Radio România Internațional

Tag: statistics

April 12, 2022

Measures — The Romanian finance minister, Adrian Câciu, has said that the package of social and economic measures “Support for Romania”, announced on Monday evening by the ruling coalition leaders, mainly targets the economy, maintaining jobs, and supporting vulnerable people. The package agreed upon by the Social Democratic Party – PSD, the National Liberal Party – PNL and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR is worth over 17 billion lei (about 3.5 billion Euros). The measures include the granting of 50-Euro vouchers every two months for the purchase of basic foodstuffs for low-income families and 30 – Euro vouchers for the more than 150,000 students who receive social scholarships. This amount will be used for food, school supplies and clothing. Other measures proposed are a minimum gross salary of 3,000 lei in agriculture and the food industry as well as money for investments.

Visit — The European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, continues today her visit to Bucharest, where she participates in a video conference with the transport ministers from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The commissioner announced her intention to discuss with the Romanian officials the ways for a better absorption of EU funds for infrastructure and to find solutions for rail, road, river and sea freight transport from Ukraine and Moldova, Romania’s neighbors. On Monday, the PM Nicolae Ciuca and the European Commissioner for Transport agreed to work closely with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to facilitate the transport of goods. The agenda of talks also includes the development of the transport infrastructure in Romania, and the impact of the crisis in Ukraine, respectively.

Statistics — In Romania, the annual inflation rate rose to 10.15% in March, from 8.53% in February, against the backdrop of higher prices for non-food products, foods and services, according to data published today by National Institute of Statistics (INS). Consumer prices augmented by 1.9% in March compared to February. The inflation rate at the beginning of the year (March 2022 compared to December 2021) stands at 4%. At the same time, the annual inflation rate in March 2022 compared to March 2021 is 10.2%. The central bank forecasts an inflation rate of 11.2% at the end of the second quarter of this year, 10.2% at the end of the third quarter of this year and 9.6% at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022.

Accession — After Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Romanias neighbor, also received the European Commissions questionnaire for EU accession discussions. The document marks a starting point for a membership decision, being a first step in a long process that should bring Moldova the official status of a candidate country for EU accession. Romania insists on the community bloc receiving its two neighboring countries as soon as possible, following Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine – The next period is crucial for Ukraine, Western officials say, as the Russian forces are getting re-equipped and redistributed. President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Russia is concentrating tens of thousands of soldiers for the next offensive in eastern Ukraine. About 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were made prisoner by the Russian troops, according to Kyiv Independent. On the other hand, the White House expects even greater atrocities in Ukraine committed by the Russian troops under the command of General Aleksandr Dvornikov, recently appointed commander. He is nicknamed the “Syrian butcher” after being at the command of the Russian forces involved in the Syrian civil war, during which they brutally bombed numerous civilian targets. The US and the UK are looking into reports according to which chemical weapons have been used by Russian forces in attacks on Mariupol, a strategic port city under siege for more than a month. The Ukrainian Azov Battalion, barricaded in Mariupol, claims that a Russian drone dropped a toxic substance on the soldiers and civilians in the area, saying that several people were suffering from respiratory and neurological problems. More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Mariupol since the invasion began, Mayor Vadim Boicenko announced.

Refugees — More than 72,000 people, including 8,350 Ukrainian citizens, entered Romania on Monday, according to the Border Police. 4,924 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania (slightly increase by 0.9%) through the border crossing with Ukraine, and 1,505 (increase by 8.1%) through the border with the Republic of Moldova. Since the start of the crisis, until Monday, more than 685,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. (LS)

12 April 2022
December 27, 2021

Covid – One year since the administration of the first Covid vaccine dose in Romania, the country is on the last but one place in the EU in terms of the vaccination rate, with almost 7.8 million Romanians being fully vaccinated, i.e. just over 40 % of the total population. The data also show that almost 2 million Romanians have so far had the third dose. The situation reveals a rather low interest in vaccination, except for short periods of enthusiasm or fears caused by successive waves of the pandemic. A total of 566 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported in the last 24 hours and 24 deaths, the Strategic Communication Group reported on Sunday. About 450 patients are in ICUs, over 90% of them being unvaccinated.

NATO — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has decided to convene on January 12 a NATO-Russia Council – a co-operation body set up in 2002, now suspended due to the conflict in Ukraine – and he is in contact with Moscow on the matter, an Alliance official in Brussels announced. On Thursday, Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed his support for Ukraine and his determination to protect all NATO allies against Russias actions, adding that he was always open to dialogue with Moscow. Russia and the West accuse each other of challenging actions by strengthening military capabilities at common borders. Russia wants a firm guarantee that NATO will not accept Ukraine as a member, a request that NATO rejected in the past, as well as to limit Western military cooperation in Eastern Europe and the former USSR member states. President Vladimir Putin did not say how Russia would react if its demands were not met, stressing that the answer depended on the proposals the military experts present him with. The EU, the US and NATO have warned Moscow that there will be serious consequences in case of a military escalation.

St.Stephen — Today, the majority Orthodox Christians in Romania, and the Greek Catholics celebrate St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He was a contemporary of the apostles of Jesus Christ and was one of seven deacons chosen to serve in the first Christian community in Jerusalem. Stephen was accused of blasphemy by Jewish clerics and was stoned to death. The New Testament recorded his last words, when he was asking God to forgive his murderers. Over 500,000 Romanians, most of them men, celebrate their name day on December 27, Saint Stephen Day. According to the Directorate for Persons Record and Databases Management, the most common is the first name Ştefan, along with the forms Fane, Fănel, Istvan, Ştefănel or Ştefănuţ, while most women who have Saint Stephen as their spiritual patron have the first name Ştefania.

Statistics – Romanian households remained on first place in the EU in 2020 in terms of the share of food and non-alcoholic beverage spending out of the total consumption expenses, show data released by Eurostat on Monday. While in the EU the average is 14.8%, Romanian households last year allocated 26.4% of total consumption expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages. On the other hand, Romania is better than most member states when it comes to the share of expenses on housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels out of the total household consumption expenditure. At EU level, these expenditures accounted for more than a quarter (25.7%) of the total consumption expenditure in 2020, while in Romania the percentage was 18.8%. According to Eurostat, these increases are a consequence of the quarantines and mobility restrictions that have been imposed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. (LS)

27 December 2021
October 5, 2021

Covid — The Romanian authorities have decided to activate, today, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in order to purchase Tocilizumab, medication used to treat COVID-19. The head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, explained that the decision was made given that in two or three weeks’ time there could emerge problems related to Tocilizumab stocks in Romanian hospitals. He added that they were also considering asking for certain equipment, especially individual medical oxygenators. More than 8,000 new SARS-CoV-2 cases were registered on Monday in Romania, out of over 32,000 tests. During the same period, 133 Covid-related deaths were reported. At least 14,000 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are hospitalized in specialized health facilities, and almost 1,500 patients are in ICUs. The Covid incidence rate, cumulated in 14 days, is higher than or equal to 3 per thousand inhabitants in almost 190 cities and about 990 communes. On the other hand, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the administration of the third dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to people over 18, pointing out that protection against COVID-19 may decrease in time, after the first two doses. In Romania, the third dose started being administered last week.

Motion – The minority government in Buchararest made up of the National Liberal Party — PNL and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania — UDMR headed by the Liberal Florin Citu has been dismissed today through a no confidence motion. The motion was initiated by the Social Democratic opposition and voted by Save Romania Union – USR (center-right), a former governing partner and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR. 281 parliamentarians voted for the departure of the Citu government, the minimum number required being 234. Before the vote, the prime minister, who is also the Liberal Party leader, announced that the Liberal officials would participate in the plenary debates, but would not vote.

Visit — The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, participates, as of today, in Brdo, Slovenia, in the two-day informal meeting of the European Council and in the EU – Western Balkans Summit. According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, high on the agenda of the European Council meeting is the EU’s role at global level. The situation in Afghanistan, the security agreement between the US, Great Britain and Australia, as well as the relations with China will also be addressed. The EU-Western Balkans Summit will discuss issues related to reaffirming the European perspective for the countries in the region, to cooperation with these countries so as to manage the socio-economic effects of the pandemic, as well as to strengthening dialogue and cooperation in the political and security domains.

Investigation — Countries and political leaders have rejected recent revelations by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists according to which hundreds of officials and people in their entourage have hid billions of dollars through offshore companies, mainly for tax evasion. Published on Sunday, this investigation, in which about 600 journalists have been involved, is entitled Pandora Papers and is based on about 12 million documents that have brought to light over 29,000 offshore companies. Among the officials targeted are: King Abdullah II of Jordan, people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Czech PM Andrej Babis, the Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, and also Colombian singer Shakira and the German model Claudia Schiffer. In most countries, these acts are not considered criminal, but, in the case of political leaders, journalists also talk about the contrast between their anti-corruption discourse and their money placements in tax havens. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists includes professionals from over 100 countries and territories.

Facebook — The social networking platform Facebook and its WhatsApp and Instagram services are functional again, after, on Monday, they went out of order for several hours thus being unavailable for billions of users around the world. According to Facebook, the interruption was caused by a faulty modification of its servers. Analysts noted that the incident occurred in the context in which an internal integrity alerter stated that Facebook always gave priority to benefits over safety. Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager who initially published numerous company documents on condition of anonymity, revealed her identity and is to testify in the US Senate in an internet protection investigation. She says the choices made by the Silicon Valley giants leadership represent a huge problem for children, for public safety and democracy.

Statistics – Last year Romanians earned, on average, a gross salary of about 5,100 lei (about 1,030 Euros), registered at the level of the national economy in 2020, the National Institute of Statistics shows. This is an increase of 7.4% as against the previous year. The net salary was 3,217 lei (about 650 Euros), higher by 7.7%. The most profitable sectors are IT&C, financial brokerage and insurances, Public Administration and the production and supply of electricity. At the opposite pole are the hotels and restaurants, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and real estate. (LS)

5 October 2021
January 19, 2021 UPDATE

Vaccination campaign – The second stage of the national vaccination campaign against Covid-19 is currently under way in Romania. Valeriu Gheorghiță, the campaign coordinator, announced on Tuesday, in a press conference, that Romania has contracted sufficient vaccine doses, and starting with the second quarter of the tear, the number of delivered doses will increase significantly. He added that 299 vaccination centers were opened across the country in the second stage of the campaign. Over 233 thousand Romanians have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 since the start of the campaign, on December 27, and over 800 common and minor side effects have been registered. The second stage targets people over 65, people with chronic diseases and employees in key areas. About 6 million Romanians have the right to be vaccinated in this stage. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 697,000 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the country and more than 630,000 patients have recovered, according to the Strategic Communication Group. Most new cases of COVID-19 are registered in Bucharest. The total number of Covid-19-associated deaths is 17,369. 1,050 patients are currently in ICUs.

Travel conditions — The persons who have received the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine at least 10 days before coming to Romanian will no longer be quarantined, the National Committee for Emergency Situations announced. The Committee established the same conditions for those who were in direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person more than 10 days after being vaccinated with the second dose. Also, people confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 might end the quarantine period on the 10th day if they take a test and the result is negative. Children traveling with vaccinated parents to countries with a high incidence of COVID-19 will be quarantined for ten days upon returning to Romania, as they can risk spreading the disease, said Florentina Furtunescu, a representative of the National Public Health Institute. In another development, the list of states with an epidemiological risk has been updated. Thus, no country is in the red zone, and the yellow zone includes 48 countries, among which the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France and Germany.

Statistics – The National Strategy and Forecast Committee has revised slightly downwards Romanias economic growth in 2021 from 4.5%, as estimated last autumn, to 4.3%. The Committee also forecasts private consumption rate of only 3.7%, as against 4.6% as estimated in the autumn, and a trade deficit of minus 21.4 billion Euros, slightly higher than the autumn forecast. The average exchange rate this year is going to be 4.89 lei per 1 Euro, as compared to the autumn estimate. The end-of-the-year inflation is forecast at 2.2%, slightly lower than the previous estimate of 2.5%.

Brussels — The President of the Republic of Moldova, pro-Western Maia Sandu, said that she managed to unblock the dialogue with the European Union, affected by the policy of her pro-Russian predecessor, Igor Dodon. Maia Sandu met on Monday and Tuesday, during her official visit to Brussels, with the most important European leaders, emphasizing that the EU is the main partner of the Republic of Moldova in the fight against corruption, in reforming institutions and in strengthening the rule of law, according to Radio Chisinau. Maia Sandu had a meeting with the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, during which they tackled the political developments in Chisinau and the reforms on the European agenda of Rep. Moldova. The Moldovan President also met with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who assured her that she could count on the Unions support in the reform process and in the anti-corruption fight. During the meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, the two officials agreed on re-establishing the complex political dialogue between Chisinau and Brussels and discussed ways to have a more active cooperation on regional security.

Ambassador — The US Ambassador to Bucharest, Adrian Zuckerman, on Tuesday met with the Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu, at the end of the American diplomats mandate. Adrian Zuckerman was accompanied by the deputy head of the Diplomatic Mission, David Muniz, who will become “Chargé dAffaires” after the ambassador’s departure, on January 20, shows a press release of the US Embassy in Bucharest. The talks of the three officials focused on the progress reported in the past year in the bilateral relationship and on the continuation of cooperation on numerous projects, including the one on the Cernavoda nuclear power plant (in southeastern Romania). The Romanian prime minister thanked Ambassador Zuckerman for his involvement in the bilateral relationship, adding that he was looking forward to working with David Muniz. The latter assured PM Cîțu that the Romanian-American relationship would remain close under the Biden Administration and expressed his interest in further strengthening the Strategic Partnership. (tr. L.Simion)

19 January 2021
The Week in Review August 10-17

State of alert to be extended in Romania

A 30-day extension period for the state of alert has been put in place in Romania, as the current state of alert ends on August 15. The Government has issued the decision against the backdrop of a significant increase in COVID-19 infections and because of the reported deaths caused by the new Coronavirus. The plight this week has seen its highest since the outbreak of the pandemic. Healthcare Minister Nelu Tataru has stated the number of cases would increase the coming week as well, since most people are on vacation.

Nelu Tataru:

“The summer season is in full swing, while relaxation is at its highest. We are at a time when we deal with an appreciable number of infection cases, weve been carrying tests on an extensive scale for COVID-19 infection suspects and a side effect of that will be the great number of people who test positive for the infection. Whats most important for us is to maintain the capability to manage infection cases in the context of clinical symptoms and here Im mainly speaking about cases of medium difficulty, but also about severe and most serious cases, requiring ICU therapy, where our resources are limited.”

Healthcare Minister Nelu Tataru went on to say that in hospitals countrywide, more than 1,000 beds were available in Intensive Care Units, with mechanical ventilators in place for patients in highly critical condition.

Government report on how the pandemic has been managed in Romania, presented before Parliament

Romanias Prime Minister Ludovic Orban in Parliament on Wednesday presented a report on how the COVID-19 pandemic has been managed across the country. Prime Minister Orban also provided the Parliament with the measures to be taken in order to contain the number of infections. Other key points of the presentation were the organization of the local elections on September 27 and the issue of opening the school year in September. PM Orban presented the report at a time when in the last couple of weeks, Romania has seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 infections and of people who died because of the virus, and at that, the Prime Minister said, the healthcare system has been stretched beyond its limits. Ludovic Orban explained the number of infections saw their peak at a time when no legislation was available for the Government pertaining to quarantine and lockdown, following a decision the countrys Constitutional Court took to that end, and because relaxation measures were introduced gradually across the country. PM Orban emphasized that, as soon as Parliament made available all the legal instruments required, which are in place in all European states, the Government could in turn implement the measures that were most needed under the circumstances. Orban called on MPs to back the governments effort to persuade people the solution to contain the spread of the virus was to comply with the regulations that have been put in place. PM Ludovic Orban also said that since March to the present day the daily testing capacity has enhanced significantly, from 4,500 tests to 25,000 tests. Also, control operations have been carried much more often and a great number of fines have been placed in the case of wrongdoers. The Prime Minister reiterated the fact that September 14 was the date when the new schoolyear would start in Romania. Ludovic Orban also specified that wearing a protection mask would be compulsory in the schools where classes will be resumed on a normal basis. Orban went on to say disinfectants must be made available in all educational units and, wherever possible, transparent partitions will be installed as a supplementary protection measure. PM Orban also broached the issue of local elections, specifying elections could be organized with no higher risk of infection. Ludovic Orban also emphasized that everybodys safety entirely depended on candidates and supporters being honest and compliant during the election process. Interim President of the opposition Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu, lambasted the Liberal Government for literally destroying the economy. Ciolacu went on to say the Government did little, if anything, to make sure schools welcomed pupils and staff for the new schoolyear in safe conditions. According to Ciolacu, the Liberals had the local mayors and school principals bear the burden of such an undertaking.

Worrying economic statistics

The National Statistics Institute has reported a 12.3% decrease in the second quarter this year as compared to the first quarter, and a decrease standing at 10.5% as against the second quarter in 2019. Finance Minister Florin Citu Thursday evening announced the National Statistics and Prognosis Commission had also revised its estimates for Romanias economic progress in 2020. According to Citu, the institutions forecast for the countrys economic contraction went up to 3.8 % as against the previously reported percentage, standing at 1.8%. The European Commission has published the economic forecast for the summer and at that, a sharp drop will be reported for Romanias GDP in 2020, standing at 6 %. Finance Minister Florin Citu also announced the reported 6.7% budget deficit would go up to 8.6% of the GDP. According to Citu, the increase was caused by a drop in budget revenues triggered by the economic crisis and an increase in expenditure generated by the efforts to contain the sanitary crisis. For the present budget rectification, the second one this year, Romanias Finance Minister pledged more sums of money would be earmarked for the healthcare, education and transport sectors. Citu also vowed the present budget rectification would also provide sums for increased pensions.

Celebratory events held on Romanians Navy Day, and events held on the National Day of the commemoration of the Brancovan martyrs, at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 edition of Romanian Navy Day, each year celebrated on August 15, this year also marks 160 years since the Romanian Naval Forces have been established. Quite unlike the previous years, for their great part events have moved online, since everything has been adapted to the new measures that have been implemented to contain the spread of the COVID-19 infections. In another move, through a recent parliamentary decision, August 16 is the day when, for the first time ever, the National Day for the commemoration of the Brancovan Martyrs is observed, also as an awareness-raising day of violence targeting Christians. The eventual aim of observing such a day is to keep the laypublic informed on the role Christianity played in the history of Romania, as well as on the origins and scope of the persecution of Christians. In 2020, the aforementioned commemoration takes place on the same day when the Sunday of Romanian migrants is observed. The day has been dedicated to Romanian migrants since 2009. It is observed on the first Sunday after the Orthodox feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

15 August 2020
More than 1,000 people killed by COVID-19 in Romania

The number of people killed by the new coronavirus in Romania has exceeded the threshold of 1,000 persons. According to the Strategic Communication Group, which publishes the official figures reported by the authorities on a daily basis, around 16,000 people have been contaminated across Romania since the confirmation of the first case of coronavirus infection in the country, at the end of February. The good news is that about half of the infected people have recovered from the infection.

For more than two weeks now, the active cases of coronavirus infection in Romania have stabilized at around 7,300-7,500. Moreover, the average number of people who have recovered started to get closer or even exceed, in some days, the number of new contaminations announced daily. But, the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units has remained constant in this period, at about 250 cases each day. So far, about 270 thousand tests have been processed across Romania.

Statistics show that Romania is the country with the highest number of deaths from Central and Eastern Europe. As regards the Romanian citizens in the Diaspora, the information provided by Romania’s diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad shows that around 3,000 Romanian citizens have been infected with the new coronavirus. More than half of these cases were reported in Italy, but many cases have equally been registered in Spain and Germany. Since the start of the pandemic, over 100 Romanian citizens from abroad have died, most of them in Great Britain, Italy and France — official data show.

Some experts say that the rate of infection with COVID-19 is the same for men, women and children, but their response to the infection is very different. The most vulnerable persons in the face of the new coronavirus are the old people and the people with chronic diseases, although gender is equally important. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most vulnerable people are the elderly suffering from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory system diseases and cancer. The pulmonary complications caused by the new coronavirus have killed more men, the WHO shows. As for children, they are not in the vulnerable category.

We recall that after two months of state of emergency in Romania, there will follow a ‘state of alert’ period which means that severe restrictions will be relaxed, but there will be new obligations. The authorities have announced that measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 are still needed. Therefore, as of Friday, May 15, face masks must be worn in public spaces and in public transportation means. During the ‘state of alert’ period, Romanians will no longer need a self-declaration to leave their homes, but they will need one to leave the city. (translation by L. Simion)

13 May 2020
March 19, 2020

Bucharest Parliament — Romania’s Parliament is having an online joint session today aimed at analyzing the request of President Klaus Iohannis on declaring a state of emergency for 30 days. It is for the first time that such a special procedure is used for debate and remote electronic voting, which was approved on Monday by the joint permanent bureaus of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In another development, the PM Ludovic Orban announced on Thursday increased penalties for those who prevent or thwart the effort of fighting the coronavirus epidemic as well as for those who make false declarations in relation to their possible contamination. The government also decided to increase the ceiling for guaranteeing credits for SMEs by almost 1 billion Euros. Also, the executive decided to ensure the payment of 75% of the gross salary for technical unemployment, but not more than 75% of the average gross salary, said Thursday the PM Ludovic Orban. So far 277 cases of COVID-19 infections have been reported on Romania’s territory, 25 people have recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.

MAE – The Romanian Foreign Ministry informs that 89 Romanian citizens returned home from Spain on Thursday, following the intervention of the Foreign and Transport Ministries’ officials. On Wednesday they facilitated the repatriation of 100 Romanian citizens: 74 from Malta and 26 from Egypt. According to the same source, the repatriations are part of the actions undertaken by the authorities to help the Romanian citizens who were abroad temporarily to return home and to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. MAE reiterated appeals to the Romanian citizens to avoid unnecessary trips abroad and recommended the Romanian citizens who are temporarily away from home to urgently return home. Also, MAE calls on the Romanian citizens with their domicile or residence abroad to strictly observe the recommendations of the authorities of those states and underlines that travelling to Romania is not recommended.

Coronavirus world — At least 219,000 cases of COVID-19 infections have been confirmed around the world and more than 8,800 deaths. China has announced that the COVID-19 community spread has ended and the new cases reported are from those people who return from abroad. In Italy the number of victims nears the total number reported in the Hubei region in China, where the virus appeared. As many as 3,000 people have died in Italy, 475 in the past day alone, which points to the biggest death toll since the coronavirus outbreak in the north of the country. In France the number of people infected with COVID-19 is well beyond 9,000 with 264 deaths reported. The EU has closed its borders for foreign citizens and banned non-essential travel in the Schengen area in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In this context the European Central Bank announced an emergency plan of 750 billion Euros for public and private debt in a bid to control the economic impact of the pandemic. According to estimates, the GDP in the Euro zone might drop by 5% this year.

Romanian Academy — The president of the Romanian Academy Ioan-Aurel Pop says that in the context of this ‘hugely bad situation’ represented by the coronavirus pandemic, Romanians have had a lot to gain in terms of communication, dialogue and kindness. He has urged people to help instate a climate of law and order. In a Facebook post Ioan-Aurel Pop writes that ‘this is no time to lament, but this is time to better adapt to the situation and go on’.

Statistics – The population of Romania, according to the domicile criterion, numbered 22.175 million people on January 2020, lower by 0.1% as against the same month of 2019 – show data provided by the National Institute of Statistics on Thursday. At the reference date, the population residing in urban areas was of 12.5 million people. Also the process of population aging intensified as compared to January 1, 2019, with a slow drop in the share of young people and a small rise in the share of old people. (translation by L. Simion)

19 March 2020
August 29, 2019

STATISTICS – Romania’s population stood at 19.4 million people on January 1,
2019, by 125,500 people less compared to the same period last year, reads a
provisional estimate of the National Statistics Institute made public today.
According to the Institute, the main cause of this demographic shrinkage is the
negative population growth rate. Another reason is the high number of
emigrants. Last year, some 240,000 people left the country, by 20,000 more than
in 2017. Population aging has also increased compared to January 1, 2018, the
number of people aged 65 and above being on the rise.

MEETING – Romania’s Defence and Foreign Ministers, Gabriel Les and Ramona
Manescu, are today attending the informal meeting of the EU’s Foreign Ministers
hosted by Helsinki. On the last day of the event a joint panel of the defence
and foreign ministers will focus on hot topics in the field of hybrid threats.
The meeting is chaired by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. Attending the panels were NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg and the UN Deputy Secretary General for Peace
Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. On Wednesday, talks tackled maritime
coordination, artificial intelligence and new technologies, as well as the
impact of climate change.

VISIT – US President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, John
Bolton, today on a visit to Chisinau, said the United States supports the
sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova, a country that must
decide its future without outside interference. Subsequent to his meeting with
Prime Minister Maia Sandu, John Bolton said Washington continues to support the
Moldovan Government’s efforts to settle the conflict in Transdniestr, a
pro-Russian breakaway region east of Moldova. According to Radio Romania’s
correspondent in Chisinau, Prime Minister Sandu outlined the main priorities of
her Government, including combating top-level corruption, reducing poverty and
creating opportunities for economic developments. Sandu and Bolton also
discussed the possibility of increased cooperation with NATO by means of a new
joint action plan.

VOLLEYBALL – The Romanian women’s volleyball team is today playing Azerbaijan
in the last Group C fixture at the European Championship in Hungary. In the
first four games, Romania defeated Hungary and Estonia 3-1, and lost to the
Netherlands and Croatia, nil-3 and 1-3, respectively. The first four teams in
each group will advance to the quarterfinals. This is Romania’s first
participation after a four-year break. Our best result was bronze in 1963.

FOOTBALL – Romania’s vice-champions FCSB are today playing Vitoria Guimaraes
of Portugal away from home in the return leg of the Europa League playoffs. The
first leg ended nil-all. On Wednesday, Romania’s champions CFR Cluj lost nil-1
away from home to Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic. In the first leg on home
turf, CFR had lost nil-1. CFR will however play in the Europa League group
phase this season.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 4, is today
playing Taylor Townsend of the United States in the second round at US Open.
Ana Bogdan, will be going up against Petra Martic of Croatia, while Sorana
Cirstea will take on Aliona Bolsova of Spain. Finally, in the men’s
competition, Marius Copil will play Gael Monfils of France.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

29 August 2019
March 13, 2019

BUDGET -
Parliament is today re-examining the 2019 draft budget. President Iohannis sent
the bill back to Parliament after the Constitutional Court ruled against his
objections tied to its elaboration. The ruling coalition has announced it won’t
make any modification, as the current dispositions ensure the necessary
resources for the most important economic fields. The President said budget
allocations are based on unrealistic estimates, affecting the functioning of
key public institutions as well as the development of local communities and the
implementation of strategic investments. Klaus Iohannis on Monday ratified the
social security budget for 2019, so that pensioners should not suffer from what
he has called the incompetence of the Social-Democratic Party.

MUSEUM -
Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Romania pays special attention to
combating anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and hate speech. The Romanian official
attended the conference titled The Future of Memory: The National Museum of
Jewish and Holocaust History in Romania. Viorica Dancila said this museum will
contribute to educating society and owning to some difficult moments in the
past. The Prime Minister said effective measures must be taken to combat
anti-Semitism and make sure Jews can live in safety in Europe. The Conference
was organized by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union,
in cooperation with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Elie Wiesel National
Institute for the Study of the Holocaust and the Federation of Jewish
Communities from Romania.

ELI-NP -
The Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics Center in Magurele today hosted
an event marking a remarkable breakthrough – the high-power laser has reached
and exceeded 10 Petawatts, a new world record. Experts believe this project can
pave the way for countless vistas of scientific research. The authorities in
Bucharest have congratulated the team of Romanian and foreign researchers. The
Government says it supported this complex project, one of the most important
European research facilities built with EU and national funds.

BREXIT -
The British Parliament is today voting on a no-deal Brexit after the House of
Commons yesterday voted against an agreement with the EU on Brexit for the
second time. If British MPs vote for a no-deal Brexit, London will most likely
call for a postponement of their withdrawal from the community bloc, originally
scheduled for March 29. Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her deep regret
with Tuesday’s vote and what she has termed the best and only possible deal.
EU Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier reacted to Tuesday’s vote, saying
the EU has done everything in its power to ensure the deal goes through and
that only London authorities can overcome this deadlock. European Council
President Donald Tusk in turn said the UK must come up with a good explanation
as regards any delay. In Bucharest, Minister Delegate for European Affairs
George Ciamba said the authorities will continue their efforts to protect the rights
of Romanian citizens in the UK and of British citizens in Romania.

STATISTICS -
The average net income in Romania has dropped to some 625 euros in January this
year, down by 0.7% as compared to December 2018, reads a report made public on
Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute. The highest level of the
average net income was reported in the IT services fields, while the lowest
level in the apparel manufacturing industry. The average net income has gone up
by 18.2% as compared to January 2018.

FLU
EPIDEMIC – The death toll of the flu epidemic in Romania has
reached 172, according to the latest report of the National Center for
Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases. The latest victim is a
68-year-old woman from Galati County infected with the type A flu virus. She
had no previous medical problems and had not taken the anti-flu vaccine.
According to the National Institute for Public Health, some 1.3 million people
have taken the anti-flu vaccine this season.

MOTION -
The right-wing opposition has filed a simple motion against Finance Minister
Eugen Teodorovici, to be debated on Monday in the Chamber of Deputies and voted
on Wednesday. Titled The Social-Democratic greed undermines national economy,
the document says the latest emergency decree introducing additional taxes for
banks, energy and telecom companies harms the country’s economy, and the
ministers responsible must be held accountable in Parliament.

MEETING -
Romanian Foreign Ministry Teodor Melescanu met with the Speaker of the
Parliament of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, who is on a visit to Bucharest.
Teodor Melescanu reiterated Romania’s support for North Macedonia’s European
accession efforts. Talat Xhaferi’s visit coincides with the Senate’s vote on
the ratification of North Macedonia’s NATO accession protocol, scheduled to
take place today. The vote is the final step in the process of adopting the law
ratifying the protocol, after the Chamber of Deputies cast its vote in
February.

TENNIS -
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep WTA no. 2 on Tuesday lost to Marketa
Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the round of 16 at Indian
Wells, a tournament with over 9 million dollars up for grabs. Halep won the
tournament in 2015 and reached the semi-finals last year. The pair made up of
Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands was ousted by Novak
Djokovic of Serbia and Fabio Fognini of Italy.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

13 March 2019
Worrying medical statistics

The
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October,
is dedicated to actions meant to raise awareness over the danger posed by this
disease. Statistics show that only two thirds of women with breast cancer are
over 50, the rest of them being 39 to 49. In Romania, in spite of a smaller
number of cases as compared to other European countries, the number of deaths
caused by this disease has doubled in the past 50 years and figures show that
almost 10 thousand new cases are diagnosed every year. Romanian Health
Minister, Sorina Pintea, says that education, prevention and the early
detection of this disease are crucial, given its growing incidence. Sorina
Pintea:

Cancer
is usually detected in its 3rd or 4th stage, which is
very late. We have started, as of May, a screening programme financed from
European funds, worth 21 million euros, that will help 40 thousand women from
the most underprivileged category. The programme addresses both insured and
uninsured patients, which is very important. Specialists say this form of
cancer is detected in increasingly younger women and not only in women aged
around 50, as it was the case before.

Cardiologists
don’t have good news either. They say that in Romania, cardiovascular diseases (CVD)
are the leading cause of death – 60% of the total number, and three times more
than the deaths from cancer. The head of the Romanian Society of Cardiology,
Dragos Vinereanu, signals the fact that the number of deaths caused by CVDs is
the main reason for life expectancy in Romania being by around 10 years lower
than in the other EU countries. Dragos Vinereanu made this statement on
September 29th, on World Heart Day, when he also said that CVDs kill
an increasing number of people aged around 30. In his opinion, the current
situation is closely related to the severe under-financing of the Romanian
health system, one of the smallest in the EU. Our weak point is early
prevention, although the impact of early prevention measures is less costly and
more effective,’ Dragos Vinereanu has also said.

(Translated by E. Enache)

2 October 2018
May 14, 2018

MOTION – The Romanian Senate is today debating and voting upon a simple motion by which the right of centre opposition calls for the resignation of education minister, Valentin Popa. The signatories, the Save Romania Union and the National Liberal Party, say that the distribution of university entrance seats has been made based on political criteria. Valentin Popa has said the distribution of free seats in higher education has been made based on several criteria, such as the correlation of specialities on the labour market. He gave IT as an example, saying universities in Romania fail to educate the necessary number of specialists, demanded by the firms active in the field. We recall that some of the best-known universities in Romania are discontent about the way in which the Education Ministry distributed the free seats among universities, in the 2018-2019 academic year.

INFLATION – In Romania, the annual inflation rate went up to 5.2% in March 2018, from 5% in the previous month, against the backdrop of a 7.2% increase in the price of non-food stuffs, of 4% in the price of services and of 2.8% in the price of services. A higher inflation rate was registered in June 2013, when consumer prices increased by 5.37%. On May 9, the National Bank of Romania revised upward to 3.6% the forecast inflation rate for the end of the year.

STATISTICS – Latvia, Greece, Estonia and Romania are the EU member states which have registered the most significant drop in investments, as compared to the GDP, since 2007, whereas Sweden, Austria and Germany have increased their investments, data made public on Monday by Eurostat show. In the 2007 – 2017 period, the most significant drop in investments (in both the public and private sectors) as compared to the GDP, was registered in Latvia (minus 16.5 percentage points), whereas Romania registered a 12.5% drop. Last year, the total volume of investments made by the EU member states amounted to some 3,100 billion Euros. The money invested in constructions accounted for half of the amount, followed by machinery, equipment, armament systems and articles related to intellectual copyright. Overall, in 2017, the total volume of investment stood at 20.1% of the GDP, as compared to 22.4% in 2007, ahead of the global financial crisis.

REMEMBRANCE DAY – A National Remembrance Day for the Martyrs of Communist Prisons is being marked in Romania on May 14. The decision is stipulated in a law promulgated last year. The day has been chosen as a remembrance of the night of May 14th to 15th 1948, when the communists who had just seized power in Romania, arrested over 10,000 Romanians who were opposed to the new regime. They were investigated, tried and thrown into prison. The detention system, similar to that in Soviet Russia was characterised by systematic physical and psychological terror. Until the overthrow of communism, in December 1989, prisons had been an instrument of political domination against all opponents: politicians of the inter-war period, the intellectual elite, clerics and religious believers.

VISIT – The president of the main opposition party in Romania, the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, is today meeting with the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, chancellor Angela Merkel. The Romanian official is currently on a visit to Germany. During his three day visit, Orban is also due to meet with MPs, German businesspeople, representatives of the federal government as well as with Romanians in the Diaspora, a press release issued by the National Liberal Party writes.

DIPLOMACY– The United States is today inaugurating the embassy in Jerusalem, after a controversial decision by President Donald Trump to recognise the city as the capital of Israel. The international community considers that the final status of Jerusalem should be negotiated during a peace process with the Palestinians. Most UN member states have criticised the American decision. President Trumps decision upset and infuriated the Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. In Bucharest, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has rejected the EU proposal calling on the member states to refuse that their embassies in Israel be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Romanian government has already adopted a memorandum on starting procedures to move the embassy, but president Klaus Iohannis said Romanias embassy cant be moved to Jerusalem without his consent.

NORTH
KOREA – US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has said
that Washington will lift the sanctions imposed on North Korea and will
contribute to reconstructing the North-Korean economy if Pyongyang agrees to
relinquish its nuclear arsenal. The American official said the talks held
recently with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, have been warm and substantive
and he added that there would need to be complete and verifiable
denuclearisation. The declarations come ahead of the meeting scheduled for June
12 in Singapore, between US President Donald Trump and North-Korean leader, Kim
Jong-un.

JAZZ FESTIVAL – Over 80 musicians the world over will attend the Gărâna Jazz Festival, in south-western Romania, one of the best known and most popular jazz festivals in the whole of Central and Eastern Europe, which , this year, runs between July 12 and 15. According to a communiqué issued by the organisers, the musicians will have the opportunity to perform live on three stages, to win over the public with American and European jazz, world music, fusion, son cubano – all elements specific to a “musical retreat in the middle of nature. The Gărâna International Jazz Festival is organised by the Jazz Banat Cultural Foundation, a member of the European Jazz Network. In the past 20 years, over 70,000 spectators and many outstanding foreign musicians have shared a special experience, that of listening to avant-garde jazz music in a small Romanian village, under the sky.(Translated by D. Vijeu)

14 May 2018
May 16, 2017 UPDATE

STATISTICS — Romania has reported the most significant growth of all 28 EU states, with a GDP increase of 5.6% in the first quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period of last year- shows the preliminary estimate published on Tuesday by Eurostat. After Romania, the biggest growth rates in the period January — March 2017 were reported by Poland and Lithuania (both with 4.1%). Also in the first quarter of 2017, as compared to the previous 3 months, Romania reported the highest economic growth rate in the EU, namely 1.7%. According to data published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics, Romania’s economy increased by 5.7% in the first quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period of last year.

PROTEST— As many as 15 thousand employees of the Romanian Ministry of Finance continued, Tuesday, their spontaneous protest against the draft law on the salaries of the public sector employees which could lead to salary cuts. On Monday as many as 22 thousand employees of the institutions subordinated to the Finance Ministry stopped work to start a spontaneous protest both in Bucharest and several counties of Romania. The talks between trade unions’ leaders and the finance ministry’s officials have ended in no result.

GENERAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL — The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Ana Birchall, participated on Tuesday in the meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels. According to a press communiqué, the European foreign affairs ministers debated the agenda of the future European Council meeting to be held between June 22- 23. High on the agenda were issues such as migration, security and defense, employment, economic growth and competitiveness, and foreign relations. Another issue on the meeting agenda referred to the presentation by the European Commission of the actions taken following the launch of the White Paper on the future of the EU. Minister Ana Birchall said that Romania supports the measures aimed at strengthening the single market, so as to ensure social cohesion, long-term economic growth and higher living standards for the European citizens.

CANNES — Romania director, scriptwriter and producer Cristian Mungiu is head of Cinefondation and of the short-film section at this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The festival’s 70th edition kicks off on Wednesday. As many as 14 Romanian shorts are presented within the Romanian Short Waves programme. Another Romanian director, Alexander Nanau, will be in Cannes as the director of photography of “Nothingwood” by Sonia Kronlund, a film to be screened within the “Quinzaine des réalisateurs” section.

CLIMBING — Romanian Horia Colibăşanu on Tuesday obtained a remarkable sport achievement at international level, which is also a national first, after he climbed on Mount Everest (8,848m), the highest mountain on the planet, without oxygen reserves and without the help of Sherpas. Horia Colibăşanu’s climbing lasted almost 12 hours, his last camp being set up at 8,300 m. He wants to climb the world’s all 14 peaks exceeding 8,000 meters. This has been Horia’s 19th international expedition.

MIGRANTS— As many as 30 foreign citizens, from Iraq and Syria, were caught by the Romanian border police at the border with Serbia while they were trying to illegally enter Romania, according to a release of the Territorial Inspectorate of the Border Police. The migrants that crossed the border between Serbia and Romania illegally, were heading for western Europe.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (44th WTA) was defeated on Tuesday by Latvian Anastasija Sevastova (17th WTA) in the first round of the Rome tennis tournament, with 2.7 million dollars up for grabs. After winning the Madrid tournament for the 2nd consecutive year, Simona Halep (4th WTA), will play on Wednesday, directly in the 2nd round, against the German Laura Siegemund (32nd WTA).

(Translated by Elena Enache)

16 May 2017
January 9, 2017

BAD WEATHER – In Romania, traffic has been resumed today on the motorway connecting the capital city to the Black Sea coast and on the national roads that had been closed after the heavy snowfalls of the past few days. Black Sea and Danube ports were also reopened, except for Drobeta Turnu-Severin, but transport on the Danube, where ice blocks have formed, is still affected. Checkpoints on the Bulgarian border remain closed down. We remind you that heavy snows severely disrupted road, railway and naval transport at the end of the week. The most severely hit was the south-east of the country, where many localities experienced power outings. Across the country, scores of trains have been cancelled and some flights delayed. Because of the extremely low temperatures, schools and kindergartens are closed today in 21 counties, particularly in the south and the east, Bucharest included. The measure will stay in place on Tuesday in 16 counties and the capital city. Nine universities in Bucharest, Constanta and Oradea have also suspended classes today and tomorrow. Authorities have announced that schools in Bucharest might remain closed on Wednesday as well, unless weather improves.

COLD WAVE, EUROPE – Extreme cold has hit the entire continent and has made at least 36 victims in the last few days, mostly in Italy and Poland. Italy is the worst affected, with temperatures reaching 60-year lows. One of the people who died in Italy because of the cold is a Romanian man living in Messina, Sicily. Greece was also hit by strong wind and heavy snows, which reached as far south as the Aegean islands and tested the refugees camped in Lesbos. Those who had been sleeping in tents were temporarily moved to heated accommodation or received blankets and sleeping bags. In Moscow, temperatures plummeted to negative 30 degrees Celsius, and in France to minus 20. Bad weather was also reported in Germany, Switzerland, and Poland, as well as on the Adriatic Sea coast, particularly around the Croatian town of Split, where the lowest temperatures in 50 years were reported. Biting cold has also gripped Hungary, Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The episode seems to have been caused by a glacial Polar Continental air mass which advanced south-westwards from Scandinavia.

PARLIAMENT – The Parliament of Romania convenes in a special meeting today, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and head of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea announced. He explained that the decision was needed in order to enable the government appointed by the Social Democrats and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats to issue government orders. The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, in opposition, sent the bill enabling the Cabinet to issue government orders during parliamentary recess to the Constitutional Court. The two opposition parties argued that the bill allows the Cabinet headed by the Social Democrat Sorin Grindeanu to amend organic laws by means of government orders, which comes against the Constitution. The Power on the other hand believes the Government activity would be otherwise hindered.

UNEMPLOYMENT – In Romania, the unemployment rate for November was 5.7%, the National Statistics Institute announced on Monday. The number of unemployed people reached 521,000, down both since the previous month and since the corresponding month of 2015. The unemployment rate stood at 6.5% among men and 4.7% for women, the National Statistics Institute also reported.

GOLDEN GLOBES – The film La La Land directed by Damien Chazelle was the great winner of the Golden Globes awarded Sunday night in Los Angeles. The musical won 7 trophies, in all the categories where it had been nominated, including best picture – comedy or musical, best screenplay, best director, original song, original soundtrack. The feature film Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins, won the award for “best picture – drama. Cassey Affleck walked away with the award for the best actor, for the part in Manchester by the Sea, and Isabelle Huppert won the “best actress, drama category. The Golden Globe award for lifetime achievement went to Meryl Streep.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

9 January 2017
April 8, 2016

In 2015 Romania’s GDP registered a real 3.8% growth as compared to the previous year, shows a report published by the National Institute for Statistics (INS) on Friday. The National Forecast Committee has revised up its forecasts on Romania’s economic growth in 2015 to 3.7% and to 4.2% for this year. In turn, the European Commission has improved its estimates on Romania’s economic growth for 2015, 2016 and 2017. According to the new data released in February, the EU executive estimates that Romania’s GDP growth in 2015 was 3.6%, the highest after 2008. In 2016, the GDP is believed to reach a peak of 4.2%, while in 2017 it would go down to 3.7%.

The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest is today ruling on the last court appearance in the ‘Referendum’ file, in which Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea got a previous suspended prison sentence of one year. Dragnea has been accused by DNA prosecutors of having coordinated a complex mechanism aimed at rigging turnout figures during the referendum on president Traian Basescu’s resignation. 74 other people, presidents and members of polling stations in 4 counties have been either acquitted or got suspended prison sentences in the same file. We recall that 87% of the voters voted for the president to step down, but the referendum didn’t get validation due to the lack of quorum.

WTA 34-th ranked tennis player Irina Begu of Romania on Thursday qualified for the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Charleston, South Carolina, with more than 687 thousand dollars in prize money, after defeating Monica Puig of Puerto Rico in three sets, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6. Begu will be up against the world’s second best player Angelique Kerber of Germany in the quarters. Head-to-heads revealed that Begu and Kerber are equal in terms of wins, two-all, but Kerber outperformed Irina in Charleston’s quarters last year.

Doctors in Romania are threatening with a warning strike unless their claims are met, mainly those related to work conditions and payment. The medical personnel is disgruntled with the law on unitary payment in the healthcare system, based on the minimum wage of 280 euros. The medical personnel has also claimed all the bonuses that have been cut and also the time of rest and relaxation. They have also asked for free medical services to all those working in the system. Hundreds of doctors took to the streets on the World Health Day on Thursday, while their representatives were attending talks with institution officials. The protest timetable announced last month include an all-out strike on April 18th leaving only one third of the activities managed by the personnel as well as emergency cases.

A Canadian frigate part of NATO’s Standing Naval Force Mediterranean is as of today making a three-day stop in the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta. During the visit, the commander of the Canadian fleet in the Atlantic, comodore Craig Baines will be participating in meetings with Romanian navy officials. The Romanian and Canadian sailors will be training together in joint anti-submarine exercises and surveilance operations. The mission is part of the collective defence measures.

Romania’s communication and transport infrastructure must be modernized and the people’s IT skills must be strengthened, the European Commissioner for Internal market and industry Elzbieta Bienkowska told a news conference in Bucharest on Friday. She encouraged the Romanian government to increase investment opportunities and EU fund absorption. The European official held talks with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos who briefed her on the government’s main objectives, one of them being the improvement of Romania’s investment climate.

8 April 2016
August 28, 2015 UPDATE

16 Romanian citizens are being investigated in the Hungarian capital city for participating on August the 26th in two different cases of human trafficking. In a news conference given in Bucharest, the press service of the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced two other Romanian nationals had been taken into custody in Hungary and are being investigated for the same reason. As regards the scores of migrants found dead in a truck which was left abandoned near the Austrian-Hungarian border, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has confirmed the owner of the truck is not a Romanian national and no Romanian citizen got involved in this dramatic incident, investigated by the Austrian police.

The total population residing in Romania remains under 20 million people, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute. On January 1, 19,861,000 people were residing in Romania, down 85,900 since the beginning of the previous year. The urban and female population account, respectively, for 53.8%, and 51.1% of the total, and the ageing phenomenon is deepening, the difference between the population over 65 and the young population of up to 14 years of age having widened to more than 300,000 people. The survey also indicates that Romania remains an emigration country, with a number of emigrants 42,000 higher than the number of immigrants last year.

The Bucharest Court has dismissed a notification filed by the management of the Romanian Air Traffic Authority (ROMATSA) regarding the unlawfulness of the strike announced by employees. Their union leaders announced an all-out strike starting September 1, unless an agreement is reached with the Transport Ministry on the unions demands. Air traffic controllers want a pay rise, the reduction of the retirement age from 65 to 55, improved working conditions as well as the resignation of the management. On July 15, the employees went on a two-hour token strike, an unprecedented situation in the Romanian air transport system. According to the Romanian Air Traffic Authority, which currently has around 1,500 employees, between 2,500 and 3,000 planes transit the Romanian territory every day. On Wednesday, union leaders from the state-owned sector announced that 85,000 public sector employees might express their solidarity with the air traffic controllers planned strike.

Romanian managers believe the economic situation of the country will improve slightly until the month of October, a conjectural investigation conducted by the National Statistics Institute shows. It is estimated that the volume of activity will grow in three of the four domains included in the analysis, the processing industry, trade and services, against the backdrop of a relative stability of prices. Also, the number of employees will go up in the field of trade and will further be stable in other sectors. The Secretary General of the Association of Romanian Businesspeople, Cristian Parvan, has told Radio Romania this high level of optimism is determined by the VAT reduction for foodstuffs and the decrease in oil price on the international market.

A delegation of the committee for the Romanians around the world with the Romanian Senate has started a working visit in Herta and Storojinetz counties and to Cernauti (Chernivtsy) in Ukraine. The members of the delegation will hold talks with Ukrainian government officials and with MPs on the rights of the Romanians living in the neighbouring state. The president of the committee, senator Marcel Bujor has told Radio Romania that most ethnic Romanians in Ukraine do not have access to education in their native language, do not have newspapers in Romanian, are facing difficulties in the effort to preserve their religious identity and do not have a representation at parliamentary level.

In Romania, the autumn session of the Baccalaureate exam concludes today, when over 36,000 high-school graduates give the last written test in their chosen major. The first results will be announced on September 1, appeals may be filed on the same day. The final results will be made public on September 4. Around 55,000 high school graduates took part in the autumn session of the Romanian Baccalaureate.

The date of early legislative election in Greece was set for September the 20th. Former Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras, who stepped down on August 21, agrees to this date, whereas some opposition parties, such as the New Democracy (conservative) and the Popular Unity (of the Syriza splinter group), prefer the date of September 27th, to benefit from a longer electoral period. The announcement is officially opening the election campaign and was made public just minutes after the first meeting of the new interim Greek government, led by Vassiliki Thanou.

The Romanian Youth Orchestra will open in Bucharest on Sunday night the 22nd “George Enescu International Festival. Nearly 2,500 foreign artists and 500 Romanian ones will take part in this years edition of the Festival. The participating orchestras include the San Francisco Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, conducted by the world famous Zubin Mehta, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. According to the organisers, the 2015 edition of the largest cultural event organised in Romania and the worlds leading promoter of the works of the great Romanian composer George Enescu, will take place between August 30 and September 20, and will consist in 58 indoor concerts and many other outdoor events.

For the first time in 12 years, Romania will have no representatives in the group stage of the European inter-club football competitions. Although on Thursday night Romanian champions Steaua defeated Norways Rosenborg Trondheim, 1-0 away from home, the Romanians were knocked off the Europa League play-off, because the Norwegian team had won in Bucharest 3-0. The new failure comes after Steaua was also eliminated from the third round of the Champions League by the Serbian team Partizan Belgrade. Also in Thursdays Europa League play-off, Astra Giurgiu failed to qualify, after losing 0-2, against the Dutch team AZ Alkmaar, which it had beaten in the first leg. The other two Romanian teams in the competition, vice-champions ASA Targu Mures and FC Botosani, were sent home from the qualifiers stage. According to Romanian sports media, the last hope for the local football fans remains the national team, which is the leader of the preliminary group of next years European Championships. Romanias next match in the group is scheduled for September 4, when the national team takes on Hungary in Budapest.

28 August 2015