Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

  • July 3, 2019

    July 3, 2019

    REPORT -
    Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has presented a report on the Romanian
    presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of the year.
    According to Prime Minister Dancila, the presidency was a success, Romania
    proving it is strongly attached to European Parliament values, acting to
    consolidate the European project, for a union of the citizens, liberties,
    concerted efforts and capabilities. Romania’s term in office coincided with the
    European election and was marked by Brexit developments, amidst swift changes
    at global level. The Romanian official recalled Romania has done its duty and
    proved it is a responsible member state, concerned with the advancement of the
    European agenda to the citizens’ benefit. A total of 90 files were completed
    during our country’s term in office, including those on the banking union, improving
    work conditions and social rights, boosting Single Market integration, moving
    towards low-emission mobility, consolidating the digital Europe or the
    Directive on natural gas. Another landmark this year was the EU Summit held in
    Sibiu on May 9, Europe Day.

    VOTING
    LAW – The Chamber of Deputies earlier today passed a bill
    aimed at avoiding delays and difficulties in the voting process abroad, such as
    was the case with the latest European Parliament election. The bill allows
    Romanians abroad to vote in the presidential election this year either by post,
    or during a three-day period. In the latter case, the vote will start on Friday
    at 12 PM and will end at 9 PM, while on Saturday and Sunday the vote will
    unfold in the 7 AM – 9 PM interval, with the possibility of further extending
    the vote until midnight on Sunday. The same will go for the voting process at
    home, as long as citizens are still waiting in line to cast their votes outside
    polling stations. As compared to the draft adopted by the Senate, the Judicial
    Committee of the Chamber of Deputies introduced an amendment at the suggestion
    of the Permanent Election Authority, stating that exit-polls will now be made
    public after midnight on Sunday. Another provision in the new law stipulates
    that candidates, whether parties, political alliances or independent
    candidates, must now gather 200,000 signatures to become eligible. Another new
    aspect is related to the funding of election campaigns using the budget of
    political parties.

    EU -
    The European Parliament is today electing its President, as the MEPs start the
    process of ratifying the appointment of Germany’s Defense Minister, Ursula von
    der Leyen, as European Commission President. Heads of EU Governments have
    appointed Von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker at the end of three days
    of negotiations. Over the next five years, Spain’s Foreign Minister, Josep
    Borrell will be the next High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Belgium’s
    Prime Minister Charles Michel will be the next European Council President,
    while France’s Christine Lagarde will take over the European Central Bank. The new
    EU leadership strikes a balance between political representation in the
    European Parliament, geographical location and gender.

    MOLDOVA -
    Prospects of consolidating top-level dialogue between the Republic of Moldova
    and the European Union were high on today’s agenda for talks between Moldovan
    Prime Minister Maia Sandu and EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy
    and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, held in Brussels. Prime Minister
    Maia Sandu pointed out her Government wants to rebuild democratic institutions
    and restore citizens’ trust in the state, by means of investigating the abuses
    and irregularities of the previous Government, creating a judiciary based on
    integrity and public trust, promoting professionals in key positions as well as
    fulfilling the requirements of the Association Agreement signed with the EU.
    Talks also focused on cooperation in terms of EU assistance and possibilities
    to boost bilateral cooperation using the Eastern Partnership platform, which
    has reached its 10th year of existence. Commissioner Hahn hailed the
    Moldovan Government’s efforts to advance reforms, saying the EU is closely
    monitoring developments in the Republic of Moldova.

    LONDON – Romanian
    tennis players Simona Halep and Mihaela Buzarnescu are today pitted against
    each other in the second round at Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year.
    Halep and Buzarnescu went up against each other only once, the former defeating
    the latter at a tournament in Italy. Another Romanian, Monica Niculescu, has
    advanced to the second round.

    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • February 6, 2019

    February 6, 2019

    DRAFT BUDGET – Talks continue in Bucharest on Romanias 2019 draft budget, as the leaders of the ruling parties are to meet today with representatives of the Municipal Cities Association, who are discontent about the way in which money is allotted to local communities. The coalition intends to finalise talks for the budget to be discussed in Fridays session of the Government, to then be forwarded to Parliament for debate. Meanwhile, the Fitch rating agency has warned that the 2019 budget bill, in the current form which has been launched for public debate, is actually based on optimistic estimates and does not shed light on the uncertainty over the tax on bank assets. The Fitch analysts are sceptical that Romania will observe the budget deficit target of 2.6%, given that the state budget is based on an economic growth rate of 5.5%, higher than the 3.2% initial estimate by the agency.



    SCHENGEN ACCESSION – The EU Justice and Interior Ministers, three European commissioners and presidents of some EP committees are today coming to Bucharest. They attend an informal meeting which is organised against the backdrop of Romanias holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and interior minister Carmen Dan has said she will use this opportunity to put into the spotlight the issue of Romanias being accepted in the Schengen Area. Carmen Dan said she will have bilateral talks with the ministers of the countries which have been opposed to Romanias joining the free movement area. The European Interior ministers will gather on Thursday for talks on the prevention of and fight against terrorism, the Schengen Area, migration and asylum. On Friday, the EU justice ministers will discuss ways to boost judicial cooperation in civil, commercial matters and criminal law, in the EU. Attending the talks will be, among others, the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Commissioner for Security Union, Julian King and the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova as well as the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove.



    BRUSSELS – Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă is currently on a two day working visit to Brussels for talks with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans. Against the backdrop of Romanias holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, Viorica Dancila will attend a conference titled The Fight against Anti-Semitism: a common approach to better protect Jewish communities in Europe. From politics to action. The Romanian official will also participate in the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions, to present the priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Viorica Dăncilă is accompanied in Brussels by the minister delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, and the minister for European funds, Rovana Plumb.



    ROMANIAN-US RELATIONS– Romanian deputy prime-minister Ana Birchall, on a visit to the US, has reiterated the Romanian Governments firm commitment to further develop the relation with the US on all dimensions of the Strategic Partnership. According to a communiqué, during her official visit to the US, Ana Birchall has had talks with several US high officials with responsibilities on the relation with Romania. They approached issues of high interest on the bilateral agenda, such as organising the Romania-US Strategic Dialogue, whose last session was held in Bucharest, in June 2018. The officials also tackled opportunities of cooperation with the Romanian side to promote common objectives on the trans-Atlantic agenda, such as Romanias priorities during its tenure at the helm of the Council of the European Union.



    STATE OF THE UNION – US President Donald Trump has launched an
    appeal for unity in his State of the Union address in Congress on Tuesday.
    An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only
    thing that can stop it is foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous party
    investigations, he said. His remarks came as Democrats who now control
    the House planned a series of probes into the Trump administration, while
    Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller investigates Russian involvement in the 2016
    presidential election, Euractiv writes. The US President has underlined
    that his agenda is a national one, in the interest of all Americans. Donald
    Trump, who has made migration policies a priority of his second year in office,
    has devoted much of his address to this issue, calling on Congress to defend
    the US’s southern border from illegal migration.

    MACEDONIA – The NATO member states have today signed in Brussels, the NATO Accession Protocol with Macedonia, an important step towards accepting that Baltic country as the 30th member of the organisation. Macedonia will be allowed to participate from now on, in NATO meetings, as observer, until all allied countries ratify the accession protocol. This step has been taken after the resolution of a protracted dispute between Skopje and Athens on the name of the country. The former Yugoslav republic agreed last year to change its name into The Republic of North Macedonia, to thus make a clear distinction between the former Yugoslav republic and the old Greek province of Macedonia. The name change will become official once Greece has ratified the accession protocol.


    FLU – The number of people who succumbed to the flu in Romania stands at 89, according to the latest data released by National Centre for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases. Doctors call again on people to get the anti-flu shot. Almost all people who died of the flu virus had not been vaccinated. Some 1.3 million people have been vaccinated so far, and the Health Ministry has purchased another 30,000 doses of the vaccine for people in the high risk category: people with chronic diseases, pregnant women, children and elderly people. A flu epidemic has officially been declared in Romania, because of the fast-paced spread of the virus and the high number of flu-infections and deaths. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • January 15, 2019

    January 15, 2019

    EUROPEAN AGENDA – PM Viorica Dancila is today presenting the priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in a plenary session of the Romanian Parliament. Of the files to be managed by Romania, Brexit is a very important one, and the Romanian PM has repeatedly said that Bucharest is interested in protecting the rights of the Romanian citizens working in Great Britain after the UK leaves the community bloc. The future budget of the EU is another delicate file, and PM Viorica Dăncilă is intent on taking huge steps forward towards building this budget, the more so as in the future, too, it will have to finance importance common European policies, such as the agricultural and cohesion ones. According to a press release issued by the Romanian Government, the PM and the members of her cabinet on Monday attended an official dinner in Strasbourg, offered by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. Also on Monday, the minister delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, had a meeting in Strasbourg with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Sylvie Guillaume. The minister delegate has reiterated Romanias commitment to work closely with the EP, during its 6-month tenure, in an effort to get positive and concrete results for the European citizens.



    SCHENGEN ACCESSION – “If Romania wants to be part of the Schengen area, it should meet some criteria, but Slovenia considers that all states should meet the same criteria. I really want Romania to be part of this area, the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, has today said in a meeting with the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. President Iohannis has said Romanias Schengen accession is impossible without consensus. He has underlined that his country should make some progress to convince some states that it is ready to join the free movement area. Romanias Schengen accession was scheduled for March 2011, but it has been repeated postponed, on grounds related to the field of justice.



    NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE – The Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, general Nicolae Ciucă, is attending today and tomorrow the 180th NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defense Session, held in Brussels. The agenda of the meeting includes military issues of topical interest regarding NATOs present and future strategic challenges, NATOs military strategy, the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan, seeking reconciliation and peace for Afghanistan, and involving assistance, conciliation and the training of Afghan national defence and security forces, and of Afghan institutions, as well as the regional security situation. Talks will also include issues related to the development of capabilities funded by common funds, the NATO – Georgia partnership, as well as the security situation in the Western Balkans and the Kosovo Force mission.




    NATIONAL CULTURE DAY – The National Culture Day is celebrated today, on the birthday of the national poet of the Romanians, Mihai Eminescu, for the ninth year in a row. A host of events are organised on this occasion both in Romania and in the European capital cities. A festive session is held at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. On this occasion, the Romanian Academy launches the app “Mihai Eminescu, complete works, which is available free of charge on smart-phones. The National Culture Day is also celebrated in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population as well as in the Romanian communities abroad.



    MARCH – Thousands of Poles marched in the streets of Warsaw on Monday evening, protesting against hatred and violence, after the death of mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz, who was stabbed on Sunday evening. Similar events were held in several cities and towns across Poland. The authorities in Warsaw have decreed three days of mourning in memory of the mayor of Gdańsk. Paweł Adamowicz, 53, died on Monday in hospital, after having been stabbed by a former convict, during a charity concert. The attacker, arrested on the spot by policemen is a former convict released from prison in late 2018.



    TENNIS– No.1 WTA Romanian Simona Halep
    has defeated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in three sets,    6-7, 6-4, 6-2, today in Melbourne, in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam
    tournament of the year. Also today, Mihaela Buzărnescu, 25th seed, has
    been defeated by the US player Venus Williams in three sets, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2. Another Romanian,
    Ana Bogdan has lost to Poland’s Iga Swiatek, also in three sets,     3-6, 6-3, 4-6. In the men’s competition, Romanian
    tennis player Marius Copil has qualified for the second round of the Australian
    Open, after having defeated Spaniard Marcel Granollers in three sets,6-3, 6-4, 6-4. He will meet in the second round Belgian David
    Goffin.


    CURRENCY – The Romanian national
    currency, the leu, has today reached a record low as against the European
    single currency, the Euro. According to the exchange rate set by the National Bank
    of Romania, 1 Euro stands at 4.6822. The
    leu has also lost ground against the USD, 1 dollar being traded for 4.0973 lei.

  • Romania’s European semester

    Romania’s European semester

    Admitted into the community structures on 1st January 2007, Romania is now holding for the first time the 6-month presidency of the Council of the European Union, which it has taken over from Austria and will hand over to Finland. The EU agenda during this period includes the UK’s leaving the bloc, which is scheduled for March. The basic outlines of the future financial framework for the 2021-2027 period must also be established, as well as a coherent strategy on migration. A total of 257 dossiers have to be debated within a space of only four months, given the start of the election campaign for the European Parliament elections in May.



    The official launch of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union on Thursday brought together in Bucharest the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the College of Commissioners, the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and the President of the European Council Donald Tusk. The festivities were hosted by an emblematic building for Bucharest, the Athenaeum. They also included a concert given by the European Union Orchestra. In their speeches, the top Romanian and EU politicians unanimously expressed confidence that the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union would be a success.



    In a memorable address delivered in the Romanian language, the President of the European Council, the Polish politician Donald Tusk spoke about how much it has meant to him the work of the great Romanian intellectuals and the achievements of the great Romanian sports champions. Donald Tusk:



    “The moment that is most vividly impressed in my memory is the final of the football European Champions Cup in Seville in 1986, when Steaua Bucharest defeated FC Barcelona. I would like to call on all Romanians to defend, in Romania and Europe, the foundations of our political civilisation — freedom, integrity, respect for truth in public life, the rule of law and the Constitution; to defend them with the same determination with which Helmuth Duckadam defended those four penalty shots in a row.”



    2019 is a decisive year for Romania and Europe. “Romania is holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union at a time when Europeans are calling for a more efficient Europe”, recalled the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. Both Tajani and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker reiterated their conviction that Romania must be part of the Schengen area. The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said that by holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, Romania takes on a prominent role at a European level, while its main objective is the consolidation of a stronger Europe:



    “As an integral part of this European community, Romania now has the mission to advance our common agenda. More unity and cohesion, this is the path we are proposing for the next six months and which we will all have to pursue with consistency.”



    The Romanian prime minister Viorica Dancila has promised:



    “We will demonstrate that Romania has fully won its role and position as a full-fledged member of the European Union. We will demonstrate that Romania deserves the respect of the European community and the status of equal partner in the European project.”



    Not everything was, however, festive on Thursday night in Bucharest. The classical music and the applause at the Athenaeum were accompanied in the street by a protest initiated by civic organisations that brought together several hundred people under the slogan “We want Europe, not dictatorship”. “We are Europeans, we think like Europeans, we are guided in our actions by European values, but our leaders are still corrupt and the values we cherish mean nothing to them”, said one of the protesters. Pundits and the media, both at home and abroad, expect in fact that Romania’s holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union “will not freeze internal political life”. All the more so as this is an important election year: European elections in spring and presidential elections at the end of the year.

  • January 9, 2019

    January 9, 2019

    DNA — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, on Wednesday sent a letter to the Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, saying the grounds on the basis of which he first rejected the proposal to appoint Adina Florea (prosecutor at the Prosecutor’s Office with the Court of Appeal in Constanta, in the south-east), Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, DNA, still stand. Toader requested, at the end of 2018, that his proposal be re-examined by the president. The position of DNA Chief Prosecutor became vacant after Laura Codruta Kovesi was removed from office under a decree issued in July 2018 by President Klaus Iohannis, who enforced a ruling issued by the Constitutional Court. Earlier, the Constitutional Court took note of a legal conflict of a constitutional nature between the Justice Minister and the President of Romania, caused by the president’s refusal to endorse the proposal to remove Kovesi from office. Kovesi has announced that she challenged the decision at the European Court of Human Rights, citing human rights violations. She said she didn’t have the possibility to defend herself before the Constitutional Court and it was impossible for her to challenge the ruling issued by the Constitutional Court judges. The former DNA Chief Prosecutor says she does not want damages or to be re-appointed Chief Prosecutor but she wants to put an end to what she called the submission of prosecutors.




    EU –The President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker and the College of Commissioners will arrive in Bucharest on Thursday for the official launch of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Attending the official ceremony will also be the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, and the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The moment will be marked by a concert at the Romanian Athenaeum given by the EU Orchestra, which will be performing Romanian Rhapsody no.1 by George Enescu and an excerpt of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Ode to Joy, which became the Anthem of the European Union in 1985. On Friday, Jean-Claude Juncker, will have talks with President Klaus Iohannis and PM Viorica Dăncilă, as well as with the Speakers of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament. The European officials are due to hold talks at the Government with the Romanian ministers who will chair for six months, in Bucharest and Brussels, working meetings with their EU counterparts.



    ECONOMY – Romania’s economy will register a growth rate of 3.5% in 2019 and of 3.1% in 2020, that is one percentage point less than it was estimated in June 2018, a report issued today by the World Bank shows. It is also estimated that Romania will report a 4.1% increase in the GDP, that is one percentage point less than in the June forecast. The growth will slow down in 2021, when the Romanian economy is expected to register a 2.8% growth rate, the report also shows. In another move, reducing the income taxation level and increasing salaries in the state sector have compensated an increase in social securities. The aforementioned financial institution estimates that in Europe and Central Asia, the economy slowed down to 3.1%, from 4% in 2017, thus reflecting the contraction of economic activities in Turkey in the second half of 2018. Except for Turkey, the regional growth rate is still unchanged, standing at 2.9% in 2018, because the slower pace of economic activities in such countries as Bulgaria and Romania has been compensated by the stepping up similar activities in the east of the region, which benefitted from higher crude oil prices, the World Bank reports.



    DEFICIT — Romania’s trade deficit has increased by over 18%, according to data collected in the first 11 months of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017. Figures released earlier today by the National Institute of Statistics show the difference between imports and exports has reached 13.4 billion Euros. In the first 11 months of 2017, Romania’s trade deficit stood at 11.3 billion Euros.



    TENNIS — Romanian woman tennis player Irina Begu has qualified to the quarter finals of the WTA tennis tournament in Hobart (Australia), with some 250,000 USD in prize money up for grabs. Begu defeated Russian Ana Blinkova on Wednesday in three sets. She will next face Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia. In another move, Simona Halep, no.1 WTA, has been defeated by Australian Ashleigh Barty, in two sets, in her first match played in 2019, in the 8th finals of the Sydney tennis tournament with 823,000 USD in prize money up for grabs. Simona Halep will next play at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, in Melbourne, where she played the final last year. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • Romania takes over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union

    Romania takes over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union

    Bucharest will host on the 10th of January the official launch of Romanias Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which this country will be holding for the first time since joining the bloc in 2007. The Romanian Athenaeum will host a concert given by renowned Romanian musicians and the European Union Orchestra, which is made up of musicians from all EU member states, and the next day, on Friday, the European Commission will hold a joint working meeting with the Romanian government. During its term, Romania will have to manage very important issues for the future of the Union such as Brexit, the negotiation of the future budget and the elections for the European Parliament, and the Romanian authorities are giving assurances that they are ready for these challenges.



    President Klaus Iohannis: “We practically begin directly with the Presidency of the Council of the EU. We will receive the visit of the European Commission to begin this presidency in force. Im convinced we will cope well.



    Romania has chosen cohesion as the motto of its term because this principle is fundamental for the evolution of the European project, prime minister Viorica Dancila has explained: “Every action we will undertake in the next six months will be aimed at supporting and consolidating this concept of cohesion on which the entire European architecture rests.



    The priority of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first three months is the finalisation of the legislative files that depend on the collaboration with the European Parliament, the minister delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba told Radio Romania. He also said that during this period, Romania may also have to manage the UKs possible leaving the EU without a deal:



    George Ciamba: “Romanias priorities are, in the first place, in the first period when we work together with the current European Parliament, to carry through as many legislative files as possible. This European Parliament will only work until April, so practically the useful period is quite short, which means we will have to accelerate all negotiations, including within the Council. Romania will have to have an impartial position and at the same time manage to ensure qualified majorities to allow reaching a common position at the level of the Council.



    The second part of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU will be dedicated to the Sibiu Summit on the future of Europe, on May 9. (Translated by C. Mateescu, edited by D. Vijeu)