Radio România Internațional

Tag: Senate

  • November 6, 2024

    November 6, 2024

     

    US ELECTION The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and PM Marcel Ciolacu today congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential elections. “Romania is a strong and committed strategic ally of the USA. Through our joint efforts, we will bring peace and prosperity to our countries and beyond, defending our common interests,” the Romanian president wrote on a social network. The Republican Donald Trump claimed an “unprecedented mandate,” in a speech held at West Palm Beach, Florida, after Fox News called the election for Trump, the only US news outlet to do this so far. Although technically the vote count is not yet over, Donald Trump thanked the Americans for electing him. “We made history,” he said, and promised to help the country “heal.” Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, said in his turn that “we have witnessed the greatest political comeback in US history.” His opponent, the Democrat Kamala Harris, has not yet addressed her supporters.

     

    SENATE The Republicans appear to have have gained control of the US Senate, previously held by the Democrats, with a majority of at least 51 seats out of 100, according to projections. The US Senate has 100 seats (2 for each US state) and 34 members are replaced following the vote organised concurrently with the November 5 presidential election. In the House of Representatives, neither party seems to have a decisive advantage, as the vote count in the 50 states continues today. The control of the two chambers of the US Congress is a major stake, as the room for maneuver of the country’s president depends largely on the laws they are able to get passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both vote on federal laws, but the Senate also has important exclusive powers, especially in the appointment or removal of key government members or in the confirmation of federal magistrates.

     

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION The Social Democrat Roxana Mînzatu, Romania’s nomination for vice-president of the new European Commission, received a positive review from the specialist committees of the Romanian parliament. Next week, she will also be heard in the committees of the European Parliament. In addition to the position of vice-president, the Romanian commissioner will also serve as Commissioner for People, Skills and Preparedness.

     

    INVESTMENTS PM Marcel Ciolacu had a meeting with a delegation of Japanese investors on Tuesday in Bucharest. They expressed their interest in strengthening financial support for Romania in transport infrastructure, energy, digitisation and high techn projects. Previously, at a bilateral Energy Forum also held in the Romanian capital city, the energy ministry and the Japanese company Itochu Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a hydropower plant project in Cluj county (northwest Romania).

     

    VISIT The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, is on an official visit to Bucharest, where he takes part today in the national conference of the Romanian Farmers’ Club. According to a press release issued by the European Commission, the commissioner is a special guest in the interactive EU-Romania Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, where he talks about the prospects of European farming in the context of the current environmental and geo-political challenges and of the EU enlargement. At the same time, the European official is to address a plenary session on “Vision and action for the sustainable transformation of agriculture”. Among other things, Janusz Wojciechowski will thank Romanian farmers for their vital contribution to food security, in Europe and beyond.

     

    FLOODS Another person on the list of Romanian nationals missing following the recent floods in Spain has been found dead. The Romanian foreign ministry announced that, according to the information sent by the Spanish authorities, up to this moment 2 Romanian citizens are dead and 7 are still missing. The Romanian embassy in Madrid and the consular office in Castellón de la Plana are checking public information regarding the death of some Romanian citizens, but no official confirmations have been received so far. Meanwhile, the Spanish government has declared a state of natural disaster in the affected areas and has pledged to cover 100% of the urgent expenses of the affected municipalities. A first emergency plan worth over EUR 10 billion was adopted. (AMP)

  • July 30, 2024 UPDATE

    July 30, 2024 UPDATE

    SENATE – The Romanian Senate was informed, on Monday, during an extraordinary session, about several normative acts adopted by the government that entered the parliamentary circuit. Among them, the draft law on the measures needed for the organization of this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. The normative act aims to create a separate electoral infrastructure for the two types of elections, the method of appointing the members of the electoral offices, but also their payment at the level of allowances that the representatives of the electoral offices benefited from in the local elections of June 9. The deadline for tacit adoption expires at the end of September.

     

    FIREFIGHTERS – Requests made from abroad for Romanian firefighters are proof that the civil defense system is working, Romanian Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu said Tuesday. The statements were made on the occasion of the departure to Greece of a contingent of rescue firefighters from Romania. They have proven their ability to save lives, to protect communities, in the country and abroad, the official also said. The missions are carried out within the framework of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, with European funding, and the Romanian firefighters are requested for the 4th time in a row to send teams to Greece. This first contingent consisting of 40 firefighters have travelled to Greece, with 8 technical means. They will be replaced after a period of several weeks by two other series of firefighters. They will operate in the Athens area, to help the Greek authorities manage the situations caused by the fires.

     

     LEBANON –  Several countries, including Romania, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands, are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon urgently, due to growing concerns about a possible large-scale retaliation by Israel, after Saturday’s rocket attack that killed 12 young people on the Golan Heights, for which Hezbollah is blamed. At the same time, more and more airlines are suspending their flights on the Beirut route. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited, on Monday, the place where the rocket launched from Lebanon fell and stated that Israel’s response would be harsh. Hezbollah denies the accusation of having masterminded the attack. The White House has voiced confidence that a full-scale Israel-Hezbollah war could be avoided. In a conversation with the Israeli president, Itzhak Herzog, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of preventing an escalation. In turn, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, talked with Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, Hezbollah’s main ally, who warned that an attack on Lebanon would have serious consequences. The head of the Italian diplomacy has also spoken with his Israeli and Lebanese counterparts, and estimated that stopping violence is possible.

     

    PROGRAM – The Romanian Ministry of Economy announces the start of a new edition of the “Women Entrepreneur” program, intended to finance the activity of commercial companies in which a woman owns at least 50% of the shares. Registrations are open for a period of 45 days, but the term can be extended, depending on the availability of funds. For each approved file, funding can reach up to 40 thousand euros, the total budget being calculated for one thousand beneficiaries. The eligibility criteria refer to the length of time as a shareholder, the value of the contribution to the investment, or the profitability of the company in the last two years. The fields that are not eligible for this program are forestry and agriculture, but also the production of ammunition and armaments.

     

     AID –  500 tents and 2,000 blankets made available by the Romanian National Administration of State Reserves and Special Problems were offered free of charge to the Gaza Strip, the Department for Emergency Situations announced on Monday. The equipment was transported with the help of the European Commission, through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. Romania has announced that, in this way, it continues to observe its international commitments, remaining a reliable partner to the states that face major emergency situations. We recall that on April 19, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu convened the National Committee for Emergency Situations, and a Decision was approved on granting free international assistance to the affected civilian population in Gaza.

     

     UKRAINE –  Washington has announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine, worth up to 200 million dollars. According to White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby, the package includes “key combat capabilities for Ukraine, including air defense interceptors, munitions for rocket systems and artillery and anti-tank weapons”. The US Department of Defense also announces significant funding for the Security Assistance Initiative to support Ukraine’s long-term defense capability. Kyiv has been urging its allies for months to provide more air defense systems so that Ukraine can counter missile and drone attacks by Russian forces on its territory. The US has provided Ukraine with more than $50 billion in military aid since 2022. (EE)

     

     

  • June 17, 2024 UPDATE

    June 17, 2024 UPDATE

     

    EURO 2024 – Romania defeated Ukraine on Monday, 3-0 in their opening Group E match in Munich, at the European Football Championship hosted by Germany. The goals were scored by Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus. The tournament brings together 24 national sides, divided into six groups. Romania will next play Belgium on 22nd June in Cologne and Slovakia on 26th June in Frankfurt. This is Romania’s 6th participation in the European Championship after 1984, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016. Romanian referees are also taking part in the tournament, with Istvan Kovacs as main referee, two assistant referees and a video assistant referee.

     

    SENATE – The Romanian Senate marked on Monday 160 years since its establishment, through a solemn meeting. Current and former leaders of the institution evoked its importance and role in the development of the Romanian state and democracy. The Senate Speaker, Nicolae Ciucă, said that a democracy is only as strong as parliament. “At the same time, a strong parliament is a parliament that enjoys the trust of the people. People’s trust is the foundation that determines the stability of the political regime,” he said. The interim speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfred Simonis, emphasized the role of the Senate in strengthening Romanian democracy.

     

    VISIT –  Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu on Monday started a two-day official visit to Bavaria, Germany, to mark the 25th anniversary of Romanian-Bavarian relations. He will coordinate on Tuesday, together with the Bavarian prime minister Markus Soder, the first joint meeting of the Romanian-Bavaria government. Foreign and European policy files, security, cooperation, social affairs and labor will be discussed. “The economic dimension is a pillar of our collaboration. Among the German states, Bavaria is the most important investor and commercial partner for Romania, with a trade volume of more than 8 billion euros”, Marcel Ciolacu said. “We want the big companies based in Bavaria in the automotive, engineering and aerospace industries to invest in Romania,” he also said. The Romanian community is the largest foreign community in Bavaria. According to official data, 213,000 Romanian citizens are settled there.

     

    SALARY –  The government is this week due to discuss draft legislation to adopt the European minimum wage in Romania. The bill transposes a European directive stipulating that the minimum wage in a country must account for at least 50% of the average income. The gross minimum salary in Romania currently stands at 660 euros and is set to go up to 740 euros from 1st July.

     

    CAMPAIGN – French political parties on Monday entered the election campaign for the snap elections which will take place in two rounds, on June 30 and July 7. The early elections were called by President Emmanuel Macron, after he dissolved the National Assembly, following the European elections, when the far right won a resounding victory and the presidential party was severely punished by the electorate, mainly due to the decrease in purchasing power. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, last week President Macron explained his decision to dissolve the Assembly by the need for a clarification on the French political scene, after two years of tensions in Parliament, which blocked the activity of a government that lacked majority and especially after the result in the European elections. Macron called on moderate politicians to unite against the far right and far left. (EE)

     

  • Senate adopts new pension law

    Senate adopts new pension law

    Many of the nearly five million pensioners in Romania are among the
    poorest citizens of the European Union. The average monthly pension in Romania
    stands at approximately 400 EUR, according to the National Statistics Institute.
    2024 will see no less than four rounds of election in Romania – European Parliament
    elections, local, parliamentary and presidential elections. The coalition
    government chose to implement social measures to boost their approval ratings
    by significantly increasing the revenues of pensioners before they hit the
    polls, the media writes. Enjoying a large majority in the Senate, the Social-Democrats
    and the Liberals on Tuesday fast-tracked the voting the new pension law. Under
    the new law, pensioners’ revenues will increase in two phases next year. Starting
    January 1, 2024, all pensions in the public system will go up 13.8% to cover
    the rampant inflation. Then, on September 1, pensions will be recalculated
    according to a new formula, which Labor Minister Simona Bucura-Oprescu says
    will level out all inequities between Romanians who had similar jobs but retired
    at different periods of time, as well as between women and men.

    Social-Democrat
    Senator Lucian Romașcanu hailed this correction, saying you cannot have the
    same contribution for the same profession, but have different pensions. In
    turn, the leader of the Liberal group in the Senate, Daniel Fenechiu, admitted that,
    although the law is flawed, it is a step forward. UDMR in opposition voted in
    favor of the document, hailing the introduction of pension recalculations. Also
    in the opposition, USR and AUR Senators abstained, criticizing the government
    of failing to identify the funds to sustain the significant increase in
    pensions. The leader of AUR Senators, Claudiu Târziu, said we didn’t vote
    against the law, because a pension increase is better than nothing. The impact
    of this law will account for 3% of the GDP, much higher than originally expected,
    the Liberals said last week. Finance Minister Marcel Boloș
    said increasing pensions is a priority, but also a responsibility for the
    government, which must ensure the financial stability of the country. The law
    will next be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body.
    The ruling coalition is expected to vote the new law just as fast, pundits say.
    Finally, the law will be submitted by president Klaus Iohannis, who will only
    ratify it upon his return from his tour of Africa. (VP)

  • Deputies endorse the education laws

    Deputies endorse the education laws

    The Romanian Chamber of Deputies endorsed the package of laws that the initiator, the Ministry of Education, says will fundamentally reform the education system. The laws will now be debated by the Senate, which is the decision-making body in this matter. The two bills come with significant changes in pre-university and academic education. These changes are important, because they target the chronic problems of the system, listed by the Minister of Education, Ligia Deca:



    Preventing and combating school dropout, combating functional illiteracy, implementing an education centered on the child, the student, the young person, ensuring safety in educational institutions, better training of teaching staff and their support and compliance with deontological ethics and professional code of conduct.



    According to the minister, investments, prioritizing the disadvantaged areas with regard to budget allocations and the measures targeting success along the entire educational path are the pillars of this legislative package. The representatives of the parties that make up the governing coalition PSD – PNL – UDMR have stated that they voted for a stable legislative framework in the field of education, anticipating that the results of the new measures will be seen in the years to come. The opposition does not agree, considering that the laws do not address the real issues facing the education system and are a failure of the presidential project Educated Romania.



    The law that will govern pre-university education comes with a number of firsts: high schools can opt to organize an additional exam, besides the national evaluation, in order to fill half of the seats, religion becomes an optional subject at the baccalaureate, and the supplies program for students from disadvantaged backgrounds is extended.



    Also, the law proposes a national plan to combat violence in schools, which includes video monitoring of classrooms, with the consent of parents, and gradual sanctions for teachers and students who commit disciplinary violations.



    There are also changes regarding university education. Thus, the rectors in office will be able to remain in office for another 10 years. At the same time, big fines are provided for people who buy or sell scientific papers, reports, papers for evaluation exams, as well as for the completion of bachelor’s, master’s and PhD studies.



    The law also says that the person elected to hold a public office can benefit from a reduction of their didactic workload, but by no more than 50%. The teaching profession must be respected, and the work of teachers appreciated, stressed Minister Ligia Deca. This is what the teachers who marched between the Government and Parliament buildings, on the very day of the adoption of the Education laws, felt entitled to demand, along with a fair and decent salary. (MI)


  • March 27, 2023

    March 27, 2023

    Visit – The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is coming to Bucharest today, where he will meet the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. On Tuesday, according to the official schedule, Charles Michel will go to the neighboring Republic of Moldova, which has a majority Romanian-speaking population. The visit takes place after last weeks summit in Brussels, following which the EU member states’ leaders reiterated their support for the Republic of Moldova, for its security and European path.



    Moldova – The interim president of the Romanian Senate, Alina Gorghiu, and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, are paying a visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova today. They will participate in cultural events dedicated to the 105thanniversary of the Union of Bessarabia, an eastern province that was, until then, under the occupation of the tsarist empire, with the Kingdom of Romania, on March 27, 1918. In 1940, Bessarabia, as well as the north of Bukovina and Herța Land, were re-annexed, following an ultimatum, by Stalin’s Soviet Union. The current Republic of Moldova, independent since 1991, was established on part of the eastern Romanian territories occupied by Moscow. In Bucharest, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said, on the occasion of the Day of Bessarabia’s Union with Romania, that “history teaches us that military aggression, illegitimate domination and discrimination of nations cannot last. Proof thereof is the aspirations of the peoples, including the Romanian people, to live freely, in a dignified, united and democratic way”.



    Pensions – The juridical and labor committees of the Romanian Senate are debating, today, the Governments draft law on the reduction of special pension expenses. The project aims to reduce expenses with special pensions and allowances, a milestone included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The changes proposed by the Government refer at the calculation of special pensions starting from seniority in the respective specialty, the reduction of the calculation percentage relative to the earned income, the minimum contribution period being similar to that applied in the public pension system. The deadline for tacit adoption in the Senate is March 31.



    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea qualified for the round of 16 of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Miami (Florida), which has total prizes worth 8.8 million dollars, after beating the Czech Karolina Muchova, 7-5, 6-1. She had won both previous matches with Cîrstea. Today, in the round of 16, the Romanian player will meet another player from the Czech Republic, Marketa Vondrousova. The score of direct matches between the two is 1-1.



    Bystroe – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is expected, today, in the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, for the political debates within the so-called Government Hour. The representatives of the extremist, ultra-nationalist opposition party the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR requested his presence in order to give explanations regarding the file of Romania’s Schengen accession as well as to detail Bucharest’s diplomatic efforts in relation to the situation of the Bystroe canal, on that part of the Danube Delta located in neighboring Ukraine. On Friday, the Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu said that Romania was still waiting for the approval of the Ukrainian authorities to begin depth measurements on the canal with Ukrainian ships. Since 2014, the Ukrainians have wanted the Chilia arm and the Bystroe canal to be included in a European transport corridor, but Bucharest and Brussels are opposed to it, because of the impact the works would have on the ecosystem of the Danube Delta, a unique area in Europe included in the UNESCO world heritage. Last month, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry announced that, following some alleged dredging works, the depth of the canal increased from 3.9 to 6.5 meters.



    Library – The National Museum of Romanian Literature (MNLR), in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Carol I Central University Library in Bucharest, is organizing, today, the first edition of the Day of European Authors. This is an initiative of the European Commission, which is meant to strengthen the relationship between the book and education sectors, aspiring to reconnect European citizens, especially the young generation, to reading and to help them discover European literature, and Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity. The European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, will officially launch this initiative in Sofia, together with the renowned Bulgarian writer Georgi Bardarov, the winner of the European Union Prize for Literature in 2021. The National Museum of Romanian Literature invites the public to a meeting with two of Romania’s highly appreciated authors, recognized at the European level through numerous awards, the writer and journalist Gabriela Adameșteanu and the Franco-Romanian writer, poet and playwright Matei Vişniec, to discuss the diversity of European literature and the status of the European author. (LS)

  • Senate approves justice laws

    Senate approves justice laws

    The three laws elaborated by the Justice Ministry, regulating the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy, judicial organization and the status of judges and prosecutors, were adopted by the Senate, the decision-making body in this matter. The ruling coalition in Bucharest had an easy job passing the law facing a fragile opposition, whose only option now is to challenge the laws at the Constitutional Court in order to block them. USR in opposition criticized the laws, the proceeding of the debates as well as the fact that the ruling coalition didnt wait for the opinion of the Venice Commission. The chairman of the Senates constitutionality committee, Simona Spătaru from USR, claims the current laws are even worse than the ones proposed by the Dragnea regime 5 years ago. We recall that the ruling party back then, PSD, tried to swiftly pass the laws through Parliament, but they were met with public opposition, street protests and criticism from European partner institutions. The party leader, Liviu Dragnea, faced a number of investigations and was eventually sentenced for corruption in 2019.




    Now, USR believes the remit of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) remain vaguely defined, which represents a blow dealt to the fight against corruption and organized crime. The opposition also condemns the involvement of the political elites in appointing top-level prosecutors. In turn, ruling coalition representatives claim the texts fall in line with recommendations issued by the relevant European institutions. The laws guarantee the independence of the judiciary and protect the justice system against any ingressions, internal or external, Social-Democrat Senator Robert Cazanciuc, a former Justice Minister, says. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă says the justice laws lay the foundations for streamlining the system, align the countrys judiciary to European standards and consolidate its independence.



    A controversial measure was to eliminate disciplinary investigations of magistrates who dont comply with rulings issued by the European Court of Justice, the European Court for Human Rights, the Constitutional Court of Romania and the High Court of Cassation and Justice for any appeal. Interim Senate Speaker, Alina Gorghiu, argues that, if the provision had been maintained, it would mean that judges can only rule appeals when threatened by disciplinary actions. The measure is meant to make magistrates more responsible and independent, encouraging free thought and making them equal to their European peers, Gorghiu went on to say. Another provision in the law package, criticized by experts, exempt the prosecutor general with the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the latters president from any disciplinary action designed to investigate offenses committed by judges and prosecutors, putting the Judicial Inspection Department of the Superior Council of Magistracy in charge of these proceedings. (VP)


  • May 28, 2022 UPDATE

    May 28, 2022 UPDATE


    TALKS The prime minister of Romania Nicolae Ciucă Saturday received a delegation of the US Senate headed by Senator Robert Portman. PM Ciucă presented the situation of Ukrainian exports and of Romanias efforts to support the food security of the affected countries, particularly those in the Middle East and Northern Africa, and the viability of Ukraines economy. He mentioned support options including the ports of Constanţa and Galaţi, navigation on the Danube to central Europe, railway and road transport. A large part of the talks was devoted to Russias invasion in Ukraine and the need for concrete support for this country. Senator Robert Portman thanked Romania for its efforts and highlighted his interest in the country, considering that the state he is representing, Ohio, is home to a large community of Romanians and an important Ukrainian community.



    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu was received on Friday by the president of Tukey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of a trilateral security meeting that brought together the foreign ministers of Romania, Poland and Turkey in Istanbul. Erdogan commended Romanias and Polands management of the humanitarian crisis entailed by Russias aggression in Ukraine, while Bogdan Aurescu highlighted Turkeys role at the Black Sea. The Romanian foreign minister also voiced support for NATOs open door policy and for the accession of Sweden and Finland. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the relevance of the bilateral strategic partnership signed in 2011, in the current geopolitical circumstances.



    CYBER ATTACK The English version of the website of the Romanian defence ministry has been attacked by hackers. The DDOS cyber-attack took place on Friday night, and experts with the ministrys cyber defence unit managed to restore the website in around 30 minutes. The ministry says the website does not contain sensible or classified databases and the attack did not affect other services or networks of the institution. Investigations are under way to identify the source of the attack. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of Internet traffic.



    RADIO CHIŞINAU The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation issued a news release stating it was confident the decision to ban the use of the name “Chişinău” in the name of the radio station Radio Chişinău was a misunderstanding and it has reasons to believe the situation will be resolved. Radio Romania mentions that at Fridays meeting of the Chişinău City Council, a draft decision on the use of the name Chişinău was dismissed by a majority of Council members. The name of the city Chişinău was used by Radio Chişinău, a Radio Romania station, between 2011 and 2021, based on a similar validation procedure. Radio Romania emphasized that, should the situation continue, it will have to take all the necessary administrative and judicial steps to address it, to the benefit of its listeners in the Republic of Moldova. Previously, the Romanian foreign ministry said the decision of the Chişinǎu Council was unjustified, ungrounded and driven by political considerations.



    FESTIVAL “Mogoşoaia Classic Fest” takes place this weekend at the Brâncovenesc Palace (near Bucharest), under the title “Cultures of the world.” The festival includes exhibitions, film screenings and performances, concerts. The music, fine arts, dance, images and traditions of 8 countries are showcased in the festival: Armenia, Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Peru, Mexico, China and Romania.



    TENNIS The Romanian Irina Begu Saturday qualified into the 8th-finals of the Roland Garros tournament, after defeating Leolia Jeanjean of France 6-1, 6-4, in the 3rd round. The round of 16 is the best performance for the Romanian player in Grand Slams. Begu is the only Romanian player left in the singles competition of this years tournament in Paris. (AMP)


  • Senate passes Offshore Law

    Senate passes Offshore Law

    The plenum of the Romanian Senate has adopted amendments to the offshore law. Delayed for a long time, the law regulates the operations regarding the development and exploitation of oil deposits in the offshore perimeters, off the Romanian Black Sea Coast in the Black Sea, as well as of deep oil deposits in onshore perimeters. The bill amending the offshore law establishes the distribution of 40% of the profit obtained to the investors and 60% to the Romanian state, which has the right of pre-emption to gas acquisition. During the meeting, the Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, highlighted that this law would ensure Romania’s gas security in case of an energy crisis, pointing out that Romania could also become a provider of regional energy security, after it will produce more than it will consume.



    He added that the first gas from the Black Sea could be extracted starting with the second half of this year. At the same time, the new law increases the investment deduction allowance from 30% to 40% of the total additional income tax. The senators of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and Save Romania Union (USR) voted in favor of the document. During the plenary debates, the leader of the Social Democrats, Radu Oprea, said that the law was good and necessary for all Romanian citizens, and the money coming from the gas exploitation will reach the local communities.



    Radu Oprea: “We have a war near Romania’s borders, we need gas, we need Black Sea Oil & Gas (USA) to be able to supply gas to the citizens of Romania starting next month. It means 10% of the gas that others in this room want to import from other countries. This is not possible and desirable for the Romanian economy, for the Romanian industry, and for the citizens of Romania.”



    The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) is the only party that has voted against this law, which they label as anti-national, and they have demanded that the exploitation of natural gas be done exclusively by Romanian companies.



    Senator Rodica Boancă: “AUR has voted against this national betrayal and against this plundering, which will lead to the exploitation and sale of resources of national and strategic importance, especially in an economic war that we are currently going through, and it is very clear that the price of gas will not decrease, we will not have a free energy market. “



    Romanias gas production has dropped in recent years, and 2021 brought high energy prices across Europe. The Romanian economic area of the Black Sea has reserves of over 200 billion cubic meters, an amount that could cover national consumption for the next 20 years. In 2019, in Romania, 79% of the total amount of natural gas was from domestic production, 8% imported from Russia and the remaining 13% from other countries. This in the context in which, in Finland and Macedonia, the gas is imported entirely from Russia, Latvia imports 93% Russian gas and Estonia 79%. Germany, Europes strongest economy, imports almost half of its natural gas from Russia and the other half from other countries. (LS)

  • September 7, 2021 UPDATE

    September 7, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 The Strategic Communication Group on Tuesday announced 2,033 new
    Covid-19 infections in Romania in the past 24 hours out of 45,430 tests that had
    been carried out. 48 people have died from Covid-related issues and 3,527
    people are being treated in hospitals, including 101 children. According to the
    same sources, 426 patients are in ICUs presently. Almost 9 thousand people have
    been vaccinated in the past 24 hours and since the vaccine rollout kicked off
    in Romania in late December, 5.2 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated,
    which means under a third of the eligible population. According to the weekly
    report by the National Institute for Public Health, the Delta variant is
    becoming dominant in Romania.








    MOTION The president
    of the Chamber of deputies in Bucharest, Liberal leader Ludovic Orban, on
    Tuesday said that under the Constitution, the timetable for the censure motion
    tabled by USR PLUS and AUR, against the government led by Liberal Florin Citu,
    must be observed. The statement comes after the standing bureaus of the Senate
    and the Chamber of Deputies have lacked quorum for the fourth day in a row unable
    to make a decision over the aforementioned motion. The opposition PSD, which
    has convened in an emergency session, has announced that it will endorse the
    censure motion against the incumbent Prime Minister. Also on Tuesday the head
    of state Klaus Iohannis met the USR PLUS co-president Dan Barna after all the
    USR ministers had resigned from the Citu government.








    VISIT The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis,
    will be on an official visit to Switzerland on Thursday, at the invitation of
    his counterpart Guy Parmelin. According to the presidency, the visit takes place
    in the context of this year’s anniversary of 110 years of diplomatic relations
    between the two states. The talks will focus on strengthening bilateral
    cooperation, including economic cooperation, with an emphasis on investments.
    Switzerland is the 10th-largest foreign investor in Romania.






    BUDGET In spite of the resignation of
    the USR PLUS ministers, PM Florin Citu convened a cabinet meeting on Tuesday
    for talks over a new budget adjustment. The Prime Minister announced last night
    that the budget adjustment bill would be passed whether or not USR PLUS party
    pulls out of the government coalition. With Tuesday’s adjustment, most funds
    will go to the health ministry, public finances, development and investments.
    Budget cuts will affect the labour ministry, the Senate and the Court of
    Accounts.






    (bill)

  • May 13, 2021

    May 13, 2021

    ALERT As of today, the state of alert in Romania is extended by another month. Some restrictions have been lifted, however, such as the one regarding participation in religious processions or pilgrimages. Other measures still remain in place. Pilot cultural and sports events will also be organised, with attendance allowed for people who have got the vaccine, who have recovered from COVID-19 in the past 3 months, or who test negative for the disease. Private or public celebrations or parties, whether indoors or outdoors, are still banned.



    COVID-19 President Klaus Iohannis has a working meeting scheduled today with PM Florin Cîţu, several other Cabinet members, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, and the head of the National Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control Centre with the Public Health Institute, Adriana Pistol. Also attending will be deputy PM Dan Barna, the interior minister Lucian Bode, the defence minister Nicolae Ciucă, and the health minister Ioana Mihăilă. The meeting will focus on the lifting of COVID-19 containment measures. Some 130,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses are scheduled to reach Bucharest today. So far, Romania has received over 2.2 million vaccine doses from the British-Swedish company. More than 3.7 million people have received Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca jabs in Romania, and two-thirds of them have also got the booster dose. Meanwhile, the entire country is in the so-called green scenario. According to the Strategic Communication Group, the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in Bucharest is 1.42 per thousand. On Thursday 953 new COVID-19 cases and 75 related deaths were reported, as well as 829 patients in intensive care.



    CONFERENCE The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias co-chair today an informal conference call of EU foreign ministers. Also attending the online meeting are the foreign ministers of Albania, Olta Xhacka and of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, as well as EU officials. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will emphasise that ‘the EU enlargement process must remain a major priority for the Union, given the transforming power of this European policy.’ Todays meeting takes place after a recent meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, which included a strategic discussion on the Western Balkans, at the request of Romania and other member states.



    VISIT The Romanian Senate Speaker Anca Dragu is on a 3-day official visit to Spain, as of today, at the invitation of her counterpart Maria Pilar Llop Cuenca. The visit is aimed at strengthening political dialogue and the traditional friendship between the 2 countries. On the same occasion, in the Patio de los Naranjos Hall of the Spanish Senate, an Exhibition of Romanian and Spanish Diplomatic Archives will be opened. The exhibition is devoted to the 140 years of diplomatic relations between the 2 countries. The Romanian delegation will also have online meetings with members of the Romanian community in Spain, and will visit the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre and the EU Satellite Centre.



    CORRUPTION The former mayor of Bucharests Sector 5, Marian Vanghelie, was sentenced on Thursday to 11 years and 8 months in prison, in a corruption case. The ruling is not final. He was also ordered to pay damages of over 15 million euro to the Bucharest Sector 5 City Hall. Marian Vanghelie was indicted in 2015 for 9 counts of bribe-taking and abuse of office and 7 counts of money laundering. According to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, in 2006 – 2014, Marian Vanghelie, then a mayor, asked for and received undue benefits in the amount of nearly 30 million euro (accounting for a fee of 20% of the contracts). A former member of the Social Democratic Party (in opposition), Marian Vanghelie was a mayor between 2000 and 2016, and in the 2020 local elections he ran unsuccessfully for a new term in office.



    ISRAEL Hamas fired rockets on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem early on Thursday, with Israel promising to carry on strikes against the Islamist group in Gaza, although the US president Joe Biden had said the clashes, the most violent in recent years, will be over soon, Reuters reports. Over 1,000 rockets fired from Gaza strip on Monday hit Israel, and scores of people were killed and hundreds wounded so far, mostly Palestinians. The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, called for the de-escalation of the conflict.



    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, announced having suffered a torn calf muscle which forced her out of the Italian Open, in Wednesdays match against Germanys Angelique Kerber. She says she will have an MRI investigation to determine how serious the injury is. The defending champion in Foro Italico, the Romanian player withdrew in the second set of the match against Kerber, after she had won the first set. Given the preliminary diagnosis, she risks missing the Roland Garros tournament due to start on May 30. Halep won the Paris tournament in 2018. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Senate passes controversial laws

    Senate passes controversial laws

    The Senate of
    Romania on Monday endorsed to major initiatives by the ruling PNL and USR
    amending a couple of draft laws, which sparked off heated debates in society when
    they were first issued.




    The first one repeals
    the regulation introduced during the PSD ruling in 2018, allowing for the early
    retirement of judges and prosecutors at the age of only 45 after only 20 years
    on the job. According to the Liberals, the law was defying the Romanians in a
    country where most of the people retire at 65, and that the new amendments
    represent a return to normalcy, under which magistrates can retire at 60 after
    25 years of work. Other personal criteria for early retirement, such as illness
    or other issues, have also been covered by the law, the initiators explained.




    According to
    them, in its initial form, the law would have allowed for the early retirement
    of a significant number of magistrates, a situation with a major impact upon
    the good functioning of courts and prosecutor’s offices




    The shortage of
    magistrates would have also significantly impacted the quality of the Judiciary,
    prolonging resolution time in certain files. For this reason, the provision
    never came into effect but was prorogued every year. We recall that in this
    case, the Senate is a decision-making body.




    Also on Monday,
    Romanian senators repealed a provision, which banned the selling of state-owned
    shares in national companies and enterprises to loan institutions or to other
    company where the state is a shareholder.




    A provision on
    the two-year suspension of any operations regarding the selling of state-owned
    shares under realization was also repealed.




    The draft,
    initiated by the center-to-right coalition, allows for capitalizing on shares
    with a view to avoiding severe impacts on social relations regarding the
    economic freedom of operators where the state is a shareholder and of the free
    movement of capital.




    At the same
    time, by diversifying shareholders, the government intends to achieve market
    competitiveness and performance. Opposition senators from PSD and AUR have
    opposed the project arguing that it is not the right time for state shares to
    be listed on the stock exchange blaming the government for trying to sell the
    state shares in major companies. The draft law will be submitted to the Chamber
    of Deputies for approval.


    (bill)

  • December 9, 2020 UPDATE

    December 9, 2020 UPDATE

    AGREEMENT An agreement between Romania
    and the USA over cooperation on nuclear-energy projects in Cernavoda,
    south-eastern Romania was signed in Bucharest on Wednesday by Virgil Popescu,
    Minister of Economy and US ambassador Adrian Zuckerman in the presence of
    interim Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca. On this occasion, the Prime Minister and
    the US ambassador held talks about bilateral cooperation within the Strategic
    Partnership in several fields of activity, such as politics, military, energy
    and economy. Minister Ciuca reiterated the Romanian authorities’ support for
    the Three Seas Initiative, pointing out that the US support for key
    interconnection projects within this initiative can be a major support for
    post-pandemic economic recovery. Ciuca went on to say that a solid US economic
    presence in Romania can be a major encouraging signal for other foreign
    investors. The US ambassador highlighted the special character of the bilateral
    relation between the two countries as well as Romania’s major role in the region.












    HANDBALL The women’s handball side of
    Romania on Thursday will be playing Croatia in their first game in group 2 of the
    European Championships – EHF EURO 2020 in Denmark. Romania’s two opponents will
    be the en titre champions, the Netherlands, whom they are to play on December
    14th and Hungary a day later. The group also includes Norway and
    Germany. The teams qualified in group one are Russia, France, Denmark, Sweden,
    Spain and Montenegro. The first two sides in the main groups will qualify for
    the semifinals. The finals is due on December 20th and the winner
    will be directly qualified for the European Championship in 2022. Romania ended
    on the fourth position in the latest European Championship held two years ago.










    EU Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is
    participating in the European Council proceedings due in Brussels on Thursday
    and Friday. In the context of this meeting Iohannis had a phone conversation
    with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, upon the latter’s
    request. According to the presidential administration, talks focused on
    fighting climate changes as well as the relations between the EU and Turkey.
    The president pleaded for the creation of a flexible framework to allow all the
    member states, irrespective of their development to effectively meet the
    objectives in the field of climate change. Iohannis has underlined that transition
    towards a green economy must be equitable and acceptable at social level so
    that it may lead to the economic progress of the states and not to deepen the
    gaps between them. Referring to the relations between the EU and Turkey, the
    Romanian president stood for the continuation of talks between Brussels and
    Ankara, adding that Turkey remains a major partner of the EU. At the same time,
    against the latest developments in Eastern Mediterranean, president Iohannis
    has voiced Romania’s full solidarity with Greece and Cyprus.










    NEGOTIATIONS The Social Democrats have mustered 29.32% of the
    votes for Senate and 28.90% for the Chambers of Deputies in the Sunday’s
    election, while the National Liberal Party has got 25.58% for the Senate and
    25.19 % for the chamber of deputies, according to final figures presented by
    the Central Election Office on Wednesday. Third comes the USR Plus Alliance
    with 15.86% for the Senate and 15.37% for the Chamber of Deputies. The Party
    for the Union of Romanians (AUR) has 9.17% of the votes for the Senate and
    9.08% for the Chamber of Deputies while UDMR mustered 5.89% for the Senate and
    5.74% for the Chamber of Deputies. PMP and Pro Romania failed to clear the 5%
    threshold for Parliament seats. Talks for forging the country’s future
    government have intensified in Romania. The Liberal Party, currently in
    power, the party that grabbed the second highest number of votes on December 6,
    claims they can make up a Parliament majority with the Save Romania Union -
    PLUS Alliance and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. Party officials
    estimate they can rely on a comfortable majority of 244 MPs, adding to which
    will be representatives of national minorities. Finance Minister Florin Citu
    has been proposed by the Liberals as the country’s Prime Minister, the party’s
    president Ludovic Orban announced on Wednesday. The three center-right parties
    must now agree on a governing program and distribute the 16 Ministries among
    themselves. On the other hand, the Social-Democratic Party has also expressed
    its willingness to govern, considering it grabbed the highest number of votes
    in the election. The Social-Democrats said they are entitled to nominate the
    Prime Minister, based on the result in the election, and thus will not be
    voting for a Liberal Cabinet. The Social-Democrats will be proposing Dr.
    Alexandru Rafila, a WHO expert, for the position of Prime Minister. The
    Social-Democratic Party is willing to accept two options: either a minority
    Government led by the Social-Democratic Party, or a technocratic Government led
    by a Social-Democrat Prime Minister. For the first time in the history of
    Romania, Parliament will also include the Alliance for the Union of Romanians,
    a recently founded far-right party, which grabbed the fourth-highest number of
    votes in the parliamentary election.








    (bill)

  • October 28, 2020

    October 28, 2020

    COVID-19 According to the Strategic Communication Group, in the
    past 24 hours Romania has seen an all-time high of Covid-19 infections, 5343,
    out of the 36,815 tests conducted nationwide. The number of fatalities is also at
    an all time high, 107, bringing the death toll to 6,681. Since the onset of the
    pandemic Romania has confirmed 222,559 infections, whereas 159,855 people have
    been declared cured. 861 patients are being treated in IC units, 41 more than
    in the previous day. The highest rate of infection has been reported in Cluj,
    western Romania, the capital city, Bucharest, and in Alba county, also in the
    west. 6,851 Romanian nationals have been confirmed infected abroad, most of
    them in countries like Germany, Italy and Spain. The death toll of the
    Romanians abroad stays at 126.










    ELECTION Over 70 million Americans have
    already cast ballots in the US presidential election, more than half the total
    turnout of the 2016 election with one week to go until Election Day, says a
    Tuesday tally from the U.S. Elections Project also cited by Reuters. This
    massive turnout is indicative of the growing interest in the contest between
    Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden as well
    as the voters’ desire to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19. According
    to the US Elections Project, the final turnout might reach a record turnout of
    about 150 million, representing 65% of those eligible to vote, the highest rate
    since 1908. We recall that the US election system which is unique in the world
    and was created more than 200 years ago has been adjusted to the needs of a
    present population of 300 million being a combination of direct and indirect
    voting. Voters in the USA can vote in three different ways. They can opt for
    postal voting or go to the polls earlier or right on the election day. They don’t
    vote directly for the president but for a representative of that candidate’s party known as an
    elector. There are 538 electors who then vote for the president on behalf of
    the people in their state and a majority of 270 of these votes is needed to win
    the presidency. This year the US election is due on November 3rd.




    AMBASADORS Six people are being heard
    today by the specialized commissions in the Romanian Senate and the Chamber of
    Deputies to be appointed Romania’s ambassadors abroad in Morocco, Mauritania,
    North Macedonia, Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Uzbekistan and Albania. On October
    the 7th and 19th, the parliament commissions heard and
    endorsed another 16 candidates proposed to become Romania’s ambassadors abroad.










    VISIT Romanian Prime
    Minister Ludovic Orban last night ended his formal visit to Paris with a
    meeting of the Romanian community in France. In another development, during a
    meeting with representatives of the MEDEF, France’s largest employers’
    association, the Romanian officials urged the business people in France to
    invest in Romania, in key fields such as healthcare, transport and energy
    infrastructure, research and telecommunication. Orban and his French
    counterpart Jean Castex had earlier signed an upgraded roadmap for the
    bilateral strategic partnership for the following four years. The Romanian
    official also met Richard Ferrand, the head of the National Assembley and
    Gerard Larcher, president of the French Senate.








    FOOTBALL Romania’s
    football champions CFR Cluj on Thursday will be playing on their own turf Swiss
    side Young Boys in their second match counting for Europa League group A. In
    their first game the Romanians secured a 2-0 win against Bulgarian side CSKA
    Sofia in a group which also includes AS Rome who defeated Young Boys 2-1 in an
    away game.






    (bill)

  • September 10, 2020 UPDATE

    September 10, 2020 UPDATE

    Brexit — The European Commission has given a deadline to the UK, namely the end of the month, to withdraw the draft law bringing back into discussion the commitments made as part of the Brexit agreement. The information was made public after an emergency meeting called on Thursday in London between the British secretary Michael Gove in charge of applying the Brexit agreement and the EC vice president for inter-institutional relations Maros Sefcovic. The latter says the British government has seriously affected trust among the two sides. Under the agreement regarding Northern Ireland, this British province should observe some of the EU rules after the post-Brexit transition period, which comes to an end on December 31, 2020, so as to guarantee the absence of a physical border with the Republic of Ireland which is a member of the EU and to avoid the resurgence of tensions in this region. The UK officially left the EU on January 31, several days after the signing of a Brexit agreement which included the conditions for exiting the EU. The UK then entered a period of transition when it continued to apply the European rules. Brussels and London use the period of transition to negotiate an agreement on their future relation, especially the commercial relation, hoping that it could be enforced as of January 1, 2021. In another development, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi says there will be no trade agreement between the UK and the US if London does not observe provisions from the Brexit agreement agreed upon with Brussels, which could endanger the Northern Ireland peace agreement.



    Senate — The Romanian Senate marked on Thursday, in a solemn session, 30 years of existence after the anti-Communist revolution of December 1989. The Senate interim speaker Robert Cazanciuc says the Senate has been and continues to be a pillar of stability, a body ensuring the country’s balance and a guarantor of the Constitution. Nicolae Văcăroiu, who had the longest mandate at the helm of the Senate, has underlined that the Parliament’ upper chamber has adopted at least 20 thousand laws in 30 years. Mircea Geoană, a former Senate speaker and currently NATO Deputy Secretary General, has conveyed a message reading that the MPs pay a key role in setting the strategic line of any country. The MEP Vasile Blaga, also a former Senate speaker, has underlined that the institution is meant to serve the Romanian people and its fundamental interests.



    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Patricia Ţig on Thursday defeated Japan’s Misaki Doi, seeded 8th, in the eighth-finals of the WTA tournament in Istanbul, which has total prizes up for grabs worth some 225,500 dollars. In the doubles, Romanian Andreea Mitu and Belarusian Lidia Morozova, winners of the Prague tournament this weekend, were defeated by top seeds Alexa Guarachi (Chile) / Desirae Krawczyk (USA). (tr. L. Simion)