Radio România Internațional

Tag: staff

  • November 30, 2023

    November 30, 2023

    DEFENCE Romania’s new Army Chief of Staff is the general lieutenant
    Gheorghiţă Vlad. At the swearing in ceremony on Thursday, president Klaus
    Iohannis said Vlad was entrusted with the responsibility of carrying on the
    Army’s process of adapting to new challenges and of maintaining a high level of
    battle training for the troops. We need more determined measures to re-launch
    the national defence industry, the president also said, including though
    industrial cooperation, so that a larger share of the ammunition and equipment
    we need to be produced domestically. This and the high level of military
    training, will ensure a strong and credible defence capacity, adapted to the
    new security challenges, the head of state added.

    RECYCLING In
    Romania, the deposit and return scheme for beverage containers became
    operational on Thursday. Romania will run the second-largest programme of this
    kind in Europe, after the one in Germany, in terms of the number of containes
    processed. Romanians who pay a 10-Eurocent deposit on purchasing bottled
    beverages from retailers will be able to return the container to drop-off
    centres organised by retailers, and will be refunded their deposits without
    having to produce the receipt for the original purchase. Deposit-carrying
    containers will be introduced gradually, with a transition period until current
    stocks in shops are sold out.


    DIPLOMACY The
    Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu took part on Wednesday in an
    informal dinner ahead of the OSCE ministerial council in Skopje, organised by
    the rotating chairmanship holder, North Macedonia. Talks focused on Russia’s
    war of aggression against Ukraine and the need for an efficient OSCE in times
    of conflict. In her address, the Romanian diplomat emphasised the difficult
    circumstances in which the Organisation operates, in the context of Russia’s
    unjustified and unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine. She also
    reiterated Romania’s solidarity with the Ukrainian people, emphasising the
    multi-dimensional support given to Ukraine. Luminiţa Odobescu also highlighted
    the negative impact on the Republic of Moldova, the social and economic
    difficulties facing Moldova as a result of Russia’s various pressures, as well
    as the relevance of Moldova in the security dynamics of the region.


    KISSINGER The
    former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who played a major role in shaping
    the US foreign policy under presidents Nixon and Ford, died on Wednesday aged
    100, the BBC announced. Kissinger was a national security adviser and a state
    secretary between 1969 and 1977, during which the US ended its involvement in
    the Vietnam War, opened its relations with China and saw the end of hostilities
    in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the Middle East. He won the Nobel
    Peace Prize, although his opponents claiming his role in bombing Cambodia and Laos
    amounted to war crime. He pioneered the concept of Realpolitik, which values
    pragmatism in international relations, the BBC also said.


    HOLIDAY Christians
    celebrate today Andrew the Apostle, the patron saint of Romania. Historical records
    indicate that Saint Andrew preached in Scythia, in the north and west of the
    Black Sea, including present-day Dobrudja, where he ordained priests and
    bishops who took the word of Christ to the Dacian population between the Danube
    and the Carpatians. As such, he is recognised as the patron saint of Romania. He
    was martyred by crucifixion in the city of Patras, in Greece.


    ISRAEL An attack
    by 2 Palestinians in western Jerusalem at rush hour killed 3 people and wounded
    7 others, 4 of whom are in a serious condition. The attack took place as the
    truce between Israel and Hamas was renewed for the 7th consecutive
    day, in order to carry on the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian
    prisoners. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, the attackers were
    identified as Hamas supporters and had been formerly imprisoned in Israel. As
    for the new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the revised list of hostages to
    be freed only includes 8 children. Hamas explained that this was because of the
    2 Israelis with dual, Russian and Italian citizenship, who were released
    yesterday in a show of goodwill towards the Russian president Vladimir Putin. (AMP)

  • July 27, 2023

    July 27, 2023

    WILDFIRES
    Forty Romanian fire fighters are
    relocated today from Attica region on Greece’s Rhodes Island, heavily affected
    by uncontrolled wildfires, the Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergencies
    announced. They travel by sea together with 3 fire engines and a 10-ton fire
    truck, as well as a personnel transport vehicle. According to the Romanian Foreign
    Ministry, high fire risks continue to be reported today in several parts of
    Greece, while the weather is expected to change radically, with strong storms
    forecast especially in Thrace, Macedonia, Khalkidhiki and the north-eastern
    Aegean coast. Romanian citizens who plan on traveling to Greece in this period
    are advised to get fully informed of the situation ahead of leaving, and those
    who are already in the affected areas are urged to comply with the instructions
    issued by local authorities and follow official sources of information.


    NATURAL GAS Romanians will have safe access to natural gas, even in
    the case of lower temperatures than usual in the winter season, as Azerbaijan guaranteed
    Romania access to a capacity of up to 1 billion cubic metres of natural gas if
    necessary. The statement was made by the energy minister, Sebastian Burduja, who
    had a meeting in Bucharest with his counterpart E.S. Parviz Shahbazov. The
    filling level for Romanian storage facilities is over 75.5%, significantly over
    the level promised by Romania to the EU, and nearly 700 million cubic metres
    more than we had at the same time in 2022, the minister said in a social media
    post on Thursday. He added that he discussed with the energy minister of Azerbaijan about ways
    to develop the strategic partnership, bilateral investments and joint projects in the energy sector, including a green corridor to connect the Caspian Sea to
    the Black Sea. The cooperation between Romania and Azerbaijan in the energy
    sector entails major benefits not only for the two countries, but for the
    security of Europe as a whole, Sebastian Burduja pointed out.


    UKRAINE The Russian army hit the port
    infrastructure in the region of Odessa (southern Ukraine) in an overnight
    missile attack that killed a security guard and damaged a cargo terminal, the
    local authorities announced on Thursday morning. The ports in the Odessa region,
    at the Black Sea or the Danube River, have turned into the preferred targets of
    the Russian army, after Moscow recently terminated a deal allowing Ukraine to
    export grains to international markets.


    MOLDOVA The Russian
    Federation will have to downsize its Chişinău Embassy personnel, according to a
    decision made by the Moldovan authorities and already communicated to Russia’s
    ambassador in that country. Russia will keep 10 diplomats and 15 technical and
    support personnel, on a par with the number of staff of the Moldovan embassy in
    Moscow. According to Moldova’s foreign minister Nicu Popescu, Moldova has been
    for decades the target of hostile policies and activities on the part of the
    Russian Federation, and many of the Russian embassy’s activities were aimed to
    destabilize the country. In Moscow, the foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria
    Zaharova, said the decision was ungrounded and a further step taken by Chişinău
    towards deteriorating bilateral relations.


    WEATHER The weather cools
    significantly in Romania, where after a heat wave with temperatures above 40
    degrees Celsius, the highs are expected to range only between 19 and 28
    degrees, with some 25 degrees reported in Bucharest at noon. Thunderstorms
    made victims the previous day, with a 64 year old woman dead as a tree uprooted
    by the wind fell over her car on the Transalpina
    road in Alba County, and two siblings in Botoşani County struck by lightning on
    a field. In Harghita County railroad transport was disrupted after several
    trees fell on the tracks, several localities in Iaşi County were left without
    drinking water and the Black Sea port of Constanţa was closed because of the
    strong wind.



    SPORTS
    The athletes Constantin Popovici and Cătălin Petru Preda won the first medals
    for the Romanian team at the 2023 World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka
    (Japan). Today they ranked first and second in the high diving competition.
    Popovici, 34, is Romania’s first world high diving champion. Twenty-three
    athletes took part in this event. (AMP)

  • July 26, 2023 UPDATE

    July 26, 2023 UPDATE

    HEAT Wednesday was a new day with extreme heat in Romania. The capital
    city Bucharest and several counties in the south and south-east were subject to
    a code red alert for temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and a
    temperature-humidity index above the critical 80 units. Code orange and yellow
    alerts were also in place elsewhere in the country. On Tuesday the extreme
    temperatures disrupted railway traffic and caused road traffic restrictions. On
    the other hand, violent storms were reported in the west, north and centre of
    the country, where substantial damages were reported. On
    Thursday, the temperature is expected to drop significantly, to highs between
    19 and 28 degrees Celsius.




    PROTEST Romanian construction workers Wednesday picketed the government
    headquarters to protest the Cabinet’s decision to scrap the tax facilities
    granted to the employees in this sector. The head of the National Trade Union
    Bloc (BNS), Dumitru Costin, said the proposed amendments to the Fiscal Code
    affect not only the construction sector, but other categories of employees as
    well. The BNS and the Familia General Federation of Trade Unions came up with a
    set of measures to avoid the scrapping of tax facilities as of September 1,
    including a new collective bargaining agreement for the sector and a gradual
    elimination of the fiscal facility, in keeping with the roadmap agreed on under
    the National Recovery and Resilience Plan as of 2025. They also suggest adjustments
    to budget appropriations for the investment projects funded by the government
    or from EU funds, as well as a salary policy for this sector for the
    forthcoming years able to ensure balanced salaries, especially in the private
    sector.


    MEETING The Romanian
    foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu Wednesday had talks with her French
    counterpart, Catherine Colonna, about the security situation at the Black Sea.
    In a Twitter post, Odobescu described the dialogue as very good. Bilateral
    cooperation was reconfirmed on this occasion. We have emphasised our joint
    support for Ukraine and the R. of Moldova, as well as our determination to
    consolidate security and resilience at the Black Sea, the Romanian diplomacy
    chief said in her post.


    DIPLOMACY The foreign
    minister of the Republic of Moldova, Nicu Popescu, Wednesday requested a
    limitation on the number of Russian diplomats accredited to Chişinău. He said
    the country has been for several years the target of hostile policies on
    Russia’s part, and that some of them were completed via the Russian Embassy
    there. Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov was summoned to the Moldovan Foreign Ministry
    for explanations, after a media report revealed that the Russian diplomatic
    mission had installed high-performance espionage and interception equipment on
    its rooftop. The media in Chişinău mentioned 28 satellite dishes and telecoms
    devices, while individuals tied to Russian intelligence services were seen on
    the buildings. The authorities in Chisinau decided that the two countries’
    embassies would have equal numbers of diplomatic personnel, specifically 10 diplomatic
    positions and 15 administrative, technical and support posts, Moldpres reports.
    Consequently, the staff of Russia’s embassy in Chişinău will be reduced from 84
    to 25.


    NATO The NATO
    secretary general Jens Stoltenberg convened a first NATO – Ukraine Council
    meeting at ambassador level on Wednesday, at the request of Kyiv. The meeting
    focused on consultations on recent developments, with participants discussing
    the transport of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, the NATO spokesperson Oana
    Lungescu said. Ukraine’s request came after Russia terminated the so-called
    grains deal and started attacking the Ukrainian port infrastructure. Also on
    Wednesday, the head of the press office for the southern Ukrainian defence
    command, Natalia Humeniuk, said Russia was already using Shahed-type drones
    assembled in Russia.




    SWIMMING The Romanian swimmer David Popovici Wednesday qualified into
    the final of the 100m freestyle race at the World Championships in Fukuoka (Japan). Popovici, the defending world champion in
    this event, also holds the world record, set last year at the European
    Championships in Rome. The 100m freestyle final is scheduled for Thursday. On
    Tuesday, Popovici, also a former world champion in the 200m freestyle event,
    finished the competition’s final on the 4th place. (AMP)

  • The healthcare system battling the novel coronavirus

    The healthcare system battling the novel coronavirus

    That the Romanian healthcare system is sub-standard has long been an understatement. The chronic under-financing of the past decades is particularly evident now, when the country is hit by the global crisis caused by the novel coronavirus.



    The hospitals are too few to cover the needs of the patients—both those suffering from Covid-19, and from other conditions; the equipment is, more often than not, inadequate, and many doctors and nurses have left the country over the years, to look for decent working conditions abroad.



    And while bigger cities, and university centres in particular, fare better in terms of the quality of medical care, in small and medium-sized towns the situation is bordering on the disastrous.



    In this context, trade unions in public healthcare are disgruntled with the overwork and underpayment of the personnel involved in treating Covid-19 patients. On Tuesday, PM Ludovic Orban offered guarantees that all the employees in the system will receive sufficient and appropriate equipment. He also promised to consider the option of reducing working hours for the personnel in intensive care wards, who complain of working too long shifts. The PM also believes posting staff could be a solution to the shortage of intensive care personnel.



    Ludovic Orban: “Weve asked for volunteers, but the answer we have received is not what we expected, so we are going to resort to posting, which is a lawful instrument. For certain categories of personnel, such as anaesthesiologists in intensive care units, the 50% bonus they receive for posting should be in addition to the bonus paid to all intensive care staff, and if necessary, we will make this clear in an executive order.



    The salaries of Public Healthcare Directorate doctors will be raised, because these people are at the frontline of the epidemiological triage of Covid-19 patients. The personnel of these directorates and of public ambulance services will be increased. And, according to trade union leader Iulian Pope, technical and support staff will not be overlooked:



    Iulian Pope: “This includes administrative staff, nurses, hospital porters and the like, who are still covered by a gradual implementation of the unified salary scheme. We would like these staff categories to receive as early as this year the salary levels originally scheduled for 2022.



    In the meantime, until all these problems are solved and the Romanian healthcare system reaches European quality standards, Romanians would be well advised, as an old saying goes, to keep in mind that prevention is better than cure.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Decisions of the Supreme Defence Council

    Decisions of the Supreme Defence Council

    The Supreme Defence Council convened on Wednesday for its first meeting attended by the members of the new Cabinet headed by PM Ludovic Orban. The members approved the appointment of Lieutenant Gen. Daniel Petrescu as Chief of the Defence Staff, replacing Gen. Nicolae Ciuca, who stepped down after being appointed defence minister. “He is a well-known, respected, eminent army man, President Iohannis said about the new Chief of Staff. He also emphasised that Daniel Petrescus professional background includes tactical, operational and strategic positions in the Romanian Land Forces, under NATO command, and participation in missions in the theatres of operations in Angola, Albania, Iraq and Afghanistan.



    The Supreme Defence Council also decided on Wednesday to strengthen Romanias participation in missions abroad in 2020. The number of Defence Ministry employees will be increased by over 200, to exceed 2,100 civilian and military staff, of whom over 800 will continue to take part in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Another over 790 troops and police officers from the Interior Ministry will also be deployed in international missions.



    Klaus Iohannis: “This impressive number from both the Defence and the Interior Ministry proves that Romania takes very seriously its mission to provide security, to export security to regions where this is a goal still to be attained. We take part in many missions, and our military are highly appreciated everywhere they go.



    The head of state also emphasised that the Supreme Defence Council members discussed public procurement for the Army:



    Klaus Iohannis: “We discussed the purchase of 6 more F16 aircraft. The Government presented the Defence Council with a draft law that has been approved, but I remind you that purchases in excess of 100 million euros also require the endorsement of Parliament.



    The Council also analysed and approved a bill concerning adjustments in the state budget with respect to the institutions in the national defence and security field for 2019. In addition, Romanias objectives for the NATO leaders meeting due on December 3 and 4 in London have been approved. In this meeting, the head of state Klaus Iohannis will insist on the importance of the Black Sea region for the eastern flank, and will reassure the Allies that Romania will continue to earmark 2% of its GDP to the defence sector. The meeting in London takes place in the context of NATOs 70th anniversary, and is aimed at reconfirming the unity of the Allies and the strength of the trans-Atlantic relation.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Measures benefitting teaching and healthcare staff

    Measures benefitting teaching and healthcare staff

    After its EU accession in 2007, Romanias healthcare staff, like many other categories, were given the green light to leave the country, thanks to the right to free movement in the EU. Be they physicians or nurses, they all chose to go to Western Europes richer countries such as France, Germany and Great Britain, where their professional status was recognized and respected.



    Expenses with the medical system per capita vary a lot among EU member states, so it was only natural for healthcare staff to choose those countries that channel more money to the system. Thus, between 2009 and 2015, Romania lost half of its physicians. More than 4,000 Romanian doctors are working in France and almost the same number in Germany. Adding to them are over 3,000 working in Great Britain, about 600 working in Belgium and as many as 800 working in Italy and Spain.



    Romanias teaching staff is another professional category with low salaries, which makes teaching an unattractive job for many young people, including those who have a calling for this profession and are very proficient. Romanias education system in general has been faced with an acute personnel shortage, as the teachers and prospective teachers are leaving the country or are reconverting, choosing to work in the private sector where they get better paid. In recent years, the political parties that have been successively in power have tried, and failed, to fix the problem: they promised pay rises and professional and logistic facilities.



    This week the Romanian Senate has passed an amendment to a law under which doctors and teachers will be allowed, even after turning 35, to file applications for having a house built by the National Housing Agency subordinated to the Ministry for Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds. The Liberal Senator Marcel Vela explains:



    Marcel Vela: “The Romanian state is investing huge amounts of money in the education and training of young medical students, and if Parliament does not help them to find a job in their sector more easily, these resident doctors are tempted to go abroad to find professional fulfilment.



    Ecaterina Andronescu, a former education minister, currently a Social Democrat Senator, has also pleaded the cause of the teaching staff:



    Ecaterina Andronescu: “I dare ask you to agree with our proposal to extend the amendment to the law under discussion, by also including the teaching staff alongside resident and specialist physicians. Teachers are a very important category in all communities.



    The amendment has been passed with unanimity of votes and forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body on this matter.


    (translated by: Lacramioara Simion)

  • Migration and the labour market

    Migration and the labour market

    The EUs successive waves of eastward enlargement have also opened the community labour market for citizens of Central and East European countries. In 2004, as many as eight former communist countries joined the Union. Romania and Bulgaria followed suit in 2007, with Croatia being the last to join the community bloc in 2013. In search of safer and better-paid jobs, millions of Poles, Romanians, Hungarians and Bulgarians are working and paying taxes throughout the continent, from Sweden to Portugal and from Austria to Ireland.



    Their migration was a relief for their home countries, which no longer had to pay unemployment benefits to the numerous victims of the economic transition from a largely bankrupt centralised economy to capitalism, with its sometimes wild and unscrupulous facets. As a result, at present the labour market in Central and Eastern Europe continues to improve, with unemployment rates plummeting to the lowest level ever, although still above the EU average, a survey made by the well known consultancy firm Coface shows.



    Macroeconomic data show that over the past few years salaries have increased and inflation dropped, making household-generated consumption the main driver of economic growth. For instance, as of 2010, gross salaries have increased by over 30% in Romania and Bulgaria and by over 20% in Hungary and Poland, respectively, the survey reveals.



    Coface also notes that, in exchange, companies have been facing more difficult times, with increasingly demanding employees cautiously negotiating the level of salaries, and thus forcing them to accept higher labour costs. The low birth rate and the migration to Western Europe have also contributed to a workforce deficit, raising a barrier to business expansion. Even the companies that pay higher salaries are facing employment difficulties. Pay rises are currently exceeding work productivity gains, but regional labour costs are still three times lower on average than in the West.



    This disparity, which is a trump card for Central and Eastern Europe in terms of unit labour costs (the average cost of labour per unit of output produced) alongside the geographical and cultural proximity to the West, should bring significant competitive advantages to the region. However, these benefits might get compromised on medium term, if the migration of skilled young people continues, Coface warns in its survey. The labour force deficit might be reduced by encouraging migrants to return to their countries of origin, but this is rather unlikely. Thats why Coface recommends to the governments in the region to encourage the labour inclusion of ethnic communities, women and elderly people and to boost professional training.


    (Translated by: Diana Vijeu)