Radio România Internațional

Tag: President

March 20, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT – On an official visit to the United Arab
Emirates, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis Monday had a meeting in Abu Dhabi
with his counterpart, Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan. There are a lot of bilateral,
regional and global areas where we can cooperate quite well. There are huge
opportunities and I believe we both want to capitalize on them,’ the Romanian
official said during the meeting. President Iohannis suggested the two
countries may cooperate with a view to promoting environment education and skills
for the green transition. He also presented the goals of the Three Seas
Initiative that Romania will host this September in Bucharest, and the
opportunities it provides to private investments and investment funds,
encouraging the involvement of UAE investors. In turn, his counterpart pleaded
for the development of relations with Romania and for Bucharest’s active
presence at the COP28, a meeting scheduled to take place this year in the UAE. On
this occasion, the two countries’ relevant ministers and officials signed
bilateral documents in the fields of energy, cyber-security and education. On
Sunday president Klaus Iohannis visited Masdar City, a model of sustainable urban
development focusing on energy efficiency and environment protection.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu Monday took part in the meeting of EU foreign ministers
(Foreign Affairs Council) and in a joint meeting of EU foreign and defence
ministers. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, the EU officials primarily
discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the implementation of the EU
Action Plan on the geopolitical consequences of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
On this occasion, Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the multifaceted consequences of
the security crisis generated by Moscow, with an impact beyond Ukraine, and
warned against destabilizing Russian actions against the pro-European
authorities in the Rep. Moldova. Mr. Aurescu voiced Romania’s support for
carrying on the Union’s support efforts for Ukraine, including the provision of
ammunition, and the need to further isolate Russia internationally and to
maintain pressure on Kremlin. The Romanian official also announced that this
April Romania and Ukraine will organise jointly a first high-level conference
on Black Sea security, under the Crimea International Platform. Also in
Brussels on Monday, at the international donor conference for Turkey and Syria,
in the aftermath of the February earthquakes, Minister Aurescu announced a new
financial assistance package totaling EUR 1.3 mln.

MOLDOVA The Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă will travel
to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova this week, for a meeting with his
counterpart Dorin Recean. On this occasion, PM Ciucă will reiterate Romania’s
support for that country’s reforms, for consolidating its economy, resilience
and security and for its EU accession efforts. Meanwhile, in Chisinau, the
Supreme Security Council announced a number of decisions after Monday’s meeting
convened by president Maia Sandu in the context of the exceptional situation
in the judiciary. One of these decisions is to step up the creation of the
Higher Council of Magistrates, which is to become operational within 30 days. After
the meeting, Moldova’s president stated that some members of the system oppose the
cleaning of the judiciary and seek to continue using it to their own benefit. We
need a judicial system free from corruption, able to uphold justice and rebuild
people’s trust, Maia Sandu concluded. (AMP)

20 March 2023
March 19, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently
on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, Sunday travelled to Masdar
City, a model of sustainable urban development with solutions centered around
energy efficiency and environment protection. The Romanian official was presented
solutions for transport and urban cooling and ventilation, building energy
generation and optimum usage of natural light in schools and research
institutions. The solutions tested in Masdar City may be an inspiration for
other cities increasingly interested in sustainability, including in Romania. Contributions
to these solutions come, among others, from Romanian researchers as well,
affiliated to research institutes in Masdar City, the Romanian presidency said
in a news release. President Iohannis will be in the UAE until Tuesday, at the
invitation of his counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main
goals of the visit include strengthening the political and diplomatic dialogue
on topics of mutual interest, encouraging bilateral economic relations, which
are already on a significant positive trend, and attracting investments in the
Romanian economy through projects in fields like infrastructure, energy,
climate change, cybersecurity and food security.

REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police Inspectorate General
announced that on Saturday as many as 86,342 people entered Romania using
border checkpoints around the country. Of them, 8,510 were Ukrainian nationals.
Since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of their
country, nearly 3.8 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them have
travelled further on to western European countries, but around 100,000 of them
have chosen to stay in Romania, according to the authorities in Bucharest.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian diplomacy chief Bogdan Aurescu takes part on
Monday in the Foreign Affairs Council, a meeting of EU foreign ministers in
Brussels. He will also attend the joint meeting of EU foreign and defence
ministers, as well as in a conference of international donors for Turkey and
Syria, in the aftermath of the February earthquakes. The Foreign Affairs
Council will focus on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the dialogue between
Belgrade and Pristina, the situation in Tunisia and the latest developments in
Iran. Bogdan Aurescu will plead for continuing multidimensional support for Ukraine,
both at EU level and from the member states, with a focus on the quick
provision of military equipment and training for the Ukrainian army. According
to the Romanian foreign ministry, Mr. Aurescu will also support a consolidation
of the sanctions against Russia and a more efficient implementation of current
restrictions.

MILITARY Over 3,000 troops from Romania and 12 Allied and partner
states will take part in the Sea Shield 2023 multinational exercise, the most
complex event planned and spearheaded by the Romanian Navy this year. Taking
part in the event between March 20 and April 2 are forces from Albania,
Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Poland, Portugal, UK, the Netherlands, the Republic
of Moldova, Romania, the US and Turkey. The exercise contributes to promoting
Romania’s interests and initiatives at regional and international level, as
well as to enhancing inter-operability among the participating countries. Sea
Shield, a complex concept designed for the training of NATO forces, was
proposed by Romania at NATO’s summit in Warsaw in 2016, to boost security on
the Eastern flank.

HANDBALL Romania’s women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, were
defeated on Sunday by Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana, 29-24, in the first leg of the
playoffs for the Champions’ League quarter-finals. The second leg takes place
in Bucharest. This is Rapid’s first presence in the Champions’ League, and the
match against the Slovenian champions is also the team’s first march in European
competitions with the Danish manager Kim Rasmussen, who replaced Carlos Viver (Spain).
If they qualify into the quarter-finals, Rapid will be facing Kristiansand (Norway).
Romania’s vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, have already qualified into the
quarter-finals, where they will take on the winner of the playoff between the
French side Brest and the Danish team Esbjerg. (AMP)

19 March 2023
March 19, 2023

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently
on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, has traveled today to Masdar
City, a model of sustainable urban development with solutions centered around
energy efficiency and environment protection. The Romanian official was presented
solutions for transport and urban cooling and ventilation, building energy
generation and optimum usage of natural light in schools and research
institutions. The solutions tested in Masdar City may be an inspiration for
other cities increasingly interested in sustainability, including in Romania. Contributions
to these solutions come, among others, from Romanian researchers as well,
affiliated to research institutes in Masdar City, the Romanian presidency said
in a news release. President Iohannis will be in the UAE until Tuesday, at the
invitation of his counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main
goals of the visit include strengthening the political and diplomatic dialogue
on topics of mutual interest, encouraging bilateral economic relations, which
are already on a significant positive trend, and attracting investments in the
Romanian economy through projects in fields like infrastructure, energy,
climate change, cybersecurity and food security.

REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police Inspectorate General
announced that on Saturday as many as 86,342 people entered Romania using
border checkpoints around the country. Of them, 8,510 were Ukrainian nationals.
Since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of their
country, nearly 3.8 million Ukrainian citizens entered Romania. Most of them have travelled
further on to western European countries, but around 100,000 of them have
chosen to stay in Romania, according to the authorities in Bucharest.

CHILDREN Border police prevented over 5,300 Romanian
underage nationals from crossing the border out of the country in 2022, because
their parents or the adults accompanying them were unable to produce the
documents required for taking minors out of the country. The interior ministry
announced on Sunday that the number is twice as big as in the previous year. Also,
since the beginning of 2023, more than 800 Romanian minors have been stopped at
the border because they lacked valid travel documents, the accompanying parent
lacked the consent of the other parent or because the adults accompanying them,
other than their parents, failed to present clear criminal records. Under the
law, underage Romanian nationals can only leave the country based on a valid
travel document, passport or identity card, provided that they are accompanied
by an adult and have the consent of their parents.

RUGBY Romania’s
national rugby team takes on Spain today in a match for the 3rd
place in Rugby Europe Championship 2023, the second-tier European competition
after Six Nations. The match is played in Badajoz, Spain. The competition final,
pitting Georgia against Portugal, is played tonight as well. In August Romania’s
rugby team is scheduled to play test matches against Georgia and Italy, ahead
of the World Cup in France, organised between September 8 and October 28. Romania will play in Group B, alongside Ireland, South Africa,
Scotland and Tonga.

HANDBALL Romania’s women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, are
playing today away from home against Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana, in the first
leg of the playoffs for the Champions’ League quarter-finals. The second leg
takes place in Bucharest. This is Rapid’s first presence in the Champions’
League, and the match against the Slovenian champions is also the team’s first
march in European competitions with the Danish manager Kim Rasmussen, who
replaced Carlos Viver (Spain). 150 Romanian fans will attend the game. If they
qualify into the quarter-finals, Rapid will be facing Kristiansand (Norway). Romania’s
vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, have already qualified into the quarter-finals,
where they will take on the winner of the playoff between the French side Brest
and the Danish team Esbjerg. (AMP)

19 March 2023
02.02.2023

Bakou – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, entame aujourd’hui une visite de deux jours en Azerbaïdjan à Bakou, à l’invitation de son homologue azéri, Ilham Aliyev. Les deux hommes ouvriront la réunion ministérielle du Conseil Consultatif du Corridor sud de transport du gaz, occasion pour le chef de l’Etat de parler de l’implication de la Roumanie dans la sécurité énergétique européenne. Celle-ci se réalisera par l’élargissement de la coopération avec les partenaires de la région et par la diversification des sources et des routes de transport des ressources énergétiques. Ce qui plus est, Bucarest souhaite s’assurer depuis le Caucase les quantités de gaz dont il a besoin, à des coûts avantageux, afin de remplacer les importations en provenance de la Russie. Parallèlement, le président Iohannis doit rencontrer son homologue Ilham Aliyev sur l’élargissement de la coopération bilatérale dans des domaines tels les transports, le commerce, l’agriculture, l’éducation et la culture. Egalement sous la loupe : les projets d’interconnexion régionaux tels le câble sous-marin de transport de l’électricité.

Bosnie – La Roumanie va rester pleinement engagée dans les efforts menés pour maintenir un climat sûr et stable dans les Balkans de l’Ouest, a déclaré, mercredi, le ministre roumain de la Défense, Angel Tilvar, dans le cadre de sa visite sur la base militaire Camp Butmir en Bosnie Herzégovine. Le ministre est accompagné du chef d’Etat-major à la Défense, le général Daniel Petrescu a rencontré des militaires roumains participant à l’Opération EUFOR ALTHEA, le commandant de cette mission de l’UE, le général major Helmut Habermayer (Autriche), ainsi que la cheffe du commandement OTAN de Sarajevo, le général de brigade Pamela McGaha (Etats-Unis). ‘Nous sommes très fiers de la manière exemplaire dont les militaires roumains s’acquittent de la mission qui leur a été confiée’ a affirmé le ministre Angel Tilvar. L’opération EUFOR ALTHEA a été lancée en décembre 2004. Depuis 2012, elle se concentre sur l’entraînement et la consolidation des capacités des forces armées de Bosnie Herzégovine. A présent ce sont 1100 militaires issus de 21 pays qui participent à l’opération EUFOR ALTHEA. En mai, prochain la fonction de chef d’Etat-major sera occupée par un militaire roumain.

Syndicats – Environ 1000 employés de l’Education nationale ont manifesté, mercredi dans la capitale, mécontents de leurs conditions de salaire. Ils affirment que le personnel non enseignant est la seule catégorie qui n’a pas atteint le niveau de salaire de base prévu par la loi cadre pour l’année 2022. Les fédérations syndicales de l’éducation demandent au gouvernement d’adopter une loi afin que cette partie du personnel puisse recevoir le salaire promis, ils demandent également l’octroi de primes liées aux conditions de travail pour toutes les catégories de salariés de l’éducation nationale. La fédération syndicale Sanitas a annoncé qu’elle allait organiser à partir du 6 février des manifestations jusqu’à ce que leurs revendications soient satisfaites. Au nombre des revendications, parmi d’autres, on trouve la hausse des revenus de tous les salariés de la Santé publique et de l’assistance sociale d’au moins 15 % afin de compenser l’inflation. Plus de détails en fin de journal.

Policiers – Cinq agents de police du département de Brasov dans le centre de la Roumanie ont été arrêtés la nuit dernière dans un dossier de corruption qui a impliqué aussi plusieurs perquisitions dans des maisons privées et dans un commissariat de police. Selon le parquet, les cinq agents sont poursuivis pour corruption et abus de fonction, étant soupçonnés de ne pas avoir appliqué le Code de la Route. En effet, de décembre 2021 à janvier 2023, les agents du Ministère de l’Intérieur auraient demandé et reçu depuis différentes personnes des sommes d’argents et des objets valeureux afin d’éviter de se voir infligé des amandes.

ICR – Cette année, l’Institut culturel roumain financera par le biais de deux programmes la traduction des livres roumains en langues étrangères. Ces programmes sont ouverts aux éditeurs se trouvant à l’extérieur de la Roumanie et visant à simplifier l’accès à la culture roumaine par la traduction d’œuvres littéraires d’auteurs roumains et par la publication de revues consacrées à la culture et à la civilisation roumaines. Les dossiers peuvent être déposés exclusivement enligne, via email, jusqu’au 8 mars. Ces demandes seront évaluées par une commission d’experts indépendants.

Météo – Les températures demeurent toujours supérieures aux moyennes pluriannuelles sur la plupart des régions de la Roumanie. Le ciel est couvert sur les régions à l’intérieur de l’arc des Carpates, mais des nuages apparaitront aussi sur le reste du territoire. Il neige sur le nord et en montagne, alors que sur l’ouest des précipitations mixtes (pluie – neige) sont signalées. Des pluies verglaçantes sont également possibles donc soyez particulièrement attentifs si vous conduisez sur les routes de l’ouest. Les chutes de neige sont significatives sur le relief et notamment en montagne, à des altitudes de plus de 1 700 m, où la vitesse du vent dépasse les 90 km/h. L’Administration nationale de la météorologie a émis plusieurs alertes code orange aux tempêtes de neige valable sur cinq départements. Les maximas seront pourtant positifs allant de 0 à 10 degrés. 4 degrés et un soleil timide à Bucarest.

2 February 2023
January 28, 2023

COOPERATION
France and the Netherlands are eagerly waiting
for Romania’s Schengen accession as soon as possible. This is one of the main
elements in a joint statement on security cooperation signed in Bucharest on
Friday by the foreign ministers of the 3 countries. The message was also
highlighted by the Dutch diplomacy chief, Wopke Hoekstra, in the bilateral
talks with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu. The 2 officials, together
with the French foreign minister, Catherine
Colonna,Friday visited the Getica National Joint Training Centre in
Cincu, where French and Dutch troops are deployed as part of the NATO Battle
Group created in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In fact, after the
trilateral talks concerning Moscow’s armed aggression, Catherine Colonna said
Ukraine must be helped to defend itself, to regain its independence and
sovereignty. In Bucharest, the foreign officials were also received by
president Klaus Iohannis and PM
Nicolae Ciucă.

CINEMA Two
Romanian films, ‘Metronome’ by Alexandru Belc and ‘M.R.I.’ by Cristian Mungiu, are
in the competition of the Gothenburg International Film Festival in Sweden, which
started on Friday. According to the Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm,
the event brings together around 400 works from around the world every year,
with 160,000 viewers attending. ‘Metronome’, the debut feature of the director Alexandru
Belc, is a love story in 1972 communist Romania, and critics describe it as a
social and historical analysis of a generation forced to live in a society
marred by suspicion and distrust. Cristian Mungiu’s ‘R.M.N.’ is set in a
Transylvanian village, where a small factory hires new workers, troubling the
apparent peace of the locals. The over 40-year old
film festival in Gothenburg is the most important such event in the
region.

SURVEY As many as 80% of Romanian consumers allow the use of their
personal data for advertising purposes, according to a survey conducted on the
European Data Protection Day. The latest data in the Survey on the usage of ITC
in households and by individuals indicate that 1 of 2 Europeans aged between 16
and 74 do not allow the use of their personal data for advertising purposes
when using the internet. As many as 46% reported having allowed only restricted
access to their location or having denied access to their data altogether. The
countries where the use of personal data for advertising is mostly denied by
users include the Netherlands (73%), Finland (70%), Denmark and Germany (63%
each), Spain (62%). At the opposite pole, the lowest rates were reported in
Bulgaria (10%), Romania (20%), Greece (29%), Slovakia (30%) and Latvia (32%).

ELECTION
Petr Pavel looks set
to win the runoff of the presidential elections in the Czech Republic, ahead of
ex-PM Andrej Babis, AFP reports. Polling
stations opened on Friday and close today. Petr
Pavel, 61, a retired general who held a senior NATO post, is running as an
independent candidate and has the support of the right-of-centre government. Billionaire
Andrej Babis, 68, who was the country’s PM between 2017 and 2021, promised to
force the government to help citizens handle the rising inflation. The winner
of the vote will replace the controversial Milos Zeman, who had had close ties
with Moscow before changing course during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

WEATHER In Romania, weather experts issued code orange and yellow alerts
for heavy snowfalls, snowstorms and rainfalls in over 20 counties in the east
and centre of the country. The bad weather left thousands of households without
electricity, road, railway and air traffic was disrupted and several national
and county roads were closed. (AMP)

28 January 2023
January 2, 2023

SWIMMING The Romanian athlete David Popovici was awarded the best
swimmer of the year 2022 title by the well-known website Swimswam.com. The
peak of Popovici’s year came at the 2022 European Championships. There, he
first took down Cesar Cielo’s super-suited world record time of 46.91 in the
100 free, going 46.86. Then, he swam a 1:42.97 in the 200 free, becoming the
third male to break 1:43 behind Paul Biedermann and Michael Phelps and the first
to do so in a textile suit, the website says. David Popovici won the 100 and
200 free at every major long course international meet that he competed at: the
World Championships, the European Championships, the World Junior Championships,
and the European Championships.

RECYCLING
All traders in Romania that sell bottled water, soft drinks or alcoholic drinks
in plastic, glass or metal containers between 100 ml and 3 l are bound to
register within 2 months on the platform of a guarantee-return system (SGR). Otherwise,
they risk fines between EUR 4,000 and EUR 8,000. The authorities want the
system to become operational at the end of November 2023. Shops will also have
to arrange packaging return centres. The prices of drinks will include the
roughly EUR 0.10 packaging guarantee, which consumers will collect when
returning the bottles. Romania will thus have the second-largest return system in
Europe, after Germany, the environment minister Tanczos Barna said recently.

NATO
Western countries must be prepared to provide long-term support to Ukraine as
Russia shows no signs of relenting, NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said.
In an interview to the BBC, Stoltenberg saidmilitary
support would ensure the survival of Ukraine as a sovereign country and force
Russia to sit down and negotiate an end to the war. According to Jens Stoltenberg,
Russia’s partial mobilisation programme, ordered in September, indicated that
Moscow had no desire to end the war, and NATO must make sure that Ukraine stays
in a strong position in the event of negotiation talks between the two sides.

UKRAINE
Russia last night carried on attacks on Ukraine using Iranian-made drones, and
targeting the capital city in particular. Air raid alerts sounded for several
hours, and local authorities say a young man was injured and several buildings
damaged. This is the second consecutive night of heavy Russian missile attacks
on Kyiv, after the massive one on New Year’s night. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian
forces, which destroyed some of the drones, announced having caused substantial
casualties among the Russian troops in Bakhmut, a small town in the east of the
country which has been seeing heavy fighting for several months now. Apparently
170 Russian troops were killed and at least 200 wounded. Moscow has not yet
confirmed the losses, but said its recent attacks targeted buildings where the
Ukrainians were reportedly producing drones.

POPE
Thousands of believers have gathered in Vatican to pay
their respects to the former Pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday aged 95
and whose body is lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the funeral scheduled
for Thursday. On Sunday Pope Francis paid tribute to his dearest predecessor,
emphasising his sacrifices offered for the good of the Church. Benedict
XVI, who announced his resignation from the papacy in 2013 on account of his
ill health and age, was a highly praised theologian. The funeral will be
presided over by Pope Francis, and it will be the first time in the 2,000-year
long history of the Catholic Church that a Pope will be buried by his successor.

BRAZIL
Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was sworn in and vowed to rebuild
the country together with the Brazilian people. For his 3rd term in
office as president, Lula da Silva (77) announced plans to strengthen
environment protection and curb famine. He criticised his far-right
predecessor Jair Bolsonaro’s government, arguing
that They emptied the resources for health, dismantled education, culture,
science, and destroyed the environmental protections. Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva governed the country in 2003-2010, when he fought poverty through major
social programmes. However, corruption had deepened during his previous terms
in office, and da Silva himself served time for corruption and money
laundering, although later on the Supreme Court ruled it a mistrial. (AMP)

2 January 2023
December 19, 2022

SCHENGEN The president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola is
on a 2-day working visit to Bucharest as of today, with a support message for Romania’s
Schengen accession efforts. Today, Roberta Metsola is scheduled to have
meetings with president Klaus Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the speakers of
the Chamber of Deputies and Senate, Marcel Ciolacu and Alina Gorghiu, and will
address a joint Parliament meeting. On Tuesday, Roberta Metsola will have talks
with young Romanians as part of an event called ‘Together we are Europe,’
organised by the European Parliament Office in Romania in a partnership with
the Law School of the University of Bucharest. According to the institution, during
their dialogue with Metsola the young participants will be able to find out
about the benefits of the European parliamentary democracy, ways to influence
European policies, why it is important for them to get involved in protecting
European democracy and how the decisions and policies of the European
Parliament impact Europeans’ day-to-day lives.

VISIT The Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is on a 2-day
official visit to Chişinău, at the invitation of Moldova’s deputy PM and
minister for foreign affairs and European integration, Nicu Popescu. For 2 days,
Bogdan Aurescu will have consultations with his counterpart, will be received
by the president of the R. of Moldova Maia Sandu, and will have talks with PM Natalia
Gavriliţa and with the parliament speaker Igor Grosu. They will discuss aspects
related to countering the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation
against Ukraine, as well as topics related to cooperation in the field of
energy security, stepping up sectoral cooperation, economic cooperation and the
assistance measures taken by Romania to the benefit of the R. of Moldova. A
major topic for discussion will be Moldova’s progress in its EU accession
efforts, after the country was granted the accession candidate status in June
2022, and Romania’s concrete support in this respect.

ENERGY EU energy ministers convene today in Brussels in an attempt
to reach an agreement on a natural gas price cap, in the context of the rise in
energy prices triggered by the war in Ukraine. Last week, they failed to reach
consensus on this topic. The participants will also try to come up with a
general approach on a proposed reduction of methane emissions in the energy
sector. The draft regulation requires oil, natural gas and coal operators to
measure, report and check methane emissions. Moreover, the EU energy ministers
will try to reach an agreement with respect to the proposed REPowerEU directive,
which modifies the EU legislation on renewable energy, energy efficiency and
the energy performance of buildings. The proposal aims to step up the use of
renewable energy. On the other hand, the Czech presidency of the EU Council
will present a report on the progress made with respect to the natural gas
package, which includes a proposed directive and a proposed regulation on
single market norms for gas from renewable sources, natural gas and hydrogen.

COMMEMORATION In Timişoara, western
Romania, events carry on marking 33 years since the anti-communist revolution
of December 1989. The events highlight the courage and sacrifice of the
Revolution heroes, and the need for the younger generations to carry on the
spirit of freedom. After the marches, religious services, exhibitions, film
screenings and roundtables organised in the previous days, today a pilgrimage
will be held at the monuments making up the Revolution Memorial. Short reels made
by young artists will also be screened in schools, and the traditional Rockford
revolution festival is also scheduled for today. Also today, the members of
the bereaved families are leaving for Bucharest to retrace the route on which
the bodies of 43 revolution participants from Timisoara were sent for
incineration. The events devoted to the 33 years since the Revolution will
culminate on Tuesday, December 20, Victory Day, when Timişoara was declared the
first city free of communism in Romania. The uprising against the communist
regime in Romania began in Timişoara on December 16, 1989 and spread to
Bucharest and other cities in the country. Over 1,000 people died and some
3,000 were wounded in the clashes that took place on that occasion.

FOOTBALL Argentina is the world’s new football champion. In the
final of the Qatar tournament on Sunday, Argentina defeated the previous
champions, France, after penalty shootouts. This is the 3rd world
championship won by the South Americans, after the title in 1978 and the one in
1986. The next world championship, held in 2026, will be hosted jointly by the
US, Canada and Mexico. (AMP)

19 December 2022
December 12, 2022 UPDATE

TALKS The vote in the JHA
Council is very problematic for all of us in Romania. I was disappointed and
upset following this vote, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on
Monday, after receiving the president of the Swiss
Confederation Ignazio Cassis in Bucharest. The Romanian president added that he
would most certainly raise the issue of Romania’s denied Schengen bid at the
meeting of the European Council due on December 15. Romania should be a part of
Schengen, the Swiss president said in his turn. The 2
officials discussed bilateral relations and economic cooperation, with an emphasis
on boosting investments and identifying new areas of cooperation, and exchanged
views on the latest international developments, including the war in Ukraine
and its implications for the energy market and global security.

FUNDING Romania’s PM Nicolae Ciucă Monday requested all ministries
and coordinating institutions to give maximum priority to completing the 51 benchmarks
and targets in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan related to the second
payment request, amounting to EUR 2.8 bln, which Romania is scheduled to submit
to the European Commission this month. This amount adds to the EUR 3.7 bln pre-financing
amount and to a first EUR 2.6 bln instalment already cashed in by Romania. We
cannot afford to deviate from our commitments, because a lot of elements
related to reform processes, investments and even economic stability depend on
us accessing this money, the PM said at a meeting of the inter-ministry
Committee Coordinating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Committee
also reviewed the progress with respect to the 55 targets and benchmarks due
for the 3rd and 4th quarters of this year, related to the
3rd payment request that Romania is scheduled to submit to the EC
this spring.

BUDGET In Bucharest, Parliament’s specialist committees Monday approved
the draft budgets of several ministries. The education, transport, development
and defence ministries will have higher budgets next year, while the energy,
justice and healthcare ministries will receive less money in 2023. The ruling
coalition said the budget bill is based on record high investments and accounts
for 7.2% of GDP. It takes into account an economic growth rate of 2.8% of GDP,
an annual inflation rate of 8%, a growing number of people in employment and a
lower unemployment rate of 2.7%. The opposition has criticised the budget bill.
Both the power and the opposition have submitted amendments. The final vote is
due on Thursday.

MOTION Save Romania Union in
opposition Monday tabled a simple motion against the interior minister Lucian
Bode, whom they see as responsible for Romania’s failure to join the Schengen free-movement
area. According to the party, Bode shares this responsibility with the
president Klaus Iohannis, with the parliamentary majority and the diplomacy in Bucharest.
USR also invited the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu to give Parliament
explanations on this topic. Several EU member states voiced their
disappointment with the denial of Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession bids.
Moreover, the EU commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, said this would
be a priority of her term in office.

EU European democracy is under attack, the head of the European
Parliament Roberta Metsola said on Monday, voicing her outrage and sadness following
allegations of corruption in the European Parliament in relation to Qatar. In
turn, the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, Monday
called for EU institutions to be governed by the highest standards of
independence and integrity. The EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep
Borrell described the EP corruption allegations as being of the utmost
concern. Eva Kaili, a vice-president of the European parliament from Greece, and
3 other individuals were detained and charged in Belgium in an international corruption
investigation related to Qatar. The 4 were charged with participation in a criminal
organisation, money laundering and corruption.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Romanian diplomacy chief Bogdan Aurescu took part on Monday in Brussels in an informal meeting concerning the future of the Eastern
Partnership, organised at the initiative of Minister Aurescu and his counterparts
from Czechia, Sweden and Poland, and in a meeting of the Eastern Partnership
foreign ministers. In
his addresses, Bogdan Aurescu pleaded for revitalising the Eastern Partnership
and for adapting it to the new regional context, and reiterated Romania’s firm
and continuing support for it. He argued that the Eastern Partnership can make
a significant contribution to strengthening the stability, security and
prosperity in the Eastern Neighbourhood, by consolidating regional cooperation,
the security and resilience of partners and through an adequate joint response to
the challenges facing the region. Mr. Aurescu also emphasised that in the new
context generated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, a more robust
and more efficient security dimension of the Eastern Partnership is necessary.

MEETING The Romanian justice minister, Cătălin
Predoiu, had a meeting on Monday in Luxembourg with the head of the European
Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Laura Codruţa Kovesi. According to the
Romanian justice ministry, the 2 officials discussed the protection of the EU’s
financial interests, the EPPO human resources issue and the broadening of the
Office’s powers to include the prosecution of breaches of EU sanctions. I am
confidence that an in-depth dialogue with the EPPO may lead to ideas and
solutions to make the cooperation between national and EPPO prosecutors more
efficient. After all, they all fight crime, which affects both the interests of
the EU and the national interests of member states, Catalin Predoiu said. (AMP)

12 December 2022
December 2, 2022 UPDATE

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus
Iohannis had a meeting in Athens on Friday with his Greek counterpart, Katerina
Sakellaropoulou, who reiterated Greece’s full support for Romania’s Schengen
accession. The two officials praised the very good relations between the two
countries, strengthened by cultural affinities and by a long common history,
and emphasized the close cooperation at EU, regional and international level. Given
the current security situation generated by Russia’s illegal military
aggression against Ukraine, they emphasized the importance of maintaining
trans-Atlantic unity and solidarity and reiterated the support that their
respective countries will continue to give to Ukraine and to Ukrainian refugees,
as well as to the R. of Moldova. The Romanian president is in Greece for a
2-day official visit.

COMPANIES The number of new
companies running on foreign capital set up in Romania in the first 10 months
of the year is 30.7% higher than in the corresponding period of 2021, according
to the National Trade Registry Office. The 6,175 new companies have a combined
share capital of over USD 35 million. At the end of October 2022, 243,022
companies in Romania had foreign share capital. The largest number of companies
had Italian investors, but the highest capital value was reported for Dutch
companies. In related news, Romania’s software industry is growing steadily,
with the combined turnover in the sector expected to reach a record-high EUR 11
billion this year. According to a survey, the upward trend has been steady for
the past 10 years, and the growth rate almost tripled during this period. In
2021 there were over 30,000 software firms in Romania.

GAUDEAMUS The 29th edition of the
Gaudeamus Book Fair hosted by Radio Romania kicks off next week.
200 publishers will be exhibiting their latest and current releases in various
formats, addressing all age brackets and fields of interests, music as well as
educational games. 600 events have been announced in addition to various
related projects. Pavilions are also available online on gaudeamus.ro. The
Gaudeamus Book Fair is financed by the Ministry of Culture.

POLITICS The National Congress of the Alliance for the Unity of
Romanians (AUR), a nationalist party in opposition in Romania, Friday endorsed
its political promotion strategy for 2023. It includes building a mobile
hospital and organising medical caravans which would also present the party’s
views on the main areas of interest. The party president, George Simion, added
that some of the subsidies received by the party will be used for purchasing
school buses. The head of the party’s National Council, Claudiu Târziu, said
national reunification is AUR’s country project and requested the governments
of Romania and of the R. of Moldova to initiate immediate consultations in this
respect.

SCHENGEN The Dutch government Friday decided to agree with Romania’s
and Croatia’s Schengen accession, but will oppose the accession of Bulgaria, on
grounds that the country does not meet the required conditions. The Swedish
parliament’s committee for European affairs also voted in favour of Romania’s
accession. The Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign minister Bogdan
Aurescu hailed the decisions concerning Romania. A possible enlargement of the Schengen
area is one of the topics on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council
meeting due on December 8. (AMP)

2 December 2022
September 7, 2022

FLIGHTS Freezing the accounts of the Romanian air
operator Blue Air does not justify an immediate suspension of flights, says the
Romanian environment minister, Tánczos Barna, who calls on the company to meet
its obligations to passengers and the state budget. Blue Air’s accounts were
frozen by the Environment Fund Agency because the company owes over EUR 5 mln
and is undergoing foreclosure. Three thousand people are affected, after Blue
Air suspended all its domestic and international flights until Monday, 12th
September. According to the company, the decision was made after the
Environment Ministry froze its accounts.

MOTION A simple motion tabled by Save Romania Union (USR) in
opposition against the Liberal energy minister Virgil Popescu was dismissed by
the Chamber of Deputies today, with 191 votes against and 85 votes in favour of the document, coming
from USR, the nationalist party AUR and the Force of the Right, splintered from
the Liberal Party and headed by the ex-PM Ludovic Orban. The opposition
criticised the energy minister for the lack of investments in production
facilities and for his management of the electricity and natural gas price caps.
Minister Virgil Popescu dismissed the accusations and described the USR motion
as a populist move. He also added that the new mechanism related to energy
bills will discourage speculation in the market.

VISIT The president of Hungary, Katalin Novak, was received with
honours in Bucharest today by the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, as part of
her official visit at the invitation of the president of Romania. The talks
will concern the means to diversify and deepen the bilateral dialogue, as well as the current regional, European and global situation, following Russia’s
military aggression against Ukraine. The visit comes as the 2 countries
celebrate 20 years since the governments of Hungary and Romania signed a
Strategic Partnership Declaration for 21st Century Europe. According
to the Romanian Presidency, president Iohannis will highlight Romania’s openness to strengthening bilateral cooperation and dialogue with
Hungary, a very important neighbour of Romania, so as to promote projects of
mutual interest to the benefit of the citizens of the 2 countries. This
afternoon, the Hungarian official will also have meetings with the PM Nicolae
Ciucă and with the speakers of the 2 chambers of Parliament.

ECONOMY Romania’s economy grew 5.3% in the second quarter of
this year compared to the corresponding period of 2021, the National Statistics
Institute announced. In the first half of the year, the GDP went up 5.8%,
compared to the first 6 months of last year. Contributing to this growth were
trade, automotive repairs, transport and storage services, the hospitality and
the IT&C sectors. According to the institution, the areas that hindered
economic growth were industry, where operations dropped in the reference
period, and the negative ratio between imports and exports.

SURVEY A Eurobarometer survey released on Tuesday by the European
Commission points to increased confidence of European citizens in the EU and
continuing strong support for the Union’s response to Russia’s aggression
against Ukraine. An overwhelming majority of EU citizens supports investments
in renewable energy and steps to reduce the bloc’s reliance on Russian energy
sources. Europeans are increasingly concerned with the economic situation in
the Union and in their respective countries.

FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions, CFR Cluj, Thursday play
away from home against FC Ballkani, in Pristina, Kosovo, in their first
match in Group G of the Europa Conference League. The other match in the group
is pitting Sivasspor, of Turkey, against the Czech side Slavia Prague. Romanian
vice-champions FCSB Bucharest also play away from home, in London, against West
Ham United, in Group B of the same competition. The Belgian side Anderlecht
takes on the Danish team Silkeborg IF, also in Group B. Two other Romanian
teams, CS Universitatea Craiova and Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, have lost the
qualifying stage of the Europa Conference League. (AMP)

7 September 2022
July 29, 2022

VISIT The president of the R. of Moldova, Maia Sandu, is today on an
official visit in Romania, at the invitation of her counterpart Klaus Iohannis.
At the press conference following the official meeting, the Romanian president
said the talks were solid and focused on many topics of bilateral interest,
taking into account the long-lasting and sincere connections between the 2
countries. He congratulated Maia Sandu on Moldova’s EU accession candidate
status granted at the European Council meeting on June 23-24. This is a historic
achievement, a landmark in the history of the country, Klaus Iohannis said, and
added that Romania will continue to support Moldova through all the means available
to it. Mr. Iohannis also pointed out that the 2 presidents agreed to take
decisive steps in terms of inter-connecting the electricity networks of their
countries, and discussed the potential of the Iaşi-Ungheni-Chişinău pipeline
as a vital element of Moldova’s energy security. In
turn, the
president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said Bucharest stood by Chisinau over the
years, and Romania’s voice ‘resounded strongly’ in Brussels in support of
Moldova’s EU candidate status. Maia Sandu voiced her confidence that the
Moldovan-Romanian partnership will contribute to overcoming the difficulties
entailed by the war in Ukraine.

ANTHEM Every year on July 29 Romania celebrates National Anthem Day.
According to the defence ministry, ceremonies are held today in all military
units across the country. In Bucharest, a religious service was held in front
of the National Military Palace, while in Râmnicu Vâlcea local authorities
organized events devoted to the song Awaken Thee, Romanian!, which was first
performed officially in this town 174 years ago. National Anthem Day was
proclaimed by Parliament in 1998. The song was written by Anton Pann, on lyrics
by the poet Andrei Mureşanu. The message of the National Anthem has a strong
impact, and calls for national unity, courage, dignity and responsibility,
president Klaus Iohannis said in a news release. In turn, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
the anthem, national colours and the coat of arms define the identity of the
Romanian nation and signify the strong connection between the past, present and
future.

FESTIVAL Sighişoara,
in central Romania, is hosting this weekend the 28th edition of the
first medieval festival in Romania. The Sighişoara citadel will be the stage of
theatre performances, music and dance shows, improvisation, arts and crafts
demonstrations. While the previous edition was attended by some 11,000
visitors, the organisers hope 16,000 people will take part this year. A
spectacular fireworks show is planned for the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
Sighisoara is the only inhabited medieval citadel in south-eastern Europe.

FOOTBALL All the Romanian football teams taking part in the European
Conference League qualifiers have moved into the 3rd preliminary
round. On Thursday Universitatea Craiova defeated the Albanian side
Vllaznia 3-0 on home turf, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. In the 3rd
preliminary round, Craiova will play against the Ukrainian team Zaria Luhansk. In
Bucharest, FCSB defeated Saburtalo (Georgia) 4-2, and is next to take on the
Slovakian team Dunajská Streda. The Romanian Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe had
the most difficult match on Thursday, against Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia, and
lost 2-0, away from home, after having won 3-1 in the first leg. In the penalty
shootouts, the Slovenians missed twice, and Sepsi moved forward in the
competition. Their next opponent is Djurgården (Sweden). And on Wednesday, CFR Cluj drew 1-1 away from home
against Inter Club d’Escaldes, of Andorra, after 3-0 at home, and are pitted
next against Belarusian champions Shahtior Soligorsk. (AMP)

29 July 2022
Deuxième mandat pour Emmanuel Macron

Le
monde occidental a poussé un long soupir de soulagement après l’annonce des
résultats officiels de l’élection présidentielle française, qui ont confirmé la
victoire d’Emmanuel Macron sur son adversaire d’extrême droite. Une chose est
sûre : une éventuelle victoire de Marine Le Pen, perçue comme proche de la
Russie de Vladimir Poutine, aurait été accompagnée de changements majeurs dans
la politique étrangère de la France. En effet, son agenda politique comprenait,
entre autres, le retrait de la France du Commandement conjoint de l’OTAN, la
révision des relations de Paris avec Washington, mais aussi l’arrêt de la
coopération industrielle avec l’Allemagne dans le domaine de l’armement. Et le
président russe aurait été, à coup sûr, le principal bénéficiaire d’une crise à
l’intérieur de l’Union, écrit à l’unisson la presse européenne.

En
revanche, la réélection d’Emmanuel Macron inscrit dans la continuité les
grandes orientations économiques, européennes et internationales de la
politique française. Après un quinquennat marqué par des crises qui ont secoué
le pays, tels que le mouvement des gilets jaunes ou la pandémie de COVID-19, le
président Macron ne se prive pas de revoir à la hausse ses ambitions, qu’il
annonce par ces paroles : « Par des investissements et des changements
profonds pour assurer des projets concrets au bénéfice de tous, encourager la
créativité et l’innovation dans notre pays, et faire de la France une grande
nation écologique. Je sais que beaucoup de nos compatriotes ont voté pour moi
non pas pour soutenir les idées que j’avance, mais pour bloquer celles de l’extrême
droite. Je veux les remercier et leur dire que j’ai conscience que votre
confiance m’engage pour les années à venir », avait déclaré le dirigeant de
l’Elysée après sa réélection.

Dans
son premier discours post-victoire, Macron a promis une « voie
révolutionnaire » pour diriger la France, assurant que « personne ne
sera laissé de côté ». Mais quels en seront les enjeux dans les 5
prochaines années ? Les Français attendent tout d’abord des mesures qui boostent
le pouvoir d’achat, affecté par la crise sanitaire, puis par la crise
énergétique, la guerre en Ukraine et les sanctions européennes imposées à la
Russie, tous ces événements qui ont bouleversé l’ensemble du marché européen et
même mondial, précise la correspondante de Radio Roumanie à Paris, Daniela
Coman.

Daniela
Coman : « Emmanuel Macron a un programme plutôt complexe de
mesures sociales, pour aider les personnes défavorisées, les mères
célibataires, les autres groupes défavorisés, et il vise aussi la modernisation
des relations de travail. Il s’est par ailleurs engagé à placer l’écologie et
la lutte contre les changements climatiques au cœur de l’action
gouvernementale. L’éducation et la santé connaîtront des réformes profondes et
bénéficieront d’investissements-record, visant à accroître la facilité d’accès à
ces services, notamment de ceux qui en sont privés. Ensuite, il s’est engagé à
renforcer et à investir dans les forces armées, dans les équipements de haute
technologie, et de doubler le nombre de réservistes, pour que la France puisse
assurer son indépendance en matière de défense et pour qu’elle soit en mesure
de faire face à une guerre de grande intensité, qui pourrait frapper le
continent européen, mais aussi au défi des menaces hybrides et des cyberattaques.
»

Pour
mener à bien ces objectifs ambitieux, le président Macron aurait néanmoins
besoin d’une majorité amie au Parlement, et surtout d’un gouvernement qui ne
lui soit pas hostile. Or, la bataille politique ne s’est pas achevée le soir du
24 avril passé, car l’élection présidentielle sera suivie de deux tours d’élections
législatives, prévus en juin.

Mais qu’en
est-il de l’Europe et du rôle que la France se voit jouer dans la construction
européenne ? Invité sur les ondes de Radio Roumanie, l’analyste de
politique étrangère Stefan Popescu s’est exprimé au sujet du leadership
européen de la France et de la politique étrangère que la France entend mener. Car
il reste encore à voir jusqu’à quel point la France saura s’imposer en Europe
après l’adoption par le Bundestag de cet extraordinaire crédit de défense de
plus de 100 milliards de dollars. Selon l’analyste roumain, la France aura du
mal à pouvoir étaler des investissements comparables en matière de défense,
compte tenu de la dette publique, qui s’élève à 120% de son PIB.

Stefan Popescu :
« Cela va légèrement bouleverser l’équilibre
européen à moyen terme, et l’on observe déjà un processus de réflexion sur le
sujet en France, on l’a vu dans les débats des médias français. Car l’Union
européenne est une construction fondée sur un rapport de forces, dans lequel
l’Allemagne est le premier violon économique, et la France compense par son
appartenance permanente au Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU et par ses forces
militaires, y compris conventionnelles. Cependant, si l’Allemagne rompt cet
équilibre, je ne sais pas si la France accepterait le rôle de partenaire junior
de l’Allemagne. Les défis européens sont nombreux à l’agenda de Macron et j’ignore
dans quelle mesure Paris saura reconstruire un leadership dans ce paysage
européen bouleversé. Car l’idée de base demeure l’autonomie stratégique
européenne. Par conséquent, l’Europe devrait devenir un pôle de puissance,
censé constituer une sorte de troisième voie entre la Chine et les États-Unis. Or,
avec le retour des États-Unis sur le Vieux continent, un retour justifié, bien
sûr, compte tenu de la menace venue de l’Est, j’ignore dans quelle mesure la
France arriverait à mener ses projets à bien, du moins dans leur forme initiale.
»

Quoi qu’il en
soit, pour l’heure, Emmanuel Macron, président d’une France qui détient la
présidence tournante de l’UE, demeure l’un des dirigeants les plus écoutés dans
le contexte de grande instabilité mondiale, marqué par les actions d’une Russie
toujours aussi imprévisible. (Trad. Ionuţ Jugureanu)

6 May 2022
10/04/2022 (mise à jour)

Gouvernement — Le paquet de mesures sociales et économiques « Soutien pour la Roumanie », de 17,3 milliards de lei (environ 3,5 milliards d’euros) sera présenté lundi par les leaders de la coalition, a annoncé le président du PSD, Marcel Ciolacu. Il a déclaré que ce paquet constituait une première, vu que c’est pour la première fois qu’un gouvernement avance un tel plan afin de prévenir les effets de la crise énergétique. A son tour, le ministre du Travail et de la Solidarité sociale, Marius Budăi, a expliqué que 12 millions de personnes environ bénéficieraient des mesures sociales du paquet « Soutien pour la Roumanie ». Parmi les mesures agréées par la coalition au pouvoir en Roumanie, formée par le PSD, le PNL et l’UDMR, notons l’augmentation du salaire minimum de 200 lei (soit 40 euros), des bons d’achat de 50 euros pour les familles vulnérables, majoration des tickets-repas de 20 lei (4 euros) à 30 lei (6 euros), aide pour payer le carburant. En plus, l’allocation de nourriture double pour les patients hospitalisés. Le cabinet de Bucarest a encore décidé que les salariés des employeurs affectés par la guerre d’Ukraine bénéficient d’une indemnité payée par le budget de l’assurance chômage.

PNL – Le premier ministre Nicolae Ciucă est à partir de ce dimanche le nouveau président du Parti national libéral (de la coalition au pouvoir en Roumanie). Il a été voté par le Congrès extraordinaire du PNL, où il a été le seul candidat. Il y a eu 1 060 voix pour sur 1 120 voix exprimées. « Il faut continuer à moderniser le pays et à assurer à nos enfants un avenir stable, avec une éducation performante, avec des services médicaux modernes, des services publics de qualité, avec un milieu des affaires à même de fournir des emplois rémunérateurs et des conditions de vie comme en Occident », a déclaré le premier ministre. Selon lui, « les investissements sont le meilleur médicament pour l’économie dans une situation de crise ». Il a également parlé des Roumains de la diaspora. « Je souhaite qu’ils rentrent au pays et qu’ils soutiennent nos efforts de développer la Roumanie, avec leur sérieux, leur expérience et leurs compétences. Quant à nous, nous devons faire tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir afin de leur assurer un environnement économique et social attrayant », a encore déclaré le nouveau chef de file du PNL. Rappelons que Florin Cîţu a annoncé sa démission des fonctions de président du PNL voici une semaine, après que plusieurs leaders libéraux eurent réclamé son départ. Ils ont reproché à Florin Cîțu de provoquer des tensions à l’intérieur de la coalition gouvernementale, de ne pas communiquer avec le parti et d’avoir une mauvaise image publique, qui affectait le score du PNL dans les sondages sur les intentions de vote.

Rameaux – Les catholiques de Roumanie, comme ceux du monde entier, ont célébré, dimanche, les Rameaux, qui marquent l’entrée triomphale de Jésus-Christ à Jérusalem. La fête ouvre également, aux catholiques, la Semaine Sainte, qui rappelle la Passion du Christ qui a culminé par Sa mort par crucifixion, son enterrement et Sa Résurrection. L’Archevêché catholique de Bucarest a organisé, dans les rues de la capitale, la traditionnelle procession des Rameaux. A Rome, après deux ans de pandémie marquée par les restrictions de la vie religieuse, sur la place Saint Pierre du Vatican, le Pape François a célébré la messe des Rameaux devant des milliers de fidèles. Dans son sermon, le Souverain pontife a dénoncé la « folie de la guerre » dans un « monde violent et blessé ». Les catholiques célèbrent Pâques dimanche prochain, tandis que les orthodoxes célèbrent Pâques le 24 avril.

Diplomatie — Le chef de la diplomatie roumaine, Bogdan Aurescu, prendra part lundi à la réunion de ses homologues des Etats de l’UE — le Conseil Affaires étrangères — qui aura lieu au Luxembourg. Selon un communiqué du ministère des Affaires étrangères, les principaux sujets à l’genda seront la réponse de l’UE à l’agression de la Russie contre l’Ukraine et à l’initiative de l’UE — Global Gateway -, relative à des aspects de connectivité globale et stratégique, adoptée en décembre dernier. « Bogdan Aurescu va réitérer la condamnation ferme des atrocités de Boutcha et d’autres villes ukrainiennes et indiquera que la Roumanie soutient l’investigation immédiate et détaillée de ces faits par la Cour pénale internationale », précise le communiqué. Selon le ministère des Affaires étrangères, Bogdan Aurescu va réitérer l’engagement de la Roumanie à soutenir la paix et la stabilité dans la région.

Cimetière – L’ambassadeur de la République de Moldova à Bucarest, Victor Chirilă, a condamné la récente profanation du Cimetière des héros roumains tombés pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale à Făleşti, près de la frontière avec la Roumanie. Il a déclaré que cet acte irresponsable, barbare et criminel mettait en danger la paix, l’harmonie et la stabilité interne de la République de Moldova, dans un contexte régional assez dangereux. Antérieurement, l’ambassade de Roumanie à Chişinău s’est dite confiante que les autorités moldaves prendraient des mesures fermes et immédiates pour identifier et traduire en justice les auteurs. Le cimetière a été vandalisé avec des symboles pro-russes et nazis, la croix gammée et les lettres Z et V, symboles de l’agression de la Russie sur l’Ukraine étant dessinées sur les croix. Dans le cimetière de Făleşti, inauguré en septembre 2021, sont enterrés environ 300 héros qui ont péri dans la deuxième conflagration mondiale.

10 April 2022
The Udrea affair, once again in the spotlight

The
trial of the famous Bute Gala case, named after the former great
Romanian-Canadian fighter, has reached its end. The High Court of Cassation and
Justice Thursday dismissed as unfounded the appeals for annulment filed by the
former minister for development Elena Udrea, and the other defendants.

Elena
Udrea was sentenced to 6 years behind bars, the ex-president of the Romanian
Boxing Federation Rudel Obreja will have to serve 5 years, and the
administrator of Udrea’s land, 3 years.

The
sentences in this case were suspended in December 2018, when the Constitutional
Court ruled that the law had not been observed when the 5-judge panels were
formed, and therefore the final ruling in the Bute Gala trial had been passed
by an illegal panel.

In
dismissing the appeal for annulment, Romania’s supreme court enforced a
decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, under which national
judges may reverse a Constitutional Court ruling in cases involving frauds in EU
spending.

The
Romanian judges thus confirmed the precedence of EU law over the national law,
by overturning a Constitutional Court ruling.

In
the Bute Gala trial, Udrea was accused of having coordinated a system through
which people close to her would receive money from businesses in exchange for timely
payments for the services provided to the ministry headed by Udrea.

According
to investigators, the money reached Elena Udrea directly, in cash or as
payments for goods or services, or was given to individuals she designated to
this end. Udrea was also accused of prompting other ministry personnel to
overstep their powers while procuring advertising services for the Bute Gala
event, which caused losses to the ministry’s budget and brought undue benefits
to Rudel Obreja.

In
2018, Elena Udrea received a 6-year prison sentence for bribe-taking and abuse
of office, but she fled Romania, to be found and incarcerated later on in Costa
Rica. She tried to do the same this Thursday, when the final ruling was passed,
but she was caught in Bulgaria. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate had
requested that she be placed under court supervision precisely because of her
previous attempt to dodge the law, however the court dismissed the request.

The
end of the Bute Gala trial is by no means the end of Elena Udrea’s judicial
problems. She has also been sentenced by a court of first instance to 8 years
in prison for the election campaign of 2009, and she is a defendant in a third
case as well. Ironically, Elena Udrea first rose to power as an advocate of the
fight against corruption and the chief aide to ex-president Traian Băsescu, himself
a champion of the fight for the independence of prosecutors until they started
looking into corruption offences committed by Băsescu’s own inner circle.

The
legacy of the Băsescu regime is rather grim: its number one has recently been
confirmed by Court as a former collaborator of the communist political police,
while its second in command is someone sentenced for corruption, who tried for
a second time to evade serving a sentence. (A.M.P.)

8 April 2022
A new crisis in the Liberal Party

An extraordinary
congress of the National Liberal Party, a member of the ruling coalition in
Romania, will be held on April 10 in order to elect a new party president, the
Liberals’ National Council decided this Sunday. As many as 1,300 delegates will
take part. Until then, the head of the Suceava County Council Gheorghe Flutur will
act as interim president.

On Saturday, the Senate Speaker Florin Cîţu
announced his resignation as head of the Liberal Party. Many Liberals had
demanded that he stepped down, over claims that he caused tensions with the
Social Democrats within the ruling coalition, that he failed to communicate to
party members and that he has a poor public image that affects the party’s
scores in voting intention polls.

Cîţu’s opponents would like the party
presidency to be taken over by PM Nicolae Ciucă, who, mass media argue, has a
much better public image and a coherent dialogue with the ruling partners. A respected military professional, Ciucă is
however involved in a plagiarism scandal concerning his Ph.D. thesis.

The former PM Cîţu was elected party president
only half a year ago, in late September 2021. Openly supported by the head of
state Klaus Iohannis at that point, he won a tight election against another
former prime minister, Ludovic Orban, who had been running the party since
2017. Orban claimed that congress saw the most serious
violations of democratic rules ever committed in a political party in the last 31
years. He also announced then that he renounced his partnership with Iohannis,
to whom he had seemed quite loyal up to that point, and in December he quit the
party altogether, and jointly with other former Liberals he set up a new right-of-centre
party.

Founded in 1875, the National Liberal Party has always taken
pride in leading Romania in its most propitious moments: the proclamation of
its independence in 1877, when the country got
rid of centuries-long Ottoman rule, and the Great Union of 1918, when after WWI
all the territories inhabited mostly by Romanians and previously under Russian
and Austrian-Hungarian domination joined the Kingdom of Romania. Outlawed by
the post-war communist dictatorship brought in by Soviet troops, the National
Liberal Party re-emerged in the Romanian political arena shortly after the
anti-communist revolution of 1989, and takes pride in being in power in 2007, when
Romania was accepted in the EU.

But countless in-house scandals in recent years
have overshadowed the public’s confidence in the Liberal Party. In the latest
voting intentions poll, the Liberals stand at 16%, only 1% above the
nationalist AUR party in opposition and 20% below their current ruling
partners, the Social Democrats. (A.M.P.)

4 April 2022