Radio România Internațional

Tag: protests

January 31, 2024 UPDATE

PROTESTS In Romania, local administration
staff in rural areas were on a token strike on Wednesday, with demands
primarily related to salaries. According to trade unions, almost 11,000
employees in over 800 town halls in the country signed for the protest. Unionists threaten with an all-out strike
starting on February 5 unless their demands are met. On the other hand, trade
unions in the healthcare sector announced they would carry on protests, as the
government’s current offer to raise salaries by 13.9% this year is not what
they had expected. Solidaritatea Sanitară Union Federation notified the
government of their plans to go on an all-out strike. According to the
federation, under the law the government has 10 days to negotiate with the unions
and avoid a labour dispute.

DEFICIT Romania ended the year 2023 with a
budget deficit of 5.68% of the GDP, as against the 4.4% originally forecast
when the state budget for last year was drawn up. The deficit is however below
the 6.3% estimated by the European Commission in its forecast. According to
data supplied by the Finance Ministry, the difference between revenues and
expenditure was almost EUR 18 bln.

REPORT With 46 points out of 100, Romania
remains one of the EU countries with the poorest results in the implementation
of anti-corruption measures, according to Transparency International’s annual
Corruption Perceptions Index. The organisation’s recommendations for Romania
include updating the legislation in the field of public integrity, improving
organisational and decision-making transparency, standardising and clarifying
administrative procedures.

EU
Romanian President Klaus Iohannisis in Brussels to take part in a
ceremony organised by the European Commission in memory of Jacques Delors (1925
– 2023), a former European Commission president between 1985 and 1995, and to
attend an extraordinary meeting of the European Council on Thursday. The
Council meeting will focus on an agreement on the main elements of the proposed
revision of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. The most important
decisions are the support for Ukraine, including military support under the
European Peace Facility, in keeping with the country’s needs. Klaus Iohannis
will firmly plead for Ukraine to remain a top priority on the EU agenda.

VISIT The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan
Fidan, was on a visit to Bucharest, for a meeting with his Romanian counterpart
Luminiţa Odobescu. The Turkish official also had talks with Prime Minister
Marcel Ciolacu and the Senate Speaker, Nicolae Ciucă. According to the Turkish
media, Hakan Fidan is meeting with his counterparts in Albania, Bulgaria and
Romania ‘to discuss bilateral relations, as well as current regional and global
developments’. Romania and Turkey signed a Strategic Partnership in 2011,
followed by a joint action plan, signed in 2013 by the two countries’ foreign
ministers. (AMP)

31 January 2024
January 29, 2024

PARLIAMENT This week sees the start of this
year’s first parliamentary session in Romania, marked by a special election
context in which Romanian citizens are expected to take part in 4 types of
elections-for the European Parliament, for the national parliament, as well as
presidential and local elections. The Senate’s agenda includes, among others,
emergency orders concerning the farmers and carriers who have been protesting
across the country. The Chamber of Deputies has a number of bills pending
endorsement, including legislation concerning drug trafficking and gambling. This
weekend the justice minister Alina Gorghiu said 3 bills have been submitted to
Parliament, which are aimed at curbing drug trafficking. They concern the
set-up of a national drug trafficking register and of regional rehab centres, while
the so-called 2 Mai Bill eliminates suspended sentences for drug trafficking
and increases penalties to up to 10 years in prison. Other bills pending
approval introduce 10-year driving bans for DUI, and healthcare and
psychological assistance for people found in possession of illegal drugs.

ECONOMY An International
Monetary Fund mission headed by Jan Kees Martijn arrives
in Bucharest today to review the latest economic and financial developments.
This is a regular consultation based on Romania’s relation with the IMF, and it
comes 4 months after the previous visit. The IMF expects a budget deficit of 6%
of GDP and an economic growth rate of 2.3% this year. IMF experts also
recommend a number of additional reforms, and in the previous assessment visit
they mentioned the scrapping of the remaining exemptions, privileges and
loopholes, a more efficient VAT implementation, a reformed property tax system,
and the use of fiscal policies in order to promote efficient energy and the
clean energy transition. Romania has no ongoing agreements with the IMF at
present.

BRANCUSI Some 100 works were included in the largest
exhibition in 50 years in Romania devoted to the sculptor Constantin Brâncuși.
Opened in late September in western Romania as part the Timişoara – European
Capital of Culture, the exhibition came to an end on Sunday night. Sculptures,
photographs, arhive documents and footage were on display in Timişoara’s National
Art Museum. To mark the end of the exhibition, the National Bank of Romania
launched a commemorative silver coin honouring the sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi.

PROTESTS The French farmers’ protests have
reached a new stage today, with major roadways into Paris and other large
cities to be blocked indefinitely as of today. The main trade union in the sector threatened
large-scale operations, including a complete obstruction of food supply flows
to the capital city’s supermarkets, so that the locals may feel the effects of
the protests. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, the plan
includes the use of tractors to shut down motorways and slow down traffic. Similar
steps are also planned for France’s second-largest city, Lyon. Farmers protest the
inadequate payments for their produce, the red tape and the competition coming
from cheap imports. In a move to address the situation, PM Gabriel Attal admitted
that a first set of measures, announced on Friday, was insufficient and
promised new decisions to increase farmer revenues would be made this week.

MIDDLE EAST Iran denies involvement in
Sunday’s drone attack on a US military base in north-eastern Jordan, near the
Syrian and Iraqi borders, in which 3 US troops were killed. The Islamic
resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, and the US president
Joe Biden said these are groups known to be supported by Iran. Biden warned
that the US would respond to the attack. These are the first US troops killed
in the Middle East since the start of the war in Gaza, prompting fears of an
extended conflict in the region. Meanwhile, Paris hosted a meeting of officials
from the US, Egypt, Qatar and Israel, aimed at brokering a new ceasefire in Gaza
and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas. Negotiations will continue this
week. Violence continues in Gaza, and locals say Israeli air raids and shelling
have increased in recent days in the region’s north and centre. According to
the Israeli Army, its troops are involved in heavy fighting in the south, in Khan
Younis, where they have taken out a number of terrorists. The humanitarian
crisis is worsening, and UN calls on nations to resume their donations. (AMP)

29 January 2024
January 26, 2024

Protests – The Romanian government has adopted several measures aimed at solving the problems that have brought farmers and transporters to the streets in recent weeks. Money has been allocated for subsidies for farmers of dairy cows, buffaloes, poultry and pigs, and the subsidy for diesel fuel used in agriculture has also been increased. The money will reach the farmers by the end of June this year. For farmers affected by the drought of 2023, the government adopted an emergency ordinance that allows them to postpone payment of installments to the banks. It was also decided to change the legal framework so that truck drivers will no longer be fined for the expiry of the vignette in the case of long waiting times at customs points, and as regards the healthcare employees, an overall 20% increase in the salaries was agreed in the healthcare field for 2024.

Automobile – The production of vehicles in Romania reported a record increase last year and exceeded by more than 4% the total number of cars in 2019. Adrian Sandu, the general secretary of the Romanian Automobile Manufacturers Association, believes that this increase was possible thanks to the efforts of the two factories, Dacia and Ford, to find solutions to the crisis of electronic components. “Both the Dacia and Ford teams did their best to ensure an optimal supply flow of components, so that, against the background of a consistent demand, we have this increase in production, thus registering in 2023 a new record of production of vehicles in Romania, about 513,000 units”, said Adrian Sandu.

Drugs – The European Union states should focus on the fight against drug trafficking in ports, on an integrated basis at the international level, said the Romanian Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu on Thursday in Brussels. Attending the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, he mentioned that a working group has been organized in Romania that integrates several institutions with attributions in preventing and combating drug trafficking. Cătălin Predoiu showed that, just as drug traffickers work in networks at the international level, the structures to combat this phenomenon must be organized in the same way, and Romania will be in the front line of this fight. At the same time, he welcomed the decision made by the Council last year, to expand the Schengen area with Romania and Bulgaria to include the air and maritime borders.

Flu – 18 people have died of the flu in Romania in the last week, and the total number of deaths caused by flu since the beginning of the cold season is 40. According to the National Public Health Institute, between January 15-21, over 120,000 cases of respiratory viruses and almost 7,000 cases of flu were registered, and hospitals are faced with increasing numbers of patients in the Emergency Outpatient Service Units. The youngest patients are babies only a few days old. Due to a lack of beds, doctors are forced to postpone the hospitalization of some of the patients. A little over 1 million people have been vaccinated against the flu this season, most of whom benefit from the reimbursable drug medicine scheme.

First house – Financiers who did not participate in the previous year can also register for this years edition of the “First House” program in Romania, for which the state will grant a total ceiling of guarantees of one billion lei (approx. 200 million Euros). “First House” 2024, as the program is now called, is granted in lei, for the purchase of a single house, and the maximum value of the loan is 66,500 Euros for houses whose price is a maximum of 70,000 Euros. The requested advance payment is 5%, and 119,000 Euros for homes whose price is a maximum of 140,000 Euros, in this case the requested advance payment being 15%. Since 2009, when this program was launched, over 330,000 Romanians have received loans to buy a home. They were mainly young people between 26 and 35. Most of the financing was requested for apartments with an area between 50 and 100 square meters, at prices between 50,000 and 100,000 Euros. The program directly contributed to the stabilization and maturity of the real estate market and of the mortgage market.

EU – The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, launched a strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in the EU. The initiative does not involve the adoption of decisions, it only focuses on debates about a common vision of the member states regarding agricultural policies. The Group for Strategic Dialogue and for the Future of European Agriculture is a new platform to which all those involved or influenced by agricultural policies in all Member States, all types of farmers, consumers, environmental organizations, scientists or financial institutions have been invited to participate. The discussions take place in the context in which farmers protests are gaining momentum in several European states, such as Romania, Poland, Germany, Spain, Lithuania, the Netherlands and France. The main problems of European farmers are related to the impact of EU environmental policies and the inflow of Ukrainian agricultural products into the EU, which influence farmers productivity and competitiveness.

Ankara — The Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signed, on Thursday, the parliaments ratification of Swedens candidacy for NATO membership. Parliament ratified the document on Tuesday, eliminating a major hurdle in the way of expanding the Western military alliance after a 20-month delay. At this point, Hungary remains the only country that has yet to ratify the Nordic country’s NATO membership. When Sweden and Finland applied for joining NATO in 2022, Turkey surprised some members by saying the two countries were protecting groups that Ankara considers terrorists. It approved Finlands accession in April 2023 but, along with Hungary, left Sweden to wait. Ankara has called on Stockholm to toughen its stance on local members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which the EU and the US consider a terrorist group. In response, Stockholm introduced a new anti-terrorism bill that makes membership to a terrorist organization illegal. Sweden, Finland, Canada and the Netherlands have also taken steps towards relaxing the arms export policies to Turkey. Tayyip Erdogan linked Swedens accession ratification to the USs approval of the sale of F-16 fighter jets to his country. (LS)

26 January 2024
January 21, 2024 UPDATE

Protests – The Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation, made up of several national organizations of Romanian farmers, requested the authorities in Bucharest to take all steps to convince the European forums to support the measures that can protect farmers in the Union from the effects of the sale of cheaper cereals from Ukraine. The Alliance made this move in the context of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting due on Tuesday, to discuss the proposals from five states, including Romania, regarding the regulation of Ukrainian grain trade. The Romanian farmers are asking for the introduction of a European system for monitoring the transport of Ukrainian agricultural products, a system that should guarantee that they reach their destination and do not remain on the route. Also dissatisfied with the drop in grain prices generated by Ukrainian imports, Romanian farmers protested, these past days, throughout the country, temporarily blocking customs offices at the border with Ukraine. Cheaper than those in the EU, Ukrainian cereals do not have to meet European quality standards.

Parliament — The Romanian Senate was convened, on Monday, in an extraordinary session, to adopt the emergency ordinances recently issued by the government in the context of the farmers and transporters protests. There are several laws – one of them refers to the excise duty on diesel fuel, while other modifies regulations in the field of road transport. The government adopted the ordinances on Thursday as an urgent response to the requests of farmers and transporters who have been protesting throughout the country for more than 11 days. The emergency ordinances were proposed after negotiations from the Ministries of Agriculture and Transport. One of them modifies road transport regulations. The new provisions will allow category B license holders to also drive agricultural or forestry tractors with a maximum speed of 40 km/h on public roads. Another amendment eliminates the obligation to carry out the periodic technical inspection of slow vehicles, respectively of those whose maximum designed speed is up to 25 km/h. Regarding the diesel fuel excise duty, the Government decided to postpone until June 1 the application of a European directive by which diesel and kerosene must have the same tax mark. The ordinances were adopted to respond to an emergency situation, during the parliament recess, so, according to the Constitution, the Parliament must be convened to turn them into laws. In this case, the Senate is the first chamber notified.

Weather — The bad weather affected several areas in Romania. In Bucharest, more than 20 cars were damaged by fallen trees as a result of the heavy snowfalls. On some sections of national roads, road traffic was temporarily blocked due to the layer of snow and ice formed on the road. Currently, traffic unfolds in winter conditions, and the Traffic Police called on drivers not to travel if their cars are not equipped with winter tires. Railway traffic was also affected. On some sections of the railway trains are running at low speed. Other trains are delayed due to broken rails due to the low temperatures. Also, the air traffic at Bucharest’s airports takes place in winter conditions. Delays are reported for some flights due to aircraft de-icing actions, which are carried out after the boarding of passengers.

Meeting — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, had a meeting with her Vietnamese counterpart, Bui Thanh Son, in Bucharest on Sunday. He is part of the delegation led by Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh currently on an official visit to Romania. Luminiţa Odobescu and Bui Thanh Son welcomed the state of bilateral relations established 74 years ago and emphasized the need to continue efforts to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Ms. Odobescu reiterated her commitment to identifying opportunities for cooperation in such domains as trade, culture and education, digitalization, cyber security, medicine and pharmacy. The Romanian Foreign Minister has given assurances, at the same time, that Romania will remain a constant supporter of the consolidated cooperation between the EU and Vietnam. On Sunday, the Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh was present at the signing of a memorandum of collaboration between the Romanian Institute for Research and Development in Information Technology and the Institute of Technology and Digital Transformation in Vietnam.

Bratislava – Slovakia rejects Ukraines admission into NATO, the PM Robert Fico said on the public radio. He pointed out that he was going to travel, on Wednesday, to Ukraine, to the border town of Uzhhorod, for discussions with his counterpart, Denîs Şmîhal. “I will tell him that we will block and express our veto for Ukraines accession to NATO because it would be nothing but the basis for a third world war”, said Fico, criticized by his opponents as “pro-Russian”. Slovakia, which has been a NATO member since 2004, has long been one of Ukraines staunchest supporters in its defensive campaign against the Russian invasion launched in February 2022. However, after Prime Minister Ficos left-wing nationalist government took over in October 2023, Slovakia decided to stop supplying Kyiv with weapons, although Bratislava continues to send demining systems and diesel generators in case of Russian attacks on power plants. At the 2023 Vilnius summit, NATO stated that Ukraine would be offered an invitation to join when the conditions allow it.

Sculptor – The sculptor Vlad Ciobanu, one of the most valuable fine artists in Romania, passed away at the age of 75. Since 1990 he had taught at the Bucharest National University of Arts. Throughout his career he received numerous awards, including the Prize of the Union of Fine Artists for Sculpture, in 2005. Vlad Ciobanu was the coordinator and curator of several editions of the International Sculpture Symposium ” Brâncusi Workshops” from Târgu Jiu, southwest Romania , in the period 2005-2021. He wrote numerous articles, papers and essays about the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. He had numerous solo or group exhibitions in the country and abroad, in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, France. Important monuments signed by Vlad Ciobanu can be found, among others, in Alexandria (south) – “Unknown Hero”, Alba Iulia (centre) – “King Ferdinand”, Onești (east) – “Dimitrie Cantemir”. The Artoteca Gallery, in Bucharest, hosted the last solo exhibition by Vlad Ciobanu called “Pilgrim” between December 4, 2023 and January 8, 2024. At the end of the exhibition, Maestro Vlad Ciobanu gave an interview, possibly his last interview, for our radio station, which you can listen to in one of the future editions of World of Culture.

Handball – CSM Bucharest defeated, at home, the Swedish team IK Savehof, 35-26, on Sunday evening, in a match from Group A of the Women’s Handball Champions League. After a more difficult start, the Romanians took control and dominated the match until the end. CSM Bucharest will play their next match on February 3, away from home, against Gyori Audi ETO KC (Hungary). Also on Sunday, the handballers from CS Rapid Bucharest were dramatically defeated, in an away match, by the Danish team Ikast Handbold, 30-29, in Group B of the Champions League. It was the second consecutive away match that Rapid lost by one goal difference. The Rapid players will play the next match at home, on February 4, against the vice-champion FTC-Rail Cargo Hungary. (LS)

21 January 2024
January 21, 2024

Protest — A protest by Romanian transporters and farmers was approved by the general mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, for three days, starting on Sunday, in the center of Bucharest. In this action, the local administration admitted the participation of no more than 5 thousand people, 100 tractors and 100 truck heads. The Bucharest Prefect, Rareş Hopincă, announced that, until Saturday, when the organizers had the obligation to notify the state institutions regarding the participating vehicles, the presence of only one vehicle had been communicated, but the Gendarmerie can extend this deadline. According to Radio Romania’s correspondents, on Saturday, a new protest took place in Sibiu (center), and dozens of tractors and trucks crossed the main roads of the city. A similar action took place on the southern belt of Craiova (south-west), and on the Jiului Gorge (south-west) tens of vehicles hampered road traffic, driving at low speed. Previously, the protesters also temporarily blocked Siret and Halmeu towns on the border with Ukraine, also dissatisfied with the drop in cereal prices generated by imports from the neighboring country. The European Commission is working on measures to solve to the problems caused by the export of cheap Ukrainian grains to the states bordering Ukraine – Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The representatives of the EC confirmed that they received a letter from the five countries, one of the requests being aimed at the introduction of import taxes for Ukrainian grains. These are cheaper and do not have to meet the same quality standards as those produced in the EU.

Parliament — The Romanian Senate was convened, on Monday, in an extraordinary session, to adopt the emergency ordinances recently issued by the government in the context of the farmers and transporters protests. There are several laws – one of them refers to the excise duty on diesel fuel, while other modifies regulations in the field of road transport. The government adopted the ordinances on Thursday as an urgent response to the requests of farmers and transporters who have been protesting throughout the country for more than 11 days. The emergency ordinances were proposed after negotiations from the Ministries of Agriculture and Transport. One of them modifies road transport regulations. The new provisions will allow category B license holders to also drive agricultural or forestry tractors with a maximum speed of 40 km/h on public roads. Another amendment eliminates the obligation to carry out the periodic technical inspection of slow vehicles, respectively of those whose maximum designed speed is up to 25 km/h. Regarding the diesel fuel excise duty, the Government decided to postpone until June 1 the application of a European directive by which diesel and kerosene must have the same tax mark. The ordinances were adopted to respond to an emergency situation, but during the parliament recess, so, according to the Constitution, the Parliament must be convened to turn them into laws. In this case, the Senate is the first chamber notified.

Weather — The bad weather affected several areas in Romania. In Bucharest, more than 20 cars were damaged by fallen trees as a result of the heavy snowfalls. On some sections of national roads, road traffic was temporarily blocked due to the layer of snow and ice formed on the road. Currently, traffic unfolds in winter conditions, and the Traffic Police called on drivers not to travel if their cars are not equipped with winter tires. Railway traffic was also affected. On some sections of the railway trains are running at low speed. Other trains are delayed due to broken rails due to the low temperatures. Also, the air traffic at Bucharest’s airports takes place in winter conditions. Delays are reported for some flights due to aircraft de-icing actions, which are carried out after the boarding of passengers.

Heavy snows — At least 50 people have died this week due to severe winter weather affecting the United States, the authorities have announced. Freezing, snow and ice made roads extremely dangerous, disrupted air travel, closed schools and left thousands of homes without electric power. More than 1,100 US flights were canceled and another 8,000 were delayed because of the weather, while the cold persisted in some regions, such as the center of the country. The wave of cold and heavy snow falls also hit Europe. In the west and north, hundreds of flights have been canceled in recent days. Most were at the Frankfurt airport. In Sweden, the snowstorm brought chaos to the roads and school buses, buses and commuter trains stopped running. Low temperatures and snow were also recorded in Great Britain, Scotland and France.

Sculptor – The sculptor Vlad Ciobanu, one of the most valuable fine artists in Romania, passed away at the age of 75. Since 1990 he had taught at the Bucharest National University of Arts. Throughout his career he received numerous awards, including the Prize of the Union of Fine Artists for Sculpture, in 2005. Vlad Ciobanu was the coordinator and curator of several editions of the International Sculpture Symposium ” Brâncusi Workshops” from Târgu Jiu, southwest Romania , in the period 2005-2021. He wrote numerous articles, papers and essays about the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. He had numerous solo or group exhibitions in the country and abroad, in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, France. Important monuments signed by Vlad Ciobanu can be found, among others, in Alexandria (south) – “Unknown Hero”, Alba Iulia (centre) – “King Ferdinand”, Onești (east) – “Dimitrie Cantemir”. The Artoteca Gallery, in Bucharest, hosted the last solo exhibition by Vlad Ciobanu called “Pilgrim” between December 4, 2023 and January 8, 2024. At the end of the exhibition, Maestro Vlad Ciobanu gave an interview, possibly his last interview, for our radio station, which you can listen to in one of the future editions of World of Culture. (LS)

21 January 2024
January 19, 2024

MINISTER Romanias Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu has again firmly condemned Russias aggression war and has reiterated Romanias unflinching support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the neighboring Ukraine. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Romanian official has underlined the risks of the Russian attacks against the Ukrainian civilians and major infrastructure pose to the regional security.

MEASURES The Romanian executive on Thursday approved the first measures requested by transporters and farmers who have been protesting in Romania for several days now. Its clear that all protests are justified and these decisions confirm the fact that many of these claims are absolutely legitimate – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has said. In spite of the measures endorsed by the Executive, protests are still going on around the country. The Bucharest city hall has authorised for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday a protest expected to bring together 5 thousand people, 200 tractors and tractor heads. Family physicians and the personnel of the outpatient care units are also protesting the fund cuts for a series of medical services.

TRIAL The Pfizer company has sued Romania in Brussels to force its government to pay for the anti-Covid vaccine doses they contracted during the pandemic. According to the countrys health minister, Alexandru Rafila, Romania has negotiated for 28 million doses in a contract of roughly 550 million Euros. However, Romania failed to place the order and implicitly to get the contracted doses. The minister explains that against the background of a diminished interest for vaccination, Romania lacked the facilities to stockpile and destroy such a large quantity of vaccine. The Romanian official said he expected Pfizers legal action as that was also the case with other two states, Hungary and Poland. Late last year, the Romanian Anti-Corruption Directorate launched a criminal investigation against the former Prime Minister, Florin Citu, former health ministers Vlad Voiculescu and Ioana Mihaila as well as the former state secretary with the Health Ministry, Andrei Baciu. The have been accused of abuse of office for having contracted much larger quantities of vaccine than needed. Prosecutors have estimated a budget prejudice of over one billion Euros in this case.

WEATHER The weather is getting colder in the countrys northern regions, but highs are still above the usual figures for this period of the year mainly in the south and south-east. The sky is overcast and showers have been reported in some isolated regions. Mixed precipitations are also expected in the west, center, north and north-east, while snowfalls have been reported in the mountains. The wind is blowing at speeds of 45-50 km/h and is expected to reach 70 km/h in the mountains creating blizzards. The highs of the day are ranging between 2 and 14 degrees Celsius with a noon reading in Bucharest of 9 degrees.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Victor Cornea has obtained his first win in a grand slam tournament today in Melbourne. He together with Indian Nsriram Balaji secured a two-set win 6-3, 6-4 against Matteo Arnaldi and Andrea Pellegrino of Italy in the first round of the mens doubles in Australian Open. The two will next take on Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia. Australian Open has been Corneas third grand slam tournament after Rolland Garros and US Open

(bill)

19 January 2024
January 18, 2024 UPDATE

LAWS The government
in Bucharest on Thursday endorsed a series of bills to implement the solutions
agreed upon after the talks it had with transporters and farmers following the
latter’s protests of late. Among them there are amendments to the ways of
weighing products at the border checkpoints. Aspects regarding the periodical
technical checking of the vehicles registered in Romania and the professional
certification of the specialized personnel in the field of road transportation
have also been clarified. Under the new amendments, the prices of the mandatory
insurance for trucks will go down. In another development, the government is
granting a direct support of 100 Euros per hectare to the producers of
vegetables in order to offset the losses they incurred due to the war in
Ukraine. Farmers and transporters of Romania carried on their protests on
Thursday for the ninth day in a row. They took to the streets of Afumati, a
commune close to Bucharest, and to the checkpoints at the border with Ukraine. Also
on Thursday, the mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, announced the local
authorities approved a fresh protest on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in
Bucharest. Five thousand people, 100 tractors and 100 tractor heads are to
participate in the aforementioned protest. Another professional category who is protesting against the
government’s austerity measures these days is the family physicians and the
medical personnel in the outpatient care units.

RATE According
to data released by the EU statistical office, EUROSTAT, Romania was among the
EU countries with the highest inflation rate, in December last year. The average
inflation rate at EU level stood at 3.4 % in December higher than a month
before, when it reached 3.1%. The EU members with the highest inflation rates
were the Czech Republic with 7.6%, Romania with 7% and Slovakia with 6.6%. The
lowest inflation rates were reported in Denmark, 0.4%, Italy and Belgium, each
with 0.5%. As compared to November 2023, the annual inflation rate went down in
15 member states, was stable in Spain and rose in 11 countries.

DEFICIT Romania’s
budget deficit this year will be around 5% of the GDP, Finance Minister Marcel
Bolos has announced. He said that Romania is among the countries with significant
deficits, and that ten countries, including Poland and France will enter the excessive
deficit procedure. According to Bolos, the government in Bucharest has to carry
on its fiscal-budgetary measures, projects related to digitization, or aimed at
implementing an improved collection of taxes and fighting tax evasion.

EU The
European Commission has announced it kicked off a detailed research into the
legislation of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the first step in the process
of the two countries’ EU accession. The Commission is concurrently assessing
the way in which, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova have already applied what
the EU has requested as a preliminary condition. The Community Executive is
working on a draft of the negotiation framework with the two states, a document
to be submitted to the Council for approval, which will also mark the formal
opening of the accession negotiations. The decision to launch this process was made
by the European Council in December 2023.

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18 January 2024
January 17, 2024 UPDATE

PROTESTS Family
doctors in many cities in Romania Wednesday protested against the amounts
proposed by the authorities for the reimbursement of services. They say that
the cuts in the budgets of family medicine practices will have negative
effects, both for patients, and for the healthcare system as a whole. A bill
posted for public review on the website of the National Health Insurance
Agency, provides, among other things, that the funding granted to family
doctors will be over 30% smaller in 2024, and the bonuses granted to practices
in rural areas will be discarded. Meanwhile, the Sanitas trade union demands a
20% raise of all salaries in public healthcare and the scrapping of all salary inconsistencies
between various categories in the healthcare sector. On Thursday union leaders
are to present their requests to the Finance Ministry, and threaten to go on strike
unless their demands are met. The staff of some of the 9 government agencies
for small and medium-sized enterprises in the country also went on a
spontaneous 2-hour strike, demanding pay raises up to the average salary in the
Economy Ministry. The protests of farmers and transporters also continue across
the country, although employers in the field claim that they reached an
agreement with minister Sorin Grindeanu and a protocol with clear deadlines was
signed, benefiting passenger and freight carriers. The agriculture minister
Florin Barbu has also held talks with trade associations, and says that at this
moment all claims presented by farmers are solved.

PRICES On
Wednesday the Romanian agriculture minister Florin Barbu had a meeting with
retailer representatives, with the talks mainly focusing on extending the
cap on the basic food markup for another three months. Major retail chains
suggested a mechanism targeting specific products for which significant price
variations are still reported, instead of extending the overall markup cap.
Minister Florin Barbu said the topic will also be discussed with PM Marcel
Ciolacu, as retailers had requested. An emergency order introducing a temporary
measure to curb 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.

AUTOMOTIVE Over the past 12 years Romania has
doubled the number of cars and lorries, to become the EU member country with
the highest increase of the vehicle per capita ratio, according to a report
made public by the EU statistics office, Eurostat. Romania is still among the
countries with the smallest number of automobiles per capita in the EU. The
highest ratio is reported by Italy (684 cars per capita), followed by Luxembourg,
Finland and Cyprus, with Latvia, Romania and Hungary at the opposite pole (417 cars
per capita in Romania).

JUDICIARY People
who leave the country in order to avoid criminal prosecution, trial or
execution of punishment may have to pay the expenses incurred by the State for their
repatriation. The minister of justice, Alina Gorghiu, has announced that a
draft law in this respect has been posted on the website of the ministry for
public review. She says repatriating a fugitive criminal can cost the state up
to EUR 25,000. Last year alone, Romania spent around EUR 2 mln of taxpayer
money for the repatriation of some 600 fugitives.

SCHENGEN The Schengen
accession of Romania and Bulgaria, although partial, is a good sign, said the
Belgian PM, Alexander De Croo, whose country has taken 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 lift controls at air and maritime borders with EU
member states.

CITIZENSHIP The
number of applications for Moldovan citizenship has increased significantly as
of late, which is why Chisinau is asking for the review period to be extended
to up to 6 months. 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 the analyst Anatol Ţaranu, a former ambassador of the
Republic of Moldova to the Russian Federation, quoted by Radio Chisinau.
According to experts, Russia could begin a full mobilisation after the
presidential elections due in March 2024. Kyiv claims that Moscow loses about
1,000 soldiers every day on the front in invaded Ukraine. (AMP)

17 January 2024
January 16, 2024 UPDATE

Protests – Further talks took place on Tuesday afternoon at the headquarters of the Romanian Transport Ministry, attended by the representatives of the main professional associations, but not of those who are protesting across the country. Employers say that they reached a consensus with minister Sorin Grindeanu and a protocol with very clear deadlines was signed, which benefits the transport of people and goods, even for those who are protesting. The president of the COTAR confederation, Vasile Ştefănescu, says that immediate measures have been established to streamline traffic in customs points, and in relation to the legislative changes that he considers necessary, including the elimination of unfair competition and unauthorized activities, the setting-up of working groups has been agreed. Discussions were also held with the professional associations at the Agriculture Ministry. The authorities promised a constant dialogue with the farmers representatives and to make decisions following consultations within working groups. Minister Florin Barbu says that at this moment the claims presented by farmers have all been solved.

Schengen – Romania and Bulgaria have made considerable efforts to meet the criteria for Schengen accession – says the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. He is convinced that the partial accession of the two countries with maritime and air borders, as of March 1, is a first step and a good sign. De Croo made the statements in Strasbourg, where he went on Tuesday to present his countrys priorities to the members of the European Parliament. 2024 will be a crucial year, because much is at stake for Europe; the stake is very high for the West, it will be a year in which our democracies and freedoms will be put to the test – says the Belgian Prime Minister, referring to the elections for the European Parliament, as well as the presidential election in the US.

Videoconference – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, had a video conference call with his counterpart from neighboring Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, on Tuesday. According to a Romanian Foreign Ministry communiqué, the two ministers discussed the evolution of the Russian Federations war of aggression against Ukraine, almost two years after the start of the conflict. “I told Minister Umerov that Romania condemns in the harshest terms the Russian aggression, the attacks on the Ukrainian population and civil infrastructure, actions that have intensified in recent weeks, and I assured him that Romania continues to support Ukraine, alongside allies and partners” said the defense minister Tîlvăr. The two officials also discussed concrete measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, with emphasis on the importance of training Romanian and Ukrainian pilots at the European F-16 Training Center in Romania.

Polo – Romanias mens polo team finished 8th in the European Championship in Croatia, after being defeated by Serbia 18-7 in the last match on Tuesday. Romania had won all matches in Group D, 12-8 against the Netherlands, 13-5 against Slovenia and 8-7 against Slovakia, and in the play-off it defeated Georgia 18-11. In the round of 16, the Romanians were outclassed by Spain 7-24, and in the first match for the 5th to 8th places they lost to Montenegro 11-18. At the last edition of the championship final, from 2022, Romania ranked 10th. The best European ranking was 4th place, in 1993 and 2006. Next the Romanian national team will participate in the World Championship in Doha, in Qatar, where it will play in group D, against Hungary (on February 5), Kazakhstan (on February 7) and Italy (on February 9).

Gaza – Israeli army tanks have returned to the north of the Gaza Strip, from where they left last week – residents of the area told international media on Tuesday. Violent explosions were reported there, after two weeks of relative calm. At the time, Israel had announced the withdrawal of its forces from the north as part of a transition to smaller, targeted operations against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The army claims that, overnight, it killed dozens of Hamas fighters in the clashes in Beit Lahiya, also in the north of Gaza Strip. The health authorities in Gaza say, in turn, that in the last 24 hours, Israeli bombings have killed 158 people in the enclave, raising the death toll of the war to 24,285 people. (LS)

16 January 2024
January 15, 2024 UPDATE

Protests — Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu asked the heads of the ministries in direct dialogue these days with transporters and farmers to speed up the drafting of laws that would solve the problems reported by the protesters. At Mondays meeting, the ministers presented the timetable for the approval of the respective draft laws, so that the first decisions with agreed measures in support of farmers and transporters should be adopted at the following government meetings. The Financial Supervisory Authority has announced that it is already working on a set of measures that will reduce Liability Car Insurance rates, especially for those who do not cause accidents. As far as the agricultural field is concerned, the Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, and the representatives of the agricultural associations agreed during Mondays negotiations to several requests from the farmers. Among them are the emergency granting of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture – APIA payments, the compensation of losses suffered by Romanian farmers who were affected by imports from Ukraine and the updating of the value of state aid regarding the reimbursement of the excise duty on diesel fuel purchased and used in agriculture. Meanwhile, the protests of farmers and transporters continued, on Monday, on several roads in the country.

Healthcare – The Romanian Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, and the management of the National Health Insurance House called on family doctors on Monday to participate in good faith in the negotiations scheduled for Thursday in order to find solutions that should allow the proper financing of the field. Family doctors started protests and threatened to stop providing free consultations from February 1, after the National Health Insurance House published a project to reduce the value of the consultations point. This would mean, according to family doctors, the reduction of their income by 30% up to 50%. There are also protests at the public health departments. The employees are also demanding an increase in income, after their colleagues from the National Health Insurance House obtained increased salaries at the end of last year. Meanwhile, the Sanitas Federation continues to collect signatures to decide whether to launch an all out strike. Unionists say that the recent unlocking of vacancy-filling contests for doctors and nurses does not solve the problems in the system, because the salaries are not attractive and people will not participate in the contests.

Environment – “The cooperation of all EU member states is necessary and I would like to assure you that we are open to dialogue and establishing, by consensus, the EUs position, both internally and internationally, from the point of view of environmental protection and climate change”. The declaration was made, on Monday, by the Romanian Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, during the discussions held on the sidelines of the Informal Meeting of Environment Ministers in Brussels. According to him, Romania took all measures to maintain a vigorous population of large carnivores, including bears, and at the same time tried to obtain the support of the EU member states. Mircea Fechet participates, on Monday and Tuesday, in the Informal Meeting of Environment Ministers in Brussels. The event has several topics on the agenda such as adaptation and resilience, ambition and climate policy, a just transition and the circular economy.

Culture Day – The Romanian Academy and the Science Academy of the Republic of Moldova had, on Monday morning, a joint festive session organized in a hybrid system on the occasion of the anniversary of the National Culture Day. From Chişinău, the president of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Ion Tighineanu, spoke about the importance of this holiday in promoting national identity, as well as about the numerous joint actions of the two academies. He said that the representatives of the Romanian ethnic space have every chance to impose themselves through culture and centuries-old traditions, by highlighting the truth about the common identity and history, by further cultivating the Romanian language, which the poet Mihai Eminescu said is “our master”. January 15, which marks the National Culture Day, is also the date of birth of the great poet of Romanians, Mihai Eminescu, and this year we mark 174 years since his birth. The celebration is marked by a series of exhibitions, theater performances, guided tours or concerts, both in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as abroad, where there are important communities of Romanians.

Statistics – Although they are not among the Europeans with the highest incomes, Romanians are on the second place in the European Union in terms of the degree of satisfaction with their life, shows the conclusion of the latest Eurostat report. Statistics are influenced by age, family or financial situation, diversity of lived experiences, priorities or various individual values. According to the European barometer, the average level of satisfaction at the community level is 7.1 points. Austrians are the most satisfied EU citizens, with 7.9 points, followed by Romanians, Finns and Poles, all with an index of 7.7 points. At the opposite pole are the Bulgarians, with 5.6 points. (LS)

15 January 2024
January 15, 2024

PROTESTS – Romania’s Prime
Minister Marcel Ciolacu has called a meeting today with representatives of
transporters and farmers and the relevant ministries. Last week’s talks focused
on identifying solutions to the demands voiced by protesters, the most
important of which is the price of civil liability insurances for car owners.
The Financial Surveillance Authority (CNAS) is working on a set of measures to
lower these prices, particularly for those people that don’t cause road traffic
accidents. In turn, farmers received assurances they will receive the remaining
5% of the total of 1.6 bln EUR awarded in subsidies. Employees of the public
health agencies also staged protests, calling for higher salaries, after the National
Health Insurance Authority negotiated a salary increase for its workers last
year. Meanwhile, the Sanitas Federation is expected to decide the organization
of an all-out strike. Trade unions say the government’s recent decision to lift
the hiring freeze in the health sector does not solve the problems in the
system, where salaries are low and prevent people from applying for jobs. In
its latest session, the government green-lit the organization of
vacancy-filling contests for approximately 7,600 jobs in an attempt to solve
the swiftly deepening crisis in the medical system, which faces severe
personnel shortages. Family physicians have in turn threatened to close their
practices if the National Health Insurance Authority slashes subsidies for
patients, a measure they say could lower their revenues by as much as 50%
starting February. We recall last week CNAS submitted a project to slash
subsidies awarded to patients on their lists, as well as consultations provided
by family physicians.

ENVIRONMENT – Environment
Minister Mircea Fechet is as of today attending the two-day informal meeting of
EU Environment Ministers in Brussels. The agenda focuses on adaptation and
resilience, climate ambition and policy, circular economy and just transition.
As regards adaptation and resilience, Member States will discuss how to
increase societal and economic resilience in the face of climate change and
will identify areas in which further action can be taken in the years to come
in order to boost the preparedness of the EU. According to the European
Council, the transition towards a climate-neutral economy and a society that
lives within the limits of the planet will require a whole-of-society approach.
With respect to just transition, in continuing the work initiated under the
Spanish presidency, the Belgian presidency now intends to ensure that the
challenges of a just transition remain high on the political agenda. And
finally, referring to circular economy, the EU Green Deal has set an ambitious
strategic objective to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, by
means of a more resource-efficient, resilient and competitive economy.

CULTURE DAY – Romanian Culture
Day is celebrated on January 15 in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, this
year marking 174 years since the birth of Mihai Eminescu (15 January 1850 – 15
June 1889). The event is celebrated through a series of exhibitions,
performances, theatre shows, guided tours and concerts. Radio Romania stations
also celebrate culture in all its forms on this day. All museums administered
by the Ministry of Culture can be visited for free today. Romanian Culture Day
is also celebrated by communities of Romanians abroad. The Romanian Cultural
Institute organized a special event in Rome. For the second consecutive year,
the Romanian and Moldovan embassies in Italy jointly celebrated Romanian
Culture Day in an event also attended by members of Romanian and Moldovan
communities in Italy.

MAIA SANDU – Moldova’s
president Maia Sandu is the first person to receive the Timișoara Award for European Values. The Award celebrates personalities who
gained international recognition for promoting or defending European values. In
her acceptance speech, president Sandu said she wants Moldova to prosper and
develop the same as other European countries. Maia Sandu was elected for her
determination and clarity of vision in her efforts to further the European
integration of the Republic of Moldova.

HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball
team on Sunday lost 36-24 to Spain in its second Group B fixture at the
European Championship in Germany. On Friday, Romania had also lost to Austria,
31-24. The third round is scheduled for tomorrow, when Romania will play
Croatia whereas Spain will take on Austria. Spain won the championship in 2018
and 2020 and played another final in 2022, whereas Croatia played the 2020
final. The top two teams in each group will advance to the main group phase. (VP)

15 January 2024
Transporters and farmers take to the street

For almost a
week, Romanian transporters and farmers have been staging protests,
unhappy with the higher cost of insurance policies, an increase in
the excise duty on fuel and what they call many legislative problems.
Their protests disrupted traffic in many parts of the country. In
recent days, many roads were blocked or crowded by protesters’
machinery. The transporters’ representatives said their protest was
spontaneous and was not organised by any trade union confederation or
political party.

Talks were held at the finance ministry between the
authorities and the representatives of transporters and farmers, but
no agreement was reached. Finance minister Marcel
Boloş said some of the demands have to do with the tax facilities
Romania pledged to undertake under its National Recovery and
Resilience Plan. He said the demands that have to do with the
European Commission must be presented to the Commission because
otherwise the measures would turn against the protesters, the
minister also said. Protesters also met prime minister Marcel Ciolacu
at the government headquarters, presenting him with a list of over 40
demands and a timetable for talks was established with the
representatives of ministries and relevant institutions. The
government said it was trying to find concrete solutions to the
problems raised by protesters.

A delegation from transporters and
farmers previously went to the agriculture ministry, the transport
ministry and the Authority for Financial Supervision to discuss their
demands, including the cost of insurance policies. This
is in fact the transporters’ biggest problem, as insurance fees
went up significantly from 1st
January. The management of the Authority
for Financial Supervision said
it was working on legislative changes that would lead to a reduction
in fees, especially for drivers
who don’t cause accidents, the suspension of the payment of the
insurance policy in the case of seasonal activities and the
possibility of phased-out payment.

Agriculture minister Florin Barbu
said, referring to the regulations requested by farmers, that some
have already been sent to approval by the Competition Council and are
about to be approved this week by the government. He added that
financing solutions for farmers are available and that various forms
of support are included in the budget, with the animal breeding
sector to receive funding worth 2% of GDP this year. Farmers were given assurances that they would receive the remaining 5% of total
subsidies worth 1.6 billion euros. (CM)

15 January 2024
November 16, 2023 UPDATE

Protests – Around 2,000 people gathered Thursday morning in front of the governments headquarters in Bucharest, in a national protest against the public pension system and the recent law on tax-related measures. The rally organized by the Meridian National Trade Union Confederation, brought together representatives of various public sector domains, from local police to civil servants and forestry and agriculture workers around the country. The main source of discontent is the bill on public pensions, passed by the Cabinet on November 9, which according to trade unionists abrogates some retirement rights currently enjoyed by several personnel categories. On Wednesday employees of Romanian public pension houses, healthcare and employment agencies temporarily suspended work and took to the streets. Healthcare ministry staff and pharmacists are also disgruntled and demand solutions from the government.

Visit – President Klaus Iohannis, who is on a state visit to Kenya, presented, on Thursday, Romanias donation to Uthiru Girls High School in Kangemi, underlining that the country will continue projects dedicated to education. “We will continue to focus on the implementation of projects in the field, for inclusive, quality education,” Klaus Iohannis wrote on a social network. On Wednesday, in Kenya, Klaus Iohannis met with the president of this country, William Ruto. On this occasion, four memorandums of understanding were signed in the fields of environmental protection and climate change, scientific cooperation, food safety and diplomatic training. The African tour of the president will continue on Friday in Tanzania, where he will have a meeting with his counterpart, Samia Suluhu Hassan. He will then travel to Cape Verde and Senegal, and according to the Romanian presidency, it is the first political-diplomatic approach at this level in the last 30 years, which aims at relaunching Romanias relations with the African continent.

Football – Romanias national football team has been, since Thursday evening, in Hungary, where they will meet Israel on Saturday in a Qualifying Group I match of the 2024 European Championship, to be hosted by Germany. Because of the war at home, the Israelis had to postpone their matches from October to November, and to play abroad the matches scheduled at home. Romania ends the preliminaries on Tuesday, in Bucharest, with Switzerland. Undefeated in the first eight matches, Romania has 16 points and is ahead of Switzerland, the group leader, in terms of goal difference. Next is Israel, with 11 points, and Kosovo, with 10 points. The two top ranking teams in the group go to the final tournament. Romania has not reached a European Championship since 2016, and a World Cup since 1998.

Israel – The Israeli army announced on Thursday that it had captured the port of Gaza, in the Palestinian enclave of the same name, international press agencies write. They show that it is a small fishing port, whose activity was already limited by the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007, when the Islamist movement Hamas took over the Strip. The Israelis claim, however, that the port was a “training center for (Hamas) commando forces to plan and execute naval terrorist attacks.” Earlier, the army had occupied the Parliament, government and military police buildings, until then controlled by the Islamists. Israel also confirmed that its soldiers are still deployed in al-Chifa hospital, where, according to the UN, there are around 2,300 Palestinian civilians: patients, medical staff, and refugees.

Banks – The Romanian prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, stated on Thursday that next year no new taxes will be imposed and that the Executive will approve the establishment of a new bank with state capital. “Today we approve the articles of incorporation for the Investment and Development Bank of Romania. This bank, which exists in all countries, has been talked about for over a decade. Finally, were establishing it too. This bank represents the missing link between the money of international financial institutions and Romanias strategic projects. We will have the appropriate financial instruments for the development of these projects” said the PM. Romania still has two banks with state capital, Eximbank and CEC.

Gaza – The UN Security Council, so far divided, adopted a resolution calling for a humanitarian pause of several days in the Gaza Strip, breaking the silence for the first time after more than a month of war between Israel and Hamas, AFP reports. The resolution, drafted by Malta and which was adopted with 12 votes in favor and 3 abstentions (USA, UK, Russia), also calls for “extended and urgent humanitarian aid for a sufficient number of days” to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to civilians from Gaza. The resolution also calls for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, especially children,” without condemning the Palestinian movement’s bloody attack of October 7. Both the Israelis and Palestinians criticized the Council resolution. The Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said that a ceasefire not just a pause should have been asked and that this should have been done a long time ago, while the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, condemned the resolution, labeling it as “insignificant”. On the ground, the Israeli army announced on Thursday that it had taken over operational control of the port of Gaza, a key infrastructure in the north of the Palestinian territory. At the same time, the Israeli army on Thursday continued its raid on the main hospital in the Gaza Strip, Al-Shifa, where thousands of Palestinian civilians are located, causing concern and a wave of criticism at the international level. (LS)

16 November 2023
October 22, 2023 UPDATE

Markup. The capping of the trade markup of basic foods will be extended by 90 days in Romania, starting November 1, according to a draft ordinance posted on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, and other products will be added to the list. The list of foods with markups capped at no more than 20% will also include: minced meat, garlic, round grain rice, tomato broth, cake, margarine, yeast and cream. The draft shows that the Governments decision had a positive impact, and the extension of the application period is necessary because the winter period is coming, when households expenses with utilities increase, as well as the need for consumption during the winter holidays. The initial list included 14 basic products, including: white bread, eggs, cows milk, white wheat flour, sunflower oil, fresh chicken and pork.

Alliance. In Bucharest, the National College of the Peoples Movement Party voted for the creation of a political alliance with the Save Romania Union (USR) and Forza Dreptei (the Force of the Rigth). The decision was taken unanimously, a party press release reads. The president of the party, Eugen Tomac, who was mandated to represent PMP in the relationship with the two parties, claims that a right-wing alliance is the only solution for Romania. Two days ago, the USR leader, Cătălin Drula, had stated that the negotiations for the formation of a right-wing pole with PMP and Forța Dreptei were at an advanced stage, and the objective was a joint list for next years European parliamentary elections.

Hostage. A person having dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, residing in Israel, initially reported in the list of missing persons, is being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest has announced. According to the quoted source, until this moment, the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General of Romania in Haifa have not received requests for consular support regarding the disappearance or death of other Romanian citizens in Israel and they maintain contact with the Israeli authorities. More than 200 foreign and dual-national Israeli hostages were kidnapped and taken to Gaza by Hamas fighters in the unprecedented attack on October 7 that sparked a war. The first release of hostages, confirmed by both sides, took place on Saturday. It is about two American women – mother and daughter, kidnapped while they were visiting the Nahal Oz kibbutz. Qatar, which negotiated the release of the two Israelis with dual citizenship, said it would continue negotiations with the Hamas organization until the release of the kidnapped civilians, regardless of nationality. For its part, Israel states that it will continue to pressure Hamas diplomatically and militarily to obtain the release of all hostages.

Gaza. A second convoy with humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday, through the Rafah crossing point, on the border with Egypt. It is aid for the Palestinian civilians there, affected by the Israeli blockade imposed after the Hamas attack on October 7. The United States announced late Saturday that it was increasing its military presence in the Middle East because of “recent escalations by Iran and its allied forces” in the region. A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), as well as several batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles, will be deployed “across the region,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced. The United States has also sent several ships, including aircraft carriers, to the Middle East in recent weeks. In another move, the Israeli army accused the Lebanese Hezbollah of trying to achieve a military escalation in the border area with the risk of drawing Lebanon into war, after new exchanges of fire between Israel and the Shiite group. The Gaza Peace Summit organized by Egypt ended on Saturday without a joint final statement from the 34 countries and international organizations that participated in the meeting. Instead, Israel criticized the meeting for not coming up with a direct condemnation of the Islamist group Hamas. All this time, the Israeli army has continued its preparations for a ground attack on the Gaza Strip, which it is now bombarding. About 4,400 Palestinians have lost their lives in the bombing of Gaza, after Hamas, which controls it, attacked Israel two weeks ago, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians. According to the UN, the number of people who have fled their homes in Gaza due to Israeli attacks has now risen to 1.4 million, which is almost two-thirds of the 2.2 million people who live in the Palestinian enclave.

Festival. The Astra Film Festival, the biggest international documentary film event in Romania, announced its winners last night. In the “Romania” section, the award for the best documentary went to the film “Earths Sweet Kiss”, made by the French filmmaker Gautier Gumpper. It is a film that tells the story of a Romanian who chose to live under a bridge in Strasbourg, a place he transformed into a beautiful and useful garden, while protesting in a unique way at the European Court of Human Rights for injustice against him in Romania. In the Central and Eastern Europe section, the award for the best documentary went to the film “The Northeast Winds” (Georgia), by Nikoloz Bezhanishvili, made in Stalins hometown in Georgia. The winner of the Emerging Voices of Documentary Film section is the film (France/Belgium) “Adieu Sauvage”, by Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento, a foray into the life of an Amerindian community in Colombia. And the best student documentary was designated a Romanian film – “Dancing at my parents wedding”, by Andreea Chiper. In this film, a young filmmaker watches a VHS tape from her parents wedding that took place 25 years ago, in an attempt to get to know her family better and also find herself.

Theater. The 23rdNational Theater Festival continues in Bucharest. The event takes place until October 30 and offers the public 30 productions from Romania and three foreign shows. The selection was made from over 150 shows staged in the 2022-2023 season, produced by state and independent theaters. The program also includes debates, conferences, exhibitions, evocations, reading performances, creative workshops, presentations of cultural institutions and projects, meetings and dialogues with guest artists, online events, radio shows. During the festival there is also a book fair, a true marathon of releases and presentations of new publishing products in the field of performing arts, signed by important authors and published by various publishing houses in Romania and abroad. (MI)

22 October 2023
October 22, 2023

Markup. In Romania, the capping of the trade markup of basic foods will be extended by 90 days, after November 1, according to a draft ordinance posted on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, and other products will be added to the list. The list of foods with markups capped at no more than 20% will also include: minced meat, garlic, round grain rice, tomato broth, cake, margarine, yeast and cream. The draft shows that the Governments decision had a positive impact, and the extension of the application period is necessary because the winter period is coming, when households expenses with utilities increase, as well as the need for consumption during the winter holidays. The initial list included 14 basic products, including: white bread, eggs, cows milk, white wheat flour, sunflower oil, fresh chicken and pork.

Hostage. A person having dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, residing in Israel, initially reported in the list of missing persons, is being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest has announced. According to the quoted source, until this moment, the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General of Romania in Haifa have not received requests for consular support regarding the disappearance or death of other Romanian citizens in Israel and they maintain contact with the Israeli authorities. More than 200 foreign and dual-national Israeli hostages were kidnapped and taken to Gaza by Hamas fighters in the unprecedented attack on October 7 that sparked a war. The first release of hostages, confirmed by both sides, took place on Saturday. It is about two American women – mother and daughter, kidnapped while they were visiting the Nahal Oz kibbutz. Qatar, which negotiated the release of the two Israelis with dual citizenship, said it would continue negotiations with the Hamas organization until the release of the kidnapped civilians, regardless of nationality. For its part, Israel states that it will continue to pressure Hamas diplomatically and militarily to obtain the release of all hostages.

Protests. On Saturday, protests related to the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip took place in the major capitals of the world. The largest demonstration in Europe took place in London, where approximately 100,000 people participated in a solidarity march with the Palestinians. In Germany, pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place in Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bielefeld and other cities. In Ireland, people took to the streets in Dublin in solidarity with those in the Gaza Strip and against Israels actions. In Romania, in Bucharest, a rally was held in support of the civilians stuck in Gaza. It took place under special security conditions and no incidents were recorded. In the United States there were also demonstrations demanding the stop of Israeli bombing.

Military. The United States has announced that it is increasing its military presence in the Middle East because of “recent escalations by Iran and its allied forces” in the region. A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), as well as several batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles, will be deployed “across the region,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced. The United States has also sent several ships, including aircraft carriers, to the Middle East in recent weeks. In another move, the Israeli army accused the Lebanese Hezbollah of trying to achieve a military escalation in the border area with the risk of drawing Lebanon into war, after new exchanges of fire between Israel and the Shiite group. The Gaza Peace Summit organized by Egypt ended on Saturday without a joint final statement from the 34 countries and international organizations that participated in the meeting. Instead, Israel criticized the meeting for not coming up with a direct condemnation of the Islamist group Hamas. All this time, the Israeli army has continued its preparations for the entry of troops into the Gaza Strip, which it is bombarding. About 4,400 Palestinians have lost their lives in the bombing of Gaza, after Hamas, which controls it, attacked Israel two weeks ago, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians. According to the UN, the number of people who have fled their homes in Gaza due to Israeli attacks has now risen to 1.4 million, which is almost two-thirds of the 2.2 million people who live in the Palestinian enclave.

Festival. The Astra Film Festival, the biggest international documentary film event in Romania, announced its winners last night. In the “Romania” section, the award for the best documentary went to the film “Earths Sweet Kiss”, made by the French filmmaker Gautier Gumpper. It is a film that tells the story of a Romanian who chose to live under a bridge in Strasbourg, a place he transformed into a beautiful and useful garden, while protesting in a unique way at the European Court of Human Rights for injustice against him in Romania. In the Central and Eastern Europe section, the award for the best documentary went to the film “The Northeast Winds” (Georgia), by Nikoloz Bezhanishvili, made in Stalins hometown in Georgia. The winner of the Emerging Voices of Documentary Film section is the film (France/Belgium) “Adieu Sauvage”, by Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento, a foray into the life of an Amerindian community in Colombia. And the best student documentary was designated a Romanian film – “Dancing at my parents wedding”, by Andreea Chiper. In this film, a young filmmaker watches a VHS tape from her parents wedding that took place 25 years ago, in an attempt to get to know her family better and also find herself.

Theater. The 23rd National Theater Festival continues in Bucharest. The event takes place until October 30 and offers the public 30 productions from Romania and three foreign. The selection was made from over 150 shows staged in the 2022-2023 season, produced by state and independent theaters. The program also includes debates, conferences, exhibitions, reading performances, creative workshops, presentations of cultural institutions and projects, meetings and dialogues with guest artists, online events, radio shows. The festival also hosts a book fair, a true marathon of releases and presentations of new publishing products in the field of performing arts, signed by important authors and published by various publishing houses in Romania and abroad. (MI)

22 October 2023