Radio România Internațional

Tag: Ukraine

  • The Romanian foreign minister at the UN

    The Romanian foreign minister at the UN

     

     

    Russia’s attacks on the civilian infrastructure in Ukraine carry on, and consolidating the defence in this country is important, which is an aspect to which Ukraine’s neighbor, Romania, also contributes with the donation of a Patriot missile defence system, the Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu told the Romanian mass media.

     

    The Romanian diplomacy chief last week took part in the UN General Assembly in New York, where she voiced support for the peace plan put forth by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

     

    She said peace in Ukraine must be ‘a just peace,’ based on international law and the UN Charter, and one which recognizes the territorial integrity and independence of Moscow-invaded Ukraine.

     

    The Romanian official explained that she had also discussed the drone attacks on Ukraine’s Romanian border with Bucharest’s Western partners and allies. She also mentioned that a merchant ship carrying Ukrainian grain was recently hit by a Russian missile in the Black Sea. Such attacks ‘affect the security and freedom of navigaton and are flagrant violations of international rules,’ the Romanian foreign minister emphasised.

     

    On the other hand, the security situation in the Middle East is volatile and it is very important that a war affecting the entire region be avoided, Luminiţa Odobescu pointed out.

     

    In the bilateral meetings in New York with political leaders in the Arab world—Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates—she reiterated that Romania consistently supported a two-state solution. But until that time, a lasting truce in Gaza is crucial, concurrently with the release of all the Israeli hostages kidnapped by the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas, and with continuing humanitarian aid for the civilians in Gaza.

     

    Luminiţa Odobescu emphasized that Bucharest is providing humanitarian aid to Gaza and voiced willingness for Romanian hospitals to treat children from that region, which has been devastated for a year now by a war that has killed over 40,000 and left another 100,000 others wounded.

     

    As for a possible spillover of this conflict to Lebanon, Luminiţa Odobescu said the Romanian diplomatic mission in that country focuses on the Romanian nationals who live there with their families. According to the Romanian official, so far nearly 1,000 Romanian nationals and family members have notified their presence in Lebanon to the Romanian Embassy in Beirut, but no evacuation requests have been received so far. Minister Odobescu reiterated the Romanian authorities’ call on Romanian nationals to avoid traveling to Lebanon, given the recent security developments in the region. (AMP)

  • The Romanian president speaks at the United Nations Organisation

    The Romanian president speaks at the United Nations Organisation

    In the speech he delivered before the UN General Assembly in New York, president Klaus Iohannis pleaded for maintaining dialogue as an essential element for regional and global security. Iohannis also highlighted Romania’s contribution to solving the present global issues from security crises, such as the war in Ukraine or the Middle East conflict, to major challenges for mankind like climate change, the erosion of human rights or cyber threats. Speaking before the world leaders in New York, Klaus Iohannis said that Romania would always support the international world order with the UNO at its core. According to Iohannis, the main challenge of the world organization is to find the much needed solutions for reestablishing and protecting peace. Otherwise, the international order and law are wasted. Romania is fully backing the peace initiative of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as being the only alternative for obtaining a just and durable peace perfectly in accordance with the UN charter and international law, Iohannis said in New York.

    He underlined that security isn’t regional but global and the war Russia is waging on Ukraine has affected nations and people the world over.

    “This war has caused the biggest security crisis in Europe’s recent history, violating the international law and having implications far beyond Europe.

    In this context, Romania has provided a staunch multidimensional support to Ukraine and its people and pledged to keep it as long as needed” Iohannis went on to say mentioning the essential role played by Romania in easing the export of Ukrainian grain through its Danube and Black Sea ports.

    “If we want to find solutions, we must have a more responsible outlook over the world and understand its challenges. We regrettably notice that insecurity, violence, conflicts and even war have conquered our world”, Iohannis also said.

    The Romanian official also pleaded for more cooperation and solidarity, which would always represent a response to the world issues. Klaus Iohannis also referred to the conflict in Gaza calling for the cessation of violence and standing for the two-state solution. “We are backing all the efforts of resuming the political process based on the two-state solution, coexisting in peace and security within recognized and safe borders, the Romanian president underlined.  And ‘protecting all the civilians must remain our common objective’, Iohannis said in front of the UN General Assembly.

    (bill)

  • B9 meeting in Bucharest

    B9 meeting in Bucharest

    NATO must react to Russia’s incursions into the member states’ airspace, in the context of the war in Ukraine. This is the conclusion of the B9 meeting in Bucharest.

     

    NATO must give a robust and coordinated response to the repeated intrusion of Russian drones and missiles into the Alliance’s airspace, the Romanian Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, said. At the B9 meeting in Bucharest, bringing together the allied defense ministers on NATO’s Eastern Flank, Minister Tîlvăr said that the security situation in the Black Sea region remains worrying, due to the threats generated by Russia’s aggressive actions, including through disinformation and cyber attacks. Angel Tîlvăr: “The B9 states are deeply concerned about the repeated incursions of Russian Federation’s drones and missiles into NATO airspace in Poland, Romania and Latvia and about the escalation of tensions along the NATO borders. That is why a robust and coordinated response at allied level is needed, as well as the implementation, as soon as possible, of the rotational model of NATO’s integrated air and anti-missile defense”.

     

    Against this background, the Romanian minister also focused on the Republic of Moldova, which is facing challenges from the Russian Federation. He pointed out once more that the country needs support for its European integration, a safe investment, he says, in the security of the Black Sea region and Europe. In turn, the Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Zalewsky, said that at the upcoming meeting of the Defense Ministers from the allied states, it is important to establish concrete action measures to detect drones and destroy enemy targets. According to Zalewsky, when we say that no centimeter of NATO territory can be attacked by Russia and must be defended, we are also referring to airspace. He also said that  essential initiatives were discussed  in this context, namely The European Sky Shield Initiative and the Eastern Shield initiative, the first being aimed at strengthening cooperation and increasing funding, and the second at strengthening the borders with Russia and Belarus.

     

    Present in Bucharest on Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on Romania to analyze the possibility of shooting down Russian drones and missiles near the Romanian airspace. During the meeting with his Romanian counterpart, Luminiţa Odobescu, he hailed the support granted by Romania, for the defense of Ukraine’s independence, following the country’s decision to donate a Patriot system. Minister Sybiha said this is a shield not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe, and that, especially around winter, it will allow them to strengthen their defense capabilities. Minister Odobescu reiterated, in turn, Romania’s full support for the defense of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

     

  • September 19, 2024

    September 19, 2024

    B9 NATO has to react to Russia’s incursions into the airspace of the member countries, in the context of the war in Ukraine – Romania’s Defence Minister, Angel Tilvar said at the B9 meeting of the defence ministers of the allied countries in NATO’s Eastern Flank, held in Bucharest on Wednesday. In turn, the Polish representative said that next month, the allied defence ministers would be tackling the destruction of the drones violating the airspace of NATO. Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia are part of the B9 initiative. Talks on security in the area but also assistance in defending the independence of Ukraine through Romania’s decision to donate a Patriot system to the neighboring Ukraine were also hold by Romania’s Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu, who received in Bucharest her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha.

     

    POLL Most of the Romanians believe the immigrants who come to work in Romania are rather an opportunity than a threat to employment in that country, a recent poll says. Roughly 68%  of the interviewees says the immigrants are actually helping the economy by taking over the vacant jobs whereas 25% believes they are taking the jobs of the Romanians, who have thus to leave the country for a better job. The most tolerant seem to be the young people up to 20 years old, people with higher education and Bucharesters. The poll says that 67% of the interviewees have agreed with the financial incentives aimed at bringing back the Romanians in the Diaspora whereas 31% is against the idea.

     

    HANDBALL On Wednesday night Romanian handball side Dinamo Bucharest clinched a 28-26 away win against Polish side Orlen Wisla Plock in Group A of the Champions League. The Romanian champions have obtained two wins out of the competition’s two legs. Dinamo will be taking on Macedonian side Eurofarm Pelister Bitola in a home match on September 26.

     

    CSAT Romania’s Higher Defence Council (CSAT) has been summoned by the country’s president Klaus Iohannis for talks in Bucharest on the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine and its implications for Romania. The CSAT members are also tackling the opportunities offered by the new geopolitical context for the consolidation of the strategic partnership with the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova in order to ensure the irreversibility of its European roadmap. Last, but not least, the CSAT is expected to tackle the national plan of fitting the Romanian armed forces with proper equipment.

     

    TALKS The government in Bucharest is focusing on the country’s reindustrialization and is working on the national Plan aimed at streamlining the country’s main industry. The plan, which is worth 2 billion Euros, will be centred on three main pillars; support for the strategic investment in the processing industry, state aid for the big companies, with investments aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption and support for the companies producing raw materials. According to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu the Executive wants to strengthen the model of investment-based economic development.

     

    RISK According to the Romanian Institute of Hydrology the Danube’s level on its entry into Romania is expected to rise significantly until September 24thmore than double than the multiannual average of the month of September. However, authorities have given assurances the Iron Gates dam is ready to take over and transit the waters resulted from the heavy rainfalls in central Europe. The risk of flooding in eastern Romania, heavily affected by Cyclone Boris, remains high with orange and yellow alerts in place.

    (bill)

     

  • September 18, 2024

    September 18, 2024

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    BORIS – The number of deaths caused by torrential rain and flooding in Central and Eastern Europe, brought over by storm Boris, the worst in Europe since 1997 to date, has reached 22. Romania and Poland reported seven deaths each, Austria five and the Czech Republic three, as well as eight people missing. Flash flood alerts are also in place in Italy, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia, for the upcoming days. In Romania, the authorities have begun assessing the damage caused by the floods in Galati county. Hundreds of rescue workers have been dispatched in the affected localities. All power outages in the area have been fixed and road traffic on some county roads has been reopened. Rail traffic is still disrupted on certain routes. The government approved an emergency aid of about 2,000 euros for each affected family, and in the case of families who lost a member, an additional aid of 2,000 euros.

     

    UKRAINE – In Bucharest, on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, called on the Romanian partners to analyze the possibility of shooting down Russian drones near the country’s airspace. After the meeting with the head of Romanian diplomacy, Luminita Odobescu, Sybiha said that he was “grateful” for the Bucharest’s “historic” decision to donate a Patriot system to Ukraine. “It is very important to strengthen the defense of Ukraine. It is a shield not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe”, the Ukrainian official said. In turn, Luminița Odobescu reconfirmed Romania’s support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We remind you that the need to amend the legislation that would allow the military to destroy suspicious drones that enter Romanian territory was recently discussed in Bucharest, after several Russian drones illegally entered Romanian airspace in the last year.

     

    PAGERS – A simultaneous explosion of handheld pagers killed 9 people and injured nearly 3,000 in Lebanon on Tuesday. Many of the victims are fighters from the Shiite group Hezbollah, international news agencies report. According to the NGO  Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, following similar incidents, 14 Hezbollah members were injured in Syria as well, AFP reports. The blasts took place at 3:30 pm local time, in areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. The wave of explosions continued for about an hour. According to security sources and video footage,  some of the explosions occurred after the pagers had rang and the victims had grabbed or held them close to their faces to read the message on the screens. The explosions, of small scale, usually injured only the pager holder or someone very close. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beirut spoke of an Israeli computer attack, while the Ministry of the Interior said that the attack violated Lebanon’s sovereignty. The Israeli military declined to comment. Hezbollah began using pagers to avoid being located by the Israelis. The movement supports the Palestinian group Hamas, which is at war with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Militants from Lebanon frequently attacked Israeli territory with rockets.

     

    COMMISSIONER – “We cannot re-launch the economy without competitive jobs, without a quality of labor relations, without protecting citizens in the face of price increases, in the face of this risk of falling into poverty for many categories, without offering lifelong skills to all those who enter the labor market”, the future European Commissioner for Skills and Education, Jobs, Social Rights and Demography, the Romanian Roxana Mânzatu has said today. In an exclusive interview on Radio Romania, she also said that among the priorities of her mandate are supporting children living in poverty, who are at risk of exclusion.

     

    HEALTHCARE – It is World Patient Safety Day today, which calls for global solidarity and concerted action by all countries and international partners to improve patient safety. WPS Day brings together patients, families, caregivers, communities, health workers, healthcare leaders and policy-makers to show their commitment to patient safety. Emblematic buildings, monuments, public institutions and hospitals in the capital Bucharest and in other Romanian cities will be lit up in orange this evening, to mark the event. This year’s theme is “improving diagnosis for patient safety”. According to the World Health Organization, each year, diagnostic errors account for an estimated 16% of preventable harm in health care, with tremendous human and economic consequences.

     

    BUSINESS– In Romania, the Start-Up Nation program through which the state offers non-refundable aid of maximum 50,000 euros to eligible people who want to open a business is currently under public debate. The budget allocated to this year’s edition exceeds 400 million euros.  The registration of  companies that will provide training courses to future entrepreneurs began on Tuesday. As of October 10 the registration of natural persons for the Start-Up Nation 2024 courses will be open.

     

    HANDBALL – CS Dinamo Bucharest handball team plays, this evening, away, against the Polish team Orlen Wisla Plock, in the Men’s Handball Champions League’s Group A. Last week, the Romanians debuted with a clear victory in the League’s new season, after they defeated at home the Danish team Fredericia, 37-28.

     

     

     

     

  • The Week in Review 9-15.09.2024

    The Week in Review 9-15.09.2024

    A new school year in Romania

    Schools must be absolutely safe for the students, the teaching staff and the rest of the educational staff, said, on Monday, President Klaus Iohannis, who participated in the opening ceremony of the new school year at a college in Bucharest. Attending the event alongside the Education Minister, Ligia Deca, the head of state emphasized that one of the top priorities of the “Educated Romania” project, transposed into the education laws of 2023, was the creation of a school and university environment that is not only conducive to educational development, but is also a space where all those involved feel protected and respected. Approximately three million Romanian preschoolers and pupils started a new school year on Monday. The government promises that the 2024-2025 school year will be the last one in which pupils go to school in three shifts. At present, there are only 19 such units in Bucharest and in Ilfov county (near Bucharest). According to the Education Ministry, at the beginning of the school year, 800 schools out of the total of over 6,000 school units in Romania are relocated for reasons of rehabilitation, modernization or construction.

     

    Romanian and the war in Ukraine

    Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, has convened the meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) for September 19, in Bucharest, the Presidential Administration announced on Thursday. The agenda of the meeting includes topics related to the stage and prospects of the conflict in Ukraine following the illegal and unjustified aggression of Russia and the consequences for Romania, as well as the opportunities provided by the new geopolitical context for the consolidation of the Strategic Partnership with the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet with a majority Romanian-speaking population). In this sense, he mentions ‘ensuring the irreversibility of the European roadmap’ of the neighboring state. The CSAT members will also discuss the National Plan for the Implementation of the Civil Pact in the field of Common Security and Defense Policy, as well as the Endowment Plan of the Romanian Army for the period 2025 – 2034. Also on Thursday, the Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, stated, in a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, that the Black Sea was no longer an area of ​​cooperation, but a theater of war, as a result of the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation. According to the Defense Ministry, the Romanian minister reiterated the firm message of condemnation of the unjustified attacks and in serious contradiction with the norms of international law carried out by the Russian Federation against the civil port infrastructure of Ukraine on the Danube, in the proximity of the border with Romania. Rustem Umerov sent a message of gratitude regarding Romania’s decision to donate a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. He also thanked for the support given to Ukraine since the first day of the war of aggression started by Russia, in terms of humanitarian, diplomatic, grain export support, as well as in relation to other important areas.

     

    Electoral period in Romania

    The electoral period for the presidential election in Romania began on Thursday, with the setting up of the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), according to the timetable approved by the Romanian Government. The BEC members were appointed by drawing of lots. Candidacies can be submitted until October 5 at the latest, and the election campaign will begin on October 25. The Romanian citizens with their domicile or residence abroad can vote by mail, and the deadline for submitting requests in this regard is September 24. The first round of the presidential election will take place on November 24, and the second on December 8. Also, Romanians will be called to the polls on December 1, on the National Day, when the parliamentary elections are scheduled.

     

    National Theatre Troupes are meeting in Chișinău

    16 national theatre troupes from Romania and the Republic of Moldova convened on Tuesday and will be together until September 22 in Chisinau for the 9th edition of the ‘Romanian National Theatres Convention’. In this period of time, theatre lovers in the capital of the Republic of Moldova will enjoy 46 cultural events such as outdoor and indoor performances, radio drama shows and premieres. The event will also include book launches and meetings with leading figures from the world of culture and theatre. The event in Chisinau is unfolding under the title “European Connections” and the patronage of the presidents of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, Klaus Iohannis and Maia Sandu, respectively. The event’s honorary guest is the “Ivan Franko Theatre” from Kyiv.

     

    Romania’s Olympic and Paralympic Athletes awarded by president Klaus Iohannis

    During a ceremony on Wednesday, the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, gave awards to the athletes who represented Romania at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Taking the floor during the event Iohannis said quote, “it is essential that sport find its well-deserved place among the national priorities.” According to the president, the medals obtained by our athletes in Paris are “a symbol of the rejuvenation of the Romanian sports”.

    We recall that at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, athletes from Romania obtained four gold, four silver and three bronze medals. A judoka from Romania obtained gold and a table tennis player, silver in the Paralympic Games.

    In the Olympics, Romanian swimmer David Popovici won gold in the 200 meter freestyle race, and so did our double scull and eight crews. Silver came from the weight-lifting competition, the double scull and the pair races. Bronze medals were also claimed by swimmers and gymnasts from Romania.

    (LS&bill)

  • September 13, 2024 UPDATE

    September 13, 2024 UPDATE

    A roundup of local and international news.

     


    Energy.     The Romanian government will ask for compensations from the European Union for the significant differences in energy prices between the west and the east of Europe, said energy minister Sebastian Burduja. He gave assurances that the domestic energy production is sufficient in the event of a mild or moderately cold winter, and in the event of a harsh winter, Romania has an interconnection capacity that allows it to supply the needed demand. According to official data, natural gas storages are filled up to 96.53%, which is 177.7 million cubic metres more than last year. Romania is still the European Union’s second largest gas producer.

     

    Pilots. The first four Ukrainian pilots have arrived in Romania to start training for the F-16 jets, the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense, Constantin Spînu, said on Friday. He also said that for the time being, the pilots attend theoretical courses, the practical phase being scheduled to start at the end of the year. Ukraine received F-16 jets from the West and wants to be able to use them as soon as possible to counter Russian attacks. On Thursday, Minister Angel Tîlvăr reconfirmed, in a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, Romania’s firm commitment to further supporting Ukraine.

     

    Visa Waiver. Romania is very close to fulfilling all technical criteria to enter the Visa Waiver Program, said the country’s ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru. He had talks with the US secretary of homeland security Alejandro Mayorkas about the joint actions to be carried out by the two countries in the coming period for Romania to join the Visa Waiver Program. Muraru said Romania is weeks away from meeting the last technical requirement, the rejection rate. Under US law, an obligatory condition for a country to be considered eligible for the Visa Waiver Program is for the rejection rate of visitor visas to be under 3% in the year before joining the program.

     

    EU Budget. Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureşan, one of the two chief negotiators of the European Parliament for the future budget of the Union, says that the new financial exercise must focus on the aid granted through the Common Agricultural Policy and through the Cohesion Policy. According to him, adjustments must be made to face competitiveness and adapt to the needs of farmers. In addition, Siegfried Mureşan believes that the Cohesion Policy must also include the new realities in the field of defense and security, against the background of uncertainties caused by the war in Ukraine.

     

     Russia strike. The Romanian foreign ministry firmly condemns the Russian strike against a grain vessel in the Black Sea waters. “This is an unprecedented escalation of the actions of the Russian Federation in its illegal and unjustified war against Ukraine. The deliberate attack against a commercial vessel is a grave violation of humanitarian international law regarding warfare at sea”, said the foreign ministry in a statement. The ministry calls on the Russian Federation to put an end to all attacks against commercial vessels and to comply with the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. NATO strongly condemned as well the Russian attack on a civilian grain ship in the Black Sea. A Russian missile hit a commercial vessel in the Black Sea that was carrying grains from Ukraine to Egypt, with no casualties reported, said Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.

     

     

     

  • Consequences of the War in Ukraine

    Consequences of the War in Ukraine

    The head of the Romanian state, Klaus Iohannis, has summoned the country’s Higher Defence Council, a.k.a CSAT, for next week, on September 19 to be precise. High on the agenda are issues related to the stage and the prospects of the conflict in Ukraine following the illegal and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation but also related to the opportunities offered by the new geo-political context for strengthening the Strategic Partnership with the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet, Romanian-speaking country.

    In this sense, “the irreversibility of Moldova’s European progress is assured”. The CSAT’s meeting comes after on Saturday night several Russian attack drones violated Romania’s airspace on their way to various targets in Ukraine.

    Two F-16 fighters immediately took off to monitor the drones. According to Romanian defence officials, the drones were not shot down because they were not hostile.  Defence Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, told Radio Romania that if the Romanian territory had been attacked, the threat would have been eliminated right away.

    Angel Tilvar: “I can say – and don’t believe I’m telling you something of a high level of confidentiality – we and our allies are seeing in real time what is happening on the national territory. We were actually monitoring the drone since its very entrance into the Romanian airspace, we dispatched two F-16s which followed it. And if the conclusion had been the drone’s intention was to strike we would have taken the measures required in these situations. So, there was no element of a threat that we couldn’t handle. And I am sending this clear message to eliminate all speculations that we weren’t ready for a response.”  

    On Thursday Defence Minister Tîlvăr talked on the phone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, and again lashed out at the Russian attacks against Ukraine’s civil port infrastructure on the Danube, close to Romania’s border, and against the civilians in that country. The two also talked about Romania’s efforts to support Ukraine’s armed forces and the effective coordination of the multinational assistance projects Romania is part of, such as the European Training Center for F-16 personnel in Fetesti, south-eastern Romania, where the Ukrainian pilots will be  training to use this type of jet fighter. In turn, Minister Umerov thanked Romania for the support it had given to his country since the first day of the conflict, support consisting of humanitarian and diplomatic actions, in supporting its grain exports and other major fields. He also conveyed a message of gratitude regarding Romania’s decision to donate a Patriot missile system to Ukraine.

    (bill)

     

  • September 12, 2024

    September 12, 2024

    RCA Romania has the most expensive civil liability insurance for car owners, RCA, in the region, roughly 220 Euros, although compensations have dropped by 9% – representatives of the Confederation of Authorized Operators and Transporters, COTAR, say. According to them the average RCA prices in Bulgaria is around 100 Euros, in Hungary 98 Euros and in Poland 120. COTAR representatives are blaming the situation on the Financial Supervisory Authority, whose representatives say the institution cannot intervene on the RCA price, which is based upon statistical data regarding compensations and damages paid in road accidents in the past years and other risk criteria.

     

    STRIKE The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has issued heads-up for the Romanians traveling to Belgium that a 24-hour strike has been announced on the Charleroi Airport, which is expected to cripple the airport’s operational capabilities. A series of flights are being cancelled and passengers are advised to check online the lists posted by various airlines. According to a communiqué issued by the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, Romania’s embassy in Brussels has made available a hot line for the Romanian citizens in difficult, special and emergency situations.

     

    HANDBALL The Romanian handball champions, Dinamo Bucharest, are making their debut tonight in the EHF Champions League in a match against the Danish vice-champions Fredericia HK. Dinamo was included in the Champions League’s Group A and it avoided the finalists of the recently ended season, the champion side Barcelona and the team which lost the finals Aalborg Handbold. The Romanian side will be up against Fuchse Berlin, Sporting Lisbon, Paris Saint-Germain Handball as well as Veszprem HC, presently coached by its former headcoach Xavi Pascual. In the women’s contests, Romania is being represented by three sides, which already played their first matches last weekend. The Romanian derby Gloria Bistrita versus CSM Bucharest ended 30-26 to Bistrita, while Rapid Bucharst secured a 32-27 home win against the double European champions Buducnost Podgorica.

     

    LAW Parliament in Bucharest on Wednesday tackled some law amendments aimed at enabling the army to annihilate the suspect drones entering Romania’s territory. The talks involved the participation of MPs and representatives of the Ministry of Defence. Romanian MPs believe that some legislative amendments are needed in order to improve the response capabilities when unauthorized or suspect drones are entering the Romanian airspace. The talks were held after several Russian drones had entered the Romanian airspace in the past year on their way to targets in the neighboring Ukraine.

     

    WEATHER In Romania’s northeastern and eastern regions temperatures are normal for this time of the year, whereas in the rest of the territory the weather is warm. Showers and thunderstorms are expected in most regions in the country’s east and north-east and on isolated areas in the north and center. The highs of the day are expected between 20 and 31 degrees Celsius with a noon reading in Bucharest of 21 degrees and a high of 29 degrees Celsius.

    (bill)

     

  • September 9, 2024 UPDATE

    September 9, 2024 UPDATE

    Drones – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated, on Monday, in relation to the Russian drones that entered the national airspace, that Romania had a real-time reaction and monitored the situation with F16 planes, noting that these drones had no targets on Romanian territory. On the night of Saturday to Sunday, a Russian drone entered Romania’s airspace, after which it headed towards Ukraine, the Romanian Defense Ministry reported. In response, two F-16 fighter jets took off urgently from a military base in the southeast of the country to monitor the aerial situation. At the same time, the institution informed that it had deployed ground teams and aerial means in the area of ​​Periprava, in Tulcea county, where pieces of the drones used by Russia in the attack on port facilities in Ukraine, located near the border with Romania, fell. Following this incident, the Romanian authorities protested against the repeated violation of the country’s airspace, as well as against the repeated attacks against the Ukrainian population and civil infrastructure.

     

    School – Schools must be absolutely safe for students, the teaching staff and the rest of the education staff, President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday, at the opening ceremony of the new school year at a college in Bucharest. Attending the event together with the education minister, Ligia Deca, the head of state emphasized that one of the priority objectives of the “Educated Romania” project, transposed into the education laws of 2023, was the creation of a school and university environment that is not only conducive to educational development, but it is also a space where all those involved feel protected and respected. Approximately three million Romanian preschoolers and pupils started a new school year on Monday. The government promises that the 2024-2025 school year will be the last in which students go to school in three shifts. Currently, there are only 19 such units in Bucharest and in Ilfov county (near Bucharest). According to the Education Ministry, at the beginning of the school year, 800 schools are relocated for reasons of rehabilitation, modernization or construction out of the total of over 6,000 schools in Romania.

     

    Order – The presence of law enforcement was ensured, on the first day of school, at every educational unit in Romania, in order to maintain the climate of order and public safety, the spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, Monica Dajbog, announced. She specified that approximately 25,000 employees of the ministry were mobilized at the national level within the framework of public order and security corps, and, distinctly, approximately 8,000 people from the ministry were present at the pre-university education units. Also, the traffic police intensified their activities in the area of ​​educational institutions. Road crews acted to streamline traffic and prevent accidents, paying special attention to situations that may endanger children. Monica Dajbog also said that actions to prevent and combat drug trafficking and consumption among young people remained a priority.

     

    Drills – Between September 9-13, troops of the Romanian Land Forces will carry out joint exercises with foreign soldiers near the town of Sfântu Gheorghe in Covasna county (center). The leaders of the 22nd Mountain Hunter Battalion ‘Cireşoaia’ informs that the maneuvers are aimed at training the soldiers on the ground in carrying out actions in the NATO context and validating the techniques, tactics and procedures in the execution of actions in mountainous-wooded terrain. During the activities, the military will use practice ammunition. Both last year and this year, several training exercises took place in Covasna county, in which both land and air troops from military structures of the Defense Ministry and from NATO countries participated.

     

    Film – The New Year That Never Came, directed, written and produced by Bogdan Mureşanu, won awards at the Venice International Film Festival, including the jury award of the International Federation of Film Critics and the award for best script from the independent critics. The film’s cinematographer Boróka Biró won a special mention. This is Bogdan Mureşanu’s first feature film and the story takes place in one day, on the day before the anticommunist Revolution of 1989. (LS)

  • Drone alerts on the Eastern Flank

    Drone alerts on the Eastern Flank

    The terror campaign the Russian army is carrying out in Ukraine continued last weekend unabated. According to the Ukrainian Air Forces, Russia launched 67 long-range drones in a large-scale night attack against 11 Ukrainian regions. On their way to targets, these drones are also violating the air space of the countries neighboring Ukraine, as it happened again last nights. One of these Russian drones has crashed close to the town of Rezekne in eastern Latvia, 50 kilometers close to the borders of this NATO country with Belarus and Russia.

    Land troops and air surveillance devices belonging to Romania’s Ministry of National Defence have been deployed to conduct search operations in the regions close to Periprava, in Tulcea County, south-eastern Romania, where parts of the drones the Russians used to bomb Ukraine’s ports on the Danube have allegedly crashed.

    The Bucharest administration has announced that a Russian drone on Saturday night entered Romania’s airspace on its way to Ukrainian targets. In response two F-16 fighters had been ordered to take off to monitor the situation and the General Inspectorate for Emergency situations had issued heads-up in the counties of Tulcea and Constanta, in Romania’s south-east, against the risk of falling debris.

    On Sunday morning the Romanian Ministry of Defence briefed the allied structures over the situation created and conveyed a firm message of condemning these attacks mounted by the Russian Federation against elements of Ukrainian civil infrastructure, which the Romanian side considers ‘unjustified and in severe contradiction with international law’.

    A protest message has also been issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry. The diplomacy in Bucharest said the radars of Romania’s armed forces had identified a drone, which violated the country’s airspace on its way to an Ukrainian target, and called for the cessation of Russia’s irresponsible escalation of the security situation.

    Romania’s Foreign Ministry has also called for the observance of the rule of law including in the case involving the inviolability of Romania’s airspace and has reiterated its vehement condemnation of these illegal attacks. Since the onset of the Russian invasion of that country in February 2022, Russian troops have launched thousands of missiles and long-range drones against various military and civil objectives causing numerous victims against the population. Following these attacks, a series of Russian drones fell on the Romanian territory mostly in unpopulated areas. In order to fight off such attacks, Romania has joined the countries that are donating to Ukraine some of their surface-to-air Patriot missiles.

    (bill)

  • The Week in Review

    The Week in Review

    Amnesty for debtors

     

    The government of Romania Wednesday passed a draft emergency order introducing a tax amnesty for companies and individuals. The document provides for bonuses for those who pay their taxes on time, and for those who agree to pay their back taxes. At the end of August, legal entities and private taxpayers had a total of over EUR 14 billion in debts to the state budget. The government invites taxpayers to cover these amounts by November 25, in exchange for having their interests and penalties written off. On the other hand, the government offers a 3% deduction for the taxpayers who do not fall behind on their taxes. The bill, drafted by the finance ministry, also comprises austerity measures for the public sector, which involve ceilings on the procurement of goods and services.

     

    Donation for Ukraine

     

    The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Thursday signed into law the bill on the donation of a Patriot surface-to-air missile system purchased from the USA to third countries. The legislation, previously endorsed in Parliament, approves a donation agreed on with the American partner to Russia-invaded Ukraine. Also, under the law, “the government of Romania is authorised to take the required measures to rebuild the ground-based air defence capability” by assigning contracts to the US government for the procurement of another Patriot system.

     

    Support for Israel

     

    Romania firmly condemns the terror attacks against Israel and calls on all the parties involved to help restore security and to contribute to a ceasefire agreement. This was the message conveyed on Thursday in Jerusalem by the PM Marcel Ciolacu, at a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, Ciolacu voiced concern with respect to the security situation and the risk of conflict escalation. Accompanied by the ministers of defence, foreign affairs and economy, the PM was on an official working visit to Israel, whose agenda also included a meeting with the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog. This is the second visit by the Romanian PM to Israel in less than a year, after the one on October 17, 2023, ten days after Israel had been attacked by the Hamas Islamist group.

     

    European Commissioner Post for Romania

     

    The Social Democratic MEP Roxana Mînzatu is Romania’s official proposal for the post of European Commissioner. The announcement was made on Monday by Prime Minister Ciolacu, who said that he would discuss with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the portfolio that Romania will manage. The makeup of the future European Executive is to be announced on September 11. Also in Brussels, the Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan (from the European People’s Party Group) was designated by the political groups of the European Parliament as chief negotiator of the future multiannual budget of the European Union post-2027. Covering a period of over 7 years, it has a total value of approximately 1,300 billion Euros, being the pool from which the member states receive the largest part of the non-reimbursable European funds for investments and for agricultural subsidies. The Parliament is to set its priorities regarding the EU’s multiannual budget. They will be forwarded to the European Commission to be included in the draft budget. From the current multi-annual financial year, 2021 – 2027, Romania benefits from around 46 billion Euros, to which the amounts from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan are also added.

     

    Jam on the road to presidency

     

    The Romanian Mircea Geoană resigned on Tuesday from the position of NATO Deputy Secretary General. It is the end of a five-year mandate, marked by the war in Ukraine and the withdrawal of allied troops from Afghanistan. Geoana said, in an interview for Radio Romania, that he would continue to use his influence to promote Romanians in international forums, including NATO, and that he felt the need to return to domestic politics. The press had been anticipating this announcement for more than two years already, and considered Geoană’s candidacy, as an independent, very likely in the presidential election due at the end of the year. A former ambassador to the United States, a former foreign minister and former Social Democratic leader, Geoană also ran for presidency in 2009, when he lost to Traian Băsescu. Other candidates to  Romania’s presidency are all the leaders of the parliamentary parties: Marcel Ciolacu (Social Democratic Party – PSD), Nicolae Ciucă (National Liberal Party – PNL), Elena Lasconi (Save Romania Union – USR), George Simion (The Alliance for the Union for Romanians – AUR) or Kelemen Hunor (The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR). (AMP, LS)

  • September 4, 2024 – UPDATE

    September 4, 2024 – UPDATE

     

    VISIT PM Marcel Ciolacu makes a one-day visit to Israel on Thursday, to express solidarity with the authorities of that country in the current context in the Middle East. He is accompanied by the foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu, and by the economy minister, Radu Oprea. The Romanian PM will have a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, and will be received by the Israeli president, Itzhak Herzog, and the Parliament speaker. The Romanian delegation travels to Israel on a military aircraft.

     

    DEFENCE A meeting of the B.9 defence ministers will be hosted by Bucharest this September, under a resolution passed by the Government on Wednesday. B.9 meetings are held regularly at head of state, foreign minister and defence minister level, as “opportunities to harmonise” member states’ national positions on topics to be included on the agenda of NATO summits and assemblies. Launched at the initiative of Romania and Poland in 2015, the Bucharest 9 format is a platform to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the Allies on NATO’s eastern flank: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

     

    BUDGET The Romanian government Wednesday passed measures to improve the collection of budget claims, to better utilise the funds earmarked for public services and to support investments implemented by local and central authorities from foreign financing sources. Bonuses are stipulated for those who pay their taxes on time. Another set of measures concerns taxpayers with debts at the end of August 2024. In their case, interests and late filing and late payment penalties are written off, provided that the principal debt is paid by November 25, 2024. The budget deficit target for this year could be reached, the finance ministry says, if measures are implemented to improve the collection of debts to the state budget, which were over EUR 14 bln at the end of August. Economists expect the budget deficit to be over 7% of GDP this year.

     

    UKRAINE Ukraine needs “fresh energy” after two and a half years of war against Russia, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, to explain an on-going government reshuffle that includes the country’s foreign minister, AFP and Reuters report. The reshuffle is the largest in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. The Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, 5 other ministers and deputy PMs, as well as the official in charge of the privatization of state assets, have submitted their resignations to Parliament. Dmytro Kuleba has been one of the most vocal Ukrainian officials since the start of the war against Russia. He has constantly requested stronger Western assistance for Ukraine, and has tried to win over the countries wooed by Moscow, especially in Africa and Asia.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team Friday begin their new season in the UEFA Nations’ League. The Romanian footballers will play their first match away from home against Kosovo, and on Monday, September 9, they will face Lithuania at home. Cyprus is also part of Romania’s group, C2. First place in the group means direct promotion to League B in the next edition of the League, while second place leads to play-offs for promotion. On the other hand, the 4th place leads to direct relegation to League D, while the 3rd place keeps the national team in League C for the next edition as well. Being ranked in the League of Nations groups also has a direct influence on the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Championship. The new coach of the national team is Mircea Lucescu, who returns to this post after almost 4 decades. Edward Iordanescu left the post after Euro 2024, in which Romania qualified for the round of 16. (AMP)

  • August 30, 2024 UPDATE

    August 30, 2024 UPDATE

    Visit – Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will be paying a formal visit to Chişinău at the invitation of his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu. The visit comes against the background of the two countries’ celebrating the Day of the Romanian language on August 31st. Iohannis is expected to deliver a firm message of support and encouragement for the authorities and citizens of the Republic of Moldova in their efforts to modernize and democratize the country and for the irreversible implementation of the rule of law and the European roadmap – the presidential administration has announced. The president will also be making an appeal to international partners to carry on their multidimensional assistance to the Republic of Moldova mainly in the context of the aggression war Russia is presently waging on Ukraine and all the risks entailed by this situation.

     

    Sanctions – Romania supports the adoption of new sanctions against Russia. During Thursday’s informal meeting, in Brussels, of the European Foreign Ministers with their Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Kuleba, the Romanian FM Luminiţa Odobescu emphasized that the pressure on Moscow must be maintained and the military and energy support given to Ukraine must be continued. The issue of military aid for Kyiv was also discussed on Friday at the informal meeting of the defense ministers of the member states. The agenda of the meeting also included the operational commitments carried out under the auspices of the Common Security and Defense Policy, the EU’s level of preparation in the field of defense and the prospects for the development of the EU Satellite Center. The Secretary of State for Defense Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, who represented Romania, highlighted the essential role of the European Union Military Assistance Mission to support Ukraine (EUMAM UA), as well as of the European Peace Facility. She also reiterated the existence of challenges in the extended Black Sea region, caused by the Russian Federation’s war of aggression.

     

    Football – The Romanian football champions, FCSB, qualified to the Europa League groups after the victory obtained, on Thursday evening, in Bucharest, against the Austrian team LASK Linz, with the score 1-0, in the decisive leg of the play-off. The first leg had ended in a draw, 1 all. The vice-champions CFR Cluj (north-west) failed to qualify to the Conference League groups, after losing, away from home, score 3-0, the play-off decisive match against the Cypriot team FC Pafos. In the first leg, Cluj won 1-0. The English team Manchester United and the Scottish team Glasgow Rangers are among FCSB’s opponents in the main phase of the Europa League, according to Friday’s drawing of lots in Monaco. The other opponents of FCSB are the Greek teams PAOK Thessaloniki and Olympiakos Piraeus, FC Midtjylland – the champion of Denmark, Qarabag FK – the champion of Azerbaijan, the German team Hoffenheim and FK RFS – the champion of Latvia.

     

    Internship – 148 young Romanians finished the government internship program that started on July 1 on Friday. For two months, they worked in government departments, ministries and other central public institutions. Mihai Ghigiu, the head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, told them that they are needed in the public administration. He showed that the average age in the administration will reach 50 years, which means that in the next 6-7-8 years many areas will be left without specialists. Mihai Ghigiu encouraged the young people to go and study abroad, and to use the acquired knowledge in Romania. (LS)

     

  • August 30, 2024

    August 30, 2024

    SANCTIONS Romania supports the adoption of new sanctions against Russia. At the informal meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmitro Kuleba, on Thursday, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu, said that pressure has to be kept on Moscow and so has military and energy support for Ukraine. The issue of the military support for Ukraine is presently being talked upon by Defence Ministries of the EU countries. Talks are focusing on the EU operation, already underway, to train the Ukrainian soldiers to defend their country against the Russian invasion, DPA reports. A new plan of relocating some of these training operations to Ukraine will be discussed. Some of these training sessions are presently being held in Germany and Poland and the mission kicked off in November 2022. According to data released in May, 52 thousand Ukrainian troops had benefitted from this training.

     

    VISIT Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will be paying a formal visit to Chisinau at the invitation of his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu. The visit comes against the background of the two countries’ celebrating the Day of the Romanian language on August 31st. Iohannis is expected to deliver a firm message of support and encouragement for the authorities and citizens of the Republic of Moldova in their efforts to modernize and democratize the country and for the irreversible implementation of the rule of law and the European roadmap – the presidential administration has announced. The president will also be making an appeal to international partners to carry on their multidimensional assistance to the Republic of Moldova mainly in the context of the aggression war Russia is presently waging on Ukraine and all the risks entailed by this situation.

     

    VISIT Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will be paying a formal visit to Chisinau at the invitation of his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu. The visit comes against the background of the two countries’ celebrating the Day of the Romanian language on August 31st. Iohannis is expected to deliver a firm message of support and encouragement for the authorities and citizens of the Republic of Moldova in their efforts to modernize and democratize the country and for the irreversible implementation of the rule of law and the European roadmap – the presidential administration has announced. The president will also be making an appeal to international partners to carry on their multidimensional assistance to the Republic of Moldova mainly in the context of the aggression war Russia is presently waging on Ukraine and all the risks entailed by this situation.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions FCSB have qualified for the Europa League’s groups after the one-nil victory in Bucharest on Thursday against Austrian side LASK Linz. The first game ended in a draw, one-all. Unfortunately Romania’s vice-champions CFR Cluj failed to qualify for the Conference League. The Romanians were knocked out by the Cypriotes of FC Pafos, who won the decisive play-offs game 3-0. The first game went to CFR, 1-0. FCSB will today be learning their opponents in their group.

     

    TENNIS Romanian tennis player, Gabriela Ruse, is today playing Spanish Paula Badosa in the third round of the US Open, the year’s last Grand Slam tournament. Coming straight form the qualifiers, the Romanian caused a big surprise in the competition’s second round after securing a win against Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia, winner of this year’s edition of Wimbledon. This has been Gabriela’s first qualification for the third round of a Grand Slam tournament.

     

    WEATHER And now a couple of things about the weather, which is unstable with showers and thunderstorms reported in almost the entire Romanian territory and on isolated areas on the Black Sea coast. However, the weather remains warm in the country’s western regions. The highs of the ray are ranging from 24 to 34 degrees Celsius.

    (bill)