Radio România Internațional

Tag: REPORT

  • May 14, 2019 UPDATE

    May 14, 2019 UPDATE

    ​REPORT – Direct foreign investment went down in the first three months of 2019 by around 20% as against the same period last year, to 1.24 billion euros, according to data made public by the Central Bank on Tuesday. At the same time, between January and March 2019, the number of new companies running on foreign capital went up by more than 9% as against the same period of 2018, to almost 15 hundred units. On March 31st, 2019, there were over 220 thousand companies running on foreign capital in Romania.




    COUNCIL – Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Daea on Tuesday presided the meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels. The main topic on the agenda was the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy Reform Package. Ministers also exchanged views on the new delivery model set out in the Commission proposal for a regulation on the CAP strategic plans. On the sidelines of the Council meeting, ministers discussed a long-term strategic vision for a climate neutral economy in terms of agriculture, as well as the declaration of cooperation for a smart and sustainable digital future for European agriculture and rural areas.




    EXTRADITION – Romanian interim Justice Minister Ana Birchall announced on Tuesday that the Madagascan authorities approved the extradition to Romania of Radu Mazare, a former mayor of the Black Sea city of Constanta. The authorities in Madagascar detained Mazare last week and placed him under provisional arrest for six days. The former mayor fled to Madagascar at the end of 2017, to avoid trial for corruption. He received a final sentence of nine years in prison in February this year, in a case of illegal allocation of state-owned land along the Black Sea coast and beaches in Constanta.




    CANNES FESTIVAL – The 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday and will run until May 25. Romania is represented in the official and alternative film sections. Corneliu Porumboiu this year competes for the Palme dOr with his latest feature “La Gomera / The Whistlers”, his first film produced abroad, on La Gomera island in Spain and in Singapore. The short reel program entitled Romanian Short Waves will also be featured in the Short Film Corner devoted to short reels and young talent. Among the 13 short reels selected are Bogdan Muresanus “Christmas Gift”, Adi Voicus “The Last Trip to the Seaside” and “Today Artist, Tonight Taximetrist” by Dumitru Grosei. Also representing Romania is filmmaker, screen writer and producer Catalin Mitulescu as a jury member for the Cinefondation and short reel section.




    MILITARY – An Italian military unit is deployed by NATO at the Mihail Koglniceanu base in southeastern Romania, charged with carrying out air policing missions for the first time in Romania. Over the next four months, 130 Italian military, pilots and technical crew and four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft will join Romanian Air Force military and MiG-21 Lancer jets to carry out these missions under NATO command. The joint air policing missions are aimed at developing the reaction and deterrence capacity and consolidate interoperability between the two countries Air Forces. The deployment of the Italian unit to Romania is part of the action plan for ensuring NATO operational capacity in response to security challenges on the Alliances eastern flank.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Mihaela Buzarnescu (29 WTA) defeated the former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (27 WTA) 6-2, 5-4, in the opening round of the WTA tournament in Rome. In the second round world no. 2 Simona Halep will play the winner of the match pitting Merketa Vondrousova against Barbora Strycova, both from the Czech Republic.


    (Translated by E. Enache)

  • Romania and the Euro

    Romania and the Euro

    Romanias switching to the Euro is a national project whose success requires the support of the entire society, PM Viorica Dancila said upon the presentation of the substantiation report for the National Plan to Adopt the Single Currency. Just like the accession to the European Union and NATO, the countrys accession to the Euro zone is a nation-wide priority, the head of the Romanian Government believes. According to her, this will benefit the Romanian society, but the success of this endeavour requires the support of the academia, civil society, political parties, social partners and the key public authorities.



    Proper preparation for the first stage of this process, namely the adoption of the European exchange rate mechanism, as well as governmental measures to enhance competitiveness and ensure sustainable economic growth, are of vital importance in this respect.



    Viorica Dancila: “I firmly believe that, through measures aimed at stimulating the economy and supporting competitive sectors, and through open and constant dialogue with social partners, we can pave the way for Romania to be able to meet the key requirements for adopting the euro by 2024.



    The President of the Romanian Academy, Aurel Pop, emphasised that Romanias EU membership has been essential and the countrys embracing the Unions values has been redemptive for the Romanian society.



    In turn, the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu, supports a cautious approach, because in his opinion switching to the Euro, in and by itself, does not solve the problems of an economy, but, on the contrary, it may even deepen them. The central bank official believes that Romania should look at how the other countries in Central and Eastern Europe have handled this change. In his opinion, the relevant example for Romania is the way Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary have tackled this process. Adopting the Euro remains a commitment that the country stands by.



    Mugur Isarescu: “The switch to the Euro is a matter of when, and not a matter of if. Romanias commitment to joining the Euro zone is unquestionable, and is an obligation that the country has taken under the EU Accession Treaty. But beyond the formal and judicial obligation, the commitment to adopting the single currency also reflects Romanias strong affiliation to the European project. In other words, fully embracing Romanias European future includes the accession to the Euro zone.



    Mugur Isarescu also mentioned that this is not a strictly technical matter, a mere replacement of a set of notes and coins with another, but a highly complex process, whose proper unfolding and successful completion require very careful management and close cooperation between all the institutions involved.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romania and the Euro

    Romania and the Euro

    Romanias switching to the Euro is a national project whose success requires the support of the entire society, PM Viorica Dancila said upon the presentation of the substantiation report for the National Plan to Adopt the Single Currency. Just like the accession to the European Union and NATO, the countrys accession to the Euro zone is a nation-wide priority, the head of the Romanian Government believes. According to her, this will benefit the Romanian society, but the success of this endeavour requires the support of the academia, civil society, political parties, social partners and the key public authorities.



    Proper preparation for the first stage of this process, namely the adoption of the European exchange rate mechanism, as well as governmental measures to enhance competitiveness and ensure sustainable economic growth, are of vital importance in this respect.



    Viorica Dancila: “I firmly believe that, through measures aimed at stimulating the economy and supporting competitive sectors, and through open and constant dialogue with social partners, we can pave the way for Romania to be able to meet the key requirements for adopting the euro by 2024.



    The President of the Romanian Academy, Aurel Pop, emphasised that Romanias EU membership has been essential and the countrys embracing the Unions values has been redemptive for the Romanian society.



    In turn, the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu, supports a cautious approach, because in his opinion switching to the Euro, in and by itself, does not solve the problems of an economy, but, on the contrary, it may even deepen them. The central bank official believes that Romania should look at how the other countries in Central and Eastern Europe have handled this change. In his opinion, the relevant example for Romania is the way Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary have tackled this process. Adopting the Euro remains a commitment that the country stands by.



    Mugur Isarescu: “The switch to the Euro is a matter of when, and not a matter of if. Romanias commitment to joining the Euro zone is unquestionable, and is an obligation that the country has taken under the EU Accession Treaty. But beyond the formal and judicial obligation, the commitment to adopting the single currency also reflects Romanias strong affiliation to the European project. In other words, fully embracing Romanias European future includes the accession to the Euro zone.



    Mugur Isarescu also mentioned that this is not a strictly technical matter, a mere replacement of a set of notes and coins with another, but a highly complex process, whose proper unfolding and successful completion require very careful management and close cooperation between all the institutions involved.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romania and the Euro

    Romania and the Euro

    Romanias switching to the Euro is a national project whose success requires the support of the entire society, PM Viorica Dancila said upon the presentation of the substantiation report for the National Plan to Adopt the Single Currency. Just like the accession to the European Union and NATO, the countrys accession to the Euro zone is a nation-wide priority, the head of the Romanian Government believes. According to her, this will benefit the Romanian society, but the success of this endeavour requires the support of the academia, civil society, political parties, social partners and the key public authorities.



    Proper preparation for the first stage of this process, namely the adoption of the European exchange rate mechanism, as well as governmental measures to enhance competitiveness and ensure sustainable economic growth, are of vital importance in this respect.



    Viorica Dancila: “I firmly believe that, through measures aimed at stimulating the economy and supporting competitive sectors, and through open and constant dialogue with social partners, we can pave the way for Romania to be able to meet the key requirements for adopting the euro by 2024.



    The President of the Romanian Academy, Aurel Pop, emphasised that Romanias EU membership has been essential and the countrys embracing the Unions values has been redemptive for the Romanian society.



    In turn, the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu, supports a cautious approach, because in his opinion switching to the Euro, in and by itself, does not solve the problems of an economy, but, on the contrary, it may even deepen them. The central bank official believes that Romania should look at how the other countries in Central and Eastern Europe have handled this change. In his opinion, the relevant example for Romania is the way Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary have tackled this process. Adopting the Euro remains a commitment that the country stands by.



    Mugur Isarescu: “The switch to the Euro is a matter of when, and not a matter of if. Romanias commitment to joining the Euro zone is unquestionable, and is an obligation that the country has taken under the EU Accession Treaty. But beyond the formal and judicial obligation, the commitment to adopting the single currency also reflects Romanias strong affiliation to the European project. In other words, fully embracing Romanias European future includes the accession to the Euro zone.



    Mugur Isarescu also mentioned that this is not a strictly technical matter, a mere replacement of a set of notes and coins with another, but a highly complex process, whose proper unfolding and successful completion require very careful management and close cooperation between all the institutions involved.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Le Brexit, à nouveau reporté

    Le Brexit, à nouveau reporté

    Réunis à Bruxelles les leaders européens et la première ministre britannique Theresa May se sont mis d’accord sur un nouveau report du Brexit jusqu’à la fin octobre. Le Conseil Européen doit évaluer le processus les 20 et 21 juin prochains. Theresa May avait demandé un report jusqu’au 30 juin, pour permettre au Parlement de Londres d’arriver à un consensus. Elle a obtenu un ajournement flexible de 6 mois, afin de trouver la meilleure solution possible pour le Brexit, aux dires du président du Conseil Européen, Donald Tusk.

    En même temps on élimine, au moins temporairement, la perspective d’une séparation brutale, sans accord, a encore précisé Donald Tusk : « Durant cette période, la solution est entre les mains des Britanniques. Ils peuvent toujours ratifier l’accord avec l’Union, au cas où le prolongement s’achève. Ils peuvent également reconsidérer l’ensemble de la stratégie du Brexit. Cela apportera des changements dans le discours politique, mais pas dans l’accord du retrait. D’ici la fin du délai, le Royaume Uni peut révoquer l’article 50 et annuler le Brexit. »

    « Les mois à venir ne seront pas faciles », a déclaré pour sa part Theresa May, ajoutant qu’elle ferait de son mieux pour que la Grande Bretagne quitte le bloc communautaire le plut tôt possible.

    Bruxelles invite donc le Royaume Uni à se comporter « de manière constructive et responsable » au cours du délai accordé. De même, Londres doit « s’abstenir de toute mesure qui puisse mettre en danger l’accomplissement des objectifs de l’Union. »

    La Roumanie a été représentée par le président Klaus Iohannis à la réunion extraordinaire du Conseil européen sur le retrait de la Grande-Bretagne de l’Union. Dans ce contexte, le président roumain a soutenu le report supplémentaire du Brexit, pour permettre la ratification de l’accord avec l’Union européenne par le Parlement britannique. La prolongation permet « un retrait ordonné, qui donne de la certitude aux citoyens européens du Royaume-Uni et aux citoyens britanniques de l’Union européenne, mais aussi aux compagnies et au milieu des affaires », a souligné l’Administration présidentielle de Bucarest. Le chef de l’Etat roumain s’est aussi prononcé pour un futur partenariat « étendu et ambitieux » entre l’Union européenne et la Grande-Bretagne, comportant aussi bien des aspects économiques et commerciaux, que des aspects concernant la sécurité, la défense et les relations extérieures.

    Précisons aussi que si l’accord de retrait n’est pas ratifié avant le 22 mai, le Royaume-Uni devra organiser des élections pour le Parlement européen. Si cette obligation n’est pas respectée, la Grande-Bretagne devra quitter l’Union européenne le 1er juin. (Trad. Valentina Beleavski, Elena Diaconu)

  • March 22, 2019

    March 22, 2019

    BREXIT – There is a real chance for Britain’s orderly exit from the EU, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who takes part in the spring European Council in Brussels said on Friday. He also said that, for the Bucharest authorities, the main concern is the Romanian community living in the UK. On Thursday, EU leaders agreed to Brexit being postponed and offered Britain two exit scenarios.




    REPORT – Romania’s constant economic growth in the past years is not being felt by large categories of Romanians, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, said Friday in Bucharest. Corina Cretu, who attended the presentation of the country report as part of the European semester, and the conference titled “Investment priorities for Romania 2021-2027”, talked about the need for big investment in healthcare services, transport infrastructure, energy and environment. The report points out to the fact that the economic growth model based on consumption is affecting the country’s capacity to catch up with the developed countries. The document also signals the fact that Romania’s medium and long-term foreign debt risks exceeding 60% of the GDP and that economy is affected by the salary increases which are not correlated with productivity.




    VISIT – Romanian PM Viorica Dancila is paying a visit to the US between March 23 and 26, to attend the Conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The visit takes place at the invitation of the AIPAC President, Morton Fridman, and of the AIPAC executive director Howard Kohr. According to a release of the Bucharest Government, the visit mirrors the intensified bilateral dialogue and is part of Bucharest’s efforts to consolidate the partnerships Romania has with the US and Israel.




    INAUGURATION — Pope Francis inaugurated from the Vatican, through a videocinference, the new centre of the Scholas Occurrentes Foundation, at the National School of Political Science and Public Administration in Bucharest. Scholas Occurrentes is an international organization present in 190 countries that integrates, through its network, almost 450 thousand schools and education networks. It seeks to generate a paradigm shift in education through the integration of communities, education with focus on those with fewer resources through the commitment of all.




    MIGRATION – 4.4 million migrants entered the EU countries in 2017, a figure, which includes migration inside the EU, data released by Eurostat show. The statistical office of the European Union registered 2.8 million migrants in the 28 member states from outside the union as well as 1.9 million people who already were in a member state and migrated to another. At the same time, 3.1 million migrants have left a state in the EU. More immigrants than migrants have been registered in 22 EU countries. The number of emigrants exceeded immigrants in six countries, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. The largest number of immigrants was reported by Malta (46 per 1,000 inhabitants. Luxembourg reported the largest number of emigrants in 2017 (23 per 1,000 inhabitants).




    rescEU – The consolidate civil protection mechanism, rescEU, aimed at strengthening collective response to natural disaster across the EU, has come into force on Thursday, the European Commission reports. To ensure a better protection of citizens, the European Parliament, the EU Council and the Commission reached an agreement in December last year to consolidate the current civil protection mechanism. Under the new mechanism member states will be able to access an additional response capacity in case of disasters, medical emergencies, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. Europe has been affected by scores of disasters in recent years, which left hundreds dead and produced damages in the billions of euros. (Translated by Elena Enache)



  • 15.03.2019

    15.03.2019

    Budget – Le
    président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a promulgué, ce vendredi, la loi du budget d’Etat
    pour 2019. Il a cependant déclaré qu’il aurait souhaité avoir à promulguer un
    bon budget pour la Roumanie et pour les Roumains, mais cela n’avait pas été le
    cas. Le président a critiqué le fait que le Parti social-démocrate (PSD), principale composante de la coalition gouvernementale, avait
    consacré une seule journée au réexamen du texte de la loi et l’avoir renvoyé
    sans modifications au président pour promulgation. Ce n’est pas qu’un incroyable manque de responsabilité, c’est de la
    mauvaise volonté, a affirmé le président Iohannis. Selon le chef de l’Etat,
    l’exercice du pouvoir par les sociaux-démocrates est un grand trou noir pour l’économie
    et la société roumaine. Le Parlement de Bucarest a adopté mercredi la variante
    initiale de la loi du budget d’Etat pour 2019, qui lui avait été renvoyée pour
    réexamen par le président Klaus Iohannis.


    Attaque
    – Le ministère roumain des affaires étrangères a fermement condamné les
    attaques terroristes perpétrées ce vendredi contre deux mosquées de la ville de
    Christchurch, en Nouvelle-Zélande, qui ont fait une cinquantaine de morts et de
    nombreux blessés. Le ministère roumain des affaires étrangères a transmis des
    condoléances aux familles des victimes, réaffirmant aussi l’appui de la
    Roumanie à la lutte contre le terrorisme. La première ministre de la néo-zélandaise,
    Jacinda Ardern, a annoncé que le niveau d’alerte à la sécurité a été relevé à « élevé »,
    après les attaques qu’elle a qualifiées d’actes de terrorisme. Elle a aussi
    fait savoir que la police avait arrêté quatre suspects qui ne figuraient pas
    sur la liste des personnes surveillées. La chef du gouvernement néo-zélandais a
    souligné le fait que le pays était un lieu de diversité, de bienveillance, de
    compassion, une maison pour tous ceux qui partagent ces valeurs, qui ne seront
    pas ébranlées par ces attaques.


    Visite
    – La première ministre roumaine, Viorica Dăncilă, se trouve à Prague, en visite
    officielle à l’invitation de son homologue tchèque, Andrej Babis. Les pourparlers
    portent sur la consolidation des relations économiques et politiques bilatérales
    ainsi que sur les principaux dossiers faisant l’objet de négociations au niveau
    de l’Union européenne. Egalement au menu des discussions, la manière dont la
    République tchèque peut appuyer la Roumanie pour atteindre les objectifs clé de
    la présidence du Conseil de l’UE. L’agenda de la visite de la première ministre
    roumaine à Prague inclut aussi des entretiens avec le président de la Chambre
    des députés, Radek Vondracek, et avec le président du Senat, Jaroslav Kubera.












    Brexit – Les leaders
    européens analyseront la demande des parlementaires britanniques de reporter la
    sortie du Royaume Uni de l’Union européenne. Le parlement de Londres a approuvé
    hier soir la motion par laquelle le gouvernement de Theresa May demande le
    report du Brexit, qui doit aussi être acceptée par les dirigeants européens. Le
    président du Conseil européen, a aujourd’hui des consultations avec le premier
    ministre néerlandais, Mark Rutte, avec la chancelière allemande, Angela Merkel,
    et avec le président français, Emmanuel Macron. Les dirigeants européens
    doivent se réunir à Bruxelles, les 21 et 22 mars, pour prendre une décision. La
    date du Brexit est le 29 mars.


    Sommet -
    Le président de la Roumanie, Klaus Iohannis, participe aujourd’hui au 8-e
    Sommet européen des régions et des villes, qui a lieu à Bucarest. Dans une
    intervention à l’occasion de cette réunion, la commissaire européenne à la
    politique régionale, Corina Creţu, s’est prononcée en faveur de l’implication
    des pouvoirs locaux et régionaux dans la prise de décisions au niveau de l’Union
    européenne. Elle a souligné le fait que l’objectif de la politique de cohésion
    était de ramener l’Europe plus près des citoyens. A Bucarest, les leaders des
    régions et des villes européennes adopteront une déclaration où ils présenteront
    leur vision d’une Union européenne renouvelée, dont les politiques publiques
    prennent mieux en compte les besoins locaux. Jeudi, premier jour du sommet, le
    président du Comité européen des régions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, a plaidé pour la
    consolidation de la politique de cohésion, l’UE ne pouvant exister en l’absence
    d’une cohésion réelle.




















    Protestations -
    En Roumanie, ce vendredi, 15 mars, à 15 heures (heure locale), des employeurs
    et des employés, des compagnies économiques, des footballeurs et des clubs
    sportifs, des médecins, des personnels de divers médias, des représentants de
    municipalités, des personnalités de différents domaines d’activité, des élèves,
    des étudiants, des syndicats, mais aussi des citoyens lambda de tout le pays
    arrêteront toute activité pendant 15 minutes. Ils se joignent ainsi au
    mouvement de protestation « la Roumanie veut des autoroutes », initié
    par un entrepreneur de la ville de Suceava (nord-est), Ştefan Mandachi, qui a
    construit, avec son argent, et inauguré, de manière symbolique, le premier
    mètre d’autoroute de la région de Moldavie. L’idée est d’attirer l’attention
    sur l’infrastructure routière précaire de Roumanie, notamment sur l’absence d’autoroutes.
    A la fin de l’année dernière, une trentaine d’années après la chute du
    communisme et une dizaine d’années depuis son adhésion à l’Union européenne, la
    Roumanie ne comptait qu’environ 800 kms d’autoroute.

    Météo – Ciel variable et des pluies éparses dans les régions du nord-ouest de
    la Roumanie. Les températures de la mi-journée vont de 7 à 17°. A Bucarest, il
    y avait 11° à midi.

  • WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018

    WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018

    20 years have passed since the first edition of the Living Planet Report on the state of the Planets health was released. The report is published every two years by the international organization for the conservation of nature, World Wide Fund for Nature, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund. From one report to the next, results are growingly alarming, revealing the scope of humankinds impact on the Earth. The planets populations of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles are dwindling every year, forests are being cut, soils are becoming degraded and the rivers and oceans are getting more and more polluted. Ecosystems are being destroyed and wild life is gradually disappearing. Ecologists have frequently drawn attention to the need for a global accord on the protection of biodiversity, on regenerating habitats and nature in general.



    The 2018 Report presents the same grim image of nature degradation, says Adriana Trocea, a foreign communication expert with WWF Romania: “The Living Planet Report is a study that compares the Earths health with the consequences of mans action. It compares the evolution of vertebrate species with mans ecological carbon footprint. The 2019 Report shows that, in the past 40 years, we have lost 60% of the vertebrate species populations. This is a comprehensive study which covers more than 14 thousand populations from 400 vertebrate species: mammals, fish, birds and amphibians. As also shown in the previous Reports, the biggest loss is among aquatic species, freshwater species, namely 83%. The biggest losses are reported in the Tropical areas. As to aquatic species, we have the sad example of shallow coral reefs. In this case, half of the coral reefs have been lost in the past 30 years, which is quite a fast pace. And this in the context in which the Great Barrier Reef contributes almost 70 thousand jobs to Australias economy and brings revenues worth some 6 billion dollars every year. So, each species has a very big impact on us, on all levels. Without these wild species, the Earth would not be inhabited, therefore we need biodiversity to obtain food, water, and recreation opportunities.



    The Living Planet Report draws attention to the Earths overexploited resources and highlights natures contribution to world economy, Adriana Trocea went on to say: “Nature contributes jobs, environmental services, pollinators which have a very big impact on agricultural protection. At world level, nature provides environmental services worth 125 trillion dollars per year. As regards pollinators, they are on a declining trend, so its a domain in which we should invest. In America, for instance, farmers invested in 2017 as many as 300 million dollars for pollinators, in the sense that they brought bee hives for the almond orchards. Pressure is higher and higher on all species. Human activity significantly affected habitats and natural resources. Actually, consumer behavior, the way in which man uses energy, and everything man does, does have a negative impact on wild species. 20% of the Amazon disappeared in only 50 years, which is very much if we think that the Amazon is a hotspot for biodiversity. We have very many wild species, and this happens largely because the forest was cut to allow for plantations of species used in agriculture, for instance palm trees have replaced large areas of forest.



    Losing biodiversity is just as dangerous as climate change, the authors of the 12th edition of the Living Planet Report warn, underlining the very short time span that has been left and the urgent need to redesign and redefine at global level the way in which we appreciate, protect and help restore nature. WWF urges the international community to reach a global agreement to halt the fast-paced degradation of wildlife, leading to its extinction.



    Adriana Trocea: “We still stand chances to do something. Experts in the field say we might be the last generation which can still change the course of things from this point of view. Furthermore, some positive results have been registered in recent years. For instance, the tiger is a species that has been brought close to the brink of extinction. The tiger population at global level has decreased by over 90% in the past 100 years and now we have up to 4,000 tigers living in the wild, at global level. However, thanks to the joint efforts made by the governments of the countries which are home to tiger populations, to the efforts made by experts and common people alike, this species recovers. For instance, this year in Nepal, experts reported an increase in the number of tigers. Another telling example is that of the aurochs, who went extinct in Romania some 200 years ago, but thanks to sustained efforts made by conservationists, we can now see a population of aurochs living in the wild in Romania, and their number is on the rise. There are some 50 animals living in the wild now, in Romanias Carpathian Mountains.



    Many other animal and bird species, that have once been on the brink of extinction, have now been reintroduced into the wild, under repopulation programs: the chamois, the moose, the deer, the jackal, the beaver, the saker falcon and the golden eagle.


  • December 19, 2018 UPDATE

    December 19, 2018 UPDATE

    NO CONFIDENCE MOTION – The Bucharest Parliament on Thursday is debating and voting on the no confidence motion against the cabinet made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, headed by PM Viorica Dancila. The document was introduced and signed by 163 MPs, mainly from the Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement Party, as well as by independents. 233 votes are needed to bring down the government. Signatories claim that the executive, whom they define as an “organised crime group” destroys the rule of law and undermines the country’s political and economic stability. Liberal leader Ludovic Orban called on Parliament to pass the motion. The head of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, has announced his party members will be present in Parliament but will abstain from voting.




    DEFENSE — The meeting of the Supreme Defense Council of Romania, suspended on December 11 by President Klaus Iohannis at the request of the members, resumed on Wednesday in Bucharest. According to the Presidency, the plan of equipping the armed forces between 2019- 2028 was approved at the meeting as well as the number of troops Romania will send in international missions next year. The agenda of the meeting also included major issues related to the countrys defense and national security, the councils schedule for next year and the National Plan for Informative Priorities.




    STOCK EXCHANGE – The business environment in Romania warned on Wednesday over the negative effects of the new taxes to be introduced by the Bucharest Government as of next year. The Bucharest Stock Exchange opened Wednesday in free fall. The fiscal and budget measures for 2019 presented by Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici sent the market plummeting to minus 7%. Teodorovici announced so called taxes on greed leveled on banks, depending on the evolution of interbanking loans, as well as a package of measures for energy companies — a contribution equal to 3% of turnover, capping natural gas prices, and price controls for electricity prices. Investors’ trust has eroded quickly, in only a few hours after the Government’s announcement, the American Chamber of Commerce in Bucharest has said, asking for the immediate withdrawal of the emergency decree on the newly proposed measures. The Opposition is firmly against the move while the country’s president Klaus Iohannis has warned the Government that its decision has negative effects on economy and Romanians’ revenues.




    PENSIONS – The law regulating pensions passed in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday. The bill sets a minimum of 15 years of employment in order to qualify for social benefits, with contributions to the system in the 15 years. The only changes that deputies brought to the bill introduced by the executive regards the rights of people with disabilities, who would get benefits for working a third of the mandatory period. This amendment, introduced by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, was initially turned down by the Labor Committee. The bill passed by 193 votes. The novelties in this bill, according to Social Democrat Deputy Olguta Vasilescu, are eliminating inequalities in pensions for people with similar work experience, granting the most advantageous survivor pension to a spouse, and the possibility of retiring six years early for mothers of three children or more. Vasilescu, former Minister of Labor, specified that a gradual rise in pensions until 2020 will bring pensions up to 1,775 lei.




    RULING – Romania’s Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that there is a constitutional conflict between the Government and the country’s President, Klaus Iohannis. The Court debated Wednesday the governments claim regarding a possible constitutional conflict between the government and the president, who delayed the appointment of the ministers for transportation and regional development. The proposals were Lia Olguta Vasilescu for regional development and Mircea Draghici for transportation. According to the claim filed by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila with the high court, the prolonged analysis by President Iohannis of the proposals has no legal basis, and constitutes willful obstruction.




    MEDIA — The Reporters without Frontiers organization accuses Romania of excessive politicization of the press and corrupt financing mechanisms, making editorial compromises under pressure from owners, and the infiltration of intelligence agents in editorial rooms. The 2018 annual report of the organization points out that the use of the press as a political propaganda tool was more visible than ever in the last few years, especially during election campaigns. In Romanias case, the worsening climate in the press is in part due to the activity of small extreme right groups . The organization adds that the bill proposed by majority leader Liviu Dragnea, introducing penalties for denigrating Romania, and reintroducing calumny in the Penal Code, raises fears of political censorship in the media. Romania was ranked 44th in the world in the freedom of the press index for 2018. (Translated by E. Enache)




  • The Week in Review 17-24 November, 2018

    The Week in Review 17-24 November, 2018

    Romania in the attention of the European Parliament


    The European Commission and Parliament on Tuesday warned the ruling coalition in Romania made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats that the observance of the rule of law and the fight against corruption in Romania have regressed in the past year. The European Commissions annual evaluation report under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism includes 8 new recommendations for Romania, adding to the 12 made last year, out of the Commissions wish that the MCV process should be concluded during its current mandate. The Commission has asked Romania, in a very firm message, to call off the implementation of the changes to the justice laws and the subsequent emergency ordinances and revise them in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO). In its turn, the European Parliament passed with a wide majority a resolution expressing concerns about the way in which the justice laws were modified and also about the weakening of the rule of law in Romania. The European assessments are like two bad grades for the current governance, says President Klaus Iohannis, a consistent critic of the cabinet made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats:



    Klaus Iohannis: “These multiple changes and intentions to change the justice laws and the Criminal Codes have drawn public attention in a negative way. These things are extremely detrimental to Romania. Obviously, these two documents are practically telling us that Romania slipped back to the point it was 11 years ago, before joining the Union.



    The Social Democratic Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila has voiced her disappointment with the report:



    Viorica Dancila: “We cannot agree with the setting of additional recommendations through which we are asked to ignore constitutional rules and accept what no other state would. Such a request makes the objectives of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism impossible to reach, in the context in which rules change by the day.



    Conclusions of the IMF mission in Romania


    Economic activity in Romania remains strong, with unemployment at a record low, is one of the conclusions of an IMF staff visit to Romania, the head of the IMF mission to Romania and Bulgaria, Jaewoo Lee has said at the end of a one-week visit to Bucharest. He has also said that in spite of several years of economic growth, the budget deficit has gone up rather than down, as it should during good times, and the 2018 target remains at risk without further measures. IMF experts also argue that increases in public-sector salaries and planned changes to pension benefits should be reassessed for their negative implications for fiscal sustainability and long-term growth.



    Romania and the EU Council presidency


    George Ciamba is, as of this week, Romanias new minister delegate for European affairs. A career diplomat with the rank of ambassador, and, until recently, a state secretary with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Ciamba is replacing Victor Negrescu, who resigned at the end of last week. Romania will take over, on January 1st 2019, the EU Council presidency and Victor Negrescu was the one in charge with its preparation and coordination. PM Viorica Dancila has given assurances that, in spite of the situation created by Negrescus resignation, Bucharest is fully prepared to carry out its 6-month EU Council presidency.



    President Klaus Iohannis travels to Paris and London


    President Klaus Iohannis has made two visits abroad in recent days. He first travelled to Paris, at the invitation of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, to attend the 100th celebrations of the end of WWI. The Romanian president used the opportunity of his French trip to hold a meeting, at the Romanian embassy, with Romanian university, MA and PhD students from the Paris region involved in academic research. The following day, he travelled to London to attend an official reception at the Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 70th birthday anniversary of Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. Klaus Iohannis was also supposed to meet prime minister Theresa May, but the talks were cancelled by the UK side because a cabinet meeting to discuss the Brexit agreement took longer than expected.



    Gaudeamus and RadiRo – two events produced by Radio Romania


    Bucharest has been playing host since Wednesday to the Gaudeamus International Book Fair. Book lovers have until Sunday to attend the many events scheduled and take advantage of the considerable discounts offered by the over 300 participating publishers. On the day Gaudeamus ends, another major event produced by Radio Romania begins: the RadiRo International Festival of Radio Orchestras. Its line-up features eight symphonic and four jazz concerts. The participants include MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra from Germany, the BBC Philharmonic from Great Britain, the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra from Ireland.

  • The justice laws in the attention of the Venice Commission

    The justice laws in the attention of the Venice Commission

    In order to prepare an opinion regarding the recent modifications brought by Romania’s Parliament to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes, a Venice Commission delegation came to Romania for 2 days, to meet with Romanian officials and representatives of the justice system. The opinion was requested by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly which is interested in the impact of the aforementioned modifications.



    These modifications were strongly contested, in the street, by the civil society, the rightwing opposition, the Romanian President and a large part of the magistrates. After talks with the representatives of the Venice Commission, the president of the parliamentary committee for justice laws, Social Democratic MP Florin Iordache, said that the modification of the Codes had to be operated to comply with the decisions of the Constitutional Court and the European Directives. In another development, he gave assurances that he would urgently answer all questions related to unclear things or observations made by the Venice Commission, a body whose preliminary report includes, according to Florin Iordache, certain inadvertences.



    The opposition representatives said that the Venice Commission expressed certain concerns related to whether these legislative changes were made based on an impact study that should have highlighted the effects generated by the newly reformed criminal policy in Romania. They also referred to the consequences these changes might have on the cases currently dealt with by courts and also on those cases in which a definitive sentence was ruled.



    President Klaus Iohannis has drawn attention to the fact that the changes to the codes unbalance the judiciary, one of the targeted aims of these changes being to favor certain politicians prosecuted for various crimes. According to President Iohannis the changes proposed by the current parliamentary majority risk compromising the effort of the past years meant to consolidate the judicial system. Klaus Iohannis also said that the involvement and support of the European experts are meant to help Romania have a more efficient and modern legislation. The report of the Venice Commission will be passed next month in this boy’s plenary session.



    In a preliminary opinion on the Romanian justice laws made public in July, the Venice Commission asked the Romanian authorities to rethink the manner of appointing and dismissing the chief prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism and of the General Prosecutor’s Office, in the sense of maintaining the role of Romania’s President and of the Superior Council of Magistracy in this process.

  • The Week in Review, 22-28 July

    The Week in Review, 22-28 July

    Government presents report after 6 months in office


    The third governmental team put together by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats this week reviewed its accomplishments after the first six months in office. Higher budget revenues, increased investments and better spending of EU funds are some of the achievements presented by PM Dancila on Monday. She also mentioned the Governments measures to encourage employment and support farmers. Viorica Dancila explained that in the first 6 months of the year the state budget revenues were some 3.2 billion euros higher than in the corresponding period of last year. Doubling the salaries of healthcare personnel and a 25% increase of teaching staff incomes were also listed as “social measures. In the first 6 months in office, the Government also approved 13 strategic investment projects, 4 of which in the transport infrastructure sector. Also, 192 km of power lines were completed, which allow for inter-connection with the neighbouring Hungary and Serbia. Ludovic Orban, the president of the National Liberal Party, in opposition, criticised the activity of the government, arguing that the current Cabinet brought to a halt the economic growth of the past few years and lowered the citizens purchasing power.



    PM visits Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia


    The Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, while on an official visit this week to Podgorita, reiterated Romanias support for Montenegros EU accession efforts. The head of the Romanian Cabinet had meetings with president Milo Djukanovic and her counterpart Dusko Marcovic, as well as with the Parliament Speaker Ivan Brajovic. Mrs Dancila promised that the Western Balkans will be a key priority of the upcoming Romanian EU Council presidency and that Romania will be offering the expertise and the necessary technical assistance for the success of this process. She also congratulated Montenegro on its recent NATO accession, emphasising that Podgorica is a true friend and ally of Romania. The Romanian Prime Ministers Western Balkans tour continued with a visit to the Republic of Macedonia, the agenda of which included meetings with the head of state Gjorge Ivanov, PM Zoran Zaev and Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi. The topics approached included opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations.



    The position of chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate remains vacant


    According to an announcement of the Romanian Justice Ministry on Friday, all four candidacies for chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate have been rejected, and the selection procedure will be resumed. The press release reads that none of four met the necessary requirements. The four candidates, interviewed on Thursday, were Florentina Mirica, chief prosecutor with the Anti-corruption Service of the Directorate, Cristian Lazar, deputy chief prosecutor with the Criminal Prosecution Department of the Prosecutor Generals Office, Marius Iacob, deputy chief prosecutor with the National Anticorruption Directorate, and Elena Grecu, prosecutor chief of service with the central offices of the National Anticorruption Directorate. The position of Chief Prosecutor of the Directorate became vacant when Laura Codruta Kovesi was dismissed under a decree signed on July 9th by the countrys president, Klaus Iohannis, who thus complied with a ruling of the Constitutional Court.



    Romania supports fire-ravaged Greece


    The disaster in Greece, dubbed by many as Biblical, has sensitized the entire world, including Romanians, who have shown their willingness to help. On Wednesday, the Romanian Air Forces sent two airplanes and 20 soldiers to help the Greek authorities. The C-27 J Spartan, designed to extinguish fires, launches special cardboard boxes, each filled with 1.000 litres of water, and the other aircraft, a Hercules C-130, provides logistical support. Princess Margaret, the Custodian of the Crown of Romania and president of the Romanian Red Cross, has conveyed a message of compassion to the Greek people. Also, the Romanian Patriarchy has urged all eparchies in the country and abroad to provide financial support to those affected and has announced the opening of several bank accounts. The money will be donated to the Athens Archbishopric.



    Bad weather takes Romania in its grip again


    One person has died taken by the waters and lots of households and thousands of hectares of farming land and pastures have been damaged this week by heavy ran and flooding, affecting half of the country. Such phenomena have become quite normal this summer, which has proven rather atypical. July 2018 has been the coolest summer month in the last 34 years, with temperatures below the average and heavy precipitations reported almost every day, keeping meteorologists busy issuing one alert after another for heavy rain, storms and unstable weather across the country. Firefighters and military rescue teams have intervened to help the population deal with the damage caused by the bad weather. The Government has announced it will provide emergency aid in the areas affected by flooding and has called on local authorities to take all the necessary measures.



    Swine fever wreaks havoc


    The African swine fever virus continues to spread across Romania and cause colossal damage among local farms, amounting to hundreds of millions of Euro. Some 440 outbreaks have been reported since the beginning of the year, mostly in the county of Tulcea, in the south-east. Tens of thousands of pigs have been slaughtered, and deliveries of pork and pork meat products have been restricted. The African swine fever affects only animals, therefore it cannot hurt humans, but there is no treatment or vaccine against it.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu, Mihaela Ignatescu)

  • April 22, 2018

    April 22, 2018

    EARTH DAY – Earth Day is celebrated today in Romania as well, with cleaning projects, flower planting and hikes organised by schools, NGOs, associations and political parties. Climate changes are a clear proof that the Earth is suffering and each and every one of us can end this suffering, provided that we all work together, reads a Facebook post of the Romanian Ministry for the Environment. In 2018, events focus on containing plastic pollution. The Earth Day network, which has offices in over 175 countries, intends to raise awareness on the risks entailed by the use of plastics for peoples health as well as for the oceans and wildlife. Hundreds of millions of tons of plastics are sold around the world every year.




    PROTESTS – A new large-scale rally of railway workers is scheduled for Monday, April 22, at noon, in Bucharest. On Friday more than 2,000 unionists picketed the Transport Ministry and the Government head offices. Dumitru Costin, leader of the National Union Bloc, believes all-out strike to be the only solution. Railway sector unions want a special law to regulate professions in the sector, including salary rights, and demand solutions for the Freight Transport Corporation and investments in the maintenance and development of the railway network. Romanias railway network, the 7th longest in Europe, is subject to over 700 speed restrictions, and the 1,200 trains of the public railway corporation only total 300 cars. Transport Minister Lucian Şova said in a news release that he supported the adoption of relevant regulations and that increasing investments in the sector was a priority.




    HUMAN RIGHTS – Corruption remains widespread in Romania, and bribe-giving is still common practice in the public sector, reads the 2017 Country Report on Human rights issued by the US State Department. Laws were not always implemented efficiently, and officials, judges included, sometimes engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Immunity from criminal prosecution held by existing and former cabinet members who were also members of parliament sometimes blocked investigations, the report also reads. The same document notes that some Romanian politicians own or control media organisations, influencing their editorial policy. As regards prisons, the report mentions that they remained overcrowded and in breach of international standards, although the authorities took some steps to address the situation. In Romania, the US State Department says, some cases of police abuse were reported in 2017 as well, most of them going unpunished. So were cases of anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, and discrimination against the Roma, people with disabilities and sexual minorities. Child abuse and neglect cases were also reported.




    HUNGARY – Tens of thousands of protesters marched the streets of Hungarian capital city Budapest to protest governmental control over the media. This was the second consecutive Saturday of protests against PM Viktor Orban, recently re-elected to office. According to the BBC, the protesters accuse the Government of high-jacking the public and private mass media and using them in order to win the recent elections through anti-immigrant messages. The participants in the rally also criticised opposition parties and called for a new opposition movement. The PM Viktor Orban has dismissed the protests as “irrelevant, BBC reports.




    TENNIS – Simona Halep, no 1 in the world, secured Romanias qualification in the Fed Cup World Group, with a decisive win in the playoffs. Halep defeated today in Cluj (north-west), the veteran Patty Schnyder, 39, who replaced Timea Bacsinzky, on the second day of the Fed Cup World Group playoffs. The fourth singles match, between Irina Begu and Viktorija Golubic, was therefore cancelled. In the doubles event, Simona Halep and Irina Begu face Patty Schnyder/Jil Teichman. So far, Romania is ahead, 3-0, Halep having defeated Viktorija Golubic on Saturday 2-1, while Begu outplayed Bacsinzky 2-0.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • European Commission Report on Romania

    European Commission Report on Romania

    Romania has reported limited progress in terms of implementing recommendations at economic, social and legislative level issued by the European Commission. This is the main conclusion stemming from a report made public on Wednesday. According to the document, Bucharest will have to increase its efforts to fulfill its fiscal and tax-collection obligations, so as to achieve the mid-term budget objectives for this year.



    Moreover, Romania needs to curb black market labour. Another pending recommendation is the adoption of legislation to balance the retirement age for women and men. Romania also needs to improve access to quality education, especially for children in rural areas. In the field of healthcare, Romania will have to continue to combat informal payments and favor outpatient treatment.



    The Commission also noted Romania’s limited progress in terms of adopting legislation that should ensure the functioning of a professional and independent body of public sector employees, as well as a priority classification of public investment projects. In addition, “legislative changes adopted in 2017 reversed the substantial progress made the previous year in strengthening the corporate governance of state-owned enterprises, pointing to a significant backtracking on past reforms”, the document also reads.



    Political pundits in Bucharest highlight one of the more serious points in the report, linked to the country’s justice system. “The irreversibility of the progress in the fight against corruption was recently put at risk”, the Commission warns, adding that “the ongoing reform of the justice laws risks undoing progress achieved in the last 10 years and harming judicial independence”. As a first reaction, the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest highlighted the half-full part of the report, noting that the report makes positive reference to Romania’s economic progress last year, the tendency to consolidate public investment and the improvement in terms of growth potential and labour market conditions.



    Romania was rated as a country without macroeconomic imbalances, the Foreign Ministry further notes. Over the coming period, Brussels will hold bilateral meetings with each EU member state and will issue a new set of recommendations in May.

  • February 12, 2018 UPDATE

    February 12, 2018 UPDATE

    Report – The Romanian Parliament’s plenary sitting approved on Monday the report of the commission that investigated aspects related to the presidential election in 2009. According to the report, a series of facts likely to fuel suspicions of electoral fraud have been found. The report’s conclusions were backed by MPs with the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and rejected by the opposition, who voted against it, while representatives of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and of the national minorities abstained from voting. The report will be submitted to the relevant institutions, such as the Prosecutor’s Office with the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Presidential Administration, the Higher Council of Magistracy and the Government. The report says that the election was allegedly rigged in favor of the rightist Traian Basescu, helping him win a second term as president to the detriment of the Social Democrat Mircea Geoana.




    Military drills — 100 Romanian soldiers will be training, starting on Monday until Friday, together with around 200 soldiers from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and the US in the Babadag shooting range (in southeastern Romania) as part of the “Black Sea Rotational Force” multinational drill. Participating in the drill from the Romanian Army are soldiers from the ground and naval forces as well as from the air forces.




    Flu — The National Public Health Institute on Monday announced that the number of deaths caused by the flu virus in Romania reached 21. More than 300 people have got the flu so far and over 800 thousand people have been vaccinated against it. Doctors have reiterated recommendations to the population to get vaccinated against the backdrop of a surge in flu cases. According to health minister Sorina Pintea Romania is not yet dealing with a flu epidemic, adding that prevention measures are very important and hospitals and public health institutions should take the necessary measures in this respect.




    Chisinau — The Audiovisual Coordinating Council in the Republic of Moldova is monitoring, as of Monday, whether radio and television stations observe the so-called ‘anti-propaganda’ law, which came into force on February 11. The law is aimed at eliminating the propagandistic messages from the Russian Federation and at protecting consumers from possible attempts of disinformation or manipulation from the outside. At the same time, the law is meant to eliminate media provocation against the Republic of Moldova, by rejecting TV and radio programs that provide information, analyses, military and political content that are not produced in the EU, the US, Canada and other states which are members of the European Convention on Cross-Border Television.




    Baccalaureate – In Romania, as many as 177,000 high school students and graduates from the previous graduating classes on Monday had started the exams assessing their linguistic and digital competences as part of the national Baccalaureate exam. Exams include oral examination in the Romanian language, and in the mother tongue for the students belonging to national minorities, assessment of digital competences and of linguistic competences in a language of international circulation. This is the first time when these exams are scheduled during the school year, several months ahead of high school graduation. The written examinations of the national Baccalaureate exam are scheduled for June.




    Tennis — 5 tennis players from Romania, among whom world’s no. 2 Simona Halep, are participating in the Doha tournament, in Qatar. On Monday, in the first round, Monica Niculescu (92 WTA) defeated Russian Maria Sharapova (41 WTA) in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 while Mihaela Buzărnescu (43 WTA) beat Ukrainian Lesia Ţurenko (40 WTA), 7-5, 6-4. On Tuesday, after the inaugural round, Irina Begu (37 WTA) will take on the Australian Samantha Stosur (44 WTA), and Sorana Cîrstea (38 WTA) will play against Maria Sakkari of Greece. Simona Halep, who qualified directly to the 2nd round, will be up against Russian Ekaterina Makarova (36 WTA). Halep won the Doha tournament in 2014. (Translated by Elena Enache)