Radio România Internațional

Tag: security

  • Romania – Moldova summit meeting

    Romania – Moldova summit meeting

     

    Romania and the Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet republic, mostly Romanian-speaking) insist that no decision regarding peace in Ukraine and the future of the Ukrainian people can be made without Ukraine and without adequate security guarantees, the interim president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, said on Saturday, in a joint conference with his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu.

     

    At the end of a meeting in Chișinău, he pointed out that ‘the way to achieving peace for Ukraine will decisively influence’ the common security of Romania and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova.

     

    Ilie Bolojan believes that extensive dialogue between Europe and the United States of America is ‘a very good condition’ for reaching a consensus on the war in Ukraine.

     

    As regards the talks between the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the US president Donald Trump, Ilie Bolojan voiced moderate optimism with respect to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, but said he hoped that ‘wisdom will prevail’. He explained that neighbouring Ukraine needs a lasting peace and warned about the danger posed by Russia’s aggression:

     

    Ilie Bolojan: “If Russia’s expansionist views remain a constant in the years to come, it means that we can imagine a new conflict starting over, and Ukraine may be only the first victim”.

     

    On the other hand, Ilie Bolojan promised that Romania will ask for more financial support, know-how and projects for Moldova at European level. Also, Bucharest will continue to cap prices for a large part of the electricity the neighbouring country buys from Romanian producers. According to him, the Romanian authorities ‘continue to work on strengthening the interconnection with the Republic of Moldova in the electricity sector’.

     

    In turn, president Maia Sandu said Romania is the “best friend” and “most important partner” of the Republic of Moldova, on which Chişinău has relied in all circumstances. Over the years, Bucharest has stood by Chişinău, “with concrete support, with projects that improve people’s lives, with a clear and firm voice in supporting our European path,” Maia Sandu added.

     

    “Romania is a reliable partner in our efforts to become a modern, European state. Beyond common projects, we are linked by a vision for the future, we are linked by the desire to live in peace, freedom, and democracy,” Maia Sandu also said. She also explained that the people of the Republic of Moldova will not forget the times when Moscow tried to erase their identity and kill their language and culture.

     

    Maia Sandu: “We will continue to protect free elections, fight electoral corruption in any form it may take, and defend the right of our citizens; people, the nation should decide what kind of life they want, not Moscow.”

     

    As for the war on the border, Chișinău supports Kyiv in its efforts to achieve a lasting and just peace. (AMP)

  • Romania at the Paris consultations

    Romania at the Paris consultations

     

    The security of Europe was the topic of a second meeting organised on Wednesday in Paris by the French president Emmanuel Macron, after the emergency one on Monday. This time around, Romania was also present, represented by the interim president Ilie Bolojan, alongside the leaders of Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Sweden and Belgium.

     

    The meetings come after the radical change in attitude of the United States of America towards European countries, the Kyiv administration and Moscow.

     

    On the one hand, Donald Trump’s government criticises Europe for not getting more involved in resolving the conflict, calls the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator for not holding elections on time, and partly blames him for starting the war, even though Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, with the annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

     

    On the other hand, Washington seems to have softened its tone towards Kremlin, and fears are it might unilaterally negotiate not only a forced peace in Ukraine, but, according to news agencies, also a redistribution of spheres of influence modelled on the infamous 1945 Yalta conference, as a result of which Eastern Europe was ceded to the Soviet Union.

    In this context, the interim president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, said that the security of Ukraine is also the security of Europe and Romania.

     

    Meanwhile, France will increase its support for Romania, said Ilie Bolojan, after bilateral talks with the French leader:

     

    Ilie Bolojan: “We are once again reassured that, just as France has been by Romania’s side in the very important moments of our country’s history, it remains by our side today. We have reconfirmed the strategic partnership with France. We have also reconfirmed the stability of the French military presence in Romania. At the request of our country, this presence will be consolidated in the coming period.”

     

    At the end of the meeting, Bolojan said that Eastern European states are the first to feel the consequences of the war in Ukraine, and he emphasised that, now more than ever, European unity and cooperation with the US within NATO are vital to resolving the conflict.

     

    Ilie Bolojan: “We do not stand by Ukraine out of a humanitarian sentiment alone. This, and the injustice of the war, is only the first reason. But we also do it out of a strategic interest for our own country. And the second important conclusion was that further cooperation between European countries and the US can be the best formula to solve this crisis, so that we not only have a ceasefire, but also have a just peace, so that in the coming years a new conflict does not begin again. And this just peace and equitable peace cannot be made without the participation of Ukraine and the European Union in the closing of these negotiations.”

     

    In turn, the French president said he sees Russia and Vladimir Putin as “an existential threat to Europe.” Both he and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been invited to Washington next week for consultations on peace in Ukraine, President Donald Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz announced. (AMP)

  • Security decisions in Romania’s Parliament

    Security decisions in Romania’s Parliament

     

    The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, as the first party to be notified, endorsed a draft law that allows drones that illegally enter Romanian airspace to be shot down. More precisely, drones that enter national airspace illegally will be destroyed or disabled if Romanian or NATO military forces are unable to control them.

     

    Another bill, which regulates the way military missions in Romania are carried out in peacetime, was also passed by the Chamber of Deputies. One of the measures allows the authority of specific structures in the Romanian Army to be transferred for a limited period to a commander of the Allied military forces participating in these missions.

     

    The bills were criticised by the populist-sovereigntist opposition comprising S.O.S. Romania, the Young People’s Party (POT) and AUR. The AUR deputy, Ramona Bruynseels:

     

    Ramona Bruynseels: “NATO is not an instrument for ceding sovereignty. We do not know who will be in government tomorrow. Do you want us to expose ourselves to the risk that, at some point, someone, anyone, will come and use this instrument to introduce repressive measures against Romanian civilians?”

     

    The Social Democrat Daniel Suciu retorted:

     

    Daniel Suciu: “What do you want, esteemed colleagues from the opposition who talk about a transfer of sovereignty and it is not true, it is not about this… what do you want? To have drones fall on our schools? To have drones fall on our cities and then shrug your shoulders that Parliament did not do its job?”

     

    Along with the Social Democratic Deputies, their ruling coalition partners, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as well as the USR in opposition, voted in favour of the draft laws.

     

    After the documents regarding the control of the national airspace, and the management of military missions on Romanian territory in peacetime were endorsed, the defence ministry made a number of clarifications, amid “an extensive campaign of disinformation and fake news massively distributed by a number of users of various digital platforms in Romania” triggered by the 2 bills.

     

    The defence ministry says that all the procedural steps required for these bills have been taken, including public reviews. The same source also says that attempts to depict concrete measures to strengthen Romania’s and NATO’s defence capacity as acts of national treason are part of a pattern of disinformation campaigns carried out in the public space in Romania, “including by state actors with an agenda contrary to Romania’s sovereignty and against NATO, through which an attempt is made to induce panic and to weaken confidence in the capacity of national security institutions to fulfil their constitutional missions.”

     

    “Claims of unconstitutionality or betrayal of Romania’s interests are false and totally unjustified,” the defence ministry emphasizes, in a press release which explains in detail the content of the two laws. (AMP)

  • Joint training of Spanish military of the NATO Battle group and the Romanian Mountain Hunters.

    Joint training of Spanish military of the NATO Battle group and the Romanian Mountain Hunters.

    Joint training of Spanish military of the NATO Battle group and the Romanian Mountain Hunters.
    Scout militaries of the Mountain Hunters’ 61st Brigade jointly with the Spanish military Battle group, for two weeks running took a training stage hosted by the training camp in Diham, Brasov County.

    For the Spanish military, training in Romania was, to put it at the mildest, unusual, since they are Marines special corps, whereas their training in Romania took place in the Carpathians’ snow-covered forests and peaks.

    Training in the mountains offered militaries of both armies the opportunity to share their professional experience in a bid to enhance the interoperability level using joint procedures in various tactical operations. The forested mountain terrain, difficult to access, strengthened the team spirit and the sense of belonging to the great NATO family.

    These are the thoughts shared by the commander of the Spanish contingent, major Alejandro Caballero:

    “By all means, the climate here is quite different from the one we have in southern Spain, where we come from. There are a great many differences, also, if we speak about the terrain where we train, that is on the coast and in the littoral area. And now, here we are now, in the mountains, in winter, rubbing shoulders with our Romanian partners, an opportunity for us to prove our flexibility and adaptability, irrespective of the environment. Regarding the training exercises, they are similar, as both Romania and our country are NATO member states, so there are not that many differences, considering the implemented techniques, tactics and procedures. I take into account any opportunity to train jointly with military of other states who are stationed here, in Romania, so for us it is a tremendous opportunity. “

    Attending the joint Romanian-Spanish training stage was the new commander of the NATO Battle group in Romania, French colonel Thierry Denechaud.

    Colonel Denechaud had this to say on the joint training exercise:

    “First of all, I believe it is very important that joint action be taken, given that the Spanish militaries are part of a marine infantry contingent. It was for the first time ever when they trained in a mountain area, therefore, jointly with their Romanian partners, they made the first step towards the discovery of an environment they are not quite used to. I am positive that as part of the camp they learned many new and useful things, that is why, at the end of the week, they will return to the military base better prepared in that particular kind of training. Which is very good. “

    A team of US Army’s Civil Affairs and representatives of the 1st CIMIC Battalion, a civilians-militaries cooperation body of the Romanian Ground Forces were in Timisoara, in the west, for a new stage of the CIMIC Victory exercise. CIMIC Victory’s stated aims are the enhancement of the cooperation between institutions and the promotion of the strategic partnership between Romania and the Unites States.

    Captain Connor Smith is the leader of the US team. Captain Smith spoke about the relevance of the project.

    “US Army’s Civil Affairs mainly deal in the coordination and the management of military activities related to the communities revolving around the military operations. In Romania, that basically means training. We provided help keeping the authorities at the level of public institutions informed about the training exercises. We make sure such aspects as the convoys entering and getting out of the training areas do not interfere that much with the people’s daily traffic or day-to-day life.

    This morning I’ve been to a high-school in Timisoara, via the American Corner, which is the US Embassy’s program, where we participate in a bid to speak about the value of the US partnership in Romania and the importance of Romania being a NATO member state. We’re going to speak a little bit about the security provided by collective defense, one of the Alliance’s fundamental principles, also talking about the value of the bilateral partnership between the United States and Romania. “

  • November 20, 2024

    November 20, 2024

    BONDS – Foreign investors are showing great interest in the Romgaz bond issue, according to the company’s CEO Răzvan Popescu. He says the money raised from the listing on the Bucharest Stock Exchange will be used for the company’s investment program, especially the strategic Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea. Romgaz, the largest producer and main supplier of natural gas in Romania, listed its first international corporate bond issue on the Bucharest Stock Exchange on Tuesday, worth 500 million euros. The bonds are also listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

     

    INVESTIGATION – Prosecutors with the Cluj-Napoca office of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office are investigating a possible fraud involving European funds, with an estimated damage of 2 million euros. The case involves three projects to modernize a vegetable farm in Maramureş (north). The prosecutors’ suspicions concern the use of false, incorrect or incomplete documents in order to obtain EU funds for the purchase of a tomato sorting and packaging facility and for the installation of photovoltaic panels. According to the investigation, the suspects allegedly forged documents and signatures in order to mislead the authorities. On Tuesday, searches were carried out at the home of a person and at the headquarters of companies targeted by this case.

     

    CYBERSECURITY – A new edition of the CyberCon Romania 2024 international conference, organised by the Romanian Association for Information Security Assurance jointly with the US Embassy in Romania, is sunder way in Bucharest. . The conference, a landmark event in the field of cybersecurity, is held at the European Commission Representation in Romania and brings together experts from the public, private and academic sectors. According to the organizers, among the topics addressed are: current challenges and trends in the field, maintaining resilience for a secure digital infrastructure, improving cooperation between the defense and civilian sectors, the evolution of cyber threats and innovative solutions to combat them, as well as recommended practices to unite cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention.

     

    PROTESTS – The Romanian Trade Unions Federation in Energy staged a protest in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity offices in Bucharest on Wednesday, on the topic of the new Pension Law, which entered into force on September 1. According to the trade unionists, the law endangers workers in the integrated nuclear field, because it increases the contribution period in their case and sets a minimum age threshold of 45 years for their retirement. Unionists want the contribution period and the retirement conditions for Level I and II of radiation exposure be maintained as stipulated by the previous Pension Law.

     

    DRONE – A new Russian drone has been found in the north of Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, neighboring Ukraine invaded by Russian troops. According to the National Police, which reported the case, this is the fourth flying object observed on the territory of the Republic of Moldova in recent days. The drone was found on a plot of land located between a shopping centre and a stadium, by a citizen who alerted the authorities. On Sunday, the Moldovan authorities announced that two Russian missiles had entered the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. This is the first time that a Russian drone has been reported in the airspace of the capital of the Republic of Moldova.

     

    UKRAINE – A thousand days after the start of the Russian invasion, the European Parliament promises Ukraine that the EU will stand by it for as long as necessary. The leader in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that without European support, Ukraine would have been occupied by Russia. The EP held a plenary session in Brussels on Monday, and the European Defense Ministers held a meeting, to which NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was also invited.

  • Peace, no longer a certainty in Europe

    Peace, no longer a certainty in Europe

     

     

    Less than 2 weeks from now, Romania will hold the first round of its presidential election, and the campaign remains low-key, limited to predictable speeches and mutual attacks between the candidates. Analysts and commentators deplore the contenders’ almost complete disregard for major topics, such as the war in neighbouring Ukraine and the country’s preparedness for any kind of security challenges.

     

    The military, on the other hand, are not involved in the campaign and are quite familiar with such delicate topics. Moreover, the institution they represent enjoys, unlike political parties, some of the highest public confidence rates.

     

    A little while ago, the chief of the Armed Forces General Staff, gen. Gheorghiţă Vlad, warned about the small number of reserved troops that Romania can resort to in case of a conflict, and about loopholes that restrict the armed forces’ response capacity in certain situations. It was a useful public statement, because the authorities set out to address the problems the general mentioned.

     

    On Tuesday, on the celebration of the Armed Forces General Staff, gen. Vlad rang an alarm bell as current security indicators suggest peace is no longer to be taken for granted on the European continent. He mentioned that, in violation of international humanitarian law, the Russian Federation’s moves fuel a negative progression of the likelihood of security risks and threats. According to the military official, a defence crisis is on-going in the Black Sea region, a region of strategic interest for NATO.

     

    The Romanian Army, Vlad emphasised, has reconfigured its defensive architecture. Procedures have been adjusted, the military’s response capability has been recalibrated and structures have been consolidated so as to improve the permanent combat service, air police and vigilance. Early warning and situational awareness capabilities have also be strengthened.

     

    Our defensive capacity, including Euro-Atlantic relations and the Strategic Partnership with the US, remain the vectors of our national deterrence and defence posture in the Black Sea region, and the Armed Forces General Staff plays a vital role in consolidating this posture, Vlad pointed out.

     

    In mid-September, NATO military leaders attending the Alliance’s Military Committee conference in Prague analysed the progress in implementing the defence plans approved in the 2023 Summit. On that occasion, gen. Gheorghiță Vlad said that, considering the developments in Russia’s war against Ukraine, it is becoming increasingly evident that a substantial Allied presence is necessary in the Black Sea region and that the region’s relevance must remain a priority on the NATO agenda. Credible and efficient deterrence means earmarking forces and means and ensuring the flexibility of Battle Groups so that, if necessary, they may quickly reach brigade-level organisation, the chief of the Romanian Armed Forces General Staff insisted. (AMP)

  • The Romanian president speaks at the United Nations Organisation

    The Romanian president speaks at the United Nations Organisation

    In the speech he delivered before the UN General Assembly in New York, president Klaus Iohannis pleaded for maintaining dialogue as an essential element for regional and global security. Iohannis also highlighted Romania’s contribution to solving the present global issues from security crises, such as the war in Ukraine or the Middle East conflict, to major challenges for mankind like climate change, the erosion of human rights or cyber threats. Speaking before the world leaders in New York, Klaus Iohannis said that Romania would always support the international world order with the UNO at its core. According to Iohannis, the main challenge of the world organization is to find the much needed solutions for reestablishing and protecting peace. Otherwise, the international order and law are wasted. Romania is fully backing the peace initiative of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as being the only alternative for obtaining a just and durable peace perfectly in accordance with the UN charter and international law, Iohannis said in New York.

    He underlined that security isn’t regional but global and the war Russia is waging on Ukraine has affected nations and people the world over.

    “This war has caused the biggest security crisis in Europe’s recent history, violating the international law and having implications far beyond Europe.

    In this context, Romania has provided a staunch multidimensional support to Ukraine and its people and pledged to keep it as long as needed” Iohannis went on to say mentioning the essential role played by Romania in easing the export of Ukrainian grain through its Danube and Black Sea ports.

    “If we want to find solutions, we must have a more responsible outlook over the world and understand its challenges. We regrettably notice that insecurity, violence, conflicts and even war have conquered our world”, Iohannis also said.

    The Romanian official also pleaded for more cooperation and solidarity, which would always represent a response to the world issues. Klaus Iohannis also referred to the conflict in Gaza calling for the cessation of violence and standing for the two-state solution. “We are backing all the efforts of resuming the political process based on the two-state solution, coexisting in peace and security within recognized and safe borders, the Romanian president underlined.  And ‘protecting all the civilians must remain our common objective’, Iohannis said in front of the UN General Assembly.

    (bill)

  • Energy for the future

    Energy for the future

     

     

    Over the past few years, the European Union has managed to withstand critical risks to its security of energy supply, regain control over the energy market and prices, and accelerate the transition towards climate neutrality.

     

    These are some of the conclusions in the European Commission’s state of the energy union report made public in the first half of September. A state of the energy union report is released every year, to assess the progress made by the Union in meeting its energy goals.

     

    “We have designed a comprehensive framework to lead the energy sector towards a carbon-free future,” the energy commissioner Kadri Simson explained at the time. “The EU is now well equipped to meet its climate neutrality goal while making sure that industry stays competitive,” she went on to say, adding that the EU has agreed to higher renewable energy and efficiency targets and has reformed markets and the world’s highest standards for the hydrogen economy and reducing methane emissions. “Following two record years for renewables installations, in the first half of 2024 wind and solar have risen to new highs, overtaking for the first time ever fossil fuels in our electricity mix,” the European commissioner also said:

     

    Kadri Simson: “Green investments have reached a record level, thanks also to national recovery and resilience plans, and by mid-June this year out of the EUR 240 billion disbursed as part of national recovery and resilience plans, 184 billion have been allotted to energy-related reforms and investments. Market integration and grid and infrastructure development has also been key to ensure renewable expansion.”

     

    Europe must rely on more clean energy produced domestically, and import less fossil fuel, in order to secure the competitiveness, supply security and the Union’s energy independence and economic resilience, Kadri Simson also said. We have taken major steps with our joint projects and with the quick adjustment of our gas infrastructure to support the changing import models since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European official also pointed out.

     

    Kadri Simson: “Unity and solidarity have allowed us to turn a crisis into an opportunity. Together we have managed to put an end to decades of dependence on Russian fossil fuels. We used to import 150 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia every year, and it is now less than 50. Our dependence from Russia dropped from 45% in 2021 to 15% last year. And as we are looking ahead to the next winter, EU gas storage has reached the 90% filling target on August 19, weeks ahead of the 1st of November legislated deadline. We know that across Europe we decreased gas consumption by 18% between 2022 and 2024, which is also more than the goal initially set.”

     

    A member of the European Union and a part of the carbon-neutrality efforts, Romania has in turn reduced its natural gas consumption. While a few years ago demand peaked at 70 million cubic metres per day during winter, last year it barely reached 54-55 million.

     

    Natural gas reserves are currently close to a record-high 94% gas storage rate, and coal reserves are over 550,000 tonnes, so authorities say that the country will have no problems coming out a normal-temperature winter season on Romanian gas alone.

     

    But, energy transition goals aside, there are still people in Romania without access to electricity. Specifically, over 11,000 people live in some 5,400 homes in remote villages without electricity. They are the planned beneficiaries of a project called “Energy for life,” which brings solar panels to isolated areas, with the ambitious goal of leaving no homes without power. Here is Dumitru Chisăliță, president of the Smart Energy Association:

     

    Dumitru Chisăliță: “At the rate we are targeting, this extreme energy poverty can be eradicated, we believe. Obviously, this requires the participation of public institutions, with substantial funding. After all, 5,400 buildings is not a lot for Romania at present. Our math indicates that some 15 to 27 million euros should be enough to eradicate this energy poverty, and this money may be provided from certain funds, including the Green Home programme. Power distribution networks also need to be developed, because at the moment they are below the required technical and financial levels. Last but not least, the funding can be supplemented from sponsorship and various sustainability models that can be implemented.”

     

    In the past 4 years, the “Energy for life” project has brought electricity to 39 homes, 10 sheep farms and 2 mountain huts in 25 villages across 5 counties. (AMP)

  • June 30, 2024

    June 30, 2024

    OSCE PA – The 31st session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe continues in Bucharest. Until Wednesday, MPs from over 50 states will be discussing the war in Ukraine. Participants have called for peace, stability and the observance of international regulations. Artificial intelligence, climate change, combating drug and human trafficking as well as migration are other topics high on the agenda for talks.

     

     

    SECURITY – An additional 1,000 police officers and firefighters are deployed to seacoast resorts this weekend, the Interior Ministry announced in the context of a wave of violence in Black Seacoast resorts. 357 crimes are reported in the last week, the Constanța City Police inspectorate announced, most incidents occurring the wake of spontaneous brawls and alcohol abuse. According to estimates, some 180 thousand tourists are this weekend in seacoast resorts.

     

     

    FITS – In news from the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu (FITS), actor Constantin Chiriac, the director of the “Radu Stanca” National Theatre in Sibiu and president of the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu was hospitalized after suffering from digestive issues caused by excessive heat, doctors say. Aged 67, Constantin Chiriac was unwell during Saturday evening’s star-awarding ceremony for the Sibiu Walk of Fame. The ceremony paid homage to French actress Isabelle Adjani, American actor John Malkovich and Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse, the recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature. The International Theatre Festival in Sibiu is set to close on Sunday.

     

     

    ELECTION – French voters are this weekend hitting the polls as part of the first round of snap elections, a historical ballot held after president Emmanuel Macron dissolved Parliament after his party sustained a bitter defeat in the June 9 European Parliament election. Some 49 million voters are expected to cast their votes to elect the 577 representatives in the National Assembly, the lower chamber of Parliament. The populist and nationalist right is favorite to win according to polls, with a wide margin ahead of Emmanuel Macron’s party. The second round is scheduled for July 7.

     

     

    WIMBLEDON – Romanian tennis players enrolled in the women’s singles at Wimbledon will take on tough opponents in the opening round. Gabriela Ruse (152 WTA) will take on Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan (4 WTA), the 2022 champion. Jaqueline Cristian (62 WTA) will go up against Bianca Andreescu of Canada (165 WTA). Anca Alexia Todoni (141 WTA), who has qualified to the main draw for the first time in her career, will play Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy (41 WTA). Irina Begu (127 WTA) will take on Lin Zhu of China (60 WTA). Ana Bogdan (50 WTA) will play Cristina Bucșa of Spain (63 WTA). Sorana Cîrstea (29 WTA and seeded 29th) will play Sonay Kartal of Great Britain (295 WTA). Romanian-born British player Emma Răducanu (168 WTA), the beneficiary of a wild card, will play Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia (22 WTA and seeded 22nd).

     

     

    EURO 2024 – The European Football Championship underway in Germany on Sunday will see matches on day 2 of the round of 16. England will play Slovakia while Spain will take on Georgia. On Saturday, the defending champions Italy were knocked out by Switzerland 0-2, while the host country Germany defeated Denmark 2-0. Romania will play the Netherlands on July 2 on Allianz Arena in Munich. The Romanian team qualified from the top of Group E after beating Ukraine 3-0, losing 0-2 to Belgium and drawing 1-1 against Slovakia. All teams in Group E had 4 points at the end of the group phase, but Romania topped the standings owing to a better goal average ratio. The last time Romania qualified to the round of 16 was at EURO 2000. This is the first time Romania wins a group in a world or European competition. (VP)

  • May 22, 2024 UPDATE

    May 22, 2024 UPDATE

     

    PAY RAISE The government of Romania intends to raise the salaries of some categories of public sector employees by 10% this year, in 2 equal installments. A draft order in this respect has been put up for debate by the Labour Ministry. Some of the employees targeted by the measure have recently organised protests, but Prime Minister Ciolacu explained on Tuesday that the budget did not allow for more pay raises. The draft order concerns the employees of various cultural institutions, of the trade registry offices, diplomatic staff, defence personnel, town hall staff and employees of other institutions funded from the government’s and Parliament’s own sources.

     

    SECURITY President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that there is no direct threat against Romania and “no sign or indication” of any attacks or other “undesired events” targeting Romania. “Of the information I have, I can tell you that Romania is a safe country. Romanians have no reason to fear, but obviously we must always be ready for unexpected occurrences,” he explained. According to Iohannis, Romania, thanks to its NATO membership, benefits today from the most important security guarantees in its history. “It is very, very important for us to understand that we are not alone, we are together with our Allies and we can handle any situation quite well,” Klaus Iohannis pointed out.

     

    BSDA The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu Wednesday said there are good prospects for the Romanian defence industry to conclude impressive contracts worth billions of euros. Attending the international exhibition “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” in Bucharest, the PM said this is the biggest event devoted to the defence industry in the Black Sea region. The presence of 400 companies from 31 countries proves the importance of this event, Ciolacu went on to say. All the five operational fields (land, air, naval, cyber and space) are being represented, and the event’s main attraction is the multi-role F-35 jet fighter that the US Navy has for the first time brought to an exhibition in Europe. The event is aimed to identify opportunities and find production and business cooperation solutions contributing to the promotion of Romania’s defence industry worldwide.

     

    BACCALAUREATE In Romania, the high school graduates who were part of Olympiad teams and international arts or sports competitions Wednesday stood the compulsory speciality test in a special Baccalaureate session. The exam started on Tuesday with the Romanian language and literature test, with the alternate speciality test scheduled for Thursday and the native language and literature test on Friday. Students’ digital and linguistic skills will be tested in the following days, and the final results will be announced on June 4.

     

    FESTIVAL The International Theatre Festival ‘Shakespeare’ continues in Craiova, south-western Romania with a new series of theatre shows, multi-media installations, outdoor film screenings, book launches and round table talks.  ‘Macbeth’, produced by the Chisinau-based Teatrul Fără Nume company in the Republic of Moldova, and the ‘Twelfth Night’ directed by Andrei Serban at the State Theatre in Constanta were the festival’s main events on Wednesday. Shakespeare village, a British village from the 1600s built from scratch on the local hippodrome, is the venue for scores of concerts and shows, while the Craiova Promenade is hosting the Shakespeare Dimension cube, providing a virtual immersion into the Shakespearian world. At its 30th edition this year, the international event consists of 300 shows and events bringing together some of the world’s most famous directors and actors, such as Robert Wilson, Declan Donnellan, Peter Brook or Robert Lepage. (AMP)

  • May 19, 2024 UPDATE

    May 19, 2024 UPDATE

     

    CROATIA Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu Sunday congratulated Andrej Plenkovic, who was reconfirmed for a 3rd time as prime minister of Croatia. Marcel Ciolacu voiced his confidence that the Romanian-Croatian relationship will be further strengthened, as will relations within the EU and NATO. Following April’s elections in Croatia, PM Andrej Plenkovic’s party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 61 out of the 151 seats in Parliament, significantly above the 42 won by the Social Democratic Party. Andrej Plenkovic has been the prime minister of Croatia since October 2016.

     

    FORUM The 8th annual Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum will take place in Bucharest in the coming days. The event is organised by New Strategy Center, a Romanian think tank, with support from the national defence and foreign ministries and from the NATO Public Diplomacy Division. The conference focuses on the situation in Ukraine, as the scope and intensity of Russian attacks threaten the existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state and the security of Europe on the whole. Political leaders, security experts and civil society representatives will try to identify means to help Ukraine withstand the Russian invasion.

     

    OIL Romania’s crude oil output dropped 3.4% in the first quarter of 2024, while imports went down 15.1% compared to the corresponding period in 2023. According to the National Statistics Institute, in Q1 2024 Romania produced over 682,000 tonnes of equivalent oil less than in the corresponding period of 2023, while crude imports exceeded 1.7 mln toe. According to the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, Romania’s crude output will be on a downward trend until 2026, with an average annual drop of 2.2%, as a result of the natural decline in deposits. On the other hand, the Commission predicts an increase in crude imports by an annual 4.1%.

     

    NUCLEAR The Cernavodă nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 has been shut down for regular maintenance works on Sunday, Nuclearelectrica announced. The company promised the works will be safe for the power plant personnel, for citizens and for the environment. The Cernavodă nuclear power plant, the only one in Romania, has 2 operational units with an installed production capacity of 700 MW. The 2 reactors in Cernavoda cover around 20% of Romania’s energy consumption. The plant uses the Canadian technology CANDU 6 (Canadian Deuterium Uranium), using natural uranium as a fuel.

     

    ROWING Romania’s Mihai Chiruţă qualified into the quarter-finals of the men’s skiff event in the last Olympic qualifier regatta held in Lucerne, Switzerland on Sunday. The Romanian rower had the 4th best time in the 5 series. The quarter-finals and the semis are scheduled on Monday, with the final to be held on Tuesday. The final’s top 2 rowers qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Romania, with 11 boats, is already the nation with the most teams qualified for the Paris Olympics.

     

    HANDBALL CS Dinamo Bucharest won Romania’s men’s handball Cup after defeating CSM Constanţa 23-19, on Sunday in the final. Dinamo also won the championship without any matches lost this season. This is the 8th Cup won by Dinamo, as against 2 for CSM Constanţa. (AMP)

  • Cooperation for Ukraine

    Cooperation for Ukraine

     

    While on a visit to Bucharest, the British Armed Forces Minister Leo Docherty had talks which he described as “very wide-ranging and positive” with his Romanian counterpart Angel Tîlvăr and with the defence chief of staff, and visited the British troops deployed to the Mihail Kogălniceanu base in the south-east of Romania.

     

    The British official praised the strong relations between the two countries, Romania’s “steadfast contribution” within NATO, and the joint effort to support Ukraine.

     

    “That is not just about Ukraine’s security, but about the Black Sea regional security. And the work that we are doing together to improve and enhance security at the Black Sea is hugely important; it’s not just important for our two countries, it’s not just important to the region, it’s actually important to the world, because a huge proportion of the world’s grain supplies and other economic activity takes place in the Black Sea,” Leo Docherty said, and warned that 2024 is a very important year for the war started by Russia.

     

    Regional security in the context of Russia’s war of aggression was also the topic of discussions held by the Romanian defence minister in Bucharest with his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Chikovani.

     

    “In Central and Eastern Europe, Romania is a role model in many respects, from defence of NATO’s eastern flank to consolidating democracy, the rule of law and human rights,” the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said in his turn upon receiving the Distinguished International Leadership award from the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C.

     

    The Romanian official emphasised that most Allied countries in the eastern flank are making progress in raising their budgets for defence and in upgrading their military infrastructure and equipment.

     

    Our countries were able to act together, with determination, and to represent a strong deterring force against Russian expansionism, while at the same time staying true to our fundamental trans-Atlantic democratic values, Klaus Iohannis added. He also said that Romania “was in the front line through its efforts to help Ukraine,” and mentioned that over 7.5 million Ukrainians crossed the border into Romania searching for shelter, safety and free passage.

     

    “Nearly 40 thousand Ukrainian children are now studying in Romanian classrooms. Millions of tonnes of humanitarian aid have reached Ukraine from and through Romania. Romania also helped Ukraine to preserve a vital economic lifeline, using our unique maritime connections and facilitating the transit of close to 40 million tonnes of grains—about 70% of Ukraine’s grain exports, via the Romanian Danube and Black Sea ports,” the Romanian president explained.

     

    And all these efforts “continue for as long as necessary,” because Romania is aware of the key role it plays in helping Ukraine secure its victory and peace, its economic stability and its EU accession, the president of Romania concluded. (AMP)

     

  • Cooperation in the field of security

    Cooperation in the field of security

    More than two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Romania continues to play a key role in international efforts to support the administration in Kyiv. From logistics and information support, to the efforts made to support Ukrainian grain exports, Bucharest has proven its usefulness and value as a NATO and EU member state. Consequently, as early as 2022, Romania was placed by the Kremlin on the list of “unfriendly” countries, and criticism and even threats from Moscow have multiplied. In this context, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, James O’Brien, traveled to Bucharest as part of a tour that also includes visits to Bulgaria, Switzerland and Slovenia.

     

    During the meeting he had with the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, the American official stated that the US is working with Romania regarding the security risks arising in the context of the war in Ukraine. He emphasized the cooperation in the field of aerial, maritime and land surveillance for the detection and stopping of Russian drones that have reached the Romanian territory. O’Brien has also said that Romania has done a lot to build its own capacity in all these dimensions and appreciated the cooperation between Bucharest and Kyiv, which he said is ‘essential for the Ukrainian people’ and ‘also helps Romania be safer’. ‘The longer Ukraine can fight Russia and keep Russia occupied and Russia withdraws, the safer Romania will be. Our work with Romania is to make sure that the fight cannot expand and that Romania can well defend its territory and people against any risk of this battle coming its way’ O’Brien said. In turn, the representative of the Romanian government highlighted the need to strengthen the allied presence on the NATO’s entire eastern flank and said that this aspect is imperative for the security and stability of the extended Black Sea region and beyond.

     

    Despite the tense security context, Romania has not reduced its diplomatic efforts for full accession to the Schengen Area, a right that has been denied to it for years for political reasons. Starting from March 31, both Romania and Bulgaria were included in the European free travel area only with air and maritime borders, Austria being the country that until now has prevented, by veto, the introduction of Schengen rules at land borders as well. In a discussion held in Bucharest with her Romanian counterpart, the German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, praised the efforts made by Romania for European solidarity in the matter of asylum, as part of its effort to fully join the Schengen area. On the other hand, the Romanian Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, has expressed his hope that the Schengen rules will be introduced at Romania’s land borders this year. (LS)

  • March 21, 2024 UPDATE

    March 21, 2024 UPDATE

    Forestry – The Romanian government approved the new Forestry Code on Thursday. As a result, clear cutting will be prohibited in almost half of the country’s forest area, as announced by the Minister of Environment, Water and Forests, Mircea Fechet. He added that the law allows the state to intervene and reforest the lands that have been deforested and abandoned by the owners. At the same time, the document gives private or state forest owners the right to alternative security solutions: specialized structures and security provided by own means, specifying that forest security is mandatory by law. Also, the right of access to the SUMAL 2 computer system is suspended whenever there are situations related to the theft of wood. The executive also approved a major investment in the infrastructure of the healthcare system: the construction of a new medical compound in which the Fundeni Clinical Institute from Bucharest should operate, in order to expand and improve the treatment conditions for patients. The building will have 21 modern operating rooms, intensive care units for multidisciplinary surgery and transplant surgery. Also on Thursday, the Romanian Government signed the contract regarding the construction of the Regional Emergency Hospital in Craiova (south). The medical unit will serve the entire Oltenia region and will be able to treat 800 people a day, as stated by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Funds were also allocated for the refurbishment of the Berceni-Pipera highway, the busiest subway route in Bucharest.

     

    Recovery and Resilience – Romania has a little over two years left to achieve all the objectives assumed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – NRRP, the financial support package in the form of grants and loans, mainly intended to eliminate the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The warning was launched in Bucharest by European Commission officials for the implementation of the NRRP. During the assessment conference of the state of implementation of the NRRP in Romania, the officials warned that failure to meet the milestones could put the country in a position to return the money received. The Romanian officials have given assurances that the Plan as a whole is in progress compared to last year.

     

    Summit – The heads of state and government from the European Union gathered in Brussels together with experts, for a summit aimed at giving a new impetus to the production of energy from nuclear sources. This field came back to the attention of Europe, with the war in Ukraine, and also due to the need to reduce the emissions of the classic industry. Nuclear energy is clean and not volatile, as is the case with wind or photovoltaic energy, where production depends on the weather, and Romania is one of the spearheads in terms of new technologies. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that Romania is determined to develop its nuclear energy program and is collaborating with the US to implement the small modular reactor technology. Iohannis emphasized that Bucharest wants to become a regional leader for nuclear operations, expertise, and also for the supply chain in the field. The trend of returning to energy from nuclear sources is not to the liking of environmental NGOs, which organized protests in Brussels, in parallel with the meeting of European leaders, and demand the concentration of investments strictly on renewable sources. In the capital of Belgium, the Romanian president also participates in the European Council meeting and the extended Euro Summit.

     

    Film – Films from the selections from Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Venice, Toronto and Annecy can be found on the poster of the 28th edition of the French Film Festival in Romania, which takes place from March 21 to 31, in Bucharest and another 12 cities across the country. More than 100 film screenings will take place in cinemas and alternative cultural spaces, the organizers informed. They decided that the festival should be opened, in Bucharest, by the comedy ‘Une Annee Difficile’/’A difficult year’, made by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the authors of the film ‘Intouchables’ – one of the biggest box office successes in France. (LS)

  • US and the Black Sea region

    US and the Black Sea region

    The Black Sea region plays an important role for NATO, and Romania is a very close partner for the United States, the US Ambassador to Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec reiterated, while on a visit to Târgu Mureș (centre).



    In an interview to Radio Târgu Mureş, she said that Romania, located next to the conflict in Ukraine, has been suffering from the consequences of the conflict, whether we talk about the Ukrainian refugees who either transit Romania or are staying here, or about the transport of Ukrainian grains via Romanian Danube and Black Sea ports.According to theUS diplomat, adding to all these are the concerns generated by a war taking place at the countrys borders.



    Kathleen Kavalec: “In that context, I think our defence and security relations have become even closer. We now have tripled the number of American troops in Romania, so there are now over 3,000 American troops here, and were working more closely with our Romanian partners on defence and deterrence, to defend every inch of NATO territory, should the need arise”.



    In fact, Kathleen Kavalec recently stated in a security conference in Bucharest that Romania turned from a beneficiary into an exporter of peace and security, and that today the country is infinitely better prepared to protect its borders, with support from NATO and its partners, than it was just decades ago.



    I know that Romanians are not unused to turning points in history, the US Ambassador also said. This is why, she added, more than 2 decades ago, at an equally critical moment in geopolitical terms, Romania made the strategic and wise decision to join NATO and the EU, choosing the path of democratic transformation.



    The US diplomat also emphasised that it is vital for is to continue to invest in alliances and partnerships, starting with NATO. As we face Russias aggression against Ukraine, the Hamas attack against Israel or any other instance of global injustice, we are stronger together, Kathleen Kavalec argued.



    On the other hand, while in Târgu Mureș the US Ambassador also spoke about her countrys openness to including Romania in the Visa Waiver programme, but she explained that this can only be achieved by strictly complying with the US legislation, which has very specific requirements. In this context, she also mentioned the information exchange agreements that must be completed and signed as part of the Visa Waiver programme. We are making very good progress in this direction, and hopefully we will sign an agreement as soon as possible, the US Ambassador concluded. (AMP)