Radio România Internațional

Tag: Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă

  • May 17, 2023

    May 17, 2023


    Strike. In Romania, education employees have organized a two-hour
    warning strike today. The unions have announced that the protest was one leg in
    the labor conflict triggered by the low wages and the lack of investments in
    the field. They are threatening to start an all-out strike on Monday, May 22.
    The line minister Ligia Deca and the trade union leaders have announced, after
    the talks they’ve had today, that the first meeting of the commission
    established to negotiate a new collective employment agreement in education
    will take place on Thursday







    Diplomacy. Romania is deeply committed to combating any form of extremism and hate speech at home and anywhere in the world and supports all European projects dedicated to combating anti-Semitism. The statement was made this morning by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, at ​​the solemn joint session of the Romanian Parliament marking 75 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between Romania and the State of Israel. Israel is one of Romania’s strongest and most important partners in the Middle East, but also the state with which we have an increasingly strengthened economic relationship. I think, however, that the potential of commercial exchanges is much higher, said Nicolae Ciuca. Present at the meeting in Bucharest, the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, Amir Ohana, stated that Romania was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Israel and took important steps to commemorate the Holocaust, which demonstrates its commitment to combatting anti-Semitism. According to Amir Ohana, the ties between Romania and Israel are better than ever.



    Government. The
    Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, the major partners in
    the governing coalition in Romania, have established, in separate meetings, the
    negotiation conditions for the rotation of prime ministers. The current Prime
    Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, says he will announce his resignation on May 26th,
    which will trigger the resignation of the entire Government. The procedures for
    the appointment of the Government headed by the Social Democratic leader Marcel
    Ciolacu will start right after that. The Liberals want a reduction of the
    number of state secretaries and undersecretaries, while preserving the protocol
    on which the governing coalition is based. The Social Democrats want lesser
    ministries, but also a lesser number of state secretaries and agencies.






    Council of
    Europe.     At the Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, President Klaus
    Iohannis chaired, on Tuesday evening, together with the Prime Minister of
    Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, the round table Protecting democracy in trying
    times – risks, resilience and re-engagement. Klaus Iohannis stated that,
    through its illegal aggression against Ukraine, Russia flagrantly violated international
    law and seriously threatened the democratic system. He pointed out that this
    crisis, the most serious since the end of the Second World War, strengthened
    the unity and determination of the world democracies to defend their democratic
    way of life, by uniting in support of Ukraine and its citizens and in support
    of all those who fight for freedom, democracy, and against intimidation,
    authoritarianism and tyranny. Today, on the second day of the Council of Europe
    Summit, President Klaus Iohannis will reiterate Romania’s commitment to the
    system of the European Convention on Human Rights and highlight the role that
    the Council of Europe has played in the 30 years of the country’s membership of
    the organization to the consolidation of a stable and mature democracy.







    Vacation.     Almost 80% of Romanians will choose European destinations this summer, and more than half of them are willing to spend no more than 300 euros for plane tickets. In fact, the plane remains the preferred means of transport for Romanians to travel this summer – according to a study published today. The criteria underlying the choice of the holiday destination are to find favorable prices for plane tickets (over 44%), to be a destination they have not been to before (about 38%) and to arrive quickly, with a direct flight (16% ). More than half of Romanians want more city breaks, while 40 out of 100 opt for an extended vacation.






    Concert. The European Union Youth Orchestra performs today in Timisoara, as part of the Earth 4 All tour that started in Poland. After the concert in Romania, the orchestra will perform in Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Greece. According to the conductor of the orchestra, Daniel Rowland, this tour reaches six important Eastern European cities, all with complex and often painful, dramatic histories. Timisoara is the place where the anti-communist revolution in Romania began in 1989. Moreover, this year, the city in the west of the country is a European Capital of Culture. (MI)

  • Romania – almost two decades in NATO

    Romania – almost two decades in NATO

    It has been 19 years since Romania became a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, under whose protection has benefited from the strongest security guarantee. On March 29, 2004, the Romanian state joined NATO, by submitting the instruments of ratification to the US State Department, the depository of the North Atlantic Treaty. In the same year, on April 2, at the NATO headquarters, the ceremony of the official raising of the flag followed.



    This date has become NATO Day in Romania, and on April 4, the members celebrate 74 years since the foundations of the Organization were officially laid down. In this context, the Romanian head of state, Klaus Iohannis, has stated that Bucharest will promote the strengthening of the transatlantic relationship and the strategic partnership between the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union. We will remain involved in allied missions and commitments, and strengthening the national defense capacity will continue to be a priority for Romania, including by earmarking, starting this year, 2.5% of the GDP for Defense, Klaus Iohannis said.



    He added that, at the same time, the strengthening of the transatlantic relationship and the strategic partnership between NATO and the Community bloc will be promoted, as well as support for increasing the resilience of partners in the region, especially the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, when the European continent is facing the worst security crisis in recent decades, triggered by the illegal and unjustified war launched by Russia against Ukraine, NATO’s fundamental role in ensuring peace and defending freedom, common democratic values, security and prosperity for its members is more important than ever, the Romanian head of state also stressed. President Iohannis has also said that the Alliance proves, once again, its indispensable character and absolute relevance in terms of security, constituting one of the basic pillars on which the defense of all its members, including Romania, is based, along with the national effort.



    In turn, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă paid tribute to those who gave their lives for a safer world, under the protection of NATO, the strongest political-military alliance in history. Nicolae Ciucă said that Romania, through the overwhelming will of its population and the lucidity of its leaders, chose the path of democracy, freedom and European and Western vocation.



    The Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, has also stated that, since its full accession to the Alliance, Romania has actively participated in the implementation of allied decisions through a consistent participation with troops and equipment in NATO missions in the Middle East and Western Balkans, as well as within the exercises and applications carried out in allied and partner countries. (MI)

  • February 23, 2022 UPDATE

    February 23, 2022 UPDATE

    ROMANIA AND UKRAINE -
    Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has assured his fellow Romanians, in the context of the
    Ukrainian crisis, that all necessary institutional measures have been taken, in
    keeping with the decisions of the Supreme Defense Council. He explained that
    these steps were taken in coordination with the NATO allies and EU member
    states. Prime Minister Ciucă
    called on the relevant ministers to keep monitoring the situation, coordinate and
    remain vigilant. In another development, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies
    in Bucharest will convene in a joint session on March 1, to adopt a political
    declaration in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and
    independence. On Tuesday, Cristian Chirteş,
    chairman of the Joint Standing Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the
    Senate for the exercise of parliamentary control over the activity of the
    Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), said that Romania’s security situation
    from the perspective of the legal attributions of the Romanian Intelligence
    Service (SRI) is stable. He also said that, in the context of the Ukrainian
    crisis, cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructure, Romanian ministries
    and agencies, has increased.


    CRISIS IN UKRAINE -
    On Wednesday, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed a decree calling
    up reservists aged 18 to 60. Kiev has also urged the West to impose additional
    sanctions against Russia, which should target the economy and president Vladimir
    Putin’s inner circle. The USA adopted what president Joe Biden has called a
    first series of sanctions in response to Moscow recognizing the separatist
    republics in Ukraine. We’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western funding,
    the White House leader said, adding that additional sanctions will target the
    Russian elites and members of their families. The US president described the
    latest developments as the beginning of a Russian invasion, saying that an
    American battalion and several F-35 state-of-the-art jets will be deployed this
    week to the Baltic region and in Eastern Europe. Troops will be sent to
    reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, not to fight Russia, president Biden also
    argued.


    ROMANIA-GREECE RELATIONS -
    President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday met in Bucharest Greece’s Prime Minister,
    Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The two officials reiterated their strong support for the
    territorial integrity of Ukraine, condemning the actions of the Russian
    Federation as violations of international law. The two also underscored the importance
    of maintaining close cooperation at both EU and NATO levels. The meeting also
    highlighted the excellent relations between the two countries, boosted by a
    series of factors such as strong economic cooperation, an interest in expanding
    sectorial cooperation, stepping up mutual investment and implementing energy
    and infrastructure interconnection projects. President Iohannis hailed the
    signing of a Joint Declaration on strengthening bilateral cooperation, a
    document signed by the prime ministers of Romania and Greece on this occasion.
    Prime Minister Mitsotakis expressed his gratitude for the support Romania provided
    in extinguishing last summer’s wildfires.


    COVID-19 – Romania reported on Wednesday 11,477 new
    cases of Covid-19 and 119 related deaths, of which 9 from a previous date. Of the
    nearly 9,000 Covid patients treated in hospital, a little over 1,000 are in
    intensive care. In terms of vaccination, about 1,000 people had the first shot
    in the last 24 hours. The Omicron variant becomes quasi-dominant in Romania,
    with over 95% of the results indicating infection with this strain of the
    virus, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said. In his opinion, in about three
    weeks the number of infections nation-wide could go down, with hundreds of new
    daily cases being expected instead of thousands, as is the case now. Minister Rafila
    also said a 6th wave of the pandemic is out of the question right
    now.


    INFLATION – The annual inflation rate in the EU
    increased in January up to 5.6%, from 5.3% in December 2021, according to data
    made public by the Eurostat on Wednesday. The member states with the highest
    inflation rates are Lithuania (12.3%), Estonia (11%) and the Czech Republic
    (8.8%). As compared to the situation in December 2021, the annual inflation
    rate in the first month of 2022 went down in 8 member states and increased in
    19 countries, Romania included, from 6.7% to 7.2%. Romania ranks 11th
    among the countries with the highest annual inflation rates. The countries with
    the smallest annual inflation rates are France (3.3%), Portugal (3.4%) and
    Sweden (3.9%).


    FUEL – Ruling coalition parties have agreed to temporarily
    cut the fuel excise by 50%. The measure reduces by 1 RON the retail price of
    petrol and diesel, Finance Minister Adrian Câciu has said. The proposal was supported by the
    Social Democrats, while their leader, Marcel Ciolacu, said the solution is
    aimed at preventing prices from going up. In turn, Liberal leader Florin Cîțusaid his
    party agrees, in principle, with any measure that reduces the fiscal burden,
    but added that, if the retail price of fuel does not go down, somebody will
    have to take responsibility. The National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social
    Democratic Party (PSD) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania
    (UDMR) have also agreed to further subsidize electricity and natural gas bills
    in the month of April. (EE & VP)