Radio România Internațional

Tag: Sea

  • March 19, 2023 UPDATE

    March 19, 2023 UPDATE

    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently
    on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, Sunday travelled to Masdar
    City, a model of sustainable urban development with solutions centered around
    energy efficiency and environment protection. The Romanian official was presented
    solutions for transport and urban cooling and ventilation, building energy
    generation and optimum usage of natural light in schools and research
    institutions. The solutions tested in Masdar City may be an inspiration for
    other cities increasingly interested in sustainability, including in Romania. Contributions
    to these solutions come, among others, from Romanian researchers as well,
    affiliated to research institutes in Masdar City, the Romanian presidency said
    in a news release. President Iohannis will be in the UAE until Tuesday, at the
    invitation of his counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main
    goals of the visit include strengthening the political and diplomatic dialogue
    on topics of mutual interest, encouraging bilateral economic relations, which
    are already on a significant positive trend, and attracting investments in the
    Romanian economy through projects in fields like infrastructure, energy,
    climate change, cybersecurity and food security.


    REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police Inspectorate General
    announced that on Saturday as many as 86,342 people entered Romania using
    border checkpoints around the country. Of them, 8,510 were Ukrainian nationals.
    Since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of their
    country, nearly 3.8 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them have
    travelled further on to western European countries, but around 100,000 of them
    have chosen to stay in Romania, according to the authorities in Bucharest.


    DIPLOMACY The Romanian diplomacy chief Bogdan Aurescu takes part on
    Monday in the Foreign Affairs Council, a meeting of EU foreign ministers in
    Brussels. He will also attend the joint meeting of EU foreign and defence
    ministers, as well as in a conference of international donors for Turkey and
    Syria, in the aftermath of the February earthquakes. The Foreign Affairs
    Council will focus on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the dialogue between
    Belgrade and Pristina, the situation in Tunisia and the latest developments in
    Iran. Bogdan Aurescu will plead for continuing multidimensional support for Ukraine,
    both at EU level and from the member states, with a focus on the quick
    provision of military equipment and training for the Ukrainian army. According
    to the Romanian foreign ministry, Mr. Aurescu will also support a consolidation
    of the sanctions against Russia and a more efficient implementation of current
    restrictions.


    MILITARY Over 3,000 troops from Romania and 12 Allied and partner
    states will take part in the Sea Shield 2023 multinational exercise, the most
    complex event planned and spearheaded by the Romanian Navy this year. Taking
    part in the event between March 20 and April 2 are forces from Albania,
    Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Poland, Portugal, UK, the Netherlands, the Republic
    of Moldova, Romania, the US and Turkey. The exercise contributes to promoting
    Romania’s interests and initiatives at regional and international level, as
    well as to enhancing inter-operability among the participating countries. Sea
    Shield, a complex concept designed for the training of NATO forces, was
    proposed by Romania at NATO’s summit in Warsaw in 2016, to boost security on
    the Eastern flank.


    HANDBALL Romania’s women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, were
    defeated on Sunday by Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana, 29-24, in the first leg of the
    playoffs for the Champions’ League quarter-finals. The second leg takes place
    in Bucharest. This is Rapid’s first presence in the Champions’ League, and the
    match against the Slovenian champions is also the team’s first march in European
    competitions with the Danish manager Kim Rasmussen, who replaced Carlos Viver (Spain).
    If they qualify into the quarter-finals, Rapid will be facing Kristiansand (Norway).
    Romania’s vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, have already qualified into the
    quarter-finals, where they will take on the winner of the playoff between the
    French side Brest and the Danish team Esbjerg. (AMP)

  • Plans for the energy sector

    Plans for the energy sector


    The German company AE SOLAR plans to produce solar panels in Romania, in one of the largest investments announced in the country in the past few years.



    PM Nicolae Ciucă has met with officers of the firm, which intends to invest a total of EUR 1 bln, the Government announced. In a first stage, the project will have a 2-gigawatt capacity, and after the full integration of production flows the capacity will reach 10 gigawatts, accounting for one-third of Europes demand.



    AE SOLAR, which operates in 95 countries, confirmed that the first stage of the Romanian plan would be operational this very year. What the government is to do next is analyse the resources that may be obtained from EU funding or from the national budget to support the project. Experts will be involved from the Black Sea Universities Network, who will be able to work together through a science park paired with the production facilities, the governments news release also says.



    According to PM Ciucă, AE SOLARs investment will place Romania at the forefront of European production of solar panels and will contribute substantially to the countrys energy independence and to environment protection, given the use of clean, renewable energy for electricity production.



    Modernisation was also the key topic in the PMs talks with Mass Global Energy Rom, which last year took over the coal-fired thermal power plant in Mintia, in the west of the country. Company officials told PM Nicolae Ciucă about an over EUR 1 bln investment plan designed to turn the unit into the EUs largest and most efficient gas-based electricity production facility, able to produce at least 1,500 megawatts.



    The first stage of the investment is due for completion within 24 months, with the entire project to be finalised in 36 months. During this time, the power plant elements will be prepared for the switch to new, hydrogen-based technologies to produce energy.



    “The Black Sea natural gas reserves, which are currently able to cover 10% of the annual domestic demand, will turn Romania, in the coming years, into one of the largest gas producers in the EU. The power plant in Mintia, which will use gas as a resource for the production of electricity, will take full advantage of this, enabling Romania to cover its domestic demand and also to export, thus helping the Republic of Moldova and our EU partners,” PM Nicolae Ciucă promised. (AMP)


  • June 30, 2022

    June 30, 2022

    HEAT WAVE
    The National Meteorology Agency issued a code-red alert for extreme heat for
    Thursday and Friday in 6 counties in the west and north-west of the country.
    According to weather experts, highs of 38-39 degrees Celsius will be reported
    in these counties, an absolute record for this time of the year. The rest of
    the country is mostly under orange-code alerts, for temperatures of up to 36-38
    degrees Celsius, and code-yellow alerts, for highs of 33 to 36 degrees Celsius.
    On the other hand, 18 counties in the east and centre of the country are today
    under a code-yellow alert for atmospheric instability.


    NATO NATO leaders are focusing today, the second day of the
    summit in Madrid, on the challenges and threats in the southern neighbourhood,
    including the food crisis deepened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The
    participants will discuss the progress in the fight against terrorism, means to
    ensure food security, and Allied support options for the organisation’s
    southern partners. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Madrid,
    president Klaus Iohannis will highlight Romania’s contribution in providing
    humanitarian aid to Ukraine and in reducing risks related to food security. He
    will also underline Romania’s support for vulnerable partners, particularly the
    neighbouring R. of Moldova and Georgia. On Wednesday, the first day of the
    summit, NATO adopted a new strategic concept, which defines Russia as the most
    significant and direct threat to Allied security and stability.


    EXAMS After the appeals stage, the share of 8th-graders
    who passed the national evaluation this year is 82.4%, the Education Minister Sorin Cîmpeanu announced. The number of children who
    got straight As has also increased to 237. Minister Cîmpeanu said last week that the
    number of pass grades among students sitting the national evaluation exam
    reached an absolute record this year compared to the last 10 years, namely 82.3%,
    which means 122,166 children had passed the exam prior to appeals. Last year
    the figure was 5.5% smaller. The grades obtained in the national evaluation are
    the main criterion for high school admission.


    UKRAINE On Thursday the Russian Army announced pulling out of the Serpent
    Island, a strategic location in the Black Sea controlled by Moscow ever since
    the beginning of its invasion in Ukraine. Russia’s defence ministry described
    this as a proof of good will, which should facilitiate Ukraine’s grains exports.
    This decision will not enable Kyiv to take advantage of the imminent food
    crisis by claiming that it is unable to export grains because of Russia’s
    complete control over the north-western part of the Black Sea, the Russian
    defence ministry added, and said mine sweeping is expected on the Black Sea
    coast, including ports. In turn,
    Kyiv had announced that Russian troops had been forced out of
    the remains of their unit on Serpent Island, following a successful Ukrainian
    operation.





    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (43 WTA) moved
    up into the 3rd round of the Wimbledon tournament, after defeating Italy’s
    Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 6-4, 6-4. Next, Begu is to take on Jelena Ostapenko of
    Latvia (17 WTA), seed no. 12. Another Romanian player, Sorana Cîrstea, lost the
    second round to Tatjana Maria of Germany. Four other Romanians are scheduled to
    play in the second round today: Simona Halep against Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium),
    Mihaela Buzarnescu against Coco Gauff (USA), Irina Bara against Paula Badosa
    (Spain) and Ana Bogdan against Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic).

  • June 25, 2022

    June 25, 2022

    SUMMIT Romanian president
    Klaus Iohannis has attended the European Council in Brussels during which the
    Republic of Moldova and Ukraine have been granted the status of EU-candidate
    countries. The European leaders have also tackled the ways in which the EU
    members can avoid a major energy crisis in winter. High on the summit agenda
    was the situation in Ukraine, the bloc’s relation with the Western Balkans as well
    as a series of economic issues. Iohannis has reiterated Romania’s consistent
    support for Kiev and presented the efforts to facilitate the exports of
    Ukrainian cereals adding that Romania’s ports and transport corridors are
    functioning at full capacity. During the Euro summit in Brussels, president
    Iohannis has reiterated his conviction for the European future of the countries
    in the Western Balkans and the support for the opening as soon as possible of
    the talks with North Macedonia and Albania and the identification of solutions
    for the process of bringing Bosnia-Herzegovina closer to the union.






    ATTACK The alleged
    assailant on Friday night in Oslo is a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin who
    is known to the intelligence services, a police official said on Saturday. He
    didn’t reveal the identity of the suspect, but mentioned the assailant’s previous
    brushes with the law for carrying weapons and drug possession. The attack in
    downtown Oslo left two dead and 21 wounded, out of whom 10 severely. According
    to police sources, the suspect was being held on suspicion of murder, attempted
    murder and terrorism, based on the number of people targeted at multiple
    locations.








    NATO At the NATO summit in
    Madrid next week, the Black Sea region will be acknowledged as having a
    strategic importance in the collective defence and battle groups in Romania and
    other eastern countries could be given the status of brigades. The alliance’s
    deputy secretary general, Mircea Geoana said the summit would bring good news
    for Romania, but also for Ukraine for the transatlantic relation and the
    alliance per se. ‘From the military and security viewpoints’, Geoana says ‘and
    because Russia is an unpredictable and aggressive player, Romania will have the
    same quality in terms of national security as Germany and Belgium. There will
    be no difference in what NATO has on the eastern flank and in Western Europe.
    Next week we are going to attend the NATO summit in Madrid and we are expecting
    historic news for Romania’. The talks in Madrid will also be focusing on the
    requests from Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, although no decision is
    expected in this respect because of Turkey’s opposition.










    FESTIVAL Until July 3rd, the city of Sibiu in central Romania is
    seeing the International Theatre Festival currently at its 29th
    edition. The festival, which is unfolding under a theme simply entitled
    Beauty, includes productions of theatre, dance, circus, film, musical and
    opera. Street performances, concerts, book launches and exhibitions have also
    been included in the festival’s agenda. For ten days artists of the world stage
    are offering the public the possibility of enjoying live performances that have
    been acknowledged at international level being also recipients of prestigious
    awards.








    (bill)

  • May 12, 2022 UPDATE

    May 12, 2022 UPDATE

    NATO The
    president of Romania Klaus Iohannis hailed Finland’s announcement regarding its
    intention to join NATO, and says Bucharest supported the decision. Romania is
    a firm supporter of NATO’s open door policy and stands ready to support Finland
    in the process of NATO accession. Together we are stronger! Iohannis posted on
    Twitter on Thursday. The president of Finland Sauli Niinistö and PM Sanna Marin Thursday spoke in favour of the
    country’s joining NATO without delay, with the candidacy to be announced on
    Sunday, AFP reports. As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the Alliance
    as a whole, the two officials said in a joint press release. Finland’s
    accession will be a threat to Russia, the Kremlin said in response. Three in
    four Finnish citizens support the accession. A neutral state during the Cold
    War, Finland joined the EU and NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme, but
    remained outside the alliance. The decision to join NATO comes against the
    background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland shares a 1,300-km border
    with Russia.


    RULING The Bucharest Court of Appeals Thursday passed
    its final ruling on the Colectiv case, after several successive
    postponements. The former Bucharest District 4 Mayor Cristian Popescu-Piedone, currently
    the mayor of District 5 of the capital city, was sentenced to 4 years in prison
    for abuse of office. The club owners also received prison sentences ranging
    between 6 and 11 years, while the 2 firefighters with the Bucharest
    Inspectorate for Emergency Situations who inspected the Colectiv nightclub and
    disregarded the workplace security legislation were sentenced to 8 years and 8
    months in prison, and 2 pyrotechnics workers will also serve 6 years and 10 months
    each. The manager of the fireworks company received a suspended sentence. The
    October 2015 fire in Colectiv killed 64 people and injured many others. It
    was the most serious accident in Romania since 1989. The tragedy forced the
    government at the time to step down.


    INFLATION The Romanian Central Bank has updated its
    inflation forecast to 12.5% for end-2022 and 6.7% for end-2023, governor Mugur
    Isarescu announced on Thursday. In February, the Central Bank estimated
    inflation would stand at 9.6% at the end of 2022 and at 3.2% at the end of
    2023. Inflationist pressure triggered by production costs is expected to go
    down gradually. However, its effects will continue to be felt for around 12
    months. Romania sees the highest annual inflation rate in the last 18 years,
    nearly 14%, with the steepest price rises reported for natural gas (85%).


    POLL One in two Romanians has considered moving to
    another country after the start of the war in Ukraine, and the first options
    would be Germany, France and Britain, according to data made public by a
    recruitment platform. 12% of respondents are waiting to see how things unfold
    and 11% believe the war will not affect us. Another 26% say they will not leave
    the country irrespective of what happens next. The main reasons for moving
    abroad are the wish to change the scenery and the country where they work
    (38%), personal and family safety (24%), better incomes (21%), more
    opportunities for professional development (14%) and the wish to work in a
    safer environment, unaffected by war (4%).


    UKRAINE A first Russian soldier will be on trial in
    Ukraine for killing a civilian in the Sumy region. International teams of
    prosecutors and investigators continue to probe into war crimes committed by
    the Russian army, with more than 10,000 such cases pending. According to Radio
    Romania’s special correspondent, investigators say the 21-year old Russian
    soldier killed a Ukrainian civilian who was walking his bike along the sidewalk.
    The soldier and other Russian troops were in a stolen car, after their unit had
    been destroyed by the Ukrainian forces. The prosecutor general of Ukraine, Iryna
    Venediktova, said there was enough evidence of his involvement in violation of
    the laws and customs of war, including premeditated murder, and that he was
    facing 10 to 15 years or life in prison. Experts from Poland, Lithuania and
    France help the teams of investigators, and the cases documented so far point
    to people being killed with no reason. Clashes continued on Thursday in the
    north-east and south-east of Ukraine, with both sides announcing local-scale
    advances.


    NATURAL GAS The Romanian Senate passed amendments to the Offshore
    Act, which green lights gas exploitation in the Black Sea. The ruling
    coalition, which tabled the bill, says this is a much more balanced version of
    the one endorsed four years ago. Tax changes have now been introduced in favour
    of the companies concerned, and dependence on Russian gas would be
    significantly reduced in a few years’ time. According to estimates, around 80
    billion cubic metres of gas are in the Neptune Deep perimeter alone. The
    national state-owned company Romgaz-the largest gas producer in Romania-and the
    Austrian company OMV will extract gas from the Black Sea in the coming years. (A.M.P.)

  • The Beginning of the Summer Season in Romania

    The Beginning of the Summer Season in Romania

    This weekend, which also marks the International
    Workers’ Day with barbeques and parties the summer season officially kicks off
    in Romania. Many Romanians are these days travelling to the seaside resorts on
    the Black Sea coast, where over 100 hotels are expected to be open. According
    to travel operators, after two years of pandemic, people are now appreciating
    holidays more than ever as over 80% of the rooms have already been booked and
    resorts are expected to be crowded this summer season.




    Hotel owners believe that roughly 30 thousand
    tourists are going to spend May Day at the seaside, most of them in the resorts
    of Mamaia and Costinesti. Night clubs and the Sunwaves electronic music
    festival in Mamaia resort are expected to be the main attractions for young
    people these days, as well as the festivals of hip-hop&trap and rock music
    in the resort of Costinesti.




    Prices for a holiday in a seaside resort have risen
    at least 15% and when demand is higher, in the month of August, for instance,
    prices can get even higher, because as the tour operators have explained, like
    in any market economy it is the supply and demand, which is setting the
    price.




    According to Romania’s Tourism Minister, Daniel
    Cadariu, beaches in the seaside resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast have
    been prepared to welcome tourists. They have been cleaned by the National
    Administration ‘Romanian Waters’ and submitted to operators. According to
    Minister Cadariu holiday vouchers, aimed at giving an impetus to local tourism,
    are to soon make it to the employees of the state and some private companies.
    Every institution decides whether to offer these vouchers or not, but they have
    been urged to do it as soon as possible. Here is Tourism Minister Daniel
    Cadariu with more on the issue.




    Daniel Cadariu: In December
    we passed an emergency ordinance, on which every institution based its budget,
    so that they may get the right amount of money. Now it’s true that part of this
    money has so far been spent on public procurement but according to figures
    released last week, nearly 97 million lei have already been deposited into the accounts
    of the beneficiaries.




    The Minister has also announced that private
    companies can also give holiday vouchers up to six minimum wages and aren’t
    limited to the 1450 lei ceiling as the state companies. This could be a real
    stimulus for their employees at a time of severe labour force crisis Minister Cadariu
    went on to say.


    (bill)

  • April 26, 2022

    April 26, 2022

    LAW In Bucharest, the Offshore Bill is to be
    discussed this week by the specialised committee of the Senate, the first
    parliamentary chamber to vote on the act. The bill regulates the development of
    the natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, and stipulates that the Romanian
    state has pre-emptive rights to purchase these resources. The Senate is still
    waiting for the official opinion of the Economic and Social Council before
    discussing the bill, for which the leaders of the ruling coalition have taken
    responsibility. The Senate’s vote is expected to take place in May.


    REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police announced that
    the number of Ukrainian nationals that entered the country on Monday was 38.3%
    higher than on the previous day. According to a news release, 4,412 Ukrainian
    citizens entered Romania in 24 hours. Since the start of the crisis, over
    786,000

    Ukrainian citizens have crossed the border into Romania. According to the
    Border Police, measures have been taken to reinforce border security.


    HEALTH According to the latest official data, 321
    COVID-19 cases and 1 related fatality were reported in Romania in the past 24
    hours. More than 1,200 patients are currently in hospitals, 221 of them in
    intensive care. In other news, one case of acute severe hepatitis was reported
    in Romania, in a 5 year old. On April 21, the WHO announced 169 cases of acute
    hepatitis of unknown origin among young children worldwide. At least one child
    died and 17 needed liver transplants, the institution said.






    MOLDOVA The president of
    the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has called for a meeting of the Supreme
    Security Council concerning the recent incidents in the pro-Russian separatist
    region of Transnistria, in the east of that country. Two blasts were reported today in Maiak, where
    two communication towers in the radio and television centre were blown up. No
    victims have been reported. On Monday, the headquarters of the Security Service
    in Tiraspol had been attacked with rocket launchers, and a shell was found near
    the building. The doors and windows of the office were broken, and so were the
    windows of nearby buildings. According to
    Moldova’s Reintegration Policy Bureau, the goal
    was to create tension in the region, which has been out of the Moldovan
    authorities’ control since 1992, when an armed conflict that had killed
    hundreds of locals was ended by the intervention of Russian troops supporting the secessionist rebels, less than a year after Chișinău had
    proclaimed its independence. The ex-president of Russia Boris Yeltsin promised
    to pull out the troops from Transnistria at the 1999 OSCE summit, but some 1,500
    military and substantial amounts of Russian weapons appear to still be there.


    UKRAINE In its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has
    increased attacks on civilian targets, particularly railways, to prevent
    Ukrainian forces from receiving weapons from the West. At least 5 civilians
    were killed. Russian troops also destroyed 6 electricity generating units of
    the Ukrainian railways, and a weapons storage facility in Slovyansk. The
    Ukrainian forces withstood the attacks and said victims were reported, but did
    not provide any details.


    AID NATO and EU foreign
    ministers convene today at the Ramstein US military base in Germany, to discuss
    additional military assistance for Ukraine. At the beginning of the conflict,
    the West hesitated to provide weapons to Ukraine for fear that the violence
    would spiral into a larger-scale war. This reluctance subsided, however, and
    today’s talks will focus on how Kyiv could be supplied with the necessary
    weapons not just to withstand the Russian attack in Donbas (east), but also to
    counter-attack. Previously, the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov accused NATO
    of involvement in a proxy war, and said the weapons delivered by the West to
    Ukraine will be legitimate targets. (AMP)

  • Romanian – US talks

    Romanian – US talks


    The international community has firmly condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, which triggered the most severe refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.



    It is precisely the fallout of this military aggression and the Allied efforts to manage it and to come up with an appropriate response that was in the focus of Mondays telephone talks between the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu and the US secretary of state Antony Blinken.



    The two officials discussed concrete ways to provide support to Ukraine, and a number of bilateral cooperation elements as part of the Romania – US Strategic Partnership. Bogdan Aurescu presented Bucharests assessments of the security developments on NATOs eastern flank and in the Black Sea region. He also detailed the complex measures taken by Romanian authorities to support neighbouring Ukraine at a political, logistic, and humanitarian level.



    The Romanian diplomacy chief emphasised the importance of quickly implementing the decisions made at NATOs summit on March 24, particularly establishing as soon as possible the Romania battle group, as a first step in balancing and consolidating NATOs presence on the eastern flank in the long run.



    On the other hand, he presented the needs of Romanias eastern neighbour, the Republic of Moldova, in handling the crisis entailed by Russias military aggression in Ukraine and strengthening this countrys resilience.



    In turn, state secretary Antony Blinken thanked Romania on behalf of the US for the regional role that Bucharest has embraced and for the support given to Kyiv and other vulnerable partners in the region, including Chișinău. Moreover, Antony Blinken appreciated Romanias steadfast commitment, as a strategic partner of the USA and a reliable and trustworthy NATO Ally, to stability and security in the Black Sea region and at European and Euro-Atlantic level.



    The US official also reaffirmed Washingtons full commitment to protecting the territories of Romania and of all Allied states, especially those in the frontline.



    Also on Monday, the Romanian defence minister Vasile Dîncu talked over the phone with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, about security developments in the Black Sea region, in the context of the war in Ukraine, as well as about the stage of setting up the Allied battle group in Romania.



    Vasile Dîncu thanked the US for the commitment and substantial contribution to ensuring security on NATOs eastern flank. Relocating the Stryker combat team, deploying F-16 and F-18 aircraft to reinforce air policing missions in Romania are just two concrete examples of a solid trans-Atlantic relationship. (AMP)


  • Parliament discusses draft Offshore Act

    Parliament discusses draft Offshore Act

    This
    week the Parliament of Romania is set to discuss a new draft Offshore Act, the
    endorsement of which would allow for investments for offshore drilling for
    natural gas in the Black Sea and for the development of the country’s petrochemical
    industry.


    The
    bill has been approved already by the National Liberal Party, the Social
    Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians (UDMR), which
    make up a majority in Parliament at present and are determined to take
    responsibility for the bill.


    According
    to deputy PM and UDMR president Kelemen Hunor, in 2026-2027 at the soonest
    Romania will be able to extract natural gas from the Black Sea. He also
    explained that an economic crisis also brings along opportunities, forcing
    authorities to attract investors and to see what changes must be made in order for
    the country to switch from thermal power plants burning coal to ones running on
    gas.


    In
    turn, PM Nicolae Ciucă, recently elected president of the National Liberal
    Party, approves of the bill, arguing that it will help Romania reduce its
    reliance on Russian gas.


    The
    Social Democratic leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu also
    backs the bill, and says there is political determination and legislative,
    governmental and executive coherence for it to be endorsed.


    The
    Offshore Act has been stuck in Parliament for over 4 years, with several drafts
    having reached various stages of the regulatory process. The new draft tabled
    to Parliament has been subject to discussions in the ruling coalition for
    several months now.


    One
    scenario is for the Romanian government to receive a minimum of 60% of the
    proceeds from the natural gas, with the balance to be kept by private companies.


    The
    current legislation stipulates a 30% to 70% progressive tax on the additional
    revenues made from the natural gas price rises, and companies are bound to sell
    50% of the output through the Bucharest Commodity Exchange.


    The
    Offshore Act is eagerly awaited by companies
    interested in drilling for gas in the Black Sea. Several gas producers,
    including OMV Petrom, an Austrian company in which the Romanian
    government also holds stock, spent billions of US dollars for a decade on preparations
    to tap into the estimated 200 billion cubic metres of gas on Romania’s
    continental shelf.


    Since Romania’s domestic demand stands at around 11
    billion cubic metres per year, this would turn the country into an exporter of
    natural gas.


    The
    US company ExxonMobil also announced they would invest in the venture, however
    in 2019 they decided to sell their stock to the Romanian state-owned company
    Romgaz.


    Over
    the years, the level of taxes levied on the extraction companies was one of the
    main barriers to developing the natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, making investors
    reluctant and getting projects suspended, to the benefit of natural gas imports
    from Russia. (A.M.P.)

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW 25 April – May 1

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW 25 April – May 1


    Vaccination, “the only way out of the pandemic


    The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis Tuesday once again called on citizens to get the COVID-19 vaccine, stating that this is the only way to end the pandemic. As many Romanians vaccinated means getting rid of restrictions and returning to normal, the head of state pointed out. In turn, PM Florin Cîţu reiterated that the government targets 5 million Romanians vaccinated by 1 June, and that as of that moment we will be able to talk in different terms about returning to normal.



    Florin Cîţu: “For us there is no other way. The only solution, if we want to go to concerts again, to have family gatherings, to go on holiday abroad or in Romania, to go to restaurants, to the cinema, to the theatre, to do everything we used to do, is for us to get the vaccine. This vaccination campaign is a campaign for life, for ourselves, for returning to normal.



    In turn, an inter-ministry committee working for Romanias return to normal as of 1 June, 2021, had a new meeting highlighting the need to gradually adjust the lifting of containment measures to each sector of the economy. The group also discussed the progressive reopening of the hospitality sector, as the vaccine rollout continues.



    Meanwhile, several drive-through vaccination centres have been opened in the country, where people can get the vaccine without previous appointments. Moreover, between 7 and 9 May an anti-COVID vaccination marathon will be organised in Bucharest, after the operation proved a success elsewhere in the country. At present around 1,000 vaccination centres are active, with a combined capacity of over 120,000 people immunised daily.



    The number of daily new COVID-19 cases has dropped across the country, and this week a number of containment measures are being lifted. The number of patients in intensive care is also dropping, and so is the number of COVID-related deaths. Of the total number of Romanians infected since the start of the pandemic, over 90% have recovered.




    Talks on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan


    The ruling coalition in Bucharest agreed on a National Recovery and Resilience Plan with projects worth 29 billion euro. The Plan will be submitted to Brussels as of 10 May, when final negotiations with the European Commission will be held. PM Florin Cîţu announced that no project will be dropped, but that the funding for some investment lines will be reduced, after Romania received comments from the EC especially concerning projects related to irrigation systems, natural gas networks and motorways.



    The prime minister said there are no problems in the negotiations with the Commission, but that Brussels asked for more details regarding Romanias plan. In turn, the minister for investments and European funding Cristian Ghinea said, discussions continue on all the components, and the European Commission has this kind of dialogue with all member countries.



    Cristian Ghinea: “We are trying to adjust to as many of the Commissions comments as possible, and we have even brough allocations in line with these comments. As for the projects that are our priorities, even if the Commission has a different opinion at this time, we will move forward with them.



    According to the Romanian official, several countries are to submit their National Plans after the end of April, the original deadline set by the Commission. Meanwhile, the vice-president of the EC Margrethe Vestager announced that she had a “constructive meeting with the Romanian minister concerning the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and said progress has been made.




    Protection for Romanian workers abroad


    At the suggestion of the labour ministry, the government passed an emergency order providing better protection for the Romanians working abroad. The order includes new obligations for recruitment agencies and for providers of relevant services, which grant additional protection to Romanian citizens.



    One provision is that mediation services for Romanians getting employment abroad should be free of charge, and that employment contracts should be provided in Romanian as well. Romanian workers are also to receive their written employment contracts before leaving the country. The labour minister Raluca Turcan also mentioned that transport companies must comply with certain requirements:



    Raluca Turcan: “When transport companies take over Romanian workers who got jobs abroad, they must be grouped together depending on the chosen job. Also, when they take over workers for a particular country, a company must drop them at the employers site.



    The order passed by the government also provides for tougher penalties for breaching the law.




    Supreme Defence Council discusses Black Sea, Afghanistan situations


    Romania will pull out its troops from Afghanistan in coordination with the other NATO members, beginning 1 May. All the 615 troops and over 80 tonnes of materials and equipment will be brought back on Romanian and NATO military aircraft, the Presidency announced at the end of Tuesdays meeting of the Supreme Defence Council. The withdrawal will be phased and spread across the forthcoming months. In the anti-terrorist mission in Afghanistan launched shortly after the 9/11attacks in the US, 27 Romanian troops lost their lives.



    In the same meeting the Supreme Defence Council also decided that Romania would continue to promote efforts to strengthen the Allied posture in the country and in the region, in a responsible manner and in line with international law. Moreover, concerned with the recent build-up of Russian troops at Ukraines eastern border, Romania is interested in solving the protracted conflicts in the Black Sea region, and the foreign ministry has presented the EU with some initiatives in this respect, the presidency also said in a news release. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • April 22, 2021 UPDATE

    April 22, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Three counties in Romania, Bucharest, Ilfov (south-east) and Cluj (centre-west) are still in the red zone, with little over 4 COVID infections per thousand inhabitants. The other counties have reported infections rates below 3 per thousand. On Thursday the authorities announced nearly 3,000 new infections and 150 COVID-related deaths in 24 hours, while 1,405 patients are in intensive care. At the end of the first meeting of an inter-ministry committee working for Romanias returning to normal as of June 1 this year, PM Florin Cîțu said reaching this goal depends on vaccination. It is a prerequisite, this will not happen without vaccination. It is the only solution, the PM said. Vaccination remains the only way to stop the spread of coronavirus, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said in his turn, urging all who haven’t got the vaccine yet to get immunised because only this way we can have a summer without so many restrictions. The total number of people who got at least one vaccine dose is over than 2.8 million people. According to the authorities, Romania has now the capacity to immunize 120,000 people a day.




    HEALTH Romania’s new Health Minister, Ioana Mihaila, begins her term in office with three key priorities, which she says are going to guide her work, alongside the strategy to curb the pandemic. The new minister’s priorities are, attracting funds for reforms and investment, increasing people’s access to basic medical services as well as raising the competitiveness of the managing boards of hospitals and county health insurance agencies. According to Minister Mihaila, over 2.6 billion Euros worth of EU funds are to be invested in streamlining the country’s healthcare system and in the next government meeting a draft emergency order will be discussed, regulating the involvement of family physicians in the vaccine rollout. Nominated by the USR-PLUS Alliance, Ioana Mihaila has replaced Vlad Voiculescu, recently sacked by the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu.




    MEETING Bucharest is hosting for two days the Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Romania, Poland and Turkey. The event was preceded by an online conference on current security challenges. Taking the floor during the event, Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu has highlighted the value of the trilateral meeting in handling these crises, mainly in consolidating the NATO deterrence and defence posture in the eastern flank. The Romanian official also touched on the complex regional background fraught with concerning developments, affecting the area from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea and which is mainly visible at Ukraine’s western border and in the illegally occupied Crimea. The situation in the Black Sea region is high on the agenda of the Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral meeting.




    UKRAINE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis announced the Supreme Defence Council would convene on 27 April to discuss the situation at the Black Sea. The head of state said tensions emerged in that area, especially in Ukraines eastern border region, and described the situation as “worrying. “I have had several discussions with the defence minister and the heads of other specialised services, we are well aware of the situation there and the tensions emerging in the region are a concern for us, Klaus Iohannis added. On Thursday, Russia announced pulling out the troops it had deployed near the Ukraine-Crimea border, stating the military exercises conducted in the area were completed. “The troops have demonstrated their ability to ensure a reliable defence of the country. So I decided to complete the inspection activities in the southern and western military districts, said Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu in a press release.




    NATO NATO leaders will convene in a summit in Brussels on June 14, the Alliances secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced on Thursday. “Russias aggressive actions, the threat of terrorism, cyber-attacks, emerging and disruptive technologies, the security impact of climate change, and the rise of China will be on the agenda of the meeting. According to Stoltenberg, “This is a unique opportunity to reinforce NATO as the enduring embodiment of the bond between Europe and North America. Also, he added, decisions will be made on the organisations 2030 agenda to deal with the challenges of today and tomorrow.

    TENNIS
    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no. 3 in the world, Thursday defeated Marketa
    Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-3 in the round of 16 of the tennis
    tournament in Stuttgart. Halep, a former Roland Garros champion, has won all
    the major clay tournaments in Europe, except for the one in Stuttgart, where
    she only made it to the semifinals in 2017. In 2020, the Romanian clinched two
    titles in Prague and Rome. Also in Stuttgart, the pair made up of Raluca Olaru
    of Romania and Nadia Kicenok of Germany has qualified for the doubles quarter
    finals after a 7-6, 6-4 win against Hayley Carter of the USA and Luisa Stefani
    of Brazil.(tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • April 2, 2021 UPDATE

    April 2, 2021 UPDATE

    VACCINE Romania’s vaccine rollout is in full swing at a rate of over 50,000 doses per day. So far over 2 million people have been vaccinated, and half of them have also got the booster dose. President Klaus Iohannis has announced that in the following period Romania will receive a significant amount of vaccine and the rollout can be stepped up. The head of the Romanian state has urged citizens to trust the benefits of immunization. In turn, the National Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca announced that 15 new vaccination centers are to become available as of April 5th. On Friday Romania registered a new all-time high in the number of patients in intensive care (1,454). Over 5,800 new infections have been reported at national level and 146 related fatalities. Roughly one million Romanians have been infected since the onset of the pandemic and the death toll stands at 24,000. A curfew between 8 pm and 5 am is in force over the weekend in the regions with an infection rate above 4 per thousand, with shops to be closed at 6 pm. At a rate above 7.5 cases per thousand, these measures are applied throughout the week, not only at weekends.



    PANDEMIC The World Health Organisation has criticized the sluggish pace of Europe’s vaccine rollout, also mentioning the latest surge in coronavirus infections. The statement was made by the WHO European branch several days ahead of the Catholic Easter. Immunization and restrictions remain the main solutions to contain the spread of the more contagious variants, which have become dominant in countries like France, Spain or Germany. On Thursday, authorities in Berlin reported over 24 thousand new cases and over 200 Covid-related fatalities. In Spain, which has a major community of Romanians, the infection rate exceeded 150 cases per one hundred thousand people and in some regions indoor bars and restaurants have been closed. Travel restrictions have been imposed these days when Spain is celebrating the Holy Week without street events for the second year in a row. In Greece, where the number of active cases and infections isn’t going down, authorities have decided to open shops under very strict medical protocols after six weeks of lockdown. According to worldometers.info, over 130 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus and 2.8 million have died since the beginning of the pandemic.



    EASTER Roman-Catholic and protestant believers the world over, including from Romania, are celebrating the most important Christian holiday, the Lord’s Resurrection, on April 4th, a month before the Orthodox believers. This is for the second year when Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic believers from all over the world, will deliver a mass in front of a lower number of participants because of the pandemic. On Good Friday, Pope Francis commemorated Christ’s passions and crucifixion. In spite of the lockdown in Italy, churches are open and citizens can attend religious services close to their homes, however they have to fill in a form stating their reasons to travel. In Romania on Saturday night the curfew has been lifted between 10 pm and 2 am, so that believers may attend the Easter Mass.



    FRIGATE ‘Regina Maria’ Frigate moored in the military port of Constanţa (south-eastern Romania) after completing its participation in the missions of SNMG-2 (Standing NATO Maritime Group 2), in the Black Sea. The vessel, equipped with a Puma Naval helicopter and having a unit of combat divers on board, took part in naval, air and anti-submarine surveillance and medical evacuation missions, jointly with 4 other combat ships from Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and Turkey. NATOs standing naval presence in the Black Sea contributes to enhancing the Allies collective defence capabilities in the region, reads a news release issued by the Romanian Naval Forces Command. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Romanian – US cooperation in the field of energy

    Romanian – US cooperation in the field of energy

    Romania has huge economic potential, and it is a very good place for investors, not only from the US, but from around the world, the US Ambassador to Romania Adrian Zuckerman said early this month, voicing hopes that the economic partnership between the 2 countries would catch up with and even outperform the military one.



    One of the key areas where Washington and Bucharest work together is the field of energy. In order to meet its energy security and decarbonisation goals, Romania intends to upgrade one of the reactors of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and build another 2.



    The project is estimated to cost 8 billion US dollars, and the US Export-Import Bank will provide up to 7 billion USD for its funding. Once completed, the project will enable the Nuclear Power Plant in Cernavodă, south-eastern Romania, to cover around 40% of the countrys electricity needs. This is double the rate covered at present, says Cosmin Ghiţă, general manager of Nuclearelectrica:



    Cosmin Ghiţă: “With Units 3 and 4, this means doubling the current nuclear power capacity, and this is only one of the benefits. In Romania, the nuclear industry provides around 11,000 jobs. Once these projects are started, the number of jobs could reach over 20,000. As for the benefits of revamping Unit 1, these are evident: operating this facility for another 30 years, at less than half the cost of a new reactor.



    The agreement between Romania and the US on cooperation in the Cernavoda nuclear power projects was signed in Bucharest on Wednesday by the Romanian economy minister Virgil Popescu and the US ambassador, in the presence of the interim PM Nicolae Ciucă.



    The terms of the documents had been agreed on in early October, during the economy ministers visit to the US, when the memorandum of agreement with Exim Bank was also signed.



    This week, the USA Exim Bank president Kimberly Reed went to Cernavodă, and in a subsequent meeting with minister Virgil Popescu, he emphasised that the institution is ready to provide funding to Bucharest for other projects as well. The US might also fund the development of natural gas in the Black Sea.



    Romgaz is currently negotiating the acquisition of the US company Exxons stake in the Neptun Deep offshore project, and once investments in the Black Sea are restarted, Romania may become Europes largest natural gas and energy producer.



    Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman, attending the meeting, emphasised the importance of Romania securing its energy independence and added that the visit made by the Exim Bank president highlights the US commitment to Romania. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Environment protection measures

    Environment protection measures

    The long drought this year affects farming in the south and east of Romania more and more severely, and forestry officials are once again pleading for shelterbelts along plots of farmland. The head of the Forestation Service in the Romsilva National Forestry Authority, engineer Marius Ureche, says such shelterbelts create microclimates that protect from wind and humidity, keeping crop land safe from drought and desertification. He also says that shelterbelts have been needed in the south and east of the country for decades, but that most farmers have cut down trees and shrubs in order to extend their farms.



    Marius Ureche: “Unfortunately, since 1989 part of these shelterbelts have been cut down. This was a mistake, because farmers sought short-term gains, but they have come to realise that the impact on the agricultural yield has been dramatic.



    In this context, the Environment Ministry Wednesday launched the autumn stage of a forestation campaign entitled ‘A forest as big as a country, which follows a first stage implemented this spring. The annual reforestation programme provides for the reforestation of over 12,500 hectares, in 2 campaigns. Two-thirds of the total surface area will be subject to natural reforestation plans, and one-third to artificial forest regeneration projects.



    Over 17 million trees will be planted in this autumns edition of the campaign, mostly in the counties of Tulcea, Galaţi, Ialomiţa, Dolj and Vaslui, in the east and south of the country. Of these, over one million are oak trees, and the others are poplar trees, willow, ash, maple and other species.



    The Environment Ministry also announced that entirely new forests will be planted on 1,100 hectares, while additional trees will be planted on a total area of over 2,000 hectares. In the spring edition of this campaign, 2,400 forests were planted from scratch, and another 7,000 young forests were extended. Most of them are located in the counties Suceava (north-east), Maramureş (north) and Sibiu (centre).



    In related news, as part of the same effort to protect the environment, a second stage of a project designed to broaden Black Sea beaches is scheduled to start soon. The project benefits from over 800 million euros worth of EU funding. Several Black Sea resorts will have broader beaches to welcome their tourists, and they will be consolidated with seawalls. The project is also aimed at solving erosion issues in the Romanian seaside resorts. The works are scheduled to begin in October, and the total beach area is planned to increase by 200 hectare thanks to these measures.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Controls and fines during the pandemic

    Controls and fines during the pandemic


    As Romania has recently seen a significant increase in the number of Covid infections following the latest relaxation measures, authorities have stepped up controls to see how the present health and prevention measures are being observed. They have recently focused on crowded tourist places, such as the Black Sea coast in the east of the country and the mountain resorts in the Prahova Valley, central Romania.


    Teams made up of gendarmes, police troops and representatives of several authority institutions have run checks on various businesses and individuals in the HORECA industry in Romania. The authorities have reiterated that the campaigns main objective is the prevention of future outbreaks and not the idea of applying sanctions.


    However, severe sanctions have been applied where the health and prevention rules have been blatantly violated. So, some resorts on Romanias Black Sea coast have seen fines of up to 35 thousand euros only in a night, whereas 170 HORECA locations have been checked and 100 fines have been given in the Prahova Valley. Roughly 180 people who refused to wear masks in public areas have been fined in Arges county, southern Romania. Fines of about 10 thousand euros have been applied to a company which failed to observe the prevention measures while staging a festival in Brasov, central Romania. A club has been fined and temporarily closed down in Bucharest last weekend.


    On Friday night, about 8000 Interior Ministry employees applied fines of roughly 100 thousand Euros and according to the authorities the checking operations are likely to continue all throughout the state of alert mainly on the Black Sea coast as well as in other crowded places like trade centers, outdoor restaurants and clubs and cafes.


    Interior Minister Marcel Vela has underlined that businesses refusing to comply with the prevention rules and regulations run the risk of having their license suspended. The official has informed that checking operations are to be stepped up as additional police troops have been deployed to various resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast and voiced hope that beaches will remain open.


    A hotline was inaugurated on July 4th for people to report any violation of the aforementioned prevention rules. We recall that with some exceptions the fines given in spring this year have been ruled as unconstitutional by Romanias Constitutional Court and more legal ways have been created for their cancellation. By early May, authorities had fined 300 thousand Romanians and the total value of fines stood at more than 120 million Euros. According to the Finance Minister, the sum is not that big as people had 15 days to pay half the fine and many of them even refused to pay.


    (translated by bill)