Radio România Internațional

Tag: Schengen area

  • March 28, 2024

    March 28, 2024

    FRANCOPHONIE – Romania is hosting an economic mission of the International Organization of La Francophonie, as well as a dedicated economic forum on its sidelines, a high-profile platform addressing businesses from French-speaking countries. Attending will be entrepreneurs and government officials from 88 member states. In an opening statement delivered on Wednesday, Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mathias Cormann, highlighted opportunities to further develop trade and investment between Central Europe, including Romania, and other French-speaking countries. On the sidelines of the event, Romanian companies can talk to potential business partners from Africa, Asia, North America, the Caribbean or Europe. Agri-food, IT, green energy and medical industry are but some of the sectors featured in the economic forum.

     

     

    GOVERNMENT – A draft emergency decree in the field of taxation is today discussed by the government. According to the document, meal allowances are expected to be maintained at the current value, applicable to all employees whose monthly income is below 1,600 EUR. Economic operators who reported accounting losses will be allowed to provide pay rises subject to certain conditions. State-owned enterprises that registered profits will deliver at least 50% of their dividends to the state budget. The government is also examining another two draft laws whereby it plans to deliver emergency aid worth 340 thousand EUR to underprivileged families and individuals and to create a subsidy scheme for regional development by boosting investment.

     

     

    PRESIDENCY – The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has ratified the law banning the selling of e-cigarettes to minors. The law seeks to reduce the exposure of children and teenagers to tabaco products and stipulates fines up to 20,000 EUR, depending on the severity of the offense. The head of state also ratified the law on developing social services to prevent disenfranchised children from getting separated from their families. Under the new law, local authorities must organize daycare centers in local communities, with half of the expenses getting covered by the state.

     

     

    SCHENGEN – On March 31, Romania will join the Schengen area with its air and maritime borders. Starting this day, Romanians travelling to EU space and Schengen member states will no longer go through customs and passport control, but will go straight to boarding gates. Romania’s partial accession to Schengen will be marked on Friday through the inauguration of a new international departures terminal at the “Traian Vuia” Airport in Timișoara. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis are expected to attend the opening event.

     

     

    PRESS FREEDOM – The European Council and the European Parliament have green-lit the final draft of the Media Freedom Act, which compels members states to guarantee editorial independence of public service media by ensuring sustainable and predictable funding. The law protects online content and ensures enhanced transparency of media ownership. Authorities will be prohibited from pressing journalists and editors to disclose their sources, an underlying principle of investigative journalism in addition to access to information. The Media Freedom Act will also introduce an independent committee for media services comprising media authorities from member states, which will advise the European Commission regarding member states’ degree of compliance with the law.

     

     

    EPPO – The European Prosecutor’s Office is carrying out an investigation into the fraudulent purchase of tugboats for Lower Danube Delta, which caused a prejudice of approximately 7 mln EUR to the EU budget. The investigation targets workers with the Administration of the Galați Lower Danube River Administration and the Romanian Naval Authority. In 2019, the two institutions secured funding to purchase two multi-purpose tugboats, but delivered inaccurate documentation, prosecutors say. Although the boats were solely intended for river navigation, the suspects drew up the tendering specifications on the basis of the more restrictive technical characteristics and construction requirements specific to seagoing vessels. As a result, the type of vessels falling within the criteria of the tender specifications was very limited, which prevented other economic operators from participating in the tendering process, and ultimately favored only one applicant. Following the finalization of the contract with the supplier company, the two tugboats were delivered in July 2021, exclusively suited for maritime Danube, where the depth of the water permits navigation with a higher draught – therefore rendering the two boats unusable for river navigation. (VP)

  • March 5, 2024

    March 5, 2024

    MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies today dismissed the simple motion against Finance Minister Marcel Boloș, filed by USR and Forța Dreptei opposition parties. The motion was debated yesterday, opposition members criticising the Minister for introducing a 10% tax on medical leave to cover the holes in the state budget. Minister Boloș is also accused of violating the law that stipulates that any tax must be enacted six months after its introduction. Marcel Boloș denied all accusations, slamming the opposition’s motion as a politicized initiative. The healthcare system is underfunded, and the government sought to discourage medical leave, which would bring less benefits to working employees, the Finance Minister said in response.

     

     

    TALKS – The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, today met his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu. The head of state reiterated Romania’s firm support for Moldova’s EU integration efforts. President Iohannis is also expected to receive the president of Spain’s People’s Party, Alberto Núnez Feijóo, as well as the president of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber. Talks follow one day ahead of the EPP Congress scheduled to take place in Bucharest on Wednesday and Thursday.

     

     

    SCHENGEN – Romania is ready to join the Schengen area, not just with its air and maritime borders, which is expected to happen at the end of March, Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu said on the sidelines of the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. Romania could strengthen Schengen, which is why it is unfair our country should only be partly integrated in this area, Minister Predoiu went on to say. Romania reduced migration by nearly 60% last year, while only 40 people illegally crossed the Serbian border thanks to a pilot program, the Romanian official said. His Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, said Vienna is in no hurry to make a decision regarding Romania’s full accession to the Schengen area.

     

     

    OECD – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that in 2026, Romania will manage to achieve one of its key objectives, namely to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). To that end, we need to implement reforms stipulated in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the head of government added. The OECD comprises the world’s most developed states, which together account for 70% of global production and trade and 90% of foreign direct investment.

     

     

    BACCALAUREATE MOCK EXAMS– The mock Baccalaureate exam series continues today with the mandatory written exam for each profile, according to the timetable published by the Education Ministry. On Monday, high-school pupils took the Romanian language and literature written test. On Wednesday, they will sit an optional written test for each profile. Representatives of national minorities will sit the Romanian language and literature exam on March 7. Preliminary results will be announced on March 15. The Baccalaureate mock exams are held in over 1,320 schooling units, and will be taken by some 146,000 pupils, the Education Ministry reports.

     

     

    POLLUTION – Bucharest was ranked 35 in a list of the most polluted world capitals, according to a platform providing independent data on air quality. Other cities such as Berlin, Istanbul, Brussels or Warsaw rank above Romania, with in top position. The capital of Vietnam on Monday was blanketed by a thick haze of heavy pollution, caused by high levels of particulates from vehicle emissions and construction-linked fine dust. Air pollution is known to cause respiratory diseases and other chronic illnesses.

     

     

    HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team, Dinamo Bucharest, is today playing Sporting Lisbon of Portugal at home in its first fixture in the EHF European League main group 4. In the same group, CSM Constanța is taking on Fucshe Berlin, the defending champions. Having secured 3rd place in the group tables, Dinamo will play the playoff match against the team in second place in group 3, possibly Bjerringbro-Silkeborg of Denmark. The first leg will be played in Bucharest on March 26, while the return leg will take place on April 2 away from home. CSM Constanța, on the other hand, is bottom of the group tables and is thus eliminated. (VP)

     

  • December 10, 2018 UPDATE

    December 10, 2018 UPDATE

    SCHENGEN – The European Parliament on
    Tuesday is voting a new resolution calling for the admission of Romania and
    Bulgaria into the Schengen area, following Monday’s talks. The European Union
    Council is expected to take a final decision. At present both Romania and
    Bulgaria are partially enforcing the Schengen acquis, with controls being
    carried out on their external borders. The European Parliament has greenlit the
    two countries’ Schengen accession in 2011 and has repeatedly confirmed its
    decision. A decision has been postponed on multiple occasions due to opposition
    concerning the lack of reforms in the field of the judiciary.




    EUROPEAN COUNCIL – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday
    and Friday is attending the European Council meeting in Brussels, and the
    expanded format Euro Summit. According to the Presidency, the agenda of the
    European Council includes budget negotiations post-2020, the internal market of
    the union, migration management, fighting climate change, and combating racism
    and xenophobia. Speaking on the future EU budget, the Romanian president will
    plead for a speedy passing of the bill, specifying that Romania, as future
    presidency holder in the first half of next year, will act to get significant
    progress in negotiations. President Iohannis will also speak in support of
    enhanced dialog regarding migration. At the Euro Summit, the head of state will
    underline Romania’s support in the effort to consolidate the Economic and
    Monetary Union.




    VISIT – Romanian Custodian of the Crown, Princess Margaret, and her
    husband Radu continue their public visit to the UK, which started Sunday. The
    two attended on Monday a dinner in their honor, and on Tuesday they will meet
    Queen Elisabeth II at Buckingham Palace. On Wednesday they are scheduled to
    meet Prince Charles. On Sunday they were guests of honor at a remembrance in
    the royal chapel in London, honoring Queen Marie and King Mihai I. This is the
    first visit the princess makes to the UK since she took over as head of the
    royal house of Romania. The visit comes in commemoration of the Romanian
    Centennial and the commemoration of the end of WWI. The late King Mihai of
    Romania, who died on December 5, 2017, at 96, was third cousin to Queen
    Elisabeth.




    BREXIT – British PM Theresa May on Monday postponed the House of Commons
    vote on the Brexit agreement with the EU, admitting that the vote would fail at
    this moment. In her Parliament address, Theresa May said the House of Commons
    no longer has a majority to support the backstop mechanism for Northern Ireland
    stipulated in the Brexit agreement. Previously, the EU Court of Justice decided
    that the UK is free to unilaterally withdraw its notification of leaving the
    EU. In early October, the Scottish Supreme Court announced it filed a motion
    with the EU court to have issued a preliminary decision on the UK’s possibility
    of revoking its decision to leave the community. Full Brexit is scheduled for
    March 29, 2019.




    GAC – Romania’s Minister Delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba,
    on Tuesday is attending the General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. The
    agenda for talks includes the multiannual financial framework, the presentation
    of the joint agenda of the Romania-Finland-Croatia trio at the helm of the
    European Council over January 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020, as well as preparations
    for the European Council meeting of December 13-14, which will focus on the
    multiannual financial framework for the 2021-2027 period, the single market,
    foreign policy and economic and monetary union.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian women’s handball team will play Spain on
    Tuesday and Hungary on Wednesday in the 2018 European Championship group phase.
    To secure qualification from one of the top two positions in the group tables,
    Romania needs to win against Spain and Hungary. On Sunday, Romania lost to the
    Netherlands, 29-24, in the first group phase fixture, its first defeat after
    the wins against the Czech Republic, Germany and Norway.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • December 7, 2018 UPDATE

    December 7, 2018 UPDATE

    RESHUFFLE – Romanian PM Viorica Dancila announced that the Romanian
    government notified the Constitutional Court on its latest reshuffle. President
    Klaus Iohannis informed the PM on Thursday by telephone that next week he would
    not make any decision on the nomination of the new ministers, the ones for
    transportation and regional development. Previously, the head of state had said
    that he had not finished analyzing proposals for the Development Ministry, Lia-Olguta
    Vasilescu, and the Transportation Ministry, Mihai Draghici. Late last month,
    Klaus Iohannis had accepted six proposals for reshuffling made by Dancila for
    the ministries of defense, labor, economy, culture, communications, and youth
    and sports. The president showed his discontent with the fact that, in two
    years of governing, the ruling coalition replaced around 70 ministers.
    Constitutional Court Judges expect the opinions in this matter until December
    13.




    HEALTHCARE – Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea took over the rotating
    Presidency of the European Union Council from her Austrian counterpart, Beate
    Hartinger-Klein. Romania seeks to ensure access to healthcare to all EU
    citizens. Romania’s term in office includes five priorities in the healthcare
    field: anti-bacterial resistance, vaccination, equal access to medication,
    patient mobility and eHealth. On Thursday, LAbour Minister Marius Budaialso took
    over the Presidency of the Employment, Social Policy, Healthcare and Consumer
    Council.




    SALARY RAISE – The Romanian Government on Friday passed a law to increase the
    gross minimum wage and the salary for workers with higher education. Starting
    January 1, 2019, the gross minimum wage will go up to some 450 euros, while
    workers with higher education will have their salaries increased to 500 euros.
    Also on Friday, the Government decided to give holiday vouchers worth 310 euros
    for public sector employees in 2019 and 2020. This year some 1.2 million
    Romanians in the public system benefited from these vouchers. In September
    alone this year, the number of tourists seeking accommodation went up 14%
    compared to last year in the same period.




    TRANSPORTATION – The Transportation Ministry in Bucharest applied with the EC
    for financing for 15 infrastructure projects, a total of 4.8 billion Euro, as
    announced by Transportation Minister Lucian Sova. Two of the projects, the
    metro line to the main airport in Bucharest, and the Bucharest Beltway, are
    defined as major projects, worth around 1.5 billion Euro. From the beginning of
    the year to the present, three portions of highway have been inaugurated, for a
    total length of 40 km, and 14 more km are expected to be inaugurated as part of
    Transylvania Highway, and six km of the Bucharest- Ploiesti highway.




    MILITARY – Romanian Chief of Staff of the armed forces, General Nicolae
    Ciuca, met with some of the enlisted men part of the Anti-air Defense Squadron
    ‘Black Bats’, deployed to Poland as part of the US led NATO Combat Group. The
    squadron is made up of 120 soldiers providing forward consolidated presence, by
    rotation, in the northeast of NATO, in line with measures taken at the Warsaw
    Summit. During his visit to Poland, General Ciuca spoke to his Polish
    counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajmund Andrzejczak, on identifying new
    areas of cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, and
    diversifying means of training in common.




    VISIT – Senate Speaker
    Calin Popescu-Tariceanu is on an official visit to Poland over December 6-8.
    The Romanian official met with Polish President Andrzej Duda and other
    high-ranking officials. The Senate Speaker praised the dialogue between the two
    countries’ Parliaments and highlighted the projects run jointly. Tariceanu
    referred to the Romania-Poland-Turkey Trilateral and the B9 Bucharest Format.
    At the same time Tariceanu expressed an interest to boost bilateral economic
    relations. Tariceanu will also go to Gdansk for meetings with Polish officials
    and businessmen.




    SCHENGEN – EuroMPs will be debating on Monday, and voting Tuesday, a
    resolution calling on the EU Council to make a quick and positive decision on
    including Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen Space as full members. The
    European Parliament approved making the two countries part of Schengen in June
    2011, and confirmed this stance several times afterward. The final decision has
    to be made unanimously in the EU Council. The two countries joining the free
    movement space was repeatedly postponed because of opposition from some member
    countries, for reason of delays in judicial reform.




    OSCE – State Secretary
    with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Dan Neculaescu, attended over December 6-7
    the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council hosted by Milan, Italy. The
    Romanian official expressed concern with the deterioration of the security
    context at European level, marked by the conflict in Ukraine, the frozen
    conflicts in the Black Sea region and the erosion of the conventional arms
    control. Dan Neculaescu reiterated Romania’s firm support to solving the crisis
    in Ukraine, including through active participation as part of the OSCE’s
    Special Monitoring Mission. Dan Neculaescu expressed readiness to cooperate
    closely with the Slovakian presidency of the OSCE during Romania’s term at the
    helm of the European Union Council in 2019.




    TENNIS – The first Grand Slam of 2019, the Australian Open, will take
    place in Melbourne between January 14 and 27. In the women’s competition,
    Romania has six players going there: Simona Halep, number 1 in the world and
    top player of 2018, Mihaela Buzarnescu, 24, Irina Begu (67 WTA), Ana Bogdan (76
    WTA), Sorana Cîrstea (85 WTA) and Monica Niculescu (100 WTA). In the men’s
    competition, Romania will be represented by 60th seeded Marius Copil. Also
    present in the competition are current cup holder, Danish Caroline Wozniacki, 3
    WTA, Serena Williams, 16 WTA, and Maria Sharapova, 29 WTA.


    (Translated
    by C. Cotoiu & V. Palcu)

  • The European Parliament recommends Romania’s Schengen accession

    The European Parliament recommends Romania’s Schengen accession

    Romania was first supposed to join the Schengen area in 2011, four years after becoming a member of the European Union, but its accession has been repeatedly postponed due to the opposition of several member states such as The Netherlands, Austria and Germany. The motives cited include failure to fulfil some of the commitments made under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism used by the European Commission to monitor the progress of the judiciary in Romania and put in place when Romania entered the Union in 2007. These commitments have to do with the judiciary and combating corruption and organised crime.



    The subject has remained under consideration in Brussels. Following a plenary session, the European Parliament has reiterated in a resolution that Romania and Bulgaria are ready to be part of the Schengen area and has called on the European Council to approve the accession of the two states. In this resolution, which was adopted with 439 yes votes, 157 no votes and 80 abstentions, Euro MPs condemned the reintroduction of checks on the Schengen internal borders due to the shortcomings in the European asylum system and the lack of political will, solidarity and responsibility-sharing.



    According to the European Parliament, these controls restrict the freedom of movement among the 26 member states. It argues that member states should consolidate cooperation, solidarity and mutual trust in the functioning of the Schengen area, which is “one of the biggest achievements of the European Union”. In the wake of the terrorist threats faced in recent years, France has temporarily reintroduced border checks, extending them until October for the time being. Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway are also doing border checks, invoking the wave of migration from 2015. The European Commission believes, however, that the situation is now under control and that there is no reason now to authorize such checks.



    According to the European Parliament, many of these extensions are neither necessary nor proportionate and are therefore unlawful. “We must bring Schengen back to our citizens”, emphasized rapporteur Carlos Coelho, from the European Peoples Party, calling on member states to comply with all the rules, not just those they want. According to a well-known polling institute, European states have built more than 1,200 kilometers of walls and fences, spending at least 500 million euros in the process. If all states reintroduce border checks on a permanent basis, this would cost between 100 and 230 billion euros in the next 10 years, the European Parliament also warns. The Schengen area guarantees unrestricted movement within a territory made up of 26 European countries, 22 of which are EU members, and home to 400 million people. (translated by Cristina Mateescu)


  • January 23, 2018 UPDATE

    January 23, 2018 UPDATE

    SCHENGEN – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday stated, at the annual meeting with the heads of the diplomatic missions accredited to Bucharest, that Romania’s joining the Schengen area is essential. He has also stated that the logistics needed for Romania’s holding the presidency of the EU Council in 2019 must be properly prepared. The head of state has given assurances that Romania will keep taking part in the debates on strengthening the economic and monetary union and has added that unless it joins the Schengen area, Romania will not enjoy all the benefits ensured by its EU integration. The president has also stated that Romania’s foreign policy pillars are the strategic partnership with the US and its membership to the EU and NATO. Klaus Iohannis has also stated that Bucharest firmly pleads for strengthening trans-Atlantic ties.



    OPPOSITION – The National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, on Tuesday presented the so-called “black book of the ruling coalition”. The president of the party Ludovic Orban has stated that 2017 was a lost year for Romania and the country is heading in the wrong direction from a democratic, economic and social point of view. According to the analysis made by the Liberals, out of the 724 measures that the government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats committed to implementing, only 33 were implemented, and as regards major fields such as education, health and the economy, less than 5% of the promised measures were taken. Also, budget expenditure exceeded revenues and the money was not used for development, it was mainly spent on personnel expenditure. The National Liberal Party also claims that when the coalition started ruling, the inflation rate was 0.2%, to then reach 3.3% in 2017. Previously, Orban had announced that the Liberals would establish the way in which they were going to act in Parliament, to prevent the validation of the new governmental team, headed by the Social Democrat MEP Viorica Dancila.



    JUSTICE LAWS – The Constitutional Court on Tuesday delayed a decision on the challenges lodged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union in opposition for January 30. The Court did announce that the law referring to the setup of a special Prosecutor’s Office responsible for investigating judges and prosecutors is constitutional. Magistrates believe that this breaks the principle of equality before the law, as they would become the only professional category in Romania to have a special office for their own prosecution. In turn, the Liberals say that the changes brought to the justice laws break several constitutional principles, including the senators’ and deputies’ right to have legislative initiatives. On Saturday, dozens of thousands of people protested again against the ruling coalition in Romania, whom they blame for trying to subordinate magistrates and to put an end to the fight against corruption. The changes in the justice laws have also been criticized by president Klaus Iohannis, the media and some of Romania’s western partners.



    IMF – In an update on its bi-annual “World Economic Outlook”, the International Monetary Fund estimates that world economy will increase its growth rate to 4% in 2018 and 2019. Also, the report reads that last year, economic activity in Europe and Asia was surprisingly better than estimated, so the fund has revised upwards its estimates for the Eurozone, in particular for Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. According to the IMF, the US economy would register an economic growth rate of 2.7% in 2018, but that would slow down to 2.5% in 2019. The Chinese economy would register a rate of 6.6% this year, and 6.4% in 2019. As regards Romania, in its “World Economic Outlook”, published in October 2017, the IMF revised the growth rate estimated for Romania in 2018, from 3.4% to 4.4%.



    FLU – A 40-year old woman has died in Botosani, north-eastern Romania, of complications triggered by the flu. This is the third death caused by flu viruses this year in Romania, after a 69 year old woman in Bucharest and a 15-year old boy in Salaj, north-western Romania. The Health Minister Florian Bodog has called on family doctors to continue the anti-flu vaccination campaign this month too, especially of people who are at risk. According to the National Centre for Disease Surveillance and Control, the total number of cases of acute respiratory infections has reached 75,000. Specialists say that, as compared to the same period last season, the total number of ill people is smaller by some 25%.



    PACE — Senator Titus Corlatean, the head of Romania’s Parliamentary delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, was elected vice-president of the Assembly in 2018 for the second time in a row. The election was made on the sidelines of a PACE session in Strasbourg. Titus Corlatean was also designated PACE rapporteur for the emergency debate “The Peacemaking Process in the Middle East: the contribution of the Council of Europe”. Scheduled for Thursday, the debate will also occasion a report presented by Corlatean, who will also submit a resolution on this topic to the Assembly for approval.



    TENNIS – The pair made up of the Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu has qualified for the semifinals of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, after a 3 set victory against the US couple Jennifer Brady/Vania King. Next, Begu and Niculescu will take on the Russians Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, who won the title in Melbourne back in 2014. On Wednesday, Romania’s only representatives in the singles, Simona Halep, takes on Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic. Halep is the world’s number one player and also first-seed at the Australian Open. (Translated by M. Ignatescu & V. Palcu)

  • December 15, 2017 UPDATE

    December 15, 2017 UPDATE

    ROYALTY — Romania was on Friday in its second day of three days of national mourning for its last sovereign, King Mihai I. He passed away on December 5 in Switzerland, at the age of 96. Thousands of Romanians stood in huge lines to attend the laying in state ceremony. King Mihai will be interred on Saturday in Curtea de Arges, the final resting place of his wife, Queen Anne, and the other three kings of Romania who preceded him. The funeral will be attended by European monarchy and numerous other officials.



    BREXIT — EU leaders on Friday in Brussels agreed to start the next phase of Brexit negotiations. Participants in the summit said sufficient progress has been made in the three key areas: the financial settlement, the future rights of EU citizens and the Irish border. At the summit, President Klaus Iohannis said that he was pleased with results so far, which he said grant him hope that a clear understanding will be reached by the end of next year. The first stage of the accord, according to Iohannis, settles issues facing Romanians working in the UK. British PM Theresa May had called on the 27 member countries to go to the next stage of discussions as soon as possible, and said she wished the EU remain a special and reliable partner. Also on Friday, an extended Euro summit took place, allowing discussions between European leaders on the process of consolidating the economic and monetary union. President Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romanias commitment to joining the Eurozone as an important move both for Romania’s economy and for its position within the EU.



    BUDGET — In Parliament in Bucharest, the joint budget and finance committees are trying to finalize their debates and draw up the final report for the 2018 draft budget. On Thursday, the Finance Minister warned that the proposal to supplement funds for the Ministry of Romanians Abroad is a no go for lack of funding. In addition, Minister Ionut Misa said that the budget for the ministry of diaspora went up 45% compared to 2017. The draft budget is supposed to be submitted for debate in plenary session this coming Monday, while the final vote on it and on the social insurance draft is scheduled for December 21. The budget assumes an economic growth of 5.5%, with supplementary income supposed to be shared between health, education and investment. The executive also expects to provide resources for raising the minimum wage and pensions. The budget is contested by the opposition, which claims expected income is over-evaluated.



    SCHENGEN — Romanian and Bulgarian Euro MPs committed to work together towards their countries joining the European Union and the Schengen area, passing a common statement to this extent at an informal meeting in Strasbourg. They recalled the fact that European Union members in the free travel area admitted that legal conditions have been met by the two countries to join, which was initially scheduled for 2011. Euro MPs Victor Boştinaru and Andrey Kovatchev, leading the proceedings, said that Romanian and Bulgarian Euro MPs of all political leanings committed to work together to ensure that Bulgaria in 2018 and Romania in 2019 will hold successful presidencies of the European Council rotating presidencies.



    DANUBE — Romania will be holding the presidency of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region between November 2018 and November 2019, following the decision of the 14 member states of the organization. This allows Romania to promote at a European and regional level topics and initiatives of interest to Danube region states. This organization is a joint initiative by Romania and Austria, launched in 2011, meant to encourage economic and social development of the area and of the fourteen member states.



    MOLDOVA — The Parliament of Moldova on Friday voted the EU Memorandum on the €100-million aid package, to be disbursed in three installments over the course of 2018. To access the funds, Moldova has to fulfill a set of 28 prerequisites regarding progress in implementing its agreement with the IMF. The requirements forwarded by the Commission are part of the Government’s agenda and part of them, required to disburse the first installment, have already been met, Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu has said. One of the requirements provides for the adopting of a new law on the activity of the Court of Accounts and setting up an agency for processing notifications in the field of public procurement. (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Romanian-Croatian high level talks

    Romanian-Croatian high level talks

    Croatia will support Romania’s efforts to join the Schengen area, said Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic who met with her Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis during her official visit to Bucharest. Croatia, itself a candidate to joining Schengen, has been encouraged in its bid by the recent statements of the European Commission President, Jean Claude Junker. “It’s high time to bring Romania and Croatia into the Schengen area. Croatia too deserves full membership in the Schengen area as soon as all criteria are met.




    The EU must offer credible membership prospects to Western Balkans,” Juncker said in mid-September, adding that that was a must if the purpose of the EU was to unite Europe rather than divide it. Unlike Croatia, Bucharest met all technical criteria for accession a long time ago. There are, however, several members of the community bloc that have chosen to ignore this perspective and set the elimination of the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification as a condition for Romania’s joining Schengen.




    The Croatian President favours the lifting of this instrument that monitors the reforms in the judicial system. On the other hand, Bucharest and Zagreb are willing to consolidate bilateral ties and work together better within the EU and NATO. Also, the economic relations between the two countries can be improved considerably and next year’s “Tree Seas Initiatives” summit, is a good opportunity to do just that. President Klaus Iohannis:



    “I will propose to try and draw up a short list of feasible infrastructure projects that all participants agree on, which can be presented to the European Commission for instance, as an application for cohesion funds, given that it is something that applies to this category.”



    In her turn, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has insisted on infrastructure development in the region. “This is crucial for our countries, so as not to develop a multi-speed Europe, but a Europe that wants to consolidate its position and ensure economic development for all member states,” the Croatian official said during a joint press conference with President Iohannis. In support of her ideas, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic gave a suggestive example. She explained that if someone tried to travel from Romania to Poland by car, via Bulgaria, it would see that the trip is quite difficult and takes a lot of time. This is also the case if someone took the train. Also, in the energy sector there are many initiatives connecting East and West, and very few connecting North and South. Hence, the purpose of the “Three Seas Initiative” to build road, rail and energy corridors able to connect the Adriatic, Black and Baltic seas. (Translated by E. Enache)

  • September 19, 2017

    September 19, 2017

    Measures — The Romanian government will grant funds from the state budget to cover the damage caused by Sunday’s violent storm that hit several counties in western Romania, the Romanian PM Mihai Tudose has announced. He added that the authorities wanted the implementation of an integrated public alert and warning system for major risk situations, similar to that in other European states. The prime minister has discussed the issue with experts in the field and with the representatives of mobile phone operators. We recall that 8 people died and almost 140 were injured on Sunday during the violent storm that wreaked havoc in 15 counties in the west, center and north of Romania.



    UN General Assembly — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, who is participating in the 72nd meeting of the UN General Assembly is today meeting in New York with the President of the UN General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak and with his counterparts from Estonia and Egypt. Tuesday’s agenda of President Iohannis also includes participation in the lunch offered by the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, participation in a traditional meeting with the heads of the Jewish organizations in the US, in a reception organized by the EU and in another reception offered by President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Klaus Iohannis will meet with the Moldovan prime minister Pavel Filip, and will also have a bilateral meeting with the UN Secretary General. On Thursday Klaus Iohannis will go to Philadelphia where he will meet with the representatives of the Romanian community there.



    Washington — The Romanian defense minister Mihai Fifor, and the Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, general Nicolae Ciucă, who are on a 6-day working visit to Washington, are today meeting with the American Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and will lay a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery. On Monday, the Romanian delegation participated in a round table discussion with the members of the Atlantic Council hosted by Washington DC. Minister Fifor appreciated the dialogue and the approach adopted by the Atlantic Council in dealing with the trans-Atlantic consolidation of the Romanian-US Strategic Partnership. He added that Romania remained a solid, predictable and trustworthy partner of the US, keeping its pledge to contribute to regional security and stability. In turn, the members of the Atlantic Council have shown interest in the dynamics of regional security and the national outlook on the developments in the Black Sea area.



    Schengen — The Schengen area would be stronger and all member states would have benefits if Romania also joined the free movement area, said the European Commissioner for Security Union Julian King, who paid an official visit to Bucharest on Monday. The European Commissioner met with the PM Tudose, with the justice minister Tudorel Toader as well as with members of Romania’s Parliament’s expert committees. The Romanian authorities have made it clear that Romania meets all the criteria for accession to the Schengen area.



    Chisinau – Exercise Fire Shield 2017, a multinational, combined training exercise with Moldovan and Romanian troops is unfolding in a military base in the Republic of Moldova. According to a communiqué of the Moldovan Defense ministry, the exercise is meant to jointly train artillery small units and to boost the interoperability level between the two armies. As many as 300 officers and non-commissioned officers of the Moldovan army artillery small units and more than 20 Romanian soldiers are taking part in the exercise, that is unfolding from September 18 to 22. The exercise takes place in the context in which Moldova’s pro-Russian president, Igor Dodon, has recently started a conflict with the government and the leadership of the Defense Ministry over the issue of sending Moldovan military to the “Rapid Trident” drill in Ukraine, on account that the drill was also being attended by troops of NATO member countries. (translation by L. Simion)

  • Questioning the Schengen agreement

    Questioning the Schengen agreement

    Striving to keep at bay Europes severest migration crisis in the past decades, several Schengen countries have temporarily tightened border controls. At present, according to the community legislation, such measures cover a period of six months for security reasons. Nevertheless, the unprecedented inflow of asylum-seekers does not seem to decrease.



    Under the circumstances, on Monday at the EU interior ministers meeting in Amsterdam, several member countries called on the European Commission to lay the legal and practical foundations for extending the period of border checking in the free travel area up to two years. The announcement was made by Dutch immigration minister Klaas Dijkhoff, whose country is holding the EU half-yearly presidency. Also attending the event, the European commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos reiterated that the only solution to the refugee crisis was a European one.



    Dimitris Avramopoulos “A concerted effort is needed in order to help people in need, to protect our external borders, to eliminate the terrorist threat and to keep EU citizens safe.



    In order to contain migration, Austria on Friday proposed the suspension of Greece from the free-movement area until the maritime border with Turkey was secured, pleading jointly with Germany, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark for reintroducing temporary border controls in Schengen. The EUs Dutch presidency has announced its desire that the number of migrants who come to Europe be significantly reduced in the following two months.



    The Europols European Counter Terrorism Centre, which was inaugurated in Amsterdam on Monday, is designed to be an instrument in the counter-terrorist fight at a European level, by stepping up information exchanges between the member countries. According to Europols director, Rob Wainwright, the priorities of the new structure will be spotting the links between crime rings and terrorism, funding sources for terrorists, the illegal arms trafficking, the Islamic States online propaganda and the use of fake travel documents. He said the new centre would also focus on the young people leaving for Syria and Iraq to join terrorist networks, the so-called ‘foreign fighters.



    According to him, Europol has information about 37 hundred such fighters but doesnt have the complete picture. Europol has warned the Islamic State is preparing new large-scale attacks in EU countries, particularly in France, where civilians will be the main targets.


    (Translated by D. Bilt)


  • The Romanian – German Cooperation

    The Romanian – German Cooperation

    The most important part of the visit that the Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos paid to Berlin on Thursday was the meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The main topic of discussion was the Romanian — German relations, in particular in the economic field. Germany is one of Romania’s most important partners, given that the level of trade between the two countries exceeds 20 billion Euros per year. The German Chancellor said that to Berlin, Romania was an important partner.



    Angela Merkel: “Our talks focused on the way in which we can improve economic cooperation. We already have a good relation with the Ministry of the Economy and this spring there will be new activities that will boost this cooperation. The condition, however, is that the Romanian legal system keeps improving. The second condition is fighting corruption, a field where considerable progress has already been made. Once corruption done away with, we can talk about economic progress and a higher living standard in Romania.”



    In turn, the Romanian Prime Minister stated that Bucharest had registered significant progress in the fight against corruption.


    Dacian Ciolos: “In the fight against corruption, Romania has made significant efforts in the past years, and the progress has become visible in society. The government is determined to carry on with this positive trend, and we expect the next report on the European Commission’s Cooperation and Verification Mechanism to reflect this positive trend, that should also mirror in the decision that member states will take as regards Romania’s joining the Schengen area.”



    For many years now, Romania has been waiting for the green light to join Schengen, as it has already fulfilled all accession criteria and has acted as a member state with regard to border control. Against the recent migrant crisis, the German Chancellor believes that the Schengen area must be maintained and consolidated.



    Angela Merkel: “ Schengen is appreciated by the European citizens. That is why we need to do everything to preserve it and give the countries that wish to join it the possibility to do so; it’s important that Romania has taken lots of measures to secure external borders.”



    During the Romanian PM’s visit to Berlin, special attention was paid to the issues concerning the Romanian community in Germany, made up of more than 250,000 people. The PM met with some of its representatives at the Romanian Embassy in Berlin and told them that he would keep his political independence until the end of the term and would not run for the legislative elections this autumn.



    (Translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)