Radio România Internațional

Tag: Un Summit

  • September 19 – 25

    September 19 – 25

    The Romanian prime minister attends UN General Assembly
    session


    Romania fully acknowledges the joint responsibility for
    managing the large refugee flow, said prime minister Dacian Ciolos at the UN
    Summit for Refugees and Migrants. This was the first such summit held by the
    United Nations, as part of its annual General Assembly meeting. In his address,
    the Romanian prime minister pointed out that Bucharest would step up efforts to
    meet global challenges like poverty, climate change, terrorism and conflicts, in
    the spirit of international solidarity and joint responsibility. Dacian Ciolos
    also spoke about Romania’s active contribution to the peacekeeping efforts,
    saying that Romanian police and military troops are currently taking part in
    peacekeeping operations. He also said his country was in favour of further
    supporting the reconciliation process in the Middle East and explained that
    Romania would continue to provide substantial political, diplomatic, financial
    and human resources to maintaining regional and global stability.





    The government issues report on
    Romania’s economy

    Right before leaving for the US, prime minister Dacian
    Ciolos presented Parliament with a report on Romania’s economy. The economic
    growth rate estimated for this year is 4.8%, as compared to an earlier forecast
    of 4.2%. In short time it has been in power, Romania’s technocratic government
    has tried to ensure an investment-friendly economic environment and an
    efficient and transparent way of managing public funds. The 5.2% growth rate of
    the first half of the year has translated into more jobs, a lower unemployment
    rate and higher salaries, Dacian Ciolos also said. He announced that a state
    aid scheme to support small and medium enterprises would be implemented by the
    end of the year. The Government is also working on a reform of the social
    security system and on tax facilities for those who invest in professional
    training. In other economic news, the French carmaker Renault will move some
    production of its Dacia Logan MCV model from its plant in Mioveni, southern
    Romania, to the one in Tangiers, Morocco. This will free up capacity to build
    more Duster cars, which are in high demand in Europe.

    Romanians protest
    against corruption in their country




    Thousands of people protested on Thursday and Friday in
    Bucharest and several other major cities across Romania against the Senate’s
    decision to halt a manslaughter investigation targeting the former Interior
    Minister Gabriel Oprea, after a police officer escorting him died in a motorcycle
    accident. During the rally in Bucharest, protesters demanded justice and said
    no one should be above the law. Early this week, the Senate voted against
    lifting Gabriel Oprea’s parliamentary immunity. However, against the backdrop
    of controversies over the result of the vote, on Friday, the former minister
    announced he would step down from the position of Senator. Earlier, Romania’s
    President, Klaus Iohannis, said that decisions like the one made by the Senate
    in Oprea’s case proved that a parliamentary reform, with the renewal of the
    current political class, was necessary.




    Klaus Iohannis: In my opinion, we will not be able to
    change things until we have untainted, dedicated people into Parliament. I do
    not wish to be misunderstood. I have nothing against anybody, but in politics
    whoever has a problem needs to understand that they cannot move on until that
    matter is clarified.






    Three babies die in measles epidemics

    Parents’ refusal to have their children vaccinated
    against measles and the irresponsible campaigns against child immunization have
    had their consequences: according to official data released by the Healthcare
    Ministry in Romania this week, 3 infants died and nearly 700 got sick in the
    first 8 months of the year, as compared to only 7 confirmed cases and no deaths
    last year. In other words, Romania is facing a measles epidemic. Consequently,
    the Ministry announced it would continue to raise people’s awareness of the
    benefits of vaccination.


    Laurentiu Colintineanu: The various campaigns that have been
    conducted are indeed a problem we cannot ignore and the Healthcare Ministry
    intends to run an awareness raising campaign on the benefits of vaccination in
    the very near future, in the next few weeks more precisely, because children’s
    safety and health are a priority.


    The most affected areas are the west and the central
    part of Romania, but measles cases have been reported in over half of the
    counties.






    Timisoara is awarded title of European
    capital of culture in 2021

    Timisoara has been designated European Capital of
    Culture in 2021 by an international jury. Upon learning the news, the mayor of
    this western Romanian city, Nicolae Robu, described this a great teamwork
    victory.


    Nicolae Robu:
    This is very, very exciting news for me. I’m also very happy, as I am sure all
    my fellow citizens of Timisoara are. I would like to thank the local community
    for the efforts they have made, the skills they put into the service of this
    project and their unflinching support, because this is the victory of a team,
    of a great team, namely community of Timisoara as a whole.


    In separate cultural news, the only international
    symphonic music festival devoted to radio orchestras, RadiRo started on Friday
    in Bucharest. Hosted by Radio Romania, the 9-day long festival includes
    performances by highly respected radio orchestras, conductors and soloists.

  • September 22, 2016 UPDATE

    September 22, 2016 UPDATE

    CORRUPTION – Ioana Basescu, the eldest daughter of former Romanian President, Traian Basescu, is subject to legal restrictions, pending trial, being investigated for incitement to abuse of office and money laundering. Also, the former development minister in the Boc cabinet, MP Elena Udrea is subject to legal restrictions in a new case, on financing the electoral campaign for the 2009 presidential election, won by Traian Basescu. Judicial sources say Elena Udrea and Ioana Basescu are also allegedly involved in the file of former state secretary with the Development Ministry, Gheorghe Nastasia. Nastasias lawyer confirmed that the former state secretary is prosecuted by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for bribe taking.



    UN – Romania steps up efforts to meet global challenges like poverty, climate change, terrorism and conflicts, in the spirit of international solidarity and joint responsibility, the PM of Romania, Dacian Ciolos, said in his address at the UN General Assembly session in New York. He added that at present Romania holds the presidency of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, while Romanian military and police troops take part in peacekeeping missions. Romania will continue to earmark substantial political, diplomatic, financial and human resources to maintaining regional and global stability, the head of the Romanian government also said. On Thursday, PM Ciolos held talks with the Secretary General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and with American business people who invest in Romania. He also had meetings with members of the Romanian community in New York. On Tuesday, PM Dacian Ciolos discussed with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, the prospects for lifting visa requirements for Romanian citizens, and attended the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants.



    MIGRATION – At the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants in New York Romania did not make any relocation commitments in addition to the decision made at EU level, the Romanian Foreign Ministry says in a news release. The Ministry mentions that Romania takes part in the common European effort in this respect, by means of “implementing internal relocation decisions made in 2015 and of voluntarily participating in the foreign relocation process.



    ANTI-FRAUD – The head of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Giovanni Kessler, hailed in Bucharest the efforts of Romanian authorities to curb fraud. He added that the Anti-Fraud Department in Romania is the Europeans main partner and a success model for Romanias anti-fraud strategy aimed at building a better, corruption-free society. At the Albiţa checkpoint in eastern Romania Kessler had a meeting with officials of customs authorities in Romania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The main topic was cross-border cooperation, with a view to preventing and fighting illegal trafficking on the EU external borders.



    DEFENSE – On September 28 Romania will receive the first six F-16 planes from Portugal, the Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc has announced. He made this statement after a meeting with the ambassador of Portugal to Bucharest, João-Bernardo Weinstein, whom he thanked for the contribution of the Portuguese Air Forces to training the pilots and other personnel who will operate the aircraft. Romania has purchased from Portugal a total of 12 upgraded F-16 planes, compatible with the models used by the other NATO member states. The contract, signed 3 years ago, cost the Romanian Army some 630 million euro.



    MEASLES EPIDEMIC – Romania is currently facing a measles epidemics. According to the Healthcare Ministry, three infants have died and nearly 700 got sick in the first 8 months of the year, as opposed to seven confirmed cases and no deaths last year. The Ministry intends to run an awareness raising campaign regarding the benefits of immunisation.



    REP. OF MOLDOVA – Anti-corruption prosecutors in the Republic of Moldova have taken 15 judges and 3 court enforcement officers, involved in a huge money-laundering scandal. The mass media in Chisinau, quoted by Radio Romania correspondents, say they were reportedly involved in the laundering of a rough 18 billion USD coming from the Russian Federation. If proven guilty, the suspects risk spending 5 to 10 years behind bars. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • Cioloş äußert sich zur Lage der Migranten

    Cioloş äußert sich zur Lage der Migranten

    Auf dem UN-Gipfel in New York wurde über das Drama der zig Millionen Migranten, das bis jetzt keine Lösungen hatte, debattiert. US-Präsident Barack Obama erklärte, die Menschheit konfrontiere mit einer Krise von epischen Dimensionen und forderte die Staats- und Regierungschefs auf, sich vozustellen, wie das Leben ihrer Familien wäre, wenn sie das Schicksal der Flüchtlinge hätten. Obama beglückwünscht die Teilnehmerstaaten, die sich engagiert haben, in diesem Jahr 360 Tausend Flüchtlinge, doppelt so viel im Vergleich zu 2015 aufzunehmen. Die reichen Staaten müssten mehr tun, um den Flüchtlingen zu helfen. Rumäniens Premierminister Dacian Cioloş erklärte, die Welt verfüge über die notwendigen Mittel, die richtige Lösung der Flüchtlingskrise zu finden. Bukarest erkennt die gemeinsame Verantwortung in dem Umgang mit den Flüchtlingen und Migranten und verfügt über Ressourcen und Gesetze für die Unterstützung der internationalen Gemeinschaft. Dacian Cioloş dazu:



    Rumänien hat den betroffenen Staaten, der Türkei, Jordanien, Libanon, Irak und Afghanistan bilaterale Hilfe geboten. Zusammen mit den internationalen Hilfsorganisationen bietet Rumänien den Flüchtlingen die Chance eines neuen Lebens. Rumänien bietet ihnen Unterkunft in dem Transitzentrum in Temeswar.



    Der rumänische Ministerpräsident fügte hinzu, dass Rumänien allen Kindern der ausländischen Bürger, die sich dem Schutz erfreuen, das Recht auf Bildung bietet. Das EU-Land Rumänien habe die Verlagerung und die Umverteilung der Flüchtlinge unterstützt. Wie andere Mittel- und Osteuropäischen Staaten widersetzte sich Rumänien gegen die Pflicht-Quote für Flüchtlinge. Rumänien, Bulgarien oder die Slowakei haben keine Erfahrung, wenn es um derartige Aufforderungen geht. Im Vergleich zu den Weststaaten hatten die oben erwähnten Länder weder Kolonialreiche, woher Migranten zur Metropole kommen könnten, noch ein Lebensniveau, das Millionen Personen heranlocken soll. Sie hatten ebenfalls keine zahlreiche Gemeinschaften muslimischer Konfession. Bukarest, Budapest und Warschau wehrten sich gegen die verpflichtenden Quoten. Es geht nicht um Zahlen sondern um Menschen, hob der rumänische Landeschef Klaus Iohannis vor einem Jahr hervor. Er lehnte die Quoten, die in einer bürokratischen Art und ohne der Beratung des Mitgliedsstaaten festgelegt wurden, ab.

  • September 20, 2016

    September 20, 2016


    CORRUPTION Romanias President Klaus Iohannis is deeply disappointed with the Senates vote concerning the former Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea and warns that the politicians who hamper justice will never gain citizens trust and respect, a spokesperson for the presidency has stated. The head of state believes that some senators have again proven they have never understood that somebodys quilt or innocence cannot be established by a vote in parliament, but in a court of justice and has reiterated that a rule of law state cannot be above the law. Yesterday, the Senators rejected the request filed by the National Anti-corruption Directorate for the prosecution of the former Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea, accused of manslaughter. A police officer died last year in a motorcycle accident while part of Opreas official police motorcycle escort. When the accident occurred, Oprea was actually driving to a private destination, which did not entitle him to benefit from an official motorcade.



    UN SUMMIT New York is playing host to the first summit for refugees and migrants called by the UN, during the annual UN General Assembly meeting. Romanias delegation at the summit is headed by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, who is accompanied by Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu. The leaders attending the summit are analyzing the causes of migrant influxes and are trying to find solutions for the future. The Romanian officials are also promoting Romanias candidacy for a new term as non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2020-2021. On the sidelines of the event, Dacian Ciolos will meet with the UN Secretary General Bank Ki-moon and the presidents of Finland and Egypt. On Monday, Lazar Comanescu attended an informal meeting with his Bulgarian, Croat and Greek counterparts on European issues and also met with Victoria Nuland, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State. The two officials talked about the bilateral strategic partnership, regional security, migration and means of approaching it.



    BREXIT Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose country is holding the rotating presidency of the EU, has stated that the Union will make Brexit extremely painful, according to the British newspaper “The Independent”. Fico says Brussels will use Brexit to prove to the other member states how important it is to remain part of the EU. The Slovak Prime Minister has also stated that Great Britain will not be allowed to turn the EU workers into second-class workers, while still benefiting from the advantages of the single market. The British PM Theresa May has refused to guarantee the status of the EU citizens in Great Britain, but has stressed the fact that she wishes they stayed, provided the British citizens are respected in the EU member countries.



    ECONOMIC FORUM Romanias capital Bucharest is hosting the 3rd Annual Economic Forum for Central and Eastern Europe. The event has brought together the Forbes editors-in-chief from the entire region, but also authorities and business people. This year, talks are focusing on development, innovation and investment, both at macroeconomic level and by business sectors. The forum is intended as a platform for business models and investment directions.



    PROTEST Health-care trade unionists are today picketing the Labour Ministry in Bucharest. The action is part of a string of protests triggered by the staff in the sector being unhappy with their salaries. Protesters are requesting, among other things, higher incomes for social workers. At the latest negotiations, authorities said that, in order for such claims to be resolved, a unitary salary law was needed. Talks on the new draft law are due to start this week.



    TENNIS Three Romanian tennis players are taking part in the WTA tournament in Seul, with 250,000 USD in prize money. Irina Begu, ranking 23rd in the WTA classification, the first seed and holder of the title, is today playing against the South-Korean Su Jeong Hang in the first round of the competition. 55th ranked Monica Niculescu and Patricia Tig, number 135, have already qualified for the second round. Monica Niculescu will take on the Slovak Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, and Patricia Tig will try to defeat the winner of the match between Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium and the Czech Kristyna Pliskova. Monica Niculescu and Irina Begu may have to play against each other in the quarter finals.




  • September 28, 2015

    September 28, 2015

    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, who is on an official visit to the US, has talks in Washington today with Vice-president Joe Biden. The two will discuss the strategic partnership between Romania and the US, the fight against terrorism and the refugee crisis facing Europe. On Sunday, at the UN Summit focusing on a new sustainable development programme for the next 15 years, Iohannis announced that Romania would revise its national strategy on sustainable development, which will focus on supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities, of the youth and of women. Also yesterday, Klaus Iohannis gave a speech on gender equality, in which he pleaded for non-discrimination and said Romania would remain fully committed to protecting and promoting womens rights. Last night President Iohannis visited New Yorks Ground Zero, dedicated to the victims of the 2001 attacks in which 2 Romanians were also killed.




    The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, discussed in New York with the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland, particularly about the Romanian-American strategic partnership. According to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry, the two officials also analysed the bilateral cooperation in the field of energy security, with an emphasis on the need to diversify energy sources and transport routes. As for the political-military and security fields, the parties agreed that Romania and the US should work closely together for the preparation of the NATO Summit due in Warsaw in 2016.



    Large groups of immigrants Sunday continued to cross the border between Croatia and Hungary, where they were taken over by Hungarian police and taken to the registration centres in the west of the country. From there they crossed into Austria. On Saturday, the Hungarian police registered nearly 9,500 illegal immigrants, most of them at the Hungarian-Croatian border. The UN warns that the current migrant inflow to Europe will not recede, particularly considering that living standards are worsening in Iraq as well. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that some 8,000 people get into Europe every day. In turn, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, said Europe is expecting growing numbers of refugees to come from Lebanon.



    The Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice postponed to November 23 the appeal in a case in which Liviu Dragnea, the interim president of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition, is being tried for frauds in the 2012 referendum on the impeachment of president Traian Băsescu. In the court of first instance, Dragnea received a one-year imprisonment suspended sentence, for having misused his influence and position in the party in order to secure the minimum number of voters for the validation of the vote. Liviu Dragnea is also the main candidate for the presidency of the party after PM Victor Ponta, who faces corruption charges, has stepped down. The election is scheduled for October 11. Ponta was sent to court for corruption offences committed while he worked as a lawyer. His Cabinet is subject to a no-confidence motion tabled by the Liberals in Opposition on grounds that the Prime Ministers legal problems may severely affect the credibility of the country.



    A separatist alliance that promised the independence of Catalonia in north-eastern Spain won Sundays regional elections in Spain. With 99% of the ballots counted, the pro-independence coalition Junts pel Si (“Together for Yes) secured 62 seats in the regional parliament, whereas a far-left separatist party won another 10 seats. With a combined 72 seats, separatist parties have the majority in Parliament, France Presse notes. Around 77% of the 5.5 million Catalan voters took part in the polls. Spains PM Mariano Rajoy announced that the Government will never allow Catalonia to break away. EU politicians have warned that an independent Catalonia will not be a part of either the European Union or the Eurozone.



    Romanias womens table tennis team has qualified today in the finals of the European Championships in Ekaterinburg (Russia), after defeating Ukraine in the semi-final, 3-1. In the final, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Romanias team will take on the winner in the match between Germany and Russia, which is played later today. Romania has so far won three continental titles, in 1992, 2002 and 2005.




    Romanias national rugby team was defeated by Ireland, 44-10, on Sunday night on Wembley in London, in a match in the World Cups Pool D. This was Romanias second loss in the current World Cup, after 11-38 against France. Sundays game between Ireland and Romania brought a new world record attendance to a World Cup match, with 89,267 people attending. Romania is to play next against Italy and Canada.