Radio România Internațional

Tag: supplies

  • November 29, 2023

    November 29, 2023

    PENSIONS Romania’s former MPs may keep their special
    pensions, and Parliament is only allowed to eliminate these benefits in the
    future, the Constitutional Court ruled unanimously on Tuesday. On June 26,
    Parliament voted in favour of scrapping special pensions for Senators and Deputies,
    an obligation undertaken by Romania under its National Recovery and Resilience
    Plan. Close to 850 former MPs benefited from special pensions in May this year.


    INVESTIGATION The Senate of
    Romania is to decide on Wednesday whether to approve the request of the
    National Anti-Corruption Directorate to commence prosecution against the former
    PM Florin Cîţu for complicity to abuse of office in an investigation
    concerning the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines. Florin Cîţu said he would
    request his fellow Liberal Party members to lift his parliamentary immunity. Previously,
    president Klaus Iohannis forwarded to the Justice Ministry the prosecution
    requests concerning 2 former health ministers from Save Romania Union, Vlad
    Voiculescu and Ioana Mihăilă, and notified the General Prosecutor’s Office in
    this respect. The 2 are probed into for abuse of office in relation to the
    procurement of vaccines.


    CORRUPTION The mayor of the city of Baia Mare (north-west),
    Cătălin Cherecheş, who fled the country after being sentenced to 5
    years in prison in a corruption case, was apprehended in Germany, the Romanian
    Police announced. He was identified and taken into custody by the police in Bavaria based on the information provided by the Romanian
    authorities. Sources close to the investigation say the former mayor was aided
    by an aunt and was attempting to leave Germany when he was caught. Cherecheş
    had left the country on Friday, using the ID of a family member, and the procedures
    for returning him to the country are under way.


    NATURAL GAS Europe
    has taken major steps in terms of preparations for winter. Following the energy
    crisis in the post-pandemic period and the start of the Russian invasion in
    Ukraine, EU member states have replaced Russian natural gas with liquefied gas
    from the US and natural gas from Norway, and have unprecedented stocks. Reuters
    reports that in mid-November oil stocks were 12 million barrels above the season
    average of the past 10 years. Natural gas stocks are also at record-high
    levels, after consumption in the industrial sector dropped by around 13%. Average
    prices, adjusted to inflation, were around EUR 48 per megawatt hour, down from
    EUR 223 in August 2022, and analysts expect the downward trend will continue
    next year. Bucharest says Romania will not have problems with the supply of
    natural gas if temperatures remain normal this winter. The Romanian energy
    minister Sebastin Burduja said all gas storage facilities are full and the
    government has emergency supply plans in place if necessary.


    NATO The Romanian
    diplomacy chief Luminita Odobescu takes part in a 2-day meeting of NATO foreign
    ministers, held in Brussels. The meeting takes place in a complicated security
    context, with
    an impact on multiple geographic areas of interest, including the continuing
    Russian aggression against Ukraine, the military conflict between Israel and
    Hamas and tensions in the Western Balkans. The meeting also has special
    political importance in terms of the preparations for the 2024 Summit in
    Washington. Luminita Odobescu will highlight the strategic importance of the
    Black Sea for the Euro-Atlantic security and will plead for a more structured
    approach to the region, in line with the decisions taken by NATO in Madrid and
    Vilnius. The NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg hailed Germany’s boosting
    its support for Ukraine by EUR 8 bln and the additional EUR 2 bln provided by
    the Netherlands. He also mentioned the set-up of a training centre for Ukrainian
    F-16 aircraft pilots. (AMP)

  • February 6, 2023

    February 6, 2023

    TEAM Romanian president Klaus Iohannis
    has conveyed condolences on Romania’s behalf to Turkey, after the earthquake,
    which has recently hit that country and Syria. Romania is solidary with those
    affected by the tragedy, the Romanian president wrote on Twitter. The government
    of Romania decided to dispatch a specialized intervention team to Turkey, a
    country seriously affected by the powerful earthquake last night. The support
    comes after the international assistance request Turkey launched via the EU
    Civil Protection Mechanism. In another development, the Foreign Ministry
    informs that Romania’s embassy in Ankara has been contacted by a group of 10
    Romanian citizens – a professor and 9 Erasmus students – who were in a town
    affected by the earthquake. The 10 announced they are all right and requested
    consular assistance for repatriation. A 7.8 earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria last
    night killing hundreds and wounding thousands. The earthquake had the epicenter
    close to the Turkish city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border wreaking
    havoc on an infrastructure already affected by the war.








    ENERGY
    The Minister of Energy in
    Romania, Virgil Popescu, says the country has no problems regarding its natural
    gas supplies during the present winter season as it has enough quantities in
    store. At present we have 780 million cubic meters more than last winter -
    Popescu said. The Minister held talks with all the big importers of oil
    products in Romania who had diversified their sources in an attempt to avoid any
    shortages. Minister Popescu recalled that next winter, Romania is going to rely
    on no less than a billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan, under a
    contract signed a couple of days ago.






    DEBATES Romanian MPs are today debating
    upon the simple motion tabled by the opposition USR and the Force of the Right
    against the Liberal Interior Minister, Lucian Bode amid the forgery allegations
    he is presently facing. The signatories of a document entitled ‘Romania
    deserves better than thieves in public positions’, say the purpose of their
    move is to draw attention to the unacceptable long period of time spent in a
    public position by a man who deserves neither his academic title nor the
    respect of the Romania’s honest workers. The USR and the Force of the Right are
    blaming the minister for the humiliating failure Romania experienced in its
    attempt to join Europe’s border-free area, Schengen, as well as for the rigged public
    tenders for the purchase of cars by the clients of government structures. The
    motion will be voted upon on Wednesday.






    PROTESTS The Sanitas Trade
    Federation in Romania on Monday announced fresh protest rallies in Bucharest, aimed
    at denouncing the low salaries in this field of activity. Trade unionists are
    calling for a 15% pay rise and for a series of debates on the salary law and the
    proper funding of medical institutions. The protesters are going to gather in
    front of the government and start a march through the capital city, which will
    symbolically include several big hospitals in Bucharest.






    (bill)

  • December 18, 2022

    December 18, 2022

    COMMEMORATION Timisoara, a city in
    Western Romania, on Saturday kept a moment of silence in memory of the first
    victims of the Romanian anti-communist revolution 33 years ago. Following the
    orders given by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, officers with the Interior and
    Defence Ministries opened fire on the peaceful protesters who had taken to the
    streets of this martyr-city. The anti-communist revolt broke out in Timisoara,
    on December 16th and extended to Bucharest on December 21st and also to other
    cities across Romania. Over one thousand people were killed and about 3
    thousand were wounded in clashes between the protesters and troops of the Defence and Interior ministries all over Romania, the only country in eastern
    Europe where the communist regime was changed through violence and bloodshed.








    SPORT Romanian swimmer David Popovici
    on Sunday won the silver medal in the 200 meter free-style race of the FINA
    World Swimming Championship 25 meters in Melbourne, Australia. The Romanian
    came second after South-Korean Sunwoo Hwang with Tom Dean of Britain coming third
    in the race. Popovici’s prize closet also includes a European title in the 200
    meter free-style race, which he won in Kazan last year. In 2022 he walked away
    with gold in the 100 meter and 200 meter races both in the European and world
    championships.








    TALKS
    After heated debates on Saturday night, negotiators of the European Parliament
    and EU Council reached an agreement to overhaul the bloc’s carbon market,
    cutting planet-heating emissions faster and imposing new CO2 costs on fuels
    used in road transport and buildings. According to the Czech Environment
    Minister Marian Jurecka, the agreement will allow the EU to meet climate
    objectives within the main sectors of the economy while making sure the most
    vulnerable citizens and micro-enterprises are effectively supported in the
    climate transition.


    GAS Azerbaijan intends to slightly increase its gas exports to Europe in 2023,
    the country’s president Ilham Aliyev has said as Brussels seeks to replace the
    diminishing energy supplies from Russia, Reuters reports. On Thursday, Gazprom
    announced its exports to countries outside the Community of Independent States
    dropped 45.1% between January 1st and December 15th as
    compared to the same period in 2021. If Russia completely stops gas deliveries
    to Europe and Chinese gas demand rebounded from the Covid-19 restrictions, the
    EU could face a shortfall of 27 billion cubic meters of gas next year.








    FOOTBALL In the World cup finals in Doha, Qatar, France is defending against
    Argentina the title it obtained four years ago. On Saturday Croatia celebrated
    its win against Morocco for the third position in the ranking. After a third
    place in 1998 and the finals it lost against France in Russia in 2018, it has
    been Croatia’s third podium since the country declared its independence back in
    1991. Morocco, the revelation of this world cup edition, is the first African
    and Arab country to have made it to the finals of the prestigious competition.
    The Moroccans outperformed Spain in the round of 16 and Portugal in the
    quarters but lost to France in the semis.




    (bill)

  • November 7, 2022 – UPDATE

    November 7, 2022 – UPDATE

    DROUGHT In Romania, the total area affected by drought is more than
    one million hectares. According to the agriculture ministry, losses have been
    reported in most counties. The most affected crops include wheat, barley, oats,
    rye, rape, corn and sunflower.


    ENVIRONMENT Romania fully supports the EU in spearheading the
    efforts to limit climate change and the joint commitment of EU member states to
    reducing net greenhouse gas emissions, president Klaus Iohannis said on Monday
    at the Climate Implementation Summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt as part of
    the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27). We must ensure an orderly climate
    transition, with multiple benefits, including investments in research-development-innovation,
    green economy and job creation, the Romanian official also said. He emphasised
    that access to affordable energy can be secured through investments in low-carbon production capacities, in resilient energy networks and
    by creating a regulatory framework tailored for renewable energy. The cost of
    climate inaction is much higher than the cost of action. Climate change
    generates loss and economic as well as non-economic damages throughout the
    world, Klaus Iohannis pointed out.


    MOLDOVA Romania covers at present more than 90% of Moldova’s
    electricity needs, Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, said at a TV
    station. He also said the situation is serious in the neighbouring country,
    given its full dependency on foreign natural gas and electricity resources.
    According to Aurescu, Romania has also supported Moldova by supplying it with
    fuel oil and firewood. Bucharest has called on the international community to provide
    grants to Chisinau, so as the latter may purchase energy from the free market.


    ANI Romania’s National Integrity Agency (ANI) has found that the mayor
    of the capital city’s District 1, Clotilde Armand, has breached conflict of
    interest rules. According to a news release issued by the institution, Armand
    appointed herself as the manager of an EU-funded project, from which she
    obtained material gains. ANI has also announced it notified the Prosecutor’s
    Office and the Bucharest Prefect Office in this respect. A French citizen born
    in 1973, Clotilde Armand settled in Bucharest in 1999, after marrying a
    Romanian citizen. She was one of the founders of the current Save Romania Union
    (USR) in 2015, which she represented at the local elections of 2020 when she
    won the mayor seat of one of the capital’s richest districts.


    REACTION The Romanian Foreign Ministry denies the allegations made by
    Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent Unity Day speech, which falsely
    induce the idea that Romania would have territorial claims in Ukraine. In a news
    release, the Foreign Ministry reaffirmed Romania’s firm commitment to the
    independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its
    internationally recognized borders. In his speech, Putin talked about
    territories forcibly seized by Ukraine from Hungary, Romania and Poland.


    THEATRE The National Theatre Festival (NTF) continues in Romania
    until November 13. Theatre performances during this event will have in-person
    attendance, after two years of pandemic with online performances. The NTF
    includes over 60 theatre shows staged by public and independent companies from
    Romania and abroad. The festival, held this year under the motto, ‘Fragile
    borders. Fluid histories’ also includes an on-air section comprising a number
    of exquisite radio drama shows. (AMP)

  • November 6, 2022 UPDATE

    November 6, 2022 UPDATE

    GAS
    According to data released by the national company Transgaz, on Monday morning
    Romania will rely on 3 billion cubic meters of stored gas, which is tantamount
    to a storage degree of 97.7% of its total capacity. Romania has exceeded the
    quantity of stored gas in the same period last year by 701 million cubic meters.
    The minimum threshold of 80% approved for Romania in the new European
    Commission regulation was attained on September 17.








    REFUGEES According to the Romanian border police, roughly 187 thousand
    people crossed Romania’s borders either to enter or to leave the country on
    Saturday. They were Romanian and foreign citizens who used over 50,500 vehicles.
    Out of them 9,158 were Ukrainian nationals, 16.81% more than the previous day.
    According to a press release, since February 10th, two weeks before
    the Russian invasion, 2.7 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most
    of them transited the country for other destinations and over 86,500 decided to
    stay in Romania.










    SUPPORT Authorities in Bucharest are presently
    considering a series of alternatives to ease the access of population to firewood, after
    the initial cap of 80 Euros per cubic meter has led to a market crisis. One of
    the options could be the idea of granting vouchers to the needy. According to
    the country’s Environment Minister Tanczos Barna, the ordinance on capping
    firewood prices will be amended next week so that it may truly protect those
    who use firewood for heating in winter. He explains that the law, formerly
    endorsed by the Senate, will be amended in the Chamber of Deputies so that
    firewood may become available on the market again. A couple of days ago, the
    country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca admitted the initial capping measures
    had failed to yield the desired result. The opposition USR has drawn attention
    to the fact that the law has already caused irregularities on the firewood
    market.






    THEATRE The National Theatre Festival (NTF)
    continues in Romania until November 13. Theatre performances during this event
    will have in-person attendance, after two years of pandemic with online
    performances. The NTF includes over 60 theatre shows that have been mounted by
    state and independent theatre troupes from Romania and abroad. The festival,
    which this year unfolds under a suggestive motto, ‘Fragile borders. Fluid
    histories’ also boasts an on-air section including a series of exquisite radio
    shows.










    ENERGY Romania is presently covering over 90% of
    the neighboring Republic of Moldova’s need for electricity, Romanian Foreign
    Minister Bogdan Aurescu has told a TV channel. According to him, the situation has
    become severe in the neighboring country, which relies 100% on foreign supplies
    of gas and electricity. Aurescu has also mentioned Romania’s support for the
    neighboring country consisting in firewood and oil fuel. Romania has also called on the international community to give
    grants to the Republic of Moldova so that the country may buy energy on the
    free market. After the Russian invasion, Ukraine became unable to export energy
    to the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, Russian giant Gazprom announced
    in October its intention to diminish gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova due to
    the alleged disputes over the payment and the refusal of the Ukrainian pipeline
    operator to provide an all-out service for the transport of the Russian gas.
    According to Moldovan president Maia Sandu her country is presently seeing the
    severest energy crisis in its history.


    (bill)

  • The EU and its dependency on Russian gas

    The EU and its dependency on Russian gas

    The Russian giant Gazprom’s decision to unilaterally cut gas
    supplies to some EU countries is unjustified, unacceptable and is a provocation
    from the Kremlin, the chief of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
    has said. Von der Leyen made the statement during the works of the Gas Coordination
    Group shortly after Russia had cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after
    their refusal to pay in roubles. Ursula von der Leyen has branded the Russian
    giant Gazprom’s decision as an act of blackmail.


    Ursula von
    der Leyen: Gazprom’s announcement that is unilaterally
    stopping gas deliveries to certain EU member states is another provocation from
    the Kremlin. But it comes as no surprise that the Kremlin uses fossil fuel to
    try to blackmail us. This is something the European Commission has been
    preparing for in close coordination and solidarity with member states and
    international partners. Our response will be immediate, united and coordinated.
    First we will ensure that Gazprom’s decision has the least possible impact on
    European consumers. Today, the Kremlin failed once again in its attempt to sow
    division among member states. The era of Russian fossil fuel in Europe is
    coming to an end. Europe is moving forward on energy issues


    The European Union needs reliable energy
    suppliers and Russia’s latest decision proves it is not such a supplier the EU
    chief has also said. Ursula von der Leyen has given assurances that at the EU
    level, efforts are being made to ensure alternative gas supplies adding that the
    storage levels are presently the best in the entire Union. Ursula von der Leyen
    has also explained the decision to cut gas supplies affects Russia in the first
    place, as the country will reduce its revenues.




    She says that the sixth package of European sanctions will
    come at the right time and could also include sanctions against the Russian gas
    and oil. According to the EU official, the REPower action plan will this year
    start to contribute to the significant reduction of the bloc’s dependency on fossil
    fuels from Russia and that in mid-May the Commission will present plans aimed
    at stepping up the green transition.


    The EU has other options to offset the gas supply cuts, says
    the EU official who called on the members not to breach the sanctions imposed
    on Russia after the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. In March, president Putin
    announced that Russia would only accept payment in roubles for its gas
    deliveries to countries that are unfriendly to Russia. Brussels has described the move as a breach of
    contract though. Russia, which carries on its invasion of Ukraine, is presently
    denying the accusations of using gas as a blackmail instrument saying that it
    is a reliable energy supplier.


    (bill)





  • April 28, 2022

    April 28, 2022

    REFUGEES The number of Ukrainian nationals who crossed the border into Romania
    went up 30% on Wednesday compared to the previous day, reads a news release
    issued by the Romanian Border Police. As many as 8,635 Ukrainian citizens
    entered Romania in 24 hours, coming from Ukraine or the R. of Moldova. Since
    the start of the crisis over 2 months ago, over 800,000 Ukrainians have come
    into Romania. Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced in a
    conference in Geneva that over 8 million Ukrainian may leave their country.
    According to the UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, the Agency and its partners
    intend to raise USD 1.85 billion to support an estimated 8.3 million refugees
    in Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, as well as
    in other countries in the region, including Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech
    Republic.


    TROOPS The Romanian defence ministry announced
    that the Romanian Army currently has no troops deployed in the Rep. of Moldova
    to take part in drills or other joint training programmes. The statement comes
    after a Russian-language publication released fake news according to which
    Romania plans to attack Transnistria with NATO support, and then to
    annex the Rep. of Moldova, and claimed that Romanian troops have already been
    deployed to the neighbouring country. Disinformation on Russian channels
    follows a number of attacks by unknown perpetrators, which took place in the
    past few days in Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway region in the east
    of the Rep. of Moldova.


    NATURAL GAS The European Union
    told Russia it would not give in to blackmail, after Moscow discontinued
    natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, which had refused to pay for
    natural gas in rubles. The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen
    said the Union had other options to make up for the suspended deliveries, and
    warned member states not to breach the sanctions imposed by the EU after
    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We have to guarantee alternative supplies and the
    best possible storage levels across the EU, Von der Leyen explained. EU member
    states have implemented emergency plans for such a scenario and we have worked
    together in coordination and solidarity, the EU official added.


    ARMY Military ceremonies, concerts and competitions take place in Bucharest
    today to mark the Romanian Land Forces Day. Events are announced throughout the
    day, including ceremonies, cultural, scientific and educational events, sports
    competitions and military drills, book fairs, concerts and documentary
    screenings. In Arad (west), a military equipment exhibition opens today on this
    occasion, and on Saturday the city will host military and religious ceremonies.


    COVID-19 Nearly 1,150 new SARS-CoV-2 infection cases were reported in Romania on
    Thursday. The authorities have also reported 15 Covid-related deaths. Of the over
    1,200 patients in hospitals, 193 are in intensive care, and most of them are
    unvaccinated. Meanwhile, as interest in vaccination dropped significantly,
    immunisation centres are closing these days across the country. Those who want
    to get the vaccine will be able to do so only in family physician offices as of
    May.


    TENNIS The Romanians Simona Halep, Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu take part in
    the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, which starts today.
    Sorana Cîrstea takes on Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain (52 WTA). Simona Halep
    plays against Shuai Zhang of China (40 WTA), and Irina Begu faces Belinda
    Bencic (13 WTA) of Switzerland. WTA Madrid Open takes place between April 28
    and May 7. Simona Halep won the 2016 and 2017 competitions. (AMP)