wounded military, whose involvement in these activities is an opportunity for
    social reintegration and for regaining self-confidence, the Romanian Defence
    Ministry says. For Romanian troops, this year’s Invictus participation is the
    third, after the ones in Toronto, in 2017, and Sydney, one year later. (AMP)

  • February 8, 2022 UPDATE

    February 8, 2022 UPDATE

    COVID-19 36,269 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were
    reported for the past 24 hours in Romania, along with 193 related fatalities,
    the Strategic Communication Group announced on Tuesday. Since the start of the
    pandemic 2 years ago, more than 2 million Romanians have had the disease and
    over 60,000 died. Meanwhile, since the start of the vaccine roll-out in
    December 2020, over 8 million people have received a full vaccination cycle,
    and 2.4 million have also got the booster dose.


    HEALTHCARE The Romanian health minister Alexandru Rafila will take
    part on February 9-10 in a joint conference of EU foreign and health ministers
    on global health and in an informal meeting of health ministers, due in Lyon and
    Grenoble. According to the ministry, the 2 events are organised by the French
    presidency of the EU Council. The participants will discuss the EU measures to
    support developing countries in accessing medicines in the context of the COVID-19
    pandemic, and to strengthen national healthcare systems. The informal meeting
    of health ministers will focus on the intervention and resilience of public
    health systems in case of crises, and on the joint development of policies to
    create a ‘Union of health.’


    TROOPS A first unit of US troops, deployed in order to strengthen
    the security of Eastern European Allies amid the Ukraine standoff has reached
    Romania, the defence minister Vasile Dîncu announced. He explained that around
    100 experts have arrived in order to prepare the deployment of a larger
    contingent. Early this month, the US announced it would send an additional
    3,000 troops to NATO’s eastern flank, 1,000 of them due to be stationed in Romania.
    France also voiced willingness to send troops to Romania.We will get involved in new missions and take all
    responsibility, with enhanced presence especially in Romania, should this
    decision be made. I reaffirm our solidarity with our European friends in NATO,
    president Emmanuel Macron said. A NATO member since 2004, Romania is already
    hosting 900 troops from the US, 140 from
    Italy and 250 from Poland.


    POLITICS The Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Tuesday that a
    criminal investigation was initiated with respect to Monday’s incident in
    Parliament, where the Romanian energy minister Virgil Popescu was assaulted by
    the co-president of the nationalist opposition party AUR, Deputy George Simion.
    Popescu had previously filed a criminal complaint against Simion. While
    attending a Chamber of Deputies meeting on Monday, the Liberal minister Virgil
    Popescu was insulted and assaulted by Simion. The meeting was suspended, and
    subsequently resumed with only the opposition MPs from AUR and USR in attendance.
    Prosecutors are also investigating Călin Georgescu, rumoured to become the
    honorary president of AUR party. A criminal case was opened against him for
    promoting fascist views and individuals convicted for genocide and war crimes,
    following televised statements Georgescu had made concerning the fascist leader
    Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and the former head of state Ion Antonescu.


    MOLDOVA
    The number of supporters of
    the R. of Moldova’s union with Romania is growing, according to an opinion poll
    quoted by Radio Chişinău on Tuesday. Over 34%
    of the respondents in Moldova would vote in favour of the union, says the poll
    commissioned by IDIS Viitorul in Chișinău and the Institute of Political
    Sciences and International Relations with the Romanian Academy. This is a
    record-high number of union supporters, over 10 times higher than in 2010. According
    to the same poll, which focused on citizens’ perception of the relations
    between Moldova and Romania, over 62% of the people with dual citizenship would
    vote for the union. However, in the case of new tensions similar to the one in
    Ukraine, more people would back a military alliance with Russia (22.5%) than
    with Romania (12.5%). (A.M.P.)

  • RRI Personality of the Year 2021

    RRI Personality of the Year 2021

    Radio Romania International once
    again held its traditional end-of-year poll in which listeners and Internet and
    social media users get to choose the person or persons who had the greatest positive
    impact on the world.




    This year healthcare workers from around
    the world working on the front line in the battle against the coronavirus
    pandemic, together with all those who helped develop vaccines against Covid-19 were
    chosen as Persons of the Year, with special mentions going to the German doctors
    and founders of the BioNTech labs Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, and the
    Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó, who contributed to the development of the mRNA
    technology on which some of the Covid vaccines are based.




    Other proposals included the
    journalists and presenters who have been providing accurate information since
    the start of the pandemic, as well as Dr Annalisa Malara, who diagnosed the
    first Covid-19 case in Italy, and Dr Marco Stabile, whose discovery that
    heparin helps prevent blood clots has saved many lives.




    The politicians put forward for Personality
    of the Year included the former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US President
    Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President of the European Commission
    Ursula von der Leyen and the Romanian Ambassador to Italy George Bologan, who
    is just finishing his term. The COP26 summit on climate change was also
    nominated.




    Yet more proposals for Personality
    of the Year included the American entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, the young tennis
    sensation Emma Raducanu, the Auvergne pour un enfant humanitarian
    association, the Somalese YouTuber AboFlah, the Algerian national football team,
    who won the 2021 Arab Cup, the Indian librarian Palam Kalyanasundaram, who for the last 30 years has donated
    all his income to charity, and the doctors who saved the Danish football player
    Christian Eriksen, who suffered a heart attack on the pitch last June.



  • December 17, 2021

    December 17, 2021

    Mourning. A day of mourning is
    observed today in memory of the people killed 32 years ago in Timişoara, the
    city that sparked the Romanian anti-communist revolution. Commemoration events
    include religious services, laying of flowers and special exhibitions. 17th
    December is when army and security forces opened fire against the people
    protesting against the regime in Timişoara. More than 60 people were killed
    that evening, and several hundreds were wounded. 17th December is
    considered the darkest day in Timişoara’s contemporary history.




    Budget. Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă today presented the
    main economic measures his government is preparing for next year, such as a
    budget deficit target of 6.2%, lower VAT for heating costs and certain forms of
    housing, and a consistent budget for investment and supporting business. The
    government decided in its Wednesday meeting to increase pensions and child
    allowances and is today planning to adopt a number of emergency orders to help
    build next year’s budget and sustain these increases. One such move refers to a
    freeze on most public sector salaries and management allowances. The government
    also wants to set a 5% VAT level for deliveries of thermal energy for the
    population, schools, hospitals and other public institutions, in order to
    offset the rise in energy costs. Another emergency order refers to the approval
    of mechanisms for the use of European funds worth around 50 billion euros and part of the
    2021-2027 financial framework.






    EU. EU leaders who met for the winter summit in Brussels called for a
    boost in vaccination levels amid concerns over the Omicron variant. Romania was
    represented at the meeting by its president, Klaus Iohannis. EU leaders also
    discussed the rise in energy costs and the tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
    According to the Romanian president’s office, the meeting of the European Council
    was followed by the Euro
    summit in extended format, where EU leaders adopted a declaration reiterating
    the EU’s commitment to provide vigorous, rapid and coordinated response for
    post-pandemic economic recovery.








    Poll. 61% of Romanians hope 2022 will be better in terms of jobs, with
    69% saying 2021 was harder than the first pandemic year in terms of personal
    and professional challenges, according to a survey conducted by BestJobs online
    recruitment platform. Six in ten respondents are considering changing their job
    for higher pay or are expecting a promotion or pay rise from their current job.
    26% of Romanian employees say 2021 was better than 2020, with 25% saying this
    improvement was recorded on a private level, 17% on a professional and 15% on
    both. The BestJobs survey was conducted between 20th November and 10th
    December using a sample of 1,041 Internet users. BestJobs is one of the biggest
    online recruitment platforms in Romania. (CM)

  • RRI Personality of the Year

    RRI Personality of the Year

    Dear
    friends, RRI continues its traditional polling of listeners on short wave, the
    Internet and social media, with a new challenge, in a further complicated
    context generated by the Covid-19 pandemic. We would like to ask you which
    person you think left their imprint on the world in a positive way in 2021.

    We
    are preparing to designate, based on your options, The Personality of the Year
    2021 on RRI. Will this person be a public person, an opinion leader or a
    regular person with a special story? The decision is yours. We would also want
    to ask you why you picked that particular person.


    You can send your answers, as
    usual, by commenting on our website, at rri.ro, by e-mail at engl@rri.ro,
    on our Facebook profile, on WhatsApp at +40744312650, by fax at 00.40.21.319.05.62,
    or by post (Covid-19 may cause postal services delays), at 60-64, General
    Berthelot Street, sector 1, Bucharest, area code 010165 (PO Box 111), Romania.


    We
    remind you that last year, RRI’s listeners and Internet and social media users
    chose healthcare workers, who were on the front line of the battle against the
    pandemic, as Personality of the Year. We’re looking forward to your proposals
    this year! We will announce the winner on the 1st of January,
    2022.