Radio România Internațional

Tag: renewable

  • December 19, 2022

    December 19, 2022

    SCHENGEN The president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola is
    on a 2-day working visit to Bucharest as of today, with a support message for Romania’s
    Schengen accession efforts. Today, Roberta Metsola is scheduled to have
    meetings with president Klaus Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the speakers of
    the Chamber of Deputies and Senate, Marcel Ciolacu and Alina Gorghiu, and will
    address a joint Parliament meeting. On Tuesday, Roberta Metsola will have talks
    with young Romanians as part of an event called ‘Together we are Europe,’
    organised by the European Parliament Office in Romania in a partnership with
    the Law School of the University of Bucharest. According to the institution, during
    their dialogue with Metsola the young participants will be able to find out
    about the benefits of the European parliamentary democracy, ways to influence
    European policies, why it is important for them to get involved in protecting
    European democracy and how the decisions and policies of the European
    Parliament impact Europeans’ day-to-day lives.


    VISIT The Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is on a 2-day
    official visit to Chişinău, at the invitation of Moldova’s deputy PM and
    minister for foreign affairs and European integration, Nicu Popescu. For 2 days,
    Bogdan Aurescu will have consultations with his counterpart, will be received
    by the president of the R. of Moldova Maia Sandu, and will have talks with PM Natalia
    Gavriliţa and with the parliament speaker Igor Grosu. They will discuss aspects
    related to countering the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation
    against Ukraine, as well as topics related to cooperation in the field of
    energy security, stepping up sectoral cooperation, economic cooperation and the
    assistance measures taken by Romania to the benefit of the R. of Moldova. A
    major topic for discussion will be Moldova’s progress in its EU accession
    efforts, after the country was granted the accession candidate status in June
    2022, and Romania’s concrete support in this respect.


    ENERGY EU energy ministers convene today in Brussels in an attempt
    to reach an agreement on a natural gas price cap, in the context of the rise in
    energy prices triggered by the war in Ukraine. Last week, they failed to reach
    consensus on this topic. The participants will also try to come up with a
    general approach on a proposed reduction of methane emissions in the energy
    sector. The draft regulation requires oil, natural gas and coal operators to
    measure, report and check methane emissions. Moreover, the EU energy ministers
    will try to reach an agreement with respect to the proposed REPowerEU directive,
    which modifies the EU legislation on renewable energy, energy efficiency and
    the energy performance of buildings. The proposal aims to step up the use of
    renewable energy. On the other hand, the Czech presidency of the EU Council
    will present a report on the progress made with respect to the natural gas
    package, which includes a proposed directive and a proposed regulation on
    single market norms for gas from renewable sources, natural gas and hydrogen.


    COMMEMORATION In Timişoara, western
    Romania, events carry on marking 33 years since the anti-communist revolution
    of December 1989. The events highlight the courage and sacrifice of the
    Revolution heroes, and the need for the younger generations to carry on the
    spirit of freedom. After the marches, religious services, exhibitions, film
    screenings and roundtables organised in the previous days, today a pilgrimage
    will be held at the monuments making up the Revolution Memorial. Short reels made
    by young artists will also be screened in schools, and the traditional Rockford
    revolution festival is also scheduled for today. Also today, the members of
    the bereaved families are leaving for Bucharest to retrace the route on which
    the bodies of 43 revolution participants from Timisoara were sent for
    incineration. The events devoted to the 33 years since the Revolution will
    culminate on Tuesday, December 20, Victory Day, when Timişoara was declared the
    first city free of communism in Romania. The uprising against the communist
    regime in Romania began in Timişoara on December 16, 1989 and spread to
    Bucharest and other cities in the country. Over 1,000 people died and some
    3,000 were wounded in the clashes that took place on that occasion.


    FOOTBALL Argentina is the world’s new football champion. In the
    final of the Qatar tournament on Sunday, Argentina defeated the previous
    champions, France, after penalty shootouts. This is the 3rd world
    championship won by the South Americans, after the title in 1978 and the one in
    1986. The next world championship, held in 2026, will be hosted jointly by the
    US, Canada and Mexico. (AMP)

  • December 16, 2022

    December 16, 2022

    SCHENGEN
    The losses incurred by Romania for the rejection of its Schengen accession bid
    are over EUR 25 bln, says the Romanian interior minister Lucian Bode. For 11 years
    we have been securing Schengen’s border, investing in human resources,
    capabilities and modern technologies. The losses incurred by Romania during all
    this time, since it has fulfilled the criteria but has not benefited from the
    related rights, are immeasurable, Mr. Bode said at a meeting of EU gendarme
    chiefs. The topic of Romania’s Schengen accession and of the negative vote
    given by Austria in the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting last week was
    also raised by president Klaus Iohannis at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
    Senior European officials conveyed a message of support for Romania’s and
    Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. The EC president Ursula von der Leyen and the
    Council president Charles Michel said further discussions would be held on this
    topic and progress was expected in the following months.


    FUNDING The
    Romanian ministry for EU funding and investments has submitted to the EC the
    second payment request, amounting to EUR 3.228 bln, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The 3rd payment request, amounting to EUR 3.1 bln, is to be submitted
    to the Commission next spring. Romania benefits from over EUR 29 bln for the
    implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, including grants
    of up to EUR 14.24 bln and loans of nearly EUR 15 bln. The country has already
    cashed in 2 pre-financing instalments totaling EUR 3.79 bln.


    EU The president of
    the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will attend in Bucharest on
    Saturday the signing of an agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan,
    Georgia, Romania and Hungary concerning the Strategic Partnership in the
    development and transport of green energy. The agreement will be signed by the
    president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the PM of Georgia
    Irakli Garibashvili, the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă, and the PM of Hungary
    Viktor Orban. According to the Romanian Presidency, the document is based on
    the interests of the 4 states concerning a strengthened national and regional
    energy security. The agreement will provide a financial and technical framework
    for the construction of an underwater renewable energy transport cable between
    Romania and Azerbaijan, via Georgia and the Black Sea, and further on for the
    transport of this energy to Hungary and the rest of Europe.

    INFLATION The EU
    annual inflation rate dropped from 11.5% in October to 11.1% in November, but in
    8 member countries the rate rose from one month to the other, including in
    Romania, where it went from 13.5% to 14.6%, Eurostat announced on Friday. In November,
    the EU member states with the highest inflation rates were Hungary, Latvia, Estonia
    and Lithuania. At the opposite pole, the lowest inflation rates were reported
    in Spain, France and Malta.


    PROTEST Hundreds
    of employees in the Romanian public education system are today picketing
    prefect offices in several counties, primarily demanding the full
    implementation of a law concerning their incomes. Education unions say the net
    salaries for this category are up to EUR 440 and warn that 2023 will bring a
    new series of union actions unless the government solves the problems in this
    sector. The trade unions also criticise the government’s failure to pay for
    overtime and travel expenses and to adjust revenues to the inflation rate.


    TIMISOARA Romania
    commemorates today 33 years since the start of the anti-communist uprising in Timişoara,
    western Romania. The anniversary is marked by a traditional solemn meeting of
    the Local Council. The participants, including members of revolutionary
    associations, discuss the events of December ’89 and observe a moment of
    silence to honour those who died during those days. Exhibitions, film
    screenings, round tables, a concert entitled Folk for the Revolution as well
    marches are also organised on this occasion. 33 years ago, in Timişoara, a
    solidarity rally for the Reformed pastor Laszlo Tokes grew into an uprising
    that spread across the country and led to the fall of the communist regime.


    RESCUERS Romanian
    mountain rescuers were awarded in Paris at the International Rescuers Congress,
    attended by relevant institutions, associations and research institutes from
    over 60 countries in the world. Salvamont Romania was acknowledged as one of
    the best drone-assisted search and rescue services, and the distinction was
    received for the Data Analysis Centre in Târgu Jiu. The centre uses special software
    and drones for victim identification. (AMP)

  • July 25, 2022 UPDATE

    July 25, 2022 UPDATE

    DROUGHT Drought has affected
    106,389 hectares of land in Romania, according to figures published by the
    agriculture ministry. The southern counties of Teleorman, Olt and Dolj have run
    out of water for irrigation because of the significant drop in the Danube’s
    river flow, agriculture minister Petre Daea announced on social media. Waters
    have retreated so much that they no longer reach the pumping stations feeding
    the irrigation system, with part of the Danube’s bed now looking like sandy
    beach. In the areas where irrigation was used, the state of the crops is good.
    Daea said the authorities are speeding up investment works to rehabilitate the
    national irrigation network and to bring Danube water closer to pumping
    stations. The minister recently said there is no reason yet to declare a state
    of disaster over the drought.

    TALKS
    The Romanian state secretary for strategic affairs, Iulian Fota, Monday had
    talks in Bucharest with the US deputy under-secretary for national security Kelli
    Ann Burriesci, who is on a regional tour in Europe. The US official was later
    received by the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu. Talks focused on Romania’s
    participation in the Visa Waiver Program
    and on means to strengthen bilateral cooperation to this end. Bogdan Aurescu reiterated
    that including Romania in the Visa Waiver
    program is a top political goal for Bucharest and a topic of particular
    interest to the Romanian public.     He also
    highlighted the importance of the successful implementation of a joint
    awareness raising campaign and voiced Romania’s willingness to work together
    with the US to help reduce the visa rejection rate.


    COVID-19 In Romania,
    the number of coronavirus infections is on the rise. Nearly 5,000 new cases
    were reported on Monday for the last 24 hours, most of these in Bucharest,
    Cluj, Ilfov, Constanta and Brasov counties. Around 3,400 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised,
    204 of them in intensive care. Most of the patients in critical condition are
    unvaccinated. Five COVID-related deaths have also been reported.


    CORRUPTION Lucian
    Duţă, the former chief of Romania’s National Health Insurance Agency (CNAS), Monday
    received a final 6-year prison sentence. He was charged by the National
    Anti-Corruption Directorate for receiving EUR 6.3 million in bribe in exchange
    for awarding a public service contract to 2 software companies. The Bucharest Court
    of Appeals upheld the ruling pronounced by the court of first instance in
    November 2020, and the court’s decision to seize the EUR 6.3 million from Lucian
    Duţă.


    ENERGY More than
    3,500 MW of renewable energy will be installed in Romania in the coming period,
    both solar, using photovoltaic panels, and wind-generated, according to data
    provided by a consultancy firm in the field. Almost 700 such projects have been
    submitted on the platform made available by the energy ministry to receive
    funding under the recovery and resilience plan. The secretary general of the
    employers’ association in the field of renewable energy Mihai Verşescu said
    investment is needed in this sector, but that business people are reluctant because
    of frequent legislative changes. He emphasised that while funding sources are
    available, legislation is needed to ensure predictability.


    EMPLOYMENT Five out
    of ten Romanian employees changed their jobs in the last two years, according
    to a poll published by an online recruitment platform. Many job applicants look
    for less stressful jobs and more benefits. Four out of ten people who change
    their jobs were driven by higher pay, 27% because they had lost their jobs a
    result of a wave of redundancies, and 3% because their employers did not agree
    to their working remotely. 35% of respondents said they are currently looking
    and applying for new jobs and only 21% are completely satisfied with their
    current jobs. In conclusion, Romanians seeking new employment want better pay,
    the possibility to work from home, more additional benefits besides their wages
    and the possibility to relocate abroad.


    TENNIS The Romanian
    tennis player Irina Begu won the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo, Italy, worth
    200,000 US dollars in prize money. In Sunday’s final, she defeated Italy’s
    Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. This is Begu’s fifth WTA title,
    having also won in Tashkent in 2012, Seoul in 2015, Florianopolis in 2016 and
    Bucharest in 2017. Begu also played the finals in Budapest, Marbella, Moscow
    and Cleveland. She is 31 years old and is ranked 45th in the world. Until now,
    Irina Spârlea had been the only Romanian player to win the singles title in
    Palermo, in 1994 and 1995. (CM, AMP)

  • Energy prices cause growing concern

    Energy prices cause growing concern

    A committee has been set up in the Parliament of Romania to investigate the substantial increase in the price of natural gas and electricity. The committee found that these increases are in line with European trends.



    Energy prices in the continental market have reached record-high levels, fuelled by the costs of green certificates and the natural gas prices. Another problem for the European energy market is the uncertainty around gas imports from Russia, given that European storage facilities were only 70% full.



    The European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans said the unprecedented electricity prices in member states prove that the Union must give up fossil fuels and step up the transition to green energy. He also noted that, while fossil fuel prices rose substantially, the costs of renewable energy remain low and stable.



    EU member states like Italy, Spain and Greece responded to the rise in conventional energy prices and have already announced aid measures to help people pay their bills. In Bucharest as well, the government is planning to help households cover their electricity and natural gas bills.



    Under a draft emergency order first discussed on Wednesday, the government would subsidise electricity prices by 3.6 eurocents per KWh and natural gas bills by 25%. Beneficiaries will include households that use between 30 and 200 KW of electricity per month and between 100 and 1,200 cubic metres of natural gas per year. The average price used by the government in its plans is 16 eurocents per KW, and bills will be around 3.6 euro smaller per 100 KW.



    The government is also looking at options to introduce a natural gas price ceiling. PM Florin Cîţu said this should not affect investments in the economy, and that the measure requires talks with the Competition Council and the European Commission. According to the energy minister Virgil Popescu, such a ceiling would discourage foreign investments in Romanias electricity and natural gas extraction markets, because companies would be forced to sell for less than the market price.



    The Social Democratic Party in opposition announced that in the forthcoming period they will table a bill introducing a ceiling on electricity and natural gas prices for household consumers, as a stop-gap solution. The Social Democrats vice-president Mihai Tudose criticised the right-of-centre government for deregulating the energy market at the worst possible time, when the domestic output is considerably below its potential. (tr. A.M. Popescu)