Radio România Internațional

Tag: REPORT

  • Organized Crime Report

    Organized Crime Report

    In 2024, Romania was targeted, along with other European states, by ‘sabotage’ actions and hybrid attacks specific to Russia, with the aim of testing the defense preparation of the NATO countries and finding weaknesses in the infrastructure, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) claims in its activity report for 2024. According to the document, ‘starting with the year 2022, at least 50 incidents took place in 13 countries in Europe, which could be Russian hybrid operations. These include cases of espionage, diversion, vandalism, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and three attacks on the underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea’. The report also shows that last year Romania did not face a concrete terrorist threat and there were no terrorist attacks, the risk still remaining low. Furthermore, the Romanian supporters of some terrorist organizations, DIICOT claims, continued to carry out only support activities, but they lacked consistency and scope.

     

    On the other hand, the Directorate’s data show that drug consumption has constantly increased, the most wanted being cannabis, which, actually, is also the most seized by the authorities. As far as high-risk drugs are concerned, Romania is mainly a transit country, and the Black Sea ports can be an alternative for the introduction of these substances into the European Union space. Thus, last year, DIICOT prosecutors had to deal with 33,000 cases regarding drug trafficking, almost a quarter more than the previous year. In 2024, investigators seized over a ton of risk and high-risk drugs, over 7 tons of prohibited doping substances and approximately 16 tons of fruit pulp containing cocaine. More than 12,000 cannabis crops or plants were also seized, four times more than the previous year. The report also shows that parcel post systems were among the methods mainly used to introduce small and medium quantities of drugs into the country.

     

    Another aspect mentioned in the DIICOT report is that the number of minors involved in drug trafficking has increased considerably recently, and traffickers are using new methods to bring and sell prohibited substances in Romania, such as specialized online platforms with payment in cryptocurrencies, among other things. Data from the National Antidrug Agency show constant increases in drug consumption in Romania. The domestic market is dominated by consumers from Bucharest whose number is relatively stable and is fueled by criminal groups in the area linked to the Turkish community on the import segment and to the ethnic Roma clans on the street distribution segment, the Agency also shows. (LS)

  • World Bank revises downward Romania’s outlook

    World Bank revises downward Romania’s outlook

    Romania’s economic growth rate will slow down in 2025, according to the World Bank.

     

    The Romanian economy will register an advance of only 2.1% this year, compared to a level of 3.8% estimated in the middle of last year, according to the World Bank’s “Global Economic Prospects” report , made public recently. The institution’s forecast for next year is also revised downwards, from 3.8% to 2.6%. According to the World Bank, growth in Central Europe is forecast to rebound to 2.8% in 2025 and 3% in 2026, driven by robust private demand.  However, export  from Central Europe is expected to remain modest due to subdued growth in the euro area.

     

    Investment, particularly in Poland and Romania, is projected to gain traction from structural reforms and delayed EU funding, experts of the international institution say. These countries have disbursed 19% and 33%, respectively, of their Recovery and Resilience Facility allocations, with approximately 13% of milestones achieved and positively assessed, the report shows. Despite the inflow EU funding, recently announced fiscal consolidation measures have contributed to notable downward revisions to Romania’s outlook since June.

     

    At the beginning of February, an IMF mission will travel to Bucharest, for meetings with representatives of the new Romanian Government and the National Bank. The visit aims to analyze recent economic and financial developments and update the macroeconomic outlook. At the end of last year, Fitch rating agency revised downwards its outlook for Romania’s GDP growth for 2025 and 2026, to 1.4% and 2.2% respectively, given a less pronounced recovery in the euro area. In fact, the World Bank forecasts that, in the euro area, GDP would grow by only 1% in 2025, after estimating an advance of 1.4% in June.

     

    The worsening prospects come against the backdrop of reduced consumption, low corporate investments and weak industrial development. The World Bank draws attention to the effects that the problems facing Germany, which is responsible for almost 30% of the euro area’s GDP, may have. In addition, the World Bank warned that potential additional 10% tariffs by the United States could decrease the already fragile global economic growth by 0.3% if the US trading partners impose their own tariffs. The potential additional tariffs would shrink US economic growth by 0.9%, estimated at 2.3% in 2025. Foreign direct investment in developing countries is now half their level in 2000, and global trade restrictions are five times higher than the average in 2010-2019, the World Bank reports.

     

  • December 28, 2024

    December 28, 2024

    Meeting – Romania’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is today participating in the meeting of the National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue, a body that brings together employer and trade union confederations and government representatives. The meeting takes place after, on Friday, during the consultations of the government coalition from Bucharest made up of the PSD-PNL-UDMR, the emergency ordinance on the basis of which the state budget for next year will be built was not finalized. According to some political sources, the most recent form of the ordinance provides that in 2025 state employment will be blocked, overtime will be compensated with free time, and state salaries and pensions will be frozen. The coalition leaders must also establish the date on which the presidential election will be held.

     

    Crime report – Romania is among the states with the lowest level of crime, offering a more favorable situation from this point of view than many Western European countries, shows a Romanian Interior Ministry (MAI) press release based on the reports of the US Department of State and the European Commission. According to them, Romania is recognized as a very safe country for citizens and tourists. In the ‘Report for American citizens traveling abroad’, Romania is indicated as having a low and very low risk of crime. According to the MAI, official international documents highlight Romania’s significant progress in combating crime, confirming its status as a safe country. In recent years, Romania has recorded figures below the European and international average for crimes such as robberies, thefts and other acts committed with violence, the press release also shows.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis players Anca Todoni and Ana Bogdan on Saturday qualified for the main draw of the WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane. Ana Bogdan faced the Colombian Emiliana Arango in the decisive match, whom she defeated 6-2, 6-4, and will debut in the main draw in Brisbane against the Russian Anastasia Potapova. Anca Todoni won the match with Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 6-2, 6-3, and will debut in the competition against Cristina Bucsa from Spain.  The WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane (Australia), with total prizes worth more than 1.5 million dollars, will take place between December 29 and January 5.

     

    Moldova – The Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian-speaking population) has decided to increase defense spending and promises that the military investments budget will reach 1% of the Gross Domestic Product in five years. The provision is included in the National Defense Strategy, adopted by the Moldovan Parliament. The strategy identifies as security risks to Moldova the continuation of the war Russia started against Ukraine and the hybrid operations carried out by Moscow against Chisinau. Also, according to the Defense Minister, Anatolie Nosatîi, the illegal presence of the Russian armed forces in Transndniester represents a threat to Moldova’s security and puts in difficulty the legal functioning and the international recognition of the state’s neutrality status. The Republic of Moldova has the smallest army in Europe, relative to the population, and does not have its own defense industry. According to statistical data, the Republic of Moldova ranks 144 out of 145 as a military power worldwide.

     

    Schengen – More than 166,300 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, and approximately 45,100 means of transport completed the formalities for crossing the Romanian border, both to enter or exit the country, on the third day of Christmas, the General Inspectorate of Border Police informs. We remind you that 33 crossing points on Romania’s border with Hungary and Bulgaria, as well as from the Black Sea and the Maritime Danube, will be closed from January 1, 2025, when Romania enters the Schengen free travel area with land borders too. 17 road and rail points are located on Romania’s western border with Hungary, and 14 road points, including ferry crossings, rail and port crossing points on the border with Bulgaria. The data appear in a draft government decision designed by the Interior Ministry. (LS)

  • Soviet prisoners in Romania

    Soviet prisoners in Romania

    Romania took sides with Germany in World War Two. On June 22nd, 1941, jointly with Germany, Romania began military operations against the Soviet Union. However, we need to say the Soviet Union had been the aggressor state, the year before. In June 1940, in the aftermath of two cession ultimatums the Soviets issued to the Romanian government, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, Romanian territories of the east and the north. Among other things, just as it would happen in any military operation, there also were prisoners.

    Over June 22nd, 1941 and August 23rd, 1944, the Romanian Army captured 91,060 Soviet soldiers. Of them, 90%, that is 82, 057 military, were sent to Romania, in 12 concentration camps. According to the dictionary compiled by historians Alesandru Duțu, Florica Dobre and Leonida Loghin “The Romanian Army in World War Two”, of those who were detained in concentration camps,13,682 who were of Romanian origin from Bessarabia and Bukovina were released. Other 5,223 died, while 3,331 escaped.

    On August 23rd, 1944, Romania pulled out of the alliance with Germany and on Romanian territory there were 59, 856 Soviet prisoners, of whom 2, 794 were officers, while 57, 062 were NCOs and soldiers. Considering the prisoners’ ethnic origin, 25, 533 were Ukrainians, 17,833 Russians, 2,497 Kalmuks, 2,039 Uzbeks, 1,917 Turks, 1,588 Cossacks, 1,501 Armenians, 1,600 Georgians, 601 Tartars, 293 Jews, 252 Polish, 186 Bulgarians, 150 Ossetins, 117 Azeri, as well as other several dozens of ethnic groups, in smaller numbers.

    Documents reveal the Soviet prisoners in Romania were treated in accordance with the existing international legislation. Early into the war the living conditions were dire, and it was because of such conditions that most of the deaths were reported. Yet they improved rapidly, the reports compiled by the Romanian Army’s control commission mentioning the progress.

    The Soviet prisoners were confined in concentration camps, accommodation, food, hygiene and medical assistance conditions were provided for them, they were interrogated and were given the chance to work.

    Colonel Anton Dumitrescu took part in the act of August 23rd, 1944, himself and four NCOs being the ones who arrested Marshall Ion Antonescu and vice-Prime Minister Mihai Antonescu.

    In a 1974 interview stored in Radio Romania’s Oral History Center, he recalled how, prior to his arresting Antonescu, he was sent to gather intel on the center of Soviet prisoners in Slobozia. The Romanian intelligence service had found out the Germans prepared that center as a launching site of the operations against the Romanian army, should the latter defect.

    ”In Slobozia there was a big centre with Russian prisoners. The Germans had garnished the entire camp with Vlasov troops. The Vlasov troops were the Russians who, led by general Vlasov, had taken sides with the Germans. And, in German uniforms, fought against the Russians. However, from the intelligence I had, the Germans wanted to be sure about that center should something happen with us, with the Vlasovs taking sides with the Russians and fighting against us.

    I had been in contact with the Vlasovs in the Caucasus when, indeed, those people in no way wanted to surrender because the Soviets would have killed them. They were dead set on fighting. The entire region there was teeming with refugees from Moldavia and from Bessarabia and I did not see any Vlasov whatsoever.”

    Engineer Miron Tașcă used to work in Braila, at the French-Romanian plant, with a mixed, civilian and military production. In 1995, he reminisced the Soviet prisoners who worked at the Braila-based plant and what happened with them, after the Soviets reached Romanian territory.

    ”We, during the war, at the factory in Braila, also worked with a series of prisoners. They were treated very well, they did not work on the machines, they did manual jobs, downloading and uploading stuff, and cleaning. Those prisoners, the Soviets set them free, took them and brought them back to Russia. The moment they were taken, they also knew they had to leave.

    One of them, who told me he was an Uzbek, said he no longer wanted to return to the USSR. He asked me to go at all lengths to keep him there, he was a hard-working, silent and quiet boy. Of course, something like that was not possible. Prisoners were investigated, numbered, completely taken over, and that’s when he also left, the poor thing. But he was the one who under no circumstances wanted to return. Others did not want to return either, likeminded people, that is. Perhaps they did not know what was in store for them, but he, from the very beginning said he did not want to return. “

    A student of the military school during the war, Catrinel Dumitrescu, in 1998 said that, prior to seeing Soviet military after 1944, he had also seen them as prisoners:

    ”I had seen Russians before, they were prisoners. There were, in our country, about 10-20 Russian prisoners who were free to work. They were accommodated with the gendarmes post and worked in the cleaning of roads, of roadside ditches, they called in at private residences and did menial jobs there, they received food and suchlike. After August 23rd, 1944, the first ones to flee, not to the East but to the West, were those Russians! ‘Cause they knew what was going to come. “

    Soviet war prisoners in Romania are a less well-known chapter in Romanian modern history. It is that kind of chapter that still takes its time to reach public consciousness.

  • Recent unemployment figures in Romania

    Recent unemployment figures in Romania

    The number of people without a job increased slightly in Romania in August. The 0.1% increase in unemployment, however, indicates a slowdown in economic activity and constitutes a warning for the authorities.

     

    The unemployment rate in Romania increased slightly in August compared to July, by 0.1%, and reached 5.5%, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) announced. Thus, the number of people aged between 15 and 74, without a job, was estimated at 452,300 a higher figure compared to August 2023. For the adults aged 25 to 74, the unemployment rate was estimated at 4.4% in August. Although this indicator represents more than three quarters of the total number of unemployed, Romania is not yet in an urgent situation, as it was a few years ago, economic analyst Aurelian Dochia said.

     

    However, he believes that these figures are a warning, because they announce a slowdown in economic activity. Aurelian Dochia: “Although everyone expects that the lowering of interest rates, which the National Bank has started for some time, should lead to a revival of economic activity, there are many factors, primarily of an external nature, I would say – the dynamics of the European economies, what happens in the world, geopolitical tensions and wars – which have a very strong impact on the economy. All of these things I think are likely to cause concern about the economy. We already see that in Romania, there are all kinds of foreign or national firms and companies announcing they are abandoning or postponing their investment plans, which confirms this tendency of the economy to slow down and this concern about the perspective for the end of this year and for 2025.”

     

    Regarding youth unemployment, it reached 23.2% in August, almost 2% higher than in the same month last year. The economic analyst said that one of the causes is the fact that many young people allow themselves to have a period of inactivity, in which to evaluate their prospects, what kind of job they should choose and what activities are compatible with their talents. Aurelian Dochia: “It is something related, unfortunately, to the quality of young people’s professional training. There is not always an adequacy of the young people’s professional training structure with what is required on the labor market, and then there are many young people who complete a form of training and do not find a job for the training they have. Consequently, efforts must be made to improve the situation, both by the education system, and by the young people, who need to be guided towards jobs and professions that are in demand on the market.”

     

    The unemployment figures recorded in Romania are significantly influenced by the high number of Romanians who choose to work abroad. The vacuum created by them on the labor market is filled by foreign workers, especially  from non-EU countries, such as Nepal, Turkey, the Republic of Moldova, Sri Lanka and India. According to a study carried out by the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, over 200,000 foreign workers were on the Romanian labor market in  2023. About 80% of them performed unskilled jobs in sectors like constructions, services, hospitality and retail.

     

     

  • Report on renewable energy in the EU

    Report on renewable energy in the EU

    The European Commission has published a report on the energy situation in the EU. A first conclusion is the fact that the EU has managed to massively disconnect itself from the Russian gas supply, and community consumption has dropped significantly. The EU’s energy production is currently led by renewables, which supplied half of the electricity in the first part of the year. Wind energy alone has surpassed gas-based energy production, and nuclear energy, considered clean energy, is in first place. Primary energy consumption also decreased by 4.1%, thanks to efficiency measures. A decrease in gas consumption was also recorded, also due to efficiency measures. Thus, the European average shows a decrease of 18% compared to 2021. Also, in the field of gas, the EU managed to reduce dependence on Russia from 45% to 18% and now has new sources of supply from other regions.

     

    At the same time, it already reached its winter gas storage target of 90% in August, well ahead of the November 1st deadline. However, energy and gas prices are a problem. Although stable and reduced way below the peak values reported during the crisis, they remain high for the European industry, an industry that competes with that of the United States and China, where prices are sometimes three times lower. The European Commissioner Kadri Simson says that prices will be lower after the implementation of the energy market reform, which will reduce the input of expensive fossil sources. As to the environment, the report shows encouraging signs. Between 1992-2022, the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 32.5%, while the economy grew by around 67%.

     

    According to the document, Romania has an energy mix, and this includes all types of energy, 71% based on fossil fuel, so it is in a worse situation than the European average, of 69%. On the other hand, however, the electricity mix is ​​better than that of the EU – 44% renewable as compared to the EU average of under 40%. As an overview, the report concludes that Romania has a limited production capacity of clean technologies. Moreover, public investments in research and development were halved between 2015 and 2022. A strong point is the reduced dependence on imported gas, given that Romania is the second European producer. Another strength is the fact that in the last 2 years it has managed to reduce gas consumption above the European average without affecting industrial activity. A third strong point is the gas storage capacity for winter, and Romania’s gas storage facilities are currently full. However, energy poverty remains one of the unsolved problems. 13.6% of Romania’s population had problems paying the bill, and 12.5% ​​could not afford to heat the house properly.  The EC reminds member states to submit the new energy and environment plans. Only 11 states have sent the documents, and Romania is not among them. (LS)

     

  • Happening in Romania

    Happening in Romania

    In the lineup today: September 30 was the deadline when young Romanian musicians could register for the annual selection for the European Union Youth Orchestra; Romania’s population is facing a dramatic decline and aging according to the latest United Nations report; Romania was ranked second in the top of foreign direct investments in the period 2018-2023; the CODRU (Forest) festival organized in Timișoara, western Romania, between August 30 and September 1, scored a resounding success. This and much more in the next 10 minutes. Stay tuned.

     

     

  • Sore points of the situation of children in Romania

    Sore points of the situation of children in Romania

    Recently, the organization Save the Children Romania published an x-ray of the situation of minors in our country, their conclusions including 10 extremely critical points. Among them are problems that have been going on for many years and which, although well known, have not been corrected. For instance, one out of five Romanian children does not finish school on time, annually over 7,000 Romanian children are born to underage mothers, almost 1,200 of these mothers are on their second or even third birth, over half a million children have recently had at least one parent who went to work abroad, and in the countryside, the infant mortality rate continues to be significantly higher compared to the urban areas (6.5 vs. 4.2 per thousand). Besides these problems, there are others, perhaps less discussed in the public space, but equally serious. One of these problems concerns the emotional or mental health of children. More than 41% of 15-year-old girls have sleep-related problems, while 57% of them frequently feel nervousness.

     

     

    The advocacy director of the Save the Children organization, George Roman, draws attention to this issue: “Emotional wellbeing refers to the way in which the authorities understand how to invest in the mental health and protection services for children who need extra support, such as children with special educational needs or children with disabilities. And we dont have any positive scores. Even the World Health Organization highlighted the fact that there are children in Romania with problems related to sleep and self-control. Sometimes they feel isolated, excluded from their groups, in educational institutions or in the community. They need money to have psychological counseling sessions, because the social services, the general directorates for the protection of childrens rights have a very limited number of psychologists, not all of them are trained to provide counseling or psychotherapy, and there are few and overcrowded non-governmental organizations. For example, at the Save the Children Organization Mental Health Center children have to wait for several months, between 3 and 6 months, to benefit our free-of-charge services.”

     

     

    Part of the childrens emotional problems are also caused by the lack of parents who have gone to work abroad. Moreover, the mirage of going abroad also attracts the young people, who seem to have grown up with such ideas in mind.

     

     

    George Roman: “More than half of the children do not want to remain in Romania, and two of the essential reasons mentioned by the children are related to the quality of the education system. About one third of them said they want to leave because of this very issue, because school is not attractive, and they cannot achieve professional and educational development in Romania. But there is also an important number of them, quite significant in our opinion, who want to leave because here they feel the threat of poverty: between 21% and 22% of the children have said that. They don’t want to live as poor people in Romania, but go and try their luck in other countries, and many most probably took the example of their own parents.”

     

     

    Another extremely serious aspect is sexual abuse. Out of all criminal complaints involving victims among minors, less than 20% end up with the indictment of the aggressors. The advocacy director of the Save the Children organization, George Roman, is back with details: “We seem to be the least interested in fighting this phenomenon of sexual abuse. Apart from several well-trained professionals in the legal system, there is little investment in social policies at the national level. I can give you an example, a program that Save the Children organization has developed in the past two years jointly with the General Directorate for the Protection of Children’s Rights in Bucharest’s District 6. This is, I believe, one of the few examples in which a child involved in legal situations receives the necessary protection during the hearings, so that they can avoid further trauma or stress caused by these hearings which are quite numerous, sometimes their number reaching 14. A child who has been the victim of sexual abuse would otherwise be forced to recall the trauma he or she experienced before all those who are directly or indirectly involved in legal procedures. And I am speaking here about the repeated hearings with police officers, prosecutors, courts and other institutions.”

     

     

    In the very few situations in which sexual abuse cases against minors are brought to courts, the aggressor is rarely indicted and 3 out of 5 sentences are suspended. Which means the aggressors can return to the community where their victim also lives, says George Roman, advocacy director with Save the Children organization. He hopes that the X-ray of the situation of children in Romania will also register improvements next year. (LS, db)

     

  • 2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Romania, released

    2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Romania, released

    The US Department of State has published its Report on Human Rights Practices in Romania in 2023. Among the problems identified were, among others, credible reports of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by or on behalf of the government and serious government corruption. The government took steps to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses, but in some cases actions were insufficient and impunity was a problem.

     

    On the other hand, inefficiency and lack of accountability in judicial oversight sometimes undermined the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. The document refers to a judge with the Cluj Court of Appeal (in the north-west), who, in November 2023, denounced the relatives of the mayor of Baia Mare, Cătălin Cherecheș, for attempting to bribe her with 50,000 euros in exchange for acquitting Mayor Chereches of corruption charges. Despite being the one to denounce Cherecheș, she remained part of the panel of judges who ultimately convicted the mayor for corruption, after claiming she would be able to remain impartial.

     

    The report also mentions the case of journalist Emilia Șercan who signaled she was the target of threats and blackmail after, in 2022, she had published an investigation regarding the alleged plagiarism committed by Nicolae Ciucă, Prime Minister of Romania at the time of publication. Șercan stated that she was the victim of a well-documented “campaign of defamation orchestrated by the government”, but in October, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal closed the investigation.

     

    Another problem pointed out by Washington refers to frequent bribery in the public sector, especially in the healthcare system. Corruption and misuse of public funds was widespread, the report says, citing information from Transparency International, which noted high levels of corruption at the customs and within police units. At the same time, the media reported that, in 2023, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) investigated more than 50 cases related to corruption in the healthcare system.

     

    There are also labor law issues, according to the document. In recent years, companies have often created separate legal entities to transfer employees, thus avoiding representation thresholds. It is basically an anti-union movement. Last but not least, the authors of the report also signal cases where the authorities did not effectively apply the law on domestic violence. Among the causes mentioned would be the lack of procedures for the effective application of restraining orders. In addition, the courts have handled very few cases of domestic violence.

     

    The document also refers to an example related to ethnic discrimination, the one at the hospital in Urziceni (south), where employees refused to provide emergency medical assistance to a pregnant Roma woman, who gave birth on the sidewalk. (EE)

     

     

  • August 16, 2023

    August 16, 2023

    Security – Romania’s security has
    been consolidated and the efforts to strengthen the structures of the North-Atlantic
    Alliance on the territory of the country, especially the NATO battle group
    established in 2022, will be continued, said President Klaus Iohannis, who, on
    Tuesday, attended the ceremonies in Constanta (southeast), which marked Navy
    Day. In turn, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu gave assurances that the government
    would allocate the necessary resources for equipping and modernizing the
    Romanian Naval Forces. Security at the Black Sea ensures the stability of the
    entire region and turns Romania into an important security provider, the speaker
    of the Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, also said.

    Government – The Romanian government resumes discussions
    about the measures to balance the state budget. The executive should finalize
    and adopt, by the end of the month, the emergency ordinances for reducing the
    expenses of the civil servants’ apparatus and the increase in the budget revenue
    receipts. According to a draft law, which appeared in the public space, owners
    of luxury cars whose value exceeds 100,000 Euros will have to pay a tax, IT
    employees whose salaries exceed 10,000 lei per month (about 2,000 Euros) will
    no longer be exempted from taxes, and workers in constructions and agriculture
    will have to pay health insurance contributions. At the same time, state
    employees who have a gross monthly salary of over 10,000 lei may no longer
    receive holiday vouchers. The government also intends to increase the excise
    duty on sugar and to impose only two VAT rates of 9 and 19%. SMEs with incomes
    up to 300,000 lei could be taxed with 1%, and those that exceed this income,
    with 3%. Last but not least, companies that shift profits would have to pay a
    15% surtax on the amounts transferred. As to the emergency ordinance regarding
    the reduction of the size of the state apparatus, the government is analyzing
    the possibility of abolishing 200,000 unfilled positions, merging some public
    institutions and reducing the number of state secretaries, management
    positions, members in the boards of administrators and the number of members in
    the cabinets of local authorities.

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea started
    the WTA 1,000 tournament in Cincinnati, in the American state of Ohio with a
    victory. Cîrstea, 31st in the WTA ranking, passed the Russian
    Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round with a score of 6-0, 6-2 and will meet
    in the second round Maria Sakkari, from Greece, seeded 8th in the
    tournament. A second Romanian player in the main draw, Irina Begu, was defeated
    by the Czech Marie Bouzkova, 6-2, 6-2. However, in the doubles, the pair Irina
    Begu from Romania and Sara Sorribes Tormo, from Spain, qualified for the round
    of 16 after defeating the pair Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Italy) / Mayar Sherif
    (Egypt) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3). The Romanian-Spanish pair will meet the pair Storm
    Hunter (Australia) / Elise Mertens (Belgium), seed number two, in the round of
    16.

    Gaudeamus – The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair in
    Sibiu (center) has come to an end. For five days, approximately 15,000 visitors
    attended the event, more than at the previous edition. Conni Chifor, a representative
    of the fair, talked about the very large number of children present and said
    that, for them, literature was definitely the queen of the ball. She added that
    the public, including those who watched the events online, could participate in
    numerous contests with book prizes. The next edition of the Gaudeamus Radio
    Romania Book Fair will take place in Iasi (east), during the first week of
    school, between September 13-17.

    Baccalaureate – Almost 34,000 high school graduates
    from Romania, enrolled for the second session of the Baccalaureate exam, are today
    taking the Romanian language and literature exam, with the papers being
    assessed digitally for the first time. The tests will be scanned and uploaded
    to a platform that will distribute them to two teachers from any corner of the
    country, except from the county of origin of the student. On Thursday, the
    mandatory written test in the specialty subjects is scheduled. The optional test,
    at the student’s choice, in the specialty subject is scheduled for August 18
    and on August 21 candidates who belong to national minorities will take the
    written test in their native language and literature. The first results will be
    announced on August 25, followed by the final results on August 29 after
    examining potential appeals. In order to pass the baccalaureate exam, high
    school graduates must pass all language and digital skills assessment tests and
    must obtain an exam average grade of at least 6.00 in the written tests. At the
    first session of the Baccalaureate exam, only 75% of the registered candidates
    passed the exam.

    UN – Almost
    10,000 civilians have lost their lives since the beginning of the war in
    Ukraine, according to the UN. Thus, 9,444 civilians have died, including 500
    children, and more than 16,940 have been injured since the beginning of the
    Russian invasion in February 2022. The real figure is probably much higher. The
    UN notes that the toll is not complete because data is missing from several
    regions, especially from Mariupol, Lisiceansk and Severodonetsk, occupied by the
    Russian forces after heavy fighting, and also from Kyiv. The figures also show
    that the vast majority of those killed (7,339) died in Ukrainian regions bombed
    by Russia and defended by the Ukrainian army. In the regions of Donetsk and
    Lugansk, in the east, there were significantly more casualties on both sides of
    the front than in the capital Kyiv, in the center and west of Ukraine. The UN
    report also notes that more civilians died in the first months of the war. In
    the spring and summer of 2023, between 170 and 180 civilians lost their lives
    each month. (LS)

  • Economic forecast of the European Commission

    Economic forecast of the European Commission

    The winter forecast of the European Commission came with improved estimates regarding Romania’s economy. Economic growth is to reach 2.5% this year, compared to 1.8%, the percentage estimated in autumn, and the inflation rate is to decrease to 9.7% this year and to 5.5% in 2024, percentages that are lower than those estimated in the previous forecast. Private consumption, although affected by high inflation, will increase, the European Commission believes, and this will happen as a result of the increase in the minimum wage, pensions and salaries in the public sector and also as a result of the extension of energy price caps until 2025.



    The Commission’s optimistic forecast is also based on the impact of the money from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, while other European funds will support local investments. Last but not least, the European Commission recalls that Romania last year had a solid economic growth in the first three quarters, of 4.3%. The good evolution of the economy is accompanied, however, almost every time, by an increase in macroeconomic imbalances, financial analyst Dragoş Cabat explained on Radio Romania, and this is now happening also in the case of Romania.



    Dragoş Cabat: While we have high economic growth, which we enjoy, this does not come with a reduction in deficits and the public debt, but, unfortunately, it comes with an increase in these deficits, which, at some point in the future, will need to be adjusted. And this usually happens in times of recession, that is the moment when we reduce deficits. And this means that recessions in Romania are felt much more strongly than they are felt in the rest of the European Union, for instance.



    The data show that Romania’s current account deficit increased last year by more than 52%, now exceeding 26 billion Euros. The National Bank of Romania has shown that the increase comes mainly from the higher deficit recorded by the balance of goods, with imports being almost 9.2 billion Euros higher than exports. The analyst Dragoş Cabat believes that, if it continues on the trend of the last decades, Romania will record new negative records from one year to the next in terms of external deficit and public debt, because, he says, as the gross domestic product increases, there emerges a deficit multiplier effect. The data published by the Central Bank also reveal that, last year, Romania’s total external debt increased by more than 6.1 billion Euros, exceeding the value of 142.7 billion Euros, and that direct foreign investments amounted to almost 10.7 billion Euros. (LS)

  • Crédits et mesures sociales

    Crédits et mesures sociales

    En Roumanie, les personnes en difficulté financière
    pourront reporter les mensualités de remboursement de leurs emprunts bancaires,
    grâce à une Ordonnance d’urgence en ce sens dont le gouvernement de Bucarest a
    approuvé mercredi le règlement d’application. Ce report serait envisageable dans les cas des particuliers
    qui n’ont pas de retard de remboursement
    des mensualités bancaires, ainsi que dans le cas des entreprises qui font la
    preuve d’entrées financières inférieures d’au moins 25% à celles de l’année
    précédente. Les facilités de suspension et de report des mensualités de
    remboursement s’établissent sur une durée entre un et neuf mois, en fonction de
    l’option du titulaire de l’emprunt. Les particuliers ayant contracté des
    crédits dans le cadre des programmes « Prima Casă/Le premier logement »
    et « Noua Casă/Le nouveau logement » peuvent bénéficier de cette
    mesure s’ils ont obtenu les emprunts au cours de cette année, avant le 30 avril
    dernier. Pour la suspension du remboursement, qui n’est pas frappée de
    pénalités, il faudra une déclaration sur l’honneur adressée à la banque.

    Cependant,
    le report des mensualités de remboursement approuvé par le gouvernement
    pourrait s’avérer un cadeau empoisonné. Aussi bien le ministre des finances,
    Adrian Câciu, que les analystes économiques recommandent de rembourser à temps
    les emprunts, en demandant de passer à un taux d’intérêt fixe. Le ministre Adrian
    Câciu a rappelé qu’au final, les bénéficiaires de la mesure gouvernementale
    pourraient devoir payer les mensualités reportées et les intérêts accumulés. Depuis
    quelque temps, l’indice ROBOR trimestriel, utilisé pour calculer le coût des
    crédits à la consommation en lei à taux variable, ne cesse de croître, au plus
    grand désespoir des titulaires de ce type d’emprunts. Mercredi, il était de
    7,71% par an! C’était en mai 2010 qu’il s’était situé à un niveau encore plus
    élevé, de 7,81%. L’indice semestriel, utilisé pour calculer les crédits
    hypothécaires en lei à taux variable, s’est hissé à 7,83% par an.

    Par ailleurs,
    le gouvernement de Bucarest a décidé de venir en aide à une population
    vulnérable face à une inflation galopante, en accordant aux personnes des
    catégories défavorisées une aide sociale de 250 lei (environ 50 euros) par
    personne pour l’achat de produits alimentaires de première nécessité. Selon le
    ministère des investissements et des projets européens, toutes les deux
    millions et demi de cartes bancaires seront distribuées par la Poste roumaine
    jusqu’à la fin de cette semaine. Le montant de 250 lei est payé tous les deux
    mois jusqu’en décembre, par le biais du programme « Sprijin pentru România/Du soutien pour la Roumanie ». La durée de
    validité des cartes est de douze mois à partir de la date du premier virement.

    Les
    retraités constituent une des catégories de population les plus vulnérables. Or,
    le ministre des finances a annoncé une majoration des retraites au début de l’année
    prochaine. Le président du Parti social-démocrate, membre de la coalition au
    pouvoir, Marcel Ciolacu, a apporté une nuance aux déclarations du
    ministre, en précisant qu’il n’était pas encore décidé si la majoration allait
    concerner toutes les retraites ou seulement les petites et les moyennes. Conformément
    au ministère du travail, la Roumanie enregistrait plus de 4.800.000 retraités à
    la fin du mois de mars. (Trad.
    Ileana Ţăroi)

  • July 13, 2022 UPDATE

    July 13, 2022 UPDATE

    NATO The
    government of Romania approved Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession protocols,
    signed in Brussels on July 5. The accession of the 2 countries, which are firm
    supporters of the values of the Euro-Atlantic community and have substantial capacity
    to strengthen the Alliance, will be a valuable strategic benefit for NATO and
    implicitly for Romania, thanks to the security guarantees that it provides, reads
    a news release. The Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu announced a week
    ago that Parliament will complete the ratification process speedily, with a
    special Parliament sitting to be organised to this end. Ciolacu added that the illegal
    and unjustified war started by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has fundamentally
    altered security parameters.


    REPORT The European Commission recommends that Romania take measures
    to address the remaining concerns regarding the investigation and prosecution
    of offences in the judiciary and to make sure that the amendments to the
    justice laws consolidate the guarantees of judicial independence, including by
    means of reforms in the disciplinary rules for magistrates. These are some of
    the conclusions of a report on Romania’s compliance with the rule of law, made
    public on Wednesday. Brussels also calls on Bucharest to regulate lobby
    activities in Parliament and to address the operational challenges faced by the
    National Anti-Corruption Directorate, including in terms of recruiting new
    prosecutors. Another recommendation has to do with efficient public
    consultation before endorsing bills, enhanced transparency with respect to the
    funding of political parties, and the improvement of the norms and mechanisms
    to consolidate the editorial independence of public media. As far as the mass
    media are concerned, the European Commission warns that there is not enough
    transparency with respect to the broadcasting of content paid by political
    parties, with the exception of election campaigns, and journalists’ access to
    information remains difficult.


    COVID-19 Over 3,000 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported over
    the past 24 hours in Romania, 267 fewer than in the previous day, the health
    ministry announced on Wednesday. Overall, since the start of the pandemic,
    nearly 3 million coronavirus infections have been reported in Romania.


    REFUGEES According to the Romanian Border Police Inspectorate, 9,808 Ukrainian nationals
    crossed into Romania on Tuesday, a 10% drop compared to the previous day.
    Starting February 10, 2022, some 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens have entered
    Romania.


    WHISTLEBLOWERS The Constitutional Court of Romania Wednesday ruled against a notification
    submitted by USR party in opposition regarding the law on the protection of
    whistleblowers. USR claims the bill passed by the government considerably reduces
    the protection offered to people who report irregularities in public
    institutions and raises major obstacles in securing Recovery and Resilience
    (PNRR) funds. The notification mentions elements that come against the
    Constitution of Romania, including the violation of certain commitments Romania
    pledged to observe upon joining the EU and the lack of clarity and
    predictability of some provisions.


    JUDICIARY A cooperation agreement between the European Public
    Prosecutor’s Office and the General Prosecutor’s Office of the R. of Moldova
    was signed in Chişinăuon
    Wednesday by the heads of the 2 institutions, Laura Codruţa Kövesi and Dumitru Robu.
    The document is designed to facilitate the exchange of information and judicial
    cooperation in criminal matters. Dumitru Robu pointed out that a priority is to
    carry on investigations in corruption cases and financial offences against state
    assets. In turn, Laura Codruţa Kövesi said that the European Public Prosecutor’s
    Office would support the work of Moldova’s General
    Prosecutor’s Office as much as its powers would allow it. (AMP

  • La guerre en Ukraine, dernières évolutions

    La guerre en Ukraine, dernières évolutions

    Les autorités de la ville ukrainienne de Marioupol ont
    annoncé le report de l’évacuation de civils prévue samedi, estimant que les
    forces russes encerclant la ville ne respectaient pas le cessez-le-feu annoncé.
    Dans un communiqué, le conseil municipal a affirmé que la route censée
    permettre l’évacuation des civils était bombardée continuellement par les
    forces russes. Les autorités ukrainiennes ont affirmé examiner les rapports
    selon lesquels les troupes russes se servent du cessez-le-feu pour avancer vers
    le port. Pour sa part, le Ministère russe de la Défense a affirmé que les
    Ukrainiens n’utilisent pas les deux corridors humanitaires mis en place samedi
    et a accusé les soi-disant nationalistes ukrainiens d’empêcher les civils de
    sortir de la ville. En plus, le ministère russe a accusé les forces
    ukrainiennes d’avoir attaqué l’armée russe pendant le cessez-le-feu.



  • Protestations dans le système de santé

    Protestations dans le système de santé

    Des protestations ont eu lieu mardi à Bucarest, soutenues par des manifestations dans les hôpitaux publics du pays. Les travailleurs de la Santé sont descendus dans la rue pour réclamer leurs droits lors d’un meeting coordonné par la Fédération Solidaritatea Sanitară, une organisation représentative du secteur de la santé qui compte plus de 25 000 salariés de cette branche d’activité. Toute la gamme des travailleurs de la santé, allant des médecins et des infirmiers jusqu’aux économistes du système, en passant par le personnel auxiliaire, a participé à cette action. La principale demande adressée aux gouvernants concerne l’octroi des revenus promis il y a près de deux ans, et qui n’ont pas été accordés en 2021. Qui plus est, affirment les manifestants, pour l’année prochaine, il y a peu de chances d’augmentation des salaires au niveau prévu, car pour l’instant les promesses du gouvernement ne prévoient qu’un quart du montant initial. Daniel Bulboacă, vice-président de la Fédération Solidaritatea Sanitară :



    « Nous avons une loi sur les salaires depuis 2017 qui n’est pas appliquée. Oui, c’est exactement ce que nous demandons : l’octroi des droits légaux, rien de plus. En janvier 2021, nous aurions dû toucher une tranche de la majoration salariale ; elle n’a pas été accordée. En 2022, pour le personnel technique, économique et socio-administratif rien ne sera accordé, alors que les ouvriers auront un quart seulement de l’augmentation prévue pour le personnel auxiliaire – les infirmiers, les brancardiers, les personnes en charge du nettoyage. Un quart sera donc accordé, et seulement à une partie de ceux qui avaient droit aux majorations successives. »



    Petite explication : au moment des fêtes de fin d’année, il est tradition en Roumanie que les gens aillent chanter des cantiques et faire des vœux en vers à différentes personnes. Ainsi, selon les organisateurs, les manifestations dans la capitale ont fait le tour des institutions essentielles du pays, respectivement le gouvernement, le parlement et la Présidence, pour leur faire des vœux adaptés d’après les coutumes traditionnelles. Cette fois-ci ils faisaient état de la souffrance des travailleurs de la santé et formaient des vœux de sagesse pour les gouvernants en matière d’octroi d’urgence des droits légitimes aux professionnels de la santé. En fait, il y a plusieurs problèmes, a expliqué Gabriel Predica, vice-président de la Fédération Solidaritatea Sanitară :



    « Ils partent, d’une part, d’un système inéquitable existant aujourd’hui en matière de rémunération et, d’autre part, bien sûr, aussi de cette question d’une forme d’ingratitude face à tous les efforts des salariés de la Santé. Et quand je dis salariés de la Santé, je parle de toutes les catégories, y compris le personnel technique, économique et socio-administratif, par exemple, y compris évidemment le personnel auxiliaire médical, les infirmiers, les brancardiers, les médecins, les aides-soignants, donc absolument toutes les catégories de personnel, qui ont été impliqués ces deux dernières années dans la lutte contre la pandémie. »



    Selon Gabriel Predica, dans le système de santé, depuis 2010, la rémunération se fait sur le principe du report ou de la prorogation, ce qui engendre toute sorte de frustrations et d’animosités parmi certaines catégories de personnel, car ni l’ancienne loi des salaires, ni la loi actuelle ne sont pleinement appliquées.


    (Trad. : Ligia)