Radio România Internațional

Tag: trial

  • October 25, 2023 UPDATE

    October 25, 2023 UPDATE

    GOVERNMENT The government of
    Romania is ready to pass an emergency order on new minimum wages in
    constructions, agriculture and the food industry, PM Marcel Ciolacu announced.
    He made the statement after a meeting with trade unions and employer
    associations. Both in terms of the new minimum salary in constructions (around
    EUR 920) and of the ones in agriculture and the food industry (roughly EUR
    690), not a penny of the net wages is being cut, Marcel Ciolacu explained. On the other hand, the government drafted an order on
    reducing public sector expenditure at the end of this year.


    EU The president of
    Romania, Klaus Iohannis, takes part on Thursday and Friday in the meeting of
    the European Council and the inclusive Euro Summit meeting in Brussels, the
    Romanian presidency announced. The agenda of the European Council meeting
    includes topics like the situation in Ukraine, updating the Multi-Annual
    Financial Framework, economic issues, migration management and the EU foreign
    relations, with a focus on the situation in the Middle East, Kosovo and Serbia,
    and the developments in the Sahel region. As far as Ukraine is concerned, the
    EU leaders will also discuss the Union’s multidimensional support. President Iohannis
    will emphasise that Romania will remain a firm supporter of Ukraine and will
    plead for further support from the European bloc to that country for as long as
    necessary. Mr. Iohannis will also support opening accession negotiations with Ukraine
    and the R. of Moldova by the end of this year. At the Euro Summit, the
    participants will discuss the economic situation in the EU.


    REVOLUTION The case
    file concerning the December 1989 anti-communist uprising will be tried on its
    substance, the Bucharest Court of Appeals ruled after the magistrates dismissed
    all the objections made by the defendants. The decision is not final and may be
    challenged. The defendants in the so-called Revolution case include the
    former president Ion Iliescu, former deputy PM Gelu Voican Voiculescu and the
    retired general Iosif Rus, indicted by military prosecutors for crimes against
    humanity committed between December 22 and 30, 1989, when over 1,000 people died and some 3,000
    were wounded. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country where the communist
    regime ended in violence and the communist leaders Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu
    were executed.


    ARMY DAY In all military units in
    Romania and theatres of operations where Romanian troops are deployed, ceremonies
    were held on Wednesday to mark the Romanian Army Day. In Bucharest, president
    Klaus Iohannis said this is a very complicated period, with global peace and
    security threatened by regional conflicts. Europe is facing the worst crisis
    since WWII because of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine, while the
    October 7 terrorist attack on Israel might destabilise the Middle East in the
    long run, Iohannis added. In turn, PM Marcel Ciolacu said Romania’s NATO
    membership is a guarantee that the security of Romanian citizens will never
    come under threat. The defence minister Angel Tîlvăr pointed out that the
    Romanian Army has risen to NATO standards in many respects, and added that
    earmarking 2% of GDP since 2017 and 2.5% of GDP this year to the defence sector
    enabled the implementation of ambitious procurement programmes. Meanwhile, the
    Romanian troops’ participation in UN, EU and NATO missions over the past
    decades has strengthened Romania’s security profile, Angel Tîlvăr added.


    ISRAEL Israel has demanded the resignation of the UN Secretary General, Antonio
    Guterres, over accusations of justifying terrorism and the crimes committed by
    Hamas. Guterres said in a Security Council meeting that the attacks of Hamas on
    Israel did not happen without reason. He made it clear, however, that the
    suffering of the Palestinians in what he called 56 years of suffocating
    occupation cannot justify the horrific attacks by Hamas, just as these
    attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. On
    Wednesday, Israel accepted a request from the US to delay its invasion of Gaza
    for the time being, so that the US may bring missile defence in the region, US
    and Israeli officials announced, quoted by the Wall Street Journal. The United
    States says it will work with China to de-escalate the situation in the Middle
    East. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said he would work with
    the Chinese foreign minister, who is travelling to Washington at the end of this
    week, to prevent the conflict from expanding. The president of France, Emmanuel
    Macron, Wednesday concluded his two-day tour to the Middle East, which included
    Egypt, Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. His message was unambiguous, calling
    for preventing a spill-over of the conflict, for freeing the hostages taken by
    the terrorist group Hamas and for aid for the Palestinians in Gaza. (AMP)

  • Sports flash

    As part of the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis
    tournament, the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, the Romanian player Sorana
    Cîrstea sustained a two-set defeat by Czech challenger Karolina Muchova, 6-nil,
    6-3, after one hour and 37 minutes of play. WTA number 30, 33-year-old Cîrstea was
    handed a cheque worth 450, 000 USD and was granted 430 WTA points.


    Also as part of the US Open, in the women’s doubles’ round
    of 16, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair made of Gabriela Ruse-and Marta Kostiuk was
    defeated by the all-American pair made of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, 6-3,
    6-1, after one hour and 16 minutes of play. Ruse and Kostyuk were handed a cheque
    worth 58.000 USD and were granted 240 points in the women’s doubles rankings.


    As
    part of the Balkan Championships held in Larissa, Greece, the Romanian national
    road cycling team has won 13 medals, of which 7 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze. Taking
    part in the competition was an 18-strong delegation of cyclists, accompanied by
    their staff. Cyclist Manuela Mureşan won two gold medals, in the elite, individual
    time trial and long-distance races. Cyclist Emil Dima walked away with a silver
    medal in the elite road race. The rest of the medals was won in the U-23, juniors
    and cadets’ categories.


    This
    past Monday saw the last three fixtures being played, counting towards the
    Romanian Football Super league’s 8th round. Universitatea Cluj was
    defeated by Politehnica Iași, nil-2, FC Botoșani and Hermannstadt drew, 2-all,
    while Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe defeated UTA Arad, 1-nil. With
    18 points, FCSB are at the top pf the as-it-stands table, followed by CFR Cluj,
    with 16 points and Rapid Bucharest with 14 points.


    As
    part of the Romanian National Rugby League’s second round, CSM
    Baia Mare trounced FC Bârlad, 90-9, Știința Petroșani were thrashed by Politehnica
    Iași 7-50, Universitatea Cluj defeated Club Municipal Galați, 64-7, Steaua
    București and CSM Constanța drew, 29-all, Dinamo București defeated Săgeata
    Năvodari, 5-nil, while SCM Timișoara defeated Grivița, 5-nil. CSM Baia Mare, CSM
    Constanța and Dinamo Bucharest are at the top of the table in the three groups.



  • Via Transilvanica and the Romanian identity

    Via Transilvanica and the Romanian identity


    “Tasuleasa Social” is an NGO that has been founded more than 20 years ago. Its care and concern for the environment, for culture, go hand in hand with the organizations social involvement. Having its headquarters on a mountain peak, in Eastern Carpathians Tihuta Gorges, “Tasuleasa Social” predominantly focused on volunteering programs targeting the preservation of nature or the promotion of the national cultures richness and diversity.



    “Tășuleasa Social” has helped youngsters understand that doing volunteer work comes out as something normal, that mentalities can be changed through education or that the civic spirit is crucial for the community. “Tasuleasa Social” has made a name for itself through such activities as afforestation, in a country where, in utter defiance of the law, logging has quite often been carried chaotically. Youngsters learned how to plant saplings, they learned about the role of the trees and the forests, but also why it is necessary for river beds to remain clean or what the solutions were for the selective collection of waste. The wide range of Tasuleasa Socials activities also includes the social undertakings, carried in support of several underprivileged communities.



    However, the epitome of Tasuleasa Socias category of activities is their most recent and project, a wide-scope undertaking, at that, Via Transilvanica. Were speaking about a circuit that can only be taken by foot on horseback or by like. The road starts from Bukovina, from Romanias picturesque north-western part it crosses the country through Transylvania and ends on the banks of River Danube, in Drobeta Turnu-Severin. In brief, Via Transilvanica is an audacious itinerary, with 1,400 kilometers marked with milestones and signposts. According to the organizers, those who are going to take that itinerary are sure to discover, or rediscover, Romania as it really is.



    The president of “Tasuleasa Social”, Alin Useriu, has been a guest on one of Radio Romanias programs. First, he spoke about how the idea of Via Transilvanica came about:



    “Tășuleasa Social” is a label including the word “social” and we have been keen on finding a solution to pump fresh blood into the villages that were about to be deserted. Thats what we had in mind when we got it all started! Then, when we came up with the proposal and we had the early signs of a project that was so good, we had a closer look and saw that the number of people taking up long-distance trekking routes saw a hundredfold increase…Pacific Trail, Appalachian Trail, Camino de Santiago…That particular kind of tourism was a great party Romania can now take part in, the party of sustainable tourism, which, if you ask me, is an incredibly interesting and healthy trend. Romania is a country which is very well prepared for that! It is incredibly well-stocked, and competitive, as regards the rural heritage, the natural heritage, just like any other country in the world, with no great effort, on our part, to do something we cannot do. I think that, as we speak, we have a 1,400 km-long national infrastructure, which can be a landmark project, mainly for Eastern Europe. And, perhaps, all things going well and provided the Useriu brothers can take it beyond intention level, worldwide it is sure to be one of the important trails. “



    For four years and a half, Alin Useriu and his brother, Tibi, an endurance runner and an ultra-marathonist, had more than 10 thousand volunteers on their side, in their great adventure dubbed Via Transilvanica. As of late, the AFP wrote that, coming put of nowhere, this trail pumped fresh life into the Romanian depopulated villages, being an unprecedented initiative in eastern-European Romania, which despite its strong economic growth, has never ceased to face an exodus of the younger generations and the void they leave behind them, especially in the rural areas with breathtaking landscapes. However, we might add that there were also Romanias youngsters who, through volunteer work, have as of late dedicated themselves to revitalizing that rural space, which was so very special.



    Alin Useriu:



    “We have been working for two years now, we have as many volunteers as you can imagine, as society has already been drawn by thatform of manifestation, by this particular way of life, and “Tășuleasa Social”, purposefully working in so many fields and us trying really hard to do our best, we have obviously gained many adepts and fans with whom we are no longer afraid to propose all sorts of projects. So I think that our way of life, our way of doing our job brought us, like, more than 150,000 fans who participated in our activities. Yet we have a hardcore body of volunteers, made of several hundred people, who are ready to travel places with us and do the things the right way.”



    The very moment you start your walk around the country, that including Via Transilvanica, somewhere bread is baked, elsewhere a tumbledown house can have a new destination, a heritage item can be saved or a tree can be cut down legally and sustainably…says Alin Useriu, who also admitted there was still a lot more to be done until Romania was permanently put on the world map of the countries with long-distance trails. Alin Useriu:



    “We have been celebrating the finalizing of our project internally, in our team, then we realized that, in fact, that was the beginning, so we changed the means of communication completely. Therefore, in the coming years, we shall be on that kind of path, the quality, the safety, the maintenance path. The domestic and the international promotion are very, very important. We need to take that step together, we need to take that path to see what it is all about, perhaps to create that new kind of tourism, the active tourism, which, in Romania, has a tremendous potential. So we still have this project, but fear not, we have a great many news project ideas. We have always tried to be one step ahead of all the other organizations, and everything has played in our hands, so far. “



    Trekkers can take the entire length of Via Transilvanica in a couple of weeks, or they can take it only partially, according to everyones strength and wish. And we should overlook the fact that, for many people, Romanians including, that could be an initiatic road they can take through Romanias nature, culture, history, ethnicity, traditions and cuisine, in one words, through Romanias identity. (EN)




  • August 3, 2022

    August 3, 2022


    AID In Romania, the people affected by recent natural disasters will receive state aid, after the government approves a draft resolution in this respect today. The largest sums, around EUR 2,000, will go to the families and individuals whose households have been affected to an extent of over 75%. In the case of fatalities, the families of the deceased will receive an additional EUR 1,500, irrespective of the number of victims. Meanwhile, the Romanian Waters Administration says the strategic water reserve in the countrys main 40 lakes, although decreasing since early July, is able to cover the needs of all relevant beneficiaries. According to current data, nearly 800 localities have introduced water supply restrictions, and the drought continues, especially in the east. As regards crops, a total of 205,000 hectares of farmland have been affected so far.



    AGRICULTURE Romanias grain yield is enough to cover the domestic demand and some exports, the agriculture minister Petre Daea said today, as 96% of the crops have already been harvested. High temperatures and extensive drought have affected crops, particularly sunflower and maize, across the country. Romania is one of the largest grain exporters in the EU and an active exporter to the Middle East. Last year the country had record-large crops, including 11.3 million tonnes of wheat. The domestic grain yield is generally 2-3 times higher than the domestic demand.



    COVID-19 The next variants of the new coronavirus will most likely be not very aggressive, but easily transmitted, the head of the Matei Bals Institute for Infectious Disease, Adrian Marinescu believes. He says the pandemic has reached a stage where we cohabitate with the virus, and many of the infected people perceive the disease as similar to a common cold. The health minister Alexandru Rafila does not rule out a 7th pandemic wave in Romania this autumn, when schools and universities resume classes. On Wednesday over 9,100 new COVID-19 cases were reported, most of them in Bucharest and in Cluj and Timiş counties. Nearly 4,000 COVID patients are hospitalized, of whom nearly 550 are children. 284 patients are in intensive care, and 41 COVID-related deaths have also been reported.



    TAIPEI The EU called for the tensions related to the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan to be settled through dialogue and for all communication channels with China to remain open, so as to avoid errors. China has its army on high alert in response to the visit, which it sees as a provocation. Chinas defence ministry announced “targeted military operations”, and the East Command of the Peoples Liberation Army said they involved live-fire drills near Taiwan-a self-ruled island that China views as part of its territory. In Washington, the Biden administration says there is no need for the Chinese authorities to turn this visit into a crisis. The White House spokesman for national security, John Kirby, said the House Speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, but highlighted that the trip was not a violation of Chinese sovereignty or of the One China Policy. The visit, which was not supported by US president Biden, is the first by a US official at this level in 25 years.



    REVOLUTION The prosecutor general of Romania, Gabriela Scutea, today announced the “Revolution Case” was referred back to the supreme court. In this case, the ex-president Ion Iliescu, former deputy PM Gelu Voican Voiculescu and Iosif Rus, former Military Aviation chief, are charged with crimes against humanity. According to the investigation, a widespread “terrorism” psychosis was created, which led to chaotic gun fire, fratricide, conflicting military orders. According to military prosecutors, this psychosis was induced deliberately, through disinformation and diversion, and resulted in over 850 dead, 2,380 wounded, hundreds of people illegally arrested and psychological trauma. Initiated in Timișoara in December 1989, the Romanian anti-communist revolution led to the flight, capture, summary trial and execution of the communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena. (AMP)


  • May 12, 2022 UPDATE

    May 12, 2022 UPDATE

    NATO The
    president of Romania Klaus Iohannis hailed Finland’s announcement regarding its
    intention to join NATO, and says Bucharest supported the decision. Romania is
    a firm supporter of NATO’s open door policy and stands ready to support Finland
    in the process of NATO accession. Together we are stronger! Iohannis posted on
    Twitter on Thursday. The president of Finland Sauli Niinistö and PM Sanna Marin Thursday spoke in favour of the
    country’s joining NATO without delay, with the candidacy to be announced on
    Sunday, AFP reports. As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the Alliance
    as a whole, the two officials said in a joint press release. Finland’s
    accession will be a threat to Russia, the Kremlin said in response. Three in
    four Finnish citizens support the accession. A neutral state during the Cold
    War, Finland joined the EU and NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme, but
    remained outside the alliance. The decision to join NATO comes against the
    background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland shares a 1,300-km border
    with Russia.


    RULING The Bucharest Court of Appeals Thursday passed
    its final ruling on the Colectiv case, after several successive
    postponements. The former Bucharest District 4 Mayor Cristian Popescu-Piedone, currently
    the mayor of District 5 of the capital city, was sentenced to 4 years in prison
    for abuse of office. The club owners also received prison sentences ranging
    between 6 and 11 years, while the 2 firefighters with the Bucharest
    Inspectorate for Emergency Situations who inspected the Colectiv nightclub and
    disregarded the workplace security legislation were sentenced to 8 years and 8
    months in prison, and 2 pyrotechnics workers will also serve 6 years and 10 months
    each. The manager of the fireworks company received a suspended sentence. The
    October 2015 fire in Colectiv killed 64 people and injured many others. It
    was the most serious accident in Romania since 1989. The tragedy forced the
    government at the time to step down.


    INFLATION The Romanian Central Bank has updated its
    inflation forecast to 12.5% for end-2022 and 6.7% for end-2023, governor Mugur
    Isarescu announced on Thursday. In February, the Central Bank estimated
    inflation would stand at 9.6% at the end of 2022 and at 3.2% at the end of
    2023. Inflationist pressure triggered by production costs is expected to go
    down gradually. However, its effects will continue to be felt for around 12
    months. Romania sees the highest annual inflation rate in the last 18 years,
    nearly 14%, with the steepest price rises reported for natural gas (85%).


    POLL One in two Romanians has considered moving to
    another country after the start of the war in Ukraine, and the first options
    would be Germany, France and Britain, according to data made public by a
    recruitment platform. 12% of respondents are waiting to see how things unfold
    and 11% believe the war will not affect us. Another 26% say they will not leave
    the country irrespective of what happens next. The main reasons for moving
    abroad are the wish to change the scenery and the country where they work
    (38%), personal and family safety (24%), better incomes (21%), more
    opportunities for professional development (14%) and the wish to work in a
    safer environment, unaffected by war (4%).


    UKRAINE A first Russian soldier will be on trial in
    Ukraine for killing a civilian in the Sumy region. International teams of
    prosecutors and investigators continue to probe into war crimes committed by
    the Russian army, with more than 10,000 such cases pending. According to Radio
    Romania’s special correspondent, investigators say the 21-year old Russian
    soldier killed a Ukrainian civilian who was walking his bike along the sidewalk.
    The soldier and other Russian troops were in a stolen car, after their unit had
    been destroyed by the Ukrainian forces. The prosecutor general of Ukraine, Iryna
    Venediktova, said there was enough evidence of his involvement in violation of
    the laws and customs of war, including premeditated murder, and that he was
    facing 10 to 15 years or life in prison. Experts from Poland, Lithuania and
    France help the teams of investigators, and the cases documented so far point
    to people being killed with no reason. Clashes continued on Thursday in the
    north-east and south-east of Ukraine, with both sides announcing local-scale
    advances.


    NATURAL GAS The Romanian Senate passed amendments to the Offshore
    Act, which green lights gas exploitation in the Black Sea. The ruling
    coalition, which tabled the bill, says this is a much more balanced version of
    the one endorsed four years ago. Tax changes have now been introduced in favour
    of the companies concerned, and dependence on Russian gas would be
    significantly reduced in a few years’ time. According to estimates, around 80
    billion cubic metres of gas are in the Neptune Deep perimeter alone. The
    national state-owned company Romgaz-the largest gas producer in Romania-and the
    Austrian company OMV will extract gas from the Black Sea in the coming years. (A.M.P.)

  • Colectiv trial continues

    Colectiv trial continues

    More than 6 years after the fire that killed 65 people
    and injured severely another 150, the penalties in the Colectiv case may be
    reduced.


    Three judges from the Bucharest Court of Appeals have
    changed in part the legal qualification of the offences, more specifically they
    removed the aggravating circumstances from consideration with respect to the
    offence of abuse in office for some of the defendants, including the former
    mayor of Bucharest’s sector where the nightclub was located, Cristian
    Popescu-Piedone. Removing the word aggravated from the definition of the
    offence leads to milder sentences.


    This is an important decision, and is the last step
    ahead of a final ruling in the trial. In December 2019, the Bucharest Court of
    Justice had issued the first rulings on the case. At that time, Piedone was
    sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison, for abuse of office related to the
    issuing of the operation licenses for the Colectiv nightclub.


    Prison sentences were also ordered for the three
    owners of the club, two City Hall employees in charge with supervising fire
    protection, the owners of the company that provided fireworks and the
    pyrotechnicians.


    The defendants were also ordered to pay, jointly with
    the City Hall and the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations a
    combined 50 million euros to the victims of the fire.


    Both the defendants, and the prosecutors appealed the
    ruling, and the case was referred to the Bucharest Court of Appeals.


    The survivors and the victims’ families have released
    an open letter challenging the decision to change the legal qualification of
    the offences, arguing that it leads to milder penalties, which would thus
    become small and insignificant, out of proportion compared to the gravity
    of the offences and their consequences, a fact that would cast shadow on the
    entire judicial process in Romania.


    On 30th October, 6 years after the tragedy for
    which no one has been held liable so far, the survivors and victims’ families
    protested in silence against the postponement of a final ruling on the case. They
    lit candles and placed photos of the victims, as well as photos of some
    politicians deemed responsible for the tragedy, in front of the Court of Appeals
    building. Some of the participants lied down next to the photos of the
    deceased, covering themselves in white sheets.


    Moreover, the survivors who needed specialised care
    and who are still under treatment warn that even today in-hospital infections
    are not properly reported and monitored. Romania still lacks centres for the
    treatment and recovery of patients with severe burns. The families and friends
    of those who died 6 years ago, as well as civil society representatives,
    complain that little has changed in the Romanian healthcare system, and the
    investigation and trial are going round in circles. The next court date is set
    for 17th November, when the membership of the panel of judges for
    the next stages of the trial is to be discussed. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • June 17, 2021

    June 17, 2021

    PRESIDENCY The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis carries on his official visit to Estonia. Today he has meetings scheduled with PM Kaja Kallas and with the Estonian parliament speaker Jüri Ratas. The Romanian president will also lay flowers at the Independence War Memorial and will visit the Tallin City Hall, the e-Estonia Centre and the Unicorn Squad robotics school. On Wednesday Klaus Iohannis had talks with his counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid. After the talks, Iohannis announced having invited Estonia to take part in the Euro-Atlantic Centre for Resilience in Bucharest. Romania and Estonia share views and interests at EU level, which facilitates the close cooperation between our countries in relation to the current agenda and future priorities of the EU, Iohannis said. He also added that the talks tackled means to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the digital sector, in cyber security and AI, given Estonia’s experience in the field and the fact that Romania is hosting the EU’s new cyber centre.



    COVID-19 Romanian authorities announced on Wednesday 104 new SARS-CoV-2 cases for the past 24 hours, out of over 30,000 tests. Close to 1,000 people are hospitalised, with 192 patients currently in intensive care. Another 71 COVID-related deaths have also been reported, but only 18 of them occurred in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the vaccine roll-out continues, although the pace is considerably slower than in previous months. As many as 4.6 million Romanians have received the COVID-19 vaccine, and over 4.2 million of them have received both doses. A new batch of 48,000 doses of Johnson&Johnson vaccine reaches the country today.



    COLECTIV The Bucharest Court of Appeals set the next hearing in the Colectiv trial on September 22. Earlier this week, the case was split, but judges reconsidered the decision and re-joined the proceedings. This autumn, 3 judges will decide whether to change the charges against some of the defendants, including the former Bucharest sector 4 mayor, from abuse of office to criminal negligence. The December 2019 ruling of the court of first instance in this case has been appealed. The original sentences ranged between 8 and 12 years behind bars and damages of over 50 million euros for the victims of the fire in the Colectiv nightclub. The fire of 30 October 2015, which killed 64 people and injured another 200, led to street protests, the resignation of the PM and of the Sector 4 mayor.



    TALKS The US president Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had talks in Geneva on Wednesday, in a 4-hour summit. The US-Russia relation must be stable and predictable, president Biden said in a separate press conference after the summit. In turn, the Russian president agreed with Biden to begin talks on strategic stability. The 2 presidents jointly committed to the principle that a nuclear war cannot have winners and must never be started. The same principle had been agreed by the USSR and US leaders in a 1985 meeting in Geneva.



    EU The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is on a diplomatic tour which covers today Denmark and Greece, for talks on these countries plans for spending the EU funds for post-COVID-19 recovery. On Wednesday the Commission approved the first national reform and investment plans, submitted by Portugal and Spain. On Friday the EU official will travel to Luxembourg.



    ECONOMY Bucharest approved a memorandum allowing the sale of Romanias stake in the Krivoi Rog steel works in Ukraine, started in the ‘80s by several Eastern European socialist countries. Romanias contribution at the time was around 1 billion US dollars, but the project was halted after the collapse of the communist system and the plant is now in ruins. The only participants left in the project are Ukraine, Romania and Slovakia, and Romania pays around 1 million euros per year for conservation and security.



    FOOTBALL Bucharest is hosting tonight another EURO 2020 football match, pitting Ukraine against North Macedonia in Group C. Also today, in Group B, Denmark takes on Belgium, and in Group C the Netherlands plays against Austria. Italy is the first team to qualify in the eight-finals, after defeating Switzerland 3-0, in Rome, in Group A. In the other match of the group, Wales beat Turkey 2-0 in Baku. Also on Wednesday, Finland was defeated by Russia 0-1, in St Petersburg, in Group E. It is for the first time ever that Bucharest hosts European championship final tournament matches, and also for the first time that 2 Romanian referee teams are taking part. However, the national team performed poorly in the qualifiers and failed to take part in this years European competition. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • June 15, 2021

    June 15, 2021

    VISIT The
    president of Romania Klaus Iohannis will be on an official visit to Estonia on
    Wednesday and Thursday, the Presidency announced. Iohannis will have talks with
    his Estonian counterpart, Kersti Kaljulaid, with PM Kaja Kallas, and with the
    Parliament speaker, Jüri Ratas. The agenda focuses on strengthening the
    bilateral relations, including economic and sectoral cooperation, with an
    emphasis on the digital sector, on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and on
    EU-related topics, such as the EU Recovery Plan, the green transition and the
    digital transition, the EU enlargement process, and developments in the
    Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The officials will also discuss the
    Romanian-Estonian cooperation within NATO, including in terms of security at
    the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, and cooperation as part of the Bucharest 9 and
    the Three Seas initiatives.



    COVID-19 Authorities reported on Tuesday 103 new coronavirus infection cases and
    96 COVID-19 related deaths, most of which however date back to previous months.
    Some 200 patients are in intensive care. Meanwhile, efforts to persuade people
    to get the vaccine are stepped up. Over 4.5 million people have received the
    COVID-19 vaccine since December, and more than 4.2 million have got both doses.



    CORRUPTION The coronavirus pandemic has fuelled corruption among EU citizens, less than half of whom believe the crisis has been transparently managed by the authorities, says a survey made public on Tuesday by Transparency International and quoted by AFP. According to the organisation, healthcare services are particularly affected by corruption. Although only 6% of the interviewees said they offered bribe in exchange for access to healthcare, 29% of them said they used personal connections to gain privileged access. The frequency of bribe in the healthcare sector, as reported by interviewees, is higher in Romania (22%) and Bulgaria (19%), whereas the use of personal connections is higher in the Czech Republic (54%) and Portugal (46%). The authors of the report call on EU governments to step up efforts to guarantee that the on-going pandemic is overcome in a fair and equitable manner. Over 40,000 of the citizens of the 27 EU member states took part in this European corruption barometer conducted in October – December 2020.



    MOTION In Bucharest, the Chamber of Deputies votes today on the simple motion against the minister for investments and EU-funded projects Cristian Ghinea, tabled by the Social Democrats in opposition. The motion signed by 82 Social Democratic Deputies was discussed in Parliament on Monday. The authors argue that minister Ghinea must be dismissed for his “managerial dilettantism, and that the National Resilience and Recovery Plan is a “disaster and “will destroy Romania for the next 5 years. Cristian Ghinea dismissed the motion as a collection of lies, fakes and self-conflicting claims, and says Romanias current EU fund absorption rate is 55%.



    COLECTIV The Bucharest Court of Appeals is trying today and tomorrow the case against the owners of the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest and the technicians who organised the fireworks that caused the fire that killed 64 people on the night of October 30 2015. On Monday, the Court decided to split the Colectiv case into two, with the former mayor, city hall employees and fire-fighters to be tried this autumn, separately from the club owners. In December 2019, all the defendants received prison sentences and were ordered to pay damages of nearly 50 million euro to the victims of the fire.



    FOOTBALL Romanias football champions CFR Cluj are finding out today their opponents in the Champions League first preliminary round. The draw takes place in Nyon (Switzerland). CFR Cluj will be the only Romanian team in the competition, after in 2021 they won their 4th consecutive football championship and their 7th ever. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Colectiv trial is severed

    Colectiv trial is severed

    In 2015, Romania saw one
    of its biggest tragedies. A fire caused by fireworks broke out at a Bucharest
    nightclub on 30th October that year, with 26 people dying on the
    night as a result and a further 38 in its aftermath, in hospitals in Romania
    and abroad. It all happened in just a few minutes, after the ceiling and the
    pillars of the club were quickly engulfed by flames. As they tried to flee the
    club through the only existing door, the people trampled on one another. The victims
    include musicians, photographers, journalists and Romanian and foreign students.
    Some 150 people were also wounded.




    The Inspectorate for Emergency
    Situations, the fire fighters, the police and everyone who was at the site desperately
    tried to save the young people caught in the fire. However, mistakes were made
    and the decision-making was chaotic, as no one was prepared for a disaster of
    this scale. The main shareholder of the club and two associates were arrested. Other
    inquiries were also conduced later, with the result that various officials from
    the local administration, including sector mayor Cristian Popescu-Piedone, were
    indicted. Arrests were also made at the firm that provided the fireworks and at
    the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.




    A trial began and in
    December 2019 all the defendants received sentences that included prison time
    and the payment of damages to the victims amounting to some 50 million euros. Later,
    the defendants’ lawyers appealed the sentences in court so the case is now
    seeing some changes. The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled on Monday to split the
    Colectiv case in two, with the former sector mayor, the local administration officials
    and the firefighters to be tried separately from the club owners. The court is
    to decide in autumn if this also entails a change in the legal classification
    of offences for the former mayor and other defendants, which could result in
    easier sentences should they be convicted. The trial goes on with respect to
    the three owners of the club and the technicians who were in charge of the
    fireworks.




    The move to sever the
    trial was met with discontent by lawyers, who are saying this is an attempt to
    delay the trial and arguing that the cases were initially severed before the court
    moved for a joint trial. The plaintiffs in the civil suit – the survivors and families
    of the victims – protested against this solution in court. Moreover, they
    condemned in a public letter the judges’ move to change the legal classification
    of the defendants’ deeds. They argue that the latter’s sentences will be light
    and insignificant, disproportionate to the gravity of the acts committed and of
    their consequences, which would cast a deep shadow on the entire process of justice
    in Romania. (CM)

  • April 21, 2021

    April 21, 2021

    COALITION Ioana Mihăilă, state secretary with the Health Ministry, has been nominated by USR-PLUS to be the new health minister, after the Liberal PM Florin Cîțu dismissed Vlad Voiculescu last week. Previously, the leaders of the right-of-centre ruling coalition in Romania had reached an agreement ending the tensions that followed the unexpected dismissal of Vlad Voiculescu. They signed an addendum to the governing protocol, stipulating among other things that the prime minister is to inform the relevant political party of his intention to exercise his constitutional power to dismiss a cabinet member. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout remains a priority for the government and the coalition, reads the document signed on Tuesday night.




    VACCINE President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that he was quite satisfied with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Romania. ‘We are very close to our targeted capacity of 100,000 people vaccinated per day. I am very happy with how the campaign has unfolded so far, and the preparations for this stage have been completed in record time,’ the president said. Mobile vaccination centres are operational in Romania as of Wednesday. So far the vaccination capacity is over 80,000 doses per day, and a total of over 2.7 million people have received at least one dose. In this context, the head of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination Coordination Committee, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, announced that authorities are considering the option of giving vaccines in non-COVID hospitals for patients with chronic diseases. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, 3,006 new COVID-19 infections were reported, and the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic is now over 1 million. More than 26,600 COVID-related deaths have also been reported so far, 175 of them in the last 24 hours, and 1,436 patients are in intensive care.




    CORRUPTION The Senate of Romania Wednesday greenlighted criminal proceedings against the former health minister Florian Bodog, at the request of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate. Anti-corruption prosecutors claim that while a minister, the Social Democratic Florian Bodog took steps to ensure that one of his personal advisers was paid for one year without showing up for work or actually fulfilling his obligations as an employee. Meanwhile the Liberal PM Florin Cîţu approved the resignation of Gelu Puiu (PNL) as a state secretary with the Environment Ministry, after an independent publication, ʹRecorderʹ, made public recordings pointing to a blackmailing campaign coordinated by Puiu and aimed at replacing county forestry managers with members of the Liberal Party that had no qualifications for the job.




    TRIAL Former Minneapolis police Derek Chauvin was found guilty on Tuesday on all 3 charges brought against him after African-American George Floyd was killed last year. According to AFP, the sentence may be out in 8 weeks. The defendant may be sentenced to 12.5 years behind bars, although the judge may decide to increase it if there is evidence of aggravating circumstances. Tuesdays ruling is seen as a landmark in the US racial history and as a criticism of the treatment given by the police to African Americans, the international media note. According to Radio Românias correspondent in Washington, after the ruling the US president Joe Biden addressed the nation, describing systemic racism as “a stain on the nation’s soul and mentioning that the killing of George Floyd entailed protests unseen in the country since the 1960s. Derek Chauvin, 45, was filmed kneeling on Floyd, 46, for over nine minutes during his arrest last May.




    HANDBALL Romanias womens handball team plays tonight away from home, in Skopje, the return leg against North Macedonia in the playoffs for the 2021 World Championship. On Saturday in the first leg the Romanians beat their opponents 33-22. Romania has taken part in all the 24 editions of the womens World Championship so far, and has won 4 medals (gold in 1962, silver in 1973 and 2005, and bronze in 2015). In the latest season of the World Championship in 2019, in Japan, Romania came out 12th.




    FOOTBALL Romanias football team will play in Group B of the Tokyo Olympics, alongside New Zealand, South Korea, and Honduras, according to the draw that took place in Zurich on Wednesday. The group matches are scheduled between July 22 and 28. The Olympics football tournament in Tokyo ends on August 7. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • The Colectiv case is close to a resolution

    The Colectiv case is close to a resolution

    On the 30th of October
    this year, Romania commemorated four years since its biggest tragedy in times
    of peace: 64 people, mostly young people, were killed and 200 injured, one also
    committing suicide later, in a fire that broke out during a concert at the
    Colectiv nightclub, which was located in a former factory in Bucharest.




    The fire was caused by fireworks lit
    up during the concert. The sparks touched the foam covering the pillars and
    walls of the overcrowded club, which only had one exit door. The fire lasted
    153 seconds, but it was enough for some spectators to die at the site and for
    others to stampede and to get hurt by the flames and the smoke on their way
    out.




    For two years, the trial that began
    in the wake of the tragedy was blocked for procedural reasons, but the judge
    initially appointed to handle the case eventually retired and was replaced by
    another in October 2018. The latter promised to bring the case to an end and
    began holding hearings with dozens of witnesses and victims on a weekly basis.
    The hearings came to an end on Monday, and the first sentence is expected next
    Monday, on the 9th of December. The decision of the Bucharest
    Tribunal judge will not, however, be final.




    In any case, prosecutors called for
    tough sentences of up to 15 years in prison for all those indicted, namely two
    employees of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations accused of allowing the
    club to function despite knowing it did not have a fire licence; the former
    mayor of the Bucharest sector in which the club was located, Cristian Popescu
    Piedone, and three employees under him for abuse of office and complicity to
    abuse of office; the three owners of the club for aggravated manslaughter,
    serious bodily harm and failure to take the obligatory safety and work
    measures; as well as the workers who set up the fireworks and their employer.
    Moreover, the civil part in the trial, namely the families of the dead and the
    injured, have also demanded huge compensations to the amount of millions of
    euros. None of those accused has pleaded guilty, asking instead to be
    acquitted.




    Politically speaking, the price for
    what happened at Colectiv on the 30th of October 2015 was already
    paid when the government led at the time by the Social Democrat Victor Ponta
    resigned after pressure from tens of thousands of protesters chanting a
    slogan that has endured: Corruption kills. Even so, a survivor of the
    tragedy four years ago said after the hearings on Monday that someone else
    should also be on trial, namely the Romanian state. Things didn’t function as
    they should have and people died as a result, so it’s the entire system represented
    by the Romanian state that should be on trial, he said.

  • November 29, 2019 UPDATE

    November 29, 2019 UPDATE

    REVOLUTION CASE In Romania, hearings in the trial in which the former president of Romania Ion Iliescu is charged with crimes against humanity, for his involvement in the December 1989 revolution, has been postponed for February 21, 2020, for procedural flaws. Apparently some subpoenas were returned on grounds that either the recipient was dead, or not found at the address. In the first hearing of the case at the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Friday, 3,516 people were subpoenaed, and around 600 of them appeared in Court. Former president Ion Iliescu was represented by his lawyer. The indictment was sent to judges in April. According to prosecutors, against the backdrop of the poor relations between Romania and the USSR after Prague, 1968, and as a result of the general state of public unrest, a dissident group formed, which sought to remove the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu from power, but to maintain Romania under Soviet influence. Prosecutors say this group was made up of civilians and military figures, all marginalised in some way by Ceausescu. Prosecutors also claim the group surrounding Ion Iliescu acted to take over political and military power in December 1989.



    NATO President Klaus Iohannis will take part on Tuesday and Wednesday in the NATO Leaders Meeting in London. According to the Presidency, the meeting takes place in the context of NATOs 70th anniversary. The agenda includes a working session in which the participants will discuss the Alliances priorities in the current international security context. The heads of state and government will also adopt decisions aimed at modernising and strengthening NATOs role in fighting current challenges and threats to Euro-Atlantic security. During the talks, President Iohannis will highlight Romanias contribution to the Alliance and will emphasise the need to bolster its determent and defence posture on the eastern flank and at the Black Sea. On Wednesday the Supreme Defence Council defined Romanias objectives for the NATO meeting.



    UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment rate in the European Union in October was 6.3%, similar to the previous month and down from 6.7% in the corresponding month of 2018, the European Statistics Office (Eurostat) announced on Friday. This is the lowest unemployment rate in the EU since Eurostat has published monthly reports, namely January 2000. Romania is below the EU average, with a 4% unemployment rate last month, down from 4.1% in September 2019. The highest figures were reported in Greece (16.7% in August) and Spain (14.2%). At the opposite pole, the Czech Republic reported 2.2%, Germany 3.1% and Poland 3.2%.



    EUROPEAN COUNCIL At Fridays handover ceremony, the incoming president of the European Council, Charles Michel, of Belgium, said he wanted Europe to be “confident, self-assured and assertive, and “global leader of the Green Economy. According to AFP, one of the major immediate challenges will be to reach a consensus on the Unions long term climate goals by the next Summit of the European Council in mid-December. In turn, the outgoing president Donald Tusk said “Europe is the best place on Earth, at least as long as it remains a continent of freedom and rule of law, which is inhabited by a community aware of its history and culture. His message was that the common goal of the European leaders should be the unity of the EU. Charles Michel will serve as European Council President for 2 and a half years, and may only be re-elected once.



    PROTEST Hundreds protested on Friday in front of the Environment Ministry in Vienna, against illegal logging in Romania. Representatives of Agent Green, the organisation behind the protest, marched the streets of the Austrian capital city with a banner reading Save Romanian Primary Forest. They say that a number of Austrian companies illegally cut down millions of trees in Romania, and they must be held to account.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • 25 November 2019

    25 November 2019

    Elections. The incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, backed by the ruling
    National Liberal Party, has won a runoff vote against the former Social
    Democratic prime minister Viorica Dancila. After the counting of 99.67% of the
    ballots cast on Sunday in Romania, Iohannis won 65.88% of the votes, while his
    rival won 34.12%. Voter turnout was around 50% in Romania, 2% more than in the
    first round. Abroad, where the voting process took place over the course of
    three days, 944,000 voters cast their ballots, which is a record figure. The
    biggest turnout was registered in Italy, the UK, Germany, Spain and the
    Republic of Moldova.




    Economy.
    Romania’s economic growth rate is projected to slow down to 3.2% in 2020 and go
    up to 3.7% in 2021 according to the latest estimates of the Organisation for
    Economic Cooperation and Development. Its report expects the trade deficit to
    continue to grow because of weak foreign demand and lower low price
    competitiveness. Investment growth is expected to remain at a moderate pace,
    supported by a higher absorption of European funds. According to the OECD
    report, the budget deficit is projected to grow over the next two years. The organisation’s
    experts say that in order to reduce budget deficit, the government should
    reconsider the scope and timetable of pension reform. Otherwise, spending cuts
    may be necessary in priority areas such as education, healthcare and
    infrastructure. The pension reform is expected to increase budget spending by
    2% of the GDP by 2021.




    Trial. The Bucharest
    Tribunal is today hearing the closing arguments in the Colectiv trial, four
    years after a devastating fire at a Bucharest nightclub. On trial among others
    are the mayor of the Bucharest sector in which the club was located, Cristian
    Popescu, and the club’s owners. The trial into the tragedy at Colectiv
    nightclub began in April 2016. After two years of delays based on procedural
    issues, the magistrate in charge of the case retired. The new judge sped up the
    hearings, setting weekly court dates. 64 people were killed in the fire, one
    committed suicide because of the trauma, and almost 200 suffered injuries.




    Anniversary. Bucharest celebrates
    today 100 years of parliamentary tradition in united Romania. In 1919,
    precisely one year after the achievement of the Great Union, the first
    Parliament of Greater Romania held its first session. The result of elections
    held for the first time in a state that brought together almost all territories
    that had been inhabited by a majority Romanian population, that first
    parliament brought together an impressive host of prominent figures. The
    Romanian Academy is holding a special event today to mark this anniversary.




    European Commission. The European Parliament meets in plenary session in
    Strasbourg. The main topic on its agenda is voting on the membership and
    programme of the future European Commission. Ursula von der Leyen, who was
    designated president of the Commission in July, is presenting her team and her
    Commission’s programme. MEPs will vote following a debate. If it wins a simple
    majority of votes, the European Commission will begin work on the 1st
    of December. The vote in the European Parliament brings to an end a long
    process of careful examination of each commissioner proposed.




    Pope visit. On a visit to Japan, pope Francis met emperor Naruhito, with
    whom he talked about the environment. Earlier, the pope met the survivors of
    the earthquake and tsunami that hit north-eastern Japan in March 2011, in which
    18,500 people were killed and were followed by a nuclear disaster at Fukushima.
    The pontiff voiced concern about the sources of energy of the future,
    referencing a call by Japanese Catholic bishops for an end to nuclear energy.
    Another goal of the pope’s trip to Japan is to provide support for the Catholic
    community in this country, where only 1% of the population identifies as Christian,
    half of them Catholics. This is the first visit by a pope to Japan in the last
    38 years and the second in history.





  • November 23, 2019 UPDATE

    November 23, 2019 UPDATE

    ELECTIONS Romania holds the decisive round of its presidential election on Sunday. The incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, endorsed by the National Liberal Party, now in power, is facing the former Social Democratic PM Viorica Dancilă. Just like in the first round, the Romanians living abroad have 3 days to cast their ballots, and the number of pollings stations abroad has been doubled, to 838. The vote started at noon on Friday and will continue until Sunday. The number of citizens having voted so far indicates a higher turnout in the runoff than in the first round. By Saturday evening, over 315,000 Romanians had voted in foreign polling stations, of whom 17,500 voted by post, an option introduced this year for the first time. The largest numbers of voters were reported in Italy, followed by Britain, Germany, Spain and the Republic of Moldova.




    GAUDEAMUS The Gaudeamus International Book Fair, organised in Bucharest by Radio Romania, comes to an end on Sunday. On the last day of the fair, the awards of the 26th edition will be presented. 8,000 book stands have been put up as part of this edition, devoted to the 30 years since the anti-communist revolution of 1989. A total of 900 different events were scheduled, including book launches, debates and book signing sessions. On Saturday, the 4th day of the Fair, Prof. Thierry Wolton took part in the launch of the second volume of his trilogy “A World History of Communism. In this volume, entitled ‘The Victims’, Thierry Wolton speaks about the tens of millions that suffered imprisonment, deportation, torture and even extermination for their anti-communist beliefs.




    NATIONAL DAY 3,500 Romanian troops and another 500 from over 20 allied or partner countries, 200 military vehicles and over 50 aircraft will take part on December 1 in Bucharest in the National Day parade, the Defence Ministry has announced. The Romanian military on missions in theatres of operations in Afghanistan, the Western Balkans and Mali will also organise military ceremonies on National Day. Proclaimed a national holiday after the anti-communist revolution of 1989, December 1 marks the conclusion of the establishment of the Romanian nation-state at the end of World War 1, in 1918.



    COLECTIV After the Bucharest Court completed its investigations, on Monday the prosecution and the defence will present their closing statements in the case concerning the fire in Colectiv night club in Bucharest 4 years ago, in which 64 people died, one committed suicide further to the trauma and 200 others were injured. The Colectiv trial started in April 2016. After 2 years of deferrals over procedural matters, the judge assigned to the case retired, and during another year the new judge has heard the statements of scores of witnesses and victims.




    UN The 15 members of the UN Security Council endorsed a declaration reaffirming the ban on chemical weapons. The Council has reached a consensus long undermined by the war in Syria, and the Skripal affair in the UK or Kim Jong-nam case in Malaysia, AFP reports. The Council reaffirms that the use of chemical weapons is a violation of international law, and declares its firm opposition to it. The declaration, proposed by Great Britain, was passed unanimously. The UN Security Council urges all states that have not yet done so to sign the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons, which was signed in 1993 and came into force in 1997. Syria joined the Convention in 2013, Israel has signed it, but is yet to ratify it, whereas North Korea, Egypt and South Sudan are not yet parties to this Convention.




    POPE Pope Francis arrived in Japan on Saturday, on the second leg of his tour of Asia whose main goal is to send a message against nuclear weapons in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the only cities in the world ever hit by atomic bombs, Reuters says. On Sunday in Nagasaki the Pope, a vocal militant against nuclear weapons, will read a message against weapons of mass destruction. He will also meet with survivors of the Fukushima nuclear disaster of March 11, 2011, the most destructive after the one in Chernobyl in 1986. After Thailand, the first stop in his tour, the Pope reached Tokyo, where he will stay for 4 days. This is the first visit by a Sovereign Pontiff to this country in 38 years, and only the second in history. Another goal of his visit is to encourage the Catholic community in Japan, where only 1% of the population are Christians and half of these Catholics. The Pope will perform 2 services, one in Nagasaki and one in Tokyo, and will have meetings with senior Japanese officials and with Emperor Naruhito.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 23, 2019

    November 23, 2019

    ELECTIONS In Romania, the campaign for the second round of the presidential election, due on November 24, has come to a close this morning at 7 am. Competing are the incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, endorsed by the National Liberal Party now in power, and the former Social Democrat PM Viorica Dancilă. The Permanent Election Authority has announced that the Electoral Register has been updated and the total number of voters in the roll is 18,217,411. In the first round, in which 14 candidates took part, Klaus Iohannis got nearly 38% of the votes, and Viorica Dăncilă a little over 22%. The voter turnout was 51.19%. In the Romanian communities abroad, where the vote took place over 3 days, record-high turnout was reported, with over 675,000 people showing up in polling stations. For Sundays runoff as well, the 835 polling stations abroad are open for 3 days, Friday through Sunday, with the possibility for the vote to be extended until midnight on Sunday. The number of Romanians
    having voted abroad in the runoff suggests a higher turnout than in the first round. The vote rate increased in the
    past few hours, after polling stations reopened in all the countries in Europe,
    which host the largest Romanian communities in the world. First ranking are the
    Romanians in Italy, the UK, Germany, Spain and the Republic of Moldova.




    GAUDEAMUS 8,000 book stands have been put up as part of the Gaudeamus Book Fair organised in Bucharest by Radio Romania, in an edition devoted to the 30 years since the anti-communist revolution of 1989. During the 5 days of the Fair, 900 different events are scheduled, including book launches, debates and book signing sessions. Today, on the 4th day of the Fair, Prof. Thierry Wolton takes part in the launch of the second volume of his trilogy “A World History of Communism. In this volume, entitled ‘The Victims’, Thierry Wolton speaks about the tens of millions that suffered imprisonment, deportation, torture and even extermination for their anti-communist beliefs.




    COLECTIV After the Bucharest Court completed its investigations, on Monday the prosecution and the defence will present their closing statements in the case concerning the fire in Colectiv night club in Bucharest 4 years ago, in which 64 people died, one committed suicide further to the trauma and 200 others were injured. The Colectiv trial started in April 2016. After 2 years of deferrals over procedural matters, the judge assigned to the case retired, and during another year the new judge has heard the statements of scores of witnesses and victims.




    DiscoverEU Youth of over 18 years of age may enrol by November 28 in a programme called DiscoverEU, which enables them to travel free of charge in the European Union. Eligible applicants must be citizens of one of the member states and fill in an online form. This is an initiative of the European Parliament, designed to provide young people with new mobility opportunities. The selected candidates will be able to travel, especially by train, for max. 30 days between April 1 and October 31, 2020. Since the programme was launched in 2018, Romania offered nearly 2,000 such permits, out of a total of 50,000 issued in the EU.




    UN The 15 members of the UN Security Council endorsed a declaration reaffirming the ban on chemical weapons. The Council has reached a consensus long undermined by the war in Syria, and the Skripal affair in the UK or Kim Jong-nam case in Malaysia, AFP reports. The Council reaffirms that the use of chemical weapons is a violation of international law, and declares its firm opposition to it. The declaration, proposed by Great Britain, was passed unanimously. The UN Security Council urges all states that have not yet done so to sign the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons, which was signed in 1993 and came into force in 1997. Syria joined the Convention in 2013, Israel has signed it, but is yet to ratify it, whereas North Korea, Egypt and South Sudan are not yet parties to this Convention.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)