Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romania and NATO

Romanian authorities and the crisis in Ukraine

The crisis generated by the threat of a Russian invasion in Ukraine is a test for the unity and solidarity of European states, which has so far been successfully passed. On the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU leaders, Romanias president, Klaus Iohannis said that EU states should remain united and this unity should be expressed both by diplomatic efforts and in economic terms. The risks facing European security are critical, and there needs to be an efficient coordination and unity in times of crises, that should boost the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic space, president Iohannis argues. The Romanian official also highlighted the need to continue dialogue and come up with a diplomatic solution to the crisis. The EU has a well-prepared series of responses in case the situation escalates, and EU states will act together. Romania is ready for the worst-case scenario, president Klaus Iohannis said.

“We have over 600 km of borders with Ukraine and its possible we might see a flow of migrants. But yes, we are prepared for that. We are also ready in economic terms, we have prepared a series of specific measures. But let me make one thing clear – we want a diplomatic solution. No one wants sanctions, and we want the situation on the eastern flank to be de-escalated by means of appeasing tensions”.

Romania also reiterated its firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for this countrys right to freely decide its European and Euro-Atlantic path, president Iohannis tweeted. On the other hand, in an interview for CNN, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu disavowed Russias demands that NATO should withdraw its equipment and troops from its eastern flank and hailed the allies firm response in this matter. “We cant afford to have two types of allies, first-rate and second-rate, allies on the eastern flank, without any sort of troops and real equipment and the others. This is unacceptable, and NATO has dismissed this scenario, expressing its unity and solidarity right now”, Bogdan Aurescu argued. The Romanian Foreign Minister also expressed hope that NATOs tactical battlegroups to be set up in Romania will be comparable in structure and size to other battlegroups that are operational in Poland and the Baltic states. Referring to Frances plans to reorganize the European security framework, Bogdan Aurescu says this should be an effort complementary to NATOs actions. No one can replace the Alliance in terms of ensuring the collective defense and security of Europe and NATO as a whole, Aurescu also pointed out. (VP)

18 February 2022
April 16, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Romania has
increased its vaccination rate, with over 80,000 doses being administered on
Thursday for the second day in a row, while the total number of people given at
least one dose exceeded 2.5 million on Friday. Also as of Friday, people will
be able to get the AstraZeneca vaccine without an appointment in the centers
where this jab is available. According to Prime Minister Florin Cîţu, Romania
is expected to hit the 35% mark in early July in terms of the share of the
population that got immunized, which will allow for a gradual relaunch of the
economy. On the other hand, the number of ICU cases among Covid patients is
still high, at almost 1,500, but the overall number of hospital admissions is
decreasing, with almost 13,000 Covid patients currently receiving hospital
treatment. Almost 3,700 new infections were recorded on Friday, as well as 137
new deaths. The incidence rate has dropped to 6 per thousand inhabitants in
Bucharest.

COVID-19 EUROPE –France became the third country in
Europe to pass 100,000 Covid-related deaths after the UK and Italy. France has
30-40,000 new cases and 300 fatalities daily and 30,000 Covid patients are in
hospital, including almost 6,000 in severe condition. Even though the situation
remains complicated, the French authorities have begun discussing relaxation
measures from mid-May. In Italy, Prime Minister Mario Draghi has talked about
the reopening of restaurants and schools starting Monday, April 26. Expressing
a prudent optimism, the Italian Prime Minister said his Government decided to
take a calculated risk and classify regions with a satisfying epidemiological
evolution in the yellow zone, where restrictions are less severe. In Madrid,
the Spanish government has ruled out extending the state of emergency beyond
May 9. Under the current regulations, a nighttime curfew starts at 11 PM while the
number of people in public spaces is limited.

NATO – Romania will
begin withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan from May 1, together with all its
NATO allies. Defense minister Nicolae Ciucă recalled that two decades ago,
Romania made the decision to join the coalition fighting terrorism and its
strategic allies in an international effort to combat an enemy that threatened
citizens’ peace and security. Over these almost 20 years, tens of thousands of
Romanian military carried out various missions in the theatre of operations in
Afghanistan, having a significant contribution to improving the security
situation in the region. Romania lost 27 military in Afghanistan, while more
than 200 were wounded. 649 Romanian military are currently deployed in that
country as part of the Resolute Support mission under the NATO aegis.

SUPPORT –The European Commission has approved a
government 500 million euro support scheme for Romanian companies in the areas
of tourism, accommodation and food services as well as travel agencies hit by
the Covid pandemic. In the form of direct aid, the scheme will cover up to 20%
of losses incurred last year compared with 2019 and will be granted until December
31, 2021 at the latest. Support may benefit over 7,300 firms.

5G – The
government has approved a bill on 5G communications that significantly boosts
internet speed for mobile devices. According to interior minister Lucian Bode,
the bill called for special attention because the new technology can also give
rise to complex threats to national security through access to sensitive
information structures. The US authorities warned that the advance of the
Chinese giant Huawei in this field poses a security risk owing to the
involvement of the Chinese state, so Romania and the US last year signed a
memorandum on the introduction of certain rules for the authorization of 5G
providers. The tender to assign the 5G spectrum in Romania, which was already
postponed twice, may be held in the second part of the year.

DACIA – Sales of Dacia cars in Europe
saw a 67% growth in March, while the car maker’s market share increased from
2.4 to 2.5%, according to a report from the European Automobile Manufacturers’
Association. The statistical data cover the European Union, the UK and the
European Free Trade Association countries, namely Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway and Switzerland. The Romanian Dacia manufacturer was taken over by the
Renault group in 1999. Launched in 2004 with the Logan model, Dacia has since
become an important player on the European car market.

HANDBALL – Romania are facing North
Macedonia on Saturday in Bucharest in the first leg of the 2021 World
Championship play-offs in women’s handball. The return match is due to take
place on April 21, in Skopje. Commentators say booking a place should not be a
problem, given that the number of participants grew to 32. The tournament will
be hosted by Spain. Europe has 50% of the available places. Romania is yet to
miss a women’s World Championship, where it has won four medals over the years:
gold in 1962, silver in 1973 and 2005 and bronze in 2015. (C.M. & V.P.)

16 April 2021
June 16, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 – The
government in Bucharest extended by another 30 days the state of alert, at the
same time easing some lockdown restrictions. Church services will resume inside
the churches with the observance of physical distancing and the mandatory
wearing of masks. Certain border crossing points will also reopen. Liberal
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has explained that most experts believe the state
of alert is necessary given the present epidemiological context. The
government’s decision must be approved by Parliament and the largest opposition
force, the Social-Democratic Party, have announced their intention not to
endorse an extension longer than 15 days. The Social-Democrats also believe the
relaxation measures proposed by the government are not enough. Romania has so
far reported 22,415 infections and a number of fatalities that has gone up to
1,437. Over 16 thousand patients have been cured. 34 hundred Romanians have
been confirmed infected abroad and 114 of them died.

FESTIVAL – The first weekend of the International Theatre
Festival in Sibiu, central Romania, which has this year been staged exclusively
online due to the COVID pandemic has registered an impressive audience. The
festival’s shows and other events posted on its Facebook or webpage at
sibfest.ro have registered roughly 181 thousand visitors. The event continues
until June 21 with prestigious dance, music, opera and street performances,
circus and special conferences, all broadcast online. The festival’s present
edition unfolds under the motto ‘The Power to Believe’. The International
Theatre Festival in Sibiu is the first big performing arts festival in Central
and Eastern Europe.

WEATHER – Romania is still facing extreme weather phenomena
in most of its territory, where meteorologists are expecting heavy downpours
and thunderstorms for the entire week. Scores of towns and villages have been
affected by the weather in 20 Romanian counties. Firefighters have been
deployed to pump water out of hundreds of households and public institutions or
to remove the fallen trees from the streets. Traffic has been temporarily
disrupted on national and county roads.

NATO – The Romanian Navy has handed over the command of
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two, a press release issued by the
Navy Chief of Staff on Tuesday announced. By assuming the command of the
aforementioned military force, Romania proved its capabilities as a security
provider for the defence of the allies as this navy force has made a major
contribution to maintaining the alliance’s battle and immediate response
capabilities in crisis situations as well as to the promotion of NATO’s images
and values. In the past six months, the group has carried out missions in the
Black Sea, the Aegean and the Mediterranean Sea involving the participation of
military vessels from Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Romania and Turkey.

FORESTS – The Senate on Tuesday passed the law on creating the
Directorate for Investigating Environment-related Crimes. The scope of
environment-related crime demands the specialization of prosecuting bodies in
this field and the allocation of resources for the creation of an institution
with specific and clear competences, the initiators of the draft law explain,
saying that in the last 5 years over 20 million cubic meters of forests have
disappeared illegally, causing a prejudice of hundreds of millions of Euro
every year. All Parliamentary groups have voted in favor of the project, with
the exception of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians.

BORDER – According to the Romanian authorities, 65,200
Romanian and foreign nationals transited Romania’s border checkpoints on
Monday. The traffic has increased by 60% as compared to the month of May.
Romania’s border with Hungary proved to be the busiest, as it has been crossed
by roughly 43,800 people. According to the same sources, the number of people
who entered Romania has doubled as compared to the previous state-of-alert
period.

(Translated
by D. Bilt & V. Palcu)

16 June 2020
January 6-10

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on a
visit to Brussels

Upon his first official visit to
Brussels since his Government took office last November, Prime Minister Ludovic
Orban met with several high-ranking EU and NATO officials over the course of
the three-day visit. Prime Minister Orban and NATO Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg on Thursday discussed, among other things, cooperation within NATO,
the developments in the Middle East and security in the Black Sea region. Secretary
Stoltenberg hailed Romania’s contribution to the training mission in Iraq, stating
NATO has the possibility of doing more in the Middle East, just as President
Donald Trump has asked. Ludovic Orban said the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance
is a major partner of Romania, reiterating Bucharest’s full support for the
fulfillment of the organization’s goals. The Romanian Prime Minister said
Romania would continue to take part in NATO missions and initiatives concerning
NATO’s advanced presence on its eastern flank, as well as in Afghanistan,
Kosovo and Iraq. Secretary Stoltenberg hailed Romania’s efforts to earmark 2%
of its GDP to defense spending, pointing out the Black Sea region is of
strategic importance to NATO. Also in Brussels, Prime Minister Orban met with
the European Council President, Charles Michel, saying Romania would promote
the EU’s strategic agenda, which is bound to protect citizens and liberties and
build a green, equitable and climate-neutral Europe, as well as help promote European
values and interests at global level. Orban subsequently had talks with the EU
Chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, both highlighting the importance
of the agreement struck with Great Britain regarding its withdrawal, especially
in terms of protecting citizens’ rights. During his meeting with European
Parliament President, David Sassoli, Ludovic Orban reiterated Romania’s plea to
join the Schengen Area, an objective supported by the European Parliament.
Talks also focused on negotiations over the upcoming multiannual financial framework
and the European Ecological Pact. Orban expressed concern over the possible
negative consequences the implementation of the Green Pact would have on the
competitiveness of European companies. Measures to reform the Romanian
judiciary as well as Bucharest’s economic policies were high on the agenda for
talks with the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. The two
also tackled topics pertaining to the future of Europe. Romania is a serious,
responsible partner committed to attaining EU goals and implementing
regulations adopted by community institutions, Romania’s Prime Minister Ludovic
Orban said. The EU is Romania’s ally as it prepares for the digital era,
relying on Bucharest’s support, which enjoys an outstanding reputation in this
field, the EU official said in turn.

Romania and the developments in the
Middle East

The headline-grabbing event this week
was the US-Iran crisis, triggered by the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani,
the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In retaliation, Teheran
launched missile attacks on US military bases in Iraq. The attacks have outraged
the international community, including Romania, which decided to temporarily
relocate its 14 military deployed to Iraq. Bucharest authorities have called
for a calm and diplomatic solution to the crisis. Foreign Minister Bogdan
Aurescu:

Romania firmly reiterates its call
for the de-escalation of tensions. Our Romanian military part of the anti-DAESH
international coalition haven’t been affected, which is good news. Also,
considering some of the missiles targeted the Erbil region, which is home to some
180 Romanian citizens, our General Consulate in Erbil has confirmed the absence
of any casualties.

In turn, president Klaus Iohannis
called for a larger implication of NATO in the Middle East, both in terms of
security and reconstruction, the latter being to Romania’s particular interest.
President Iohannis said the latest developments in the Middle East might impact
Europe’s security as well, not just the actors involved. The President said
Romania is in permanent contact with its European and NATO partners, especially
the United States, and that our country supports the integrity, unity and
sovereignty of Iraq. Klaus Iohannis said the fight against terrorism should continue,
calling on the sides involved to resume dialogue and observe their pledged
commitments.

The President pays an official visit to Bavaria

On Tuesday the Romanian President
Klaus Iohannis paid a working visit to the State of Bavaria where he attended a
meeting of the local government. The Romanian head of state met with the prime
minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, who is the president of the Christian Social
Union (CSU). The two discussed bilateral relations as well as European issues
such as the upcoming multiannual financial framework of the EU, Brexit and the
migration policy. Klaus Iohannis promised Romania will get involved alongside
the other member states to make the EU stronger and more united. Romania is
still waiting for the go-ahead for our country’s Schengen accession, without
which the travel-free area cannot fully function, the President told MPs from
the Christian Social Union. On the other hand, Klaus Iohannis launched a plea
for unity, cohesion and solidarity in efforts to consolidate the European
project. President Iohannis also said the EU’s top priority should be achieving
an undivided Europe that should bring Member States more convergence and
equity, with tangible benefits to its citizens.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

11 January 2020
December 14, 2016

CONSULTATIONS – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis is today holding consultations with political parties that entered Parliament after the elections of December 11, with a view to agree on the future Government. The Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats from Romania, currently owning majority, have turned down the invitation. The leaders of the two parties explained there were irregularities in the legal basis of the invitation. Their refusal has been labeled as an “impolite attitude by the president. Klaus Iohannis will meet representatives of the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union, Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians from Romania, the Peoples Movement Party and the group of national minorities. Iohannis pointed out that if the final results of the elections are made public by the end of the week, he might be able to summon the new Parliament over the course of next week. The Social Democratic Party has won Sundays parliamentary elections by a large margin, with over 46% of the vote, followed by the National Liberal Party with 20%, Save Romania Union, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the Peoples Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – The Constitutional Court of Romania today ruled against the notifications filed by the Government and the National Liberal Party referring to the law amending the ordinance on the salaries of public sector employees, providing for an average 15% increase of salaries of employees in the education and healthcare sectors. In its notification, the Government pointed out that the law breached three articles in the Constitution on the separation of powers in the state, and that no budget expense can be approved without a source of funding. Also today the Court postponed ruling on a notification filed by president Klaus Iohannis on the law eliminating 102 non-fiscal taxes, initiated by Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea. The president says eliminating these taxes could affect the survival of some public institutions and would have too large an impact on the budget.

ROMANIA AND NATO – Romania will consolidate its defense against Russia boosting its military presence in the Black Sea Region, Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc told Associated Press on Tuesday. The Romanian official said Romania will start earmarking 2% of its GDP to defense starting 2017, a prerequisite NATO has demanded of all its member states. Amidst escalating tensions between Moscow and the West after the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia, NATO last year set up a NATO Force Integration Unit in Bucharest and activated the NATO Multinational Division South-East. The measures were part of NATOs action plan to increase its operational capabilities, adopted at the NATO Summit of 2014 in Wales.

TURKEY – The European Union has currently no intention of opening new chapters of negotiation for Turkeys EU accession. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the Slovakian presidency of the European Council, ensuing a ministerial meeting in Brussels, where Romania was represented by State Secretary for European Affairs Cristian Badescu. Despite long talks on the matter, a unanimous decision of the 28 member states could not be reached, due to opposition from Austria. The General Affairs Council addressed the anti-democratic interventions in Turkey after the failed coup of July.

SYRIA – The last of the rebels strongholds in Aleppo will be overrun within two-three days, after over four years of conflict in Syria, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today. Also today, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the Syrian regime and the military of trying to prevent the implementation of the ceasefire allowing civilians and rebels to evacuate eastern Aleppo. The Syrian Observer for Human Rights reports that the Syrian regime has resumed bombing rebels in Aleppo after a several-hour break.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball team is today playing Denmark in a match the will decide the teams that will perform in the semi-finals of the European Championship in Sweden. To advance to the next phase, Romania needs at least a draw, while Denmark has to win. Norway tops the second main group, with eight points, followed by Romania with six and Denmark with five. On Tuesday, Romania defeated the Czech Republic narrowly 30-28, while Russia drew against Denmark 26-all. The defending European champions Norway defeated Hungary narrowly 24-23 and have secured their presence in the semi-finals. Romania is coached by Ambros Martin of Spain, who last month replaced Tomas Ryde of Sweden, with whom our team won bronze at the 2015 World Championships in Denmark.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

14 December 2016
Romania, Russia and the Black Sea

The Russian Federation considers Romanias idea to deploy NATO troops permanently to the Black Sea as provocative, the head of Russian diplomacy was quoted by NEZAVISIMAIA GAZETA as saying. Serghei Lavrov has underlined that all decisions concerning this region, particularly those on security issues, must be made by the Black Sea riparian countries. Lavrov has voiced hope that “the situation will return to normal and the Romanian partners will reach the correct conclusion.

Russia – the head of the diplomacy in Moscow went on to say – pronounces itself firmly against any violations of the 1936 Montreux Convention clearly regulating the tonnage and the period of uninterrupted presence in the Black Sea of the military vessels belonging to the non-riparian countries. Lavrov stood for reactivating the programmes within the cooperation initiative between the fleets of the Black Sea countries, ‘blackseafor.

According to Lavrov, the activity of this organisation has been frozen de facto mainly at Romanias initiative. Moscows reactions come several months after a proposal by Romanian president Klaus Iohannis regarding the deployment of a permanent NATO force to the Black Sea. The proposal, which at first sparked various reactions among the allies, was later taken under advisement by NATO officials. At the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels in October, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that an increasing number of members had announced their contributions to strengthening the organizations eastern flank to cope with Russias threats at the Baltic and the Black Seas.

Stoltenberg pointed out that NATO members had confirmed their readiness to deploy ground, naval and air forces to Romania in a bid to strengthen NATO presence in the Black Sea region. These countries are Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the United States. On that occasion NATO hailed the numerous contributions by its members to the four battalions it is going to deploy in 2017 to the three Baltic countries and Poland against the rising tensions with Moscow.

The progressive deployment to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland of the four battalions, 1,000 strong each, was decided at NATOs last summit in Warsaw in July. The move was in line with the other measures taken by the Alliance in order to appease the concerns of Russias NATO neighbors, whose vulnerability increased after the Russian – Ukrainian conflict and Moscows annexation of the Crimean peninsula in March 2014. Both NATO and Romanian officials have repeatedly underlined the Alliances intention not to trigger but to prevent conflicts with Russia.

(Translated by D. Bilt)

13 December 2016