Radio România Internațional

Tag: refugee crisis

  • March 5, 2016 UPDATE

    March 5, 2016 UPDATE

    REFUGEE CRISIS— Hungary is ready to erect a fence on the border with Romania, if migrants switch to that route, György Bakondi, the main counsellor of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said on Saturday. If the government in Budapest decides to erect the anti-migrant fence, construction works will start on the Hungarian-Romanian-Serbian triple border, along the necessary segment of that 450 km long border, Bakondi also said. In another move, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has said the first signs of a consensus likely to be reached among the EU member states have become visible and he expressed confidence that, once the divergences overcome, the process of solving the prolonged migration crisis, which has spanned a year, can start. Donald Tusk shared these ideas in an invitation letter to the EU and Turkish leaders, to attend the Summit scheduled for March 7. Romania will be represented at the EU-Turkey Summit by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos.



    MIGRATION– The EU Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, has come up with a roadmap to restore normalcy, by the end of November, to the Schengen area, in the formula without controls on the internal borders. Currently, seven member states, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Sweden, have reintroduced national border checkouts, because of massive migration. Apart from them, Norway, which is not a EU member state but it is a Schengen member has introduced the same measure. According to Eurostat, over 1.2 million foreigners, mostly Syrian, Afghani and Iraqi nationals requested asylum, last year, in the European Union, which registered a record high of such requests. The limitation of free movement of goods and people in the Schengen area might cost the EU economy over one billion Euro in a 10 year period, according to the data released by the European Commission.



    MUSIC– Romania’s representative in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden will be chosen by the public, by televoting on Sunday, after the 6 finalists were designated on Friday. In accordance with the number of accumulated points, the winners of the first stage of the national competition are Ovidiu Anton, Dream Walkers, Florena and Mihai Traistariu. The duo made up of Doru Todorut and Irina Baiant, as well as Vanotek featuring The Code & Georgian have been saved by the Romanian public by televoting and have made it to the next stage of the competition. Romania will participate in the second semi-final of the song contest in Stockholm, scheduled for May 12. The final is due two days later. The best results obtained by Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest, were registered in 2005 by Luminita Anghel and the band Sistem, who ranked third in the competition, and in 2010, by Paula Seling and Ovidiu Cernauseanu who also ranked third.



    TENNIS — Romania has outperformed Slovenia in the first round of the 2016 Davis Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group I, played in the western Romanian city of Arad. The decisive point, taking the score to 3-0, was brought by the pair Horia Tecau- Florin Mergea who defeated the pair Tomislav Ternar- Aljaz Radinski 6-3, 7-6, 7-6. On Friday, in the singles, Marius Copil defeated Blaz Rola in three sets, and Adrian Ungur outperformed Grega Zemlja in five sets. The last singles matches are scheduled for Sunday: Adrian Ungur – Blaz Rola and Marius Copil – Grega Zemlja, respectively. Romania’s next opponent is Spain.


    REFUGEE CRISIS— Hungary is ready to erect a fence on the border with Romania, if migrants switch to that route, György Bakondi, the main counsellor of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said on Saturday. If the government in Budapest decides to erect the anti-migrant fence, construction works will start on the Hungarian-Romanian-Serbian triple border, along the necessary segment of that 450 km long border, Bakondi also said. In another move, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has said the first signs of a consensus likely to be reached among the EU member states have become visible and he expressed confidence that, once the divergences overcome, the process of solving the prolonged migration crisis, which has spanned a year, can start. Donald Tusk shared these ideas in an invitation letter to the EU and Turkish leaders, to attend the Summit scheduled for March 7. Romania will be represented at the EU-Turkey Summit by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos.



    MIGRATION– The EU Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, has come up with a roadmap to restore normalcy, by the end of November, to the Schengen area, in the formula without controls on the internal borders. Currently, seven member states, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Sweden, have reintroduced national border checkouts, because of massive migration. Apart from them, Norway, which is not a EU member state but it is a Schengen member has introduced the same measure. According to Eurostat, over 1.2 million foreigners, mostly Syrian, Afghani and Iraqi nationals requested asylum, last year, in the European Union, which registered a record high of such requests. The limitation of free movement of goods and people in the Schengen area might cost the EU economy over one billion Euro in a 10 year period, according to the data released by the European Commission.



    MUSIC– Romania’s representative in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden will be chosen by the public, by televoting on Sunday, after the 6 finalists were designated on Friday. In accordance with the number of accumulated points, the winners of the first stage of the national competition are Ovidiu Anton, Dream Walkers, Florena and Mihai Traistariu. The duo made up of Doru Todorut and Irina Baiant, as well as Vanotek featuring The Code & Georgian have been saved by the Romanian public by televoting and have made it to the next stage of the competition. Romania will participate in the second semi-final of the song contest in Stockholm, scheduled for May 12. The final is due two days later. The best results obtained by Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest, were registered in 2005 by Luminita Anghel and the band Sistem, who ranked third in the competition, and in 2010, by Paula Seling and Ovidiu Cernauseanu who also ranked third.



    TENNIS — Romania has outperformed Slovenia in the first round of the 2016 Davis Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group I, played in the western Romanian city of Arad. The decisive point, taking the score to 3-0, was brought by the pair Horia Tecau- Florin Mergea who defeated the pair Tomislav Ternar- Aljaz Radinski 6-3, 7-6, 7-6. On Friday, in the singles, Marius Copil defeated Blaz Rola in three sets, and Adrian Ungur outperformed Grega Zemlja in five sets. The last singles matches are scheduled for Sunday: Adrian Ungur – Blaz Rola and Marius Copil – Grega Zemlja, respectively. Romania’s next opponent is Spain.

  • March 5, 2016

    March 5, 2016

    REFUGEE CRISIS– The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has said the first signs of a consensus likely to be reached among the EU member states have become visible and he expressed confidence that, once the divergences overcome, the process of solving the migration crisis, a prolonged crisis that has spanned a year, can start. Donald Tusk shared these ideas in letter to the EU and Turkish leaders, respectively, inviting them to attend the Summit scheduled for March 7. In preparation for the summit, the President of the European Council took a tour of Vienna, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Skopje, Athens, Ankara and Belgrade, capital cities which are placed on the route followed by the refugees willing to enter Europe, heading mainly for Germany. Donald Tusk has said that Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has agreed that the influx of refugees can be reduced by rapidly returning, from Greece to Turkey, all migrants who do not need international protection. The EU will also provide funds to Greece to manage the migrants situation and to rapidly relocate them to other European states. Romania will be represented at the EU-Turkey summit by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos.



    MIGRATION– The EU Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, has come up with a roadmap to restore normalcy, by the end of November, to the Shengen area, in the formula without controls on the internal borders. Currently, seven member states, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Sweden, have reintroduced national border checkouts, because of massive migration. Apart from them, Norway, which is not a EU member state but it is a Schengen member has introduced the same measure. According to Eurostat, over 1.2 million foreigners, mostly Syrians, Afghanis and Iraqis requested asylum, last year, in the European Union, which registered a record high of such requests. The limitation of free movement of goods and people in the Schengen area might cost the EU economy over one billion Euro in a 10 year period, according to the data released by the European Commission.



    BRATISLAVA – Slovak voters are called to the polls today, to vote in the parliamentary elections. A new government will result after the elections in Slovakia, which will take over the EU rotating presidency in July. The Social-Democrats of the incumbent anti-immigration Prime Minister, Robert Fico, are front-runners, but according to polls they will not get a comfortable majority, after corruption scandals and recent protests by the teaching and medical staff. Fico has ended his campaign underlining how many new jobs he has created and how he will fight to protect those jobs from the migrants threatening Europe. The fear of migrants brings votes to the Nationalist Slovak Party, too, which is not represented in Parliament, but which became the main candidate for a ruling coalition with the Social-Democrats. On the right side of the political scene, the Siet Party, launched in June 2014, is credited with high chances of securing a second place, far behind the Social-Democrats.



    MUSIC– Romanias representative in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden will be chosen by the public, by televoting on Sunday, after the 6 finalists were designated on Friday. In accordance with the number of accumulated points, the winners of the first stage of the national competition are Ovidiu Anton, Dream Walkers, Florena and Mihai Trăistariu. The duo made up of Doru Todoruţ and Irina Baianţ as well as Vanotek featuring The Code & Georgian have been saved by the Romanian public by televoting and have made it to the next stage of the competition. Romania will participate in the second semi-final of the song contest in Stockholm, scheduled for May 12. The final is due two days later. The best results obtained by Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest, were registered in 2005 by Luminita Anghel and the band Sistem, who ranked third in the competition, and in 2010, by Paula Seling and Ovidiu Cernauseanu who also ranked third.



    TENNIS –Romania is playing Slovenia in the western Romanian city of Arad at the weekend, in the first round of the 2016 Davis Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group I. In a double tennis match today, Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea of Romania will be facing Tomislav Ternar and Aljaz Radinski. On Friday, in the singles, Marius Copil defeated Blaz Rola in three sets, and Adrian Ungur outperformed Grega Zemlja, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-4. The last singles matches are scheduled for Sunday, between Adrian Ungur – Blaz Rola and Marius Copil – Grega Zemlja, respectively.


    (Translated by Diana Vijeu)

  • The first Syrian refugees received in Romania

    The first Syrian refugees received in Romania

    15 refugees coming from Syria and Yemen, two countries ravaged by war, where the Islamic State terrorist group is very active, arrived at the Galati-based Regional Centre in southeastern Romania on Thursday. They are the first of a total of over 6,000 refugees that Bucharest has pledged to take in as outlined by the distribution quotas from EU for the continuing refugee crisis.



    The centre provides accommodation and special procedures to asylum seekers and was set up as early as 2004. It already provides shelter to people coming from such countries as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Algeria. The 15 refugees have been accommodated in the same centre. They have requested political asylum in a European country, and with their consent, have been sent to Romania. Before reaching Galati, the refugees spent several months in Greece while Greek and Romanian states exchanged information to identify the persons who required international protection. Bucharest accepted Athens’ proposals only after specific analyses and security checks had been made.



    According to the General Inspectorate for Immigrations, the group of Galati-bound refugees includes 10 young people and a family – parents and three minor children, one of them a 7-month-old baby. Until a decision is made to grant or refuse asylum in the next 30 days, the refugees will reside in the centre and receive medical, psychological, legal and material assistance, as well as support from NGOs active in the fields of asylum and integration. If the refugees receive a stay permit, they will be allowed to move freely across Romania. Like all European countries, public opinion in Romania is divided over the issue of hosting refugees. Some locals in Galati are disgruntled over their arrival:



    “How much does the state have to pay for a migrant a month? Approximately 1,000 lei, which exceeds the national minimum wage. So, is it ok? It is not.”



    “Life is difficult for us as it is, and now we’re supposed to accommodate others? I come to your home, sit at your table, one day, maybe the next day too. Then, I bring along my wife, too. You are willing to put me up for the week, but you can’t do that the next week.”



    “Everyone should keep their people close by. Our people go abroad and we have to take in migrants? This doesn’t sound right to me.”



    In the meantime, 115 refugees from Italy and 120 from Greece will come to Romania while the EU remains divided on the issue, members are sustaining political efforts to manage the migrant crisis, which could turn into a humanitarian disaster. With the EU-Turkey Summit scheduled for March 7, Romania’s next move will fall on Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos as the representative. Bucharest will stand for tightening security on the EU’s external borders, for boosting cooperation and solidarity with European leaders to find a solution for the influx of migrants.


    (Translated by D. Vijeu)


  • March 2, 2016

    March 2, 2016

    IMF – An IMF mission is in Bucharest as of today, for an annual assessment of the Romanian economy. Until March 15, the mission, headed by the new IMF chief for Romania, Reza Baqir, will have meetings with central authorities, political parties, trade unions, the business community, the academia and the banking system. The so-called “Article IV consultation is a compulsory surveillance procedure for all member states. After looking at each national economy, the IMF experts make general recommendations with respect to the monetary, financial and economic policies to be implemented in order to ensure stability and positive economic trends. At present Romania does not have an on-going loan agreement with the IMF.



    Corruption probe – Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors Wednesday ordered the prosecution of the former deputy PM Gabriel Oprea for abuse of office. According to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, in July 2015, then Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea and two former chiefs of the directorate for intelligence and domestic protection, also indicted in this case, caused the public budget to lose nearly 92,000 euros. They approved the purchase of a luxury automobile for the protection of high-ranking public officials from the budget of the Interior Ministry, although under the law the Ministry may only purchase vehicles used in the investigation of corruption-related crimes. Gabriel Oprea has also been prosecuted for two other abuse of office offences, in a case file concerning his use of a motorcade. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate initiated the investigation in October 2015, after the death of a police officer in the motorcade that accompanied Oprea.



    EU Funds – European Commissioner Corina Creţu is presenting in Bucharest today a project focusing on under-developed regions, which is related to the management of European funds. According to Eurostat, several regions in Romania are among the poorest in the EU. The poorest in the country is the North-East region, with a GDP per capita reaching only 34% of the EU average and which is the fifth poorest in the EU, says the European statistics office. The main factors generating poverty are the absence of jobs and low investment. Other poor regions in Romania are the South-West region (Oltenia), South-Muntenia and North-West. Although affected by poverty, Romania risks losing European funds, because it failed to meet the conditions agreed on with the European Commission. According to data made public by the Ministry for European Funds, Romania is the last in Europe in terms of spending EU funds.



    Bacterial Infection – Romanian authorities temporarily closed down a unit of the dairy plant in Arges, southern Romania, which produced the cheese with E. Coli bacteria that some of the babies taken to hospital for digestive infection had eaten. Factory managers say all their products are made in compliance with health and hygiene regulations and do not understand how the bacteria was found in the cheese. Meanwhile, inspectors carry on the investigations, given that another 11 children were admitted to hospitals in the county over the past few hours. Several babies are still under treatment at the Marie Curie hospital in Bucharest. According to the latest data, 45 children are currently receiving in-hospital care for digestive disorders. Three babies diagnosed with haemolytic-uremic syndrome died last month.



    Refugee Crisis – The EU is to announce today a financial support plan for the member states facing massive migrant inflows. According to AFP, some of the money is to go to Greece, which has requested 500 million euros to prevent a possible humanitarian disaster caused by the large number of migrants. On the other hand, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, called for solidarity with Greece. The true test of the European community, Tusk said, is, on the one hand, the rebuilding of the passport-free Schengen area, and on the other hand the promptness with which we help Greece at this very difficult time.



    US Primaries – The Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton strengthened their position in their respective parties after the primaries held on Tuesday in 12 American states. On the so-called Super Tuesday, Trump won seven states, whereas his main challenger, Ted Cruz, won a major state, Texas, where he is also a senator, and Oklahoma. On the other hand, Clinton won seven states, too, and her opponent Bernie Sanders came out first in Oklahoma and also in his home state of Vermont. According to France Presse, after “Super Tuesday, Trump and Clinton are closer to winning their parties nomination for the presidential election due later this year.

  • February 8, 2016 UPDATE

    February 8, 2016 UPDATE

    The Romanian Foreign Ministry firmly condemned North Korea’s launch of a long-range ballistic missile on 7 February, and called on the authorities in that country to comply with international norms. Romanian diplomacy also called on the North Korean government to refrain from action that ‘could destabilize security in the Korean Peninsula and in the world’. This comes after the UN Security Council condemned the launch. In a unanimous statement, the Council promised to fast track a new resolution introducing new sanctions against Pyongyang in answer to Sunday’s launch, as well as the nuclear test on 6 January.




    Turkey and Germany agreed on Monday on a set of measures to tackle the Syrian refugee crisis. A joint diplomatic initiative aimed at halting attacks against Syrias largest city is one of them. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was in the Turkish capital for talks with Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu on how to reduce the wave of refugees who come to Europe, said that the two countries would be trying to get NATOs involvement in the refugee issue. According to PM Davutoglu, Turkey and Germany will seek the use of the Alliance’s observation capabilities at the border with Syria and in the Aegean Sea. Turkey is pressured to open its border to over 30,000 Syrians who have massed along the frontier in the past few days. Turkey agreed in November to fight smuggling networks and help curb irregular migration while the EU has pledged 3 billion euros to Turkey to help this country cope with the large number of refugees.




    Staging fair local and parliamentary elections is one of the Government’s priorities and will be carried out based on the laws in force, said Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Monday, at a debate on election laws. Ciolos asked the political parties who want to return to the two round election system in the local elections this year not to blame the Government for refusing to change the legislation through an emergency ordinance, but to do it themselves in Parliament, on their own responsibility. Ciolos also pointed out that parliamentary parties have divergent opinions on this matter. The PM also talked about the legislative elections and about guaranteeing the right of citizens living abroad to vote. Ciolos said that the Government was working on secondary legislation in this respect, to be adopted in the upcoming period. We recall that, in the presidential elections of 2014, thousands of Romanians were unable to exercise their civic rights due to defective organization.





    NATO defense ministers will meet on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels to review the main challenges in defense policy for the allies. Romania is represented by its defense minister, Mihnea Motoc. The meeting comes after the announcement made by NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg on the US request for NATO assistance in the fight against the so-called Islamic State. Stoltenberg also emphasized his concern regarding Russian air strikes in Syria, saying they undermine efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict. The ministerial meeting this week will also discuss the situation of military missions in Afghanistan, the conflict in Libya, as well as the next NATO summit, to take place in Warsaw.




    12 military of the Romanian Guard and Protection Service will take part in a one-year mission in Lybia, under the United Nations’ umbrella, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has announced in a letter sent to the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The Romanian military will have the task to protect a number of UN officials in Lybia. The UN will cover the costs of this mission.




    Romania’s tennis team was defeated by the Czech Republic 2-3 in the Romanian city of Cluj in the first round of the Fed Cup World Group, after the pair Karolina Pliskova (13th seeded) / Barbora Strycova (41st seeded) won 6-2, 6-3, against the pair Andreea Mitu (96th seeded) / Raluca Olaru (45th seeded). In the first two games on Saturday, Simona Halep, ranked third in the world, was defeated by Karolina Pliskova (6-7, 6-4, 6-2), while Monica Niculescu, ranked 37th, disposed of Petra Kvitova (6-3, 6-4). On Sunday, Halep defeated Kvitova, ranked 37th (6-4, 3-6, 6-3), while Pliskova defeated Niculescu (6-2, 4-6, 6-3). The Czech Republic, the current trophy holder, has won four titles in the last five Fed Cups, and qualified to the semi-finals, where they face Switzerland. After the defeat, Romania will play in April in an attempt to stay in the World Group.




    (Translated by Elena Enache)



  • LISTENERS’ DAY November 1, 2015

    LISTENERS’ DAY November 1, 2015


    Hans Verner Lollike, Denmark


    “Last year we made holiday in the city of Weimar in Germany. As we always do, we did also visit the churches, that is open to guests and tourists. In one of the churches a rather old lady was one of the volunteers, that looked after the church. As we got to talk, she told us that she was born in Kaliningrad (Königsberg), and her mother fled with the children, they ended up in Copenhagen, Denmark, as 100,000 other Germans in the last days of the war. She told us, that her mother died in the refugee camp, lying in a mass grave in Copenhagen. We did feel bad, because we know, that the German refugees after WWII in Denmark were not treated with love, kept isolated and alive. Most of them did not have any part in the horror regime of Hitler. After WWII there was a terrible refugee situation on top of a smashed infrastructure in most of Europe. Have we forgot? In 1992 the civil war broke out in Yugoslavia, most severe in Bosnia. To Denmark came 17,000 refugees in few months. Close to where we lived, 4 centers were opened. We decided that we could not be friends with all of them, but we would try to find one family. We went to an open door arrangement and got some contacts, that ended up with the Lutfiu-family — Kosovo-Albanians — fleeing Serbian oppression. We are just a family to family friendship — visiting one another, helping out as friends do, participating in joys and sorrows. We are still very close friends after 23 years — and this year they invited us to Kosovo — to see their homeland. We did that in August! Now we know them a little bit better! Again Europe is flooded with refugees! I think we all are going to do our best! — so that all who are threatened on their life, can have a future here, but we can’t have all the poor people coming from all over the world, because they are poor! And how is it? Did the Thracians come once from Asia? Didn’t the Scandinavians come with the other German tribes from Asia — once back in history?”




    John Cooper, PA, USA


    “I have very strong mixed feelings about the refugee crisis/ migration into Europe and the USA. In todays world we tend to be told we absolutely have to be Politically Correct and not hurt others’ feelings. Im told that I must accept people, issues and norms that Im uncomfortable with. This is wrong and infringes on my rights.


    A little background would help you understand. I was born and raised in a family where my father was in the military for 30 years. I was born in England as my father married an English citizen, my mother. My dad was stationed in France in the 1950s. I attended Kindergarten in France in 1957, and went through grades 3-6 in Germany, when my dad was stationed in Wurzburg. I was taught German at the American Elementary School in Wurzburg, as a mandatory subject.


    I went into the military in 1971 and had three assignments to Germany. In late 1976 I was stationed in Wiesbaden, and 1979-1982 in Nuremberg, with my last tour being in 1983-1985 at Neu Ulm, the (former) Federal Republic of Germany. Unfortunately the Cold War was still going on, the two Germanies were separate and the Iron Curtain was still up.


    Unlike many of my fellow American GIs I felt comfortable travelling, shopping, and living in Germany, and Europe. When I was allowed I always lived off the base I was assigned to. I found the people in Europe to be some of the finest human beings I ever met, and I made many friends because I tried to use the language, and I got involved in activities and customs of the host country I was stationed in.


    I saw in Germany first hand how the Turkish Arbeitwerkers and some other immigrants did not assimilate into German society as it was said they were expected to. They basically stayed in their own communities, learned very little German and continued to practice their form of Islam.

    I practice my own religion but it does not control all my thoughts or actions everyday. It seems that Islam does not allow some freedoms we take for granted in the ‘Free World!’ Nor does it allow for you to accept different belief systems as I have been taught to do. If someone burns or desecrates a Bible in front of me I would not harm them or call for their death. Sure I would be mad but thats as far as it would go.


    The refugees coming into Europe need to assimilate into European Society fully which means accepting the norms, culture, lifestyles and customs of where they live and strive to integrate into the host country which is paramount towards success. This will not happen with Islamic refugees. It also seems to me like people who are so much in fear of their life sure seem to be choosy on where they want to live instead of being happy in any country they are safe in.


    Normally this process happens starting with the second and third generation of children from the original parents who immigrated. Europe and any country who allows these people into their countries are setting themselves up for untold problems in the future.


    I would like to finish by saying I enjoy listening to RRI and its fantastic English language programming. Listening makes me want to travel to Romania and sample the places I have learned about. Thank you for your programs.”




    Ferhat Bezazel, Skikda, Algeria


    “I think the refugee crisis, that Europe is facing, is not a new or a modern phenomenon, because immigration from Africa to Europe, via Italy and Spain, is an old phenomenon. However, I think, first of all, of the complexity of the problem and the numerous questions it raises. In my opinion, the most important one is why such people decided to leave their homeland to go to live in a foreign country. The reasons are many and complicated, with insecurity and poverty being among the main reasons. I would like to share with you my own story with the boats of death. In October 2007, I decided to go illegally in a small boat of only ten meters, together with some friends of mine, in an effort to reach the Italian coast. At that time, I foolishly decided to face the waves of the Mediterranean Sea, because all doors of hope seemed closed to my eyes. I am young, I have no work, nor money to live with, and the future is black in my country, Algeria. Furthermore, I live in a small village where terrorist attacks were taking place on a daily basis and people died every week. So, I was living in an atmosphere of fear and poverty. That’s why I took the risk to go to Europe, in search of work. At that time, my own safety and security were not an important question for me. I never thought I might die at sea, as my only dream was to reach the Italian coasts by all means. The journey was like hell: we spent more than 15 hours without food or water at high sea. In the end, we were rescued by an Algerian commercial ship. It was like a nightmare, but I wanted so much to go to Italy, as a refugee. Now I live in Algeria, but nothing has changed. I live in poverty and it is hard to lead a decent life. Right now, I am 35 years old, but I can’t get married and I can’t have a house. I think the refugee crisis in Europe will never end, because theres no democracy, nor chances of leading a decent life in the most countries in Africa or the Middle East. In an effort to find a possible solution, maybe Europe should help the African countries create a stable economy and equal chances to work in the poor countries of the region. In the end, I would like to say that refugees are humans, too, and the European countries should treat them as humans in need.”




    David Clarke, St Helen Island


    ”It brings tears to our eyes when watching the TV and see the plight of the refuges, poor souls, especially the little children and infants. It is hard to believe that this is really happening in the outside world. It is quite apparent that this is a tremendous strain on the resources of the countries involved. We live on this island of 47 square miles, in the middle of nowhere, as they say, where there is peace and tranquillity. If this happened here, we would have insurmountable problems because we are grant-aided by Britain (…), although the island is steeped in history. Weeks ago, on October 15th 2015, the island celebrated the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Napoleon”.




    Mitul Kansal, Haryana, India


    ”The Syrian conflict has devastated the nation, more than 24,000 people have been killed, including 12,000 children. One million others have been wounded or left disabled. Nearly 12 million Syrians, half of them children, have been forced by fighters to leave their homes. At least 7.6 million have been displaced within Syria. And more than 4 million have fled as refugees in neighbouring countries. Children affected by the Syrian conflict are at risk of becoming ill, malnourished, abused or exploited. Millions have been forced to quit schools. Refugees are fleeing to the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and further away, to Germany, Serbia, Hungary, Turkey etc. (…) The refugees need food, clothing, health assistance, shelter, basic household and hygiene items. They need a reliable supply of clean water as well as sanitation facilities. As the winter is coming, they also need warm clothing, heaters etc. Children need a safe protective environment and a chance to go to school. Adults need employment options in case of long-term displacement.(…)It’s difficult for parents to afford books, uniforms, tuition fees for their children. In response to the wave of migration towards Europe, I think, today there is a great need of selfless persons who can provide a helping hand to them and create an atmosphere of hope for refugees. We may have different religions, we may have different languages, we may have different skin color and we may belong to different regions, but one thing is definite and true, we are all belonging to the same human race.”




    Khalil Abdel Kader, Algeria


    “The refugee crisis now facing Europe is not new, it started several decades ago, when young people from African and Middle Eastern countries left for Western Europe in search of a better life. But the conflicts in these regions, especially the war in Syria, have boosted the migration phenomenon, turning it from individual migration, as it was several decades ago, into collective migration, through which people are trying to escape the consequences of war, poverty and death. However, I believe that the fact that some refugees were happy to be well received in some European countries led to an increase in the migration flows to these countries, the refugees preferring these states to the neighbouring Arab states where the living standard is lower than in Europe. I think that choosing the west and the north of Europe is not beneficial for most refugees, because Europe is itself facing an economic crisis. Furthermore, the western way of living, which is totally different from that in their countries of origin, makes their social integration very difficult. It is true that, for humanitarian reasons, it is necessary to accept the challenges emerged against the backdrop of the refugee crisis, but we also have to think of the future. Maybe the European Union should negotiate solutions for the refugees with some countries outside Europe, especially with the Arab states that have a better economic situation, like Algeria and the Gulf countries, in the sense of hosting certain quotas of refugees. Although I am convinced that, irrespective of the country they come from, the refugees want to settle in Europe. I wish wars would end and the situation in the refugees’ home countries would improve, so that the phenomenon of collective migration should subside and people should be able to have a better life in their own countries.”



    Simon Rudd, Manchester, UK


    “I have a special feeling for migrants as I’ve never really felt at home in my resident country. If one is to be prepared to travel so as to improve one’s life and to be prepared to contribute to another culture and people, then one should be given the opportunity. As for mine own countrys policy of limited immigration, the UK has limited resources especially within our policy of cutbacks and efforts towards economic surplus”.




    Shahzad Shabbir, Chichawatni, Pakistan


    “The Syrian civil war has created more than four million refugees. What’s holding back sympathy for the Syrians? They’ve been barrel-bombed in Aleppo by their own regime, they’ve been tortured, kidnapped and massacred by miscellaneous Jihadists and opposition militias. They’ve been in refugee camps for years, waiting for (…) the international community to come to their aid. Now, when they take to the roads, to the boats and to the trains, all our political leaders can think of is…. fences, barbed wire and more police. But this is the real challenge: is German society ready and willing for such a fundamental upheaval, one that will touch on all aspects of peoples lives? It is important to know that the experiment cannot be terminated, even if it fails. That means, decisions are being made today that will have repercussions for generations. And even those who do not regulate what is happening, like the Germans at the moment, are still taking decisions nonetheless. It is time to take control again.”




    Madhav Garg, Ambala City, India


    “I am a new listener to RRI’s programs and I am very happy to learn that RRI is hosting a forum for its listeners on the subject of the ‘refugee crisis.’ Due to the Syrian conflict, millions of Syrian people have been forced to leave Syria, where thousands of children have been killed. Thousands fled the country and headed for Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Serbia, Hungry, Germany or Iraq, for example. They are living in camps and those who don’t pay high rents for accommodation and others. They have no income sources. The future of their children is very dark. They cannot go to school. So jobs should be created for them, and they should be provided with basic need facilities. We are human beings, and it is our moral duty to provide a helping hand, to heal their wounds”.

  • Handling the Refugee Crisis in Europe

    Handling the Refugee Crisis in Europe

    Over 700,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year. Of these, some 560,000, mostly Syrian, have transited Greece, while 140,000 took the route of Italy.



    And things are not looking up. European Council president Donald Tusk has warned that a new wave of refugees might arrive in Europe, fleeing the Syrian regions raided by the Russian military over the last few weeks. Donald Tusk has called on EU Member States to work closer together to handle the crisis. As a sign of their concern, the French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel tackled the migration issue during their bilateral meeting on Tuesday in Paris.



    In turn, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has promised increased support and closer cooperation with the countries affected by this phenomenon. At the same time, Iohannis says Romania would get involved more in FRONTEX actions. After attending an emergency summit on migration in the Western Balkans on Sunday in Brussels, the Romanian president said the EU would increase the accommodation capacity of Greece and other countries hosting large number of refugees. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will sustain the increase while the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism will support the overrun accommodation capacities of affected states.




    Klaus Iohannis: “Romania is neither a transit country, nor a destination country for these refugees. I took part in the meeting because the organizers thought it proper for Romania to be represented, given its proximity to the areas reporting large migration flows. I have suggested an increased support for Greece, better cooperation with Turkey as well as with states in the Western Balkans receiving large numbers of refugees.”



    On Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis met with Prime Minister Victor Ponta to address, among other things, Romania’s standpoint on the refugee crisis and the stage of preparations for taking in refugees. Romania agreed to host over 4,000 people. Meanwhile, men, women and children continue their journey through the Western Balkans on their way to Western or Northern Europe. Countries such as Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria are experiencing difficulties securing the safe passage of refugees. Unless swift and effective action is taken, the migration crisis might cause a political earthquake at European level, European Council president Donald Tusk has warned.

  • High-level European Decisions

    High-level European Decisions

    The European Union continues to search for solutions to manage the refugee crisis, the worst since the end of World War II. On Thursday, at the end of a meeting of member state leaders in Brussels, the European Commission announced it reached an agreement on a joint action plan with Syria’s neighbour, Turkey, currently the gateway into Europe for hundreds of thousands of refugees.



    In short, Ankara agreed to receive more migrants, to give them better education and employment prospects, to strengthen its border monitoring and, together with Europe, to fight human trafficking networks. On the other hand, the European Union undertook to provide financial support to Turkey, which asks for 3 billion euros, an amount still subject to negotiation.



    Ankara has long been seeking EU membership, and although it has been a candidate country since 1999, it stands slim chances to get in, because of the open reluctance of member states like France and Germany. With only 14 out of the 35 negotiation chapters opened so far, and only one closed, the negotiation process appears to be stuck. But now Turkey has an opportunity to prove its solidarity not only with neighbouring Syria, more than 2 million of whose citizens are currently on Turkish territory, but also with the Europeans, who promise in exchange to speed up negotiations on a simplified visa procedure for the Turkish citizens who want to travel to Europe.



    Meanwhile in Brussels, the EU member states agreed to work together to strengthen external borders and the mission of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union, Frontex, which will also be permitted to send back illegal migrants. Ever since the start of the refugee crisis, many EU politicians have been talking about the need to reform the European free movement area.



    For Romania, not being part of the Schengen area yet has been an advantage, as president Klaus Iohannis himself put it. But this does not mean, according to him, that joining Schengen is no longer a priority for the country. The same opinion, Iohannis says, is shared by the head of the European Parliament, Martin Schultz, who said, during the talks that the two officials had in Brussels on Thursday, that Schengen is worth keeping and that Romania belongs in the free movement area. As regards the migration issue, the president of Romania and the EP official agreed that a comprehensive, rather than a segmented approach, is needed, and that in order to tackle the issue at its source, Europe must work together with the countries that the refugees are fleeing.

  • Romania, a Negotiator in the Middle East

    Romania, a Negotiator in the Middle East

    The refugee crisis and the developments in Syria rank high on the agenda of the European Council autumn session, taking place on Thursday and Friday in Brussels. The leaders of the 28 EU Member States, including Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, are looking for new solutions to handle the wave of migrants coming in from the Middle East and Northern Africa.



    Before heading off to Brussels, the president referred to the migration phenomenon, which generated many tensions within the EU. Klaus Iohannis said Romania was solidary with the other EU states and wanted to remain part of the solution. The important thing however, the president argues, is to identify the source of these refugees, and it is pretty obvious the main source is Syria, as the ongoing conflict there has prompted many people to flee.



    Klaus Iohannis: “The conflict in Syria is the cause of a huge number of refugees, both in other countries in the Middle East and in the European Union. The solution is obvious: ensuring peace in Syria. For that, all stakeholders must join forces. The fact that, in recent months, Russia has made military interventions in Syria does not help find a way out, and instead, we believe, it only makes matters worse. The only viable solution right now is to negotiate. All parties involved must sit at the negotiations table, and only then will a solution be at hand.



    The fact that Romanias embassy in Damascus is still operational might turn Romania in a mediator for peace in the region, the President believes. His view seems to be shared by the US Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute, who says Bucharest might contribute to finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis. In turn, Petru Filip, the chairman of the Senates Foreign Policy Committee, also referred to Romanias role in the Middle East, during his official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.



    Petru Filip: “We are trying to preserve this role of political mediator, so to say, that Romania has had in the area for years. I believe this is a benefit for Romania and for Romanias policy in the Middle East. I dont only mean Israels relations with the Palestinian Authority, but also to the other states in the region. We are trying to be politically active in the area, and at least let the others know that our diplomatic missions are willing to mediate peace and stability in the area.



    Petru Filip also reiterated Romanias intention to support the peacekeeping efforts in the Middle East together with its international partners.

  • Europe and the Syrian conflict

    Europe and the Syrian conflict

    Although making no concrete announcements or taking no strong decisions,
    German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on
    Wednesday appeared before the EU Parliament together. For many their joint
    address recalled the historic appearance of their predecessors Helmut Kohl and
    Francois Mitterand 26 years ago, who gave a momentous speech on the end of the
    Cold War. The difficult times back then are mirrored in the present-day growing
    social unrest generated by the refugee crisis, the worst since the end of the
    Second World War, Angela Merkel pointed out. Europe is constantly being
    challenged.




    Already shaken by the financial crisis, Europe is now facing a new
    humanitarian crisis caused by the massive flows of migrants fleeing countries
    in the Middle East and Northern Africa. And the problems don’t stop here. The
    very purpose of the Schengen free-travel area is being called into question.
    The possibility of closing down Schengen space, along with breaking up the Euro
    could be the end of the European project.




    EU Member States, however, tend to prefer solidarity to individual
    action. Any attempt of saving yourself, or evading or warding off challenges by
    yourself is an illusion, French president Fracois Hollande said in turn. He
    believes the radical discourse of extremist groups is gaining more ground every
    day and that nationalist attacks on Europe are tantamount to ‘total war’. Given
    all these threats, only if it acts united, on the strength of its shared
    values, will Europe be able to deal effectively with the refugee crisis,
    Hollande went on to say.




    Migrants must be treated as human beings, not as an anonymous mass. Many
    of them wish to become part of European societies, which must preserve their
    rules, while migrants must abide by them, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also
    pointed out. The German official once again called for a fair distribution of
    migrants among all Member States.




    Romania agreed to host over 4,000 refugees. US ambassador to NATO
    Douglas Lute even suggested that Romania might contribute to finding a
    political solution to the Syrian crisis, given that it still has a functioning
    embassy in Damascus. So far, Europe cannot seem to grasp the extent of the
    tragic conflicts in the Middle East and Northern Africa, which will have
    consequences, president Hollande said. Unless it takes appropriate action,
    Europe will have to cope with these consequences.

  • LISTENERS’ DAY 2015 on RRI

    LISTENERS’ DAY 2015 on RRI


    Dear friends, on Sunday, November 1st 2015, RRI celebrates Listeners’ Day. As usual, we invite you to be an active part of our special program airing on that day. The topic of this year’s edition is refugees. We have all followed the news about the refugee crisis, and have seen that hundreds of thousands of people risk their lives leaving their native countries in search of a better life in Europe. This wave of refugees has become a big challenge for Europe, for European values, the labor market, economic growth, and the process of integration into society. However, no one can ignore that each refugee has his or her own personal story, which sometimes is very sad.



    Therefore Listeners’ Day on RRI invites you to share your opinion on the refugee issue, and to tell us stories you know about refugees. We are sure that many of you know such stories, since the refugee crisis affects the whole world.



    We are looking forward to receiving your pre-recorded or written contributions, which you can send by e-mail or by Facebook and any of the other social networks on which RRI has a profile. Our address is RRI, 60-64 General Berthelot street, sector 1 Bucharest, PO BOX 111, postal code 010165, e-mail: engl@rri.ro.

  • September 28, 2015

    September 28, 2015

    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, who is on an official visit to the US, has talks in Washington today with Vice-president Joe Biden. The two will discuss the strategic partnership between Romania and the US, the fight against terrorism and the refugee crisis facing Europe. On Sunday, at the UN Summit focusing on a new sustainable development programme for the next 15 years, Iohannis announced that Romania would revise its national strategy on sustainable development, which will focus on supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities, of the youth and of women. Also yesterday, Klaus Iohannis gave a speech on gender equality, in which he pleaded for non-discrimination and said Romania would remain fully committed to protecting and promoting womens rights. Last night President Iohannis visited New Yorks Ground Zero, dedicated to the victims of the 2001 attacks in which 2 Romanians were also killed.




    The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, discussed in New York with the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland, particularly about the Romanian-American strategic partnership. According to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry, the two officials also analysed the bilateral cooperation in the field of energy security, with an emphasis on the need to diversify energy sources and transport routes. As for the political-military and security fields, the parties agreed that Romania and the US should work closely together for the preparation of the NATO Summit due in Warsaw in 2016.



    Large groups of immigrants Sunday continued to cross the border between Croatia and Hungary, where they were taken over by Hungarian police and taken to the registration centres in the west of the country. From there they crossed into Austria. On Saturday, the Hungarian police registered nearly 9,500 illegal immigrants, most of them at the Hungarian-Croatian border. The UN warns that the current migrant inflow to Europe will not recede, particularly considering that living standards are worsening in Iraq as well. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that some 8,000 people get into Europe every day. In turn, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, said Europe is expecting growing numbers of refugees to come from Lebanon.



    The Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice postponed to November 23 the appeal in a case in which Liviu Dragnea, the interim president of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition, is being tried for frauds in the 2012 referendum on the impeachment of president Traian Băsescu. In the court of first instance, Dragnea received a one-year imprisonment suspended sentence, for having misused his influence and position in the party in order to secure the minimum number of voters for the validation of the vote. Liviu Dragnea is also the main candidate for the presidency of the party after PM Victor Ponta, who faces corruption charges, has stepped down. The election is scheduled for October 11. Ponta was sent to court for corruption offences committed while he worked as a lawyer. His Cabinet is subject to a no-confidence motion tabled by the Liberals in Opposition on grounds that the Prime Ministers legal problems may severely affect the credibility of the country.



    A separatist alliance that promised the independence of Catalonia in north-eastern Spain won Sundays regional elections in Spain. With 99% of the ballots counted, the pro-independence coalition Junts pel Si (“Together for Yes) secured 62 seats in the regional parliament, whereas a far-left separatist party won another 10 seats. With a combined 72 seats, separatist parties have the majority in Parliament, France Presse notes. Around 77% of the 5.5 million Catalan voters took part in the polls. Spains PM Mariano Rajoy announced that the Government will never allow Catalonia to break away. EU politicians have warned that an independent Catalonia will not be a part of either the European Union or the Eurozone.



    Romanias womens table tennis team has qualified today in the finals of the European Championships in Ekaterinburg (Russia), after defeating Ukraine in the semi-final, 3-1. In the final, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Romanias team will take on the winner in the match between Germany and Russia, which is played later today. Romania has so far won three continental titles, in 1992, 2002 and 2005.




    Romanias national rugby team was defeated by Ireland, 44-10, on Sunday night on Wembley in London, in a match in the World Cups Pool D. This was Romanias second loss in the current World Cup, after 11-38 against France. Sundays game between Ireland and Romania brought a new world record attendance to a World Cup match, with 89,267 people attending. Romania is to play next against Italy and Canada.

  • The Week in Review: September 21-25

    The Week in Review: September 21-25

    EU leaders meet in Brussels to address the refugee crisis



    The refugee crisis, the worst since the end of the Second World War, was top on the agenda of the emergency meetings of the Justice and Home Affairs Council and of the heads of state and government held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels. EU Interior Ministers adopted by a large majority the European Commissions plan to relocate 120,000 immigrants to the 28 Member States. Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic voted against, while Finland abstained. Poland voted in favour, although it had previously expressed its disagreement with the mandatory quotas. Under the new plan, Romania must take in an additional 2,475 refugees, on top of the original set target of 1,785 which Romania committed to accommodate under the voluntary quota scheme agreed by the European Council in June. This week the leaders of EU states, including president Klaus Iohannis, agreed to disburse an additional 1 billion euros to the UN agencies supporting the refugees in Syrias neighbour countries – Turkey, Jordan and the Lebanon.



    Klaus Iohannis: “It is obvious that if we want to manage the migration phenomenon effectively we must first go to its root causes, that is the crisis areas, such as Syria, and do our best to put an end to the conflict and restore peace to those areas.



    The president went on to say that Romania would earmark 300,000 euros to refugees fleeing conflict areas in the coming three years under the World Food Programme. EU leaders also decided, among other things to consolidate the Unions external border, which they see as a priority for all Member States. Another decision taken by the European leaders is that the so-called hotspots, the EU-run reception centres in frontline member states such as Italy and Greece, where asylum applications are processed, would become operational by the end of November. In Romania, Deputy Prime Minister for National Security and Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea will take charge of coordinating the reception of refugees.





    No-confidence motion filed in Parliament against Victor Pontas Cabinet


    On Wednesday a no-confidence motion was filed by the opposition against the Government led by the Social-Democrat Victor Ponta. The Liberals say the Prime Ministers indictment for forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering risks affecting the image of Romania, and hence the Prime Minister must step down. Some 180 MPs have signed the motion, of which 176 are Liberals and four represent the group of independent MPs or deputies of the National Group of Democrats. In order to pass, the motion needs at least 276 votes. Parliament is scheduled to vote the no-confidence motion next Tuesday.




    Joint session of the Governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova



    Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta and his Moldovan counterpart Valeriu Strelet met on Tuesday in the eastern city of Neptun during a new joint session of the two countrys Governments. Victor Ponta said Romania planned to give Moldova some 150 million euros in a refundable loan over the next five years, as well as non-reimbursable financial assistance for its future projects. The Romanian official also said that the inter-connection of the two countries power and natural gas grids represents a strategic effort, which must be continued so that the Republic of Moldova might achieve energy self-sufficiency. The two officials also discussed the possibility of carrying on projects in other fields, such as transport, environment, healthcare and education.






    Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on a visit to USA


    Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is paying an official visit to the United States until September 29. The President met in New York with American investors, whom he invited to do business in Romania, a country with a good potential of becoming a key player in the regional energy market. Iohannis pointed out that although the security issue is underlying the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States, the economic dimension of bilateral relations has the potential of becoming a landmark of cooperation as well. According to the president, in the last five years two-way trade nearly doubled, standing at 2 billion dollars in 2014. We hope this upward trend will continue, so that the United States should become one of Romanias leading investors, Klaus Iohannis said. Apart from the capital market or the energy sector, the president mentioned other fields of Romanian economy with a good investment potential, such as transport, the car-making industry, telecommunications and IT, medial services or agriculture. The presidents agenda over the coming days includes his participation in the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York and in the Summit on countering the Islamic State terrorist group. In Washington, Klaus Iohannis will meet with US Vice-president Joe Biden to discuss the prospect of consolidating the Strategic Partnership between the two states.

  • September 26, 2015 UPDATE

    September 26, 2015 UPDATE

    VISIT –Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, who is currently on a visit to the US, on Saturday met with representatives of the Romanian community in New York. His Saturday’s agenda also included talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and his participation in a dinner offered by Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. On Friday, he attended the opening of the UN Summit, which adopted an ambitious sustainable development plan for the following 15 years, whose annual estimated costs stand at thousands of billions of dollars. Romania’s President, whose visit will come to a close on September 29, is also due to meet US Vice-President Joe Biden, for talks on the refugee crisis Europe is facing and the fight against terrorism.



    COOPERATION — Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has met in New York, with his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguli Berdamuhamedov, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, the two presidents underlined the interest they take in further boosting bilateral relations and in capitalising on the economic cooperation potential more efficiently, especially in such domains as energy, infrastructure and agriculture. In this context, the two officials mentioned the importance of implementing a joint project aimed at setting up a freight transport corridor from the Black-Sea to the Caspian Sea. They have also expressed their wish to cooperate more actively within the framework of the EU Strategy for Central Asia.



    FINANCIAL — Romania’s agreement with the IMF, which was blocked in mid 2014, expired on Saturday, with experts saying we will soon have a clear image of the future evolution and direction of the relations between the two sides. A revision of the current 4 billion Euro agreement with the international creditors has been blocked since June 2014, in the lack of an agreement on the Romanian Government’s fiscal plans. In the first part of the year, the Romanian authorities tried to adopt a complex package of tax reductions included in the new Fiscal Code, but the representatives of the international financial institutions, as well as those of the Fiscal Council and the National Bank of Romania have been critical of such an approach. This month, finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, has made public Romania’s intention to start talks with its international creditors to reach a new assistance agreement, to take effect in 2016. In his opinion, the agreement is needed to protect Romania’s finances from fluctuations and shocks on the market.



    MIGRATION — Romania is currently under no migration pressure, and the Romanian authorities have taken all necessary measures to maintain national safety and security, Romanian deputy prime minister and interior minister, Gabriel Oprea said on Saturday. As regards the refugee crisis, he underlined that Romania pledged to take in some 1,785 people and voted alongside Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, against the introduction of mandatory refugee quotas, by means of which Brussels directs some more 2,475 migrants to Romania. Gabriel Oprea recalled that 6 refugee reception centres are functioning in Romania, alongside two newly laid out camps in Timis County, (in the south-west, near Romania’s border with Hungary and Serbia, respectively).



    REFUGEE CRISIS — New laws to manage the increasing number of asylum seekers in Germany might take effect on November the 1st, said Peter Altmaier, Chief of Staff of the Federal Chancellery in Angela Merkel’s cabinet. The measures, which will include additional financial support as well as stricter rules for asylum seekers in Germany, have been agreed upon during a meeting between the German chancellor and the heads of government of most German states. Germany expects between 800,000 and one million asylum seekers to be registered this year, a record high for this country and for Europe, in general. A conference on the refugee crisis focussing on the Western Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean route that the migrants follow on their way to Europe, will be held in Luxembourg, on October 8. Attending the conference will be foreign and interior ministers of the member states, Turkey and the Balkan states. Since the start of the year, some 500,000 migrants from the Middle East and North Africa fled war and poverty in their native countries and headed for the EU.



    RUGBY — Romania’s national rugby team will face Ireland in London on Sunday, in a second Pool D game of the Rugby World Cup 2015. In the debut match played on Wednesday, Romania was defeated by the vice-champion, France, 38-11. Playing in Pool D are also Italy and Canada. Dubbed the Oak Leaf Knights, the Romanian rugby players participated in all the seven editions of the World Cup, but they never went past the group stage.



    DANCESPORT — Between September 25 and 27, the central Romanian town of Sibiu is hosting the Transylvanian Grand Prix, the most important dancesport competition of the year in Romania, which enjoys the participation of over 1,500 dancers from 25 countries. The competition is structured on age categories, from 6 year olds to professionals. 20 pairs are taking part in the World Open Competition destined for professionals, all of them being included on the Top 50-World Ranking List. Dancing on Sunday, the last day of the Transylvanian Grand Prix, will be, among others, the Show Dance world champions, Romanians Roman Ciflicli and Mirona Gliga. The pair has recently won the world title in Chengdu, China.

  • September 26, 2015

    September 26, 2015

    VISIT — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, who is currently on an official visit to the US, is due to meet with representatives of the Romanian community in New York, have talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and attend the dinner offered by Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. On Friday, he attended the opening of the UN Summit, which adopted an ambitious plan of sustainable development for the following 15 years, whose annual estimated costs stand at thousands of billions of dollars. Klaus Iohannis has also had talks with the President of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft. The agenda of the Romanian President’s visit, which comes to a close on September 29, also includes talks with US Vice-President Joe Biden, on the refugee crisis Europe is facing and the fight against terrorism.



    COOPERATION — Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has met in New York, with his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguli Berdamuhamedov, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, the two presidents underlined the interest they take in further boosting bilateral relations and in capitalising on the economic cooperation potential more efficiently, especially in such domains as energy, infrastructure and agriculture. In this context, the two officials mentioned the importance of implementing a joint project aimed at setting up a freight transport corridor from the Black-Sea to the Caspian Sea. They have also expressed their wish to cooperate more actively within the framework of the EU Strategy for Central Asia.



    FINANCIAL — Romania’s agreement with the IMF, which was blocked in mid 2014, expires today, with experts saying we will soon have a clear image of the future evolution and direction of the relations between the two sides. A revision of the current 4 billion Euro agreement with the international creditors has been blocked since June 2014, in the lack of an agreement on the Romanian Government’s fiscal plans. In the first part of the year, the Romanian authorities tried to adopt a complex package of tax reductions included in the new Fiscal Code, but the representatives of the international financial institutions, as well as those of the Fiscal Council and the National Bank of Romania have been critical of such an approach. This month, finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, has made public Romania’s intention to start talks with its international creditors to reach a new assistance agreement, to take effect in 2016. In his opinion, the agreement is needed to protect Romania’s finances from fluctuations and shocks on the market.



    REFUGEE CRISIS — New laws to manage the increasing number of asylum seekers in Germany might take effect on November the 1st, said Peter Altmaier, Chief of Staff of the Federal Chancellery in Angela Merkel’s cabinet. The measures, which will include additional financial support as well as stricter rules for asylum seekers in Germany, have been agreed upon during a meeting between the German chancellor and the heads of government of most German states. Germany expects between 800,000 and one million asylum seekers to be registered this year, a record high for this country and for Europe, in general. A conference on the refugee crisis focussing on the Western Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean route that the migrants follow on their way to Europe, will be held in Luxembourg, on October 8. Attending the conference will be foreign and interior ministers of the member states, Turkey and the Balkan states. Since the start of the year, some 500,000 migrants from the Middle East and North Africa fled war and poverty in their native countries and headed for the EU.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu, on Saturday qualified for the finals of the WTA tennis tournament in Seoul with 426,750 US dollars in prize money up for grabs, after she defeated Belgian Alison van Uytvanck 6-0, 6-2. First seeded Irina Begu, will be facing in the finals of the competition Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The qualification to the Seoul tennis tournament finals is the best result scored by Begu this year.



    DANCESPORT — Between September 25 and 27, the central Romanian town of Sibiu is hosting the Transylvanian Grand Prix, the most important dancesport competition of the year in Romania, which enjoys the participation of over 1,500 dancers from 25 countries. The competition is structured on age categories, from 6 year olds to professionals. 20 pairs are taking part in the World Open Competition destined for professionals, all of them being included on the Top 50-World Ranking List. Dancing on Sunday, the last day of the Transylvanian Grand Prix, will be, among others, the Show Dance world champions, Romanians Roman Ciflicli and Mirona Gliga. The pair has recently won the world title in Chengdu, China.