Radio România Internațional

Tag: protests

September 23, 2016

SCANDAL— Former Romanian Deputy Prime Minister, Gabriel Oprea, has sent a request to the Senate Speaker, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, on the resumption of voting in Parliament regarding the start of criminal investigation against him, for manslaughter. On Monday, with only 45 “yeas” and 73 “nays”, the Senators voted against the request made by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate regarding the start of criminal investigation against Oprea. New rallies against the vote in the Senate are scheduled this evening in Bucharest and other big cities across the country. On Thursday, thousands of people took to the street, chanting slogans denouncing corruption in Parliament.

VISIT — Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos held talks on Wednesday, the last day of his visit to New York, with representatives of US companies willing to invest in Romania. The PM presented the American investors the measures taken by the government in an effort to assure economic stability and improve the management of state-owned companies, laying emphasis on cutting red tape. The American investors insisted on the need to have a predictable and transparent business environment in Romania. The PM said the American investors showed interest in developing the capital market in Romania and in the portfolio of the Bucharest Stock Exchange. Dacian Ciolos also attended in New York the UN General Assembly session, had a series of bilateral meetings and participated in the summit on refugees and migrants.

MEASELS EPIDEMIC — The vaccination law is going through an endorsement process, says the Health Ministry, which vehemently criticised the campaigns against the vaccination of children. Three infants died of measles, with doctors saying the immunisation might have prevented the outbreak of measles, which affects almost half of the country. Sources with the Health Ministry say hundreds of cases were registered in 23 of Romania’s counties in the first eight months of the year. Family doctors say the poor measles vaccination coverage is caused by the parents’ refusal to vaccinate their children. They say the danger is increased by the fact that infants under one year of age are not normally vaccinated against the virus, which they can easily contract when getting in direct contact with sick children. Doctors have initiated an awareness raising campaign and have launched an appeal to the population, to make it understand that the vaccines included in the national program are intended to eradicate dangerous and potentially deadly diseases.

RadiRo — Six symphony orchestras from Europe and Asia, alongside prominent conductors and soloists are taking part, in Bucharest, in the third edition of the International Radio Orchestras Festival – RadiRo, which runs until October 1. This year, alongside five European Orchestras- the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the National Radio Orchestra, the festival has among its honorary guests an orchestra from Asia, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra of China, which opens the festival today.

TTIP — Government officials from the EU member states are today meeting in Bratislava (Slovakia), for talks on the draft trade agreements with the US and Canada. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the US (TTIP) and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) are facing increasing opposition by some European politicians and protesters. Critics of the agreements say the proposals favour multinational companies, to the detriment of people’s interests and will lead to the dissolution of public services. According to the BBC, France has urged the EU to abandon the TTIP trade deal. The two trade agreements should be approved by all national parliaments of the EU member states.

TENNIS— Romanian tennis player Patricia Tig (WTA No.135) has today qualified for the semi-finals of the Seoul tennis tournament, with 250,000 dollars in prize money up for grabs. Patricia Tig defeated Spanish Sara Sorribes Tormo (WTA No.139) in three sets. Patricia will now face Lara Arruabarrena (WTA No.90). Another Romanian tennis player, Monica Niculescu (WTA No.55) will meet in the quarterfinals Slovakian Jana Cepelova (WTA No.102). In another move, Romania’s Davis Cup team will face the team of Belarus, in the first round of Group 1 Europe/Africa Zone, following Thursday’s draw in London. The match is due between February 3 and 5, 2017, and Romania will be playing away from home. The Romanian and Belarusian team have met only once so far, in 2005, in the first round of the World Group, when Romania defeated Belarus 3-2, on home turf. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

23 September 2016
September 12-17

The French President paid a state visit to Romania

Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, and his French
counterpart, Francois Hollande, agreed in Bucharest that their countries should
boost the strategic partnership and develop cooperation in the fields of
economy, defence, education and research. On this occasion, Klaus Iohannis said
that France is a priority of Romania’s foreign policy. In turn, the French
President said his visit is proof of the privileged economic, cultural and
scientific relations between the two countries. He announced that, from now on,
the Romanian and French defence ministers would have regular meetings, in order
to boost the strategic partnership in the field. The two presidents also
approached such issues as Romania’s Schengen accession and the situation in
neighbouring Ukraine. The common agenda also included a visit to the National Institute of Research and Development in Physics
and Nuclear Engineering, in Magurele, near Bucharest, which hosts the most
powerful laser in the world. The two presidents also attended the opening of
the economic forum French-Romanian Partnerships for the Future. Also,
President Hollande and Romanian technocratic PM, Dacian Ciolos, visited the
Airbus helicopter factory in Ghimbav, central Romania. The latest state visit
by a French President to Bucharest had been paid by Francois Mitterrand, in 1991.

Lower prices for mandatory
liability insurances for car owners

Romanian road carriers have reached an agreement with
the Financial Surveillance Authority (ASF) on the price of mandatory liability
insurance for car owners (RCA). The level of prices, the carriers have
announced, will be three times lower than the current ones. Trade unions in the
field staged big rallies across the country. In another move, the cabinet
adopted an emergency ordinance freezing the prices of mandatory liability car
insurances for car owners set by ASF for six months. Also this week, the Government
adopted Romania’s General Transport Master Plan. The line minister, Sorin Buse, has said the Master Plan provides for building some 6,800 km of
highway and upgrading over 5,000 km of railway, 15 airports and over 30
bridges.

Problems in the budgetary system

The employees of penitentiaries are
preparing for rallies, in protest at not receiving the sums of money that their
colleagues from other institutions in the defence and public order system are
already cashing in. Trade unions claim that, overall, the impact on the state
budget is not significant and that this year’s budget for the penitentiary
system can cover a possible pay-rise. The employees of the system have started
various forms of protest, such as the refusal to work extra hours, which might
block activity in penitentiaries, because of the shortage of staff. The
employees in the healthcare system are also unhappy with the significant wage
gaps in the budget system. They call for the
elimination of inequities from a government ordinance under which only the
salaries of some specific categories of employees have been increased. Trade unions in the healthcare system have
announced they will stage protests next week, to culminate in an all-out
strike, on October 31.

Preparations
for the parliamentary elections

The deadline by which
Romanian citizens living abroad could have enrolled in the Electoral Register,
in order to be allowed to vote in the parliamentary elections scheduled for
December 11, has expired this week. According to the centralised data made
public by the Permanent Electoral Authority, over 10,000 requests have been
validated. Of them 7,200 refer to postal voting and 2,800 to
voting in polling stations. Five days after the closing of electoral
registrations, Romanian citizens who opt for postal voting can check online to
see whether or not they have been registered. Once registered, they will
receive the necessary documents at home, via the Romanian Post, 30 days ahead
of the elections, at the latest. Delivery confirmation is required.

–

A new school year

Over
three million Romanian pupils started a new school year, this week. This year,
too, schools have been faced with problems such as an insufficient
number of teachers or the lack of sanitary and operation permits. The 2016-2017 school year will have 35
weeks, divided into two semesters.

Failures in the Europa League

The two Romanian teams playing in the Europa League
group stage, the defending champion Astra Giurgiu and vice-champion Steaua
Bucharesti, started on the wrong foot. Astra was defeated on home turf, 2-3, by
Austria Vienna, whereas Steaua lost the away match against the Turkish team
Osmanlispor, 0-2. During the current
Europa League football season, Romania has also been represented by
Viitorul Constanta, Pandurii Targu Jiu and
CSMS Iasi, which got eliminated in the qualifiers.

17 September 2016
Hauliers versus Insurers

As a result of the market liberalisation Romania committed itself to as early as 2007, the mandatory liability insurance for car owners grew by as much as 2.5 times compared to the first quarter of 2015. This is about to change, following a massive protest by road hauliers, who have obtained from the Financial Supervisory Authority the promise that the insurance fee will be calculated differently in the future. Thus, the most expensive insurance policy, that for high tonnage trucks, will not exceed the equivalent in lei of some 1,700 euros, down from 4,500 euros at the moment.

After a meeting between hauliers and the Financial Supervisory Authority, it was established that the factors that will be taken into account when calculating reference fees for the mandatory liability insurance will be frequency of claims and average damage, as well as their trends, the charge for administrative costs, a maximum of 25% fee purchase and the charge for the application of the bonus-malus system. Prior to this agreement, truckers staged a large-scale protest in Bucharest and tens of other cities in Romania despite a government emergency ordinance freezing mandatory liability insurance fees for 6 months at a level to be announced by the Financial Supervisory Authority within a month at the most.

The negotiations held with the government had not established, however, the compensation ceiling, and it was uncertainty over this issue that made truckers take to the streets until they reached an agreement with the Financial Supervisory Authority. Working groups will be created to come up with the reference fees, a process that will also involve hauliers’ associations. Once these aspects are established, the agreed fees will only have to be approved by the Competition Council and the Government in order to come into effect.

While an agreement was yet to be reached between hauliers and the Financial Supervisory Authority, president Klaus Iohannis had called on the institutions with responsibilities in the field to resume dialogue with hauliers and insurance companies to resolve the situation and find a long-term solution to the hauliers’ problems.

(Translated by Cristina Mateescu)

16 September 2016
September 16, 2016

EU SUMMIT – European leaders convene in Bratislava today for an informal summit focusing on the future direction of the EU after the results of the UK vote to leave the European bloc. Romania, represented by President Klaus Iohannis, will make a case for consolidating those projects that unite Europe. The Romanian head of state said he would argue for internal and external security, economic growth and job creation as strategic priorities. Bucharest is also in favour of maintaining the single market, the Euro and the Schengen area, and wants enhanced transparency and legitimacy of the EU institutions. Klaus Iohannis added that in the future post-Brexit negotiations, Romania would make no compromises with respect to the freedom of movement and employment and with the rights of the Romanians living in the UK. This is the first EU informal summit in which Britain does not take part.

RRI QUIZ – The winners of the grand prize in RRIs “Holiday in Bistriţa-Năsăud quiz, Liu Fajian and his wife, Huang Lingping, from the city of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, arrived in Bucharest this morning. Over the next few days, the two will visit cultural, historical, religious and entertainment sites in the northern Romanian county of Bistriţa-Năsăud. Thirty-three listeners of the RRI Chinese-language broadcasts have provided correct answers to the quiz questions. We have received a total of 352 correct and complete answers. The two Chinese listeners will be in Romania until September 23.

ANTI-CORRUPTION – Gheorghe Benea, the former manager of the Romanian Lottery, has been taken into custody by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate under charges of bribe taking and aggravated abuse of office. In the same case, the chief of the Procurement Service at that time has also been taken into custody, two other individuals are being investigated under court supervision, while another six are subject to non-custodial investigation procedures. According to prosecutors, in May 2010, the management of the Romanian Lottery awarded a contract for the replacement of the company vehicles, which caused the company to lose over 250,000 euro.

PROTESTS – The representatives of road carriers and of the Romanian Financial Supervision Authority have reached an agreement concerning the reference figures for compulsory motor insurance policy prices. According to the new deal, the highest premium, for heavy duty trucks, will not exceed a rough 1,700 euro, as against nearly 4,500 euro at present. Road carriers gave up protests as a result of this agreement.

CAPITAL OF CULTURE – Timisoara in western Romania has been chosen
as Capital of Culture 2021. The announcement was made on Friday by an
international jury appointed by the EU. The other 3 candidates were
Cluj-Napoca, in the north-west, Baia Mare in the north-west and Bucharest. The
winner will share the title with a city from Greece and one from the EU
candidate countries, Serbia and Montenegro. Since 1985, the EU has designated
one or two cities from accession or pre-accession countries, as European
Capital of Culture. The respective cities are expected to implement, for a one-year
period, an innovating and sustained cultural program able to showcase the
richness, diversity and similarities of the European culture to an
international public. In 2007, the title of European Capital of Culture was
shared by Sibiu, in Romania, and the city of Luxemburg.

RUSSIA SANCTIONS – The EU officially announced a six-month extension of the sanctions against nearly 200 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and entities, accused of threatening the integrity of Ukraine, the French daily Le Figaro reported on its website. The sanctions include asset freezes and EU entry bans for the respective people and companies. The European Union introduced the sanctions in March 2014, after Russias annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea and in the context of the separatist conflict in east Ukraine. Other sanctions include economic measures against the Russian banking, oil and defence industries.

FOOTBALL – Romanias football champions, Astra Giurgiu, lost on Thursday the game against Austria Vienna, 2-3 on home turf. This was Astras first match in the Europa League group stage. In the same group, Viktoria Plzen, from the Czech Republic, drew, 1-all, against Italys AS Rome. The Romanian vice-champions, Steaua Bucharest, were also defeated in their first game in the League group stage, outplayed by the Turkish side Osmanlispor, 0-2, away from home. In Steauas group, Villarreal of Spain beat FC Zurich of Switzerland, 2-1.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

16 September 2016
June 7, 2016

Local elections – The leftist Social Democratic Party won over 37% of the vote for city halls, local and county councils, according to the figures released with 97% of the vote count completed. Next come the National Liberal Party, with over 32%, and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the Peoples Movement Party. Bucharest has for the first time in history a woman as mayor general, the Social-Democratic Senator Gabriela Vranceanu-Firea. The Social Democrats jointly with the National Union for the Progress of Romania also won the 6 Bucharest district mayor seats, and over 41% of the votes for the Bucharest General Council. Second-ranking in the vote for the General Council was the Save Bucharest Union, an NGO recently turned into a party. Nation-wide, the Social Democrats have council majority in 14 out of the 41 counties, and in 11 other counties they will join forces with ALDE to make up the majority. The Liberals claim that in spite of the failure in Bucharest, at national level they had the best score since 1990. The local elections were a major test ahead of the parliamentary election due this autumn.

Presidency – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, currently on the second day of his official visit to Luxembourg, has meetings today with Grand Duke Henri, with PM Xavier Bettel and other senior officials. Yesterday, Klaus Iohannis pleaded for strengthening the bilateral cooperation between Romania and Luxembourg, and mentioned that in 2007 Luxembourg and Sibiu were European capitals of culture, and the long-term effect of that programme for Sibiu, the Presidents home town, is still very visible in areas like economy, infrastructure, tourism and society. The preparations for the NATO Summit due in July in Warsaw, as well as the challenges facing the European Union are also on the agenda of the talks in Luxemburg.

Protests – Several thousand Romanian farmers are today protesting in front of the Parliament Palace over delays in the payment of farming subsidies and the postponement of key laws for the sector. The Romanian producers demand the regulation of taxation, claiming they are subject to abuse from tax authorities. They also want that sales of farming land to foreign citizens be immediately stopped and clear by-laws on important laws such as the ones on foodstuff labelling, hunting and the sale of Romanian products in supermarkets.

Economy – Romania reported the highest economic growth rate of the 28 EU member states in the first quarter of the year, according to an estimate released on Tuesday by the European Statistics Office, Eurostat. Romanias GDP went up 1.6% in Q1 compared to the previous 3 months, whereas the rate across the Union was 0.5%, similar to the one in the previous quarter. The highest growth rates after Romania were reported in Cyprus, Spain, Lithuania, Austria, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Germany.

Migration – The European Commission is launching in Strasbourg today a new action plan on migration, which will focus on a new form of cooperation with the African countries that migrants leave. Under the plan, the EU is to provide African and Middle Eastern countries with 8 billion euro in aid, which might be raised to 60 billion euro through contributions from Member States and the private sector. Another key point of the EC plan is the readmission of economic migrants to their home countries. The migration crisis remains a major issue for a large part of Europe. The Visegrad Group countries (the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary) also approach the issue at the highest level, during a meeting these days in Prague.

Car bomb – Seven policemen and 4 civilians were killed and 36 other wounded today in a car bomb attack downtown Istanbul, the governor of this Turkish city announced. A car bomb targeting a police vehicle went off near the old part of the city, a major attraction for tourists. The attack has not been claimed yet, but authorities suspect Kurdish militants were behind it, the BBC says. Reuters mentions that this year violence has escalated in Turkey, with attacks perpetrated by the Kurdish separatists and the Islamic State group killing hundreds of people.

Police cooperation – 20 Romanian police troops are taking part in a new international mission in France. Until August 26, they will provide support and assistance to the French police in investigating cases that involve Romanian citizens. This is the third mission of this kind for the Romanian police. In France, during the same period, nine gendarmes will help maintain public order for the Romanian supporters attending the European Football Championship held between June 10 and July 10. The tournament starts on Friday in Paris with a match pitting France against Romania. In 2010, the Romanian and French Interior Ministries signed a partnership that allows for the deployment of Romanian officers to French police and gendarme units in order to efficiently fight crime in that country.

Military exercise – Poland is hosting as of today a large scale military exercise, the largest in that country in 25 years. Troops from 19 NATO countries and 4 partner states are taking part, including a unit from Romania. The exercise, dubbed “Anaconda 16, takes place a month ahead of the NATO Summit in Warsaw. The ground training is designed to test NATOs ability to cope with conventional and unconventional threats and to reinforce the position of the Alliances eastern flank. Meanwhile, in Cincu, in central Romania, American, British and Romanian troops take part until June 18 in the multi-national exercise SARMIS-16. The 1,200 servicemen from the Romanian Ground Forces and Romanian Air Forces aircraft will be joined by 150 British and 200 US troops.

7 June 2016
May 30 – June 5

Local elections in Romania

Local elections are held in Romania on Sunday, June 5. More than 250,000 have entered the race for a mayor, local or county councilor seat, and the election will take place in one round alone. A novelty in Sunday’s elections is the digitization of polling stations, in order to prevent voting fraud. There are 18,600 polling stations in the country. The election is hoped to rejuvenate a local administration stained by countless corruption scandals. Last year alone, as many as 14 city mayors, nine county council presidents and a prefect were sent to court.

Romania’s Response to Russian statements

The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis says the recent statements made by Moscow are inaccurate and emphasized that the missile defense system in Deveselu does not target Russia. According to the head of state, such ungrounded threats reconfirm that Romania’s approach, namely strengthening NATO security as a legitimate response to Moscow’s stance in the Black Sea region, is appropriate.

Klaus Iohannis: The recent statements coming from the Russian Federation, concerning the anti-missile platform, are essentially inaccurate, because the system has nothing to do with Russia. These speeches cannot intimidate us. On the contrary, such ungrounded statements reconfirm that our endeavor to strengthen NATO security as a legitimate response to Russia’s stance in the Black Sea region is the right one.

In turn, the Romanian Foreign Ministry expressed its surprise with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning that Romania might find itself in the sights of Russian rockets, because it hosts elements of the American missile defence system. These statements, the Foreign Ministry said, may be read as a threat to regional security.

Protests in Bucharest

Trade unions in education protested in Bucharest the salary system in the Romanian public education sector. The unionists primarily demand that 6% of the GDP be earmarked for education, as stipulated in the Education Law. The decision to resort to street protests followed several failed rounds of salary negotiations with the Government. The Labour Minister Dragos Paslaru said the Government did not have the necessary funds to raise salaries in this sector, and explained that what should be done is to correct the salary calculation method, rather than to increase wages in a populist move. The Government announced that on June 7 an order would be passed, regulating salaries in the state sector. According to the Labor Minister, the order will address the dysfunctions in the system, correcting a number of errors. The emergency order particularly addresses the entry-level teaching staff, administrative staff, kindergarten teachers and assistant professors, who will get 16% to 20% pay rises.

The Labor Minister emphasized that not all salaries in the public education sector can be increased:

Had we given a 3% increase for all categories, we would have seen the university professors’ salaries go up as well, so the wage gap we are talking about would have further widened. Because when you apply a percentage increase to all salaries, from the lowest level to the highest, the gap between them grows even wider.

The planned corrections are estimated to benefit 120,000 of the total 260,000 teaching staff in the system.

New aviation tragedy

Four employees of Romania’s Mobile Emergency, Resuscitation and Extrication Service, SMURD, lost their lives on Thursday, when their helicopter crashed in the neighboring Republic of Moldova. The accident took place in a village near the Romanian – Moldovan border, as the mobile unit was trying to get to a patient. Two Romanian investigation teams joined forces with the experts in Chisinau to establish the causes of the tragedy. Eyewitnesses have reported that the helicopter went down because of the bad weather and low visibility. The Military Prosecution Division in Bucharest also initiated a criminal investigation, suspecting failure to observe work place safety standards. The Republic of Moldova observed a day of national mourning for the four Romanian rescue workers on Friday.

Romania at Euro 2016

The manager of Romania’s national football squad Anghel Iordanescu announced the list of 23 players selected for the European Championship scheduled to take place in France between June 10 and July 10. In the Euro 2016 opening game, Romania is playing the host team, in a group that also includes Switzerland and Albania. Also in sports, the national women’s handball team has secured the tickets for the 2016 European Championship, after defeating Lithuania, 34-24, in Kaunas, in the last but one stage of Preliminary Group 1. The same team will also represent Romania in this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

4 June 2016
April 24, 2016 UPDATE

NATO – The deputy Secretary General of NATO, Alexander Vershbow, will be received on Monday by President Klaus Iohannis, and will also have a meeting with the Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc. According to the Defence Ministry, the NATO official is in Romania between April 24 and 26 to take part in a meeting of of political leaders in the defence ministries of NATO member states. Meanwhile, the US President, Barack Obama, who is to have a meeting on Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will call on Germany to get more involved in the defence of eastern NATO member countries. German governmental sources quoted by Der Spiegel magazine said additional NATO troops might be deployed to Romania, Poland and the Baltic States. An official decision on increasing the NATO military presence in the east is to be made at the Alliance Summit due in Warsaw. The Pentagon has already announced in late March that the US will send more troops to Eastern Europe, Romania included, as of 2017, as part of the measures to guarantee security against the backdrop of Russias recent actions.

LEGISLATION – The Romanian Labour Ministry will initiate on Monday talks with its social partners on a new emergency order aimed at doing away with inequities in public sector salaries. The new legislation is scheduled to be finalised within three weeks. In an interview to Radio Romania, the Finance Minister Anca Dragu said the Government intended to increase the lower salaries in the public administration, because the budget resources were limited. She also explained that according to data available to the Finance Ministry, in the first months of the year revenues to the state budget were higher than estimated.

COLECTIV – The Office of the Prosecutor General has finalised its investigation into the Colectiv nightclub fire which killed 64 people and injured over 150. Several people, including the nightclub owners, will be sent to Court. The three owners are accused, among other things, of manslaughter and breach of relevant safety and security regulations. The tragedy took place last autumn, during a rock concert in which several hundreds of people took part. The fire was caused by fireworks, but overcrowding and the lack of multiple access ways contributed to the increased death toll. The Colectiv fire had a huge impact and was followed by large-scale street protests, further to which PM Victor Ponta resigned.

PALM SUNDAY – Romanian Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrated Palm Sunday, which is a commemoration of Jesus Christs entry in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The previous day, thousands of believers and hundreds of priests took part in processions, in the country and abroad, in a symbolic reconstruction of Christs journey to Jerusalem. Palm Sunday opened the last week of Lent, also known as Passion Week, which commemorates the most dramatic days in the life of Jesus Christ. On Palm Sunday, nearly 1.4 million Romanians named after flower names celebrated their name day.

PROTESTS – Thousands of people took part on Sunday in Chisinau, the capital city of the Rep. of Moldova, in an anti-government protest organised by the Dignity and Truth Platform. The protesters demanded the resignation of the Filip Cabinet and early parliamentary elections, and announced that they resumed around-the-clock protests against the current government. According to them, the Cabinet failed to meet the demands they had made previously, and only goes through the motions of implementing reforms. Several pro-European parties in opposition, including the Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Reformist Party, have joined the protest organised by the Dignity and Truth Platform.

24 April 2016
Social Problems and Union Discontent

Romanian healthcare trade unions picketed a few days ago the Prefect’s offices in several counties as well as the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, to demand that inequities in the public healthcare sector be eradicated and that the system be properly financed. They are dissatisfied with the fact that negotiations on the new salary law have been suspended, and want 6% of the GDP earmarked for public healthcare and new rules for the operation of consulting rooms in schools.

In the north-eastern Romanian city of Iasi, more than 300 employees from public education, healthcare, local administration and tax agencies, protested in front of the Prefects Office. The leader of the Iasi branch of the “Fratia trade union confederation, Ioan Pascal, pointed out that discontent had built up since 2010, when salaries had been cut down by 25%, and that the latest draft law generated significant imbalance in terms of salaries across the public sector.

Iulian Cozianu, head of the “Sanitas Iasi trade union, added that, considering the current price level in Romania, salaries should be raised by at least 25%. Healthcare personnel demand holiday and night-shift bonuses and want the hiring freeze in the sector to end. In turn, the Prefect of Iasi County, Marian Grigoras, said he would forward the unionists lists of demands to the relevant structures in the Government.

Equally disgruntled were scores of miners and energy workers from the Oltenia Energy Complex in south-western Romania, who walked 300 km to Bucharest, in a protest march. Two years ago, massive redundancies were initiated to downsize the companys 15,000-strong workforce, and a further 2,000 people are to be let go this summer. The miners hope to convince the Government that mining in this area is worth carrying on.

The Energy Minister Victor Grigorescu has said the Oltenia complex is not insolvent and the Cabinet will find solutions for the financial recovery of the company. He had talks with the management and employees and agreed on a plan to improve the efficiency of the company, which requires, among other things, a personnel restructuring scheme.

Meanwhile, some hope that the situation of the company might improve through a partnership with a major Chinese corporation. Oltenia officials say that a new thermal power plant could be built in Rovinari, in three years time, in a partnership with the Chinese state-owned company Huadian Engineering. The project requires investments of one billion euros. At present, the Oltenia Energy Complex is one of the corporations that generate huge losses for the state budget, although four years ago it was reporting profits. The unit is able to cover nearly 30% of the electricity demand of the country, but the prices it charges are three times higher than those asked by other suppliers in the market.

(Translated by: Ana Maria Popescu)

21 April 2016
Talks and protests in Chisinau

Sworn in last week in a secretive ceremony, the new Government led by Pavel Filip has already been driven into a corner. Voted by a conjectural and heterogeneous Parliament majority made up of pro-European Liberals, up to former communists turned Democrats, the Cabinet is seen as representative of a deeply corrupt political class.

Thousands of people took to the streets in Chisinau to protest against the Filip Cabinet, whom they accuse of having appropriated 1 billion dollars from the Moldovan banking system last year. Protesters called for the resignation of the governing coalition by Thursday afternoon and want the authorities to hold snap elections as late as April.

They warned that unless the Government meets their demands, they will block off traffic across the country and move to civil unrest actions. At Government level, the series of protests is seen as an irresponsible attempt of disrupting the stability of Moldova, while the protest itself is a mix of apparently contrasting ideologies. Protest ringleaders have either pro-Russian affiliation, supporting the Socialist or the Populist parties, or pro-Western, representing the grassroots citizen’s movement Dignity and Truth, a cartel of NGOs backing Moldova’s European integration. While Socialist leader Igor Dodon and Populist leader Renato Usatii like to make public appearances alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, there are many voices inside Dignity and Truth who support the re-unification of Moldova and Romania.

Western powers believe however that, in the event of early elections, the pro-Russian left will come to power, thus sidetracking Moldova’s European integration efforts. This is the very reason, political pundits argue, why most Western countries chose to express their support for the Filip Cabinet, one with a shady credibility. The Prime Minister has already announced his first visit to Bucharest on Tuesday, when he is due to meet his counterpart Dacian Ciolos.

Talks are expected to focus, among others, on Romania’s loan to Moldova. Last year Romania offered to give a 150-million-euro loan to Moldova offset to balance the budget deficit. Against the growing political instability however Klaus Iohannis put a freeze on the loan, doubtful of the European aspirations of the political class in Moldova. On Sunday, however, Romania’s President remained a trusted partner of Moldova, and that the common history and language contribute to strengthening the identity and solidarity of the two countries. In turn, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said Romania supports Moldova and the civic and European aspirations of its citizens.

25 January 2016
Tension running high in Chisinau

If no Government had been approved in Moldova by January 29, president Nicolae Timofti would have been forced to call early elections, a scenario in all likelihood favouring the pro-Moscow Socialist and Populist left. The very prospect of snap elections determined 57 of the total of 101 MPs to give their vote of confidence for the program and structure of the Filip Cabinet, in what has been described an almost secret Parliament session.

Most of the 57 MPs belong to the Democratic Party, the party of the new Prime Minister, and to the Liberal Party. Adding to them is a group of former communist MPs and Liberal-Democrats, now in opposition. Unhappy with the decision to call off the snap elections, the several-thousand-strong crowd outside Parliament took the building by storm, breaking through police barricades.

13 people were wounded in the ensuing clashes between the furious protesters and the riot police, including eight policemen and, the former interim president of the Republic, Mihai Ghimpu. Analyst Iulian Chifu, head of the Centre for Conflict Prevention and former advisor to president Traian Basescu, told Radio Romania that just as the crowd was mounting its assault on the Parliament building, populist leader Renato Usatyi and Socialist leader Igor Dodon were landing on the airport in Chisinau from their trip to Moscow, where they received proper “instructions”.

At the swearing-in ceremony, president Nicolae Timofti said the people’s support was key to the success of Government policies. Representatives of international bodies in Chisinau have urged the authorities to keep calm and prevent the situation from escalating. In turn, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos underlined the importance of a stable Government in Chisinau, that should carry out the necessary economic and social reforms.

The EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, has encouraged all parties with an interest in the Republic of Moldova to engage in a dialogue so as to decide on the future course of action. According to analyst Iulian Chifu, only a sweeping reform of state institutions would persuade the IMF and neighbouring Romania to continue to give out the loans that Moldova so dearly needs. Unless Moldova embarks on this task, Iulian Chifu argues, Moldova faces financial bankruptcy and eventually, political gridlock.

Tension running high in Chisinau

The political crisis in Chisinau is far from being over, despite the swearing in of a new Cabinet led by Pavel Filip on Wednesday.

If no Government had been approved in Moldova by January 29, president Nicolae Timofti would have been forced to call early elections, a scenario in all likelihood favouring the pro-Moscow Socialist and Populist left. The very prospect of snap elections determined 57 of the total of 101 MPs to give their vote of confidence for the program and structure of the Filip Cabinet, in what has been described an almost secret Parliament session.

Most of the 57 MPs belong to the Democratic Party, the party of the new Prime Minister, and to the Liberal Party. Adding to them is a group of former communist MPs and Liberal-Democrats, now in opposition. Unhappy with the decision to call off the snap elections, the several-thousand-strong crowd outside Parliament took the building by storm, breaking through police barricades.

13 people were wounded in the ensuing clashes between the furious protesters and the riot police, including eight policemen and, the former interim president of the Republic, Mihai Ghimpu. Analyst Iulian Chifu, head of the Centre for Conflict Prevention and former advisor to president Traian Basescu, told Radio Romania that just as the crowd was mounting its assault on the Parliament building, populist leader Renato Usatyi and Socialist leader Igor Dodon were landing on the airport in Chisinau from their trip to Moscow, where they received proper “instructions”.

At the swearing-in ceremony, president Nicolae Timofti said the people’s support was key to the success of Government policies. Representatives of international bodies in Chisinau have urged the authorities to keep calm and prevent the situation from escalating. In turn, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos underlined the importance of a stable Government in Chisinau, that should carry out the necessary economic and social reforms.

The EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, has encouraged all parties with an interest in the Republic of Moldova to engage in a dialogue so as to decide on the future course of action. According to analyst Iulian Chifu, only a sweeping reform of state institutions would persuade the IMF and neighbouring Romania to continue to give out the loans that Moldova so dearly needs. Unless Moldova embarks on this task, Iulian Chifu argues, Moldova faces financial bankruptcy and eventually, political gridlock.

21 January 2016
Details on Bodnariu Case

The case of the Romanian — Norwegian family, settled in Norway, whose five children were taken by the local social services over alleged physical punishments from their parents, continues to generate emotional responses. Concurrently with street protests both in Romania and in the Romanian communities abroad, and with extensive media coverage, the Romanian authorities carry on, within the limits of their powers, to help the family get their children back. Romanian officials are constantly in touch with the Bodnarius, and referred them to two Norwegian lawyers who have dealt with similar cases before.

Meanwhile, the Romanian Ambassador to Oslo, Adrian Davidoiu, had talks at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, where he emphasised that this is a social issue with a very significant media impact and suggested political cooperation in addressing it. Moreover, Ambassador Davidoiu also called for the integration of the children, aged between 3 months and 10 years, in the father’s extended family in Romania, requested permission for the parents to visit their children who are currently in foster care, and asked that the minors should not be separated. Raluca Lunculescu, spokesperson for the Romanian Foreign Ministry, provided further details on the case:

“The Romanian Ambassador requested access for the Romanian consul as an observer in the current stages of the proceedings. In this respect, the Norwegian party stressed that this request should also come from the family. He asked for support to allow the consul to see the children while in care. The Norwegian party answered that this is possible, provided that the best interests of the minors are not affected.”

Although the children in question also have Romanian citizenship, there are legal constraints restricting the involvement of the diplomats in Bucharest in the investigation taking place in Norway. Nonetheless, a delegation of the Romanian Parliament is to travel to Oslo.

On the other hand, in Bucharest, the Embassy of Norway announced having contacted the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Office, in order to provide them with information on the Norwegian Child Welfare Service and the principles that it fosters. This Service, the Embassy explains, works for all children in Norway, regardless of their nationality and residence history, and its main concern is with the best interests of the child. According to data from the Romanian Foreign Ministry, so far 16 children from seven Romanian families have been taken by the Norwegian authorities. In five of the cases the proceedings ended with the repatriation of 8 minors, while 2 children were returned to Romanian citizens residing in Norway.

(Translated by Ana Maria Popescu)

14 January 2016
January 9, 2015 UPDATE

DIPLOMACY – Romanias relationship with Germany is strategic, and the visit made to Berlin on Thursday by the Romanian delegation headed by PM Dacian Cioloş proves the importance and attention that Bucharest pays to this country, said the Foreign Minister Lazăr Comănescu in an interview to Radio Romania News and Current Affairs. The Romanian official added that next week he would once again travel to Berlin, for a bilateral visit. Lazar Comanescu highlighted the importance of Germany as the economic engine of Europe, and as a partner of Romania. According to the Foreign Minister, over 20% of Romanias foreign trade involves Germany. He also explained that more than 20,000 companies running on German capital operate in Romania and have created more than 300,000 jobs here.

PROTESTS – In several cities in Romania, protests took place on Saturday to express support for the Bodnariu family, whose children were taken in November 2015 by child protection authorities in Norway. Solidarity marches were also organised in Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium. On Friday, Romanian and Norwegian officials discussed this topic in Bucharest, and agreed to work together to settle the issue. The Ambassador of Romania to Oslo will have a meeting on January 13 with representatives of Norways Ministry for Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. A parliamentary delegation made up of members of the Committee on Romanian communities abroad will make a visit to Norway between January 18 and 22, to discuss the case. The Norwegian social services took the 5 Bodnariu children from their parents, after the principal of the school attended by the older daughters reported that the children were subjected to physical punishment by their parents.

BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced support, at the end of a political meeting on Saturday, for tougher legislation on deporting asylum seekers who commit crimes and receive sentences in German courts, France Presse reports. The move comes after the attacks on New Years Eve in the city of Cologne, which involved immigrants having applied for asylum in Germany. At present, under German law, asylum seekers can only be sent back if they are sentenced to at least three years in prison, but on condition that their life and health are not threatened in their country of origin. As many as 1.1 million asylum seekers reached Germany in 2015. The attacks on the New Year night sparked outrage in Germany and fuelled criticism against Chancellor Merkels open-door policy towards migrants, AFP also says. Several hundreds of supporters of the far-right Pegida movement Saturday staged a protest against the immigrants in Cologne, concurrently with a left-wing counter-demonstration.

WEATHER – The Romanian Meteorology Agency issued a notice warning of substantial rainfalls in the west, north and centre of the country, valid until Tuesday morning. In the mountains, rains will turn into sleet and snow. In the northern part of the country, rainfalls will amount to 25-30 litres per square metre.

SPORTS – The Romanian player Monica Niculescu Saturday won the first title for Romanian tennis in 2016. Jointly with the American Vania King, she won the doubles final of the tournament in Shenzhen (China), which has 430,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, Niculescu/King won 6-1, 6-4, the match against the Chinese Yi-Fan Xu / Saisai Zheng, seeded no. 1. Monica Niculescu also won the doubles tournament in Shenzhen, in 2014, together with Klara Koukalova (the Czech Republic).

9 January 2016
January 9, 2015 UPDATE

DIPLOMACY – Romanias relationship with Germany is strategic, and the visit made to Berlin on Thursday by the Romanian delegation headed by PM Dacian Cioloş proves the importance and attention that Bucharest pays to this country, said the Foreign Minister Lazăr Comănescu in an interview to Radio Romania News and Current Affairs. The Romanian official added that next week he would once again travel to Berlin, for a bilateral visit. Lazar Comanescu highlighted the importance of Germany as the economic engine of Europe, and as a partner of Romania. According to the Foreign Minister, over 20% of Romanias foreign trade involves Germany. He also explained that more than 20,000 companies running on German capital operate in Romania and have created more than 300,000 jobs here.

PROTESTS – In several cities in Romania, protests took place on Saturday to express support for the Bodnariu family, whose children were taken in November 2015 by child protection authorities in Norway. Solidarity marches were also organised in Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium. On Friday, Romanian and Norwegian officials discussed this topic in Bucharest, and agreed to work together to settle the issue. The Ambassador of Romania to Oslo will have a meeting on January 13 with representatives of Norways Ministry for Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. A parliamentary delegation made up of members of the Committee on Romanian communities abroad will make a visit to Norway between January 18 and 22, to discuss the case. The Norwegian social services took the 5 Bodnariu children from their parents, after the principal of the school attended by the older daughters reported that the children were subjected to physical punishment by their parents.

BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced support, at the end of a political meeting on Saturday, for tougher legislation on deporting asylum seekers who commit crimes and receive sentences in German courts, France Presse reports. The move comes after the attacks on New Years Eve in the city of Cologne, which involved immigrants having applied for asylum in Germany. At present, under German law, asylum seekers can only be sent back if they are sentenced to at least three years in prison, but on condition that their life and health are not threatened in their country of origin. As many as 1.1 million asylum seekers reached Germany in 2015. The attacks on the New Year night sparked outrage in Germany and fuelled criticism against Chancellor Merkels open-door policy towards migrants, AFP also says. Several hundreds of supporters of the far-right Pegida movement Saturday staged a protest against the immigrants in Cologne, concurrently with a left-wing counter-demonstration.

WEATHER – The Romanian Meteorology Agency issued a notice warning of substantial rainfalls in the west, north and centre of the country, valid until Tuesday morning. In the mountains, rains will turn into sleet and snow. In the northern part of the country, rainfalls will amount to 25-30 litres per square metre.

SPORTS – The Romanian player Monica Niculescu Saturday won the first title for Romanian tennis in 2016. Jointly with the American Vania King, she won the doubles final of the tournament in Shenzhen (China), which has 430,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, Niculescu/King won 6-1, 6-4, the match against the Chinese Yi-Fan Xu / Saisai Zheng, seeded no. 1. Monica Niculescu also won the doubles tournament in Shenzhen, in 2014, together with Klara Koukalova (the Czech Republic).

9 January 2016
November 9, 2015

46 people have so far died following the October 30th fire in a Bucharest nightclub, the authorities say. Tens of wounded, of whom many are in a serious condition, are still in care in the Bucharest hospitals. 30 patients have been transferred abroad. In another development, the Romanian government has today approved the financial aid necessary for treating the injured. The interim prime minister, Sorin Campeanu, has announced the Labor Ministry is preparing programs to assist and help the victims of the tragedy integrate.

The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, has today invited the presidents of parliamentary parties for a new round of consultations with a view to designating a candidate for the position of prime minister. A first round of talks was held last week when the political parties failed to assume responsibility for governing the country. For the first time invited at the consultations were the representatives of civil society and of the protesters, who have been protesting in the streets of Bucharest for one week. They call for the eradication of corruption, saying that the new government should be made up of people who do not have legal problems. On Sunday evening President Iohannis went to the University Square to talk with the protesters.

One of the biggest British destroyers, DUNCAN, is in the Romanian port of Constanta until November 11. During this time the Romanian and British marines will exercise the joint operation procedures for the drills to be held in the Romanian territorial waters and in the Black Sea international waters in the coming period. The destroyer is ready to take part in operational missions around the globe. Its propulsion system is able to produce enough energy to fuel an entire small town. The current missions of such ships in the international waters include fighting piracy and drug trafficking as well as providing humanitarian aid to the population affected by natural disasters in various parts of the world.

The President of the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), Nicolae Timofti, continues consultations, on Monday, with parliamentary parties with a view to designating a new candidate for the prime minister position. Last week the Moldovan president held talks with the leaders of the pro-European parties in the former governing alliance including the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party, whom he asked to reach a consensus. The former government led by the Liberal-Democrat Valeriu Strelet was dismissed at the end of last month following a no-confidence motion filed by the socialist and Communist opposition and also voted by the Democratic Party.

The National Bank of Romania revised the inflation rate estimate for 2015 downwards by 0.4%, down to minus 0.7%, while the estimate for 2016 was revised upwards to 1.1%, the increase being of 0.4%. The national bank governor Mugur Isarescu said the drop in the inflation rate was caused by the reduction of the VAT for foodstuffs to 9% this summer. He also warned that the fiscal measures taken generated big fluctuations in terms of inflation rate evolution. So, from a negative estimate this year valid until mid 2016, the inflation rate estimates will go up. The national bank inflation rate target for the next years is 2.5%, plus/minus 1%. In another move Romania’s trade balance deficit increased by more than 1.23 billion euros in the first 9 months of 2015 as compared to the same period of last year.

9 November 2015
Rallies Carry on in Romania

The fatal fire at Colectiv nightclub in downtown Bucharest on October 30 and the public outrage that followed it have caused an earthquake in central and local public administration, but the resignation of PM Victor Ponta did not appease the people, who continue to protest in many Romanian cities.

As he had promised, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis came down on Sunday night in Bucharests University Square, the meeting place of those who want a corruption-free country and politicians who focus on the national interest instead of their own gains. The demands expressed openly for the sixth consecutive night included the replacement of the political elite, early parliamentary elections, the appointment of a technocratic cabinet, or even the resignation of the countrys president.

The presence of Klaus Iohannis in University Square animated the various groups of protesters, who crowded around to talk to the President. Some of them received answers, but most only managed to cry out their disappointment and demands, some of them applauded the President, others booed.

“I want peace and quiet as soon as possible, and I want things to work, as you promised!

“For 26 years a lot of laws were passed in Romania but against Romania and its people. We should cancel all of them and replace them with laws that protect our rights.

“The voices in University Square must be heard, whether they come from the left or the right of the political spectrum. A political solution is needed, and you, as the President, are in a position to make this happen.

After the President left the Square, some protesters gathered in an unplanned debate group:

“Fellows, the greatest evil for the Romanian people is, in my opinion, parliamentary immunity. Moreover, I think a technocratic government for one year would give us a chance to elect good people.

“We must keep in mind that politics works through political parties.

Meanwhile, back to the Presidency headquarters, the head of state posted a message on his Facebook account, stating that what he saw in University Square was a sense of rebellion, but also hope that things can change. The political consultation process initiated by the President last week is yet to generate solutions, as the main parliamentary parties still hesitate to take responsibility for a new government. For the first time in Romania, civil society members were also invited to take part in the talks. Their message was that the current political class has lost its legitimacy and that the new cabinet must be formed of people having no problems with the judiciary.

New talks are scheduled for early this week, in view of solving the political crisis, but the President is also expected to come up with suggestions for a solution.

9 November 2015