Radio România Internațional

Tag: referendums

  • September 29, 2022 UPDATE

    September 29, 2022 UPDATE

    ENERGY Romania will not be facing glitches in natural gas and
    electricity supplies, the state secretary with the Energy Ministry Dan Drăgan promised
    on Thursday. At the time, Romania has 80% of its natural gas storage facilities
    full, and hopefully the figure will be close to 90% in early November, he added.
    The official also called for solidarity between the authorities, producers and
    consumers, in line with the efforts made at EU level.


    PRICE CAPS Diesel and petrol prices will
    continue to be subsidised by roughly 10 eurocents until the end of the year, PM
    Nicolae Ciucă announced on Thursday. He said the measure has already produced
    visible results over the past 3 months, and fuel prices have been stabilised
    and even decreased. Moreover, the measure has yielded results throughout the
    supply chain, from providers to consumers. The PM added that on Saturday he
    would take part, alongside several other senior officials, including the
    president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, in the opening of
    the natural gas interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria, in Sofia.


    MONKEYPOX Romania is requesting support in managing a monkeypox
    outbreak. The National Committee for Emergency Situations Thursday decided to
    resort to the European civil protection mechanism for the medicines needed for
    approximately 150 patients. Romania has so far confirmed 40 cases, and in
    mid-September the country received from the European Commission 5,000 monkeypox
    vaccine doses, to be administered to those who get into contact with infected
    people.


    NATO NATO’s importance in countries’ national security has greatly
    increased in the eyes of the public from 14 European and North-American
    countries, according to a survey conducted by the German Marshall Fund made
    public on Thursday. The EU is also regarded as very important for the national
    security of countries in Europe. 78% of respondents said NATO is very important
    for their country’s security, as against only 67% last year. Respondents in
    countries near Russia and Ukraine place a particularly high value on NATO: 91%
    of Poles, 88% of Romanians and 87% of Lithuanians, the report says. Also, 81%
    of the European respondents said the EU is important for national security.


    UKRAINE Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is to sign on Friday the
    treaties on the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk,
    Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the Kremlin announced. The leaders of the 4 breakaway
    regions travelled to Moscow on Wednesday night for the ceremony, after the
    illegal referendums organised by Russia and described by both Kyiv and Western
    capitals as a sham. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is
    to hold an emergency meeting of top security and defence officials on Friday. The
    US announced plans, jointly with its allies and partners, to impose higher
    economic costs on Russia, while the European Commission proposed new sanctions. On the other hand, clashes continue to be reported in all the regions
    where the referendums were held, and several Ukrainian localities are being
    shelled. According to the Ukrainian defence ministry, the army focuses on
    regaining control over the entire Donetsk region. (AMP)

  • The Foreign Ministry cautions against Russia

    The Foreign Ministry cautions against Russia


    Russia is getting ready to annex the four regions in southern Ukraine – Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Lugansk and Donetsk – where fake referendums have been recently staged and whose residents have allegedly voted with an overwhelming majority in favour of being annexed by the Russian Federation.


    Russia, which has again resorted to its old rhetoric to justify its invasion of Ukraine, says that the inhabitants of these regions had no alternative as Kiyv would allegedly start reprisals against the Russian-speakers in those territories. “Welcome home, to Russia!” the former Russian president and incumbent vice-president of the countrys Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev has said.


    Kyiv and almost the entire international community have denounced the so-called referendums as film footages prove that the Russian army has been deployed to the regions to intimidate and influence the voting.


    Officials in Moscow have said that after these regions, which account for 15% of Ukraines territory, have been annexed, Russia could use even nuclear weapons to defend them; a Pandora box, which once opened would be very difficult, if not impossible to close! Romania has again firmly condemned the illegal and illegitimate referendums held over September 23 and 27 saying it doesnt recognize their results.


    The Foreign Ministry in Romania says that these simulated referendums are a blatant violation of international law and in consequence they do not produce any kind of legal effect. The Romanian ministry also says that by staging the aforementioned referendums, Russia proves once again that it violates the fundamental principles of international law acting against the responsibilities it has a permanent member of the UN Security Council.


    Bucharest has reiterated its firm support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and makes an appeal to all countries to reject Russias attempts to illegally annex the territories of another state or any type of similar actions.


    Concurrently, against the background of the latest developments in Russia, including the partial mobilization announced by president Putin, Romanias Foreign Ministry has insistently reiterated its recommendation to Romanians to avoid any unessential trips to Russia, advising those who are still there to consider leaving the country as soon as possible.


    The ministry has also recommended the Romanian citizens in Russia to be vigilant and avoid crowded places, such as protest rallies and other events involving mass gatherings.


    In the meantime, the war Russia is waging on Ukraine seems to have entered a new stage, a more dangerous one, if we take into account the latest explosions at the natural gas pipelines Nord Stream in the Baltic Sea, which the Europeans have described as deliberate.


    (bill)


  • September 28, 2022

    September 28, 2022

    ECONOMY The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has
    upgraded its estimates on Romania’s economic performance in 2022 and 2023, but warns that a significant slow-down is expected next year,
    according to a report made public on Wednesday. According to the new forecasts,
    Romania’s economy is expected to grow by 5.4% this year and 1.9% next year, a
    significant improvement from the 2.9% for 2022 and negative 1.1% for 2023,
    estimated in May. EBRD is a major institutional investor in Romania, running
    nearly 500 projects with a combined budget of close to EUR 10 billion.


    TRADE Trade
    exchanges between Romania and the US reached USD 5.4 billion last year, as
    against USD 2.4 billion in 2011, according to a report released by the American
    Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Romania, AmCham, as part of the U.S. -
    Romania Economic Forum on Wednesday. Direct and indirect US investment in
    Romania went up from USD 6.5 billion in 2019, to USD 7.5 billion in 2020. The
    US is Romania’s 5th-largest trade partner, accounting for 6.8% of the country’s
    international trade, and the largest outside the EU. The biggest US investments
    in Romania by turnover are in manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare. As
    many as 900 companies in Romania are running on US capital, ranking 3rd after
    Hungary and the Czech Republic.


    PLAGIARISM The University of
    Bucharest says the plagiarism accusations against the education minister Sorin
    Cîmpeanu must be analysed thoroughly, outside any type of pressure, by the
    relevant bodies in the university in question and other public institutions. The
    University condemns any measure that breaches academic ethics and integrity. In
    turn, the National School of Political and Administrative Studies condemns all
    forms of plagiarism and highlights that the education minister’s decision to
    dismantle the National Council Attesting
    University Titles, Diplomas and Certificates is not constructive and does not
    contribute to a true reform of the education sector. On the other hand, USR and Force of the Right MPs, in
    opposition in Romania, have tabled a simple motion entitled Romania
    educated to steal. Sorin Cîmpeanu is a disgrace for education. Plagiarism
    allegations against the education minister have been circulated in the media. Cîmpeanu
    denied the allegations and argued that they are a move to undermine the
    education laws.


    JUDICIARY A special parliamentary committee on the justice laws today
    carries on talks on the draft statute regulating the judge and prosecutor
    professions. On Tuesday, the committee accepted some amendments brought by the
    National Liberal Party (in power) and the Higher Council of Magistrates, but
    dismissed all the amendments tabled by the opposition. USR and AUR parties
    requested changes in judge and prosecutor secondment and delegation procedures,
    and in the procedures for dismissing magistrates. The bill is next to be
    reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies. This is the 3rd act in the
    justice law package to be discussed by the committee, after the ones concerning
    the Higher Council of Magistrates and the organisation of courts, which have
    already been endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate is the
    decision-making parliamentary body in this respect.


    UKRAINE Ukraine’s foreign ministry Wednesday called for a substantial
    increase of Western military support, one day after the so-called referendums
    regarding the annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions by Russia. The ballots have
    been criticised by a large part of the international community, France Presse
    reports. Kyiv also urged all countries and international organisations to
    condemn Kremlin’s illegal actions in the territories occupied in Ukraine. The
    pro-Russian authorities in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk,
    Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Tuesday announced the votes were in favour of the
    annexation by Russia. In the next stage, Russia’s parliament is to vote on a
    document making the integration of the 4 regions in the Russian Federation
    official. The EU announced it would
    never recognise the results of the referendums. (A.M.P.)

  • 27.09.2022

    27.09.2022

    Débats – Poursuite des débats aujourd’hui au parlement de Bucarest en marge de la loi du statut des juges et des procureurs. La commission parlementaire spéciale débat depuis plusieurs jours déjà du dernier projet figurant dans le paquet des nouvelles lois de la Justice élaboré par le gouvernement roumain. Les sénateurs et députés de la Commission parlementaire spéciale ont débattu lundi par articles le dernier projet de la loi du statut des juges et des procureurs et en ont adopté quelque 180 articles sur ses 294. La majorité des articles ont été adoptées par les élus nationaux dans la forme avancée par l’exécutif. Egalement lundi, la commission a adopté le rapport au projet de loi sur l’organisation judiciaire, document qui sera débattu aujourd’hui par le plénum de la Chambre des Députés, en tant que première chambre saisie.

    Tokyo – Le premier ministre roumain, Nicolae Ciuca et le président de la Chambre des Députés de Bucarest, Marcel Ciolacu sont au Japon pour participer aux funérailles d’Etat de l’ex premier ministre nippon Shinzo Abé qui a contribué d’une manière décisive aux démarches nécessaires à la transformation des relations bilatérales en partenariat stratégique. Rappelons-le, Shinzo Abe a été tué le 8 juillet par un ancien officier avec une arme artisanale durant un discours de campagne électorale. Ce lundi, le premier ministre Nicolae Ciucă s’est entretenu avec son homologue japonais Fumio Kishida, l’occasion pour le responsable roumain d’affirmer que le passage des relations entre la Roumanie et le Japon au niveau du Partenariat stratégique était un acte politique opportun dans l’actuel contexte international, et une concrétisation de la vision remarquable de Shinzo Abe dans la sphère de la politique étrangère. Autre point important à l’agenda de la visite de la délégation roumaine : la sécurité et la défense, soit un des 4 piliers du futur Partenariat stratégique. Les discussions entre les deux premiers ministres ont également visé la coopération économique, vu que le Japon est le plus grand investisseur asiatique en Roumanie.

    Ukraine – Aujourd’hui c’est le dernier jour pour les référendums visant l’annexion à la Fédération de Russie des territoires ukrainiens occupés par les forces de Moscou. Déroulés depuis vendredi dans les régions séparatistes de Donetsk et Lougansk, dans l’est de l’Ukraine et dans celles envahies dès ce printemps à Kherson et Zaporojie dans le sud, ces simulacres de consultations populaires ont déjà été dénoncés par l’Ukraine et par ses alliés occidentaux. Le G7 qui réunit les sept démocraties le plus riches au monde a averti qu’il ne reconnaitra jamais les résultats des plébiscites alors que Washington a promis une réponse rapide et sévère par des sanctions économiques supplémentaires à ces annexions qui suivent le modèle de celle de la péninsule ukrainienne de Crimée en mars 2014. La Chine communiste, un partenaire proche de la Russie n’a pas dénoncé le scrutin, mais elle a appelé au respect de « l’intégrité territoriale de tous les pays ». Les autorités installées par l’armée russe ont annoncé que les « résultats provisoires » des référendums devraient être annoncés mardi dans la soirée ou bien dans les jours à venir. Le parlement russe devra ensuite voter un texte qui rend officielle l’intégration des quatre régions ukrainiennes à la Russie.

    Moldova – La présidente de la République de Moldova, Maia Sandu, une responsable aux visions pro-occidentales, a averti que les autorités de Chisinau pourraient révoquer la nationalité des personnes qui choisissent de partir pour combattre aux côtés de la Russie en Ukraine voisine, après avoir été appelés aux armes parce qu’ils détiennent également la nationalité russe. Environ 200 000 personnes ayant la double nationalité de la République de Moldova et de la Fédération de Russie vivent dans la région séparatiste pro-Moscou de Transnistrie (à l’est) et, selon la présidente Maia Sandu, il y a un risque que certaines d’entre elles soient mobilisées par les Russes. Elle a ajouté qu’elle envisageait également de durcir les peines pour les citoyens moldaves sans passeport russe qui figurent parmi les rangs des forces armées de l’agresseur sur le front en Ukraine. La Transnistrie est sortie de facto du contrôle des autorités centrales en 1992, après un conflit armé qui a fait des centaines de morts et s’est terminé par l’intervention des troupes russes aux côtés des rebelles. Dirigée, à l’époque, par le président Boris Eltsine, la Russie s’est engagée depuis le sommet de l’OSCE à Istanbul en 1999 à en retirer ses troupes et ses arsenaux, ce qui ne s’est toujours pas passé.

    Anticorruption – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a déclaré, ce mardi lors du 20e anniversaire de la Direction nationale anticorruption que le travail des procureurs anticorruption devrait être doublé par une législation claire, cohérente, censée garantir l’indépendance de la Justice et créer les mécanismes nécessaires au bon fonctionnement des parquets. Le chef de l’Etat a également affirmé que la réforme des lois de la Justice devrait être achevée conformément aux recommandations des organismes européens. Klaus Iohannis a souligné qu’avec chaque pas réalisé dans la lutte contre la corruption à tous les niveaux, la Roumanie est plus proche de la fin du Mécanisme de coopération et de vérification, de l’adhésion à l’espace Schengen et à l’Organisation pour la coopération et développement économique. « Une société où la corruption est sanctionnée donne aux citoyens de la confiance dans l’Etat et transmet aux investisseurs et aux partenaires extérieurs qu’il existe la prédictibilité et la stabilité », a conclu le chef de l’Etat.

    Foot – La sélection nationale de foot de Roumanie a battu lundi dans la soirée à Bucarest la Bosnie sur le score de 4 buts à 1 dans le 3e groupe de la Ligue B de la Ligue des Nations, mais elle a toutefois reculée au troisième échelon de valeur de la compétition. Avec deux victoires seulement et une égalité à l’issue de six matchs, les Roumains ont terminé cette étape derniers de leur groupe, après la Bosnie, le Monténégro et la Finlande. Le sélectionneur Edward Iordănescu a annoncé son intention de consulter la direction de la Fédération roumaine de foot sur une éventuelle démission. La Roumanie, qui a déjà raté la qualification à la Coupe du Monde de cette année, au Qatar, devrait participer ensuite aux préliminaires de l’Euro 2024 en Allemagne.

    Météo – La météo est plutôt instable en Roumanie. Le ciel est couvert sur l’ouest notamment et par endroits sur le reste du territoire. On attend des précipitations abondantes par endroits, qui pourraient dépasser les 35 l / m². Les maxima de mardi iront de 17 à 28 degrés. 18 degrés à Bucarest.

  • September 27, 2022

    September 27, 2022

    Justice – Debates continue today in Romania’s Parliament on the articles of the law on the status of judges and prosecutors. The special parliamentary committee has already been discussing for several days the last bill from the package of new justice laws drafted by the Government. On Monday the senators and deputies from the special parliamentary committee continued the article-by-article debate of the draft law on the status of judges and prosecutors and managed to adopt approximately 180 articles out of the 294 of the law. Most of the articles passed in the form submitted by the executive. Also on Monday, the report on the draft law on judicial organization was adopted by the parliamentary committee, a document that today enters the plenary debate of the Chamber of Deputies, as the first body notified.



    Tokyo – The Romanian Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, are in Japan, where they participate, today, in the state funeral organized in honor of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had a decisive contribution to the launch of the actions meant to take the relations between the two countries at the level of a strategic partnership. The participation of 4,300 people, including 700 from abroad, was announced for the ceremony. Among them are approximately fifty leaders or former leaders of foreign countries, including the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel. Shinzo Abe was killed, on July 8, by a former officer, with a homemade gun, during a campaign speech. On Monday, Nicolae Ciuca met with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, with whom he discussed the security and defense component, one of the four cooperation pillars of the future Strategic Partnership, and also economic cooperation, given that Japan is the largest Asian investor in Romania. The Japanese Prime Minister assured his Romanian counterpart of his full support for the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership and the consolidation of bilateral cooperation, including at external level, in the regional and international context that requires the protection of democracy and the rule of law.



    Referendum — The so-called referendums on the annexation to the Russian Federation of the Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscows troops are ending today. Held as of Friday in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, in the east, and in those invaded since spring, Kherson and Zaporozhe, in the south, the alleged people’s consultations were denounced as a “simulacrum” by Ukraine and its Western allies. The so-called G7 group, gathering the worlds seven richest democracies, has warned that it will “never recognize” the results of the referendums, while Washington has vowed a “swift and severe” response, through further economic sanctions, to these annexations, which follow the model of the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in March 2014. Communist China, a close partner of Moscow, did not denounce the referendums, but demanded respect for the “territorial integrity of all countries”. The so-called local authorities, instated by the invading Russian army, announced that the “provisional results” of the referendums should be announced on Tuesday evening or in the coming days. The Russian Parliament will then have to vote on a text formalizing the integration of the four Ukrainian regions into Russia.



    Corruption – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Tuesday, upon the anniversary of 20 years of existence of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, that the work of anti-corruption prosecutors must be doubled by a clear, coherent legislation that guarantees the independence of the judiciary and creates the necessary mechanisms for the good functioning of the prosecutors’ offices. The president also said that the reform of the justice laws must be completed in accordance with the recommendations of European bodies. Klaus Iohannis emphasized that, with each step taken in the fight against corruption at all levels, Romania is closer to concluding the MCV, joining the Schengen area and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “A society in which corruption is sanctioned gives citizens confidence in the state and tells investors and external partners that there is predictability and stability” President Iohannis concluded.



    Football – Romanias national football team defeated, on Monday evening, in Bucharest, Bosnias national team, score 4-1, in Group 3 of League B of the Nations League, but was relegated to the third echelon. With only two victories and a draw in six games, the Romanians are on last position in the group, being outrun by Bosnia, Montenegro and Finland. Selector Edward Iordănescu announced that he was going to discuss with the management of the specialized federation if he left or remained coach of the representative team. For Romania, which also missed qualification to this years World Cup in Qatar, the next competition will be the Euro 2024 preliminaries, hosted by Germany. (LS)

  • 24.09.2022 (mise à jour)

    24.09.2022 (mise à jour)

    Iohannis – Le président roumain Klaus Iohannis a rencontré vendredi des entrepreneurs roumains du Silicon Valley aux Etats Unis. Il a évoqué le projet de la Roumanie éduquée affirmant que « sans une jeunesse bien éduquée et bien préparée pour le marché de l’emploi, pour l’enseignement, pour la recherche, la Roumanie n’a aucune chance ». « Pour rester au sommet, il faut être de plus en plus performants, or pour cela il fait être de plus en plus préparés, mais le but de l’éducation est l’intégration sur le marché de l’emploi ». La veille, il a rencontré des membres de la communauté roumaine de la Côte ouest, contexte dans lequel il a affirmé que la Roumanie se retrouvait dans une situation compliquée à cause de la guerre en Ukraine voisine, mais que le pays et l’économie allaient bon train. Il a souligné que les Roumains établis aux Etats Unis, dont le nombre est estimé à quelque 450 000, constituaient un pont particulièrement important entre les deux Etats. La communauté roumaine des Etats Unis est la 5e au monde après celles d’Italie, d’Espagne, du Royaume Uni et d’Allemagne. Rappelons-le, le président Iohannis a mené la semaine dernière la délégation de Roumanie qui a participé à l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU.


    Seoul – C’est dans le cadre d’une visite officielle effectuée au Corée du Sud que le ministre roumain de la défense, Vasile Dîncu s’est entretenu vendredi avec le ministre de l’administration du programme d’achats pour la défense, EOM Dong-hwan et avec le président de la Commission pour la défense nationale, LEE Hunseung. Dans le cadre de leurs pourparlers, les responsables des deux pays ont souligné l’intérêt réciproque de développer la coopération dans le domaine de l’industrie de défense. Le ministre roumain de la Défense a invité les entreprises coréennes de l’industrie de défense de participer aux appels d’offres des prochains programmes de dotation de l’armée roumaine. Rappelons que la Pologne vient de signer avec la Corée du sud un contrat d’armement portant sur l’achat de mille chars, 800 obusiers et 50 avions de combat.

    Ukraine – Quatre régions occupées du sud et de l’est de l’Ukraine organisent des soi disant référendums pour l’adhésion à la Russie. Suite à l’annexion de ces régions, la Russie pourrait prétendre que son territoire national est attaqué par les armes occidentales fournies à l’Ukraine. L’ONU a averti que toute annexion de territoires résultant de l’utilisation de la force était une transgression du droit international. Selon des informations sur le terrain, des soldats armés font du porte à porte pour recueillir les réponses des habitants, parfois exprimés verbalement. La Russie affirme que de système était utilisé pour des raisons sécuritaires mais la présence des soldats armées contredit les affirmations de Moscou selon laquelle le processus électoral serait libre et correct. Entre temps, les forces russes auraient bombardé massivement les régions avoisinantes, surtout dans le sud à Nikolaev et à Odessa, selon l’envoyé spécial de la radio publique roumaine en Ukraine.

    Statistiques – La Roumanie comptait l’année dernière 5,1 millions de salariés et le revenu mensuel net était d’un peu plus de 3 400 lei soit près der 700 euros, en hausse de 6,2% par rapport à 2020, selon les chiffres rendus publics par l’Institut national des statistiques. Par rapport à la moyenne nationale les salaires ont progressé surtout dans les secteurs de la communication, des assurances, de l’administration publique et de la production énergétique. En échange, les secteurs avec des salaires en dessous de la moyenne sont l’hôtellerie et la restauration, l’immobilier, l’agriculture, le commerce et la culture. Les habitants des grandes villes sont toujours ceux qui touchent les salaires les plus élevés.

    Avirons – Les sportifs roumains Marius Cozmiuc et Sergiu Bejan ont remporté l’or de l’épreuve de deux de double samedi aux Championnats du monde d’aviron de Racice en République Tchèque. Ils sont été suivis par les sportifs d’Espagne et du Royaume Uni. Les équipages de quatre de double féminin et masculin ont terminé en 4e position. Vendredi, la roumaine Ionela Cozmiuc a remporté l’or dans le cadre de la même compétition.

    Foot – La sélection nationale de foot de Roumanie a terminé à égalité contre la Finlande sur le score de 1 partout vendredi dans la soirée sur le stade olympique d’Helsinki, dans le 3 e groupe de la Ligue B de la Ligue des nations. La sélection de Roumanie est toujours dernière dans son groupe et risque de rétrograder au 3e échelon de la compétition. Dans l’autre match du groupe, la Bosnie a battu le Monténégro sur 1 but à 0 et s’est assuré ainsi l’accès à la Ligue A. Les 26 septembre sont prévus les derniers matchs : Roumanie – Bosnie et Monténégro – Finlande.

    Météo – Les températures sont à la hausse sur la majorité des régions du pays et pourraient frôles les 26 degrés. Des pluies sont possibles sur l’ouest et le nord-ouest. 25 degrés à Bucarest.

  • September 23, 2022 UPDATE

    September 23, 2022 UPDATE

    NRRP. The Romanian
    Government has announced that it has covered two other milestones in the field
    of education, as provided for in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan
    (NRRP). Through an emergency ordinance adopted on Friday, measures were introduced
    to increase children’s access to early education. It is also allowed to use
    European funds for the conclusion of partnerships between universities and
    companies that want to get involved in the organization of dual higher
    education. The government wants a student who is a graduate of dual
    pre-university education to continue the same type of studies at the university
    level. The companies that will get involved will benefit from fiscal
    facilities. At the same time, the normative act allows so-called community
    kindergartens to be established in localities where there are not enough
    nurseries and kindergartens, which will function as structures of educational
    units.










    Mandate. Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has handed over the
    presidency of the Community of Democracies to the Foreign Minister of Canada,
    Melanie Joly during a ceremony held in New York on the sidelines of the UN
    General Assembly. Aurescu presented the highlights of the three-year mandate of
    the Romanian presidency adding that during these three years, democracies,
    human and international rights faced a lot of challenges, such as the Covid-19
    pandemic and the unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. According to
    him, under the Romanian presidency and with his support, on February 24th,
    a group of member states endorsed a declaration voicing their support for the
    democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its
    internationally-recognized borders. At the same time the signatory countries firmly
    condemned the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine and unequivocally
    voiced their support for the Ukrainian people in its democratic
    aspirations.






    Ukraine. Ukrainian president
    Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Russians to resist the partial military mobilization
    announced by president Putin. According to Zelensky, 55 thousand Russian troops
    have been killed in this war. Want more? No? Then protest, fight back, run
    away or surrender to the Ukrainian army, Zelensky says in a video message in
    Russian language. He has accused the Russian citizens of being accessories to
    the crimes their troops are committing against the Ukrainians. Clashes between
    the two armies have carried on both in the south and eastern Ukraine. In
    another development, until Tuesday, four regions in southern and eastern
    Ukraine, under Moscow’s total or partial control, are to vote in a referendum on
    joining Russia. The polls, hastily organized
    after being announced this week, have been widely condemned in the west as
    illegitimate.










    Visit. Romanian president
    Klaus Iohannis has met with members of the Romanian community on the West Coast
    of the US and told them that Romania is in a complicated situation created by
    the war in neighboring Ukraine, but the country is doing well and the economy has
    been growing. According to Iohannis, Romania has received nearly 2 million and
    a half refugees from that country and has eased Ukraine’s grain exports. 60%
    of Ukraine’s grain exports have so far been done via Romania and we are making
    efforts to increase this quantity, Iohannis said. The president has also
    stated that the almost 450 thousand Romanians who are living in the USA have
    built an extraordinarily important bridge between the two countries. The
    community of Romanians in the USA is the fifth largest after those in Italy,
    Britain and Germany. We recall that on Tuesday and Wednesday Iohannis headed
    the Romanian delegation attending the UN General Assembly.








    Japan. The head of the
    Romanian government, Nicolae Ciucă, will visit Tokyo next week, to participate
    in the state funeral organized in honor of former Japanese Prime Minister
    Shinzo Abe. Japan is one of Romania’s main partners in Asia, both politically
    and economically, and there are all the prerequisites to transform this long
    bilateral relationship, of over a century, into a privileged relationship at
    the level of strategic partnership . We want this to happen as soon as possible,
    Nicolae Ciucă has stated. He will be received by his Japanese counterpart,
    Fumio Kishida, and will have meetings with the delegation of the Japan-Romania
    Parliamentary Friendship League and with the president of the House of
    Representatives in the Japanese Diet, Hosoda Hiroyuki. The Head of the Romanian
    Executive will also have bilateral meetings with officials from other countries
    who came to Tokyo on the occasion of the funeral, including the Prime Minister
    of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of South
    Korea, Han Duck-soo.










    South Korea. The Romanian Minister of Defense, Vasile Dîncu, who is on a formal visit to
    South Korea, has had a meeting with his counterpart Lee Jong-Sup. A letter of
    intent has been signed establishing the milestones for concluding a framework
    cooperation agreement in the field of defense. Another topic addressed was the
    international security situation, with an emphasis on the challenges in the
    Black Sea region, and Asia-Pacific. The two officials have also discussed the
    status and perspectives of strengthening cooperation within international
    organizations, a framework ensured by the status of the Republic of Korea as a
    global partner of the North Atlantic Alliance. (MI)





  • Separatist tendencies in Europe

    Separatist tendencies in Europe

    The results of the referendums staged in northern Italy on Sunday leave no room for optimism. Initiated last year with the Brexit referendum, and continued this fall with the Catalan secessionist fever, centrifugal tendencies have been affecting Europe’s unity.



    Also, Scotland seems to be rather attracted by the idea of separating from London. In Belgium, the Flemish majority is being less attached to the French-speaking regions of Wallonia and Brussels. Also, out of the 12 million Italians invited to go to the polls, over 60% cast their ballots in Veneto and over 32% in Lombardia. Over 90% of them opted for increased autonomy of the two provinces.



    The vote in Italy is strictly consultative and, according to the Radio Romania correspondent in Rome, was held in keeping with the law. However, its result might lead to negotiations with the Italian government, in an attempt to get better financial deals. In the analysts’ opinion, northern Italy cannot keep to itself more of the money it produces because it risks affecting the poorer regions in the south. And this is exactly what the referendum’s initiators, the Northern League Party, want. Seen as an extremist party, the Northern League has been arguing, for more than twenty years, that the people of Milan, Turin and Genoa, who are efficient and rich, must also provide for the people of Naples and Sicily, who are poor and lazy.



    Sociologists refer to this fracture within societies that are ethnically homogenous as “welfare chauvinism”. Doubled by the ego of a special identity, welfare chauvinism is also felt in Catalonia, the most prosperous and also heavily indebted region of Spain. Over 40% of the country’s exports of electronics and cars are produced in Catalonia, which also contributes 12 of the country’s 60 million euros revenues from tourism every year. Catalonia, however, would have to pay its public debt of 44 billion euros had it be left without Madrid’s guarantee.



    Moreover, analysts say, a hypothetically independent Catalonia would be forced out of the Eurozone, given that it does not even have a central bank of its own. The region would also be excluded from the EU and its citizens would need passports to travel to Madrid or Paris. On behalf of Romania, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu reiterated the country’s firm support for Spain’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any unilateral declaration of independence, irrespective of how it is presented, would lack legal grounds so it could not have legal effects, Melescanu has also said. Moreover, no EU member state has the intention to recognize an independent Catalonia, while Brussels sees it as Spain’s domestic policy problem.

  • 12.05.2014

    12.05.2014

    Réunion – Le président de lOSCE, Didier Burkhalter et les ministres européens des Affaires étrangères ont plaidé lundi pour le dialogue, et insisté sur limportance de lélection du 25 mai en Ukraine, au lendemain des référendums dindépendance “illégaux” dans lest du pays. Les chefs des diplomaties de l’UE participent à Bruxelles à une réunion consacrée à la situation en Ukraine. La Roumanie y est représentée par le ministre des affaires étrangères, Titus Corlatean.



    Visite — En visite en Israël, le ministre roumain délégué aux Roumains de l’étranger, Bogdan Stanoevici, s’est entretenu à Jérusalem avec le ministre de l’immigration et de l’intégration, Sofa Landver, des projets destinés aux immigrants en Israël. L’occasion d’examiner les moyens censés faciliter leur intégration, tout en gardant leur identité, et d’évoquer le début des échanges éducationnels entre les universités de Roumanie et d’Israël. Le ministre roumain a également rencontré Natan Sharansky, le président de l’Agence juive pour la diaspora. Les deux ont réitéré le besoin de renforcer les relations entre les deux pays dans différents domaines, dont notamment social. A Tel Aviv, Bogdan Stanoevici a aussi eu des entretiens avec les représentants de l’organisation des Juifs originaires de Roumanie la plus ancienne et la plus importante d’Israël. Les représentants des 30 filiales ont fait connaître au responsable roumain les problèmes auxquels sont confrontés notamment les survivants de l’Holocauste. Près de 400 mille Juifs originaires de Roumanie et leurs descendants vivent actuellement en Israël.



    Protestations – Les employés de la Poste roumaine vont déclencher mardi une grève japonaise pour dénoncer les conditions de travail et la manière dont la compagnie d’Etat est gérée à présent. L’action fait partie d’un calendrier de protestations qui a débuté la semaine dernière. Dimanche, 4 mille employés de la poste ont protesté devant le siège du gouvernement de Bucarest. Les responsables syndicaux ont fait savoir que les protestations continueraient dans les jours qui viennent. La direction de la Poste roumaine, une compagnie dont la privatisation a échoué l’année dernière, affirme que le marché de la correspondance classique connaît une baisse continue, la réduction du nombre d’employés s’avérant de ce fait nécessaire. La compagnie a une dette de 200 millions de lei, environ 45 millions d’euros.



    Statistiques — En Roumanie, en avril, les prix à la consommation ont augmenté de 0,27% par rapport au mois précédent et de 1,21% par rapport au mois d’avril 2013, selon les données publiées lundi par l’Institut National des statistiques. Sur les 4 premiers mois de l’année, le taux d’inflation moyen mensuel a été de 0,4% contre 0,5% durant la période similaire de l’année 2013. La Banque Nationale de Roumanie s’attend à une baisse de l’inflation de 3,5 à 3,3% à la fin 2014.