Radio România Internațional

Tag: Roland Garros

June 4, 2024 UPDATE

RESERVES – The currency reserves of the Central Bank exceeded 65 bln EUR at the end of May, the National Bank of Romania reports. Gold reserves stood at 7,200 bln EUR. Romania’s currency and gold reserves totaled over 72,200 bln EUR at the end of last month.

ELECTION – Romanians in Italy will be able to vote in the largest number of polling stations opened abroad for the European Parliament elections slated for Sunday. Iulian Ivan, the Foreign Ministry representative for the elections abroad, says polling stations were set up depending on the number of citizens in each country. 150 stations will be available in Italy, 147 in Spain and 104 in Great Britain. No stations were organized in certain countries and cities, such as Afghanistan, Mali, Sudan, Libya, Rostov-on-Don in Russia or Odesa in Ukraine, either because no military staff are present in the area, or because the diplomatic mission on the ground was closed or relocated. Polling stations will open at 7 AM on election day and close at 10 PM, with the possibility of extending voting hours until midnight. Voters at home will also take part in the local election. We recall presidential elections are slated for September and parliamentary elections for December.

CHECKS – Random border checks will be carried out on Italy’s land, maritime and air borders over June 5-18, ahead of the G7 Summit scheduled to take place in this country, Romania’s Foreign Ministry announced. Border checks will be intensified close to the summit to be hosted by Apulia Region over June 13-15, Radio Romania’s Rome correspondent reports. Romanian citizens in Italy can request consular assistance by calling the numbers of the Romanian Embassy in Rome. Emergency requests can also be submitted to the special numbers of the consular offices in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Turin, Bari and Catania.

MEETING – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, on Tuesday met Montenegro’s Foreign Minister, Filip Ivanovic in Bucharest. The head of state reiterated Romania’s relentless support for the EU integration efforts of Montenegro and the Western Balkans, an area of strategic importance for Euro-Atlantic space and European security and stability, the Presidency reports. President Iohannis also reiterated Romania’s readiness to provide bilateral expertise in the field of European integration.

PROTEST – Romanian farmers taking part in Tuesday’s protest in Brussels have called for an overhaul of the Green Deal, saying the terms of the current Common Agricultural Policy endanger farmers’ activity and food safety. Farmers from 9 EU Member States took part in the protest action, also demanding the lifting of the free trade agreement with Latin America, a deal the EU is yet to sign. Should the document be ratified, cheap agricultural products that don’t observe single market regulations will reach EU markets, resulting in unfair competition for community products. According to Radio Romania’s Brussels correspondent, this will put EU farmers further at a loss following facilities provided to Ukrainian products and grain across community space.

TENNIS – The pair made up of Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine on Tuesday advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles at the French Open after ousting Leylah Fernandez of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand, 6-1, 6-4. In the next round, Ruse and Kostyuk will take on the all-Russian pair Mira Andreeva / Vera Zvonareva. Also in the round of 16, Monica Niculescu of Romania and Cristina Bucșa of Spain were knocked out by Emma Navarro of the USA and Diana Schnaider of Russia at the end of three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. (VP)

4 June 2024
May 30, 2024

GOVERNMENT – The Romanian Government is today voting an emergency decree to adopt the national program on the digitization of local authorities. The program stipulates specific actions for each local administration, including planning and implementing digital platforms, e-governance services, apps and investments in computer infrastructure and related equipment. The Government says these actions will boost the online availability of digital public services, helping Romania attain 100% online availability of digital services, a digital goal. The Government will also vote an emergency decree on modifying and amending legislation on expropriations caused by public utility. The modifications are required to implement certain objectives of national, county and local interest.

INVESTIGATION – Romanian authorities have arrested 13 people suspected of fraud and issuing forged prescriptions for diabetes. One medical nurse, eight drugstore workers and four physicians are targeted by an investigation into the issuance of subsidized drugs, in particular Ozempic, a drug used in the treatment of diabetes, which also causes weight loss. The illegally issued prescriptions were picked up by the suspects’ relatives from 140 pharmacies in Bucharest and Ilfov County. Although they did not have the right to issue them, gynecologists, cardiologists and family physicians issued the prescriptions from private clinics, and the drugs were sold via online platforms to clients all over the country. The prejudice exceeds 200 thousand EUR.

PROTEST – Members of the National Federation of Administrative Trade Unions on Thursday protested the Government’s discriminatory salary policies and its refusal to pass fair and proportionate measures with a view to doing away with salary inequities. The trade federation represents employees of local and central authorities. Unionists have recently criticized the draft decree stipulating a 10% salary increase for certain categories of public workers, accusing the government of encouraging salary disparities between similar institutions and of disregarding the actual needs of public sector employees.

UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate went up to 5.3% in April, a 0.1% increase compared to March, the National Statistics Institute reports. Youth unemployment stood at 20.5% for the 15-24 age bracket, although it reported a drop compared to March. Unemployment among the male population is 0.6% higher than the rate among women.

MOLDOVA – On the sidelines of his visit to Chișinău, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a 50-mln-USD assistance package designed to help Moldovan authorities bolster democratic institutions in the face of Moscow’s threats. Another 85 mln USD will be invested to help curb Moldova’s energy dependency on Russia, the US official added. During a press briefing held jointly with the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, Secretary Blinken condemned Moscow’s ingressions into democratic processes in Moldova and its war of aggression against Ukraine. In turn, president Sandu hailed Blinken’s visit, describing it as evidence of the excellent relations between the two countries and a signal of support for peace and democracy.

TENNIS – Irina Begu and Ana Bogdan are the only Romanian tennis players still competing in the women’s singles at Roland Garros. In today’s second round, Begu is playing Linda Nosková of Czechia, whereas Bogdan will take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia. Bogdan and Begu are also competing in the women’s doubles, alongside other representatives of Romania. (VP)

30 May 2024
May 26, 2024 UPDATE

LAW The Romanian Senate is hosting debates on Monday on a draft law initiated by the co-ruling National Liberal Party on maintaining the flat income tax for the next ten years. No other laws aimed at amending or eliminating the flat income tax, are to be endorsed until December 2033. According to the initiators, this measure is meant to ensure predictability, financial stability and a trustworthy environment for the population and investors alike. The Social-Democrats, partners with the liberals in the ruling coalition, do not support this measure yet as they were pretty much in favour of progressive taxation. The Chamber of Deputies is to vote on tougher penalties for human trafficking, slavery or child pornography. The Romanian government has recently endorsed the national strategy against human trafficking, which provides for the creation of an integrated mechanism of funds destined for the protection and support of the victims.

MESSAGE In a message conveyed on the occasion of the Day of the Romanians all over the World on Sunday, President Klaus Iohannis urged the Romanians to keep their identity, language and the Romanian traditions. Iohannis added that he constantly promoted the setting up of professional communities between the Romanians abroad and those at home, thus creating a tighter connection between the business people, scientists, physicians and Romanian artists from the world over, who worked together to accomplish many successful projects. On Sunday, Bucharest saw the last day of the 7^th edition of a festival known as ‘Here and There’, an event that comprises a series of activities staged by the Department for the Romanians all Over the World jointly with the Union of the Fine Artists in Romania. For three days, the event brought together Romanian artists from the country and abroad, activating in various fields of creation such as fine arts, design, music, film, etcetera and also members of academia and business environment from the Romanian communities abroad. This year’s edition has been attended by hundreds of Romanians from the Diaspora and the historical communities in 34 countries.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian on Sunday conceded defeat to Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the first round of Roland Garros, the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. The ninth-seeded Ostapenko secured a win in a two setter 4-6, 5-7. Three Romanians have remained on the competition’s main draw. Sorana Cirstea, who will be playing Anna Blinkova of Russia, Ana Bogdan who will be up against Elsa Jacquemot of France and Irina Begu, who will take on Argentine challenger Julia Riera.

AI Romania is going to have an AI Research Institute where it intends to develop its own technological solutions, cooperate with international partners and train top experts in this field, the country’s Finance Minister, Marcel Bolos, wrote on Facebook. According to Bolos, the Ministry he’s leading has already started to use AI in order to detect anomalies as well as in its anti-fraud operations. The construction of the first center of AI research in Romania kicked off at the Technical University in Cluj Napoca through an investment of 21 million Euros.

FILMS “Anora”, a thriller directed by American Sean Baker, has won the Palme d’Or trophy at the 77^th edition of the Film Festival in Cannes. Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light”, a film about sisterhood in Mumbai, has reaped the Grand Prix, the festival’s second-highest honour, while ‘Emilia Perez’ of the French director Jacques Audiard, has won the Jury Prize. Romanian production “Three Kilometers to the End of the World” has reaped the Queer Palm, an alternative award given every year to productions addressing LGBT issues. Another two Romanian productions, NASTY, directed by Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu and Tudor Giurgiu, which portrays the life of Romania’s tennis legend Ilie Nastase, and “Human Violins” by Ioana Mischie have also been screened during this famous international film festival.

(bill)

26 May 2024
May 25, 2024 UPDATE

ESPIONAGE – A Romanian citizen was arrested on charges of treason, suspected of spying in Russia’s favor. According to the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the suspect sent to the Russian Embassy in Bucharest images of Romanian or NATO sites in Tulcea (east). He also collected other military information and has been carrying out such activities since 2022. The suspect, Alexandru Piscan, is a young politician from Ploiești, judicial sources say. Prosecutors also searched his home, where they collected several items of evidence. Following this incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a diplomat from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bucharest persona non grata on Romanian territory. Russia will respond in equal measure, the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, announced shortly after.

DRONE – The first Romanian drone is expected to enter production at a factory in Braşov (center), a subsidiary of the ROMARM National Military Company. A first step in this direction was taken on Friday in Bucharest, on the sidelines of the “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” international exhibition, with the signing of a strategic agreement with Periscope Aviation, an American manufacturer of military and commercial drones. Economy Minister Radu Oprea said the agreement is a premiere for the Romanian defense industry, being the first strategic partnership a domestic company signs in the field of constructing military and civilian drones. Two other agreements related to research activity in the field were also signed, the Romanian official said. Participants in the “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” exhibition said the objective of the agreement is the mass production of a 100% Romanian drone, intended for both military and civilian use, such as agriculture.

FESTIVAL – Festivities marking the “Day of Romanians Worldwide”, celebrated every year on the last Sunday of May, continue across the country. Saturday saw the official opening of the communication session, with Romanians abroad having the opportunity of talking directly to state representatives to convey the concerns, needs and difficulties they face in host countries and upon returning to Romania, but also to get to know each other, share experiences, best practices and plan joint projects. Over 500 Romanians from the diaspora and historical communities from 34 countries are expected to take part in the 7^th edition of the “Here and there” festival. The event brings together Romanian artists from the country and abroad, as well as representatives of associations, academia and the business environment from Romanian communities abroad.

EVACUATIONS – Six Romanian citizens who requested support for evacuation have left New Caledonia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest reports. A Romanian citizen was evacuated to Australia on May 22, with an airlift organized by French authorities in cooperation with the Australian and New Zealand authorities. The other five Romanians left French territory on Saturday. Of these, two were evacuated to Australia with an Australian Air Forces military aircraft, the other three being boarded on a civilian flight organized by the French authorities. The French government has declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia following violence that broke out over a bill passed by the French Parliament that would allow French residents living on the Pacific island to vote in provincial elections. Protesters set fire to vehicles and company premises and looted shops. At least seven people lost their lives and hundreds of people were arrested.

NATO – 400 MPs from 32 NATO member states and 25 partner countries and parliamentary organizations are attending the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, hosted from Saturday till Monday by Sofia, Bulgaria. Participants will discuss major topics on the Euro-Atlantic defense and security agenda, emphasizing support for Ukraine and the priorities of the upcoming NATO summit in Washington in July. Over the weekend, MPs are taking part in talks in the five committees of the Parliamentary Assembly, discussing draft reports and adopting important political recommendations. In Monday’s plenary session, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will deliver a speech, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will deliver a message via video conference. MPs from NATO member states will discuss and adopt decisions regarding the requests made by Malta and Kosovo to receive the status of NATO associated states. The Parliamentary Assembly will also tackled challenges from the countries of the Western Balkans, along with strategies to support partners at risk and to strengthen engagement with the ‘Global South’ (low- or middle-income countries in Latin

America, Africa, Asia and Oceania).

TENNIS – Four Romanian tennis players will perform in the women’s main draw at Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year. They will all compete in the first round. Sorana Cîrstea (30 WTA), Romania’s best-ranked tennis player at present, was seeded 28^th and will take on Anna Blinkova of Russia (45 WTA). Jaqueline Cristian (67 WTA) faces a tougher opponent, 9^th-seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (10 WTA). Ana Bogdan (63 WTA) will face Elsa Jacquemot of France (150 WTA), the beneficiary of a wild card. Finally, Irina Begu (126 WTA), who benefits from protected ranking, will take on Julia Riera of Argentina (93 WTA). In other news from tennis, the pair made up of Monica Niculescu of Romania and Cristina Bucșa of Spain has won the womens doubles final at the WTA 500 tournament in Strasbourg. In the final, the two outperformed Asia Muhammad of the United States and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia, 3-6, 6-4, 10-6. This is the 11^th doubles title for Monica Niculescu and the 23^rd final of her career. Her last title dated back to 2021, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (VP)

25 May 2024
May 25, 2024

ESPIONAGE – A Romanian citizen was arrested on charges of treason, suspected of spying in Russia’s favor. According to the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the suspect sent to the Russian Embassy in Bucharest images of Romanian or NATO sites in Tulcea (east). He also collected other military information and has been carrying out such activities since 2022. The suspect, Alexandru Piscan, is a young politician from Ploiești, judicial sources say. Prosecutors also searched his home, where they collected several items of evidence. Following this incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a diplomat from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bucharest persona non grata on Romanian territory. Russia will respond in equal measure, the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, announced shortly after.

DRONE – The first Romanian drone is expected to enter production at a factory in Braşov (center), a subsidiary of the ROMARM National Military Company. A first step in this direction was taken on Friday in Bucharest, on the sidelines of the “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” international exhibition, with the signing of a strategic agreement with Periscope Aviation, an American manufacturer of military and commercial drones. Economy Minister Radu Oprea said the agreement is a premiere for the Romanian defense industry, being the first strategic partnership a domestic company signs in the field of constructing military and civilian drones. Two other agreements related to research activity in the field were also signed, the Romanian official said. Participants in the “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” exhibition said the objective of the agreement is the mass production of a 100% Romanian drone, intended for both military and civilian use, such as agriculture.

FESTIVAL – Festivities marking the “Day of Romanians Worldwide”, celebrated every year on the last Sunday of May, continue across the country. Saturday saw the official opening of the communication session, with Romanians abroad having the opportunity of talking directly to state representatives to convey the concerns, needs and difficulties they face in host countries and upon returning to Romania, but also to get to know each other, share experiences, best practices and plan joint projects. Over 500 Romanians from the diaspora and historical communities from 34 countries are expected to take part in the 7^th edition of the “Here and there” festival. The event brings together Romanian artists from the country and abroad, as well as representatives of associations, academia and the business environment from Romanian communities abroad.

SHIELD – The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk addressed a letter to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, requesting the creation of an EU-funded common European air defense shield, given that all countries are experiencing financial difficulties. In their letter, the two officials want the shield to be similar to the Israeli anti-missile and anti-aircraft system Iron Dome, with a view to protecting Europe against enemy aircraft, missiles and drones. At the same time, the approval of such a project at the level would send a clear message about the EU’s determination to defend itself, the document states. On the other hand, the six NATO countries neighboring Russia have agreed to build a “drone wall” to defend their borders against “acts of provocation” the Lithuanian government announced. We’re not talking just about physical infrastructure, surveillance systems, but also about drones and other technologies, which would allow us to protect ourselves against the challenges of hostile countries and prevent smuggling, the Minister of the Interior of Lithuania, Agnė Bilotaitė, said following talks with her counterparts from the other two Baltic countries – Latvia and Estonia – and from Finland, Norway and Poland.

FILM – Emanuel Pârvu’s “Three Kilometers to the End of the World”, selected in the official Palm D’or competition at the Cannes International Festival, has scooped the Queer Palm on Friday, an alternative award bestowed every year to a feature film that deals with “LGBT characters or themes”. The feature tells the story of Adi, a 17-year-old teenager who spends his summer holiday in his hometown in the Danube Delta. One evening, he is violently attacked in the street. The next day, his world is completely turned upside down, his parents treat him differently and the apparent tranquility of the village is shattered. The Queer Palm jury was chaired this year by Belgian director Lukas Dhont (known for the features “Close”, “Girl”), who picked the winner from 18 films enrolled in the competition. Also at Cannes, two other Romanian productions were screened. The film “Nasty”, directed by Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu and Tudor Giurgiu, was screened in the “Special Screenings” section. It offers a captivating foray into the life of the legendary Ilie Năstase, the first rebel in the history of tennis. Ioana Mischie’s project “Human Violins: Prelude” was premiered at Cannes in the immersive competition devoted to virtual reality, a competition introduced for the first time in the history of the event.

FRENCH OPEN – Four Romanian tennis players will perform in the women’s main draw at Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year. They will all compete in the first round. Sorana Cîrstea (30 WTA), Romania’s best-ranked tennis player at present, was seeded 28^th and will take on Anna Blinkova of Russia (45 WTA). Jaqueline Cristian (67 WTA) faces a tougher opponent, 9^th-seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (10 WTA). Ana Bogdan (63 WTA) will face Elsa Jacquemot of France (150 WTA), the beneficiary of a wild card. Finally, Irina Begu (126 WTA), who benefits from protected ranking, will take on an opponent from the final preliminary round. A player may petition for protected ranking in a total of eight tournaments in the WTA calendar if she has been unable to play for six to twelve months. (VP)

25 May 2024
May 24, 2024

SALARIES Gross minimum wages will be raised to roughly EUR 740 as of July 1, and the facility granted to employers, under which EUR 40 of employees’ salaries are tax free will stay in place until the end of the year, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu announced on Thursday, after a meeting of the three-party council comprising government, employers’ union and trade union officials. On the other hand, the government has increased the financial assistance for people with disabilities. As of July 1, the allowance for an adult with disabilities will be EUR 105, and the one for a child with severe disabilities will be EUR 92. According to official data, some 390,000 people will benefit from the increase. The government has also approved state aid for the national airline, Tarom, which the transport minister Sorin Grindeanu says is a major step for saving the company.

JUDICIARY The former chief of operations for the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), Florian Coldea, was placed by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate under court supervision on bail. The same measure has been ordered with respect to ret. gen. Dumitru Dumbravă, the former head of the Service’s judicial service, and to the lawyer Doru Trăilă. The 3 are charged with influence peddling and money laundering, and are probed into following a complaint filed by the businessman Cătălin Hideg, who was sentenced to 4 years in prison in a European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation into frauds involving EU funds. The businessman claims that Coldea and Dumbravă had asked him to pay EUR 600,000 using the lawyer Doru Trăilă as an go-between, in exchange for a suspended sentence in court.

FESTIVAL Events devoted to the Days of Romanians Abroad begin in Bucharest today. The festival, organized every year on the last Sunday in May, has reached its 7^th year. More than 500 Romanians in the diaspora and in communities in 34 countries are expected to attend. The celebrations bring together Romanian artists from the country and from abroad, as well as members of the business and academic communities of Romanians living abroad.

MOLDOVA Romania continues to provide assistance to the Republic of Moldova in areas like electricity, the reconstruction of schools and university campuses and equipment for public order institutions. Under an order passed in Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, Romania will contribute over EUR 2 mln to the reconstruction of a student dorm in Cahul, in the south of Moldova. The decision is based on an agreement signed by the 2 governments in February 2022, concerning non-reimbursable financial aid of EUR 100 mln.

VISIT Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown, and his Royal Highness Prince Radu, Thursday visited the NATO Support and Procurement Agency in Luxembourg and met with Romanians working in that institution. On this occasion, Her Majesty Margareta mentioned that the visit to Luxembourg was intended to help support the Republic of Moldova in its EU accession efforts, while Prince Radu pointed out that the Romanian nation has embraced the values of the Western world. Prince Radu also voiced his satisfaction that the huge effort that Moldova is making “with such scarce means and such great vulnerability, but at the same time with so much dignity,” is acknowledged everywhere. Also on Thursday, the royal couple were received by his Royal Highness Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg for a private luncheon at the Grand Ducal Palace.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis players Sorana Cîrstea, Ana Bogdan, Jaqueline Cristian and Irina Begu Thursday night found out their opponents in the first round of the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam of the year. Sorana Cîrstea, seeded 28, will take on Ana Blinkova (Russia), whom she defeated in 2020 in Dubai. Ana Bogdan plays against Elsa Jacquemot (France) in their first encounter in professional competitions. Jaqueline Cristian has a tough match ahead, against no. 10 in the world Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia). Jaqueline Cristian won her only match so far against the 2016 Roland Garros winner, in the round of 16 of the Sankt Petersburg tournament in 2021. Irina Begu will be facing a winner of the French Open’s qualifying matches. Two other Romanian players have a chance to win a main draw place: Gabriela Ruse and Cristina Dinu are playing in the last round of the qualifying series against Sara Errani (Italy) and Laura Pigossi (Brazil), respectively. (AMP)

24 May 2024
June 4, 2023

Visit — King Charles III of Great Britain continues his private visit to Romania. On Saturday, the British sovereign walked the streets of Valea Zălanului village in Covasna county (center), where he owns three houses. Dressed casually, the king was welcomed by the locals with flowers. He talked with the villagers and tourists who came especially to see him, and he also visited some picturesque places in the area. I love to come to Romania, said the monarch. Charles III was received, on Friday, at the Cotroceni Palace, by President Klaus Iohannis. It is the first visit that a British monarch pays to Romania, and also the first foreign trip of the sovereign since his coronation, which took place last month. As a Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998 and he declared himself an admirer of the country. He got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross.

Prize — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis receives Sunday in Frankfurt am Main, the Franz Werfel prize for human rights, granted by the Center against Expulsions. Romania’s Presidential Administration specifies that the decision to grant this award represents the recognition of his activity in the field of promoting human rights and good coexistence between ethnic groups, throughout his political career. On Saturday, Romania’s president received the German Civic Award, offered by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation, in Dusseldorf (Germany). In the thank-you speech delivered in German, the Romanian head of state recalled the efforts made by Romania to contribute to securing the EU borders. Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romanias support for the European values, which gives legitimacy to the citizens desire to benefit from integration into the Schengen Area. He reminded that Romania fully meets the criteria for integration into the Schengen Area, managing the external borders with responsibility and efficiency. The foundation decided to award the prize based on the evaluation of the entire political career of the Romanian head of state, emphasizing the support for the harmonious coexistence of different ethnicities, the commitment to freedom, democracy and pluralism, the restoration and modernization of his hometown Sibiu (the center of Romania), the support for the anti-corruption fight and attachment to the idea of a united Europe.

Pentecost — The majority Romanian Orthodox Christians and the Greek Catholics celebrate, Sunday, the Pentecost or the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, an event that marks the foundation of the Christian Church. According to the New Testament, the 12 Apostles, gathered in a house, received the Holy Spirit, who gave them the power to preach in languages they had never spoken before. Following the sermon of the Apostle Peter, 3,000 people were baptized and formed the first Christian community. In churches, believers receive blessed walnut leaves, symbols of the flames that appeared above the heads of the Apostles, at the time of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, during the Pentecost mini-holiday, tens of thousands of tourists are in the resorts on the Prahova Valley (south) or on the Black Sea Coast (southeast). Many Romanians chose to spend their free time outside the country, especially in Bulgaria and Greece.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk from Ukraine are playing, today, in the round of 16 of the womens doubles in the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, against Jessica Pegula and CoCo Gauff, both from the USA. Ruse and Kostiuk qualified, on Saturday, after, in the second round of the Parisian competition on clay court, they defeated the pair made up of the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and the American Shelby Rogers, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Ruse and Kostyuk are seeded 13th at Roland Garros, one of the most important international tennis tournaments.

Turkey – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on behalf of Romania, for his reconfirmation as President of Turkey and wished him success in fulfilling his new mandate, during the investiture ceremony that took place on Saturday. The event was attended by heads of state and government, ministers of foreign affairs, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to Ankara, among whom the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. He is in Turkey also for discussions aimed at solving the objections of the Ankara administration regarding the ratification of Swedens request for NATO membership. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian officials participation in the ceremony reflects Romanias desire to strengthen the bilateral Strategic Partnership, based on consistent political dialogue and close cooperation in a wide range of sectoral fields. For Romania, Turkey is the second commercial partner outside the EU and the first destination of Romanian exports outside the Union, last year the volume of exchanges registering almost 9.6 billion dollars. Recep Tayyip Erdogan took oath as president for the third time. On May 28, in the second round of voting, he defeated the candidate of the united opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The Turkish leader dominated the countrys politics for 20 years, first as prime minister, then as president, but critics accuse him of authoritarianism and mismanagement of the economy. (LS)

4 June 2023
29.05.2023

Grève – Les leaders des syndicats de l’Education
nationale rencontrent ce lundi le ministre roumain du Travail, Marius Budai,
pour discuter de la nouvelle grille des salaires. Le leader de la Fédération
nationale des Syndicats de l’Education, Marius Nistor, a déclaré que le repère
salarial en fonction duquel on devrait calculer les salaires des professeurs
débutants devrait être le montant moyen du salaire brut mensuel. Tant que les
responsables politiques n’approuvent pas un acte normatif en ce sens, la grève
continuera, a encore précisé M. Nistor. Lors des dernières négociations, l’Exécutif
roumain a proposé le versement en deux tranches d’un supplément financier de
2500 lei, soit 500 euros, pour le personnel enseignant et de 1000 lei, soit
quelque 200 euros, pour le personnel non enseignant. Après la manifestation de
la semaine dernière, devant le Gouvernement, les syndicalistes ont annoncé
protester mardi devant le siège de la présidence roumaine.

Protestations – Les cheminots roumains se réunissent
aujourd’hui devant le Ministère des Transports pour réclamer des augmentations
salariales, parallèlement à la mise en place des réglementations qui
garantissent la modification de la grille des salaires et de la hiérarchie
professionnelle au sein de la SNCF Roumanie. Les protestataires demandent aussi
aux responsables politiques de voter le budget des compagnies ferroviaires. Les
représentants syndicaux n’excluent pas d’observer une grève générale à partir
du 1 juillet.

Défense – Le centre d’instruction au combat de la localité de Smârdan, dans
le sud-est de la Roumanie accueille à partir d’aujourd’hui un important
exercice militaire international. Ce furent le ministre roumain de la Défense,
Angel Tâlvar et le chef de l’Etat major de la Défense, Daniel Petrescu à donner
le coup d’envoi de l’exercice appelé « Saber Guardian 23 ». C’est le
plus ample et le plus complexe exercice multinational d’instruction de cette
année. Il réunit jusqu’au 9 juin un nombre record de forces et de moyens
techniques : soit 10 000 militaires, dont plus de 5 000 de Roumanie et le
reste de 13 Etats membres de l’OTAN et partenaires de
l’Alliance. « Saber Guardian 23 » s’inscrit dans une série
d’exercices commencée en 2013 organisés deux fois par an et visant à intensifier
l’interopérabilité dans une large sphère de missions.

Turquie – Le
chef de l’Etat roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a félicité lundi son homologue turc,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pour sa victoire à la présidentielle. Dans un message sur
Twitter, Iohannis a affirmé attendre impatiemment la poursuite de la
coopération bilatérale fondée sur le partenariat stratégique entre les deux
pays. Au pouvoir depuis vingt ans, Erdogan a remporté dimanche une nouvelle
victoire. Il a obtenu 52,16% des suffrages contre 47,84% au candidat social-démocrate
Kemal Kiliçdaroglu qui, à 74 ans, a perdu le pari de la démocratie
apaisée qu’il promettait. Des leaders du monde entier ont félicité
Erdogan que l’opposition turque critique pour être devenu de plus en plus
autoritaire depuis la tentative de coup d’Etat de 2016. L’annonce de sa
victoire aux élections a entraîné une nouvelle chute de la livre turque, la
monnaie nationale.

Moldova
– Dans un entretien pour la publication Géopolitique, la cheffe de la
République de Moldova, la pro-occidentale Maia Sandu, a déclaré « que même
s’il existe du soutien à la réunification de la Roumanie, il n’est pas
suffisant » et que le principal objectif des responsables moldaves reste
l’adhésion européenne de leur pays. Maia Sandu qui a la double citoyenneté,
roumaine et moldave, a rappelé les bonnes relations bilatérales et le soutien que
Bucarest accorde à Chisinau. Si une consultation populaire avait lieu en
République de Moldova le dimanche prochain, au sujet de l’adhésion du pays à
l’UE, 53% des citoyens se prononceraient
en faveur de l’intégration européenne, 30% des Moldaves seraient contre, 5% ne
se présenteraient pas aux urnes et 11% seraient indécis, relève le dernier
sondage IMAS. Par ailleurs, 32% des Moldaves souhaiteraient l’union de leur
pays avec la Roumanie et 55% se diraient contre une telle idée. Quant à
l’adhésion de l’ex république soviétique à l’OTAN, 24% des citoyens seraient
pour et 60% contre.

MAE – Le ministère roumain des Affaires Etrangères a appelé l’ambassadeur
de la Hongrie voisine à Bucarest en raison des « messages publics
inadéquats » que la présidente hongroise, Novak Katalin a lancés, surtout
sur sa page Facebook, durant la visite privée qu’elle a récemment faite en
Roumanie. Dans un communiqué, la diplomatie roumaine souligne qu’elle appelle
constamment les responsables et les personnalités politiques de Hongrie à faire
preuve de retenue au cours des visites privées qu’ils effectuent en Roumanie.
Et pourtant, la cheffe de l’Etat hongrois, a lancé toute une série de messages
inadéquats dont un qui vise une région historique de la
Roumanie. « Mon Dieu, ne laisse pas la Transylvanie mourir » est
un des messages que Novak Katalin a postés sur Facebook, tout comme l’hymne du
pays des Sicules. Conformément au ministère des Affaires Etrangères de
Bucarest, de tels messages ne sont pas conformes aux relations de bon voisinage
et de collaboration entre la Roumanie et la Hongrie. Novak Katalin a participé
samedi à Șumuleu Ciuc (région du centre de la Roumanie à majorité magyare) au pèlerinage
organisé à l’occasion de la Pentecôte catholique.

Tennis -
La joueuse roumaine de tennis, Ana Bogdan, rencontrera aujourd’hui la
colombienne, Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, au tableau du concours de simple dame
de Roland Garros, deuxième tournoi de Grand Chelem de l’année. Hier, la
roumaine, Irina Begu, a battu la Hongroise, Anna Bondar, au premier tour de la
même compétition. La troisième Roumaine présente à Rolland Garros est Sorana
Cîrstea qui rencontrera l’Italienne, Jasmine Paolini.

Météo – Le ciel
est variable en Roumanie, plutôt couvert dans le sud-ouest et dans le sud-est
où des phénomènes orageux pourraient faire leur apparition dans l’après-midi.
Les quantités d’eau cumulées suite aux précipitations pourraient dépasser les
20 à 25 litres par mètre carré. Les températures vont de 20 à 28 degrés.

29 May 2023
May 30, 2022

SUMMIT -
President Klaus Iohannis is attending the European Council summit on May 30-31,
which will focus on the war in Ukraine. According to the Presidency, European
leaders will discuss ways to continue providing political, economic and
financial support to Ukraine, including the EU’s involvement in post-war reconstruction
efforts. The EU Council summit will also address the need to help build up Moldova’s
resilience. EU heads of state and government will also examine approaches to
ensure continuous food exports from Ukraine in order to maintain food safety at
global level. The summit’s agenda also includes steps to diversify and secure
energy sources and supply routes.

EMBARGO -
The EU failed to reach an agreement on Sunday regarding an embargo on Russian
oil and negotiations are expected to continue today. EU diplomats are trying to
reach consensus over exempting oil deliveries to certain states in Central
Europe. The embargo is part of the sixth package of sanctions against Russia.
The package stipulates the deswifting of Russia’s number one bank, Sberbank, a
ban on Russian TV stations across the EU and adding new names on the list of
Russian figures whose assets have been frozen or who are barred from entering
the EU. Hungary has opposed the package, claiming a Russian oil embargo would
deal a heavy blow to its economy, as this country cannot import oil from other
sources. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have expressed similar concerns.

IMF – A
delegation of the International Monetary Fund, led by Jan Kees Martijn, will
visit Romania over May 30 – June 10, to conduct an analysis of Romanian
economy, the IMF representative for Central and Eastern Europe, Nadeem Ilahi,
has said. IMF officials will discuss with Romanian authorities economic
policies and evolutions, and are expected to meet with representatives of the
Finance Ministry, the National Bank, other government agencies as well as the
private sector and NGOs. At present, Romania has no ongoing financial agreement
with the IMF, although the Fund assesses the evolution of Romanian economy
every year.

CENSUS – The
second phase of the national census starts on May 31 across the country, when
censors will collect data in the field. According to the National Statistics
Institute, 47% of the target population has completed the online
self-enumeration process over March 14 – May 27. The second phase will take
place over May 31 – July 17. This is the 13th census in Romania’s
history and the 4th after the 1989 Revolution.

FOOTBALL -
Sunday marked the end the 2021-2022 football season. In the second round of the
promotion playoffs, Chindia Târgoviște won 4-1 against second-tier club
Concordia Chiajna at the penalty shootout. The score was 1-0 at the end of regular
time, and Concordia had won 2-1 in the first round. Universitatea Cluj on the
other hand managed to secure promotion to the first division after drawing 1-1
against Dinamo Bucharest. Universitatea had won the first leg 2-0. Concordia
and Universitatea will join Petrolul Ploiești and FC Hermannstadt, two teams
that had secured direct qualification to League One. CFR Cluj have won their
fifth consecutive championship title and the eighth in the club history. Next
season, CFR will play in the Champions League preliminaries. FCSB,
Universitatea Craiova and Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe will perform in Europa Conference
League. The 2022-2023 season will kick off on July 9 with the Romanian
Supercup.

TENNIS -
Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (63 WTA) is today playing Jessica Pegula of
the US (11 WTA) in the round of 16 at Roland Garros. Previously, Begu ousted
Leolia Jeanjean of France, 6-1, 6-4, thus matching her personal best at Roland
Garros, the round of 16 played in 2016. Irina Begu is the only Romanian left in
the women’s singles. The other six players in the main draw, including Simona
Halep, world no. 1 and winner at Roland Garros in 2018, were knocked out in the
first two rounds.

WEATHER – Massive
rainfall and storms swept the country this weekend, disrupting rail and road
traffic, damaging cars, uprooting trees and flooding streets and homes.
Authorities sent out an alert on the emergency app warning people to take
refuge, while emergency response teams intervened in numerous cases providing
support to the local population in a number of counties, including the capital
city. Hydrologists also issued alerts against floods for a number of rivers.
Skies are overcast with reports of isolated rainfall in the mountains. The
highs of the day range between 20 and 29 degrees. The noon reading in Bucharest
was 22 degrees Celsius. (VP)

30 May 2022
May 29, 2022 UPDATE

WAR IN
UKRAINE – Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited Kharkiv Oblast
on Sunday for the first time since the start of the invasion, where Moscow has
withdrawn all its troops, moving them to different areas of Ukraine. According
to the head of the presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, president
Zelensky visited the destroyed residential buildings which he said will have to
be replaced with new apartment buildings fitted with bomb shelters. Andriy
Yermak said that 31% of Kharkiv is currently occupied by Russia, and that
another 5% was reclaimed by Ukraine after previously being held by Russian
troops.

NATO – Iulian Fota, Secretary of
State for Strategic Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, has talked to
US Senator Robert Portman about the US’s decision to increase its military
presence on Romanian territory. He expressed Romania’s commitment, alongside
other European partners, to consolidate the resilience of the Republic of
Moldova by means of concrete measures and countering the effects of the Russian
aggression in Ukraine. Talks with Senator Portman also focused on the security
developments in the region, generated by the Russian Federation’s illegal
military operations in Ukraine and its consequences on European and Euro-Atlantic
security. The two officials also tackled the priorities of the NATO Summit of
June 2022 in Madrid, with a focus on adopting decisions that should reassert
NATO’s main role, namely ensuring collecting defense and consolidating
trans-Atlantic ties, the Romanian MFA also writes.

IMF – A delegation of the
International Monetary Fund will visit Bucharest over May 31 – June 10, to
conduct an analysis of Romanian economy. IMF experts will discuss with
representatives of the Finance Ministry, the National Bank, the private sector
and NGOs. Romania has no ongoing agreement with the IMF presently.

ROMANIANS
WORLDWIDE – President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă
conveyed messages marking the Day of Romanians Worldwide, celebrated on the
last Sunday of May. Irrespective of where we are, today is a good opportunity
to reflect on everything that bounds us together and to Romania – a strong
identity and being part of a people that has over the centuries overcome great
hardships, the President said in his message. The relocation of certain
companies in Romania, against a very difficult backdrop, might represent an
opportunity encouraging Romanians to return home, president Iohannis went on to
say, recalling the importance of the Government’s actions to support, by means
of dedicated programs, Romanians who wish to return home. There are millions
of Romanians living abroad. Romanians are at the center of the Government’s
concerns, irrespective of where they are, the Prime Minister also said.
Nicolae Ciucă also said that the Department of Romanians Worldwide is helping
strengthen ties with communities of Romanians and support them in order to
preserve national identity, through education and cultural projects conducted
across ministries and in partnership with civilian society and academia. We
also want Romanians who seek employment abroad to be respected and their rights
should be observed. I am confident that memorandum signed at the level of the
line ministries in Romania and Italy will be followed by similar initiatives
with other EU states and beyond, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said.

ROLAND
GARROS – At the French Open in Paris, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela
Ruse / Marta Kostyuk on Sunday advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s
doubles after defeating Catherine McNally of the USA and Shuai Zhang of China,
4-6, 6-3, 6-4. On Saturday, Irina Begu advanced to the women’s singles’ round
of 16 after ousting Leolia Jeanjean of France, 6-1, 6-4. Begu thus matched her
best performance at Roland Garros, after in 2016 she also reached this stage of
the women’s singles. This is Begu’s best performance in Grand Slam tournaments,
her first being to reach the round of 16 at Australian Open in 2015.

ROWING -
Romanian athlete Cătălin Chirilă
won silver in the 500m and 1000m single canoe races held on Sunday at the World
Cup in Poznan, Poland. In the 500m race, Chirilă was outrun by Martin Fuksa of the Czech Republic, two-time world champion
and several-time European champion. The bronze went to Wiktor Glazunow of
Poland. In the 1000m race, Fuksa won again the gold, while Pavlo Altuhov of
Ukraine won bronze. Also on Sunday, Chirilă came in 4th in the 5000m race. (VP)

29 May 2022
May 29, 2022

WAR IN
UKRAINE – The
leaders of France and Germany have called on Russian president Vladimir Putin
to immediately start negotiations with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky,
in order to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. The solution to stop
the war can only be found by means of direct negotiations between Moscow and
Kyiv, with the observance of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,
French president Emmanuel Macron said. In turn, German chancellor Olaf Scholz
has called on Putin to agree to a total ceasefire and withdraw all his forces
from Ukraine. The two leaders also called for an improvement in the situation
of the civilian population in Russian-held territories and for the release of
the 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers taken prisoner at the Azovstal steelworks in
Mariupol. Macron and Scholz also called on Putin to lift the blockade on Odessa
and allow the export of Ukrainian cereals and thus avert a global food crisis.
In response, the Kremlin said Russia is willing to help find options to resume
the free export of grains, including from Ukraine. Without openly agreeing to
it, Putin is willing to allow Ukraine to export its grains only if EU countries
lift sanctions on Russian agricultural exports. Putin says difficulties on the
global market are allegedly determined by the West’s poor decision-making and
the sanctions imposed on Russia. As regards a ceasefire, the Kremlin argues
Russia is willing to resume dialogue with Ukraine. Right now peace negotiations are suspended,
while the Russian forces continue to shell Ukrainian cities.

NATO – Iulian Fota, Secretary of
State for Strategic Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, has talked to
US Senator Robert Portman about the US’s decision to increase its military
presence on Romanian territory. He expressed Romania’s commitment, alongside
other European partners, to consolidate the resilience of the Republic of
Moldova by means of concrete measures and countering the effects of the Russian
aggression in Ukraine. Talks with Senator Portman also focused on the security
developments in the region, generated by the Russian Federation’s illegal
military operations in Ukraine and its consequences on European and
Euro-Atlantic security. The two officials also tackled the priorities of the
NATO Summit of June 2022 in Madrid, with a focus on adopting decisions that
should reassert NATO’s main role, namely ensuring collecting defense and
consolidating trans-Atlantic ties, the Romanian MFA also writes.

ROMANIANS
WORLDWIDE – President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă conveyed
messages marking the Day of Romanians Worldwide, celebrated on the last Sunday
of May. Irrespective of where we are, today is a good opportunity to reflect
on everything that bounds us together and to Romania – a strong identity and
being part of a people that has over the centuries overcome great hardships,
the President said in his message. The relocation of certain companies in
Romania, against a very difficult backdrop, might represent an opportunity
encouraging Romanians to return home, president Iohannis went on to say,
recalling the importance of the Government’s actions to support, by means of
dedicated programs, Romanians who wish to return home. There are millions of
Romanians living abroad. Romanians are at the center of the Government’s
concerns, irrespective of where they are, the Prime Minister also said.
Nicolae Ciucă also said that the Department of Romanians Worldwide is helping
strengthen ties with communities of Romanians and support them in order to
preserve national identity, through education and cultural projects conducted
across ministries and in partnership with civilian society and academia. We
also want Romanians who seek employment abroad to be respected and their rights
should be observed. I am confident that memorandum signed at the level of the
line ministries in Romania and Italy will be followed by similar initiatives
with other EU states and beyond, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said.

CANNES – The Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund has won his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, this time for a satire criticizing the rich, entitled The Triangle of Sadness. The Grand Prix went to Close by Lukas Dhont and Stars at Noon by Claire Denis. Park Chan-Wook of South Korea won the best director award for his feature Decision to Leave. The jury award went to Eo and Le Otto Montagne, while War Pony won the award for best debut film. Alexandru Belc won the best directing award in the Un Certain Regard section with his film, Metronome.

ROLAND
GARROS – Romanian tennis player Irina Begu has advanced to the round of 16
at Roland Garros after ousting Leolia Jeanjean of France, 6-1, 6-4. Begu thus
matched her best performance at Roland Garros, after in 2016 she also reached
this stage of the women’s singles. This is Begu’s best performance in Grand
Slam tournaments, her first being to reach the round of 16 at Australian Open
in 2015.

ROWING -
Romanian athlete Cătălin Chirilă
won silver in the 500m and 1000m single canoe races held on Sunday at the World
Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland. In the 500m race, Chirilă was outrun by Martin Fuksa of the Czech Republic, two-time world champion
and several-time European champion. The bronze went to Wiktor Glazunow of
Poland. In the 1000m race, Fuksa won again the gold, while Pavlo Altuhov of
Ukraine won bronze.

WEATHER
– The National Meteorological Administration has extended the code orange alert
against heavy rain and storms in place in 12 counties in Bucharest, until
Monday morning. Hydrologists have also warned against the risk of floods. The
heavy rain and storms have disrupted road traffic in cities and on national
roads, and caused material damages. In Bucharest, dozens of trees were uprooted
by the strong wind and a few electricity poles fell. Three homes were flooded
and 30 cars were damaged. (VP)

29 May 2022
May 28, 2022 UPDATE

TALKS The prime minister of Romania Nicolae Ciucă Saturday received a delegation of the US Senate headed by Senator Robert Portman. PM Ciucă presented the situation of Ukrainian exports and of Romanias efforts to support the food security of the affected countries, particularly those in the Middle East and Northern Africa, and the viability of Ukraines economy. He mentioned support options including the ports of Constanţa and Galaţi, navigation on the Danube to central Europe, railway and road transport. A large part of the talks was devoted to Russias invasion in Ukraine and the need for concrete support for this country. Senator Robert Portman thanked Romania for its efforts and highlighted his interest in the country, considering that the state he is representing, Ohio, is home to a large community of Romanians and an important Ukrainian community.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu was received on Friday by the president of Tukey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of a trilateral security meeting that brought together the foreign ministers of Romania, Poland and Turkey in Istanbul. Erdogan commended Romanias and Polands management of the humanitarian crisis entailed by Russias aggression in Ukraine, while Bogdan Aurescu highlighted Turkeys role at the Black Sea. The Romanian foreign minister also voiced support for NATOs open door policy and for the accession of Sweden and Finland. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the relevance of the bilateral strategic partnership signed in 2011, in the current geopolitical circumstances.

CYBER ATTACK The English version of the website of the Romanian defence ministry has been attacked by hackers. The DDOS cyber-attack took place on Friday night, and experts with the ministrys cyber defence unit managed to restore the website in around 30 minutes. The ministry says the website does not contain sensible or classified databases and the attack did not affect other services or networks of the institution. Investigations are under way to identify the source of the attack. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of Internet traffic.

RADIO CHIŞINAU The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation issued a news release stating it was confident the decision to ban the use of the name “Chişinău” in the name of the radio station Radio Chişinău was a misunderstanding and it has reasons to believe the situation will be resolved. Radio Romania mentions that at Fridays meeting of the Chişinău City Council, a draft decision on the use of the name Chişinău was dismissed by a majority of Council members. The name of the city Chişinău was used by Radio Chişinău, a Radio Romania station, between 2011 and 2021, based on a similar validation procedure. Radio Romania emphasized that, should the situation continue, it will have to take all the necessary administrative and judicial steps to address it, to the benefit of its listeners in the Republic of Moldova. Previously, the Romanian foreign ministry said the decision of the Chişinǎu Council was unjustified, ungrounded and driven by political considerations.

FESTIVAL “Mogoşoaia Classic Fest” takes place this weekend at the Brâncovenesc Palace (near Bucharest), under the title “Cultures of the world.” The festival includes exhibitions, film screenings and performances, concerts. The music, fine arts, dance, images and traditions of 8 countries are showcased in the festival: Armenia, Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Peru, Mexico, China and Romania.

TENNIS The Romanian Irina Begu Saturday qualified into the 8th-finals of the Roland Garros tournament, after defeating Leolia Jeanjean of France 6-1, 6-4, in the 3rd round. The round of 16 is the best performance for the Romanian player in Grand Slams. Begu is the only Romanian player left in the singles competition of this years tournament in Paris. (AMP)

28 May 2022
May 28, 2022

FILM The Romanian
filmmaker Alexandru Belc Friday night won the award for best director in the Un
Certain Regard section of the Cannes film festival, for his film ‘Metronome’. This is the first fiction feature of the
Romanian director, previously known for his documentaries ‘Cinema, mon amour’
(2015) and ‘8 March’ (2012). The Un Certain Regard section is
devoted to films with unusual styles by emerging directors seeking
international recognition. The awards in the official competition of the 75th
Cannes Film Festival will be presented tonight. Eighteen films compete for the Palme
d’Or trophy, including R.M.N by the Romanian director Cristian
Mungiu.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu was received
on Friday by the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of
a trilateral security meeting that brought together the foreign ministers of
Romania, Poland and Turkey in Istanbul. Erdogan commended Romania’s and
Poland’s management of the humanitarian crisis entailed by Russia’s aggression
in Ukraine, while Bogdan Aurescu highlighted Turkey’s role at the Black Sea. The
Romanian foreign minister also voiced support for NATO’s open door policy and
for the accession of Sweden and Finland. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the relevance
of the bilateral strategic partnership signed in 2011,
in the current geopolitical circumstances.

REFUGEES On Friday 8,730 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania, down 2.6%
since the previous day. A total of nearly 1,050,000 refugees have crossed the
border from Ukraine since the start of the conflict on February 24th.
According to the Romanian border police, measures have been taken to strengthen
border surveillance and to improve information and data exchanges with other
relevant institutions, in order to handle possible problems.

CHURCH The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, previously subordinated to the
Russian Patriarchy, announced it would separate from the latter as a result of
the invasion in Ukraine, and declared its independence and autonomy. This
historic move comes after Russia’s Patriarch Kirill voiced full support for
president Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Part of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church had already splintered from Moscow in 2019. Hundreds of priests have
recently signed an open letter calling for Kirill to be tried before a
religious tribunal over his stand regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

CONCERT London hosted on Friday night the first concert of the
Swedish group ABBA after 40 years. The show, the first in a series of 7, was
non-conventional in that it featured digital versions of the 4 artists. The
group has been preparing the performances since 2016, using state-of-the-art
technology. The musicians attended the show in London as members of the
audience. The band separated in 1982, but their music continues to sell, and recently they put out a new album,
called Voyage.

TENNIS The Romanian Irina Begu is playing today against Leolia
Jeanjean of France, in the 3rd round of the Roland Garros. On
Thursday Begu defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, to be
the only Romanian player left in the singles competition of the tournament in
Paris. (AMP)

28 May 2022
28.05.2022

Cannes – Le cinéaste roumain, Alexandru Belc, a remporté vendredi soir le prix du meilleur réalisateur dans la section « Un certain regard » du festival de Cannes, pour son film Métronom. Il s’agit du premier long métrage de ce réalisateur connu au grand public pour ses documentaires « Cinéma, mon amour » (2015) et « 8 Mars » (2012). Les prix de la compétition officielle de la 75ème édition du Festival de Cannes seront annoncés ce soir. 18 films se disputent cette année la Palme d’Or. Parmi eux, R.M.N du réalisateur roumain, Cristian Mungiu.

Réfugiés – 8730 réfugiés ukrainiens sont arrivés vendredi, en Roumanie, de 2,6% de moins que le jour précédent. Depuis le début de l’invasion russe en Ukraine, le 24 février, presqu’un million 50 milles réfugiés ukrainiens sont entrés en Roumanie, la plupart juste pour la transiter. Face à ce flux important migratoire, les autorités roumaines ont renforcé les dispositifs de surveillance des frontières et coordonnent leurs actions avec celles des autres institutions impliquées pour une gestion efficace des cas.

Eglise – L’Église orthodoxe ukrainienne, jusqu’ici affiliée à Moscou, a annoncé vendredi 27 mai rompre avec la Russie après que cette dernière a envahi l’Ukraine, déclarant «sa pleine indépendance». La branche moscovite de l’Église orthodoxe d’Ukraine était jusqu’ici subordonnée au patriarche russe Kirill, qui a clairement exprimé son soutien à l’offensive du président russe Vladimir Poutine contre l’Ukraine. Cette initiative est le second schisme orthodoxe en Ukraine en quelques années. Une partie de l’Église ukrainienne avait déjà rompu avec Moscou en 2019 à cause du rôle du Kremlin dans le pays. L’invasion décidée par Vladimir Poutine et le soutien de Kirill à la guerre avait placé l’Église ukrainienne encore rattachée à Moscou dans une situation de plus en plus intenable. Des centaines de ses prêtres avaient signé récemment une lettre ouverte appelant à faire juger Kirill par un tribunal religieux à cause de ses positions sur le conflit. L’Ukraine est centrale pour l’Église orthodoxe russe, dont certains des monastères les plus importants sont situés dans ce pays.

Ankara – En marge de sa participation à la Trilatérale d’Istanbul, Roumanie – Pologne- Turquie sur des questions de sécurité, le chef de la diplomatie roumaine, Bogdan Aurescu, a été reçu vendredi par le président turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Selon le Ministère roumain des Affaires étrangères, M. Erdogan a apprécié la manière dont la Roumanie et la Pologne ont su gérer la situation humanitaire particulièrement inquiétante provoquée par l’offensive russe en Ukraine. Le diplomate roumain a mis en lumière le rôle de la Turquie dans la région de la mer Noire, notamment dans le transport des marchandises, y compris d’Ukraine. Et Bogdan Aurescu d’insister sur l’importance d’une coopération encore plus étroite entre les pays riverains et alliés afin que les cargos puissent naviguer en toute sécurité. Par ailleurs, le diplomate roumain a plaidé en faveur d’une politique des portes ouvertes de la part de l’Otan et a soutenu l’adhésion atlantique de la Suède et de la Finlande. Sur le plan bilatéral, Recep Tayyip Erdogan et Bogdan Aurescu ont mis en lumière l’importance du Partenariat stratégique bilatéral signé en 2011, notamment dans le contexte géopolitique actuel.

Tennis – La joueuse roumaine de tennis, Irina Begu, rencontre ce samedi, la Française, Léolia Jeanjean, au troisième tour du tournoi de Roland Garros. Irina Begu, qui a vaincu la Russe, Ekaterina Alexandrova, est la dernière des 7 Roumaines présente toujours au tableau du concours de simple dames de l’Open parisien.

Météo – Samedi, les météorologues annoncent une baisse des températures dans l’ouest, le centre, le nord et le nord-est du pays. Le ciel sera particulièrement nuageux et des pluies éparses feront leur apparition. Dans le reste du territoire, les températures continueront à être particulièrement élevées et des phénomènes orageux sont annoncés. Les quantités d’eau cumulées suite aux précipitations pourraient dépasser par endroits, les 20 à 30 litres par mètre carré. Les météorologues ont émis des vigilances orange et jaune aux pluies torrentielles et aux orages partout en Roumanie, en vigueur jusqu’à lundi matin. Les températures iront ce samedi du 17 au 32 degrés. 26 degrés à midi, à Bucarest.

28 May 2022
27.05.2022 (mise à jour)

Conseil européen – Le chef de l’Etat roumain, Klaus
Iohannis, participera lundi et mardi à Bruxelles, à une réunion extraordinaire
du Conseil européen ciblée sur la sécurité en Europe et sur les conséquences de
l’agression militaire russe contre l’Ukraine. Une occasion pour les leaders
européens de débattre de nouveaux moyens de soutien politique, humanitaire,
économique et financier accordés à l’Ukraine et de l’implication européenne
dans la reconstruction de ce pays une fois la guerre terminée. Les discussions
porteront aussi sur la nécessité d’un soutien adéquat offert à la République de
Moldova afin que le pays renforce ses capacités de résilience. Les participants
à la réunion de Bruxelles examineront aussi des modalités concrètes censées
permettre la poursuite des exportations ukrainiennes de produits alimentaires.
Autre sujet à l’agenda des pourparlers: un meilleur fonctionnement du marché
européen d’électricité, parallèlement à un contrôle des tarifs énergétiques pour
qu’ils restent accessibles et à une meilleure protection des consammateurs
vulnérables, a fait savoir l’Administration présidentielle de Bucarest.

OTAN– Les paramètres de l’architecture de sécurité européenne et
euro-atlantique ont été sévèrement impactés par l’invasion illégale de l’armée
russe en Ukraine, a fait savoir vendredi, à Istanbul, le chef de la diplomatie
roumaine, Bogdan Aurescu, à l’issue de la Trilatérale Roumanie-Pologne-Turquie sur
des affaires de sécurité. « On assiste à une menace sans précédent »
a fait savoir le responsable roumain, tout en plaidant pour un renforcement de
la sécurité euro-atlantique à long terme. Et Aurescu de rappeler que plus d’un
million d’Ukrainiens est entré ces derniers mois, en Roumanie, pour fuir la
guerre ce qui suppose un effort humanitaire considérable. N’oublions pas que
dernièrement, les ports roumains sur le Danube et celui de Constanta, à la mer
Noire, sont impliqués dans les exportations de céréales d’Ukraine, a précisé le
diplomate de Bucarest.

Chômage – En
Roumanie, le taux de chômage a été de 2,57% fin avril, de 0,07 points de
pourcentage de moins qu’en mars derniers et de 0,59 points de pourcentage de
moins qu’en avril 2021. Selon un communiqué de l’Agence nationale pour
l’occupation de la main d’oeuvre, la Roumanie recensait fin avril, 224820
chômeurs dont la plupart sont des personnes peu diplômées et peu instruites.

Corruption
– Le Parquet européen a engagé des poursuites contre trois Roumains soupçonnés
d’une fraude aux fonds européens, de 3 millions d’euros. Suite à une série de
perquisitions menées dans le Delta du Danube, ainsi qu’à Bucarest et dans les
départements de Gorj et de Giurgiu, les procureurs pensent que les trois
individus se sont servi de sept compagnies dont une immatriculée en Bulgarie
voisine, pour accéder à des fonds destinés au delta du Danube et les utiliser à
d’autres buts. La caution dans ce dossier a été établie à 1,7 millions d’euros.

Bilan
– Les libéraux et les sociaux-démocrates roumains ont présenté jeudi le bilan
des 6 mois de gouvernance du cabinet de coalition. Les leaders du PNL et du PSD
ont évoqué à cette occasion la croissance économique, les mesures de lutte
contre les effets des différentes crises auxquelles la Roumanie se confronte et
le paquet social destiné aux personnes vulnérables. Par ailleurs, l’Opposition
constituée par l’USR et par la formation ultranationaliste, AUR, ont présenté
l’image d’une Roumanie au bord du gouffre, en proie à l’inflation élevée et à
la faiblesse des investissements et dépourvue de tout programme de
redressement.

Tennis – La joueuse roumaine de tennis, Irina Begu, rencontrera
samedi la Française, Leolia Jeanjean, au troisième tour du tournoi de Roland Garros.
Après une victoire contre la Russe, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Irina Begu reste
désormais la seule Roumaine au tableau du concours de simple dames de l’Open
français. Vendredi, le duo roumano- ukrainien Gabriela Ruse / Marta Kostiuk
s’est qualifié dans les huitièmes de finale du concours de double après avoir
battu les Britanniques, Samantha Murray Sharan / Heather Watson. Leur prochain
match sera contre le duo américano- chinois, Catherine McNally / Shuai Zhang.

Météo
– Les météorologues annoncent une météo capricieuse pour ce weekend, avec des
températures élevées et des orages. Samedi, on aura jusqu’à 32 degrés et de la
pluie.

27 May 2022