Radio România Internațional

Tag: TRADE

  • July 20, 2019 UPDATE

    July 20, 2019 UPDATE

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




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




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




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




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



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




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


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • July 20, 2019

    July 20, 2019

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




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




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




    HOLIDAY Orthodox and Catholic Christians in Romania celebrate today Prophet Elijahs feast day. According to the Bible, the prophet lived nearly 2,800 years ago and brought back faith in the Hebrew God among the people of Israel. Elijah did not die like a human, but was taken to heavens in a chariot of fire. Due to this biographic detail, St. Elijah is the patron saint of the Romanian Air Forces, which celebrate July 20th with military and religious ceremonies. Nearly 130,000 Romanians celebrate their name day on Prophet Elijahs Feast Day.




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


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • 10 June, 2019

    10 June, 2019

    Republic of Moldova. The first
    meeting of the government of the Republic of Moldova ( an ex-Soviet state with
    a majority Romanian-speaking population) led by the pro-European Maia Sandu
    takes place today despite a ruling by the Constitutional Court that invalidated
    the investiture of the new cabinet. The meeting is scheduled to take place in
    the Parliament building because the members of the new cabinet do not have
    access to the government, which is still controlled by the acting prime
    minister Pavel Filip, from the Democratic Party. A close aide of the
    controversial politician and businessman Vladimir Plahotniuc and appointed by the Court to take
    on the responsibilities of the president, thus replacing the pro-Russian
    Socialist Igor Dodon, Filip has announced the dissolution of Parliament and
    called early elections in September.




    Cabinet. Romania’s new ministers responsible for
    justice, European funds and for liaising with the Romanians living abroad are
    being sworn in today, according to the president’s office. At the weekend, the
    president signed the appointment of Ana Birchall as minister for justice,
    Roxana Minzatu as minister for European funds and of Natalia Intotero as
    minister for the Romanians abroad. Iohannis rejected the nomination of Titus
    Corlatean as deputy prime minister and asked prime minister Viorica Dancila to
    make a new proposal. The president considers Corlatean as the artisan of the
    disaster of the 2014 elections, when he was serving as foreign minister and
    when tens of thousands of Romanians living abroad were unable to cast their
    votes and said his reputation is not unblemished. The prime minister submitted
    these proposals on the 29th of May.




    Exercise. Around
    8,000 military from six countries (Albania, Bosnia and Hertegovina, Bulgaria,
    Romania, Hungary and the US) are taking part until the 24th of June
    in the Saber Guardian 2019 multinational exercise. The exercise is led by US
    Army Europe and the Romanian Land Forces and is hosted by Bulgaria, Romania and
    Hungary. Its main aim is to highlight the cohesion, unity and solidarity
    between partner and allied states in the face of any possible form of
    aggression, in particular through rapid mobilisation and deployment of troops
    anywhere in Europe. Shooting exercises are held at the shooting ranges in
    Cincu, Borduşani, Babadag, Smârdan and Râşnov.




    Trade. Romania’s trade deficit reached 5.038 billion euros in the first
    four months of the year, up 1.298 billion compared with the same period in
    2018, according to data published today by the National Institute for
    Statistics. According to these figures, exports stood at 23.066 billion euros
    between January and April 2019, while imports reached 28.104 billion euros.
    During the same period, exports went up by 3.8% and imports by 8.3% compared
    with the first four months of the previous year.








    IT. 20 companies are taking part in an economic mission to promote Romanian
    IT&C products in the United States, between the 10th and the 14th
    of June. According to the ministry for the business environment, trade and entrepreneurship,
    the Romanian companies will take part in the SelectUSA Investment Summit held
    in Washington between the 10th and the 12th of June and
    in the SelectUSA Spin-off held in San Francisco on the 13th and the
    14th of June. The main goals of the mission are to enhance the
    visibility of Romanian IT&C companies, promote Romanian products in the
    area of innovation technology, identifying new business opportunities and
    establishing long-term partnerships, according to a ministry press release.




    Football. Tonight, Romania face
    Malta away in a new Group F match as part of their campaign to qualify for the
    2020 European Championship. On Friday, Romania drew 2-all, also away, with
    Norway. In their first two group matches in March, Romania lost to Sweden in
    Stockholm 1-2 and defeated the Faroe Islands at home 4-1. Spain lead Group F
    with 9 points, followed by Sweden with 7, and Romania with 4. The two
    best-ranked teams in the group will qualify. Bucharest will host the draw for
    Euro 2020 on the 30th of November. The Romanian capital will also
    host four Euro 2020 matches, including three group matches and a quarterfinal.
    Also this month, Romania’s Under-21 side will be taking part in the European
    Championship final tournament hosted by Italy and San Marino. They are in Group
    C alongside England, France and Croatia.

  • The Week in Review: February 18 -22

    The Week in Review: February 18 -22

    The president to refer the state budget bill to the Constitutional Court


    President Klaus Iohannis has decided to refer the budget bill for 2019 to the Constitutional Court before signing it into law. He says the bill drawn up by the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats is a threat to the Romanian economy and that it appears that some of its provisions are unconstitutional, preventing Romania from fulfilling its commitments before the European Union. He also says the budget is unrealistic, overvalued and delayed considering it should have reached Parliament by 15th November last year. According to the president, it is ridiculous to characterise the 2019 budget as investment-orientated in the words of prime minister Viorica Dancila, when the figures in the bill itself point to what can more accurately be described as an austerity budget with subsistence financing, zero investments in some areas, the need for reorganisation and even redundancies owing to the lack of funds for current expenses. The president has accused the government of not having money for investments but allocating large sums for political parties, mainly the Social Democratic Party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition. In response, the speaker of the Senate and leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats has said the presidents gesture is inopportune.




    New changes in the judiciary and reactions from Brussels


    The Government in Bucharest this week issued an emergency decree to bring new changes to the justice laws referring, among other things, to the appointment of top level prosecutors and even the responsibilities of the head of the investigation department. Toader explained that these positions can also be occupied by prosecutors who have not worked as judges, and the people currently delegated to occupy them can only do so for a period of 45 days. The National Anticorruption Directorate says there is no extraordinary situation to justify issuing an emergency order to adopt provisions referring to the dismissal of magistrates or changing the organisation of the prosecutors offices. The DIICOT anti-mafia prosecutors have also criticised the decree saying the changes run counter to the constitutional architecture and place the public ministry in a position in which it will be impossible for it to carry out its specific responsibilities. The Superior Council of Magistrates through its department for prosecutors has warned that the changes made by the government to the justice laws will seriously affect the activity of the prosecutors offices. The European Commission has also reacted. Spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said the community executive is monitoring with great concern the latest developments concerning the rule of law in Romania, both with respect to the content and the procedure of the latest changes, through the use of emergency decrees and without any prior consultations with the representatives of the judiciary and stakeholders. These changes, the Commission official went on to say, seem to run counter to the recommendations made under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, backed by all member states. The main opposition parties, the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, have tabled a simple motion in the field of justice, in the Chamber of Deputies. The changes have been criticised by the Romanian President. The magistrates took to the street in large numbers, to protest against the changes which, they say, deeply affect the independence of the judiciary.



    New ministers in Romania


    President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday signed the decrees appointing Vasile-Daniel Suciu as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development and Public Administration and Alexandru-Răzvan Cuc as Transport Minister. Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă has said she made those nominations to put an end to a deadlock, which hindered the proper activity of the government, the more so as the interim period at the two ministries has expired. “Regional Development and Transports are two key domains, for which we have provided the necessary sums of money in the state budget law, to be able to make the investments Romania needs. The ministers with full responsibilities in carrying out their prerogatives should coordinate themselves for a better implementation of investment projects, the Prime Minister has also added. Olguta Vasilescu and Mircea Drăghici had earlier been nominated at the two ministries. They have been however rejected several times by President Klaus Iohannis and in the end they decided to withdraw their candidacies.



    Meeting of the EU trade ministers in Bucharest


    The EU Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström and the director general of the World Trade Organisation, Roberto Azevędo, attended the informal meeting of the EU Trade Ministers, held in Bucharest earlier this week, under the auspices of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union. Talks focused on the modernisation process of the World Trade Organisation and on trade relations between the EU and the US. Also this week, the EU member states validated, during the meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee, the political agreement secured by Romania and the European Parliament on the Copyright Directive in the Digital Single Market. The directive offers correct payment to copyright holders and takes into account private users interests. The directive will have a positive impact on a large category of actors, such as press publishers, cultural institutions, education institutions, artists, performers and professionals in the field of culture.




    (translated by: Diana Vijeu, Cristina Mateescu)

  • February 22, 2019 UPDATE

    February 22, 2019 UPDATE

    BUDGET The Constitutional Court of Romania has announced that on March 6th it will discuss the notification filed by President Klaus Iohannis against the 2019 state budget law. On Friday, the head of state notified the Constitutional Court over the state budget bill submitted for his promulgation. He described the bill as unrealistic and over-optimistic, and dismissed it as a national disgrace. There are unconstitutional elements in this law, the President said, such as failure to comply with commitments taken within the EU and violation of fundamental rights. Iohannis lashed out at the Social Democratic Party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, which he said is unable to govern the country and only rules to the benefit of its leader, Liviu Dragnea. Klaus Iohannis also said political parties are getting too much money, public education is under-funded, and Romania has been in turmoil, particularly since an ordinance was passed in late 2018 modifying the justice laws. According to the President, the entire ruling term of the Social Democrats has been an assault on the rule of law in Romania. In response, the Senate Speaker, Calin Popescu Tariceanu (ALDE, also in the ruling coalition) said the Presidents sending the budget bill to the Constitutional Court is unwarranted and ill-timed. He added the President is “harassing the Cabinet and trying to prevent its work.




    JUDICIARY In several cities in Romania, magistrates protested on Friday against the changes to the justice laws introduced by a government emergency decree, and called for independence of the judiciary. They also announced they would suspend their work for several days, and said only urgent cases would be tried. The changes operated by the left-of-centre Government concern, among other things, the appointment of senior prosecutors and the powers of the special division investigating offences committed by magistrates. The emergency decree has been criticised both in Brussels, by the European Commission, and in Romania, by magistrate associations, by the prosecutor division of the Higher Council of Magistrates, and by the right-wing Opposition.




    TRADE The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is in a difficult situation at the moment, and swift action is needed for the entity not to fall apart, the EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said on Friday in Bucharest. In turn, the Romanian Minister for the Business Environment, Ştefan-Radu Oprea, said that promoting free trade under the WTO aegis remains a priority for the EU, and member states have voiced their willingness to start negotiations on e-commerce. He added that, with respect to trade relations between the EU and the USA, stakeholders are trying to maintain a positive bilateral agenda and to adopt as quickly as possible the negotiating directives on conformity assessment and the liberalisation of trade in industrial products. EU trade ministers convened on Friday in Bucharest to discuss the modernisation of the WTO and the trade relations between the European bloc and the US.




    CONGRESS Cluj Napoca (in north-western Romania) is hosting the congress of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, the main political party representing the 1.5-million strong Hungarian community in Romania. Attending the event are over 900 delegates, who will elect the new party president. The incumbent leader, Hunor Kelemen, is the only candidate, and is running for a 3rd term in office. Before the congress, Hunor Kelemen told a press conference that in his opinion the main task ahead is for the party to define a general framework for the political decisions to be made in the future. The delegates will also discuss the new economic platform of the organisation and the list of candidates for the European Parliament elections. Another topic on the agenda is the collaboration between the Union, which supports the ruling coalition in Romania, and the other Romanian parties. Represented in Parliament without interruptions since 1990, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has been a member of many coalition governments in Romania.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 11, 2018 UPDATE

    June 11, 2018 UPDATE

    MOLDOVA — The Joint Committee on European Integration of the Romanian and Moldovan parliaments has voiced support to speed up projects of energy interconnection, to develop cooperation in the field of constructions and upgrade transport infrastructure. In a release on Monday, in Chisinau, the Committee says it supports sustainable solutions able to increase effectiveness in terms of border traffic. The Committee also asked for a bilateral accord between the Romanian and Moldovan governments that should ease the access to jobs for citizens from both states. These topics are to be tackled at the joint meeting of the two country’s governments that is to be held at the end of June.




    VENICE COMMISSION — Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader on Monday met with the Venice Commission delegation who is in Romania on a 2-day visit focusing on the changes to the justice laws. Talks focused on the revised laws and their current stage and on the revision of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code. The delegation’s agenda includes meetings with President Klaus Iohannis, with Parliament members, and officials from the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Constitutional Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the National Anti-corruption Directorate, the Higher Council of Magistracy, judge and prosecutor associations and civil society organisations. Both President Iohannis, and the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have requested the opinion of this body, which comprises independent experts in constitutional law, with respect to the Romanian laws on the organisation of courts, the operation of the Higher Council of Magistracy and the status of judges and prosecutors. The requests came after the right-wing opposition, the media and civil society claimed that these laws are used by the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in order to stop the fight against corruption and get control over magistrates.




    TRADE – Romania’s exports totalled over 22 billion Euros in January — April 2018, while imports reached nearly 26 billion euros, according to data made public on Monday by the National Statistics Institute. The trade deficit reached 3.7 billion euros in the first 4 months of the year, as against 3.3 billion euros last year. According to the Institute, in the first 4 months most of the imports and exports were accounted for by vehicles and transport equipment and other manufactured products.




    EXERCISE — A large-scale military exercise involving more than 800 Romanian and British troops is taking place until June 22 in the counties Braşov (in central Romania) and Prahova (in the south). The troops are training as part of Sarmis 18, which is coordinated by the Brasov-based 2nd Mountain Troops Brigade. Also taking part are members of Battalion 47 Communications and IT and 1st Battalion, The Rifles from the UK. The exercises are designed to simulate military interventions in case of hybrid threats.




    SUMMIT — The North-Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and US President Donald Trump are in Singapore, where they are holding a historic meeting on Tuesday morning. The summit is the first one between a Kim dynasty member and a US president in office. The talks, whose outcome is uncertain, will focus on the achievement of a special agreement regarding, above all, a full, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea in exchange for relaxing international economic and diplomatic sanctions. President Donald Trump has today voiced optimism about the eagerly awaited meeting, which was unimaginable just months ago, when Trump and the Pyongyang leader were exchanging harsh lines that made the world fear the worst.




    THEATRE – In Sibiu (central Romania), the 25th International Theatre Festival continues. This is the largest performing arts event in Romania and one of the most important in Europe. On Monday, the 4th day of the festival, over 40 events were scheduled, including the opening of the performance exchange, a structure launched 22 years ago in Romania, which brings together companies and festival directors from around the world. Thousands of artists from over 70 countries are performing every day both in theatre halls and in unconventional venues.





    FILM FESTIVAL — The Bucharest International Film Festival opened on Monday in Bucharest with the production The Leisure Seeker, directed by the Italian Paolo Virzi, featuring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland in the lead roles. This year’s edition of the festival includes new films, awarded at international festivals, which are not yet screened in cinemas. As many as 20 films are part of the competition. The festival has a new section, entitled “Focus on Israel”, with six productions to be presented for the first time in Romania, a special section for shorts and one dedicated to the Centennial.




    TENNIS — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, returned to Bucharest on Monday, when she presented her first Grand Slam trophy, won in Roland Garros to the Romanian public. At a news conference held upon her arrival at the Henri Coanda Airport, Halep said she wanted to share the joy of winning her first Grand Slam title with her fans. A number of officials and sports personalities welcomed Halep at the airport, such as the Minister of Youth and Sports, Ioana Bran, the head of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, former Olympic sabre champion Mihai Covaliu and the head of the Romanian Tennis Federation, George Cosac.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)



  • June 11, 2018

    June 11, 2018

    VENICE COMMISSION – A Venice Commission delegation is in Romania on a 2-day visit focusing on the changes to the justice laws. The delegation will have meetings with President Klaus Iohannis, with Parliament members, and officials from the Justice Ministry, High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Constitutional Court, the Prosecutor Generals Office, the National Anti-corruption Directorate, the Higher Council of Magistracy, judge and prosecutor associations and civil society organisations. Both President Iohannis, and the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have requested the opinion of this body, which comprises independent experts in constitutional law, with respect to the Romanian laws on the organisation of courts, the operation of the Higher Council of Magistrates and the status of judges and prosecutors. The requests came after the right-wing opposition, the media and civil society claimed that these laws are used by the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in order to stop the fight against corruption and get control over magistrates.




    TRADE – Romanias exports totaled over 22 billion Euros in January – April 2018, while imports reached nearly 26 billion euros, according to data made public today by the National Statistics Institute. The trade deficit reached 3.7 billion euros in the first 4 months of the year, as against 3.3 billion euros last year. According to the Institute, in the first 4 months most of the imports and exports were accounted for by vehicles and transport equipment and other manufactured products.




    EXERCISE – A large-scale military exercise involving more than 800 Romanian and British troops is taking place until June 22 in the counties Braşov (in central Romania) and Prahova (in the south). The troops are training as part of Sarmis 18, which is coordinated by the Brasov-based 2nd Mountain Troops Brigade. Also taking part are members of Battalion 47 Communications and IT and 1st Battalion, The Rifles from the UK. The exercises are designed to simulate military interventions in case of hybrid threats.




    THEATRE – In Sibiu (central Romania), the 25th International Theatre Festival continues. This is the largest performing arts event in Romania and one of the most important in Europe. Today, on the 4th day of the festival, over 40 events will take place, including the opening of the performance exchange, a structure launched 22 years ago in Romania, which brings together companies and festival directors from around the world. Thousands of artists from over 70 countries are performing every day both in theatre halls and in unconventional venues.




    SUMMIT – The North-Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and US President Donald Trump are in Singapore, where they will hold a historic meeting tomorrow morning. The summit is the first one between a Kim dynasty member and a US president in office. The talks, whose outcome is uncertain, will focus on the achievement of a special agreement regarding, above all, a full, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea in exchange for relaxing international economic and diplomatic sanctions. President Donald Trump has today voiced optimism about the eagerly awaited meeting, which was unimaginable just months ago, when Trump and the Pyongyang leader were exchanging harsh lines that made the world fear the worst.




    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, returns to Bucharest today, when she is to present her first Grand Slam trophy, won in Roland Garros on Saturday, to the Romanian public. We remind you that Halep defeated the American Sloane Stephens in the final.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Ploiesti of Old

    The Ploiesti of Old

    Located 60 kilometers from Ploiesti, on the road to the Prahova Valley, the most popular mountain area in Romania, Ploiesti got its name, according to a local urban legend, from a shepherd called Mos Ploaie, ploaie being the Romanian word for “rain. Ploiesti was also the capital of the first Romanian republic. The city is known as the capital of black gold and also as “the most beautiful ugly city in Romania.



    This description is related to the title of a book published by the Association for Education and Urban Development “How Beautiful this Ugly City Can Be. The book comprises memories of several inhabitants of Ploiesti which tell of the particular charm of a city that was faced with many difficulties over the years. “Ploiesti might seem a city without history. In fact, its history was fatefully tied to oil and the oil industry. Oil was behind the citys boom in the early 20th century and it was again oil that brought its downfall, historian Lucian Vasile, one of the editors of the book, told us. Still, the early days of Ploiesti werent tied to the crude oil deposits the area was so abundant in. What had the city looked like before the oil industry flourished?



    Lucian Vasile: “The city was at the junction of several trade routes, which is why trade was an important source of income for the city dwellers in the 19th century. Then, with the development of infrastructure linking Bucharest to Transylvania, Ploiesti became an important postal and rail hub. The Southern Station was the main rail junction, as the tracks separated here, headed either to Transylvania or to Moldavia. It wasnt just one city, there were several cities in one. Each of its slums developed its own identity. Today the word preserves only its pejorative meaning, but I disagree. Each of the slums had a church at its center, which gave the name for that particular slum: the St. Friday slum, the St. Demetrius slum, the Princely slum, the St. Elijah slum and so on.



    In the mid-19th century, after the first oil refinery was set up in Ploiesti in 1857, the city saw an era of prosperity. It was around that time that an anti-monarchy movement declared Ploiesti the capital of the first Romanian Republic in August 1870. Although the city remained the de facto capital for just one day, that didnt stop the city from seeing the most flourishing chapter in its history in the early 20th century. This is transparent in the architecture of the city, as historian Lucian Vasile told us:



    Lucian Vasile: “There was a fairly peaceful competition between architecture in Neo-Romanian style and modernist architecture with an ArtDeco touch. However, the two trends coexisted and architecture in Ploiesti, just like in Bucharest, stood out through contrast and diversity. Next to a building in Neo-Romanian style, there was a smaller, modern block and farther on, a 19th century villa and next to it, another building in Neo-Romanian style. Ploiesti was not a unitary city, but that was actually its charm. It had crooked, twisted and narrow streets, which was quite unpleasant for the residents at that time. However, for us, today, that is picturesque and fascinating, stirring our nostalgia.



    Naturally, prosperity brought about demographic growth and diversification in Ploiesti. Historian Lucian Vasile explains:



    Lucian Vasile:“This architectural competition was also an outcome of demographic eclecticism. Jews made up the largest ethnic community in the city, which today is much smaller than in the interwar period. At that time, Jews accounted for about 5% of the citys population. There were also German, Italian, Dutch, British and French communities. In the 19th century in particular, there were not many experts in pharmaceuticals, architecture or constructions in Romania. That is why, a large number of ethnic Hungarians came from Transylvania, as well as many Saxons and Italians, who raised buildings in Prahova County and in Ploiesti.



    Badly damaged during the 1944 bombings, many historical buildings in Ploiesti were not restored and communists preferred to pull them down to modernize the city. That turned Ploiesti into the first planned city in communist Romania; its varied architecture was replaced by the stylistic uniformity of the new blocks of flats that made the city look ugly. However, the old spirit of the slums has been maintained: blocks of flats have coexisted with old houses that have survived along with certain traditions typical of the suburbs, with country and urban influences.


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

  • January 9, 2018 UPDATE

    January 9, 2018 UPDATE

    CABINET – Romanias Social Democratic Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has sent to President Klaus Iohannis the nomination of Senator Ioan Deneş for the Water and Forestry Minister post. In Mondays meeting of the National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party Deneş was chosen to replace Doina Pana, who last week resigned because of health reasons. The Social Democrats postponed for the end of this month discussions on a possible reshuffling, after the Prime Minister announced he would like his Cabinet downsized from 27 to 16 ministries.



    SECURITY CHALLENGES – Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, said on Tuesday in Bucharest that the states and societies in the region, are to Russia, a trial range for new forms of manifestation. According to Melescanu, these include hybrid tactics, cyber attacks, propaganda and fake news campaigns or military activities extended close to NATO territory, which leads to deeper regional instability. The foreign minister has said, in this context, that strategic relations with the Black Sea countries should be tightened, their own military capacities should be boosted and projects on energy security should be stepped up. The Romanian foreign minister has made that declaration at the debate on “Security Challenges in the Black Sea Region organised by Hudson Institute.



    HEALTHCARE – Romanian PM Mihai Tudose said on Tuesday that the public health system needs a shock treatment, which should be administered in the medical infrastructure, in modern devices and to motivate the medical staff. He also underlined his cabinets intention to build the eight regional hospitals and a republican hospital, as is stipulated in the governing program. In another move, also on Tuesday, health minister Florian Bodog signed several contracts, worth some 20 million Euros, based on which 34 hospitals in the country will be equipped with new medical devices.



    TRADE – Romania continued to import more than it exported last year, and the trade deficit deepened by nearly 3%, according to the National Statistics Institute. Although exports grew by around 9%, they remain below imports, generating a trade deficit of 1.12 billion euro. The most important trade partners were EU member states.



    AIRPORTS – Bucharests 2 international airports, Henri Coandă and Băneasa, reported for 2017 record-large passenger numbers: nearly 13 million, which is 16.8% more than in 2016. According to the National Airport Corporation, in 2017 the number of take-offs and landings was also 7.7% higher than in the previous year, reaching 130,000. In fact, Airports Council International-Europe has ranked Henri Coandă as one of Europes top 5 airports in terms of the increase in air traffic figures in the first 10 months of the year, in the category of airports with 10-25 million passengers a year. Henri Coandă airport came ahead of the international airports in Lisbon, Berlin, Brussels, Athens, Milan, Prague and Budapest.



    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Mihaela Buzărnescu Tuesday qualified into the quarter-finals of the Hobart tournament in Australia, which has 226,750 US dollars in total prizes, while Monica Niculescu has reached the eighth-finals. Buzărnescu outplayed Germanys Anna-Lena Friedsam, and is to play next against the American Alison Riske. Monica Niculescu will take on Varvara Lepchenko, also of the USA. On Monday the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the Australian Open, begins, with world no. 1 Simona Halep seeded first. (Translated by D. Vijeu and AM Popescu)

  • October 18, 2017 UPDATE

    October 18, 2017 UPDATE

    EDUCATION LAW — The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, held a phone conversation on Wednesday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, on the controversial education law, recently adopted by the Kiev authorities. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, the Romanian President expressed, in firm terms, the discontent about the law, which produces negative effects on the right to education in the native languages of the ethnic minorities in Ukraine, including the Romanian one. The Romanian President said the Kiev authorities should have held consultations with representatives of the national ethnic minorities and of the neighbouring countries. Klaus Iohannis has called on his Ukrainian counterpart to comply with the commitments Ukraine has constantly made to the Romanian side relative to the observance of international norms and standards as regards the protection of the national minorities’ rights. In turn, President Poroshenko gave assurances that the opinion of the Venice Commission on this law will be observed. According to the normative act, the children of the ethnic minorities will be able to study in their languages only in primary education, and afterwards they have to attend classes only in the Ukrainian language. Almost 500,000 ethnic Romanians are living in Ukraine.



    ROMANIAN-SPANISH RELATIONS – The Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, met in Bucharest on Wednesday with his Spanish counterpart, Alfonso María Dastis. The two ministers discussed about bilateral trade relations and the stage of preparations for the first common session of the Romanian and Spanish governments. Minister Melescanu mentioned the very important contribution of the Romanian community to the economic development of Spain and thanked his counterpart for the Spanish authorities’ support for the integration of the Romanian citizens. On this occasion, the two sides signed an agreement on ways to prevent tax evasion and to eliminate double taxation for incomes. We recall that the over one million Romanians living in Spain make up the largest foreign community in that country.



    JUSTICE — Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announced on Wednesday that his ministry has finalized the proposal to modify the basic package of legislation regulating justice. He said he would meet on October 26 European Commission First Vice-President Hans Timmermans to discuss the project. Toader called on the Venice Commission to approve the procedure to appoint high-ranking prosecutors. The draft amending the justice laws will be promoted as a parliamentary initiative.



    LEGAL NOTIFICATION— The Speaker of the Romanian Senate, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, announced on Wednesday that he will file a notification to the Constitutional Court, early next week, on a possible conflict between the Government and the Public Ministry, on the issue of government decisions. The talks on the notification of the Constitutional Court emerged after the National Anti-corruption Directorate opened a file involving two former members of the current cabinet, Sevil Shhaideh, former deputy prime minister and Regional Development Minister, and Rovana Plumb, who has been Minister Delegate for European Funds. They tendered their resignations last week, against the backdrop of accusations levelled against them in the file. The National Anti-corruption Directorate claims that in 2013, two plots of land close to the Danube riverbed were illegally transferred, by a government decision, from state property to property of the Teleorman County, in the south, and into the administration of the Teleorman County Council. Back then, Shhaideh was state secretary at the Regional Development Ministry and Rovana Plumb was holding the environment portfolio.



    BRUSSELS — European Council President Donald Tusk has introduced an ambitious schedule of 13 regular summits over the next two years to revive the European Union after the Brexit. Tusk made public this schedule on Tuesday, after several calls for a profound revision of the Union, including from French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker. The schedule starts with the end of the week summit in Brussels, which will be attended by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. President Tusks plan will also include an extraordinary European summit in Romania a few weeks after the UK leaves the EU, which is scheduled for March 2019, as well as a security summit next year in Vienna.



    TRADE — The U.S. trade mission Trade Winds 2017, the largest government trade mission in the history of the Southeast Europe region is Taking Place in Bucharest, between October 18-20. The mission is organized by the US Department of Commerce in partnership with the Romanian government. The event concludes on Friday, and will be attended by 100 American and 50 Romanian companies. In the three days of the forum, the attendees will be holding business and trade conferences, as well as discussions with American commercial attaches from 25 European states. Parallel events are held in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Serbia. This is the 10th year the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Commercial Service has led Trade Winds.

  • October 18, 2017

    October 18, 2017

    BUCHAREST — Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Wednesday meets in Bucharest his Spanish counterpart Alfonso Maria Dastis, to discuss issues relevant to the Romanian community in Spain. The two are set to sign a convention between their two countries on preventing tax evasion and elimination of double taxation for incomes. At the half of last year, the two countries had bilateral trade reaching 2.3 billion Euro, while the number of Spanish companies in Romania was over 5,600.



    TRADE — Bucharest is host, starting Wednesday, to the Trade Wings 2017 business forum, the largest scale government trade mission in the history of South-east Europe, according to the US Embassy in Bucharest. The mission is organized by the US Department of Commerce in partnership with the Romanian government. In its 10th edition, the event concludes on Friday, and will be attended by 100 American and 50 Romanian companies. In the three days of the forum, the attendees will be holding business and trade conferences, as well as discussions with American commercial attaches from 25 European states. Parallel events are held in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Serbia.



    BRUSSELS — European Council President Donald Tusk has introduced an ambitious schedule of 13 regular summits over the next two years to revive the European Union after the Brexit. Tusk made public this schedule on Tuesday, after several calls for a profound revision of the Union, including from French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker. The schedule starts with the end of the week summit in Brussels, which will be attended by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. President Tusks plan will also include an extraordinary European summit in Romania a few weeks after the UK leaves the EU, which is scheduled for March 2019, as well as a security summit next year in Vienna.



    JUSTICE — Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announced on Wednesday that his ministry has finalized the proposal to modify the basic package of legislation regulating justice. He said he would meet on October 26th European Commission First Vice-President Hans Timmermans to discuss the project. Toader called on the Venice Commission to approve the procedure to appoint high ranking prosecutors. The Minister of Justice said that the way to introduce the amendments to justice legislation will be decided by the majority coalition by either going through executive endorsement, followed by vote in Parliament, or straight through parliamentary debate.



    KIEV — The leaders of the Romanian cultural community in the region of Cernauti, in western Ukraine, held a protest on Tuesday in front of the Regional Administration headquarters, with a symbolic funeral of the Romanian language. They were protesting against the new Ukrainian law of education, which limits drastically the right of the Romanian minority to education in its ethnic language. The new law dictates that minority children would only be able to get education in their mother tongue in kindergarten and primary school. Almost half a million ethnic Romanians live in the west of Ukraine, in an area annexed by the former USSR in 1940.



    MILITARY — Over 250 Romanian and foreign soldiers will take part in the multinational special forces exercise called Carpathian Eagle 2017, taking place until October 22nd in Targu Mures, the Singeorgiu de Mures and Bogata ranges, as well as at Campia Turzii airfield. The exercise is attended by troops from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. The exercise is run around a scenario that is meant to train special operations forces to coordinate between countries.



    FOOTBALL — Romanian football vice-champions FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, plays on Thursday away from home against Hapoel Beer Sheva of Israel, in the third game in Group G of the Europa League. They rank first with six points, after defeating the Swiss side Lugano, 2-1, and Czech contenders Viktoria Plzen, 3-0.



    WEATHER — The weather in Romania is warmer than expected, with clear skies and mild winds. Maximum temperatures are between 19 and 29 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 22 degrees.



  • September 24, 2017 UPDATE

    September 24, 2017 UPDATE

    MEETINGS – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu continued meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York, with counterparts from Argentina, Columbia, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia. Minister Melescanu signed with the Argentinean Foreign Minister Jorge Marcelo Faurie the Extradition Treaty between the governments of Argentina and Romania, which will contribute to consolidating cooperation in the field of the judiciary. Also in New York, at Romania’s initiative, Minister Melescanu organised a working meeting with counterparts from Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece to discuss, among other things, the future of the EU’s common foreign policy.




    INVICTUS GAMES — Romania is for the first time taking part in the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada. The Invictus Games is the only sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women. Invictus Team Romania is made up of 15 soldiers wounded in theatres of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. They will take part in six individual events: archery, athletics, indoor rowing, power lifting, cycling and swimming. Also, the Romanian team will compete in the sitting volleyball competition. The Romanian Invictus team met with Prince Harry of Britain, the one who established the competition in 2014 in London. Since then a number of cities have been selected to host future Games.




    TRADE – Romania’s deficit in the farm and food products sector stood at 916 million euros at the end of May, up by 60% as against the same period in 2016. Official data show that exports went up in the first five month of the year by almost 7%, while imports increased by more than 19%. Wheat remains the most exported product followed by sunflower and corn. In terms of imports, an important increase was reported in the January-May period. The EU has been Romania’s biggest trade partner in the farm and food sector.




    VISIT — Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor met with his Canadian counterpart Harjit Singh Sajjan on the sidelines of his official visit to Canada on the occasion of the Invictus Games Toronto. Emphasised during the talks was the consolidation of bilateral ties, with Canada being an active supporter of Romania’s initiatives within NATO. Minister Fifor thanked the Canadian official for the support that Canada granted to Romania by taking part in joint air police missions within NATO, and by participating in the Multinational Division South-East and the Multinational Brigade, and also in multinational drills held in Romania and the Black Sea. Minister Fifor underlined Canada’s significant contribution to the implementation of the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Warsaw.




    GEORGE ENESCU FESTIVAL — As many as six special events were held on Sunday, on the last day of the George Enescu International Festival, held every two years in Romania. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam conducted by Daniele Gatti closed the Enescu festival. Some three thousand artists have been invited to participate in this years edition of the festival held over September 2nd – 24th. The first edition of the George Enescu Festival was held in 1958. In 1971, the communist regime decided to put an end to it, and the festival was only resumed after the fall of the regime in 1989.




    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea, no. 52 WTA qualified on Sunday to the second round of the WTA tournament in Wuhan, China, with 2,300,000 dollars in prize money. Cirstea defeated Chinese Yafang Wang in two sets, 6-3, 6-3. Simona Halep, no.2 in the WTA rankings, is second seed at the tournament and she will go straight to the second round. Laste year Halep reached the semi-finals. Another Romanian, Raluca Olaru who paired up with Ukrainian Ludmila Kicenok lost to Raquel Atawo/Darija Juraq, in the first round of the women’s doubles.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)





  • September 11, 2017 UPDATE

    September 11, 2017 UPDATE

    9/11 — United States President Donald Trump joined the nation in a minutes silence on Monday morning, to mark the 16th anniversary of the September 11 attacks which killed nearly 3,000 people when hijackers flew commercial planes into the World Trade Center. Four Romanians were among the victims. Commemorations are under way across much of the US. The names of all the victims killed were read aloud at the 9/11 Memorial Museum while Donald Trump also participated in a special ceremony at the Pentagon. The anniversary came as the country struggles with the widespread destruction caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. President Trump drew a parallel between the nation’s response to the terror attacks and natural disasters, saying, “When Americans are in need, Americans pull together.”




    ABU – The 3rd Asia-Pacific – Europe Media Dialogue conference is under way in the Romanian mountain resort of Sinaia. The three-day event, that started on Monday, is organized jointly by Radio Romania and ABU (Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union), and brings together experts from all over the world in an effort to respond to current challenges in a rapidly changing media landscape. The interim director general of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, Georgică Severin, delivered the opening speech on Monday. He underlined the fact that the general topic of the conference is the growing power of the media in a fast changing world, and that accuracy of information is paramount. Also on the first day of the conference, Olya Booyar, Head of Radio at ABU talked about how radio can flourish in the new media age, Fayyaz Sheheryar, Director General of All India Radio talked about ways of reaching the listeners without losing the essence of public broadcasting while Dr. Javad Mottaghi, ABU Secretary General, delivered a speech on how to change the challenge into opportunity.




    SCHOOL – A new school year started in Romania on Monday for some 2.3 million pupils and high-school students. Authorities have prepared several changes, including with regard to the baccalaureate exam, which will start earlier. Also, teachers will be able to check online, from home, the papers of the applicants to the national evaluation and baccalaureate examinations. Many schools in Romania, in particular in the rural areas, have not been able to obtain the necessary licenses and equipment to properly start the new school year, and the 5th grade pupils still do not have textbooks. Attending the festivities at a prestigious high-school in Bucharest, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that the education law must stop being just a puzzle with pieces that keep changing all the time. In his opinion, we cannot speak of an educated Romania in the absence of an education system that is predictable and centred on the student.




    SANCTIONS – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday voiced her support for tougher U.N. sanctions against North Korea in a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a German government spokesman said. The two officials agreed that the conflict about North Koreas nuclear armament must be resolved peacefully. Merkel told Putin she supported efforts of the U.N. Security Council to rapidly adopt further sanctions against North Korea to make Pyongyang change its course. The U.N. Security Council is going to vote on a new watered-down sanctions resolution against North Korea that eliminates initial U.S. demands to ban all oil imports to the country and freeze international assets of the government and its leader Kim Jong Un. The new document provides for a “progressive” embargo on oil to Pyongyang and stipulates a ban on textile imports from North Korea, applicable to all the UN member states. Washington has changed the initial draft also with regard to the North-Korean expatriates. The new sanctions proposed by the US come after the nuclear test conducted by North Korea on September 3rd at an unprecedented level. The UN Security Council has already adopted 7 resolutions including sanctions against North Korea, in a bid to convince Pyongyang to negotiate its nuclear and conventional weapons programmes.




    GEORGE ENESCU FESTIVAL – The George Enescu International Classical Music Festival continued in Bucharest on Monday with a performance by the London Philharmonic Players and concerts by the Russian National Orchestra and the Radio Academic Choir. The programme of the George Enescu Festival, which has become one of the most prestigious in Europe, includes 80 concerts and events, with more than three thousand artists attending. Radio Romania is the only media institution in the country that is broadcasting live the festival concerts, through the Radio Romania Music and Radio Romania Culture channels. The festival is held every two years and lasts three weeks.




    TRADE – Romanias trade deficit went up by 33.1% in the first seven months of the year, as compared to the similar period in 2016, to 6.824 billion Euros, reads a communiqué issued by the National Statistics Institute. The value of the intra-EU trade in goods stood at more than 27 billion euros in exports and 32 billion in imports. As for the extra-EU trade, exports stood at some 8.7 billion euros, and imports at 10.3 billion. A major share of the exports is held by the machine and transport equipment industry.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)









  • German investments in Romania

    German investments in Romania

    German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, recommends to Romania to step up the process of making investments, also by using European funds and to try to access the Investment Plan for Europe launched by Jean-Claude Juncker, in order to catch up with other European states, relative to this issue. Schäuble travelled to Bucharest for a conference on the business opportunities provided by Romania and met with high-ranking officials here. The German minister said two-way trade exchanges are on the rise and hailed the way in which the Romanian economy is developing.



    Wolfgang Schäuble: “Romania has one of the most dynamic economic growth rates in the European Union, which is extremely significant at such difficult moments. It is also worth noting that the indebting rate stands below 40% of the Gross Domestic Product, which is a very important element for a finance minister. I advise you to maintain this level and not put it into jeopardy by taking careless measures”



    The German minister said the Romanian authorities should prevent the emergence of conflicts between local and foreign investors, as well as between big companies and SMEs. He also mentioned the relatively low unemployment rate in Romania, pointing however to the fact that, just like in many other European countries, young people are the most affected category from this point of view. He called on the relevant authorities to make use of the so-called dual professional education system, in the effort to solve this issue.



    During the talks with Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, the German official tackled the EU’s current challenges, among which migration and Great Britain’s leaving the community bloc. Another issue on the agenda of the talks between the two officials was the possibility to reduce the gaps between the EU member states.



    The German finance minister also held talks in Bucharest with Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, on the prospect of fresh German investments being made in Romania.



    According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Romania and Germany have jointly built complex and lasting bilateral relations, based on common membership to the EU and NATO. In political and economic terms, bilateral relations have followed an upward trend in recent times, particularly after Romania joined the EU.



    An essential role in consolidating bilateral ties is played by the German ethnic minority in Romania, as well as by the ethnic Germans and Romanians who emigrated to Germany and who create a solid bridge between the two countries, at social, cultural, economic and political level.



    German President Joachim Gauck paid a visit to Romania in June 2016 and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis travelled to Berlin in February 2015 and September 2016.



    Germany is Romania’s largest trade partner, bilateral trade accounting for one fifth of Romania’s foreign trade. Also, Germany is the third largest investor in the Romanian economy (after the Netherlands and Austria), with 4.5 billion Euro, the equivalent of 11.5% of the total volume of investments. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • 18 August, 2016

    18 August, 2016

    NUCLEAR — The Romanian Foreign Ministry rejected information according to which the United States started to transfer nuclear weapons from Turkey to Romania. EurActiv.com, quoting two independent sources, wrote that the US started the transfer of weapons stationed in Turkey to Romania against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Washington and Ankara. According to one of the sources, the transfer raises numerous technical and political issues. Another source told EurActiv.com that US- Turkey relations deteriorated so much after the attempted coup in July that Washington no longer trusts Ankara to harbor its nuclear weapons. These are about to be transferred to the airbase in Deveselu, in southern Romania, according to EurActiv.com.



    CAR SALES — Car sales in Romania went up almost 15% in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to the Automobile Makers and Importers Association. Production for domestic brand Dacia, made by Renault, went down 6.6%, but continues to be the best selling brand in Romania, with a market share of over 30%. Next come Volkswagen, Skoda and Renault.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, 4th seeded, plays today against Daria Gavrilova of Australia, 47th seeded, in the eighth finals in Cincinnati. Also today, Horia Tecău (Romania) with Jean-Julien Rojer (Holland) play against Dominic Inglot (Great Britain)/Marcin Matkowski (Poland), while Florin Mergea (Romania) paired up with Rohan Bopanna (India) to take on Treat Huey (Filippines), paired up with Maxi Mirnyi (Belarus) in the games coming up in the eighth finals of the mens doubles in the same tournament. At the same time, Monica Niculescu of Romania, pairing up with Vania King of the US, and the French pair Caroline Garcia- Kristina Mladenovic, play in the eight finals of the womens doubles. This tournament is the last ahead of the US Open, the last major competition of the year.



    OLYMPICS — Today is the 13th day of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and Romania has a single athlete running, Andrei Gag, in the shot put event. After 12 days, Romania still has only four medals in Rio: : the gold obtained by the womens epee team, the silver obtained by the pair Florin Mergea/ Horia Tecau in the mens tennis doubles, and two bronze medals, obtained by Gabriel Sincraian in weightlifting, and by the womens coxed eight rowing team. Romania did not get any medal in gymnastics at this edition, which happens for the first time in the last 44 years.



    FOOTBALL — Romanias football champions Astra Giurgiu play today at home against English team West Ham United, in the qualifiers for the Europa League groups. Vice-champion Steaua Bucharest has secured its place in the groups of the second continental competition. On Tuesday, Steaua was crushed by another major English team, Manchester City, nil to five, in the first leg of the play-offs of the Champions League. Three other Romanian teams, CSMS Iasi, Viitorul Constanta and Pandurii Targu Jiu, were eliminated in the preliminaries of European cups.



    MINORITIES — Debates continue today at the Summer University dedicated to Romanians living abroad. Items on the agenda include preserving Romanian identity in the Hungarian majority counties of Covasna and Harghita, as well as that of Roman Catholics in the region of Moldavia. One other issue raised was that of illegal restoration of property in Transylvania, claimed by Hungarian citizens.



    TRADE — Romanian Minister of the Economy, Costin Borc, receiving in Bucharest Turkish Minister of Development Lutfi Elva, discussed Turkeys role as the premier trade partner for Romania outside the EU. According to a press release, Minister Borc said that the Romanian offer for the Turkish market is generous, and suits its needs. The two offiicials convened to continue these talks this autumn in Ankara, at the meeting of the mixed government commission that supervises economic relations between the two countries. In 2015, Turkey, aside from being the most important trade partner outside the EU for Romania, was the fifth most important such partner overall, the sixth most important export market, and the 9th most important supplier.



    TURKEY — The Turkish economic police this morning ran numerous raids in Istanbul against companies suspected of supporting financially Fethullah Gulen, in exile in the US, accused by the government to be behind the attempted coup last month. 200 arrest warrants were issued in the raids. This is the second such operation this week, mostly against prominent business people. On Wednesday, Turkish PM Binaly Yildirim said that over 40,000 people have been detained after the failed coup, half of them being placed under arrest, facing prosecution. According to the head of government, over 4,200 companies and institutions with ties to Gulen have been shut down. The purges in the army, police, the judiciary and public administration removed 80,000 people from public service, the PM announced.