Tag: protest

  • March 1, 2025 UPDATE 1

    March 1, 2025 UPDATE 1

    ROMANIA – MOLDOVA RELATIONS – Romania is Moldova’s most important partner, on which it has relied in any circumstances, Maia Sandu said upon meeting her Romanian counterpart, Ilie Bolojan, in Chișinău. „These are difficult times, which is why Romania’s support is all the more important. Beyond joint projects, we are tied by a common vision for the future, our will to live in peace, freedom and democracy”, Maia Sandu pointed out. In turn, interim president Ilie Bolojan said he wants to consolidate the bilateral relations, and that he visited Chișinău for consutlations with Maia Sandu in a very difficult context. “I assure you Romania stands with you. We will support you, in our dialogue with European partners, and will step up support at all levels, in terms of finance, expertise and projects. Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to generate challenges for the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova does not stand alone. Romania and numerous other external partners fully support Moldova’s objective to consolidate its resilience and security”, Ilie Bolojan said. The Romanian president on Monday is expected to join countless other European leaders who will attend a security summit in London focusing on Ukraine, called by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

     

    PROTEST – A few hundred thousand people are protesting in Victory Square in central Bucharest in a rally organized by the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR). Its leader, George Simion, says the protest is directed against the Romanian government and the Constitutional Court’s ruling that annulled the second round of last year’s presidential election. Participants were seen waving national flags and banners in support of the independent candidate, Călin Georgescu.

  • January 24, 2025 UPDATE

    January 24, 2025 UPDATE

     

    PROTEST Railway workers, reserve officers, police staff, miners, foresters, steelworkers, Bucharest Metro employees and pensioners Friday took part in a protest rally in front of the Government headquarters. People are unhappy with the government order that froze salary increases for many public sector personnel at the beginning of this year, and because public pensions are no longer adjusted to the inflation rate. According to Radio Romania, a trade union delegation had talks with government officials, but without results. A reorganisation of central public institutions and state-owned companies was also announced these days. According to PM Marcel Ciolacu, restructuring the public sector is a priority for the current governing coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

  • January 17, 2025 UPDATE

    January 17, 2025 UPDATE

    FAIR Romania will be participating in the world’s biggest fair of bioproducts, BioFach 2025, due in Nurnberg, Germany, over February 11 and 14, the Bio-Romania Association announced on Friday. Bio-Romania is supported by the government through the Romanian Agency of Investment and Foreign Trade. According to the aforementioned association, Romania has been participating in BioFach for the past 20 years. As early as 1990, BioFach became the main meeting point of producers from the world over, offering the participants numerous network opportunities and also being an idea hub for all the main players in the field organic production.

     

    PROTESTS Thousands of police officers and employees from defence, public order and national security institutions, as well as reserve officers from all over Romania took to the streets of Bucharest on Friday. They called on the government to review an order that significantly reduced their incomes. The act scraps overtime pay and payments for days worked on weekends or public holidays. The protesters argue that the income of operational police officers will be severely affected, with decreases ranging between 200 and 400 Euros. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu pledged on Friday that the issue of overtime pay in the field of public order would be regulated by Parliament in early February.

     

    RUSSIA The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs firmly condemns the Russian forces’ irresponsible attacks that violate all the norms of international law, and emphasizes that Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine generates risks for the entire region. The statement was made as the monitoring and surveillance systems of Romania’s Defence Ministry Friday morning noted violations of Romanian airspace, in Tulcea county, after Russian forces resumed their drone attacks on civilian targets and port infrastructure in Ukraine. ‘Respect for sovereignty, security and peace are obligations that the Russian Federation violates systematically and without provocation. The persistent aggressive actions, the illegal occupation of some of the neighboring territories and the illegal full-scale war that Russia has been waging for almost 3 years against a sovereign neighbor are a persistent and serious threat not only to Ukraine but to the entire Black Sea region and NATO’s eastern flank,’ the foreign ministry says. The Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry also mention that they have been informing NATO in real time about the situations caused by these attacks, and remain in permanent contact with it.

     

    FLU Flu vaccination remains the easiest, safest and most effective protection method against seasonal diseases, Romanian doctors reiterate amid increases in the number of respiratory infections. Specialists emphasize that as the percentage of the vaccinated population increased, flu viruses spread in communities decreases. A National Institute for Public Health report shows that the number of people diagnosed with respiratory infections has doubled, with almost 91,000 cases reported in the last week. There are almost 600 patients diagnosed with clinical flu and over 200 for whom lab tests have confirmed infection with the flu virus, most of them in Bucharest, Cluj, Braşov, Constanţa, Alba and Galaţi. Five more people have died from the flu, bringing the death toll since the beginning of the season up to 9.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis players Gabriela Ruse and Jaqueline Cristian, in separate pairs, qualified for the second round of the women’s doubles event at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after winning their respective matches on Friday in Melbourne. Ruse and Ukraine’s Marta Kostiuk won against the Australians Destanee Aiuava and Maddison Inglis 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), and in the second round they will face strong opponents in Elise Mertens (Belgium) and Ellen Perez (Australia), seeded 6th. Jaqueline Cristian and her Italian partner Camilla Rosatello defeated Cristina Bucşa (Spain)/Iana Sizikova (Russia) 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4. Cristian and Rosatello will next face Leylah Fernandez (Canada) and Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine), seeded 16th. In another first-round match in the women’s doubles, Monica Niculescu and Sofia Kenin (US) were defeated by Miyu Kato (Japan)/Renata Zarazua (Mexico), 6-4, 6-4. In the men’s doubles, the Romanian-Argentine pair Victor Cornea/Mariano Navone was defeated in the second round by Germany’s Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz, 4-6, 6-1.

    (bill)

  • January 10, 2025

    January 10, 2025

    BUDGET The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, has today said the government must endorse the 2025 budget by January 27 at the latest and has called on ministers to make all the calculations needed, which must also include job-slashing, in both the central administration and subordinated state-owned institutions. Finance Minister, Tanczos Barna, had earlier given assurances the budget draft this year would observe a deficit limit of 7% of the GDP, under the agreement with the European Commission. For 2025 Barna forecast an economic growth of 2.5% and an inflation rate of 5%.

     

    PROTEST About 2000 people protested on Friday in front of the Parliament building in Bucharest a December 6th ruling by the Constitutional Court (CCR) on canceling the presidential elections in Romania. The protesters say the ruling infringes upon the will of the electorate and have called for the resumption of the election process. People took to the streets at the proposal of the former independent candidate, Calin Georgescu, a pro-Russia extremist, who had won the first round of the presidential election in Romania. Authorities say the protest is illegal. We recall the CCR cancelled the election after the country’s Higher Security Council had revealed foreign hybrid interferences in the election process and evidence on the undeclared funding of Georgescu’s campaign. Calin Georgescu has challenged the CCR ruling in court and at ECHR. The new ruling coalition PSD-PNL-UDMR has decided the presidential election take place on May 4 and 18.

     

    VISAS The elimination of the US visas for the Romanian citizens will be officially recorded today at the US Department for Homeland Security in Washington. Technical details as well as the date of the effective activation of the Visa Waiver programme will be made public during the event today. According to Romania’s ambassador in Washington, Andrei Muraru, the Romanians travelling to the USA as tourists and for business will no longer have to give interviews at the US Consulate in Bucharest and pay for getting a visa. The only thing they are going to need is an electronic permit. People can also apply for US visas as these are valid for 10 years allowing them to stay for a maximum period of 6 months. The Romanians who want to study and work in the USA must apply for visas though.

     

    STRIKE The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has cautioned the Romanian citizens traveling to Italy that the country’s transport network has been affected by nation-wide strikes. Railway transportation has been disrupted until midnight and only a couple of routes are still operational, such as those linking airports to the big cities and those crossing the peninsula. Workers in three airports in northern Italy have gone on strike and local transportation in all Italian cities has been interrupted four hours today. Teachers in Italy’s pre-university education are on strike, also calling for better working conditions and a revised payment politics. In another development, Belgium will also see this weekend a series of demonstrations involving the workers in public transportation and education; all these actions are expected to affect public transportation in Brussels and around the country.

    (bill)

  • July 8, 2024 UPDATE

    July 8, 2024 UPDATE

    PROTEST Hundreds of accountants and economists protested in front of the government building in Bucharest on Monday disgruntled by the government decisions regarding the digitalization of the fiscal administration. Similar actions have been taken in Iasi, north-eastern Romania, Timisoara in the west and Bistrita in the north-west. Members of the Employers’ Association of the Romanian Accountant Entrepreneurs say that the introduction of some mechanism such as the e-invoice or the e-VAT will raise bureaucracy as people need to fill in many forms. Furthermore, the accountants have complained that the technical instruments made available by the Finance Ministry aren’t functioning properly. The protest was also supported by travel associations and organisations in the hospitality industry as well as by the family physicians.

     

    TAROM Romania’s air carrier TAROM has announced that 10 of its flights on the Henri Coanda airport have been cancelled after 20 pilots, flight commanders, copilots and other crew members invoked health issues, which prevented them from taking off. The company has announced that some flights are to be rescheduled for tomorrow and that several hundreds of passengers, mostly foreigners, left on the airport terminals will get refunds. The company has refrained from describing the event as a strike but for the time being the reasons behind the action remain unknown. Representatives of the board of directors are expected to provide explanations at the Transport Ministry.  Among the flights cancelled are those to Beirut, Cairo, Budapest, Iasi, Madrid, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt. In this context, Romania’s delegation, which was supposed to participate in the NATO summit in Washington, had to resort to a military plane.

     

    GROWTH The National Institute for Statistics (the INS) has revised up Romania’s economic growth in the first quarter of the year, to 0.7%, from a prior estimate of 0.4%. Compared to the same quarter of 2023, the GDP registered an increase of 0.5% on the gross series and 2.2% on the seasonally adjusted series, according to provisional data the INS published on Monday. The country’s budget for the current year is based on an economic growth of 3.4%.

     

    CULTURE Romanians and foreign tourists visiting Romania are increasingly interested in culture – said the Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan. She specified that the number of people visiting museums, public collections, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums and nature reserves increased in 2023 by more than 3 million, compared to 2022. Mrs. Turcan has appreciated the professionalism and dedication of all those in the cultural sector who manage to increase public interest in cultural events and activities, as confirmed by the latest figures of the National Institute of Statistics.

    (bill)

  • March 17, 2024 UPDATE

    March 17, 2024 UPDATE

    Elections – In Bucharest, the Central Electoral Bureau was legally established for the European Parliament and local elections on June 9. Besides the seven judges from the High Court of Cassation and Justice, chosen by drawing of lots, the Central Electoral Bureau also includes the president and the two vice-presidents of the Permanent Electoral Authority. The following political groups and organizations of national minorities are also represented: Social Democratic Party – PSD, National Liberal Party – PNL, Save Romania Union – USR, Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR, PRO Romania and the Parliamentary Group of National Minorities in the Chamber of Deputies. The opposition parties Force of the Right, People’s Movement Party – PMP and REPER are dissatisfied because, although they requested this, they did not manage to have representatives in the Central Electoral Bureau, as they do not meet certain criteria. The leaders of the Force of the Right consider it an abuse and announce that they will address the High Court of Cassation and Justice. In another move, the Central Electoral Bureau on Sunday rejected the registration of the United Right Alliance made up of USR, PMP and the Force of the Right, following which the three parties will not be able to have candidates under the same electoral sign in the summer elections. The parties say they will challenge the decision at the High Court of Cassation and Justice.

     

    Ambassador – The Russian ambassador to Bucharest, Valeri Kuzmin, was summoned, on Sunday, to the headquarters of the Romanian Foreign Ministry in relation to a series of recent statements made by the Russian side. On the occasion of this summoning called by Minister Luminiţa Odobescu, the ambassador was notified about the deep dissatisfaction of the Romanian side with regard to the distorted, truncated and inconsistent manner in which important topics of bilateral relevance are addressed, including in the public communication of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, topics which originate in the historical past. On Friday, the former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev, currently vice-president of the Security Council, declared that the recent resolution of the European Parliament regarding the return of the Romanian gold treasure sent for safekeeping in Russia in 1916-1917 is ‘impertinent’ and the European Union ‘can only be sent to hell’, reported the official Russian press agency TASS. Also according to TASS, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zaharova, said that Moscow not only returned to Bucharest all the gold that Romania sent to Russia in the 1916-1917 period, but also forgave it a huge debt, far exceeding the value of that gold treasure. We remind you that the European Parliament adopted a resolution asking Russia to fully return Romania’s national treasure that it illegally appropriated. MEPs point out that, despite several attempts at diplomatic negotiations after the First World War, Romania’s national treasure, sent to Russia between 1916 and 1917 for safekeeping was never fully returned.

     

    Gaza – The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Israel to allow humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip on a wider scale. The statement was made on Saturday, the day the German air force parachuted pallets with four tons of essential goods into the enclave and before a two-day trip to the Middle East by Scholz. He traveled on Saturday to the Jordanian port of Aqaba on the Red Sea, to meet with King Abdullah of Jordan and then to fly to Israel. On the other hand, Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about the offensive planned by Israel in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than half of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Palestinian enclave have taken refuge.

     

    Madrigal – The “Madrigal Marin Constantin” choir filmed, in a world premiere, a video at the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. Being on tour in South America for the first time, the National Chamber Choir organized the filming of the second episode of the series “Romanian contemporary music in contemporary ancient spaces”, at an altitude of 2,400 meters, in the “Lost City of the Incas”, one of the most beautiful and mysterious ancient spaces of the world. The first episode of the series was filmed in Sarmizegetusa, in Romania, and was released on January 15, on the National Culture Day.

     

    Protests – Trade unionists of the Sanitary Solidarity Federation decide, these days, whether to start an all-out strike. They are consulted through an online referendum, as the federation considers the 20% salary increase approved by the Romanian government as insufficient. The increase would be granted in two equal installments, until the summer. On Monday, the union leadership is scheduled to have a meeting where a decision could be made regarding the protest. Last week, several thousand members of the Sanitary Solidarity Federation protested in Bucharest asking for the index-linking of salary incomes according to the inflation rate and the updating of the amounts related to increments and on-call services. (LS)

  • March 17, 2024

    March 17, 2024

    Elections – In Bucharest, the Central Electoral Bureau was legally established for the European Parliament and local elections on June 9. Besides the seven judges from the High Court of Cassation and Justice, chosen by drawing of lots, the Central Electoral Bureau also includes the president and the two vice-presidents of the Permanent Electoral Authority. The following political groups and organizations of national minorities are also represented: Social Democratic Party – PSD, National Liberal Party – PNL, Save Romania Union – USR, Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR, PRO Romania and the Parliamentary Group of National Minorities in the Chamber of Deputies. The opposition parties Force of the Right, People’s Movement Party – PMP and REPER are dissatisfied because, although they requested this, they did not manage to have representatives in the Central Electoral Bureau, as they do not meet certain criteria. The leaders of the Force of the Right speak of an incredible abuse and announce that they will address the High Court of Cassation and Justice, and USR president Cătălin Drulă claims that they have signals that the power would like to block the participation of the United Right Alliance in the June 9 elections. The Central Electoral Bureau is to pronounce on Sunday on the registration of this alliance formed by USR, PMP and the Force of the Right. If it were rejected, the three parties would not be able to have candidates under the same electoral sign in the summer elections.

     

    Ukraine – Romania condemns the Russian elections in the temporarily occupied and illegally annexed Ukrainian territories. The Romanian Foreign Ministry appreciates, in a post on the Internet, that the elections organized by Russia in these regions violate international law, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, are illegal and illegitimate, and their result is null. The Romanian diplomacy strongly condemns the organization of polling stations in Transnistria region in the Republic of Moldova and in the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions of Georgia, without the consent of the authorities in Chisinau and Tbilisi, respectively. On the other hand, the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bucharest, Valeri Kuzmin, was summoned to the headquarters of the Romanian Foreign Ministry, in relation to a series of recent statements by the Russian side. On the occasion of the summoning called by Minister Luminiţa Odobescu, the ambassador was notified about the deep dissatisfaction of the Romanian side with regard to the distorted, truncated and inconsistent manner in which important topics of bilateral relevance are addressed, including in the public communication of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, which originate in the historical past.

     

    Russia – Sunday is the last day of voting in Russia for the presidential election, which is expected to give a new six-year mandate to Vladimir Putin. More than half of the voters went to the polls in the first two days, marked by sporadic incidents, but mostly by drone attacks on Russian territory, attributed to Ukraine. A new attack on a refinery in southern Russia was reported on Sunday in Krasnodar, with regional authorities saying it was caused by a fire and that one person died of cardiac arrest. All week there have been such attacks, and President Putin has warned that Kyiv’s attempts to disrupt the electoral process will not go unpunished. The team of the deceased leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny, informed that, on Sunday, there were several protests against the predictable re-election of the acting president Vladimir Putin. In Russia’s Far East, in Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Irkutsk and other Siberian cities, people took part in the “Noon Against Putin” at lunchtime, Navalny’s team reported in a live broadcast on YouTube. At the same time, listening to the call of Putin’s opponents, hundreds of people queued at the same hour at a polling station in Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. Other Putin opponents, such as the exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who lives in the United Kingdom, called on people not to be afraid and to take part in the campaign.

     

    Madrigal – The “Madrigal Marin Constantin” choir filmed, in a world premiere, a video at the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. Being on tour in South America for the first time, the National Chamber Choir organized the filming of the second episode of the series “Romanian contemporary music in contemporary ancient spaces”, at an altitude of 2,400 meters, in the “lost city of the Incas”, one of the most beautiful and mysterious ancient spaces of the world. The first episode of the series was filmed in Sarmizegetusa, in Romania, and was released on January 15, on the National Culture Day.

     

    Protests – Trade unionists of the Sanitary Solidarity Federation decide, these days, whether to start an all-out strike. They are consulted through an online referendum, as the federation considers the 20% salary increase approved by the Romanian government as insufficient. The increase would be granted in two equal installments, until the summer. On Monday, the union leadership is scheduled to have a meeting where a decision could be made regarding the protest. Last week, several thousand members of the Sanitary Solidarity Federation protested in Bucharest asking for the index-linking of salary incomes according to the inflation rate and the updating of the amounts related to increments and on-call services. (LS)

  • Sprijin pentru fermierii din România

    După
    ample proteste ale fermierilor și agricultorilor români în Capitală și în mai
    multe orașe ale țării, Guvernul de la București a aprobat un pachet de sprijin
    pentru sectorul agricol. Astfel, aceștia vor fi sprijiniţi de Stat pentru a-și
    plăti o parte din dobânda la credite, dar şi pentru achitarea facturilor la
    electricitatea folosită la irigaţii. Pentru programul Creditul fermierului,
    Guvernul va aloca aproximativ 165 de milioane de euro pentru a achita o parte
    din dobânda ROBOR (n. red. dobândă variabilă la creditele în lei). Cât despre ajutorul pentru
    plata facturii la curentul electric folosit la irigaţii, purtătorul de cuvânt
    al guvernului, Mihai Constantin, explică:

    Prin aprobarea acestei
    hotărâri de guvern s-a stabilit modalitatea de decontare a cheltuielilor în
    cotă de până la 50 la sută pentru consumul de energie electrică necesară
    funcţionării echipamentelor pentru irigaţie, iar aceste fonduri se suportă de
    la bugetul de stat. Această
    soluţie de decontare a unei părţi semnificative din cheltuielile cu irigaţiile
    făcute anul trecut de fermieri are, evident, în vedere redresarea economică a
    producătorilor, ca urmare a pagubelor provocate de secetă.


    România
    va beneficia de 34 de milioane euro din Fondul de solidaritate al Uniunii
    Europene, ca sprijin pentru pagubele suferite în urma secetei din 2022. Banii
    au fost, deja, viraţi în luna decembrie a anului trecut, iar România are la
    dispoziţie un an şi jumătate pentru implementarea acestui ajutor.

    În context, Comisia
    Europeană recunoaște că preţurile ridicate la energie, costurile vieţii şi
    inflaţia, schimbarea fluxurilor comerciale internaţionale şi necesitatea de a
    sprijini Ucraina au creat presiuni asupra sectorului agricol european. Mai
    mult, valoarea producţiei europene de cereale a scăzut cu 30% într-un singur an.


    Europarlamentarul Carmen Avram face o radiografie a agriculturii europene.

    Carmen Avram: Comisia Europeană a turat motoarele la
    maximum şi, oriunde ai privi, fermierii sunt miză. Se caută bani, se modifică
    legi, se dau ajutoare de Stat şi, deşi problemele diferă, de la impactul
    cerealelor ucrainene în ţările din Est şi până la nemulţumirile faţă de
    eliminarea subvenţiilor la motorină în Vest, cauza pare să fie aceeaşi: crizele
    suprapuse care au zdruncinat sectorul agricol şi un tsunami legislativ denumit
    Green Deal. Din 2019 şi până astăzi, adică sub mandatul acestui colegiu de
    comisari, au fost anunţate 600 de iniţiative legislative.


    Carmen Avram
    recunoaște, însă, că rezultatele acestor acțiuni întârzie să apară și speră ca
    fermierii români să își câștige dreptul de a avea subvenţii egale cu fermierii
    din Vest.



  • Bulgaria – Restricții de circulație din cauza protestelor producătorilor agricoli

    Bulgaria – Restricții de circulație din cauza protestelor producătorilor agricoli

    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe informează cetățenii români care se află, tranzitează sau intenționează să călătorească în Republica Bulgaria că în conformitate cu datele publicate de Asociația Națională a Producătorilor de Cereale, începând cu data de 6 februarie 2024, se vor desfășura acțiuni de protest, în intervalul orar 10:00 – 12:00, prin blocarea drumurilor principale și a punctelor de frontieră din Republica Bulgaria.

    Conform MAE, în cazul frontierei comune cu România, sunt avute în vedere ca spații pentru proteste: Podul Dunării I (Giurgiu-Ruse), Podul Dunării II (Calafat – Vidin), localitățile Tutrakan, Silistra, Kardam și Durankulak. Este prevăzută blocarea punctelor de trecere a frontierei corespondente acestora, precum PTF Giurgiu -Ruse, PTF Vidin-Calafat, PTF Silistra – Ostrov Călărași, PTF Kardam – Negru Vodă și PTF Durankulak – Vama Veche. De asemenea, producătorii agricoli bulgari intenționează să blocheze intersecții și segmente importante de drum în interiorul teritoriului bulgar, precum tronsonul Sofia – Ruse, în dreptul localității Gorni Dabnik și în dreptul localității Lukovit.

    De asemenea, MAE recomandă cetățenilor români să urmărească cu atenție situația de la punctele de frontieră aflate la frontiera comună cu Republica Bulgaria, să respecte strict semnalizarea rutieră temporară montată și indicațiile/semnalele organelor de control aflate la fața locului.

    Conform MAE, informații suplimentare pot fi accesate astfel: cu privire la situația zborurilor pe aeroportul Sofia – www.sofia-airport.euwww.weather.bgwww.lima.api.bg, de pe pagina de internet a Agenției Infrastructura Rutieră – www.api.bg și la numărul de telefon 070013020, accesibil în regim non-stop; cu privire la regimul vamal, la intrarea în Bulgaria dinspre Turcia, pe site-ul www.mae.ro/travel-conditions/3677 (Condiții de călătorie în Bulgaria, titlul Reglementări vamale) și pe site-ul Agenției Vămi din Bulgaria – www.customs.bgwww.bgtoll.bgwww.mvr.bg.

    Cetățenii români pot solicita asistență consulară la numerele de telefon ale Ambasadei României la Sofia: +35929712858 și +35929733510, apelurile fiind redirecționate către Centrul de Contact și Suport al Cetățenilor Români din Străinătate (CCSCRS) și preluate de către operatorii Call Center în regim de permanență. De asemenea, cetățenii români care se confruntă cu o situație dificilă, specială, cu caracter de urgență au la dispoziție telefonul de permanență al misiunii diplomatice a României în Republcia Bulgaria: +359879440758.

    Ministerul Afacerile Externe recomandă consultarea paginilor web:

    http://sofia.mae.ro,

    https://ec.europa.eu/consularprotection/content/travel-advice_ro,

    www.meteoalarm.org, www.mae.ro și reamintește faptul că cetățenii români care călătoresc în străinătate au la dispoziție aplicația Călătorește în siguranță (http://mae.ro/app_cs), care oferă informații și sfaturi de călătorie.

    Sursa MAE

  • Portugalia: Circulație rutieră afectată de protestul agricultorilor

    Portugalia: Circulație rutieră afectată de protestul agricultorilor



    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe informează cetățenii români care se află, tranzitează sau intenționează să călătorească în Portugalia că lucrătorii din sectorul agricol vor continua mișcarea de protest începută în cursul zilei de joi. Intenția declarată a protestatarilor de a intra în capitala Lisabona poate afecta circulația rutieră pe principalele trasee de acces spre capitală. Manifestările se pot prelungi și în zilele următoare.



    Forțele de ordine publică portugheze recomandă evitarea podurilor Vasco da Gama și Marechal Carmona din Vila Franca de Xira, precum și continuarea călătoriei spre zona metropolitană a Lisabonei doar pe rute ocolitoare, folosind Podul 25 Aprilie.



    Cetățenii români sunt sfătuiți să respecte recomandările autorităților locale și să urmărească informațiile actualizate privind circulația rutieră, consultând paginile oficiale de Internet ale poliției rutiere și administrației capitalei portugheze.



    Continuă să fie afectate de manifestările de protest localitățile Beja (drumul național EN 520) și Vila Verde de Ficalho (drumul național EN 260).



    Cetățenii români pot solicita asistență consulară la numerele de telefon ale Ambasadei României la Lisabona: +351213968812, +351213979982, +351213966463, +351213960866; apelurile la ultimele două numere de telefon fiind redirecționate către Centrul de Contact și Suport al Cetățenilor Români din Străinătate (CCSCRS) și preluate de către operatorii Call Center, în regim de permanență. De asemenea, cetățenii români care se confruntă cu o situație dificilă, specială, cu un caracter de urgență, au la dispoziție și telefonul de permanență al misiunii diplomatice a României în Repubica Portugheză: +351927411628.



    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe recomandă consultarea paginilor de Internet http://lisabona.mae.ro, www.mae.ro și pagina de Facebook a Ambasadei României în Republica Portugheză.


  • UE își reafirmă sprijinul comercial pentru Ucraina și Moldova

    UE își reafirmă sprijinul comercial pentru Ucraina și Moldova

    Nemulţumirile agricultorilor din ţările europene, printre care şi România, sunt legate atât de politica agrară şi de mediu a Uniunii Europene, cât şi de facilităţile acordate cerealelor ucrainene, scutite de taxe în contextul invaziei Rusiei, sau de subvenţiile acordate în diverse state.

    Participând la proteste masive în Franţa, Germania, Polonia, Bulgaria sau România, agricultorii au cerut Comisiei Europene să mai prelungească şi anul acesta derogarea de la obligaţia de a lăsa necultivate patru procente din suprafaţa fermelor şi de a aplica rotaţia culturilor.

    Reprezentanţii Comisiei Europene au spus, inițial, că nu pot adopta aceste derogări, pentru că regulamentul de bază interzice ca ele să fie aplicate pentru al doilea an consecutiv, fără redeschiderea negocierilor privind politica agricolă comună.

    Însă ieri, executivul comunitar a anunţat măsuri care răspund solicitărilor fermierilor. Astfel, Comisia a prevăzut două mecanisme de salvgardare în cazul în care cerealele mai ieftine din Ucraina afectează pieţele statelor membre. Acestea pot propune măsuri de limitare a intrărilor de produse ucrainene precum grâul, porumbul, floarea soarelui sau rapiţa. A doua măsură de salvgardare vizează carnea de pui, ouăle şi zahărul şi poate fi activată automat în cazul în care volumul exportului ucrainean depăşeşte nivelul mediu din anii 2022 şi 2023.

    Margaritis Schinas, vicepreşedintele Comisiei Europene:

    În această propunere creştem rolul statelor membre în adoptarea măsurilor de salvgardare comparativ cu reglementările de până acum. Asta înseamnă că, deşi decizia finală va fi luată tot de Comisie, statele membre ne pot ghida, ne pot consilia înainte ca noi să luăm orice decizie finală.


    Fermierii au obţinut de la Comisie şi eliminarea obligativităţii ca patru procente din suprafaţa unei ferme să fie lăsate nelucrate. În locul acestei restricţii este introdusă posibilitatea de a cultiva plante care fixează azotul în sol pe şapte procente din suprafaţă, fără a folosi pesticide. Propunerile Comisiei trebuie să fie acum aprobate de Parlamentul şi Consiliul Uniunii Europene.


  • January 17, 2023

    January 17, 2023

    Protests. Family doctors in many cities across Romania are protesting, once again, dissatisfied with the amounts proposed by the authorities for the reimbursement of services. They say that the decrease in the family medicine offices budget will have negative consequences especially for the patients, but also for the entire health system. A draft normative act, under public debate on the website of the National Health Insurance Company, provides, among other things, that the funding granted to family doctors will decrease by over 30% in 2024, and the increase granted to those who practice in rural areas will be removed. A spontaneous protest was also triggered by the employees of some of the nine agencies of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the country. They refused to work for two hours and are demanding a salary increase to the level of those in the Ministry of Economy, given that some earn around 600 euros a month. In another move, dozens of drivers heading to the protest held at some of the entrances to the Port of Constanţa (south-east) were left without their drivers licenses. They claim that a crew of gendarmes gave them a race, directing them to go in the opposite direction, on the emergency lane of the highway, and that, subsequently, they were stopped by the police and fined. The protests of farmers and transporters continue in the country, although employers in the field claim that they reached a consensus with Minister Sorin Grindeanu and a protocol with clear deadlines was signed, beneficial for the transport of people and goods. The Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, has also held talks with the professional associations, and says that at this moment there are no more farmers claims to have been presented and not solved.



    Markup. Today, the Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, has a meeting with retailer representatives, the discussions mainly focusing on the subject of extending the measure to cap the markup for basic foods for another three months. Barbu has stated that he wants to maintain this measure after January 31, 2024, and that he is considering adding new products to the list, including lamb. An emergency ordinance regarding the establishment of a temporary measure to combat excessive price increases for some agricultural and food products came into force on August 1st, 2023, and targeted 14 groups of food products, including bread, cow milk, cottage cheese, eggs, sunflower oil, fresh chicken and pork.



    Sanctions. People who evade criminal prosecution, trial or execution of punishment and who fled from Romania abroad could be obliged to pay the expenses incurred by the State for bringing them to the country. The Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, has announced the introduction into public debate, on the website of the ministry, of a draft law in this sense. She says repatriating a fugitive criminal can cost the state up to €25,000. Last year alone, Romania spent ten million lei (the equivalent of two million euros) of taxpayers money for the repatriation of some 600 fugitives.



    Schengen. The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, albeit partial, is a good sign, said the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, whose country took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. He applauded the efforts made by both countries to address Schengen concerns and stressed that, if things continued to go according to plan, the next steps would be taken. On March 31, Romania and Bulgaria will join the European area of ​​free movement only with air and maritime borders.



    Citizenship. The number of applications for obtaining citizenship of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, predominantly Romanian-speaking) has registered a significant increase in the last period, which is why the Chisinau authorities are asking for an extension of up to six months for the examination of applications. According to official data, 70% of the applicants are Russian citizens, and 20% are Ukrainian. The increase in the number of citizenship applications made by Russians indicates attempts to avoid enlisting in the army – says analyst Anatol Ţaranu, former ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation, quoted by Radio Chisinau. According to experts, Russia could begin a full mobilization after the presidential elections due in March 2024. Kyiv claims that Moscow is losing about 1,000 soldiers on the front in invaded Ukraine every day. (MI)


  • Social unrest early in the year

    Social unrest early in the year

    The year 2023 was marked by social
    unrest, which culminated with the strike of the teachers, an event that nearly
    compromised the end of the school year in Romania.


    2024, an election year in Romania’s European
    democracy started off even more abruptly with large-scale protests by local
    farmers and transporters, which disrupted traffic close to Romania’s major
    cities also causing tensions in the country’s medical system.


    Truck drivers have called for a cap to
    the mandatory vehicle insurance RCA in Romania and the elimination of double
    taxation, as well as for measures of easing traffic at border checkpoints and acknowledging
    the economically strategic importance of the road transport sector.


    In turn farmers say they are forced
    to producing at higher costs and selling at lower prices. They have called for
    the urgent payment of subsidies, compensations for the losses they incurred due
    to imports from Ukraine and the reintroduction of customs duties for goods
    imported from that country. Their representatives have also called for credits
    with subsidized interest of maximum 2% and updated state subsidy to diesel
    excises.


    After long talks with the
    representatives of a farmer association, the executive agreed to the urgent
    payment of subsidies, compensations for their losses caused by imports from Ukraine,
    subsidized credits and updated state subsidy for the diesel excise in
    agriculture. Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu earlier told a TV station
    that 99% of the farmers’ claims were solved and gave assurances the Ukrainian
    grain is no longer sold in Romania, mainly after an agreement between the two
    countries was concluded.


    As concerns the transporters, talks
    are underway on the mandatory vehicle insurance and the diesel excise. However,
    he explained that Romania cannot afford any more bankrupted insurance companies
    and the risks posed by capping the RCA at a price the insurance companies
    cannot afford. Ciolacu has pledged solutions to all the claims made by the
    professional transporters but has also drawn attention to the risks posed by
    blocking the economy through the aforementioned protests. In another
    development, the Prime Minister has given assurances that no family clinic will
    be closed down and the value of the subsidized medical services for this
    category is under negotiation. The head of the Romanian government has also pleaded
    for balance between the wages of physicians from the cities and rural areas.
    Disgruntled with the funds the authorities have earmarked to a series of
    medical services, family physicians and employees of the specialized ambulatory
    care facilities have commenced a series of protests. Their viewpoint has been
    backed by the trade unions in the field, which say that trimming the budget of
    the family medicine clinics will have a bad effect on the entire healthcare
    system.


    (bill)

  • Nachrichten 15.01.2024

    Nachrichten 15.01.2024

    Der rumänische Ministerpräsident Marcel Ciolacu hat die Leiter der Ministerien, die in direktem Dialog mit den Spediteuren und Landwirten stehen, aufgefordert, die Ausarbeitung von Rechtsvorschriften zur Lösung der von den Demonstranten aufgeworfenen Probleme zu beschleunigen. Bei der Sitzung am Montag stellten die Minister den Zeitplan für die Genehmigung der jeweiligen Gesetzesvorhaben vor, so dass die ersten Beschlüsse mit den vereinbarten Maßnahmen zur Unterstützung der Landwirte und Spediteure auf den nächsten Sitzungen der Exekutive verabschiedet werden können. Die Finanzaufsichtsbehörde hat angekündigt, dass sie bereits an einer Reihe von Maßnahmen arbeitet, die die MTPL-Sätze senken werden, insbesondere für diejenigen, die keine Unfälle verursachen. Was den Agrarsektor betrifft, so wurde den Landwirten zugesichert, dass sie auch die restlichen 5 % der insgesamt 1,6 Mrd. EUR an Subventionen erhalten werden. Unterdessen gingen die Proteste von Landwirten und Spediteuren am Montag auf mehreren Straßen im ganzen Land weiter.



    Der rumänische Gesundheitsminister, Alexandru Rafila, und die Leitung der Nationalen Krankenkasse haben am Montag an die Hausärzte appelliert, sich an den Verhandlungen zu beteiligen, die für Donnerstag angesetzt sind, um Lösungen zu finden, um eine angemessene Finanzierung zu ermöglichen. Die Hausärzte haben Proteste eingeleitet und haben damit gedroht, ab dem 1. Februar keine kostenlosen Untersuchungen mehr anzubieten, nachdem die CNAS einen Entwurf veröffentlicht hat, der den Punktwert für Untersuchungen reduziert. Diese würde nach Ansicht der Hausärzte ihr Einkommen um 30 – 50 % vermindern. Proteste gibt es auch bei den Gesundheitsdirektionen. Die Beschäftigten fordern ebenfalls höhere Gehälter, nachdem ihre Kollegenbei der CNAS Ende letzten Jahres höhere Gehälter erhalten haben. Unterdessen sammelt der Sanitas-Verband weiterhin Unterschriften, um zu entscheiden, ob er einen Generalstreik starten will. Die Gewerkschafter sagen, dass die Gehälter unattraktiv sind und die Leute sich nicht für ein Auswahlverfahren melden.



    Die Zusammenarbeit aller EU-Mitgliedstaaten ist notwendig, und ich möchte versichern, dass wir für einen Dialog und einen Konsens über die Position der EU, sowohl intern als auch international, in Bezug auf den Umweltschutz und den Klimawandel offen sind . Diese Erklärung gab der rumänische Umweltminister Mircea Fechet am Montag bei Gesprächen am Rande des informellen Umweltrates in Brüssel ab. Ihm zufolge hat Rumänien alle Maßnahmen ergriffen, um eine starke Population großer Raubtiere, einschließlich Bären, zu erhalten. Der Minister hat auch die Unterstützung der EU-Mitgliedstaaten gesucht. Mircea Fechet nimmt am Montag und Dienstag am Informellen Umweltrat in Brüssel teil. Auf der Tagesordnung stehen verschiedene Themen wie Anpassung und Widerstandsfähigkeit, Klimaziele und -politik, ein gerechter Übergang sowie die Kreislaufwirtschaft.



    Der Tag der rumänischen Kultur wird am 15. Januar in Rumänien und der Republik Moldau gefeiert. In diesem Jahr jährt sich die Geburt von Mihai Eminescu (15. Januar 1850 – 15. Juni 1889) zum 174. Das Ereignis wird mit einer Reihe von Ausstellungen, Aufführungen, Theateraufführungen, Führungen und Konzerten gefeiert. Auch die Sender von Radio Rumänien feiern an diesem Tag die Kultur in all ihren Formen. Alle Museen, die vom Kulturministerium verwaltet werden, können heute kostenlos besucht werden. Der Tag der rumänischen Kultur wird auch von den Gemeinschaften der Rumänen im Ausland gefeiert. Das Rumänische Kulturinstitut organisierte eine besondere Veranstaltung in Rom. Im zweiten Jahr in Folge feierten die rumänische und die moldauische Botschaft in Italien gemeinsam den Tag der rumänischen Kultur mit einer Veranstaltung, an der auch Mitglieder der rumänischen und moldauischen Gemeinschaften in Italien teilnahmen.



    Die moldauische Präsidentin Maia Sandu ist die erste Preisträgerin des Timișoara-Preises für europäische Werte. Mit dem Preis werden Persönlichkeiten geehrt, die sich durch die Förderung oder Verteidigung europäischer Werte internationale Anerkennung erworben haben. In ihrer Dankesrede sagte Präsidentin Sandu, sie wolle, dass die Republik Moldau genauso gedeiht und sich entwickelt wie andere europäische Länder. Maia Sandu wurde für ihre Entschlossenheit und ihre klare Vision in ihren Bemühungen um die europäische Integration der Republik Moldau gewählt.



    Die rumänische Handball-Nationalmannschaft der Männer hat am Sonntag in ihrem zweiten Spiel der Gruppe B bei der Europameisterschaft in Deutschland 36:24 gegen Spanien verloren. Am Freitag hatte Rumänien ebenfalls mit 31:24 gegen Österreich verloren. Die dritte Runde ist für morgen angesetzt, wenn Rumänien gegen Kroatien und Spanien gegen Österreich antritt. Spanien gewann die Europameisterschaft 2018 und 2020 und bestreitet 2022 ein weiteres Finale, während Kroatien das Finale 2020 bestritt. Die beiden besten Mannschaften jeder Gruppe ziehen in die Hauptrunde ein.

  • Protestele transportatorilor şi fermierilor

    Protestele transportatorilor şi fermierilor

    De aproape o săptămână, transportatorii și agricultorii din România au ieșit în stradă, nemulțumiți de scumpirea polițelor, creșterea accizei la motorină, precum și de ceea ce numesc ei numeroase probleme de legislație. Protestele au produs perturbări ale traficului în numeroase zone ale ţării. În ultimele zile, multe drumuri au fost blocate sau aglomerate de utilajele protestatarilor. Reprezentanţii transportatorilor au ținut să precizeze că protestul lor este unul spontan şi că nu a fost organizat de nicio confederaţie de specialitate sau de un partid politic.

    La Ministerul de Finanţe, au avut loc discuţii între autorităţi şi reprezentanţii şoferilor şi fermierilor pe tema nemulţumirilor care i-au scos în stradă. Cele două părți nu au ajuns la niciun acord. Ministrul Finanţelor, Marcel Boloş, a afirmat că o parte dintre revendicări ţin de facilităţile fiscale pe care România s-a angajat, prin Planul Naţional de Redresare şi Rezilienţă, să le reglementeze. Revendicările ce ţin de Comisia Europeană trebuie prezentate acesteia, pentru că, altfel, măsurile s-ar întoarce împotriva protestatarilor, a mai spus Marcel Boloș. A avut loc, de asemenea, o întâlnire la sediul Guvernului cu premierul Marcel Ciolacu. În cadrul discuţiilor recente cu prim-ministrul României, a fost analizată o listă cu peste 40 de revendicări şi a fost stabilit un prim calendar de întâlniri punctuale cu reprezentanţii ministerelor şi instituţiilor cu atribuţii în acest sens. Guvernul a precizat că încercă să găsească soluţii concrete la problemele ridicate de protestatari.

    O delegație a celor două categorii profesionale a mers, anterior, și la Ministerul Agriculturii, Ministerul Transporturilor şi Autoritatea de Supraveghere Financiară, pentru a discuta despre solicitările lor, inclusiv tarifele RCA. De fapt, aceasta este cea mai importantă problemă a transportatorilor, faptul că aceste tarife au crescut foarte mult de la 1 ianuarie. Conducerea ASF a anunţat că lucrează la schimbări în legislaţie care să aibă ca rezultat final reducerea preţului, în special pentru cei care nu produc accidente, întreruperea RCA în cazul activităţilor sezoniere şi posibilitatea de plată în rate. La rândul său, ministrul Agriculturii, Florin Barbu, a afirmat în privinţa actelor normative cerute de fermieri că unele sunt, deja, trimise pentru avizare la Consiliul Concurenţei şi că urmează să fie aprobate, în această săptămână, în şedinţa cabinetului. El a mai spus că existăsoluții de finanțate pentru fermieri, că diferite forme de sprijin sunt incluse în buget, iar zootehnia va fi finațată, anul acesta, cu 2% din Produsul Intern Brut al României. Fermierii au primit asigurări că vor primi şi restul de 5% din subvenţiile totale de 1,6 miliarde de euro