Radio România Internațional

Tag: poll

October 19, 2021

COVID-19 Romanian authorities announced on Monday over 10,000 new SARS-CoV-2 infections and 261 COVID-related deaths in 24 hours. More than 1,700 patients are
currently in intensive care. As regards vaccination, in Romania, the number of
people that went through a full vaccination plan stands at roughly 5.7 million.
The Romanian interim Interior Minister, Lucian Bode, has announced that 26
patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been transferred to Hungary and that the
situation these days is rather critical. Meanwhile, 32 medical staff from the
neighbouring Republic of Moldova came to Romania on Monday and will treat
COVID-19 patients for 12 days, in a mobile hospital in the village of Leţcani,
Iaşi County. Romania now has new vaccination targets, after missing the
previous ones because of citizens’ reluctance to the jab.

AID Poland and Slovenia announced they are ready to help
Romania fight the on-going healthcare crisis. The offers came after president
Klaus Iohannis presented the situation in a videoconference ahead of a European
Council meeting due in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. Attending the
conference were the prime ministers of the 2 countries, who voiced their
willingness to help Romania, as well as the president of the European Council,
Charles Michel, ho undertook to facilitate EU-level aid. Hit hard by the 4th
wave of the pandemic, Romania has already received medical equipment from Poland,
Italy and Denmark.

GOVERNMENT The relevant parliamentary committees are interviewing
today the proposed members of PM designate Dacian Cioloş’s cabinet. Deputies
and Senators will discuss with both former ministers in the coalition
government comprising the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, headed by the Liberal Florin Cîţu.
Stelian Ion is once again nominated for justice minister, Ioana Mihăilă for
health minister and Cătălin Drulă for transport minister, while former deputy
PM Dan Barna is the proposed foreign minister. New names in the cabinet include
environment activist Mihai Goţiu for environment minister, the former prefect
of Bucharest Alin Stoica for interior minister and former fighter pilot Nicu
Fălcoi for defence minister. The decision of Save Romania Union (USR) to
present Parliament with a proposed one-party government was made after
negotiations with the former partners failed to lead to the restoration of the
right-wing coalition. The Liberals and
ethnic Hungarian party would not resume cooperation with USR, because the
latter backed a motion of no-confidence against the Cîţu government. The Social
Democrats in opposition are also against a government headed by Cioloş, whom
they accuse of irresponsibly protracting this political crisis. The Social
Democrats and the nationalist party AUR demand early elections. Cioloş’s team
needs 234 votes in Parliament, and USR only has 80 MPs. The vote on the
proposed government is scheduled for Wednesday.

AUTOMOTIVE The Ford production unit in Craiova (south-western Romania) is
temporarily downsizing operations because of a semiconductor shortage. Until
Thursday the plant will operate in one shift instead of three, both in the
vehicle and the engine production divisions. The vehicles for which sale
contracts have already been signed will be a priority, the management announced.
Employees will be paid idle time up to 78% of their base salaries. In turn, the
Dacia plant in Mioveni, Argeș County, controlled by the French group Renault, suspended
its operations for lack of electronic components on October 8, sending home
around 90% of its 14,000 employees at the time.

OPINION POLL The Army and the Church rank first in terms of public
confidence in Romania, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Information
Warfare analysis and Strategic Communication Laboratory. Specifically, some 87%
of the Romanians say they trust the Army, 70% the Church, 67% – the Romanian Intelligence
Service and the Romanian Academy. Confidence is politicians is low, at some 20%,
with the President, Parliament and Government on the top 3 positions. The main
threats against Romania, according to over 40% of the respondents, are the
politicians’ corruption and incompetence. The main threats facing the EU are an
economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and disagreements between some member
states. the poll was conducted by telephone between October 1 and 10, with a de
+/- 3.1% margin of error.

MOLDOVA The leader of the Socialists Party in the neighbouring Republic of
Moldova, the pro-Russian ex-president Igor Dodon, announced he stepped down as
a Parliament member and party president. He said he will continue to work as
part of the Moldovan-Russian Entrepreneur Union, to strengthen economic
relations with Russia. Dodon explains his role as an opposition leader will be
better served from outside Parliament. One year ago he lost the presidential
election to pro-European Maia Sandu, whose party, Action and Solidarity, defeated
the Socialists and their allies, the Communists, in July’s early parliamentary
election. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

19 October 2021
September 10, 2021

GOVERNMENT The government convenes today in Bucharest to discuss several bills in the field of education, including a resolution on the implementation of the “Educated Romania programme initiated by president Klaus Iohannis. The programme comprises 7 technical reports that review of state of affairs in Romanian public education and suggest specific targets and measures in the short, medium and long run. Some of the goals targeted for 2030 are Romania ranking in the top 30 countries in the world in the PISA tests; a minimum 80% pass rate in the middle school graduation tests and 75% pass rate in the Baccalaureate exams, as well as organising policies designed to reduce the number of schools with pass rates below 50%.

EVACUATION The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu received in Bucharest 139 out of the 156 Afghan citizens evacuated from Afghanistan by the inter-institutional task force activated in on August 13 in Romania. These include former collaborators of the Romanian troops in the Afghanistan theatre of operations, students on grants in Romania, and other vulnerable categories, such as journalists, human rights activists, magistrates and their families. The group of Afghan citizens was brought from Islamabad by an aircraft operated by a Romanian commercial line, with the flight coordinated and organised by the Foreign Ministry. Bogdan Aurescu told the Afghan citizens that Romanian authorities will do their best to provide these friends of Romania with decent living conditions and a chance to start over. Meanwhile, the Romanian task force will continue to process the support requests coming from Afghan citizens, the Romanian official added.

COVID-19 On Thursday Romania once again reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus infections. Around 4,000 COVID patients are now hospitalised, over 500 of them in intensive care. The national vaccine coverage rate is around 31%, with 5.2 million people fully immunised so far. The state of alert has been extended by another 30 days as of today.

INFLATION In Romania, the year-on-year inflation rate reached 5.3% in August, from 5% in July, as non-food prices went up by 7.92%, food prices by 2.7%, and the prices of services rose by 2.97%, according to data released on Friday by the National Statistics Institute. According to a report delivered in August by the National Bank governor Mugur Isărescu, the central bank updated its inflation forecast for the end of this year to 5.6%.

POLL Four out of five respondents (81%) say the EU should only grant funding to the member states that observe democratic principles and the rule of law, according to an Eurobarometer poll made public on Friday by the European Parliament, ahead of the State of the EU debate due on September 15. The Eurobarometer shows evident public support for transparency and effective control of the EU funds provided as part of the NextGenerationEU programme. According to the poll, 53% of the EU citizens (58% in Romania) fully agree, and another 32% (29% in Romania) tend to agree, that efficient control should be in place. Asked about issues the European Parliament should pursue as its priorities, the respondents mentioned fighting climate change, poverty and social exclusion, supporting the economy and creating new jobs, public health, migration and asylum. The Eurobarometer poll was conducted between August 17 and 25, online, in all the 27 member states, with roughly 1,000 interviewees in most countries.

UNTOLD Cluj-Napoca (north-west) is hosting these days the largest electronica festival in Romania, UNTOLD. Over 70,000 people from over 100 countries are expected to attend this special edition, held in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from famous DJs like Dimitris Vega and Like Mike, the world celebrated pan flute player Gheorghe Zamfir is also performing, in an original blending of electronic music and traditional sound. UNTOLD is more than just music, it is also about fire and light shows, performances by renowned troupes like the Moon Ladies (Italy), about art exhibitions, including a south-American art exhibition that showcases the traditions of Amazonian tribes. A fashion show bringing together the works of 20 designers, as well as percussion workshops, are also among the highlights of the festival. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

10 September 2021
January 4, 2021 UPDATE

TALKS The government of Romania will hold talks this week on the 2021 state budget. According to Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu, the budget is going to be based on a 7% deficit and will be submitted for Parliament approval by the end of the month. According to the Prime Minister, the 7% target is proof of the firm commitment to fiscal consolidation without hindering the economy. The budget will allow for an extension to June 30th of economic measures triggered by the pandemic, including compensations to employees during the suspension of employment and financial support for employers. A state aid scheme for the hospitality industry and travel agencies, totalling 500 million euros and financed from EU funds, will also be in place. The government might also discuss this week a bill raising the national minimum wage, while all wages in state-owned companies are to be frozen at the level of December 2020.

COVID-19 – In the past 24 hours Romania has reported over 3,100 fresh cases of Covid-19 infections, out of 10,000 tests carried out nationwide, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Monday. Roughly 644,000 people have been infected with the virus since the first case was reported in Romania in February last year. Out of these, 577,000 have recovered. Another 78 people died to the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the onset of the pandemic to 16,057. 1,100 are in intensive care and the authorities are bracing up for a new wave of infections after the winter holidays. According to Raed Arafat, head of the Department for Emergency Situations, although the immunization campaign in Romania has commenced, prevention measures, like face covering, hand washing and social distancing remain mandatory. The vaccination campaign has been extended in Romania, which is to activate over 90% of the 376 centres for healthcare personnel and care centres. Nearly 13,500 medical workers were immunized in the first week since the vaccine was brought to Romania, with authorities targeting a daily 20,000 vaccination rate in the forthcoming period. The coordinator of the vaccination programme, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, says the second stage of the programme, targeting patients in care centres, may be initiated in mid-January.

FLIGHTS The National Committee for Emergency Situations in Romania has updated their list of countries and areas in the COVID-19 red zone and decided to resume flights to and from the UK. People coming to Romania from this country are to isolate themselves for 10 days and must have taken a Covid-19 test at least 48 hours before their arrival. Flights to the UK were suspended on December 20th after a fresh, more contagious virus strain had been discovered in Britain. Italy has been included on the list of countries with a higher risk of transmission.

AUTOMOTIVE The number of new car registrations went up 16% in Romania in December 2020 compared to December 2019, to 15,974 units, according to the Romanian Association of Automotive Makers (ACAROM). However, for the entire year 2020 the number dropped by 22%. As regards used vehicles registered in Romania for the first time, the number dropped by 5% in December 2020 compared to 2019, to 34,174 units. The best selling new cars in Romania in 2020 are Dacia, followed by Skoda, Renault, Volkswagen and Ford.

ENERGY The European Commission Monday greenlighted the acquisition by the Europe Division of MIRA investment fund (Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets) of electricity production and supply assets held by the Czech group CEZ. In October 2020, CEZ Group announced the sale of its assets in Romania to MIRA, the worlds largest infrastructure management company. The transaction involved 7 companies, including electricity distribution and supply networks and Europes largest onshore wind farm, in Fântânele – Cogealac (south-eastern Romania).

SAVINGS Four out of ten Romanians managed to save during the pandemic, as compared to two-thirds before. A survey conducted by the Romanian Research and Strategy Institute (IRES), and commissioned by the Romanian Banks Association, also shows that two-thirds of the household and corporate savings are in the local currency, mostly in short-term deposits. According to the survey, if they had money to spare, 28% of Romanians would invest in their or their familys education, 23% would keep the money in banks, 16% would start up a company and 10% would buy hard currency. The poll was conducted in December 2020.

AIR FORCES MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft and around 90 US Air Force personnel are deployed for the next few months to ‘Gen. Emanoil Ionescu’ 71st Air Base in Câmpia Turzii, north-western Romania. According to the Romanian Defence Ministry, the Romanian Air Forces will provide technical, logistic and operational support to the MQ-9 Reapers intelligence, surveillance and recon missions as part of NATO operations. The US-Romanian cooperation is designed to strengthen the defence capacity and enhance security in the region. (tr. A. M. Popescu)

4 January 2021
August 3, 2020

Coronavirus
Romania. Romania passes 54,000 coronavirus infections. 19 new deaths were
reported on Monday, taking the death toll to 2,432. The number of active cases
has also reached a new record, passing 18,400, while 419 patients are in
intensive care. Starting today, travellers from Romania will only be able to
enter the Czech Republic if they take a coronavirus test. Belgium has also
introduced restrictions for arrivals from 24 counties in central, southern,
south-eastern and south-western Romania. Recently, Italy has extended indefinitely
the obligation for arrivals from Romania to self-isolate for 14 days. Hungary
and Slovenia have also announced new entry conditions for arrivals from
Romania.

Coronavirus world. More than 18.2 million coronavirus cases were
reported and more than 690,000 people have died globally. More and more
countries are reintroducing the restrictions lifted in the last month due to a
new surge in the number of cases. South Africa is the fifth worst affected
country after the United States, Brazil, India and Russia. Australia, which
successfully tackled the outbreak in its early stages has now taken the
tightest measures since the start of the pandemic. Europe is also on alert,
tightening border controls, especially for travellers from high-risk areas.

Parliament.
Parliament in Bucharest is again in extraordinary sitting this week. Specialist
committees are holding hearings and prime minister Ludovic Orban is again
expected in Parliament to present a report on the measures taken to manage the
coronavirus pandemic. A Parliament’s inquiry committee into acquisitions and
how the emergency situation was handled may meet on Tuesday. The joint Senate
committees for constitutional affairs and the judiciary may debate a citizens’
initiative to revise the Constitution entitled No more criminals in public
office. The Chamber of Deputies has already passed the initiative. If Senate
passes it, the government must hold a referendum to revise the Constitution
within 30 days of the adoption of the bill. In another move, the speakers of
the two chambers, the Social Democratic Party members Marcel Ciolacu and Robert
Cazanciuc asked prime minister and National Liberal Party leader Ludovic Orban
to present plans to manage the pandemic, the start of the new school year and
the organisation of local and parliamentary elections.

Poll. More than half of Romanian
employees say they are worried about the rise in the number of coronavirus
cases, but don’t think a state of emergency should be reintroduced, according
to an opinion poll conducted by the recruitment platform BestJobs. 47% of respondents
say a new state of emergency would destroy the economy, and 10% believe the
situation is not that bad yet. 36% of Romanian employees believe, however, that
more drastic measures are necessary in order to prevent the spread of the
virus. 58% of respondents blame the spike in the number of cases in the last
month on people not respecting hygiene and physical distancing rules, and only
15% blame the authorities for not imposing stricter rules and not making sure
they are respected.

Film. Colectiv
is the first Romanian documentary nominated by Romania for an Oscar, said the
director of the Transylvania International Film Festival Tudor Giurgiu. The festival,
which is in its 19th year, is under way in Cluj Napoca, in
north-western Romania. The focus this year is on safety and physical
distancing, with the festival taking place exclusively outdoors at several
locations around the city and nearby. The line-up features more than 130
titles. A programme of Romanian short film runs from today until Wednesday. This
year’s edition is dedicated to the great Italian director Federico Fellini.
Romanian actress Maria Ploae is to receive a special recognition award. The festival
is coming to an end next Sunday.

Tennis. Three Romanian players, Sorana Cirstea, Irina Begu and Laura
Ioana Paar are in action today in the women’s singles in Palermo, a tournament worth
163,000 euros in prize money. This is the first WTA competition held since
March. In the first round, Cirstea faces Italy’s Sara Errani, Begu faces
Germany’s Laura Siegemund while Paar plays Russia’s Lyudmila Samsonova in the
final qualifying round. A fourth Romanian player, Patricia Tig, faces fourth
seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia on Thursday. World no. 2 Simona
Halep withdrew from Palermo because of the rise in the number of coronavirus
cases.

3 August 2020
July 10, 2020 UPDATE

BILL A bill on quarantine and self-isolation initiated by the government in Bucharest is currently being debated upon in the Senate. The document, which includes a large number of amendments, was endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday. It regulates a number of necessary temporary measures in the field of public safety in situations of high epidemiological and biological hazard with a view to preventing and limiting contagion on the national territory. The government has resorted to the move after the Constitutional Court decided that self-isolation, quarantine and hospitalization cannot be imposed through a ministry order even in the case of infected persons. Judges believe that the aforementioned procedures are infringing upon individual rights and liberties and that restrictive measures must be imposed only under a law clearly regulating these restrictions. On Friday Romania reported 592 new infections, which brings the total number up to 31,400. About 22,800 people have recovered whereas 1,847 died. The number of Romanians infected abroad exceeds 5,100, with a death toll of 122.

RESTRICTIONS With the number of COVID-19 cases in Romania on the rise, some countries, like Malta, Finland and Norway have banned the access of travellers from Romania, while others introduced quarantine or isolation requirements. The Netherlands firmly recommends Romanian nationals should self-isolate for 14 days upon entry. As of Thursday, Austria also requires that Romanians present a certificate in English or German, confirming a negative SARS-COV-2 test no older than 4 days, otherwise travellers must self-isolate for 14 days. The UK has put together a list of safe countries, which does not include Romania, which means that travelers from Romania must self-isolate for 2 weeks. Hungary also announced it would revise the rules of access from neighbouring countries that report growing numbers of infection. In turn, Greece wants Romanian tourists coming into the country through the Kulata-Promachonas check point, the only one opened at present, to have negative COVID-19 tests issued in the last 72 hours. Tourists must also fill in an online form at least 24 hours prior to entering Greece.

JUDICIARY Romania is one of the lowest-ranking countries in an EU list based on the perceived independence of judges and courts, according to a poll made public on Friday, together with the 2020 EU Justice Scoreboard. An even more worrying situation is reported for Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Slovakia and Croatia. As many as 45% of the Romanians have a bad opinion on the independence of judges and courts. For UE-28, which includes the UK, the figure is 33%. At the opposite end, only 37% of Romanians have a good opinion on the independence of judges and courts, which is lower than last year, whereas at EU level the rate is 56%. Denmark ranks first on this list, with 86% of its population sharing a positive view on the topic.

EUROSTAT Nine out of the 27 EU member countries, Romania included, reported population decline last year, while in 18 countries the population increased, according to a report released on Friday by the European Statistics Institute (Eurostat). The highest increase was reported in Malta, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Ireland and Sweden, with the most significat drop rates reported in Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania, Croatia and Italy. In Romania, the National Statistics Institute announced on Friday that the negative rate was 1.5 times higher in May 2020 than in May 2019.

INFLATION In Romania, the year-on-year inflation rate reached 2.6% this June, from 2.3% in May, as the prices of foodstuffs, services and non-foods went up, the National Statistics Institute announced on Friday. The National Bank of Romania lowered its inflation forecast for this year from 3% to 2.8%. Early this week, the Finance Minister Florin Cîţu announced that an inflation rate lower than in previous years means smaller interest rates in the economy, and smaller interest costs mean access to cheaper loans to all Romanians. According to the National Statistics Institute, last year the annual inflation rate was 3.8%, and in 2018 it was 4.6%.

PANDEMIC The total number of coronavirus cases worldwide is over 12.4 million, with the death toll standing at 558,000. In the USA, the worst hit country in the world, the number of cases passes 3.2 million, and 136,000 people died. News agencies say the record-high COVID-19 figures in most American states reduce the hope for economic recovery. The second worst affected country remains Brazil, with over 1.7 million cases and nearly 70,000 deaths. In Europe, Italy has closed its borders to 13 non-EU countries, including the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia-Herzegovina and North Macedonia. The restrictions include the travellers who only transit those countries. Only Italian nationals are allowed to re-enter the country coming from those regions, subject to compulsory 2-week self-isolation.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu, Daniel Bilt)

10 July 2020
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 2019

We would like to ask you which person you think left their imprint on the world in a positive way in 2019. We are preparing to designate, based on your options, “The Personality of the Year 2019 on RRI. Will this person be a politician, an opinion leader, a businessman, an athlete, an artist, a scientist, or even a regular person with a special story? Its up to you! 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, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, on WhatsApp at +40744312650, by fax at 00.40.21.319.05.62, or by post, at 60-64, General Berthelot Street, sector 1, Bucharest, area code 010165 (PO Box 111), Romania.

We recall that:

The “Personality of the year 2018 on RRI was the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The “Personality of the year 2017 on RRI was the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, former no.1 in the WTA rankings and the “Personality of the year 2016 on RRI was the American president Donald Trump.

The Personality of the year 2019 on RRI will be announced on January 1st, 2020.

20 November 2019
May 13, 2019 UPDATE

JUDICIARY The European Commission confirmed on Monday that its first vice-president, Frans Timmermans, sent a new letter to the Romanian authorities on Friday, warning against the developments related to the rule of law in Romania. As the EC spokesman Margaritis Schinas put it, “The main concerns relate to developments interfering with judicial independence and the effective fight against corruption, including the protection of financial interests of the EU and particularly to the recently adopted amendments to the criminal code that create a de facto impunity for crimes. He added that unless these concerns are addressed or if further negative measures are taken, such as the promulgation of the latest amendments to the criminal legislation, the Commission will immediately activate the rules for safeguarding the rule of law and will suspend the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. This is the instrument used by the Commission to monitor developments in the Romanian judiciary ever since the country joined the bloc in 2007. On April 24, the European Commission announced it would closely monitor the draft amendments to the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, adopted by the Chamber of Deputies, and reiterated that Romania must immediately resume reforms in this field.

EASTERN PARTNERSHIP Brussels is hosting for 2 days several events marking the 10th anniversary of the Eastern partnership. Romania is represented by the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, and the foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu. Officials for the 28 EU member states and the 6 partner states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, are assessing the progress made in an ambitious schedule for the coming year, aimed at ensuring concrete benefits for the citizens of the entire region, by means of efforts targeting stronger economies, governments and societies. The Eastern Partnership is an initiative that consists in the creation of a common area of democracy, prosperity, stability and close cooperation between the EU and the partner countries.

POLL The Army, the Church and the Romanian Academy are the institutions Romanian trust the most, according to the public opinion Barometre released on Monday by the Romanian Academy. The survey indicates that 68% of the respondents have “a lot of confidence in the Army, around 57% in the Church and over 45% in the Romanian Academy. Next come, in descending order, the Police, the Presidency, the National Bank of Romania, the City Hall, the Mass Media, the Constitutional Court, the Government, Parliament and the political parties. As for the international institutions, Romanians have “a lot of confidence in NATO – over 56%, EU – more than 55%, the UN – over 52%. The survey was conducted between April 12 and May 3.

CORRUPTION The Bucharest Court Monday sentenced a former mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, to four and a half years in prison for bribe-taking, and dismissed the charges of money laundering. The ruling is not final and may be appealed against. In November 2015, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate indicted Sorin Oprescu for bribe-taking, money laundering, abuse of office and forming an organised crime group. Sorin Oprescu, a former member of the Social Democratic Party, was elected mayor of Bucharest in 2008, running as a non-affiliated candidate, and won a second term in office in 2012.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

13 May 2019
May 2, 2019 UPDATE

HOLOCAUST – Romanian Prime Minister
Viorica Dancila on Thursday joined leaders in politics and culture from across
the world in commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. The March for Life is
an annual event in which participants walk between the former death camps of
Auschwitz and Birkenau. The Romanian official said the tragic anti-Semitic
events in Europe over the last years are proof of the importance to identify
new ways of combating anti-Semitism. In this context, Prime Minister Dancila
reiterated Romania’s commitment to combat anti-Semitism. The Prime Minister
called for consolidating the education of the younger generations so they may
be capable to denounce and combat any form of extremism, intolerance, racism
and anti-Semitism.

COMPET – Bucharest hosts an informal meeting of the Competitiveness
Council as part of its presidency of the Council of the European Union. The two
day meeting, focused on domestic markets and industry, is chaired by Romanian
Economy Minister Niculae Badalau, while the European Commission is being
represented by Elzbieta Bienkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market
and Services. Participating are ministers in charge of the economy, industry,
domestic markets, and entrepreneurship from the 28 EU member countries, as well
as associate members Switzerland and Norway.

CYBERCRIME – Cybercrime incidents and suspicions of cybercrime can
now be reported by dialing 1191 in Romania on all provider networks. The call
center servicing the number offers emergency assistance, as well as diagnosis
and repair services, as announced a week ago by Minister of Communications
Alexandru Petrescu. He said that the initiative comes in response to the fact
that computer education and cybersecurity education are below par in Romania.
The minister said that last year Romania was a source of cyberattacks, but also
a target for such incidents. The risk is considered to be at an average but
rising level.

CONFERENCE – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will be a guest of
honor at the State of the Union conference held by the European University
Institute in Florence, as the head of state of the country holding the
presidency of the Council of the European Union. The meeting is being held
around the topic of democracy in Europe in the 21st century, right before
elections for the European Parliament.

POLL – 25.6% of Romanians responding to a privately funded poll
regarding the upcoming elections for the European Parliament, scheduled for May
26, favor the National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania. The
Liberals are followed by the main ruling coalition party, the Social Democrats,
with 21.7%, the 2020 USR PLUS opposition alliance, and the ALDE, the main
ruling coalition group, with 16.4%, with other groups getting figures around or
below 12%. The poll was run in April on a sample of 1,010 people, with a margin
of error of 3.1%. On the same day, Romanians will be called on to vote in a
referendum on justice legislation amendments introduced by President Klaus
Iohannis.

FORUM – Deputy Prime Minister Ana Birchall on Thursday attended the
first edition of the EU-US Energy Forum held in Brussels. On this occasion, Ana
Birchall gave a speech on the development of natural gas infrastructure.
Romania pays special attention to consolidating trans-Atlantic relations, a
partnership that has become increasingly relevant against the backdrop of the
latest political, economic and security challenges. Security and energy
diversity are the main priorities of our term at the helm of the Council of the
European Union, Ana Birchall said. The Romanian official also said Romania is
deeply committed to completing joint projects for the development of energy
infrastructure.

2 May 2019
20 March, 2019

EU. The Romanian prime minister
Viorica Dancila is today due to meet the First Vice-President of the European
Commission Frans Timmermans as part of her official visit to Brussels. Dancila
will co-chair, together with the president of the European Council and the head
of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker the spring Tripartite Social Summit, whose theme is For a stronger, united and forward-looking Europe.
The talks will focus on three areas: 50 years of labour mobility, delivering
investments in a deeper and fairer single market and building on the initiative
A new start for social dialogue to shape the new world of work.

Negotiations. The first
round of talks is held today between the European Parliament and the Council of
the European Union about the appointment of the European chief public prosecutor,
with the former head of Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate Laura
Codruta Kovesi being a candidate for this position. The information was
confirmed for the Agerpres news agency by a press officer of the European
Parliament. If the negotiation teams fail to reach an agreement, more talks will
be held on the 27th of March, 4th of April and 10th
of April. Recently, the president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani
sent the minister delegate for the European affairs in Bucharest George Ciamba,
as representative of the presidency of the Council of the EU, an official
letter informing him that Laura Codruta Kovesi is the candidate of the European
Parliament for the position of European chief public prosecutor. The Council of
the European Union supports Jean-Francois Bohnert of France for the position.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is to be established by the end
of 2020, will be an independent body responsible for investigating, indicting
and bringing to justice fraud against the EU budget. The European chief public
prosecutor will serve a single 7-year term.

Francophonie. International Francophonie Day is celebrated today, 26
years since Romania’s accession to the Francophone movement. On this occasion,
minister Teodor Melescanu said Francophonie is a system of values and cultural references
on which modern Romania was built. On the 20th of March, 88 members,
associates and observers of the International Organisation of La Francophonie from
five continents celebrate the International Francophonie Day, a moment that
marks the creation of institutional Francophonie in 1970 by the signing of the
Treaty of Niamey. Francophone and Francophile Romania has been a full-fledged member
of the International Organisation of La Francophonie since 1993. In 2006, it
hosted the 11th Francophone Summit. The Romanian Cultural Institute
through its branches abroad is holding a series of events these days to
celebrate the Francophonie.
Between December 2018 and July 2019, Bucharest and Paris are hosting the
Romania-France cultural season, which emphasises contemporary arts and culture,
as well as education, economy, sports and tourism. The programme features 300
different events taking place in both Romania and France.

Poll. Romanians are more pessimistic
about the direction their country is taking and more optimistic about that of
Europe, according to INSCOP Research, which has conducted a nationwide poll between
the 5th and the 13th of March commissioned by the Konrad
Adenauer Foundation. 72.8% of respondents say their country is going in the
wrong direction, 17.8% say it’s going in the right direction and 9.4% don’t
know or chose not to answer. According to the poll, compared with last year, significantly
more Romanians believe things in Europe are going in the right direction, namely
46.7%, while 35.3% believe Europe is going in the wrong direction. 17.9% did
not answer.

Pope visit. The authorities in
Bucharest are preparing for the visit Pope Francis will be paying to Romania, a
majority Orthodox country, between the 31st of May and the 2nd
of June. A national operative command centre has been set up within the
management of the defence, public order and national security institutions that
will coordinate the necessary security measures. Given the large number of
people expected to take part in the events to be held in Bucharest, Iasi, Blaj
and Sumuleu Ciuc, working meetings have already been held with the local
authorities to make sure normal activities take place without special
disruptions. It is possible that during his visit Pope Francis may hold the
beatification ceremony of seven Romanian Greek-Catholic bishops who were
victims of the communist dictatorship.

No-confidence vote. The Chamber of
Deputies in Bucharest has today rejected a simple no-confidence motion against
the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici. The motion was debated on Monday, but
the opposition asked for the repeal of Emergence Order 114, a piece of
legislation that has also come under criticism from the business environment
because of the tax measures it introduces. The finance minister has rejected
the idea of repealing the order, underlining that its purpose is to protect
vulnerable consumers. He said, however, that changes would be made by the end
of the month with respect to the application of duties on energy,
telecommunications and banking companies. The Chamber of Deputies has also
rejected a simple no-confidence motion against the justice minister Tudorel Toader,
who has been criticised by the opposition for his activity and the changes he made
to the justice laws and by some of the ruling MPs for the changes he hasn’t
made.

20 March 2019
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 2018 ON RRI

We would like to ask you which personality you think left their imprint on the world, in a positive way, in 2018.

We are preparing to designate, based on your options, “The Personality of the Year 2018 on RRI”.

Who will this person be and why? Will this person be a politician, an opinion leader, a businessman, an athlete, an artist, a scientist, or even a regular person with a special story? Its up to you to decide!

You can send your answers, as usual, including a motivation of your choice, by commenting on our website, at rri.ro, by e-mail at engl@rri.ro, on our Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, by fax at 00.40.21.319.05.62, or by post, at 60-64, General Berthelot street, sector 1, Bucharest, area code 010165 (PO Box 111), Romania.

The “Personality of the year 2017 on RRI” was the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no.1 WTA.

The “Personality of the year 2018 on RRI” will be announced on Tuesday, January 1, 2019.

14 November 2018
October 27, 2018 UPDATE

AIR FORCES – The joint training and common missions carried out by the Canadian military dispatched in the area and the Romanian military are unfolding exceptionally well, the head of the Canadian Royal Air Force, general lieutenant Alexander Donald Meinzinger, said on Saturday, soon after he visited the Mihail Kogălniceanu airbase in south-eastern Romania. He met with the head of the Romanian Air Force, general Viorel Pană and with the Canadian unit dispatched at Mihail Kogălniceanu. The 135 strong unit (pilots and technical staff) is carrying out NATO air policing missions, alongside members of the Romanian Air Force. These missions are aimed at developing response and deterrence capabilities, sources with the Romanian Defence Ministry say.

COLECTIV – A show inspired by the drama around the fire-ravaged Colectiv nightclub in 2015 is staged on Saturday and Sunday at the National Dance Centre in Bucharest. Titled “153 seconds, the show starts with the story of a survivor. The project has been coordinated by director Ioana Păun, who has collected testimonies made by the victims and opinions expressed by sociologists and psychologists and then staged a show on resignation and the possibility of making a change. The title “153 seconds comes from the duration of the fire which ripped through Colectiv, taking the lives of 65 people. On Tuesday, October 30, its three years since the tragedy struck the Bucharest-based club. We recall it was followed by massive protests which deplored corruption at the level of the central and local administration and led to the resignation of the Ponta-led cabinet.

EUROPEAN FUNDS – Since joining the EU, back in 2007, Romania has had at its disposal European funds worth over 45 billion Euros to develop the country, says the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu. According to her, the cohesion policy is meant to improve the living standards of the European citizens, and the results are visible in Romania, too. Corina Creţu will pay an official visit to Bucharest next week, when she is due to meet Romanian high ranking officials and to have talks on the future of the European cohesion policy.

POLL – 84% of the Romanians declare themselves patriots with a large number of them saying the disrespect for the national insignia, such as the coat of arms, the flag and the anthem should be punished by imprisonment or administrative fines. The results of the poll conducted by the CURS Polling Institute show 75% of the Romanians say they know personalities and institutions that had a major contribution to the setting up of Greater Romania. Some of the personalities which are mentioned most often include King Ferdinand, the Bratianu family and Marshall Averescu. We recall that this year Bucharest celebrates 100 years since the Great Union of December 1, 1918.

SWINE FEVER – A case of African swine fever was confirmed on Saturday in a household in Vrancea county, eastern Romania, the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority has announced. The area has been isolated, disinfection measures have been taken and the line authorities have set up checking points on the main roads. Over 1,000 African swine fever outbreaks have been confirmed in 15 counties in Romania so far, and no less than 350,000 pigs have been culled. Romania has requested support from the EU to offer damages to the affected farmers.

SUBWAY – The Metrorex trade unionists in Bucharest on Monday will resume negotiations with the management, on the new Collective Labour Agreement which expired on Saturday, October 27. Fridays talks failed to produce results. The unionists are mainly demanding pay rises and better working conditions. They warn to go on an all out strike as from November 10. The Metrorex Management claims a 42% pay rise, as demanded by the unionists, exceeds the limits of the companys budget.

SPORTS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil (no.93 ATP) on Saturday qualified to the finals of the Basel tennis tournament after winning a surprising victory in the semi-finals against the German Alexander Zverev, second seeded and no.5 ATP, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. This is the second ATP final in the Romanian players career, after that played in Sofia, earlier this year. Copil will face in the final on Sunday the winner of the match played by first-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland and seven seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

27 October 2018
October 12, 2018

EU TALKS – The Secretary General of the European Commission, Martin Selmayr, and Clara Martinez Alberola, Head of Cabinet of the EC President, Jean-Claude Juncker, are today being received in Bucharest by president Klaus Iohannis and the Speakers of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu, respectively. On Thursday, the European officials met with PM Viorica Dancila. Talks focussed on the larger context in which Romania takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, on January 1, 2019. The PM expressed Romanias readiness to ensure an efficient and pragmatic presidency of the EU Council. During the six month term, elections for the European Parliament will be held, Great Britain will leave the community bloc and negotiations will be held on the future multiannual budget of the EU.

ROMANIAN-ITALIAN RELATIONS – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, will travel to Italy, between October 14th and 17th, on the first visit by a Romanian president to that country over the past 45 years. According to a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration, Klaus Iohannis is due to meet his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, PM Giuseppe Conte, and the Speakers of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati and Roberto Fico, respectively. The agenda of the visit also includes meetings with representatives of the Orthodox, Greek-Catholic and Roman-Catholic religious denominations as well as with representatives of the Romanian community, the largest outside the borders of the country. The visit is paid against the backdrop of celebrations marking the Great Union Centennial and 10 years since Romanian-Italian relations were raised at the level of Consolidated Strategic Partnership, the communiqué also reads.

FRANCOPHONIE – Romania further assumes the role of flagship country of the Francophone Movement, Romanian deputy prime minister Ana Birchall, said during the Conference of heads of state and government of the Francophone countries, held in Yerevan, Armenia, between October 10 and 12. Ana Birchall gave a speech in her capacity as head of the Romanian delegation, underlining Bucharests commitment to Francophonie and its values. The agenda of talks also covered issues related to the adoption of documents and resolutions concerning the Francophone area, electing the Secretary General of the Francophonie for the 2018-2022 period, debates on crisis situations in the Francophone area and accepting new members of the International Organisation of the Francophonie. Talks also covered such issues as the importance of culture, education and research for the development of countries in the whole Francophone area. On this occasion, the Romanian deputy PM signed an agreement regarding the headquarters of the Regional Bureau of the International Organisation of the Francophonie for Central and Eastern Europe, concluded by the Romanian Government and the International Organisation of the Francophonie.

POLL – Almost two thirds of the Europeans say they are not convinced that their lives would be worse without the European Union, a poll carried out by a polling institute in Brussels, Europes Friends shows. The poll was conducted in September, among 11,000 interviewees, from all member states. According to the poll, 64% of the Europeans are not convinced that their lives would be worse without the EU, and almost half of the respondents said the Union is irrelevant. The poll underlines that over 30% of the North Europeans, the French and the Germans want to promote values and democracy in the EU, whereas over 40% of the citizens in Southern Europe and the Vishegrad Group, namely the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, believe the main objective of the European bloc should be economic growth.

FOOTBALL – Romanias national team Under 21 is meeting this evening on home soil, in Cluj, north-western Romania, the team of Wales, on the last but one game in the preliminaries for the European Championship due next year. On Tuesday, on home soil, in Ploiesti, southern Romania, the Romanian team will play the last qualifying match, with Liechtenstein. Ranking first in the group is Bosnia, with 18 points, followed by Romania with 18 points but a match still to be played. Romania failed to qualify for Under 21 final tournaments in the past 20 years. On Thursday evening, the seniors defeated Lithuania, away from home, 2-1, in a Group 4 C Series match of the newly created Nations League. In the same group, Montenegro-Serbia ended their match,0-2. Leading the group is Serbia with 7 points, followed by Romania with 5 points and Montenegro with 4. Lithuania has failed to win any point. Romania will face Serbia and Lithuania- Montenegro on Sunday.

12 October 2018
April 2, 2018

HEALTHCARE – In Romania, a new framework contract for public healthcare services took effect on April 1. Aimed at improving the access to healthcare services and medicines, and at reducing red-tape and making the operations in the sector more transparent, the document stipulates that as of July 1 members of the public health insurance system will be able to purchase subsidised medicines from any participating chemists in the country, instead of only those units which have a contract signed with the same insurance agency as the prescribing physician.

DIPLOMACY – A cooperation programme in the field of professional training was signed by the Romanian and Algerian education ministries, during an official visit made by the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu to Algeria. The Romanian official pointed out that broadening cooperation with non-EU member countries is a major element in Romanias plan to improve bilateral relations with its traditional partners, Algeria included. According to Minister Meleşcanu, Romania and Algeria have reached an important stage of strengthening their relations, and this reflects in the firm political will to encourage dialogue and cooperation, particularly in the economic sector, in education, security and home affairs. Teodor Meleşcanu also reaffirmed Romanias interest in a close cooperation in fighting and preventing radicalisation.

EASTER – For Orthodox Christians in Romania and around the world, Holy Week begins today, with special services performed every night of the week in churches to commemorate the last days in the life of Jesus Christ before being crucified. The most important masses are the ones on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. By means of fasting and confessions, believers prepare for Easter, the greatest feast in Orthodox Christianity. Catholic Christians celebrated the first day of Easter yesterday.

ACCIDENT – The Romanian Embassy in Hungary is closely monitoring the situation of the 8 Romanian citizens injured in an accident on the runway of the Budapest International Airport, and is prepared to provide consular assistance if so requested. Two buses taking the passengers of an aircraft that had arrived from Bucharest crashed on Sunday. Hungarian police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.

MOLDOVA – An opinion poll is currently run in the Republic of Moldova, concerning a prospective union with Romania. The poll is scheduled to end on April 14 and will involve 500 operators who will go door to door to collect the answers. Electronic voting is also an option. On March 27 events were organized to mark 100 years since Bessarabia joined the Kingdom of Romania. In Bucharest, Parliament convened in a special session to honour the authors of that historic decision. Previously, in Chisinau, tens of thousands of citizens took part in a rally, asking for the Republic of Moldova to be reunited with Romania. A province with a Romanian-speaking majority that had been part of the Tsarist Empire, Bessarabia joined the Kingdom of Romania on March 27, 1918. The Soviet Union reannexed the province under an ultimatum in 1940, and some of its territory now constitutes the Republic of Moldova.

HANDBALL – CSM Bucureşti won Romanias Cup in womens handball for the 3rd consecutive year. The Bucharest-based club defeated HCM Râmnicu Vâlcea 29-22. CSM Bucureşti, coached by the Swede Per Johansson, played its 4th consecutive Romanian Cup final, which they already won in 2016 and 2017.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

2 April 2018
November 6, 2017 UPDATE

PROTESTS – Tens of thousands took to the streets on Sunday night in Bucharest and other major Romanian cities, protesting the plans of the ruling coalition to amend the tax code and the laws on the judiciary. The bills modifying the legal framework for the judiciary, drafted by the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader and currently under debate in Parliament, stipulate among other things the transfer of judicial inspection powers from the Higher Council of Magistrates to the Justice Ministry. The bills also exclude the head of state from the procedure to appoint the chief prosecutors. Meanwhile, the Government postponed to Wednesday a special meeting, originally scheduled on Monday, in which several fiscal measures were to be adopted, including the transfer of social security payments from employers to employees, the introduction of a so-called employment insurance contribution covering medical leaves and unemployment costs, and a reduction of income taxes from 16 to 10%. Also on Monday, the Senate dismissed a simple motion tabled by the Opposition against the Finance Minister Ionuţ Mişa. The Opposition, trade unions and employer associations say the measures proposed by Misa would severely affect the private sector. In turn, President Klaus Iohannis says a substantial postponement of changes in fiscal legislation is necessary, and added that their implementation as of January 1, 2018 would be ill-timed.

DIPLOMACY – While on a 2-day visit to Montenegro, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu had a meeting on Monday with his counterpart Srdan Darmanovic. Melescanu reiterated Romanias firm support for Montenegros European accession efforts. The two officials also reviewed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including employment and social security, science and technology, tourism, energy and the environment. The visit is part of Romanias efforts to increase its presence in the Western Balkans, one of Romanias foreign policy priorities, ahead of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019.

EXHIBITION – The Ambassador of Japan to Bucharest, Kisaburo Ishii, took part in the opening of an exhibition on “Meiji-era Stamps, organised by the Stamp Cabinet of the Romanian Academy Library as part of the “Japanese Culture Month in Romania, and hosted by the Theodor Pallady Hall of the Romanian Academy Library. The exhibition will close on November 12.

MOLDOVA – Should early elections be held in the Republic of Moldova, only 3 parties would make the parliamentary threshold: the Socialists Party, the Action and Solidarity Party and the Democratic Party, according to an opinion poll released on Monday by the Public Opinion Fund organisation. The Socialists would get 50% of the votes. The poll also reveals low public confidence rates for the Parliament and Government. Eighty per cent of the respondents are unhappy with the current state of affairs in the Republic of Moldova. According to the poll, only one-fifth of the people would support their country joining NATO or uniting with Romania.

FOOTBALL – Romanias national football team has convened for friendly matches against Turkey and the Netherlands, scheduled to take place in Cluj-Napoca on November 9 and in Bucharest on November 14, respectively. Manager Cosmin Contra invited 30 players, including 17 Romanian footballers playing for foreign clubs. This is the start of Romanias preparations for the Euro 2020 qualifiers. The Turkish national team is coached by the Romanian Mircea Lucescu.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

6 November 2017
July 25, 2017

Statement — The impact of Romania’s purchasing Patriot missiles will be strong, contributing indirectly to the defense of the neighbouring states and of NATO, the US Ambassador to Romania, Hans Klemm, has said in an interview with the public television. According to Ambassador Klemm, there is no reason that this move should cause tensions with Russia, as the purpose is strictly defensive. Klemm has also said that the purchase of Patriot missile is part of Bucharest’s commitment to earmark 2% of the GDP for defesnse, a commitment that the US firmly supports. We remind you that a Pentagon agency, quoted by Reuters, announced that the US Department of State approved two weeks ago a possible sale of Patriot missiles to Romania, worth 3.9 billion dollars.

Poll – 1.1 million Romanians plan to leave the country in the following five years and 2 millions want to move to one of Romania’s big cities, according to an opinion poll mentioned in a report dubbed ”Magnet Cities” conducted by the World Bank. The report also says that Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara and Brasov are the most attractive cities for most people who want to move. Respondents in the urban area have said they want to move abroad, while people from rural areas want to move to cities in Romania. Also, most men want to go live abroad, while most women prefer to move somewhere in a Romanian city.

Ukraine — Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine have agreed on some urgent measures aimed at speeding up the process of finding a solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Berlin has announced, after leaders of the four countries discussed the issue over the phone. The talks were held a day after the US special envoy to the Ukraine peace talks, Kurt Volker, had said that Russian aggression is to blame for violence in eastern Ukraine, where people are dying in what should be seen as a “hot war” rather than a “frozen conflict”. Russia has been constantly denying all accusations. The conflict in Ukraine has made over 10 thousand victims in three years.

Depreciation — Romania’s domestic currency, the leu, will depreciate in the following 12 months to an average value of 4.6 lei/euro, while the inflation rate will stand at 2%, according to a release of the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA). In the month of June, CFA Romania’s macroeconomic confidence index went down as compared to the previous month, to 60 points. The CFA Macroeconomic Confidence Index was first released by CFA Society Romania in May 2011 and is an indicator that aims at quantifying anticipations of the financial analysts on economic activity in Romania. The Index can have values between 0, which means no confidence, and 100 points, which means complete confidence in the Romanian economy.

Football – This week, Romanian football teams are playing in European competitions. In the third preliminary round of the Champions League, Romania’s vice champion FCSB is taking on the Czech team Viktoria Plzen this evening in Bucharest, while on Wednesday Romania’s champion Viitorul Constanta is to play against Cyprus champions Apoel Nicosia at home, in Ovidiu. In the Europa League preliminaries, on Thursday in Bucharest Dinamo plays against Athletic Bilbao, while in Drobeta Turnu Severin CSU Craiova takes on the Italian side AC Milan.

25 July 2017