Radio România Internațional

Tag: President

  • Constitutional Court rules on presidential candidate

    Constitutional Court rules on presidential candidate

     

    Since the night of November 24, when Călin Georgescu came virtually out of nowhere to win the first round of the presidential elections, overtaking high-profile politicians, his name has become the most present on TV channels and news websites.

     

    The question of how this was possible was answered by the Supreme Defence Council, although not very convincingly for some. After putting together data coming from the intelligence services, the Council concluded that the independent candidate Călin Georgescu was the beneficiary of a hybrid attack by a foreign state actor, namely Russia, mainly through very high TikTok exposure.

     

    After the first round, the general public came to learn a few things about candidate Georgescu’s election platform, and eventually got to know a character bordering on the bizarre and the toxic. A fierce critic of the West and of Romania’s NATO and EU membership and an admirer of Putin’s Russia, Georgescu promoted a self-sufficient economic system reminiscent of Ceausescu’s ideology, and praised what he considered Romanian exceptionalism and leading figures of Romanian interwar fascism.

     

    On December 6, the Constitutional Court made an unprecedented decision in three and a half decades of democracy: it annulled the presidential elections, on grounds that the entire election process had been twisted in Georgescu’s favour.

     

    Backed by the country’s self-styled sovereigntist, but in fact populist and ultranationalist parties, last Friday Georgescu registered his candidacy in the upcoming presidential race, due on May 4 and 18. On Sunday, the Central Electoral Bureau rejected his candidacy, relying precisely on the Constitutional Court’s ruling in December. Predictably, on Tuesday, the Court dismissed Călin Georgescu’s appeal as ungrounded in a final ruling.

     

    According to the Central Electoral Bureau, Călin Georgescu’s candidacy does not meet legality criteria, in that, by failing to comply with the election rules he breached the very obligation to defend democracy, which is based on fair, honest and impartial elections.

     

    The sovereigntists, led by AUR party, criticised what they called the “abusive” decision of the Constitutional Court.

     

    Practically born on TikTok, Călin Georgescu’s dazzling but very brief political career seems to have ended at the Constitutional Court. The overexposure, however, brought him other problems as well. The former presidential front-runner was recently placed under court supervision, in a case in which serious charges are brought against him.

     

    The first of them is one of the most severely punished in the Criminal Code, namely incitement to act against the constitutional order. Other charges include false statements regarding his campaign financing, initiating or establishing fascist, racist or xenophobic and anti-Semitic organisations, as well as publicly promoting the cult of individuals guilty of genocide and war crimes. Călin Georgescu denies all accusations. (AMP)

  • February 22, 2025 UPDATE

    February 22, 2025 UPDATE

    ELECTIONS The Central Electoral Bureau of Romania announced that it decided on Saturday to admit the registration of the Protocol on the establishment of the electoral alliance “Romania Forward”, signed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), in the ruling coalition, in order to support Crin Antonescu’s candidacy in the presidential elections. Antonescu is also backed by the group of ethnic minorities in the Romanian Parliament.

     

    The Central Electoral Bureau for the election of the president of Romania in May was selected on Friday. The Bureau is made up of 5 judges with the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the president and vice-presidents of the Permanent Electoral Authority and one representative of each party in Parliament. Parties, political or electoral alliances, ethnic minority organisations and independent candidates will be able to submit their candidacies by March 15, after which the Central Electoral Bureau is to rule on their validity. The election campaign begins on April 4 and ends on May 3, with the vote scheduled on May 4 and the second round on May 18.

     

    In December the Constitutional Court cancelled the presidential election over foreign interference in the electoral process. Thousands of Romanians, supporters of the independent sovereigntist candidate Călin Georgescu, who came out first in the first election round in December, took to the streets again in Bucharest on Saturday to demand that the elections be resumed with the second round.

  • February 18, 2025 UPDATE

    February 18, 2025 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, said on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Bucharest that Romania is a democratic state, which continues to take action to strengthen its institutions and people’s confidence in them. He promised a free, fair and transparent election process in the upcoming presidential election. “Romania has a ruling coalition, which ensures the country’s stability”, the president said, and added that Romania’s foreign policy will stay on its normal course as an EU and NATO member with a strategic partnership with the USA, while also being open to cooperation with all the partners that share the same values and principles. According to Bolojan, Russia’s aggression in neighbouring Ukraine must stop, and a ceasefire followed by just and sustainable peace is a goal that must be pursued not only by the parties involved, but also by the entire international community.  Bolojan went on to say that support for the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova is a duty and this state’s resilience must be strengthened ahead of the parliamentary election due in 2025.

     

    RIYADH The first high-level US-Russia meeting in recent years took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. Moscow’s officials said the talks were “serious” and “positive,” while the American side announced that two teams would be set up to initiate negotiations to stop the war in Ukraine, Reuters and AFP report. While the delegations led by Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov were discussing in Riyadh, the Russian foreign ministry announced that it wanted NATO to revoke the decision taken at the 2008 summit in Bucharest regarding Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would not recognise the outcome of Russian-American negotiations held in the absence of Kyiv, and European leaders convening in an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday promised to carry on their military support for Ukraine, while stepping up the strengthening of their own defence. Only a few European leaders were invited to the informal EU summit organised by president Emmanuel Macron, namely the German Chancellor, the Polish, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish and British prime ministers, as well as the president of the European Council, the head of the European Commission and the NATO Secretary General. France plans to host a second meeting on Ukraine and European security on Wednesday, Reuters reports. According to diplomatic sources, Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Romania, Sweden and Belgium are invited to take part.

     

    JUDICIARY The Romanian justice minister Radu Marinescu Tuesday had a meeting with the Japanese ambassador to Bucharest, Takashi Katae. The two officials discussed, among other things, ways to find better solutions for judicial cooperation regarding Romanian nationals imprisoned in Japan. According to a news release issued by the justice ministry, Radu Marinescu appreciates the excellent judicial cooperation between the two states, while at the same time reaffirming Romania’s strong commitment to develop close institutional collaboration in the future. Bilateral relations between Romania and Japan were elevated to a strategic partnership on March 7, 2023. Last year, a Declaration of Cooperation between the justice ministries of the two countries was also signed, making Romania the first European Union member state to sign such a declaration with Japan, the news release also states.

     

    FOOTBALL The former Romanian international player Cristian Chivu was appointed coach of the Italian football team Parma on Tuesday, the club announced on its home page. For Chivu, this will be the first coaching experience at a senior level, after having trained several junior teams at Internazionale Milano, where he played between 2007 and 2014 and where he concluded his career as a footballer at the age of 34 due to recurring injuries. In the 2009-2010 season, under the Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, he won the Italian championship and Cup with Inter, as well as the Champions League. At Parma, Chivu will coach the Romanian international players Dennis Man and Valentin Mihăilă. The team is in 18th place out of 20 (relegation-threatened) and Chivu’s debut as a coach in Serie A will take place on February 22, on home turf, against Bologna. Another Italian team in Serie A, Genoa, is owned by the Romanian businessman Dan Şucu, who is also the major shareholder in Rapid Bucharest. (AMP)

  • The priorities of Romania’s interim president

    Acting as the country’s president for the next 100 days, Ilie Bolojan on Wednesday signed the first decree as head of state, namely to appoint the former foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu as presidential adviser. On Thursday, he also presented his priorities as interim president. “We will have fair and transparent elections”, he promised, referring to the upcoming presidential elections in May, when Romanian voters will elect their president for the next five years. Until then, ensuring the country’s stability is number one on Ilie Bolojan’s agenda:

    “First of all, ensuring the economic, social and political stability of the country. We have no time to waste and the risk of having a major crisis on our hands is real. Another important aspect is the foreign policy. Our country will be represented abroad with dignity and seriousness.”

    Ilie Bolojan also said he wanted to restore citizens’ trust in public institutions:

    “Wherever we are in the system, we have no choice but to be in the service of the people and I expect every institution and every employee to work for the citizens. My aim, as interim president, is to restore people’s trust in public institutions and at the end of this mandate to be able to look you in the eye, knowing that I have worked in your best interest and that I have acted with integrity, dignity and out of concern for the Romanian people.”

    The interim president also said he had talks with a number of officials from defence, foreign affairs and national security in order to acquaint himself with the challenges and urgent needs in these fields. From the opposition, the leader of the Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, said she hoped that the 100 days in office of the new president would be a “breath of fresh air”. Her party also came up with a proposal, namely for Ilie Bolojan to start his mandate by, among other, declassifying the expenses of the president’s office. Bolojan took over from outgoing president Klaus Iohannis, whose term in office had come to an end on 21st December last year, but whose stay had been extended by the Constitutional Court following the cancellation of the presidential elections in November and early December.

  • February 10, 2025 UPDATE 3

    February 10, 2025 UPDATE 3

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    BUCHAREST – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis resigned on Monday, a day before an impeachment vote in Parliament, demanded by the opposition parties. Iohannis said that the resignation would take effect on February 12 and that he made the decision to step down in a bid to limit the fallout of what he believed would have been a divisive and damaging vote for the nation. At the same time, externally, none of the country’s allies would have understood why Romania was impeaching its president, after, in fact,  the procedure for electing a new president had already started, Iohannis also said. His second term expired on December 21, 2024, but was extended by the Constitutional Court with the annulment of the first round of the presidential elections in November. In keeping with the law, Senate speaker and Liberal leader Ilie Bolojan will assume the role of interim president on Wednesday, until the new president is elected. The interim president of Romania can promulgate laws, request their reexamination by the Constitutional Court, appoint and dismiss ministers and serve as supreme commander of the Armed Forces. However, he cannot dissolve Parliament, initiate a referendum and appoint another prime minister.

     

    REACTIONS – The opposition parties in the Bucharest Parliament, which had initiated the procedure to impeach outgoing President Klaus Iohannis, welcomed the latter’s decision to resign. MP Dan Tanasa, with the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) said that Iohannis was in office illegally and that the Romanians no longer wanted him. Also from the opposition, the head of the Save Romania Union (USR), Elena Lasconi, said that the president’s resignation does not offer answers regarding the annulment of last year’s election and that, thorough changes are further needed in the relation between citizens and the state institutions. Representing the governing coalition, the Liberal mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Emil Boc, said that resignation is preferable to impeachment, which would have complicated both the domestic political scene and Romania’s credibility abroad. The Social Democratic mayor of Craiova, Olguţa Vasilescu, pointed out that, as regards the presidential elections, the ruling coalition’s candidate continues to be the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu. The latter said that Klaus Iohannis’ resignation was a wise decision as it pre-empted the impeachment bid and a referendum. Senate speaker Ilie Bolojan, head of the Liberal Party, a member of the ruling coalition, will take over as interim president with limited powers until the election.

     

    INVESTIGATION – Five people were taken in for questioning following the 15 house searches that Romanian police carried out on Monday in Ilfov, Prahova, Buzau and Arges counties, in the case of the conflict in Urziceni, not far from the capital Bucharest, in which two people died. Also, after a series of searches carried out Monday in Brasov county, another nine people were taken to the police station for questioning. Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu signaled the fact that the involvement of several state structures was needed to combat organized crime and dismantle crime groups. He said that although hundreds of organized crime groups have been dismantled in recent years, they are regenerating, and solving this problem may take years. We remind you that, at the end of last week, two people died and five were injured, following a shooting incident involving over 25 people, members of two families in Urziceni and Prahova.

     

    ECONOMY – An International Monetary Fund delegation concluded its discussions in Bucharest with the main institutions in charge of Romania’s monetary and fiscal policies. It was not an assessment mission, but only a fact-finding one, and PM Marcel Ciolacu assured the IMF experts of the government’s determination to comply with the budget deficit target of 7% of the GDP and to implement the reforms undertaken in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The IMF made public its latest forecasts regarding the Romanian economy last autumn, when it estimated a 7% deficit for the end of 2025, the same as predicted by the government. However, the IMF’s estimates are more optimistic both as regards the economic growth rate and the inflation. In turn, World Bank officials welcomed the government’s reform plan and the attention paid to investments, noting that Romania is a strong and resilient partner.

     

    SUPERMARKETS –  PM Marcel Ciolacu said legislation should be introduced so that all products in major stores should have the same mark-ups. One day ahead of a boycott on supermarkets announced for Monday by the supporters of the former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, PM Ciolacu presented, in an online post, the Romanian products he had bought. Roughly 800,000 Romanians work in the over 4,500 large stores in the country, and the taxes paid by such chains account for 13% of the revenues to the state budget. Moreover, according to data from the agriculture ministry, 70% of the products in retail stores in Romania are made in Romania. Early this month, customers in several Balkan countries joined a large-scale boycott on supermarkets, amid rising food prices. The protests that started in Croatia have spread to Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia.

     

    KOSOVO – Kosovo’s left-wing nationalist PM Albin Kurti claimed victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, saying he was optimistic about forming a new government. Unlike in the previous term, however, his party will not be able to form a parliamentary majority on its own. Kurti and other Kosovo party leaders have made it clear that they have no intention of working together, making it unclear how a ruling coalition could be formed in Pristina.

     

     

     

  • February 10, 2025

    February 10, 2025

    PRESIDENT A third request to impeach president Klaus Iohannis may be analysed today by the leaders of the Romanian parliament in a joint meeting of the two chambers’ standing bureaus. The request is signed by 178 MPs, most of them from the self-proclaimed sovereigntist opposition (the Young People’s Party, AUR and SOS Romania) but there are also 26 signatories from the pro-EU Save Romania Union. Under the Constitution, the president can be removed from office only with a majority of the votes of senators and deputies, and only if the president breaches the Constitution. A total of 234 votes are needed, which the opposition does not have. On the other hand, the presidential candidate of the ruling coalition, the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu, admitted that the coalition leaders could have a meeting with president Iohannis today, concerning the opposition’s impeachment attempt. In an interview on the public television station, Antonescu said that the meeting was not announced publicly and that the president may decide to step down. Mr. Iohannis has announced twice so far that he did not intend to resign. On December 21, his second and last five-year presidential term under the Constitution came to an end, but his term was extended until a new head of state has been elected and validated by the Constitutional Court.

     

    BUDGET President Klaus Iohannis Monday signed into law the 2025 state budget and social security budget bills. These were endorsed last week by the joint chambers of Parliament. The budget is based on a 2.5% economic growth rate and a budget deficit of 7% of GDP. The finance minister Tanczos Barna stated in the joint parliament meeting that the 2025 state budget is ‘modest’ and is based on a prudent increase in revenues, ‘without exaggeration’. He also pointed out that the social security budget law provides ‘primarily for pension payments’.

     

    SUPERMARKETS PM Marcel Ciolacu said legislation should be introduced so that all products in major stores should have the same mark-ups. One day ahead of a boycott on supermarkets announced for today by the supporters of the former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, PM Ciolacu presented in an online post the Romanian products he had bought. Roughly 800,000 Romanians work in the over 4,500 large stores in the country, and the taxes paid by such chains account for 13% of the revenues to the state budget. Moreover, according to data from the agriculture ministry, 70% of the products in retail stores in Romania are made in Romania. Early this month, customers in several Balkan countries joined a large-scale boycott on supermarkets, amid rising food prices. The protests that started in Croatia have spread to Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia.

     

    ECONOMY An International Monetary Fund delegation concluded its discussions in Bucharest with the main institutions in charge of Romania’s monetary and fiscal policies. It was not an assessment mission, but only fact-finding one, and PM Marcel Ciolacu assured the IMF experts of the government’s determination to comply with the budget deficit target of 7% of the GDP and to implement the reforms undertaken in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The IMF made public its latest forecasts regarding the Romanian economy last autumn, when it estimated a 7% deficit for the end of 2025, the same as predicted by the Government. However, the Fund’s estimates are more optimistic both as regards the economic growth rate and the inflation. In turn, World Bank officials welcomed the government’s reform plan and the attention paid to investments, noting that Romania is a strong and resilient partner.

     

    POLICE Romanian police are still searching for the attackers involved in Saturday’s violent incident in Urziceni (not far from Bucharest), in which 2 people were killed and 5 others wounded. On Sunday, police found several weapons buried in a courtyard in the town, including a hunting rifle, a pistol with non-lethal ammunition and a belt with 5 cartridges. According to initial reports, the conflict broke out between members of two clans, and the reason is said to be related to the relationship between two youngsters. Over 25 people were involved in the clash.

     

    KOSOVO Kosovo’s left-wing nationalist PM Albin Kurti claimed victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, saying he was optimistic about forming a new government. Unlike in the previous term, however, his party will not be able to form a parliamentary majority on its own. Kurti and other Kosovo party leaders have made it clear that they have no intention of working together, making it unclear how a ruling coalition could be formed in Pristina. (AMP)

  • February 6, 2025

    February 6, 2025

     

    BUDGET Parliament endorsed on Wednesday evening the draft laws on the state budget and the social security budget for 2025. The budget is based on a 2.5% economic growth forecast and a budget deficit of 7% of GDP. According to the finance minister Tánczos Barna, the conditions are thus met to support development through record-large investment, to ensure the payment of salaries and pensions, to protect vulnerable citizens, and to restore balance in the country’s finances.

     

    GOVERNMENT The coalition government in Bucharest convenes today for the first time after this year’s state budget law has been endorsed. The Cabinet’s agenda includes several investment projects concerning the green transition, worth approx. EUR 18 mln. This year’s priorities under the “Anghel Saligny” Local Development Programme are also being discussed, and a formula for calculating national minimum gross wages based on inflation and labor productivity is to be approved, in line with the relevant European Directive. Since the beginning of the year, minimum gross wages in Romania have stood at approx. EUR 810, and the new formula should ensure predictability in employees’ incomes.

     

    RESTRUCTURING Over 400 administrative posts in Parliament are to be scrapped, after Romania’s Chamber of Deputies approved the reorganisation of its staff on Wednesday. Personnel cuts will be made from the Chamber Speaker’s office and the Permanent Bureau members’ offices, and from various departments and directorates in the institution. According to the Chamber leaders, 240 fewer posts will result in annual savings of about EUR 7 mln. Recently, the Senate also decided to cut almost 200 positions, despite employee protests. The government speaks about the need to lower spending in order to contain the budget deficit, while the opposition complains about a lack of transparency and violation of legal provisions.

     

    PRESIDENT The Young People’s Party (POT), a new entry in the Romanian Parliament, Wednesday evening filed a third request to remove the country’s acting president, Klaus Iohannis, from office. The move comes after the opposition failed to get the previous requests on Parliament’s agenda due to procedural flaws. If all legal procedures are met this time, Parliament will convene for a vote in a joint plenary meeting of the two Chambers. On December 21 last year, president Klaus Iohannis’ second and last five-year presidential term under the Constitution was due to come to an end, but after the presidential elections were cancelled his term was extended until a new head of state is elected.

     

    ELECTIONS The Minister Delegate in charge of European Affairs Benjamin Haddad is on a two-day visit to Bucharest, to express his country’s solidarity with Romania, which is subject to foreign interference, reads a news release issued by the French foreign ministry. The French governmental agency in charge of protection against foreign digital interference, VIGINUM, said in a report quoted by the Radio Romania correspondent in Paris that such moves disrupted the smooth conduct of the presidential elections in Romania at the end of last year. We have more after the news.

     

    The Romanian Government Scholarships Program is now open for applications. Each year, the Romanian Government, through the Ministerul Afacerilor Externe/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania, provides a number of scholarships to citizens from non-EU countries, with good results in education. Applicants can choose from any of the following three study cycles in accredited higher education institutions in Romania: Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or PhD. Scholarships are NOT awarded in the fields of medicine, dental medicine and pharmacy. The eligibility criteria, documents and detailed information can be found on the Study in Romania platform, using the Apply for MFA Scholarships button https://studyinromania.gov.ro/

    Applications are to be submitted ONLY through the Study in Romania platform at https://scholarships.studyinromania.gov.ro/

    Applications are accepted between 29 January and 12 March, 2025, with the selection results announced around 30 June 2025.

  • January 21, 2025 UPDATE

    January 21, 2025 UPDATE

     

    ELECTIONS The Permanent Electoral Authority in Bucharest said political parties may begin to collect signatures for the candidates they will support in the presidential elections in May. The signatures can be collected only in physical format and a voter can support more than one candidate. The ruling coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, is yet to kick-start the election period and to officially endorse the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu as their joint candidate in their respective leadership bodies. The Social Democratic leaders met on Tuesday and in principle endorsed Crin Antonescu as their presidential candidate in May, and decided to hold a party congress on 2nd February to give the final vote on his candidacy.

     

    ECONOMY Romania’s fiscal structural plan has been approved by the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), along with the plans of 20 other member states, the Romanian minister of investments and European projects Marcel Boloș announced on Tuesday. The decision comes as several countries, including France, Spain, Italy and Finland, are facing similar challenges and have requested an extension of the fiscal adjustment period from 4 to 7 years, until 2031. Marcel Boloș explained that for the business environment, the fiscal plan protects the flat tax rate, with the European Commission agreeing that governments should not overtax economic success. He also said that thanks to the plan, European funding is protected, because failure to comply with the fiscal treaty would have led to its suspension. On the other hand, the Romanian official also points out, this plan preserves the country’s international credibility, as non-compliance with fiscal commitments would have led to a decrease in the country’s rating, which would have made loans more expensive and more difficult to access. The plan also secures support for investments, including for SMEs in Romania through state aid schemes for small and medium-sized enterprises operating especially in the manufacturing sector, which will create new jobs and stimulate economic growth.

     

    EUFOR The Romanian defence ministry announced on Tuesday that Romania has taken over the command of the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR). With the command of EUFOR, the largest multinational operation in the Western Balkans conducted under the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), Romania currently exercises command of 2 of the 9 military operations and missions under the flag of the European Union, to which it contributes troops and military equipment, the same source mentions. After Brigadier General Ovidiu Lungu successfully completed his term as Chief of Staff of EUFOR ALTHEA between May 2023 and May 2024, the Romanian Army increased its representation within the operation by taking over the leadership of the most important multinational force in the Western Balkans. The stability of the region is a priority for Romania, and it has strategic importance for European and Euro-Atlantic security, the defence ministry points out.

     

    CONGRATULATIONS Romania’s acting president Klaus Iohannis has congratulated the new White House leader Donald Trump on his investiture. “Romania, a close strategic partner of the US, wishes you the best of success for this important new mandate. We need a strong and vibrant transatlantic link, to the benefit of our joint EU-US security and prosperity”, president Iohannis posted on social media. The leaders of Romania’s biggest parties also congratulated Donald Trump on the inauguration of his second term in office on Monday.

     

    DONALD TRUMP A few hours after taking office, Donald Trump pulled the US out of the World Health Organisation and the Paris Agreement on climate. He also signed an executive order on an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development global tax arrangement and asked the Department of Energy to resume processing export applications for liquefied natural gas. He declared an energy emergency in the US and revoked a number of orders introduced by the Biden administration, including one on the risks of artificial intelligence. Trump also lifted the sanctions imposed by Biden on the Jewish settlers who committed violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank. He instructed the Justice Department to dismiss the cases connected to the attack on the Capitol, pardoned 1,500 of his supporters who took the building by storm in 2021, and reduced and commuted the sentences of others. Trump declared the illegal immigration on the border with Mexico as a national emergency and the drug cartels as terrorist organisations, and signed a document affecting the granting of birth-right citizenship. Donald Trump also suspended refugee programmes for 4 months, which led to the cancellation of flights to the US for over 1,600 Afghans, including relatives of US soldiers.

     

    FESTIVAL The 27th edition of the George Enescu International Festival will place special emphasis on cultural events and concerts all across Romania and for all Romanians to enjoy, the festival’s artistic director, the Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru told a press conference on Monday in Bucharest. He said this year’s edition will see a number of special events, including the commemoration of 70 years since the death of George Enescu. The festival will take place between 24th August and 21st September and will feature 80 symphonic, chamber, choir and instrumental ensemble performances from 28 different countries.

  • December 14, 2024

    December 14, 2024

     

    NEGOTIATIONS In Bucharest, negotiations on a future coalition of the pro-European parties in Parliament have made progress with respect to the structure of the new government. The Social Democratic Party will control 7 ministries, the National Liberal Party 4, Save Romania Union 3, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania 2, said the Social Democrats’ senior vice-president Sorin Grindeanu. It has not yet been decided which ministries will go to each party and the names of the new ministers. On the other hand, the Social Democrats and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians plead for a single presidential candidate of the coalition. After the Constitutional Court cancelled the election for president, the future executive will have to decide by the end of the year on a new presidential election calendar, the UDMR believes. The pro-European parties elected in Parliament hope to come up with a cabinet by Christmas.

     

    EU FUNDING Romania has collected EUR 1.9 billion in EU structural and cohesion funds in 2021-2027, and the overall absorption rate, 6.11%, is close to the EU average of 6.19%, the minister of investments and European projects, Adrian Câciu announced. The absorption rate for the structural and cohesion funds under centrally managed programmes is higher, namely 7.3%, Caciu said in a Facebook post. He emphasised that Romania is yet to catch up on Regional Programmes, where the absorption rate is 3.2%, but he voiced confidence that the example set by the current coalition comprising the Social Democrats and the Liberals in terms of management and implementation of European funds, including decentralisation, will be followed by the new government, and the pace of EU fund absorption will be sustained, so as to replicate the success of the 2014-2020 period.

     

    ECONOMY Romania’s trade deficit was EUR 5.5 billion higher in the first 10 months of the year than in the same period in 2023, according to data made public by the National Bank. More than half of this deficit is the result of growing imports of goods. The central bank also says that the total foreign debt went up over EUR 18 billion and exceeded EUR 186 billion. According to analysts, along with the very high budget deficit, these are the main problems of the Romanian economy, and they must be solved concurrently, which is very difficult. They believe that through a correct budget adjustment, expenses would be cut, and revenues could be raised by eliminating corruption and through a fair tax system.

     

    ANNIVERSARY Timişoara marks 35 years since the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989, which broke out in this city in western Romania. Under the motto “35 years of freedom”, events dedicated to the 1989 heroes and celebrating the three and a half decades since Timişoara became the first city free from communism in Romania will take place between December 15 and 20. The agenda includes, as every year, religious services, wreath-laying, exhibitions and film screenings. A concert entitled Requiem in Memoriam is scheduled on Sunday at the Banat Philharmonic, Monday will see the inauguration of the Freedom Portal, a light installation that reproduces sounds from the Revolution, followed by the traditional march “Heroes Never Die”. Tuesday will be a day of mourning, and the events on December 20 will end with a concert called “Rock for revolution”.

     

    IMPEACHMENT South Korea’s prime minister Han Duck-soo Saturday vowed to ensure a stable government after the National Assembly voted to impeach president Yoon Suk-yeol over his failed attempt to introduce martial law on December 3, AFP reports. Tens of thousands of protesters cheered outside the National Assembly building as the vote was announced. Citing difficulties in passing his budget, Yoon Suk-yeol stunned the country by imposing martial law overnight, but was forced to lift it 6 hours later under pressure from parliament and the street. Under investigation for mutiny, Yoon, 63, is banned from leaving the country, as are his former defence and interior ministers and the commander of the short-lived martial law. (AMP)

  • November 26, 2024

    November 26, 2024

     

    ELECTIONS The leaders of the Social Democratic Party (in the ruling coalition in Romania) have decided that Victor Negrescu should be in charge with the party’s political communication until the December 1 general elections, PM Marcel Ciolacu announced. The latter stepped down as party leader after failing to move into the second round of the presidential ballot. The leaders of the other party in the ruling coalition, the National Liberal Party, also resigned, beginning with its president Nicolae Ciuca, who only came out fifth in the first round. Party heavyweight Ilie Bolojan will serve as interim president for the Liberals. He announced his party would support the pro-European, right-of-centre Elena Lasconi in the second round due on December 8, against the pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu, the surprise winner of the first round.

     

    NATIONAL DAY Nearly 2,500 troops and specialists from the defence ministry, the interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service, the National Penitentiary Administration and the Romanian Customs Authority, with about 190 vehicles and 45 aircraft, will take part in the military parade organised on Sunday, December 1, in Bucharest, on the occasion of Romania’s National Day. Along with Romanian soldiers, around 240 foreign troops will also march in the parade, deployed to Romania from Albania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Spain, the USA, Turkey and other countries. The foreign units include about 21 vehicles, including combat aircraft.

     

    EUROPEAN UNION A European Parliament plenary session has begun in Strasbourg, where the final vote on the new European Commission will be held tomorrow. The EU’s support for Ukraine, amid North Korea’s growing involvement on Russia’s side, and another hot topic, the Gaza Strip situation, are being discussed. Talks are also taking place ahead of the adoption of the Union’s 2025 budget. According to the Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu, one of the negotiators, Parliament managed to secure a EUR 10 billion higher budget for next year compared to 2024, namely almost EUR 199.5 billion in commitments and EUR 155 billion in total payments, including amounts for special instruments outside the multiannual financial framework. The issue of Romania and Bulgaria’s full Schengen accession will also be discussed in the evening, following a recent agreement in Budapest, according to which Austria will withdraw its veto in the Council to allow this last step. Discussions could also include references to the fact that the Dutch Parliament might block this full accession in early December, as the “Financial Times” wrote a few days ago.

     

    MIDDLE EAST Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah are about to conclude a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. According to Lebanese sources, the US and French presidents are expected to announce the ceasefire soon, after intense diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict that began last October, concurrently with Israel’s war against the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza. The deal between Israel and Lebanon is not backed, however, by all the political forces in the state or by the presidents of local councils in the towns on the border between the two states, Radio Romania’s correspondent reports. According to him, PM Netanyahu has talks today with all the heads of the political factions in the ruling coalition in an attempt to convince them to support the agreement, and in the afternoon he will convene a meeting of the political and security cabinet to the same effect. What seems to have convinced the Israeli PM to accept the deal, the correspondent also says, was the United States’ guarantee that it would support Israel’s right to attack Lebanon if the terms of the agreement were violated. (AMP)

  • 13 for Romania

    13 for Romania

     

     

    In Romania, presidential elections usually spark the greatest interest and emotions. Even more so this year, when the two rounds of the election for president are held before and after the legislative ballot, thus increasing the electoral stakes.

     

    In business terms, the demand is high among the voters, but the supply is rather poor, perhaps the poorest in the last 35 years, commentators and analysts agree, talking not so much about numbers, because there are 13 candidates in the race, but about their quality.

     

    Their arguments include the fact that most of the candidates lack a well-defined professional profile, even if they have political experience, that they have little if any charisma, and that some of them are tainted by corruption scandals.

     

    On the other hand, there are also candidates whose competence in ​​foreign policy and security, the key areas in the president’s job description, has been proven and is indisputable, but who suffer in terms of political support, because they are running independently.

     

    One other thing that affects this presidential election is that, while at least two contenders, possibly even 3, are fighting for the second place in the decisive round on December 8, one candidate is virtually certain to qualify to the final, and this paradoxically dilutes the tension of the competition.

     

    The debates between Ion Iliescu and Emil Constantinescu in 1992 and 1996, the one between Traian Băsescu and Adrian Năstase in 2004, or the one in 2014 between the outgoing president Klaus Iohannis and his opponent at the time, Victor Ponta, have been truly memorable. They were all competitions between the main political blocs, the left and the right, with the latter winning for the past two decades. Unlike what we’ve seen in the past, during the current presidential campaign there has been just one televised debate, and even that one has not been attended by all the candidates.

     

    In terms of ideologies, all leanings are represented in the presidential race, from the social-democratic to the liberal and from centrist pro-Europeans to populist and sovereignist nationalists.

     

    The election season in Romania opened on June 9, when local and European parliamentary elections took place simultaneously. The two rounds of the presidential elections will be held on November 24 and December 8, and in between, on December 1, the National Day itself, general elections are scheduled. Romanian voters living abroad will be able to vote in the first round of the presidential elections for 3 days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The authorities have set up around 950 polling stations abroad, the largest number so far. According to the Permanent Electoral Authority, around 7,000 Romanian citizens living abroad have opted for postal voting. (AMP)

  • November 19, 2024 UPDATE

    November 19, 2024 UPDATE

     

    PARLIAMENT The parliament of Romania convenes on Wednesday to approve 2 inquiry committees and their membership. The joint standing bureaus approved a draft resolution on setting up a joint parliamentary inquiry committee to check the spending by and on behalf of the Presidency in 2014 – 2024, initiated by the Social Democratic Party. Another joint inquiry committee will look into real estate mafia, beginning with the Nordis affair, initiated by the National Liberal Party. The Liberal Party president Nicolae Ciucă said the number of victims identified in this case is over 400. Many Romanians in the country and abroad were persuaded to purchase apartments in residential compounds and hotels built by Nordis, but the developers have sold the same apartments several times over to different buyers.

     

    ELECTIONS Romania sees the last days of the campaign for the first round of the presidential elections, scheduled for Sunday, November 24. There are 13 candidates for the president post, 9 of them backed by political parties and 4 running independently. The head of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Greblă, says the official results of the election may be announced by late Monday, November 25. The second round of the presidential elections is due on December 8.

     

    ISRAEL The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu Tuesday discussed over the telephone with Israel’s new diplomacy chief, Gideon Saar. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, Luminiţa Odobescu praised the dynamics of bilateral dialogue and cooperation, and its potential for development in key sectors. The 2 officials also exchanged opinions regarding the security situation in the Middle East. Odobescu voiced support for the international community’s efforts towards de-escalation, a ceasefire, the freeing of all hostages and the improvement of the humanitarian situation in the region. The Romanian minister also reiterated Bucharest’s firm commitment to fighting anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, a topic constantly on the agenda of the Romanian government and supported by concrete measures. Gideon Saar praised the special relations between the 2 countries and thanked for Romania’s steady support.

     

    UKRAINE Despite 1,000 days of terrible warfare, Ukraine stands unbowed, the US Ambassador in Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec said in a statement on Tuesday, marking 1000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She also said that, according to the UN, Russian forces have killed more than 11,000 Ukrainian civilians, including more than 600 children, and continue to engage in shocking war crimes, including torture of civilians and prisoners of war. Russian bombs have obliterated schools, hospitals, and treasured sites of Ukrainian history, culture, and memory. According to the American diplomat, Ukraine has shown remarkable courage and resolve in defence of its sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, helped by the enduring support of its friends and allies around the world. Romania has shown true leadership in support of Ukraine and its citizens and, as strategic partners and NATO allies, the United States and Romania stand together to counter the threats posed by Russia in Ukraine and in Europe, Kathleen Kavalec also said.

     

    FOOTBALL The Romanian national football team defeated Cyprus 4-1 on Monday night at home, in their last match in Group C2 of the Nations League. The Romanians thus won their fifth victory in the group and moved into the competition’s League B. Romania is still waiting for UEFA’s decision regarding the match against Kosovo in Bucharest on Friday, when the guests left the pitch little before the end, at a goalless score, when they heard pro-Serbian chants from the host fans. The Kosovo Football Federation denounced what it saw as an “unacceptable and unsafe atmosphere”. The Romanian Football Federation dismissed the accusations as unfounded.

     

  • November 6, 2024

    November 6, 2024

     

    US ELECTION The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and PM Marcel Ciolacu today congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential elections. “Romania is a strong and committed strategic ally of the USA. Through our joint efforts, we will bring peace and prosperity to our countries and beyond, defending our common interests,” the Romanian president wrote on a social network. The Republican Donald Trump claimed an “unprecedented mandate,” in a speech held at West Palm Beach, Florida, after Fox News called the election for Trump, the only US news outlet to do this so far. Although technically the vote count is not yet over, Donald Trump thanked the Americans for electing him. “We made history,” he said, and promised to help the country “heal.” Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, said in his turn that “we have witnessed the greatest political comeback in US history.” His opponent, the Democrat Kamala Harris, has not yet addressed her supporters.

     

    SENATE The Republicans appear to have have gained control of the US Senate, previously held by the Democrats, with a majority of at least 51 seats out of 100, according to projections. The US Senate has 100 seats (2 for each US state) and 34 members are replaced following the vote organised concurrently with the November 5 presidential election. In the House of Representatives, neither party seems to have a decisive advantage, as the vote count in the 50 states continues today. The control of the two chambers of the US Congress is a major stake, as the room for maneuver of the country’s president depends largely on the laws they are able to get passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both vote on federal laws, but the Senate also has important exclusive powers, especially in the appointment or removal of key government members or in the confirmation of federal magistrates.

     

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION The Social Democrat Roxana Mînzatu, Romania’s nomination for vice-president of the new European Commission, received a positive review from the specialist committees of the Romanian parliament. Next week, she will also be heard in the committees of the European Parliament. In addition to the position of vice-president, the Romanian commissioner will also serve as Commissioner for People, Skills and Preparedness.

     

    INVESTMENTS PM Marcel Ciolacu had a meeting with a delegation of Japanese investors on Tuesday in Bucharest. They expressed their interest in strengthening financial support for Romania in transport infrastructure, energy, digitisation and high techn projects. Previously, at a bilateral Energy Forum also held in the Romanian capital city, the energy ministry and the Japanese company Itochu Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a hydropower plant project in Cluj county (northwest Romania).

     

    VISIT The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, is on an official visit to Bucharest, where he takes part today in the national conference of the Romanian Farmers’ Club. According to a press release issued by the European Commission, the commissioner is a special guest in the interactive EU-Romania Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, where he talks about the prospects of European farming in the context of the current environmental and geo-political challenges and of the EU enlargement. At the same time, the European official is to address a plenary session on “Vision and action for the sustainable transformation of agriculture”. Among other things, Janusz Wojciechowski will thank Romanian farmers for their vital contribution to food security, in Europe and beyond.

     

    FLOODS Another person on the list of Romanian nationals missing following the recent floods in Spain has been found dead. The Romanian foreign ministry announced that, according to the information sent by the Spanish authorities, up to this moment 2 Romanian citizens are dead and 7 are still missing. The Romanian embassy in Madrid and the consular office in Castellón de la Plana are checking public information regarding the death of some Romanian citizens, but no official confirmations have been received so far. Meanwhile, the Spanish government has declared a state of natural disaster in the affected areas and has pledged to cover 100% of the urgent expenses of the affected municipalities. A first emergency plan worth over EUR 10 billion was adopted. (AMP)

  • October 2, 2024 UPDATE

    October 2, 2024 UPDATE

     

    ALERT A new RO-Alert message was issued for the northern part of ​​Tulcea County (south-eastern Romania), after the national defence and security structures detected a possible attack by the Russian Federation on some targets on the territory of Ukraine. These messages are aimed at informing the people in the Romania-Ukraine border area that there are possible Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory and that some objects might fall on Romanian territory. The Romanian defence ministry firmly condemns once more these attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, which are unjustified and are serious breaches of international law.

     

    WARNING The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly advises Romanian nationals who are in Lebanon to leave that country by the air routes still available. The travel warning regarding major security risks is still valid, and commercial flights and travel routes may also be affected, according to the ministry. Some 1,136 Romanian citizens and their family members have so far registered their presence in Lebanon, at the Romanian Embassy in Beirut. On the ground, Iran announced that its attack on Israel had ended, after it launched more than 180 missiles in its direction on Tuesday night. Tehran says it targeted the infrastructure of the enemy state. According to international media, targets included the headquarters of the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, as well as the most important air base, Nevatim, which is also used by Israel’s F- 35 long-range stealth strike fighter fleet. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Israel, there is no information regarding the loss of human life and damages.

     

    VISA WAIVER Romania meets all the technical conditions to be part of the Visa Waiver Program, the Romanian ambassador to the US, Andrei Muraru, said in a social media post. He also said that Romanians would most likely be allowed to travel visa-free in the first half of next year. “Should all the conditions and preparations proceed successfully, the program could take effect sometime in 2025” the US ambassador to Romania, Kathleen Kavalec, said on Tuesday. However, Ambassador Kavalec said, a number of important steps still need to be completed in the coming months to establish whether Romania is, in fact, eligible to participate in the Visa Waiver Program.

     

    ELECTIONS The president of the National Liberal Party in the ruling coalition in Romania, Nicolae Ciucă, has officially entered his candidacy in the presidential election with the Central Electoral Bureau. He has submitted lists of over 1.5 million signatures supporting his bid. Also today, the president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has also announced his candidacy, after gathering over 270,000 signatures. So far, candidates for the top position in the Romanian public administration also include George Simion (AUR party), Elena Lasconi (USR party), and Călin Georgescu, running independently. The deadline for entering candidacies for the presidential election is October 5, and lists of at least 200,000 supporters are required. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled on November 24, and the second one on December 8.

     

    NATURAL GAS OMV Petrom, a corporation in which the Romanian government holds 20% of the stock, announced that 2027 will see the first natural gas supplies extracted via the “Neptun Deep” project. “Neptun Deep” is the largest natural gas project in Romania’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea and the first Romanian deep-water offshore project. OMV Petrom says works on the gas platform to be installed in 2026 have already started in shipyards in Italy and Indonesia. The platform will be approx. 140 high, with a 40 sq m base and will weigh over 7,000 tone. It will support the upper section of the Neptun platform, an element of the infrastructure required for the development of natural gas deposits. OMV Petrom also pointed out that “Neptun Deep” will contribute to the country’s energy security.

     

    DEFENCE The Romanian defence minister, Angel Tîlvăr, had an official meeting on Wednesday with his Portuguese counterpart, Nuno Melo. The 2 officials discussed the Romanian-Portuguese cooperation in the defence and security sector, both in bilateral terms and as members of NATO and the EU. other topics on the agenda included the Black Sea security situation and measures to consolidate NATO’s defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern flank. Angel Tîlvăr appreciated Portugal’s contribution to joint exercises and activities, the country’s commitment as part of the NATO Enhanced Vigilance Activities, with the deployment of a military unit to the Multinational Brigade South-East, headquartered in Craiova, and its presence in other Allied structures on Romanian territory.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep made her comeback to professional competitions, with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win against Arina Rodionova (Australia), in the first round of the WTA 125 tournament in Hong Kong. A former WTA leader, Halep last played in May, when she was forced to exit the first round at Trophee Clarins, in Paris, in a match against McCartney Kessler (US). In Hing Kong, Halephas secured 15 WTA points, and in the round of 16 she will face Russia’s Ana Blinkova, the 2023 winner of the Transylvania Open. (AMP)

  • September 20, 2024 UPDATE

    September 20, 2024 UPDATE

     

    BUDGET Early next week the government of Romania is scheduled to discuss a proposed budget adjustment presented by the finance ministry, with significantly increased expenditure. This is the first state budget adjustment this year, and public healthcare, education and transportation are expected to receive additional funding. Under the draft order posted on the finance ministry website, most of the money will go to transport (about EUR 1.1 billion), with healthcare, internal affairs and investments earmarked an extra EUR 600 mln each. The social security fund is also to be increased to ensure money for the pensions raised as of September 1. There are also authorising entities that will have smaller budgets: the general secretariat of the government, the ministry of the economy, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and the Special Telecommunications Service. According to the draft, the budget deficit will deepen to almost 7%, 2% up compared to early-year forecasts, while the economic growth rate is now predicted to reach 2.8% as opposed to 3.4% previously forecast.

     

    INTERIOR MINISTRY The Romanian interior minister, Cătălin Predoiu, had a telephone discussion with his British counterpart, Yvette Cooper. The talks highlighted the very good cooperation between the two parties, with activities conducted both under the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership, and for the development of operative cooperation between equivalent structures. The dynamics of intelligence, data and know-how exchange has seen an upward trend in recent years. The 2 officials focused on topics of interest in the field of illegal migration and cross-border crime, and have agreed to strengthen future cooperation in the field of internal affairs.

     

    POLLS The former Deputy General Secretary of NATO, Mircea Geoană, has a minimal lead over the left-wing Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in the first round of the presidential elections that will take place this autumn in Romania, according to an opinion poll conducted by the INSCOP research institute. Mircea Geoana (66), a former president of the Social Democratic Party, who lost the presidential elections in 2009 and who is now running as an independent, is predicted to get 21.4% of the votes in the first round, and the current Social Democratic leader, Marcel Ciolacu (56), 20.3%. Elena Lasconi, leader of the right of centre Save Romania Union (USR), in opposition, ranks third, with 14.2% of the votes, while the Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă comes in sixth place, below two ultra-nationalist candidates. Eleven candidates have so far announced their plans to run for president and replace Klaus Iohannis, who ends his second and last term in office in December. Although the president’s role is largely ceremonial, his prerogatives include appointing the prime minister after elections, appointing judges and prosecutors, and sending draft legislation back to parliament for reconsideration. The presidential elections will take place in two rounds, on November 24 and December 8, respectively, with parliamentary elections in between. 1,102 people participated in the September survey, which has a margin of error of 3%.

     

    INVESTIGATION The criminal case concerning the December 1989 anti-communist revolution in Romania, in which the defendants include the former president Ion Iliescu and the former senior deputy PM Gelu Voican Voiculescu, has been sent back to the prosecutor’s office because of irregularities on the part of the military prosecutors on the case. The decision was made by the supreme court on Friday, and it is final. The High Court of Cassation and Justice argued that the indictment was unable to define the object and the limits of the trial. In mid-June, a separate supreme court panel ruled that irregularities existed in the indictment and gave the Military Prosecutor’s Office time to address them, but prosecutors have failed to comply.

     

    AID The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced a EUR 10 billion aid package from the EU Cohesion Fund for the Central European countries, including Romania, affected by floods. ‘This is an emergency response,’ she stated after a meeting with the heads of government from Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia. “For me it was (…) heartbreaking to see the destruction and devastation” caused by storm Boris, said the EC chief. Since last week, strong winds, exceptionally heavy rainfall and flooding have killed at least 24 people in the region: seven each in Romania and Poland, and five each in Austria and the Czech Republic.

     

    NOKIAN TYRES Partnership with the private sector is the sure way for Romania’s development, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday, during a working visit to the Nokian Tyres factory in Oradea (west), which was inaugurated on Thursday. Relocated from Russia to Romania, the factory is a success story that brings together a world-class investor, local authorities and the Government of Romania, which strongly supported such an investment, he added. Nokian Tyres is the world’s first tyre factory with zero carbon dioxide emissions. As of 2025, its 550 employees will produce 6 million car tyres annually, including for large SUVs. The factory uses green energy only, and all the technological steam is obtained without fossil fuels. The Finnish investment in Oradea, put at EUR 650 million, to which the Government contributed with a state aid of EUR 100 million, is one of the most valuable made in Romania in recent years.

     

    ELECTION The foreign ministry Friday posted the Guidelines for postal voting for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections. The deadline for the Romanian nationals living abroad to register as voters by mail is October 10 for the presidential election and October 17 for the general election. All the necessary information has been made public on the foreign ministry’s home page, at www.mae.ro.