Radio România Internațional

Tag: presidency of the EU Council

  • Romania, ready to take over the EU Council presidency

    Romania, ready to take over the EU Council presidency

    Having joined the European Union on January 1, 2007, Romania will for the first time hold the rotating presidency of the European Union Council. Still, doubt has long surrounded Romania’s capacity to successfully carry out this task. The ruling coalition made up of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats from Romania has changed the Government structure three times in a single year.



    The left-wing’s efforts to amend the justice laws and the criminal legislation were perceived as an attempt to subordinate the judiciary and thwart the fight against corruption. A long political war has been waging between President Klaus Iohannis and the Social-Democrat strongman Liviu Dragnea. Last month, one of the key figures surrounding Romania’s EU Council presidency, Minister for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, stepped down, at the end of a conflict with his fellow Cabinet members. Both the European Commission and Parliament have openly criticized the ruling coalition in Bucharest.



    As a result, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila was summoned in Brussels to ensure European officials that Romania will be able to successfully see through its term in office. After Wednesday’s joint session of the Government in Bucharest and the European Commission, the latter’s president, Jean-Claude Juncker, recalled that in March Romania will have to finalize the Brexit deal. In addition, the EU must decide on the baseline of the upcoming financial framework. Romania will have to deal with 257 files in only four months, before the campaign for the European Parliament election kicks off.



    Jean-Claude Juncker: “We all noticed that the Romanian Government is well-prepared for this presidency. Romania has a difficult task ahead, we must agree on the baseline of the upcoming financial framework”.



    There are still divergences between the Romanian Government and the European Commission as regards the rule of law, President Juncker argued, adding however they have nothing to do with the presidency, but with bilateral relations. In turn, Viorica Dancila said: “Romania is both ambitious and realistic about this presidency. Ambitious in the sense that we want to implement as many files as possible on our table, to reach a political agreement regarding the multiannual financial framework. And realistic because we know Romania will serve as an impartial mediator, a facilitator of equilibrium and consensus. We must have consensus among member states for the important topics on our agenda. Europe is divided in this respect, and it won’t be easy to reach consensus”.



    Romania will continue to promote its national strategic objective, namely the free movement of its citizens, the Romanian Prime Minister went on to say. President Juncker also expressed hope that, by the end of its term in office, Romania will be admitted in the Schengen area.

  • June 13, 2018 UPDATE

    June 13, 2018 UPDATE

    ROMANIAN- FINNISH RELATIONS – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Wednesday received in Bucharest the visiting Finnish Foreign minister, Timo Soini. According to the Presidential Administration, the president underlined the need to boost bilateral relations both at political and economic level. Klaus Iohannis has also expressed confidence that the two sides will boost dialogue, in the run up to the two countries holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council in 2019. The agenda of talks has also covered such issues as the stage of preparations for the NATO summit due in Brussels in July, the European path of the Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population) as well as the Iranian and North-Korean nuclear files, the Romanian Presidency has also announced.



    PRESIDENCY OF THE EU COUNCIL – Romanias Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has been invited to present before Parliament, on June 20, the stage of the preparation process for Romanias taking over the half-yearly rotating presidency of the EU Council in January 2019. The debates occasioned by the event could provide a considerable support in the governments process of drawing up and implementing the first blueprint of a presidencys working roadmap – the head of the Romanian government has added. The Romanian official believes the presidency of the EU Council will be an opportunity for Romania to prove its ability to contribute significantly, through a powerful vision and a relevant administrative capacity, to re-launching the European project.



    WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2018 – Over 80% of Romanias under-performing schools are located in the countrys rural areas, with a graduation rate in the tertiary education that exceeds 25.6%, the EUs lowest, the World Development Report 2018 issued by the World Bank shows. According to the document, made public in Bucharest on Wednesday by the World Bank lead economist and co-author of the World Development Report 2018, Halsey Rogers, the differences between the drop-out rates are contrastive; the rural drop-out rate stays at 26.6%, whereas the drop-out rate in the cities is around 6.2%. Romania needs to invest more intelligently in education, the report also points out. The World Bank recommends competence assessment in Romanias case as employers are presently deploring the shortage of key social-emotional competences, such as motivation, teamwork and responsibility. Graduates from Romanias higher education system are generally perceived as owners of exclusively theoretical knowledge while graduates from the countrys vocational training system have only developed obsolete competences.



    COMMEMORATION- Romania is these days commemorating 28 years since the violent events, which are now known as the Miners Raid on Bucharest over June 13-15, 1990. The raid put an end to a large-scale protest rally against the left-wing government, which had come to power after the demise of the communist regime in Romania. Against the background of some violent events in the capital Bucharest, which the army troops had already managed to contain, the then president Ion Iliescu invoked an attempted coup by the far right political forces and called on the citizens to defend Romanias democratic institutions. The Jiu Valley miners in central Romania came to Bucharest and stormed the University building, the head offices of the opposition parties as well as of some independent publications. Four people were killed and over one thousand abusively arrested. Romanias international image was seriously tarnished by the violent events of 1990. A court file on the Miners Raid was reopened in 2015 and the General Prosecutors Office sent to court several high-ranking officials such as the then president Ion Iliescu, former Prime Minister Petre Roman and the then head of the Romanian Intelligence Service, Virgil Magureanu, who are charged with crimes against humanity.



    CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE – The Romanian Senate, in its capacity as first notified parliamentary chamber in this case, on Wednesday endorsed a proposal to amend the Criminal Procedure Code. The draft, initiated by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, in the ruling coalition, has not been endorsed by representatives of the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, in opposition. The Senators have approved all modifications proposed by the report issued by the Special Committee on the Justice Laws, led by Florin Iordache. The draft is aimed to transpose the EU directive on the presumption of innocence into the national legislation. One of the changes refers to the destruction of evidence collected by making illegal recordings. The draft will be sent for debate to the Chamber of Deputies, which is decision making body in this case.


    TALKS -The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced that it held talks with Ukrainian officials on the searches recently conducted at the “Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Romanian Cultural Centre in Cernauti, western Ukraine. Emphasis was laid, during the talks, on the observance of the rights of the Romanian minority living in Ukraine. In a meeting held at the Romanian Foreign Ministry on Monday, the Ukrainian ambassador to Bucharest, Oleksandr Bankov, was requested to provide additional information on how the aforementioned searches had been conducted, Romanian diplomacy sources say. Bucharest calls on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure the observance of the Romanian minoritys rights and avoid any actions which could lead to the violation of these rights or which could be interpreted as elements of intimidation. These specifications come after Ukraines Security Service (SBU) has announced that it is investigating the board of the cultural centre for what it describes as “appeals to encroach upon the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state. Approximately 500,000 ethnic Romanians are living in the neighbouring country, most of them on the Romanian territories annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, following an ultimatum, and taken over by Ukraine as a successor state in 1991.(Translated by D. Bilt and D. Vijeu)

  • May 7, 2018

    May 7, 2018

    STRIKE — A two-hour token strike was staged in hospitals across Romania in the morning. Nurses, the supporting staff and the personnel working in labs ceased to work, taking care only of emergencies. The protesters are discontent about the 30% cap on bonuses and say some healthcare employees saw some 215 Euros slashed off their salaries after the new pay scheme was enforced. They also point to the fact that some categories of personnel are discriminated against: for instance doctors and nurses benefited from pay rises, which is not the case for nurses, stretcher bearers, biologists, pharmacists, radiologists and midwives. The SANITAS Federation has announced it has collected over 50,000 signatures, thus meeting the conditions to call an all out strike on May 11. Over the past few days, representatives of trade unions have held talks with labour, health and finance ministers, without however reaching an agreement. The current state of the healthcare system is making the object of a simple motion, which is being debated today by the Chamber of Deputies and which has been tabled by the right-of –centre National Liberal Party, in opposition, against the health minister, Social Democrat, Sorina Pintea. The motion will be voted upon in a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday.



    RUSSIA — Vladimir Putin has today been sworn in as Russia’s president, for the fourth time, after winning with over 75% of the votes the presidential elections held in March. His presidency was interrupted, after the first two mandates, by a four-year term in office as prime minister, when the country’s president was the incumbent prime minister, Dmitri Medvedev. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Moscow, in the following days Putin will make public the membership of the new government and of the Presidential Administration, which is a more influential structure than the government. The Russian media estimate the foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and the defence minister Sergei Shoigu will keep their portfolios, which would be a sign that Russia’s current foreign policy will be continued. Also, overcoming the country’s isolation by the West would be necessary to Vladimir Putin in order to reach his daring internal objectives, which are the priorities of his new mandate. At a political level, the main task of the Kremlin leader will be to ensure an uninterrupted transition of power in 2024, when, under the Constitution, Putin will no longer be allowed to run for a new presidential mandate. The swearing in ceremony was preceded on Saturday by protests and the taking into custody of some 1,600 people, among whom the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.



    PRESIDENCY OF THE EU COUNCIL — Romania’s mandate at the helm of the EU Council will not be an easy one, being marked by two key moments, namely Great Britain’s officially leaving the community bloc and establishing the EU budget for the 2020 — 2024 financial exercise. The statement has been made in Bucharest earlier today by the president of the Romanian Banks’ Association, Sergiu Oprescu, who attended the second edition of the Financial Market Forum. He has also added that holding the EU Council presidency is first of all an exercise of responsibility, a challenge and equally an opportunity to show a balanced discourse and a clear vision. Romania will hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. We recall that the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, held talks last week in Ruse with his Bulgarian and Austrian counterparts on assuring the continuity of the Bulgarian, Austrian and Romanian presidencies of the EU Council and on regional cooperation opportunities.



    ARREST — A man of Serbian nationality, who was on an international APB was taken into custody by the border police officers at the Galati-Port Border Crossing in south-eastern Romania. An Interpol warrant had been issued on the man’s name, as he was being investigated for genocide, during September-December 1991.



    THEATRE — The Alba Carolina Citadel in Alba Iulia, a fortress built in the early 18th century in south-western Transylvania will host the feast of Romanian theatre in the evening: the Award Winning Gala of the Union of Theatres in Romania, UNITER, which has reached its 26th edition. The gala is held this year under the motto “The UNITER Gala Unites Theatre!”. Some 300 actors and actresses as well as people close to theatre and UNITER are expected to attend the ceremony, in a transparent pavilion, mounted on the esplanade near the Orthodox Cathedral and the Roman-Catholic Church. 11 prizes will be awarded for best productions and best people on the theatrical scene in Romania in 2017.



    VOLLEYBALL — The Romanian volleyball team CSM Volei Alba Blaj in the centre on Sunday was defeated in Bucharest by the Turkish team VakifBank Istanbul, 3-0, in the final round of the Final Four women’s volleyball tournament. Although it lost to the Turkish team, CSM Volei Alba Blaj managed to put up a special performance, being the first Romanian team to qualify for the final act of the competition. In the bronze final, the Italians of Imoco Conegliano outperformed Galatasaray Istanbul, 3-0.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no.1 WTA is today pairing up with another Romanian, Irina Begu, against the pair Nicole Melichar (the US)/Kveta Peschke (the Czech Republic) in the first round of the Madrid tennis tournament with some 6.7 million Euros in prize money up for grabs. Mihaela Buzărnescu is pairing up with France’s Alize Cornet and are playing against Andreja Klepac (Slovenia)/María Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain), whereas Sorana Cîrstea alongside Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo will be facing Julia Goerges (Germany)/ Karolina Pliskova (the Czech Republic). In the singles, at the weekend, Simona Halep, Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu qualified for the second round.

  • April 24, 2018 UPDATE

    April 24, 2018 UPDATE

    MEETING –A four party high-level meeting attended by representatives of Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia was held in Bucharest on Tuesday. Romanian PM Viorica Dancila was the host of such guests as Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, her Greek and Bulgarian counterparts, Alexis Tsipras and Boiko Borisov, respectively. Fresh from the meeting, the Romanian PM said the focal points of the talks were economic cooperation and concrete projects that the four countries can develop together. Viorica Dancila also said this format of consultations offers good opportunities to boost dialogue and identify ways to cooperate in south-eastern Europe, particularly in terms of economic development. The four party meeting in Bucharest is the third in this format, after those organised in Varna, Bulgaria and Belgrade, Serbia.



    DECLARATION – The Speakers of the Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Calin Popescu Tariceanu and Liviu Dragnea, respectively, signed in Tallinn, Estonia, the Declaration of cooperation among national parliaments of the three countries that will take over the Presidency of the EU Council next year. Paula Risikko, the head of the Finnish Parliament and Gordan Jandrokovic, the head of the Croatian Parliament, represented the other two signatory states. The Declaration was signed on the sidelines of the Conference of the Speakers of the EU Parliaments held in Tallinn, Estonia, that comes to an end.



    ANTI-CORRUPTION –Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday endorsed the National Anti-Corruption Directorates request to start prosecution against former finance minister, Sebastian Vladescu, in a case in which he is accused of having requested and received a one million Euro bribe. He is suspected of two bribe taking offences while he was a member of the government. Former MP Cristian Boureanu is being prosecuted in the same case. The corruption deeds were reportedly related to the signing and implementation of contracts for the rehabilitation of the Bucharest-Constanta railway, such as returning the remaining VAT for rehabilitation works on another railway, between 2005 and 2014.



    FINANCIAL – Romanians who work abroad sent back home some 4.9 billion dollars last year. According to a report made public by the World Bank, after three years of constant decline, the amounts sent to Europe and Central Asia went up by 20.9% last year, with the biggest transfers being reported in Russia, Ukraine and Romania. The World Bank document also shows that the increase in these amounts was due to an appreciation of the European and Russian currencies as to the US dollar, the important economic growth and better employment perspectives in the countries where the people who send their revenues to Europe and Central Asia work. The perspectives for 2018-2019 are positive, but the increase will be moderate.



    TALKS – French president Emmanuel Macron is on an official visit to the United States during which he tries to convince the White House leader Donald Trump not to walk out of the deal with Iran. Trump warned he would pull the US out of the nuclear agreement unless tougher conditions are imposed on Iran by the 12th of May. Washington says the agreement with Tehran should also impose restrictions on the Iranian ballistic missile programme. Talks are also expected to tackle Washington’s new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. These mainly target China, but other exporters can also be affected, such as the European Union. Washington temporarily excluded the EU from these tariffs, but the exemption expires on the 1st of May.



    AGENDA – Romania firmly supports the continuation of the EU and NATO accession process in the southeast European region, a priority that will be high on the agenda of Romanias EU Council Presidency in the first half of 2019. Romanian State Secretary for Strategic and Bilateral Affairs in the Euro-Atlantic Area, George Ciamba, made this statement at the meeting in Slovenia of the foreign affairs ministers participating in the South-East European Cooperation Process. The Romanian official also urged states in the region to carry on reforms. Talking about migration and terrorism, the Romanian official pleaded for solidarity and enhanced cooperation in the field and underlined the EUs constructive approach in fighting these problems.(Translated by E. Enache and D. Vijeu)

  • The Romanian PM has talks with EU officials

    The Romanian PM has talks with EU officials


    While on her first formal visit to Brussels since taking office as PM of Romania, the former MEP Viorica Dancila talked with EU officials about Romanias forthcoming presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019, about financial prospects, as well as the countrys Schengen accession. Romania clearly belongs in the Schengen area, the president of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker told a joint press conference with the Romanian PM, adding that at present there are no reasons for Romania not to be a member of this area. He also expressed his belief that the Government of Romania would make all efforts to ensure the functioning of the judicial system.



    According to Jean Claude Juncker, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Romania and Bulgaria should be over by the end of the current Commissions term in office. In turn, PM Viorica Dancila said the Mechanism should be ended even sooner, namely before Romania takes over the EU Council presidency:



    “We hope that Romanias Schengen accession will take place during Mr. Junckers presidency. Romania meets all the criteria set by the Commission in this respect, and it also meets all the criteria for the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism to be closed, because it is not normal for Romania to take over the Council presidency while under a penalty.”



    Strengthening high-level cooperation with the EU institutions was the main goal of this visit, said PM Viorica Dancila, who also had meetings with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The latter called on the Romanian official to carry on the fight against corruption and efforts to strenghen the rule of law. Here is the Romanian PM once again:



    “I believe good cooperation benefits both Europe, and Romania. I will address the European Parliament, and talk about the future of Europe, in which Romania must be actively involved, considering its capacity as future holder of the rotating presidency and given the challenges Europe is facing.”



    The delays in EU funds absorption were also approached by the Prime Minister in her meeting with the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu. The EU official once again warned Bucharest officials that they must step up and simplify the procedures involved in spending European money. (translated by Ana Maria Popescu)




  • Romania marks 10 years of EU membership

    Romania marks 10 years of EU membership

    Ten years since their countrys accession to the European Union, 57% of Romanians continue to trust the EU, according to the results of a survey made public recently by the European Commission Representation in Romania. Also, 86% of respondents have a neutral or positive opinion on the EU, while only 14% have a negative perception. In the Romanians opinion, the main advantages of being EU members are the good ties among its members, democracy, the observance of human rights and the rule of law and also the capacity to promote peace and democracy beyond its borders.



    The fact that 54% of Romanians believe that their voce is being heard at EU level proves that they become active European citizens. As for the future, Romanians believe that the main threats and challenges are the fight against terrorism (65%), the relations with Russia (46%) and the immigration policy (41%). They support, just like the EU Commission President, Jean Claude Junker, the “unity for all scenario, which prompted the head of the European Commission Representation in Romania, Angela Cristea, to say that the dominant image that the Romanians have on the EU is that of a project of peace and understanding, both among its member states and in its foreign relations.



    The survey also shows that according to the Romanians, the main advantages of their countrys EU accession are finding a job in another member state, the access to more markets and the positive impact of EU funds on the region they live in. As for disadvantages, these are a decrease in the purchasing power, foreigners having the right to buy land and real estate and the exodus of qualified labor force. Holding the EU Council Presidency in the first half of 2019, at a highly important moment for the future of the EU, is a major opportunity for Romania and an equally big responsibility, minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu has said. He also said that in this context, Bucharest plans to correlate its Presidencys priorities with the peoples expectations, by placing the citizen at the heart of the policies it plans to promote at European level.



    The survey also shows that Romanias top priorities during their countrys 6-month EU Presidency are, in the opinion of its citizens, the cohesion policy (66%), security and migration (58%), joining the Schengen area (57%), and having the Mechanism of Cooperation and Verification (56%) lifted. Also, Romania will host the first high-level meeting of the EU leaders post-Brexit, in 2019. (Translated by E. Enache)