Radio România Internațional

Tag: RRI

  • May 16, 2022 UPDATE

    May 16, 2022 UPDATE

    NATO — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis hails Swedens decision to apply for NATO membership, following the announcement made on Monday by Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. In a Twitter message, president Iohannis states that Romania fully supports a rapid process of Swedens accession to the North Atlantic Alliance. He adds that, once they join the Alliance, Sweden and Finland will make NATO stronger than ever before. The two countries in northern Europe, located near Russia, have decided to go out of neutrality and demand to be admitted into NATO after Russia attacked and invaded Ukraine almost three months ago. NATO currently has 30 member states, 21 of which are part of the EU. The EU member states that have not joined the North Atlantic Alliance are Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta and Sweden.




    Forecast — Romanias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow by 2.6% this year and by 3.6% in 2023, according to the European Commissions spring economic forecasts. This is a smaller increase than expected in the previous assessments, in February. The situation is valid for the whole of the European Union and is mainly due to the disruptions caused by the war waged by Russia in Ukraine. European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni has announced that the European average inflation rate will be 6.8% this year. He also said that in April European inflation averaged 7.5%, the highest value ever recorded in the monetary union. According to the Commission, inflation in Romania will reach 8.9% this year, double the percentage reported in 2021. Inflation is expected to fall to 5.1% next year, but the Commission warns that there are growing economic risks as the war in Ukraine is prolonged.



    Visit — A delegation of the Romanian Interior Ministry led by minister Lucian Bode pays an official visit to the US between May 16-18, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Romania-US Strategic Partnership. The Romanian official is to have meetings at the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security and the US Congress. The discussions with the US officials focus on institutional efforts in line with the State Departments recommendations made in the Trafficking in Persons Report (TiP Report), Romania having the necessary tools for an adequate response to the challenges posed by this type of crime, namely structures, legislation, strategies and action plans, informs the Interior Ministry. The meetings are an opportunity to reconfirm the very good cooperation between the Romanian authorities and the US law enforcement agencies in the field of combating organized crime, with a focus on combating illegal migration and cybercrime, as well as intensifying the exchange of information. During the talks with members of the US Congress, Lucian Bode will discuss the challenges of the current regional context, both in terms of managing the humanitarian crisis generated by Russias aggression against Ukraine and in terms of security.



    Tennis — Polands Iga Swiatek leads the world ranking of professional tennis players (WTA), published on Monday. Next in the ranking are the Czech Barbora Krejcikova and the Spanish Paula Badosa. The Romanian Simona Halep returned to the Top 20, climbing two positions compared to last week, from 21 to 19 position. Romania has six players in the top 100, the other five being Sorana Cîrstea – 27, Gabriela Ruse – 52, Irina Begu – 62, Jaqueline Cristian – 69, Ana Bogdan – 91. In the doubles ranking, Romania has five representatives in the first hundred: Monica Niculescu – 40, Raluca Olaru – 47, Irina Begu – 57, Irina Bara – 59, Gabriela Ruse – 87.



    Football — CFR Cluj (northwest) won its fifth consecutive title as Romania’s football champions, after defeating the Universitatea Craiova (south), score 2-1, at home, in a match from the 9th stage, the penultimate of the First League play-offs. The vice-champion is FCSB, from Bucharest. On Thursday, Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe (center) and FC Voluntari (south, a satellite city of Bucharest) will play the final of the Romanian Football Cup. At the end of the domestic season, the Romanian national football team will have their first match in a new edition of the League of Nations, at the beginning of June, when it will meet the national teams of Montenegro, Bosnia and Finland. (LS)

  • Photographer Adolphe A. Chevallier

    Photographer Adolphe A. Chevallier

    Foreigners and Romanians immortalized landscapes, people, places and everyday situations, in the first half of the 19th century. Romanian war photography is associated with names such as that of Carol Popp of Szathmary, who took part in the Crimean War of 1853-1856. Franz Duschek was the author of some of the oldest photographs of Bucharest. The photographer of the Romanian War of Independence from 1877-1878 was Franz Mandy, Ioan Spirescu introduced color photography, and Iosif Berman was, at the beginning of the 20th century, the father of Romanian photojournalism. Adolphe A. Chevallier, a photographer of Swiss-Romanian origin from the city of Piatra Neamț, made a name for himself among all these personalities.



    Born to a Swiss father and a Romanian mother in 1881, in northern Moldavia, Chevallier decided, as a child, that he would become a visual artist. He studied photographic art in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was sent by his father. He obtained a license as photographer of the Royal Court and opened a photography workshop in Piatra Neamț where he made photographs. Some of them became illustrated postcards. Professor Sergiu Găbureac and Ilie Gînga are the authors of the volume Chevallier, the photo-chronicler of the German lands.



    One of the two authors, Sergiu Găbureac, referred to the support that Chevallier enjoyed in his profession: “A forestry engineer at the time, especially as Adolphe Chevallier – the father was called by King Carol I to return to the country to deal with the forestry area of Moldavia, did not have financial problems. What sets Chevallier apart from the multitude of photographers of the time? First of all, all the photographers of the time were focused on earning a living. Of course, Chevallier was also concerned about earning a living, but he was very inspired to take photographs of public interest. These photographs of public interest became, over the years, a real ethnographic treasure for researchers and even in his time Chevalier was very much appreciated. Many of his photos turned into postal messengers.



    What did Chevallier photograph? Sergiu Găbureac structured his book into eight chapters in which he answers this question to the reader: In the chapter ‘On mountain paths he describes Mount Ceahlău, Rodna mountains, Bistrița valley. The chapter ‘Hearths of Light includes everything related to spiritual light, churches and monasteries in the area of Moldavia, reaching as far as Cernăuți where he received an order to make a set of photographs for the Romanian Patriarchate in 1938. In the chapter entitled ‘The Brosteni and Bicaz Crown Estates, the photographs we have are almost unique in their kind, since they capture the development of that particular area. Chapter 4, ‘The Royal family and Bicaz is yet another one-of-a-kind thing, and that because he was the only photographer accepted by the royal family when they took a group photo while being stranded in Bicaz during the first World fatality. Chapter 5 is very interesting, since it includes almost all daily trades of the Bistrita Valley dwellers. In Chapter 6, the traditional apparel is presented in all its splendor and beauty, not only the traditional apparel of Moldavia, but also that OF other regions across the country. With Chevallier we can eventually take a stroll around Piatra Neamt, in Chapter 7, as well as around other places, thanks to the document-images, given that quite a few of the edifices built at that time were brought down during the communist regime. Chapter 8 focuses on Romanias first scouts jamboree, which was held in Piatra Neamt.“



    World War One was looming large over Europe around 1914. In 1916, Romania took sides as a belligerent country. As for Chevallier, he volunteered in the army. He had a stint with the Military hospital in Piatra Neamt, and continued to photograph.



    Sergiu Gabureac once again:



    Chevallier turned out to be much more patriotic than quite a few of the patriots of that time, when it comes to people involved in politics. Sometimes he was indignant at the way the Romanian issue was being dealt with. We have many letters and fragments that are illustrative of that. He had always asserted his Romanian origin and did not deny it even when he lay dying.“



    During the inter-war years, in Greater Romania, Chevallier was thriving, personally and professionally. In 1925, he got married and his two daughters were born. However, the Second World War would change his life. After the war ended, in 1945 he returned to Bucharest, only to notice that the world was different.



    Sergiu Gabureac explains:



    He arrived in Bucharest and was certainly indignant at the fact that his profession was forcibly included in a handicraft cooperative. Such cooperatives of Soviet origin would crop up in all walks of life. He was a very free spirit, so he was totally against that, therefore chicaneries directed at him were quick to appear. Chevallier reached the conclusion that his place was no longer in Romania and retired in Lausanne, Switzerland, with his daughters.“



    On April 23, 1963, after 13 years of Swiss exile, the photographer died in Baden, at the age of 81. A rich photographic work is his legacy, and his photo cliches are extremely sought after by collectors, even to this day. (LS, EN)


  • Senate passes Offshore Law

    Senate passes Offshore Law

    The plenum of the Romanian Senate has adopted amendments to the offshore law. Delayed for a long time, the law regulates the operations regarding the development and exploitation of oil deposits in the offshore perimeters, off the Romanian Black Sea Coast in the Black Sea, as well as of deep oil deposits in onshore perimeters. The bill amending the offshore law establishes the distribution of 40% of the profit obtained to the investors and 60% to the Romanian state, which has the right of pre-emption to gas acquisition. During the meeting, the Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, highlighted that this law would ensure Romania’s gas security in case of an energy crisis, pointing out that Romania could also become a provider of regional energy security, after it will produce more than it will consume.



    He added that the first gas from the Black Sea could be extracted starting with the second half of this year. At the same time, the new law increases the investment deduction allowance from 30% to 40% of the total additional income tax. The senators of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and Save Romania Union (USR) voted in favor of the document. During the plenary debates, the leader of the Social Democrats, Radu Oprea, said that the law was good and necessary for all Romanian citizens, and the money coming from the gas exploitation will reach the local communities.



    Radu Oprea: “We have a war near Romania’s borders, we need gas, we need Black Sea Oil & Gas (USA) to be able to supply gas to the citizens of Romania starting next month. It means 10% of the gas that others in this room want to import from other countries. This is not possible and desirable for the Romanian economy, for the Romanian industry, and for the citizens of Romania.”



    The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) is the only party that has voted against this law, which they label as anti-national, and they have demanded that the exploitation of natural gas be done exclusively by Romanian companies.



    Senator Rodica Boancă: “AUR has voted against this national betrayal and against this plundering, which will lead to the exploitation and sale of resources of national and strategic importance, especially in an economic war that we are currently going through, and it is very clear that the price of gas will not decrease, we will not have a free energy market. “



    Romanias gas production has dropped in recent years, and 2021 brought high energy prices across Europe. The Romanian economic area of the Black Sea has reserves of over 200 billion cubic meters, an amount that could cover national consumption for the next 20 years. In 2019, in Romania, 79% of the total amount of natural gas was from domestic production, 8% imported from Russia and the remaining 13% from other countries. This in the context in which, in Finland and Macedonia, the gas is imported entirely from Russia, Latvia imports 93% Russian gas and Estonia 79%. Germany, Europes strongest economy, imports almost half of its natural gas from Russia and the other half from other countries. (LS)

  • May 11, 2022 UPDATE

    May 11, 2022 UPDATE

    Chisinau — Two Romanian journalists from the Digi 24 television station were released following diplomatic actions by officials in Bucharest, after being detained by the so-called security forces from the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria, in the east of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population). The two were in the region for professional reasons and, on Tuesday, they could not be contacted by their colleagues. According to the Foreign Ministry, the Romanian embassy in Chisinau urgently undertook multi-channel procedures and obtained, after only a few hours, their release. They were escorted safely to Chisinau, where they are now safe, and from where they will return to Romania. The Foreign Ministry asks journalists interested in going to the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova to contact the ministry in advance and to avoid traveling in the next period. Transnistria de facto went out of the control of the central authorities after an armed conflict that left behind hundreds of dead and that was stopped following the intervention of Russian troops on the side of the separatists in 1992, less than a year after Chisinau had declared its independence. The former Russian President Boris Yeltsin has pledged to withdraw troops from Transnistria since the 1999 OSCE summit in Istanbul. Some 1,500 Russian military and important arsenals are said to still be there.



    Covid-19 – The 4th COVID-19 vaccine dose will be available on request in Romania, in vaccination centers and family physician practices, as of May 16. According to the health ministry, only Pfizer vaccines can be administered, to people over 18 who have received 3 doses of mRNA vaccines, and at least 4 months after they have received the 3rd dose. Meanwhile, the health ministry announced 705 new COVID-19 cases and 7 related deaths in 24 hours. 144 COVID patients are currently in intensive care.



    Eurovision – WRS soloist, with the song “Llamame”, will represent Romania on Thursday in the second semifinal of the Eurovision 2022 contest, organized in Turin, Italy. Romanias best performances at the Eurovision contest were: twice the third place (Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem – Kyiv, 2005; Paula Seling and Ovi – Oslo, 2010) and once the fourth place (Mihai Trăistariu – Athens, 2006). The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced that no Russian artist will take part in this years Eurovision Song Contest, as this would “discredit the competition”. In Turin, the Republic of Moldova is represented by the band Zdob and Zdub, already qualified to the final, with a song about the train that connects Chisinau to Bucharest, the lyrics being about the communion of history, culture and destiny between the two Romanian states.



    Ukraine — Ukraines reconstruction plan, tougher sanctions against Russia and support for Moldova’s, Ukraine’s and Georgias aspirations to join the EU were among the topics addressed by the Romanian Senate Speaker Florin Citu on Wednesday at a meeting with his Polish counterpart, Tomasz Grodzki. The two also discussed in Warsaw the intentions of Sweden and Finland to join NATO. Florin Citu announced that, after his visit to Poland, he will go to the Republic of Moldova.



    Meeting – On Wednesday, the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu attended a ministerial meeting of the Global Anti-ISIS/Daesh Coalition, hosted by Morocco, in cooperation with the US, in Marrakech. He informed that Romania would launch a Fund for the Future of Africa through Peace, Education and Development and reiterated, in his speech, Romanias commitment to supporting the specific activities of the coalition, both within its Forces and through its national contribution to support efforts for stabilization and assistance for development to those states affected by ISIS/Daesh actions. He reiterated Romanias interest in ensuring the security and stability of the Middle East and Africa, “where there is an increase in the terrorist phenomenon”, and highlighted the “firm” support for the African states in the Sahel region, which are engaged in fighting ISIS / Daesh and other extremist organizations.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse sustained an outright defeated in front of the Polish Iga Swiatek, the world leader, score 6-3, 6-0, on Wednesday, in the second round of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Rome, which has total prizes worth 2,527,250 Euros. Swiatek will play in the Round of 16 against the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. Ruse will continue in the doubles, together with the Ukrainian Marta Kostiuk, and will play in the Round of 16 against the Russians Veronika Kudermetova/Anastasia Pavliucenkova.



    Offshore Law — The bill amending the Offshore Law, which will green-light gas exploitation in the Black Sea, was adopted on Wednesday by the Romanian senators, with 91 votes for and 13 against. Except for the AUR (Alliancce for the Union of Romanians) senators, all political groups were in favor of the bill, which will next go to the Chamber of Deputies, which is a decision-making body. The representatives of the governing coalition, who proposed it, say the law is a much more balanced option than the one passed four years ago. Tax changes have now been introduced in favor of the companies concerned, and dependence on Russian gas would be significantly reduced in a few years’ time. The Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, underlined that by amending the current law, investments in the area will be unblocked and investments in deep onshore exploitation will be accelerated. Also Romania’s energy security will be ensured in case of an energy crisis, and the country will be able to become a regional energy security provider, after it will produce more than it will consume. According to the project, the Romanian state will have the right of preemption for the acquisition of natural gas. The national state-owned company Romgaz – the largest gas producer in Romania – and the Austrians from OMV will extract gas from the Black Sea in the coming years.



    Corruption – The former head of the Fiscal Anti-Fraud General Directorate in Bucharest, Georgiana Popa, has been sent to court for influence peddling. She is under house arrest after being caught red-handed on March 29 while receiving 100,000 Euros. According to the National Anticorruption Directorate, Georgiana Popa has repeatedly claimed this amount from a former director of the Fiscal Anti-Fraud General Directorate, a witness in the case. She claimed that she would give the money to an anti-corruption prosecutor, who was supposed to give a solution favorable to the witness in a criminal case in which he was being investigated. (LS)

  • May 7, 2022 UPDATE

    May 7, 2022 UPDATE

    Refugees – On May 6, 2022, within 24 hours, at national level, 80,741 people entered Romania through the border points, out of whom 8,072 are Ukrainian citizens (on the rise by 4.3% compared to the previous day) – the Border Police General Inspectorate (IGPF) announces. Through the border crossings with Ukraine, 4,579 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania (by 10.4% more), and through the border with the Republic of Moldova 1,555 (by 3.5% more). Since the onset of the Russian troops’ invasion, on February 24, and until Friday, at midnight, at national level, 874,988 Ukrainian citizens had entered neighboring Romania. As of February 10, 2022, in the run-up to the war, 909,517 Ukrainians had entered the country.



    Trans-Dniester — The so-called authorities in the pro-Russian separatist region of Trans-Dniester, in the east of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), announced on Saturday that four explosions took place, on the eve, near a former airfield in a village of Trans-Dniester on the border with Ukraine, Voronkovo, Râbnița district. No casualties were reported, according to the so-called secessionist Interior Ministry, which added that a team of investigators was on the ground. The village of Voronkovo, Vărăncău in Romanian, is located about five kilometers away from the border with Ukraine. In recent weeks, fears have escalated that the war in Ukraine could extend to Trans-Dniester, especially after a Russian general claimed that Moscows offensive was also aimed at establishing a corridor to the separatist region. In turn, Kyiv has accused Russia of trying to destabilize Trans-Dniester in order to justify military intervention in the area. Trans-Dniester de facto got out of the control of the central authorities after an armed conflict that left behind hundreds of deaths and was ended by the intervention of Moscow’s troops on the side of the secessionist rebels in 1992, less than a year after Chisinau had declared its independence. The former Russian President Boris Yeltsin had pledged to withdraw troops from Trans-Dniester since the 1999 OSCE summit in Istanbul. Some 1,500 Russian soldiers and important arsenals are said to still be there.



    Handball — The Romanian womens handball champions, CSM Bucharest, will play, on Sunday, away from home, against the Danish team Esbjerg, in the decisive leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. In the first match, in Bucharest, the Danish team won 26-25, after a match they led permanently. The winner of the double round will play in the so-called Final Four of the League. Set up in 2007, CSM won the Champions League for the first time in 2016, and was the continents third team in the next two years. Declared four times the best handball player in the world, in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the left winger of the CSM, Cristina Neagu is also the top scorer of the current edition of the Champions League, with 103 goals.



    Football — Romanian sports celebrated, on Saturday, 36 years since Steaua Bucharest won the European Football Champions Cup. On May 7, 1986, in Seville, Spain, the team, made up exclusively of Romanian players, defeated in the final, score 2-0, after the penalty kicks, the famous FC Barcelona. Steauas goalkeeper, Helmuth Duckadam, then entered the Book of Records, after defending all four shots fired by the Catalans. In February 1987, in Monte Carlo, Steaua also won Europe’s Super Cup, after a 1-0 win against the Soviets from Dinamo Kyiv. Two of the authors of those unique performances in the history of Romanian football, midfielder Lucian Bălan and defender Ilie Bărbulescu, have died in recent years. (LS)


  • May 7, 2022

    May 7, 2022

    Visit – Jill Biden, the wife of U.S. President Joe Biden, continues her visit to Romania today. In Bucharest, she met with Carmen Iohannis, the wife of Romanias President Klaus Iohannis, and she will pay a visit to a school that hosts Ukrainian refugee students. Also today, Jill Biden is to meet with Government members, with the staff of the American Embassy, as well as with humanitarian aid workers. On Friday, the first day of her visit, Jill Biden met with the U.S. and NATO soldiers at Mihail Kogalniceanu base (southeast). The American presidents wife is on a tour which will also include Slovakia, to show the US’s commitment to Ukrainian refugees. She is accompanied by the Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Karen Donfried. The delegation also includes former U.S. Ambassador to Bucharest between 2009 and 2012 Mark Gitenstein, currently U.S. Ambassador to the EU and his wife Elizabeth Gitenstein.



    Refugees — Ukrainian children refugees in Romania will be able to be registered in a computer application, regardless of whether they are with their family or not. The platform will be developed and adapted by the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities in collaboration with UNICEF Romania and the non-governmental organization “Save the children”. Since the beginning of the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, almost 40,000 children from the neighboring country have arrived in Romania, who have crossed the border with their parents or unaccompanied. The application, which has been successfully used in the case of other states amid the influx of refugees caused by the war, provides that the authorities should know about the location of the Ukrainian children left in Romania, even if they are with their parents or relatives. At least 80,700 people, including more than 8,000 Ukrainian citizens (up by 4.3% compared to the previous day), entered Romania through the border crossings on Friday. Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, over 860 thousand Ukrainians have crossed the Romanian border, most of them transiting to other countries.



    Grants – The Romanian Government has decided to grant non-reimbursable loans worth 300 million Euros to companies operating in agriculture and the food industry. The authorities pre-notified the European Commission about the state aid scheme, and the relevant minister Marcel Boloş is convinced that the community forum will approve the request without any problems. Companies will receive non-reimbursable loans for working capital, in order to buy raw materials or fuels. The measure will support seasonal works in agriculture and will combat the rise in fuel and chemical fertilizer prices.



    Ukraine — The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a declaration giving ‘strong support’ to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ‘in working out a peaceful solution’ to the war between Russia and Ukraine. In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine that will provide additional ammunition consisting in artillery, radars and other equipment, but he warned that the funds earmarked for weapons destined for Kyiv are now ‘virtually depleted.’ On Sunday, the G7 leaders will have a virtual meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine, which will also be attended by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Germany, the country holding the organizations presidency this year, announced. On the ground, Kyiv is still making diplomatic efforts to rescue the remaining fighters in the Azovstal steelworks, the last Ukrainian forces’ stronghold in the port city of Mariupol, after fifty civilians were evacuated on Friday by a new humanitarian convoy. Also on Friday, the Russian troops continued to launch rocket attacks on regions in southern Ukraine. On the other hand, about two and a half months after being recognized by Russia, the self-proclaimed peoples republics of the East, Donetsk and Luhansk, have appointed ambassadors to Moscow. After the failure to conquer Kyiv, Russias war effort is currently focused on supporting and expanding Russian separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.



    Campaign – The Representation of the European Commission in Romania has launched the communication campaign “Faces of European solidarity”, in the context of the anniversary of Europe Day on May 9th, when the signing of the Schuman Declaration of 1950 is marked. It is a photo exhibition by photojournalists documenting the solidarity of Romanians with people who left Ukraine following the Russian invasion. The campaign will run for a month, and the photos will be exhibited in Bucharest in different spaces, at the metro stations, the Henri Coanda Airport, and also in the online environment.



    Paris – Emmanuel Macron was sworn-in on Saturday at the Elysee Palace as President of France for a new five-year term, AFP reports. In a short speech, he called for continued action to make France a more independent and powerful nation. We remind you that Macron won the second round of the presidential elections, on April 24, in front of the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, with 58.55% of the votes. On Sunday, he will take part in the festivities marking the anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. On Monday, Europe Day, he is expected in Strasbourg to address the European Parliament. Emmanuel Macron will then travel to Berlin on the same day to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, this being his first trip abroad after being re-elected.



    SPP — On the Day of the Protection and Guard Service (SPP), the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă conveyed a message showing his appreciation and respect for the professionalism of the specialists of this essential structure in the national security system. 32 years after its establishment, SPP successfully manages all the missions entrusted to it, benefiting from the trust of the Romanian institutions, as well as of the institutions within NATO and the EU member states. The modernization process and the permanent adaptation to the challenges they have to manage, together with the devotion of the SPP professionals, prepares the ground for strengthening this elite structure of the Romanian state, the prime minister said. SPP ensures the protection of Romanian and foreign dignitaries during their stay in Romania, and also the security of their work offices and residences. (LS)

  • May 5, 2022 UPDATE

    May 5, 2022 UPDATE

    Conference — Thursday’s international donors conference held in Warsaw to raise funds to help Ukraine managed to gather more than 6 billion Euros, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. The online event was also attended by the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, who presented a new humanitarian assistance package of Romania worth 3.2 million Euros. Nicolae Ciuca reiterated Bucharests multidimensional support for Kyiv: political and diplomatic, humanitarian and refugee assistance, and economic. Nicolae Ciuca said that Romania was ready to participate in the reconstruction process of Ukraine and reiterated his support for the European path of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. More than 8,000 Ukrainian citizens entered neighboring Romania on Wednesday. Almost 860,000 Ukrainians have crossed the Romanian border since the invasion of Russian troops, most of them transiting to other countries.



    Ukraine — The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday announced the launch of an online crowdfunding platform to help his country fight Russian invaders and rebuild the country’s infrastructure. The platform is called United24, and all funds will be transferred to the National Bank of Ukraine and allocated to the relevant ministries. Zelenski promised that reports on the distribution of donations would be published every 24 hours. “Only together can we stop the war that Russia has started and rebuild what Russia has destroyed. Together we can help freedom overcome tyranny,” Volodymyr Zelensky said. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its army had simulated a nuclear missile launch in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, located between Poland and Lithuania, both members of the European Union and NATO. According to the source, the combat units also carried out “operations in conditions of radiation and chemical contamination”. Russia has placed its nuclear forces on high alert shortly after invading Ukraine on February 24.



    EP — The European Parliament on Thursday approved a resolution calling that the Republic of Moldova should receive the status of a candidate country for EU accession. According to Radio Chisinau, the MEPs appreciated the efforts made by the authorities, and also by Moldovan citizens, while emphasizing the risks which Moldova is running due to the war in Ukraine. The Commission is invited to rapidly complete its assessment and to provide full assistance to Chisinau during the accession process. The European Parliament also calls for a clear and strong political signal to be given at the European Council meeting due in June in relation to the European path chosen by the Republic of Moldova. The European Union has a duty to support the Republic of Moldova, the European Council President Charles Michel said in Chisinau on Wednesday. He said that Brussels was considering additional military support for the Moldovan authorities, which will add to the assistance in the areas of logistics and cyber defense which the Union has already agreed on. At the US State Department, spokesman Ned Price reassured Moldova, a neighbor of Romania and Ukraine, that the US is firm in relation to its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.



    Sanctions – The sixth package of European sanctions against Russia targets senior officials and the military, the banking sector, the media and, for the first time, imposes an embargo on oil imports. The European Commission President Ursula von der Lyen has warned that it will not be easy for Europe without Russian oil, especially as some member states are 100% dependent. Therefore, the package includes exceptions and transitional measures for these countries.



    Meeting — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu received Garry Kasparov, president of the Human Rights Foundation, a former world chess champion and human rights activist in Bucharest on Thursday. According to a Romanian Foreign Ministry communiqué, the talks took place “in the context of Russias military aggression and illegal, unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and of the need to counteract the invasion’s profoundly negative effects at the security, economic and humanitarian levels”. Minister Bogdan Aurescu has once again condemned, “in the strongest terms”, the war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine and made a presentation of the humanitarian support provided by Bucharest to the neighboring state and to the Ukrainian refugees in Romania. In turn, Garry Kasparov presented a series of assessments of Russias internal situation and possible developments in the war started by Moscow war. He highlighted the need to strengthen support for Ukraine by the entire international community in order to resist aggression. (LS)

  • The Republic of Moldova’s European path

    The Republic of Moldova’s European path

    With an avowed pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, and with a presidential party, Action and Solidarity, which clearly dominates Parliament and holds all ministries, the Republic of Moldova seems, after three decades of oscillations between the East and the West, finally capable of permanently exiting Moscow’s orbit. As always, Romania is the most consistent and energetic advocate of Moldovas independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as of its aspirations for European integration. Created on a part of the Eastern Romanian territories annexed by the Stalinist Soviet Union in 1940, following an ultimatum, the Republic of Moldova declared its independence on August 27, 1991, after the failure of the neo-Bolshevik putsch in Moscow, targeting the last Soviet leader, the reformist Mikhail Gorbachev. On the same day, Romania became the first country in the world to recognize the statehood of its new neighbor.



    Now, at a time when hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are taking refuge in the Republic of Moldova fleeing the Russian troops who invaded their country, and when bizarre grenade explosions and attacks are raising fears of rekindling the frozen conflict in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniester (in the east), the parliamentary parties in Bucharest reiterate, in one voice, their support for the European path of Chișinău. A professional military, the Liberal Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca is pleading for a very balanced analysis of the incidents in Transdniester, to avoid the deterioration of the security situation in the area, which is already fragile.



    The leader of the Social Democratic Party – PSD (partner of the Liberals in the governing coalition) Marcel Ciolacu himself believes that the incidents in Tiraspol were an intimidation attempt and announces that a joint meeting of the leaderships of the Romania Senate and the Chamber of Deputies with the Moldovan MPs will take place in the next weeks. The Euro MP representing the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR (a junior partner in the governing coalition), Iuliu Winkler, recalls the applications for EU accession submitted by Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and hopes that all these ex-Soviet states will officially become candidates for EU accession.



    In opposition, Save Romania Union – USR deputy Dan Barna believes that the incidents in Tiraspol were just instigations which must be regarded with diplomatic wisdom, and the only chance for the stability of the Republic of Moldova is its EU accession, and that Romania, as a member state of both the EU and NATO, has the duty to support Moldovas European path. For the nationalist opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, says senator Sorin Lavric, the reunification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania is the only real security solution, given that the incidents in Transdniester are allegedly aimed at extending the war from Ukraine to that region. (LS)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    Romania’s national women’s handball team has qualified for the European Championship. Cristina Neagu and her colleagues ranked on second position in the 2nd Preliminary Group, behind Denmark, but ahead of Austria and the Faroe Islands. The Romanian handballers were very nervous all the way through to the last match in the group qualifiers. One stage before the end of the preliminaries, the Romanian hanballers were level on points with Austria, a team with which they had ended in a draw, score 33 all, the first direct confrontation, in October last year. Then came a double defeat by Denmark, the best team in the group. Under these conditions, the handballers trained by coach Adrian Vasile could only boast, until last week, the two victories obtained in the matches with the Faroe Islands.



    In the decisive match with Austria, held on Sunday in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania led the match from the very beginning. At the break, the Romanians had an advance of six goals on the table, score 19-13. After the break, the difference reached ten goals, respectively 33-23 and 37-27, with the final score being 38 to 29. Cristina Neagu was the best scorer of the Romanian team, with 12 goals. The goalkeeper Daciana Hosu also made a good impression, as she saved 10 throws, proving a 33% efficiency. Cristina Neagu was designated the best player of the last two stages of the European Championship qualifiers, according to the competition’s Facebook page. Romania has two players in the ideal team of these two stages, Cristina Neagu and the pivotwoman Crina Pintea.



    Romania has qualified to the European Women’s Handball Championship for the 13th time. So far, the Romanian handballers have missed only one edition, that of 2006. The competition will take place in November in Slovenia, Northern Macedonia and Montenegro. Romania has been assigned to pot 4 at the draw to be held on Thursday at Ljubljana Castle in the Slovenian capital. (LS)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    Romania’s national women’s handball team has qualified for the European Championship. Cristina Neagu and her colleagues ranked on second position in the 2nd Preliminary Group, behind Denmark, but ahead of Austria and the Faroe Islands. The Romanian handballers were very nervous all the way through to the last match in the group qualifiers. One stage before the end of the preliminaries, the Romanian hanballers were level on points with Austria, a team with which they had ended in a draw, score 33 all, the first direct confrontation, in October last year. Then came a double defeat by Denmark, the best team in the group. Under these conditions, the handballers trained by coach Adrian Vasile could only boast, until last week, the two victories obtained in the matches with the Faroe Islands.



    In the decisive match with Austria, held on Sunday in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania led the match from the very beginning. At the break, the Romanians had an advance of six goals on the table, score 19-13. After the break, the difference reached ten goals, respectively 33-23 and 37-27, with the final score being 38 to 29. Cristina Neagu was the best scorer of the Romanian team, with 12 goals. The goalkeeper Daciana Hosu also made a good impression, as she saved 10 throws, proving a 33% efficiency. Cristina Neagu was designated the best player of the last two stages of the European Championship qualifiers, according to the competition’s Facebook page. Romania has two players in the ideal team of these two stages, Cristina Neagu and the pivotwoman Crina Pintea.



    Romania has qualified to the European Women’s Handball Championship for the 13th time. So far, the Romanian handballers have missed only one edition, that of 2006. The competition will take place in November in Slovenia, Northern Macedonia and Montenegro. Romania has been assigned to pot 4 at the draw to be held on Thursday at Ljubljana Castle in the Slovenian capital. (LS)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The championship of the first Romanian football league has been relaunched, following Sunday’s victory, with the score 1-0, of the FCSB team, in an away match against the leading team CFR Cluj. The 2nd ranked Bucharest football team is separated by only 2 points from CFR Cluj at halfway through the play-off stage of the championship. Ranking 3rd is Universitatea Craiova, 4 points behind FCSB. Also in the play-off, on Saturday, FC Argeş beat FC Voluntari 1-0 in Piteşti, and Universitatea Craiova defeated Farul Constanţa 3-0 in Ovidiu. There are 5 stages left in the playoffs.



    The fifth round also took place in the play-out. On Friday, FC Botoşani beat Chindia Târgovişte 2-1 in Ploieşti, and CS Mioveni won 2-0 at home against Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday, in Sfântu Gheorghe, Sepsi defeated UTA Arad 1-0, and on Sunday, FC U Craiova defeated Academica of Clinceni 4-0, at home. On Monday, the last game will pit Rapid Bucharest against Gaz Metan Mediaş. In the bottom ranking of the championship, Sepsi leads with 33 points, followed by Rapid and FC Botoşani with 32 points each. On the last two places, with no chance to avoid direct relegation, are Gaz Metan, with minus 25 points, and Academica, with one point. Both teams have recently lost points for unpaid debts. Dinamo, with 13 points, can no longer avoid the playoff match for remaining in the first league. Chindia, with 22 points, CS Mioveni, with 25 points, and UTA, with 26 points, are fighting to avoid the playoff match.



    Now we pass on to tennis. Poland defeated Romania 4-0 on Saturday in Radom, in the qualifiers of the women’s team competition Billie Jean King Cup. In the first two singles matches, on Friday, Magda Linette beat Irina Begu 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, and Iga Świątek defeated Mihaela Buzărnescu 6-1, 6-0. Then, on Saturday, Iga Świątek defeated Andreea Prisăcariu 6-0, 6-0, and in the doubles, the pair Magdalena Fręch / Alicja Rosolska beat the pair Mihaela Buzărnescu / Andreea Mitu 5-7, 6-3, 10-5. Poland has qualified for the final tournament of the competition, and Romania will have a playoff match to remain in the World Group.



    We end with athletics. Kenyan-born Romanian runner Joan Chelimo won the Seoul International Marathon on Sunday, with total prizes worth about 2.4 million dollars. With a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 4 seconds, she broke Romania’s record in the marathon competition, held by Constantina Diţă since 2005. Joan Chelimo received Romanian citizenship on May 13, 2021 and she is a member of the Steaua Bucharest Army Sports Club. (LS)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The championship of the first Romanian football league has been relaunched, following Sunday’s victory, with the score 1-0, of the FCSB team, in an away match against the leading team CFR Cluj. The 2nd ranked Bucharest football team is separated by only 2 points from CFR Cluj at halfway through the play-off stage of the championship. Ranking 3rd is Universitatea Craiova, 4 points behind FCSB. Also in the play-off, on Saturday, FC Argeş beat FC Voluntari 1-0 in Piteşti, and Universitatea Craiova defeated Farul Constanţa 3-0 in Ovidiu. There are 5 stages left in the playoffs.



    The fifth round also took place in the play-out. On Friday, FC Botoşani beat Chindia Târgovişte 2-1 in Ploieşti, and CS Mioveni won 2-0 at home against Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday, in Sfântu Gheorghe, Sepsi defeated UTA Arad 1-0, and on Sunday, FC U Craiova defeated Academica of Clinceni 4-0, at home. On Monday, the last game will pit Rapid Bucharest against Gaz Metan Mediaş. In the bottom ranking of the championship, Sepsi leads with 33 points, followed by Rapid and FC Botoşani with 32 points each. On the last two places, with no chance to avoid direct relegation, are Gaz Metan, with minus 25 points, and Academica, with one point. Both teams have recently lost points for unpaid debts. Dinamo, with 13 points, can no longer avoid the playoff match for remaining in the first league. Chindia, with 22 points, CS Mioveni, with 25 points, and UTA, with 26 points, are fighting to avoid the playoff match.



    Now we pass on to tennis. Poland defeated Romania 4-0 on Saturday in Radom, in the qualifiers of the women’s team competition Billie Jean King Cup. In the first two singles matches, on Friday, Magda Linette beat Irina Begu 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, and Iga Świątek defeated Mihaela Buzărnescu 6-1, 6-0. Then, on Saturday, Iga Świątek defeated Andreea Prisăcariu 6-0, 6-0, and in the doubles, the pair Magdalena Fręch / Alicja Rosolska beat the pair Mihaela Buzărnescu / Andreea Mitu 5-7, 6-3, 10-5. Poland has qualified for the final tournament of the competition, and Romania will have a playoff match to remain in the World Group.



    We end with athletics. Kenyan-born Romanian runner Joan Chelimo won the Seoul International Marathon on Sunday, with total prizes worth about 2.4 million dollars. With a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 4 seconds, she broke Romania’s record in the marathon competition, held by Constantina Diţă since 2005. Joan Chelimo received Romanian citizenship on May 13, 2021 and she is a member of the Steaua Bucharest Army Sports Club. (LS)

  • April 12, 2022

    April 12, 2022

    Measures — The Romanian finance minister, Adrian Câciu, has said that the package of social and economic measures “Support for Romania”, announced on Monday evening by the ruling coalition leaders, mainly targets the economy, maintaining jobs, and supporting vulnerable people. The package agreed upon by the Social Democratic Party – PSD, the National Liberal Party – PNL and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR is worth over 17 billion lei (about 3.5 billion Euros). The measures include the granting of 50-Euro vouchers every two months for the purchase of basic foodstuffs for low-income families and 30 – Euro vouchers for the more than 150,000 students who receive social scholarships. This amount will be used for food, school supplies and clothing. Other measures proposed are a minimum gross salary of 3,000 lei in agriculture and the food industry as well as money for investments.



    Visit — The European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, continues today her visit to Bucharest, where she participates in a video conference with the transport ministers from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The commissioner announced her intention to discuss with the Romanian officials the ways for a better absorption of EU funds for infrastructure and to find solutions for rail, road, river and sea freight transport from Ukraine and Moldova, Romania’s neighbors. On Monday, the PM Nicolae Ciuca and the European Commissioner for Transport agreed to work closely with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to facilitate the transport of goods. The agenda of talks also includes the development of the transport infrastructure in Romania, and the impact of the crisis in Ukraine, respectively.



    Statistics — In Romania, the annual inflation rate rose to 10.15% in March, from 8.53% in February, against the backdrop of higher prices for non-food products, foods and services, according to data published today by National Institute of Statistics (INS). Consumer prices augmented by 1.9% in March compared to February. The inflation rate at the beginning of the year (March 2022 compared to December 2021) stands at 4%. At the same time, the annual inflation rate in March 2022 compared to March 2021 is 10.2%. The central bank forecasts an inflation rate of 11.2% at the end of the second quarter of this year, 10.2% at the end of the third quarter of this year and 9.6% at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022.



    Accession — After Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Romanias neighbor, also received the European Commissions questionnaire for EU accession discussions. The document marks a starting point for a membership decision, being a first step in a long process that should bring Moldova the official status of a candidate country for EU accession. Romania insists on the community bloc receiving its two neighboring countries as soon as possible, following Russias invasion of Ukraine.



    Ukraine – The next period is crucial for Ukraine, Western officials say, as the Russian forces are getting re-equipped and redistributed. President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Russia is concentrating tens of thousands of soldiers for the next offensive in eastern Ukraine. About 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were made prisoner by the Russian troops, according to Kyiv Independent. On the other hand, the White House expects even greater atrocities in Ukraine committed by the Russian troops under the command of General Aleksandr Dvornikov, recently appointed commander. He is nicknamed the “Syrian butcher” after being at the command of the Russian forces involved in the Syrian civil war, during which they brutally bombed numerous civilian targets. The US and the UK are looking into reports according to which chemical weapons have been used by Russian forces in attacks on Mariupol, a strategic port city under siege for more than a month. The Ukrainian Azov Battalion, barricaded in Mariupol, claims that a Russian drone dropped a toxic substance on the soldiers and civilians in the area, saying that several people were suffering from respiratory and neurological problems. More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Mariupol since the invasion began, Mayor Vadim Boicenko announced.



    Refugees — More than 72,000 people, including 8,350 Ukrainian citizens, entered Romania on Monday, according to the Border Police. 4,924 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania (slightly increase by 0.9%) through the border crossing with Ukraine, and 1,505 (increase by 8.1%) through the border with the Republic of Moldova. Since the start of the crisis, until Monday, more than 685,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. (LS)

  • Funkbriefkasten 10.04.2022

    Funkbriefkasten 10.04.2022

    Willkommen, liebe Hörer*innen, zum heutigen FBK – ich heiße Alex Sterescu und freue mich, dass sie heute wieder dabei sind. Zu Beginn unserer Rubrik möchte ich erneut ein wenig auf den Ukraine-Konflikt eingehen, diesmal geht es mir um die sozialen Netzwerke und die dort abgebildete Anteilnahme mit den Opfern. Es geht mir nämlich genauso wie unserem Hörer Hans-Joachim Pellin, der feststellt, dass der Krieg bereits mehr als einen Monat dauert und möchte, dass alles möglichst schnell vorbei ist. Auch Herr Dieter Feltes brachte seine Hoffnung zum Ausdruck, dass das Blutvergießen bald ein Ende findet.



    Allerdings merke ich, dass viele der Menschen, die sich im Internet solidarisch mit dem ukrainischen Volk zeigen, gleichzeitig Wut- und Hasstiraden auf das russiche Volk verbreiten. Vor allem meine rumänischen Mitbürger fallen in diese Kategorie, wie ich finde. Da ich doch ein friedfertiger Mensch bin, muss ich immer auch an russische Soldaten denken, die einfach gezwungen sind, Befehle auszuführen. Für mich ist diese Gewaltspirale der Auslöser weiterer Angstgefühle. Vor diesem Hintergrund habe ich recherchiert und herausgefunden, dass META, das Unternehmen, dem Facebook und Instagram gehören, die Spielregeln der unterschiedlichen Veröffentlichungen verändert hat.



    Wie die NY Times schreibt, setzte META einige der Qualitätskontrollen aus, die sicherstellen, dass Beiträge von Nutzern aus Russland, der Ukraine und anderen osteuropäischen Ländern ihren Regeln entsprechen. Meta habe seit dem Einmarsch Russlands in die Ukraine im vergangenen Monat mehr als ein halbes Dutzend Änderungen an den Inhaltsrichtlinien vorgenommen. Das Unternehmen hat Beiträge über den Konflikt zugelassen, die es normalerweise gelöscht hätte – einschließlich einiger, die zum Tod des russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin und zu Gewalt gegen russische Soldaten aufriefen -, bevor es seine Meinung änderte oder neue Richtlinien aufstellte, hieß es aus Angestelltenkreisen.



    Dies habe zu interner Verwirrung geführt, insbesondere bei den Moderatoren, die auf Facebook und Instagram nach Texten und Bildern mit blutigen Inhalten, Hassreden und Aufrufen zur Gewalt suchen. Meta hat seine Regeln manchmal täglich geändert und damit einen Peitscheneffekt verursacht.



    Die Verwirrung über die Inhaltsrichtlinien sei dabei nur einer der Wege gewesen, auf denen Meta durch den Krieg in der Ukraine in Aufruhr geraten ist. Das Unternehmen habe auch mit dem Druck der russischen und ukrainischen Behörden wegen der Informationsschlacht über den Konflikt zu kämpfen. Und intern hat es mit Unzufriedenheit über seine Entscheidungen zu kämpfen, unter anderem von russischen Mitarbeitern, die um ihre Sicherheit besorgt sind, und ukrainischen Mitarbeitern, die wollen, dass das Unternehmen härter gegen Kreml-nahe Organisationen im Internet vorgeht, so die Quellen.



    Ein kleines Fazit für mich: Ich werde mich nach wie vor bemühen, relevante Berichterstattung selber auszumachen und mich nicht mehr am Newsfeed zu orientieren – denn der Newsfeed wird seit eh und je von einem Logarithmus vorgegeben.



    Und jetzt zu den Zuschriften unserer Hörerschaft: Herr Ernst Witibschlager schreibt uns aus Wels in Österreich. Er ist ein wenig enttäuscht darüber, dass er bislang noch keine QSL-Karte bekommen hat und stellt uns außerdem die wichtige Frage über die Zukunft der deutschsprachigen KW-Sender. Um ganz ehrlich zu sein, setzen wir uns mit dieser Frage seit meinen Anfängen bei RRI auseinander, das war um das Jahr 2003 herum. Kurz nach meiner Anstellung, musste RRI auch einige Fremdsprachen-Redaktionen schließen, etwa die türkische, die griechische oder portugiesische Abteilung. Zum Glück gibt es die deutsche Abteilung heute noch, und wir senden tatsächlich noch auf Kurzwelle. Wie es um die Zukunft des Senders bestellt ist, das steht immer noch in den Sternen – wichtig ist es aber wohl für die Chefetage, dass wir eine zahlreiche Hörerschaft nachweisen können. Das ist nur dann möglich, wenn wir genügend Zuschriften mit Empfangsberichten bekommen und auch unsere Postings im Internet gut verfolgt werden.



    Unser Hörer Michael Lindner muss wohl besonders gut gelaunt gewesen sein, trotz der winterlichen Bedingungen in seiner Region, als er uns folgende Zeilen schrieb: Es gibt auch eine wundervolle Nachricht am heutigen 01. April zu vermelden. Wie ein Wunder ist es mir gelungen, Ihr deutschsprachiges Programm auf der UKW-Frequenz 99,9 MHz in Stereoqualität zu empfangen. Die atmosphärischen Bedingungen des 01. Aprils ließen es zu, dass Ihre Signale bis nach Gera reichten. Leider ist es aber so, dass solche UKW-Weitempfänge nur einmal im Jahr möglich sind, immer nur am 01. April! Natürlich haben wir uns alle über diese Zeilen gefreut.



    Dann schrieb uns Siddhartha Bhattacharjee aus dem fernen Kharagpur in Indien, seine Email war auf Englisch verfasst. Seine Frage lautete: Gibt es in Ihrem Land verwaiste Straßenkinder? Gibt es Pläne der Regierung, das Problem der Waisenkinder zu beseitigen?



    Leider sind die Straßenkinder nach wie vor ein Teil des Alltags in den größten Städten des Landes. In Bukarest gab es 2016 ungefähr 1500 Straßenkinder. Laut einer anderen Quelle sollen 2018 landesweit 9000 Kinder auf der Straße gelebt haben.



    Dafür gibt es viele Ursachen, wie mehrere NGOs herausgefunden haben.


    Unter den allgemeinen Ursachen, die zur Existenz von Straßenkindern geführt haben, ist die Verstädterung. Die Entwicklung der Industrie und die Abwanderung der Bevölkerung vom Land in die Städte haben zur Entstehung von Vorstädten, zu sozialer Desorganisation und zum Zerfall der traditionellen Familie (durch Fehlanpassung) geführt, was Trennung, Scheidung, misshandelte, verlassene und auf die Straße geworfene Kinder zur Folge hatte.



    Eine weitere Ursache für das Auftreten des Phänomens der Straßenkinder ist die rumänische Bevölkerungspolitik bis Dezember 1989. Es ist allseits bekannt, dass die rumänische Bevölkerungspolitik bis 1989 eine geburtenfördernde Politik war, um die Zahl der Arbeitskräfte zu erhöhen. Es wurde viel Wert auf Quantität gelegt und nicht auf die Qualität der Nachkommen. Um die Bevölkerungszahl zu erhöhen, wurden Abtreibungen verboten und von der Verwendung von Verhütungsmitteln so weit wie möglich abgeraten. Dies führte dazu, dass viele ungewollte Kinder geboren wurden, die von ihren eigenen Eltern sehr leicht im Stich gelassen wurden.



    Ein weiterer Faktor, der dazu geführt hat, dass Straßenkinder obdachlos wurden, war und ist die Armut. Die meisten Straßenkinder stammen aus kinderreichen Familien ohne Einkommen und leben in extremer Armut. Sie haben kein Zuhause, weil es entweder von ihren Eltern verkauft wurde, um Geld zu verdienen, oder weil es durch Katastrophen zerstört wurde. Dieser Zustand extremer Armut veranlasst die Eltern meist dazu, ihre Kinder von klein auf zum Arbeiten zu schicken, um ihr Einkommen aufzubessern.



    Die Regierung versucht bereits seit Anfang der 2000er, durch verschiedene Programme die soziale Inklusion der Straßenkinder voranzutreiben. Die Zivilgesellschaft bescheinigt derartigen Initiativen kleinere oder größere Fortschritte. Mein persönlicher Eindruck vom Straßenbild in Bukarest ist, dass die Anzahl der Straßenkinder in den letzten 10 Jahren doch abgenommen hat. Dazu könnte auch die Nationale Strategie für die soziale Inklusion und Armutsbekämpfung für den Zeitraum 2015-2020 ihren Beitrag geleistet haben. Allerdings bin ich der Ansicht, dass das Interesse und die Initiativen von NGOs wie SOS Kinderdorf oder Rettet die Kinder (Salvati copiii) präsenter sind.



    So, wir nähern uns dem Ende des heutigen FBKs, hier noch eine Auflistung der Zuschriften, die wir bekommen haben: Vergangene Woche erreichten uns Emails von Bernd Seiser, Michael Reiffenstein, Michael Willruth, Heinz Günter Hessenbruch, Reinhard Westphal, Paul Gager, Ralf Urbanczyk mit einem ausführlichen Kommentar zur Ukraine-Krise, Lutz Winkler, Karin Zimmermann, Dieter Feltes, Alfred Albrecht, Horst Kuhn, Martina Pohl und Gerd Brüschke.



    Auch die Schneckenpost bescherte uns einige Zuschriften, über die wir uns gefreut haben, etwa von: Manfred Schida, Georg Feichtinger, Wolfgang Waldl, Thomas Becker, Johann Ruff, Klaus Huber, Michael Lindner, Christian Paustian, Erhard Lauber, Peter Möller, Detlef Jurk und Harald Süß.


    Fragen aus diesen Briefen werden wir in den folgenden Ausgaben unseres FBKs zitieren und beantworten.



    Die heutige Ausgabe ist hiermit zu Ende, danke, dass Sie bis zum Ende dabei waren. Ich wünsche ihnen ein angenehmes Restwochenende, bleiben sie gesund und bis zum nächsten Mal!

  • April 7, 2022

    April 7, 2022

    NATO – In Brussels, the foreign ministers of the NATO member countries, including the Romanian one, Bogdan Aurescu, are discussing, today, the new strategic concept that must be adapted to the current security context. Prior to the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg estimated that the war in Ukraine could take months or even years. The agenda of the meeting includes the implementation of the decisions of the Extraordinary NATO Summit of March 24, with focus on strengthening the Allied defense and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank, following Russias aggression on Ukraine and its consequences for Euro-Atlantic security. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the NATO officials will also discuss the latest developments on the ground in Ukraine, including the crimes against the civilian population. Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate the importance of the rapid implementation of the decisions of the March NATO Summit, with an emphasis on the establishment of new NATO Combat Groups, one of which is in Romania. He reiterated that Moscow was preparing an offensive in eastern Ukraine to take control of the entire Donbas region and to build a land bridge to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.



    Ukraine — The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the recent sanctions imposed on Russia, but underlined that they were insufficient. He called on Western democracies to boycott Russian oil, insisting that the failure of a rapid agreement on an embargo would result in the loss of many lives among Ukrainians. The US has imposed new sanctions on two of Russias largest banks, as well as on Vladimir Putins two adult daughters, on Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, on the wife and children of the FM Sergei Lavrov, on members of the Security Council of Russia, including Dimitri Medvedev, a former president and prime minister. On the other hand, the Ukrainian police found new bodies of people shot in Hostomel, near Kyiv, a town recently liberated from the occupation of Russian troops. According to the locals, they were killed by snipers. The Ukrainian military record war crimes cases in every city or town where the Russian soldiers were present. According to the Ukrainian officials, more than 1,200 lawsuits have been opened in the Kyiv region over war crimes committed by the occupiers. The Polish President Andrzej Duda described the Russian militarys actions in Ukraine as “genocide” and called on the West to strengthen sanctions against Moscow. On the ground, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian occupiers are preparing an offensive operation in the east of the country to establish full control over the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Pentagon confirms that the Russian troops have completely withdrawn from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and Cernihiv.



    UN — The UN General Assembly is today considering the suspension of Russias membership to the Human Rights Council (HRC) due to the invasion of Ukraine. The move was initiated by the United States and several other countries, including the United Kingdom. Two-thirds of the votes of the General Assembly members, representing 193 countries, are required for a favorable decision. Russias Foreign Ministry has said that Russias failure to participate in UNHRC activities would undermine the universality of that structure. Moscow has also denied allegations in connection with the massacre in Bucha, where hundreds of bodies were found after the withdrawal of Russian troops. In the history of the UN, Libya led by Moammar Gaddafi was suspended from this structure in 2011, but this time it is about a permanent member of the Security Council.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (66 WTA) has qualified to the round of 16 of the WTA 500 tournament in Charleston (South Carolina, USA), with total prizes worth almost 900,000 dollars. On Wednesday, she defeated Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (39 WTA) 6-2, 6-3. In the quarter finals, Irina Begu will face the winner of the match between Ons Jabeur (Tunisia, 10 WTA), 4th seeded, and the American Emma Navarro (201 WTA), a match that was interrupted at the score of 6-3, 5-2 for the Tunisian.



    TAROM — The trade unionists of the Romanian state-owned airlines TAROM are organizing a protest rally today in front of the companys headquarters. At the beginning of April, they announced, in a communiqué, that they would protest throughout the month, dissatisfied, among other things, with the lack of a payroll and the staff shortage. Trade unionists are also discontented with the fact that the budget for salary expenses has not been increased by 35%. Protests also took place on Wednesday in Romania.



    COVID-19 – More than 2,300 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Romania on Wednesday, less than in the previous day. The authorities also announced 18 COVID-associated deaths. Nearly 2,300 coronavirus patients are hospitalized. 338 of them are in intensive care. On the other hand, the number of flu cases, following confirmation by specific tests, is increasing, doctors have pointed out. In some cases, patients with the flu needed hospitalization. (LS)