Radio România Internațional

Tag: presidency

  • October 27, 2017 UPDATE

    October 27, 2017 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY – Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday received Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. During the talks, the two officials approached issues related to the future of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), as well as about Romanias process of accession to the Euro zone. Klaus Iohannis expressed his countrys support for further consolidating the EMU and underlined that the future of the Euro zone is of special importance to Romania, considering its strategic objective to switch to the Euro as soon as possible. In turn, the European official briefed the Romanian President on the Commissions intention to come up in December with a package of proposals on the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union. It will also include the proposal to create a new financial assistance instrument for the member states willing to switch to the Euro.



    CATALONIA – Spains Senate on Friday approved the request of PM Mariano Rajoy to impose direct rule over secessionist Catalonia, a decision made just a couple of minutes after the Parliament in Barcelona unilaterally declared the regions independence from Spain. Rajoy will hold a cabinet meeting shortly to decide what measures to take. They could include the firing of the Catalan leaders, and the Spanish government taking control of the region’s finances, police and public media. All regional-political, economic and security structures will be directly subordinated to Madrid. Mariano Rajoy has launched an appeal for calm and warned that the Spanish state will soon restore constitutional order in Catalonia. Earlier, the Parliament in Barcelona adopted a resolution calling for “the beginning of a process of the creation of an independent Catalan state in the form of a republic. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and other members of the regional government attended the vote.



    COMMEMORATION – On October 30th Bucharest commemorates two years since the devastating fire that ripped through the Colectiv night club in the capital city where 64 people were killed and 100 wounded. The event is marked in Bucharest by the Colectiv Association through a procession called “the March of Guitars and two days of concerts. On October 30th, Radio Romania will broadcast a programme inspired from the tragedy, which is symbolically entitled ‘64. On this occasion, people are expected to voice their discontent for the belated court trial that has been postponed for the month of November, a decision that caused dissatisfaction among the victims families. We recall that the clubs owners and representatives of the company that had provided the pyrotechnic devices for the concert hosted by the club have been sent to court for manslaughter and violation of fire safety regulations. The former district mayor has also been sent to court for abuse of office along with employees from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations for having failed to sanction the club for the absence of a fire safety certificate. We recall the tragedy sparked off large-scale anti-corruption rallies, which forced the Social-Democratic cabinet led by Victor Ponta to step down.



    DAVIS CUP – Israel has a 2-0 lead on Romania, after the first single tennis matches of the Davis Cup tie, with the winning team remaining in Europe/Africa Zone Group I. On Friday, in Ramat Hasharon, Dragos Dima (463 ATP) was defeated by Edan Leshem (285 ATP) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and Dudi Sela (70 ATP) defeated Nicolae Frunză (600 ATP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. In the doubles, the first match between Israels Dudi Sela/Jonathan Erlich and Romanias Vasile Antonescu /Bogdan Borza will be played on Saturday. On Sunday, in the singles, Sela faces Dima, and Leshem-Frunză. Romania lost both rounds played earlier this year 2-3 to Belarus and 1-4 to Austria, whereas Israel lost 5-0 to Portugal and 5-0 to Ukraine. Israel is trying to avoid relegation from Group I for the first time in the past 16 years, and Romania for the first time since 1993.



    TENNIS – First seeded and no.1 WTA, Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, on Friday failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Tournament in Singapore. In her last Red Group match, Halep sustained a 6-3, 6-4 defeat from Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. Also on Friday, in the other match of the Group, Frances Caroline Garcia defeated Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 and reached the semi-finals, where she will face American Venus Williams. In the other semi-final, the Czech Karolina Pliskova will face Caroline Wozniacki.

  • September 29, 2017

    September 29, 2017

    PRESIDENCY — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is today in Tallinn, Estonia, to attend an informal meeting of the European Council. According to the Presidential Administration, the head of state will also stand for paying importance to the digital strategy of the EU’s domestic market and for the need to ensure proper cyber security. The meeting has been preceded by an official lunch, during which French President, Emmanuel Macron, presented the other European leaders his plan of reforming the Union. Macron proposes to set up, in the following weeks, a so-called group for the reconstruction of Europe.



    PROTESTS – The Romanian health federation “Solidaritatea Sanitara” (Solidarity for Health) on Friday continued to picket the Labor and Health Ministries, for the second day in a row. They announced that on October 4th, trade unions will gather for a large protest in Bucharest, before the Government headquarters. The rally is organized by the Cartel Alfa National Confederation. Trade unionists fear of massive drops in the incomes of most employees in the health-care sector, of up to 60%, as of January 1st 2018. Trade unions took to the streets after authorities announced that social fees would become employees’ responsibility. They say that transferring the responsibility of paying social contributions from employers to employees will lead to a drop in the net incomes, the dismantling of the unemployment fund and lower contributions to the pension fund. During Thursday’s meeting between representatives of the trade unionists and Health Ministry officials, the standpoint of the protesters was accepted by the authorities, the vice-president of the “Solidaritatea Sanitara” Federaiton, medical doctor Florin Chirculescu said. Employees of the Ambulance Service also joined the protests on Thursday, being discontent about the shortage of personnel and the poor technical condition of their old car fleet.



    ENERGY — Electricity prices in Romania will increase by 0.75 Euros/ 100 kilowatts, on an average, as of October 1st,the National Energy Regulatory Authority, ANRE, has announced. ANRE also says gas prices may increase by 6% for domestic consumers, also as of October 1st.



    MEETING — The leaders of the Social Democratic Party, the main ruling party in Romania, are today meeting in Sucevita, in the north-east for the monthly assessment of the activity carried out by the cabinet led by Mihai Tudose. The agenda of the meeting also includes several important projects, such as the pension law, the prevention law and the administrative Code. The party president, Liviu Dragnea, has ruled out a government reshuffle.



    RESCUE — A Romanian ship has rescued from drowning 52 people, among which 19 children, in the Aegean Sea, the Coast Guard announced on Friday. Those rescued were coming from Syria, Iran and Afghanistan. The ship was on a patrol mission, as part of the Operation POSEIDON 2017 carried out by FRONTEX — the agency which secures the EU’s external borders. Since the start of the year, Romanain ships have contributed to the rescue of over 1,100 people from Greece’s territorial waters, the Coast Guard says.



    FOOTBALL — Romania’s football vice-champion, FCSB (former Steaua Bucharest) has defeated the Swiss team of Lugano, 2-1, in the second match of Europe League Group G, played on Thursday, away from home. In the first match, the Bucharest –based team defeated the Czech team Viktoria Plzeň, 3-0. On Thursday, the Czech team defeated Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva, 3-1. FCSB ranks first in the group with 6 points, followed by Viktoria Plzen and Hapoel, with 3 points each. Lugano is last in the group with no point.

  • The week in Review, May 1-7

    The week in Review, May 1-7

    The Constitutional Court of Romania rules in the case of people with a criminal sentence


    On Thursday, Romania’s Constitutional Court rejected as inadmissible the Ombudsman’s notification regarding an article in the law that forbids people with a criminal sentence to be members of the Government. The Court decided that, essentially, the reasons invoked in the notification, which was submitted at the beginning of the year, represented both issues related to the application and interpretation of the law by competent public authorities as well as aspects related to lawmaking which are Parliament’s prerogatives. Law no. 90 of 2001 on the organization and functioning of the Government and ministries stipulates that only the persons who have not received a criminal sentence and who are not in a situation of incompatibility can be members of the Government. The Constitutional Court was notified in this regard after, based on this law, the president of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, could not be designated prime minister, although his party had won the December 2016 legislative elections by a vast majority of votes. Dragnea received a 2-year suspended sentence in the case of the 2012 referendum on the impeachment of the then president, Traian Băsescu. Liviu Dragnea said however that the Court’s decision did not influence his political career.




    The government’s draft law on pardoning


    The Juridical Committee in Romania’s Senate on Thursday revised Wednesday’s vote and rejected all the amendments to the bill on pardoning certain acts of corruption that could have come under the incidence of this law. According to the amendment adopted on Wednesday, giving and taking bribe and influence peddling were some of the crimes that were to be pardoned on condition the damage was paid off. Thousands of people protested in Bucharest in front of the Government building and in other cities of Romania against these amendments. The protesters accused the corruption of the political class. The government, which initiated the bill on pardoning, as well as the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, said they were against pardoning acts of corruption. Dragnea announced the pardoning bill, which in its final form will not include the pardoning of acts of corruption, would be dealt with in the national executive committee of the Social Democratic Party. The Law on pardoning is seen by its initiators as a possible solution to prison overcrowding. The European Court on Human Rights has called on the Romanian authorities to work out a plan of measures meant to improve conditions in penitentiaries.




    Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanus visit to Israel


    Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu jointly with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference in Jerusalem on Thursday during which the Romanian official said that Romania remains a staunch supporter of the counter-terrorist fight. He said the terror attacks in Europe are alarming and recalled that Romanian citizens are also among the victims. On the other hand, given that the two countries have had diplomatic relations for the past 70 years, Prime Minister Grindeanu said that Israel is Romania’s closest ally and partner in the region. In turn, Prime Minister Netanyahu underscored that the visit paid by his Romanian counterpart is a continuation of the great friendship the two countries enjoy. On this occasion, two bilateral documents have been signed: a declaration of intent on cutting international roaming fees and a joint statement on cooperation in fields such as electric power and gas transportation, research, development and innovation, high technologies and investment. The Romanian Prime Minister’s agenda also included talks with President Reruven Rivlin, as well as a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. On this occasion Grindeanu reiterated the government’s commitment to setting up a Museum of the Jewish History and Holocaust in Romania. According to him the Romanian authorities have already made available a building in the Bucharest’s historical center to host the museum premises.




    Preparations for Romanias presidency of the EU Council in 2019


    The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has this week staged a conference on Romania’s upcoming presidency of the EU Council due in the first half of 2019. Romania has the chance of bringing a new dynamic approach to contribute to the renaissance of the European project during its mandate, Romania’s Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu said in his conference address. The head of the Romanian diplomacy, Teodor Melscanu has announced that Romania will be taking measures to step up the integration process of the countries in the Balkans and will stage a summit on the Eastern Partnership during its mandate at the helm of the European Council. Romanian Minister of European Affairs, Ana Birchall has said the EU presidency is a national project for Romania and although the mandate comes at a delicate time, the challenge could be turned into an opportunity.




    Romanians can travel to Canada without a visa


    As of May 1st 2017, Romanian and Bulgarian citizens who in the past ten years have had a visa for the USA can travel to Canada only by filling in a travel authorization form. This was made possible after the European Parliament’s approval in February of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada — CETA. This is the first stage of a visa waiver for the Romanian and Bulgarian citizens. Under the agreement signed by the governments of Romania and Canada, visas are to be completely eliminated for all the Romanians as of December 1, 2017.




  • 25 Years Since the Fall of Communism in Romania

    25 Years Since the Fall of Communism in Romania

    Starting in Timisoara, the first Romanian city to rise against an obsolete and oppressive regime, events commemorating 25 years since the anti-Communist Revolution of December 1989 have continued this week everywhere in the country. In Bucharest, ceremonies were held at the Monument to the Heroes of the Revolution, as well as at the Romanian Television. Bells have tolled in churches all across Romania, to honour those who paid in blood this country’s liberation from the communist oppression. On December 22nd, 1989, people could hear on the radio the announcement that the Ceausescu regime was over. Here is Claudiu Iordache, the director of the Romanian Revolution Institute, recalling the role played by the public radio:



    “ Radio Romania’s role was crucial back than, because all Romanians had a receiver at home and everybody could hear on the radio that in Timisoara, Bucharest and other big cities people rebelled against and eventually dismantled a regime that had seemed impossible to destroy”.



    The new president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, participated in the ceremony held in University Square, where he laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the 1989 Revolution. After the fall of Ceausescu’s dictatorship, the Square became a symbol of the liberation from communism. For months in a row the place saw large scale rallies against the first post-communist power, incapable of proving it really wanted to do away will the reminiscence of the old regime.



    On December 22nd this year, President Klaus Iohannis chose to award the first decoration since he took over his term to the president of the Association of Former Political Detainees in Romania, Octova Bjoza. The new president of the country has promised that respect for all Romanian values will characterize his term in office. He has also stressed that a nation cannot have a future without a past. The communist regime ruled through crime, fear, and abuse, and it destroyed the elites, and that is why the guilty ones must be brought to justice. Klaus Iohannis.



    “ Through this decoration I acknowledge and honour the sacrifice and bravery of those men and women who suffered and died for freedom during the communist regime and during the revolution of December 1989”.



    In turn, the president of the Association of Former Political Detainees in Romania, Octav Bjoza, said that the decoration acknowledges the sacrifice of an entire social group, that of people killed, imprisoned or oppressed during the communist dictatorship. Octav Bjoza:



    “ Most of the former political detainees and of those who were deported from Romania are no longer alive. This award honors their fight and sacrifice.”



    Such a gesture may not seem much, but it is in a country where communism was officially condemned as a criminal regime, but nobody has been held accountable for that yet.