Radio România Internațional

Tag: task force

  • Romanians repatriated from Gaza

    Romanians repatriated from Gaza


    Israel cannot leave a void in Gaza and will have to maintain a strong armed force in the near future to prevent the resurgence of Hamas, Israels president Isaac Herzog has recently told Financial Times. The Israeli official is confident no one wants Gaza to relapse into a stronghold for terrorist organizations. He Israeli government is considering a number of options regarding Gaza once the war with Hamas is over, and believes the United States and Israels neighbors will get involved in ensuring post-conflict security in the region, president Herzog went on to say. In his talks with Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, US president Joe Biden strongly argued in favor of a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding that the occupation of Gaza would be a big mistake. Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced it is very close to destroying the military systems of Hamas in northern Gaza. Israel launched a full-scale attack on Gaza following the unprecedented violent terrorist attacks in southern Israel.




    The humanitarian and security situation in Gaza hangs by a thread, and all countries whose citizens are still on the ground are making efforts to evacuate them. Romania too has successfully done that, although the repatriation process is difficult and complex. The evacuation was carried out following the actions of the Task Force created at the level of several Romanian ministries and institutions, also involving the efforts of the Romanian Embassy in Cairo and the Representative Office in Ramallah. Over 200 Romanian citizens and members of their families were evacuated from Gaza into Egypt through the Rafah checkpoint and were subsequently flown to Bucharest. A permission to leave Gaza was required for each of them, and the authorities had to cope with technical obstacles. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian citizens and their families were picked up from the Rafah border by a team of the Rapid Response Unit of the Romanian Foreign Ministry and representatives of the Romanian Embassy in Egypt. From there they were taken to Cairo by another mobile team of the Task Force. Once in Cairo, they were boarded onto flights taking them to Bucharest. The authorities gave assurances they wont abandon those who wish to leave Gaza. A carrier supplied by the European Commission this week took off from Henri Coandă Airport in Bucharest, transporting supplies provided by the Romanian state to the civilians in Gaza. The assistance consists of bedding equipment such as mobile tents, beds, mattresses, pillows and bedding sheets. On October 19, the National Committee for Emergency Situations passed a resolution providing international assistance to the civilian population of Gaza, consisting in food and bedding equipment. (VP)




  • November 3, 2022

    November 3, 2022

    EARTHQUAKE A 5.4
    magnitude earthquake hit Romania on Thursday morning in the Buzău area in the
    south-east of the country. The earthquake was felt in several cities, including
    the capital Bucharest, but no emergency calls were received and no damages or
    victims were reported. This was the strongest earthquake in the last 2 and a
    half years. A 5.2 quake occurred on January 31, 2020 in Vrancea, Romania’s main
    seismic area. A bigger, 5.8 magnitude tremor was also reported in October 2018,
    in Buzău County.


    MILITARY
    The
    French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, is on
    an official visit to Romania today, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. Lecornuwill have meetings with the Romanian Defence Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, with
    President Klaus Iohannis and PM Nicolae Ciucă. The French delegation’s agenda
    also includes a visit to the ‘Getica’ Joint National Training Centre in Cincu,
    central Romania, and a wreath-laying ceremony at the French Heroes Monument in
    Bucharest. France has been leading the NATO battle group in Romania set up in
    May. The battle groups created in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary are
    part of the borader set of measures taken by NATO to bolster its medium and
    long-term deterrence and defence posture, following the war initiated by the
    Russian Federation in Ukraine.


    VISIT
    The president of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis postponed his official
    visit to Romania scheduled for Thursday, for unforeseen and unavoidable
    reasons, the Swiss Embassy in Bucharest announced. President Cassis and
    president Klaus Iohannis will try to find an alternative date for the meetings
    scheduled as part of the visit. According to the Swiss Embassy, the two parties
    will sign in the near future the Romanian-Swiss framework agreement concerning
    the implementation of a second financial instalment aimed at reducing economic
    and social disparities within the EU. Under the agreement, Switzerland will
    provide 221.5 million Swiss francs for projects to be implemented in Romania
    until 2029.


    PENSIONS Government spokesman Dan Cărbunaru announced that a
    task force has been set up within the Labour Ministry in Bucharest, to analyse
    the issue of the so-called special pensions, which are not based on
    contributions during employment. The beneficiaries of such pensions include
    magistrates, among other categories, and scores of them applied for retirement
    after the World Bank requested the Romanian authorities to reform the system. This
    was also a requirement in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, agreed on
    by Romania with the European Commission.


    AUTOMOTIVE The number
    of new automobiles registered in Romania in the first 10 months of the year
    went up over 8% compared to the corresponding period of last year, to nearly 106,000
    units. Car registration numbers also increased by 10% this October compared to
    October 2021. Most of the new automobiles registered during this period, i.e.
    31,000, were local brand Dacia. As for
    second hand car registrations in the first 10 months of the year, the number
    dropped 20% compared to 2021, to 270,000.


    HANDBALL
    Romania’s women’s handball team drew against Germany, 29-29, last night in
    Tatabanya (Hungary), in the last test match ahead of the European
    Championships. In the first test match, Romania lost to Hungary, 28-33. The European Championships (EHF EURO 2022) will
    take place between November 4th and 20th, in Slovenia, North Macedonia and
    Montenegro. Romania plays in Group C, together with France, the Netherlands and
    North Macedonia, and its first game is scheduled for Saturday, November 5th,
    against the Netherlands. Romania has taken part in all the European
    Championships editions except for 2006, and its best performance was a bronze
    medal in 2010. In the last edition, held in 2020, Romania came out 12th. (AMP)

  • Measures against fake news

    Measures against fake news


    The Economy Ministry and large retailers in Romania will help create a task force that will respond to fake news circulated in in the public sphere, Economy Minister Florin Spătaru has told Radio Romania:




    “Weve also discussed with the Association of Large Retailers. They dont want measures to restrict or infringe on certain rights, or stir an emotional response. For this reason, together with large retailers, we will be signing a protocol to create this task force, in order to provide us with the appropriate information so we can all respond to such fake news that clearly affect our lives”.




    Since the outbreak of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the Romanian public sphere has been flooded with false information spreading panic. In early March people rushed to get foreign currency, after news on social media reported a false collapse of the national currency. Then a rumor regarding an alarming increase in fuel prices prompted people to stand in long queues at filling stations, a rare sight in Romania in the last few decades. Then, right as things cooled down, a new piece of fake news alleged cooking oil would soon disappear from market shelves, which made people take stores by storm. Government officials were forced to dismiss the fake news and urge the population to remain calm, saying Romania has sufficient stocks of cooking oil, as well as foodstuffs and non-perishable goods in general. This week, Environment Minister Tánczos Barna said a number of issues affecting air quality in Romania have been identified as possibly being linked to the developments in Ukraine, where the Russian army is shelling large cities. Additionally, the territorial waters of Romania are being probed for mines after the Maritime Directorate warned that a military ship was sighted off the northwest coast. Here is Romanian Naval Forces commander Corneliu Pavel with more details:




    “So far, we have not identified mines in our patrol area, nor have we received any information from commercial watercraft in this respect. In the event we get such reports, the Naval Forces have prepared adequate countermeasures”.




    The information concerning the existence of mines was received by the Hydrographic Institute of the Spanish Navy regarding a possible warning sent by the Russian station in Novorossiysk. (VP)




  • Task force la București tră Ucraina

    Task force la București tră Ucraina

    România u spuni minduita ti dănăsearea ună ş-ună a agresiunillei militare ruse tru Ucraina, tră s-da şansă ti nkiseari diznău a eforturilor diplomatice, diclară premierul Nicolae Ciucă.


    “Avem dininti ună agresiune niprovocată contra a unui stat suveran şi indipendintu membru a Organizaţiei Naţiunilor Unite. Fediraţia Rusă aleapsi forţa armată tră agiundzeari scupadzlli politiţ revizioniştiˮ, spusi Nicolae Ciucă. Aestu sumlinie că Bucureștiul easti tru niacumtinatu dialog cu aliaţllii ditu NATO şi partenerllii europeni.


    Premierlu convocă, gioi, la nivelu a Guvernului, Task Force-ul tră kivernisearea a situaţiei generată di aputrusearea militară rusă ditu Ucraina. Protili borgi a aliştei parei di lucru suntu ligate di monitorizarea situaţillei, simfunizarea a misurlor la nivelu a structurilor guvernamentale tră asiguripsearea funcţionărillei tuti servitiilli publiţi. Uidisitu cu spusa al Nicolae Ciucă, structurli guvernamentale responsabile suntu ndreapti, tutunăoară, s’asiguripsească misurile anănghisiti tră priloari ma s’hibă ananghi dăldzăli di arifugaţ.


    “Himu solidari cu populu ucrainean şi himu hăzări s’dăm agiutor umanitar celor aflaţi la nevoie. Monitorizăm situaţia cetăţenilor români ditu Ucraina cărora suntuem pregătiţi să le oferim asistenţă consulară şi sprijin prin celula di criză interinstituţională ditu cadrul Ministerului Afacerilor Externe”, adăvgă șeful a Executivului di la București.


    Dimi, autorităţile spun că România poati s’aproaki 500.000 di arifugaţ ucraineni. Aeşti pot s’hibă kinduriţ tu tăburi ndreapti tru patru giudiţe, respectiv Maramureş, Botoşani, Suceava şi Tulcea. Ghini ma şi alte giudiţe, cum suntu Braşov, Galaţi ică Vaslui, să spusiră etimi ta s’aşteaptă arifugaţlli


    Tru aestu kiro, tru intrară, mulţă cetăţeni ucraineni, tru prrota di origine română, ditu localităţile aflate aproapea di sinuru, cari fug ditu calea polimlui.


    Di altă parte, premierul Nicolae Ciucă spusi că văsilia ari nai cama vărtoasi garanţii di securitate ditu istoria a llei. El cundille că România, diadunu cu aliaţii ditu NATO, maxusu pritu Parteneriatului strategic cu Statele Unite ale Americii, cum şi diadunu cu partenerllii ditu Uniunea Europeană, faţi parte ditu nai ma vărtoasă umbrelă di protecţie generată di dimocraţiile a lumillei.


    “Securitatea şi siguranţa a cetăţenilor români nu suntu znîipsiti ici” diadi asiguripseri Ciucă. Premierul spusi, tutunăoară, că autorităţile s-asiguripsiră că România are duri stocuri di gaze tru măyăzii tră kivernisearea-a kirolui araţi.


    “Monitorizăm şi evaluăm, niacumtinatu, intrărle şi işrle di gaze naturale pe tute rutele ditu văsilie s’putemu s’lomu andicra di evoluţia situaţiillei, misurli anănghisiti tră asiguripseari continuitatea tru aprovizionarea cu gaze naturale”, spusi prim-ministrul.


    Autor: Leyla Cheamil


    Armânipsearia: Taşcu Lala

































































  • Bukarester Regierung ruft Krisenstab für Ukraine ins Leben

    Bukarester Regierung ruft Krisenstab für Ukraine ins Leben





    Rumänien plädiere für den sofortigen Stopp der militärischen Aggression Russlands gegen die Ukraine und für die Wiederaufnahme von diplomatischen Verhandlungen. Wir haben es mit einen grundlosen Angriff auf einen souveränen und unabhängigen Staat zu tun. Russland hat sich für einen militärischen Schlag entschieden, um seine revisionistischen Ziele zu erreichen“, sagte der rumänische Premierminister, der zugleich versicherte, dass Bukarest im ständigen Kontakt zu seinen europäischen und den Nato-Bündnispartnern stehe.



    Bereits am gestrigen Donnerstag war auf Regierungsebene die Task Force für die ständige Beobachtung der Situation in der Ukraine ins Leben gerufen worden. Dem Premierminister zufolge sei Rumänien auch bereit, im Notfall Flüchtlingsströme aufzunehmen und die Geflüchteten in mehreren bereitstehenden Zentren unterzubringen. Wir sind solidarisch mit dem ukrainischen Volk und sind bereit, humanitäre Hilfe zu leisten. Wir haben ein wachsames Auge auch auf die Situation der rumänischen Staatsbürger, die sich in der Ukraine aufhalten. Ein interinstitutioneller Krisenstab im Rahmen des Auswärtigen Amtes ist jederzeit bereit, bei Bedarf konsularische Hilfe zu leisten“, sagte noch der Chef der rumänischen Exekutive.



    Den Behörden zufolge habe Rumänien die notwendigen Kapazitäten, um bis zu 500.000 Flüchtlinge aus der Ukraine aufzunehmen. Dafür stünden mehrere Zentren und provisorische Unterkünfte in mindestens vier Landkreisen bereit. Seit Ausbruch der Kriegshandlungen sind bereits mehrere tausend ukrainischer Staatsbürger über die Grenze nach Rumänien gekommen, viele von ihnen sind Angehörige der rumänischen Minderheit aus den angrenzenden Gebieten und einige haben sogar Asyl beantragt.



    Hinsichtlich der zur befürchtenden Knappheit in der Gaslieferung versicherte der Premierminister auch, dass die Behörden sämtliche Gaslieferungsrouten und die entsprechende Infrastruktur überwache, um bei Bedarf entsprechend einzugreifen, damit die Gasversorgung gesichert bleibe.

  • Task force la București pentru Ucraina

    Task force la București pentru Ucraina

    România susţine oprirea imediată a agresiunii
    militare ruse în Ucraina, pentru a da şansă reluării eforturilor diplomatice, a
    declarat premierul Nicolae Ciucă.

    Avem de-a face cu o agresiune neprovocată
    împotriva unui stat suveran şi independent membru al Organizaţiei Naţiunilor
    Unite. Federaţia Rusă a ales forţa armată pentru a atinge obiective politice
    revizionisteˮ    , a afirmat Nicolae Ciucă. Acesta a subliniat că Bucureștiul este
    în permanent dialog cu aliaţii din NATO şi partenerii europeni.


    Premierul a
    convocat, joi, la nivelul Guvernului, Task Force-ul pentru gestionarea
    situaţiei generate de agresiunea militară rusă din Ucraina. Principalele
    responsabilităţi ale acestui grup de lucru sunt legate de monitorizarea
    situaţiei, coordonarea măsurilor la nivelul structurilor guvernamentale pentru
    asigurarea funcţionării tuturor serviciilor publice. Potrivit lui Nicolae
    Ciucă, structurile guvernamentale responsabile sunt pregătite, totodată, să
    asigure măsurile necesare pentru preluarea la nevoie a fluxurilor de refugiaţi.

    Suntem solidari cu poporul ucrainean şi suntem gata să acordăm ajutor umanitar
    celor aflaţi la nevoie. Monitorizăm situaţia cetăţenilor români din Ucraina
    cărora suntem pregătiţi să le oferim asistenţă consulară şi sprijin prin celula
    de criză interinstituţională din cadrul Ministerului Afacerilor Externe    , a
    adăugat șeful Executivului de la București.

    De altfel, autorităţile spun că
    România ar putea primi 500.000 de refugiaţi ucraineni. Aceştia ar urma să fie
    găzduiţi, initial, în tabere amplasate în patru judeţe, respectiv Maramureş,
    Botoşani, Suceava şi Tulcea. Însă şi alte
    judeţe, cum ar fi Braşov, Galaţi sau Vaslui, s-au
    arătat dispuse să cazeze refugiaţi.


    Între timp, în ţară au intrat, deja, numeroși cetăţeni
    ucraineni, în principal de origine română, din localităţile aflate în
    apropierea graniţei, care fug din calea războiului.

    Pe de altă parte, premierul
    Nicolae Ciucă a evidenţiat că țara beneficiază de cele mai puternice garanţii
    de securitate din istoria sa. El a subliniat că România, alături de aliaţii din
    NATO, mai ales prin prisma Parteneriatului strategic cu Statele Unite ale
    Americii, precum şi împreună cu partenerii din Uniunea Europeană, face parte
    din cea mai solidă umbrelă de protecţie generată de democraţiile lumii.

    Securitatea şi siguranţa cetăţenilor români nu sunt afectate sub nicio formăˮ,
    a dat asigurări Ciucă. Premierul a afirmat, totodată, că autorităţile s-au
    asigurat că România are suficiente stocuri de gaze în depozite pentru
    gestionarea perioadei sezonului rece.

    Monitorizăm şi evaluăm, permanent,
    intrările şi ieşirile de gaze naturale pe toate rutele din ţară pentru a putea
    lua, în funcţie de evoluţia situaţiei, măsurile necesare pentru a asigura
    continuitatea în aprovizionarea cu gaze naturale    , a afirmat
    prim-ministrul.


  • Măsuri în contextul atacării Ucrainei

    Măsuri în contextul atacării Ucrainei

    Preşedintele Klaus Iohannis a convocat Consiliul Suprem de Apărare a Ţării (CSAT). Pe ordinea de zi a reuniunii este inclusă tematica privind implicaţiile asupra securităţii euroatlantice în contextul agresiunii Federaţiei Ruse împotriva Ucrainei.



    Premierul Nicolae Ciucă a transmis, în privinţa situaţiei de la graniţa Ucrainei, că la nivel instituţional au fost luate toate măsurile în conformitate cu hotărârile CSAT şi în coordonare cu aliaţii din NATO şi UE, cerându-le miniştrilor responsabili coordonare şi vigilenţă, astfel încât autorităţile să poată oferi cetăţenilor români asigurări că sunt în măsură să le garanteze securitatea şi apărarea.



    Prim-ministrul Nicolae Ciucă a convocat, joi, la nivelul Guvernului, task-force-ul pentru gestionarea situaţiei generate de agresiunea militară rusă din Ucraina. Principalele responsabilităţi sunt legate de monitorizarea situaţiei şi coordonarea măsurilor la nivelul structurilor guvernamentale pentru asigurarea funcţionării tuturor serviciilor publice.



    Ministerul Apărării a informat că, având în vedere situaţia de securitate din Ucraina, Armata României a activat punctele militare de comandă cu atribuţii în monitorizarea situaţiei şi coordonarea forţelor şi mijloacelor destinate situaţiilor concrete care pot apărea.



    Ministrul român al Afacerilor Externe, Bogdan Aurescu, a transmis Misiunii României la NATO să ceară activarea articolului 4 din Tratatul de la Washington, care stabileşte un mecanism de consultare între aliaţi, cu privire la impactul situaţiei actuale asupra securităţii aliaţilor, în contextul conflictului din Ucraina.

  • The Fake News Phenomenon

    The Fake News Phenomenon

    A predominantly online phenomenon, “fake news has grown exponentially in recent years to engulf traditional and social media. Presented as genuine information regarding a factual event, the so-called “fake news may include alternative translations, fabricated news, half-truths or, in other words, some form of public manipulation that may easily be believed. To fight this phenomenon, the European Commission has recently set up a task force, made up of 39 experts, IT specialists, representatives of mass-media, academia, social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as online giant Google.



    Professor Alina Bargaoanu, the dean of the Communication and Public Relations Department with the School of Political and Administrative Sciences in Bucharest is a member of this task force. She told us her own understanding of the fake news phenomenon.



    Alina Bargaoanu: “Fake news is that particular blend of a blatant lie and a fact, which results in partly true or partly false items of information. But beyond that, the phenomenon that has come to the attention of the task force is far broader. It deals with malformations of the information ecosystem, with what Ive come to define as the new information disorder. It takes a variety of forms, from digital propaganda to means of generating Facebook likes, from content-generating algorithms to ecochambers and so on. So this phenomenon goes well beyond false pieces of news.



    In this context, the European Commission is holding a public online consultation on this topic until February 23. People are invited to fill in online questionnaires which will be used to compile data about fake news. There are two types of questionnaires, one addressing citizens, the other professional organizations and journalists. Here is Law Professor Daniel Mihai Sandru with University of Bucharest, with more details:



    Daniel Mihai Sandru: “The discussion about fake news should be placed in a broader context, which should include the neutrality of the Internet, the Commissions proposals about online copyright and link protection, as well as all its other proposals to regulate the online medium. One of these proposals is a set of general guidelines regarding the protection of personal data, which is extremely important and is set to take effect on May 25, 2018.



    The European Commission will most likely come up with legislative measures in this respect, at the end of the year or in 2019, Professor Sandru also says. The goal of fake news is to manipulate the public, trying to change their opinions on a particular political actor, or to influence voters, to generate a slander movement or to represent a particular action in a negative light. The Brexit vote in the summer of 2016, and the US elections just months later, are situations that raised the alert level in this area. News agencies wrote that checks run by respected media institutions had proven the financial involvement and other types of interference of Russian citizens and organisations, some of them financed directly by the Russian government, whose employees, the so-called trolls, had led social media campaigns and disseminated manipulating information.



    In a recent hearing at the European Parliament, the European Commissioner for Security Julian King accused Russia of deliberately spreading false information in order to undermine the Union, and said Moscow did not even make a secret of this. Russias official military doctrine, as well as the statements of certain high-level Russian generals, indicate that the use of disinformation and destabilising propaganda are seen as legitimate means, as “another type of armed force, says the EU security chief.



    Each persons willingness to make an intellectual effort, to read everything thoroughly, is in fact the key to establishing whether a piece of news is true or false, the Romanian administrative and geo-political sciences expert Marius Vacarelu believes, because much as anybody would try to lie to you, if you know the facts you cannot be misled. Ultimately, it all comes down to education.


    (translated by: Vlad Palcu, Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Prim-ministrul Mihai Tudose, întrevedere cu reprezentanţii Ambasadei Regatului Spaniei la București

    Prim-ministrul Mihai Tudose, întrevedere cu reprezentanţii Ambasadei Regatului Spaniei la București

    Prim-ministrul Mihai Tudose a stabilit cu
    reprezentanţii Ambasadei Regatului Spaniei la București mai multe măsuri pentru
    intensificarea cooperării bilaterale în scopul prevenirii și combaterii
    cazurilor de exploatare prin muncă a românilor aflați la muncă în Spania.


    Decizia a fost luată în cadrul întrevederii
    care a avut loc astăzi, la Palatul Victoria, la care au participat, de
    asemenea, ambasadorul României în Spania, Gabriela Dancău, ministrul pentru Românii
    de Pretutindeni, Andreea Păstîrnac, ministrul delegat pentru Afaceri Europene,
    Victor Negrescu, și reprezentanţi ai ministerelor Afacerilor Interne,
    Afacerilor Externe, Muncii și Justiției Sociale. La nivelul ministerelor
    menţionate va fi creat un Task Force pentru problematica abuzurilor la care
    sunt expuși muncitorii români și a sclaviei moderne, sub directa coordonare a
    prim-ministrului, Ministerul Românilor de Pretutindeni urmând să aibă rol de
    minister integrator. Delegația spaniolă a fost condusă de d-na Tada Bastida
    Eizaguirre, prim-secretar și însărcinat cu afaceri, șef al Secției Consulare
    din cadrul Ambasadei Regatului Spaniei la București.


    Dorim să extindem și să îmbunătățim cooperarea cu autorităţile
    spaniole, având în vedere numărul mare de români aflați în Spania și cazurile
    concrete semnalate în ultima perioadă. Măsurile pe care le avem în vedere
    vizează combaterea și prevenirea unor astfel de cazuri, informarea persoanelor
    cel mai expuse unor astfel de riscuri, dar și acordarea de asistență pentru
    victimele exploatării prin muncă sau ale traficului de persoane, a declarat premierul Mihai Tudose.
    Comunitatea de români din Spania numără la ora actuală peste un milion de
    persoane care deţin rezidență, cărora li se adaugă circa 400 de mii de
    muncitori sezonieri, aceștia din urmă fiind cei mai expuși fenomenului de
    exploatare prin muncă și traficului de persoane.


    Alte măsuri stabilite în cadrul întrevederii
    sunt elaborarea unui Plan Național de Combatere a Sclaviei moderne, care să
    integreze strategiile existente, precum și Strategia Națională împotriva
    Traficului de persoane, prevăzută în Programul de Guvernare, pentru a fi
    aprobată în trimestrul al IV-lea al anului curent. De asemenea, Guvernul are în
    vedere crearea unui Fond de finanţare, la început prin linii bugetare distincte
    în bugetul fiecărui minister dintre cele menţionate și resurse umane alocate
    specific.


    Ministrul pentru Românii de Pretutindeni,
    Andreea Păstîrnac, a subliniat necesitatea unei abordări pro-active a acestor
    tematici și a cooptării asociațiilor de români din Spania în eforturile comune
    ale autorităților române și spaniole. La nivelul Ministerului Românilor de
    Pretutindeni va funcționa o direcție specializată care să asigure componenta de
    informare-prevenire pe linia asociațiilor care activează în diaspora, precum și
    în relația cu instituțiile guvernamentale și neguvernamentale active în
    domeniu, din ţările în care există comunități mari de români și în care pot să
    apară cazuri de sclavie modernă. Nu în ultimul rând, Ministerul Românilor de
    Pretutindeni va lansa săptămâna viitoare un proiect-pilot de comunicare și
    informare în Botoșani, Suceava și Neamț, trei dintre județele de proveniență
    ale celor mai mulţi dintre românii plecați la muncă în Spania.


    Reprezentanții Ambasadei Regatului Spaniei
    la București și-au exprimat regretul pentru cazul de exploatare prin muncă a
    unor români din Spania, adăugând că a fost un caz punctual și că nu trebuie
    pierdut din vedere cât de bine s-au integrat ceilalți români aflați în Spania.

    Sursa: Comunicat de presă Guvernul României

  • May 12, UPDATE

    May 12, UPDATE

    CYBER ATTACK – The Romanian Intelligence Service announced on Friday that it had managed to counter an attempted cyber-attack against a Romanian governmental agency. The information comes after Romanian and foreign media announced that a group of elite hackers having ties with the Russian government masqueraded as NATO representatives to send phishing emails to diplomatic organisations in Europe, including the Romanian Foreign Ministry. Experts identified the emails as having been sent by a group known to the cyber defence community as APT28. According to the US intelligence community, APT28 has been actively involved in political espionage activities in Europe over the past 10 years, and has collaborated with Russian intelligence services.




    VACCINATION – The PM of Romania, Sorin Grindeanu, Friday requested the immediate set up of a task force made up of representatives of the Government, of professional associations, of civil society, which should find immediate solutions to the vaccine crisis in Romania and prevent similar occurrences in the future. The task force will have a clearly defined role, which includes the drafting of legislation which would allow, in the short run, the procurement of the required vaccines, and in the medium run to ensure predictable and steady vaccine stocks. In turn, the Healthcare Minister, Florian Bodog, said he would propose the establishment of a Vaccination Programme Management Unit within the ministry. This structure will be tasked with the timely and constant procurement of vaccines. The vaccine crisis is a recurrent problem in Romania, with shortages reported in hospitals and drug stores once every several months, although they certain vaccines are compulsory.



    STRIKE – Air traffic controllers in Romania Friday were on a warning strike, guiding only one-third of the flights. The humanitarian, medical, search and rescue and the emergency flights were not affected. Air traffic controllers are primarily disgruntled with the lack of a new collective bargaining agreement for 2016-2017 and with the fact that hiring has been frozen, although since the conflict in Ukraine the number of flights in the Romanian air space has grown significantly. The latest strike of air traffic controllers took place in July 2015.



    INVESTIGATION – The former Romanian MP Sebastian Ghita will be heard by the Supreme Court in Belgrade on May 19, in view of extradition, but the hearing will not be public, Serbias Supreme Court announced. Sebastian Ghita is detained in Serbia, after he was apprehended by the authorities on April 14. Bucharest requested the extradition of Ghita, who fled the country late last year, ahead of a hearing with the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and one day before his parliamentary immunity expired. Sebastian Ghita was subject to a national search warrant, and on January 10 the Romanian Supreme Court ordered the issuing of a European arrest warrant. Ghita is tried in two corruption cases and prosecuted in another two.




    MOLDOVA – The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova has a new president for the next 3 years, Tudor Pantaru. He has Romanian citizenship as well. Pantaru has been a judge with the Constitutional Court since 2013, and was a Deputy in Moldovas first democratic Parliament, in 1990-1994. He also served as the first ambassador and permanent representative of Moldova at the UN, and was one of the signatories of Moldovas Declaration of Independence. Pantaru held a number of international offices, including judge posts with the European Court for Human Rights and with the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2002. The pro-Russian President Igor Dodon was critical of the Constitutional Court employing citizens of foreign countries, and said the institution needed to be freed of people who support Moldovas union with Romania.




    TENNIS – The best ranking Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep (8 WTA), Friday qualified into the final of the Madrid tournament, which has 5.4 million US dollars in total prize money. She defeated Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia, 22 WTA) in 2 sets, 6-2, 6-3. Halep will play against the winner of the match pitting Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia, 9 WTA) against Kristina Mladenovici (France, 17 WTA). Simona Halep also played the quarter-final of the doubles event in Madrid, together with Irina Begu, against Timea Babos (Hungary) / Andrea Hlavaskova (the Czech Republic), but were edged out of the competition.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 9, 2015

    January 9, 2015

    DIPLOMACY – Romanias relationship with Germany is strategic, and the visit made to Berlin on Thursday by the Romanian delegation headed by PM Dacian Cioloş proves the importance and attention that Bucharest pays to this country, said the Foreign Minister Lazăr Comănescu in an interview to Radio Romania News and Current Affairs. The Romanian official added that next week he would once again travel to Berlin, for a bilateral visit. Lazar Comanescu highlighted the importance of Germany as the economic engine of Europe, and as a partner of Romania. According to the Foreign Minister, over 20% of Romanias foreign trade involves Germany. He also explained that more than 20,000 companies running on German capital operate in Romania and have created more than 300,000 jobs here.



    PROTESTS – In several cities in Romania, protests are taking place today to express support for the Bodnariu family, whose children were taken in November 2015 by child protection authorities in Norway. Solidarity marches will also take place in Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium. Yesterday, Romanian and Norwegian officials discussed this topic in Bucharest, and agreed to work together to settle the issue. The Ambassador of Romania to Oslo will have a meeting on January 13 with representatives of Norways Ministry for Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. A parliamentary delegation made up of members of the Committee on Romanian communities abroad will make a visit to Norway between January 18 and 22, to discuss the case. The Norwegian social services took the 5 Bodnariu children from their parents, after the principal of the school attended by the older daughters reported that the children were subjected to physical punishment by their parents.



    EXPULSION – The Jordan national Jamal Khalil will be expelled from Romania today, for national security reasons. The High Court of Cassation and Justice yesterday dismissed the defences appeal against a Bucharest Court of Appeals ruling issued last year. Jamal Khalil was declared undesirable in Romania for 15 years, after authorities found solid indications that the individual in question conducted actions likely to threaten national security. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service, Jamal A. Abdel Jabbar Khalil Shalash, who has been in Romania since 1991, was monitored by the Service since 2014. The Intelligence agency said the Jordanian citizen was an unconditional supporter of the IS terrorist group, for which he was conducting online propaganda campaigns, and was willing to get involved in operations targeting Romanias security.



    COUNTER-TERRORISM TASK FORCE – The White House announced on Friday the set-up of a new task force, combining members of several federal agencies, to counter the IS group propaganda both on US territory and abroad. The task force will focus particularly on the internet and social media, which have been extensively used by extremists to disseminate their message. The announcement comes after several White House officials met in Silicon Valley (California) with leaders of internet giants like Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube, to analyse means to prevent the use of social media for IS terrorist purposes.



    S. KOREAN PROPAGANDA – North Korea responded to the South-Korean propaganda broadcasts, which was resumed on Friday, Reuters reports. Seoul resumed broadcasting propaganda via loudspeakers on its North Korean border, in response to Pyongyangs latest nuclear test. Loudspeakers placed on the heavily militarised buffer zone between the two countries broadcast pop music, weather reports, information or criticism of the North Korean regime. The resumption of this psychological warfare method, which in August triggered threats of military retaliation from North Korea, comes as the international community is trying to identify an effective response to Pyongyangs announcement on Wednesday that it had successfully conducted an H-bomb test.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Monica Niculescu Saturday won the first title for Romanian tennis in 2016. Jointly with the American Vania King, she won the doubles final of the tournament in Shenzhen (China), which has 430,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, Niculescu/King won 6-1, 6-4, the match against the Chinese Yi-Fan Xu / Saisai Zheng, seeded no. 1. Monica Niculescu also won the doubles tournament in Shenzhen, in 2014, together with Klara Koukalova (the Czech Republic).

  • January 9, 2015

    January 9, 2015

    DIPLOMACY – Romanias relationship with Germany is strategic, and the visit made to Berlin on Thursday by the Romanian delegation headed by PM Dacian Cioloş proves the importance and attention that Bucharest pays to this country, said the Foreign Minister Lazăr Comănescu in an interview to Radio Romania News and Current Affairs. The Romanian official added that next week he would once again travel to Berlin, for a bilateral visit. Lazar Comanescu highlighted the importance of Germany as the economic engine of Europe, and as a partner of Romania. According to the Foreign Minister, over 20% of Romanias foreign trade involves Germany. He also explained that more than 20,000 companies running on German capital operate in Romania and have created more than 300,000 jobs here.



    PROTESTS – In several cities in Romania, protests are taking place today to express support for the Bodnariu family, whose children were taken in November 2015 by child protection authorities in Norway. Solidarity marches will also take place in Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium. Yesterday, Romanian and Norwegian officials discussed this topic in Bucharest, and agreed to work together to settle the issue. The Ambassador of Romania to Oslo will have a meeting on January 13 with representatives of Norways Ministry for Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. A parliamentary delegation made up of members of the Committee on Romanian communities abroad will make a visit to Norway between January 18 and 22, to discuss the case. The Norwegian social services took the 5 Bodnariu children from their parents, after the principal of the school attended by the older daughters reported that the children were subjected to physical punishment by their parents.



    EXPULSION – The Jordan national Jamal Khalil will be expelled from Romania today, for national security reasons. The High Court of Cassation and Justice yesterday dismissed the defences appeal against a Bucharest Court of Appeals ruling issued last year. Jamal Khalil was declared undesirable in Romania for 15 years, after authorities found solid indications that the individual in question conducted actions likely to threaten national security. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service, Jamal A. Abdel Jabbar Khalil Shalash, who has been in Romania since 1991, was monitored by the Service since 2014. The Intelligence agency said the Jordanian citizen was an unconditional supporter of the IS terrorist group, for which he was conducting online propaganda campaigns, and was willing to get involved in operations targeting Romanias security.



    COUNTER-TERRORISM TASK FORCE – The White House announced on Friday the set-up of a new task force, combining members of several federal agencies, to counter the IS group propaganda both on US territory and abroad. The task force will focus particularly on the internet and social media, which have been extensively used by extremists to disseminate their message. The announcement comes after several White House officials met in Silicon Valley (California) with leaders of internet giants like Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube, to analyse means to prevent the use of social media for IS terrorist purposes.



    S. KOREAN PROPAGANDA – North Korea responded to the South-Korean propaganda broadcasts, which was resumed on Friday, Reuters reports. Seoul resumed broadcasting propaganda via loudspeakers on its North Korean border, in response to Pyongyangs latest nuclear test. Loudspeakers placed on the heavily militarised buffer zone between the two countries broadcast pop music, weather reports, information or criticism of the North Korean regime. The resumption of this psychological warfare method, which in August triggered threats of military retaliation from North Korea, comes as the international community is trying to identify an effective response to Pyongyangs announcement on Wednesday that it had successfully conducted an H-bomb test.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Monica Niculescu Saturday won the first title for Romanian tennis in 2016. Jointly with the American Vania King, she won the doubles final of the tournament in Shenzhen (China), which has 430,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, Niculescu/King won 6-1, 6-4, the match against the Chinese Yi-Fan Xu / Saisai Zheng, seeded no. 1. Monica Niculescu also won the doubles tournament in Shenzhen, in 2014, together with Klara Koukalova (the Czech Republic).

  • Anticorupţia în România

    Anticorupţia în România

    La Bucureşti, a avut loc, luni, a patra reuniune a Task Force-ului pentru implementarea Declaraţiei Comune privind Parteneriatul Strategic pentru Secolul XXI între România şi SUA. Lucrările au fost coprezidate de secretarul de stat pentru afaceri strategice în MAE român, Daniel Ioniţă şi de adjunctul asistentului pentru afaceri europene şi euroasiatice al secretarului de stat al SUA, Hoyt Yee. Un comunicat al diplomatiei române relevă că participanţii au au discutat obiectivele, priorităţile şi liniile de acţiune ale cooperării bilaterale din perioada următoare.



    Hoyt Yee a menţionat contextul aniversării a 135 de ani de relaţii diplomatice între România şi SUA şi a arătat că dezvoltarea Parteneriatului Strategic trebuie privită pe fondul riscurilor regionale de securitate. Ulterior sesiunii plenare, au avut loc consultări în cursul cărora oaspetele american a evidenţiat rezultatele importante ale luptei împotriva corupţiei, apreciind că România a devenit, cităm, ‘un model în regiune în acest domeniu’.



    Secretarul de stat, Daniel Ioniţă a precizat că lupta împotriva corupţiei este un obiectiv important, asumat la cel mai înalt nivel în România şi care produce rezultate pozitive pentru viaţa şi bunăstarea cetăţenilor români. Într-un interviu pentru Radio România, Hoyt Yee a explicat că Washingtonul insistă în direcţia eradicării corupţiei şi respectării statului de drept pentru că doreşte ca România şi toţi aliaţii Statelor Unite să aibă capacitatea de a fi parteneri eficienţi în afaceri, în comerţ sau în domeniul securităţii militare şi al obligaţiilor NATO.



    Aşa ceva, a spus Hoyt, e posibil doar dacă există stat de drept, dacă se acţionează eficient împotriva corupţiei şi crimei organizate şi dacă cetăţenii şi companiile ştiu, în România, că atunci când sunt puşi în faţa unui act ori a unei propuneri de corupţie, o pot denunţa, iar ea va fi tratată corespunzător, conform legii şi Constituţiei ţării.



    Diplomatul american a mai spus ca SUA ştiu, din experienţă, că, în regiunea în care se află România, corupţia nu este doar o vulnerabilitate economică, ci şi una politică. ‘Ţările vulnerabile la corupţie şi care nu o combat eficient sunt vulnerabile, totodată, la forţe negative din exterior. Guverne străine sau crima organizată pot face presiuni asupra ţărilor care nu sunt capabile să lupte cu corupţia, a adăugat oficialul American. El a atras atenţia că acest lucru afectează deciziile politice ale ţărilor respective, decizii necesare pentru România sau pentru oricare alt aliat al NATO.