Radio România Internațional

Tag: Republic of Moldova

November 5, 2016 UPDATE

DRILL Over 1300 soldiers from Romania, Canada, Germany and the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet Romanian-speaking state, took part in a large-scale drill in the shooting range of Cincu, in central Romania. The Romanian Army participated with 13 military airplanes, including the newly bought F-16 fighters, and 200 military vehicles. This has been the fourth exercise of its kind hosted at Cincu this year.

CAR CRASH Three people died and nearly 60 others were wounded on Saturday in a multiple-vehicle collision due to the heavy fog on the Sun Highway linking Bucharest to the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta. About 30 vehicles, including two minibuses, have been involved in the crash, forcing the authorities to intervene and close one lane of the highway.

SUMMIT Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos is in Riga, Latvia, this weekend where he is attending the fifth summit bringing together heads of government from Central and Eastern Europe as well as China in the 16+1 format, a government communiqué has announced. The Prime Minister’s participation in the present China-CEE Summit is an occasion to reaffirm Romania’s determination to assume an increasing role in this cooperation format, the communiqué says. On the sidelines of the China-CEE summit, the Romanian official will be having a series of bilateral contacts with his counterparts attending the event in Riga.

PIPELINE As of 2020, the Republic of Moldova (an ex-soviet Romanian-speaking state) might receive 2.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which is almost double its need, after the completion of the Iasi — Ungheni – Chisinau pipeline, that connect the former soviet Republic with Romania. This was the conclusion of the intergovernmental committee of economic cooperation between this ex-soviet country and Romania held in Chisinau on Friday. The parties have agreed on the strategic domains Romania is ready to get involved in order to streamline and develop the electric power infrastructure in the neighboring country. The Romanian Minister of the Economy, Costin Borc, has called on business people in Bucharest to get involved in the Republic of Moldova’s privatization processes.

HANDBALL Romania’s champions and holder of the Champions League trophy in women’s handball CSM Bucharest lost to Hungarian side Gyor ETO 33-25 on Friday night in Budapest. This has been the Romanians’ third defeat in a row in the Champions League preliminaries, where they rank third in the group, with only two points, after Gyor and Rostov. Danish side Midtjylland is at the bottom of the group’s table. The first three sides in the group are qualified for the main board. In another development, Romania’s national handball side is taking on Poland in the second group of the preliminaries for the European Championship in 2018. They won their first game against Belarus 26-23. Serbia is also part of this group. The Romanians are being trained by Xavier Pascual, the one who is also coaching the famous side FC Barcelona.

5 November 2016
November 5, 2016

CAR CRASH Three people died and over 50 others were wounded in a multiple-vehicle collision due to the heavy fog on the Sun Highway linking Bucharest to the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta. About 30 vehicles, including two minibuses, have been involved in the crash, forcing the authorities to intervene and close one lane of the highway.

PIPELINE As of 2020, the Republic of Moldova (an ex-soviet Romanian-speaking state) might receive 2.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which is almost double its need, after the completion of the Iasi – Ungheni – Chisinau pipeline, that connect the former soviet Republic with Romania. This is the conclusion of the intergovernmental committee of economic cooperation between this ex-soviet country and Romania held in Chisinau on Friday. The parties have agreed on the strategic domains Romania is ready to intervene in order to streamline and develop the electric power infrastructure in the neighboring country. The Romanian Minister of the Economy, Costin Borc, has called on business people in Bucharest to get involved in the Republic of Moldovas privatization processes.

SUMMIT Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos is in Riga, Latvia, to attend the fifth summit bringing together heads of government from Central and Eastern Europe as well as China in the 16+1 format, a government communiqué has announced. The Prime Ministers participation in the present China-CEE Summit is an occasion to reaffirm Romanias determination to assume an increasing role in this cooperation format, the communiqué says. On the sidelines of the China-CEE summit, the Romanian official will be having a series of bilateral contacts with his counterparts attending the event in Riga.

HANDBALL Romanias champions and holder of the Champions League trophy in womens handball CSM Bucharest lost to Hungarian side Gyor ETO 33-25 on Friday night in Budapest. This has been the Romanians third defeat in a row in the Champions League preliminaries, where they rank third in the group, with only two points, after Gyor and Rostov. Danish side Midtjylland is at the bottom of the groups table. The first three sides in the group are qualified for the main board. In another development, Romanias national handball side is taking on Poland in the second group of the preliminaries for the European Championship in 2018. They won their first game against Belarus 26-23. Serbia is also part of this group. The Romanians are being trained by Xavier Pascual, the one who is also coaching the famous side FC Barcelona.

5 November 2016
November 2, 2016

Public sector pay rise. The budget-finance and labour
committees of the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday amended an ordinance on public
sector pay rises to extend the rise to education and healthcare employees. The
Chamber of Deputies will vote on the bill next week. The technocratic prime minister
Dacian Ciolos said the salary rises and the elimination of a number of taxes
recently proposed by Parliament ahead of the parliamentary elections of
December 11th will have a great impact on the state budget.

Radio Romania anniversary. On Tuesday, Radio Romania celebrated 88 years since its
first broadcast. The anniversary comes after Parliament passed a new law
according to which the public radio and television services will be funded
exclusively from the state budget. The law, which is still to be signed by the
president, has been criticised by civil society and media institutions from
Romania and abroad, who have denounced its populist nature, given that it comes
ahead of the parliamentary elections in December, and the risk for the two
public stations to be subordinated to political interests.

IMF report. The economic growth rate remains
solid in much of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, credit will pick up
again and inflationary pressures are still low, according to the International
Monetary Fund’s autumn report. The shadow economy has been shrinking in all
states in the region since 2005, in particular in Latvia, Lithuania and
Romania, the IMF notes. The report also highlights the significant progress
made by some states, including Romania, in reducing non-performing loans. With
respect to consumer prices, the IMF estimates that Bulgaria and Romania will
have some of the highest negative average annual inflation rates in the
European Union, but that in Romania, consumer prices will return to positive
values in 2017. The IMF also projects a minus 2% current account deficit in
2016 and a minus 2.8% in 2017. In the case of the Romanian economy, the IMF
expects a GDP growth of 5% in 2016 and of 3.8% in 2017, the highest economic
growth rate in Europe.

Military exercise. Romanian and
American military are taking part in the Patriot Shock V exercise at the Capul
Midia shooting range in south-eastern Romania. A battery of US Patriot missiles
are participating for the first time in an exercise in Romania. This is an
advanced surface-to-air defence system that can be used in the event of an
attack with aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles and which,
according to the Romanian defence ministry, can detect around 100 targets and
guide up to nine missiles. The US and Romanian military will be testing the
reaction speed in the event of a crisis. The two army detachments will test
their response as part of a fictitious air defence scenario. Also for the first
time, the F-16 aircraft recently purchased by Romania have taken part in the Scorpions
Fury multinational exercise which comes to an end today at a shooting range in
Cincu, in Brasov county, central Romania. 1,300 military from Canada, Germany,
the Republic of Moldova and Romania have taken part, as well as 200 pieces of
technical equipment and 13 Romanian Air Force planes.

Republic of Moldova elections. The pro-Russian Socialist
candidate Igor Dodon obtained 47.98% of the votes in the first round of the
presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, while the pro-European
reformist Maia Sandu got 38.71% of the votes, according to the final results
made public today. The second round is scheduled for November 13th,
when around 3 million Moldovan voters will elect their president. This is the
first time in the last 16 years that the president is elected by direct vote
and not by Parliament. Commentators say the elections are of great political,
as well as geopolitical importance. Dodon wishes to denounce Molodova’s
integration and free-trade agreements with the European Union and his country’s
joining the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, while Sandu stands
for a reform of the state and European accession.

Europa League football. Two Romanian
football teams will play in the Europa League on Thursday. In Group E,
champions Astra Giurgiu face the Czech side Viktoria Plzeň at home. AS Rome and Austria
Vienna top the group, with 5 points each, followed by Astra with 3 points and
Plzeň with 2. In Group L, vice-champions Steaua Bucharest play against FC
Zurich away. In this group, Villareal lead with 5 points, followed by Osmanlıspor and Zurich,
each with 4 points, and Steaua at the bottom of the ranking with 2 points. (Trans.: C. Mateescu)

2 November 2016
The outcome of the Moldovan presidential elections

Confirming early opinion polls, the leader of the pro-Russian socialists, Igor Dodon won the first round of Sunday’s presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, a former Romanian province with a mostly Romanian speaking population. Less predictable was, however, the 10% difference between Dodon and his contender, the pro-Western Maia Sandu. Soon after the voting ended, Igor Dodon has said: “This election has clearly proven that the leader of the socialist opposition enjoys most of Moldovans’ trust.”

In turn, Maia Sandu, a former education minister, has made no effort to hide her satisfaction at a second round of voting being held: “I believe that today we can celebrate a first victory. We have taken a first step towards a dignified life that we all have the right to, here, in the Republic of Moldova.”

Most commentators believe that two intense weeks will follow, during which the two candidates will have to make sure they can further enjoy the support of their electorate and, if possible, increase their number of voters. From this viewpoint, commentators say Maia Sandu stands good chances to win over more supporters. Of the seven presidential candidates eliminated from the race after the first round, there is only one, Dmitri Ciubasenco that shares Dodon’s pro-Russian views. All others are supporters of a pro-Western stand. That is why it is expected that promoters of Moldova’s reunification with Romania, such as Mihai Ghimpu and Ana Gutu as well as the former PM Iurie Leanca, who had signed, two years before, the Moldova-EU association and free trade agreement, should urge their supporters to vote Maia Sandu in the second round.

According to sociologists, Maia Sandu has to convince young people to go to the polls. In the first round, more than half of the potential voters showed no interest in the election, although it was the first time in the past 20 years when citizens had the chance to vote the head of state directly, instead of being nominated by parliament. The voter turnout rate was 49%, the lowest in the country’s history. Almost 30% of voters, who feel closer to Moscow, were aged 56 to 70, while the young people aged 18 to 25, supporting Western values, represented only 10% of the voters. Radio Romania correspondents in Chisinau quoted pundits as saying that the low voter turnout has been triggered by the citizens’ disappointment at the situation in their country.

The second round of voting is decisive not only in political terms but also in geopolitical terms. The victory of Dodon, an anti-Romanian and anti-European politician, guided by Moscow, would bury Moldova’s European aspirations indefinitely and fulfil his wish to integrate the country in the Russia-Belarus –Kazakhstan Union. This would make useless the 7-year long efforts deployed by pro-European forces that have been ruling the country since 2009, to take Chisinau out of Moscow’s orbit and get it closer to Europe.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

31 October 2016
October 26, 2016 UPDATE

RADIO AND TV LICENSE FEE– Representatives of the Romanian Government and of the National Liberal Party (PNL) consider appealing to the Constitutional Court the bill on the elimination of over 100 non-fiscal taxes as of January 1, including the radio and TV licence fee. The bill, proposed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) was passed on Tuesday by the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body in this case. The bill has been passed without an assessment of its impact on next years state budget and the MPs have not indicated the source of funding, the bills opponents have argued. They have also said that the elimination of the radio and TV licence fee by law infringes on the independence and impartiality of the public broadcasters. A number of media organisations call on President Klaus Iohannis not to promulgate the law and launch a public debate on the status of public media services.

NATO MEETING– Romanian Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc on Wednesday attended a NATO meeting in Brussels. Motoc also met with several NATO defence ministers. The US Ambassador to NATO, Douglas Lute, said in Brussels that NATO would consolidate its presence in Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria. Ambassador Lute said that, for the time being, plans on consolidating the presence of NATOs air and naval forces in the Black Sea region are still being discussed.

MILITARY DRILL – A multinational military drill involving 1,300 military is unfolding until November 2 at the Land Forces training centre in Cincu, Brasov county. The three stage “SCORPIONS FURY – 16 exercise has been designed by the NATO Southeast Multinational Division Command. Romanias land forces participate in the military exercise with around one thousand troops, alongside colleagues from Canada, Germany and the Republic of Moldova.

ANNIVERSARY – The series of events occasioned by the birthday anniversary of King Mihai I of Romania, who turned 95 on October 25, continues across the country. On this occasion, the kings eldest daughter, HRH Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, has attached special importance to this years birthday anniversary of king Mihai, concurrently with the celebration of 150 years of the Romanian Crown, serving Romanias history, the nations identity and continuity. On Thursday, Princess Margareta and Price Radu will attend the public presentation of a stamp collection entitled “Engines, a royal passion, issued by Romfilatelia. The event will be hosted by the Carol I Central University Library in Bucharest. On this occasion the Royal Choir will give a short recital. Mihai I is Romanias last king and the only surviving head of state from WWII. He ruled the country two times, between 1927 and 1930, and between 1940 and 1947, respectively. Forced by the communists to abdicate, on December 30, 1947, the former monarch lived in exile. After the Anti-communist Revolution of 1989, he returned to his native Romania.

ECONOMY – Romania ranks 36th in the World Banks classification “Doing Business 2017, one place down as against the previous year. Romania advanced in terms of tax payment, but went down in terms of starting a business. Romania is rated ahead of countries like Hungary, Belgium, Italy and Turkey, but comes after countries like New Zealand, which ranks first, Poland, the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan. The World Bank report assesses 190 economies based on 11 criteria such as taking out loans, access to the electricity network and cross border transactions.

REP OF MOLDOVA – The candidate for the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, the leader of the Democratic Party, Marian Lupu, has withdrawn from the race, three days ahead of the ballot scheduled for October 30, in favour of the common candidate of the right wing, Maia Sandu. He said that it is important to his political party for a pro-European candidate to win the elections. Opinion polls credited Lupu with 13% of the voting intentions and Maia Sandu with 16% and already enjoyed the support of three pro-European parties. Most likely than not she will face in the runoff pro-Russian Socialist, Igor Dodon, credited with some 35% of the intended votes.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (WTA no. 4) will take on Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia (WTA no. 8) on Thursday in the Red Group at the WTA finals in Singapore. On Tuesday, Halep lost to Angelique Kerber of Germany (WTA no.1), 4-6, 2-6. Simona is second seeded in her group, after Angelique Kerber. In the White Group, the Czech player Karolina Pliskova (WTA no.5) defeated the Roland Garros defending champion, Spanish Garbine Muguruza (WTA no.6), and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA no.9) defeated last years winner of the title, Polish Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA no.3). Simona Halep is participating for the third time in the WTA Finals, after in 2014 she met Serena Williams in the finals, and last year failed to go past the group stage.(Translated by E. Enache and D. Vijeu)

26 October 2016
October 14, 2016 UPDATE

Prosecution. Romania’s President
Klaus Iohannis on Friday approved the National
Anti-Corruption Directorate’s request to start prosecution against the former
deputy prime minister and interior minister, Gabriel Oprea, for manslaughter. The request was submitted two days ago,
when Oprea’s term as Senator came to an end following his resignation on
October 1. Under Romanian law, the start of prosecution against people who
serve or have served in the government for acts committed during their terms in
office, and who were notMPs at the time of the notification, is
conditioned by the president’s approval. Policeman Bogdan Gigina died last year
in a motorcycle accident while escorting the then interior minister Gabriel
Oprea. The latter was reportedly on a private trip and consequently was not
entitled to official police escort.

EU-ASEAN. Romania’s foreign minister Lazar Comanescu
expressed condolences to the Thai authorities following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. During his long reign, the monarch has
been appreciated internationally for his important role in promoting the
modernisation and sustainable development of the Kingdom of Thailand, writes a
foreign ministry release. Minister Comanescu heads the Romanian delegation at
the 21st EU-ASEAN meeting in Bangkok. Talks focus on the latest
developments on Europe’s borders, the Middle East and North Africa, the issue
of migration and ways to combat international terrorism. Comanescu on Tuesday
began an Asian tour that also took him to Indonesia, where he had talks with
his counterpart Retno L.P. Marsudi about boosting bilateral dialogue in
the political, economic and commercial areas.

Migrants. The
border police in Giurgiu, southern Romania, on Friday found seven Turkish and
two Syrian nationals aged between 16 and 51 hidden in a truck and planning to
cross the border into Romania illegally. Under a Romanian-Bulgarian protocol, the migrants have been taken
over by the Bulgarian border police for investigation. In recent weeks, the
Romanian authorities have taken additional measures to tighten security at its
southern and western borders after several small groups of migrants tried to
cross the border into Romania illegally.

Magurele laser. Investment in the laser in Magurele,
southern Romania, can generate over 600 million euros in turnover and can
create about 6-7,000 jobs, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said on Friday. Ciolos
also attended a conference on development entitled Laser Valley-Land of Lights.
He explained the meeting was aimed at motivating and involving, besides the government
and research institutions, the local public authorities and the business
environment. The Prime Minister insisted on the need to connect, through
infrastructure, the village of Magurele to Bucharest and the Henri Coanda
airport. During a visit to Romania on Tuesday, the European Commissioner for
development, science and innovation Carlos Moedas called for a better promotion
of the laser project in Magurele.

EU. EU interior
ministers meeting in Luxembourg as part of the Justice and Home Affairs Council
have given the green light to a new type of travel document aimed at easing the
repatriation of illegal immigrants from Europe. The decision has been made
because the process of returning migrants has been hindered by the absence of
travel documents. Another issue on the council’s agenda was the implementation
of regulations for the new FRONTEX – the European Border and Coast Guard
Agency. On this occasion, the Interior Ministry in Bucharest, Dragos Tudorache,
has underlined the importance of setting up the new agency, to which Romania is
to contribute 75 border police officers, as part of the agency’s rapid
intervention team.

Republic of Moldova
elections. The leader of the Solidarity and Action Party Maia Sandu will run on
behalf of the pro-European right in the presidential elections in the Republic
of Moldova, an ex-soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population.
Both the Liberal-Democratic Party and the former NGO turned-party, Dignity and
Truth said they would a single candidate, the former Education Minister Maia
Sandu. The first round of presidential ballot is due on October 30th,
while the second is on November 13th. This is the first time in the
last 20 years that the country’s president, who has so far been elected by
Parliament, will be elected through the citizens’ direct vote. (Translated by: D. Bilt & C. Mateescu)

14 October 2016
1 October 2016, UPDATE

EU Commissioner visit. Romania has more than 300 million euros at its disposal from the
European Commission to modernise its healthcare system, but it risks losing
half of this money, warned the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina
Cretu during a visit to Romania. During a trip to Iasi, in the east, she told a
citizens’ debate that the north-eastern part of the country, despite being the
poorest, had the highest absorption rate of European funds between 2007 and
2013. The European Commission also highlighted the importance of cohesion
policies across the Union and the need to fight populism and euro-scepticism.
The debate in Iasi also tackled the future of the European Union, Romania’s
role in Europe and the opportunities and challenges facing the European
Commission.

Romanians abroad. On a
trip to Rome, the minister delegate for relations with Romanians abroad Maria
Ligor on Saturday attended a Festival of Young Talent featuring young Romanians
from the Diaspora with remarkable achievements in music, the visual arts,
sports and other areas, alongside young people from Italy, Denmark, Spain and
Britain. Earlier, Maria Ligor met the local authorities and representatives of
the Romanian community in Rome. She also presented the Italian central and
local authorities with her government’s initiatives to encourage the Romanians’
return to their native country and stimulate investment. Talks also focused on
the support granted to the Romanians affected by the earthquake that hit Italy
in August, in which 297 people were killed, including 11 Romanian nationals.

Republic of Moldova. The recent developments
concerning the regional security environment and the European and Euro-Atlantic
future of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority
Romanian-speaking population, have been the focus of talks in Bucharest on
Friday between the Romanian defence minister Mihnea Motoc and his Moldovan counterpart
Anatolie Salaru. Motoc was in favour of a more active involvement of Moldova in
the EU’s security and common defence policy. Anatolie Salaru said the Moldovan
army was undergoing a comprehensive reform process, including with the help of
Romania. He recalled that the authorities in Chisinau requested Bucharest’s
support so that the peace-keeping Russian troops in the pro-Russian break-away
region of Transdniester be replaced by UN representatives.

Paris Motor Show. The Paris Motor Show is under way between
the 1st and the 16th of October. Dacia Duster EDC is one
of the surprises prepared by the Renault Group for this edition. The car is on
show at the Dacia stand alongside the facelifted versions of Dacia Sandero,
Dacia Sandero Stepway, Dacia Logan and Dacia Logan MCV. The first Dacia car was
made in Romania in 1966. Since 1999, the brand has belonged to the Renault
Group and accounts for around 30% of the French company’s sales. The Dacia
carmaker recently announced that some production of its Logan MCV model made in
Romania, at Mioveni, would be moved to the Renault factory in Tangiers,
Morocco. Renault, which holds 99% of the shares in the Romanian factory, said
the move would free up production space for an increase in the production of
Duster cars, which are in high demand in Europe.

RadiRo Festival. For nine days, the RadiRo Festival, the only festival of this scope
dedicated exclusively to radio orchestras, brought before the Bucharest public
6 symphony orchestras from Europe and Asia and 19 of the world’s top conductors
and musicians: the Shenzen Symphony Orchestra, the radio orchestras from
Norway, Leipzig and Vienna, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Radio Romania
National Orchestra. This year’s concerts were broadcast live on the European Union Radio
Broadcasting network and the Asia-Pacific platform of public and private
broadcasters.

Tennis.
The Romanian tennis player Raluca Olaru and the Turkish player Ipek Soylu on
Saturday won the doubles title at the WTA tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,
worth 226,750 dollars in prize money. In the final, the Romanian-Turkish pair
defeated the Dutch-Czech pair Demi Schuurs and Renata Voracova in straight
sets. This is Raluca Olaru’s second doubles title, having obtained her first
also in Tashkent, in 2008, together with the Ukrainian player Olga Savchuk.

1 October 2016
1 October, 2016

Regional development. On the second day of her visit to Iasi, in eastern
Romania, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu will have
talks with citizens from this city about the challenges facing Europe, the
Commission’s priorities for the next year and the benefits of EU membership.
She will also visit the city’s international airport which has been modernised
using European funds. On Friday, also in Iasi, Corina Cretu had talks with the
mayors of the largest cities in Moldavia about the implementation of a pilot
project for the development of Romania’s north-eastern region, which is one of
the poorest in Europe. According to Corina Cretu, Romania’s weak point is that
there aren’t enough quality projects. She said the European Commission plans to
intensify dialogue in this respect with the local and central authorities.

Romanians abroad. The minister delegate for relations with Romanians
abroad Maria Ligor, who made a trip to Rome, met the local authorities and
representatives of the Romanian community. She presented the Italian central
and local authorities with her government’s initiatives to encourage the
Romanians’ return to their native country and stimulate investment. Talks also
focused on the support granted to the Romanians affected by the earthquake that
hit Italy in August, in which 297 people were killed, including 11 Romanian
nationals.

Republic of Moldova. The recent developments concerning the regional security
environment and the European and Euro-Atlantic future of the Republic of
Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian speaking population, have
been the focus of talks in Bucharest on Friday between the Romanian defence
minister Mihnea Motoc and his Moldovan counterpart Anatolie Salaru. Motoc was
in favour of a more active involvement of Moldova in the EU’s security and
common defence policy. Anatolie Salaru said the Moldovan army was undergoing a
comprehensive reform process, including with the help of Romania. He recalled
that the authorities in Chisinau requested Bucharest’s support so that the
peace-keeping Russian troops in the pro-Russian break-away region of
Transdniester be replaced by UN representatives.

Paris Motor Show. The Paris Motor Show is under way between
the 1st and the 16th of October. Dacia Duster EDC is one
of the surprises prepared by the Renault Group for this edition. The car is on
show at the Dacia stand alongside the facelifted versions of Dacia Sandero,
Dacia Sandero Stepway, Dacia Logan and Dacia Logan MCV. The first Dacia car was
made in Romania in 1966. Since 1999, the brand has belonged to the Renault
Group and accounts for around 30% of the French company’s sales. The Dacia
carmaker recently announced that some production of its Logan MCV model made in
Romania, at Mioveni, would be moved to the Renault factory in Tangiers,
Morocco. Renault, which holds 99% of the shares in the Romanian factory, said
the move would free up production space for an increase in the production of
Duster cars, which are in high demand in Europe.

RadiRo Festival. The third edition of the RadiRo Festival comes to an
end tonight in Bucharest with a performance of the BBC Concert Orchestra
conducted by Barry
Wordsworth. The soloists are violinist Charles Mutter, flute player Ileana
Ruhemann and bagpiper Rob Jordan. On Friday evening, the Romanian National
Radio Orchestra took to the stage of the festival for the second time, this
time under the baton of the British conductor Leo Hussain, with Romanian
violinist Alexandru Tomescu as a soloist. This year’s concerts were broadcast
live on the European Broadcasting network and the Asia-Pacific platform of
public and private broadcasters.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Raluca Olaru and the
Turkish player Ipek Soylu on Saturday won the doubles title at the WTA
tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, worth 226,750 dollars in prize money. In
the final, the Romanian-Turkish pair defeated the Dutch-Czech pair Demi Schuurs
and Renata Voracova in straight sets. This is Raluca Olaru’s second doubles
title, having obtained her first also in Tashkent, in 2008, together with the
Ukrainian player Olga Savchuk.

1 October 2016
Election campaign in the Republic of Moldova

A campaign for the presidential election kicked off on Friday in the Republic of Moldova, with the first round scheduled for October 30th. This is for the first time after 2000 that the head of state is being elected through direct voting by citizens. Until now this prerogative belonged to the Moldovan MPs.

8 candidates are vying for the presidential seat, currently occupied by west-leaning Nicolae Timofti, whereas opinion polls quoted by Radio Romania’s correspondents in Chisinau, show that only three or four out of them stand real chances to win the election. Credited with over 30% of the votes, the main favourite in the election seems to be Pro-Russian Igor Dodon, a fierce anti-Romanian and anti-European Socialist leader.

Three pro-Western candidates might make it to the run-off, scheduled for November 13th: Maia Sandu, former reformist Education Minister, Andrei Nastase, a civil rights campaigner who led the big anti-corruption rallies and Marian Lupu, leader of the Democratic Party, the largest political group in the government coalition. Pundits have called into attention the fact that not only political issues are at stake in this election but geo-political as well.

A victory of the pro-Moscow left would bury Moldova’s European aspirations deep into the ground for an indefinite period of time. Dodon, who prides himself on posing with the Russian flag on his chest, has pledged to change the foreign policy vector, turning his back to Brussels and integrating the republic into the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan economic community. And thus, seven years of efforts, put up by the pro-European political forces since they came to power in 2009, to take the republic out of Moscow’s sphere of influence, would go down the drain.

Two years ago the Republic of Moldova’s progress was appreciated in the Eastern Partnership, a programme package through which the EU is trying to bring the ex-soviet countries closer to the Western standards of democracy and prosperity. Vocal disagreements between various coalition leaders, the belated reforms and huge corruption scandals, which reached their climax after one billion dollars had vanished from the country’s banking system, have sapped the voters’ trust in the pro-European coalition, bringing the pro-Russia leaders to the fore.

The upcoming election in the former Soviet state has stirred concern both in Western Europe and neighboring Romania, the staunchest supporter of Moldova’s European integration. In Bucharest, Romania’s Higher Defence Council (CSAT) has endorsed a medium and long-term strategy for improving relations with the neighboring republic. “Our relation has to improve, get better, become more pragmatic and predictable” — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, has said, pleading for a more serious approach, without populist attitudes with stakes in the election. (Edited by D. Vijeu)

30 September 2016
September 30, 2016

STATE FUNERALS – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today travelled to Jerusalem to pay his final respects to Israel’s former Prime Minister and President, Shimon Peres. The last of the country’s founding fathers and Nobel Prize winner, Peres died on Wednesday at the age of 93 after suffering a stroke. Dozens of world leaders and public figures, such as the presidents of the US, Germany, and France, the European Council president and the UN Secretary General are expected in Jerusalem on Friday, where Shimon Perez will officially be laid to rest. Romania is represented at the funeral by President Klaus Iohannis, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu and head of the Jewish Federation in Romania, Aurel Vainer.

BRANCUSI – September 30 is the deadline for the public donation campaign initiated by the Romanian state for the purchase of the sculpture The Wisdom of the Earth by Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi. The work was first sold in 1911, it was confiscated by the communists in 1957 and became the subject of a lengthy legal battle after the fall of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, ending in 2008 with it returned to the family of its original owner. In September 2014 when the family announced it was putting Brancusi’s statue, an artwork considered a national treasure up for sale, the Romanian Government announced its intention to buy it. The work costs 11 million euros of which the state covers 5 millions and the remaining 6 millions are to be collected from donations. Nevertheless, only 1 million euros have been gathered following the public donation campaign.

RadiRo – The RadiRo 2016 symphonic music radio orchestra festival has reached its seventh day. This evening, the Radio Romania Orchestra will give its second concert within the festival, under the baton of Leo Hussain with violinist Alexandru Tomescu as a soloist. The festival runs until October 1st, when it ends with a concert held by the BBC Orchestra.

ELECTION – The presidential election campaign has started today in the Republic of Moldova. Moldovan citizens are expected to cast their vote on October 30, and elect their president through direct voting for the first time in 15 years. As many as eight candidates are running for president, and opinion polls present the leader of the pro-Russian socialists, Igor Dodon, as favourite.

STOCK EXCHANGE – Romania was officially included on the Watchlist of countries that show a substantial potential to become emerging markets, according to a decision of the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE), made public on Thursday. According to the Bucharest Stock Exchange, it will be possible to make it to the emergent markets category by meeting the liquidities conditions of the overall market.

SYRIA – Over 9,300 people of whom 3,800 civilians have been killed by the Russian air strikes since the beginning of the Russian intervention in Syria, on September 30, 2015, in support of Bachar al-Assad’s regime, the Syrian Observer of Human Right announced. Over 2,700 victims were ISIS militants, while more than 2,800 were members of some groups that fought against the regime. Moscow has been harshly criticised at the UN Security Council meeting by the American ambassador, who defined Russia’s intervention in Syria as barbaric. Russia’s actions were also denounced by the ambassadors of France and Britain.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep , no. 5 in the world, is today up against Czech Petra Kvitova in the semi-finals of the tournament in Wuhan, China, with 2.6 million dollars up for grabs. If she makes it to the final, Halep will play against the winner of the game between the Slovak Dominika Cibulkova and the Russian Svetlana Kuznetova. Simona Halep has already secured her participation in the 2016 WTA Finals in Singapore.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

30 September 2016
September 27

NATIONAL DEFENCE –Romania’s Supreme Defence Council, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, convenes today in Bucharest. The agenda of the meeting covers such topics as the implementation of the decisions made at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, the latest developments in the Middle East and the implications for Romania and the main measures which are necessary to eliminate threats to national security caused by a massive flow of migrants and to maintain the public order and safety climate. Other topics on the agenda are the situation of those active in the defence industry, the evaluation of cyber security in public institutions in Romania, setting up and rendering operational the multinational brigade for developing and consolidating essential elements of the advanced allied presence as well as the state of the public healthcare system in Romania.

ROMANIAN DIASPORA — Romania has been included in the top 20 of countries with the largest diapora, with some 3.4 million Romanian citizens living in a foreign country, a UN report based on figures released in 2015 shows. According to the UN World Migration Report, this is the second largest increase in a country’s diapora, 7.3% per year, and the highest increase in the number of migrants from a country which hasn’t faced war. Ranking first in terms of this increase is Syria, with 13.1%, and ranking third is Poland with 5.1%. At European level, it is for the first time that Romania has gone up to the 4th position, in terms of the total number of citizens who live abroad, following the UK, Poland and Germany. The Romanian diaspora accounts for 17% of Romania’s population, which stands at approximately 20 million people, according to the latest census, carried out in 2014.

WASHINGTON — The two candidates to the US presidency, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, have confirmed the major split in their views over security and economic issues, in the first of the three televised debates held ahead of the presidential elections of November 8. Their dialogue was based mainly on plans regarding the economy, the taxation system and foreign policy. They contradicted each other on the role the US should play on the international stage and mutually contested each other’s capacity to lead the country. The only common point was the determination to fight terrorism, pundits note. The debate ended with the Democratic candidate’s urge to the population to go to the polls and with the Republican’s candidate pledge to support her, in case she wins the elections. According to Bloomberg, the first reactions on the financial markets are indicative of the fact that investors consider that Hillary Clinton is the winner of the debate.

REP OF MOLDOVA — The EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn has announced in Chisinau that the EU will conditionally resume the financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a majority Romanian speaking population. Brussels is waiting for concrete results in the fight against corruption, in reforming the audio-visual and completing the investigation into the banking system fraud in the Republic of Moldova. EU’s further granting European financial support depends on Moldova’s signing an agreement with the IMF. In July, Moldova reached an agreement with the IMF, on a 170 million dollar loan. Later on, Romania’s Government unblocked and released the first tranche of a 150 million Euro loan. In another move, Commissioner Johannes Hahn has expressed hope that the presidential election of October 30 will be held in a democratic way, observing the national and international laws in the field.

FEAST OF MUSIC — RadiRo Festival, organised by Radio Romania, continues today with a concert given by the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, which will perform pieces by Rachmaninoff and Schumann. Yesterday, the National Radio Orchestra under the baton of Cristian Macelaru and with cellist Razvan Suma as soloist received standing ovations. Another success was scored by the Radio Academic Choir and the Radio Children’s Choir, which performed Carl Orffs “Carmina Burana”, one of the best-known works of the last century. The festival, organised by Radio Romania, comes to an end on Saturday, October 1, and the concerts will also be aired live in the European Broadcasting Union network and the Asia-Pacific platform of public and private radio broadcasters. Now in its third edition, RadiRo is the only big European festival devoted exclusively to radio orchestras.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, WTA no.5, will meet Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova (WTA no. 41) in the eighth finals of the Wuhan Open in China, with approximately 2.5 million dollars in prize money up for grabs. Today Shvedova defeated Italian Roberta Vinci (WTA no.15), in the second round of the competition. Halep is fourth seeded in the Wuhan Open, after Angelique Kerber (WTA no.1), Garbine Muguruza (WTA no.3) and Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA no.4). (Translated by D. Vijeu)

27 September 2016
September 9, 2016

DIASPORA – The Romanian Foreign Ministry is urging Romanians living abroad to sign up with the Election Registry so as to be able to take part in the legislative elections of December 11. September 14 is the deadline by which all Romanians with a right to vote, living or residing abroad, can submit their applications for the Election Registry. Romanians must also stipulate whether they opt for postal voting or for voting in one of the polling stations. The election campaign will run from November 11 through December 10.

MEETING – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis is today meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel in Berlin. The visit is part of the efforts to prepare the informal Summit of the Council of Europe in Bratislava on September 16. Ranking high on the agenda for talks is the future of the EU after the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom. According to the Presidency, the meeting in Berlin is also part of a series of contacts between president Iohannis and European leaders regarding the future of the EU.

TRANSDNIESTER – The Romanian presidency has said that the decision of Yevgeny Shevchuk, the leader of the breakaway region of Transdniester, east of the Republic of Moldova, to join Russia is part of a “provocative rhetoric. The presidency spokesperson said this topic must be approached with care and responsibility to avoid the further escalation of tensions. The President supports the efforts of the acting presidency of the OSCE to peacefully solve the conflict in the region.

FUNDING – EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Romanian Corina Cretu, met in Brussels with the Bucharest General Mayor Gabriela Firea, whom she ensured of her support for several ongoing projects, including the completion of subway construction works and the modernization of the heating system. According to a European Commission release, other projects that might benefit from funding are the system of waste collection and the building of a subway link to Henri Coanda Airport. Over 2014-2020 Bucharest has been earmarked 2,3 billion euros, accounting for over 10% of the European Fund for Regional Development and the European Cohesion Fund.

NUCLEAR TEST – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern with the completion of North Koreas fifth nuclear test. Holding the presidency of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, Romania will continue to carefully monitor the developments of North Koreas nuclear program, the Foreign Ministry also announced. The test was detected as 5.3 Richter-scale earthquake in the nuclear test area. South Korean president Park Geun-hye has labeled the move as an act of self-destruction, showing the North Korean President Kim John-uns blatant ignorance. Meanwhile, the United States has warned against serious consequences.

ACCUSATIONS – All education units in Romania observe the legislation in force, Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu said after meeting with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak. The declaration comes in response to a series of harsh attacks by representatives of the Turkish diplomacy in Romania, claiming that the “Lumina educational centers in Romania are being controlled by the Turkish presidents most vocal opponent, Fetullah Gulen.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

9 September 2016
The Republic of Moldova ahead of the presidential election

The Republic of Moldova is bracing itself for the presidential election with a first round due on October 30th. This is the first presidential election in the past 20 years, given that, as of 2001, the president was elected by Parliament, a move that triggered several political crises. In March this year, the Constitutional Court ruled the return to the old system of voting with the president being elected directly by voters. Candidacies are to be submitted until September 29th, but representatives of the main political parties have already enlisted with the Central Election Committee in Chisinau.

Under the Election Code, all candidates — either backed by parties or independent – have to muster at least 15 thousand signatures to be allowed to run in the election. According to opinion polls, the candidate of the Socialist Party, the pro-Russian Igor Dodon stands most of the chances to win. He is followed by the former Education Minister Maia Sandu, famous for the reforms in the field and politician Andrei Nastase, the leader of last year’s mass protests. The latter two have announced that by the end of the election campaign they will have made a decision on supporting a common candidate so that the pro-European votes should not be dispersed.

It is almost sure that no candidate will get a landslide majority in the first round. Among the political personalities well known to voters, are former Prime Minister Iurie Leanca, the former Parliament speaker Marian Lupu and Moldova’s former interim president, Mihai Ghimpu. The three are members of the present pro-European ruling coalition. The Communist Party may not run in the upcoming election, which they see as unconstitutional.

According to their leader, Vladimir Voronin, the Constitutional Court ruling to return to direct presidential election was illegal because such a change should have been done only after a referendum. The pro-Russian social-political movement Ravnopravie whose chairmanship has been taken over by the mayor of the city of Orhei, Ilan Shor — the prime suspect in a case involving the disappearance of one billion dollars from Moldova’s banking system – announced the candidacy of Mrs. Inna Popenco a candidate almost unknown to the voters. The mayor of Balti, a controversial pro-Russian politician named Renato Usatîi, has proposed a Russian-speaking journalist as candidate, on behalf of the party he leads.

Political analysts quoted by Radio Chisinau say the presidential elections in October are going to have a geo-political character just as it happened in the past years. They also believe that the electorate’s possible shift from the pro-Europeans towards the pro-Russian socialists cannot bring beneficial economic and social changes, given the situation of some regions deeply anchored in Russia’s sphere of influence such as the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow.

(Translated by Daniel Bilt)

8 September 2016
September 8, 2016 UPDATE

THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY– Romanias technocratic Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, will go to Parliament to present the economic situation of the country, the government spokesperson, Liviu Iolu announced on Thursday. The spokesman said the Prime Minister is thus answering the request made on Thursday, too, in an open letter, by the president of the leftist Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea. The Social Democrats leader claims, among others, it is high time the cabinet presented its official stand on such measures as establishing a ceiling for child rearing benefits and increasing taxes on incomes from independent activities.

ANTI-CORRUPTION – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday approved a request by the National Anti-corruption Directorate to start prosecuting former interior minister Petre Toba. The latter is suspected of aiding some of his staff accused of embezzlement. As a result of the scandal, Toba resigned and was replaced by Dragos Tudorache. The priorities of the new minister include the good organisation of the parliamentary elections on December 11.

DIPLOMACY – Romanian foreign minister, Lazar Comanescu, on Thursday met in Bucharest with Turkish deputy prime minister, Veysi Kaynak. On this occasion, Comanescu reiterated Romanias openness towards boosting bilateral ties, particularly trade relations. In another move, the Romanian foreign minister reiterated Romanias interest in maintaining stability in Turkey, a NATO member and a key partner of the EU. Comanescu also gave assurances that Romania would like Turkey to join the EU. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the visit by the Turkish deputy prime minister is proof of the dynamic and fast pace of the political dialogue between the two countries.

ROMANIAN-UKRAINIAN RELATIONS – Romania is one of the most important supporters of Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Ukrainian charge daffaires in Bucharest, Teofil Rendiuk at a reception to celebrate Ukraines National Day. Rendiuk also said Romania may become Ukraines new strategic partner and that the two countries have an excellent dialogue adapted to the current geopolitical and geostrategic situation. Bucharest was a firm critic of Russias annexation of the Crimean peninsula and voiced its support for Ukraines sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within this countrys internationally recognised borders.

REP. OF MOLDOVA – Nicolae Timofti, the president of the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova, with a majority Romanian-speaking population, has refused to travel to the meeting of heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States to be held next week in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The Moldovan delegation may thus be headed by Prime Minister Pavel Filip. Moldovas pro-western president Nicolae Timofti, who is nearing the end of his term in office, did not attend the summit last year, either, following a tough exchange with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2014 most likely over Moldovas signing the association agreement with the European Union and Russias embargo as a result.

CHRISTIAN HOLY DAY – Christians across the world, including the majority Orthodox Romania, on Thursday celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, which is known as Little Mary in the traditional calendar. According to Christian tradition, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born through a miracle. She is believed to be the greatest of all saints and is dedicated four days in the Christian calendar: Nativity, Entry into the Temple, Annunciation and Assumption. Around 2.2 million people are named after Mary in Romania.

SAILING – An international regatta of large sailboats began on Thursday in the Romanian port of Constanta. 13 sailboats from five different countries will be docked for four days in the passenger harbour, where they can be visited free of charge. Romania is represented in the race by the Mircea training ship and the countrys largest civilian sailboat, Adornate. Romanian navy personnel will take part in various sports competitions and a crew parade on Friday. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

8 September 2016
August 27, 2016

ITALY QUAKE – A day of national mourning has begun in Italy for those over 290 people who died when a powerful earthquake hit the country’s mountainous central regions. Country officlas will attend state funerals in the regional capital, Ascoli Piceno, for 50 of the victims from the town of Arquata. No survivors have been found since Thursday. Italian authorities say they will continue to search until they are certain everyone is accounted for. Over 1,000 aftershocks have been reported and many of the buildings still standing risk collapsing, which makes rescue operations even more difficult. Most victims were Italian, but several foreigners were among those killed, including 10 Romanians. Also, 16 Romanians are reported missing. A consular team from Bucharest travels today to the affected areas to support the Romanian diplomatic missions in Rome and Bologna, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced.

GOVERNMENT – Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has met today in Suceava, north-eastern Romania, with his Polish counterpart, Beata Szydlo. After the meeting, PM Ciolos has said that the relations between Romania and Poland are very intense and that there are excellent premises for them to be strengthened. The two officials tackled bilateral ties in the context of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, and also topics on the European agenda, such as Brexit’s impact on the EU, the EU budget and the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework. Also approached was cooperation in the field of defense and the developments at the EU’s eastern border. The two officials will also have a meeting with representatives of the Polish community in Romania.

MOLDOVA – Romania reaffirms its full support for Moldova’s bid for the European Union and the process of democratic reforms and modernisation of the state, in keeping with the expectations of the neighbouring country, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said in a release on Saturday. Chisinau marks today 25 years since gaining its independence. Ceremonies devoted to this event will be more modest than in previous years, due to the economic crisis the country is going through. On August 27, 1991 the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from the USSR. Romania was the first country to recognise Moldova’s independence.

CELEBRATION – Romania marks today one hundred years since the country entered WWI. At the end of this war, on December 1st, 1918, the process of setting up the Romanian unitary nation state was finalized, following the union of all Romanian provinces with a majority Romanian-speaking population previously included in the neighbouring multinational empires. On August 27, 1916, Romania declared war on Austro-Hungary and the army crossed the Carpathians to Transylvania, which at the time was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Over 330 thousand soldiers died in this war and as many as 76 thousand were crippled. Ceremonies devoted to this day are held in Fundata, in central Romania, where the first Romanian officer was killed, but also in Curtea de Arges, at the tomb of King Ferdinand. On this occasion, the Romanian Royal House conveyed a message that reiterates the role that King Ferdinand played in Romania’s participation in WWI and the setting up the Romanian unitary nation state.

TENNIS – The Romanian-Indian team made up of Monica Niculescu and Sania Mirza, WTA’s seed no. 2 in women’s doubles, defeated on Friday night the Slovenian team Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik in the semi-finals of the tennis tournament in New Haven, the US, with 695,900 dollars in prize money. In the final, Niculescu and Mirza will be up against Katerina Bondarenko of Ukraine and Chia-Jung Chuang of Taiwan. The US Open, the last grand slam of the year, kicks off on Monday. Niculescu, seed no. 57, will play against the Czech Barbora Strycova, seed no. 19. In the first round of the competition, Romanian Simona Halep, no. 5 in the world, will play against Belgian Kirsten Flipkens WTA’s 68th seed, while another Romanian, Irina Begu , seeded 22nd, will be up against Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko, seed no. 80. In the same competition, Romanian Patricia Maria Tig, seed no. 129 will be up against Laura Siegemund of Germany, while Ana Bogdan, seed no. 117, will play in the first round against another Romanian, Sorana Cirstea, WTA’s 88th seed.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

27 August 2016