Radio România Internațional

Tag: Royalty

  • May 10, 2019 UPDATE

    May 10, 2019 UPDATE

    JUDICIARY The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis Friday referred the new changes of the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure to the Constitutional Court. The head of state argues that the Constitution and the principle of bicameralism have been breached, and says that a previous Constitutional Court ruling, which had found the modified criminal legislation to be against the Constitution, was not implemented. The changes were adopted in April by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this respect, and included a number of articles criticised by the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and Peoples Movement Party in opposition, but green-lighted by the Constitutional Court. Some of them are reduced statutes of limitations for criminal liability, the introduction of a one-year deadline to report bribe-giving and influence peddling, full decriminalisation of negligence and halved punishments for embezzlement and abuse of office.




    ROYALTY DAY Royalty Day was celebrated in Romania on May 10, recalling three crucial events that helped shape the Romanian modern state. On May 10, 1866, Carol, of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family, was sworn in, before the Romanian Parliament, as ruler of Romania, thus laying the foundation of the dynasty. On May 10, 1877, Carol I proclaimed Romania’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, and four days later he was crowned king. The events marking Royalty Day started with a military ceremony at King Carols statue in Bucharest. Guests from Romania and the Republic of Moldova later took part in the Garden Party held at the Elisabeta Palace, the Bucharest residence of the Royal House of Romania. The last sovereign of Romania, King Michael I, died on December 5, 2017, at the age of 96, and was buried on December 16, in Curtea de Arges. The first-born of his five daughters, Princess Margareta, became the custodian of the Crown of Romania.




    POLICE Six Romanian police officers are on a support mission in the Czech Republic until July. This is the first mission of this kind, and it has been requested by the Czech police, reads a news release issued by the Romanian Police Inspectorate General. The Romanian officers will assist Romanian citizens in relation with the Czech authorities, take part in joint patrol activities in order to prevent crime and ensure public order and security in the industrial areas in the Czech Republic. At present, 23 Romanian police are on operative support missions in 5 other countries: France, the UK, Switzerland, Italy and Germany.




    EXTRADITION The Romanian Justice Ministry is working on immediate measures for the extradition of the former mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazăre, from Madagascar. The interim Justice Minister Ana Birchall said on Friday that Romanian authorities may request Mazǎres extradition because the Republic of Magadascar is a signatory of international conventions against corruption. The former mayor was arrested in Madagascar of Wednesday and is to remain in the custody of the local authorities for 6 days, under a search warrant sent by Romania via the Interpol. In February, an international search warrant was issued against Mazǎre, after he received a 9-year prison sentence in a case involving the fictitious return of several plots of land to former owners. The ex-mayor left Romania in December 2017, claiming political pressure affected the criminal investigations concerning him.




    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no 3 in the world, has qualified into the Madrid finals. On Friday Halep defeated Belinda Bencic (18 WTA) 6-2, 6-7, 6-0, in the tournament quarter-finals. The Romanian player won the Madrid Open twice, in 2016 and in 2017.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 10, 2017 UPDATE

    May 10, 2017 UPDATE

    CITIZEN INITIATIVE — The Chamber of Deputies has voted in favour of a citizen initiative to revise the definition of the term “family” in the Romanian Constitution. According to the initiative, family is based on the marriage between a man and a woman of their own consent, on equal rights between the two parties, as well as on the parents’ obligation to see to the upbringing, education and tuition of their children. The Senate is to debate and vote on this draft law.



    STRIKE — Employees of the Environment Law Enforcement Agency are as of Wednesday on an all-out strike indefinitely. Employees are unhappy with pay disparities in their line of work, considering that salaries haven’t been increased since 2009. During the strike, environment officers will come to work but will not receive public notifications or carry out inspections. Previously employees with the Environment Law Enforcement Agency went on a two-hour strike on April 2, aimed at making their salary demands heard. Despite this, trade unions in the field say lawmakers have not shown any interest in solving the existing problems, adding that the protest will continue until the Government will give assurances that their demands have been taken under advisement.



    KING’S DAY — Romania on Wednesday celebrated King’s Day, also coinciding with another two important moments in the country’s modern history. On May 10, 1866 King Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was sworn in as ruler of Romania. Also on this day in 1877 King Carol would proclaim the country’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, only to be crowned king four years later. May 10 was the National Day of Romania until 1947, when the communist regime forced King Mihai I into abdicating and subsequent exile. King Mihai returned to Romania only after the anti-communist revolution of 1989. The King is now seriously ill and has withdrawn from public life. Mihai has entrusted Crown Princess Margareta, the first born of his five daughters, custody of the Royal Crown.



    VISIT — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will receive in Bucharest on Thursday the European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker. According to the Presidential Administration, talks will focus on issues of topical interest on the agenda of the future meetings of the European Council, such as the process of reflection on the future of the EU and Brexit negotiations. Other issues to be approached include the political priorities of the future presidency of the EU Council, to be held by Romania in the first half of 2019. Jean-Claude Juncker is also due to meet with Romanian PM Sorin Grindeanu and will address a plenary session of the Romanian Parliament, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Romania’s joining the EU.



    EBRD — Romanian economy might report a 4% growth this year as compared to the November estimate of 3.7%, reads a recent forecast of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This is the highest growth level among European states where the Bank is conducting its operations. Next year the GDP growth will slow down to 3.5%, consumption will continue to boost growth in 2017 and 2018, sustained by the rise in the minimum wage and public sector salaries. Government spending will probably spike in 2017, running the risk of exceeding the budget deficit target of 3% of the GDP, the EBRD has warned. In turn, the IMF has upgraded its forecast on Romanian economic growth this year, from 3.8% to 4.2%. The Romanian Government has grounded its budget planning for 2017 on a 5.2% economic growth forecast.



    WORK RESTRICTIONS — Switzerland on Wednesday decided to activate a clause stipulated in the EU Agreement providing for a temporary introduction of restrictions on the Swiss labour market for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has expressed regret over the decision. When Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, Switzerland introduced restrictions, limiting the access of those countries’ citizens on the Swiss labour market. Those restrictions were however lifted in June 2016. Back then, the Swiss government warned that in case the inflow of migrants from the two countries exceeded 10% of the past three years’ average figures, on June 1, 2017, or on June 1st 2018, at the latest, the Federal Council will be able to impose new restrictions on the domestic labour market, valid until May 31, 2019. (Translated by V. Palcu and D. Vijeu)

  • August 11, 2016 UPDATE

    August 11, 2016 UPDATE

    QUEEN ANNE – Members of European royal families will attend the funeral of Queen Anne, the Press Office of King Michael I announced on Thursday. So far, members of the Russian, Austrian and German imperial families and of the royal families of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg have confirmed their presence. The casket will be in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace in Bucharest until Friday. On Wednesday, at the former summer residence of Romanian royalty, Peles Castle, in Sinaia, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti, and Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos were among the many officials paying their respects. The funeral is scheduled for Saturday in Curtea de Arges. King Michael will be unable to attend the funeral due to ill health. The queen died on August 1st aged 92 in Switzerland, after a battle with cancer.



    REPORT – The PM of Romania Dacian Ciolos Thursday rated the Sky News story on alleged weapon smuggling in Romania as unacceptable. He emphasised that a country should not be shed negative light on without evidence, and announced that Romanian authorities had taken a stand on the matter. The Prosecutors Office Investigating Terrorism and Organised Crime (DIICOT) has started an investigation. Several house searches were conducted in northern Romania, which identified the individuals featured in the story, and the weapons were seized. The DIICOT head prosecutor Daniel Horodniceanu has said that so far the report appears to have been staged. On Thursday the institution ordered the prosecution of 3 of the Romanians appearing in the report, including the one who introduced the British journalists to the alleged smugglers. One of the 3 has been detained, said his lawyer. They have been accused of aiding in giving false information, of setting up an organised crime group and of breaching weapon regulations. The British tv channel stands by its report, although the British broadcasting regulatory body has received several notifications regarding the Sky News story. The British journalists argue that, after two months of negotiations, they were pointed to an isolated area in Romania, where they met weapon smugglers who allegedly brought in weapons from Ukraine to be sold in western Europe and the Middle East.



    CRIMEA – A new escalation of tensions between Ukraine and Russia is in the focus on attention of the international community. The UN Security Council is to discuss the growing tension between Moscow and Kyiv over Crimea, after Russias accusations that Ukraine plotted attacks in the disputed Black Sea peninsula. NATO also expressed concerns with a new escalation of tensions between the two countries. The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, Thursday put all military units near Crimea and the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on alert, for fear of a military conflict with Russia. The announcement came after on Wednesday his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, accused Kyiv of using “terror tactics so as to reignite conflict and destabilise Crimea. Russia annexed this Black Sea Peninsula in 2014. The conflict in east Ukraine, between government forces and pro-Russian insurgents, has so far killed 9,500 people.

  • May 6, 2016 UPDATE

    May 6, 2016 UPDATE

    INAUGURATION The head of the diplomacy in Bucharest, Lazar Comanescu, on Friday inaugurated Romania’s consulate in Solotvino a town in Ukraine connected with the Romanian city of Sighetul Marmatiei through a historical bridge over the Tisa River. Comanescu says that the new consulate will contribute to the further consolidation of the relations between Romania and Ukraine and will ease the enforcement of an agreement on the cross-border trade. The Romanian Foreign Minister held talks with representatives of the Romanian community in TransCarpathia, which included headmasters and members of various associations. The Romanian community in Ukraine is estimated at more than 400 thousand people.



    VISIT Antony Blinken, the United States Deputy Secretary of State will be paying a visit to Romania over Saturday and Sunday, says a communiqué issued by the US Department of State. Blinken is expected to hold talks with Romanian officials about the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, the bilateral cooperation in the field of security, the Romanian-US economic partnership, the rule of law and reforms in Romania. The US official will be meeting representatives of the business community and civil society. Romania is the third leg of Blinken’s diplomatic tour, which is also taking him to Poland and Bulgaria. On Monday and Tuesday, the US official is expected in France, the last leg of this tour, which has high on the agenda various issues concerning bilateral and regional cooperation.



    ALL STAR Romanian handballer Cristina Neagu of the Montenegrin side Buducnost Podgorica has been selected for the All Star Team of the 2015/2016 Champions League edition in women’s handball. Neagu became part of the team following the 28 thousand votes registered in an online poll the European Handball Federation had conducted among fans. All Star also includes three Norwegians, two Hungarians and one player from Romania, Montenegro, the Netherlands and Brazil. Coach Ambrod Martin is from Spain.



    CONCERT The National Radio Orchestra on Friday gave a royal concert honouring the day of May 10th, which is Royalty Day in Romania. Conducting was Nicolae Moldoveanu, and the soloist was violinist Gabriel Croitoru. The event enjoyed the attendance of their Royal Highnesses Prince Radu, Princess Elena and Princess Maria. Before the beginning of the concert, a volume titled “the Royal Year” was launched at the Radio Hall, a journal recollecting the 150 years since the establishment of the Royal House of Romania and the promulgation of the 1866 Constitution. A number of events dedicated to May 10th will be held in Bucharest and the mountain resort of Sinaia until next Tuesday. Before the communists came to power in Romania, in 1947, May 10th was Romania’s National Day. Later, the celebration was erased from the Romanians’ collective memory. On May 10th, 1866, Carol 1st became the ruler of Romania. 11 years later, the Romanian state gained its independence, and on May 10th, 1881, Romania became a kingdom.



    EUROVISION EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre on Friday said it was regrettable to be forced to take the extreme measure of not allowing Romania to participate in the Eurovision music contest. The EBU official talked in Bucharest with representatives of the Finance Ministry, Parliament, the Council of Competition and the public television broadcaster TVR. The measure, which is a first, was taken in response to the record high debt (roughly 10 million euros) the Romanian broadcaster has to EBU (the European Broadcasting Union). This year the Eurovision contest will be held in Stockholm over May 10th-14th and Romania was to be represented by Ovidiu Anton with a song entitled ‘A Moment of Silence. At the same time, if the Romanian broadcaster is excluded from EBU it will lose the rights of broadcasting specific international sporting events such as the European Football Championship in France or the Olympics in Rio as well as access to News Services.