Radio România Internațional

Tag: the EU

  • The EU is diversifying its energy resources

    The EU is diversifying its energy resources

    Those who warned that the energy weapon would eventually be used, and that the Russians would make the decision not to supply gas to the European Union after the completion of pipeline maintenance operations, seem to have been right. Gazprom, which has a monopoly on Russian gas exports through pipelines, has declared a force majeure situation over gas supplies to Europe in the case of at least one major customer, according to a letter quoted by Reuters. The letter states that Gazprom was unable to meet its supply obligations due to extraordinary circumstances beyond its control.



    Invoking a force majeure situation, used when a business is affected by something that is not under its control, will escalate the tensions between Russia and the West over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Reuters says. The European Union, which has imposed sanctions on Russia, aims to completely abandon the use of fossil fuels from Russia by 2027, but for the time being it still needs those supplies, as the member states are far from securing their winter reserves.



    Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday announced an agreement with Azerbaijan to double the EU’s gas imports from the former Soviet republic in the Caucasus in a few years’ time. Last year, Azerbaijan supplied about 8 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe through pipelines crossing Georgia and Turkey, and deliveries are expected to exceed 10 billion cubic meters this year. By comparison, Russian gas imports last year amounted to 155 billion cubic meters, which is almost 40% of the EU’s needs



    The figures speak for themselves when it comes to Europe’s energy dependence on Moscow. That is why Brussels is seeking to diversify the Union’s gas supply sources. Moscow has already begun cutting supplies to several countries, and Europeans fear a complete cut in Russian gas in response to EU sanctions against Russia.



    With an important production of its own and the offshore law finally adopted, which allows the exploitation of Black Sea gas, Romania could cover its domestic gas consumption needs this winter, without needing any imports, according to the former president of the National Authority for Energy Regulations, Niculae Havrilet. He believes such a scenario is entirely plausible:


    Of course, this is an achievable program, it is a perfectly achievable scenario, but we know that these days, when we also have problems other than those strictly related to the gas structure, we can expect other difficulties. From this point of view, the Ministry of Energy has promoted a reaction plan in case we have gas supply issues.



    Romania, Havrilet has also pointed out, could even help other European Union countries with gas, but through compensation and not for free. (MI)

  • The Week in Review (March 26-31)

    The Week in Review (March 26-31)

    The Prince of Wales on a formal visit to Bucharest


    On the very day the UK officially launched Brexit talks, with London triggering Art. 50 of the Treaty on European Union, the British Crown Prince Charles started an official visit to Bucharest as part of the European tour. As the Prince of Wales said upon receiving the “Star of Romania” National Order, in Rank of Grand Cross, from President Klaus Iohannis, for the 20 years since he has been visiting Romania he has tried to help Romanians remember the distinctiveness of their culture, their architectural legacy and, above all, their potential today. Charles also mentioned that he had been impressed to hear about the sufferings of Romanians under the communist regime and about the destruction brought about by that regime at a human and cultural level. During the award ceremony, President Iohannis appreciated the dedication and involvement of the Prince of Wales in charity work in Romania, as well as his contribution to promoting Romanias image abroad.



    Klaus Iohannis: “Your Royal Highness involvement in a large number of village restoration projects, in promoting local products, in traditional crafts training and education, has been a valuable contribution to raising awareness on a life style in which nature, tradition and modern man may coexist in harmony. We are also grateful to Your Royal Highness for expressing your admiration for Romanias spiritual and cultural heritage, every time you talk about Romania and its citizens.”



    The agenda of this second official visit to Romania by the Prince of Wales also included talks with PM Sorin Grindeanu, when one of the topics approached was the development and strengthening of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the UK, based on improved security cooperation and on substantial economic ties. HRH Charles also had meetings with members of the Royal Family of Romania.



    The future of the EU under debate


    Romania does not support a concentric circles Europe, nor a multi-speed European Union, which may lead to a deepening of social and economic divides between Member States. This is Romanias official stand, as reiterated by President Klaus Iohannis in Malta, the country that is currently holding the rotating presidency of the EU. In his address at the Congress of the European Peoples Party, the head of the Romanian state said the Union was at a crossroads, facing complex crises of unprecedented intensity. Terrorist attacks, migration, nationalism, populism, Brexit and, more than anything else, the escalation of Euro skepticism have become major challenges, Klaus Iohannis underlined. In Bucharest, the Romanian authorities announced that Romanias main objective during the negotiations for Brexit was to ensure the observance of the rights of the Romanian citizens working and studying in Great Britain. According to estimates, more than 250,000 Romanians are living in the UK.



    Romanias Prosecutor General and the Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate still in office


    Romanias Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazăr, and the Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), Laura Codruţa Kovesi, will not be replaced. The Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, stated that he made the assessment of the heads of the two institutions without any external interference or pressure. He explained that the DNA, when investigating emergency government decree no. 13, assumed the responsibility to undertake an investigation into a domain that goes beyond their legal authority, and the magistrates of the Constitutional Court re-established the balance between the state powers through their verdict. We recall that through decree no. 13 the coalition government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats tried to amend the criminal anti-corruption legislation, which triggered large-scale street protests.



    The Justice Minister Tudorel Toader also announced the intention of monitoring the activity of prosecutors:


    “In the spirit of observing the rule of law, we believe it opportune to initiate a careful monitoring of the activity of prosecutors working for the DNA, the DIICOT- Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, and the Prosecutors Office with the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The monitoring should be made by the justice minister, and, as far as I am concerned, I can assure you that Ill do my job without any interference that could affect the independence of prosecutors.”



    As an avowed supporter of the prosecutors anti-corruption efforts, President Klaus Iohannis says he is content with the activity of Romanias Prosecutor General and of the Chief Prosecutor of the DNA. The Romanian President does not share the opinion of the Justice Minister regarding DNAs allegedly overstepping its authority: “I do expect the justice minister to support the Public Ministry, the Prosecutor General, the Chief Prosecutor of the DNA, the Chief Prosecutor of the DIICOT for them to better comply with their missions. If they work together in what I have called loyal cooperation, the Justice Ministry and the Public Ministry could make things right, unlike the moment when, early this year, they had divergent opinions over decree no. 13.”



    The PM Sorin Grindeanu has asked to be constantly informed on the results of the continuous monitoring of the prosecutors activity and has given assurances that the Government is firmly committed to combating corruption.

  • EU Parliament votes to impose visas for US citizens

    EU Parliament votes to impose visas for US citizens

    One more proof that relations between the European Union and the US have become more complicated after Republican president Donald Trump took office, the European Parliament has passed a resolution seeking to reintroduce visas for American citizens travelling to the EU. The reason for this, which goes back a long time but has been overlooked during the previous Democratic administration of Barack Obama, is that the US still requires entry visas for the citizens of five EU member states, namely Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland and Cyprus.



    The resolution, drafted by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, sets a two-month deadline for the European Commission to act. Under EU legislation, if a country fails to respect the principle of visa reciprocity, the EU Commission must adopt a “delegated act” suspending the visa waiver for the nationals of the respective country for 12 months. The elimination of visas for all EU citizens was one of the main issues discussed by the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos during a recent trip to Washington. He said that according to an assessment conducted by the European Commission, reinstating visas for US citizens would have negative impacts on the EU’s economy, in particular tourism and trade. Avramopoulos said, however, that the issue could be solved through diplomatic channels, as has been the case in a similar situation involving Canada.



    The ratification of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was preceded, among others, by extended talks on the elimination of entry visas for Romania and Bulgaria, the only two countries in the EU whose citizens still needed visas to travel to Canada. As a result, visa requirements for Romanians and Bulgarians will be dropped as of December 1st this year. It is estimated that, as the EU-Canada trade agreement comes into effect, trade relations between Canada and the European Union will expand significantly.



    The Union’s exports to Canada are expected to grow to 17 billion euros per year, leading to an increase in the EU’s GDP to more than 11 billion a year. The fact that such a significant trade agreement was made conditional on the settlement of the visa question shows the importance given by the EU to this aspect. On the other hand, it sets a precedent in the run-up to the negotiations on the huge trade agreement between the EU and the United States, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). (Translated by C. Mateescu)

  • March 1, 2017

    March 1, 2017

    BUDGET DEFICIT — The difference between the estimates made by the European Commission and those made by the Romanian Government on the country’s budget deficit in 2017 is the result of applying different estimation methodologies, the Romanian Finance ministry writes in a communiqué. The line ministry has given assurances that the Romanian authorities have assumed responsibility for a governing program which will observe the 3% budget deficit target. The communiqué has been issued shortly after the European Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Pierre Moscovici sent a letter to the Romanian Finance Ministry, following the European Commission’s issuing country reports on the economic and social situation of the member states. According to the winter economic forecast made public in mid February, the public deficit in Romania might reach 3.6% of the GDP in 2017, as compared to 3.2%, the figure estimated in autumn, to go up to 3.9% of the GDP in 2018.



    PROSECUTOR GENERAL — The Higher Council of Magistracy has decided not to start disciplinary investigation against Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar and not to check out in what conditions the National Anti-Corruption Directorate decided to investigate the way in which the controversial emergency decree no.13 was drafted. The emergency government decree amending the criminal law was later repealed by the government and rescinded by Parliament. According to Lazar, the decision by the Higher Council of Magistracy is tantamount to a vote of confidence in the Prosecutor General and comes as a proof that the judiciary is independent. He said the investigation on the way in which the government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats issued the emergency decree will continue even after the Constitutional Court’s issuing a ruling on the matter. On Monday, the Court noticed the existence of a legal conflict between the state powers generated by the fact that the National Anti-Corruption Directorate reportedly assumed prerogatives to check on the opportunity and legality of issuing the ordinance, prerogatives which belong only to Parliament and the Constitutional Court. The Court has said however that investigation into possible direct criminal acts is possible. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate, which sent the file to the General Prosecutor’s Office, has law infringement suspicions in this case, such as aiding the offender, destroying documentary evidence and the ill-intended presentation of imprecise data.



    WASHINGTON — In his first speech before Congress, the US President Donald Trump said he supports NATO but he underlined that the partners should meet their financial obligations. Donald Trump said his mission is not to represent the world, but the United States of America, which will further defend the vital security interests that it shares with its allies around the world. Accordign to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Washington, Trump approached issues that he also mentioned last year, promising he will make America great again, will create millions of jobs and that American citizens will be protected from illegal migrants and Islamic terrorism.



    THE FUTURE OF THE EU — The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, is today presenting the MEPs with his vision of the EU’s future after Brexit. The document, the so-called “white charter” is to include four or five options regarding the EU’s development. One of the ideas that have been taken into account is that some of the member states should develop together faster, without forcing the rest of the community bloc to follow the same pace. This idea has raised concern in the East, including Romania.



    LABOUR — The Romanian Labour Ministry has today announced that the minimum guaranteed social pension has been increased, as of March 1, from some 90 Euros to 115 Euros. Over one million pensioners will benefit from this. The measure will have a budgetary impact of over 225 million Euros, data released by the Fiscal Council show. In exchange, a series of fiscal measures which should have been taken effect today, have been postponed. These include zero VAT for advertising and for selling dwellings whose market values is less than 100,000 Euros. A VAT cut for raw materials and services provided in agriculture is no longer enforced and healthcare employees will not receive a series of payment bonuses.



    FUEL PRICE — The Competition Council in Romania has started a sectoral investigation on the fuel market, to see why their price has exceeded the EU average price. The president of the Competition Council, Bogdan Chiritoiu, says the evolution of prices is surprising and clarifications should be made to see whether there are legislation-related problems, if there are errors made by the Romanian state, or problems caused by the conduct of companies, which might lead to sanctions. Romania is among the few countries in Europe which extract oil, boasts big refining capacities and exports fuels to the neighbouring countries. In exchange, on the Romanian market, the price of gas and diesel exceeds the EU average, although the extra excise duty on fuel was eliminated at the start of the year, and the VAT has been cut.



    FOOTBALL — The best known Romanian football teams, Steaua and Dinamo, both based in Bucharest, are today playing each other in the second round of the League Cup semi-finals, a competition destined exclusively for the teams playing in the first division. In the first round, Dinamo defeated Steaua 4-1 on home turf. On Tuesday, ACS Poli Timisoara (in the west, outperformed ASA Targu Mures ( in the centre), 3-1, in the second round of the other semi-final and secured qualification to the finals. Timisoara also won the first round match, 4-2.



    SPRING CELEBRATION — The Romanians are today celebrating the “martisor”, a symbol of spring. Small amulets, tied to a white and red thread are offered to the beloved ones. The word “martisor” is of Latin origin and is the popular name given to the month of March. According to the old Roman calendar, March 1 was the first day of the year, when the God Mars was celebrated. Martisor is a tradition kept in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and the neighbouring regions inhabited by Romanians and Aromanians. Similar customs are also observed in Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia. (translated by D. Vijeu)

  • Moldova’s European Course

    Moldova’s European Course

    The main reason for which the Republic of Moldova is not in the European Union next to its former Soviet peers such as the Baltic countries is the hesitation shown by the political class and society with regard to the country’s development. This is the opinion expressed by Prime Minister Iurie Leanca at the forum ‘The Future of Moldova in the EU’, recently organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Chisinau. The Moldovan official said that Moldova and Latvia were in 1991 two Soviet republics with similar levels economically and socially.



    Today, Latvia sports 300-Euro pensions, an average national wage of 800 Euros, farming subsidies worth 180 Euros per hectare, enjoying social and political security. He said he was confident that Latvia did well as opposed to his country, not for Moldova’s lack of intelligence and diligence, but because of its constant hesitation since 1991. In his opinion, Moldova faltered because it did not have a clear objective, a vision on the future of the country, and the kind of political system it wanted, an anchor as it were, as well as rules to impose. As a result Moldova still has weak institutions, strongly influenced by politics. However, at this time Moldova is closer to Brussels than ever.



    President Nicolae Timofti said he was confident that his country would apply for EU membership in 2015, after the parliament elections on November 30, when the current pro-European governing coalition will face off against leftist parties, who wish to be closer to Russia. He said: “The status of candidate country will accelerate the modernization of state institutions, allowing better security for the Republic of Moldova”, recalling the importance of the November 30 elections for Moldova’s European course. “Earning the status of candidate country will embolden integration policies, contribute to the modernization of public institutions, and place Moldova in a conventional security space, sheltered from the challenges in the region”, the Moldovan leader said. The ratification by the European Parliament of the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union was seen as a major accomplishment for both Chisinau and Brussels, essential in increasing transparency and economic growth, supporting the stability and prosperity of the country. The agreement was signed on June 27 2014 in Brussels, then ratified by the Moldovan Parliament on July 2nd.



    The most recent opinion polls show that pro-European parties are slightly more popular than the pro-Russian ones, who promote integration in Eurasian structures. Moldovan analysts do not rule out the need to form a wide based coalition government, including the communists, if the pro-Western parties do not get enough votes to hang on to power. Here is Radio Romania’s correspondent to Chisinau, Vasile State:



    “Six political parties are believed to make it to the future single-chamber Parliament in Chisinau, according to the poll run by the Institute for Public Policies. Three of them, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party and the Liberal Party have clear pro-European leanings, while three more, the Party of Communists, the Party of Socialists and the Motherland Party are inclined towards Russia. We have to specify, however, that ex-president Vladimir Voronin’s party, who are communists, announced that they would not denounce the association agreement with the EU. According to the poll, if parliament elections were held next Sunday, the three pro-European parties would get a cumulative 33%, while the other three would get 29% of the vote. Even so, forming a parliament majority would be extremely difficult, considering the ratio of strength of the two sides.”



    Arcadie Barbarosie, director of the Public Policy Institute, does not rule out a coalition between the pro-European parties and the Party of Communists:



    “We should maybe think of a wide coalition with the possible participation of the communists, a coalition that would provide political stability for the next six years. If in two years time we don’t have a president, we will have early elections, so we need something that lasts 4 to 6 years, something with relative stability.”



    According to sociologist Ion Jigau, a possible alliance between communists, socialists and the Motherland Party would not provide stability for the Republic of Moldova.


  • Europe and Ukraine

    Europe and Ukraine

    On Tuesday in Brussels, the EU leaders called on Russia to cooperate with the new president of Ukraine, Petro Porosenko, to pull out the Russian troops deployed on the border with Ukraine and to prevent separatists and weapons from entering that country. In a joint declaration made public after the summit, “the 28” encourage Moscow to engage in an open and honest dialogue to find a solution to the crisis. Here is European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso:



    “…the central message of the statement we have agreed on Ukraine is important because it shows that we stand behind the legitimately elected new leadership and we will continue to give our full support to stabilize the country and increase its resilience to external pressures. “



    The European support will mainly target the progress on constitutional reform, economic stability and an energy security. The EU leaders also urged president Porosenko, and Kiev authorities in general, to start constitutional and decentralization reforms right away. Although the declaration makes no reference to fresh sanctions on Russia, it does hint at the specific sanctions already imposed by the EU. The 28 have agreed to keep on working on the preparation of economic sanctions, stage three, for them to be ready for implementation, if need may be.



    The EU is also worried about the constant violation of human rights in Crimea, since its annexation by Russia in March this year. The EU leaders have stated they will never recognize the annexation. On the other hand, the EU is looking for solutions to ease the burden of Ukraine’s debt to Russia in the energy field. To that end, European Commission representatives are attending the Russian — Ukrainian negotiations on the issue, hosted by Berlin. European Commissioner Gunther Oettinger has announced that an expected outcome of these negotiations would be the payment of one installment of Ukraine’s debt, worth 2 billion dollars, with money from the IMF, the World Bank or the European Bank. The Lithuanian President, Dalia Grybauskaite, has stated that it is likely for



    Ukraine and the EU to sign an agreement on closer economic ties at the EU summit on June 27th. Kiev and the EU have signed the political chapters of an association agreement, but the commercial part has been postponed until after the presidential elections in Ukraine.