Tag: TAROM

  • The future of Tarom

    The future of Tarom

     

    The number of passengers in Romanian airports is on the rise, compared to previous years, according to data provided by the National Airport Association. In fact, Romania is already above the level reported in 2019, the year regarded as the best for tourism in the past decade.

     

    In the first half of 2024, nearly 12 million people transited Romanian airports, up 10.5% compared to the corresponding period of 2019 and nearly 5% more than in the first half of 2023. The rise in ticket prices, cancellations and delays, as well as the decrease in safety reported for certain foreign destinations have rechanneled an important number of holiday bookings to Romania.

     

    Not everything is good news, however: few people choose to fly domestically. Local flights only account for 7% of the total number of passengers.

     

    Meanwhile, the national airline, TAROM, has recently announced the sale of its slots on London’s Heathrow Airport to Qatar Airways. The transaction is scheduled to complete on October 26.

     

    In a news release, TAROM described the sale as a strategic one, and as a necessary measure to ensure the company’s economic sustainability, given that Heathrow flights, the operator claimed, were some of the least profitable in the last few years. The sale of the London slots is expected to enable the company to focus on fleet and route optimisation, as part of a large-scale recovery plan aimed at bringing the company back to profit in 2025 and 2026.

     

    Owned by the Romanian government, TAROM has long been struggling to survive. In the last 6 years alone, it reported losses of nearly EUR 300 million, i.e. some EUR 55 million per year. And according to the Finance Ministry, the last time the company made profits was in 2007.

     

    In 2023, due to recovery efforts, losses were cut to EUR 17 million, and for 2024 a break-even or even small profits are expected. And at the end of April the European Commission approved a EUR 95.3 million aid package for the restructuring of TAROM.

     

    For the time being, the management says the airline does not plan on giving up further routes in the near future. But they warn that the volatile situation in commercial aviation may trigger changes.

     

    According to TAROM’s interim chief executive, Costin Iordache, only after completing the restructuring plan in 2026, could the company consider moving to new routes. In the meantime, TAROM is to sell 4 Airbus 318 aircraft and upgrade its fleet, by bringing in new Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes, scheduled to arrive in Romania next year.

     

    TAROM was set up in 1954 and has been a member of SkyTeam Alliance since June 2010 and a member of IATA (International Air Transport Association) since 1993. (AMP)

  • August 21, 2024

    August 21, 2024

    VISIT The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying a two-day visit to Brussels as of today. He will talk with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the portfolio that Romania will receive in the future configuration of the Commission, as well as about the name of the future Romanian commissioner. Marcel Ciolacu and Ursula von der Leyen will also discuss the implementation stage of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Romanian prime minister might also present the general principles that he wants to put into practice to reduce the budget deficit.

     

    RADAR NATO strengthens Romania’s defence capabilities with a new sophisticated radar called LANZA, which has been relocated from Italy, together with its operational team. Located in Tulcea County, south-eastern Romania, this state-of-the-art facility provides a unique tracking and surveillance capability to the NATO command and control center. The aforementioned radar has been designed to improve the operational capabilities of various platforms, including military vessels and submarines. Mobile active radars are extremely effective and offer additional protection as compared to their airborne or static counterparts and they also improve interoperability within alliances and partnerships strengthening NATO air and space power.

     

    MEASURES The Romanian government will adopt, today, a series of provisions that will support energy producers in the cold season. Thus, the government will allow the local public authorities to guarantee bank loans that the energy producers under their authority will take in order to be able to buy natural gas with which to produce thermal energy for the coming winter. Through another law, the government will adopt the budget for the program of distributing vegetables, milk and fruits in schools for the 2024-2025 school year. Also in the education field, the executive will supplement the budget of the relevant ministry with 40 million lei (approx. 8 million Euros) for the finalization of seven student dormitories, which are in various stages of execution.

     

    TAROM ‘Romania’s air carrier, ‘TAROM’ doesn’t plan to give up other routes in the following period, but the volatile situation on the market can prompt further changes’ – the company’s interim director Costin Iordache said. The statement comes after TAROM announced its intention to sell the slots it has on Heathrow airport in London to Qatar Airways. The strategic deal is to be completed on October 26th as TAROM is presently in full restructuring and streamlining process.

     

    ELECTION During their national convention on Tuesday night in Chicago the US Democrats officially confirmed Kamala Harris as the presumptive nominee for the presidential election of November 5th. Democrat delegations from all over the USA again voiced their support for Harris in a ceremonial vote after President Biden dropped his bid for reelection. Harris is to deliver a major speech during the convention on Thursday marking the end of the four day event aimed at celebrating and giving an impetus to the Democrats nominees for the rest of the campaign. Vice President Harris, 60, has been the second woman nominee of the Democratic Party since its foundation in 1828 and could become, if elected, the first female president of the United States. Her opponent in the presidential election is the former US president the Republican billionaire Donald Trump.

    (bill)

  • July 31, 2024

    July 31, 2024

    OLYMPICS – Romanian athletes are competing on Wednesday, at the Olympic Games in Paris, in rowing, swimming, judo, table tennis, archery and triathlon. Japan remains in the top position in the medal standings at the Paris Olympics after Tuesday’s races, the fourth official day of competition, while Romania is 16th after the gold won by swimmer David Popovici in the 200m freestyle race on Monday. On Tuesday, David Popovici also qualified to the semifinals of the 100 m freestyle event. The final is taking place today. The Romanian artistic gymnastics team competed in the women’s team finals and finished in 7th place, 12 years after their previous participation, at the London Olympics, when they took the bronze medal. Romanian rowers Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiş, the Olympic champions in women’s double rowing, qualified, on Tuesday, to Final A. At the same time, Romanian rowers Florin Arteni and Florin Lehaci qualified to the final in men’s double sculls, after winning the first semi-final.

     

    FIRES – 40 Romanian firefighters with 8 technical means left for Greece on Tuesday, where several wildfires are active. The mission lasts until September 15, the purpose of the program being to reduce the response time in the event of forest fires and improve interoperability between the participating forces. The head of the Romanian Department for Emergencies, Raed Arafat told the firefighters that, although they are going on a support mission, the situation is difficult in Greece and, most likely, they will participate in the interventions. The mission of the Romanian firefighters is part of the assistance program financed by the EU, provided as a measure of support for the Greek communities, after the devastating fires recorded in the past years.

     

    TAROM – TAROM flights to and from Beirut have been suspended on Wednesday and Thursday, amid the growing tensions in the Middle East and following the alert issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest to avoid any travel to this region, the national air operator announced. Other European countries have also suspended their flights on the Beirut route. Several countries, including Romania, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands, have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon urgently, due to growing concerns about a possible large-scale retaliation by Israel, after Saturday’s rocket attack that killed 12 young people on the Golan Heights and for which the Lebanese group Hezbollah is accused. The Israeli army said it carried out a targeted strike in the area of ​​the Lebanese capital against the Hezbollah command on Tuesday evening.

     

    FRAUD – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office alerted Romania regarding several cases of fraud, including one with a possible damage of 4.3 million euros, involving a mafia group from Italy. The institution led by the Romanian Laura Codruţa Kovesi informed the Ministry of Investments and European Projects in Bucharest that there are possible systemic vulnerabilities in contracts with European funds in the country. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has signaled a high risk of fraud with letters of guarantee issued by fictitious entities or which did not have the right to issue such documents. According to a press release by the European institution, based on these false documents, several public tenders were won and then ended up being investigated.

     

    HAMAS – The Palestinian group Hamas said that its leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran, in an Israeli raid on his residence in the capital Tehran. The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the “coward assassination” of the political leader of Hamas. Turkey also condemned the assassination of Ismail Hanyeh, a close associate of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said that the blood of the assassinated Hamas leader will not be wasted. We remind you that the war in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas committed an attack in southern Israel that led to the death of nearly 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Another 250 people were kidnapped then. In response, Israel promised to destroy Hamas, in power since 2007 in the Palestinian territory, which it sees as a terrorist organization, a position shared by the US and the EU. (EE)

     

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    Five NATO leaders, including the American president, Joe Biden, and the Romanian one, Klaus Iohannis, signed, at the allied summit in Washington, a statement in which they commit to deliver Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. Kyiv will thus be able to use Patriot batteries donated by the United States, Germany and Romania, to which are added components provided by the Netherlands and a system donated by Italy. “We do all these things: we support Ukraine, we donate Patriot, we help Moldova, we also help others in the region, because we can, and because we think it’s right,” declared President Iohannis. According to him, Romania has transformed from a state that begged to receive help of any kind to a state that has the strength, energy, and capabilities to export security throughout the region. On a bilateral level, Klaus Iohannis and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed, in Washington, a cooperation agreement in the field of security. It is a political document that systematizes the existing cooperation between the two countries in various fields and includes aspects related to Kyiv’s commitment to continue the necessary reforms on its European and Euro-Atlantic course, respect for the rights of national minorities, as well as cooperation in combating cross-border crime. Aid to Ukraine was the main item on the agenda of the NATO summit. “We intend to release a basic package of at least 40 billion euros for next year, and then maintain security assistance at a sustainable level, so that Ukraine wins,” the member countries pledged.

    Open protest, masked protest

    Internally, the week started with a less usual protest, organized by accountants and economists under the motto “No chaos in tax legislation”. In Bucharest and in other cities, the participants denounced the legislative acts and fiscal measures that they consider oppressive, because they would deeply affect every entrepreneur, economist, accountant, as well as taxpayers in Romania. The protesters say that the introduction of mechanisms such as e-Invoice or e-VAT, in fact, increases the bureaucracy. The accountants’ protest was announced in advance. Things were not the same at Otopeni International Airport, where dozens of internal and external flights of the national company TAROM were canceled after some of the pilots declared themselves unfit to fly. Later, it turned out to be a kind of masked strike, triggered untimely, which affected many passengers and caused new losses to the company. The flights resumed the next day, after TAROM’s management concluded an agreement on salary issues with the flight personnel. The European commissioner for transport, Adina Vălean, said that the problem at TAROM is not auspicious, given that the company benefits from state aid approved by the European Commission. TAROM suffers significant financial losses every year, and analysts question whether the state’s efforts to reorganize and save it are maybe futile.

    Transport problems

    Traffic on the DN7 Valea Oltului, a vital artery that runs through the Carpathians, and ensures the connection with the central-western sections of the highway, was closed for a month, during the day, for clearing works in order to build the Sibiu-Pitesti Highway, expected for over 3 decades. The restrictions give headaches to transporters, and not only them, and the effects did not take long to appear. Several traffic jams formed on the already overloaded DN1 between Ploiesti and Braşov. And that’s not all in terms of transport: the Giurgiu-Ruse Friendship Bridge over the Danube went into repair, on the Bulgarian side, for a period of two years, starting Wednesday. Romanian citizens are advised to use the other border crossing points with Bulgaria, a tourist destination for Romanians, but also a transit country for Greece and Turkey, two major destinations during the summer.

    A controversial ordinance

    On Thursday, the government modified the emergency ordinance regarding drug testing of drivers, after the normative act was intensely criticized by civil society. Drivers who are found positive in the test, or refuse it, have their license suspended, but they get it back in 3 days, if the forensic laboratories do not provide, during this time, the preliminary result of the blood tests. A non-governmental association requested the annulment of the ordinance regarding drug tests, because it would contain abusive provisions, such as the appearance of positive results even in the case of the consumption of common cold medicines.

    Heatwave over Romania

    Romanian meteorologists have issued, for the end of the week, the most extensive red heat code so far, which covers three quarters of the country’s territory. The weekend was preceded by five hot days, with temperatures that rose to 39 degrees and will be followed, according to forecasts, by another three days with extreme temperatures, which will exceed 40 degrees. The government asked the central and local authorities to be prepared to intervene effectively when needed.

    Encouraging debut in interclub football competitions

    After a good European performance by the Romanian national team, the fans’ attention moves to the club teams engaged in the continental competitions. The debut of the season was a successful one: the champion FCSB (Bucharest) outclassed the champion San Marino, Virtus, 7-1, on Tuesday, away, in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the Champions League. The holder of the Cup, Corvinul Hunedoara (center-west), defeated, also away, 4-0, the vice-champion and winner of the Hungarian Cup, Paksi, in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the Europa League. In the case of very likely qualifications, FCSB will meet Maccabi Tel Aviv, from Israel, in the preliminary second round, and Corvinul will face the Croatian team Rijeka.

  • July 9, 2024

    July 9, 2024

    NATO. The NATO summit that begins today in Washington is expected to be dominated by the war in Ukraine and Russia’s threats, especially after the recent massive Russian attack on several Ukrainian cities, resulting in dozens of deaths. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to participate in the summit, has called on the allies to respond more firmly to Russia’s attacks by strengthening his country’s air defense. For his part, US President Joe Biden said that the North Atlantic Alliance will announce new measures to help Ukraine protect its cities and civilians. Romania, represented by President Klaus Iohannis, will reaffirm its firm support for Ukraine, including with regard to NATO accession. Also, the Romanian President will plead for the continuation of support for the Alliance’s vulnerable partners, the Republic of Moldova in particular, and for increasing their capacity to respond to hybrid threats. The summit agenda will include three meetings at the highest level of the North Atlantic Council, including in formats with Ukraine, the European Union and NATO partners in the Indian – Pacific area, as well as an anniversary event on the occasion of NATO’s 75th anniversary.

    TAROM. All internal and external flights of the Romanian airline TAROM were carried out, this morning, according to schedules, after, the day before, several flights had been cancelled, 30 of the company’s 150 pilots declaring themselves unfit for medical reasons. According to the Union of Air Line Pilots, it was, in fact, a protest related to the working and salary conditions, as well as the bad management of the company. Losses of 2.5 million euros were recorded. In the meantime, the management of TAROM and the representatives of the seafaring staff have reached an agreement regarding salaries. TAROM also apologized to its passengers for the inconvenience caused and gave assurances that it is making every effort to reduce the impact this situation had on their travel plans.

    Mourning. The Ukrainian Ambassador to Bucharest, Ihor Prokopciuk, participated, on Monday, in a spontaneous action of mourning for the victims of Monday’s Russian attacks on the cities of the neighboring country, including on a children’s hospital in Kyiv. According to the diplomatic mission in Bucharest, the event was attended by Ukrainian diplomats, Ukrainian citizens who found shelter in Romania and Romanians. Ambassador Prokopciuk has strongly condemned Russian terrorism and stated that despite its brutal attacks, Russia will not succeed in defeating the Ukrainian nation, which will continue to fight for its independence and territorial integrity.


    Commissioner.
    The European Commissioner for Transport, the Romanian Adina Vălean, is presenting today her 5-year activity report, focusing on topics such as sustainable and intelligent transport, reducing emissions, connected and automated mobility, accessibility and passenger rights, fair internal market, transport safety, international cooperation and dual mobility. The report also includes the achievements and challenges encountered and offers a perspective on the future of the transport sector in Europe. The event is hosted by the headquarters of the European Commission Representation in Bucharest.


    Education.
    The Romanian Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, has announced that the pass rate in the first session of this year’s Baccalaureate exam is 76.4%, an increase of 3.6% compared to last year. According to the minister, it is the best result in the last 10 years. Ligia Deca presented, in a press conference, the results by sector. Thus, for the theoretical stream the pass rate was 91%, for the technological stream 63%, and for the vocational stream 77%. Education experts say, however, that the figures must be seen in the context in which only 79% of the graduates sat for the Baccalaureate exam.


    Weather.
    The National Meteorological Administration has issued new warnings for excessive heat and severe thermal discomfort, in place on July 9 and 10, throughout Romania. A Code Yellow warning for extremely hot weather has been issued today for the north, west, southwest, south, southeast and most of the east and center of the country. The maximum temperatures are range between 33 and 37 degrees Celsius and, locally, temperatures have gone up to 39 degrees. The southern regions will continue to be affected by extreme heat and high thermal discomfort, and the temperature-humidity index (ITU) will exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. The noon reading in Bucharest was 35 degrees. At night, the minimums will not drop below 20 degrees Celsius, which is characteristic of tropical weather. During the day of Wednesday, July 10, the heatwave will intensify, and an amber warning will be in place in the west, southwest and south, including Bucharest. Meteorologists say that the wave of excessive heat will persist throughout Romania in the following days of the week. (MI)

  • July 8, 2024 UPDATE

    July 8, 2024 UPDATE

    PROTEST Hundreds of accountants and economists protested in front of the government building in Bucharest on Monday disgruntled by the government decisions regarding the digitalization of the fiscal administration. Similar actions have been taken in Iasi, north-eastern Romania, Timisoara in the west and Bistrita in the north-west. Members of the Employers’ Association of the Romanian Accountant Entrepreneurs say that the introduction of some mechanism such as the e-invoice or the e-VAT will raise bureaucracy as people need to fill in many forms. Furthermore, the accountants have complained that the technical instruments made available by the Finance Ministry aren’t functioning properly. The protest was also supported by travel associations and organisations in the hospitality industry as well as by the family physicians.

     

    TAROM Romania’s air carrier TAROM has announced that 10 of its flights on the Henri Coanda airport have been cancelled after 20 pilots, flight commanders, copilots and other crew members invoked health issues, which prevented them from taking off. The company has announced that some flights are to be rescheduled for tomorrow and that several hundreds of passengers, mostly foreigners, left on the airport terminals will get refunds. The company has refrained from describing the event as a strike but for the time being the reasons behind the action remain unknown. Representatives of the board of directors are expected to provide explanations at the Transport Ministry.  Among the flights cancelled are those to Beirut, Cairo, Budapest, Iasi, Madrid, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt. In this context, Romania’s delegation, which was supposed to participate in the NATO summit in Washington, had to resort to a military plane.

     

    GROWTH The National Institute for Statistics (the INS) has revised up Romania’s economic growth in the first quarter of the year, to 0.7%, from a prior estimate of 0.4%. Compared to the same quarter of 2023, the GDP registered an increase of 0.5% on the gross series and 2.2% on the seasonally adjusted series, according to provisional data the INS published on Monday. The country’s budget for the current year is based on an economic growth of 3.4%.

     

    CULTURE Romanians and foreign tourists visiting Romania are increasingly interested in culture – said the Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan. She specified that the number of people visiting museums, public collections, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums and nature reserves increased in 2023 by more than 3 million, compared to 2022. Mrs. Turcan has appreciated the professionalism and dedication of all those in the cultural sector who manage to increase public interest in cultural events and activities, as confirmed by the latest figures of the National Institute of Statistics.

    (bill)

  • July 8, 2024

    July 8, 2024

    Protest. The Employers’ Association of Accountants in Romania – PACR – is organizing, today, near the government headquarters, a protest to draw attention to the economic climate marked, in their opinion, by legislative chaos and fiscal uncertainty. The accountants also request fundamental changes in the country’s fiscal policy. The protest is followed by a march to the headquarters of the Ministry of Finance in Constitution Square. According to PACR, around 3,000 people, accountants and economists, could participate in the protest, and such actions will also take place in other cities in the country. The protest staged by accountants and economists is also supported by associations and organizations from the tourism and hospitality industry, as well as by family doctors.

    TAROM. The national airline TAROM canceled 10 flights from the Henri Coandă Airport this morning, after some of the crew members declared themselves unfit to fly. In a press release, TAROM says that this is an unprecedented situation and that efforts are being made to identify solutions and protect passengers. The company mentions that it has allocated additional staff to this situation and that its assistance team will contact passengers directly to provide them with details regarding the rescheduling of flights. The press writes that another 10 flights, which were to arrive at the airport, would have been affected. Right now, there are queues in the airport formed by passengers trying to find new ways of getting to their destinations. The Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, has called on the TAROM management to take the necessary measures to avoid blockages.

    Economy. The National Institute of Statistics revised upward the economic growth of Romania in the first three months of this year, to 0.7%, from 0.4% as previously estimated. Compared to the same quarter of 2023, the GDP registered an increase of 0.5% on the gross series and 2.2% on the seasonally adjusted series, according to the provisional data published today by the NIS. The country’s budget for the current year is based on an economic growth of 3.4%.

    Paris. The French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced that he will present his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron today, after the snap legislative elections on Sunday. The announcement comes after the French left-wing New Popular Front coalition, which includes socialists, environmentalists, communists and radicals, surprisingly won the most seats in the second round of the election, but fell short of an absolute majority in parliament. Attal, who is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, said after the publication of the first estimates, that the Ensemble (Together) alliance, led by Renaissance, does not have a majority to govern. According to France Presse, Attal’s government camp is likely to drop from 245 seats to somewhere between 150 and 180 of the 577 seats in the lower house of parliament (the National Assembly), becoming the second largest force after the NPF, which would have between 172 and 215 seats. Sources close to President Macron hinted that he will address the nation before leaving for the United States to attend the NATO summit.

    Culture. Romanians and foreign tourists visiting Romania are increasingly interested in culture – said the Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan. She specified that the number of people visiting museums, public collections, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums and nature reserves increased in 2023 by more than 3 million, compared to 2022. Mrs. Turcan has appreciated the professionalism and dedication of all those in the cultural sector who manage to increase public interest in cultural events and activities, as confirmed by the latest figures of the National Institute of Statistics.

    Tennis. The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified, on Sunday, for the next round of the women’s doubles event at the Wimbledon tennis tournament, after defeating Iana Sizikova (Russia)/Yafan Wang (China ), 6-4, 6-4. Ruse and Kostiuk, who last year stopped in the second round of the Grand Slam tournament on grass, will play, on Tuesday, against the second seeded Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada)/Erin Routliffe (New Zealand). (MI)

  • April 30, 2024 UPDATE

    April 30, 2024 UPDATE

    MIGRATION – Romania is ready to implement the pact on migration and asylum and has already taken steps in that direction, Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu said on Tuesday at the end of a migration conference hosted by Gent, Belgium. Romania launched an initiative to consolidate regional cooperation to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime, jointly with the European Commission and regional states such as Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. Ahead of this reform, Romania implemented a pilot program on the border with Serbia, showing that pre-emptive actions led to a 97% reduction in illegal migration flows.

     

     

    COOPERATION – Romania’s Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, says the significant presence of US troops in Romania is evidence of the United States’ determination to help consolidate security in the region. The Romanian official joined US Ambassador in Romania, Kathleen Kavalec, in attending the change of command ceremony at the Naval Support Facility in Deveselu (south). Minister Tîlvăr highlighted the major role of the US anti-ballistic missile system hosted by Romania for the NATO defense architecture, also marking a joint contribution of the United States and Romania to NATO defense efforts and facilitating protection against threats coming from outside Euro-Atlantic space.

     

     

    MINI-HOLIDAY – The Interior Ministry has taken additional measures to ensure public order and safety for Labor Day, when the summer season starts officially, and Orthodox Easter, celebrated on May 5th. Security forces will be primarily dispatched to the main roads, accompanied by air support, and in the proximity of churches. Measures were also taken together with the Bulgarian police to reduce waiting times on border checkpoints. Over 80,000 people are expected to spend their holidays at the seaside, where concerts and an electronic music festival are scheduled.

     

     

    TAROM – The European Commission on Monday approved Romania’s plans to provide restructuring aid for the Romanian state-owned airline TAROM to the amount of 95 million EUR, in keeping with EU norms on state aid, the Commission said in a statement. The measure is expected to help the company restore its feasibility in the long term. After the announcement, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said TAROM can become in the next two years an airline that can support its development on its own and that as the country’s prime minister, he has the duty to support “a Romanian national company with tradition”.

     

     

    FILMFreedom by Tudor Giurgiu won the Gopo Trophy for best Romanian feature film at the Gopo Awards ceremony held on Monday in Bucharest. The film is inspired by true events that took place in Sibiu, in the center, during the anti-communist revolution of December 1989. The film also won the award for best director, best actor, which went to Alex Calangiu, best supporting role, which went to Iulian Postelnicu, and best script, which went to Cecilia Ştefănescu and Tudor Giurgiu, the latter to be shared with Radu Jude for Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, which he also directed. Ilinca Manolache won the best actor award for her role in Jude’s film. Vlad Petri won the best documentary award for Between Revolutions, while the prize for best European production went to Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. (VP)

  • April 25, 2024 UPDATE

    April 25, 2024 UPDATE

    GOVERNMENT The Romanian government convened in a special session on Thursday in Timisoara, western Romania, where it endorsed, among other things, a series of infrastructure projects with regional impact. One of these projects is the construction of a stadium with a capacity of 30 thousand seats, an investment estimated at 167 million Euros, the locals have been expecting for years. The cabinet has also endorsed the opening of the international border checkpoint in Beba Veche for the international traffic of people and goods. A decision has also been approved so that pensioners may get their pensions before the Orthodox Easter.

     

    EU Thursday was the last day of work for the present European Legislature. In a speech before Parliament in Strasbourg, its president, Roberta Metsola has voiced satisfaction for the laws, which were endorsed during the five year mandate, of the debates hosted by the aforementioned institution and for the way in which the present members of the Legislature dealt with all the challenges, such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. She wished all those running for a fresh term in office, strength, patience, and success and to do everything they can so that Europe may come closer to the citizens. Europeans will vote for their Parliament in early June. Romania will hold elections for the European Parliament on 9 June.

     

    TAROM Romania’s main air carrier TAROM will receive aid from the European Commission until the end of the month and then enter a stage of economic reorganization, the Romanian Transport Minister, Sorin Grindeanu has said. He reiterated the desire of the Bucharest administration to save the company, which has been facing financial difficulties for 15 years. Grindeanu said that with this European aid, TAROM will enter a period of reorganization aimed at placing the company on “solid economic principles”. He said that an operator the size of TAROM usually has between 500 and 600 employees, of which over 90% are seafarers, while TAROM has double the number of employees, which is not sustainable. In this respect, Grindeanu stated that although the objective is to attract investors, the possibility of making 50% of the employees redundant is not excluded.

     

    TALKS Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, in addition to challenges to security in the area, also led to the disruption of global markets and supply chains, said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu at the meeting he had on Thursday in Bucharest with Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. The Head of Government presented Romania’s steps to develop connectivity to the Black Sea, as part of the EU’s strategy to invest in infrastructure projects worldwide. From this perspective, the Romanian sea and Danube ports play an important role in rendering the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor effective, added the Romanian Prime Minister. The European Commissioner is in Bucharest to discuss Romania’s role in promoting sustainable development worldwide against the background of the current difficult geopolitical context.

     

    DECLARATION Leaders of 18 countries, including Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday signed a joint declaration calling for the release of the hostages in the Gaza Strip. ”We are asking for the immediate release of all the hostages Hamas has held for 200 days. Some of our citizens are among these hostages. The fate of the hostages and the civil population of Gaza, which are protected by international law, is an international concern”, says the document. Most of the signatories are European states, other countries are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, the United States and Thailand.

     

    (bill)

     

  • How can TAROM be saved?

    How can TAROM be saved?

     

    Romania’s national airline, TAROM, is to receive aid from the European Commission until the end of April, and then it will undergo an economic reorganisation process, the Romanian transportation minister Sorin Grindeanu announced.

     

    The air operator owned by the Romanian state has been struggling with economic instability for several years, and successive rescue plans have failed to lead to the results expected by the government.

     

    According to data for the first half of 2023, TAROM had losses of over EUR 10 million, significantly lower than those reported for the corresponding period of 2022, when the company was reporting losses of over EUR 41.8 mln.

     

    In this context, the transportation minister says the new rescue plan is aimed at “placing TAROM on sound economic foundations.”

     

    Sorin Grindeanu: “Once we have received this aid from the European Commission, TAROM must switch to a reorganisation stage, and we are open to any kind of proposals that would help place TAROM on sound economic foundations. Our willingness to save this company is beyond question, and so is our willingness to find any kind of solutions, including partnerships, that would lead to this positive outcome.”

     

    Grindeanu also suggested that the TAROM reorganisation plan may entail making around 50% of the staff redundant, given that the state-owned airline currently has an unsustainable number of employees.

     

    Sorin Grindeanu: “A company the size of TAROM, which rests on correct economic principles, normally has some 500-600 employees, 90% of them being flight and cabin personnel. We have almost double that figure.”

     

    The transportation minister also emphasised that the Romanian government cannot provide direct aid to TAROM because this would come against competition rules and the EU directives on state aid. So, he believes, alternative solutions must be identified in order to break what he called “a vicious circle,” and one of these solutions may be to find investors for newer aircraft and for TAROM to improve its services.

     

    Grindeanu explained that solutions had also been explored during the 4-day visit made by a governmental delegation headed by the PM Marcel Ciolacu in the Middle East.

     

    Set up in 1954, TAROM has been operating under the authority of Romania’s transportation ministry. The airline has been a member of the International Air Transport Association since 1993, and of SkyTeam Alliance since 2010. TAROM operates 18 aircraft and flies to 70 destinations, using both its own air fleet and partner services. (AMP)

  • TAROM ia măsuri pentru protejarea pasagerilor săi, pe fundalul grevei de pe aeroportul din Frankfurt

    Greva personalului de pe aeroporturile din Germania anunțată
    în cursul zilei de astăzi va avea efecte și asupra zborurilor TAROM. Respectiv greva
    personalului de securitate de pe aeroportul din Frankfurt, ce se va desfășura în cursul zilei
    de mâine, 1 februarie, va conduce la imposibilitatea de a opera cursele TAROM RO301 / RO
    302.
    Asemenea altor companii aeriene și a pasagerilor acestora și TAROM, alături de călătorii săi
    de pe zborurile mai sus menționate, îți va recalibra cursele pe fundalul grevelor declanșate
    în Germania.

    Deși situația generată este independentă de activitatea sau voința operatorul
    aerian național, TAROM cere scuze tuturor pasagerilor potențial afectați și ia deja măsuri
    care să îi protejeze.
    Compania a demarat acțiunile pentru a micșora pe cât posibil impactul pe care această
    situație l-ar putea avea în planul de călătorie al pasagerilor respectivelor zboruri. Aceștia vor
    putea alege reprogramarea pe cursele TAROM RO301 / RO 302 din 02 februarie 2024 (a
    doua zi după grevă) sau vor putea alege să primească rambursarea valorii biletelor de zbor.

    Pasagerii aflați în această circumstanță sunt rugați, astfel, să se adreseze Call centerului
    TAROM și să apeleze oricare din numerele de telefon: (004) 021 9978, (004) 0800 500 131
    (TelVerde) sau (004) 0371 529 000 pentru a alege dintre variantele identificate, același tip
    de informașie îl pot comunica inclusiv prin email la adresa contact@tarom.ro, respectiv
    rezervari@tarom.ro sau agenției emitente.

  • Traficul aerian de pasageri, în creştere în România

    Traficul aerian de pasageri, în creştere în România

    Traficul de pasageri pe aeroporturile din România a crescut cu 17% în 2023.
    Astfel, aproape 25 de milioane de pasageri au fost înregistraţi pe aeroporturile
    din România pe parcursul anului trecut, a informat Asociaţia Aeroporturilor din
    România. Faţă de anul 2019, când au fost înregistrate 23,23 milioane de persoane,
    avansul este de 6%. În 2023 numărul pasagerilor pe rutele interne a scăzut cu
    8% faţă de 2022, ajungând la 1,82 milioane de persoane transportate. În acelaşi
    timp numărul pasagerilor pe rutele externe a cunoscut o creştere importantă, de
    19,6% în 2023 faţă de 2022 (aproape 22,74 milioane de pasageri).


    Ne bucurăm să constatăm că în România traficul de pasageri a recuperat
    puternic, astfel că am depăşit valorile înregistrate înainte de pandemie. În
    ultimii ani, majoritatea aeroporturilor din România au derulat proiecte
    importante de investiţii. Au fost construite noi terminale, au fost extinse şi
    modernizate cele existente, sa lucrat la extinderea unor piste, căi şi
    platforme de rulare şi au fost achiziţionate echipamente moderne de securitate.
    Ne aşteptăm ca valorile de trafic să crească constant şi estimăm că în anul
    2040 pe aeroporturile din România vom depăşi 50 de milioane de pasageri, a
    declarat David Ciceo, preşedintele Asociaţiei.


    Detaliind, aproape 14,7 milioane de pasageri au tranzitat în 2023 cele două
    aeroporturi din Bucureşti, Aeroportul Internaţional «Henri Coandă» Bucureşti Otopeni
    şi Aeroportul Internaţional Bucureşti-Băneasa «Aurel Vlaicu». În 2023 traficul a
    crescut cu peste 16,5% faţă de anul anterior, arată Compania Naţională
    Aeroporturi Bucureşti. Numărul total de pasageri din 2023 a ajuns foarte
    aproape de cel maxim, înregistrat în 2019, când au fost aproape 14,73 milioane
    de pasageri. Traficul a fost influenţate negativ de conflictul din Ucraina şi,
    în ultimele luni din 2023, de conflictul din Gaza, care a redus mult zborurile
    către Tel Aviv, una dintre principalele destinaţii de pe aeroportul «Henri
    Coandă», menţionează Compania.


    În context, zborurile operate de
    compania aeriană low-cost Wizz Air din 6 oraşe europene, inclusiv Bucureşti,
    către Tel Aviv vor fi reluate din 1 martie 2024. Frecvenţa curselor din Bucureşti, Budapesta,
    Sofia, Londra, Cracovia şi Roma către Tel Aviv va fi de 3 ori pe săptămână.


    Pe de altă parte, compania aeriană naţională TAROM a mărit numărul zborurilor
    dintre Bucureşti şi Baia Mare. TAROM va avea zboruri pe ruta
    Bucureşti – Baia Mare – Bucureşti duminică, luni, marţi, joi şi vineri. Aeroportului
    Internaţional Maramureş deserveşte şi un singur zbor extern regulat pe
    conexiunea Paris – Baia Mare – Paris, joi şi duminică, operat de compania
    aeriană HiSky.


  • Happening in Romania

    Happening in Romania

    In the lineup today: Romania is ranked in the
    top 30 countries with the best cuisines in the world in 2023, The Romanian
    pilot Emanuel Gyenes participates, between January 5-19, in the 46th
    edition of the Dakar Rally, the
    show ‘A hand for the poet’ marks, in Paris, Romania’s National Culture Day. This
    and much more on today’s edition of Happening in Romania.

  • טארום חידשה את הטיסות לתל אביב

    טארום חידשה את הטיסות לתל אביב

    TAROM היא חברת התעופה הרומנית הראשונה שחידשה את הטיסות לישראל וגם אחת משלוש החברות האירופיות הראשונות שחידשה טיסות סדירות ליעד זה. הטיסה הראשונה, RO 155, שיצאה מבוקרשט ב-1 בינואר, בוצעה על ידי המפקד Cătălin Prunariu, מנהל מחלקת טיסות של החברה.



    המשימה שלנו היא לחבר אנשים ולהעביר אותם בבטחה ליעדים אליהם אנו טסים. האווירה שחשתי בתא הנוסעים בטיסה מתל אביב ב-1 בינואר דיברה על חוסן וחיזקה את האמונה שלי בכוחו של כל אדם לתרום למה שכולנו רוצים וצריכים – שלום והרמוניה. הטיסה הזו היא צעד נוסף לקראת נורמליות, אמר קטלין פרונאריו.



    הטיסה ביום הראשון של שנת 2024 סימנה את חידוש הטיסות הסדירות בוקרשט – תל אביב. הטיסות הסדירות יתחילו מחדש ב14 בינואר ויתקיימו פעמיים בשבוע. אולם פעילות זו מצריכה ניתוחי סיכונים ומעקב קפדני אחר המצב בישראל. לצורך כך אנו מקיימים קשר הדוק עם הרשויות הישראליות. בהתאם למצב הבטחוני אנו נקבל החלטות בעניין ולכן ייתכנו שינויים בתפעול.



    TAROM היא חברה לאומית ותמיד הייתה מעורבת בפעולות שבוצעו למען ביטחונם של אזרחים או קהילות רומניות הזקוקות לעזרה בזמני חרום. לאחר פרוץ המלחמה בישראל, TAROM החזירה לרומניה, מישראל, ב11 טיסות 2,635 אזרחים רומנים.



    עם חידוש הטיסות הסדירות לישראל, המעוניינים מתבקשים לרכוש כרטיסים ולעקוב אחרי ההתפתחויות אך ורק ממקורות TAROM רשמיים. בהתאם למצב הבטחוני בישראל, TAROM תבטל או תגביר את מספר הטיסות ולכן על כל נוסע לעקוב אחרי השינויים.



    TAROM הוקמה בשנת 1954 ופועלת תחת משרד התחבורה הרומני. TAROM חברה בברית SkyTeam מאז יוני 2010.



    החברה מחזיקה בצי של 18 מטוסים וטסה ל70 יעדים.


  • January 1, 2024 UPDATE

    January 1, 2024 UPDATE

    SCHENGEN The EU Council voted unanimously in favour of Romania’s and
    Bulgaria’s gradual accession to the passport-free Schengen Area, after Austria, the last member country opposing
    the measure, lifted its veto. As of March 2024, air and maritime border checks
    with these 2 countries will be abolished, with Austria, Bulgaria and Romania committing
    to also agree on a deadline for ending land border checks.The decision also comprises measures to
    tighten border checks and fight illegal migration, so that Romania and
    Bulgaria will continue to receive substantial financial support and assistance
    from FRONTEX. The European Council president Charles Michel, the head of the
    European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Parliament Roberta
    Metsola and the EU Commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johansson are some of the
    EU leaders who have welcomed the decision.This
    is an important first step, Romania’s president said in his turn, and added
    that lifting land border checks as well remains a priority for Romania.


    AIRLINE The Otopeni Henri
    Coandă International Airport, the largest in Romania, has been prepared for
    Schengen operation ever since 2011. According to the airport spokesman Valentin
    Iordache, two-thirds of the airport passengers have flights to and from Schengen
    member states. Meanwhile, the Romanian state-owned airline TAROM resumed
    flights to and from Tel Aviv on January 1, after having suspended them in the
    wake of the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian terror group Hamas.


    PRICES The year 2024 begins with price
    rises for fuels and foodstuffs as well as for some services. For traditional,
    organic foodstuffs and for food products made in mountain regions, the VAT went
    up from 5% to 9%. Excises are also raised for tobacco, alcohol and soft drinks
    with high sugar content. Also, certain
    micro-enterprises will have to pay higher taxes on turnover, with tax increases
    also in place for banks, hotels and restaurants. Housing costs will also be higher, as the VAT in
    the real estate sector goes up from 5% to 9% for units worth up to EUR 120,000.
    Also as of January 1, meal and holiday vouchers are to be included in the total
    incomes for which health insurance contributions are paid. Analysts predict
    retail price increases will be substantial,
    and expect consumers to turn to cheaper products, while producers will lower
    the product weight in order to observe price caps.


    POLICE Close to 24,000 interior ministry staff are on duty
    during the 4-day New Year’s holiday, while road traffic is monitored by 360 radar
    speed guns and DUI check teams. Also, around 5,000 fire-fighters are on duty
    every day around the country, to provide emergency assistance if necessary. The
    border police also took steps to enhance border monitoring and to streamline
    vehicle and person transit at checkpoints. Meanwhile, the authorities announced
    having seized over 100 tonnes of fireworks kits and opening more than 500 criminal
    investigations in this respect, and have once again called on parents not to
    buy firecrackers for their children as such materials may be extremely dangerous.


    INVOICING Electronic invoicing is compulsory in Romania as of
    January 1 for all B2B transactions. The system entails benefits particularly in
    terms of curbing VAT frauds, the finance minister Marcel Boloş told a press
    conference. He also said that those who will not use the e-Invoicing system may
    receive sentences of 3 to 10 years in prison, if the new law on fighting
    economic and financial crime passes the Constitutional Court review. The
    authorities count on additional revenues of EUR 1 bln. Minister Boloş also said
    that in December the national tax authority’s directorate for large taxpayers
    secured a record-high total of EUR 3.2 bln in state budget revenues. On the
    other hand, the government extended a cap on the price of compulsory motor
    insurance policies, which will stay at the level in February 2023 until March 2024.
    The Cabinet also passed a bill making insurance compulsory for electric bikes
    and scooters as well. (AMP)