Radio România Internațional

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  • Assistance for people affected by flooding

    Assistance for people affected by flooding

    The state of alert has been instated in the counties of Galați and Vaslui, in eastern Romania, a region that bears the brunt of the latest flooding. The measure was aimed at enabling local authorities to access resources to rebuild the areas destroyed by the flooding waters.

    According to official data released, 26 towns and villages in the county of Galaţi and 20 in Vaslui, have been affected by heavy flooding, and the number of the households destroyed stands at 65 hundred. The urgent rebuilding of houses and buildings, as well as parts of the affected infrastructure such as roads and bridges, is a top priority, authorities say.

    In a special meeting on Monday, the Executive approved emergency aids of up to 2 thousand Euros for every affected family and another 2 thousand for the families who lost people, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has announced.

    Marcel Ciolacu: “The total amount of this first assistance programme is around 100 million lei. And I can assure the people affected by flooding that we aren’t going to stop until we have repaired all the bridges and roads in the area and have rebuilt all the households destroyed so that their lives may come back to normal as soon as possible.”

    214 tons of food and over 200 thousand liters of water have been dispatched to the affected areas and the first supplies have already been distributed.

    Another priority, the Prime Minister went on to say, is to enable the children in the affected areas to resume school classes.

    Marcel Ciolacu: “For this reason we are providing four modular buildings that may serve as makeshift schools where children can attend classes until the situation comes back to normal. Local authorities jointly with the Ministry of Education are presently working in order to turn these temporary schools operational.”  

    Camps have also been made available for the flood victims and many institutions have launched appeals to solidarity and started collecting things. The Romanian Red Cross has launched an assistance campaign and has already sent trucks with water and food supplies.

    The Romanian Waters has deployed teams which are operating in the areas consolidating the defence lines against flooding. Through its Solidarity Fund and Civil Protection Mechanism, the European Union will be providing assistance to the Romanians and the Europeans in the other member countries, the chief-negotiator for the Union’s budget, Romanian MEP Siegfried Muresan says, adding that he will call for a more flexible multi-annual budget, so that the bloc may react faster in emergency situations.

    (bill)

  • August 24, 2024

    August 24, 2024

     

    CONVENTION Romanian Social Democrats convene today to elect their new leadership and to appoint their candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. The party leader, PM Marcel Ciolacu, seeks a new term in office, backed by a team of 21 candidates. Ciolacu has also announced he will be running for president of Romania, and is to be validated by the party congress today. Another topic on today’s agenda is the election campaign, and the Social Democratic spokesman, Lucian Romaşcanu, said the party is able to mobilise so that in December Romania may have a Social Democratic president. The party last won a presidential race in 2000. The first round of the election is scheduled on November 24, and the second on December 8th.

     

    UKRAINE The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, sent a letter to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Ukraine’s Independence Day. According to the Romanian presidency, Iohannis voiced his appreciation for the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces and civilians in defending their country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. He reiterated Bucharest’s firm commitment to provide constant, predictable and multidimensional support to Ukraine until its victory and further on in its reconstruction and European integration process. Iohannis emphasized that the security cooperation agreement signed by the 2 countries in July, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, proves that Romania’s support is not circumstantial, but long-standing, predictable and transparent. On Ukraine’s Independence Day, the Cotroceni Palace in Bucureşti, the headquarters of the Romanian presidency, will be lit tonight in Ukraine’s national colours.

     

    CROPS The European Union’s maize output will be smaller because of the drought and extreme heat in Romania, whose crops will be 30% lower. Estimates for the EU’s maize output were cut from 63 million tonnes, as reported last year, to 60-61 million tonnes, which is still above the level in 2022, when the drought affected the entire continent. Romania’s output is expected to drop from around 11 million tonnes last year to less than 8 million this autumn. In France, favourable humidity levels kept maize crops in a generally good condition, and the increase of the areas under crops should ensure higher output, namely over 14 million tonnes. In Poland, smaller areas under maize crops may lead to a 13% drop in output, while in Germany the crops are estimated to be 2% lower.

     

    PENSIONS The National Liberal Party, a junior member of the ruling coalition in Romania, proposes new amendments to the Pensions Law, so as to address the situation of pensioners whose benefits have been cut down in the latest revision. The Liberal leader and Senate speaker Nicolae Ciucă said the law should not have retrospective effect, and confirmed that the pensioners whose benefits have been cut down on paper will not benefit from cost-of-living adjustments for several years, although they will not be paid smaller amounts. According to official data, over 700,000 pensioners have received decisions by which their benefits have been cut down. These include workers in hazardous conditions, such as coal miners, engine drivers and nuclear industry personnel, who were able to stop working before the standard retirement age. Also at a disadvantage are people with disabilities, where the revised benefits are smaller by as much as 60%, for instance for the visually impaired. Hundreds of people are already asking for explanations from the authorities. They have until September 1 to appeal the decisions, and may even take the matter to court.

     

    SCHOOLS Students in secondary schools and high schools in Romania with final grades above 9.50 will receive merits scholarships, under the new School Regulations recently published in the Official Journal. Merit and resilience scholarships will be granted to at least 30% of the students in each class, including in professional and dual education units. Merit scholarships for 5th graders will be granted based on the average grades in the first two modules of the current school year. For 9th-graders, scholarships will be granted based on the high school admission results, which should be above 9.50. Scholarships in public secondary schools and high schools are financed by the education ministry, except for those in military high schools, which will be funded by the defence ministry. For the new academic year, the merit scholarship minimum amount is nearly EUR 90. This amount may be increased by school boards, depending on the budget earmarked by the local authorities. (AMP)

  • August 23, 2024 UPDATE

    August 23, 2024 UPDATE

     

    EU The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu discussed, on Thursday, in Brussels, with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the future European commissioner from Romania, about the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as about a new agreement on Romania’s budget deficit, which should extend over 7 years. Regarding the position of European commissioner, Marcel Ciolacu announced that he nominated Victor Negrescu, the current vice-president of the European Parliament. During the meeting, they tackled Romania’s accession to Schengen with its land borders, with the Prime Minister stressing that Ursula von der Leyen is the “biggest” supporter of this cause.

     

    DEFENCE The Chief of the defence staff, General Gheorghiţă Vlad, met on Thursday, in Bucharest, with his counterpart from the French Republic, General Thierry Burkhard, who is on an official visit to Romania. The talks between the two focused on the regional security situation, the progress in achieving full operational capacity of the NATO Battle Group in 2025, and the responsibilities of the French structures deployed to Romania in strengthening the Allied deterrence and defence posture. General Gheorghiţă Vlad emphasised that, in the last two years, the excellent cooperation between the two armies to ensure collective defence were also reflected in the increased interoperability between structures and in the development of training and quartering infrastructure. The visit also included a meeting of the two heads of defence with troops from the NATO Battle Group, at the Getica National Joint Training Center in Cincu. France is the lead nation of the NATO Battle Group.

     

    US ELECTION The Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party’s nomination as a candidate for the US presidency, at the Democratic National Convention. She told her supporters that the country has a chance to overcome resentment, cynicism and division. Harris promised tax cuts for the middle class. As regards abortions, she accused her opponent, the former Republican President Donald Trump, of wanting to introduce a national ban. In terms of foreign policy, Harris said that dictators around the world support Trump, the BBC reports.

     

    COMMEMORATION The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, in his message on the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Fascism and Communism, says that populism and hate speech are once again present, under various forms. He argues that this is precisely why society as a whole must stay alert to the risk of all the values embraced by Romania being pushed into irrelevance. Iohannis also mentioned the crucial decision made by King Michael I, who acted with responsibility and dignity and changed the fateful course of WWII, saving the country from imminent disaster. In turn, PM Marcel Ciolacu reiterated the government’s firm commitment to fight all forms of extremism, and to strengthen civic engagement, by educating the youth with respect to all the landmarks in recent history.

     

    SCHOOLS Students in secondary schools and high schools in Romania will have more rules to observe in the new academic year. School rules stipulate, among other things, that students cannot hold mobile phones during classes and provide for penalties in case of violations. School operation rules have also been amended. Novelties include conduct grades for each module, separate tests for 9th grade admission, and a teacher in charge of EU-funded projects in each school, as well as online or hybrid classes for students in exceptional situations. On the other hand, secondary school and high school students with final grades above 9.50 will receive merits scholarships. For this academic year, the merit scholarship minimum amount is nearly EUR 90. This amount may be increased by school boards, depending on the budget earmarked by the local authorities.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse managed to reach the singles main draw of the US Open Grand Slam tournament, which starts on Monday in New York, after defeating Alexandra Eala from the Philippines in 3 sets. Ruse will face Julia Grabher from Austria in the inaugural round. She is the third Romanian to reach the singles main draw at the US Open, after Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian entered the singles draw thanks to ranking. Cristian will play against Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, seeded 12, while Ana Bogdan will meet the Dutch Arantxa Rus in the first round. (AMP)

  • January 8, 2024 UPDATE

    January 8, 2024 UPDATE

    LAWS Parliament
    is due to convene for a new session in Bucharest on February 1. Until then, the
    Romanian MPs are working on new bills, focusing, among other things,
    on regulating gambling and curbing drug consumption. The new legislation
    includes several measures such as the relocation of casinos and betting houses
    outside towns and cities, limiting gambling commercials and banning gambling
    ads near schools, parks or hospitals. According to the authors of the bills,
    some of them introduced as early as in 2022, the amendments come in the context
    of the latest expert warnings on the
    younger generation’s alarmingly growing addiction to gambling and drug consumption
    as well as their vulnerability to various advertising campaigns. Drug
    trafficking is punished with up to 10-year prison sentences. Other draft laws ban
    minors’ access to energy drinks and restrict commercials to vaping products and
    accessories.




    INVESTMENTS
    According to data released by the National Institute for Statistics, in the
    first nine months of 2023 Romania’s construction sector reported over RON 74
    billion worth of investment, which accounts for 62.6% out of the total
    investment in the country’s economy. In the same period, investments in
    Romania’s national economy stood at roughly RON 118.5 billion, a 14.4% rise as
    compared to the period between January and September 2022.




    CYBER SECURITY A
    new EU Cyber Security Regulation has taken effect in the EU, introducing a
    minimal set of measures for public institutions in EU member countries to
    protect themselves from online attacks. In Romania, just like in most EU
    countries, the number of cyber-attacks from Russia has increased since the
    start of the war in Ukraine. Under the Regulation, an EU Cyber Security Board
    will also be set up, which will monitor the implementation of security
    measures. Member state institutions are to initiate a security enhancement
    process this year and to introduce protocols to manage information networks. Under
    the Orange Business Internet Security Report, 31% of the attacks against
    Romania targeted the energy sector, 22% transports and 19% the governmental and
    public services sector. The attacks caused losses of billions of US dollars,
    and the institutions targeted in the past 2 years include the National Cyber
    Security Directorate, the Defence Ministry, the Border Police and the Passenger
    Railway Corporation (CFR).




    SCHOOLS Students
    resumed classes on Monday in the third module of the academic year in
    Romania. The next school holiday is to be decided by county inspectorates and
    most likely will kick off on February 19th. In another development, against the
    background of a new wave of respiratory infections, medical authorities are
    urging parents not to send their children to school if they show any symptoms
    of a respiratory disease.




    TENNIS Romanian
    tennis player Ana Bogdan on Monday qualified for the round of sixteen of the
    WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide, Australia with over 900 thousand dollars in
    prize money. The Romanian secured a 6-3, 6-4 win against Katie Boulter of
    Britain. Also on Monday the all-Romanian pair Ana Bogdan/Monica Niculescu was
    defeated by the US-Dutch pair Asia Muhammad/Demi Schuurs 7-6, 6-4 in the
    doubles first round. (AMP, bill)

  • Chamber of Deputies to vote on new education legislation

    Chamber of Deputies to vote on new education legislation

    After many amendments drafted over the past two weeks
    in the relevant committee, the new bills on the education sector are these days
    reaching the Chamber of Deputies for endorsement. Once passed in the Chamber, they will be forwarded to the
    Senate, the decision-making regulator in this case.


    The bill on undergraduate
    education has seen a number of amendments aimed at preventing violence and
    strengthening discipline in schools. The changes introduced by the ruling coalition, comprising the Social
    Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic
    Hungarians in Romania, stipulate that a National Plan against violence in
    schools will be implemented within 6
    months of the law taking effect.


    Under the new law, the
    students and teachers who are the victims of violence benefit from free therapy
    services. The amendments also allow for CCTV surveillance in schools, conditional
    on the consent of teachers, students and parents. Specifically, cameras will
    not be installed in the classrooms where most parents disagree with the measure.


    The committee on
    education in the Chamber of Deputies also decided that schools are to introduce
    regulations concerning the access on school premises, and that reprimanding students
    in the presence of their peers is forbidden, while expulsion of students is
    restricted to very serious cases. Expelled students will be allowed to re-enrol
    in the same school the following year.


    An additional exam is
    introduced for 50% of the places available every year for high school
    admission, and religion will be an optional subject at the Baccalaureate exam, for
    the humanities majors.


    The draft law regulating
    higher education was also subject to a number of amendments. One of them
    removes the ceiling on the number of terms in office for senior university
    officers, except for university rectors, who are only allowed to hold two
    5-year terms in office.


    Another amendment introduces
    fines ranging from EUR 20,000 to 40,000 for the people who sell BA, MA, or
    Ph.D. theses online, violating intellectual property laws. The relevant
    parliamentary committee also decided that differences of opinions or data
    interpretations, as well as material citation errors do not qualify as breaches
    of ethical standards.


    The new law also provides
    for grants and free training programmes for the Romanians living abroad who
    choose to study in Romania. (AMP)

  • Of drugs and violence in the Romanian schools

    Of drugs and violence in the Romanian schools

    The consumption of psychoactive substances in schools is on the rise among the Romanian teenagers with bad consequences both for them and their families.


    Anti-drug policemen have recently annihilated a major network of consumers and traffickers of banned substances. Most of these consumers were minors and communicating via the message network Telegram.


    Early this week numerous search operations were carried out in Bucharest and other localities like Mures, in central Romania, Braila and Galati in the south-east and Dambovita in the south. Significant quantities of drugs and money have been seized on this occasion. Here is Catalin Tone, the head of the Antidrug service with the Brigade of Combating Organized Crime in Bucharest.


    Catalin Tone: “This is an atypical case, which shows us again the serious dimension of the phenomenon of drug abuse and trafficking in Romania. 11,000 people have been active on a chat group suggestively entitled Sweet Grass, where 30-40 thousand daily messages have been reported. Talks here have mainly been about drugs, distribution, consumption, cocktails and blends. Also very serious is the fact there were 15-20 hundred minors in the aforementioned group, very young and not very responsible at their age.”


    The Romanian society is in great need of initiatives for the education and information of the young people, the anti-drug expert says. Catalin Tone also believes Romania needs more clinics for the treatment of drug addiction. Another dangerous phenomenon which is gaining momentum in schools across Romania is violence and its negative impact on all those involved in the educational process.


    The Ministry of Education estimates that within two weeks it will come up with a procedure for the management of violent cases in schools, which will enable teachers and any other employee in the countrys education system to promptly and properly deal with school violence. Education Minister Ligia Deca said that together with the ministries of Justice and the Interior, they are identifying the necessary law amendments, including in the areas of fines and obligations for parents. In turn, the trade unions representatives in education have announced their intention to table a legislative initiative in Parliament aimed at discouraging violence acts in schools. The decision was made after a series of events in several Romanian schools, which involved the physical aggression and humiliation of some teachers. An initiative aimed at discouraging school violence was voted by the Chamber of Deputies in 2018 but failed to get the Senate approval.


    (bill)

  • Ban on amusement arcades near schools

    Ban on amusement arcades near schools

    The law limiting access to gambling was unanimously adopted on Monday by the Romanian Senate, which is the first chamber to which the bill was referred. The document, initiated by the opposition Save Romania Union — USR bans the operation of amusement arcades near schools, playgrounds, cultural centers and hospitals. Senators from all political parties revealed the importance of this project, aimed at reducing the disastrous effects of gambling on minors. The interim president of the Senate, the liberal Alina Gorghiu, believes that the legislation in the field must be stricter and stricter.



    Alina Gorghiu: “The most important change is the fact that a ban was introduced on the operation of amusement arcades on a distance of 300 meters from educational units and institutions, playgrounds for children, culture, art, health and social institutions and banking and financial institutions. Secondly, an amendment was adopted which stipulates that these slot machines can no longer be functional in bars”.



    For his part, the USR senator Sebastian Cernic showed that while in Romania there are no programs for the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction, the governments of other countries such as Belgium, Great Britain, Spain or Australia have drastically limited the exposure of young people to this risk. According to him, the document is probably the most important law for protecting the life and future of children.



    Sebastian Cernic: “We have to say Stop. It is necessary to clear the road to school or to the childrens playground of temptations and lies.”



    During the debates, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR senator Irina Kovács, a former high school director, stated that there are teenagers who unfortunately have become addicted to gambling only because these arcades are located near educational institutions.



    Irina Kovács: “We had cases of children who ended up developing addictions because the high school was surrounded by no less than five amusement arcades.”



    And the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR senator Rodica Boancă believes that such laws are necessary: “Gambling, drugs, alcohol consumption create vices that can endanger their life, that of the family”.



    In turn, the social democrat Radu Oprea believes that the draft law is a good initiative, but, unfortunately, it does not solve the problem of those who are addicted to gambling. Radu Oprea: “One of the good amendments is to remove slot-machines from bars and cafes, where young people can enter and where, if there is alcohol around, the idea of playing will definitely become more pressing”.



    After being adopted by the Senate, the bill will enter the debate of the Chamber of Deputies, which is a decision-making body. (LS)

  • February 22, 2023

    February 22, 2023

    Warsaw — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is participating, in Warsaw, together with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, in the extraordinary meeting of the Bucharest 9 (B9) Format, which includes Romania, Poland, the three Baltic states, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The summit takes place one year after the start of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, and is meant to continue coordination between the Allies on the Eastern Flank of NATO and the US, against the background of the security challenges generated by the war. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, they will also address the methods of holding Russia accountable, through instruments of international law, for the crimes committed in Ukraine. Special attention will also be given to vulnerable partners, such as the Republic of Moldova, which is facing increased security challenges. The US President Joe Biden and the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg are invited to the summit. The American leader is in the region to show the support of the United States to Ukraine, one year after the start of the invasion. On Tuesday, the same day when Vladimir Putin gave his State of the Nation address, Joe Biden assured that the West would continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary and pointed out that the North Atlantic Alliance is more united and stronger than ever. Joe Biden arrived in Warsaw after a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday.



    Russian Center – The Romanian Foreign Ministry — MAE announced the suspension of the activity of the Russian Center for Culture and Science in Romania. The Russian ambassador to Bucharest, Valery Kuzmin, was summoned to the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry to be notified of the decision of the Romanian authorities. The Russian diplomat was reminded of the repeated situations in which the Center “deliberately engaged in actions of distorted presentation of reality and historical truth at the level of the Romanian public opinion” shows a Foreign Ministry press release. According to the MAE, the diversions intensified after the illegal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. “Through the actions carried out, the center irremediably moved away from the natural objectives of strengthening cultural ties and turned, regrettably, into an instrument of propaganda, disinformation and decriminalization of the war crimes of the Russian Federation in Ukraine”, the Romanian Foreign Ministry officials said. The suspension of the Centers activity will take place until August 20 at the latest, the deadline by which the administrative procedures that this decision entails must be completed.



    Agri Trade Summit – More than 400 specialists from 13 countries are participating, today, in the Romanian Agri Trade Summit international event, organized in Bucharest. In an online intervention, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă stated that access to the internal and external markets of Romanian agri-food products must be a strategic objective of the government program. He added that the Romanian farmers and agribusiness operators are perceived as an extremely important factor in Romanias medium and long-term development. Nicolae Ciucă also said that the country has a major logistical advantage, which must be maximized, something that will allow a more applied export orientation to other areas, such as North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The Romanian Agri Trade Summit discusses pressing current topics for Agribusiness, which will create the right framework for a complex dialogue between renowned analysts, authorities and the major players on the local and international agricultural market, shows a press release from the organizers.



    Reconsolidation – Education institutions in Romania with a high risk in the event of an earthquake will have priority in a process of consolidation and refurbishment through a government program, this is what was established, on Tuesday, in the meeting of the inter-ministerial committee for the analysis of seismic risk, coordinated by the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă. According to a Government release, it was decided that by Friday, February 24, the Education Ministry should support the local authorities in identifying solutions for relocating children who learn in buildings classified as seismic risk category 1 to safe spaces. 39 buildings belonging to education institutions are included in this category. School activities are currently taking place in 21 of them.



    Moldova – The President of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet republic with a majority Romanian speaking-population), Maia Sandu, will be in Bucharest on a working visit on Thursday, at the invitation of her counterpart, Klaus Iohannis. According to the Presidential Administration, joint projects of strategic interest in the fields of energy, transport, health, education and the information society will be addressed, with an emphasis on initiatives aimed at connecting the Republic of Moldova with the EU space. At the same time, the two will discuss Romanias status and support regarding the European path of the Republic of Moldova Also, the two presidents will exchange views on security challenges, as well as ways to manage the economic, social and humanitarian effects of Russias aggression in neighboring Ukraine. The Moldovan prime minister, Dorin Recean, will also pay a visit to Bucharest on March 1, this being his first official trip abroad since taking office. (LS)

  • January 9, 2023

    January 9, 2023

    SCHOOLS
    Schools and kindergartens reopened in Romania today after the winter break,
    among seasonal flu and viral respiratory infection alerts. The authorities call
    on parents not to send their kids to school if they have symptoms. The
    education and health ministries have taken measures and issued guidelines to
    prevent the transmission of respiratory viruses.


    GOVERNMENT The government of Romania is
    considering a number of projects for the forthcoming period, which have already
    been agreed on within the ruling coalition, the PM Nicolae Ciucă announced.
    Healthcare, education and investments, including the targets and benchmarks
    undertaken under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, are the main areas
    to receive special attention. The government posted for public debate a draft resolution
    on master’s, Ph. D, post-doctoral and research grants abroad. In terms of
    healthcare system improvements, the proposed measures include hospital
    revamping using EU funds.


    UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment
    rate in Romania dropped slightly, from 5.5% in October to 5.4% in November,
    according to data made public today by the National Statistics Institute. The
    number of unemployed people aged between 15 and 74 estimated for November 2022
    was 447,700, down from the 453,200 reported for the previous month and from the
    450,000 reported for November 2021. The unemployment rate is 0.9% higher among
    men (5.8% for men and 4.9% for women). Unemployment among youth under 24
    remains at a worrying 22.9%, the INS warns. The number of unemployed people
    aged 25 to 74 accounted for 74.3% of the total number estimated for November
    2022.


    CULTURE The first event in the series devoted to Timişoara – European
    Capital of Culture in 2023 takes place today, when the vice-president of the
    European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, will hand over this official title in
    a ceremony held at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. This year, the city of Timişoara
    in western Romania is one of the 3 European capitals of culture, alongside Elefsina
    in Greece and Veszprém in Hungary. The official opening of the event is
    scheduled for February 17 to 19, and throughout the year as many as 50 shows,
    concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events will bring together more than
    2,500 artists from Romania and abroad. Timişoara is included in a top of the best places to visit put together
    by the British daily The Independent. The publication
    recommends Timişoara’s Baroque buildings and historical squares, as well as art
    exhibitions, classical music concerts and jazz festivals. The mayor Dominic
    Fritz said this year’s priority is to attract both tourists, and investors.


    BORDERS As many as 302,000 people and over 75,000
    vehicles crossed into and out of Romania on Sunday. More than 92,700 people entered
    Romanian territory, including 6,880 Ukrainian nationals. This brings the total
    number of Ukrainian citizens having entered Romania since February 2022 to over
    3.27 million.
    Border checks are conducted efficiently at all checkpoints, in line with the
    national and EU legislation, and the Border Police are working at full
    capacity, the authorities announced.


    UKRAINE Wars like the one in Ukraine, where civilian areas are
    subjected to indiscriminate destruction, are a crime against God and
    humanity, Pope Francis said on Monday. In his annual speech to diplomats
    accredited to the Vatican, the Pope spoke about the war in Ukraine, with its
    wake of death and destruction, with its attacks on civil infrastructures that
    cause lives to be lost not only from gunfire and acts of violence, but also
    from hunger and freezing cold. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are withstanding constant
    Russian attacks on Bakhmut and other towns in the east of Donbas, the Ukrainian
    authorities announced today. Bakhmut is holding out against all odds,
    president Volodymyr Zelensky said in his Sunday address. The nearby town of
    Soledar is also holding out, Although there is even more destruction there and
    it is extremely hard, he added.


    TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea (43 WTA) was defeated today by Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil (156 WTA), 7-6, 6-1, in
    the first round of the Adelaide International 2 (WTA 500) tournament in Australia.Another
    Romanian, Irina Begu, will play in the main draw against Australia’s Storm
    Hunter. Begu reached the semi-finals of the Adelaide International 1(WTA 500), where
    she lost to the winner of the tournament, Arina Sabalenka of Belarus. (AMP)

  • Encouraging education in Romania’s hospitality industry

    Encouraging education in Romania’s hospitality industry

    Romania is facing a workforce crisis
    just like many other European countries, these days. Perhaps to a greater extent than in
    other walks of life, employees’ shortage in tourism takes its toll on Romanian economy.
    We do have high-schools and vocational schools specializing in tourism, yet a
    sizeable part of the graduates opts for other career paths or simply avoids employment
    in Romania. You want to know the reasons why? The de-motivating salaries and
    the seasonal status of the job.

    A member of the Romanian Hotel Industry
    Federation’s Steering Committee, Marius Bazavan will now be giving us an
    outline of the current situation on the Romanian labor market.


    Marius Bazavan:

    I can see personnel
    fluctuation taking a downward trend. Fluctuation is increasingly on the wane.
    People have started to settle in, at the workplace. Personnel shortage is on everybody’s
    lips these days. We cannot hide that, but, as we speak, personnel shortage does
    exist, in terms of numbers, but also quality-wise, if we take into account the people who
    are skilled to work in the hospitality industry.


    For a better quality of services, but also in a bid to
    attract youngsters to seek employment in the hospitality industry, a guide has
    been recently compiled, by the Edu4Tourism Association,
    with the support of the Romanian Hotel Industry Federation. We’re
    speaking about The Hospitality Industry Practice
    Guide    , an educational instrument targeting teachers and pupils,
    at once setting the task to accomplish several clear-cut objectives: the percentage increase in the case of pupils who, having graduated
    from a specialized high-school, can opt for choosing a career path in the hospitality
    industry offering support to the parents, in a bid to make them understand the
    activities and the jobs their children can embrace in a tourist unit, and the
    support of the economic agents in need to of skilled personnel, so that they
    can offer high-standard services.

    Călin Ile is the President Romanian Hotel
    Industry Federation. He will now be telling us what exactly the guide means,
    for tourism industry operators.


    Calin Ile:

    It is a bridge between us, who
    activate as hospitality industry operators, the people involved in education,
    in high schools, in tourism schools part of the Romanian education system, between
    pupils and parents. We intend o created this dialogue bridge between us, so we
    may find the best solutions that can help those youngsters integrate in our industry,
    and in a bid to render our industry more pleasant so that we can give them the
    answers they need, for them to form the best opinion, all that enabling them to
    make a well-informed choice, whether they want or not to work with us. We
    wholeheartedly wait for their options. I believe that, before procedures and
    operating systems, it all boils down to a human relation, it is all about each
    and every one of us getting involved in supporting these youngsters in their
    effort to find a way in life. And we think a nice and fair way for themselves
    is also a career path in tourism.


    As for the incentive that can be offered to youngsters,
    it can be provided by the current tourism employees, provided education units
    set up, for the training stages, partnerships with the economic agents
    operating in the field. With details on that, here is Catalin Ile once again.


    Also, there will be an
    impetus for tourism employees to act as mentors and get involved as training
    tutors. And, last but not the least, I think it will also be a curiosity for youngsters,
    for pupils, to pick their training option, to do their training stages in our
    units. So it really is an incentive we provide for the three categories I’ve mentioned
    before, in a bid to properly consider doing their training in tourism and subsequently,
    even have employment in tourism.


    The Hospitality Industry Practice Guide
    has an electronic format; it is downloadable from any electronic device and
    includes essential information for the pupils who may wish to be good tourism
    workers. Or at least that is what project coordinator, Rocsana Borda, says.


    Rocsana Borda:

    It
    includes a teaching syllabus, jointly created with those of the Edu4Tourism.
    Also, it includes everything related to the annexes of the training, the pupils’
    evaluation, the steps to be taken. What you need to tick when, for the first
    time ever, you need to do the cleaning of a hotel room, well…cleaning is just
    un example. All these materials are a click away. Actually, the guide is
    downloadable. Anyone can download it, completely free of charge, so that they
    can get the information they need. I should also like to add that it provides a
    description of the jobs that are part of the hospitality industry. We should also
    consider a hotel also means an IT department, accounting, it also means
    marketing, it’s not only about the receptionist’s desk and the kitchen. It’s all of that in one single place.


    However, over and above anything else, the guide is an
    example of how economic operators get involved in tertiary education. Without such
    involvement, the workforce cannot be trained at a high-performance level. (EN)









  • March 28, 2022 UPDATE

    March 28, 2022 UPDATE

    NATO The war that Russia started against
    Ukraine severely affects the security environment at the Black Sea and in the
    south-east of Europe, the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca said at the end of a meeting
    of NATO heads of government from south-east Europe, hosted by Sofia,
    Bulgaria. Europe is now experiencing the most complicated period since WW2, and
    we need stronger defence and more efficient deterrence, Mr. Ciucǎ added. On
    the sidelines of the meeting, the Romanian PM discussed with his Bulgarian
    counterpart Kiril
    Petkov, about the Bulgaria-Greece interconnector. Another topic was the road
    and railway infrastructure, in which context the Bulgarian side proposed the
    construction of 5 bridges over Danube river. In Sofia, the
    attending heads of government discussed cooperation in the field of security,
    taking into account NATO’s latest decisions. Another major topic was related to
    reducing reliance on Russian gas and identifying means to connect the region to
    natural gas pipelines from Western Europe, particularly via Greece.




    UKRAINE
    Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says his country is ready to discuss
    neutrality as part of a peace agreement with Russia, as a new round of
    negotiations is due to begin in Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday. A meeting between
    presidents Zelensky and Putin would be counterproductive at this point,
    Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in his turn.
    Meanwhile, the losses reported by Ukraine because of the war are in excess of
    USD 564 billion, the country’s economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko said, according to Reuters. In the
    field, Russian forces are regrouping but have difficulty advancing into
    Ukrainian territory. Several Russian units were forced to return to Belarus
    after experiencing significant losses. The situation remains dramatic in
    Mariupol, the Sea of Azov port that sees the most violent
    fighting since the start of the war. The Red Cross announced it was unable to
    send aid to the city, and requested Russia and Ukraine to secure a humanitarian
    corridor. According to local authorities, nearly 160,000 civilians are stranded
    in the city without water, food, medicines and electricity. Russia continues to
    deny targeting civilians, and blames Ukraine for the repeated failure to secure
    safe corridors for the locals to leave the region.






    SCHOOLS
    The number of Ukrainian children enrolled in Romanian schools stands at 1,140,
    out of a total of nearly 34,000 minors who arrived in Romania fleeing the
    Russian invasion, the education minister Sorin Cîmpeanu has announced. The
    Romanian Minister said the majority of Ukrainian school children wish to
    continue their studies observing the standard curricula taught in Ukrainian
    schools.






    VISIT There are currently no risks to food safety in Europe. What we do have
    is inflation, said EU Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, at the end of
    his meeting in Bucharest with Finance Minister Adrian Câciu. According to the
    EU official, the war in Ukraine will impact Romania’s estimated 4% economic
    growth rate this year. Talks between Gentiloni and Câciu also tackled economic
    measures to address the shocks reported in the supply chain. At the same time,
    the two officials also discussed the fallout of the war in Ukraine and response
    measures required to deal with the wave of refugees. Also
    on Monday    , Paolo Gentiloni was received by president Klaus Iohannis. The talks focused
    primarily on the situation generated by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, including the economic impact on the EU and its
    member states, the
    challenges in handling the refugee waves and the situation in the Republic of Moldova.EU Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, is
    in Bucharest on Tuesday as well, when he is scheduled to meet other Romanian
    officials. (AMP)

  • March 28, 2022

    March 28, 2022

    UKRAINE – Ukrainian troops have
    successfully launched counteroffensives on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Oleh
    Synyehubov, governor of the Kkarkiv Oblast announced on Monday. According to
    information published by the Ukrainian media, Russia’s attacks targeted several
    cities on Sunday evening. The capital Kyiv and the cities of Lutsk, Rivne and
    Kharkiv were reportedly rocked by several powerful explosions. Air raid sirens
    went off in most regions, and a fuel depot in Lutsk, in the northwest, was hit
    by a missile strike. The Ukrainian leadership accused the Russian army of
    inhumane tactics and for the partial or complete blocking of humanitarian
    corridors and cities under siege, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak
    tweeted.




    SCHOOLS – The number of Ukrainian
    children enrolled in Romanian schools stands at 1,140, out of a total of nearly
    34 thousand underage children who arrived in Romania fleeing the Russian
    invasion, Education Minister Sorin Cîmpeanu, has announced. The Romanian
    Minister said the majority of Ukrainian school children wish to continue their
    studies observing the standard curricula taught in Ukrainian schools.




    VISIT – There are currently no risks
    to food safety in Europe. What we do have is inflation, said EU Commissioner
    for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, at the end of his meeting in Bucharest with
    Finance Minister Adrian Câciu. According to the EU official, the war in Ukraine
    will impact the estimated economic growth. Talks between Gentiloni and Câciu
    also tackled economic measures that need to be taken in response to the shocks
    reported in the supply chain. At the same time, the two officials also
    discussed the fallout of the war in Ukraine and response measures required to
    deal with the wave of refugees. Paolo Gentiloni is paying a visit to Bucharest
    on Monday and Tuesday and is expected to meet with president Klaus Iohannis,
    Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and other Romanian officials. The agenda of the
    visit focuses on economic prospects and on the situation in Romania one month
    after the start of the war in neighboring Ukraine.




    NATO – Romania’s Prime
    Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, is today attending a meeting of NATO heads of
    government from southeastern Europe, hosted by Sofia, Bulgaria. The meeting
    will address the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on regional security
    in the short, medium and long term and ways to consolidate coordination and
    cooperation in southeastern Europe. On the sidelines of the meeting, Prime
    Minister Ciucă will also hold talks with the prime minister of Bulgaria,
    Montenegro and North Macedonia, Kiril Petkov, Zdravko Krivokapic and Dimitar Kovačevski, respectively. The meeting
    in Sofia follows last week’s extraordinary NATO summit, attended by Prime
    Minister Nicolae Niucă and president Klaus Iohannis.




    ROMANIA-USA – During talks with
    Washington officials, Senate Speaker Florin Cîțu reiterated the need to
    consolidate NATO’s eastern flank, including by boosting American military
    presence. 25 years after the signing of the Strategic Partnership between
    Romania and the United States, the Romanian official reiterated Romania’s
    commitment to increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP and stepping up
    military cooperation with the United States. In a post on Facebook, Florin Cîțu
    also argues that one the topics tackled during the talks was the importance of
    ensuring Europe’s energy security and Romania’s contribution in this respect.
    As part of his visit to the United States, the Romanian official also met with
    representatives of the Romanian community in the USA, whom he told they can
    contribute to consolidating the strategic partnership.




    ENERGY – Romanian Energy
    Minister, Virgil Popescu, is today invited to attend a debate regarding the
    energy market in Romania, hosted by the Chamber of Deputies. Organized at the
    request of USR in opposition, the debate focuses on Romania’s dependency on
    Russian gas imports and on securing natural gas and electricity supplies.
    Minister Popescu recently said some 460 million Euro can be accessed under the
    Recovery and Resilience Plan, once negotiations with the Ministry for
    Investments and European Projects are finalized. Businesses that want to access
    the funds to purchase facilities that produce sustainable energy can do so
    starting this week.




    COVID – A little over 1,900 new cases of COVID-19 infection were
    confirmed in the space of 24 hours, the authorities announced on Monday. Most
    new infections, over 650, were reported in Bucharest. Cluj, Timiş and Ilfov
    counties also report large incidence rates. Right now, over 2,800 patients are
    being treated in hospitals for Covid, of whom 400 in intensive care. The
    authorities also announced 8 fatalities, of which 2 were prior to the reference
    interval. According to the National Institute for Public Health, over 13,600
    doses of anti-Covid vaccine were administered last week, of which 1,900
    accounted for the first dose. Since the start of the vaccination campaign, over
    16.7 million doses have been administered in Romania. (VP)



  • Children, a Covid-19 transmission vector

    Children, a Covid-19 transmission vector

    Romania saw record-high numbers of COVID-19
    infections last week, with over 34,000 cases on Wednesday and more than 168,000
    for the entire week. The number of related deaths remains lower than during the
    autumn wave.




    However, there are concerns related to the
    transmission of the virus among children, as classes are held on-site across
    the country until 75% of the hospital beds set aside for COVID patients are
    occupied in any given county.




    On Sunday, 3,800 children tested positive for
    the coronavirus, and the total number for last week reached nearly 36,000. Kids
    have become a COVID transmission vector, and the number of cases rises
    exponentially from one day to the next, says the president of the Family
    Doctors Association in Ialomiţa, Andreea Radu:




    Andreea Radu: Children are known to spread the virus
    very easily, because they learn and play in large groups. Although the Omicron variant
    seems to cause milder forms of the disease, especially compared to the Delta, you
    never know in what category you fall, whether you will indeed have a mild form
    or not.




    Some hospitals in the country open paediatric COVID
    units to handle the severe cases among children. The manager of the Slobozia County
    Emergency Hospital Liviu Patrichi warns that the number of such cases is
    growing:


    Liviu Patrichi: The problem we are facing now
    compared to the other waves of the pandemic is the large number of mild and
    medium cases among children. We have opened a COVID paediatric unit, which is
    running at the capacity specified in the resilience plan. We have 9 dedicated
    beds for paediatric cases.




    The health minister Alexandru Rafila said his professional
    advice for the parents who want to have their children vaccinated against COVID
    is to get properly informed in advance. He added the immunisation of kids aged 5
    to 11 runs smoothly and the good organisation gives confidence to parents.




    The upward trend in the number of COVID-19 cases
    will last for another few days, Alexandru Rafila also said. In hospitals, the
    number of COVID patients is on the rise, and the complications and severe cases
    that reach ICUs are mainly caused by the Delta variant, which still accounts
    for around 20% of the new infections.




    Mr. Rafila also estimates that in about 2 weeks’
    time, the already prevailing Omicron variant will have completely replaced
    Delta in Romania as well, which will slow down the inflow of patients in hospitals.
    According to him, this will be the last wave likely to have a serious impact on
    public health, and starting this spring we might resume public and private
    events with large numbers of participants, which have been subject to the most
    severe restrictions over the past 2 years. (A.M.P.)

  • January 2, 2022 UPDATE

    January 2, 2022 UPDATE

    Covid — 958 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been registered in the last 24 hours in Romania, alongside 17 deaths – the Strategic Communication Group announced on Sunday. Health experts say that the 5th pandemic wave will reach Romania in the first weeks of 2022 and estimate that a threshold of 25,000 infections per day could be reached. The PM Nicolae Ciuca said that the law on the introduction of the so-called COVID green certificate could be adopted either in a special session of parliament or by government decree. Since the onset of the pandemic, over 1.8 million cases of COVID-19 have been registered in Romania, and almost 60,000 people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus have died. The country has the second lowest vaccination rate among the 27 EU members, after Bulgaria. Less than 7.9 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated, that is a little over 40% of the eligible population. About two million of them have been vaccinated with the so-called booster dose.



    Finance — For January 2022 the Romanian Finance Ministry planned loans from commercial banks worth 4.4 billion lei, of which 300 million lei through the issuance of discounted treasury bonds and 4.1 billion lei through ten government bond issues. Adding to these could be the amount of 615 million lei, through additional sessions of non-competitive offers, related to bond auctions. The total amount of 5.015 billion lei (the equivalent of over one billion Euros) will be used to refinance the public debt and to finance the state budget deficit.



    Handball — Romanias national mens handball team starts training for the preliminary qualifying tournament for the World Championship, to be held in Cluj-Napoca (northwest). Between January 7-9, 2022, the Romanian handballers will meet the national teams of Israel, Cyprus and the Republic of Moldova, opponents considered accessible by the specialized press. Last week, Romania played, also in Cluj, two training matches with the Turkish national team, which it won 26-24 and 35-25, respectively. The friendly matches replaced, in the schedule of the two teams, a new edition of the traditional Carpathian Trophy, which was canceled, after numerous players contaminated with COVID-19 were identified in the groups of the other two participants, Switzerland and Iran. Romanias coach is the famous Spanish coach Xavi Pasqual, who won the Champions League with Barcelona three times.



    Pay rise — Since January 1, the minimum gross salary in Romania has increased to 2,550 lei (the equivalent of about 510 Euros), the pension point to 1,586 lei (320 Euros), and the minimum social allowance increased to 1,000 lei (200 Euros). Allowances for children aged 2 to 18 also increased to 243 lei (about 49 Euros), and to 600 lei (about 120 Euros) for children up to two years or up to three years in the case of disabled children. However, the level of excise duties for almost all product categories – petrol, diesel oil, beer, wine and spirits – is also increasing, the only exception being for cigarettes. For the approximately 3.7 million consumers who have not yet concluded a free-market contract, electricity tariffs increase by 50 up to 90%, depending on the supplier, but people will not pay increased bills now, because they have been capped and will be compensated from the state budget until March 31, 2022. Analysts warn that increases in pensions and salaries will not be felt by the population, tough, as these increases come in the context of price rises, which will continue in the next period.



    Energy – Romanian energy experts expect the Romgaz National Natural Gas Company to sign, this spring, the contract to take over the shares of the American operator ExxonMobil in the Neptune Deep perimeter of the Black Sea, which would ensure Romanias energy independence for many years. The Neptune Deep perimeter in the Black Sea has the largest gas reserve discovered so far off the Romanian coast, which is estimated at over 80 billion cubic meters and having an uncertain potential of up to 200 billion. Given that today Romanias consumption is up to 12 billion cubic meters per year, this perimeter is the equivalent of the national consumption for at least eight years. According to initial plans, with the start of operations, Neptun Deep could provide two billion cubic meters of gas in the first year, just enough for Romania to become independent of imports. Production is going to increase annually to six billion, after which it will decrease with the gradual depletion of the gas amount in the depths. The shareholders of Romgaz, a company owned by the Romanian state, have already approved this takeover and thus the company will become an equal partner, within the Neptun Deep project, with another company partly owned by the Romanian state, Petrom. Following the expected change in the offshore law, gas exploration in the Neptune Deep perimeter could begin in 2026-2027.



    Borders – The Border Police supplemented the personnel and the checkpoints at Romania’s western border where the traffic has intensified. Many Romanians who work abroad leave Romania after the holidays, consequently, traffic has intensified at the Romanian-Hungarian border. At the Nadlac II Border Point, one of the busiest border-crossing points at the border with Hungary, eight control lanes have been opened for cars leaving Romania, to which two mobile stations are added.



    Schools — Secondary and high school pupils resume classes on Monday after the winter break alongside the students of the vocational and post-compulsory education system. According to the timetable approved by the Education Ministry pupils in the preschool and primary education system will end the winter holidays on January 9. The first semester will end on January 14, and the second semester will begin on January 17. The next holiday, namely the spring (Easter) holiday will be between April 15 and May 1. (LS)

  • Omicron – testing and vaccination

    Omicron – testing and vaccination

    Romania seems to
    have overcome the fourth wave of the pandemic, although many fear the fifth is
    just days away. This may be fueled by the emergence of a new strain of the
    virus, Omicron, developed in south Africa and considered extremely contagious.
    A TAROM aircraft will bring home the remaining Romanian citizens who were left
    stranded in South Africa after several flights were cancelled. Under the EU’s
    Civil Protection Mechanism, a few other dozen EU citizens will be able to board
    the Romanian aircraft. Starting this week, after the National Day mini-holiday,
    rapid saliva tests will be performed periodically in the case of pre-school and school children. Testing kits will be accompanied by instructions manuals,
    and the procedure must be carried out in a fully sanitized environment. Pupils
    will be tested either in school or at home, by parents, based on the decision
    of each schooling unit.

    Education trade unions have threatened to stage
    protests unless testing is performed exclusively at home. Union leaders also
    warn that saliva tests do not observe any health safety regulation, as they are
    expected to be handled by at least three other people before reaching pupils,
    given that every component is wrapped and sealed individually in a regular kit.
    Education Minister, Sorin
    Cîmpeanu, responded saying that testing kits reached schools broken down in
    components everywhere in Europe, and that teachers can help assemble them.
    Meanwhile, interest in vaccination remains low. Less than 50,000 doses of
    Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson&Johnson were administered on
    Sunday in Romania, of which less than 11 thousand were the first dose.
    According to authorities, some 7.5 million people have completed the full
    vaccination scheme, whereas 1.5 million people have taken three doses of the
    vaccine.

    The Chamber of Deputies in Romania will try to adopt a bill, similar
    to other European states, making the so-called green COVID certificate
    mandatory in workplaces. The new prime minister, Liberal Nicolae Ciucă, has
    called on MPs to vote the document, whereas Health Minister, Social-Democrat
    Alexandru Rafila, claims the certificate must be introduced when the infection
    rate goes up for three consecutive weeks and eliminated when the infection rate
    goes down. (VP)