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Ruling coalition discusses budget bill

The government is working to complete the 2021 budget bill, bound to stay under a 7% of GDP budget deficit ceiling, as agreed with Brussels. Preparations have been stepped up lately, as the goal is for the document to be submitted to Parliament early next month, when the parliamentary session begins. But with major expenditure triggered by the pandemic, the distribution of the limited funds available is rather difficult.

The Liberal PM Florin Cîţu asked the members of his coalition government for a list of key projects for each ministry, so as to ensure efficient fund distribution, and says he hopes the talks with the main authorising officers will lead to a balanced budget, able to support economic growth. Investments and healthcare will certainly be the funding priorities, the PM said, and mentioned plans to amend the legislation on public sector salaries and pensions.

Florin Cîţu: “The pension law must be based on the principle of contributions, this will be the starting point. As for the salary law, the point is to ensure more efficiency in public administration, tying salaries to performance. Apart from a clear hierarchy, we must also introduce performance indicators tied to these incomes.

Under the current legislation, the pension increase scheduled for this year entails a financial effort of roughly 1.6 billion euros, and a reform of the public pension system, as desired by the prime minister, takes time and will have no effect on this years budget.

Romanias public budget is under huge pressure at present, because of the need to comply with the deficit target agreed on with the European Commission, says the leader of the USR PLUS party, deputy PM Dan Barna:

Dan Barna: “We will see how the final bill comes out and how we will meet the deficit target agreed on with the EC. And in this respect, we will also see the amendments, if any, submitted by our parliamentary groups.

This years state budget must be balanced and must target development, investments and jobs, the president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, deputy PM Kelemen Hunor said in his turn:

Kelemen Hunor: “We must be very, very efficient in spending the money for development, from the National Rural Development Programme, from the operational programmes, and from the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme, because the national budget will have less money available for investments than what citizens and local authorities would like.

The Social Democrats in opposition have drafted an alternative budget, to prove that the country has enough money to provide massive support to the economy and to increase citizens incomes. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

26 January 2021
October 8, 2020

PANDEMIC According to worldometers.info,
36 million people have so far tested positive for the novel Covid-19 virus
while one million people died worldwide. The United States seems to be the most
affected country with 7.7 million infections and over 216 thousand deaths.
India has reported over 6.8 million cases and over 105 thousand fatalities. In
Italy, authorities have also called on the military to get involved in checking
the observance of safety rules; the state of emergency in this country has been
extended to another three months and people must wear masks everywhere. Italy
is seeing a rising number of Covid infections, which has reached 37 hundred new
cases with 31 fatalities reported. France has also reported roughly 19 thousand
infections in the past 24 hours.

FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side tonight plays Iceland in an away game counting
towards the semis of the qualification playoffs for the European Championship
next year. If they qualify, on November 12th, the Romanians will be
up against the winner of the match pitching Hungary against Bulgaria. Romania
tops the 1B group of the Nations League after a one-all draw against Northern
Ireland and a 3-2 win against Austria. The group also includes Norway, which
the Romanians will be playing on Sunday in an away game. On Friday, Romania’s
under 21 side plays Ukraine in a match counting towards the Euro Under 21
preliminaries. Denmark tops the table with 19 points followed by Romania with
16.

COVID – 19 In the past 24 hours Romania has reported a record
number in Covid infections, 3130 cases with a death toll of 44, in a single
day. Intensive care units have reported 607 patients. Since the beginning of
the pandemic in late February over 145 thousand Romanians have been infected
with the novel coronavirus out of which over 113 thousand have been cured and
over 52 hundred died. At present roughly 83 hundred confirmed Covid patients
are being treated in hospitals and over 20 thousand are in home isolation. Authorities
have made fresh appeals for the observance of prevention and safety measures.
In Bucharest and in other areas where the infection rate has exceeded 1.5 cases
per thousand certain activities have been suspended. Restaurants have been
closed down and some indoor activities have ceased. People must wear mask close
to schools and other education facilities.

TALKS Two Romanian ministers are in the USA for talks with
the local authorities. Romania’s defence minister Nicolae Ciuca will be having
talks with the US secretary of Defence Mark Esper about the latest developments
in the Black Sea region as well as the need for coherent and consistent defence
and deterrence measures in the NATO eastern flank. The Romanian Minister of the
Economy, Energy and Business Environment, Virgil Popescu will be meeting the US
Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette for talks on the development of the energy
dimension of the strategic partnership between Bucharest and Washington and a
higher US involvement in Romania’s energy sector.

(bill)

8 October 2020
September 10, 2020

COVID-19 Another 1,380 coronavirus infection cases were reported in Romania on Thursday, taking the total number up to 99,684, according to the Strategic Communication Group. Since the start of the pandemic, 41,002 patients have recovered. Also, 47 deaths have been reported, which takes the toll so far to 4,065. 459 patients are currently in intensive care. The Romanian health minister, Nelu Tătaru, announced on Thursday that he would propose a new 30-day extension of the state of alert, which was due to end on September 16. He added he had ordered the managers of COVID-19 support hospitals to review the situation and prepare a scenario for non-COVID patients. This can be done by either treating SARS-CoV-2 patients in separate buildings, or by transferring them to other hospitals, if possible, Nelu Tătaru explained.

SCHOOLS Today is the deadline for the authorities to decide and announce how classes are to be held in each school in Romania in the new academic year. School boards will present relevant scenarios to local emergency committees, public health directorates and school inspectorates. According to the National Public Health Inspectorate, over 2,700 localities have so far reported relatively low coronavirus infection figures—under 1 case in 1,000 people, meaning that they are in the so-called “green zone where all students may attend face-to-face classes. The “yellow zone comprises around 400 towns and villages, where pre-schoolers, elementary school and senior students are supposed to attend face-to-face classes and the others are included in blended, online and face-to-face programmes. Finally, over 40 localities are in the “red zone, with students exclusively attending online classes. Bucharest is in the yellow zone. In a press conference held last night, president Klaus Iohannis once again encouraged parents to send their children to school. He explained that if hygiene rules are observed, the problems can be overcome.

GUIDE The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu announced, on the last day of the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomats, that a crisis response and management guide has been completed. The document will be sent to all Romanian diplomatic offices. “This guide showcases what we have learnt these past months, with the substantial consular activity conducted in safeguarding the rights and interests of Romanian citizens, Aurescu said. He emphasised that 12,500 Romanian citizens were repatriated since the start of the pandemic until July, when flights were resumed to most European countries. The foreign ministry also helped in the repatriation of over 1,100 foreign nationals, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

INFLATION In Romania, the year-on-year inflation rate dropped from 2.8% in July to 2.7% in August, although the prices of foods, non-foods and services went up, according to data released on Thursday by the National Statistics Institute. The annual inflation rates forecast for the end of this year and for 2021 are 2.7% and 2.5% respectively, according to the Inflation Report made public by the National Bank. According to Eurostat data, in July Romania had one of the highest inflation rates in the EU, alongside Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

BREXIT An emergency meeting takes place in London today between the EU and the UK regarding Britains bill overriding some provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement, especially related to Northern Ireland. On Wednesday the British government made public this bill which proposes changes to the Brexit deal, which further complicates the already difficult negotiations between the EU and Britain. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said there would be no trade agreement between the UK and the USA if London jeopardises the Northern Ireland peace process. In order to protect free movement of goods in Ireland, the Brexit agreement stipulates that Northern Ireland will comply with elements of the EU customs code.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Patricia Ţig today takes on Japans Misaki Doi, seeded 8th, in the eighth-finals of the WTA tournament in Istanbul. In the doubles, Romanian Andreea Mitu and Belarusian Lidia Morozova, winners of the Prague tournament this weekend, were defeated by top seeds Alexa Guarachi (Chile) / Desirae Krawczyk (USA).

(translated by: A.M. Popescu)

10 September 2020
June 15, 2020

COVID-19 In Romania, the latest data released by the Strategic Communication Group point to a total of nearly 22,100 COVID 19 cases. The largest numbers of infections have so far been reported in Suceava County (north-east) and in Bucharest. A total of over 15,800 patients have so far recovered, and 175 are currently in intensive care. So far 1,427 people died because of the novel coronavirus. Around 3,400 Romanian nationals living abroad have so far tested positive for the coronavirus, most of them in Italy, Germany and Spain, and 114 of them died. Bucharest is further lifting some of the COVID-19 containment measures today.

PANDEMIC The worldwide death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic so far is over 435,000, out of almost 8 million cases. More than half of the patients have recovered. The US remains the worst hit country, with over 2.1 million cases and nearly 118,000 deaths, followed by Brazil, Russia, India, the UK, Spain and Italy. Europe, which was the second region hit by the pandemic, takes advantage of the more stable situation and continues to ease restrictions and to open internal borders. Italy, once the worst hit country in Europe and in the world, is today moving to a 3rd stange in lifting restrictions. Also today, Slovenia, Germany and Austria open their borders with Italy, with the first flights to Italian airports. Bulgaria is also lifting some of the COVID-19 related restrictions, although it faces an increase in the number of new cases, which raises fears of a second wave of the pandemic.

EXAMS Over 172,000 Romanian students graduating secondary schools this year are taking their National Assessment exams as of today, as a prerequisite for high school enrolment. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year the exam is held in special circumstances. Healthcare personnel are taking childrens temperature and every school is equipped with decontamination mats, protective face masks and biocide substances to use on floors, doorknobs, desks and chairs. Children are not allowed to bring any bags or backpacks into the examination rooms and are seated 2m from each other during the exam. The students who are self-isolating, quarantined, hospitalized, and those who had a temperature above 37.3 degrees Celsius on the exam day and those suffering from conditions that may be worsened by the novel coronavirus will take the exams in a special session between June 22 and July 4.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is taking part today in an informal conference call with the EU diplomacy chiefs. The agenda focuses on transatlantic relations. The participants will discuss with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the importance of the partnership between the EU and the US, with an emphasis on the international consequences of the Coronavirus crisis. Another topic discussed with the American official is the relationship with China, with a view to strengthen the American-European dialogue and coordination in this respect. The Romanian foreign minister will emphasise the importance of unity and pragmatism, and the need to strengthen transatlantic ties. He will also highlight the need to maintain a strong American presence in areas affected by protracted conflicts, particularly in the Eastern neighbourhood.

MEASURES The Romanian airline TAROM announced resuming flights to and from several EU countries. As of today, flights to Athens are resumed in normal conditions, while flights to Vienna, Frankfurt and Munich are also scheduled this week. Quarantine or self-isolation is also no longer required for the Romanian citizens arriving from 17 European countries (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary).

BREXIT The British PM Boris Johnson and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen are holding post-Brexit trade negotiations today, after no major progress has been made towards a deal after four rounds of talks this year. London wants to end the transition period this year, whether or not a deal is reached. Experts say a failure of trade talks between Britain, which left the EU on January 31, and the 27 EU member states, may have devastating economic consequences, further deepened by the coronavirus pandemic.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

15 June 2020
May 14, 2020

ALERT On May 15th Romania
will shift to the state of alert at the end of a two-month emergency state
instated through a presidential decree against the background of the coronavirus
pandemic. The announcement has been made today by the country’s Prime Minister
Ludovic Orban. Parliament on Monday endorsed a government draft on measures to
be imposed during the alert state, as some amendments have been operated to previous
regulations. Several circulation restrictions were lifted on Tuesday and the new
measures also provide for the opening of outdoor terraces with the observance
of safety distancing rules as well shops with surfaces under 15 thousand square
meters. Under the new regulations fines for violating these rules cannot exceed
3,000 Euros. The draft is due to remain in Parliament for two days, during
which it can be challenged at the country’s Constitutional Court and then sent
to the president for promulgation.

DAY On May 14th every year
Romania pays homage to its anti-communist martyrs. 72 years ago this day
Romania saw the largest wave of political arrests in the country’s history.
Tens of thousands of young people, most of them students were arrested on that
night part of a plan masterminded by the country’s communist authorities.

MEASURES Romania’s government has today
convened for talks on a fresh measure package to benefit disadvantaged
enterprises and people. The government is expected to be focusing on new
measures targeting the temporary lay-offs in several economic fields, which are
expected to remain closed down as well as on the financial aid to be granted to
parents until the end of the school year. The government is also focusing on a
financial aid meant to enable the big enterprises to kickstart output, similar
to the one already benefitting the country’s small and medium-sized companies.

COVID-19 Romania’s Interior Minister
Marcel Vela has announced a fresh military ordinance, number 12, under which
the city of Suceava in the north-east of the country and its surroundings,
which saw the largest number of Covid infections in Romania, is no longer in
quarantine. On Monday, the authorities announced similar measures for the town
of Tandarei in the south of the country. Minister Vela has again called on the
population to observe the protection measures against the new coronavirus even
after the end of the state of emergency. According to Vela, all the military
ordinances issued lately have been aimed at protecting the health of the
citizens; the minister has also thanked those who responded to the authorities’
call and proved responsible. According to the authorities, the virus has so far
killed 1046 people in Romania, which has reported over 16 thousand infections.
Out of those who tested positive, over 9 thousand have been cured and left
hospitals. 2855 Romanians have been infected abroad, most of them in Italy,
Spain and Germany. 102 of them died mostly in countries like Britain, Italy and
France.

TALKS During a phone call with her
Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Escriva, Romania’s Minister of Labour and Social
Solidarity, Violeta Alexandru, tackled the issue of labour contracts signed by
the Romanian temporary workers in this country. The Romanian official laid
emphasis on the importance of provisions regarding the period of notice on
termination of employment, the reimbursement of travel expenses and the medical
insurance benefitting the Romanian workers. Violeta Alexandru has announced
that she will hold talks on the same issues with her French counterpart and
that she is going to pay a visit to Germany to asses the labour conditions the
Romanian temporary workers enjoy in that country. The Romanian Labour Minister
has called on the Romanian temporary workers abroad to avoid illicit working.

(translated by bill)

14 May 2020
September 26, 2019

TALKS The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis had a short meeting in New York on Wednesday with his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. President Klaus Iohannis emphasised during the talks that in Romanias view, the Republic of Moldovas European accession efforts, firmly supported by Bucharest, are the only way to ensure the prosperity of the Moldovan citizens. In turn, Igor Dodon emphasised that he supports the strategic partnership between Romania and Moldova, and added that Moldovas European accession remains a priority. The Romanian President also had a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter thanked Romania for supporting his countrys European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state. Volodymyr Zelensky and Klaus Iohannis also discussed cooperation opportunities in the economic and energy fields, as well as bilateral business relations.

CoD Romania is taking over the 2-year presidency of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies, the Foreign Ministry announced. On this occasion, Foreign Minister Ramona Mănescu is taking part in New York today in an extraordinary meeting of this body. The Community of Democracies is a global inter-governmental structure aimed at promoting sustainable development, universal access to justice and efficient, responsible and inclusive institutions at all levels. Romania is one of the 106 UN member states that have signed the Warsaw Declaration, on whose principles the Community of Democracies has been founded.

HEARING The candidacy of the Romanian Social Democrat Rovana Plumb for the post of European Commissioner for Transport was rejected on Thursday by the European Parliaments judicial committee, political sources in Brussels announced. Only 6 MEPs voted in her favour, 15 voted against and 2 abstained from voting. Without the approval of the judicial committee, the hearing in the Transport Committee cannot be held. The European Parliaments judicial committee had invited Rovana Plumb and Lazslo Trocsanyi, the European Commissioner nominated by Hungary, to a special hearing. Plumb was asked to clarify controversial aspects in her declaration of assets, related to a loan taken out in order to fund an election campaign.

AMBASSADOR Lawyer Adrian Zuckermans nomination as US ambassador to Romania has been approved by the Foreign Relations Committee in the US Senate. According to the White House, Zuckerman immigrated to the US from Romania at the age of 10, and is fluent in Romanian. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1984, and was a partner in an international law firm. He was previously an arbitrator for the Real Estate Board of New York. He received his undergraduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his law degree from New York Law School.

UNEMPLOYMENT In Romania, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.8% in the second quarter of the year, with the highest rate (15%) reported among youth 15 to 24 years of age, the National Statistics Institute reports. The data also indicates that unemployed men outnumber the women, and that unemployment is higher in rural communities. During the same period, the employment rate in the 15-66 age bracket was slightly over 66%, up since the previous quarter. Moreover, the employment rate for citizens aged between 20 and 64 was 71.6%, higher than the 70% national target set in the Europa 2020 Strategy. Romanias active population was 9.1 million people, of whom 8.8 million were employed in the second quarter of this year.

HANDBALL Romanias womens handball team Wednesday night defeated Ukraine, at home, 27-24, in the first match in Group 7 of the 2020 European Championships qualifiers. On Sunday the Romanians will play against Faroe Islands away from home. Group 7 also includes Poland, and the 2 top-ranking teams will qualify in the final tournament. Romanias national team came in 4th in the previous European Championships, losing the bronze medal to the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Romanias champions Dinamo Bucharest won 35-28 against Danish vice-champions GOG Gudme, in Group D of the Champions League. Romania tops the group ranking, having outplayed the Swedish team IFK Kristianstad in Bucharest and drawn against the Swiss side Kadetten Schaffhausen, away from home. Dinamo will play next against Cehovskye Medvedy on October 12, in Russia.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

26 September 2019
July 22, 2019

CANDIDATE The president of the Social Democratic Party, in power in Romania, PM Viorica Dăncilă, is to have talks with the leaders of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, also in the ruling coalition, and of Pro Romania, the party headed by the former leftist prime minister Victor Ponta. The negotiations concern the forming of a coalition with a common candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. Viorica Dăncilă has recently said she would like a much broader support platform, including non-parliamentary parties, trade unions and NGOs, for the November election. Next week, the Social Democrats are scheduled to nominate their presidential candidate, who will be validated at a special congress on August 3rd.

EXPORTS Romanias exports to the other 27 EU member countries went up 4.9% in January – April 2019, as compared to the corresponding period of last year, whereas imports from the Union grew by 7.5%, the National Statistics Institute reports. Romanias top 3 EU export markets were Germany (23.3%), Italy (11.1%) and France (7.4%). As for imports, the 3 largest partners are Germany (19.9%), Italy (9.2%) and Hungary (7.2%). In the first 4 months of the year, Romanias total FOB exports amounted to 23 billion euro, and total imports to 28.1 billion euro, up 8.3% since January – April 2018. The trade deficit was little over 5 billion euro, i.e. 1.3 billion euro more than in the corresponding period of last year.

UKRAINE With more than half of the votes counted on Monday, the Central Election Committee in Kiev announced that president Volodymyr Zelenskys party, Servant of the People, won 42.47% of the votes in Sundays snap election, whereas the Opposition Platform for Life came second with 12.91%. Third-ranking are ex-president Petro Poroshenkos European Solidarity party and former PM Yulia Timoshenkos Batkivshcina party with around 8% each, followed by the newly formed Voice party founded by rock star Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, with over 6% of the votes. The other 15 parties in the race failed to meet the 5% threshold to get into parliament. Kiev also announced that the turnout was 49.84%, the lowest in the history of independent Ukraine.

BREXIT The European Commission prepares a huge aid package for Ireland, in order to make up for the economic loss entailed by a no-deal Brexit, Reuters reports, quoting The Times. The EU is ready to ‘spend whatever is necessary to support the Irish government in case of any disruption of trade, a high-ranking source has said. Over the weekend, thousands of anti-Brexit protesters marched in London ahead of the expected announcement of Boris Johnson as the new prime minister. On Tuesday, the Conservative Party in power will announce the winner of the race for Theresa Mays replacement, and the former foreign secretary Boris Johnson is largely viewed as the frontrunner. The Chancellor Philip Hammond, who is against a no-deal Brexit, announced his intention to step down if Boris Johnson becomes the new prime minister. The UK is set to exit the European Union on October 31st.

MILITARY The 10th ‘Eurasian Partnership MCM Dive’ multinational exercise begins today in Constanta and along the Romanian Black Sea coast. Until Thursday, tens of military divers from Romania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia and the US will take part in explosive device search and identification drills, will conduct open, semi-closed and surface-supplied diving missions and target searches using underwater drones. This is the only annual multinational exercise organised in the west part of the Black Sea, designed to improve the training of NATO divers and of diving units from Peace Partnership member countries.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

22 July 2019
July 20, 2019 UPDATE

PROSECUTOR The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, told president Klaus Iohannis over the telephone on Friday that France would withdraw Jean-François Bohnerts candidacy and would back the Romanian Laura Codruța Kövesi instead for the post of head of the European Public Prosecutors Office, the Romanian Presidency announced. Previously, the European Parliament reaffirmed its support for the former head of Romanias Anti-Corruption Directorate becoming the chief EU prosecutor. This spring the European Parliament decided to back Kovesis candidacy, whereas the EU Council preferred the French Jean-Francois Bohnert. Several rounds of negotiations between the 2 institutions yielded no results. Under the rules of organisation of the new EPPO, the Parliament and Council must jointly appoint the EU chief prosecutor, for a non-renewable 7-year term in office.

VISIT The Romanian State Secretary Maria Magdalena Grigore had bilateral meetings with high-ranking UN officials, during a visit she is making to the USA. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the topics included means to meet sustainable development goals, transport connectivity, the cooperation between Romania and the UN Development Programme, Romanias contribution to peacekeeping missions, international humanitarian assistance and economic developments in the world. Maria Grigore emphasised the importance of the UN in the current world context, and mentioned the progress made by Romania as an emerging donor, both in the field of official development assistance and of humanitarian aid.

INVESTMENTS A delegation from the Romanian Ministry for the Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship is in Japan until July 26th, to attract Japanese investors in Romania. According to the Ministry, the agenda of the visit includes meetings and talks in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Tokyo, with Japanese governmental officials and representatives of the local business and banking community, concerning the new business opportunities entailed by the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Japan. Meetings will also be held with representatives of major Japanese corporations. The talks are aimed at identifying trade and investment projects of mutual interest. Last year, the bilateral trade amounted to 710 million US dollars. The main Romanian products exported to Japan included tobacco, wood, honey, vehicle components and accessories, clothes, pharmaceuticals and electrical appliances, whereas Romanias imports from Japan consisted in automobiles, tools and equipment, metal and chemical products, optical and photographic equipment and devices.

FESTIVAL The 11th Film and Histories Festival continues in Rasnov, central Romania. Until July 28th, a special new venue in the centre of the town will be hosting film screenings, theatre performances, Baroque and rock music concerts. Conferences and roundtable talks will also be organised, on topics such as the 1989 Romanian Revolution, economic freedom, the music of freedom, freedom won and lost, cinema and freedom. Other topics approached include the Romanian migration, Europes post-Brexit future, the digital society and minorities. The 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing and the 70th anniversary of the founding of NATO will also be marked. The 2019 edition of the Festival will also host a Summer School for 72 university students and 23 high school students from Romania and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova.

HOLIDAY In a military and religious ceremony held in Bucharest on Romanian Aviation Day, celebrated every year on 20th of July, the Romanian Defence Minister Gabriel Les thanked the Romanian military and civil aviators for their devotion and paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives. On the same day, Orthodox and Catholic Christians in Romania celebrated Prophet Elijahs feast day. According to the Bible, the prophet lived nearly 2,800 years ago and brought back faith in the Hebrew God among the people of Israel. Elijah did not die like a human, but was taken to heavens in a chariot of fire. Due to this biographic detail, St. Elijah is the patron saint of the Romanian Air Forces. Nearly 130,000 Romanians also celebrated their name day on Prophet Elijahs Feast Day.

PHYSICS Romanias team, made up of 4 students from Bucharest, Iaşi (north-east), Timişoara (west) and Baia Mare (north), won 3 gold medals and a silver medal in the first edition of the Balkan Physics Olympiad, held in Thessaloniki, Greece between July 14th and 18th, the National Education Ministry announced. Taking part were secondary school and high school students aged 16 or under at the time of the competition. Eleven countries attended this first edition of the Olympiad.

YOUTH Romania will be represented by 103 athletes in the 15th Summer European Youth Olympic Festival, held between July 21st and 27th in Baku (Azerbaijan). The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee announced the participants are athletes aged between 14 and 18, who will take part in the athletics, cycling, artistic gymnastics, handball, swimming, judo, wrestling, tennis and volleyball events. The Committee also says the Romanian delegations objective is to come home with 8 to 10 medals from Baku.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

20 July 2019
February 23, 2019 UPDATE

CONSULTATIONS The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, had talks on Saturday with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on the sidelines of the EU – Leage of Arab States held in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt. According to a news release issued by the Presidency, Klaus Iohannis said the relationship between the 2 countries is very good and solid, and Egypt is one of Romanias traditional friends in the region and a key factor in ensuring regional stability and security. The 2 heads of state expressed their determination and interest in strengthening bilateral relations, with a focus on economic aspects. In this context, President Iohannis mentioned the increase in bilateral trade, which exceeded 918 million US dollars in 2018, making Egypt Romanias main trade partner in the region.

PES The Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă had a meeting on Saturday with the PM of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, on the sidelines of the congress of the Party of European Socialists in Madrid. The 2 officials appreciated the decision to organise a Romania-Spain business and investment forum and the opening of a Romanian economic mission in Madrid, on March 13th. They also talked about the Romanian community in Spain, as well as means to diversify economic relations. PM Dancila reaffirmed interest in attracting Spanish investments in Romania, in infrastructure as well as in the automotive field, agri-food, pharmaceuticals, and IT.

PROTESTS Magistrates in Bucharest and several other Romanian cities decided to suspend work for a week, as of Monday, after on Friday they protested in front of court buildings against new changes in the justice laws. Prosecutors and judges say that Government Emergency Decree 7, passed by the Government early this week, may lead to institutional deadlock and affect their independence. One of the provisions that angered the magistrates says that judges having previously worked as prosecutors may be appointed as chief prosecutors, and waives the seniority criterion. The emergency decree has been criticised both in Brussels, by the European Commission, and in Romania, by magistrate associations, the prosecutors division in the Higher Council of Magistracy and by the right-of-centre Opposition.

MEDAL The Aurelia Dacorum Romanian gendarme unit in Afghanistan was awarded the Non-Article 5 medal in recognition of its six-month participation in the Resolute Support Mission in that country. According to a Facebook post of the Romanian Gendarme Corps, the medal was granted by brigadier general Markus Kurczyk (Germany) and the director of Police Institutional Advisory Team, colonel Warren Brainard (US).

HUNGARIAN The incumbent leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Hunor Kelemen, was re-elected party president at the congress held in Cluj-Napoca, north-western Romania. The only candidate for this position, Hunor Kelemen won a 3rd term in office as president of the main political party representing the 1.5-million strong Hungarian community in Romania. The party supports the leftist ruling coalition in Romania, and has been represented in Parliament without interruptions since 1990.

MOLDOVA In the Republic of Moldova, parliamentary elections are held on Sunday. The recently modified election legislation scrapped the so-called reflection day, so candidates may campaign on the very day of the election as well. For the first time, a mixed voting system will be used, with 50 MPs elected on party lists and another 51 in a single-choice system, in one voting round. Polls indicate President Igor Dodons pro-Russian Socialist party is ahead, with nearly 40% of voter intentions, followed by a pro-European right-of-centre election cartel called ACUM, with 25%, and the pro-Western Democratic Party with 15%. A referendum is also held at the same time, concerning the reduction of the number of MPs from 101 to 61 and the possibility to have them removed from office by citizens.

HANDBALL The Romanian womens handball team CSM Bucharest was defeated on Saturday by the Hungarian side Gyor, 27-25, in a home game in Group 2 of the Champions League. In the first leg, title holder Gyor had won 36-27. With this victory, Gyor secured the top place in the group and remains undefeated in the Champions League in 19 games. CSM Bucharest is to play next on March 2, in Ljubljana, against RK Krim Mercator.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

23 February 2019
The Romania-Italy Consolidated Strategic Partnership

Based on very old historical and cultural links, as well as on the present social and human bonds, Romanian-Italian relations continue to develop at all levels, including the economic one, the centerpiece of the state visit which Romanias president, Klaus Iohannis, is paying to Rome these days. With an over 15.5-billion-euro estimated value of trade exchanges this year, Italy is Romanias second trade partner, ranking first in the chart of foreign investors in terms of the number of companies on the Romanian market. Experts estimate that that upward trend will be maintained in the next period, which was the mutual wish expressed during the top level talks Romanias president had with Italian officials. Klaus Iohannis:

“I have underscored that Romania is and remains a very attractive market; it is a country with an important potential and though we have a very large business community in Romania, we look forward to more investments and expect more business people to come and enrich our bilateral economic relationship.”

Romania and Italy are both NATO members and deem the Transatlantic relations as very important as Italys president Sergio Mattarella pointed out:

“I have thanked president Iohannis for Romanias contribution to the Sea Guardian operation, as regards safety and security in the Central Mediterranean area, as well as for Romanias contribution to the Naples hub as regards NATOs southern flank. We have tackled several issues, for instance the issue of the Western Balkans. Both Romania and Italy believe that it is very important for us to support dialogue between countries in this geographical area.”

Taking place against the backdrop of the celebration of the Centennial of the Great Union and of 10 years since Romanian-Italian relations were upgraded to the level of consolidated strategic partnership, the visit of Romanias president also focuses on the 1.2-million-strong Romanian community, the largest ethnic community in Italy and the largest Romanian community abroad. The Rome talks are also a good opportunity of spelling out Romanias priorities during its presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019.

16 October 2018
September 11, 2018

VISIT – The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, had talks in Bucharest today with his Romanian counterpart, Viorica Dăncilă. The latter said that during the Romanian presidency of the EU Council in the first half of next year, Romania will pay special attention to the negotiations on the multi-annual financial framework for 2021-2027. PM Dǎncilǎ also added that the goal of strengthening the EU domestic security will be one of the pillars on which Romanias priorities in its presidential term will rely. In terms of bilateral relations, Viorica Dăncilă and Peter Pellegrini discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of defence and energy. A bilateral cooperation protocol was signed, which will benefit the Romanian workers employed in Slovakia, as well as a ministry-level Education Cooperation Programme for 2018-2022. Also today, PM Peter Pellegrini was received by President Klaus Iohannis.

PARLIAMENT – The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest today discusses a simple motion tabled by the National Liberal Party, in Opposition, against the Interior Minister Carmen Dan. The motion, entitled “The Social Democratic Partys batons, a slap in the face of Romanian democracy, will be voted on Wednesday. The Liberals accuse Carmen Dan of having coordinated the brutal intervention against the participants in the anti-governmental protests of August 10th in Bucharest. On Monday, hundreds of people protested again, in the same place, and demanded the resignation of the Cabinet and of those responsible for the gendarme intervention. More than 400 people were injured a month ago, and the General Prosecutors Office initiated hearings in the case, with the Mayor General of Bucharest Gabriela Firea also heard. She requested the resignation of the Interior Minister, who, Firea claims, is trying to pass responsibility for the brutal gendarme intervention to the prefect of Bucharest. So far 770 victims of the clashes have filed criminal complaints. The Senates defence committee is also holding hearings concerning the protests of August 10th.

CONSULTATIONS – The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis has today received the foreign ministers of Poland, Jacek Czaputowicz, and Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu, accompanied by their Romanian counterpart Teodor Meleşcanu, who had taken part in an informal 3-party meeting on security-related topics. According to the Presidential Administration, the talks focused on the main means of cooperation in this format, launched in 2012 at Romanias initiative in order to promote the regional and international security agenda, working on the conclusions of the NATO summit in Brussels in July. Jacek Czaputowicz and Mevlut Cavuşoglu pointed out that Romania is a trustworthy ally and partner, which which they share similar security assessments. Also today, on the side lines of the consultations, ministers Jacek Czaputowicz and Mevlut Cavuşoglu had talks with PM Viorica Dăncilă. The 3-party meeting in Bucharest between Romania, Turkey and Poland is the 5th in this format, the previous one being held in Warsaw last year.

9/11 – Leading politicians in Bucharest have expressed solidarity with the American people, today, when the country commemorates the tragedy of September 11 2001, and have reiterated Romanias commitment to fighting “against the common threat of terrorism. The entire international community commemorates 17 years since the terrorist attacks in the US, when around 3,000 people were killed, including 5 Romanian nationals.

RUSSIA – Russia has today launched the largest-scale military moves in its history, criticised by NATO as a rehearsal for a major conflict. According to the Russian defence ministry, around 300,000 troops will take part, including Chinese and Mongolian forces, 36,000 vehicles, 1,000 aircraft and 80 sea vessels. The large drill, called East-2018, will take place until September 17, in eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East. The drills take place in the context of lingering tensions between Russia and the West, marked by the Ukrainian crisis, the conflict in Syria and countless allegations of Russia meddling with the domestic policy of other countries, including the US, international news agencies say.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

11 September 2018
July 18, 2018 UPDATE

CCR — The Constitutional Court of Romania on Wednesday postponed for September 18 discussing the notification made by President Klaus Iohannis in relation to modifying and amending the law on the organization and functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy. President Iohannis claims that Parliament rejected, without any motivation, his request for re-examination of the provisions related to the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy, in which he showed that the role of the president as a guarantor of the independence of the judiciary and the functioning of the Judicial Inspection was affected. Also on Wednesday the Constitutional Court rejected the notification of the opposition Liberal Party and Save Romania Union on the modifications to the status of judges and prosecutors and postponed for September 25 debating the notifications of the two parties and of the Supreme Court related to the draft law modifying the criminal procedure code and the law on judicial organization. In another development, the Constitutional Court admitted Wednesday the notifications made by President Iohannis, and the opposition parties: the Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement Party in relation to the law on the setting up of the Sovereign Fund for Development and Investments. The president of the Court Valer Dorneanu pointed out that the law was declared unconstitutional because the fund should not have been set up by a law but through a government decision. The Constitutional Court of Romania also admitted the notification regarding the right to free movement and stay of same sex spouses in the spirit of the European Court of Justice.

Legal cooperation — The Romanian chief prosecutor Augustin Lazar on Wednesday talked in Bucharest with Michael Roth, minister of state for Europe with Germany’s Foreign Ministry. According to a communiqué of the General Prosecutor’s Office the two officials talked about bilateral and international legal cooperation, about the progress made by Romania in reforming the judiciary and fighting corruption as well as about current judicial issues, including the recent legislative modifications. Michael Roth remarked the progress made by the Romanian judicial system in the past years but expressed interest in and concern over the recent changes to the criminal legislation, the communiqué also shows.

Polo — Romania’s national men’s water polo team obtained their first victory on Wednesday at the European Championships in Barcelona, after defeating Slovakia 9-5, in Group D. On Monday, in their debut match, the Romanians were defeated 5-11 by Serbia, holder of the continental title. The Romanians will play the last match of the group on Friday against Russia. The best 16 European water polo teams are participating in the 2018 championships. In the previous European Championship held two years ago the Romanian team was ranked 10th, their best performance being the 4th place in 1993 and 2006.

Free trade agreement — ‘The signing of the free trade agreement between the EU and Japan is a huge chance for Romanian exporters, who should be aware of the opportunities presented to them. Romania should not miss the opportunity of being massively present on the market of the world’s 3rd biggest economy, said Stefan Radu Oprea, the Romanian minister for the Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship. We recall that on July 17 the EU and Japan signed, in Tokyo, a free trade agreement that will eliminate nearly all tariffs on bilateral trade exchanges between the two sides. This is the biggest trade agreement ever negotiated by the EU, and after ratification in the European Parliament, Japan and the EU will create a free trade area with 600 million inhabitants, that will account for almost one thirds of the world’s GDP.

Romania – Austria Cooperation — Economic relations with Austria are solid and have a still unexploited potential, said Wednesday the Romanian Foreign Minster Teodor Melesanu after meeting in Bucharest his Austrian counterpart, Mrs. Karin Kneissel. Austria, which on July 1 took over the EU’s rotating presidency, remains the second largest foreign investors in Romania and Romania is interested in continuing to attract further Austrian investments, minister Melescanu added. The Romanian foreign minister showed that the Romanian community was very well integrated within the Austrian society, the Romanian community being the second largest community of European citizens in Austria. In turn, the Austrian Foreign Minister pointed out that the talks touched upon such issues as education, human rights and energy. Karin Kneissel underlined that strengthening the rule of law was an important discussion.

Inflation — June was the 5th consecutive month when Romania reported the highest annual inflation rate among EU states, with an increase in consumption prices of 4.7%, on the rise in comparison with an annual inflation rate of 4.6% reported in May, show data made public on Wednesday by Eurostat. The annual inflation rate within the EU stagnated in June at 2%, a similar value being reported in the Euro zone. Among the EU states, high annual inflation rates were also reported in Estonia (3.9%) and Hungary (3.2%). In early May, the National Bank of Romania revised upwards to 3.6% the inflation forecast for the end of 2018, the previous forecast pointing to a 3.5% inflation rate in 2018.

Chess — On Wednesday Romania won gold in the boy’s section and silver in the girls’ section at the U -18 category of the European Youth Team Chess Championship hosted by the German city of Bad Blankenbrug between July 11 and 18. The boys’ team was made up of Gavrilescu, George Stoleriu, Alexandru-Bogdan Banzea and Victor Văsieşiu and the girls’ team of Daria-Miruna Lehaci and Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)

18 July 2018
July 13, 2018

Transports — The Romanian minister for European funds Rovana Plumb and the transport minister Lucian Sova talked in Brussels with the EU Commissioner for regional policy Corina Cretu about the approval by the European Commission of the project for the M6 subway segment that will ensure the link with the Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest. According to a communiqué of the Transport Ministry in mid March the European Commission asked Metrorex company to provide clarifications in relation to their request for funding the project. The Transport Ministry officials say the value of the subway segment is almost 1.3 billion Euros of which Romania can cover at present only 330 million Euros from a loan and the state budget, with the rest to be possibly covered from European funds. Talks in Brussels also tackled the possibility of building a highway between Transylvania (in the center) and Moldavia (in the east). The route of the highway will be set in such a way so as to bring economic benefits to both Romania and the EU.

Washington – Washington supports the territorial integrity and political sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia and reiterates its support for the democratically elected governments and people of those three countries, shows a US Congress resolution. The document shows the US’s commitment to supporting the three former Soviet republics on their way to European integration, and to obtain energy security and intensify commercial cooperation. The resolution also condemns the Russian aggression in the region, and calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and ammunition which are illegally deployed on the territory of these three states. The resolution asks the allies from the EU and the UN to continue to put pressure on Moscow for it to comply with its international commitments and calls on the US Department of State to have a full-fledged and active dialogue against Russia’s interference in the democratic processes of the three sovereign nations. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has recently reiterated the need for a complete withdrawal of foreign armed forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, and NATO called for the pullout of Russian troops stationed in the three states, without their consent, in line with international commitments.

Brussels — Securing border points, equipping them with state-of-the-art technology and modernizing the customs infrastructure are some of the main objectives of the Romanian Public Finance Ministry for 2018. This is the statement made by finance minister Eugen Teodorovici in Brussels at an event occasioned by the celebration of 50 years of customs union. Minister Teodorovici signed, on the occasion, the European Customs Charter under the high patronage of Pierre Moscovici, a European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, and of Hartwig Loger, the Austrian finance minister, whose country is holding the presidency of the Council of the EU. Customs union was first mentioned in the Rome Treaty and came into force in 1968 when customs duties levied at the border between the states of the European Community were eliminated. The EU members are using a common set of rules, the so-called Customs Code, which lies at the basis of the Customs Union.

Gărâna — The 22nd edition of the Gărâna Jazz Festival is under way in the southwest of Romania until Sunday. The program includes 25 concerts by musicians from 16 countries. Besides concerts, the audience will have the opportunity to attend the presentation of an experiment — installation made by painter Gheorghe Fikl, during the theater play “Farm” by the Auăleu troupe, the Vinyl National Fair, the exhibition of jazz posters as well as the launch of the book ‘Instant Stage’ by Ioana Tăut. In the past 20 years, more than 70 thousand spectators and many internationally-famed artists shared the experience of avant-garde jazz music in the open air, in the small Romanian village of Gărâna.

B-Fit — As of Friday until August 5 Bucharest will host, each weekend, the 10th edition of the International Street Theater Festival, B-Fit in the Street. This anniversary edition of the festival, called “A Romanian Story in the Centennial Year” includes tens of shows performed by 400 artists from12 countries among which Denmark, Slovakia, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Romania. The world premiere of the aerial acrobatics show ‘Sonics in Wish’ from Italy will take place on July 14.

Luxemburg — FC Viitorul football team, 4th ranked in Romania’s football championship, on Thursday won the away match against Racing Union Luxemburg 2-0, in the first preliminary round of Europa League. The return match will take place in Romania on July 19. If they defeat the team of Luxemburg, FC Viitorul will play in the second preliminary round against Vitesse Arnhem of the Netherlands. Also playing in the Europa League preliminaries will be CSU Craiova, the Cup winner, and vice-champions FCSB. Title holder CFR Cluj will play in the preliminaries of the Champions League. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

13 July 2018
July 4, 2016

CONSULTATIONS – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has invited today in Bucharest PM Dacian Cioloş, the National Bank Governor Mugur Isărescu, and the leaders of parliamentary parties to a new round of talks after the Brexit vote. According to the Presidency, Klaus Iohannis will suggest the set-up of a task force to assess the impact of Britains decision to leave the EU on Romania, as well as the opportunities entailed by this decision. At the end of the EU Council held last week, Klaus Iohannis said a new post-accession country project was necessary. This is the second round of consultations initiated by the head of state Klaus Iohannis, after the one held right after the results of UKs EU vote were published on June 24.

GOVERNMENT – The Government of Romania is working on a strategy for the development of the country, PM Dacian Ciolos has today announced. Attending the Forum of Local Public Administration, held in Bucharest, he said he would like this strategy, entitled “Polycentric Romania 2035, to be a framework for regional development. Ciolos added that clearer legislation is needed in terms of the resources allotted to local authorities, given that squander, incompetence and corruption make the spending of these funds rather inefficient. De-centralising certain fields, like agriculture, tourism, youth and sports and encouraging inter-community associations are among the priorities of the Government, Ciolos said.

NATO – The Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc, has talks in Belgium today with General Curtis Scaparrotti, NATOs Supreme Allied Commander Europe. According to a news release, the Romanian minister will discuss, among other things, the advanced presence of NATO on the eastern flank in the context of the current security challenges, as one of the central topics of the Warsaw Summit due late next week. The same summit, due to take place on Friday and Saturday in Poland, will be the topic of a press conference given by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels today.

WIMBLEDON – The best ranking Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, no. 5 WTA, is playing today against Madison Keys from the US, no. 9 in the world, in the eighth-finals of the Wimbledon tournament. If she qualifies into the quarter-finals, Halep will take on the winner of the match between Japans Misaki Doi and Germanys Angelique Kerber. In the mens doubles, the Romanian Florin Mergea and Indian Rohan Bopanna are playing today, in the eighth-finals, against Henri Kontinen (Finland) / John Peers (Australia).

EURO 2016 – France is the last country to qualify into the semi-finals of the European Championship, after having defeated Iceland, the team that was the major surprise of the Euro 2016. In the semi-finals, the host country will take on Germany, whereas Portugal will play against Wales. Romania left the tournament as early as the group stage. After this failure, the Romanian Football Federation decided not to extend the contract of manager Anghel Iordanescu, whose successor will be a foreign coach, said the Federation president, Razvan Burleanu. His name will be announced by the end of the Euro 2016 final tournament, on July 10, Burleanu said.

HANDBALL – Romanias mens handball team won the World University Championship held in Malaga (Spain), after defeating South Korea in the final, 28 – 20. In the semi-finals, Romania outplayed the host country, 29 – 26. In the womens competition, Romania lost the final to Spain 14 – 20.

4 July 2016
July 1, 2016

EU PRESIDENCY – Slovakia is today taking over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union from the Netherlands, against fears sparked by the Brexit vote. Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned that the future of a Union with 27 member states cannot be decided by the few, referring to meetings of some Western officials immediately after the referendum in the United Kingdom. The Slovakian official said the EU would have to redefine its underperforming policies, especially those referring to migration. Romania and Bulgarias accession to the Schengen Area is one of the priorities of Slovakias term in office, according to Radio Romanias Brussels correspondent. Slovakia will host an informal EU summit in September, the first to be organised outside Brussels since 2000.

TALKS – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on Monday has invited Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and National Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu, as well as the leaders of parliamentary parties, to a new round of talks in the wake of the Brexit vote. Britains decision to leave the European Union has had less influence on financial markets in Romania than on those in other states in the region, but this doesnt mean the impact wont be more serious in the future, National Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu has said. The Romanian official pointed out that the result of the referendum has fuelled uncertainty on international markets.

ROMANIA AND NATO – Romania is a trusted ally of NATO and remains a pillar of security and stability in the region, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis has said while attending the inauguration ceremony for NATOs two command centres in Bucharest. Klaus Iohannis explained that NATOs command structures in Romania have a major role as part of collective efforts to improve the Alliances capability of successfully responding to current and future threats. The president also referred to the recent inauguration of the anti-ballistic defence facility in Deveselu, recalling that Romania has increased its defence budget and will do so up to 2% of its GDP by 2017. The Multinational South-East Division Command in Bucharest has joined other five NATO units on its eastern flank in Bulgaria, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. At the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales NATO decided to set up these command centres as a response to Russias ingressions in Ukraine. The event in Bucharest is held one week ahead of the NATO Summit in Warsaw.

BOMB ATTACK – The three men involved in the bomb attack at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, which killed 44 people and wounded over 250, were all from the former Soviet Union, Turkish sources have announced. One man was from the Northern Caucasus, while the others were from Kazakhstan and Kirgizstan. Turkish officials say that most of the existing data point to the involvement of the Islamic State terrorist cell. The organisation has not claimed the attack, but this is true of other similar attacks in Turkey. The triple bomb attack on Tuesday is the fourth and most serious in Istanbul this year. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has announced the authorities would increase security forces in all airports.

WIMBLEDON – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranked 5th in WTA standings, is today playing Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, 28th WTA, in the third round at Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. On Thursday, in the second round, Halep trounced Francesca Schiavone of Italy, 6-1, 6-1. Also in the third round, Monica Niculescu, 47th WTA, is playing Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland, 11th WTA, after on Thursday she defeated Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia, 6-1, 6-4. The Wimbledon tournament has been disrupted by the heavy rain this week.

EURO 2016 – The national football teams of Belgium and Wales are today playing in the second quarterfinal at the European Football Championship in France. In the first match on Thursday, Portugal knocked out Poland at the penalty shootout. Portugal will be playing the winner of todays match. On Saturday, former world champions Italy and Germany are pitted against each other. The host country France is playing Iceland on Sunday. Romania was knocked out in the group phase after grabbing 1 point in three matches.

COCAINE – A record high quantity of 2,5 tonnes of cocaine, worth an estimated 625 million euros, was seized by the border police from a container in the port of Constanta, south-eastern Romania. The ship carrying the cocaine was coming from South America. The drugs were supposed to reach European markets. Investigators have detained five people, all foreign nationals, in this case.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

1 July 2016