Radio România Internațional

Tag: swine fever

  • December 14, 2018 UPDATE

    December 14, 2018 UPDATE

    EU SUMMIT – The EU long-term budget, the single market, migration and foreign relations, the Eurozone and Brexit were the key topics discussed in the winter European Council in Brussels, which ended on Friday. In the summit conclusions, the European Council says more needs to be done to ensure that the Single Market provides a solid underpinning for an outward-looking, confident and more autonomous European Union in a challenging global environment. With respect to migration, the EU leaders plead for vigilance on all existing and emerging routes, in particular in view of recent increases on the Western and Eastern Mediterranean routes. President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania in the summit, emphasised the importance of the cohesion policy and of the common agricultural policy in the new multi-annual budget framework. On the sidelines of the meeting, the President of Romania held talks with the British PM, Theresa May, to discuss the Brexit deal and the situation of the Romanian community in the UK. Klaus Iohannis mentioned that the withdrawal agreement would be a major element in guaranteeing the rights of those who live, work or study in that country. In turn, Theresa May appreciated the dialogue with President Klaus Iohannis, considering Britains prospective withdrawal from the EU during Romanias presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019.




    SWINE FEVER – African swine fever cases are currently reported in over 300 villages in 18 counties in Romania. The over 1,000 outbreaks affect 18 pig farms, and 500 other cases involve wild pigs. According to the National Veterinary Authority, 12 outbreaks have been closed so far in Satu-Mare County in the north-west, where the virus was first reported in Romania, last July. Veterinary authorities remind citizens that in order to prevent the virus from spreading, all susceptible animals must be culled, and owners will be compensated for their losses in keeping with the relevant legislation. African swine fever is not transmitted to humans, but it has major economic consequences.




    ATTACK – A 4th victim of the shooting in Strasbourg, who had been in a critical state since Tuesday night, died on Friday, Paris prosecutors announced. The perpetrator of the Strasbourg Christmas market attack was shot dead by the police on Thursday night. More than 700 police took part in the extensive manhunt operation.




    SPORTS – Romania Friday night lost the semi-finals of the European Womens Handball Championship to defending Olympic champions Russia, 22-28. The teams star player and leader Cristina Neagu, who is the highest scoring player in the history of the European championships, did not play on Friday, because of an injury in the match against Hungary on Wednesday, which Romania lost. The match for the European bronze is scheduled for Sunday. The national womens handball team has nonetheless ensured their ticket to the World Championship in Japan next year.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 25, 2018 UPDATE

    November 25, 2018 UPDATE

    BREXIT DEAL – The leaders of the EU members states, gathered in Brussels on Sunday, signed off the Brexit withdrawal agreement and the declaration defining the EU-Britain post Brexit-relation. The 27 EU member states have also stood for having as tight a relation as possible with London, after Brexit. The withdrawal agreement provides for the legal conditions under which Great Britain leaves the EU on March 29, 2019. The political declaration accompanying the agreement underlines Londons and Brussels common objectives to define their future relation. Great Britain becomes the first country to leave the EU, 45 years after its accession. The British Parliament is set to vote upon the Brexit agreement before Christmas. Romania was represented at the Brussels summit by President Klaus Johannis. The president gave assurances the agreement protects the Romanian nationals who live and work in the UK.



    NATIONAL CATHEDRAL – The National Cathedral in Bucharest has been consecrated by the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, with many Romanian and foreign prelates in attendance. Tens of thousands of Romanians from across the country, some of them wearing national costumes have also attended the event. The idea of erecting a Cathedral emblematic for the Romanian space emerged soon after the country gained its independence, following the 1877-1878 war. Back then, the leaders noticed there was not a church in Bucharest large enough to accommodate all those willing to attend a mass. “It is a national event- The National Cathedral, Romanias Cathedral, in the centenary year, said PM Viorica Dăncilă. On December 1, Romania celebrates the centennial anniversary of the Great Union of all Romanian historical principalities in a single state.



    SWINE FEVER – There are over 1,100 swine fever outbreaks in some 300 small towns and villages in 17 Romanian counties, the latest data released by the National Sanitary-Veterinary Authority show. Over 360,000 pigs have been culled so far and some 8,000 farmers have received damages. The Authority also says the disease has been eradicated in the north-eastern county of Satu Mare, where the first case was reported in the summer of 2017. In exchange, a new hotbed was reported in a household in Olt county, in the south-east. Romania has requested EU support to grant financial compensations to the affected farmers. The African swine fever is not transmissible to humans, but it has a significant economic impact.



    RadiRo – The International Festival of Radio Orchestras, RadiRo, organised by Radio Romania, has come to a close. The festival ended with an all Tcaikovsky program concert given by the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. On Saturday, performing on the stage of the festival was LOrchestra della Svizzera Italiana, of Lugano, Switzerland. Over 9,000 spectators in eight days of the festival, eight symphonic concerts, and as a premiere 4 jazz concerts – this is in brief, the summary of the most prestigious cultural event, the only in the world devoted to radio orchestras. The concerts broadcast live by Radio Romania have also been recorded and later broadcast by the Romanian Television Company and by other radio broadcasters, that are EBU members.



    CARS – In 2017, only 7% of the EUs population didnt afford to buy a car, but the percentage points were four times higher in Romania, data released by Eurostat show. Bulgaria and Hungary are other EU member states where more than a fifth of the population does not afford to buy a car. The EU member countries with the lowest percentage points of people who do not afford to buy a car are Cyprus and Malta, with only 1.7% of the total population. In Romanias case, the number of people who did not afford to buy a car decreased from 32.9% in 2016, to 29.8% in 2017. Official data show Romanias national car fleet stood at 7.635 million cars, 9% more than in the previous years. Over 1.320 million cars of them are registered in Bucharest alone.



    HANDBALL – Romanias national womens handball team has won the 50th edition of the Carpathian Trophy, after having defeated the Romania B team, 33-24. The defending Olympic champion Russia ranked third, after defeating Serbia 33-32 on Saturday, in the other final. The tournament played in Bucharest is the last test for Romania ahead of the European Handball Championship due in France in December, when it meets the Czech Republic, Germany and Norway. Romania ranked 5th at the 2016 European Championship, and it put up its best performance in 2010, when it grabbed the bronze medal.

  • November 25, 2018

    November 25, 2018

    BREXIT DEAL – The leaders of the EU members states, gathered in Brussels, have today signed off the Brexit withdrawal agreement and the declaration defining the EU-Britain post Brexit-relation. The 27 EU member states have also stood for having as tight a relation as possible with London, after Brexit. The withdrawal agreement provides for the legal conditions under which Great Britain leaves the EU on March 29, 2019. The political declaration accompanying the agreement underlines Londons and Brussels common objectives to define their future relation. Romania is represented at the Brussels summit by President Klaus Johannis. Before the endorsement of the Brexit deal, the Romanian President said the document is very good for Romania, and the rights of the Romanian nationals are perfectly protected.



    NATIONAL CATHEDRAL – The National Cathedral in Bucharest has been consecrated by the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, with many Romanain and foreign prelates in attendance. Tens of thousands of Romanians from across the country, some of them wearing national costumes have also attended the event. The idea of erecting a Cathedral emblematic for the Romanian space emerged soon after the country gained its independence, following the 1877-1878 war. Back then, the leaders noticed there was not a church in Bucharest large enough to accommodate all those willing to attend a mass. “It is a national event- The National Cathedral, Romanias Cathedral, in the centenary year, said PM Viorica Dăncilă. On December 1, Romania celebrates the centennial anniversary of the Great Union of all Romanian historical principalities in a single state.



    SWINE FEVER – There are over 1,100 swine fever outbreaks in some 300 small towns and villages in 17 Romanian counties, the latest data released by the National Sanitary-Veterinary Authority show. Over 360,000 pigs have been culled so far and some 8,000 farmers have received damages. The Authority also says the disease has been eradicated in the north-eastern county of Satu Mare, where the first case was reported in the summer of 2017. In exchange, a new hotbed was reported in a household in Olt county, in the south-east. Romania has requested EU support to grant financial compensations to the affected farmers. The African swine fever is not transmissible to humans, but it has a significant economic impact.



    RadiRo – The International Festival of Radio Orchestras, RadiRo, organised by Radio Romania, comes to a close later in the day with an all Tcaikovsky program concert, performed by the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. On Saturday, performing on the stage of the festival was LOrchestra della Svizzera Italiana, of Lugano, Switzerland. Over 9,000 spectators in eight days of the festival, eight symphonic concerts, and as a premiere 4 jazz concerts – this is in brief, the summary of the most prestigious cultural event, the only in the world devoted to radio orchestras. The concerts broadcast live by Radio Romania have also been recorded and later broadcast by the Romanian Television Company and by other radio broadcasters, that are EBU members.



    CARS – In 2017, only 7% of the EUs population didnt afford to buy a car, but the percentage points were four times higher in Romania, data released by Eurostat show. Bulgaria and Hungary are other EU member states where more than a fifth of the population does not afford to buy a car. The EU member countries with the lowest percentage points of people who do not afford to buy a car are Cyprus and Malta, with only 1.7% of the total population. In Romanias case, the number of people who did not afford to buy a car decreased from 32.9% in 2016, to 29.8% in 2017. Official data show Romania’s national car fleet stood at 7.635 million cars, 9% more than in the previous years. Over 1.320 million cars of them are registered in Bucharest alone.



    HANDBALL – Romanias national womens handball team has won the 50th edition of the Carpathian Trophy, after having defeated the Romania B team, 33-24. The defending Olympic champion Russia ranked third, after defeating Serbia 33-32 on Saturday, in the other final. The tournament played in Bucharest is the last test for Romania ahead of the European Handball Championship due in France in December, when it meets the Czech Republic, Germany and Norway. Romania ranked 5th at the 2016 European Championship, and it put up its best performance in 2010, when it grabbed the bronze medal.

  • September 19, 2018 UPDATE

    September 19, 2018 UPDATE

    EU COUNCIL – European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday he would call an extra Brexit summit of European Union leaders in mid-November, to finalize a deal with Britain. In a letter to EU leaders on Monday evening, ahead of a summit in Salzburg, Austria, Tusk told the heads of state and government that they would discuss the joint political declaration on the EU’s future relationship with the U.K., and that they should consider calling a November summit in Brussels in the hope of completing a withdrawal treaty.




    MILITARY EXERCISE – Air Solution 2018, a joint military exercise of the Romanian and Serbian Air Forces, started on Wednesday and is held in the two countries’ airspace. American pilots are also taking part as observers. Its goal is to exercise air police missions, airspace defence, rescue missions and managing crisis situations at the border. The Air Solution exercise is now at its fifth edition, with the first one being held in 2009.




    EU COUNCIL MEETING — Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday and Thursday is attending the informal meeting of the European Council held in Salzburg, Austria. The agenda for talks focuses on migration, internal security and Brexit. According to the presidency, Iohannis will argue in favor of continuing talks over the Dublin Regulation with a view to reaching consensus and strike a balance between the solidarity and responsibility of member states and preserving an asylum seeker’s ability to opt out of any form of relocation. As regards internal security, the meeting will address three priority topics: the protection of external borders, the EU’s internal security and cyber security. As regards Brexit, President Iohannis will reiterate the importance of maintaining a coherent and unitary voice within the European Union in negotiations with Britain so that Brexit should be fair for all sides. According to the President, Romania will insist on protecting the rights and interests of Romanians living in Britain.




    REFERENDUM — The Save Romania Union in opposition has called on the Ombudsman to challenge at the Constitutional Court the Government’s emergency decree voted on Wednesday, calling a referendum on redefining the notion of family on October 6 and 7. Save Romania Union claims the Government and the ruling coalition have changed the referendum regulation after the process was initiated, which goes against best practices recommended by the Venice Commission. The Government called a referendum after Parliament recently voted a law to revise the Constitution, which stipulates that the family is the freely consented marriage between a man and a woman and not between spouses, as it is at present.




    HEARING — The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest set the first hearing in the case where Social-Democrat leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment in the court of first instance for October 8. In June, the High Court of Cassation and Justice handed Dragnea the sentence for instigation to abuse of office. Anticorruption prosecutors say Liviu Dragnea ordered the fictitious employment of two party members at the Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate. The two were paid with taxpayer money, although they allegedly worked exclusively for the Social-Democratic Party. Liviu Dragnea denied the accusations. In 2016, Dragnea was handed a 2-year suspended prison sentence for attempted election fraud. This summer the High Court cancelled the ruling to suspend the prison sentence. In another development, the Social-Democratic leadership will convene on Friday to discuss discontent expressed by certain party leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development and Public Administration, Paul Stanescu, Senate vice-president Adrian Tutuianu and Bucharest Mayor, Gabriela Firea, who have called for Dragnea’s resignation.




    AFRICAN SWINE FEVER — The African swine fever compels Bucharest authorities to take active measures to prevent the virus from spreading. In Vaslui County, northeastern Romania, a thousand boars must be put down by the end of February 2019, while in Tulcea County, southeastern Romania, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve is seeking help to remove the populations of wild boars and jackals from the area. In Gorj County, southwestern Romania, although no virus cases have been signaled, veterinarians are on high alert, all animal trade fairs were closed down and the police are carrying out road traffic checks. Since the first outbreak was identified in Romania in late July, 2017, a total of 900 hotbeds have been confirmed in 13 counties in the northwest and southeast.




    RRI CONTEST — Tuesday Jonas Sell and Sabrina Friesenborg of Dortmund, Germany, ended their trip to Romania, won as part of RRI’s prize-winning contest “Alba Iulia, the City of the Great Union”. For nine days, the two winners, accompanied by editors of the German Service, visited the main tourist, cultural and religious attractions, as well as nature reserves and caves in the Apuseni Mountains, the city of Alba Iulia and its surroundings. Over April 1 and June 30 Radio Romania International organized a prize-winning contest devoted to the Centennial of the Great Union. Participants were required to provide written answers to 3 questions related to Alba Iulia and Alba Iulia County. Over 268 correct answers were sent in by our listeners.


  • September 16, 2018 UPDATE

    September 16, 2018 UPDATE

    SUMMIT – The Romanian capital city Bucharest is hosting on Monday and Tuesday the 3rd Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, an informal president-level platform that brings together the 12 EU member states located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea, namely Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. According to the presidential administration, the main goal of the initiative is the economic development of these countries, by enhancing interconnectivity, particularly from north to south, in 3 major areas: transport, energy, and digital. On the sidelines of the Summit, the first Business Forum of this platform will be held. President Klaus Iohannis will open the Forum on Monday, and later on he will take part in a plenary meeting alongside his counterparts from Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Poland – Andrzej Duda, Austria – Alexander van der Bellen, and the European Commissioner for Regional Development Corina Creţu. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, will attend the Three Seas Initiative Summit for the first time. The first two summits were held in Dubrovnik in 2016 and in Warsaw in 2017.




    SWINE FEVER – A first African swine fever outbreak was confirmed on Sunday in Dambovita County, in the south of Romania. Thirteen counties are currently affected by the epidemic, most of them in the south-east and south. The number of outbreaks reaches 900, with the virus identified in over 200 localities. Hundreds of thousands of animals have been culled. Bucharest has requested financial support from the European Commission for the farmers affected by the African swine fever epidemic.




    REFERENDUM – The Constitutional Court of Romania is discussing on Monday a bill designed to redefine family, in the Constitution, as based on the marriage of a man and a woman. The bill was passed in the Senate on Tuesday, and requires validation through a referendum. It is based on a citizen initiative signed by 3 million people. The initiators, which are Christian organisations and associations, want the Constitution to narrow down the definition of family to the marriage between a man and a woman, so as to prevent the possibility of legalising same-sex marriage. ACCEPT Association, which promotes the rights of sexual minorities, says that Tuesdays vote in the Senate has turned homophobia into a principle safeguarded by the state, and that constitutional protection for many types of families in Romania will be sacrificed. Except for Save Romania Union, all parliamentary parties have supported the initiative.





    JUDICIARY – Romanian magistrates Sunday protested in Bucharest against the latest changes to the criminal codes and the justice laws. The magistrates are also discontent with the extension of judicial inspection mandates through a government emergency order and with the authorities disregard of the Venice Commission recommendations. Promoted by the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the legislative changes are criticised by the right-of-centre Opposition, the mass media and civil society, which accuse Power of trying to hinder the fight against corruption and to overpower the judiciary. Just days ago, representatives of the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, were in Bucharest to draft a report on the changes operated by Parliament on the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure.




    ATTACK – The US Embassy is updated on the situation of the 2 American basketball players, aged 24 and 25 respectively, and playing for a team in Braila, south-eastern Romania, and is closely monitoring the incident in which they were injured, the American diplomatic mission announced. The two were stabbed on Saturday night during a conflict that broke out in a bar in the city centre. One of them is in a serious condition, with a punctured lung, and has been transferred to Bucharest. The 2 had been transferred to the club in Braila just one month before. The Romanian handball player Marian Cozma, who was playing for Veszprem, was killed in a bar in the same city, on February 8, 2009, by attackers who stabbed him to death.




    TENNIS – Romanias mens tennis team was defeated by Poland, 3-2, on Sunday in Cluj-Napoca, north-western Romania, in the Davis Cups 3rd round, Group II, Europe-Africa zone, after Kamil Majchrzak outplayed Adrian Ungur in the decisive match. Also on Sunday, Hubert Hurkacz beat Marius Copil, while the Romanians Florin Mergea and Horia Tecău won the doubles match against Lukasz Kubot/Marcin Matkowski. After Saturdays matches, the score was 1-1. Thanks to this performance, Poland moves up into Group I, Europe/Africa zone of Davis Cup, of which Romania fell out at the end of last year.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 16, 2018

    September 16, 2018

    SUMMIT – The Romanian capital city Bucharest is hosting on Monday and Tuesday the 3rd Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, an informal president-level platform that brings together the 12 EU member states located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea, namely Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. According to the presidential administration, the main goal of the initiative is the economic development of these countries, by enhancing interconnectivity, particularly from north to south, in 3 major areas: transport, energy, and digital. On the sidelines of the Summit, the first Business Forum of this platform will be held. President Klaus Iohannis will open the Forum on Monday, and later on he will take part in a plenary meeting alongside his counterparts from Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Poland – Andrzej Duda, Austria – Alexander van der Bellen, and the European Commissioner for Regional Development Corina Creţu. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, will attend the Three Seas Initiative Summit for the first time. The first two summits were held in Dubrovnik in 2016 and in Warsaw in 2017.




    SWINE FEVER – A first African swine fever outbreak has been confirmed today in Dambovita County, in the south of Romania. Thirteen counties are currently affected by the epidemic, most of them in the south-east and south. The number of outbreaks reaches 900, with the virus identified in over 200 localities. Hundreds of thousands of animals have been culled. Bucharest has requested financial support from the European Commission for the farmers affected by the African swine fever epidemic.




    REFERENDUM – The Constitutional Court of Romania is discussing on Monday a bill designed to redefine family, in the Constitution, as based on the marriage of a man and a woman. The bill was passed in the Senate on Tuesday, and requires validation through a referendum. It is based on a citizen initiative signed by 3 million people. The initiators, which are Christian organisations and associations, want the Constitution to narrow down the definition of family to the marriage between a man and a woman, so as to prevent the possibility of legalising same-sex marriage. ACCEPT Association, which promotes the rights of sexual minorities, says that Tuesdays vote in the Senate has turned homophobia into a principle safeguarded by the state, and that constitutional protection for many types of families in Romania will be sacrificed. Except for Save Romania Union, all parliamentary parties have supported the initiative.




    ATTACK – Two American basketball players, aged 24 and 25 respectively, and playing for a team in Braila, south-eastern Romania, were stabbed last night during a conflict that broke out in a bar in the city centre. One of them is in a serious condition, with a punctured lung. He underwent surgery and will be transferred to Bucharest. The other one is in a stable condition. The 2 had been transferred to the club in Braila just one month before. The Romanian handball player Marian Cozma, who was playing for Veszprem, was killed in a bar in the same city, on February 8, 2009, by attackers who stabbed him to death.




    TENNIS – The north-western Romanian city of Cluj is hosting today the doubles match and the last 2 singles matches of the Davis Cups Group II round 3 between Romania and Poland. The score so far is 1-1. On Saturday, Marius Copil defeated Kamil Majchrzak, and Adrian Ungur lost to Hubert Hurkacz. The doubles match will be pitting Florin Mergea/Horia Tecău, for Romania, against Lukasz Kubot/Marcin Matkowski for Poland. The last 2 singles matches are Copil vs. Hurkacz and Ungur vs. Majchrzak. The winning team will be promoted to Group I of the Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone, from which Romania was demoted at the end of last year.





    ROWING – In the World Rowing Championship hosted by Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Romania failed to get any medals in the mens double sculls final, the womens eight final and the mens eight final, held on Sunday. On Saturday the Romanian rowers won 2 medals. Ionela-Livia Cozmiuc and Gianina-Elena Beleagă won the gold in the lightweight womens double sculls, while Marius-Vasile Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă won the silver in the mens pair final.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 14, 2018 UPDATE

    September 14, 2018 UPDATE

    SUMMIT The European Commission
    president, Jean-Claude Juncker, will for the first time participate in the
    Three Seas Initiative Summit due in Bucharest over Monday and Tuesday, the
    European Commission representation in Bucharest announced on Friday. According
    to the same sources, president Juncker, who will be accompanied by the European
    Commissioner for Regional Development Corina Cretu, is expected to deliver a
    speech during the summit. On the sidelines of the meeting, the first edition of
    the Three Seas Initiative Business Forum will be taking place under the
    patronage of Romanian president Klaus Iohannis. The initiative is an informal
    political platform at presidential level, which brings together the 12 EU
    members between the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea and is aimed
    at developing the economic ties between countries from Central and Southeastern
    Europe.












    HEARING State Secretary with the Romanian Interior
    Ministry, Raed Arafat who is also heading the Department for Emergency
    Situation, was heard on Friday at the General Prosecutor’s Office in a file on
    the violent events that took place during the anti-government protest on August
    10th in Bucharest. State Secretary with the Interior Ministry
    Gheorghe Nucu Marin, the head of the Riot Police Special Unit Catalin Paraschiv
    and the Subprefect of Bucharest Corneliu Cirstea have also been heard in the
    same file. Over 800 complaints from the people who suffered following the riot
    police intervention during the protest have been attached to the file.








    ASSESSMENT A delegation of
    the Venice Commission has ended its meetings in Bucharest with authorities and
    representatives of the judiciary aimed at evaluating
    the impact of changes brought to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedural
    Code. On Thursday, experts from the commission were received by President Klaus
    Iohannis, and also met Justice Minister Tudorel Toader as well as
    representatives from Parliament, in order to prepare a statement to be adopted
    next month in plenary session.










    STATISTICS On Friday, the
    National Institute for Statistics announced that Romania had 4.1 million pigs
    on May 1st, 2018, over 357,000 less than on the same date in 2017.
    Since last summer, Romania has been swept by an epidemic of African swine
    fever, culling 230,000 pigs as a result. The epidemic has hit 207 localities in
    12 counties. European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil
    Hogan said that he is working with the authorities to deal with the situation,
    considering that 75% of pigs raised in households in the EU are in Romania.



    (translated by bill)

  • Compensations for the losses caused by swine fever

    Compensations for the losses caused by swine fever

    The African swine fever virus has been reported in over 200 localities in 12 Romanian counties. There are around 900 outbreaks, most of them in the south-east. The virus is also present in 3 counties in the north-west, where it was first confirmed a year ago. The disease cannot be cured and it requires the culling of all the animals in the affected households and farms. Hundreds of thousands of pigs have already been slaughtered. And although the disease cannot be transmitted to humans, its economic and social impact is already felt. In many small households, pig breeding is a means of subsistence. On the other hand, hundreds of people working for major farms and slaughterhouses have been fired. As a compensation measure, the Government decided that the workers laid out should receive, apart from the unemployment benefits, an amount of roughly 100 euros, tax-free, for maximum 6 months.



    The Government has in fact requested financial support from the European Commission to mitigate the impact that the African swine fever epidemic has on the Romanian agriculture. The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, Thursday had talks in this respect with PM Viorica Dancila and the line minister Petre Daea. According to the data presented by Commissioner Hogan, three-quarters of the pigs raised in EU households are actually found in Romania. This is why Bucharest and Brussels are working together to see what must be done in terms of monitoring, detection and control services, Phil Hogan said.



    Halting production because of the swine fever control programme, triggers substantial economic losses, and Bucharest will apply for EU aid for the farms affected by the epidemic. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister Petre Daea announced that Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria, which is also affected by this epidemic, are considering the set up of a swine fever research centre. The institution will be designed to research the causes of the disease and to come up with solutions so as to successfully eradicate it at lower costs.



    On the other hand, the Romanian Intelligence Service said it had informed the relevant central and local authorities about the prospective emergence of the virus as far back as in June 2016. Since then and up until August this year, the Service has issued over 130 memos on this topic. The Romanian Intelligence Service has also warned against another virus that may appear in Romania, namely one that affects smaller ruminants. The revelations provide additional arguments to those who slammed the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for its handling of the African swine fever crisis, with President Iohannis and the right-of-centre Opposition among the fiercest critics.

  • September 13, 2018 UPDATE

    September 13, 2018 UPDATE

    Venice Commission — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday received in Bucharest the visit of a Venice Commission delegation, which will come to an end on Friday. President Iohannis said that he appreciated the Commission’s technical expertise as well as the importance of their opinions in relation to both the justice laws and the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes. The Romanian President also highlighted that the involvement and support of the Venice Commission experts are meant to help Romania have an efficient and modern legislation. In turn, the Venice Commission experts said the opinion of the Commission related to the modifications brought to Romania’s Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes would be adopted during the plenary session of October 19-20. The opinion of the Commission was asked by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. The agenda of the Venice Commission delegation also includes talks with the justice minister Tudorel Toader, among others, and with representatives of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, of prosecutor’s offices and civil society. Promoted by the majority coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the legislative changes were virulently criticized by the rightwing opposition, the press and NGOs that accuse the power of intending to stop the anti-corruption fight and to subordinate magistrates.



    Visit — The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan is in Romania for two days, starting on Thursday, where he will be visiting Bucharest and Cluj Napoca in the northwest. In Bucharest, Commissioner Hogan met with PM Viorica Dancila who asked the EC for full technical and financial support to reduce the impact of the African swine fever crisis on Romanian pig farming. Phil Hogan said that 75% of the pigs grown in households within the EU are in Romania and that the EC intends to grant financial aid to help the Romanian farmers affected by the swine fever crisis. Also on Thursday the European official met with the Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Daea as well as with members of the Committees for European affairs and for agriculture and rural development in Romania’s Parliament. Together with the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu, who is also on an official visit to Romania, Phil Hogan, on Friday will have a dialogue with the citizens of Cluj Napoca with the theme ‘A modern budget for a stronger EU’.



    EU funds — The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu is visiting Romania until September 18. During her visit she will be meeting with the representatives of the local and regional authorities, will assess certain EU-funded projects and will participate in high level conferences. On Wednesday Corina Cretu visited Sibiu, on Thursday she went to Petrosani alongside the Romanian minister for European funds Rovana Plumb to attend a conference that analyzed the present and future of coal mining in the context of the transition to renewable energy.



    Bucharest New Delhi direct flight — On Thursday the speaker of the Romanian Senate Calin Popescu Tariceanu received the new Indian ambassador to Romania Thanglura Darlong. CP Tariceanu congratulated the Indian ambassador on his appointment and wished him success in fulfilling his mission. During the talks the speaker of the Romanian Senate highlighted the importance of high level visits as well as of delegation exchanges in such domains as the economy, culture, technology and science and academic education. He also showed interest in re-establishing a direct flight linking Bucharest to New Delhi in order to boost trade exchanges and tourism, shows a Senate communiqué.



    Swine fever — The African swine fever is spreading in Romania. According to the National Sanitary — Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, 207 localities from 12 counties are currently affected. The number swine fever outbreaks reached almost 900. The presence of the swine fever virus in Romania was confirmed for the first time on July 31, 2017. So far, more than 232 thousand pigs affected by the virus have been culled. PM Dancila announced that the government will pass an emergency decree under which all employees of the pig farms affected by the crisis that lost their jobs will receive money compensations for 6 months at the most.



    EP — The situation in Romania will be debated in the plenum of the European Parliament in the first session of October and in the second session, later that month, a resolution will also be passed, the Romanian MEP Siegfried Muresan announced on Thursday. He added that the debates were asked by the Greens/ European Free Alliance after the violent repression of the antigovernment protests of August 10 in Bucharest and that Romania’s PM Viorica Dancila was invited to attend the session. The debates on the rule of law in Romania were approved by the Conference of Presidents, whose members are the leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • African swine fever virus wreaks havoc in 12 of Romania’s counties

    African swine fever virus wreaks havoc in 12 of Romania’s counties

    Over 800 African swine fever outbreaks have been reported on Romania’s territory, in hundreds of localities from over a quarter of Romania’s counties, recent data provided by the National Sanitary Veterinarian and Food Safety Authority show. So far, as many as 160 thousand pigs have been culled.




    Swine fever outbreaks have been recently identified in the counties of Giurgiu and Galati, both in the southeast. Measures continue to be enforced to stop the spreading of the virus and checks are being conducted in these areas.




    Meanwhile, the authorities have started to pay damages to the pig farmers affected by the swine fever crisis. So far, they have received more than 500 thousand lei in damages, which is about 108 thousand Euros, but the total value of damages assessed in pig farms and households exceeds 47million lei, almost 10 million Euros.



    In order to prevent the spreading of the African swine fever the government decided upon the hunting, as of December 1, of more than 80 thousand wild boars. Hunters say that killing so many boars in such a short while will be a difficult mission and the hunting stock for the next years will be seriously affected.




    Wild boars play an important role in spreading the African swine fever virus, but other animal species are also at risk. Sorin Birceanu, the director of the Gorj County Association of Amateur Hunters and Anglers gives us more details:




    Sorin Birceanu: “The crisis will affect us a lot, just imagine to what extent the wild boar population will be diminished as well as other game species.”




    The Agriculture Ministry officials announced they last week presented the Presidential Administration with a document about the emergence and evolution of the African swine fever virus in Romania, following the public statements made by President Iohannis.




    The document details the manner in which the authorities acted to prevent, fight and eradicate the African swine fever virus. President Klaus Iohannis criticized the government for the way it managed this crisis accusing it of incompetence. The General Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal file related to the epidemics. Prosecutors are investigating possible crimes that led to the spreading of the disease to animals or plants and professional negligence.


  • September 8, 2018 UPDATE

    September 8, 2018 UPDATE

    Trump — Iohannis — The American President Donald Trump expressed regret for having cancelled the meeting with his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis at the June NATO summit hosted by Brussels. Mr. Trump had to cancel all of his bilateral meetings at the June summit due to the prolonged heated debates about the money each member state is allotting to defense. In a letter quoted by news agencies, the White House leader also writes that he hopes to meet the Romanian president again some time soon. This month, the two officials are set to participate in New York in a UN meeting.



    Reaction — The US Embassy in Bucharest announced it shared the concerns of the German diplomatic mission in Romania related to the social network posts of one of the advisors to the PM Viorica Dancila, Darius Valcov, who suggested that the anti-government movement ‘#rezist’ and the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania are Nazi organizations. ‘We firmly condemn any form of discrimination, defamation and hatred towards the German minority and any other minority in Romania. Such accusations that we have seen lately are ungrounded and unjustifiable’ wrote the representatives of the German Embassy in a post also shared by the American Embassy. Considered an adversary of the leftist government of Romania, president Klaus Iohannis headed the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania between 2002 and 2013. A former mayor of Slatina, in the south of Romania, and a former Social Democratic senator and minister Valcov was sentenced in February to 8 years in prison in a corruption case. The decision is not definitive and can be appealed.



    Brussels — Romania alongside Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Hungary has reported progress in relation to the number of projects selected for EU funding- says the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu. According to a communiqué of the EC’s Open Data Portal, the total volume of investments allotted to development projects in the EU countries stands, in the first half of 2018, at more than 300 billion Euros, higher by 42 billion. The EU Commissioner also added that the amount of money allotted for specific projects out of the total cohesion budget for Romania for the period 2014-2020 stands, at present, at 62% as compared to 54% at the end of 2017.



    Football — On Friday evening Romania’s national football team drew 0-0 (nil all) with Montenegro, on home ground, in the southern city of Ploiesti, in its debut match in the newly created UEFA Nations League. Given a sanction imposed by UEFA, the match took place behind closed doors, which is a first for a matched played on home ground by the Romanians. In the same Group 4 of UEFA Nations League C, Lithuania was defeated by Serbia 0-1. On Monday, Romania will be up against Serbia, and in October, also in an away match, the Romanian footballers will play against Lithuania. The results obtained in the Nations League count for the preliminaries of the 2020 European Championship. Also on Friday, Romania’s Under 21 team defeated Portugal 2-1 in an away match in Group 8 of the European Championship preliminaries. After 7 matches, Romania is ranked 2nd in the classification with 15 points. Leading the rankings is Bosnia with 18 points from 8 matches. The first ranking team after the preliminaries will qualify directly to the final tournament and the best 4 out of the 9 2nd-ranked teams will go to the playoffs, to select two teams that will go to the European Championship.



    Swine fever — The Agriculture Ministry officials have submitted to the Presidential Administration a document related to the outbreak and spreading of African swine fever in Romania. The move follows the Romanian President’s statements, as he has recently criticized the government for the way in which it managed this crisis, accusing it of incapacity. The document includes the actions undertaken by the authorities in relation to preventing, fighting and eradicating the African swine fever virus which has so far affected 190 localities in a quarter of Romania’s counties. Over 160 thousand pigs were already culled. Early this week the General Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal file in relation to the swine fever outbreak, prosecutors investigating possible such crimes as spearing the disease or professional negligence. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • Measures to curtail the impact of the African swine fever

    Measures to curtail the impact of the African swine fever

    In the last few
    weeks, over 140,000 pigs have been killed in Romania, pigs contaminated by the
    African swine fever, an illness that is hard to check as there are no cures.
    Furthermore, the virus does not develop antibodies and so, no vaccines can be
    made.






    At the moment,
    there are about 4.5 million pigs in Romania, as Minister of Agriculture Petre
    Daea said, and one quarter of the country’s counties are affected by the ASF
    virus, but not entirely. There are areas where the virus has been identified
    only in one household and other areas where it has infected big farms with tens
    of thousands of pigs or even one hundred thousand pigs.






    The euthanasia
    of pigs has been decided in all cases. The most dramatic case has been reported
    in Braila County in the south-east, where there is the biggest pig farm in
    Romania and the second largest in Europe; 140,000 pigs at the afore-mentioned
    farm have been gassed and buried, a process estimated to last about one month.






    The population
    should know that there is no other way to deal with the African swine fever but
    euthanasia, no matter how painful that might be, the Minister made it clear,
    adding that measures would further be taken to curb the extension of the virus.
    The sale of pork has been banned in markets and road disinfection filters have
    been put in place at the entry of counties where outbreaks have been reported.






    Minister Daea
    went on to say that Romania had asked Brussels for help to fight the African
    swine fever and 12 states have offered support to Romania, a country, which according
    to Petre Daea, has taken preventive measures against that virus for 5 years
    now.






    However, the
    right wing opposition and President Klaus Iohannis accuse the Social-Democrat-ALDE
    government of faulty management of the situation saying that many farmers risk
    going bankrupt. Former prime minister Dacian Ciolos points to an extremely serious crisis that
    might destroy the entire pig farming sector in Romania and trigger the laying
    off of thousands of employees in that sector.








    Dacian Ciolos
    says that when he was minister of agriculture in Romania or European
    Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development he was confronted with such
    situations. At that time, it was proved that things could be kept under control
    if action was taken in due time. Last but not least, he warned that pork
    exports risked being stopped for a while which would have significant
    follow-ups, including the growth of the inflation rate.



  • African swine fever grabs the authorities’ attention

    African swine fever grabs the authorities’ attention

    With some 800 outbreaks of African swine fever confirmed in one-quarter of its counties, Romania struggles to stop the spreading of the worst animal disease epidemic since WW2. The toughest measure is to kill all the pigs in the areas where the virus has been confirmed. The process is under way, among other places, at a farm in Braila County in the south-east, which is the largest in Romania and the second-largest in Europe. Roadblocks are also in place, to stop people from taking the animals or animal products out of the affected areas, and a decision was made to allow the hunting of wild pigs and jackals in the Danube Delta, which also carry the virus.



    But in spite of these measures, the disease is spreading quickly, because there is no treatment or vaccine, says the president of the National Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, Geronimo Raducu Branescu. He explained that the African swine fever is a disease with morbidity and mortality rates of up to 100%. It is currently active in the Baltic States, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, the Republic of Moldova and Italy, and some countries have managed to contain it after decades of efforts and at huge costs, Geronimo Raducu Branescu also said. In Spain, for instance, it took 30 years and enormous expenditure to control it.



    In Romania, over 100,000 pigs have been slaughtered so far, and the losses are substantial. President Klaus Iohannis, who requested that compensations be paid as quickly as possible to those affected, argued that the inadequate handling of the situation by the authorities brought many local producers to the verge of bankruptcy.



    Bucharest has requested financial support from the European Commission in order to counter the effects of the African swine fever, and the Agriculture Minister Petre Daea promised compensations to the owners of the animals that had to be killed. The long-term consequences of the outbreak are devastating for small farms, major meat processors and the entire Romanian agri-food industry: unemployment, panic, distrust in meat processing units, deeper trade deficits, and expenses for compensations and for farm restocking.



    The crisis hits not only the private sector, but also the Romanian state, which has invested massively over the past 10 years in order to increase competitiveness and to be able to export pork to the EU market, after 14 years when exports from Romania had been banned.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 29, 2018

    August 29, 2018

    SWINE FEVER – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis has called on the Government to urgently adopt all measures to contain the number of African swine fever outbreaks and to offer compensations to the affected producers, as soon as possible. Because of the mismanagement of this crisis situation, the government has pushed local producers on the brink of bankruptcy, the President writes in a communiqué. According to him, tens of million of Euros worth of losses have already been registered, thousands of jobs have disappeared and the country missed significant commercial opportunities. At present there are over 700 hotbeds in Romania, in 10 counties, mostly in the south-east and north-west. Hundreds of thousands of pigs have been slaughtered because the virus was spreading at a fast pace, including in a pig farm in Braila, in the south-east, the largest in Romania and the second largest in Europe.



    POPULATION – Some 19.5 million people were residing in Romania on January 1, 2018, that is some 121,000 people less than in the same period of 2017, data released by the National Statistics Institute show. The drop is caused mainly by the negative birth rate, the number of the deceased exceeding the number of living newly born babies by some 71,000. The urban population and women are prevailing over rural population and men, the figures standing at 53% and 51%, respectively. Demographic aging is a phenomenon which continues to grow. Consequently, the difference between the elderly people, aged over 65, and the young population, in the 0 to 14 age bracket exceeding 500,000 people. In another move, Romania continues to be a source of migrants, the phenomenon being the second main cause leading to the decreasing number of the population, the National Statistics Institute shows. As regards international figures, they were negative in 2017, as the number of emigrants exceeded the number of immigrants by over 53,000 people.



    THE ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE – The Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service, Eduard Hellvig, has sent a letter to the leaders of the parliamentary parties in which he draws attention to the attacks on his institution. In his opinion, as a result of these attacks officers are less committed to their activity and unmotivated. Such attacks impact the support for the protection and promotion of the constitutional values of the rule of law. Eduard Hellvig reiterates, in his letter, that there is no longer any protocol in force, which can be associated with the act of doing justice in Romania. The head of the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar, have recently said that there were two legal protocols between the two institutions, and the Supreme Council of Magistracy had been briefed on their existence. The protocols were later scrapped because they were no longer needed. Justice minister, Tudorel Toader, has however said that protocols are unnatural in a rule of law. He launched the assessment procedure for the Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar. Representatives of the Save Romania Union, in opposition, say minister Toader should resign because he puts in jeopardy the stability and independence of the justice system, and that by assessing Augustin Lazars activity he intends to stop the investigation by the Prosecutor General ‘s Office into the anti-government protest rally of August 10. We recall that prosecutors are investigating the wave of violence at the meeting and the forceful intervention by the gendarmes, which has been considered excessive by the protesters, the opposition and presidency.



    THE GOLDEN STAG MUSIC FESTIVAL – The 18th edition of the “Golden Stag International Music festival kick-starts in the central Romanian city of Brasov this evening. This is an anniversary edition, unfolding in the year of the Great Union Centennial. Renowned soloists and bands from the Romanian and international music industry will give recitals. Performing among others will be Nicole Scherzinger, James Blunt, Edvin Marton, Andra, Delia and The Motans. Running in the competition are 18 singers from 15 countries. Well revert to this issue, later in RN.



    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea has qualified to the second round of the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, with some 53 million USD in prize money up for grabs. She defeated the American Alison Riske in three sets. In the next match, Cirstea will face 22nd seeded Russian Maria Sharapova. Romania is also represented in the singles at the US Open by Ana Bogdan and Irina Begu. Bogdan will face in the second round 8th seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czeck Republic, whereas Begu will play against Chinas Qiang Wang. On Tuesday, Monica Niculescu lost to Israeli Julia Glushko, and Mihaela Buzărnescu withdrew in the last moment because of an injury. In the mens competition, Marius Copil abandoned the match against Croatias Marin Cilici. We recall that Simona Halep, no.1 WTA, was surprisingly defeated in the inaugural round by Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

  • August 28, 2018 UPDATE

    August 28, 2018 UPDATE

    JUDICIARY – The US government does not comment on the opinions or conclusions of private US citizens, the spokesperson of the US embassy in Bucharest, Donald Carroll said today. In a comment to Agerpress news agency, he emphasised that until recently, Romania had shown remarkable progress in combating corruption and building an efficient rule of law. This reaction comes after Rudolph Giuliani, a former district attorney and mayor of New York and currently part of Donald Trump’s legal team, sent a letter to president Klaus Iohannis and other Romanian officials recommending the assessment of the protocols between the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Romanian Intelligence Service and calling for an end to what he described as pressure on the judges. The General Prosecutor’s Office said that in December 2016, it signed two perfectly legal collaboration protocols with the Romanian Intelligence Service which were in place for three months. One of them was of a public nature and was concerned with the conditions to access technical systems of the National Centre for the Interception of Communications, while a second, secret, protocol, dealt with cooperation for crimes against national security, namely terrorism and crimes committed by military staff of the Romanian Intelligence Service. Against the backdrop of these debates, the justice minister Tudorel Toader recently announced he would begin an evaluation of the managerial activity of the prosecutor general, Augustin Lazar. On Tuesday, Toader added that the decision to assess the work of the prosecutor general did not rely exclusively on recent circumstances, but added that protocols between judicial institutions and intelligence services are “unnatural in a country governed by the law.



    SWINE FEVER – The largest pig farm in Romania and the second largest in Europe, located in Braila County, south-eastern Romania, Tuesday initiated the slaughtering of all its 140,000 animals, because of the African swine fever virus. A similar operation is under way in another farm in the same county, where some 35,000 animals are being killed. The Agriculture Minister Petrea Daea said on Tuesday that all the farmers who have incurred damages because of the swine fever will receive compensations, after the forthcoming budget adjustment. He added that Romania will receive funding from the European Commission to fight the epidemics. Daea also explained that he requested support from experts from other European countries having faced this situation. One-quarter of Romanias counties are affected by the African swine fever epidemic, with over 700 hotbeds identified by authorities in the south-east and north-west of the country. The authorities estimate that around 300,000 animals will be killed.



    AMBASSADOR – Brexit will not have a negative impact on Londons relations with Bucharest or on the life of the Romanians who work in the UK, said the new British Ambassador to Bucharest, Andrew Noble. In his first press conference, he said Britain and Romania are working on a new strategic partnership, able to respond to the current concerns. The British official returned to Romania after nearly 30 years. According to Radio Romania Current Affairs, between 1983 and 1986 Andrew Noble worked as a secretary in the British Embassy in Bucharest.



    EMERGENCY NUMBER – Romanias National System for the 112 Single Emergency Number will be modernised using non-reimbursable European funds. The Romanian Minister for European Funds Rovana Plumb and the head of the Special Telecommunications Service Ionel-Sorinel Vasilca Tuesday signed a financing contract for the amount of 47.6 million euros. The project will be implemented in 36 months and consists in the upgrading of hardware and software components to ensure a quicker response of emergency agencies to citizens calls. Special telecoms experts will improve the precision of call tracing, will ease the access of people with disabilities, and the waiting time will be reduced by 5 seconds, to 54 seconds. Rovana Plumb said that during its 13 years of operation, the 112 emergency telephone number received more than 64 million calls.



    MOLDOVA – The Romanian Foreign Ministry is monitoring with close attention and concern the situation at Romanias border with the Republic of Moldova and, in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation that defines the relationship between the two countries, it requested explanations as to why some Romanian citizens were denied access to the country. A news release issued by the Foreign Ministry mentions that the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Bucharest was invited for additional clarifications. Also, the Romanian Embassy to Chisinau took measures to ensure that the rights of Romanian citizens are respected, as is normal for a country associated to the EU and for a strategic partner of Romania. The Foreign Ministry adds that the Moldovan border police Monday sent back from Albita checkpoint a group of Romanians taking part in the Union March, on grounds that they have disturbed public order in the border area.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)