Radio România Internațional

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Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii și Irlandei de Nord – cod galben de ninsoare

Ministerul Afacerilor Externe informează cetăţenii români care se află, călătoresc sau tranzitează Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii și Irlandei de Nord că Institutul Britanic de Meteorologie a emis un cod galben de ninsori abundente.

Condiţiile meteorologice vor afecta, într-o primă etapă, regiunea de nord, urmând ca, treptat, ninsorile să se extindă în partea de sud, iar în aceasta zonă să se transforme în ploaie. Stratul de zăpadă poate atinge între 2 şi 5 cm la altitudini de peste 100 m, pe suprafețe acoperite deja cu polei/gheață.

Autoritățile britanice avertizează că, din cauza ninsorilor şi a vântului, există posibilitatea producerii de întârzieri sau anulări ale unor zboruri pe aeroporturile din regiunile nord și sud, afectate de condițiile meteorologice nefavorabile.

De asemenea, Institutul britanic de Meteorologie avertizează cu privire la condițiile de polei pe infrastructura rutieră.

Se recomandă cetățenilor români să urmărească starea vremii pe portalul https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings și să se informeze de pe pagina de internet a Poliției Metropolitane cu privire la starea drumurilor, precum și de pe paginile de Internet ale aeroporturilor de unde urmează să decoleze.

Cetățenii români pot solicita asistenţă consulară la numerele de telefon ale Secţiei Consulare a Ambasadei României la Londra: +442076027328; +442076029833;+442076036694; +442076025193; +442076030572; +442076022065, apelurile fiind redirecționate către Centrul de Contact și Suport al Cetăţenilor Români din Străinătate (CCSCRS) şi preluate de către operatorii Call Center în regim de permanență.

Cetăţenii români care se confruntă cu o situaţie cu caracter de urgenţă au la dispoziţie şi telefonul de permanență al Ambasadei României în Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii și Irlandei de Nord: +447738716335.

Ministerul Afacerilor Externe recomandă consultarea paginilor de Internet http://londra.mae.ro, www.mae.ro şi reaminteşte faptul că cetăţenii români care se deplasează în străinătate au la dispoziţie aplicaţia Călătoreşte în siguranţă” (disponibilă gratuit în App Store” și Google Play”), care oferă informații și sfaturi de călătorie.

11 December 2017
April 19, 2017

Extradition — The Romanian Justice Ministry has prepared the extradition procedure from Serbia of the former MP Sebastian Ghiţă, who was arrested before Easter. The justice minister, Tudorel Toader, explained that the extradition procedure would be initiated as soon as he received all the necessary documents from the Romanian courts that ruled on the arrest of the former MP. Searched by the Interpol, Sebastian Ghiţă has two arrest warrants issued on his name and he is being investigated in Romania in 5 corruption cases.

IMF report — The IMF estimates improved economic growth at global level, from 3.5% in 2017 as compared to 3.1% in 2016, while in 2018 the economic growth rate is estimated to reach 3.6%. Economic growth will be registered both in developed countries as well as in the developing and underdeveloped countries and consolidation will occur especially in the manufacturing industry and trade. For Romania, the IMF has revised upwards, from 3.8% to 4.2%, its estimates regarding the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2017, while for 2018 the IMF’s estimates for Romania’s economic growth rate stand at 3- 4%. According to the IMF report, in 2017 Romania will register the second biggest economic growth rate in Europe, being outrun only by Iceland (5.7%).

Snap elections London — UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday will call on the House of Commons to vote on her plan to hold a snap general election on June 8. She motivated her decision quoting Parliament’s lack of support for the government’s plan, as the UK prepares to negotiate its exit from the EU. To hold early elections the PM needs the votes of two thirds of the MPs. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main opposition party, the Labour Party, said that he supported the initiative, which means, according to analysts, that the plan will be voted. Theresa May took over her office in July after David Cameron’s resignation, following Britons’ decision through the June 23 referendum to leave the EU.

Alert drill — In Romania continues the largest-scale alert and warning drill of the past years, which takes places across the whole of Romania’s territory until Friday. According to a pre-established schedule, sirens will be heard between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Firefighters will test all the 7,000 sirens across Romania, that were placed mainly in those areas with high technological or radioactive risk. The drill is meant to test the authorities’ speed of reaction and whether people hear the sirens in all coverage areas. Moreover, the drill tests people’s ability to react in case of flooding, technological accidents or armed conflicts.

Turkey referendum — The Turkish authorities have refused the EU’s request to launch a transparent investigation into allegations of irregularities during Sunday’s referendum giving the president sweeping powers. The monitors of the OSCE and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said that the vote “took place on an unlevel playing field” and it did not observe the standards of the Council of Europe. The main opposition party in Turkey called for the cancellation of the referendum result because many voting ballots without official stamps were counted. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won the referendum expanding his powers by a narrow margin, which could allow him to stay in power for another 12 years. His plans after the victory focus on concentrating power in the hands of the president, on scrapping the position of prime minister, electing the high-ranking magistrates and dissolving Parliament.

Visit — The First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, will pay an official visit to Romania on Thursday. The European official will meet with Romanian high-ranking officials, leaders of parliamentary parties as well as with the partners in the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification from the judiciary. At the end of his visit, Frans Timmermans will also talk with civil society representatives on such issues as the White Paper on the future of Europe, the anniversary of 60 years since the signing of the Rome treaties and of 10 years since Romania joined the EU. (translation by L.Simion)

19 April 2017
July 12, 2016 UPDATE

VISIT – The PM of Romania, Dacian Cioloş, attended on Tuesday in Hanoi the opening of a Romanian-Vietnamese business forum. He presented to Vietnamese business people Romanias main economic and geostrategic advantages and pleaded for stronger economic cooperation, relying on 66 years of good bilateral relations. PM Cioloş also spoke about the Romanian authorities special interest in developing trade with non-European countries with high potential, particularly south-east Asian states. In the first visit by a Romanian Prime Minister to that country in 21 years, Dacian Cioloş met with his counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Later this week, Ciolos will attend the 11th Europe-Asia Summit, held in Mongolias capital city Ulan Bator.

STRIKE – Some 30,000 employees of the Romanian local public administration went on a one-day strike on Tuesday. Unionists were angered by the fact that the agreement they were scheduled to sign with the Government had been drawn up without including a minimum 25% salary increase and holiday vouchers, as agreed in previous negotiations. Civil servants also claim to be the poorest paid and the most discriminated against category in the public sector, with most of them earning close to the minimum national wage of 277 euros.

ZIKA – Romania reported on Tuesday its first Zika virus infection case. A 27 year-old woman who spent a vacation in Martinique was identified with the illness while in hospital. The Health Ministry specified that the case was isolated, with minimal risk of spreading. The virus was identified in 1947 in Uganda, and is spread mainly by mosquitoes. It is able to produce congenital conditions in babies born of infected mothers. At present, no vaccine is available to counteract the virus, which so far has spread in South and Central America mainly.

POLITICS – After two weeks of negotiations, the Peoples Movement Party headed by Romanias former right-wing president Traian Băsescu and the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) agreed to merge. Traian Băsescu made the announcement on Tuesday, and added that the new party will keep the name and logo of the Peoples Movement Party. The merger of UNPR into the Peoples Movement Party is the de facto dissolution of this small party that failed to set up any alliances with the Liberals and Social-Democrats ahead of this autumns parliamentary election. The founder of UNPR, former interior minister and deputy PM Gabriel Oprea, withdrew from the party after he was prosecuted in two corruption-related cases.

RAIL CRASH – Romanias consular office in Catania took note of the railway accident in the south of Italy and contacted the Italian authorities to establish whether there were any Romanian citizens among the victims, the Foreign Ministry has announced. Scores of people died or were injured on Tuesday after two passenger trains collided in one of the worst such accidents in Italy in years. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Italy, around 5,700 Romanians currently live on the Adriatic coast near Bari, where the accident took place.

BRITAIN – The outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron Tuesday chaired the last meeting of the British Cabinet before handing over on Wednesday to Home Secretary, Theresa May, who will implement the British citizens decision to leave the European Union. Theresa May will be in charge with triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which regulates the procedure for member countries to leave the EU and sets a 2-year deadline for completing the separation. Theresa May will be the second woman nominated as Britains Prime Minister, after Margaret Thatcher.

12 July 2016
July 11, 2016 UPDATE

CANADA VISAS – Canada confirmed on Monday in Brussels its promise to announce early this autumn a decision as concerns lifting visa requirements for Romanians and Bulgarians, the only EU citizens which cannot travel freely to Canada. Also in Brussels, the chief of staff to Romanias PM Dragoş Tudorache said that Romania had clear expectations regarding the removal of visa requirements for Romanian citizens. The Canadian Immigration Minister John McCallum discussed the topic with Romanian and Bulgarian officials, in the presence of the European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos. Romania and Bulgaria have announced they will not ratify the EU-Canada trade agreement until Canada has lifted visa requirements.

ASIA VISIT – Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos started on Monday a tour of Asia, beginning with a four-day official visit to Vietnam. On Friday and Saturday he is to attend the 11th Europe-Asia Summit, in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator. The main aims of the visit are resuming political contact with Asian states, as well as recovering traditional markets for Romanian exporters, while encouraging investment in Romania. The agenda in Hanoi includes talks with the PM, President, and other Vietnamese officials. Ciolos will also attend the Romania-Vietnam Economic Forum, with a delegation of over 20 business representatives from Romania, to identify new business opportunities that would fully take advantage of the future EU-Vietnam free trade agreement.

LAW – President Klaus Iohannis Monday endorsed a law that binds supermarkets to stock their shelves with at least 51% Romanian products, and forbids them from requiring fees and services from suppliers. Retailers with an annual net turnover of below two million Euro are exempt from the new regulations.

NATO SUMMIT – Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc said on Monday that the Romanian delegation to the recently concluded NATO summit in Warsaw covered all the issues it was mandated to approach by Romania’s Higher Defence Council. He emphasized the fact that NATO’s new deterrence posture, with a strong forward presence, which is of major interest to Romania, is manifest on the eastern flank of the Alliance in the Baltic area, and in the Black Sea region.

ASSASINATION – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has expressed its deepest regrets after the death of Romanias honorary consul to El Salvador, Emanuel Ricardo Salume Barake, and sent condolences to his family. The Ministry, which stays in touch with the local authorities, has also expressed hopes that the perpetrators of the murder will be brought to justice. Emanuel Ricardo Salume Barake was appointed honorary consul of Romania in 1994. Honorary consuls are not employees of the Romanian Government, nor paid for their services. They are chosen from among the Romanian or foreign citizens living in a particular state, the Romanian Foreign Ministry explains.

UK Prime Minister – Home Secretary Theresa May is set to be Britains new Prime Minister by Wednesday evening, as David Cameron announced on Monday. May said that under her leadership the UK will stay fully committed to leaving the EU, in spite of her support for the “remain campaign in the referendum. Brexit will be a success, and together we will build a better Britain, May also said. Theresa May was the only candidate left in the race for Tory leadership after her main challenger, Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom withdrew. The new PM will have to call Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which regulates the procedure for member countries to leave the European Union, and sets a 2-year deadline for finalising the separation, AFP reports.

11 July 2016
24.06.2016

Brexit – La Roumanie regrette le vote des Britanniques, qui ont décidé de quitter l’UE, mais elle respecte leur choix, a affirmé le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, à l’issue d’entretiens avec le premier ministre, Dacian Ciolos, le gouverneur de la Banque centrale roumaine, Mugur Isarescu, et les leaders des partis politiques. Pour sa part le chef du gouvernement roumain a assuré que l’impact du Brexit sur l’économie locale n’est pas important et sera géré sans difficultés majeures. L’impact sur la monnaie nationale, le leu, est également faible et il peut être endigué, a renchéri aussi le gouverneur de la Banque nationale. Les leaders politiques ont, eux, souligné que la Roumanie ne saurait envisager un autre parcours qu’à l’intérieur de la communauté, aux côtés des autres Etats membres.

L’UE est un projet d’une grande valeur, téméraire et il doit se poursuivre, a martelé le président Klaus Iohannis. Selon lui, la sortie du Royaume-Uni ne se produira pas du jour au lendemain et, aux futures négociations la Roumanie entreprendra toutes les démarches nécessaires pour protègera ses ressortissants qui vivent et travaillent dans ce pays. Le Royaume-Uni restera un partenaire important pour la Roumanie, mais il ne bénéficiera pas de statut privilégié en rapport avec les pays membres de l’UE, a précisé le président Iohannis. Néanmoins, a-t-il dit, le projet européen doit être redéfini pour qu’il devienne plus compréhensible et plus performant pour les citoyens du Vieux Continent.

Selon les experts de la Banque de Roumanie, le Brexit aura un impact limité sur léconomie roumaine, soit seulement 0,5% du PIB. Ils assurent que le système bancaire roumain est solide et que des mesures seront prises afin datténuer les éventuelles envolées du taux de change leu/euro. Néanmoins, la sortie du Royaume-Uni de lUE pourrait mettre en question les projets des Roumains souhaitant travailler en Grande-Bretagne, parce que laccès à ce marché de la main dœuvre sera désormais plus difficile. Plus de 180 mille Roumains travaillent légalement, en ce moment, sur lîle britannique.

Référendum – Les Britanniques ont décidé de quitter lUnion européenne, 51,9% des électeurs ont voté pour le Brexit lors du référendum de la veille, marqué par une participation importante (72,2%), selon lAFP. Lensemble des marchés mondiaux a été gagné par la panique, les Bourses de Paris et Francfort plongeant denviron 10%.

Les résultats, décortiqués par les commentateurs, montrent un pays divisé, avec Londres, lEcosse et lIrlande du Nord qui voulaient rester, tandis que le nord de lAngleterre ou le Pays de Galles ont largement voté contre. Partisan du maintien dans lUE, en première ligne pendant la campagne, le Premier ministre conservateur David Cameron a annoncé sa prochaine démission, à lautomne. Il a annoncé quil appartiendrait à son successeur de lancer la négociation avec lUE sur le processus de sortie de son pays du club. Entré dans le bloc européen en 1973, le Royaume-Uni est le premier pays a le quitter apres 60 ans de construction européenne.

Le Brexit risque en outre de mettre en péril lintégrité du Royaume-Uni. La Première ministre écossaise Nicola Sturgeon a déclaré vendredi que sa région “voit son avenir au sein de lUE”, entrouvrant ainsi la porte à un nouveau référendum sur lindépendance, précise AFP. En Irlande du Nord, le Sinn Fein, favorable au maintien dans lUE, a lui appelé à un référendum sur une Irlande unifiée. Alors que les mouvements populistes prospèrent à travers lEurope, avec comme dénominateur commun la critique de Bruxelles, elle pourrait entraîner une réaction en chaîne. Des référendums similaires ont été réclamés en France par la chef de lextrême droite française Marine Le Pen et aux Pays-Bas par le député dextrême droite néerlandais Geert Wilders.

“Cest un jour triste pour lEurope et la Grande-Bretagne”, a réagi le chef de la diplomatie allemande, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Les dirigeants européens ont prévu de se réunir dans la matinée vendredi a Bruxelles pour tirer les leçons de ce vote. Londres va a présent entrer dans un long tunnel de négociations avec lUE sur les conditions de sortie, un processus qui pourrait durer jusqua deux ans.

Blouse roumaine – Cest la Journée mondiale de la « Blouse roumaine » – ia – pièce maîtresse du costume féminin traditionnel local. Elle est marquée dans les principales villes du pays par une multitude dévénements – expositions, foires et débats sur lavenir de cet héritage culturel national. La Journée mondiale de la blouse roumaine a été institué en 2013 par la communauté de « La blouse roumaine » (en français dans le texte) et elle est fêtée dans une cinquantaine de pays du monde. Cette année, des manifestations diverses sont prévues à Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Paris, Londres, Madrid, Amsterdam, Milan ou Vienne.

Nuit des instituts – Ce soir, Bucarest ne dors pas, à loccasion de la Nuit des Instituts culturels de la capitale roumaine. Pour cette 10e édition, une quinzaine dorganismes culturels européens avec des antennes à Bucarest organisent une cinquantaine dévénements, dans une douzaine dendroits de la ville. Spectacles, concerts, projections de films, expositions de sculpture et de photographie attendent les Bucarestois, dont la fréquentation de cet événement na cessé de croître au fil des ans. La Nuit des Instituts culturels est un projet de lEunic, le réseau des Instituts culturels nationaux de lUE, organisée avec le soutien de la Représentation de la Commission européenne à Bucarest.

Diaspora – 45 délégations de représentants de la diaspora roumaine de 13 pays se réunissent à compter daujourdhui, à Bucarest, pour le Congrès des Roumains du monde. Il sagit dun événement annuel visant à renforcer les liens avec les ressortissants roumains ou dorigine roumaine de létranger. Loccasion aussi de débattre les problèmes courants auxquels se voient confronter ces communautés. Le sujet prioritaire de cette année est la création dinstitutions culturelles spécialement dédiées aux Roumains vivant dans les pays voisins.

Tennis – Tirage aux sort pour le tableau principal de Wimbledon, le plus ancien et le plus prestigieux des quatre tournois de Grand Chelem, qui doit se dérouler du 27 juin au 10 juillet. Cinq joueuses roumaines sont à laffiche aussi – Simona Halep (5e WTA), Irina Begu (27e), Monica Niculescu (47e WTA), Sorana Cârstea (86e WTA) et Patrica Tig (100e WTA). La tête de série de la compétition féminine est lAméricaine Serena Williams, suivie par lEspagnole Garbine Muguruza. Les favoris du concours masculin sont Novak Djokovic (Serbie), talonné par Andy Murray (Royaume-Uni).

24 June 2016
A la Une de la presse – 24.06.2016

Le résultat du scrutin sur la sortie du Royaume Uni de l’Union européenne est le sujet fédérateur de la presse nationale de ce vendredi. Les quotidiens roumains passent en revue les réactions, les mesures à envisager et les conséquences sur la Roumanie de ce choix historique.

24 June 2016
UK şi UE

Marea Britanie a avut mereu ceva de comentat în
procesul de integrare europeană. De la început, de la primii paşi, de după al
doilea război mondial, Marea Britanie s-a ţinut deoparte de eforturile
franco-germane inspirate de Benelux.

De fapt, de mai mult timp britanicii nu se
văd încadraţi în construcţia europeană. În primul rând, britanicii au privit
mai mult la lumea întreagă decât la Europa de dincolo de Canalul Mânecii. Având
alături un imperiu, devenit ulterior Commonwealth, o comunitate care a inspirat
şi era post-sovietică, Marea Britanie era încadrată deja într-o structură
internaţională, o organizaţie multicontinentală unde deţinea un rol central
puternic. Primă putere industrială, cu multe priorităţi de doctrină şi
filosofie dar şi de practică a noii ere a omenirii, Marea Britanie nu a fost
dispusă să renunţe la puterea sa în domeniul oţelului şi cărbunelui. Producţia
de oţel era un indicator echivalent cu dezvoltarea economică iar pentru oţel
aveai nevoie de minereu şi cărbune. Marea Britanie era pe culmile producţiei de
oţel, cu minereu adus din întreaga lume şi cărbune din prorpiul subsol.

Când continentul a
început să se mişte, în cadrul planului Schuman, Marea Britanie nu s-a
implicat, ba chiar a avut o atitudine ostilă. Desigur, era vorba, în primul
rând de protejarea unui atu istoric şi puternic dar şi de ceea ce istoricii şi
politologii numesc tendinţa naturală a
Marii Britanii de a se izola. Mai mult, Marea Britanie a lansat şi a muncit din
greu la construirea unei construcţii concurente la Comunităţile Europene create
în 1951.

În 1957, europenii de pe Continent depăşesc faza legată de cărbune şi
oţel şi lansează o Comunitate economică mai amplă, cu ambiţii şi cuprinderi
mult mai mari. Dar nici semnarea Tratatului de la Roma, din 1957, nu aduce
Marea Britanie în curentul construcţiei europene.

În 1960, Marea Britanie
adună, lângă ea, mai multe ţări, în special din nord, şi se semnează, la
Stockholm, convenţia de creare a Asociaţiei Europene a Liberului Schimb (AELS).
În termeni de teorie a integrării, în timp ce Comunitatea europeană îşi propune
să adâncească integrarea ţărilor membre, cu politici comune în tot mai multe
domenii, inclusiv neeconomice, Liberul Schimb are ca ambiţie doar realizarea
unui schimb lipsit de taxe, oprindu-se la acest stadiu incipient al unei
adevărate unificări interstatale.

Din Asociaţia Europeană a Liberului Schimb
mai făceau parte Danemarca, Norvegia, Suedia, Austria, Elveţia şi Portugalia.
Ulterior au devenit membri Finlanda şi Islanda. Nordicii au fost mereu mai reţinuţi.
Norvegia a respins în tot felul aderarea la Comunitatea europeană iar Danemarca
şi Suedia, membre ale Uniunii, stau deoparte de proiectul monedei comune.
Finlanda, în schimb, a aderat mai târziu la Uniunea Europeană, dar participă
deplin la acest proces. La fel procedează Austria şi Portugalia. De fapt, chiar
Marea Britanie a abandonat liberul schimb şi a intrat în Comunitate în 1973.
Odată cu ea a intrat şi limba engleză în procedurile europene dar ea s-a
răspândit peste tot şi s-a impus în timp ce Londra a participat la proiectul
european cu frâna de mână trasă. A avut mai multe idei de opoziţie decât de
implicare sau măcar participare.

În timp ce Franţa şi Germania au renunţat la
moneda lor tradiţională, pentru Marea Britanie s-a admis ca fiind absolut
normal păstrarea lirei sterline. Premierul Margaret Thatcher a inscris cererea
Îmi vreau banii înapoi! în filosofia europeană iar în ultimii ani partenerii
din Uniunea Europeană sunt ameninţaţi cu divorţul de către premierul David
Cameron. Poate că britanicii ştiu sau prevăd ei ceva dar la fel de bine ei
ne-au învăţat că trebuie să tragem învăţături serioase din istoria deja
consumată.

21 February 2016
February 20, 2016 UPDATE

EUROPEAN UNION – British Premier David Cameron announced on Saturday, after a Cabinet meeting, that the date for the referendum on whether Britain should remain in the EU is June 23rd. We remind you that late on Friday, the European Council president Donald Tusk announced that an agreement on renegotiating the UKs EU membership was reached. In his turn, David Cameron confirmed that the EU provided the concessions he sought, including assurances that the other nations wont try to make Britain part of a “European superstate.” According to the British premier, there will be tough new restrictions on access to his country’s welfare system for EU migrants. World leaders praised the deal, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the EU leaders clearly wanted Britain to stay. President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania at the summit, has said that Romanians currently working in the UK will not be affected by the deal, which only affects workers that will enter the British labour market after its enforcement.

HEALTHCARE — The two foreign experts from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control who travelled to Romania on Thursday to help find the cause of an infection that developed in a number of children from Arges county, are now looking over the data that Romanian doctors have gathered so far, The National Centre for the Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases announced. We recall that three children died this month due to serious digestive infections followed by major complications and seven children are being further treated in a Bucharest hospital, having been diagnosed with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. They are all from the Arges county and finding the cause of the infection might take months.

PRESIDENCY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will address Parliament’s plenary sitting on Monday. The President’s address, his first this year, will focus on domestic politics, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu has announced. This is Iohannis’s 5th Parliament address since he took over the presidential seat in December 2014.

LAW – The Romanian Justice Ministry jointly with the Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), the Direction for the Investigation of Organized Crimes and Terrorism (DIICOT) and the General Prosecutor’s Office are working on a bill allowing public bodies to further access private communications. The Constitutional Court has recently ruled that several provisions of an article in the Criminal Procedure Code violate the fundamental law, such as the ones allowing the Romanian Intelligence Service to tap suspects’ phone calls. Justice Minister, Raluca Pruna, has said that the bill will be ready by the time the Court publicly motivates its ruling, so that there will be no legislative gaps with negative effects on the ongoing criminal investigations.

FILM – The independent production “Illegitimate” (Ilegitim), directed by Romanian Adrian Sitaru and produced by Anamaia Antoci, won the award of the International Confederation of Art Cinemas. The feature had its world premiere last week, at the 66th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival. The film was selected in the Forum section of the event, which presented a total of 44 films in its main program, 34 of which were world premieres. At the same festival, another Romania director, Roxana Stroe, won the Special Prize of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the best short film, with “A Night in Tokoriki” (O noapte in Tokoriki). According to the competition’s website, “the jury appreciated the film for its idiosyncratic tone of voice and superb craft and storytelling. This film manages to playfully depict a heartfelt but urgent message. With humorous mise-en-scene, no dialogue and an ironic use of music, the film tells a brilliantly engaging story about unacceptable love in rural Europe and its repercussions.”

HANDBALL –Romania’s vice champion women’s handball team, HCM Baia Mare, on Friday qualified to the Champions League’s quarter finals, after defeating, on home turf, the German team Thuringer HC, 38-27, in the main Group 1 of the Champions League. In the same competition, but in the 2nd main Group, the champions CSM Bucharest is playing Midtjylland of Denmark on Sunday away from home. The Romanian champions need at least a draw to secure qualification to the quarterfinals. At present CSM Bucharest is ranked 4th in the group tables.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

19 February 2016
February 20, 2016

EUROPEAN UNION – British Premier David Cameron has said he will announce a date for the referendum on whether Britain should remain in the EU later today, after a meeting of his Cabinet. The agreement on renegotiating the UKs EU membership was announced by European Council president Donald Tusk. After two days of talks in Brussels with other EU leaders, Cameron said the EU provided the concessions he sought, including assurances that the other nations wont try to make Britain part of a “European superstate.” According to the British premier, there will be tough new restrictions on access to his country’s welfare system for EU migrants. World leaders praised the deal, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the EU leaders clearly wanted Britain to stay. President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania at the summit, has said that Romanians currently working in the UK will not be affected by the deal, which only affects workers that will enter the British labour market after its enforcement.

LAW – The Romanian Justice Ministry jointly with the Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), the Direction for the Investigation of Organized Crimes and Terrorism (DIICOT) and the General Prosecutor’s Office are working on a bill allowing public bodies to further access private communications. The Constitutional Court has recently ruled that several provisions of an article in the Criminal Procedure Code violate the fundamental law, such as the ones allowing the Romanian Intelligence Service to tap suspects’ phone calls. Justice Minister, Raluca Pruna, has said that the bill will be ready by the time the Court publicly motivates its ruling, so that there will be no legislative gaps with negative effects on the ongoing criminal investigations.

HEALTHCARE – The haemolytic uremic syndrome in a 1-year old from eastern Romania, currently treated in a hospital in Iasi, has not been confirmed, Romanian health authorities announced. On Friday, the Romanian PM, Dacian Ciolos, and the healthcare minister, Patriciu Achimas Cadariu travelled to Arges County, in the south, where several cases of serious digestive problems had been reported among children. On Thursday two foreign experts came to Romania in an attempt to identify the source of the bacteria that caused the digestive problems in children. We recall that three children died this month due to serious digestive infections followed by major complications and seven children are being treated in a Bucharest hospital, having been diagnosed with the haemolytic uremic syndrome.

UNITED NATIONS – Russia regrets the fact that the United Nations Security Council rejected its bid to halt Turkeys military actions against Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He has given assurances that Moscow will continue supporting government forces against what it calls “terrorists.” Russia considers such cross-border shelling that Turkey is carrying out as unacceptable, Peskov also said. Turkey has intensely bombed areas in the northern province of Aleppo, controlled by the Kurds, which it sees as responsible for Wednesday’s bloody attack in Ankara. Turkey has pleaded for the international coalition’s ground military intervention in Syria.

FILM – The feature film “Illegitimate” directed by Romanian Adrian Sitaru has a final screening today at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film, which had its world premiere late last week, has received big hands of applause from the public and appreciative reviews by international journalists. “Illegitimate”, one of the most daring and thought-provoking Romanian films in recent years, tells the story of two brothers and their illegitimate love. The Berlin International Film Festival started on February 11 and runs until February 21.

HANDBALL — Romania’s vice champion women’s handball team, HCM Baia Mare, on Friday qualified to the Champions League’s quarter finals, after defeating, on home turf, the German team Thuringer HC, 38-27, in the main Group 1 of the Champions League. In the same competition, but in the 2nd main Group, the champions CSM Bucharest will take on the Danish team FC Midtjylland, on Sunday, in an away match.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

19 February 2016