Radio România Internațional

Tag: severe drought

  • July 23, 2024 UPDATE

    July 23, 2024 UPDATE

    DROUGHT – Against the background of the severe drought affecting Romania, water supply is restricted in about 450 cities, towns and villages, most of them in the eastern part of the country. Many farmers say that they have lost their crops, especially where irrigation is not possible. In trying to support those affected, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, had a first meeting on Monday with commercial banks representatives, whom he asked for solutions to cover rates and interests on loans for farmers facing drought. The affected area so far is almost 2 million hectares for corn and sunflower and 100,000 hectares for wheat and rapeseed. Water levels continue to drop.

     

     

    MEETING – Romania is committed to implementing green transition in a pragmatic and viable way, an example for the region and the world, and that means using natural gas in the short- and medium-term, but also nuclear energy, Romania’s Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on the sidelines of the Business Forum of the Partnership for Energy and Climate Trans-Atlantic Cooperation hosted by Bucharest. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu pointed out that only through energy security and competitiveness and by making energy available to the economy and the population can Romania take the next step towards fulfilling a key objective – obtaining clean, green energy. Romania will negotiate with the new European Commission a seven-year deal for meeting the 3% budget deficit target, the Romanian Prime Minister said, adding that Romania is currently in a “fast-track” development phase, highlighting the need for more investments.

     

     

    SUPPORT – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, reiterated Romania’s support for neighboring Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops, and emphasized the need to speed up the European Union’s assistance to Kyiv, including military aid. On the sidelines of Monday’s meeting in Brussels with European counterparts, Minister Odobescu reaffirmed Romania’s support for the peace plan proposed by Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which she believes is capable of guaranteeing sustainable peace, the observance of territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter.

     

     

    REPRESENTATION – Only 6.5% of mayors are women and just 9% local councilwomen, according to data conducted by a local NGO, analyzing the results of the June 9 local election in Romania. The data, which has so far prompted no reactions from political parties, shows that politics remains an exclusive playground of men. At Parliament level, the situation is slightly better, although women representation stands at merely 18%. The NGO calls on parliamentary parties to unlock legislative initiatives to boost women representation to at least 30% and to block access to public funds for all parties that fail to meet this requirement.

     

     

    CONCERT – The Orchestra and Choir of the Bucharest National Opera on Wednesday will perform a sacred music concert at the “Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael” Orthodox Cathedral in Paris. The Romanian Opera tour ends on July 25, at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, with another concert, marking the inauguration of the Romanian House at the Olympic Games. On Monday, Romanian artists performed in the gardens of the Versailles Palace, an event also held in the context of the Summer Olympics. According to Radio Romania’s Paris correspondent, the extraordinary concert entitled “Éthos Roumain” is a project financed by the Government of Romania, through the Department for Romanians Worldwide, in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris. The event aims to boost the visibility of Romanian culture and its promotion abroad, as well as to strengthen cultural ties between Romania and France. (EE & VP)

  • August 23, 2022 UPDATE

    August 23, 2022 UPDATE

    BLACK RIBBON DAY – The Day of
    Remembrance for the Victims of Fascism and Communism is the best opportunity to
    pay tribute to all those who experienced the horrors of totalitarian regimes
    and to reiterate our firm commitment to reject extremism, intolerance and
    hatred, said president Klaus Iohannis in a statement. He recalled that on August
    23, 1939, the entire world, not just Central and Eastern Europe, was condemned
    to a cruel future, adding that the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a criminal
    conspiracy in the wake of which entire generations were exposed to the toxic
    and barbarian effects of totalitarian ideologies with grave long-term
    consequences. Iohannis also spoke of King Michael I’s decision to break off
    Romania’s alliance with Hitler’s Germany on August 23 1944 and to join the
    United Nations, a decision which contributed to shortening the war. August 23
    was established by the European Parliament in 2008 as a Europe-wide Day of
    Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, also
    known as Black Ribbon Day.


    UKRAINE – The Parliament and Government
    buildings in Bucharest were on Tuesday lit blue and yellow to mark the
    Ukrainian Flag Day and the Ukrainian Independence Day. Romanian authorities are
    thus reasserting their solidarity, joining initiatives designed to boost
    international support for this country. Romania has taken a firm position
    together with Ukraine and against the unprovoked, illegal and irrational
    military aggression launched by Russia. Our solidarity with Ukraine is owed not
    just to geographical proximity, but to democratic values and principles
    underlying the resistance of our Ukrainian neighbors, Prime Minister Nicolae
    Ciucă said in a press release. The Romanian official pointed out Romania will
    continue to support Ukraine and provide a home to people who are forced to flee
    their homeland due to the war.


    DROUGHT – The Mediterranean regions
    remain threatened by abnormal drought until November, when close to
    normal conditions are expected in most of the EU, the European Commission
    says. The areas worst hit by the lack of precipitation are central and southern
    Portugal, the whole of Spain, the south of France, Hungary, Romania and the
    Republic of Moldova. Linked by scientists to global warming, these
    exceptionally hot and dry weather conditions have significantly reduced the
    yield of summer crops, according to experts quoted by France Presse. The corn,
    sun flower and soy harvests are worst hit.


    EXPORT – In the first five months of
    the year, Romania exported grain and grain-based products worth 2.155 billion
    EUR, up 77% compared with the previous period last year, according to figures
    published by the National Institute for Statistics. The largest amount of
    exports was recorded in March. Between January and May, however, Romania also
    imported grain and grain-based products worth 683.5 million EUR.


    FORESTS – The National Forest Strategy
    for 2030 which was unveiled on Monday at an event hosted by the Transylvania
    University in Braşov lays emphasis on making owners themselves more responsible
    and involved and proposes a new approach to checks and restrictions, said the environment
    minister Tanczos Barna. He underlined that this new strategy was drafted in the
    last two years with the help of forestry experts, NGOs, institutions and other
    persons interested in this field and said this is a historic step
    for Romanian forests. Expanding forested areas is one of the most important
    elements of the strategy. Romania is the first country to present its forest
    strategy after the publication of a similar document at European Union level.


    AWARDS – The Government has decided to increase
    by 50% financial awards bestowed to athletes reaping medals in international
    competitions, Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has announced. The
    Romanian official said a law would be adopted in next week’s government
    meeting. Right now, this is all the budget allows us, and I hope your
    achievements will also inspire us to report better economic and financial
    results so as to reward your efforts appropriately, the Prime Minister told
    athletes. In a special ceremony, government officials congratulated athletes
    who grabbed medals at the European table tennis and rowing championships, as
    well as at the world judo and fencing championships. (VP)



  • July 9, 2022

    July 9, 2022

    INFLATION – The inflation rate is
    expected to slightly drop in the next months, the Central Bank (BNR) announced.
    However, prices might again peak next spring unless the government extends its
    national schemes capping electricity and gas prices past the April 2023
    deadline, the BNR spokesman Dan Suciu has told Radio Romania. Romania has an
    imported inflation, Dan Suciu argues, meaning that it is generated by the
    global increase in energy and fuel prices. In May, the inflation rate stood at
    14.5%. The authorities expect the rate to grow and peak by the end of July.




    DROUGHT – 70% of Romania’s surface is
    affected by drought. People in a number of areas have access to tap water only
    for a few hours every day. Traffic on the Danube River is also affected, as the
    water level is half the multiannual average and is estimated to keep dropping.
    The Porțile de fier I and II hydroelectric power plants are
    also reporting difficulties. Navigators will have to observe a maximum mass
    limit to avoid getting stuck in sand crossings on the bottom of the river. The
    National Water Administration has given assurances that right now there are no
    water shortage risks in centralized water supply systems in large urban
    settlements. At the same time, Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, told a private
    TV station that irrigation systems are functioning normally without any major
    impact on shelf prices due to the shortage of water. This year’s crops will cover internal
    demand and Romania will export any excess, the Minister went on to say.




    FORUM – Energy security, the
    reconstruction of Ukraine and the EU accession prospects of countries in the
    region ranked high on the joint Parliament Forum hosted by Romania. Romania
    supports the European trajectory of Moldova and Ukraine and is committed to
    providing assistance and sharing its expertise to help these countries attain
    European standards, the interim Senate speaker, Alina Gorghiu, said on the
    sidelines of the event, also recalling Romania was one of the staunchest
    supporters of the two countries. Romania plans on playing a key role in
    rebuilding Ukraine and will allot substantial funds in this respect, the
    Romanian official said. In turn, Economy Minister, Florin Spătaru, said that the reconstruction
    of Ukraine is the responsibility of European society, and that all EU countries
    should pitch in. Minister Spătaru also recalled the support
    Romania has already provided to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian
    invasion.




    ROMANIA
    – USA RELATIONS: Next
    week Romania will mark 25 years since it signed the Strategic Partnership with
    the USA. The moment will be marked through a series of events hosted by the
    Romanian Embassy in Washington, including a Romanian Festival held on July 9
    and 10 in Washington. A website devoted to bilateral relations between the two
    countries will be launched on July 11. On July 12, the Strategic Partnership
    will be celebrated in the United States Congress. Over the next couple of days,
    ceremonies will be held to decorate a number of personalities. A former
    ambassador to Washington, Mircea Geoană, at present deputy
    Secretary General of NATO, has hailed the importance of Romania’s relation with the USA,
    stating it should be permanently upheld and refreshed, requiring investment.
    Nothing is more important than the relation between our citizens. Nothing
    is more important than the relation between our young people,
    between our universities, our researchers, our business communities, our
    politicians, young and old. Such an important relation cannot be maintained
    strictly in strategic terms. Every day, it gains a deeper, more civic and
    citizen-oriented dimension, underpinned by a sense of belonging to a set of
    shared values. This is Romania’s relation with America, Mircea Geoană says.




    SHINZO ABE
    – World leaders, including from Romania, have conveyed condolences for the
    death of Shinzo Abe, who was shot on Friday while campaigning for the
    parliamentary election. Countries such as India and Brazil have decreed a
    period of national mourning to express solidarity with Japan. The assassin is a
    former member of the Japanese Navy who used a handmade gun to shoot the former Japanese
    Prime Minister, for reasons unknown. Shinzo Abe was the longest serving Japanese
    Prime Ministers, with mandates in 2006 and then again between 2012-2020.




    SWIMMING
    – Romania has so far won six medals at the European Junior Swimming
    Championships hosted by Otopeni, and is now ranked third in the medal
    standings, after Poland and Hungary. So far Romania has won gold in the men’s
    4x100m relay event (David Popovici, Vlad Stancu, Ștefan Cozma and Patrick Sebastian Dinu), in the
    200m freestyle event (David Popovici), in the 50m freestyle event (David
    Popovici) and in the 1,500m freestyle event (Vlad Ștefan Stancu).
    Additionally, the mix 4x100m relay team won silver (David Popovici, Patrick
    Sebastian Dinu, Bianca Costea and Rebecca Aimee Diaconescu), while Bianca
    Costea scooped silver in the 50m freestyle event. Attending the European Junior
    Swimming Championships are 500 athletes from 42 countries. Romania is
    represented by 26 swimmers, 14 in the men’s competition and 12 in the women’s
    competition. (VP)