Radio România Internațional

Tag: protests

October 19, 2023

Deficit — Romanias budget deficit is to decrease to 5.7% of the GDP, following the application of the law on fiscal-budgetary measures for which the Government has recently assumed responsibility and which was declared constitutional on Wednesday. The PM Marcel Ciolacu stated that the new deficit target could be assumed through a budget rectification in the next period. Next week, the government representatives will have a meeting with the social partners, to set the level of the minimum salary in constructions and agriculture, so that these sectors’ employees should not be affected by the payment of the health contribution, from October 1, as provided by the current law. PM Ciolacu criticized the opposition Save Romania Union-USR because when they were in the government coalition, they included fiscal reform measures in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which they now contest. On the other hand, USR considers the decision of the Constitutional Court unfair and says that the law is an attack on the incomes of citizens who work honestly in Romania. USR also announced that they will file a simple motion against the finance minister.

Schengen — The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said that the good results obtained by Romania and Bulgaria in the management of pilot projects on migration are an additional argument in favor of the two states joining the European Border Free Area – Schengen. The statement was made before todays meeting in Luxembourg of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the EU, which will also address the subject of Romania’s and Bulgarias accession to Schengen. Previously, the European Commission publicly announced that both countries had reported progress, also thanks to the new migration and asylum programs that they are running. We recall that, at the end of last year, a unanimous decision failed to be adopted in relation to the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area, due to the opposition of Austria and the Netherlands. Austria justified its position claiming that Romania is part of the Balkan route of illegal migration, an accusation rejected by the Romanian authorities and officially dismantled by the European institutions. In turn, the Netherlands said that it supported Romanias accession, but not Bulgarias, although the two are analyzed in a joint file.

Festival — Iasi, in the east of Romania, hosts the 11th edition of FILIT — the Iasi International Festival of Literature and Translation which started on Wednesday, an event attended by guests from 25 countries. This years event takes place under the high patronage of the European Commissions representation in Romania and the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO. Writers, translators, editors, festival organizers, literary critics, booksellers, book distributors, managers and journalists are attending FILIT. Until October 22, various events are scheduled such as literary meetings with stars of the world literary scene, white nights of poetry and music, workshops and professional round tables, concerts and readings.

Israel — The US president, Joe Biden, reiterated, on Wednesday, in Israel, the US commitment to the security of its main ally in the region and confirmed the Israeli version of the explosion at a hospital in Gaza, where hundreds of people died. The Hamas terrorist organization has accused Israel of having bombed the hospital, while the Israeli military have provided evidence that the explosion was caused by a missile mistakenly fired by the Islamic Jihad, the other armed group in Gaza. After the meeting with the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden called for the release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip, following the bloody attack launched by Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7. In the meantime, Israel announced that it hit the targets of the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, and Radio Romania’s correspondent reports that the Israeli army is preparing to face a new front in the north of the country. The defense minister Yoav Galant said that Hezbollah is 10 times stronger than Hamas. As regard the humanitarian aid, Israel approved the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, from Egypt, through the Rafah border-crossing point. The aid will have to consist of 100 trucks per day and will have to be secured, the UN said. On the other hand, the British PM Rishi Sunak told Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whom he met in Israel on Thursday, that Britain stands in solidarity with his country, adding that it is also important to provide humanitarian aid to the population of the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu was also in Israel, where he had talks with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and with the representatives of the Romanian community, affected by the deterioration of the security situation in the area.

Protests — Protests against Israel and the US have been reported in various parts of the world. At least one hundred protesters occupied, on Wednesday, a building of the US Congress, to ask the officials and the Joe Biden administration to press for a cease fire in the Gaza Strip. In Greece, approximately 10,000 people gathered in downtown Athens, in solidarity with the Palestinians. In Istanbul (Turkey), a crowd carrying pro-Palestinian flags and placards gathered in front of the Israeli consulate, then forced their way inside the consulate after breaking through a police barricade. Incidents also took place at the US embassies in Lebanon and Iraq, at the Israeli embassy in Jordan and at the French embassy in Iran.

Meeting – In the first joint meeting of the governments of Romania and Ukraine, in Kyiv, the prime ministers of the two countries, Marcel Ciolacu and Denis Şmîhal, established the mechanism for the import of Ukrainian grains on Romanian territory, with measures to protect the local farmers. On the other hand, the Ukrainian government adopted a document recognizing that the Romanian minority in Ukraine speaks Romanian and not the so-called Moldovan language, which in fact does not exist. (LS)

19 October 2023
Romanian farmers give up protests

The European Commission’s decision not to extend the order stopping the import of cheap Ukrainian grain has reignited the older dispute on this topic and led to new protests from farmers in the affected Central and East European states. The import ban was imposed after the sea routes Ukraine had used to export its products could no longer be used, and large quantities of grain reached Central Europe, affecting the business of local farmers. After the ban approved by the European Commission expired last Friday, the governments of Poland, Hungary and Slovakia announced that they would unilaterally continue to ban Ukrainian grain imports. They claim that they are doing it to protect their economies and farmers from the inflow of Ukrainian products. In response, Ukraine filed lawsuits at the World Trade Organization, considering that such restrictions represent a violation of the international obligations of Ukraine’s neighbors.

Romania did not adopt the radical solution of the three states. Bucharest has announced that grain from Ukraine will continue to transit Romania, provided that Kyiv presents, within 30 days, a plan for its exports. During these 30 days, no Ukrainian grain will be imported, the Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, told local farmers. Under the future plan, only those in the business of animal husbandry and processing units will have the right to buy grain, and only after they prove they need grain or have insufficient stocks. In addition, the grain will be checked by the Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority before leaving Ukraine. After negotiations with the Government, Romanian farmers gave up protests for the time being.

Daniel Radu, vice-president of the Forta Fermierilor Association: We are only talking about imports, as transit will continue. Ukrainian trucks will further cross Romanias territory, and not only trucks, but also barges, and other freigh transport means, but nothing will remain on Romania’s territory. The grain will be taken directly to the port, where it will be loaded on ships to their final destination. The plan proposed by the Agriculture Ministry must enter into force and start taking effect. A licensing system will not be easy to implement, nor to get, so it will take time. So we feel protected, as farmers, from this risk of the domestic market being flooded with Ukrainian grain. Farmers in Bulgaria protested, on Monday, throughout the country, to demand a ban on the import of oil, sunflower, corn, wheat and rapeseed from Ukraine. The protests also affected traffic at the northern border with Romania. (EE)

19 September 2023
June 9, 2023 UPDATE

Protests — A new round of negotiations between the Romanian government and the education trade unions took place on Friday. The trade unionists announced that they received a new offer: an increase by 45% in salaries from January 1, 2024 and not by 40% as it was before, and a bonus of 1,500 lei on October 5, on the International Day of Education, from this year until 2027. The talks took place against the background of the all-out strike and of a new protest rally in Bucharest, in which thousands of teachers participated. Demonstrations also took place in other cities in the country. On Thursday, the government adopted a memorandum on salary increases granted to the education staff through the future salary law – a way in which, it says, it guarantees that this field will be a priority. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has given assurances that the basic salary of the beginner teacher will be set at the level of the gross average salary, as requested by the trade unionists. Also the memorandum establishes the right of the education employees to a leave allowance calculated according to the basic salary, as well as to increments. The strikers say, however, that Thursdays political declaration has no legal value and that they do not trust the political class in Romania.

Power plant — The construction of Units 3 and 4 at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant (south-east Romania) receives government support. A support agreement was signed on Friday in Bucharest, and the Finance Ministry will take the necessary steps to finance the project, including by granting state guarantees. Units 3 and 4 at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant would cover over a third of Romanias energy needs and is a necessary investment for the countrys future, said the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă. He stated that this project also had social benefits, by maintaining more than 20,000 jobs.

Diplomacy – The Russian Foreign Ministry labeled the decision of the Romanian authorities to reduce the Russian diplomatic presence in Romania as a hostile act that will not go unanswered. Specific measures will be announced in due time, commented the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zaharova. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bucharest was informed, on Thursday, about the decision of the Romanian authorities to reduce the diplomatic and technical-administrative staff of the Russian Federation in Romania by limiting their number to a level close to that of the diplomatic and technical -administrative staff of Romania in the Russian Federation. In 30 days at the most, the diplomats’ positions must be reduced by 21, and the technical-administrative personnel positions by 30. Otherwise, accreditations will be withdrawn. The measure was adopted in accordance with the provisions of the 1961 Vienna convention on diplomatic relations and reflects the current level of bilateral relations drastically reduced by Romania after the Russian Federation launched the war of aggression against Ukraine, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced.

TIFF – Cluj (north-west of Romania) is, for ten days, the capital of international cinema, hosting a new edition of the Transylvania Film Festival – TIFF. Almost 200 films will be screened, 12 being in the official competition. Famous actors and directors from the country and abroad have announced their presence. Among them the American director Oliver Stone, the Australian actor Geoffrey Rush and the British actor Timotis Splash. Inspired by real events that happened in Sibiu in December 1989, “Libertate”, the latest film made by the Romanian director Tudor Giurgiu, will have its world premiere at TIFF. The Romanian actor Horaţiu Mălăele, who will perform in Cluj, will receive an excellence award during the festival.

Statistics – The European Union’s economy registered an increase of 0.1% in the first quarter of this year, compared to the similar period of 2022, according to data published by the European Statistical Office, Eurostat. The most significant annual advance was registered by Spain, Cyprus, Malta, with over 3%, and Romania, with 2.8%. Although the European Union managed to narrowly avoid recession, the euro zone, which includes 20 states, registered two consecutive quarters of economic contraction, by 0.1%, thus entering a technical recession. (LS)

9 June 2023
June 9, 2023

STRIKE Disgruntled by the government’s failure to meet their
claims, trade unions in Romania’s education system have today kicked off another
protest in Bucharest. Protests are also taking place in other major cities
across the country. Also today, the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca will
be having a new round of talks with trade union representatives. The government
on Thursday endorsed a memorandum on pay rises granted to the personnel in the
country’s education system under the future salary law – through which the
government guarantees this domain as a priority. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca
has given assurances the salary of the beginner teachers will be based on the
average gross salary as trade unions have requested. The memorandum also mentions
a holiday bonus for the employees according to their salaries as well as other
bonuses. The protesters say though the political statement on Thursday doesn’t
have any legal value, which prompted them to carry on the protests they started
on May 22. They say they don’t trust Romania’s political class as there have
been numerous cases since 2010, when politicians have chosen not to implement
the laws they issued. Field minister
Ligia Deca has announced that applications for the Baccalaureate and the
national assessment exams for 8th graders will be extended until
June 13 and the competency tests from the Baccalaureate exam will take place
over 14 – 23 June.

DIPLOMACY The Russian
Foreign Ministry has deemed a decision by the Romanian authorities to reduce Russia’s
diplomatic presence in Romania as a hostile act, which will not remain
unanswered. Specific measures will be announced in due time, Maria Zakharova,
the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. The Romanian Foreign
Ministry has announced the ambasador of the Russian Federation in Bucharest was
briefed on Thursday upon the decision of the Romanian authorities to reduce the
diplomatic and technical-administrative personnel of the Russian Federation in
Romania by limiting their number to a level close to Romania’s diplomatical
representation in the Russian Federation. Within 30 days, the number of
diplomats must be reduced by 21 and the auxiliary personnel by 30. The measure
has been endorsed according to the 1961 Vienna convention on diplomatic
relations and reflects the present level of the bilateral relations sharply
reduced by Romania after the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Romanian
Foreign Ministry has specified.

TIFF As of today, the city of Cluj in
northwestern Romania, will be the capital of the international cinematography
for the next ten days. The Transylvania Film Festival, known as TIFF, has
kicked off with roughly 200 films to be screened and 12 vying in the official
contest. Famous actors and directors from Romania and abroad, including US
director Oliver Stone, have announced their participation. At TIFF, film goers
will be able to meet Oscar winners or actors who starred in the famous series
‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ or ‘Harry Potter’. Inspired from real events, which
took place in Sibiu, central Romania, back in 1989, ‘Freedom’, the latest film
of Romanian director Tudor Giurgiu will be premiered at TIFF. Romanian actor
Horatiu Malaele, who is going to give a performance at the aforementioned film
festival, will be awarded the excellence award.

WEATHER And now a look at the weather
which is generally unstable in the country’s west, north-west, central regions
as well as in the mountains. The sky is overcast with thunderstorms and heavy
downpours reported in some areas. In the other Romanian regions, the weather is
predominantly warm and even hot with temperatures ranging from 21 to 30 degrees
Celsius and a noon reading in Bucharest of 30 degrees.

(bill)

9 June 2023
June 8, 2023

Memorandum – The Romanian government adopts, today, a memorandum regarding the salary increases granted to the education staff through the new salary law. In this way the government claims it guarantees that this area will be a priority. The decision was made amid discussions with the education unions, in the context of the all-out strike in the education system launched on May 22. The Liberal Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has given assurances that the basic salary of the beginner teacher will be set at the level of the gross average salary in Romania, as demanded by the trade unionists. The memorandum also establishes the right of the education staff to a leave allowance calculated according to the basic salary as well as to increments. Meanwhile, the teachers continue their strike, dissatisfied with the offer made by the Government to resolve their claims.

Protests – Trade unionists from the “Sanitary Solidarity” Federation are organizing, today, a protest rally and march in Bucharest. They draw attention to the fact that orderlies, caregivers and stretcher bearers are the only category in the entire public system that does not benefit from the basic salaries provided for in the 2022 Salary Law. A protest is organized, in Bucharest, in front of the Representation of the European Commission, also by the policemen from penitentiaries and the military reservists. The Federation of Trade Unions from the National Administration of Penitentiaries believes that Brussels is interfering in the countrys domestic policy regarding the modification of the law on military pensions and that the representatives of the European Commission are allegedly blackmailing Romania’s Parliament to adopt the law on military pensions in the form they wanted, otherwise Romania will no longer receive European funds worth approximately 1.4 billion Euros.

Statistics — Romania reported an economic growth rate of 2.3% in the first quarter of this year, compared to the similar period of 2022, according to provisional data published today by the National Institute of Statistics. Thus, the estimated Gross Domestic Product was over 312 billion lei (about 62 billion Euros). Among others, wholesale and retail trade, motor vehicle and motorcycle repair, transport and storage, as well as constructions contributed to the increase in the GDP. The World Bank estimates that Romania’s Gross Domestic Product will register, this year, a growth of 2.6%. The IMF has revised significantly downward the estimates regarding the growth of the Romanian economy in 2023, from 3.1 to 2.4%.

Defense – The Commander of the U.S. European Command, General Christopher G. Cavoli, and the Romanian Chief of Defense Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, are the hosts of the Central European Chiefs of Defense Conference, on Thursday and Friday, in Bucharest. The chiefs of defense from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary are participating in the meeting. Nine military leaders of the US National Guard are also present, the Romanian Defense Ministry reports. The event includes topics on security challenges and aims to intensify military cooperation relations to ensure stability in the region.

UNITER – The UNITER (Theaters’ Union in Romania) Awards Gala will be organized on June 12, in Timisoara (west), the European Capital of Culture this year. The event has already opened to the public, so that spectators can participate in the plays nominated in the Best Show category, alongside stars of the Romanian theater. The gala will be organized as a show, inspired by the fashion of the 1930s. Among the nominated artists this year are actors Victor Rebengiuc, Claudiu Bleonţ and directors Silviu Purcărete, Declan Donnellan and Radu Afrim. (LS)

8 June 2023
Wave of protests in Romania

Frustration and anger seem to dominate Romanian society, and the governments social and salary policies are making more and more people take to the street. The Federation of Rail Carriers Trade Unions on Monday staged a protest rally outside the Bucharest headquarters of the transport ministry. The organisers demand the approval of the income and expenses budget of the Romanian rail companys passengers and infrastructure divisions, as well as the application of the rail workers statute. They are also complaining about the growing deterioration of labour conditions and the lack of motivating salaries and demand investments in the rail infrastructure and pay rises of almost 40% depending on certain coefficients. Unless their demands are met by the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Romanian rail workers will go on strike, their trade union leaders are warning. This will be the biggest work stoppage of all time, one trade union leader, Rodrigo Maxim, is quoted as saying. Transport minister Sorin Grindeanu has agreed that the salaries of railway workers must increase in keeping with the law, saying the government is trying to find a solution in the budget.

Unhappy with their working conditions and salaries, healthcare workers also recently said they might stop working and police workers requested the right to strike, which is currently denied to them under the law. In sign of protest, prison workers are wearing white armbands and a temporary 2-hour stoppage of work and a prison lock-in were announced for Wednesday. Prison workers trade unions are opposed to the governments planned increase in the retirement age to 65, saying the life expectancy of the employees in this sector is 62.

The teachers strike entered its second week on Monday. The government says it doesnt have the money to raise their salaries but has proposed to grant teaching and non-teaching staff the equivalent of some 800 euros in two payments. A new protest was scheduled for Tuesday in Bucharest, in front of the presidential palace. Before going into politics, president Klaus Iohannis was himself a teacher and protesters are hoping to find some empathy there. Moreover, the media note that under the Constitution, the president of the country must serve as a mediator in society and is therefore obliged to intervene at this time of acute crisis, when this years high school graduates still dont know if they can take their baccalaureate exams. (CM)

30 May 2023
April 7, 2023 UPDATE

PROTESTS Farmers from 18 Romanian counties took to the streets on Friday,
dissatisfied with the compensation proposed by the European Commission for the
damage caused by the tax-free import of cheap cereals from Ukraine. Farmers
demand that the European Union abandon the special regime applied to imports
from Ukraine, which – in their opinion – seriously disrupts the Romanian
market. Romania’s agriculture minister Petre Daea has pledged compensations for
the affected farmers as soon as possible. The Romanian official also met some
of the farmers who protested in Bucharest. Poland has temporarily ceased its
imports of Ukrainian grains in order to offset their impact upon the local prices
but the transit will continue. The announcement was made on Friday by the new
Polish Agriculture Minister, Robert Telus, who took over after his predecessor had
stepped down amid the farmers’ protests sparked off by the plummeting prices in
cereals. Farmers have also staged protests in Romania’s neighbour country, Bulgaria.

BUDGET The Romanian government is looking for solutions to cover a hole
in the budget of 20 billion lei, so that the deficit does not exceed the target
of 4.4% of the GDP. The leaders of the ruling coalition claim that there are
unjustified expenses in many ministries and state institutions, and the
Ministry of Finance must reduce the waste of public funds. Liberal Prime Minister
Nicolae Ciucă has stressed that salaries or other types of income will not be
cut, but he asked the Minister of Finance, Adrian Câciu, to propose concrete
measures to reduce expenses in the next nine months. The Social Democrat leader
Marcel Ciolacu also spoke about a reform in spending public money, in parallel
with measures to reduce tax evasion. In his opinion, the system of increments
should be eliminated, and the bonuses already earned introduced into the
salary. Adrian Câciu said that the adjustment of budget expenses will not
affect the social and economic packages developed by the coalition, nor the
investments. National Bank specialists consider, on the other hand, that
against the background of the high values of the current account deficit and
the budget deficit, the money from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan
represents an extraordinary opportunity for the economy.

HEALTH Romania’s Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, says that the
medical system in this country needs sufficient, well-trained staff who can
respond professionally and empathetically to the needs of patients. At the same
time, in his message on the occasion of the World Health Day, on April 7, the
minister said that investments are needed in health – in hospitals, in
specialist clinics or in family doctors’ offices. This year, the motto of the
World Health Day is Health for all! In another move, the Minister
of Health said the number of respiratory illnesses and SARS-COV-2 infections
has started to decrease, and Romania has sufficient stocks of medicines for the
necessary treatments. According to Alexandru Rafila, there were 6,900 cases of
COVID last week, the positivity rate being 10% lower than the previous week.
However, the number of deaths is still quite high, 59.

(bill&MI)

7 April 2023
April 6, 2023

Protests — On Friday, the Romanian farmers are organizing protests in several counties and in Bucharest, dissatisfied with the solution found by the European Commission to the problems and serious imbalances facing the Romanian agri-food sector, against the background of market distortions caused by the armed conflict in Ukraine. According to the farmers, the total elimination, since the middle of last year, of customs duties on all goods from Ukraine has exported the effects of the war, commercially speaking, to the neighboring countries, creating an involuntary dumping effect, as it has stimulated Ukrainian farmers to sell cheaper. The representatives of the Romanian farmers point out that this measure has not helped and will not help the Ukrainians to resume their production cycle. Instead, it has strongly disrupted the market in Romania.

Beijing – The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the French President Emmanuel Macron are discussing today, in Beijing, with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, especially about Chinas role in finding a peace solution in Ukraine. The two are trying to convince the Chinese leader to exert his influence on Russia to end the war. Shortly after arriving in Beijing, Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about growing tensions between China and the West, and Ursula von der Leyen adopted a tougher stance, warning that the future relations between China and the EU will be influenced by how Beijing will approach the war in Ukraine. For the moment, Western allies only see an ever-closer economic rapprochement between China and Russia. The issue was on the agenda of the meeting of the NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday, who expressed concern about the Chinese-Russian partnership, which threatens Ukraine. In response, NATO decided to close ranks with its partners in the South Pacific. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg announced that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are also invited to the summer summit of the Alliance in Vilnius, in which the Ukrainian president will also participate.

Gaudeamus – The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, organized for the 22nd time in the heart of Transylvania, in the city of Cluj, takes place from Thursday until Sunday. The event is hosted in 14 exhibition pavilions, including over 60 stands that bring together the offer of numerous publishing houses, Romanian and foreign book distributors, producers and distributors of music and games. The virtual stands of the participants can be found on www.gaudeamus.ro, in the online version of the fair, so that the editorial novelties, special offers and surprises prepared by the participants are also accessible to book lovers who cannot visit the fair. More than 30 book launches and presentation sessions are organized, numerous book-prize contests, as well as the “Miss Reading” contest – one of the highlights of the Gaudeamus Fairs for over 15 years.

Codes – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted the draft laws that regulate the criminal and criminal procedure codes in the form drafted by the Ministry of Justice, without any amendment. Thus, they gave up the setting of a value threshold from which criminal sanctions are applied for abuse and negligence in office, as the senators had decided. Also, they kept the possibility of using phone tapping made by specialized services as evidence in the case of several crimes, including tax evasion and corruption. The Chamber of Deputies is a decision-making body in this case.

NATO – On Friday, the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană will visit the South-East Multinational Brigade from Craiova (southern Romania), whose Command has the mission to ensure the command and control of a NATO operation of the Article 5 type – Collective Defense, contributing, in this way, to the consolidation of the South-Eastern flank of the Alliance, to the security of the territory and the population of the member states. The NATO official made this announcement in an interview given to AGERPRES news agency, in Brussels, after the conclusion of the meeting of foreign ministers from the allied states, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mircea Geoana spoke in the interview about the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance and the relationship with the partner countries, as well as about the agenda of his mandate as NATO Deputy Secretary General, which was extended until October 2024. Mircea Geoana also referred to the war in Ukraine. In his opinion, the Kremlin leadership has been using the nuclear rhetoric in the most unprofessional and irresponsible way, even before the start of the war in Ukraine.

Visit – The former president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, is visiting Bucharest today. He will be received by president Klaus Iohannis and will be granted the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Academy of Economic Studies (ASE). The event takes place in the context of the manifestations organized by the higher education institution, on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of its establishment on April 6. Jean-Claude Juncker was the President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019.

6 April 2023
April 2, 2023

NATO – Romania will promote the strengthening of the transatlantic relationship and the strategic partnership between NATO and the EU, says President Klaus Iohannis, in the context of the 74-year anniversary of the establishment of the North Atlantic Alliance and NATO Day in Romania marked on April 2. “We will remain involved in allied missions and commitments, and strengthening the national defense capacity will continue to be a priority for Romania, including by allocating, starting this year, 2.5% of the GDP for Defense”, said the Romanian president, according to a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration. “Europe is facing the worst security crisis since the Second World War, and in the face of these challenges, our countrys membership to the Euro-Atlantic community of values is all the more relevant”, the Romania foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu also said. He recalled that in the 19 years since Romania became a member of NATO, the Romanian diplomacy has demonstrated its ability to fulfill its obligations based on this fundamental role. “We are constantly and significantly contributing to the consolidation of Romanias position within NATO and to its reputation as a provider of security and stability. We are engaged in complying with our commitments to allies and partners and, equally, we support the strengthening of our military capabilities, in the transatlantic relationship and in the allied solidarity”, said Bogdan Aurescu.

Visit – Two European commissioners are coming to Romania early next week for the launch of national programs financed under the EU cohesion policy. The European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, and Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira will meet on Monday, in Bucharest, with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, with the Minister of European Projects, Marcel Boloş, and with the Labour Minister, Marius Budai, after which they will go to Iaşi (northeast) and Vaslui (east). The two European officials will also visit a center for Ukrainian refugees.

Palm Sunday — The Roman Catholic Christians are celebrating today Palm Sunday or Jesus Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. This marks the entry into the Holy Week, the last until Easter. In the Roman Catholic Church, the day of Palm Sunday also marks Youth Day, when public processions with flowers and branches are organized in memory of the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, almost 2,000 years ago. Such a procession is also organized in Bucharest. This year, the Catholics and Protestants celebrate Easter a week earlier than the Orthodox and Greek Catholics.

Elections – Today, the Bulgarians elect their representatives in Parliament for the fifth time in two years. The massive anti-corruption protests of 2020 led to the fall of the Borisov Government, and since then no political party could obtain a parliamentary majority for the stability of the government. Opinion polls suggest that the GERB party of the former prime minister Boiko Borisov and the party of pro-Western reformers, led by Kiril Petkov, who was also prime minister until last year, when he was dismissed by a no-confidence motion, are competing in the elections. Also voters in Finland go to the polls today, to designate the new parliament makeup, with three party leaders having a chance to become prime minister. Opinion polls show that there will be a close race between the current prime minister, Sanna Marin representing the center-left social democrats, Petteri Orpo – from the center-right National Coalition, and Riikka Purra – from the Finns far-right party.

Protests – Hundreds of thousands of people protested, on Saturday evening, in Israel, for the 13th consecutive week, against the judicial reform promoted by the government. Protesters say it will limit the role of the Supreme Court. The largest demonstration took place in Tel Aviv, where, according to the organizers, 175,000 Israelis protested. Clashes took place between protesters and counter-demonstrators, and 19 people were arrested. (LS)

2 April 2023
March 24, 2023

EDUCATION Romania’s
government has today approved a bill on the country’s participation in the 2025
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The government says
Romania’s participation is intended to bring the Romanian education in line
with developments in high-performing education systems in the world, and to
review one’s own performances in relation to the other participating countries.
The initiators argue this participation is important given Romania’s EU
membership and its current observer status and future membership of the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development. PISA tests indicate the extent to
which students are prepared to face current society challenges, and measures the
basic skills of 15 year olds in areas like reading, maths and sciences.

SCRAPPING In
Romania, the Rabla Clasic and Rabla Plus scrapping programmes were launched on
Friday. They are designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the
use of non-polluting vehicles. The vouchers provided by the government may
reach EUR 10,000 for the purchase of electric cars worth up to EUR 75,000.

VISIT While in Chişinău, PM Nicolae Ciucă reiterated Romania’s
support for neighbouring Republic of Moldova’s European accession efforts. In a
meeting with his counterpart, Dorin Recean, Ciucă announced the building of new
bridges across Prut river and the set up of new border checkpoints. In turn, PM
Recean announced that very soon EUR 25m out of a non-reimbursable EUR 100m assistance
package provided by Romania will be used for the development of village schools
and infrastructure.

PROTESTS France’s
PM Élisabeth Borne condemned the violence accompanying Thursday’s protests
against the pension reform, which increases retirement age from 62 to 64. Violent
clashes have been reported in several cities. According to trade unions, attending
the protests in nearly 300 localities were 3.5 million people, but the interior
ministry argues there were only 1.2 million. Most protests were peaceful, but in
Paris and some other cities incidents were reported. Some 150 police officers
and gendarmes were injured and hundreds of violent people were arrested. Unionists
are determined to try all legal means to cancel the law endorsed on Monday and
to carry on protests. This weekend, each union will organise actions in their
towns and regions, and a new call for strike and nation-wide protests is
announced for Tuesday, March 28, Radio Romania’s correspondend in Paris reports.

FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team plays against Andorra away
from home on Saturday, in the first round of the EURO 2024 qualifiers. The final
tournament will be hosted by Germany. Also on Saturday in
Group I, which includes Romania, Belarus takes on Switzerland and Israel faces
Kosovo. On March 28, the national team faces Belarus in Bucharest. The top 2
teams in each of the 10 preliminary groups qualify into the final tournament,
with the last 3 participants to be decided in March 2024, after the Nations
League play-offs. (AMP)

24 March 2023
March 23, 2023

Brussels — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is participating, on Thursday and Friday, in the spring meeting of the European Council and in the Euro Summit in an extended format, hosted by Brussels. According to the Presidential Administration, they will tackle the situation in Ukraine, especially food security and the reconstruction process, climate change and measures to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. “We must be united on the side of Ukraine, we must be in solidarity with Ukraine, we must help Ukraine with everything we can. It is very important that Ukraine has a strong position and that we can do many things”, said the Romanian president in a press conference before the start of the Council. There will be other extremely important topics, President Iohannis also said, related to the economy, the single market, competitiveness. They will discuss the best methods to prevent the deindustrialization of Europe and the energy issue, as well as the situation of the Republic of Moldova, which will receive substantial additional aid from the EU.

Chisinau – On a visit to Chisinau, accompanied by several ministers, the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had talks with the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu and with the Prime Minister Dorin Recean. The meetings focused on issues related to the accession of this state to the EU, the way in which the republics economy can develop, the path to democratic reforms and the situation in the area in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. The leader from Chisinau thanked Romania for the support provided for the population and the economy of the Republic of Moldova to get through the complicated winter, caused by an exponential increase in energy and gas costs, and through the acute lack of supply of these resources, in particular following the interruption of supply by Gazprom for several months. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă thanked, in turn, for the decision of the Moldovan Parliament to adapt the legislation in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court, respectively to grant the Romanian language the status of official language in the Republic of Moldova. Consolidating the security environment in the Republic of Moldova and ensuring the resources to combat any form of destabilization of this country is a priority for Romania, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă also said during the discussions with Dorin Recean. Romania is our advocate in all European institutions, therefore we can advance on our European path, said the Moldovan Prime Minister. During the meetings, the implementation stage of the support program for the Republic of Moldova presented, financed with 100 million Euros by the Government of Romania. In this sense, the Romanian Prime Minister announced the release of the first tranche worth 25 million Euros of this program.

London – The Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is on an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at the invitation of his counterpart, James Cleverly. The two officials will discuss bilateral strategic partnership relations, as well as international developments, with an emphasis on the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Republic of Moldova, the relations between the EU and the United Kingdom and cooperation within NATO. On Wednesday, minister Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting with the UK Secretary of State for Defense, Ben Wallace, with whom he discussed, among other things, bilateral cooperation in the field of defense and within the North Atlantic Alliance, with an emphasis on the stability and security of the Black Sea. On the sidelines of the visit, the heads of the Romanian and British diplomacies will sign the updated Joint Declaration of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and will open the first edition of the Romania – United Kingdom Bilateral Forum.

Protests – France is almost blocked today, on the ninth day of national mobilization against the pension reform. With a general strike in many areas and street demonstrations announced in almost 300 localities, the trade unions and the opposition want to force the French government to withdraw the law it has just adopted, which provides for the increase in the retirement age, from 62 to 64 years old. On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said that the reform was an unfortunate necessity to protect the pension system and that he accepted its unpopularity.

Film – The first feature film of the Romanian director Alexandru Belc – “Metronome” will be screened on Friday at the Muranów cinema in Warsaw. The film represents Romania at the Francophone Film Festival in Poland, which takes place between March 22 and 26 in Warsaw. Along with the Romanian film, the Festival includes eight other fiction films from Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Morocco, proposed by the French Institute in Poland, which is also the main organizer. At the most recent edition of the Cannes Film Festival, “Metronome” was awarded the Best Director Award in the “Un certain regard” section. (LS)

23 March 2023
Tense situation in Chișinău

Part of Moscow’s sphere
of influence not long ago, the Republic of Moldova is being presently ruled by
authorities firmly oriented towards the country’s European integration.

Protest actions, which
have invoked social aspects such as poverty or the latest price hikes, have
been directed against these pro-European authorities for months now. However,
the aforementioned protest actions aren’t large-scale events, involving the
participation of a large number of people, but according to investigators,
those involved do not believe in the principles they sustain, but are actually paid.

The money they get is
suspected to have been provided by the party of the controversial pro-Russian
oligarch, Ilan Shor, who in 2017 got a 7 years-and-a-half prison sentence for
fraud and money-laundering and is allegedly hiding in Israel.

Several suchlike meetings
have been staged since last autumn, and the latest took place on Sunday, the
day when the authorities in Chisinau announced they had dismantled a network
coordinated from Moscow, whose aim was to destabilize the situation in the
Republic of Moldova. The network consisted of 10 groups of up to 10 people, who
were supposed to create chaos during the protest rallies held in Chisinau
during the weekend. The groups were coordinated by a representative of the
special services from the Russian Federation and got orders through people with
double citizenship, Russian and Moldovan. The head of the General Police
Commissioners’ Office in the Republic, Viorel Cernăuţeanu, presented several
video and audio recordings as well as fragments of correspondence in an attempt
to prove the involvement of Russian nationals in the process of destabilizing the
mass demonstrations in Chişinău. 25 suspects have been questioned and seven
detained. According to Cernăuţeanu, there is a direct connection between Moscow
coordinators, the Russian private military company Wagner and the
recently-dismantled network. Only a day before the Sunday’s protests, the
anti-corruption prosecutors in Chişinău announced that following the searches
conducted at the headquarters of Shor’s party, the equivalent in local currency
of 230 thousand euros have been sized, money for paying the protesters. The
searches have been conducted in several localities and at the houses of those suspected
of being involved in actions aimed at destabilizing the political situation in
the Republic of Moldova and instating of a pro-Russia government.

During the searches,
policemen have also discovered handcuffs, marijuana-based substances,
communication and data-storage devices.

Those under investigation
are men with ages between 23 and 50, who had previously served various court
sentences. Some of these have recently returned from Turkey, where, according
to the Moldovan secret services, were trained how to oppose the riot police and
use pyrotechnical materials and weapons during the protest rallies. The
aforementioned investigations have been carried out amid the latest allegations
from Washington that Moscow has been trying to destabilize the Republic of
Moldova with a view to instating a more Russian-friendly administration.

(bill)

13 March 2023
March 3, 2023 UPDATE

Visit — Next week the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis will pay an official visit to Japan and a state visit to the Republic of Singapore, the Presidential Administration announced on Friday. The Romanian official will visit Japan between March 6 and 8 and will have meetings with Emperor Naruhito, the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as well as with other officials. The main target and event of this visit is to raise the bilateral relationship to the level of Strategic Partnership, through the signing of the Joint Declaration by the Romanian President and the Japanese Prime Minister, a declaration establishing the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The Japanese state is the largest Asian investor in Romania. The state visit of the Romanian head of state to Singapore will take place between March 9 and 10, being the first visit to this country in the last 20 years by a president of Romania. Klaus Iohannis will have official talks with his counterpart Halimah Yacob and with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The main aim of this visit is to boost bilateral relations, especially in the economic and investments fields.

Mission — A detachment made up of approximately 100 soldiers and four F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the Romanian Air Force will participate in the enhanced air policing mission in the Baltic States, between April and July. According to National Defense Ministry, the main objective of the mission carried out in the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is to prevent the violation of allied airspace and to provide assistance to military and civilian aircraft in emergency situations emerged during the flight. The enhanced air policing mission in the Baltic countries under NATO command – Baltic Air Policing is carried out on the basis of a system of tasks rotation carried out by the allied countries since 2004.

Protests — In Iași, in eastern Romania, a series of protests by education trade unions started on Thursday, against the background of salary dissatisfaction of the employees. Similar picketing will take place, in the next period, throughout the country. The trade unionists protest against their low salaries, the lack of salary increments and the problems related to the payment of overtime. The Education Minister, Ligia Deca, says that the complaints concern the current legislation and promises that in the future law, that is being currently drafted, pays will be progressive, based on the average salary.

Canal — On March 15 Romania will start measurements on the Chilia arm and the Bystroe Canal, in order to clarify the contradictory information on the subject of their dredging by the Ukrainians. The working schedule will be established on Monday, and the action will last approximately 10 days. The announcement was made on Friday by the Romanian Transport Ministry, after a meeting between Romanian and Ukrainian experts, at which it was established that experts from Kyiv as well as third-party institutions will assist in the measurements. The Ukrainian side will ensure the security of the Romanian ships and personnel during these actions. The meeting was the first between specialists from the two countries, after Romania accused Ukraine of carrying out dredging works on the canal, a situation that could have an impact on the Danube Delta ecosystem.

Drugs — Drug trafficking will be punished in Romania with bigger penalties, according to a law adopted by Parliament and promulgated on Friday. The law provides for a prison sentence of 3 up to 10 years and the prohibition of certain rights for cultivating, producing, manufacturing, experimenting, transporting, buying or selling dangerous drugs. Until now, these acts were punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years. Also, the new regulations establish that, for the import or export of dangerous drugs, the punishment can reach 15 years in prison, and in the case of high-risk substances trafficking, such as cocaine, the punishment can reach up to 20 years. If the death of the victim occurs, the penalties applied can reach 25 years in prison. Over 10% of Romanians between the ages of 15 and 64 have consumed at least one type of illicit drug, and, according to the National Anti-Drug Agency, cannabis continues to be one of the most used prohibited substances, especially among students.

Working visit — The director of the Romanian Intelligence Service – SRI, Eduard Hellvig, was on a working visit to the USA, where he had meetings with Avril Haines, the director of the US National Intelligence Community and with William J. Burns, the CIA director. According to a SRI press release issued on Friday, the discussions focused on the regional and global security situation in the current context and the dynamics of the operational situation. They highlighted the importance of cooperation and the exchange of information between the SRI and the US intelligence, the results obtained and the ways to continue the strategic partnership in the analyzed fields. The SRI leadership and the heads of the US intelligence structures reconfirmed their firm commitments to continuing working together to prevent and to counter aggressions that threaten national and regional security, including aggressions with a global impact. (LS)

3 March 2023
February 8, 2023 UPDATE

EARTHQUAKE The massive earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday killed around
12,000 people, according to the latest reports. Two-thirds of the total
casualties are reported in Turkey. Tens of thousands of people were injured. In
spite of the freezing cold, rescuers are struggling to find survivors. President Tayyip Erdogan declared
disaster areas in the 10 provinces affected by the quakes, and introduced a
3-month state of emergency. Seventy countries have so far provided support in
the search and rescue operations. Romania joined the international aid efforts
and sent nearly 120 search and
rescue specialists, doctors and nurses, as well as search and rescue dogs.
Many Romanian nationals have contacted the Embassy in Ankara to report the situation there, but few of them
requested to be repatriated. Turkey is located in one of the world’s
main seismic areas. In 1999, an
earthquake occurring in Düzce, in the north of the country, killed over 17,000 people. As regards Syria, Romania is going to provide mostly humanitarian aid,
following that country’s request to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

PATRIOT Romania has received a second Patriot system, out of the total
four, that were contracted for the first stage of the country’s Air Force
equipping programme. According to the defence minister Angel Tilvar, the four
systems represent the first stage in achieving state-of-the-art ground-based
air defence capability, which can be fully integrated into the NATO system.
Patriot systems were first delivered to Romania in 2020, and 2023 is the year
when the first stage of the equipping programme is to be fully completed,
according to the Defence Ministry. The Patriot system is one of the most
advanced air protection systems of the US military arsenal. It is a mobile
system that usually includes a powerful radar, a control station, a power
generator, launch stations and support vehicles.

EU The European Council on Thursday will hold a summit in Brussels to
discuss the war in Ukraine, the EU economy and migration. A video-conference
chaired by the European Council President, Charles Michel, was held on Tuesday
and was also attended by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who said talks
focused on the support granted to Ukraine, consolidating the competitiveness of
the EU economy and implementing concrete measures of combating illegal
migration. Although Schengen enlargement is not officially on the agenda,
President Iohannis might approach it informally in the plenary or during
bilateral meetings with his counterparts.

MOTION The Chamber of
Deputies Wednesday dismissed the simple motion tabled by the opposition against
the interior minister Lucian Bode. The document signatories accuse Bode of plagiarism
and blame him for Romania’s failure to join the Schengen area. In Monday’s
debates on the motion, Lucian Bode argued that the opposition’s claims were
untrue and prompted by the forthcoming elections.This is the
second failed motion against minister Bode, after the one in October.

PROTESTS Members of the Sanitas Trade Union Federation Wednesday held
protest rallies in Bucharest, for the 3rd consecutive day, picketing
political party offices. Several hundred unionists from around the country
protested against the Salaries Law and the under-financing of healthcare
institutions and social assistance in Romania. The list of demands includes a
minimum 15% pay raise. The unionists warned that unless the authorities meet
their demands, further protests may be planned. (E.E., A.M.P.)

8 February 2023
January 8, 2023 UPDATE

School — School starts on Monday after the winter holidays, and the resumption of classes takes place in the context of a growing number of respiratory infections. Romania is in a state of moderate epidemic alert due to the flu, and the authorities decided that the directors of educational units should send recommendations to parents on how they can recognize the symptoms of such infections, in order to determine whether or not it is necessary to send their children to school. School inspectorates have the obligation to designate a person responsible for permanent communication with the public health departments and to inform the Education Ministry about any exceptional situation from an epidemiological point of view found in educational units. The school managements have the obligation to carry out the daily triage of pupils at the beginning of the first class, in each shift, to provide the necessary materials for the periodic disinfection of hands and surfaces and to periodically ventilate the rooms.

Timisoara – The first event within the “Timişoara – European Capital of Culture 2023” project is scheduled for Monday, when the vice-president of the Commission, Margaritis Schinas, will officially hand over this title in a ceremony at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. This year, Timisoara (western Romania) is one of the three European capitals of culture, along with the cities of Elefsina in Greece and Veszprém in Hungary. The official opening of the event will take place between February 17 and 19, and throughout the year no less than 50 shows, concerts, film premieres, exhibitions and other forms of cultural manifestation have already been included in the calendar of events. Participating are more than 2,500 artists from the country and abroad.

Handball – Romanias womens handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, defeated the Montenegrin team Buducnost on Sunday, at home, in group B of the Champions League and climbed to the third place. The score was 39 to 29. Rapid will play their next away game against Team Esbjerg from Denmark on January 15. On Saturday, Romanias vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, defeated the Czech team Banik Most away from home with the score 35-26, in a Group A match of the Champions League. With this success, Rapid Bucharest players have consolidated their position as the leader of the group. CSM will play the next match on January 14, at home, against the Danes from Odense Handbold.

WB — The World Bank is worried that new adverse shocks could push the global economy into recession this year, with small countries being particularly vulnerable, Bloomberg reports. The warning is included in the biannual Global Economic Prospects report, which is to be published on Tuesday. Even in the absence of another crisis, global economic growth this year is expected to slow down significantly, reflecting the tightening of the monetary policy to counter high inflation, the worsening financial conditions and the continued disruption caused by Russias invasion of Ukraine, the report shows. And the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, started the year 2023 by warning that the world would face a more difficult year than the previous one. One third of the world economy will be in recession because the US, the EU and China are slowing down simultaneously, the head of the IMF estimated.

Ukraine — New bombings took place in several parts of Ukraine, after the end of the 36-hour truce unilaterally decreed by Russia during the Christmas period. Ukrainian officials said at least one person was killed in the Kharkov region. Explosions were also reported in the southern cities of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopov. In the east, Russia continued to attack Ukrainian positions even during the truce, the BBC reports. President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that that is proof of how false Moscows words are and that peace will be restored only after the Russian forces are expelled from his country.

Protests – Approximately 10,000 Israelis participated, on Saturday evening, in Tel Aviv, in protests against the new right-wing government. Many Israelis accuse the administration led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of endangering democracy through the proposed legal reforms. These would allow a simple majority of MPs to cancel the decisions of the High Court, the correspondent of the public station in Israel reports. The NGOs promise an unprecedented resistance of the civil society against these plans that would protect people maintained in high positions, who were already condemned definitively. The Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, requested the regulation of judicial control and the addition of more political representatives to the commission that selects the judges of the Supreme Court.

Pensions – Mandatory private pension funds in Romania had assets worth over 95 billion lei (approximately 19 billion Euros) at the end of November last year, an increase of 11% compared to the level recorded at the same date in 2021, shows the Financial Supervisory Authority – ASF. Most investments made by these funds are Romanian assets, mostly government bonds or shares listed on the stock exchange. ASF data also show that almost eight million people are enrolled in private pension funds, pillar 2. As for the optional pension funds, they had assets worth 3.58 billion lei (approximately 700 million Euros), higher by 9% and almost 620 thousand participants. (LS)

8 January 2023