Radio România Internațional

Tag: session

September 3, 2024

PARLIAMENT The Parliament of Romania has convened for the last session in its current term, given that general elections are due to take place on December 1, the National Day of Romania. One of the priorities is a bill raising the pension tax threshold to EUR 600. The bill is being reviewed and voted on today in the Chamber of Deputies, and is to take effect on October 1. Meanwhile, the Senate voted on a bill under which Romania will donate a PATRIOT missile system to neighbouring Ukraine. The bill was also endorsed by the lower Chamber under an emergency procedure.

GRANTS The Romanian foreign ministry (MAE) announced the results of the selection of non-EU students to receive grants from the Romanian government this academic year. A record-high number of applications have been received (81,914, from 160 countries on 5 continents), which according to a news release reflects the growing interest of students in the educational opportunities provided by Romanian universities. The applications have been submitted online, at www.studyinromania.gov.ro, between January 16 and March 16, 2024. Selection criteria included academic excellence, geographic diversity and gender equality, as well as Romania’s foreign policy interests in relation to the applicants’ home countries. The 500 grant beneficiaries will go to prestigious university centres in the country (Braşov, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanţa, Craiova, Iaşi, Sibiu, Timişoara and others) and will study a variety of fields, such as international relations, engineering, law, computer sciences, performing arts, economy, business or education sciences.

CYBERATTACK Personal data stolen in a cyber-attack targeting the Timişoara City Hall, local police and tax agency have been put up for sale by hackers on a Telegram channel. The discovery was made by the founder of a consulting platform for corporate victims of cyber-attacks. The Mayor of Timişoara, Dominic Fritz, has neither confirmed or denied the personal data theft, and said he was waiting for the relevant authorities to investigate the matter. After the attack that took place 10 days ago, the City Hall announced that the institution took counter-measures and managed to prevent the entire system from being compromised. The institution also said at that point that there were no indications that personal data had been extracted. Online tax payments were subsequently discontinued.

FACILITIES The Romanian government would collect nearly EUR 2 bln if at least 15% of the taxpayers with debts to the authorities accessed a facility that extinguishes penalties, under a draft emergency order posted by the finance ministry. The bill exempts debtors from the payment of interest and penalties provided that they pay their back taxes by November 25. For individuals with debts up to EUR 1,000, half of the overdue amount may be written off, if the remaining 50% is paid. According to the ministry, the total debts to the state budget at the end of June reached around 10% of the country’s GDP. Debts to local authorities amounted to nearly RON 22 bln, debts to the social security funds to RON 4 bln, and debts to the public health insurance funds were close to RON 8 bln.

AUTOMOTIVE The number of new cars registered in Romania in the first 8 months of the year was 106,534, up 6.35% compared to the corresponding period of 2023, according to the Vehicle Registration and Driving License Directorate quoted by the Romanian Carmakers Association (ACAROM). Broken down by car make, the largest number of new registrations was reported by Dacia (more than 32,000), followed by Toyota (9,206), Hyundai (6,961), Skoda (6,938), Renault (6,873), Volkswagen (6,352), Ford (4,503), Mercedes (3,689), BMW (3,420) and Suzuki (3,301).

TRANSPORT Air freight transport increased in Romania in the first half of 2024 by 7.4%, compared to the corresponding period of last year, more specifically from 24,400 tonnes to 26,200 tonnes, according to data made public by the National Statistics Institute. For both domestic and international shipments, the largest cargo quantities were registered on Bucharest’s Henri Coandă Airport, followed by Avram Iancu Airport in Cluj-Napoca (north-west), and Traian Vuia Airport in Timişoara (west).

TENNIS The Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and Anca Todoni have qualified in the 8^th-finals of the WTA 125 tournament in Montreux (Switzerland). Irina Begu (34 yo, no. 130 WTA) only needed 68 minutes to beat the 19-year old Swiss player Celine Naef (177 WTA), 6-0, 6-3. Anca Todoni (aged 19, no. 136 WTA) won 6-2, 6-4 against Maja Chwalińska of Poland (172 WTA), in a 1.5-hour match. The two Romanian players won USD 2,000 each and 15 WTA points. In the 8^th-finals, Begu takes on Laura Pigossi of Brazil (141 WTA), and Todoni plays the winner of the match pitting seed no. 1 Maria Lourdes Carle (Argentina) against Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (Andorra). Miriam Bulgaru is also to play against Italy’s Camilla Rosatello in the main draw of the tournament. (AMP)

3 September 2024
January 29, 2024

PARLIAMENT This week sees the start of this
year’s first parliamentary session in Romania, marked by a special election
context in which Romanian citizens are expected to take part in 4 types of
elections-for the European Parliament, for the national parliament, as well as
presidential and local elections. The Senate’s agenda includes, among others,
emergency orders concerning the farmers and carriers who have been protesting
across the country. The Chamber of Deputies has a number of bills pending
endorsement, including legislation concerning drug trafficking and gambling. This
weekend the justice minister Alina Gorghiu said 3 bills have been submitted to
Parliament, which are aimed at curbing drug trafficking. They concern the
set-up of a national drug trafficking register and of regional rehab centres, while
the so-called 2 Mai Bill eliminates suspended sentences for drug trafficking
and increases penalties to up to 10 years in prison. Other bills pending
approval introduce 10-year driving bans for DUI, and healthcare and
psychological assistance for people found in possession of illegal drugs.

ECONOMY An International
Monetary Fund mission headed by Jan Kees Martijn arrives
in Bucharest today to review the latest economic and financial developments.
This is a regular consultation based on Romania’s relation with the IMF, and it
comes 4 months after the previous visit. The IMF expects a budget deficit of 6%
of GDP and an economic growth rate of 2.3% this year. IMF experts also
recommend a number of additional reforms, and in the previous assessment visit
they mentioned the scrapping of the remaining exemptions, privileges and
loopholes, a more efficient VAT implementation, a reformed property tax system,
and the use of fiscal policies in order to promote efficient energy and the
clean energy transition. Romania has no ongoing agreements with the IMF at
present.

BRANCUSI Some 100 works were included in the largest
exhibition in 50 years in Romania devoted to the sculptor Constantin Brâncuși.
Opened in late September in western Romania as part the Timişoara – European
Capital of Culture, the exhibition came to an end on Sunday night. Sculptures,
photographs, arhive documents and footage were on display in Timişoara’s National
Art Museum. To mark the end of the exhibition, the National Bank of Romania
launched a commemorative silver coin honouring the sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi.

PROTESTS The French farmers’ protests have
reached a new stage today, with major roadways into Paris and other large
cities to be blocked indefinitely as of today. The main trade union in the sector threatened
large-scale operations, including a complete obstruction of food supply flows
to the capital city’s supermarkets, so that the locals may feel the effects of
the protests. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, the plan
includes the use of tractors to shut down motorways and slow down traffic. Similar
steps are also planned for France’s second-largest city, Lyon. Farmers protest the
inadequate payments for their produce, the red tape and the competition coming
from cheap imports. In a move to address the situation, PM Gabriel Attal admitted
that a first set of measures, announced on Friday, was insufficient and
promised new decisions to increase farmer revenues would be made this week.

MIDDLE EAST Iran denies involvement in
Sunday’s drone attack on a US military base in north-eastern Jordan, near the
Syrian and Iraqi borders, in which 3 US troops were killed. The Islamic
resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, and the US president
Joe Biden said these are groups known to be supported by Iran. Biden warned
that the US would respond to the attack. These are the first US troops killed
in the Middle East since the start of the war in Gaza, prompting fears of an
extended conflict in the region. Meanwhile, Paris hosted a meeting of officials
from the US, Egypt, Qatar and Israel, aimed at brokering a new ceasefire in Gaza
and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas. Negotiations will continue this
week. Violence continues in Gaza, and locals say Israeli air raids and shelling
have increased in recent days in the region’s north and centre. According to
the Israeli Army, its troops are involved in heavy fighting in the south, in Khan
Younis, where they have taken out a number of terrorists. The humanitarian
crisis is worsening, and UN calls on nations to resume their donations. (AMP)

29 January 2024
The priorities of the second parliamentary session

The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies on Monday began the second ordinary parliamentary session of the year. According to the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, the priorities include, besides the government’s taking responsibility before Parliament for a legislative package aimed at fiscal changes and administrative reform, a new pension law and tougher punishments for drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs:

Marcel Ciolacu: “We know that there are many inequities in the old pension law. We continue to have in Romania pensions of 1,500 lei (almost 300 Euros), and also of 30-40,000 lei (that is 6 – 8,000 Euros). I have also discussed with my colleagues about the package that will be included in a single law, the law on assuming responsibility, which includes measures for combating evasion, for reforms in the local administration, as well as measures to accommodate a smaller deficit than last year”.

Moreover, the Prime Minister tried, the other day, in Brussels, to convince the European Commission of the capacity of the Romanian government to respect a new budget deficit target this year, higher as compared to the one assumed by Romania, of 4.4%, to cover the aid that Bucharest granted to neighboring Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNNRand special pensions were also at the center of recent negotiations. The governing partners of the Social Democrats, the Liberals, announced that a new pension law, which would solve the inequities in the system, represents a priority. For the moment, however, the document regarding the reform of special pensions has been declared partially unconstitutional by the judges of the Constitutional Court of Romania, even if the changes made to special pensions represent a requirement under the PNRR.

On the other hand, the opposition announces a censure motion if the package of fiscal-budgetary measures is adopted by the government’s taking responsibility for it before Parliament. The Save Romania Union leader, Cătălin Drulă, believes that an increase in fees and taxes is not a viable solution.

Cătălin Drulă: “Ciolacu is preparing to bury Romanias economy! He has already slowed economic growth, businesses are complaining, there are no more orders, sales are decreasing and they want to increase taxes and drive investors away from Romania. Why? To pay the bill for the budget fraud”.

However, Marcel Ciolacu gave assurances in Brussels that Romania is a credible and responsible and above all a fair partner, both of the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. The Romanian government experts continue to discuss with European officials about the renegotiation of the PNRR, taking into account the principles established by the prime minister at the meetings he had in Brussels. After the European Commission sees the reforms that the government is making, it will propose to the European Council a renegotiation of the value of the budget deficit, which will allow Bucharest to obtain a higher deficit. A decision on the new percentage could be made by the end of the year. (LS)

4 September 2023
Les priorités de la sessions du Parlement

Le Senat et la Chambre des Députés de Bucarest ont entamé
ce lundi la deuxième session ordinaire du Parlement de cette année. Parmi leurs
priorités : un paquet de lois visant des modifications fiscales et la réforme
de l’administration sur lequel le gouvernement envisage engager sa
responsabilité, une nouvelle loi des pensions de retraite et des punitions plus
dures pour les chauffeurs qui conduisent sous l’influence de l’alcool ou de la
drogue.

Le Premier ministre roumain et leader du Parti social
démcorate, Marcel Ciolacu, a déclaré :

« Nous savons qu’il y a beaucoup d’inégalités
dans l’ancienne loi des retraites. Il y a toujours des pensions de retraite dont
le niveau ne dépasse pas les 1 500 lei (soit 300 euros) mais il y a aussi des
personnes dont la pension de retraite atteint les 30 000 ou 40 000 lei (soit 6
000 ou 8 000 euros). Nous avons discuté avec nos collègues de l’idée que ce paquet
soit inclus dans une seule loi, à savoir celle sur laquelle nous assumerons la
responsabilité et qui comportera tant les mesures de lutte contre l’évasion
fiscale et les reformes de l’administration locale, que des mesures censées
obtenir un déficit budgétaire inférieur à celui de l’année dernière » a précisé Marcel Ciolacu.

D’ailleurs, la semaine dernière, à Bruxelles, le premier
ministre roumain a essayé justement de convaincre la Commission européenne que
l’Exécutif de Bucarest avait la capacité de respecter la nouvelle cible du
déficit budgétaire de cette année, ayant un taux plus élevé que celui assumé initialement
par la Roumanie, soit de 4,4 %. Tout cela afin de couvrir l’aide que Bucarest
avait accordée à l’Ukraine et à la République de Moldova voisines. Qui plus
est, le Plan National de Relance et de Résilience (PNRR) et les régimes
spéciaux de retraites ont figuré aussi à l’agenda de ces récentes négociations.

A leur tour, les partenaires des sociaux-démocrates au
sein du gouvernement, les libéraux, ont annoncé qu’une nouvelle loi des
retraites, censée résoudre les inégalités du système, était une priorité.

Quand même, pour le moment, le document concernant la
réforme des régimes spéciaux de retraites a été déclaré partiellement
inconstitutionnel par les juges de la Cour Constitutionnelle de Roumanie, même
si les modifications opérées étaient une exigence du PNRR.

En même temps, l’Opposition prépare une motion de censure
si le nouveau paquet de mesures fiscales et budgétaires est adopté, en
engageant la responsabilité du Gouvernement. Le leader de l’Union Sauvez la
Roumanie, Cătălin Drulă, estime qu’une augmentation des taxes et des impôts
n’est pas une solution viable. Il accuse :

« Monsieur Ciolacu se prépare pour enterrer
l’économie roumaine ! La croissance économique a déjà ralenti, elle stagne
en fait, les entreprises se plaignent, la demande diminue, les ventes aussi,
alors qu’eux, ils veulent augmenter les taxes et chasser les investisseurs de
Roumanie. Pourquoi ? Pour payer la facture de leur chaos budgétaire »
a martelé Cătălin Drulă.

Le Premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu, quant à
lui, a assuré Bruxelles que la Roumanie était un partenaire crédible,
responsable et surtout équitable, tant du Conseil que de la Commission et du
Parlement européen. Les experts du gouvernement roumain continuent de discuter
avec les responsables européens afin de renégocier le Plan National de Relance
et de Résilience, selon les principes établis par le Premier ministre lors des
réunions qu’il a eues à Bruxelles. Et pour cause. Ce n’est qu’après avoir
constaté la mise en place des réformes par le gouvernement de Bucarest, que la Commission
européenne proposera au Conseil européen une renégociation du taux du déficit
budgétaire, ce qui permettra à Bucarest d’obtenir la permission d’avoir un taux
plus élevé du déficit. Une décision sur ce nouveau taux pourrait être prise avant
la fin de cette année.

4 September 2023
Political Priorities

After a rather long winter recess, which started well before Christmas, on December 14, 2022, Romanian MPs are returning to work on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, for the first parliamentary session of the year.

Among their priorities, the mass media notice, are sensitive bills, such as the one capping special pensions at the level of the salaries paid for the respective positions, or the ones amending the education laws, on which the parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Ethnic Hungarians in Romania are yet to reach an agreement.

The Undergraduate Education Bill and the Higher Education Bill are still being analysed by education experts in the 3 parties. These are part of the Educated Romania project, launched nearly a decade ago by president Klaus Iohannis, and still pending approval.

According to the timetable agreed by political decision-makers, these bills should be passed by the government in February and reach Parliament in March, for endorsement. But the Social Democratic MP Vasile Dîncu said recently that he had asked his party chief Marcel Ciolacu to request an extension for the education laws deadline, for further consultations. On the other hand, the Liberal spokesman Ionuţ Stroe insists that the original timetable must be complied with.

Another bill to be discussed and endorsed concerns the pension benefits granted to certain categories of public sector employees, including magistrates, court staff and military personnel.

Ahead of the elections due in 2024, another bill pending in Parliament stipulates that at least one-third of the candidates for parliamentary and local elections must be women.

Meanwhile, analysts say, the Liberals and the Social Democrats are planning ahead for the PM rotation decided by the ruling coalition. Under a protocol in this respect, the 2 main coalition members are to swap posts at the end of May, when the Social Democrat Marcel Ciolacu should replace the Liberal Nicolae Ciucă as prime minister, and the latter should take over the Senate speaker post, currently held by his fellow Liberal Alina Gorghiu.

The Liberals insist that, under the protocol, some government ministers should also be replaced, although the Social Democrats would like to keep the offices where they claim their members have put up good performances, such as Sorin Grindeanu at the transport ministry and Adrian Câciu at the finance ministry. (AMP)

30 January 2023
Top priorities of the new Parliament session

The
Senate and the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest on Thursday kicked off a new
Parliament session, the second this year. The package of the Education Law and
amendments to the justice laws, the Criminal Code and the Penal Procedure Code
are high on the talks agenda of the MPs in the PNL-PSD-UDMR ruling
coalition.

The
package comprising the statute of judges and prosecutors, the legal
organization and the Higher Council of the Magistrates has been recently
approved by the Executive and is part of a series of amendments assumed before
the European partners with a view to streamlining the entire legal system. In
fact, amending the justice laws is the objective Romania has assumed both in the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience and the Cooperation and
Verification Mechanism, as the country’s accession to Europe’s border-free area
Schengen depends on the latter. As for the new education laws, they are up to
public debates and have so far attracted a lot of heat from civil society, the
leaders of the main universities and even some of the local political leaders.

The
draft laws comprise major amendments regarding the students’ evaluation exams, as
well as their high-school and university accession. Another priority of the new
Parliament session is the package of laws regarding security. A series of
measures on subsidized energy prices through a new emergency ordinance by the
government is also to be tackled during the new Parliament session.

Several
projects on social issues are also to be discussed and the UDMR has proposed a
project on state subsidies for those using wood as fuel. In turn, the Social
Democratic Party has proposed pension and salary rises so that the minimum
salary may be brought up to 600 Euros.

The
opposition USR has already called into attention the activity of Energy
Minister Virgil Popescu and has announced a simple motion against him. We
recall that during the last Parliament session, the opposition tabled five
simple motions against some ministers in the government headed by Liberal
Nicolae Ciuca but all of them failed to muster the right number of votes.

The
previous Parliament session brought the endorsement of a bill allowing for the
exploitation of gas deposits in the Black Sea. The ‘offshore’ law, initiated by
leaders of the ruling coalition has been endorsed by the two Parliament
Chambers and gas exploitation in the Neptune Deep perimeter in the Black Sea is
to ensure Romania’s energy independence against the background of the conflict
in Ukraine. Under the law, Romania has priority at buying the gas extracted in
this perimeter and the surplus will be exported.

Another
law, which sparked off heated debates in Parliament until its endorsement, was
that on dismantling the department investigating justice crimes.

We
have also witnessed a first: Parliaments of Romania and the Romanian-speaking
Republic of Moldova went on a joint session in Chisinau to convey a common
message of backing the latter’s efforts to join the European Union.

(bill)

1 September 2022
Les priorités de la nouvelle session parlementaire

Le Sénat et la Chambre des députés de Bucarest se sont
réunis jeudi en séance parlementaire, pour la deuxième fois depuis le début de
l’année. A l’agenda des pourparlers figurent notamment le nouveau paquet des
lois de l’Education et les modifications apportées aux lois de la Justice et
aux Codes pénal et de procédure pénale. Récemment, le Gouvernement de Bucarest
a approuvé les projets de loi visant la justice relatifs au statut des
magistrats du siège et du parquet, à l’organisation judiciaire et au statut du
Conseil supérieur de la magistrature. Ces projets font partie d’une série de
modifications assumées par la Roumanie devant ses partenaires européens afin de
moderniser son système judiciaire. C’est d’ailleurs un des objectifs majeurs du
Plan national de relance et de résilience et du Mécanisme de Coopération et de
Vérification que le pays est censé accomplir pour adhérer à l’Espace Schengen, de
libre circulation.

Quant aux nouveaux projets de loi de l’Education nationale,
au bout d’un mois et demi de débat public, ceux-ci sont sévèrement critiqués aussi
bien par la société civile, que par les leaders des principales universités
roumaines et même par certains élus locaux. Sur l’ensemble des modifications
prévues, une bonne partie concerne la manière dont les élèves se verront
évaluer les compétences et les examens d’admission au lycée et à la faculté.

Réunis jeudi en session parlementaire, les députés et les
sénateurs roumains débattent aussi bien du paquet des lois de la sécurité
nationale, que des mesures de compensation du prix de l’énergie que le
Gouvernement s’apprête à adopter par décret d’urgence. Du coup, plusieurs projets
sociaux feront débat au sein du Législatif. Dans ce contexte, l’UDMR a proposé
la mise en place d’une aide publique accordée à ceux qui se chauffent au bois.
Pour sa part, le PSD soutient l’idée d’une majoration des pensions minimales de
retraite, du point de retraite et du SMIC qui, affirment les sociaux-démocrates,
devrait se monter à 3000 lei, soit 600 euros.

Dans l’opposition, l’USR a critiqué l’activité du
ministre de l’Energie, Virgil Popescu contre lequel a annoncé une motion simple.
Lors de la précédente session parlementaire, le Législatif de Bucarest a rejeté
toutes les cinq motions simples de défiance formulées par l’opposition à l’encontre
de plusieurs ministres du cabinet dirigé par le libéral Nicolae Ciuca. Lors de
sa précédente session, le Parlement a adopté la loi offshore pour l’exploitation
gazière en mer Noire. Initiée par les leaders de la coalition au pouvoir, la
loi a vite reçu le feu vert des deux chambres parlementaires. L’exploitation
dans le périmètre Neptun Deep devrait assurer à la Roumanie son indépendance
énergétique dans le contexte de la guerre en Ukraine. Au terme de la loi
nationale, le pays aura un droit de préemption à l’achat du gaz extrait, alors
que le surplus sera exporté.

Enfin, une autre loi amplement débattue au Parlement et dont
le vote est tombé au bout de longs débats fut celle portant sur la
suppression de la section pour l’enquête des infractions en justice. Mentionnons
aussi une première pour le Parlement de Bucarest, qui s’est réuni en séance
commune avec celui de Chisinau afin de transmettre un message de soutien à la
République de Moldova, inscrite sur la voie de son adhésion européenne.

1 September 2022
01/02/2022

Coronavirus – Avec plus de 40 000 nouvelles infections au coronavirus en 24 h, la Roumanie atteint aujourd’hui un record inégalé depuis le début de la pandémie. 97 décès ont également été rapportés, dont deux antérieurs à la période de référence. Le taux d’incidence calculé sur 14 jours est de presque 22 cas par mille habitants, le plus grand qui ait été atteint jusqu’ici dans la capitale roumaine. Le ministre de la Santé Alexandru Rafila estime que le nombre de personnes qui contracteront quotidiennement la maladie dépassera les 40 000, mais de peu. Alexandru Rafila affirme que le nombre de cas pourrait s’arrêter de croître entre le 10 et le 15 février. Par ailleurs, la Roumanie a abandonné la classification des États par couleurs d’après leur risque épidémiologique. Ceux qui entrent dans le pays resteront en quarantaine pendant cinq jours, quel que soit leur pays de provenance, s’ils ne présentent aucune preuve de vaccination anti-COVID, de rétablissement de la maladie ou le résultat négatif d’un test PCR effectué au cours des 72 dernières heures. Le Comité national pour les situations d’urgence a également décidé que les personnes qui sont entrées en contact direct avec un malade de Covid seraient placées en quarantaine pendant cinq jours, qu’elles soient vaccinées ou non. Détails après le journal.

Parlement – Le Sénat et la Chambre des députés de Bucarest entament aujourd’hui leur première session parlementaire ordinaire de cette année. Comme à chaque début de session, lors de la première réunion, les sénateurs et députés élisent, par vote, les dirigeants des deux chambres : vice-présidents, secrétaires et questeurs des bureaux permanents, les présidents étant élus au début de la législature pour toute la durée du mandat du Parlement. Parmi les priorités de la session parlementaire en cours figurent des projets de loi dans des domaines tels que l’énergie, la justice, la santé et l’économie. La priorité, à l’heure actuelle, c’est de plafonner et de compenser les factures d’électricité et de gaz. C’est pourquoi l’Assemblée législative devrait approuver une nouvelle ordonnance d’urgence récemment avancée par le gouvernement sur un nouveau régime d’aide à la population. Toujours dans le domaine de l’énergie, le Parlement pourrait également faire figurer à l’ordre du jour de cette session la modification la Loi offshore, qui débloquerait les projets d’extraction d’hydrocarbures de la mer Noire. La suppression de la Section d’enquêtes sur les infractions de la justice, réclamée également par Bruxelles, figurera à l’agenda de l’Assemblée législative.

Recensement — La première étape du recensement de la population et des logements commence aujourd’hui en Roumanie. Jusqu’au 13 mars, elle consiste à reprendre les données de sources administratives et à créer la base de données nécessaire. La deuxième étape du recensement consistera à saisir personnellement les données dans un fichier informatique et elle aura lieu du 14 mars au 15 mai. La troisième étape, du 16 mai au 17 juillet, sera une phase de collecte des données par les recenseurs, par des entretiens en face à face. Selon l’Institut national de la statistique, recueillir et traiter les données sont des processus entièrement informatisés. En première dans la statistique de Roumanie, les citoyens ont la possibilité de s’auto-recenser en utilisant un smartphone, une tablette ou un ordinateur. En raison de la crise sanitaire engendrée par le coronavirus, le recensement, qui avait lieu une fois tous les 10 ans, a été ajourné d’une année, pour 2022, et précédé par une simulation en mars dernier.

HoReCa – De nouvelles mesures pour soutenir le secteur HoReCa (de l’hôtellerie-restauration et cafés) ont été approuvées lundi par le gouvernement de coalition de Bucarest. Le cabinet dirigé par Nicolae Ciucă a prolongé de 180 jours la période pendant laquelle les opérateurs économiques du secteur sont exonérés de l’impôt spécifique. Le mécanisme de calcul de l’impôt a également été fixé, par extraction de la période d’exonération de l’ensemble des 365 jours de l’exercice fiscal. Rappelons que le secteur de l’HoReCa a été, au cours des deux dernières années, gravement touché par les restrictions anti-Covid. Lundi, le ministre de l’Entrepreneuriat et du Tourisme, Daniel Cadariu, a déclaré que la levée des restrictions imposées pendant la pandémie était la condition sous-jacente pour que l’économie fonctionne à pleine capacité, ce qui pourrait être possible en mars-avril.

Météo – Les températures en Roumanie avoisinent aujourd’hui les moyennes pluriannuelles spécifiques pour le début de février dans la plupart des régions, et sont légèrement plus élevées dans le sud-est. Les maximales se situent entre -1 et 8°. Des nuages sont présents sur la majeure partie du pays. Il neige en montagne et par endroits dans le nord-ouest et le centre du pays. Dans les autres régions, il pleut, il y a des giboulées et des chutes de neige. Nous avons 5° à Bucarest.

1 February 2022
The priorities of the new parliamentary session

According to the Romanian Constitution, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate meet in two ordinary sessions a year. The first begins in February and cannot go beyond the end of June. The second session begins in September and cannot go beyond the end of December. If urgent situations occur, the two Chambers of Romanias Parliament can be convened in extraordinary sessions, at the request of the President of Romania, of the permanent bureau of each Chamber or of at least one third of the number of deputies or senators.

This week the MPs return to work at the Parliament Palace after the winter holidays. They will focus on draft laws in such areas as justice, health, and the economy. Their priority of the moment is to offset electricity and natural gas bills. Therefore, the MPs will approve a new emergency ordinance recently issued by the Government on a new capping and compensation scheme, given that, in the last few winter months, the bills received by some citizens have been extremely high.

The Senate will debate the document as the first chamber notified, and then it will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, as a decision-making body. Also in the field of Energy, the agenda of Parliament could include, in this session, the modification of the Offshore Law, which would unblock the hydrocarbons extraction projects in the Black Sea. In the field of Justice, the Parliaments agenda will include the dismantling of the Section for the Investigation of Offences committed within the Judiciary (SIIJ). Criticized by some, applauded by others, the dismantling of this Section was also requested by Brussels. The current justice minister, Cătălin Predoiu, believes that, by the end of March, the Section will no longer exist.

A challenge for the Social Democratic Party – PSD and the National Liberal Party – PNL, partners in the ruling coalition, is also the drafting of a new salary law, which should equally solve the issue of benefits, so as to avoid cases in which the benefits are equal to the basic income. Finally, the parliamentarians are to also decide on the fate of the Covid certificate. More precisely, a bill that has remained in the debate of the Chamber of Deputies since the past session establishes the obligation to present this certificate at the workplace. If, initially, the bill provided for this obligation only in the case of the medical staff, following changes proposed by senators, the certificate could apply to all categories of employees, with certain exceptions. After many discussions in the Senate, the document was rejected, and the deputies are expected to give the final vote.

Whether in power or in opposition, all political parties represented in the Romanian Parliament have their own projects which they want to include on the agenda, to be debated and voted on. Among them: amending the law on protected areas, increasing salaries in the education system and allowances for children, modifying the law on doctoral theses or the ban on wood export. (LS)

31 January 2022
The priorities of the new parliamentary session

According to the Romanian Constitution, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate meet in two ordinary sessions a year. The first begins in February and cannot go beyond the end of June. The second session begins in September and cannot go beyond the end of December. If urgent situations occur, the two Chambers of Romanias Parliament can be convened in extraordinary sessions, at the request of the President of Romania, of the permanent bureau of each Chamber or of at least one third of the number of deputies or senators.

This week the MPs return to work at the Parliament Palace after the winter holidays. They will focus on draft laws in such areas as justice, health, and the economy. Their priority of the moment is to offset electricity and natural gas bills. Therefore, the MPs will approve a new emergency ordinance recently issued by the Government on a new capping and compensation scheme, given that, in the last few winter months, the bills received by some citizens have been extremely high.

The Senate will debate the document as the first chamber notified, and then it will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, as a decision-making body. Also in the field of Energy, the agenda of Parliament could include, in this session, the modification of the Offshore Law, which would unblock the hydrocarbons extraction projects in the Black Sea. In the field of Justice, the Parliaments agenda will include the dismantling of the Section for the Investigation of Offences committed within the Judiciary (SIIJ). Criticized by some, applauded by others, the dismantling of this Section was also requested by Brussels. The current justice minister, Cătălin Predoiu, believes that, by the end of March, the Section will no longer exist.

A challenge for the Social Democratic Party – PSD and the National Liberal Party – PNL, partners in the ruling coalition, is also the drafting of a new salary law, which should equally solve the issue of benefits, so as to avoid cases in which the benefits are equal to the basic income. Finally, the parliamentarians are to also decide on the fate of the Covid certificate. More precisely, a bill that has remained in the debate of the Chamber of Deputies since the past session establishes the obligation to present this certificate at the workplace. If, initially, the bill provided for this obligation only in the case of the medical staff, following changes proposed by senators, the certificate could apply to all categories of employees, with certain exceptions. After many discussions in the Senate, the document was rejected, and the deputies are expected to give the final vote.

Whether in power or in opposition, all political parties represented in the Romanian Parliament have their own projects which they want to include on the agenda, to be debated and voted on. Among them: amending the law on protected areas, increasing salaries in the education system and allowances for children, modifying the law on doctoral theses or the ban on wood export. (LS)

31 January 2022
November 24, 2021 UPDATE

COVID Ro — The Romanian authorities on Wednesday announced that nearly 2,800 people had tested positive for SARS-COV-2 in the last 24 hours across Romania. Also, 231 deaths were reported, of which 36 registered prior to the reference interval. In Bucharest, the incidence rate calculated for a period of 14 days decreased to 2.87 cases per thousand inhabitants, after, on October 22, it had reached the highest value since the beginning of the pandemic – 16.54. The interim health minister, Attila Cseke, asked the public health directorates from all over the country to remain on alert, even if the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections is decreasing. At the same time, he called for plans to be drafted within a week to deal with a predictable 5th wave of the epidemic, says the coordinator of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Colonel Valeriu Gheorghiţă, given the increase the number of new cases in many European countries. On Wednesday, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, confirmed that he was vaccinated against COVID-19. “The official stand of the Church remains the same: each believer should consult with the family doctor,” he told reporters. So far, in Romania, the number of fully vaccinated people has exceeded 7.2 million.

COVID world — Mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 is an idea that enjoys widespread support among the German population, according to a poll released by YouGov on Wednesday, informs DPA. The prestigious market research and analysis company announced that 69% of the interviewees were in favor of compulsory vaccination and 23% against. Germany, which is experiencing a recrudescence of the number of infections, is introducing a number of new anti-epidemic measures. Thus, the green certificate becomes mandatory at work and for the use of means of transport. Besides the measures established at federal level, the German states also impose other anti-epidemic restrictions. For example, bars and clubs are closed in Bavaria, and the famous Christmas fairs will no longer take place this year. In Germany, the vaccination rate is 68%, one of the lowest in Western Europe. There are also problems in northern Italy, where traffic restrictions have been imposed at nighttime due to the alarming increase in new cases of coronavirus. To date, 84% of Italys population has received at least two doses of vaccine. The number of COVID cases is also rising in France, where the PM Jean Castex has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. In France, 88% of the eligible population over 12 years is fully vaccinated. The health situation is also complicated in Greece, where the pressure on hospitals treating COVID patients is high. The Greek government says, however, that it does not envisage a general lockdown, as the measure will not be supported by the countrys economy. The vaccination rate in Greece has exceeded 63%.

National Day – In Bucharest, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies met in a solemn joint session, dedicated to Romania’s National Day to be marked on December 1. The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, underlined that the entire political class had the duty to stabilize the country in the next period and that pride and political interests should be abandoned. “This holiday reminds us that we have a duty to work together. It is our duty towards the Romanian people and Romania”, Ciolacu said. The Vice President of the Senate, Alina Gorghiu, pointed out that December 1st means national unity, and equally devotion, responsibility, duty, and political courage. Among the guests of the meeting were members of the Government, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bucharest, the Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church, the First Rabbi of Romania, the presidents of the Constitutional Court, the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Court of Accounts, the central bank governor as well as the heads of the diplomatic missions and of the international representations accredited to Bucharest. Romanias National Day has been marked on December 1 since 1990, after the anti-communist revolution. On December 1, 1918, the National Assembly of Alba Iulia (center) adopted the resolution of the union with Romania of the historical provinces inhabited by the Romanians.

24 November 2021
December 28, 2020

Visit — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is paying an official visit to the Republic of Moldova on Tuesday at the invitation of his Moldovan counterpart, pro-western Maia Sandu. It is the first high level visit for Maia Sandu after she took over the presidential seat following the November 15 elections, when she defeated the former pro-Russian Socialist president Igor Dodon. According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, the Romanian President’s visit to Chisinau will provide the framework for conveying a strong message of support for the new Moldovan president and the Moldovan citizens, in their effort for democratization, for the irreversible implementation of the rule of law principles, for consolidating Moldova’s European path and its privileged relation with Romania. The two presidents will adopt a Joint Declaration aimed at consolidating the bilateral strategic partnership. Holding dual citizenship, Moldovan and Romanian, an economist with an MA in public administration at Harvard, a former advisor to the executive director of the World Bank, a former minister and prime minister of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu became, at 48, the first woman president of Moldova, three decades after the country proclaimed its independence from Moscow.

COVID-19 Romania — More than 2,600 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Monday in Romania after more than 7,700 were made, which means an infection rate of more than 34%. Another 104 people have died in the past 24 hours, with 1,197 patients being in ICUs. So far 618,400 people have been contaminated and over 15,300 have died from COVID-19. Almost 85% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered. This is the second day of the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Romania. On Sunday, on the first day, as many as 1,000 medical staff were vaccinated and none of them had any side effects, the National Committee for Coordinating Anti-COVID-19 Vaccination Activities announced. According to the committee, more vaccine doses will arrive in Romania on Tuesday. The first 10 thousand doses arrived on Saturday in Bucharest from where they were distributed across the country.

Session — The new government coalition in Bucharest headed by the Liberal Florin Citu is meeting today for their first official session. The government intends to adopt an emergency decree meant to support the pro-vaccination campaign in the mass media and measures to support the companied affected by the new coronavirus pandemic, according to the PM Citu. He explained that they would set up the state aid scheme aimed at providing financial support to the companies operating in the hospitality industry. Another draft emergency decree will extend the investments made under the National Development Program, Phase I, which is coming to an end at the end of 2020.

Eurostat — In 2019, households in the EU allotted, on average, 13% of their total consumption expenses on foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages, on top position of the classification being the Romanian households that allotted 26%, show data published on Monday by Eurostat. Other EU members that spend more on foodstuffs are Lithuania (20.2%) and Estonia (19.3%). Ireland, Luxemburg and Austria are the 3 EU members that spend less than 10% of their total consumption expenses on foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages. In the case of Romania, the share of expenses on foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages in the total consumption expenses dropped from 27.3% in 2009 to 26% in 2019. All in all, in 2019 EU households spent more than 956 billion Euros on foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages. (tr,. L. Simion)

28 December 2020
January 25, 2020

PARLIAMENT The 2 chambers of Romanias Parliament will convene on January 28 for a special session focusing on a bill scrapping the so-called special pensions paid to magistrates, which are not based on the principle of previous contributions. The Judicial Inspection Division says the bill tramples on the principles of judge independence and immovability, and comes against provisions in the Constitution and regulations by the European Court for Human Rights. On January 29, Parliament also convenes in a joint session to discuss the bill reintroducing the 2-round voting system in local elections, for which the Government takes responsibility before Parliament. The Orban Cabinet says the bill is intended to strengthen democratic standards at local community level. President Klaus Iohannis had previously requested a special Parliamentary session to this end. The Social Democrats, in opposition, reiterated that jointly with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, they will table a no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government.

HOLOCAUST The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban takes part on Monday in an official ceremony celebrating 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, organised by the Polish authorities on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to a news release issued on Saturday by the Romanian Government, officials from several countries, Holocaust survivors and members of Jewish associations will be attending the ceremony, held under the patronage of the president of Poland Andrzej Duda. The Government of Romania, the release also reads, reconfirms its pledge to carry on Holocaust education and research efforts, to commemorate the Holocaust victims and to take responsibility for the countrys history.

IMMIGRANTS Romanian border police caught 9 citizens of Egypt, Iraq and Somalia attempting to cross the border into Hungary illegally, with the help of 2 Romanian citizens, the Romanian Border Police announced on Saturday. The investigations revealed that the 7 men and 2 women, aged between 21 and 52, had applied for asylum in Romania. They are currently probed into for attempted illegal border crossing, while the Romanian citizens are facing human trafficking charges.

CORONAVIRUS China has today announced extending the lockdown introduced in order to contain the newly discovered coronavirus, initially identified in Wuhan. Five cities in Hubei, a province in central China, have been added to the 13 where all bus, underground and ferry services have been suspended, and all outbound planes and trains cancelled. The Chinese army has sent medical teams to the outbreak region, after the death toll has reached 41, out of a total of over 1,300 cases. The virus has reached Europe as well, with 2 cases confirmed in France. The World Health Organisation has decided not to class the virus as an international emergency.

EARTHQUAKE At least 21 people died, more than 1,000 were injured and several buildings collapsed in a major earthquake that hit eastern Turkey on Friday night, Turkish authorities have announced. The 6.8 magnitude quake was followed by scores of aftershocks. The earthquake, centred 550 km east of the capital city Ankara, in Elazig province, was also felt in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Turkey is frequently affected by major tremors. In 1999, 17,000 people died and half a million lost their homes in a 7.6 earthquake in the north-west of the country, while another one hit the eastern province of Van in 2011, killing more than 500.

FILM “Home, Romanian director Radu Ciorniciucs first film, premieres on Sunday in the international documentary competition of the most important American independent film festival, Sundance. “Home is the first Romanian documentary selected into this festivals competition, next to 11 other documentaries from around the world, in the World Cinema Documentary category. The film documents the life of a family who lived for 20 years in the Văcărești Delta, up until the place was declared a protected area and was renamed Văcărești Nature Park, the first urban nature park in Romania. Another Romanian film, Colectiv, by Alexander Nanau, will be screened in the festivals Spotlight section. This is a documentary on the events taking place in the first year after the fire in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, in which 64 young people died.

TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, has moved up into the 4th round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, after defeating the Kazakh Iulia Putintseva (38 WTA) 6-1, 6-4, on Saturday in Melbourne. On Sunday Halep is to take on Belgian Elise Mertens (17 WTA), who beat CiCi (Catherine) Bellis (600 WTA) 6-1, 6-7, 6-0 in the 3rd round. Last year in Melbourne Halep lost in the 4th round, and in 2018 she reached the Australian Open final. Also on Saturday Monica Niculescu (Romania) / Misaki Doi (Japan) moved up into the next round of the doubles tournament, having defeated the Japanese Nao Hibino/Makoto Ninomiya 6-2, 7-5. Niculescu and Doi are to play next against Hao-ching Chan and Latisha Chan (Taiwan).

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

25 January 2020
August 27, 2019 UPDATE

GOVERNMENT Three Liberal Democratic members of the Government Tuesday resigned from office, after on Monday night the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats decided to break their alliance with the Social Democratic Party and move into the opposition. They are the environment minister Graţiela Gavrilescu, the energy minister Anton Anton and Viorel Ilie, liaising with Parliament. The party leader Calin Popescu-Traiceanu also announced he would step down as Senate Speaker. PM Viorica Dancila said the Social Democratic Party would stay in power in order to further implement the governing programme that won the 2016 parliamentary election. She added that Social Democratic ministers will temporarily fill the vacancies, and that Foreign Minister Ramona Mănescu, nominated into the Government by ALDE, would stay in office, in spite of Tariceanus call for her resignation.

DIPLOMACY President Klaus Iohannis said at the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy on Tuesday that joining the Schengen area and the Euro zone remain Romanias priorities, and called on Romanian diplomats to take advantage of the confidence the country has won during its presidency of the Council of the European Union. As for the relationship with the USA, the head of state explained that the strategic partnership with the US remains a core pillar of Romanias foreign policy, and that bilateral relations are at their best after the 2 visits to the White House in 2017 and August 2019. Klaus Iohannis also told Romanian ambassadors that protecting the interests of the Romanians living abroad must be their top priority. The annual meeting of Romanian diplomats takes place in Bucharest until Thursday and is organised by the Foreign Ministry. The main topics approached include the future of the EU and its role in the world, trans-Atlantic relations, Romanias relations with its eastern neighbours, European affairs, Romanias political and economic relations with the countries in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and South America, humanitarian aid and development, global peace and security.

PARLIAMENT The judicial committee in the Chamber of Deputies unanimously rejected a bill on amnesty and pardons for certain offences. The committees negative report is to be discussed and voted on by the Chamber on Wednesday. Also on Tuesday, the committee postponed talks on the bill regarding compensatory appeals. In turn, the budget-finances committee postponed on Tuesday its report on a bill endorsing Government Emergency Order 114 on fiscal and budgetary measures and on public investments. The Social Democratic Party in power criticised the Opposition, and mentioned that the Ordinance stipulated a rise in pensions as of September 1 and introduced a cap on natural gas and electricity prices for households. The Chamber of Deputies is holding a special session this week at the request of the Opposition.

DEFENCE The Romanian Defence Minister Gabriel Leş takes part in an informal meeting of EU defence ministers held in Helsinki, Finland on Wednesday and Thursday. According to the Romanian Defence Ministry, the meeting will be chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. Also attending will be the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and the UN under-secretary general for peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The participants will discuss coordinated maritime presence, artificial intelligence and new technologies, as well as the impact of climate change and the environment on security and defence. On Thursday, a joint meeting with the EU foreign ministers will be held, focusing on the topic of hybrid threats.

GENDARMES Another Romanian Gendarme unit Tuesday left on a six-month NATO mission in Afghanistan. The 16 officers and NCOs will provide training and assistance to the Afghan security forces and institutions. Attending the departure ceremony, inspector general Constantin Florea said that Romanian gendarme units have taken part in specific missions in Afghanistan since 2011, and their achievements prompted international organisations to request Romanias participation in the training and counselling of the local security forces. So far, Romanian gendarmes have taken part in the training of over 17,000 Afghan military and police troops.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

27 August 2019
21.08.2019 (mise à jour)

Déclaration – Les présidents américain, Donald Trump, et
roumain, Klaus Iohannis, ont adopté, mardi, à Washington, une déclaration
commune par laquelle ils s’engagent à agir, en tant qu’amis et alliés, pour
faire avancer le Partenariat stratégique robuste et durable entre les deux
pays. Les deux leaders soutiennent que la sécurité énergétique relève de la
sécurité nationale et soulignent leur opposition aux projets rendant les alliés
et partenaires dépendants de la Russie du point de vue énergétique. Les leaders
américain et roumain affirment que l’excellent partenariat dans le domaine de
l’application de la loi et de la lutte contre la corruption se fonde sur un
engagement réciproque à l’égard de l’Etat de droit et d’une justice
indépendante. Ils mettent également en exergue la hausse substantielle des
échanges commerciaux bilatéraux et l’intérêt commun pour créer un climat
d’investissements empreint de transparence, de prédictibilité et de stabilité.
Les deux présidents ont également discuté de l’admission de la Roumanie au
programme Visa Waiver, et les Etats Unis ont réitéré leur soutien pour les
efforts de Bucarest de devenir éligible selon la législation américaine.
C’était la deuxième rencontre entre les présidents Trump et Iohannis, après
celle de Washington, de 2017.

Economie
– L’évolution de l’économie de la Roumanie dépasse les attentes, le Produit
intérieur brut enregistrant une croissance de 4,8%, en termes de série
saisonnière, par rapport à la même période de l’année dernière, selon
l’Institut national de la statistique – a déclaré la première ministre, Viorica
Dăncilă, en ouverture de la séance du gouvernement, de ce mercredi. La Roumanie
a affiché la deuxième plus grande croissance économique de l’Union européenne.
La cheffe de l’Exécutif de Bucarest a ajouté qu’au premier semestre de cette
année, les investissements étrangers directs avaient dépassé de 30% les
chiffres de l’année dernière, l’économie roumaine enregistrant à présent plus
de 6,4 millions d’emplois actifs. Mme Viorica Dăncilă a encore précisé que le
gouvernement allait approuver les dépenses pour la mise en œuvre du projet du
« Système électronique intégré de l’Office national du Registre du
commerce », qui permettra de créer un portail public pour interagir avec
les clients et de raccourcir le temps nécessaire pour la création d’une
entreprise, avec des bénéfices importants pour les citoyens et le milieu des
affaires.

Parlement
– Une session extraordinaire sera organisée
à la Chambre des députés de Bucarest la semaine prochaine, à la demande de
l’opposition, qui a proposé de débattre la possibilité de rejeter la loi sur
l’amnistie et la grâce et d’annuler l’ordonnance 114 relative aux
investissements publics. Cet acte réglementaire est considéré l’instrument le
plus toxique de l’économie roumaine. L’ordonnance contient de nouvelles mesures
fiscales et budgétaires, dont la soi-disant « taxe sur la cupidité »,
qui prévoit de taxer en plus les compagnies de l’énergie et les banques, dont
la majorité de gauche affirme qu’elles obtiennent en Roumanie des bénéfices
qu’il n’est pas normal d’obtenir et qui sont, de surcroît, immoraux. Les
représentants du Parti social-démocrate ont attiré l’attention sur le fait que
l’ordonnance prévoit aussi la majoration des retraites à partir du 1-er
septembre ou encore le plafonnement des prix du gaz et de l’électricité pour la
population.

Festival
– La 17-e
édition du Festival interculturel ProEtnica a commencé ce mercredi à Sighişoara,
ville du centre de la Roumanie, l’unique cité médiévale habitée de l’Europe du
sud-est. Cinq jours durant, l’agenda de l’événement comporte des événements
artistiques de la cinquantaine d’ensembles des communautés ethniques du pays.
Des stands de maîtres artisans et d’autres, de présentation des minorités
nationales, sont organisés dans la citadelle médiévale. Selon les
organisateurs, la nouveauté de l’édition 2019, c’est le Salon littéraire, une
section où des écrivains des minorités nationales ainsi que des écrivains qui
écrivent sur les minorités présentent leurs œuvres, organisent débats,
lectures, présentations, expositions, lancements de livres et autres. ProEtnica
vise à promouvoir le dialogue interculturel et l’interaction artistique au
niveau européen.

Tennis – L’équipe de tennis féminine de Roumanie affrontera, à domicile, celle
de la Russie dans le play-off de qualification dans la finale de la compétition
Fed Cup. La rencontre aura lieu les 7
et 8 février prochain, selon le tirage aux sorts qui s’est déroulé à Londres,
ce mercredi. La République tchèque, bénéficiaire d’une invitation privilégiée,
l’Australie et la France, les deux finalistes de cette année, ainsi que la Hongrie, en tant
que pays organisateur, sont directement qualifiées au tournoi final de la
compétition, accueilli par Budapest, en avril 2020. La Roumanie n’a jamais
affronté la Russie dans la Fed Cup, mais elle a rencontré l’ancienne URSS deux
fois, en 1978 et en 1986, essuyant deux
défaites au score de 0 à 3.

Météo – En Roumanie, la chaleur persiste dans les prochaines 24
heures, notamment dans le sud et le sud-ouest. Les températures maximales se
situeront entre 26 et 36 degrés.

21 August 2019