Radio România Internațional

Tag: Sandu

March 16, 2022

ICJ The International Court of Justice in The
Hague (ICJ) is to decide today on a Ukrainian demand for an emergency order
that Russia halt hostilities immediately. According to dpa and AFP, this is
going to be the first verdict of an international tribunal since the war broke
out three weeks ago. Ukraine has accused Moscow of having violated the 1948
convention on genocide and has called on ICJ to ask for an immediate cessation
of hostilities. Moscow boycotted the hearing in The Hague. The ICJ’s rulings
are binding but it has no real means to enforce them. Yesterday the US Senate
unanimously passed a resolution condemning Russian president Vladimir Putin as
a war criminal, in a rare show of unity in the deeply divided Congress. The
resolution encourages the ICJ and also nations to target the Russian military
in any investigation of war crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. US president Joe Biden is expected to announce an additional 800
million dollars in security assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday.

VISIT Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis is today paying a visit to the neighboring Republic of
Moldova for talks with his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu. Iohannis is accompanied
by the country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca. In February, Iohannis talked
over the phone with Sandu, reiterating Romania’s full support for the Republic
of Moldova and its citizens in this dramatic regional context. The two leaders
agreed that Romania and the Republic of Moldova coordinate their actions to
provide the necessary assistance to the Ukrainian refugees. On March 3rd, Maia
Sandu signed the Republic of Moldova’s request to join the European Union, a
move hailed by Iohannis, who pledged Romania’s support in this respect as well.

SUMMIT Romanian
Defence Minister Vasile Dincu is attending a special meeting of NATO defence
ministers underway in Brussels. The event is taking place under the coordination
of NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg against the background of the war in
Ukraine and is representing a major landmark in the process of adjusting the
alliance to the present security context before the Madrid summit over June
29th and 30th. The first part of this meeting has been devoted to the security
situation in Ukraine and the conflict’s implications for the alliance and its
partners and will have as invitees defence ministers from Sweden, Finland,
Georgia and Ukraine. The event also involves the participation of the EU High
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell. The second
part will be hosting debates over the process of adjusting the alliance’s long-term
collective posture so that it may be able to respond the new security realities
at its borders.

REFUGEES According to
the latest border police reports, over 15 thousand Ukrainian refugees entered
Romania on Tuesday. Since the beginning of the crisis until March 15th, a total
number of 440 thousand refugees entered Romania.

TENNIS Romanian
tennis player Simona Halep has defeated her compatriot Sorana Carstea in two
sets in the round of 16 of the WTA tournament in Indian Wells, the USA. Halep
will next be playing Petra Martici of Croatia for a place in the semifinals.
Martici comes after a win against Russian Liudmila Samsonova. We recall that
Halep secured a three-set win against Martic in the quarter finals of the same
competition in 2018.

(bill)

16 March 2022
The Republic of Moldova signs up for EU accession

The ex-soviet
Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova has recently asked to be accepted in the
European Union. The move, considered historic for Chişinău, comes against a
very complicated regional context: the war in neighboring Ukraine, the crisis
of the Ukrainian refugees who have made it to the Republic of Moldova as well
as the presence of Russian troops in the breakaway region of Transdniester,
which is no longer under the control of the authorities in Chişinău.

We recall
that Transdniester de facto came out of Chisinau’s control in 1992 following an
armed conflict with hundreds of dead, which ceased only after the intervention
of the Russian troops on the side of the separatists. In 1999, at the OSCE summit
in Istanbul, Russia, led at that time by president Boris Elţîn, pledged to pull
out its troops and gear from Transdniester. Five years later, the process was
stooped in its tracks and the Russian troops are still stationed there.

Against this
background, even more complicated by the recent invasion of Ukraine, president
Maia Sandu on Thursday night signed the Republic of Moldova’s EU accession
request. The Moldovan leader said the authorities in Chisinau are ready to
achieve this national objective. ‘We have the chance to ensure a better and
safer future for the next generations’, Sandu says adding that the Republic
must have a clear EU roadmap.

Maia Sandu We are signing the EU accession request for the Republic of Moldova.
And we are ready to do everything for achieving this fundamental national
objective. We must take immediate
actions under the present circumstances and we are clearly seeing the opportunity
of ensuring a better and safer future for the next generations. Achieving this
objective is our duty towards the citizens.

The document signed
by president Sandu, Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţă and Parliament Speaker Igor
Grosu, is to be submitted to Brussels in the following days. Georgia has also
submitted a similar request after Ukraine on Monday had asked to enter the
bloc. In its efforts to join the European Union, Moldova relies on support from
its European partners.

Bucharest,
which has been a staunch supporter of the Republic of Moldova’s independence
and integrity for many years now, is also fully supporting this country in its
efforts to join the European Union. Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis has recently said that Romania fully supports
the EU integration of Ukraine as well as that of the Republic of Moldova and
Georgia. The place of these EU partners are in the European family and Romania
will do its best to make this thing possible, Iohannis went on to say. The Republic of Moldova’s request to entry
into the European Union is a historic move – Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae
Ciuca says, giving assurances that Romania will continue to work side by side
with Chisinau for achieving this goal.

(bill)

4 March 2022
November 21, 2021

GOVERNMENT The president of Romania
Klaus Iohannis invited parliamentary parties to consultations on Monday to
appoint a new PM designate. The Social
Democrats and the Liberals, which have the largest number of seats in
Parliament, carry on negotiations today to form a new cabinet jointly with the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. The 3 parties have a
political agreement and a governing programme in place. According to the
National Liberal Party, no tax raises are planned, but the special department
investigating offences in the judiciary will be dismantled by March 31. Public
pensions, salaries and child allowances will be increased. One decision yet to
be made is which party will appoint the prime minister in the new PM rotation
system. The Liberals nominated the interim defence minister Nicolae Ciucă for
the post, while the Social Democrats want the position to go to their president
Marcel Ciolacu. The 3 parties are still considering 2 scenarios for
distributing cabinet seats. The first option is with a Social Democratic PM and
the Liberals and Social Democrats heading an equal number of ministries, while
in the second scenario a Liberal will be PM and the Liberal Party will have
fewer cabinet members. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians says in both
scenarios they will keep the development, environment and sports ministries.

COVID-19 Over 1,930 new COVID-19 cases
have been reported in Romania today, along with 121 related fatalities, 16 of
them from an earlier date. As many as 1,573 patients are in intensive care, but
the number of patients is on the decrease. The National Committee on Emergency
Situations agreed that in places with infection
rates below 3 per thousand schools may resume on-site teaching regardless of
the vaccination rate among teaching staff. Several
activities subject to restrictions in recent weeks may now be resumed, but a
final decision is to be made by the government. Such activities include sports
events, concerts, performances and outdoor festivals, conferences and training
sessions. Only holders of the digital Covid certificate will be permitted to
take part. Should the situation continue to improve, the winter holidays might
take place without many restrictions, the head of the Emergency Committee Raed
Arafat said. As for the vaccine rollout, over 7.1 million people are
fully vaccinated in Romania so far.

TRAVEL The
National Committee on Emergency Situations updated the list of countries and
territories by COVID-19 incidence rates. Germany, Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria and the UK
are now red-list countries, while France, Portugal, Monaco, Chile, Lebanon and
Guyana were included in the medium-risk category.

PANDEMIC Meanwhile in Europe the new pandemic wave has prompted states to
reintroduce restrictions, which in turn led to large-scale protests. In Austria
and Netherlands people took to the streets to protest the ‘corona dictatorship’.
In Austria, where a full lockdown takes effect on Monday, tensions deepen
between citizens and the authorities that try to step up the vaccine rollout so
as to help hospitals cope with the record-large number of cases. Some 40,000 people
rallied in Vienna on Saturday. The Netherlands saw the most violent clashes in
Europe, with 3 people hospitalised in Rotterdam and over 50 arrested during the
clashes with police. The country has a partial lockdown and further
restrictions are being considered, such as prohibiting access to restaurants
and events for the unvaccinated. Anti-Covid restriction protests also took
place in Belgium and Denmark. Infection rates are surging in Eastern Europe as
well, including in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

MOLDOVA The president of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu
will be on an official visit to Romania on Tuesday, at the invitation of her
Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis. This is Sandu’s first visit to Romania
since July’s early election won by her party Action and Solidarity (PAS), and
it takes place in the context of the celebration of 30 years of diplomatic
relations, after in 1991, the ex-Soviet republic proclaimed its independence
from Moscow. According to the Romanian presidency, this is an opportunity to
reconfirm the special, privileged Strategic Partnership between the 2 countries,
based on common linguistic, cultural and historical elements. The talks between
Iohannis and Sandu will encourage the development of joint projects in the
fields of energy, transport, healthcare, education and information society, with
a focus on projects designed to help connect the Republic of Moldova with the
EU to the benefit of all its citizens. (tr.
A.M. Popescu)

21 November 2021
July 13, 2021

GOALS Reforming state companies and
streamlining fiscal administration are two of the main objectives Romanian
Prime Minister Florin Citu says he will pursue as an interim Finance Minister.
These two objectives were also high on the agenda of talks the Romanian
official recently held with a World Bank delegation headed by Anna Bjerde,
vice-president for Europe and Central Asia. On the occasion, Citu has also
presented a series reforms assumed by the government, such as those concerning the
pension system, public salaries as well as those aimed at achieving fiscal
sustainability. The Prime Minister has mentioned the reform of the state
companies and the process of streamlining the fiscal administration and the
National Bank for Development. The World Bank has congratulated the government
on the economic growth envisaged for 2021, Romania being among the few
countries, which this year could entirely recover from the last year’s
contraction.

INS According to data released by the
National Institute for Statistics on Tuesday, in the first five months of the
year, Romania registered a trade deficit of roughly 9 billion Euros. Exports
stood at nearly 30 billion Euros whereas imports totaled over 38 billion.
Transport machinery and gear as well as other manufactured goods accounted for
most of the international exchanges. Romania’s imports and exports were mainly done
inside the EU. On the other hand, the annual inflation rate went up to 3.9 % in
June 2021 and 3.8 % in May against increasing prices in food and non-food products
as well as services. According to a quarterly report issued by Romania’s
Central Bank, the inflation rate will be maintaining an upward trend in the
following months to reach 4.1 % in December.

TALKS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is today hosting
the inauguration event of a round of talks on the future of Europe, which also
involves the participation of the European Commissioner for Transport Adina
Valean. According to the presidential administration, the major objective of
this round is the consolidation of the European project for the benefit of all
citizens. The conference on the future of Europe kicked off in Strasbourg on
May 9th and debates over this project are to be held all throughout the year
and in the first half of 2022 with a view to drawing up some guidelines over
the bloc’s future.

VACCINE Israel has kicked off a third-shot rollout for people
with impaired immunity in an attempt to contain the Covid-19 pandemic thus
being the first country in the world to resort to such a measure before the US
and European regulating authorities have approved Pfizer’s request in this
respect. Patients are going to be tested two weeks after the third shot and if
the level of antibodies is low, a fourth dose is to be made available. The
decision has been made against the fast spreading Delta Plus variant at a time
when the entire world is expecting a fourth wave of infections. In another
development, Brazil on Monday reported 745 Covid-related fatalities and over 17
thousand infections. Brazil ranks third in the world in terms of the number of
infection and deaths after the United States and India. At least 188 million
infections have so far been reported around the world and over 4 million
fatalities, according to worldmeters.info.

ELECTION Romania hails the results of the recent
election in the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova and pledges
support in the country’s European integration process, after the presidential
party Action and Solidarity registered a landslide victory with 53% of the
votes. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has congratulated the Moldovan
citizens on their clear option for reforms and the rule of law and President
Maia Sandu on her courage, perseverance and vision. According to the local public
radio, this has been the highest number of votes ever registered by a right-wing
party in the republic and the party’s interim president Igor Grosu has
announced the government team is ready. According to Russian news agency TASS,
socialist leader Igor Dodon has said he will build a responsible opposition but
the period of good relations with Russia has ended.

(bill)

13 July 2021
The Republic of Moldova is bracing up for snap election

Maia Sandu, president of the Republic
of Moldova on Wednesday dissolved Parliament in Chisinau and called for early
election on July 11th. This became possible after the country’s Constitutional
Court had ruled the state of emergency as unconstitutional, paving the way for
the dissolution of Parliament, which couldn’t have been dissolved otherwise.

Maia Sandu: Through this decision we have opened the way for citizens to be able to
elect a new Parliament to serve their interest and the country’s. The power is
now in the hands of the people. I trust our citizens and their readiness to
choose the right way towards a developed democratic state in which people are
living in peace and prosperity.

The Parliamentary election
is the way out of the political deadlock currently affecting the small
Romanian-speaking state in the east. With an ambitious reform agenda including
several goals as curbing corruption, streamlining institutions and embracing
European values, Maia Sandu from the very beginning of her mandate has attracted
opposition from the Parliament majority made up of the Socialists of the former
pro-Russia president Igor Dodon. In a bid to block the early election, Dodon
and his allies made an abortive attempt at changing the members of the
Constitutional Court. The European institutions and the US Department of State
have voiced concern over the latest moves by the pro-Russia majority in
Moldova, describing them as a blatant attack on the country’s democratic norms
and its Constitutional order.

Prior to Sandu’s statement, Dodon had
again lashed out at the Constitutional Court, which he described as a political
instrument in the hands of some politicians trying to undermine the state
authority.

Dodon has also described his
political opponents as puppets of the West. His political supporter, Moscow,
has denounced what it calls a direct intrusion of the US and EU in the domestic
affairs of the Republic of Moldova urging both entities to refrain from such
moves.

The anti-Constitutional coup in
Chisinau has also been firmly condemned by Bucharest. According to Romania’s
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, the latest moves involving Parliament in
Chisinau are proof of the importance that must be attached to the continuous
observation of the rule of law in the Republic of Moldova as well as the
importance of avoiding any decisions that might cast a question mark over the
rule of law in this country.

In turn, Romania’s Constitutional
Court (CCR) has expressed disagreement towards the concerted attacks against
the Constitutional Court in the Republic of Moldova and the constitutional
crisis in this country. ‘To incite to disregarding the Constitutional Court’s
rulings is tantamount to incite to breaking the law, the rule of law, to
cancelling the very essence of democracy’, the CCR says.

29 April 2021
January 19, 2021 UPDATE

Vaccination campaign – The second stage of the national vaccination campaign against Covid-19 is currently under way in Romania. Valeriu Gheorghiță, the campaign coordinator, announced on Tuesday, in a press conference, that Romania has contracted sufficient vaccine doses, and starting with the second quarter of the tear, the number of delivered doses will increase significantly. He added that 299 vaccination centers were opened across the country in the second stage of the campaign. Over 233 thousand Romanians have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 since the start of the campaign, on December 27, and over 800 common and minor side effects have been registered. The second stage targets people over 65, people with chronic diseases and employees in key areas. About 6 million Romanians have the right to be vaccinated in this stage. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 697,000 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the country and more than 630,000 patients have recovered, according to the Strategic Communication Group. Most new cases of COVID-19 are registered in Bucharest. The total number of Covid-19-associated deaths is 17,369. 1,050 patients are currently in ICUs.

Travel conditions — The persons who have received the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine at least 10 days before coming to Romanian will no longer be quarantined, the National Committee for Emergency Situations announced. The Committee established the same conditions for those who were in direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person more than 10 days after being vaccinated with the second dose. Also, people confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 might end the quarantine period on the 10th day if they take a test and the result is negative. Children traveling with vaccinated parents to countries with a high incidence of COVID-19 will be quarantined for ten days upon returning to Romania, as they can risk spreading the disease, said Florentina Furtunescu, a representative of the National Public Health Institute. In another development, the list of states with an epidemiological risk has been updated. Thus, no country is in the red zone, and the yellow zone includes 48 countries, among which the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France and Germany.

Statistics – The National Strategy and Forecast Committee has revised slightly downwards Romanias economic growth in 2021 from 4.5%, as estimated last autumn, to 4.3%. The Committee also forecasts private consumption rate of only 3.7%, as against 4.6% as estimated in the autumn, and a trade deficit of minus 21.4 billion Euros, slightly higher than the autumn forecast. The average exchange rate this year is going to be 4.89 lei per 1 Euro, as compared to the autumn estimate. The end-of-the-year inflation is forecast at 2.2%, slightly lower than the previous estimate of 2.5%.

Brussels — The President of the Republic of Moldova, pro-Western Maia Sandu, said that she managed to unblock the dialogue with the European Union, affected by the policy of her pro-Russian predecessor, Igor Dodon. Maia Sandu met on Monday and Tuesday, during her official visit to Brussels, with the most important European leaders, emphasizing that the EU is the main partner of the Republic of Moldova in the fight against corruption, in reforming institutions and in strengthening the rule of law, according to Radio Chisinau. Maia Sandu had a meeting with the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, during which they tackled the political developments in Chisinau and the reforms on the European agenda of Rep. Moldova. The Moldovan President also met with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who assured her that she could count on the Unions support in the reform process and in the anti-corruption fight. During the meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, the two officials agreed on re-establishing the complex political dialogue between Chisinau and Brussels and discussed ways to have a more active cooperation on regional security.

Ambassador — The US Ambassador to Bucharest, Adrian Zuckerman, on Tuesday met with the Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu, at the end of the American diplomats mandate. Adrian Zuckerman was accompanied by the deputy head of the Diplomatic Mission, David Muniz, who will become “Chargé dAffaires” after the ambassador’s departure, on January 20, shows a press release of the US Embassy in Bucharest. The talks of the three officials focused on the progress reported in the past year in the bilateral relationship and on the continuation of cooperation on numerous projects, including the one on the Cernavoda nuclear power plant (in southeastern Romania). The Romanian prime minister thanked Ambassador Zuckerman for his involvement in the bilateral relationship, adding that he was looking forward to working with David Muniz. The latter assured PM Cîțu that the Romanian-American relationship would remain close under the Biden Administration and expressed his interest in further strengthening the Strategic Partnership. (tr. L.Simion)

19 January 2021
Strengthening the Romania – Moldova partnership

Within a week since Maia Sandu was sworn in as the new president of the Republic of Moldova, her Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis travelled to Chişinău. He was the first foreign high-ranking official received by Maia Sandu, since the latter won the November 15 election, thwarting the pro-Russian Igor Dodons hopes for a new term in office.

As Romanias Presidency had predicted, the visit occasioned a strong support message for the new president and for Moldovas citizens, in their efforts to strengthen democracy, to implement the rule of law irreversibly and to consolidate both the countrys European accession endeavour and its privileged relations with Romania.

President Iohannis announced that Bucharest will send the neighbouring state 200,000 anti-Covid-19 shots, 6,000 tones of diesel gas for farmers and at least 250,000 euro to support civil society and the mass media.

Klaus Iohannis: “I am glad that this visit to Chişinău comes against the background of a massive vote, by Moldovan citizens, in favour of democratic reforms in line with the EU integration values.

For Maia Sandu, the visit of her Romanian counterpart means the end of the international isolation in which the previous pro-Russian governments had kept the country:

Maia Sandu: “Im happy that as of today, the Republic of Moldova and Romania return to a natural, brotherly and open interaction. These days, the Republic of Moldova steps into a new era of ending its international isolation and connecting to the European space.

The 2 presidents signed a joint statement on strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Moldova and Romania, reconfirming their special bilateral relation, and Chişinăus commitment to its European accession programme.

An economist with an MA in public administration at Harvard, former adviser to the World Bank executive director, former minister and PM of Moldova, Maia Sandu, 48, is the first woman president of the R. of Moldova, 3 decades after the country proclaimed its independence from Moscow.

All analysts agree that the presidents task will be infinitely more difficult than the election in which she defeated Dodon. Maia Sandu is the leader of Europes poorest state, as relevant surveys indicate. She has taken over an administration riddled by corruption and filled with the former presidents cronies, and will have to work with an outgoing Socialist Cabinet and with a parliament controlled by leftists.

The new presidents most important allies are her countrys citizens, the European Union and, as always, Romania. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

30 December 2020
December 29, 2020 UPDATE

Visit — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday paid an official visit to the Republic of Moldova at the invitation of his Moldovan counterpart, pro-western Maia Sandu. Romania was by Moldova’s side on the very first day of its independence and it is currently its most important trade partner, said Maia Sandu. She went on to say that the countries have a common language as well as a common history and culture. In turn, President Klaus Iohannis said that Romania would remain a sincere friend of Moldova, which needs reforms for sustainable development. He announced a new aid package to be granted by Bucharest. The two officials adopted a Joint Declaration aimed at consolidating the bilateral strategic partnership. The document reconfirms the special bilateral relation on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Strategic Partnership for Moldova’s European Integration as well as Moldova’s commitment to follow its European path and to implement the democratic reforms necessary to reach that goal. The visit paid by Klaus Iohannis was the first high level visit for Maia Sandu, after she took over the presidential seat following the November 15 election, when she defeated the former pro-Russian Socialist president Igor Dodon. Holding dual citizenship, Moldovan and Romanian, an economist with an MA in public administration at Harvard, a former advisor to the executive director of the World Bank, a former minister and prime minister of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu became, at 48, the first woman president of Moldova, three decades after the country proclaimed its independence from Moscow.

Covid-19 Romania — Tuesday saw the arrival to Romania of a second tranche of more than 140 thousand doses of Covid-19 vaccine doses necessary for the immunization, in a first phase, of the medical staff. The first tranche of 10,000 doses was delivered on Saturday, and vaccination began the next day. Over 4,600 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Romania on Tuesday. Bucharest reports the largest number of infections in the country. In terms of incidence, Ilfov county, near the capital, is the only county with over 5 cases per thousand inhabitants accumulated in the last 14 days, and Bucharest reached a contamination rate of less than 4 cases per thousand. The number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs has decreased to about 1,162. 135 people have died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. More than 85% of the COVID-19 patients have recovered since the start of the pandemic.

Chamber of deputies — The Romanian Chamber of Deputies met on Tuesday in a plenary session, the 2nd in the new legislature that started on December 21. The deputies ran several tests regarding remote voting on a new type of tablets. Last week saw the first session in which the deputies were sworn in, the permanent committees were set up and the speaker of the chamber and the members of the permanent bureau were elected. The Liberal leader, the former PM Ludovic Orban, was elected speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

Budget deficit – Romania reported a budget deficit of 8% of the GDP in the first 11 months of 2020, accounting for 84 billion lei (about 17 billion Euros), as compared to 3.5% of the GDP in the same period of 2019, according to data made public by the Finance Ministry. According to the Finance Ministry, the increase was triggered by the unfavorable evolution of the budget revenues, as well as the postponement of the payment of some fiscal obligations by companies during the health crisis. The deficit difference was also caused by the exceptional payments generated by the pandemic.

Protests — One of the biggest trade union confederations in Romania, Cartel Alfa, protested on Tuesday in Bucharest against the level proposed by the government for the increase in the minimum wage in 2021. The trade unionists say that the increase of 70 lei, that is 15 Euros, added to the minimum wage, as announced by the government, does not even cover for the additional expenses needed for the purchase of masks and other individual protection stuff. Cartel Alfa also adds that prices have gone up and will continue to increase and that, at present, the minimum wage in Romania does not even cover for half of the expenses for a decent living. The government representatives met with the trade unionists and suggested a 6-month moratorium when the two sides are to establish together a new calculation mechanism. The government is to make a decision on the level of the minimum wages in Wednesday’s session. (tr. L. Simion)

29 December 2020
29.12.2020

Visite – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis fait aujourd’hui une visite officielle en République de Moldova, à l’invitation de son nouvel homologue Maia Sandu. C’est la première visite au sommet que reçoit Maia Sandu, après son investiture à l’issue des élections du 15 novembre, durant lesquelles elle a vaincu l’ex-chef de l’Etat, le socialiste pro-russe Igor Dodon. Selon l’administration présidentielle de Bucarest, la visite du chef de l’Etat roumain à Chisinau offrira le cadre nécessaire pour transmettre un fort message d’appui au nouveau président et aux ressortissants moldaves, dans leur effort de démocratiser, d’implémenter irréversiblement des principes de l’Etat de droit et de consolider tant le parcours européen que les relations privilégiées avec la Roumanie. Les deux présidents adopteront une déclaration commune qui vise à consolider le partenariat stratégique bilatéral, réaffirmant la relation spéciale entre Bucarest et Chisinau. Maia Sandu, a une double nationalité roumano-moldave et un master en administration publique à l’université américaine Harvard. Elle a également été conseillère du directeur exécutif de la Banque Mondiale, ministre et première ministre à Chisinau. Elle est devenue à 48 ans la première femme présidente de la République de Moldova, trois décennies après la proclamation de l’indépendance envers Moscou.

Coronavirus
– Une deuxième tranche de vaccins contre la Covid 19 est arrivée aujourd’hui en
Roumanie. Elle est constituée de 140 mille doses nécessaires à l’immunisation
du personnel médical. Un premier lot de 10.000 doses a été délivré samedi et
l’immunisation a commencé le lendemain. Plus de 4.600 nouveaux cas d’infection
au coronavirus ont été rapportés aujourd’hui en Roumanie. Bucarest rapporte le
plus grand nombre de contaminations rapportés au niveau national. Pour ce qui
est du taux d’incidence de la maladie, le département d’Ilfov, près de la
Capitale est l’unique département ayant plus de 5 cas d’infection par mille
habitants au cours des 14 derniers jours, alors qu’à Bucarest, le taux est d’un
peu plus de 4 cas par mille habitants. Le nombre des malades de Covid 19 hospitalisés dans les unités de soins
intensifs a baissé à 1.162. 135 personnes sont décédées suite à l’infection au nouveau coronavirus
ces dernières 24 heures. Plus de 85% des personnes dépistées positives depuis
le début de la pandémie ont été déclarés guéris.

Déficit – Le déficit budgétaire de la Roumanie sur les onze premiers mois de cette année est de 84 milliards de lei (environ 17 milliards d’euros), soit 8% du Produit Intérieur Brut, informe le ministère des finances de Bucarest. L’année dernière, le déficit était de 3,5% du PIB, sur la même période. Le ministère des finances explique cette hausse par la mauvaise évolution des recettes budgétaires et par le report du paiement des obligations fiscales par les opérateurs économiques durant la crise sanitaire. À cela se sont ajoutés les paiements à caractère exceptionnel engendrés par la pandémie, informe également le ministère roumain des finances.

Syndicats – La confédération syndicale Cartel Alfa, une des plus grandes de Roumanie, annonce avoir déclenché une série d’actions pour protester contre la majoration du salaire minimum proposée par le gouvernement. Selon la confédération, le montant de 70 lei (15 euro) annoncé par l’Exécutif ne couvre même pas les dépenses supplémentaires pour l’achat de masques et d’autres éléments de protection individuelle. Les syndicalistes de la confédération Cartel ALFA affirment aussi qu’en Roumanie les prix des produits ont augmenté et continueront de le faire, l’actuel salaire minimum arrivant à couvrir à peine la moitié des dépenses pour un niveau de vie décent. Le gouvernement de Bucarest devrait prendre une décision à ce sujet au cours de sa réunion de mercredi.

Députés
– Réunion aujourd’hui du plénum de la Chambre des Députés, la première de la
nouvelle Législature qui a commencé ce 21 décembre, avec à l’ordre du jour des
débats sur plusieurs projets législatifs. La semaine dernière, les députés ont
prête serment d’investiture, les commissions permanentes ont été constituées,
le président de la Chambre a été élu, tout comme les membres du bureau
permanent. La semaine dernière, durant
une réunion du plénum, les députés ont élu le président du PNL, l’ex-premier
ministre Ludovic Orban aux fonctions de président de la Chambre des Députés.

Journalistes – En 2020, 50 journalistes ont été tués et près de sept sur dix l’ont été dans des pays en paix et non des zones de guerre, annonce l’organisation Reporters sans frontières (RSF) dans son bilan annuel publié mardi et cité par l’AFP. Si le nombre de morts reste stable par rapport aux 53 journalistes tués en 2019, de plus en plus sont assassinés dans des pays en paix, soit 34 personnes, représentant 68% du nombre total de tués, souligne l’ONG française qui a établi ce décompte entre le 1er janvier et le 15 décembre. Le Mexique est le pays le plus meurtrier pour la profession avec 8 tués, suivi par l’Inde (4), le Pakistan (4), les Philippines (3) et le Honduras (3).

Météo – Temps particulièrement beau doux pour cette période de l’année en Roumanie. Quelques nuages sont à signaler sur le sud-ouest et le nord-ouest, où des pluies locales sont possibles, alors qu’en haute montagne à plus de 1700 mètres d’altitude, les précipitations sont mixtes : pluie neige alors que les routes pourraient devenir verglaçantes. Ciel variable, plutôt bleu sur le reste du territoire. Les températures vont de 7 à 17 degrés. Une alerte météorologique au vent fort est valable jusqu’à jeudi sur tout le territoire du pays, mais notamment sur le relief. 13 degrés sous un superbe soleil en ce moment à Bucarest.

29 December 2020
December 28, 2020

Visit — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is paying an official visit to the Republic of Moldova on Tuesday at the invitation of his Moldovan counterpart, pro-western Maia Sandu. It is the first high level visit for Maia Sandu after she took over the presidential seat following the November 15 elections, when she defeated the former pro-Russian Socialist president Igor Dodon. According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, the Romanian President’s visit to Chisinau will provide the framework for conveying a strong message of support for the new Moldovan president and the Moldovan citizens, in their effort for democratization, for the irreversible implementation of the rule of law principles, for consolidating Moldova’s European path and its privileged relation with Romania. The two presidents will adopt a Joint Declaration aimed at consolidating the bilateral strategic partnership. Holding dual citizenship, Moldovan and Romanian, an economist with an MA in public administration at Harvard, a former advisor to the executive director of the World Bank, a former minister and prime minister of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu became, at 48, the first woman president of Moldova, three decades after the country proclaimed its independence from Moscow.

COVID-19 Romania — More than 2,600 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Monday in Romania after more than 7,700 were made, which means an infection rate of more than 34%. Another 104 people have died in the past 24 hours, with 1,197 patients being in ICUs. So far 618,400 people have been contaminated and over 15,300 have died from COVID-19. Almost 85% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered. This is the second day of the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Romania. On Sunday, on the first day, as many as 1,000 medical staff were vaccinated and none of them had any side effects, the National Committee for Coordinating Anti-COVID-19 Vaccination Activities announced. According to the committee, more vaccine doses will arrive in Romania on Tuesday. The first 10 thousand doses arrived on Saturday in Bucharest from where they were distributed across the country.

Session — The new government coalition in Bucharest headed by the Liberal Florin Citu is meeting today for their first official session. The government intends to adopt an emergency decree meant to support the pro-vaccination campaign in the mass media and measures to support the companied affected by the new coronavirus pandemic, according to the PM Citu. He explained that they would set up the state aid scheme aimed at providing financial support to the companies operating in the hospitality industry. Another draft emergency decree will extend the investments made under the National Development Program, Phase I, which is coming to an end at the end of 2020.

Eurostat — In 2019, households in the EU allotted, on average, 13% of their total consumption expenses on foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages, on top position of the classification being the Romanian households that allotted 26%, show data published on Monday by Eurostat. Other EU members that spend more on foodstuffs are Lithuania (20.2%) and Estonia (19.3%). Ireland, Luxemburg and Austria are the 3 EU members that spend less than 10% of their total consumption expenses on foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages. In the case of Romania, the share of expenses on foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages in the total consumption expenses dropped from 27.3% in 2009 to 26% in 2019. All in all, in 2019 EU households spent more than 956 billion Euros on foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages. (tr,. L. Simion)

28 December 2020
December 14, 2020 UPDATE

TALKS After a first round of talks on Monday with
the political groups, which made it to Parliament following the election on
December 6th, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said the proper conditions for
the designation of a Prime Minister to form a new government have not been met.
The Romanian president said that a new round of talks is needed and announced
he would summon the new Legislature on December 21st. The Social Democrats who
obtained the largest number of votes in the election, proposed doctor Alexandru
Rafila for the position of Prime Minister to head a national unity government.
The National Liberal Party has proposed the incumbent Finance Minister Florin
Citu, while the USR-PLUS alliance, who came in third, proposed the former
technocratic Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos. The fourth largest group in
Parliament AUR, proposed Calin Georgescu, who has been described as an
international expert in sustainable development.

THANKS Maia
Sandu, the pro-Western president elect of the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking
Republic of Moldova held talks with Romania’s ambassador to Chisinau Daniel
Ionita whom she thanked for the consistent support Romania offered to the
Republic of Moldova. The Moldovan official stressed out the need for
re-establishing bilateral cooperation between Romania and the Republic of
Moldova for the benefit of their citizens. Sandu said the visit to be paid by
Romanian president Klaus Iohannis late this year is very important and voiced
hope that this is the first step in a long term productive cooperation.

UN Romania has been and will continue to be an active
member involved in the proper functioning of the United Nations, the Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, said at the celebration of 75 years of the
organization’s existence and 65 years of Romania’s UN membership. The head of
diplomacy considers that Romania has demonstrated a genuine and lasting
commitment at all levels: maintaining international peace and security,
sustainable development and promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of
law. The official added that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the
importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing global challenges. In this
context, Bogdan Aurescu stressed that there is a need for an efficient
Organization, able to respond adequately to pre-existing challenges to peace,
security and human rights, as well as emerging challenges and trends in the
context of the current pandemic crisis.

INVESTMENTS In Romania, the Agency
for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR) has so far made payments of 7 billion
Euros through the National Rural Development Program 2014 – 2020, the degree of
absorption on this program exceeding 70%, AFIR announced on Monday.
Beneficiaries were farmers, processors, entrepreneurs and local public
authorities. The National Rural Development Program 2014 – 2020 provides
non-reimbursable funds from the European Union and the government for the
economic and social development of the rural area.

(bill)

14 December 2020
Maia Sandu ist neue Präsidentin der Republik Moldau

Maia Sandu, Ökonomin, mit einem Masterabschluss in Verwaltung an der amerikanischen Harvard-Universität, Ex-Beraterin eines Weltbank-Geschäftsführers wird im Alter von 48 Jahren Präsidentin der Moldau, nachdem sie zeitweilig auch Premierministerin war. Sie setzte sich am Sonntag gegen den prorussischen Amtsinhaber, den Sozialisten Igor Dodon mit rund 57% der Stimmen durch. Es war für Sandu praktisch eine Revanche, nachdem sie vor vier Jahren gegen Dodon ebenfalls in der Stichwahl unterlag.

Die im ersten Wahlgang vor zwei Wochen ausgeschiedenen Kandidaten, die eine Vereinigung mit Rumänien oder zumindest doch eine Annäherung an den Westen anstrebten, beeilten sich, ihre unbedingte Unterstützung für Maia Sandu im Wahlfinale auszusprechen. Doch die Überraschung kam aus Bălţi, der zweitgrö‎ßten Stadt des Landes — der dortige Bürgermeister, der prorussische Populist Renato Usatîi, der vor zwei Wochen als drittstärkster Bewerber mit 17% hinter Dodon und Sandu abschnitt, rief seine Wähler auf, mit Maia Sandu zu stimmen. Er sei von der Regierungsfraktion unter Druck gesetzt worden, Dodon zu unterstützen, hoffe aber dass Maia Sandu das System allgemeiner Korruption unter Führung Dodons auseinandernimmt.

Im Ausland glich die Wahl einem Plebiszit für Sandu. Rund eine Viertel Million Moldauer stimmte grö‎ßtenteils für Sandu — eine Rekordbeteiligung, trotz Pandemie. Die Menschen gingen wählen, weil sie die Politik angeht, weil sie wollen, dass ihre Stimme erhört wird und sie respektiert werden wollen, und weil sie wollen, dass die Politik Lösungen für ihre Probleme entwickelt”, sagte die frisch gewählte Präsidentin.

Experten sind sich einig: das Mandat wird unvergleichlich schwieriger sein als die Wahl. Maia Sandu wird Staatschefin im ärmsten Land Europas, sie übernimmt eine zutiefst korrupte Verwaltung, in der die Klientel von Ex-Präsident Dodon das Sagen hat und muss auch mit einer moskautreuen sozialistisch geprägten Regierung sowie einem linksdominierten Parlament auskommen. Auf ihrer Seite stehen nun die Bürger, aber auch die EU und wie immer Rumänien. Aus Bukarest gratulierte unverzüglich Präsident Klaus Iohannis und Premierminister Ludovic Orban sagte Unterstützung für die Initiativen der neuen Präsidentin zu — in Brüssel wie auch zuhause.

16 November 2020
October 4, 2020 UPDATE

MAE Romania’s Foreign Ministry fully
supports the EU decisions regarding the situation in Belarus, reads a post on
the Institution’s Twitter page. According to the Ministry, the pressure put by
the authorities in Minsk on some EU members like Poland and Lithuania to
withdraw their ambassadors does not help to settle the present crisis, neither
will it affect solidarity among EU countries. Belarus has recalled its ambassadors
from Poland and Lithuania and has called on both countries to substantially
reduce their embassy personnel in Minsk. Brussels has officially adopted sanctions
against 40 people in Belarus for ‘brutal reprisals against peaceful protesters’
and election rigging. The list, which provides for asset freezing and travel
interdictions in the member states, does not include president Alexander
Lukashenko. Meanwhile, police in Belarus have announced they have operated
arrests and used water cannons against tens of thousands protesters who took to
the streets of Minsk on Sunday denounced the rigged election in August.

PANDEMIC Over 35 million people have been confirmed infected with the
novel coronavirus worldwide and the death toll stands at more than one million
people, according to worldometers.
The US continues to be the most affected with 7.6 million infections and a
death toll over 214 thousand. The novel coronavirus has killed more than 100
thousand people in India, which has reported over 6.5 million infections.
Brazil has a death toll of 146 thousand and 5 million infections. Europe has
also been affected; Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic have reported a
growing number of infections, which is also on the rise in Italy, where
authorities are considering an extended state of emergency until February next
year.

COVID-19 1,835 people have tested
positive for the novel coronavirus in Romania on Sunday; the local authorities
have also announced 56 fatalities. 598 patients are in intensive care units
while the death toll since the beginning of the pandemic stands at 5,003.
Romania has so far reported a total number of 135,900 infections. In spite of
the growing number of infections, the authorities believe they don’t need to
impose another state of emergency. They insist on prevention though by
observing the safety measures already known such as social distancing,
disinfection and the wearing of masks in public places. According to Raed
Arafat, head of the Department for Emergency Situations, tougher restriction
measures could be imposed in certain areas, if the situation worsened.

ELECTION An election campaign has
kicked off in the Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova for the presidential
election on November 1st against a recrudescence of the Covid-19
epidemic. 8 candidates are vying for the presidential seat but only two stand
chances, the incumbent president, the pro-Russia Socialist Igor Dodon and the
leader of the Action and Solidarity Party and former Prime Minister Maia Sandu,
who is seen as pro-Europe. Dodon won the 2016 election by getting a little over
52% of the votes and experts believe the two candidates are going to be neck
and neck in the upcoming election.

RECOUNT The Election Bureau of the city
of Bucharest (BEM) on Sunday turned down a request for an election recount in
the city’s District 1. The BEM has deemed the ruling PSD’s decision to contest
the allegedly rigged local election on September 27th as ungrounded.
Agerpres news agency recalls the Social Democrats called for an election
recount after a TV channel had aired footage with people entering a room where ballot
bags were deposited. Police and the prosecutor’s office have launched
investigations in two files. The aforementioned institution on Sunday rejected
a similar request for the city’s District 5, coming from several political
parties.

(bill)

4 October 2020
October 4, 2020

PANDEMIC Over 35 million people have been confirmed infected with the
novel coronavirus worldwide and the death toll stands at more than one million
people, according to worldometers.
The US continues to be the most affected with 7.6 million infections and a
death toll over 214 thousand. The novel coronavirus has killed more than 100
thousand people in India, which has reported over 6.5 million infections.
Brazil has a death toll of 146 thousand and 5 million infections. Europe has
also been affected; Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic have reported a
growing number of infections, which is also on the rise in Italy, where
authorities are considering an extended state of emergency until February next
year.

COVID-19 1,835 people have tested positive
for the novel coronavirus in Romania on Sunday; the local authorities have also
announced 56 fatalities. 598 patients are in intensive care units while the
death toll since the beginning of the pandemic stands at 5,003. Romania has so
far reported a total number of 135,900 infections. In spite of the growing
number of infections, the authorities believe they don’t need to impose another
state of emergency. They insist on prevention though by observing the safety
measures already known such as social distancing, disinfection and the wearing
of masks in public places. According to Raed Arafat, head of the Department for
Emergency Situations, tougher restriction measures could be imposed in certain
areas, if the situation worsened.

ELECTION An election campaign has
kicked off in the Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova for the presidential
election on November 1st against a recrudescence of the Covid-19
epidemic. 8 candidates are vying for the presidential seat but only two stand
chances, the incumbent president, the pro-Russia Socialist Igor Dodon and the
leader of the Action and Solidarity Party and former Prime Minister Maia Sandu,
who is seen as pro-Europe. Dodon won the 2016 election by getting a little over
52% of the votes and experts believe the two candidates are going to be neck and
neck in the upcoming election.

TENNIS The odds-on favourite of the Roland Garros tennis tournament, Romanian
Simona Halep was outperformed today by Iga Swiatek of Poland in the
competition’s round of 16. The two also played against each other in the same
competition a year ago, and the game went to Simona in 45 minutes. Simona came after
a two-set win against US challenger Amanda Anisimova, 6-0, 6-1. Another two
Romanian players were eliminated in the third round on Saturday when Irina Bara
lost to Sofia Kenin of the USA 6-2, 6-0 and Patricia Tig to Fiona Ferro of
France, 7-6, 4-6, 6-0.

DEFENCE Romanian president Klaus
Iohannis has summoned the Higher Defence Council (CSAT) on October 6th
for talks over the country’s defence and national security. No details on the
talks agenda have been made available. The latest CSAT session was held in late
May when the country’s national defence strategy was discussed.

(bill)

4 October 2020
Eine neue politische Krise in der Republik Moldau

Nach nicht einmal sechs Monaten im Amt ist die Regierung Maia Sandu zerbrochen. Ein Misstrauensvotum im Parlament hat sie zu Fall gebracht. Insgesamt 63 von 101 Parlamentarier stimmten gegen die Sandu Regierung. Abgeordnete der Demokratischen Partei Moldaus (PDM), des unbeliebten Oligarchen Vlad Plahotniuc schlossen sich Kollegen der pro-russischen Moldauischen Sozialistischen Partei (PSRM) unter der Führung des Präsidenten des Landes, Igor Dodon, an, um die Regierung zu stürzen. Die Beziehungen zwischen dem pro-europäischen Block ACUM und der Sozialistischen Partei verschlechterten sich weiter, nachdem Premierministerin Maia Sandu das Verfahren zur Ernennung des Generalstaatsanwalts geändert hatte, um Kandidaten für dieses Amt direkt ernennen zu können.

Experten haben erwartet, dass die moskaufreundlichen Kräfte ein von Pro-Europäern dominiertes Kabinett nicht lange dulden würden. Dem moskautreuen Präsidenten, Igor Dodon war es jedoch gelungen, zwei seiner Leute an die Spitze von Schlüsselministerien zu bringen.

In ihrer letzten Rede im Parlament sagte Maia Sandu, dass es ihrem Kabinett gelungen sei, die Gehälter sozial schwacher Gruppen zu erhöhen und eine grundlegende Reform der Justiz einzuleiten. Sie wies darauf hin, dass die Regierung in nur fünf Monaten an der Macht über 100 Millionen Euro an finanzieller Unterstützung erhalten habe und dass die Republik Moldau bis zum Jahresende weitere 30 Millionen Euro von der EU erhalten solle, was für ein Land, das als das Ärmste in Europa gilt, von entscheidender Bedeutung sei.

Brüssel hat kurz nach dem Sturz der Regierung reagiert. Die Absetzung der Regierung in Chisinau stellt ein besorgniserregendes Zeichen für die Fortsetzung der Reform dar. Mit der Absetzung der Regierung ist die Forderung nach der Fortsetzung der Reformen, vor allem im Bereich der Justiz nicht weggefegt worden, sagte die Sprecherin der EU-Au‎ßenbeaftragte, Federica Mogherini. Sie betonte: Wir werden unsere Beziehungen zur Republik Moldau weiterhin auf dem Grundsatz der Konditionalität und der Achtung der Rechtsstaatlichkeit und der demokratischen Standards aufbauen“.

In Rumänien hat Präsident Klaus Iohannis davor gewarnt, dass die Unterstützung Rumäniens für die Republik Moldau, einschlie‎ßlich der finanziellen Unterstützung, im gegenwärtigen Kontext streng von der Fortsetzung der Reformen abhängig sein wird, während Premierminister Ludovic Orban erklärt hat, dass die rumänische Regierung nicht bereit ist, mit einer moldawischen Regierung zusammenzuarbeiten, die keine ernsthaften Garantien für eine echte Demokratie bietet. Wenn eine neue Regierung nicht innerhalb von drei Monaten eingesetzt wird, kann Präsident Dodon das Parlament auflösen und vorgezogene Wahlen einberufen, was nach Ansicht von Analysten die Anzahl der Sozialisten im Parlament erhöhen könnte, sodass sie alle Instrumente der Macht an sich rei‎ßen können.

13 November 2019