Radio România Internațional

Tag: State of the Union

  • September 15, 2021

    September 15, 2021

    Covid-19 – The number of COVID-19 cases and associated deaths recorded in one single day is on the rise Romania. 4,004 cases were announced on Wednesday out of more than 44,000 tests. 83 people have died of Covid-19 and 696 are in ICUs. New Covid-19 outbreaks are emerging. In those localities where the threshold of 2 cases per thousand inhabitants has been exceeded, the authorities are starting to enforce additional protection measures. In another development, the pace of the vaccination campaign remains slow, despite repeated calls from experts. Moreover, the Delta virus strain, which is beginning to become dominant, has a higher transmission rate than the previous variants. The authorities expect more and more people to get contaminated.



    Motion — Romania’s Constitutional Court is to announce the deadline for debating the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţus notification regarding the existence of a legal conflict between the Parliament and the Government in relation to the censure motion tabled by the USR-PLUS, former no. 2 in the governing coalition and the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians — AUR, in opposition. The parties involved were given Wednesday as deadline to submit their views to the Constitutional Court. The Permanent Bureaus of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies believe that there is a constitutional conflict in the case of the censure motion. Instead, the Speaker of the Senate, Anca Dragu (USR-PLUS), and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Ludovic Orban (PNL), do not agree with Parliament’s unfavorable point of view, adopted with the votes of the National Liberal Party – PNL and of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR (in the government coalition), and also of the opposition Social Democratic Party – PSD, therefore they sent separate documents to the Constitutional Court. Ms. Dragu syas there is actually a political conflict which the Government wants to transform into a constitutional one. The government, dominated by the Liberals, claims that the no-confidence motion does not have the minimum number of valid signatures and that the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies did not inform the Government about the document on the same day it was tabled. Entitled Dismissal of the Cîţu Government, Romanias only chance to live! the censure motion accuses the prime minister of having plunged Romania into a serious economic and social crisis.



    Energy — The Romanian Parliament is today debating the rise in energy bills in Romania. The parliament has already decided to set up a committee to investigate the causes of the skyrocketing natural gas and electricity price hikes. The Labor Minister, Raluca Turcan, has pointed out that, one week after its adoption in Parliament, the Vulnerable Consumer Law has not yet been sent for promulgation. According to her, this is a law that provides financial aid to more than 500,000 households that need state support to be able to pay their bills during the winter season. On Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Florin Cîţu talked with representatives of the Enel energy company about the recent developments on the domestic energy market. Klaus Iohannis told Enels management that it is necessary for companies in the sector and the authorities to coordinate their efforts to protect vulnerable consumers, and also companies that have already been strongly affected by the rising prices.



    Strasbourg — The next year will be yet another test of character for the EU with new challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and deeper fractures, said Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union Speech delivered Wednesday in the plenum of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The European official said the EU bloc would be stronger if it looked more like the “Next Generation”. The debate on the state of the European Union takes place every year in September and it is a key moment in demonstrating the European Commissions responsibility to the democratically elected EU representatives.



    Survey – Almost 2/3 of Romanian entrepreneurs (62%) do not feel the economic growth announced by the Government – show the results of a survey made by one of the most important producers of software for companies in Romania. According to the survey, only 9.5% of companies have registered increases in their turnover, and 26% do not notice any real change compared to 2020. Many entrepreneurs believe that instability and the lack of predictability will persist in the Romanian business environment in the current political context. (LS)

  • Incontro Klaus Iohannis – Giuseppe Conte a Firenze

    Incontro Klaus Iohannis – Giuseppe Conte a Firenze

    A margine della sua partecipazione alla conferenza The State of the Union, organizzata dall’Istituto Universitario Europeo di Firenze, il capo dello stato romeno, Klaus Iohannis, si è intrattenuto oggi con il Presidente del Consiglio, Giuseppe Conte. La Presidenza romena ricorda in un comunicato che l’incontro ha dato spazio ad uno scambio di vedute sui dibattiti della conferenza, che precede le elezioni per l’Europarlamento, nonchè sui recenti sviluppi politici europei, quelli regionali compresi.

    Il presidente Klaus Iohannis ha ricordato che la conferenza sullo Stato dell’Unione ha preceduto il vertice informale dei capi di stato e di governo, che si terrà il 9 maggio nella città romena di Sibiu, nell’ambito del quale verranno delineate le priorità dell’UE per i prossimi cinque anni e individuate delle soluzioni pratiche ai problemi affrontati dall’Unione in questo momenti.

    La fonte precisa che il Presidente del Consiglio, Giuseppe Conte, ha valutato che il summit di Sibiu costituirà un riferimento importante nella storia dell’Unione europea. Sia Iohannis che Conte hanno sottolineato che, per gli stati membri, il vertice rappresenterà un’ottima opportunità di trasmettere un messaggio di unità, consenso e coesione.

    Nel corso dell’incontro, il capo dello stato romeno e il premier italiano hanno ribadito anche l’eccellenza delle relazioni bilaterali tra la Romania e l’Italia, evidenziando anche il consolidamento dei rapporti economici tra i due Paesi. L’interscambio commerciale ha raggiunto il massimo degli ultimi 10 anni e l’Italia si conferma uno dei partner economici strategici della Romania, precisa ancora il comunicato.

    Il presidente Klaus Iohannis è stato oggi ospite d’onore alla Conferenza The State of the Union, organizzata dall’Istituto Universitario Europeo di Firenze. La sua presenza all’evento dedicato alla Democrazia del XXI secolo in Europa, alla luce delle elezioni europee, rientra nell’ambito della Presidenza romena al Consiglio dell’UE.

  • Incontro Klaus Iohannis – Giuseppe Conte a Firenze

    Incontro Klaus Iohannis – Giuseppe Conte a Firenze

    A margine della sua partecipazione alla conferenza The State of the Union, organizzata dall’Istituto Universitario Europeo di Firenze, il capo dello stato romeno, Klaus Iohannis, ha incontrato oggi il Presidente del Consiglio, Giuseppe Conte. La Presidenza romena ricorda in un comunicato che l’incontro ha dato spazio ad uno scambio di vedute sui dibattiti della conferenza, che precede le elezioni per l’Europarlamento, nonchè sui recenti sviluppi politici europei, quelli regionali compresi.

    Il presidente Klaus Iohannis ha ricordato che la conferenza sullo Stato dell’Unione ha preceduto il vertice informale dei capi di stato e di governo, che si terrà il 9 maggio nella città romena di Sibiu, nell’ambito del quale verranno delineate le priorità dell’UE per i prossimi cinque anni e individuate delle soluzioni pratiche ai problemi affrontati dall’Unione in questo momenti.

    La fonte precisa che il Presidente del Consiglio, Giuseppe Conte, ha valutato che il summit di Sibiu costituirà un riferimento importante nella storia dell’Unione europea. Sia Iohannis che Conte hanno sottolineato che, per gli stati membri, il vertice rappresenterà un’ottima opportunità di trasmettere un messaggio di unità, consenso e coesione.

    Nel corso dell’incontro, il capo dello stato romeno e il premier italiano hanno ribadito anche l’eccellenza delle relazioni bilaterali tra la Romania e l’Italia, evidenziando anche il consolidamento dei rapporti economici tra i due Paesi. L’interscambio commerciale ha raggiunto il massimo degli ultimi 10 anni e l’Italia si conferma uno dei partner economici strategici della Romania, precisa ancora il comunicato.

    Il presidente Klaus Iohannis è stato oggi ospite d’onore alla Conferenza The State of the Union, organizzata dall’Istituto Universitario Europeo di Firenze. La sua presenza all’evento dedicato alla Democrazia del XXI secolo in Europa, alla luce delle elezioni europee, rientra nell’ambito della Presidenza romena al Consiglio dell’UE.

  • February 6, 2019

    February 6, 2019

    DRAFT BUDGET – Talks continue in Bucharest on Romanias 2019 draft budget, as the leaders of the ruling parties are to meet today with representatives of the Municipal Cities Association, who are discontent about the way in which money is allotted to local communities. The coalition intends to finalise talks for the budget to be discussed in Fridays session of the Government, to then be forwarded to Parliament for debate. Meanwhile, the Fitch rating agency has warned that the 2019 budget bill, in the current form which has been launched for public debate, is actually based on optimistic estimates and does not shed light on the uncertainty over the tax on bank assets. The Fitch analysts are sceptical that Romania will observe the budget deficit target of 2.6%, given that the state budget is based on an economic growth rate of 5.5%, higher than the 3.2% initial estimate by the agency.



    SCHENGEN ACCESSION – The EU Justice and Interior Ministers, three European commissioners and presidents of some EP committees are today coming to Bucharest. They attend an informal meeting which is organised against the backdrop of Romanias holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and interior minister Carmen Dan has said she will use this opportunity to put into the spotlight the issue of Romanias being accepted in the Schengen Area. Carmen Dan said she will have bilateral talks with the ministers of the countries which have been opposed to Romanias joining the free movement area. The European Interior ministers will gather on Thursday for talks on the prevention of and fight against terrorism, the Schengen Area, migration and asylum. On Friday, the EU justice ministers will discuss ways to boost judicial cooperation in civil, commercial matters and criminal law, in the EU. Attending the talks will be, among others, the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Commissioner for Security Union, Julian King and the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova as well as the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove.



    BRUSSELS – Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă is currently on a two day working visit to Brussels for talks with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans. Against the backdrop of Romanias holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, Viorica Dancila will attend a conference titled The Fight against Anti-Semitism: a common approach to better protect Jewish communities in Europe. From politics to action. The Romanian official will also participate in the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions, to present the priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Viorica Dăncilă is accompanied in Brussels by the minister delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, and the minister for European funds, Rovana Plumb.



    ROMANIAN-US RELATIONS– Romanian deputy prime-minister Ana Birchall, on a visit to the US, has reiterated the Romanian Governments firm commitment to further develop the relation with the US on all dimensions of the Strategic Partnership. According to a communiqué, during her official visit to the US, Ana Birchall has had talks with several US high officials with responsibilities on the relation with Romania. They approached issues of high interest on the bilateral agenda, such as organising the Romania-US Strategic Dialogue, whose last session was held in Bucharest, in June 2018. The officials also tackled opportunities of cooperation with the Romanian side to promote common objectives on the trans-Atlantic agenda, such as Romanias priorities during its tenure at the helm of the Council of the European Union.



    STATE OF THE UNION – US President Donald Trump has launched an
    appeal for unity in his State of the Union address in Congress on Tuesday.
    An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only
    thing that can stop it is foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous party
    investigations, he said. His remarks came as Democrats who now control
    the House planned a series of probes into the Trump administration, while
    Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller investigates Russian involvement in the 2016
    presidential election, Euractiv writes. The US President has underlined
    that his agenda is a national one, in the interest of all Americans. Donald
    Trump, who has made migration policies a priority of his second year in office,
    has devoted much of his address to this issue, calling on Congress to defend
    the US’s southern border from illegal migration.

    MACEDONIA – The NATO member states have today signed in Brussels, the NATO Accession Protocol with Macedonia, an important step towards accepting that Baltic country as the 30th member of the organisation. Macedonia will be allowed to participate from now on, in NATO meetings, as observer, until all allied countries ratify the accession protocol. This step has been taken after the resolution of a protracted dispute between Skopje and Athens on the name of the country. The former Yugoslav republic agreed last year to change its name into The Republic of North Macedonia, to thus make a clear distinction between the former Yugoslav republic and the old Greek province of Macedonia. The name change will become official once Greece has ratified the accession protocol.


    FLU – The number of people who succumbed to the flu in Romania stands at 89, according to the latest data released by National Centre for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases. Doctors call again on people to get the anti-flu shot. Almost all people who died of the flu virus had not been vaccinated. Some 1.3 million people have been vaccinated so far, and the Health Ministry has purchased another 30,000 doses of the vaccine for people in the high risk category: people with chronic diseases, pregnant women, children and elderly people. A flu epidemic has officially been declared in Romania, because of the fast-paced spread of the virus and the high number of flu-infections and deaths. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • September 12, 2018

    September 12, 2018

    VISIT — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is today receiving in Bucharest the Dutch PM Mark Rutte. According to the Presidential Administration, the talks will cover issues on the European agenda and the stage of bilateral relations. Romania’s holding the presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019, the EU’s future Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, ways to tackle migration and Brexit are also some of the focal points of the talks. Mark Rutte will also have a meeting with PM Viorica Dăncilă. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Government, the Netherlands is the largest investor in Romania, and the emerging Romanian community in that country has a significant contribution to the Dutch economy and society.



    MOTION — The Romanian deputies have today rejected the simple motion “The Social Democratic Party’s batons, a slap in the face of Romanian democracy”, tabled by the National Liberal Party, in opposition, against the Social-Democratic Interior Minister, Carmen Dan. During Tuesday’s debates, the line minister claimed the gendarme intervention at the anti-governmental meeting of August 10 in Bucharest was legal and she gave assurances that all those proven guilty of committing violence will be brought to justice. The Opposition is however saying the gendarmes used banned intervention practices against the protesters, who were –most of them- peaceful.



    BREXIT — The European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, has today delivered his last State of the Union speech before the European Parliament. As the UK’s withdrawal from the EU is scheduled for March 2019, Jean-Claude Juncker has said the British government should understand that those leaving the community bloc will no longer enjoy the same privileged status as a EU member state. In another move, the European official has proposed a new economic partnership between the Union and the African continent and the significant strengthening of the Frontex European agency by 2020. Jean-Claude Juncker has also announced that the Commission will come up with proposals to strengthen the European currency against the dollar, by the end of the year. France Presse recalls that Jean-Claude Juncker’s term in office, which will come to a close on October 31, 2019, started when the Greek crisis was at its peak, as a result of the world economic and financial crisis.



    HUNGARY — A report which is criticising the rule of law in Hungary and calls for the suspension of Budapest’s rights to vote in the EU Council is today voted upon in the European Parliament. The debates on the report were held on Tuesday, in the presence of the Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, who accused the European Parliament of trying to blackmail Budapest as regards its policies on migration. The report quotes the concerns expressed by the UN and Council of Europe rapporteurs about an increasing number of accusations denouncing the border police authorities’ abuse against asylum seekers and migrants. The document also brings into the focus of attention restrictions on the freedom of the press and concerns about the electoral system.



    CATALONIA — Approximately half a million Catalans on Tuesday took part in a rally in Barcelona, in favour of Catalonia’s independence from Spain, on the occasion of Catalonia’s Day. The secessionists called for the recognition of the referendum which was declared illegal last year and for the release from prison of those who organised it and declared the independence of the region. The Catalan leader Quim Torra encouraged, as early as a week ago, the massive mobilisation of separatists. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Madrid, the current government led by Pedro Sanchez, has launched the idea of holding a public consultation on Catalonia’s greater autonomy, but not for its independence and he reactivated the bilateral cooperation commissions between Madrid and Barcelona.



    MEDAL — A Romanian military, Victor Bogdan Bila, has been awarded by the US Army following his participation in the exercise “Saber Guardian”, carried out in 2017, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. The ceremony was held in the north-western city of Cluj-Napoca, at the headquarters of the 4th Infantry Division Gemina. Lieutenant Victor Bogdan Bila was awarded “The Army Achievement Medal”, in token of recognition for his involvement and support for the US troops.



    FLIGHTS— The Irish low-cost airliner Ryanair is today cancelling 150 of the 400 flights from and to Germany, because of a strike by pilots and flight attendants, who demand higher salaries and better working conditions. The management of the company deems the action ungrounded. In August, Ryanair faced the severest protest movement in its 33 year history, which affected some 55,000 passengers and led to the cancellation of some 400 flights. The strike was started by pilots in Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden and Belgium. Ryanair, the biggest low-cost airliner in Europe, given the number of passengers is operating flights on 21 routes in Romania.

  • 2016 State of the Union

    2016 State of the Union

    The European Union will survive Great Britain’s decision to leave the community block, but it must immediately overcome crisis undermining it on the inside, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday, as part of his State of the Union address delivered before the European Parliament. The EU official said the next 12 months are crucial for Europe, providing a series of concrete measures addressed to strengthening the unity between Eastern and Western Europe. The measures also include developing common military resources that might lead to the setup of a single headquarters of the EU.



    Romanian MEP Norica Nicolai says the Romanian military industry might benefit from this proposal: “We, at the Security and Defense Committee, have been long talking about the need to join military capabilities, because we do not yet have the capacity to build all the weapons such as a move might entail. The costs are really high, and the European industry fares pretty bad as compared to the United States. The fund devoted to research and innovation is addressed to the defense industry, and Romania might benefit by accessing the fund and making use of its defense industry”.



    The European Union, Jean-Claude Juncker said, has to strengthen its cohesion and protect its external borders against migratory flows. At the same time, Juncker has presented an investment plan for North Africa and the Middle East, aimed at dealing with the root causes of migration. The European Commission President has also argued in favor of strengthening the Juncker plan to boost economic growth across the EU. “Europe is not the Wild West, but a social market economy”, Juncker said. The EU official also wants to increase the protection of local industries by counteracting social dumping. Jean-Claude Juncker has also referred to youth unemployment. In the absence of concrete measures, young people today “might be the first generation in 70 years to be poorer than their parents”. The European Commission President also called on the EU Commissioners to liaise with their national Parliaments over the next few weeks so as to discuss the state of the union with local deputies and senators.



    Romanian MEP Viorica Dancila says a talk on European projects is a great idea for Bucharest: “I believe that each Commissioner should go home and talk about the projects he is responsible for, because time is scarce”.



    Last but not least, the European Commission is also planning a thorough reform of the telecommunications market, so as to be able to fully deploy a 5G network of mobile communication systems across the European Union by 2025.